This is one of my favorite video clips. Lecturer Louis Giglio, demonstrates some incredible truth about God, showing us how all of creation literally sings to God. It brings me to tears darn near every time. 💕
But tonight... I have been fighting a long bout of bronchitis and have not been able to sing much, and my tinwhistles are often interrupted by fits of coughing, but I have persisted. This week I’ve been asked to play prayer music/intercession for others in the spirit, to alleviate pain, speed healing both physical and emotional, and a variety of other things. I’ve sat with God a lot as I’ve read books and articles on prayer and worship and healing, and it’s been a busy, busy week. And tonight I see this vido pop up on my news feed again... and I’m bawling. Humbled. Wrecked.
Why?
Because I get to play music.
Because my God — who has an entire symphony of stars and whales and birds and planets and choirs of angels and the whole friggen UNIVERSE to sing to Him...
...chose ME.
The God with literally all of that, the God who IS all, who wants for nothing... picked little, old me to play music.
For Him.
I am driven to my knees in gratitude to be part of His amazing song.
I have been greatly disturbed as of late with the legislations popping up in different states regarding abortions. I find myself vacillating between holy anger and utter heartbreak that we have become so lost as a nation of people that life is virtually worthless (unless you’re a dog or a cat or some other animal, that is. There is plenty of empathy for them.). I have not known how to pray, though the burden has been heavy on my mother’s heart.
I lost my firstborn son 34 minutes after he was born from birth complications — you can read some of that in my Testimony, or do a google search for my name and Michael’s name, and you can read all about it on my old Wordpress site — and it pains me deeply that the people who told me in the depths of my grief that my son had been a “parasite” and wasn’t worth grieving, are part and parcel of this dark mentality that is sweeping our nation. And it hurts me as deeply now as it did then.
“Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”
Indeed. The startling number of accounts from former cult members on their ritualistic involvement at various abortion facilities (yes, you read that right) also deeply infuriates and wounds me. How are we so blind as to miss the black-and-white fact that if we do not play for God’s team, there is only ONE other option? That not holding to God’s deep regard and honor for life means we are playing right into the machinations of our spiritual enemy??
But I did not sit down here this evening to go to battle. I am battle-weary, and wish instead to share a vision I had the other night:
I had finished reading yet another unsettling article about the above topics and sat down to pray with tears running down my face. I can’t remember now what I prayed, but I do remember that I felt urged to play music — something I find is an integral piece of my being a follower of Christ, and a newly-budded Intercessor/prophetic musician. I drug out my whistle case and settled on a song in a heartbeat. I wanted to play FOR the souls of those children. And play, I did.
As I relaxed into the notes, I closed my eyes and was immediately dropped back into the garden I’ve visited a few times now with Jesus or the Father. This time, I was sitting on a little embankment and many, many small children of varying ages were sitting on my lap, cuddled next to my legs, cuddled next to each other... I couldn’t count, but I Felt. Jesus was standing, facing me, and he had two babies in his arms and several young children clustered around his robes. And everyone was so innocent, and the children loved being so close and there was so much love, and yet sadness, too. These were the children, a small portion of the much larger number, who had their chances stolen from them. They knew this in the way only the spirit can. But for now, they were with Jesus, and that was beautiful.
The vision ended as abruptly as it began. My heart was more easy than it had been.
Some days I am deeply uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the things God is choosing to show me, and then there are times like the other night when I sit down to pray and am deeply comforted. I don’t have all the answers, only what I am shown. At the unprecedented rate at which God seems to be active, combined with dreams I’ve had as of late with Him showing me various resurrections coupled with Him decreeing “I AM the God who brings life where there once was death,” tells me this next year is going to be very interesting indeed!
Heavenly Father, May your arrival be swift as the wild geese returning in spring, With as much fanfare and trumpeting, And may every knee bow and hearts declare Your rule and reign As even the rocks cry out in the book of Luke 19. Amen.
I am no stranger to recording, but this is a new project. At the end of last year, I felt the call from God to start recording music again (I had gotten weary of the sheer legwork and marketing involved in being an indie musician), but this time record music for Him and not for other purposes. This came on the heels of a vision I had at the end of December, in which I got dropped into this amazing garden... indescribable, really... and Jesus was running and laughing ahead of me. He was so FULL of Joy, like He had been waiting for me to join Him. I got distracted by this amazing water fountain, and then panicked briefly, as I remembered I’d forgotten Who I had been walking with (eek! I was rude to Jesus! 🤦🏻♀️), but when I looked up to find Him, He was standing next to me with this happy smile that brought me to tears. He handed me a solid gold tinwhistle, and I was humbled by the gift, and a bit confused as to why He was handing it to me. When I looked up into His eyes, he simply said, “play and be happy.” My heart did this little skip, and the rest of the vision was me playing music while He danced and the birds sang this incredible birdsong to sing along with my flutes.
I tend to hear God, or feel His emotions or presence, but this vision stuff is entirely new to me. Since December of 2018, the number and intensity of visions I have had has ramped up. This garden vision felt as real to my body and senses as it does to walk outside my farmhouse door in the spring. But I digress.
Not only was the vision a surprise, but the request that came through about two weeks later to begin composing again was as well. I’ve written a couple tunes so far (scribed them, really, onto paper, they seemed to arrive mostly complete, which was rather unlike my usual method of songwriting), and have just begun the recording.
‘Why am I not charging for the work?’ I have struggled with this one myself, as life can be rather lean at times as a musician. But having my spiritual eyes opened to various truths over the last few months has changed my tune (hardy har, I’m punny!). It is more important to do the work God is calling me to, for the good of His purposes, than it is to get compensation. There are larger forces at work, and we live in very interesting times... God’s agenda should take precedence. And... There’s that verse about the sparrows. If I’m doing His work and trusting Him, He’ll provide for my needs. Period. (It can be hard to Trust on that level, very hard especially as bills come in every month, but He’s never let us down without a significant reason.)
So, long story short, as I get these songs recorded, they’ll go up in the playlist, and also be available for download. And, I hope you enjoy. May you see a little of the Father in the heart of these humble notes. ❤️
In the early Irish church, there was this concept of ‘journeying for the love of God’: peregrinatio.
The Celtic people, though agrarian and strongly tied to the land, were often the type of people who had itchy feet. The peregrini, as they were called, would take to the road or the sea by boat, and literally throw themselves af God’s feet to see where He would take them. They believed themselves to be “pilgrims of the world,” (echoing the sentiments of scripture’s exhortation to be “in the world, but not of the world”) and sought God around every bend in the road, behind every tree, and in the eye and mouth of every stranger they met.
But it wasn’t a seeking as if God was not already with them, quite the contrary. This type of pilgrimage was only undertaken at the prompting of the Spirit... almost as if they were seeking God’s will, a discovery of Truth — both of the world and of the inner journey into self-awareness — that could only occur with time spent in close communion with Him.
And many times whether it be on the road, or in life, you find your journey carries you back to your beginnings, with fresh perspective, maturity, and wisdom. Every year we have the same four seasons, and yet each successive year sees changes in their manifestation. An ever-deepening spiral into intimacy (think: into-ME-see) with self, community, world, and our great and holy Creator-God.
Today, may you be blessed with understanding Of the steps of your own journey And of the Father’s guiding hand Resting softly upon your shoulder.
Today is the Irish holiday, ‘Saint Brigid’s Day.’ Though her origins are obscure, she is generally regarded as being an early proponent, teacher, and evangelist of the Irish church (circa 450 A.D.). Brigid is often depicted as carrying a torch or lantern — a carrier of the Light — and she is strongly associated with the creative arts of poetry, music, and scribal illumination, even having founded and managed her own monastery in county Kildare devoted to the dissemination and learning of them.
Traditionally, this day is used for praying over and blessing the home, as Brigid’s other association is over the home (properly, the ‘hearth’ where the fire is kept, because a home without a fire going is merely a house), and it is common to build crosses out of rushes or reeds to hang over the doorway as part of the blessing.
May the Lord send angels of protection to patrol around your house’s borders,
Turning back any that would seek to do you ill
And May He pour out a blessing upon those who dwell in your house
As I mentioned on my page about my ‘humble little flutes,’ it is my mission in life to play music for others. God and I are still working out the details... But in the meantime...
Please enjoy this Celtic slipjig. I filmed this in October. I miss those days. The winter has been long here and I am missing my sunshine and trees.
I follow the ancient sect of Christianity that the Celts and Irish people followed between the 5th and 9th centuries. NO, that does NOT mean I practice ‘magic’ or other pagan practices. That is a gross misconception and total perversion of what “Celtic Christianity” really is. Read some books by Rev. Ray Simpson, or J. Philip Newell. Listening for the Heartbeat of God is a good one. So is The Celtic Way of Prayer by Esther de Waal. “Celtic Christianity” is more properly known as “Irish Monasticism.” Their flavor of Monasticism is highlighted by the seven particular distinctives:
Holism, God in all things. No compartmentalization of faith in our lives. Awareness of the sacred in all things. Equality, of the clergy and the laity. We are all walking each other home. Mystery, our infinite God cannot be fully comprehended by finite man. Environment, the earth in all its wonder was given to us by God, and we are to be good stewards of His creation. Hope, to seek first the Good in all things, for the One we trust is Greater than all evil. Immanence, God didn’t just dwell with us in the Garden, nor did He only come to be with us in Jesus, but He is with us even now. Simplicity, of doctrine, faith, and lifestyle. When we are not perpetually distracted, we are better able to hear the Lord’s words to our heart.
I will write more on my own faith in the days to come. For now, suffice to say that my worship is often spent outdoors, soaking in the midst of His creation, using the Gift He gave me (music). It brings me much joy, and I hope, you as well. 💕
I’ve been watching so many of us struggle through such hardship these last couple years, myself and my family included. As God has gotten increasingly loud over the course of last fall, I asked Him the other day, “how long? How much longer do we have to struggle before we reach a breakthrough?” And in typical GOD fashion, no sooner than the words left my mouth than this song comes on the radio. ❤️
“You are so much closer than you’ve ever been / you just haven’t seen it yet.”
Hang in there, friends, HE’s got a plan and we’re almost there. 💕 Galatians 6:9: ‘Do Not grow weary of doing good works, for the time of harvest is at hand.’ The sunrise is coming!!
