“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord’ Ephesians 5:19
Listen to:Tina Campbell: “Destiny” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MoDDdIsDg
Twenty years ago I worked in a ministry of recovery from substance abuse, at a Manhattan Church. It was there that I discovered the power of gospel music to heal, inspire and to transform. The women in the program introduced me to a group called Mary Mary, and these following songs in particular:
“Shackles,”https://www.youtube.com/watchv=V7eZD3TKn_M
and
”Can’t Give Up Now”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmQBshQ11uo
These songs spoke to the profound pain and the hardship and yet pointed to healing and hope. As I listened to these songs I found my life cracked opened, a layer exposed that I had not seen before. We sang these songs over and over. God connected us all through the powerful gift of Erica and Tina Campbell’s ministry of music. Their vulnerability in their strength, their reliance on God through the dark times, their own acknowledgement of pain and willingness to change was a gift to our recovery ministry as well as being a positive testimony to us today.
Presently we are in a Bible study on the Book of Psalms, the song book of the Bible. David knew what those women fighting for recovery knew: music is healing and transformational. Music connects us back to David in the past and to our heritage, it ties us to all those around us, and binds us to God who is Eternal. Because of this music opens our spirits us to answers and possibilities we might not have considered. Music gives us God-given strength, new vision for the journey, perhaps even a new destiny.
No wonder Mary, the Mother of Jesus, burst into song with the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), just as the angels sang when Jesus was born. No wonder Moses and Miriam lead the Israelites in song when safely crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15). All throughout Scripture there are love songs, laments, songs of protest to praise and worship songs. It is said that Philippians 2 contains the earliest fragment of a Christian hymn: “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men.Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.…” There are 12 songs in the Book of Revelation that chronicle final transformation of the new heavens and the new earth.
Today I listened to Tina Campbell of Mary Mary once more. I heard her courageous journey, and she gives me encouragement to continue on. She reminds me to listen to the music God has placed in my life to support the Message. Each of us has a God-given destiny to fulfill. Each of us has songs that resonate with our life journey, as well as verses and quotes that inspire us and keep us pushing on. To hear Tina Campbell out of the blue today reminded me of my past and my future: God is there. So keep the focus on the song. There are so many. In turn, God will transform the spiritual energy into progress toward your divine destiny.
Prayer: God of Destiny: You are our destiny. Fill our hearts with a new song that each note will be a story of service, a message of love to you and all of creation. May our lives turn into a song of love and gratitude. Amen.
Listen to:Tina Campbell: “Destiny” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MoDDdIsDg
Twenty years ago I worked in a ministry of recovery from substance abuse, at a Manhattan Church. It was there that I discovered the power of gospel music to heal, inspire and to transform. The women in the program introduced me to a group called Mary Mary, and these following songs in particular:
“Shackles,”https://www.youtube.com/watchv=V7eZD3TKn_M
and
”Can’t Give Up Now”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmQBshQ11uo
These songs spoke to the profound pain and the hardship and yet pointed to healing and hope. As I listened to these songs I found my life cracked opened, a layer exposed that I had not seen before. We sang these songs over and over. God connected us all through the powerful gift of Erica and Tina Campbell’s ministry of music. Their vulnerability in their strength, their reliance on God through the dark times, their own acknowledgement of pain and willingness to change was a gift to our recovery ministry as well as being a positive testimony to us today.
Presently we are in a Bible study on the Book of Psalms, the song book of the Bible. David knew what those women fighting for recovery knew: music is healing and transformational. Music connects us back to David in the past and to our heritage, it ties us to all those around us, and binds us to God who is Eternal. Because of this music opens our spirits us to answers and possibilities we might not have considered. Music gives us God-given strength, new vision for the journey, perhaps even a new destiny.
No wonder Mary, the Mother of Jesus, burst into song with the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), just as the angels sang when Jesus was born. No wonder Moses and Miriam lead the Israelites in song when safely crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15). All throughout Scripture there are love songs, laments, songs of protest to praise and worship songs. It is said that Philippians 2 contains the earliest fragment of a Christian hymn: “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men.Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.…” There are 12 songs in the Book of Revelation that chronicle final transformation of the new heavens and the new earth.
Today I listened to Tina Campbell of Mary Mary once more. I heard her courageous journey, and she gives me encouragement to continue on. She reminds me to listen to the music God has placed in my life to support the Message. Each of us has a God-given destiny to fulfill. Each of us has songs that resonate with our life journey, as well as verses and quotes that inspire us and keep us pushing on. To hear Tina Campbell out of the blue today reminded me of my past and my future: God is there. So keep the focus on the song. There are so many. In turn, God will transform the spiritual energy into progress toward your divine destiny.
Prayer: God of Destiny: You are our destiny. Fill our hearts with a new song that each note will be a story of service, a message of love to you and all of creation. May our lives turn into a song of love and gratitude. Amen.
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