Not Forsaken

 

Not forsaken 

 

There’s a level of rejection most will never experience the way I and some others who have had a spouse leave them experience.  In all honesty I struggled with feeling like God had forsaken me too.  It causes you to doubt any love.  I had to be reminded of the sovereignty of God and how nothing that happened to me caught God off guard and he still loves me.  There are chapters in the Bible like Psalm 139 and Romans 8 that I run to for comfort when battling those thoughts.  I don’t always get it right, but I try.  If you ever feel forsaken or rejected or unloved seek God.  I’m about to give you a passage of verses to make you take heart.  See at one point I was told to heal in private but let me say this if God can use me to teach or help someone else with what I’ve been through I would rather share it than just keep it to myself.  I’m the least important part of this blog thing it’s all about sharing God’s Word.  But if you need an update of where I’m at with all of that first I’m going to share a poem of where I’m at.  This is something I’m calling Content of Sorts

 

Content of sorts

 

I’m at a place in my life

Physical needs

Are met

Emotional not so much

Happy to be alive

Happy to have family and friends 

So loved by my dog

Simply here

God has given me a day to live

I’m content of sorts

I still long for a relationship 

I can’t make it happen 

But I can 

Be just me

I’m the pro wrestling, video game, comic book fan

Somehow my niece thinks I’m cool

I don’t see it but 

“There’s always another day.”

I live a weird schedule. 

I try to be the best me I can.

I’m just content of sorts.

I’ve battled depression and rejection but today it’s an ok day.

I’m fine with that.  

 

And for those who may feel forsaken I want to remind you what God’s word says about you and me.

 

Psalm 103:8-18

 

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sin deserves or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.  But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”  

 

If you doubt God’s love or think he has forsaken, keep reading his word.  I’ve had to.  We need his assurances.  

 

"We are loved beyond our ability to comprehend" Jewel

God Loves you and cares for you

Mighty to save by Laura Story

10,000 reasons by Jesus Culture 

Hand on my shoulder by Sandi Patti

By your Side by Tenth Avenue North

My Jesus by Crowder and Anne Wilson

 

 

It is good

 

It is good

 

There was a discussion sometime back at a Bible study group I went to and it never quite happened the way it should have at least in my thoughts.  The discussion was why should we as Christians listen to Christian music?  Logically if you claim to follow Christ you should be praising him.  Your walk with God is a bit off if you don’t.  Trust me, I’ve been there.  I have found it hard to be thankful at times with things I’ve been through.  I’m trying to get better.  My counselor even told me “The goal is to get you praising God once again.”  It’s quite an undertaking for someone trying to give you Godly counseling to get your eyes off yourself and back on to God.  I haven’t been the easiest of patients.  I’m a work in progress.  I’m blogging again which is an achievement.  But speaking of chicken fried steak, at least once a year I see this meme and it’s stupid if you ask me.  “Why do people listen to Christmas music early, because no one has ever really written a good thanksgiving song.”  Here’s the stupidity in this thought.  There are thousands of songs about thankfulness for the Christians.  How about the old hymn Great is thy faithfulness?  If people listen to Christian music, they would realize this.  People of God try and do and should be praising God all year round and not just on one day.  I’ve even blogged before around Christmas that Hark the Herald Angels Sing is a Christmas song that takes you from the birth of Jesus to the resurrection in one song if you listen to all the verses.  So back to my start of this.  Why should a Christian be praising God and listening to Christian music?  I’m going to give you a few short reasons.  Perspective shift.  You get your attention off you and back on to God.  Are you having a bad day?  Praise God with music.  You won’t like it at first, but you need to change your focus.  Been there.  Read the Psalms because 90% of the chapters start with a complaint and then a perspective shift back to God.  Read your Bible you’ll see it’s true.  God can use the lyrics to teach you.  It has happened more times to me than I can count.  God commands us to praise him.  He gives us plenty of reasons to praise him.  You’re still breathing, aren’t you?  That brings me to another stupid meme shared by church people that says.  “It’s Sunday I can’t wait to get my praise on”.  My thoughts with this one have always been.  Why are you waiting to only praise God on Sunday?  What were you doing the rest of the week?  Some of you may complain about stuff that falls under the category of Christian music.  Evaluate the lyrics.  If it doesn’t match up with the Bible, then don’t listen to it.  You don’t have to bash every style of music and artist.  I say that because I’ve been around those types of church people.  I’ve been in those debates, and it pushes some people away.   Not everyone is going to listen to the same type of music you do, so relax.  As long as they are honoring God with their lives that’s what’s important.  For those who want to complain about music styles Larry Norman already addressed this years ago when he asked, “Why should the Devil have all the good music?”  God created music but along the way Satan perverted it.  Again, examine the lyrics against what the Bible says and see if they honor God.  I’m not here blogging for that debate about musical styles been there done that seen too many church people get hung up on the wrong sides of it.  I’ve been personally attacked for listening to stuff with a guitar and drums.  I’ve even been told that one particular musician is the only Biblically correct singer to the point that I refuse to listen to that artist because I disagree with those people’s statement.  God can and does use more than one musician just like he can use us all in unique ways.  Don’t limit what God can use to reach people.  He doesn’t fit in a box.  See those are needless arguments some people get hung up on. With this blog I’m urging you to Praise God.  It’s called encouragement.  Something I’m called to do that I’ve had a hard time doing lately.  

 

Psalm 92:1-5

 

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.  For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.  How great are your works, O Lord, how profound are your thoughts!”  

 

The first three words answer why we should sing and praise God.  “It is good.”  Boom mic drop!  That was something my parents told my after my life fell apart last year.  “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”  I had said.  My dad told me to do the next right thing.  Praise God.  It made no sense.  Bottom falls out of your life.  Praise God, seek Him.  Some days the hardest thing I do is to pick up my Bible and read it or to put on some Christian music and listen to the words, but I do it.  I’m trying to make better choices each day.  

 

Psalm 100:1 

 

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”

 

It doesn’t specify what musical instrument you use or genre of music. It just says make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  You don’t even have to sing good.  Praise God! That’s what you’re called to do.  The only thing I’m trying to drive home in all this is we all need to be praising God every day.  When I do these blog things I always leave links to music so you know you have a chance to praise God.  It’s kinda what I’ve been hinting at and talking about this whole time.  It’s not rocket science it really isn’t.  That’s it!  In the wrestling world this would be your “Go home” line of the promo.  Get busy praising God because He deserves it and that’s the next right thing to do.    

 

Made to worship by Chris Tomlin 

Praise the Lord by the Imperials

Sing your praise to the Lord by Rich Mullins 

Turn your eyes by Point of Grace 

Great is thy faithfulness by Carrie Underwood 

He’s got the whole world by Christy Nockels 

 

Help People

 

Help people. 

 

Sometimes you have to remember things that drive and fuel you as a person.  Multiple times in my work life I have seen employees get hired and for some reason or another weird things happen where they get overlooked as far as training.  It’s been happening around me again lately.  I was having a conversation with a friend about this, and it reminded me of the fact that I’m still passionate about helping people.  I don’t have as many people I come in contact with now that I’m single and alone.  Years ago, I had a teacher in college who made me aware of two verses that I will share momentarily.  I strongly believe God has us interacting with the people in our lives.  Recently I have been trying to find a church that will work for me as far as Wednesday night services and I went to one and no one even spoke to me which is sad.  Until you are single and only live with a dog you have no idea how much you miss interaction with others.  I have a pillowcase I bought on Amazon with Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars the Clone Wars on it and it has a quote that I read again recently and I shared it with a friend because it sums me up.  “In my life, when you find people who need your help you help them, no matter what.”  Whether it’s a new trainee at work, a friend, a family member or wait staff at a restaurant.  Be helpful!  Here’s the verses I mentioned.  

 

Galatians 6:9-10

 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  

 

I have a restaurant I frequent, and they got busy one day while I was there I asked one of the waitresses.  “Do you want me to go take those menus and put them up for you?”  It can be something simple you do to help someone else.  I help take out the garbage at work and if my dispatcher prints something I go to the printer and get it and hand it to them.  If new trainee needs help, I make sure to help them.  Not everything is about you.  Some people need a small gesture of kindness more than you know I know this because I’m one of those people.  Recently I posted on Facebook that I really needed a bookmark because I was using a plastic disposable knife for a bookmark.  My cousin bought some on Amazon and mailed them to me and another friend who is a librarian said she is sending me some.  My mom recently brought me homemade soup so I wouldn’t have to take boring sandwiches to work.  These are little things that mean so much to me.  I had a friend use a coupon and buy me the energy drinks I like.  I paid her back of course but I appreciated it.  My friend and I both collect different action figures and recently I went to a store and found one he had been searching for, for quite some time and I bought it he came by my house and paid me for it and he was very grateful.  Years ago, I read this series of books, and the main character was given a gift and he had never known friendships or kindness and he was confused.  The friend he was with told him this.  “We do not view friendship as a gift to be repaid.”  It works with kindness to others also.  Don’t worry about needing repayment, be kind because it’s the right thing to do and you make a difference in other people.  There’s someone in your life that God has you near them to show them kindness and you may never realize just how much they need it.  

 

Steven Curtis Chapman said it best in his song called Meant To Be

“You were meant to be touching.

 The lives that you touch.

And meant to be here.

Making this world so much more

Than it would be without you in it.”

 

Help people. Be kind.  We are all dealing with stuff and need kindness shown to us.  

 

Meant to be by Steven Curtis Chapman 

Human by Natalie Grant and Jordin Sparks

We Wait

 

We wait. 

 

Since October of last year my life has been upside down and out of whack.  I have prayed repeatedly and so often for a sense of purpose and hope.  I still have days I struggle and pray for God to answer that.  I live just day by day trying my best to just be the best I can be.  I have struggled with a fear of failure and feeling like God has forsaken me.  I know he hasn’t, but I get hammered with those thoughts because Satan tries to tell me God couldn’t love me because a single human woman can’t even love me.  I don’t think any of you understand the rejection you experience when a spouse just chooses not to love you and leaves.  I was married for 10 years and for maybe 6 of them I was loved and then I wasn’t.  I got told by her that she wasn’t going to hug me or kiss me or tell me she loved me because she didn’t want to hurt me when she left.  No matter what I said, tried or did would change the way I was treated.  At one point I was even kicked out of my own bedroom till I said no.  I had no idea the emotional abuse I was dealing with.  I loved her with every fiber of my being and tried so hard to keep my marriage together because all I wanted was to be loved.    I was in a loveless marriage.  I tried on a daily basis to be husband of the year, and nothing was ever good enough.  I forgive her and she made her choices I wasn’t one of them and at some point, we drifted apart.  I will be the first to admit there were many times as a husband I failed as well.  I’m just as flawed as the next person.  

  More and more I try to fill my heart and mind with God’s Word.  I try to draw closer to God.  He is hope and I need that.  I have always tried with this blog to give people hope because I know what it’s like to feel like you have none.  I’ve been having to learn who I am as a single person.  I’m a mess of a person in need of God.  I live in the book of Psalms because I can relate to the sheer array of emotions that King David and the other Psalmists go through.   I try to read a chapter a night.   Sometimes though you get to specific verses that capture your attention.  Two weeks ago, I got to go to church and you can verify this with my dog because I said it out loud.  I was nervous about going and meeting new people.  I had my hand on the door to the house and I was trying to make myself leave.  Out loud I said.  “I’m so nervous about how people are going to treat me.  It’s not about me it’s about God!”  I had the wrong perspective about church.  I’m not instantly going to have a sense of purpose and hope.  I have to keep praying for that and trusting God. When all of this painful journey of me being alone began last year, I used to sit at home staring at nothing because I didn’t know what to do I was so devastated.  Thankfully I’m not in that state anymore.  I function as a responsible person.  I have good and bad days, but I make myself get out and do things.  But in the meantime, of looking for that purpose and hope in my life I draw strength in some of the verses in the Psalms.

 

Psalm 33:20-22

 

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”  

 

Psalm 31:24

 

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”  

 

This is one of those songs I come back to a lot when hurting.  It’s called God is faithful by Sheila Walsh.

 

“Are you weary?

Are you frightened?

When you go to bed do you leave the light on?

When the cold wind blows

To disturb your peace 

Do you lock the door? 

So no one else can see

 

Broken promises 

Have left their mark on you

In your unbelief

One thing you must hold on to

 

When the road becomes to rough

When you’re ready to give up

When you’re crying out for love

God is faithful. 

When your peace cannot be found

He will never let you down. 

You have chosen solid ground. 

God is faithful.”  

 

I don’t know what any of you have been through but I’m a broken man who has endured a lot of emotional trauma.  But I know this God is faithful and I chose to live my days seeking after him.  I hope you do the same.  This is a blog about giving people hope and drawing closer to God.  

 

Lamentations 3:21-23

 

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  

 

 

God is faithful by Sheila Walsh 

Steadfast love of the Lord by Kathy Troccoli 

Anyway by Martina McBride 

We are waiting by Geoff Moore and the Distance 

 

Flipping the script

 

Flipping the script

 

Before I start this blog, I have something to say.  I realize in the past the blog had an emphasis on Hope found in God’s Word.  It still does!  For those that may not exactly see it anymore I’m still sharing what I’m learning with you and since being divorced I’m on a road to recovery in my own way but I’m still seeking after God.  A friend of mine encouraged me Wednesday, that I need to keep doing this.  He even gave me back my own words that “if just one person draws closer to God because of something I’ve shared then I have accomplished what I set out to do “.  I might be a little more withdrawn and take longer breaks between blogs and I apologize I don’t always have something to say.  My friend encouraged me though because I may feel like God is done with me at times but he’s not.  I got told a few weeks ago to possibly “recover in private.”  That’s not me.  I’m called to encourage.  If God can use my hurt in some way, then let it be used to help someone else draw closer to Him with His Word because the Bible is more important than anything I can say, and it is where all of us need to turn.  It’s simply my job to share it.  

 

Now onto a blog called flipping the script.  

I’ve been working through this plan on the Youversion app and I got reminded of something because it basically took a thought and “Flipped the script” or the perspective as it were.  I’m going to show you 5 verses and then what part of this plan says.  

 

Psalm 22:1-5

 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  

Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?  

Oh my God, I cry out to you by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.  

 

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

You are the praise of Israel.  

In you our father’s put their trust; 

They trusted and you delivered them.  

They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.”

 

Now this is from a reading plan in the Youversion app called In The Lord I Take Refuge.  

 

“The pain of feeling forsaken is not a rarity among the people of God.  As life unfolds before us, as we walk with God, we often battle feelings of wondering where God is.  ‘If God were really with me’ we may ask ‘would this be happening?’  

 

Where is his fatherly care in this loss, in this sickness, in this depression, in this pain?  

 

These feelings and thoughts do not take God by surprise.  He has given us many texts in scripture to care for us in these times of darkness.  Psalm 22 is one of these.  ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me.’ We cry out.  Perhaps the pain is too real to even tell another person about it.  We are suffering alone, the pain of solitude amplifying the agony.”  

 

Before we finish this thought in the devotional, I can tell you from experience that I’ve been at that point where the pain feels too real to tell another person but I’m here doing this blog thing trying to help another person who may be struggling and that is why I can’t be completely private about this I must share that there still is good news.  To paraphrase a gold miner in reference to the Bible “There’s gold in them thar hills.”  

 

Back to the reading plan….

 

“Notice that David assumes that God has forsaken him.  He does not ask God if he has forsaken him.  He asks why, assuming God already has.  Yet in light of the promises made to David in scripture David ought to have known that God would never have finally forsaken him.”  

 

That’s where the script got flipped for me when reading this because like David there've been times when I’ve assumed God had forsaken me.  I’ve felt abandoned but I have enough promises in the Bible to make me keep returning.  I’m simply a flawed man trying to share what God shows me in hope that it will help you.  I’m going to end this with a verse we all need to remember.  I’ve had enough people encouraging me to do this writing thing again that it got my attention.  There was a nagging part of me that kept saying “you’re divorced God can’t use you anymore.”  That’s a lie!  Do you know why I know God can still use me?  

 

Philippians 1:6

 

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  

 

 

Hope now by Addison Road 

He who began by Steve Green

About sums it up

 

About sums it up

 

Sometimes you really can’t put into words how you feel and the emotions you go through.  I have good and bad days like most people.  There’s a phrase in one of these verses I’m going to share that sums it up for me.  I have a lot of horrible thoughts that I have dealt with since being divorced.  The words “damaged goods” and “unworthy of love” are things my mind deals with a lot.  I’m at the point I can compliment a woman, but conversation wise I can’t get much further.  I don’t feel like they even know I exist much less have the ability to find anything attractive in me.  It’s a struggle.  I fumble over my own words so much.    I’ve read this Psalm about 6 plus times now and keep reading it over and over again.  It’s simply 6 verses but King David somehow put into words the things I deal with often.  I don’t have a human enemy but my own thoughts that I deal with often.  July 28th if my ex-wife had not left me we would have been married for 11 years.  It was supposed to last, and I thought it would.  I’ve struggled a lot emotionally.  Most don’t see my struggle because I go to work and function as a somewhat normal person even though “normal is only a setting on the dryer”.  I was on an antidepressant for a time but the mind-numbing headaches that were side effects made it even harder to function.  I pray a lot and try to trust God.  My dog helps a lot and so does my family and a few friends.  The days around what would have been my anniversary I told my friend Patrick how I was feeling and my mom that was it.  If Patrick and I had not gone to comic con together I probably would have spent a lot of time doing stupid thinking at home or at work.  Trust me, the day before I was mindlessly playing video games just trying to have something else to think about.  

 

But I read Psalm 13 and It sums up a lot of how I feel.  Just day by day thoughts and trying to deal with them. I will admit there are days I feel like when I pray it never goes above the ceiling.  But I’ve followed God long enough to know that’s not true.  These are just raw and honest emotions that I go through.  Let me show you what King David has to say because he put my life into words better than I can.  He was even physically hunted by people out to kill him.  I just deal with emotional stuff.  

 

Psalm 13

 

“How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  

How long will my enemy triumph over me?  

 

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.  

Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say ‘I have overcome him,’. And my foes will rejoice when I fall.  

 

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”  

 

There’s another passage I want to share that I keep reading a lot as well and oddly enough I shared this on Facebook and one of my friends copied the verses and shared them on her own page, so God had more than one person sharing his word on that day.  

 

Psalm 5:1-3

 

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.  

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.  

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”  

 

See in those verses is a reminder that God does hear us even when it feels like our prayers never get past the ceiling.  If you’ve been through depression for any reason, it can be one of the hardest struggles ever.  Push through it and seek God.  

 

 

Life to me by Zoegirl 

Hurricane by Natalie Grant 

You need it Too.

 You need it too

This past Sunday morning I got off work and went to a restaurant within walking distance of my house and I complimented this young woman who worked there because I think she’s very beautiful.  Her face lit up so much she was nearly glowing.  We as humans need compliments.  More importantly we need reminders of God’s love and his promises.  I pretty much emotionally live in the book of Psalms because I can relate to the ups and downs King David, Asaph and the other psalmist’s go through.  One day you’re doing good and others maybe not so much.  We need to remember who God is and where he is.  As I look at the night sky at work and the rising sun in the morning I often pray this prayer.  “Lord you hold all this together I believe you can heal my heart.”  It gets my focus off of me and back on Him where it needs to be.  I have a list of music on Spotify that I listen to when I walk at work and one of those songs on there is Exalt the Name by Sandi Patty and you need to hear these lyrics like I did.  

“He rules the universe 

Yet hears the humble cry

The power of His word 

Can split the earth and sky

Yet mend the lives that sin has torn apart 

The love of the Lord never ends

Sing his praise once again.”

It just went so well with some of the verses I have been reading lately out of the Psalms so give me a moment to show you some of them because you need them too.  This first one hit home because I work overnight.  

Psalm 143:8

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 145:8

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.  

Same chapter different verses

14

“The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.”  

18-19

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”  

Psalm 147:3

“He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.”  

My passion to encourage people still remains.  I may not always have the right words every week but I will still try.  

10,000 Reasons by Sandi Patty 

Exalt the name by Sandi Patty 

The Passion Remains

 

The passion remains, 

 

I’ve been through a lot and I’m trying to recover and be a better person than I was the day before.  I often pray for Hope and a purpose in my life because I don’t really see it like I used to.  I still have a passion to encourage others and I still seek after God.  I want to blog again, but I have less to say than I used to.  I’m finding comfort in passages of scripture that I’ve read many times before but I’m at a place emotionally that I need them more.  

 

Psalm 136:1-3

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods. 

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His love endures forever.”

 

To some of you we’ve read that a thousand times and heard it turned into a song by Michael W Smith but let me tell you why it means more to me lately.  When you’ve suffered the rejection of a spouse and that love has been taken from you, you cry out to God more and you need him to remind you that his love endures forever.  I remind myself at times that Judas betrayed Jesus.  His closest friend.  There was a purpose in that and it led to the cross.  He’s experienced worse than I ever will.  I’m not claiming to be like Jesus I’m too much of a failure on my own.  But somehow, he has me breathing and seeking him.  I don’t understand it all.  That’s why I find myself overwhelmed by this next verse.  

 

Psalm 138:8

 

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever. — do not abandon the works of your hands.”

 

I don’t know what His purpose for me is.  But he’s given me a passion to help.  Recently I bought this pillowcase on Amazon, and it has a quote on it from Ahsoka Tano a character on Star Wars the Clone Wars that says this, and it sums me up perfectly.  

 

“In my life when you find people who need your help you help them no matter what.”  

 

If it’s writing a blog and trying to help someone or going to work and helping a new hire or a coworker, I try to help as much as I can.  It’s not a grand purpose but I try to help people.  This past Wednesday I went to see my family and my sister, and I were hanging out doing stuff together which honestly we hadn’t done in years and my dad said something.  “What are y’all doing?  You seem to just be spending time like brother and sister and it makes my heart proud.”  You know when you can make your dad happy and you and your sister are just helping each other it tends to make you smile.  Seek God and help others as much as you can.  

 

Road to Calvary by John Schlitt 

He who began by Steve Green 

Heart to God, Hand to man by Geoff Moore and the Distance and Ashley Cleveland