He is Love

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Daniel

A message of hope for all who may be depressed or are in despair and are in need of some encouragement today:

He is Love

If you can’t see past your pain and confusion
If you feel alone and overwhelmed by what you faced
If the circumstances of your heart feel too hard to navigate
& you feel so very far, far away

You’ve got to know there is joy beyond this heartache
You’ve got to see there is peace behind this storm
It all can change in a moment with Jesus
As his light drives the darkness away

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

And if you’re broken and bewildered
And if you’re drowning in your pain
And if the sadness of depression
weighs you down every day… just know that…

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

He knows your name, He feels your pain
He cares more deeply than you’ll ever know
He knows your name, He feels your pain
He cares more deeply than you’ll ever know

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

If you can’t see past your pain and confusion
If you feel alone and overwhelmed by what you face
and the circumstances of your heart feel too hard to navigate
Jesus is here to heal you now, for He is love

I am depressed

So many of us are living lives of quiet (or not so quiet) desperation. We are desperate for a more meaningful life, more meaningful relationships, for a love that we hardly even know exists or have only caught fleeting glimpses of. We forget these glimpses as we pursue distractions and vain things to numb the pain, quench the longing, and occupy our restless minds.

But, you and I were created by a loving God for the love of Jesus. Nothing else will satisfy our hearts. No one else will satisfy… except Jesus alone. Do you believe this?

When I was in depression I came across a song about the comforting presence of Jesus that spoke to me. It lifted me out of my depression by reminding me that Jesus was with me and that made all the difference.

My hope for this song is that it will bring people comfort and encouragement to come to believe that Jesus love really does make all the difference. He gives us a reason to live.

Categories: Depression, Love of God, Reflect Worship Music | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Ellie Teaches us to Fly!

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Daniel

With faith like a child Ellie demonstrates for us the simple art of flying, “It’s just part of what you know” she says. See for yourself how easy it can be!

reflect_amazing_grace_cover_220x200If you thought her flying was amazing you should hear her sing. She closes out her parents latest album Reflect Amazing Grace: http://reflect.bandcamp.com (for name your price) OR, you can actually download the entire album for free at: http://reflectworship.com/2015/04/free-hymns-albums/ (We just ask that you “pay it forward” and share it) – Please visit our website and learn more about our efforts to reach all nursing homes everywhere with this music. We could use your help!

Thanks for listening!

Daniel Lovett

Categories: faith adventure | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Elisabeth Grace’s Golden Birthday

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Daniel

100_5562My daughter Elisabeth Grace turns five today on 5/5/15.

Five is a significant number in Scripture and has been linked to “grace”. This is interesting because, just before we learned that we were expecting Ellie, I had humbled myself to a group of people from our church on a road trip back from a retreat and confessed to them that I did not understand grace. I asked them to pray for me. This was humbling because, along with my wife, I was their “worship leader”.

God was one the job. Within a week or so we learned that we were expecting a baby. We had been married eight years and this was our first.

But instead of being excited as I should have been, I was terrified. Why? Because I wanted our children to grow up surrounded by love and experience the true Jesus. My heart was just so sick and broken I could not provide that… or so I thought.

Then one day, shortly after, I was sitting at a red light in traffic and God whispered to me, “You know I created you to love you. Don’t you?”

I melted… My frozen heart melted. Wow.

It was one of those life changing moments followed by many others that further deepened me in God’s grace.

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Nine months later Ellie is born. Remember the scene when Jacob “imprints” on Bella’s daughter in one of the Twilight movies? I totally connected to that scene because that’s what happened for me and my daughter Ellie. Right after she was born, her mama was in surgery and I held Ellie and just stared into her eyes for an hour.

The fact that she was born on this day (5/5/10) and that she came to us after praying to understand grace was not lost on me. So we named her Elisabeth Grace. Elisabeth means “dedicated to God” and we had the story of Samuel in mind (who was specifically dedicated to God) and also Philips four gifted prophetic daughters (Two down and two to go!)

Interestingly, five months and five days later (10/10/10 @ 10:10 am) we dedicated her at church. She said her first words that day: “Oh my mama.” Little did we realize how amazing it was for a five month old to talk. She scrunched up her face and concentrated real hard to say it and then didn’t speak again till kids normally do.

It is a delight to see how much Ellie loves Jesus stories and we enjoy watching Jesus movies together.

If you have children of your own, we would recommend these following resources and would love to hear your suggestions for further resources on developing spiritual growth in children:

The Jesus storybook Bible! I can’t say enough good things about this. We have the dvd which Ellie watches over and over. Get this for your children! A must have.

Sweet Dreams Princess CDs by Sheila Walsh!!!! Wow. Incredibly amazing resource. Ellie went to bed tonight listening to one of the CDs. Sheila makes it so personal and fun for them.

We also love the Visual Bible. There is one for the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John. Both are worth owning!

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Finally, here is a picture of our princess Ellie (who just so happened to go see her first movie in the theater, the new Cinderella, with her mama tonight) helping us out on our latest recording, Reflect Amazing Grace. She sings the last song. Can you guess what it is?

By the way, the previous blog is about how we are giving this album away for free. All we ask is that you pass it on.

Thanks for listening!

What are some resources you have found helpful in spiritually enriching your kids? Please leave a comment!

related blogposts:

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT)

Categories: Grace | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Gift of Music!

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Daniel

reflect_amazing_grace_cover_220x200We are now offering both of our Hymns albums as free downloads ( Just Click on the CD cover on right), for you to enjoy! These albums contain many of the most well loved Hymns of the faith, like Amazing Grace, In the Garden, and Old Rugged Cross, etc… All we ask is that you to share this gift of music!

Our ultimate goal is to get this music to people in nursing homes everywhere to  bring some encouragement to them and also to bring comfort to those in their last moments in hospice care. (See testimonies below) Will you help us

We need your help!

Here are a few ways you can help:

1.) Will you share this link on your Facebook to spread the word about what we are trying to accomplish?

Copy and paste this link from our website:

http://reflectworship.com/nursing-home-ministry/send-hymns-to-nursing-homes/

or these “noise trade” links:

Reflect Amazing Grace: http://noisetrade.com/Reflectworship/reflect-amazing-grace

or, for the Reflect Hymn: http://noisetrade.com/Reflectworship/reflect-hymn

2.) Do you have a loved one or know someone in a nursing home? Please download the music, put it on a CD, and send it to them!

Of course you can also purchase our Hymns CD’s at our online store (or at Lighthouse Christian Books in Green Bay, WI), and bring a copy to someone in a nursing home!

3.) Do you know someone who works at a nursing home? Please send this message to them!

4.) Donate to our ministry so we can continue supplying albums for free to nursing homes. Donate button at our website: www.reflectworship.com

Send a Reflect Hymn or a Reflect, Amazing Grace album to a Nursing Home or Hospice care giver today!

You can also go to www.reflect.bandcamp.com to begin downloading.

Be sure to download both albums! Enjoy!

TESTIMONIES:

Since its release, I have been sending out the “Reflect Hymn” CD to various Nursing home facilities throughout Northeast Wisconsin and recently I received back this report about how the Reflect Hymn project is being used:

“Daniel, Having a chance encounter with an old friend who works the night shift at our local nursing facility, I wanted to share with you her comments about your music.

She told me that a copy of your music on CD; Reflect Hymn, appeared at their nurses station, and that they had been playing and enjoying the music.  However, she said the greatest benefit seemed to come when your music was played exclusively in the rooms of those patients who were experiencing their last days.  She told how the staff all remarked that such a great sense of peace seemed to envelop the room and the people in attendance, that they have a policy of always playing this music for such times as this as it provides such comfort.

I thought you might want to know this, since I know you send out these CD’s as a sample of your work when booking concerts at various Nursing Homes.  Even though this facility has never had you there in person, your music is being used and valued, which I just ‘happened’ to find out a few weeks ago during my ‘chance encounter’.

Blessings, Cindie”

I was so moved when I received this report. What an awesome blessing! I would love to see every nursing home throughout Northeast Wisconsin to receive a Reflect Hymn album for their use for the above mentioned purpose, or to use for a church service or bible study, or even just for music therapy. If this is something that you would also like to see happen please donate toward this ministry.

Here is another letter I received:

Hi Daniel…

Recently you came to Shady Lane Nursing Home here in Manitowoc to entertain the residents and I was in attendance with my mother who was a resident there at the time. She just passed away this past Thursday March 25th. I bought one of your CDs and played it for her every night when she was drifting off to sleep. This past week when she had slipped into a deep sleep on comfort care at Shady Lane I played it in her room….it was very soothing. I think the staff at Shady Lane enjoyed it as well. I plan to give these CDs away as a result. If it is alright with you I would like to play it next to her coffin at the funeral.

Thank you.

A Recent Encounter (2015):

I was about to go in and entertain at a nursing home when a lady stopped me and asked, “I am a hospice nurse and I have your Reflect Hymn CD. I use it so often that it doesn’t play anymore. Do you have another one with you?”

I was able to provide her the Reflect Hymn album and also our latest Hymn project Reflect, Amazing Grace. She was on her way to someone who was passing away that very day.

Thank you for listening,

Daniel Lovett

Categories: Nursing Home Ministry, Reflect Worship Music, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Grief Observed, Jon Stoffel

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Daniel

Last night a friend of mine, Jon Stoffel, and his eleven year old daughter Olivia were shot to death in a tragic senseless killing while the family was out for a walk.

john-stoffel-and-olivia-stoffel-menasha-shooting-victimsI remember fishing with him and his little kids awhile ago on lake Winnebago. He advised me not to eat the sheepshead I caught but I wanted to see for myself why these are considered “junk fish”… and save some for my garden. He also advised me to sit down as I was standing, or rather stumbling, on the edge of his boat as we experienced some stronger waves. He let his kids play with the fish we caught and to ‘catch them again’ out of the bucket we put them in.

After he helped remove a fish hook from my hand, we went back to his house and he spent some time looking for a small fish that had slipped down beneath the floorboards. He showed me his garden and we talked about gardening.  While hanging out with him I thought, ‘I want to be more like this guy when I grow up…’ and I think I am older than him.

I was looking forward to going fishing with him again this year.

Last night I had a dream I was a grief counselor at a nursing home. I felt woefully unqualified. Why I had to forfeit my pants as collateral when I came to work I’m not sure. I suppose that’s represents how I feel whenever grief is happening around me. Helpless. Embarrassed about being so useless to others in their grief.

When I was told today by a friend about Jon and his daughter being shot and killed, it didn’t seem real. I felt nothing. This disturbed me.

Where is my love? Is my love dead? Has my love grown cold like the Scriptures say happens to some people? God help me.

I went to play at a dementia unit at a Nursing home after I heard the news. One lady through the entire hour concert was saying, “Help me! Please help me! I need you! Help me!”

I resonated with her words. My heart was saying the same to Jesus.

I talked about calling out to Jesus for help and that he always comes to our rescue when we call for help. The Bible tells us, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (rescued).” Psalm 107 is full of people in desperate situations and scenarios who called out to the Lord and the Lord heard and came to their rescue. I then told the woman that I knew a song called “Help Me” and I played it for her:

I wonder why some of us just go numb when tragedy strikes. Is it because we’ve already experienced so much past pain in life that we’ve kind of shut down? I just started perusing a CS Lewis book “A Grief Observed” which I found online regarding when he lost his wife to an illness. Very interesting.

I finally felt the grief, and the tears came, after I came home and I saw a few of his photos on Facebook.  I asked Jesus to give Jon and his daughter a hug from us. I then told Jon that I’m glad to be his friend… notice I didn’t say glad to have been his friend. We are still friends and he is more alive now then he ever has been.

I imagined the moment he and his daughter left their costumes (as Ted Dekker would say) and experienced perfect peace and the greatest love as they were greeted by none other than Jesus himself. There they were, hand in hand bursting with joy looking at the biggest smile on Jesus face as he came for them.

“The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die.”. Psalm 116:15

I felt his care. It was good. Thank you Jon Stoffel for being my friend.

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From Jon’s Facebook page (in the about him section):

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

The latest update from the family perfectly sums up the kind of guy Jon was.

“The family would like to make it known that Erin said Jon’s last words to her after he was shot were, “Forgive the shooter.” We truly love because Christ first loved us. This was the heart of a man who walked the talk — his dying breath and last wish was only that his wife forgive the gunmen.”

Here is another photo from Olivia’s baptism:

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Categories: Grief | Tags: , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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