Come, Let Us Sing for Joy

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. — Psalm 95:1-2

Let us sing with joy to the Lord. 

And shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Come before God with thanksgiving.

And praise Him with music and with songs of joy.

He is our God, and we will praise Him!

Shout to God With Songs of Joy

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. — Psalm 47:1

Here's James singing to Katie at their wedding yesterday.

We traveled to Spokane, Washington, for the weekend and had a fun time with friends.

It was raining in the morning, but it cleared up in time for the ceremony.

And James wrote a beautiful song to his bride.

Very moving, and a sweet testimony to their faith as well as to each other.

The day before during the rain, we saw a rainbow as we were having dinner.

A reminder of God's promises to us.

Happy May Day.

Shout to God with cries of joy!

 

Shout for Joy to God

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. — Psalm 66:1-2

Yesterday our friend Holden came to visit from Humboldt.

His dad was Kirk's best friend.

Holden brought his girlfriend Gabrielle with him.

We had a great time reminiscing and catching up with them.

It was a beautiful afternoon out on our patio.

Kirk opened a bottle of Fratelli Perata cabernet, which we enjoyed together.

Here he is a few years ago with his mom and older brother.

Such fun to get to spend time with them both.

Raise Your Voice Like a Trumpet

Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. — Isaiah 58:1

Sunday we worshiped God together as a family.

Kirk and I served communion.

We sang together — Abby, Kirk and me.

We prayed and heard God's Word. 

We worshiped with our household of faith.

With other believers and seekers of the faith.

We were blessed.

 

Sing for Joy

Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. — Isaiah 44:23

God has created the earth.

We sing for joy, joining the heavens in song.

The Lord has done this.

We cannot help but shout aloud.

The earth cries out in praise.

And we raise our voices in joy.

This morning I'll go hiking with some friends.

We may go through Mission Trails by the dam, or we may just go around our neighborhood for 3 miles. 

It will be fun to catch up and get outdoors.

Praise God in the firmament of His power.

My Lips Will Shout for Joy

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered. — Psalm 71:22

God has delivered me from the power of death and sin.

My lips will shout for joy.

I will sing praise to God.

Here's our choir before we had to shelter in place.

Now we meet on Zoom every week for our rehearsal.

About 20 of us tune in on Zoom or Facebook each week.

It is fund to catch up with everyone as well as to sing together.

When I sing praise to God, my lips will shout for joy!

Let's Shout Aloud

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. — Psalm 95:1

I have so many reasons to be joyful.

God gives me a voice to sing and shout His praises.

He is my Rock when I'm unsure.

He has provided me with family and friends who care about  me, pray for me, and put up with me.

God is the Rock of my salvation.

All of these things cause me to sing for joy.

Kindnesses of the Lord

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us — yes, the many good things he has done. — Isaiah 63:7-8

The Lord has done many good things for us.

I will tell of the kindnesses God has done for me.

I will shout out the deeds for which he is to be praised.

He has seen me through my chemo treatments. He has removed the cancer from my body.

He has given me the strength to sing his praises.

He has overwhelmed me with blessings.

Rejoice, You Earth!

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. — Isaiah 49:13

Here is the pond outside my work. What a beautiful, relaxing place to walk, sit, and contemplate our great God.

The waterfall makes a soothing sound, and the birds that gather enjoy the cool water.

God comforts us when we grieve.

He has compassion on us when we feel afflicted and worn out. 

He gives me the strength to shout for joy and burst into song.

Shout for Joy

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You — I, whom You have redeemed! — Psalm 71:23

We are planning for Gary's memorial service, trying to decide which foods to have afterward, who will read Scripture, which hymns to sing, and how many people to expect.

Again, we are blessed with friends who offer to help with the flowers, food, music, service, reception, and whatever we need.

Thanks to you all.

We shout for joy with praise to our God for family and wonderful memories.

For new experiences we will share together this year.

We are thankful.

Singing Praise

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You — I, whom  you have redeemed. — Psalm 71:23

I enjoy singing, and God has given us music so we can praise Him with our words and our music.

One songwriter said that when we sing, we pray twice!

I like that thought.

God has redeemed us, we are His.

He has called us by name, and I can shout for joy and sing praise to Him day and night.

Shout for Joy

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn — shout for joy before the Lord, the King. – Psalm 98:4-6

I love the Sundays that our orchestra plays during our worship service.

The instruments add so much to the hymns, at times even drowning out our voices, causing us to sing even louder and more jubilantly.

The trumpet players often sit in front of me in the choir loft, and I especially enjoy their sound, although I love them all.

The trumpet en chamade on our organ has pipes that extend over our heads, and that sound is wonderful, too.

Shout for join to the Lord, all the earth. Burst into jubilant song with music.

Shout for joy before the Lord, the King!

Shout for Joy!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.  — Psalm 98:4-6

Flowers from Axos Bank Employees

Yesterday I drove back into work for the first time since my surgery.

I was overwhelmed with wonderful food including fruit, coffee cake, muffins, croissant sandwiches, a chocolate genache cake and two bouquets of flowers! Here's one.

One of my coworkers even lent me his ergonomic anti-fatigue mat so I could use it while standing at my computer. When I offered to return it that afternoon, he encouraged me to keep it for a week until I decided if I want to get one of my own.

I am blessed by wonderful people who kept asking about how I was doing.

After work, I met with my prayer accountability group, and they are such encouraging and supportive Christian women.

Thank you, Lord, for surrounding me with such a blessed support team.

Today we are shouting for joy!