Drum the Message Home

'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.' Psalm 19:1-2 (CSB) The eyes take in what the heart and mind already knows that God is alive. God exists and He often overwhelms us with beautiful things, as if we were but a mere speck on the lens, He overwhelms us by proximity and by the mere size of the universe and with the enormity of His eternal glory. Infinite beauty is on display in nature for the finite to behold. Daylight bursts forth through the darkness in perfect rhythm. You bring balance and life to it all. God made with thine wisdom and thine own skillful hands, everything, throughout all the heavens, including, sun, moon and stars . A beautiful dance of grace in the heavens each night, lights to show the way, with each step choreographed so that none are lost or that none should collide. He made it all with intelligent design

'Jesus replied, “Now you finally believe in me. And the time has come when you will all be scattered, and each one of you will go your own way, leaving me alone! Yet I am never alone, for the Father is always with me. And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” John 16;31-33 (TPT) The Bible says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Right there in the midst of all these amazing promises is peace. John's gospel documents this event in the life of Jesus but these are the words of Jesus himself. What do we know about Jesus and what He says to us? All truth. Nothing but the truth, and we even put an oath to God with it. He made this personal statement to His disciples before He was cruc

'The singers lead the way. After them come the musicians. In the middle are virgins playing hand drums. In the assemblies bless God, the Lord, who is the Fountain of Israel.' Psalm 68:25-26 (EHV) Our God is like a tympani! Mighty and strong is He. He fills the house with His glory and His people come to Him in orderly fashion to shout their praise and to tell stories of their victories. Can you imagine the look of shock on the faces of David's enemies as they witnessed the enormous multitude of worshipers before them at the great victory dance? Imagine the emotions and the anger they felt in their hearts as they admitted defeat and submitted to him. For the defeated, all of their bitter complaints go unnoticed as they bowed their heads to the spectacular sights and sounds of David and his kingdom on their way to church. Bend the knee they shall. Battle after battle he claimed victory over them. He was a shepherd to his flock. He was a mighty warrior as

'Now, there is no comparison between Adam’s transgression and the gracious gift that we experience. For the magnitude of the gift far outweighs the crime. It’s true that many died because of one man’s transgression, but how much greater will God’s grace and his gracious gift of acceptance overflow to many because of what one Man, Jesus, the Messiah, did for us! And this free-flowing gift imparts to us much more than what was given to us through the one wh o sinned. For because of one transgression, we are all facing a death sentence with a verdict of “Guilty!” But this gracious gift leaves us free from our many failures and brings us into the perfect righteousness of God—acquitted with the words “Not guilty!” Death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righte

'And now let me speak to the wives. Be devoted to your own husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the Word of God, your kind conduct may win them over without you saying a thing. For when they observe your pure, godly life before God, it will impact them deeply. Let your true beauty come from your inner personality, not a focus on the external. For lasting beauty comes from a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is precious in God’s sight and is much mor e important than the outward adornment of elaborate hair, jewelry, and fine clothes.' 1 Peter 3:1-4 (TPT) Wives, are we to find value in the visual? God loves beauty. We do too, but know that it will soon fade. The face we have now will not be the face we will have then. We should strive to be both beautiful on the outside and on the inside. We miss it when we think that clothes and hair make the person. We may look nice, but the unbelieving spouse will know our depth as soon as we open our mouths, Heav

'Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.' Job 2:11-13 (NASB) Friendship. True friendship, it may be hard to find, but we know it when we see it. Easily a blessing from God you are to me. Even with a look, you can tell what I need before I even say a word. You are always there with a word of support, a pie, a book or even a hug. What would I do without you. You never judge me or think that what

'But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce and difficult for the people of God. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these!' 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (TPT)  Paul's warning to Timothy was as relevant then as it

'She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence, and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand.' Proverbs 31:17 (VOICE) Morning exercises. One, two... Use it or lose it. Three, four. Repeat ten times then do it again. Some say yeah. Some say nay. Our bodies are gifts from God so it is up to me to take good care of mine. Bicep curls today and leg crunches tomorrow. When I commit to workouts and train my arms, it's funny how that focus extends itself to the rest of me. Exercising my muscles helps strengthen my bones as well. Not just my arms, but my heart and lungs are even made stronger. I get up early and do it to be prepared for every task that might present itself later on this day. Why not lift weights? Weaker sex, they say? That is true, but that won't stop me from taking the time to study to exercise my mind and to workout to exercise my muscles in order to be the best I can be. I refuse to get discouraged by the b

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong. Matthew 5:33-37 (MSG) This counsel was simply the antithesis of what Moses had taught them in the past. The law was based on words and oaths. Jesus was a radical law breaker! He instructed His followers to refrain from making an empty promise or from taking an oath at all. What? Why? It seems reasonable to say that we should tell the truth and say what we mean. It's also true that much of what we do is based on traditions and habits. Why shouldn't I, with good intentions, be able t

'When the crowd gathered again, the people brought their children to see Jesus, hoping that He might grant them His blessing through His touch. His disciples turned them all away; but when Jesus saw this, He was incensed. Jesus (to the disciples): Let the children come to Me, and don’t ever stand in their way, for this is what the kingdom of God is all about. Truly anyone who doesn’t accept the kingdom of God as a little child does can never enter it. Jesus gathered the children in His arms, and He laid His hands on them to bless them.' Mark 10:13-16 (VOICE) For the parents knew even more than His disciples did in this matter of spiritual importance, that where the Lord was one would find favor and blessings would flow and because of this they only wanted Jesus to bless their children. The disciples thought they were unworthy for the Master's attention, and when Jesus saw His disciples turning these people away from Him, He became very angry. He explained t

'Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God. This celestial Word remained ever present with the Creator; His speech shaped the entire cosmos. Immersed in the practice of creating, all things that exist were birthed in Him. His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light— A light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched.'  John 1:1-5 (VOICE) Wake up. Wake up. Thank goodness it's Sunday! It's a new day. It's a new beginning. Jesus, speaking and revealing Himself to us on this day, through His Word and His voice being heard. The sheep hear His voice and recognize Him as God and creator. He gives life to all things and is the light of reason that draws all things to it. From darkness to light we are drawn to Him. Drawn to a light that is too big to put out. Wake up and know Jesus as the Son of God and believe in Him as your personal savior

'It is for this reason that I bow my knees before the Father, after whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray: Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives a re founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings.'  Ephesians 3:14-19 (VOICE) With the proper posture and attitude we come to You, God to make our petitions known. What other prayer would there be, than the prayer that Your people would persevere. We pray for spiritual blessings to flow in our hearts and s

'God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders.' Psalm 145:3-5 (MSG) You are impressively beautiful. In You we find nothing lacking. Your magnificent creation appears to us in all its spectacular glory; amazing colors on the stage for all to see. Your complete works are limitless, extravagant, glorious, breathtaking, and awe-inspiring. Even to the end, You delivered and You do not disappoint. You thought of everything. You even considered the sinner, and You sent Your Son who knew no sin to die for us. Christ, who being full of grace and compassion, came into the world to save the sinner through His words and His works. His Word brings life and His great works of goodness and grace accomplished Your magnificent plan of redemption. H

' If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.   Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.' 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (MSG)   Light up the darkness! As messengers it is our challenge to find every way possible to be that light and to

“Now Lord, look at their threats and give to your servants the ability to keep on speaking your word with all boldness as you stretch out your hand to heal and as signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. Also, everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.' Acts 4:29-31 (EHV) Their threat was real. Don't you know it was even coming from the religious authorities, the very ones that had crucified their Lord? A normal reaction would be to retreat. Save yourselves. Yet, even though the heat was on them to stop preaching and going and doing, they gathered to pray. Even though the heat was on them and the threat was real they gathered to pray and to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit's power. They gathered to pray for the power to persist. They gathered to pray for more boldness to preach the gospel. They gathered t

                                           My Son-There is No One Else in the World Like You Today you turn 30! What a milestone. A day to reflect and to celebrate you.   I find delight in reflecting on the day when you entered the world!  Life began for you in a room full of support. Dad, grandma, great-grandma, great-grandpa, doctors and nurses, they were all there to celebrate your arrival.  You were loved. You were showered with gifts by neighbors, work, family and friends. The day we brought you home; the leaders were conservative, Reagan and Bush; the prices were low, bread .74 and gallon of gas .96; the songs of the 80s were simple and carefree 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' reflecting a year of hope and 'Sweet Child o' Mine' which seemed so appropriate for us being you were our first born. Our first born: a dream come true; an answer to prayer; unique and perfect in every way. Life was perfect. Eyes not blue,

'Moses: Listen, Israel! The Eternal is our True God—He alone. You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength. Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning.' Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (VOICE) Parents, grandparents and educators should know that God loves and wants children and adults. Children can only live according to His ways if they know His Word. Their minds are like beautiful little fertile fields and they are capable of producing such a good crop if we let them.   The wisdom book says to train up a child in the way he should go. We should be helping them to find their own way. We see the wisdom in the Word and are blessed beyond measure by pointing