Every now and then I have an experience with my children that takes me back to the days when my mom had a fabulous wardrobe of leotards and large, geometric earrings and drove a sweet, earth toned stay wag that was named after a dinosaur.
Yesterday morning on the way to the kids’ school, we were listening to the Passion: Awakening CD. “How He Loves” was playing when we pulled into the parking lot and I brought the car to a stop right when the song was getting really good. Some of you musical people know the name for that part of the song and are saying it to me like I can hear it through the computer screen. Anyway, y’all know which part I’m talking about.
It seemed like such a shame to turn off the car before we got to sing “And we are His portion and He is our prize! Drawn to redemption by the grace is in His eyes. If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest. I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He loves us…” Jackson threw off his seat belt and climbed in the front seat and we sang it together with all our guts.
I remembered being only yay big and in the back of that station wagon, sitting behind my mama’s big 80’s hair and belting out some Amy Grant and Larnell Harris. Nothing in life was so urgent that we couldn’t finish “Angels Watching Over Me” before we got out of the car.
*****
This old church directory photo from FBC Victoria, Texas, came into my life this week. There is no end to how much joy it’s given me. When I look at it I feel loved.
The Awakening CD is my kids’ favorite, too. We each have our own song that can be requested anytime we’re in the car. My 3-year-old is obsessed with Our God is Greater. I loved this post! We always enjoyed the Larnelle Harris/Sandi Patty duets growing up!
Love it…love it! I sing in the car with my kids all the time. We took our kids to a Newsboys concert a few years ago and the next day we were singing one of their songs…blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your name, Jesus….and my son was in the back seat just belting it out…recipe the name of the Lord, recipe your name, Jesus! My husband and I laugh every time we hear the song!
HOw precious!! Look at your sweet mama!
My kids are pretty much all grown up now, but when they were little the car was some of our very best worship times. Even now, I never listen to anything except christian music. It certainly helps me get through the day. Several years ago when my job required an enormous amount of windshield time, I always passed the time by listening to the Bible on tape and praise and worship music. One day, I was driving in far northern South Dakota (I live in far southern South Dakota)and was really enjoying my worship! I was singing really loud and raising my hands and really having a great time in the Lord. I had never driven in this area before and I noticed people I was meeting on the highway kept waving at me. At first I thought wow, people are really friendly in this part of the country. It took me awhile but I finally realized that while worshiping, I was lifting my hands and these people were just returning the wave. I don’t travel anymore, but when I am walking the mall every moring, I turn my iPod up really loud and worship. It takes every ounce of self control not to sing out loud and lift my hands. I have to confess though, sometimes when I round a corner and no one is watching I do lift a hand or 2 if only briefly. I LOVE TO WORSHIP MY LORD! Amanda, write all these experiences down, because as you get older you will forget. These times are so precious enjoy them with everything you have.
OK i cant help it!! i love the hair in the photo!! both mom and dad!!
Too funny…they both have been blessed with some great hair, for sure.
Dear Amanda,
Must share this ,,,Loved singing with my boys as they were growing up.!!They are now 25 and 24 years old.I have been Blessed with a Husband who would gather our family at the breakfast table in the mornings for devotion and prayer time .We would all sing “I Love You Lord”,,It was a Blessing to hear my boys and my Man lift their voices in Praise each morning.We are not singers!!!
My oldest son just married this past May.We danced the Mother-Son dance to the chorus of “How He Loves”,,,after a few minutes into the dance, i then led him to his new Bride telling him,it is now time son,for you to leave your Momma and join your Bride. My man and i joined the newly weds along with the Brides Parents and we danced….,my My Heart was Full to overflowing in awareness of Gods Love and Grace in all these years.
Thank You for sharing and may God Bless You and Your Precious family as you Live and Love in Jesus Name and for His sake
Yeah…I sang that bit back to you. LOL I used to take my nieces to elementary school every morning. While we waited for the bell to ring that allowed them entry into the school, they’d stay in the car with me and listen to WOW or some other CDs. My niece Hayley’s favorite was “Abba” by Rebecca St. James. She’s not one who normally sings, but she’d sing that. Such happy memories. 🙂
A couple years ago I was able to take an 8 hour trip in a van with my three sisters and Mom and Dad to a school reunion. No kids or husbands, just us. We sang every old Twila Paris, Keith Green, Sandi Patty, Amy Grant song as loud as we could and laughed till we cried. Good times.
I’m sad to say I don’t know that song but your mom’s haircut ROCKS.
LOVE IT! The praise of children…SO PRECIOUS! I led wee worship this morning (preschoolers) and it has been over a year since I last did…and I cried after…there is nothing more precious than the worship of God…thanks for sharing!
Ahhh fond memories! When our two youngest girls were just “wee,” there was a favorite memory at a local mall in Amarillo…..the Radio Shack had a Karaoke machine on display and they grabbed the mic, singing “Shine, Jesus, Shine” at the top of their little sweet voices! The entire mall could hear and I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled we were! Songs from worship and the car wafting across the airwaves. What a hoot! 🙂
Sharoni
That photo is priceless!
My sweet father, who is no longer with us, used to lead us in song on our 4 hour trips to grandmother’s house. Sweet, precious memories. He had an outstanding voice. It was the kind that led the section of church we were sitting in, and if he dared to pause, we all lost our place and key. Music is powerful. I loved the picture!
Blessings~
Now that’s some hair!! How fun to relive those precious memories!
Hi Amanda,
It was so good to click on here and see your name. So glad you are taking this season in life to be with your babies, but sure do miss you on here. 🙂
Loved your post, it brings back memories of my children a few years ago driving to school. And now my grandchildren sing along with me in the car! There’s just something about praising the Lord with your little ones that brings extra joy to a mama (or nana).
Sweet pic!
STOP. Go back and read the words to the song Amanda posted. His grace IS an ocean. I will not waste my time on regrets. I want to drown.
Thank you Amanda. We miss you here.
Oh My – I am afraid I had that very same hair and some WAY big glasses to match it!
Enjoy this time with your kids it goes too fast my “only” turned 20 Yesterday – oh how the time flies. I have to admit most of our drive time was taken up with Adventures in Odessy CD’s.
Blessings!
My girls and I did that too!
We lived in AR, my husband had cancer, and life was awful! They were in a really
bad place in school.
Angels watching over me got us through! I can just hear my 5 and 10 year old
belting that out!
The Lord is good!
A year later, we were back home in TN, John had died, but life goes on.
We still love that song- they are 16 and 21!!! The God above is still there and we
have another angel watching over us!
Thanks for that memory!
I can never leave a good song….happened to me yesterday with “when the saints” by Sara Groves. Love that song!!
Great story and of course great pic. I’ve got a similar one, but my Mom’s hair is
red and in a great, tight perm! Wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Good to hear from you on here. Miss hearing about your sweet family.
Beth
Liberty lake, WA
Scriputre 3
Psalms 118:6 NKJV
The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
Kari
Las Vegas, NV
Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8
What a sweet family pic, I love how you had “big” hair too Amanda! I enjoyed hearing from you again, as you are in the midst of the hardest job you’ll ever love. Isn’t is wonderful how music can minister to your soul like nothing else? And to hear your kids sing along from the depths of their souls…oh this must be as close to what heaven on earth is like. I’ll just betcha that the good Lord Himself was singing alongside you all too!
In His Love…Donna B.
What a sweet memory and moment! I am very much looking forward to these tender moments with my daughter (who will be 6 months Friday) and prayerfully am hoping to be ‘in the moment’ to enjoy them when they pop up! Seems like that’s the lesson in this season that I’m going through because it keeps popping up! Thank you for sharing ;0
We still do that & my daughter is 15! 🙂 Passion cd’s are great, aren’t they? Thanks for the lift today.
Amanda ~
And just think…
one day your kids will look back and
fondly remember you
sharing worshipful moments with them.
Keep being that godly mother God intents for you to be…
continuously make imprints in their minds of their mother lavishly loving her Maker.
♡
correction: “intends”
I had when I do that :/
correction: “hate when I do that”
explanation of misspellings: mother of 3 precious little ones ~ writing a note while room is filled with laughter and high activity
Ahhhhh LOVE that song!!!!!!!! And thanks for sharing the picture, love it!
I cannot tell you how much this post made my heart smile! I have similar memories of belting it out with my momma in the 80’s to Larnelle Harris & Sandi Patti! And of course Amy Grant too:) And now being able to hear my 2 year old call me from her crib (while she is supposed to be sleeping!) because “Indescribable” or “How Great Is Our God” is playing on her ipod and she wants me to sing with her – makes my heart smile too!
You look adorable and your mom’s hair ROCKS! I love that song, yes His grace is an ocean. I always thought it was, “heaven meets earth like a sloppy, wet, kiss…” so, I am glad you set me straight! My children are 8 and 11, we sing praises on the way to school in the morning and sometimes wish we had a longer drive! Thank you for sharing, God bless your sweet family, Amanda!
Hey Amanda!
-the hair is awesome!
-your Jackson is hilarious for throwing the seat belt off!
-it’s the “bridge” of the song and I giggled because I said it out loud!
-and that is THE best song! Sang it at church yesterday & smiled thinking of you with your kiddos belting it out!!!!
Have a great week! alicia
Your mom and dad look like Barbie and Ken and you look like Skipper!
Sandy you are so right! LOL
How adorable! Thanks for sharing. I am close to mama Beth’s age and I have a family pic with my oldest child at two years of age sitting in my lap too! She’s now 24. I wish I could share it cause my hair is about three times bigger than siesta mama’s…in fact, my hubby had to lean back a bit so as not to have his face in my hair in the pic! AAAHHH, the good old days.
Oh my gracious… I ALREADY knew too! I love Kim Walker singing this too…. she is so anointed and powerful. My boys and I do this often.
We used to sing any and every Amy Grant song–we had all the cassettes, and of course, I knew all the words.
What a wonderful memory!
Thanks for the memories! I am only a couple of years older than your mom, and a dedicated Beth Moore Bible Scholar! My oldest daughter (now 30 and a mom herself) had the very same dress on in her church directory photo…but hers was navy blue. My hair was ever so much like Beth’s, but she is much prettier than I was in that do!
I wish that my girls could only remember singing praise songs in the car. Well, we had some wild favorites, along with the praise songs! I love the visual of you and Jackson rocking out for Jesus!!
LOVE that song, too!!! I have similar memories with my momma and dad singing in the car on the way to wherever (actually, come to think of it we didn’t really limit ourselves to the car, lol :D, life was definitely a musical in our home) – fun, fun flash-back picture, too 🙂
Karen- Woodstock Ga.
For everything in this world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world.
1John 2:16 (NIV)
So glad to see your post. When you aren’t blogging, we miss you! Please keep us updated every once in a while.
Elisabeth – Lexington, KY
“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.” – Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
Reading your entry immediately brought to mind singing in the car on the way home from camping with our 2 oldest grandchildren — Mighty to Save — at the top of our lungs — Forever, author of salvation…. I pray those moments will be etched in the minds of our grandchildren for years to come. I will ask my children if they remember doing the same when they were growing up. Thanks Amanda for the reminder singing is always appropriate.
You should hear my 3 granddaughters belting out “Oh Happy Day! When Jesus washed, when Jesus washed, when Jesus washed, He washed my sins away…” It’s on a Childrens CD we bought at Wal-Mart and we sing it over and over and over, and never tire of it, when we are in the SUV going up and down California’s famous freeways…”Again, Grandma, again!” is the constant refrain. We’ve all got our parts and we sing it like Christian Rock Stars!
Your Mom and Dad are so beautiful, then and now. And you are their sweet and treasured possesion, I look at that photo and feel the love too. Loved the hair! Still, I love big hair even though I don’t dare wear it any more. Thank goodness my hair is naturally curly, so I just wash it and scrunch it up and “wear!” It works as long as I keep it short. LOL!
Have missed you on the blog, so good to hear from you!
Blessings,
Pam H.
Oh Wow, Amanda, that is the coolest picture, ya’ll are so precious:) I had a moment like that too, but I was going somewhere where I really couldn’t stay and listen to the rest of the song or I would be late for something. It was hard to leave the vehicle. It’s like certain songs have the power to reach inside me and bring out instantaneous worship.
Blessings to you Amanda,
katiegfromtennessee
Amanda, I keep reading this post over and over because it makes me so joyful to picture you and your little guy. I’m your age and have a little guy and gal your kids’ same age, and I can so relate to you on many levels. Thanks for sharing that–sometimes the little things have so much power.
Kathy
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success. (Living Bible)
I heart this post. So much. The picture is PRICELESS! My nearly two-year-old Benjamin loves to sing “Amen” with Larnelle Harris. (found it on YouTube)
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 26:3 NIV
Pat
Crawfordsville, IN
Love, Love, Love the visual. Nothing better than singing with your guts the really good part. I am sure “really good part” is the official term.
Hi Amanda!
I remember being only yay big and also belting out “Angels Watchin Over Me”… thanks for bringing that memory to the forefront of my mind!
My boys loved Travis Cottrell’s Ring the Bells cd this Christmas, and Levi (3) would sing the words to “In The First Light” while Aaron (almost 1) would bang his carseat like drums. These times with our children are precious and I am convinced that some of these times of praising the Lord will become some of my most cherished memories in a few years! Thank you for reminding me about the bountiful blessings found in each day.
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
My son always loved singing Rich Mullins’ song, “My God is an Awesome God” when he was little. I loved hearing his little bird chirpy voice praising our Lord. 🙂
Anna
Roxie, Jerseyville, Galatians 6:7-8
“Don’t be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”