Tag: worship

Furious Love

So I am taking Cthulhu’s advice & working up a draft post that has been pending for a while to use for one of my fill-in posts for DP while she is tending to the needs of her family in this challenging time. Please keep DP & her family in your prayers…and as Duchess reminds us daily, please pray for one another…

This post was originally begun as a reflection on our journey as my husband transitioned from purchasing, which he had done for more than 20 years, into truck driving. It was intended as a reflection on the past year but through procrastination now is from slightly more than a year & a half since jumping with both feet into that transitional time.

Note: if you don’t care to read what is a personal testimonial, please just scroll down to the next time you see the below page divider. Thanks for stopping by!

Some of you may recall that I was asking for prayer as this journey unfolded, when my husband precipitously decided to leave his long-time company, just months after getting a 25 year “award”, to go to trucking school. What was billed as typically a 6 week process in our particular case dragged on for more than 3 months in the schooling portion before the job search could officially begin. There were many ups & downs & significant frustrations as the system, including the state entities, conspired to keep my husband, & our household, in a seemingly ceaseless state of flux.

During this season of upheaval, uncertainty, & frustration there were a number of songs that really ministered to my husband & helped him hold on through all the changes. Some of these songs even ended up being part of the worship sets that Michael played as he continued to faithfully minister musically at church and have one area in his lifestyle that remained relatively unchanged. This post’s title, “Furious Love”, grew out of a reflection on some of the music that ministered to him during this very challenging time 🙂

The video below, being filmed near Michael’s birth-zone, is personally moving to him…

During transitions, upheaval, & uncertainty focusing on the Lord, His peace that passes understanding, His provision, & His comfort were keys to overcoming the obstacles…

God did provide for us in sometimes miraculous & very timely ways over the many months we were without direct income. A number of times God spontaneously moved on the hearts of people to give us money, just when we really needed it, & had mentioned it to no one but the Lord. It was scary, exciting, and even strangely serene to be in a place where God alone was the source of our supply & there was sometimes a sense of wonder and definitely a pervasive deep gratitude when He would come through Just In Time for our material needs, especially as He also continued to address those needs we both faced in emotional and spiritual arenas.

This next song has been ministering to my husband for quite a while, especially in relation to work upheavals. Years back Michael made a lateral move within his company to a different site & returned to purchasing after a few years as Shipping Manager at the company’s corporate headquarters. One motivation for this change was to get out from under the boot of a VP who was his direct boss while over shipping. For a season it was like M had been exodused out of Egypt and he really enjoyed his new boss & some of the perks of the location. Well, tragically M’s new boss had a massive heart attack at work & went home to be with his Lord. This unexpected vacancy in the company ended up being filled by the very VP M had rejoiced to previously escape from. The stress, sorrow, & intensity were overwhelming & Michael ended up playing this song on his way to work nearly daily as a way to shore himself up in the Lord.

It turns out that TobyMac, Toby McKeehan of DC Talk fame, wrote this song & filmed this video shortly before unimaginable tragedy struck in his own family. His son died unexpectedly & Toby’s music & faith was a huge part of what helped him get though that unbelievably painful season, as he shared in the clip below the music video…It is such a tremendous blessing to us all when others allow their pain & heartache to be molded in the Potter’s hands & used to minister to the needs of others–To God be The Glory!

One of Michael’s favorite songs & music videos, featuring wolves in an unflattering light
TobyMac shares about losing his son & God’s comfort

There are many uplifting and heartfelt comments at the above video, including:

@cece8095

1 year ago (edited)The fact that He said “God is kind” is nothing but the Holy Spirit. Human beings alone cannot do that by themselves after something like the loss of a child. Toby is a man of God, he is. And when you walk with God & you give your life to Him & things go terribly south in your life.. there’s gonna be many moments when you’re gonna be able to look at God and say, “You are still good.” God’s comfort is like no other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwrsv0bdrI&lc=UgxmSUcrIWGtHeDRve94AaABAg

Details on TobyMac can also be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TobyMac

Getting back to our personal journey, Michael has mentioned a number of times how instrumental I was in helping him through some of the darkest days of his transition into trucking. He has wrestled significantly with areas of change in his life (don’t we all) & God has enabled me to really be a stabilizing influence for him, & our kids, in times of major upheaval. [At one point I was doing quite a bit of work on PTSD issues & began a blog as a repository of both the researches & the reflections–something I can return to and further develop as the seasons of life permit.] He has said that he thinks of this movie scene as a good representation of the way he sees certain of my interventions in his life…

This next song has spoken to me for many years especially in the “desert place”, the “wilderness”, & “the road marked with suffering”. The pounding of the special needs parenting situations created Many Times when the message of this music was so very relevant. Years ago our young assistant pastor & his wife were expecting their first child, who tragically died in utero just before her due date. They played this song at their daughter’s memorial service & I will always associate it with that loss laid on the Altar.

Although none of us will ever suffer to the degree that Job endured in scripture it is a beautiful thing to take the sufferings & hardships in our lives and pour them out like drink offerings to our Lord, allowing Him to transform them into beauty in His Kingdom.

This next song has been one that’s ministered to me over the years in times of heartache, stress, & loss; bringing key scriptural truth alive musically. Though perhaps a bit dated now the album from where I first heard it, Integrity Hosanna Music’s “My Refuge”, helped me through many dark days, broken engagements, & even deaths in the family. There is something so healing to the wounds of the soul in making the Choice to praise the Lord when it truly is a Sacrifice of praise. He is Always Worthy & focusing on Him in adoration during seasons of suffering can actually be a mechanism that He uses to ease our pain.

So now in hindsight, the journey to a stable trucking job was pretty interesting & challenging. In the natural world my husband worked for 3 different companies, one for days, one for weeks, & one for months, before landing his current job, which he’ll have been at for a year next month. The variety of work he encountered: fuel delivery, bottled gas delivery, & over-the-road training, plus gravel hauling exposure during an interview process for a job he didn’t accept, have served to make him especially thankful for the job where he landed. He is doing a daily route making local/regional deliveries for a large distribution center mostly associated with the heating & cooling industry.

He is often in the position of driving a B truck for A truck wages, which is an ideal scenario according to one of his truck-driving school instructors. His boss and co-workers are pleasant to work with, which hasn’t always been the case in his career trajectory. His job-related stress is Way down. Overall he is much happier at this job, is now in better shape physically, & is mostly adjusted to the Very Early weekly schedule this position requires–he wakes up at 3 am, leaves at 3:30 am, & starts his shift at 4:30 am.

He managed to pursue a number of hiking and backpacking adventures with some friends during this transitional time including 2 separate 55 mile hikes along Lake Superior’s Pictured Rocks lakeshore. We just returned home from his most recent backpacking trip last weekend! This major hike revealed to him how much better he’s doing physically since the same hike last year. He hasn’t had lingering pain nor fatigue, so even though he’s a year older it’s like his body is younger now than it’s been in years!

Pictured Rocks Lakeshore

Also I can thankfully report that just this weekend we discovered that he is apparently healed of what appeared to be a gluten allergy. I asked for help here at the Q-Tree in identifying what might have been going on with him physically after he had a sudden onset of troubling digestive symptoms following a weekend back-packing trip. Several of you suggested it could have been “Beaver Fever” or giardia, but Michael was convinced he had sudden onset gluten sensitivity. Regardless, whatever the condition was–& it caused him significant problems & missed work a number of times in the early months–it now appears to be healed or resolved. We even had an experimental pizza dinner at a favorite local restaurant to test his digestive status, without issue Finally. I am so thankful that Michael can now be liberated dietarily, though he plans to continue a number of his healthier eating habits going forward since there have been benefits to some of these changes. I cannot emphasize how much this represents a weight lifted from his shoulders! PTL…again!

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We’ve also mostly adjusted to the many family changes that occurred in this transitional time. All of our kids also faced significant changes while Michael was going through his lengthy transition. Our oldest son & daughter-in-law became parents for the first time just a few months after Michael made his huge leap. They are actually now expecting another baby in a few more months! In addition Nathaniel has joined Michael in the creation of a new band that just recently started practicing in our home. They haven’t worked together musically before so this really is a new & exciting adventure for them & the guys that are rounding out the band. I am thankful to have band practice in our home for the first time after more than 2 decades of musical endeavors on my husband’s part.

Nathaniel recorded this cover for a contest, which is when we discovered that he has such singing talent…

Another aspect of family transition involves our middle son Brandon, who had been working as a hydraulics technician at Michael’s old company & ended up leaving some months after M did. This son had gone through Fire Academy while still a full time employee & was making efforts to change his career to that of a Fire Fighter. He ended up being hired on by the City of Detroit & is now almost done w/ his 6 month EMT training phase & about to begin Fire Fighting training for the city next month. Like my husband, each time he is facing a time of transition it becomes quite overwhelming. We are available to shore him up as needed, & to give him an outlet to process some of the crazy situations he’s encountered working for & in Detroit…He is in joyful pursuit of a lifelong dream!

Seeing our special needs son Josiah marry & move-out & then return to live with us part time, at a time when we were also having a dear friend stay with us for almost half a year as he was dealing with his own life’s upheaval, was a Very Challenging addition to the ongoing chaos. Helping Josiah with his marital upheaval was a very demanding & emotionally draining strain on both Michael & I but was also used in God’s economy to model marital reconciliation strategies for our friend who was reeling from his own marital trauma. Because of Josiah’s autism this very personal journey was lived out very directly in an unmasked manner before our friend, overlapping the majority of his stay with us.

Finally our daughter & son-in-law went through the dual changes of becoming parents & moving into their own home almost simultaneously. Thankfully by the time This baby was born Michael was settled into his new job so that we had steady income & the familiarity with the new schedule & lifestyle for me to be able to help Clarissa in the birth process while Michael & her brothers helped her husband in moving their belongings from his dad’s house to their new home while C & the baby were still in the hospital. They have not done all that must be done to have their home fully functional yet, so periodically Clarissa will come by to use aspects of our kitchen in the creation of some of her culinary masterpieces.

We are blessed to have our youngest & oldest kids & their spouses & kids live in our neighborhood now. Our youngest son alternates between living with us & living a couple miles away in our city with his wife & her multi-cultural & partially disabled family. Our middle son has been stopping by regularly, especially on Sundays, to have some dedicated family time. In fact he just left our home after doing “gear day light” with my husband as they are preparing for an upcoming bow-hunting trip next weekend.

Life is good, relatively stable now, & abundant in a number of ways–Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow I’ll try a post that is more current events focused. Today I hope our Q-Tree family will be happy to bring the links & the insights in our typical treehouse fashion.

If you need leads for where to find such material, please consider checking out some of the sites WolfMoon has suggested in this post:

Drudge Report Replacements – Find Yours From Our Top Ten

I enjoy perusing Whatfinger.com for links among many other sites 🙂

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Thanks for stopping by. May the Lord guide, direct, protect, & bless us as we all keep fighting the good fight in our individual lives, our families, our communities, our nation, & our world! God Bless YOU!

In Jesus’ Love, Valerie

The Battle belongs to the Lord!

Recently as I was praying on the way to falling asleep I was struck with how many places in the Bible are pertinent to our times (& frankly to all times). A number of passages provide encouragement for us during difficult days & reveal how God has interceded on behalf of people through the ages. Perhaps you too might be encouraged in bringing to mind God’s deliverance in days past & reminded of ways we can pray scripturally during these dark days.

I didn’t realize that the above scripture is from where God appeared to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. It’s a fascinating read that you can find here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II+Chronicles+7&version=NIV

Here is a pertinent part of the passage in II Chronicles 7: 13-16


13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

God has relented from destruction in the past, including against people who did not know Him. The book of Jonah reveals God as merciful to people he was going to destroy because they listened to the messenger He had sent & repented & called on Him. In the book of Hosea God reveals Himself through Hosea’s life, who was commanded to marry a prostitute & to redeem her from the slave auction when she’d left her husband to return to her whoring ways. Before destroying Sodom & Gomorrah Abraham bargained with God & He was willing to save those wicked cities if just 10 righteous people could have been found in them.

In the New Testament we see numerous examples of God’s mercy poured out through His Son Jesus. In the woman caught in adultery, possibly Mary Magdalene, He rescued her from stoning in act of astonishing justice & mercy!

John 8: 1-11, from here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208&version=NIV

 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

In the tale of the paralytic man we see someone who is healed because of the faith of a few close friends (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2: 1-12; Luke 5: 17-26; & John 5: 1-15, this is possibly a story of a different paralytic). Likewise in the healing of the servant of the Centurion (Matthew 8: 5-13) we see God’s healing power poured forth even from afar.

In the resurrection of the dead we see multiple examples: the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37: 1-14), the son of the Shunammite woman (II Kings 4: 8-37), the Synagogue Leader’s daughter who’d died (Matthew 9: 18-26), Dorcas (Acts 9: 32-43), & of course Lazarus (John 11). There were also many dead who arose upon Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 27: 51-53)!

Here is a music video created using Carmen’s song “Lazarus Come Forth” that artistically retells the scriptural tale of Lazarus’ resurrection of the dead. (I used to attend church with Carmen back in my Tulsa days so this song really takes me back.)

There is nothing so dead that God cannot breathe life into it!

There are scriptural representations of God’s deliverance from seeming impossible odds:

  • rescuing Moses from the decreed death of infant boys (Exodus 2: 1-10)
  • the parting of the Red Sea to allow the Israeli’s to escape Egypt (Exodus 14 & 15: 1-21)
  • David & Goliath (I Samuel 17)
  • Samson’s death & the destruction of the Philistines (Judges 16: 23-32)
  • the 4 lepers in the siege of Samaria (found in II Kings 6 & 7)
  • Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Daniel 6)
  • the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 1-30)
  • Elijah & his servant, who was likely Gehazi, (II Kings 6: 8-23) see the hosts of heaven.

Exodus 14: 13-14

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

God opened the servant’s eyes to see that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

II Kings 6: 15-17

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, fleshly, or human. We are strong (only) in the Lord & in the power of his might. Part of our power lies in praise & worship as we call on God to set us free!

This song recounts a number of places in scripture where worshipping God resulted in his people being set free. This is classic Petra with Greg X. Volz back in the lead vocalist slot singing “Let Everything That Hath Breath Praise the Lord”. I used to run with this song in my head, or on my walkman, way back in the day 😉

II Corinthians 10: 3-5

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

Here you can find verse 4 above in all English translations: https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Corinthians%2010:4

Ephesians 6: 10-18, The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

I believe that Q Drops reference the Armor of God numerous times! These are those days that try men’s souls & we need to be armored in the Lord to withstand the evil onslaught that is incoming.

The Book of Daniel chapters 10-12 has some fascinating stuff. A passage in Daniel 10 is compelling in that it indicates that a heavenly messenger, an angel presumably, was prevented from coming for 3 weeks & it wasn’t until Michael (the archangel?) “one of the chief princes” came to assist him that he was able to break through…This may, in part, be due to the prayers of the saints, like how Frank Peretti portrayed in his breakthrough works “This Present Darkness” & “Piercing the Darkness”.

Daniel 10: 12-14

12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

There are many places in scripture where we see evil doers come to a justified end. Here are a few:

  • Proverbs 26:27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
  • Psalm 109 the majority of this Psalm is prayers for God to visit destruction on the psalmist’s enemy & ends with God’s blessing & favor on the one whom He loves.
  • Proverbs 17:7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
  • Ezekiel 13:8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.

We also see God restoring that which was ruined, lost, or discarded:

  • The 2nd Chapter of Joel especially verses 12-14


12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

13 Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
    and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
    for the Lord your God.

  • Ezekiel 36:35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.”
  • Isaiah 1: 21-28 could have been written just for these times!


21 See how the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!
She once was full of justice;
    righteousness used to dwell in her—
    but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
    your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
    partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
    and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
    the widow’s case does not come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
    and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand against you;[b]
    I will thoroughly purge away your dross
    and remove all your impurities.
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
    your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
    the City of Righteousness,
    the Faithful City.”

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
    her penitent ones with righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
    and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

Below are some tweets that provide encouragement as we continue to press on in the battle!

https://twitter.com/NYMami777/status/1332229987454377989
https://twitter.com/DianeBohallGray/status/1332376375462825984
https://twitter.com/JohnTrumpFanKJV/status/1333247208146210822
https://twitter.com/3days3nights/status/1334223029078007815
https://twitter.com/MajorPatriot/status/1334215092083298304

Above Major Patriot’s tweet of Lin Wood leading people in a powerful prayer is partially viewable at the Internet Archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201202193215/https://twitter.com/MajorPatriot/status/1334215092083298304

https://twitter.com/TheRightMelissa/status/1334223554146131977
https://twitter.com/lizalobell/status/1334237157641293825
https://twitter.com/JohnTrumpFanKJV/status/1334551358796656641
https://twitter.com/BardsFM/status/1339711080088494080

The tweet above is only viewable at the Internet archive now here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201217231742/https://twitter.com/BardsFM/status/1339711080088494080 BardsFM  🇺🇸‏ @BardsFMFolgen@BardsFM folgenMehr

Pray. For the Nation. For @realDonaldTrump For @GenFlynn For @SidneyPowell1 For @LLinWood For justice. For grace. For eyes to see and ears to hear. For all of us to humble ourselves before Him. God bless.

https://twitter.com/cjtruth/status/1339951850901127169

The tweet above is viewable at the Internet archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201218151532/https://twitter.com/cjtruth/status/1339951850901127169

JTRUTH‏ @cjtruthFolgen@cjtruth folgenMehr

A prayer for today. BE READY! #SPIRITUALWARFARE #StandFirm #Ephesians6

https://twitter.com/JohnTrumpFanKJV/status/1341210890499190788
https://twitter.com/JohnTrumpFanKJV/status/1343095054869651457
https://twitter.com/JohnTrumpFanKJV/status/1345543719815163904

As a final thought I believe that good & godly music can assist us in breaking through darkness & give us a boost so that we can rise up & do warfare in the Kingdom of God. Obviously music is an extremely personal choice & greatly impacted by our cultural & spiritual experiences. For me personally I often keep ClassicChristian247.com playing in the background, especially when digging into to topics connected to darkness. It helps lift my spirit & focus on the Lord.

Other favorite musical supports around our home include War in the Heavenlies & The Road to Jerusalem & too many others to name. There are links to both of these entire albums (I believe) & one favorite song from each mentioned here just below.

Well may the Lord continue to guide & direct our Precious President as he continues to do so much to beat back the forces of darkness that seek to destroy him, our land, & our very world. May God protect all the Patriots going to DC or assembling at state capitols or locally. May He grant us favor & deliver us & our land from those seeking dominion & destruction. May the Lord’s will & purposes be done in these challenging days. May He show Himself strong to set us free once again. May God be glorified & may this land be renewed & restored to it’s roots of faith. In Jesus Matchless Name!

God Bless everyone!