"New in You" - Salvation's Work

   This song highlights what I was before God saved me. I wrote this song down a long time ago. I can't even remember when or why! But the point is that I am new in Jesus and for any true believer in Christ, this song is true as well.

   I love the analogies that go with this song. Think about them. Think about what you were before Christ. Think about where you were headed. Think about the reality of you, as an individual, before becoming a believer.

   And then think about what God did in your life. The profound changes that occurred and still affect you today in how you live, how you talk, how you react, etc. It's amazing, isn't it?

   And this song is just a reminder of that glorious work God has done in my life and in yours if you're a believer as well. Blessings to you, my friends! =)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"In This Hour" - Story Behind the Song

   This song was written under the same circumstances of "Wait" back in 2006, which you can read about HERE.

   This time, though, I wanted to share some from the journal I kept during that time. Here is a journal entry from just a few days prior to the song being written down:

"'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice! Let your forebearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

Philippians 4:4-7

   I read these verses today, and even though I know they're true, I have a hard time holding on to them for myself.

   I need your help, Lord. To rest in You and embrace Your peace. I am beyond weary. My hope has to be in You, Lord. I ask for mercy. Have mercy on me...I have nothing left. I am so exhausted! Be gracious to me, Lord. Please, lighten this load. Your Word says that You do not give us more than we can bear...I don't know how much more I can bear. I am spent. Please bring some relief. Even just a small amount. I want to be fruitful to You. Show me how to please You even in the middle of this."

   And with that, I leave you with this humble video of "In This Hour".

  
   I promise the next song I share will be happier. This is just part of the journey. =)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Bummer to Blessing - "Wait"

   Waiting on God isn't the easiest for us as human beings. We like to fix problems, get out of uncomfortable situations as quickly as possible and we would rather run away from trials than face them. Fortunately, we have a Father who knows what is best for us, His children.

   I got my journal out from when "Wait" was written in 2006. I was facing health challenges, there were some serious situations that friends were facing, our times of prayer with the brethren felt like battles, we had some heartbreaking things occur in our extended family, and it was the year we had left our beloved church family that Gary and I had spent our entire married life, up to that point, with, Gary having spent a few years prior to our marriage there as well. It was a tough time. It was difficult.

   I'm not going to try to make this blog all pretty and sweet and pretend like my life is perfectly wonderful when it's really not. I used to be really concerned with how I appeared to other people. I prided myself on looking like I had it all together, even when inside I was completely feeling insane. I could pull it off pretty well. I was good at fooling people, which is bad. Let's just say I was pretty much forced to let all that go for a period of time and I discovered that being real and authentic was a much better way of living than pretending like all was well when it really wasn't. I've always admired people who were real, because they were so relatable. Of course, I could never bring myself to be that real...people would find out I wasn't perfect!! <gasp>

   Needless to say, my posts are going to be raw and real, some more so than others, and the fact is that the other day I faced feelings of despair in regard to my health. As I struggled with my soul - to be thankful, content, submissive to God's will - the Lord put this song on my heart again. It was almost as if He said, "Remember that song?" Yeah, I remembered that song. I went looking for it in my folder of songs. I never did find it...had to print a new copy.

   Funny how long it's been since I played that song...a really long time. And although it was void of chords, I could still remember how to play it. So I made a video for whoever out there who needs some encouragement to wait on God. I sure do and it speaks to my heart! What seemed like a bummer became a blessing. Isn't that so neat how God can do that? He's so amazing!

   
   By the way, I've seen different people stating what their word of the year is. After taking a little step back and looking at what God has been putting on my heart so far, I think it's safe to say that my word for this year is "WAIT".

   I wish I could say that I am thrilled. I'm not. My flesh says, "Not more waiting!" But I know God will get my heart to where He wants it to be. My prayer is that I learn to wait...without wandering and without doubting. That my faith would be strengthened as I wait. Hey, the Bible is full of promises for those who wait! And that's an encouragement to me. So with that in mind, here is one of my favorite scripture promises regarding waiting on the Lord:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Waiting,

Adriel 

Numbering My Days...

That title sounds a bit morbid, I know. That was not my intention! In case the title alarmed you, NO, I have not received any news from a doctor telling me I have a certain amount of time to live or anything! =)

   This morning, my inbox contained an email from my brother with Psalm 90:12 as the subject. I found it to be rather providential, seeing that I was really wrestling with my soul today in regards to a "momentary, light affliction."

   I spent some time today looking through some old pictures and found this picture of a cemetery we had visited way back when. It kind of made everything hit home for me. The verse, the picture - they just went together.

   Takeaway point: Make every day count for the Lord! Even in our weak moments, there is the possibility and ability to bring Him glory.

   I can't say I made it through today with flying colors, but I will say that God is faithful and good. He gives us the strength to stand, the faith to believe, the hope to endure.

   I spent some time today making a couple of videos. I should be posting one of them, at least, this week. I thought that was better use of my time than moping around. haha! ;-)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Life is a Gift - "But for a Moment"

I wonder if any of us are really fully aware of how much of life - how much of what we are able to do, how much of what we have, how much of who we are - is a gift.

Before my health crisis, I know that I didn't even think of life being the gift that it is. I took it for granted.

I was capable, determined, strong, self-sufficient, composed, prepared, in control. Or so I thought. Such an illusion all of that was. Such a lie.

I do not claim to see life completely for the gift that it truly is, but I know I see it more clearly now than I ever did before.

Everything about life - every aspect - is a gift.

There is nothing like a jolt of reality to help you see the truth: Without God, we are nothing.

It was obvious to me I wasn't capable when I couldn't take care of my family. Determination didn't really amount to much when everything I tried and everything I did to get better made me get worse and worse. I clearly couldn't claim strength when I was too weak to hold my baby or even my Bible for that matter. Yes, even my Bible was too heavy for me to hold. Self-sufficiency was non-existent as I was dependent upon others for nearly everything. Composure was the last thing I was thinking of when, for weeks, I began not being able to sleep but an hour or two each night and I felt like the inside of my body was on fire. I was in utter agony and I thought I was going to lose my mind. When I was crying and begging God to keep me each little moment throughout the day and not let me go crazy, composure was all but gone. Prepared? No. I was completely unprepared for what I faced. It totally blind-sided me. And I realized as I felt my life slipping away and death's grip on me that I was not in control of anything. This was not how I had pictured life looking, but I couldn't do anything about it.

None of those things - ability, strength, self-sufficiency...you name it. None of it was true. Nothing.

I think sometimes God has to bring us to places as desperate as what I just described to make use face the fact that everything we are able to do, every good aspect about ourselves, everything that makes our life what it is, is a gift, pure and simple. Even sleep. I never thought of sleep being such a blessed gift until my body couldn't sleep. You don't know how thankful I am for sleep now!

I know that I still take many things for granted, but I'm learning to be grateful and thankful to the Lord for even things that may seem small to others. Even the strength to sit here and type this post is a gift. There was a time when even that was too taxing.

I remember a moment on one of those bleak days when I didn't have the strength to walk, sitting in a parking lot waiting for my husband to get something at a store, watching people walk in and out of that store and wondering to myself how many of them realized what a gift it was to have the strength to walk like a normal, healthy person.

When you've had things stripped away and God gives them back to you, they appear much more as they really are: as gifts. Nothing that I could conjure up by myself. Simply gifts from my Heavenly Father.

Last winter was a difficult time for me, but today I am thankful for it. I know that the trial I passed through and continue walking though was and is a gift.

Perhaps you are in a season of winter yourself, feeling destitute and dead, wondering if spring will ever come again. I know...I wondered that, too.

This time of the year is usually merry and jolly for many people. But I know there are others who are hurting more than they can express. I've posted a video below with a song to encourage you if you are one of those people.

Don't give up hope! God will never leave or forsake you.

In Christ's love,

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

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

What's New?

How is your week going? Mine has gone really well! I survived my third 9am women's Bible study. Getting up at 7:30am is a HUGE accomplishment for me... please, no applause is necessary.

   In all seriousness though, I have really been so blessed by this Bible study. My only regret is that I don't have more time to talk to the other gals about what we're learning and gleaning from God's word... time just seems to fly away when we're together. I am just so thankful to be able to even go. I could not have imagined I would be able to be part of something like this a few months ago. What a blessing! =)

   We've been doing an inductive study from Precept Ministries on 2nd Peter. Wow! It's been awesome already and we're only three weeks into it. I am just loving it!!

   The second week, we were going around taking prayer requests and one woman's words just echoed in my heart over and over that day. She said that we are not our own. It was just so profound to me and caught my attention. Of course, I've known that, but for some reason, her saying it that day just really stuck out to me. And lo and behold, I think it was the next day or day after that God gave me another song highlighting those very words. No wonder those words were so important.

   My brother let me know yesterday that he has another arrangement for one of my favorite songs, "Song in the Night", just about ready. I can't wait to share that one with you! It will be a little while... I still have to do the vocals for it. Suspense!!

   And lastly, I thought you'd like to take a peak at what my journal looked like a couple of weeks ago when I was writing two songs at the same time. It was crazy! I don't know if God has ever given me two songs at the same time before like that. Twins! You can see how messy it was.

   I hope you've been having a wonderful week and even if you haven't, remember that God is good and He is always faithful. Speak it to your soul!

As always, all glory to Jesus!

Adriel

"Whom Shall I Fear" - Story Behind the Song

  

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"

Psalm 27:1

  
This familiar passage was a source of comfort to me through a difficult and painful time in my life in regard to a relationship, watching someone very dear to me make bad decisions that brought pain to others close to me. The Lord was constantly reminding me not to get side-tracked with this situation, but there were many times when my emotions took over and got me away from my Goal.

  These were the times of struggle, the storms of life, the waves of doubt that I talk about in this song. Life is always going to be throwing wild cards at us. Painful experiences, unexpected situations and changes, hardships we are not prepared for.

  But thanks be to God that the shadow of His wings covers and hides us, that the light of our salvation can penetrate through the lies and the fears, declaring to us that the nature of God has not changed, regardless of what we are passing through and that He is and always will be our refuge amidst the many things we pass through in this life.

  You can listen to and download "Whom Shall I Fear" for free HERE and read the lyrics HERE.

  I hope it is an encouragement to you and that you have a blessed day.

All glory to Jesus,
Adriel

Hiding Place

   Last night I started singing a simple chorus of a new song forming in my heart. I spent some time today looking at the verse in particular that the chorus originated from. 

"You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7

"You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word." Psalm 119:114

   I don't think I read a book from the Bible more than I do the book of Psalms. There's just something about it that captures me, draws me in and leaves me so encouraged. My heart feels lighter, my step is firmer, and my faith is moored deeper. I'm not putting down the whole Bible - the entire Book is good! The Psalms just have a special way of speaking to me. Perhaps it may be that they are, in a sense, songs. It could be the songwriter in me that is drawn to them. Or just the combination of poetry and truth woven together in such a beautiful way - that could be it. Whatever the case may be, I am thankful for them.

   I've got some ideas for this song mulling around in my head and also scribbled in my journal. I'll be able to work on it this evening probably and get it cleaned up. Looking forward to sharing it with you!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel