MUSIC REVIEW || Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas

For the last several years I’ve been reviewing various types of Christian media. This month we’re celebrating David Crowder’s newest album release. Be blessed!

3x GRAMMY-nominated, genre-defying artist Crowder dropped Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas on October 21st in time to embrace the full holiday season. The album includes songs that touch on the thanksgiving spirit as well as Christmas all wrapped up in a beautiful gold ribbon.

It’s an album you could put on with the whole family around and make everyone happy at some point. There’s playful songs for the young and young at heart, smooth jazz, bluegrass, pop, and orchestral rock to get everyone energized and in the Christmas spirit.

Crowder’s signature style and original genre sound never disappoints. The album mixture includes updated traditional Christmas favs and memorable originals that will sure to become new Christmas classics. Interludes are intertwined with entertaining old time radio narrations telling Christmas stories.

In unmistakeable Crowder style Milk & Cookies is entertaining, touching… playful yet inspirational. I highly recommend Milk & Cookies: A Crowder Christmas for your music library!

Check out the YouTube videos of my favorites from the album. Enjoy!

October 1, 2021August 30, 2021

PSALM 91 :: GOD LOVES US

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR STUDY AND CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.

EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC.

On the first Friday of each month in 2021 we will be studying Psalm 91. We’ll be learning this powerful psalm and applying its phenomenal promises to our life one phrase at a time. We continue today with verse 14.

For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: “Because you loved me, delighted in me, and have been loyal to my name, I will greatly protect you. ~ Psalm 91:14

Some say that we must qualify for God’s protective love. That couldn’t be further from the truth of what God’s Word tells us. God’s protection isn’t dependent on us loving Him in a perfect way. It is impossible for us to do that. No matter how hard we try, because of our humanity, we will always fall short in our love for the Lord.

This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins. ~ 1 John 4:10

It isn’t because of anything we have done. God loved us long before we were even created. He showed us that pure love in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ~ Lamentations 3:22

God’s compassion is unfailing… His mercy is enough… His grace is sufficient… because His love is all infolding and never ending. It is God’s indescribable, immovable, relentless love for me, not my limited human love for Him, that makes me qualified for His love and protection.

In these incredibly uncertain and tumultuous times, it is so comforting to know that in fact we aren’t alone. We have a Father, a Friend and Savior Who is with us in every valley, every fire and storm! Crowder’s song attached below is one I listen to almost daily right now.

I pray you are blessed by this incredibly anointed song by Crowder.

September 3, 2021July 25, 2021

PSALM 91 :: AUTHORITY OVER THE ENEMY

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR STUDY AND CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.

EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC.

On the first Friday of each month in 2021 we will be studying Psalm 91. We’ll be learning this powerful psalm and applying its phenomenal promises to our life one phrase at a time. We continue today with verse thirteen.

You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! ~ Psalm 91:13

So far in our Psalm 91 study the focus has been on the defensive elements of God’s protection. We’ve learned that we are covered under God’s wings and surrounded by an army of mighty angels. However, a battle isn’t won by only fighting from a position of defense. There comes a time when we must go on the offense and confront our enemy. Today’s verse takes an offensive position of authority over the enemy!

God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:27

In our ordinary day-to-day lives we may not feel like we have any power over the evil forces around us. But we must remember, in Christ we are stronger that we realize. God has chosen what the world may see as weak to confuse and take down the powerful.

Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God’s justice protect you like armor. Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Let God’s saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God’s message that comes from the Spirit. ~ Ephesians 6:14-17

When you look at all the pieces of the spiritual armor above, all of them are defensive weapons designed for protection: belt, helmet, breastplate, shoes and shield. God has given us everything we need to not only protect ourselves from the enemy. He has also given us the best weapon possible to defeat Satan… the sword of the Spirit: God’s Word.

And the God of peace will swiftly pound Satan to a pulp under your feet! And the wonderful favor of our Lord Jesus will surround you. ~ Romans 16:20

When we use the authority give to us by Jesus and wield the mighty sword of God’s Word, we have power unlike any other. It gives us the ability to slice the devil down to nothing, to render him powerless in our lives. Scripture us the God of peace will pound Satan under our feet. Then God’s wonderful favor will surround us! What an incredible promise!

Don’t forget or forsake the authoritative promises that are available to you in God’s Word. Use it. It works!

Be strengthens by this powerful song by Crowder! Go crush some snakes!

January 15, 2021August 7, 2021

THE TWELVE LIFE RECOVERY GIFTS :: HOPE

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.

EACH OF THE POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH BEGINNING IN JANUARY. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I’LL BE REVIEWING TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC. COME ALONG. LET’S LEARN SOME NEW THINGS TOGETHER!

On the third Friday of each month in 2021 we’re studying the Life Recovery Gifts. We’ll learn about the blessings God brings us to honor our choices and encourage our journey through the Twelve Steps of Life Recovery. This is the first column in the Life Recovery Gifts series.

For my recovery work this year I’m going through The Twelve Gifts of Life Recovery by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop. Each month of 2021 I will be discussing what I have learned on my journey. Today we are learning about the gift of Hope.

HOPE: desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment; believing that something good will happen.

Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope! ~ Romans 15:13

“The gift of hope is the motivation for our continuing on the same track when something is painful or difficult.” ~ The Twelve Gifts of Life Recovery

For those of us on the Life Recovery journey, it’s important that we stay connected to a support group and/or an accountability partner. If we don’t and then try to do life under our own power, our lives quickly become unmanageable and we set ourselves up for relapse.

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems–that our lives had become unmanageable. ~ Step One (The Twelve Steps of Life Recovery)

When we stay close to our support system, be it a Bible study group or an accountability partner, we draw hope and courage to continue our journey. The gift of hope is shared between each member as it inspires everyone to not give up.

Hope is a gift because it is something that is beyond our human power and abilities. It comes through God’s power which is founded in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The gift of hope gives us motivation to press on when temptations arise, times become difficult and we don’t see anything happening in the natural.

Reach out to God today. Let Him put His super on your natural. Ask Him to fill you with His strength and transforming power that will give you the hope to carry you through!

Prayerfully listen to this classic hymn sung by David Crowder and Tauren Wells. You will be blessed!

July 3, 2020June 21, 2020

THE LORD’S PRAYER :: FORGIVE OUR TRESPASSES

AT RHW WE PUBLISH A NEW COLUMN EACH FRIDAY. WE’RE GOING THROUGH FOUR SPECIFIC STUDIES WITH EACH SERIES BEING PUBLISHED ON A DESIGNATED WEEK OF THE MONTH.

In The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. He’s not just giving them a prayer to recite, but a model prayer for everyone of us. Join me on the first Friday of each month in 2020 as we study this beloved prayer phrase by phrase and bring fresh application to our lives today.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ~ Matthew 6: 9-13

Jesus teaches multiple times on the subject of forgiveness. It’s vital that we turn to God in repentance for forgiveness of the wrongs we’ve done against Him, ourselves and others. Our relationship with God depends on us asking for God’s forgiveness and accepting it from Him.

Though we’re taught here in The Lord’s Prayer to ask for God’s forgiveness, we must never forget that because of the blood of Christ we have already been forgiven. All we have to do is accept it!