Author: Amy

When I told Patrick I was expecting our first child, he smiled and paused to think. Then he simply said, “I’m trying to imagine the noises a baby will be making in this house . . .” It was such a sweet thought and such a foreign concept to us at the time.

One of my favorite Old Testament verses is Zephaniah 3:17.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

I have always loved the simple yet wondrous truths listed in this verse. Our God is present. He saves. He rejoices over His people. He comforts us. But the thought of His singing is truly overwhelming to me. The Hebrew word for singing translates a “ringing cry” or a “joyful shouting.” I cannot imagine what that noise would sound like from the Creator of all things, much as I could not imagine what my own baby’s cry would be like for my ears or especially for my heart.

I simply love the thought of my heavenly Father making noise. He delights in His chosen people. And I can only liken it to how I take delight in my own daughters. And oh yes, I sing over them.

Yesterday, I drove all over the north side of Indianapolis. In my final few miles of driving I found myself on a straight country road where traffic was heavy. About one hundred yards before a four-way stop sign, my steering wheel completely locked up. I could not turn to the right or to the left. I managed to stop at the stop sign and proceed through the intersection with no control of my steering wheel. I even made it to the side of the road safely.

Apparently my idler pulley had broken. I didn’t even know I had an idler pulley! As I recalled all my travels of the day, the high speed curves of 465 and other countless heavy-traffic areas, I marveled at the timing of its failure. How good and gracious the Lord was to me! It stirred up memories of the March 14, 2012, accident when He miraculously spared me.

To have no control and no ability to steer the vehicle was a helpless feeling. It gave “Jesus, take the wheel” a whole new meaning! There’s certainly a spiritual application to be drawn here…

Our Sovereign Lord is in control of all things. He holds not some, not many, but all things together. We can rest in the knowledge that He is all-powerful and all-knowing.

And, we are actually not supposed to swerve to the right or to the left, but are to set our gaze directly in front of us and upon His dear face. So often I hold the wheel of my life and believe I have control. So often I swerve when I should merely move forward toward Him. He is a loving Guide and Savior.

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go (Joshua 1:7).

Forgiveness is something believers in Christ Jesus are supposed to understand and apply throughout our lives. We see the perfect model of forgiveness in our Savior as He asked the Father to forgive His tormentors. When we are sinned against we need look no further than His example for guidance. However, as we search our hearts, we quickly learn that we are not capable of this task without His help. In His goodness, Christ helps us lay down hurts that otherwise could haunt us for our entire earthly lives.

For me, there is a magical element to forgiveness. Though a wound may be visible, it no longer stings my skin. Though a memory may be sharp, it no longer mocks my mind. Though a suffering may be consequential, it no longer holds my heart.

It’s as if Christ takes an eraser and wipes away what was, offering us a fresh beginning to what can be. What we thought would never end or would finish us in the process, becomes a part of our story, growing us in His likeness.

Forgiveness is our command, our duty, but it is also our delight. It is one of the greatest gifts we can offer to others because it was so freely given to us at such a high cost.

When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:33-34).

Balance is my dream. Webster defines this word as “an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements.” Yes! It’s all the elements of life mixed together in an attractive order. Balance. Lovely word. Wonderful notion. But how does one achieve it? And if they do, how do they maintain it?

I’m thankful that the Lord is a detailed, ordered, planned-out Creator. He doesn’t leave things to chance nor allow for chaos. He is the King of Balance! This is the answer. We can try to juggle our schedules, our jobs, our ministries, our activities, our relationships, our diets, our sleep, our emotions, our desires, and so on, but it’s like walking a tight rope. Wobbling or falling is inevitable. Only when our eyes are straight ahead, and our feet not turning to the right or the left, can we walk this life rope with balance. Only when we are setting our sights on the Savior of Truth and Wisdom will we juggle these balls with grace and accuracy. Living Christ-centered calms us. It allows for His control and peace in a land of chaos and disorder.

Balance. Beautiful concept. And totally possible only because of Him.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left (Isaiah‬ ‭30:21‬).

For the past several months, Patrick and I have enjoyed becoming a part of a family who desire to live their lives for Christ. It has been a precious journey and we are very thankful to the dear folks of Harbour Shores Church for accepting us and loving us and letting us do “our thang.” I wanted to write a hymn that expresses the way we as a body of believers hope to serve our Savior. I’m dedicating this hymn to the church family and pray it is a blessing to all who may sing it.

These lyrics create a simple prayer asking the Father to hear us, teach us, free us, use us, heal us, protect us, and keep us ever mindful of His cause and His kingdom. May these desires dwell deeply in our hearts always as His children.

LET YOUR WILL BE DONE
For Harbour Shores Church
Amy Branson Fata
© 2018 Portion Music (ASCAP)

Father, hear Your children pray
We come now as jars of clay
Pour into us all that would grow us
As we seek Your face
We desire Your hand to know
Teach us how our feet should go
For Your cause and for Your Kingdom
Let Your Will Be Done

Father, hear Your children sing
We surrender to our King
Jesus has revealed Your mercy
Through His nail-pierced hands
Hold us in Your perfect way
Let us never turn or sway
For Your cause and for Your Kingdom
Let Your Will Be Done

Father, as Your children heal
Bend our scars to serve Your will
Make of sorrow fields of harvest
Use our pain for good
Let not suff’ring be in vain
Glorify Your matchless name
For Your cause and for Your Kingdom
Let Your Will Be Done

Father, soon before Your throne
We will bow with Heaven’s throng
Blessing, honor, glory and power
Be unto Your name
We’ll forever know Your Light
Christ, our Prize, our one Delight
For Your cause and for Your Kingdom
Let Your Will Be Done

Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” yet I hear so many refer to December as dreaded and draining. As musicians, we understand the drain. Programs hit right and left requiring preparation and practice. But when we stop and think for just one moment about why we are doing all of this—every hymn arrangement, every rehearsal, every Amazon order, every ribbon and bow—we realize the great mysterious joy behind it all: Christ in us!

Paul spoke so clearly about this mystery. For those without it, there is only a void in their rituals and stress. But for those in Christ Jesus, there is victory! There is joy and determination and purpose to all our Christmas activities. May we not lose sight of the Babe of Bethlehem, for He has given us eyes to see Him! And He is more radiant, more marvelous, and more glorious than the finest of sparkling Christmas trees.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (Colossians 1:27-29).

Fall is a season of change. Every year, the tree in our front yard turns fiery orange. It’s the most brilliant display on the street but, unfortunately, it lasts only a day or two. We marvel at it one day only to look out our window the next day and find it bare. So quickly it sheds its colored leaves. I find this change too abrupt. I want to look at it longer and enjoy it for awhile.

I’ve been reflecting on the changes I’ve personally experienced in my own life in the past five years. It’s quite overwhelming to realize how much the ground has shifted under my feet. This is hard to digest at times but as I stand back and look at the big picture of change, I realize I’m still okay. I’m still blessed. And I’m still changing!

Of course, as believers, we are ever being shaped into the likeness of the Son as the Father prunes us in ways He sees fit for our story and for His glory. This is positive change. Most people think of change as negative but I’m realizing that even when change feels difficult, it can be viewed as positive because the Lord has allowed it. I can accept any change from the hand of the unchanging One because He is faithful and works things out according to His good and gracious will. And, usually, I find that once change has taken place, things are exactly as they should be. How wonderful is this King of ours, ordaining the steps of His people through seasons of change and growth.

I wonder what I will know next fall.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

What is most important to you?

Most of the time we aren’t honest with ourselves as we answer this question. We want Christ to be in first place in our hearts, but is He? After all, He is preeminent in all things. Paul proclaims the truth of Christ’s supreme position in Colossians 1:17-18: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

How is it that He possesses all power over every molecule in this universe and beyond, and yet we dethrone Him so easily in our hearts with temporary treasures? Here is a checklist of questions that can help us evaluate their priorities:

Do I awaken in the morning speaking His name?
Do I run to Him first throughout the day?
When news hits, whom do I tell first?
Do I instantly offer Him thanks and praise when receiving good news?
Can I do this even when the news is sorrowful?
Am I found daily in His Word, the study of it, the meditation of it, the memorization of it?
Do I have fears?
Do I worry?
Do I battle anxiety?
Do I overly value things that He’d consider unedifying for my life?
Do I fail with my mouth? My thoughts? My actions?
Do I drift off to sleep at night trusting His will is being done in my life? Do I rest in this?

When my Lillie was five or six years old, she proclaimed she loves mommy and daddy and her sister right here (holding her hands to her shoulder), but loves the Lord way up here (raising her hands as high as possible). I knew, of course, she still had much to learn about what loving the Lord really means, but what a precious childlike view. She at least got how it should be!

It is truly amazing in light of all that Jesus is that He desires to have first place in our lives. May we be willing to examine our priorities and determine what has our utmost affections.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2).

In the car driving home from church, I asked each of my girls what they had learned. My ten-year-old is always well-thought-out with her answers. “In my class, we talked about what it means to be a light in the darkness. Jesus is the light inside of us and we shine that light to a dark world.”

My seven-year-old takes a different approach to almost everything in life. “I got to see holes that moles make!” Hilarious. Apparently her class had played outside. She cut straight to the highlight of the night for her heart.

Interestingly enough, these two answers correlate. Moles are creatures that dwell in darkness, having their homes underground where the sun doesn’t shine. The mole will realize the light only if it exits its darkness. When the light of our Savior calls us out of our personal darkness, we no longer wish to return to it.

The concept of light vs. darkness is found throughout all of Scripture.

For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness (Psalm 18:28).

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart (Psalm 107:14).

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone (Isaiah 9:2).

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:4-5).

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).

We who have basked in the light of God through Christ Jesus recognize that our deliverance from darkness is the greatest gift in our lives. In light of this truth, are we shining for Him in this dark world?

I have a really old dog. Maestro is my first born and my only son! He’s 14 and 1/2 years old, and in his senectitude, he’s decided he doesn’t need to please us anymore. Many times he knows what we’re asking of him as he makes eye contact with us, but still chooses to walk the other direction. Sometimes we have to get treats so he will follow us. I love this animal as much as is humanly possible, but sometimes he can be a real jerk! 🙂

God isn’t holding a treat box in His hand. He’s not dangling a carrot in front of us to get us to move in the right direction so that we will make good choices or be pleasing to Him. And even when we are blatantly being jerks, He is still loving and kind and patient with us. The Lord knows what motivates us, what stirs us, what idols of the heart we individually battle, and He is working all these things for our good and for His glory.

Maestro’s lack of obedience with us is a picture of God’s children with Him. The Master knows what we individually need. We look into His eyes and we either surrender and follow or we walk the other way. Either path we take He uses to grow us. But oh, what joy is ours when we obey! There is blessing on the other side of obedience. We fall firmly into His hand and can rest as His people.

Sometimes I wish I could speak spiritual truths to my dog. But usually, he ends up teaching me about myself.