December 2023 - Page 3 of 6 - Shepherd of Faith

Make room in your heart – life’s theme! Today I want to share another song that touched me as I listened yesterday. Make Room by Casting Crowns.

A few words/phrases that stirred in my heart: is there room in your heart for God to write His story?; come as you are; it will set you apart; trade your dreams for His glory!

Some things I will ponder today and I hope you will too: What is the “story” I have to make room for? What dreams do I have to trade? Do I really have to “trade” my dreams, as in “give up on” or am I just handing them over for him to make perfect? Isn’t life less burdensome when we trust that God will take care of everything? God bless you!

Last year I spent the twelve days of Christmas contemplating the various renditions of the Nativity in artwork. This year, I’ve decided to focus on the beautiful music I’ve heard that’s animated my heart to the joy of the season.

As I listened to Christmas worship music on my way to visit my parents for Christmas, I couldn’t help but feel something stirring in my heart at the sound of certain phrases being sung so I wanted to share the songs with you.

The first is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. O Come O Come Emmanuel! This rendition is not the traditional one, but it’s awesome nonetheless.

Just some words I found stirring as I listened: exile, ransom, key. It reminded me of how the missionaries of Acts XXIX sum up the Gospel – created, captured, ransomed, response. If you haven’t checked out their website or podcast, please do. I have them listed on my resources and apps pages. Fr. John Riccardo and his group of missionaries are amazing and share lots of awesome insights. One I’ll share, which I hope will pique your interest enough to click, is Fr. John’s image of Jesus as an AMBUSH PREDATOR! What will your response be today? God bless you!