SHINING!

For three months I have been patiently waiting for the newest Vine cd to be released. The Vine is an informal worship service at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Please check out their website and watch the video in the multimedia section. I was praying that the cd would be in my mailbox when I got home from work today, before I left to drive to Delaware for the weekend. When I got to my apartment, I ran up the stairs, put Abby on her leash, and booked it over to the mail boxes. I stuck the key in, opened the box and there before me was the most beautiful bubble mailer envelope ever.

I have never left for a weekend trip so quickly. I could not wait to get in my car and listen to the cd. The first track is Rain Down, a song by the UK worship band, Delirious?. I don't think it was possible to stop smiling as I was hearing the Vine worship band and Daniel Dabney for the first time since I left Louisville last September (this is, of course, not including the first two Vine cd's that I have about worn out).

The Vine meant so much to me when I lived in that city, it still does. It was where I grew in my relationship with Christ and rededicated my life to Him. It was where God showed me that my entire life had been led selfishly. It was where I realized that Christ was more than enough for me. I was thinking of all these things as I was listening to the cd. I started to cry. I miss that place and feeling the presence of God there so much that it hurts. The song 'Blessed be Your Name' was on as all these thoughts were running through my head. The part of the song when you sing, "He gives and takes away" began. Wow. I didn't need to be in that Sanctuary at that service for God to speak to me through it. I know that God led me to the Vine for a reason. He gave it to me, and for that, I can only be eternally grateful.

Since the announcement of the new cd, I had been anticipating the song 'Shining' more than any other. It is a song about being in the presence of God. Every single time I went to the Vine, I felt God. This song portrays musically and lyrically what it is like being in God's presence, and the idea that we want to experience that all the time. It is a high that nothing else on this earth can give you.

I had completely forgotten about the song 'I've Had Questions'. I do not think that there has been a time in which this song was played that I did not cry. Perhaps the hardest thing to do as a Christian is to trust God in times of pain, to praise Him during suffering, or to call Him Savior when all hope is lost. But God is faithful and true and we can always cling to that.

These are only a few of the thoughts that flowed through me during my two hour drive and non-stop listening to the new cd. The album is named 'Radiate' after the idea that when you are in the presence of God, it is impossible not to radiate. I felt like I was beaming after listening to the cd and, in a sense, worshiping God in my own car. My prayer is that everyone be able to experience this and realize how great our God really is.