A Year of Answered Prayer - "Hiding Place"

   Last New Year's Eve, our family prayed that this year (2013) would be a year of answered prayer. I could not have foreseen how many prayers God would answer, some of which I am probably even still unaware of. I would like to highlight a few as I take a look back on 2013.

- God's gracious intervention in my desperate health situation. I'm not 100% yet, but God has been so faithful to get me to where I am today. I am very grateful to be alive. =)

- My grandparents' move to Arizona which seemed like an impossibility for a number of reasons. God is the God of the impossible! It happened so fast, we couldn't believe it!

- God leading us to a church family. The day I walked in, I felt like I was home.

- And my favorite: Our son surrendering his life to Christ and becoming a born-again believer. That was such a tremendous blessing! =)

   There are so many more, too many to name. We also saw prayers answered in families we were praying for.

   But I feel so humbled to even name the four above. So humbled that the God that created this vast universe cares about me, smaller than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things.

   I am so humbled by God's love for me. It is truly an amazing thing!

   And God gave me so many songs in 2013! Songs I know that are for others as much as they are for me. Here is a rough version of one of them - "Hiding Place":



   I am looking forward to sharing more of these songs with you in the upcoming New Year - 2014!

   My prayer for each of you this coming New Year would be that God would take you to higher heights and greater depths, that you would know Him in a deeper way and love Him more and more as each day goes by. A blessed New Year to all of you!

 "But just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." 

1Cr 2:9 NASB

A broken vessel saved by grace,

Adriel

New Version of "I Come to You" is Live!

You can hear the new version of "I Come to You", which has been amazingly improved by Matthew Winfree of Hope66 on SoundCloud HERE. Matthew Winfree did a wonderful job in editing, mastering, producing, enhancing (what else am I forgetting?), this song - just really adding that sparkle to it. What a blessing! =)

I'm an amateur at best in the recording, arranging and audio aspect of this endeavor. Not even an amateur, really. So I really, really appreciated his help. I think that was incredibly awesome of him. =)

I hope you enjoy the new version and, most of all, that it encourages and blesses you. If you're interested in the story behind the song, you can find that HERE.

As always, all glory to Jesus,

Adriel

December

As this new month begins, the flashbacks of last year's December come at me like arrows poisoned with fear. God has been hacking away at that root of fear this whole past year and I must admit that it has been somewhat discouraging to find fear still lurking in my heart.

A verse came to mind yesterday as I contemplated the upcoming new month.

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." Psalm 56:3

It doesn't say "if", it says "when". It's going to happen. There are going to be moments of fear, moments of being afraid. But in those moments, what I decide to do makes all the difference. The writer goes on to say that when he is afraid, he will put his trust in God.

I watched a testimony of Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, early last year (when I was right in the middle of physical turmoil). He described the few moments after he had been kidnapped and put into a car going who knows where (he ended up in prison for 14 years because of his faith in Christ). He related how as he sat there, he remembered that there are 366 passages of scripture that say to not be afraid or fear, one scripture for every day, even during a leap year. He made a decision at that moment to trust God.

That was and is so powerful and his response echoes what I want my heart's response to be as I face this month's anniversary of the hairy situation I faced late last year and early this year. Trusting God and knowing and believing that I am in good hands that will never let me go.



This song that God gave me is a song that helps me see the right perspective in relation to fear. I hear God speak to me through this.

So, to wrap things up, please keep me in your prayers. That I would walk in obedience to God's command to not be afraid, to not fear. That I would look with expectation on this month instead of dread, and have a grateful, thankful heart that is so full, there is no room for fear.

Trusting and learning to trust God,

Adriel

"So Good to Me" - Story Behind the Song

(Link to listen is at the bottom if you're in a hurry.)

Okay, you know when a song is not produced well when your almost-teen-daughter listens to it and laughs! LOL! =D

So, this song will be the most embarrassing one that I have share with you yet. But I'm making myself do this for a reason - this is where I started and I want to share that starting point with you.

I did go back into Cakewalk and adjust the levels a little bit, and the end result didn't make my daughter laugh as before, but I know it's still not all that great. Still, the words are true and they speak to my heart and soul.

This song was written back in 2005 in regard the same situation as "Whom Shall I Fear?" A scripture I wrote in my journal a few days before the writing of this song says:

"All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

If we can learn to look at our circumstances and instead of considering ourselves oppressed, consider ourselves blessed and have a heart of praise and thankfulness, we will have a continual feast of joy which will not only give us strength to endure, but also to flourish.

When we go through hard things, there is a choice to bless or curse God. The enemy continually makes attempts during our trials to cause us to curse God, to doubt Him, to believe He is absent, to lose faith in Him. In the midst of our difficulties, it seems almost like a tug-of-war. Some days - or even hours - we pull strong on the way of praising and believing God; and other days we are pulled toward the doubting and despair.

Have you ever noticed, however, that once a trial is over with, once you have passed through something hard, the tug-of-war is over with? In whatever way those difficulties end - either with us standing on God's truth and blessing Him, or falling into despair and cursing Him - that is forever how the difficulty will be remembered. By us and by those powers in the spiritual realm.

A difficulty that was ended in blessing and praising God, the enemy won't dare touch. But a difficulty that was ended with us cursing and doubting God will be used by the enemy over and over again throughout our lives.

In whatever we are passing through, may we be found praising and blessing the Lord Who promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. This is a declaration in the spiritual realm of our God's faithfulness. He is worthy of our praise!

You can listen to "So Good to Me" and download it for free on SoundCloud HERE and view lyrics in the description of the song as well as HERE.

I hope you are having a blessed weekend. And in spite of the quality of this recording, I hope that it blesses you. =)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"Your Word is a Light" - Story Behind the Song

(Link to listen is at the bottom if you're in a hurry.)

Time for another song from the old bunch. This is the second to last. I cannot believe I am going to let you listen to this. The lyrics are good, but the production is not. <cringe>

Anyways, yeah. Let's get back to the story behind the song, shall we?

First of all, this song is dedicated to my parents. I don't know if they want their names publicly posted, so I'm going to play it safe and not do so. <a big wave to Dad and Mom>
My parents raised me in a loving, Godly home. Now, as a parent myself, I appreciate them so much more than when I was a kid. I took so much for granted or wasn't as grateful and thankful as I ought to have been. They made a lot of sacrifices for me, my sister, and my brother. Sacrifices that they didn't have to make, but that they chose to make to give us a stronger, better foundation than if they had chosen the easier, more popular, route. They weren't always popular with other parents, I know they were considered "strict" by some, and they didn't try to be my best friend. They trained me in God's way and I am so thankful that they did. They truly showed me love as I see now how much they laid their lives down for me and my siblings.

Do you know how hard it is to get weird looks from other parents or have to explain your family's opposing position on something that is normal and benign to others? It's not easy, but my parents were a great example to me and continue to be.

So this song is just a tribute to them. A simple declaration that I will continue walking in the truth and Way that they trained me to go. I will not depart from it. Dad and Mom, I really love you! =)


I received this song in 2006. I think it was one of the last songs I wrote that went into the original project (I Exist for You) that I had started a year or two prior to that. Over the past several months prior to receiving this song, the Lord had put in me a strong appreciation for His Word and a realization that the truths that are found in His Word were a foundation that was to be stood upon and not compromised.

At the time, we had just been introduced to Precept Ministries and we were watching the Jude video with those whom we were in fellowship with at the time. The teaching from this book (Jude) was very sobering to me, as I realized that the Word of God had been lost in the house of God. This question formed in my mind: If God's Word is non-negotiable truth, why is it compromised to accommodate the ungodly?

After viewing the video that evening, I came home and sang this song. It is very simple, yet true. It is good to be reminded of these things.

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

You can listen to "Your Word is a Light" and download it for free on SoundCloud HERE. Lyrics are in the song description as well as HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"It's You I Adore" - Story Behind the Song

(Link to listen is at the bottom for those of you in a rush.)

I've been saving my least favorites of the batch of songs I recorded eight years ago for awhile now. I keep putting it off. I'm honestly embarrassed to let you hear these. I'm not pleased with them. They either didn't turn out sounding as polished as I would have liked, they ended up sounding tacky, I didn't sing a certain part just so, the music doesn't really fit the song, and on and on my reasons go.

The story behind this song, "It's You I Adore", is sweet and simple. I was privileged many years ago, to be invited to participate in the organization of the worship time for an upcoming women's retreat. One of the women from our church had invited a friend of hers (sorry, I don't remember her name), who was very gifted in music, to basically lead. A group of four to six of us met once each week in preparation, and I gleaned a lot from the leader. "Free worship" was a gift of hers, which I had experienced as a kid, but not at this particular church. It took some effort for some of us to get out of that comfort zone we'd been used to, but once we began to sing out things on our heart to the Lord as the music kept going, the response came easier. I treasured that time and still do to this day.

This song was an overflow from that experience. It is based on the book of Song of Solomon (or Songs), and is just a love song to the Lord. I hope to one day record a more appropriate version of this song - I'm thinking acoustic, no electronic stuff. You live and learn!

Of course, the whole "free worship" thing, also known as "spontaneous worship", can become weird and disorderly, and that is certainly not what I am talking about here. I know are movements that have popularized this type of worship and they are way off. With the right leader who is truly in tune with the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit, (not something weird), free worship can truly be beautiful. =)

You can listen to "It's You I Adore" and/or download it for free on SoundCloud HERE (you may have to register, but it's free and easy), and lyrics are also there in the description, as well as HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Let Me

It's funny to revisit a song recorded eight years ago, written before even longer than that. The message God gave me through it is still relevant to me today. But those words seem more precious now - more of a reality.

There are seasons in our lives when we are physically weak, either from a burden that is weighing heavily upon us or just because of natural circumstances. My experience when I received this song, "Let Me", in 2006 was a combination of both. I was sitting at the piano and the Lord spoke this song to me and I began singing it. The words were so comforting to me, releasing me from the burden that I was carrying, allowing me to rest in the Lord regarding my health.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and 

heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

  God's invitation is, "Let Me hold you. Let Me take this weight from your heart." He's always willing. But I'm not always willing to let Him. I'm not sure why I fight God, pushing Him away when I am in desperate need of Him. I have become keenly aware in the last 12 months that I am naturally a self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-righteous, proud, strong-willed, determined, stubborn person, trying to do everything myself. (I sound really nice, right?) I suppose that it is easier for some of us to do that very thing - let God. But for someone like me, "surrender" translates into "failure" in my mind and soul. "Letting God" means that I'm too weak to do it myself.

  Fast-forward to several years later and God is still extending that invitation to me. "Letting Him" is really what God has been teaching me through the last year with my health collapsing and being pretty much bedridden for a month or two. God doesn't love me because of what I can do. He just loves me because I am His. That was a really hard concept for me to accept. I don't know why. It's all over the Bible. It's not like it was new or anything. But I knew it in my head, but not in my heart.

  That time of being utterly dependent upon other people for just about everything was excruciating for me. I despised it at first. But God taught me so much through this trial and continues to teach me more, and I am so grateful that He cared enough about my spiritual health to allow my physical health to fail.

  I'm learning how to be a dependent, humble, submissive, pliable, reliant, surrendered person, looking unto God for my righteousness, goodness, strength, and salvation. Ultimately, "letting Him", instead of thinking I can do it all by myself, which is such a ludicrous idea anyway.

  I could write a lot more, but that's quite enough for one post. I'm sure I'll be talking about this at another point in time along the way. After all, I'm still learning. =)

  You can listen to "Let Me" and download it for free HERE if you want (signup may be necessary, but it is quick and free). Lyrics can be viewed HERE.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

#music #songs

A Song I'm Loving Right Now...

We all have tough days, right? Some of us have tough weeks, tough months, and even tough years. Yeah, life can be pretty rough.

I have had a tough year personally, with my health collapsing over a year ago. And today is another doctor appointment. <sigh> I'm just not one of those people that likes doctor appointments. Especially when no one can tell you what is wrong.

   Anyway, today has the potential to be a rough day. But I am so thankful to have my faithful God holding me, carrying me, and giving me hope in the middle of questions, unsettled-ness, and the unknown path in front of me. He has been so good to me through this entire year. God has never left me, never let me go.

   I've listened to this particular song on SoundCloud a few times now and it just fits for today. It's called "Glorious Ruins" and I hope you are encouraged by it as I have been.




   I appreciated this Psalm a couple of days ago, reminding me that my hope is in God, not in being healthy, not in answers to perplexing problems, not in continuing to improve, not in anything else but Jesus - just Jesus.

"How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God."

Psalm 146:5

   I'm preaching to myself, just so you know. I need pep talks!

Learning each day to trust Jesus

more and more,

Adriel

"I Come to You" - Story Behind the Song

After a mid-week Bible study some time in 2002, I sat down at my keyboard and started singing this song. We had been talking about letting the Lord fill our lives with more of Him and this song was just the response in my heart. When I sing this song, I sing it as a prayer to the Lord. It is a very intimate worship song, good for reflection and reminding. We have a constant need in our hearts and lives that can only be filled by Jesus. He is the One!

  I have noticed in my own life that during hard times, my need for "comfort" climbs incredibly high. But the things that my flesh finds "comforting" are not, in actuality, filling my heart with the comfort and peace that only Jesus can bring.

  As hard as those times are, I am thankful for them, because they help me grow and mature in the Lord. I find myself running to the Lord more and more instead of running to those other things that are so empty. Do I still try to find comfort from other things or people instead of the Lord? Yes, I do. But I catch myself at it faster than I used to (or rather, God reminds me of what is really true) and I remember the One whom I should be clinging to.

  I love these encouraging verses that are wonderful reminders in those times when I am feeling that need for comfort:

"You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, 

and cling to Him."

Deuteronomy 13:4

"I cling to Your testimonies; 

O Lord, do not put me to shame!"

Psalm 119:31

  You can listen to and download "I Come to You" HERE at soundcloud (you may have to register, but it's easy and free) and you can view the lyrics HERE. This is the newer version - mastered, edited, sweetened up, produced, and much more by Matthew Winfree.

  May God bless you and may you come to the Lord today to be filled with more of Him. He alone can satisfy!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"You Deserve" - Story Behind the Song

  Journal entry from 3/18/05: "Lord, You deserve nothing short of my best. You deserve an offering that is complete, not partial. You deserve the highest place in my heart, not somewhere in the middle. Lord, give me the willingness to give You everything."

  I actually wrote some of this song on a trip I took with my husband for our wedding anniversary in Flagstaff. It was somewhat snowy when we went and there was this massive mountain that just stood out to me. The words for the song just flowed out of the beauty around me.

  The comparisons between the Lord reigning above the earth and Him reigning in my heart; of the heavens declaring His glory and my life declaring His glory; these are not by accident. The earth, the heavens - they don't have free will or choice. But I do. I choose to give God the throne in my heart. I choose to allow His life to flow out of me so He can be glorified. He deserves everything that I can give (and more).

  I need to believe this truth and make the choice to walk in it each day. God's power is inside of us who are born again believers in Christ, ready to make us into His image, ready to glorify Him, but we make the choice to believe it is true and to have faith and walk in that truth. Let us choose to give what is already His!

  You can listen to this song and download it for free HERE on SoundCloud (sign up is easy and free) and view the lyrics HERE.

  Hope you're having a great weekend!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"Keep Me" - Story Behind the Song

  During the summer of 2004, my husband began looking into starting our own business. After praying and finding the Lord's peace in this new venture, we decided on a franchise and began looking for a location. We found a spot and began the lease negotiations.

  In the process of the negotiations, my husband felt led by the Lord to be closed on Sunday. This was kind of a scary step of faith, as we had already paid the franchise fee and this closure had to be approved by corporate in addition to being approved by the landlord, not to mention the closure of that day taking a bite out of our total income. If anyone said "no", the whole venture was going to end for us, regardless of the money we had already invested.

  The Lord gave me this song during this time of uncertainty and wondering what was going to happen. My journal entry that goes along with this song says, "We still haven't found out for sure if the landlord is okay with us being closed on Sunday, but we will find out soon. Even so, it is so good to be resting in the Lord and trusting Him. Sometimes we can get ahead of God and lose the peace and it's so good to just stop and see where we lost it."

  Everything ended up going through fine with those critical negotiations and decisions. Actually, we didn't even end up opening up our store in that first location, but at a different location three years later, in February of 2007. And wouldn't you know it, that location was in a more corporate business area, so being closed on Sunday was no big deal, even income-wise. It was pretty dead around that area on the weekends.

  That whole experience of owning and operating our own business is another story in itself. I'll just say for now that we ended up selling it almost four years after we opened.

  It's kind of interesting to look back to those times which, at the time, seemed to be desperate and urgent, as if our very lives were hanging on by what happened or didn't happen. Now, that whole "drama" seems somewhat insignificant, especially when I compare it to things we would later face in our lives. But that's just part of the journey. Growing up and maturing in the Lord. It begins with the small things. And staying with God, right where He is, is so important - more than I can say.

  You can listen to this song and download it for free HERE on SoundCloud (you may have to register, but it's simple and free), and you can view the lyrics HERE. Enjoy!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Sunday Encouragement

Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a nice day and that your weekend is going well. We enjoyed the service today with a great worship service and encouraging message. 

Yesterday, my family and I went to an apple orchard and picked around 100 pounds of apples. We weren't able to go last year, so it was a blessing to be able to go this year.

Today we are busy peeling, coring and slicing the apples for applesauce and freezing. I'm at my parents' today, so I don't have access to my song files, but I decided to share a song with you from SoundCloud that I've enjoyed recently. I hope it blesses you, too. =)

The song is called "Celebrate" by Dan James and is a great worship song with the truth of the gospel woven in beautifully. Hope you enjoy it! Click HERE to listen.

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"Speak to Me" - Story Behind the Song

If you don't like long stories, scroll to the bottom!

The year 1996 became the spring board that literally propelled me into songwriting. God first began working in me through songwriting during this year of my life. Two monumental things happened that year that impacted me greatly. I was about 15 at the time, so they may not seem so monumental to you, but they were to me at the time.

The first "monumental" event was that I gave up playing the violin, something I had been doing for 10 years. This was a really hard decision for me to make, but since playing was causing the beginnings of (probable) tendonitis in my wrist and also giving me neck pain, my parents and I both felt that quitting was the best thing. Music was a very important part of my life, of me, really. Out of desperation, I began playing around on the piano and my mom taught me the basics of chords. I couldn't have thought at the time that God had a very special plan for me that could on occur by taking away my ability to play the violin. It seemed to me, at the time, to be a tremendous loss and an incredible waste of so much time and effort. However, the piano opened up a door in my heart that led me to the secret place where the Lord makes music and inspires new songs. I didn't see it then, but it's crystal clear now. {smile}

  The second "monumental" even that impacted my life greatly later in my 15th year was my grandma being diagnosed with cancer, the prognosis not hopeful. I was very close to her and she was a special person in my life. Knowing she would die within a year or two was hard to accept and caused great pain in my heart. When you're 15, things like this really shake up your world. This news and revelation certainly did that for me.  

The Lord gave me this song during that time of wrestling with my grandma's suffering and impending death, which gave me great encouragement and comfort during this time. Right before my Grandma passed away, a friend of my family's made it possible for me to make a recording of this song and I was able to share the finished product with her. How sweet that God gave me that special opportunity!

  So, that is the story behind "Speak to Me" and the Lord has continued giving me songs ever since! And wouldn't you know it, that song is how my husband became interested in me. Kind of a silly thing, I know, but God used it for a variety of purposes - good purposes! =)

I hope that no matter what you are walking through or the turmoil going on inside of you, that you will pray these simple words:

"God, speak to me in my heart, calm the storm raging in my mind. Give me peace, just speak it to my soul. Speak to me, speak to me, Jesus."

You can listen to and download "Speak to Me" for free HERE and view the lyrics HERE.

All glory to Jesus,
Adriel