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Peter responded and said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’
– Matthew 14:28-30
John the Baptist was dead.
When Jesus learned his cousin had been beheaded, He took a boat to a secluded place to mourn. The crowds discovered His whereabouts and tracked Him down, waiting on the shore for His return.
They didn’t care about His pain. Probably no one asked about His loss. As always, the Savior put the needs of the people before His own and healed them.
As the day dragged on, the crowd refused to leave. The disciples asked for permission to send them away, citing the late dinner hour. Jesus instead challenged them to feed the people themselves.
We all know the story. The disciples brought what they had to Jesus, and He multiplied their meager offering to feed the crowd. He sent the people away, commanded the disciples to cross the sea in the boat, and withdrew to pray.
But the day was not done.
While he prayed on the mountain, the weather turned foul on the sea. The boat carrying the disciples was battered by the storm, and the disciples were afraid. Jesus perceived the danger and went to them.
As the wind whipped around them and the waves pitched their boat, Jesus emerged out of the tempest, walking on the water toward them. Not expecting to see Jesus crossing the sea without a boat, the disciples thought He was a ghost.
Jesus called to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter, always the brash one, asked Jesus to call him out upon the water.
Jesus replied, “Come.”
Peter climbed out of the boat and joined Jesus on the waves. But the storm raged under their feet.
What was Peter expecting? Did he think the sea would simply calm because Jesus was with him?
Why had they encountered such fierce weather, anyway, when they were only following Jesus’ command to cross the sea? Not only had the storm not calmed, Peter put himself in danger by obeying the Lord.
Didn’t the crowd receive their miracles? Sure, they did, and so did Peter.
But Peter also learned a lesson.
When Jesus granted his bold request, He knew Peter was unprepared for all that it entailed. Overcome with fear and doubt at the waves, the disciple began to sink into the sea. The Lord pulled him to safety.
The disciple’s mistake, of course, was to take his eyes off Jesus when he realized he had stepped out of his comfort zone. But still, by believing and obeying, Peter did the unthinkable. He walked on water. When he was overcome with doubt, he called out to God and was saved out of his own failure.
Jesus took him back to the boat, stopped the wind, and took them safely to the other side.
What was the lesson Peter learned?
Find the Savior in your storm, and never look away.
The applications for our own lives are many:
- Don’t let our own sorrows keep us from seeing the needs of others.
- Seek God in prayer always.
- Dare to pray bold prayers but be prepared for all that the answer may bring.
- Obedience doesn’t always mean the journey will be smooth.
- Don’t let fear warp our vision of the Christ.
- Never take our eyes off the Savior.
- Be assured we will always reach the other side safely.
What storm are you facing today? Are you content to stay in the boat and wait for deliverance? Or are you willing pray a bold prayer and walk upon the waves?
Whatever you do, keep your eyes on the Savior, always.
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16 April 2021 – Franklin, TN – Today, two-time GRAMMY Award® and multi-GMA Dove Award® winner Zach Williams drops a new song, “Turn It Over.” Accompanied with a lyric video, the track is now available on all digital platforms and will appear on Williams’ Rescue Story Deluxe Edition, slated for release in June.
“Turn It Over,” an autobiographical song about Williams’ journey of faith, and, as he recently shared, “It feels like a prayer for this current time that has been filled with fear and doubt.” The song was written by Williams along with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury.
Additionally, “Less Like Me,” his current single at radio, continues to be Williams’ fastest-rising song in his career. It is currently No. 2 on both the Billboard Monitored and AC Monitored charts.
Due to the pandemic, Williams’ Rescue Story Spring Tour was postponed to this fall, but he has been able to get back on the road with his Drive-In Theater Tour, hitting cities across the country. Joined by Mac Powell and CAIN, the tour will run through June. Concertgoers are getting to hear all of his top hits along with newer songs such as “Turn It Over,” “Stand My Ground,” and “Less Like Me.” It’s a show you won’t want to miss! Be sure to visit his tour page for all of the latest tour dates and information.
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NASHVILLE, TENN. (April 16, 2021) – Tim Timmons releases his new album HERE on Integrity Music available today. This special eight-song release is an invitation to encourage the listener to pray and keep a thankful heart throughout the day. “I think if I was going to put a practice or theme to the songs on this record, it would really be ‘What am I giving my attention to? What do we give our worship to all week long?’ It’s about aligning and re-aligning our hearts to Jesus,” shares Tim Timmons about this project.
Timmons kicked off this year releasing the song, “This Is The Day,” which is featured on today’s release and is his radio single currently moving up the National Christian Audience chart. This song reminds the listener to practice thankfulness all day long. And as one who is all too familiar with trials and pain, he takes this song to heart personally.
“I’m now 21 years into a 5-year death sentence with an incurable cancer diagnosis […], one of my primary reminders is to practice thankfulness for another day that I get to wake up,” explains Timmons. “Focusing on Jesus’ nearness in and through our struggles is where we realign ourselves toward joy. I see the gift of cancer is perspective. It’s really the open door to speak into peoples’ stories.”
Timmons has been releasing new music with Integrity Music since 2020. He debuted his first project in 2013 with Cast My Cares followed by 2015’s Awake Our Souls. He has been writing songs for himself and for other artists, including a GRAMMY® nomination for co-writing MercyMe’s “Even If,” which stayed at No. 1 on the National Christian Audience charts for 19 weeks.
“For years I’d heard people all over town talk about Tim Timmons in the most unique way,” shares Andrew Osenga, Director of A&R, Integrity Music. “It has been such a joy to get to know this guy and find that it’s all true, and to partner together to create an album of songs that invites the listener into this same relationship that so many people in Nashville were talking about. This is an album that befriends you and invites you in: To come alive to the heart knowledge that you are seen, valued and loved, and to be present HERE, safe in the love of Jesus.”
Later this month, he will be launching his podcast “10000 MINUTES: The Experiment,” hosted by Timmons with co-hosts Chris Cleveland (STARS GO DIM) and Emmoe Doniz along with some amazing special guests. The Experiment is a weekly deep dive into the adventures and struggles of living out our daily lives WITH Jesus, not for Him.
All of his songs – Timmons calls them prayers – have stemmed from personal experience after spending the previous 15 years leading worship in Orange County, California. He is now based in Nashville, with the past nine years touring full-time around the world.
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But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.
– Hebrews 5:14
We walked through the tall, dry grass with a forester friend as we checked out the progress of the fledgling evergreens on our property overlooking the river valley.
The men sauntered down the hill, intently inspecting the little trees. The friend’s wife followed. I brought up the rear, watching my feet.
In this part of the country, you never know what might be lying in your path.
Toward the bottom of the hill, I heard the buzz and saw the grass part beside me. The rattler had lain quietly while the others passed, and only alerted at my approach.
I shrieked. The snake crawled away. My husband carried me back up the hill.
In north central Idaho live two species of snakes that look remarkably alike to the casual observer. The bullsnake, a subspecies of the harmless gopher snake, has a pattern much like its venomous neighbor, the Northern Pacific rattlesnake.
When threatened, it coils and shakes its tail in warning. A longer inspection reveals this species to have a longer, thinner body and rounder head.
The rattlesnake is fatter, shorter, and more docile. Its head has the characteristic viper triangular shape with the hooded eyes. Its tail has the namesake rattles to warn an intruder. Sometimes, the first alert to its presence is its distinctive, loud buzz. Occasionally, it gives no warning, and you must be able to recognize it before it strikes.
Both snakes are beneficial hunters.
One can kill you.
Satan is compared to a snake in the Bible because of several common qualities:
His predatory nature.
Snakes hunt and feed on the vulnerable.
The ability to camouflage his presence.
Like a snake, he blends into his surroundings to get close to his prey.
His deadly bite.
Satan comes “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NASB)
In our part of the country, it’s imperative to know the difference between a harmless snake and a venomous one. It’s a deadly error to either denounce the innocent as evil or fail to recognize danger ahead. It takes trial and error, success and failure, to discern good from evil.
We live in challenging times. The temptation is strong to either ignore the warning signs or to lash out blindly at those around us. Our challenge is to be as wise as the serpent. Know what is good and what is evil. Be smarter than your adversary. Be as gentle as the Spirit of God.
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.
– Matthew 10:16
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The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
– Henry David Thoreau, 1854.
My Southern-born mom put it less eloquently – but more graphically – when she declared, “I’m so low I have to look up to see a snake’s belly.”
It’s hard to get much lower than the dirt. And that’s where the serpent wants us, groveling in the dust as he slithers over us.
Christians are under attack like no other time in history. There is more persecution of believers in this age than ever before. Satan roams the earth, storming homes, churches and families. He feeds on shattered lives, hearts, and relationships while he grows in insolence against heaven.
We have been shaken as everything we believe is trampled under the brutality. Our trust in God’s Word faces its most severe challenge. What happened to all His promises?
Alone, trapped in hopelessness, our people suffer in quiet despair. We can’t even understand the heartbreak happening to us, much less tell someone else.
Just like Jesus’ first disciples.
When the disciples met the Christ, their hopes soared. The majesty and power of the carpenter ignited their imagination. They believed. He was the Messiah, the King of the Jews. They followed Him, watched His miracles, listened to His word, and rejoiced. The Kingdom of God had arrived.
They eagerly waited for the Anointed One to take His throne. Instead, he bled and died at the hands of the executioners, sending a shock wave through the Jewish believers.
He was dead and buried. Like the dreams of His followers.
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst….
– John 20:19
In their panic, they forgot everything He told them. Imagining they were next to be killed and in complete despair, they trembled behind locked doors and waited to die.
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week….
– Matthew 28:1
Then the day of promise began to dawn.
True to His word, Jesus rose again. Nothing but the graveclothes of their misconceptions remained in the tomb. The miracle of miracles shattered the desperation.
Slaying the serpent. Raising us up out of the dirt.
Seating us in the heavens with Him.
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When God Invades Our Despair
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week….
-Matthew 28:1
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst….
-John 20:19
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1854.
My Southern-born mom put it less eloquently but more graphically on her bad days: “I’m so low I have to look up to see a snake’s belly.”
It’s hard to get much lower than the dirt. And that’s where the serpent wants us, groveling in the dust as he slithers over us.
Christians are under attack like no other time in history. There is more persecution of believers in this age than ever before. Satan roams the earth, storming homes, churches and families. He feeds on shattered lives, hearts, and relationships while he grows in insolence against heaven.
We are shaken as everything we believe is trampled under the brutality. Our trust in God’s Word faces its most severe challenge. What happened to all His promises? Where is the life of victory?
Alone, trapped in hopelessness, our people suffer in quiet despair. We can’t even understand the heartbreak happening to us, much less confess our struggles to someone else. So we hide in the darkness, convinced of the permanence of the death of our hopes and dreams.
Just like Jesus’ first disciples.
When the disciples met the Christ, the majesty and power of the carpenter ignited their imagination. They believed He was their Messiah, the King of the Jews. They followed Him, watched His miracles, listened to His word, and rejoiced. The Kingdom of God had arrived with this Deliverer.
They eagerly waited for the Anointed One to take His throne. Instead, he shocked them by dying at the hands of the executioners. All they hoped and believed died with Him
In their panic, they forgot everything He taught them. Imagining they were next to be killed and in complete despair, they trembled behind locked doors and waited to die.
Then, it began to dawn.
True to His word, Jesus rose again, conquering death in a single moment. Nothing but the graveclothes of their misconceptions remained in the tomb. The miracle of miracles shattered the desperation, killed every lie of the serpent, and raised them up out of the dirt.
Now they understood. God had planned it all. At no moment were they ever out of His hand. Even in their deepest night, He carried them toward the greater dawn of a new forever, better than anything they could have imagined. And nothing was lost except their fears.
This Easter morning, the tomb still lies empty. The risen Savior still reigns over this earth and every single moment of our lives. He will give us strength for today as He crushes the enemy under His feet through our acts of faith.
The serpent is defeated. Arise from the dirt.
Dawn is coming.
The Lord has risen indeed…!
-Luke 24:34
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NASHVILLE, TENN. (JANUARY 15, 2021) Nashville-based singer/songwriters Ellie Holcomb and Jillian Edwards and their musical collaboration – The Dailys – release a four-song EP available today. The special side-project is produced by their friend/producer/artist/poet Ben Shive. Both Holcomb and Edwards have become staple songwriters in the Nashville songwriter community over the years. They have co-wrote 10 songs together including songs that have also appeared on their individual solo projects.
“The music making community in Nashville is a rich one, and sometimes…just sometimes …you get to collaborate with some of your favorite artists and people to make a project together – in this case Jillian and Ben,” shares Ellie Holcomb. “We hope this project is full of the kind of beauty that nourishes the soul.”
“I love making music with Ellie and love our producer Ben Shive,” states Jillian Edwards. “I hope these songs serve you and your daily life.”
About Ellie Holcomb: Ellie Holcomb, a Nashville native, began her musical career by touring the country with her husband in Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors. After 8 years, and with the birth of their daughter, Ellie opted to step out of the role of heavy touring. From that space came her debut solo album, As Sure As The Sun, which charted at No. 1 on the iTunes Christian chart and helped deem Holcomb the “Best New Artist” at the 2014 Dove Awards. In 2017, she released Red Sea Road (Full Heart Music), which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Christian Album sales chart and on the Top Current Album Sales, overall chart. In 2018, she became a best-selling author with the release of Who Sang the First Song? (B&H Publishing Group) and Dove-nominated EP, Sing: Creation Songs. She followed-up those projects with Don’t Forget To Remember (B&H Kids), and accompanying EP, Sing: Remembering Songs, which won the 2020 GMA Dove Award for “Children’s Album of the Year.” Ellie and her her husband, Drew, have entertained their fans through the pandemic first bringing song covers from their kitchen night after night with their “Kitchen Covers,” and as well as being the face of a special Tennessee Tourism campaign featuring their family with four episodes. She is currently finishing up a new album that will release in 2021. Ellie, her husband and their three children live and make music in Nashville. About Jillian Edwards: For more than a decade, Jillian Edwards—who now resides in Nashville with her husband, Will, drummer for indie rock band Colony House, and their daughter, Willow Faye—has consistently written and recorded music through the lens of faith, even when she’s crafting songs about love and relationships or writing songs specifically for film and television. The latter has seen Edwards’ songs featured in television episodes of Nashville, Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy, and on commercials for Citibank among other high-profile brands. In addition, a collaboration with EDM DJ Thomas Gold resulted in a surprise hit for the singer/songwriter with “Magic,” on which she is credited as a co-writer and featured vocalist. Her previous collection of original material, 2014’s Daydream, topped iTunes’ Singer/Songwriter chart and landed at No. 6 on Billboard’s New Artist chart. In 2016, she released COVERS, putting her creative stamp on 10 reimagined versions of some of her favorite songs written by other artists. In 2020, she released her new album Meadow, where this singer/songwriter once again wears her heart on her sleeve creating a project that is ready-made for rest, solitude and comfort.
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NASHVILLE, TN… January 8, 2021 – Grammy-winner Mandisa is kicking off the new year with a brand new single perfect for the new year, titled “Breakthrough.” The track is now available across all DSPs, and a lyric video can be seen here.
The song begins with Mandisa singing, “This is where my heart will beat again, this is where I get set free, this is where your love is calling me; I’m ready, yeah, I’m ready to cross over the line,” and continues with even more lyrics that speak boldly to starting fresh and waiting for a breakthrough, singing how she’ll “Leave it all behind, nothing’s gonna keep me here, oh, until I see a change, I’m lifting up your name, there’s freedom in the atmosphere.”
In November Mandisa released the single “It’s Not Over,” featuring Jasmine Murray and Rita Springer along with a coinciding lyric video. This track followed her May debut of the single “You Keep Hope Alive,” with worship leader and Gotee Recording artist Jon Reddick. Penned by Reddick, a “Unity Version” of the song, featured vocal performances in English, Xhosa, Spanish, Samoan, Italian, Haitian Creole, Tagalong and Mandarin Chinese.
Mandisa is currently working on a worship release for 2021.
About Mandisa:
With more than 1.6 million records sold, GRAMMY® winner and American Idol Season 5 finalist Mandisa is a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world. In less than a year, Mandisa performed her three RIAA Certified Gold hit singles “Overcomer,” “Good Morning (feat. TobyMac)” and “Stronger” on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA). “Stronger” became an anthem, creating opportunities such as welcoming the emotional return of beloved morning host Robin Roberts and an invitation to perform the national anthem during a Sunday night NFL Network game to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her 2013 GRAMMY® award-winning album Overcomer debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart. The album’s title track proved to be a smash at radio and earned the GRAMMY® for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song. Mandisa, also a 2-time K-LOVE Fan Awards co-host, debuted her latest chart-topping album Out Of The Dark alongside sharing the moving story of her fight with depression for the very first time on GMA as well. The latest 15 track collection includes notables such as the top 5 hits “Unfinished” and “Bleed The Same (feat. TobyMac, Kirk Franklin).” This summer she released “You Keep Hope Alive” with worship leader and Gotee Recording artist Jon Reddick, and when COVID-19 paused touring, Mandisa immediately took to YouTube to share what was on her heart during “Mornings with Mandisa” sessions, which have now morphed into “Mornings with Mandisa & Friends,” a round table discussion covering a myriad of topics that takes place via Zoom on the 24th of each month. In addition, Mandisa has launched “What If We Were Real,” a candid talk show on YouTube hosted by the singer that features a panel of guests and explores relevant subjects not often discussed in church circles.###
Get Connected with Mandisa:
Website // www.mandisaofficial.com
Twitter // www.twitter.com/mandisaofficial
Instagram // www.instagram.com/mandisaofficial
Facebook // www.facebook.com/mandisaofficial
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What is left when a pandemic takes down our world?
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
– Luke 2:8-19 (NASB)
God choses well the people whom He calls. Mary and Joseph were not perfect people. Nor were they successful by worldly standards. Their decision to follow the calling of God gained them nothing of material value in this life. They endured humiliation, poverty, and gossip. Christ’s birth came in a time of isolation and rejection. Joseph evidently died an early death. Mary watched her beloved son – the one born so full of promise; upon whom she had lavished her reputation, her trust, and her sacred honor – executed as a common criminal.
His life challenged her expectations. His death crushed her.
His resurrection made it all worthwhile.
This year is not like any our generation has known.
We who have grown up in middle American Christendom have attached certain expectations to our faith, to our lives, to our dreams. We do not expect pain, isolation, or sickness. Suffering is not compatible with our interpretations of the Scriptural promise of abundant life.
This Christmas, the usual traditions we observe have been disrupted. In the place of a full table, we may be suffering financial distress. In the place of a full house, we may be existing in a place of extreme loneliness. But like Mary and Joseph, the strength of our calling is not dependent upon circumstance. As the trials around us pare down our expectations and traditions, what is left is the pure sound of angels singing glory to God in the highest.
Mary wisely treasured everything she experienced with the Christ and pondered Christ His life in her heart. Instead of questioning the veracity of God’s Word and the faithfulness of our Creator, let’s take this time of hardship to contemplate all He has told us and what our part in His great work of deliverance should be. Even more in a pandemic, people need a Savior. His promises shine all the brighter in the darkness.
Joy to the world! The Lord has come! What else matters?
Be all the more diligent to make certain
about His calling and choosing you;
for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.
– 2 Peter 1:10
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