Just when I stopped looking...

Last Oct, the Lord rekindled my songwriting ability.

Together, we wrote 2 songs - Do Not Be Anxious and The Song of Peter and John.

Then I got caught up in the dramatic possibilities of Paul's speech to the Athenians in Acts 17.

For days I kept going back to the words:

I see that you're religious
For as I walked around
I even found an altar
To an unknown God

Now what you worship as unknown
I will proclaim to you

The God who made the world and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth
He does not live in temples
He is not served by human hands
For he gives all men life and breath and everything

But I just kept getting stuck. It wouldn't come.

So that's a draft I'll have to get back to at some point.

But here's the great news...

Yesterday (18 Feb 2011), I wrote my 3rd song!

The first draft was done in about 3 hours and is inspired by Psalm 121 and Lionel Richie's Hello.

I've titled it I Lift Up My Eyes.

I got started on it because I was trying to write something meaningful and encouraging for a recently bereaved dear friend.

The first person to hear it live was hubby. His comment: "Ah, the chords are very intricate, very hard for the congregation to sing. This is more of a solo performance."

Point noted.

He also suggested I add a longer intro, so that's what I've done. The vocals are a bit soft though, something to work on. (I never did get the hang of singing from my diaphragm!)

Verse 1:

I lift up my eyes to the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth

Verse 2:

He will not let your foot slip
He who watches over you will not slumber
He who watches Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep

Chorus:

The Lord watches over you
He's your shade at your right hand
The sun will not harm you by day
Nor the moon by night

The Lord will keep you from harm
He will watch over your life
He will watch over your coming and going
From now and forevermore

Back to verses 1 and 2 => Chorus => Repeat chorus

How to talk to children about things that matter to them

I offer no answers.

This post is just my way of putting out my thoughts on the subject, particularly in the context of Sunday School, which I am involved in.

How do we engage our SS children on topics that affect them personally?

• Death of a loved one.
• A parent's job loss.
• Family breakup.
• Bullying.
• Change of school.
• Their BFF is moving away.
  

Children need a safe environment in which to share the things that are affecting them emotionally.

And they need the Word of God that brings light, truth and wisdom.

SS teachers like me need training on how to respond sensitively, lovingly, wisely and in a way that builds the children's character and life skills.

Today, I met an SS child at school who told me very gravely that her pet rabbit is dying. Afterwards, I saw an FB post by her big sister confirming that the rabbit is going to be put down today.

How do we deal with this at SS?

I guess one way is to get all the kids to pray for the child/children and show sympathy and encouragement.

I read an article on SelfGrowth.com about talking to a child about the death of a pet, and one of the things recommended was commemorating the pet's life in creative and comforting ways.

There's even a YouTube video that sets out the steps a parent can take: