God’s timing is always perfect. It’s no coincidence that in March of this year, as my mother’s cancer was becoming more obviously terminal, one of my favorite artists released a new CD, one that would minister to me in the depths of my soul.

I immediately ordered Shannon Wexelberg’s 2010 release “I Have a Song”, knowing it would bless me, but never imagining how much. Mother had already planned her own funeral, and chosen verses of Scripture to include – several that just happened to be included on Shannon’s latest musical offering. As I listened to the CD for the first time, each song unfolded another aspect of my mother’s life and heart, touching me in supernatural ways. The most amazing “coincidence”, however, came when I heard the title song.

My mother wrote something over ten years ago that she wanted read at her funeral. She titled it: “His Eye is On Us”. She penned her memory of my parents’ first Sunday morning as a married couple. They were on their honeymoon in Colorado Springs, and as faithful churchgoers, they looked for a church in which to worship. The one they chose to attend held a surprising gift for them. It was the gift of a song -“His Eye is On the Sparrow”- a song that inspired them both deeply, a song that would guide their 58-year marriage. My mother ended her narrative saying, “We have always remembered that God will take care of us, and if His eye is on the sparrow, then we know He is watching us.”

Song by song on Shannon’s newest release comforted me with the words of God that were especially meaningful to my mother, but none more profoundly than the title track – “I Have a Song”. I’ll leave you with her words – perfectly amazing words that are as much a gift to me now as the words given to my parents 58 years ago.

I Have a Song by Shannon Wexelberg (excerpt)

I hear sweet music rise above it all
And when it seemed my hope had ended, I was wrong

I have a song
And I’m singing to my Savior
Singing to the One who set me free
I have a song
And my heart will ever praise Him
This world can never take this joy from me
When all else is gone
I have a song

When I cannot see tomorrow
When the questions flood my mind
Looking back on wasted time
When my soul is full of sorrow
When the pain won’t go away
And such brokenness remains
I join the music rising far above it all
It’s an anthem to my true and faithful God

I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me!

I pray you will consider listening to a preview of Shannon Wexelberg – a beautiful, musical messenger of God.

Go to ITunes, where you can listen to short previews of each song on her newest CD

Go to Shannon’s website  
 
I did not receive any compensation or any products or services in exchange for this endorsement, nor will I receive any financial gain from any purchases made as a result.

"Thin Places are snatches of time, moments really, when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways. They are aha moments, beautiful realizations, when the Son of God bursts through the hazy fog of our monotony and shines on us afresh.”

Mary DeMuth is no longer just a brilliant writer; she is also a brave one. She has poured out her soul on the pages of her recently-released memoir. Retracing her childhood, Mary reveals not only painful circumstances, but painful ways of thinking. Her writing style in this book differs from that of her fiction novels, which drip with descriptive icing on every page. Instead of her usual delicious sentences, Mary communicates in a more concise, even curt style at times, matching the many abrupt and unwelcome interruptions to her life story. Her raw venting in each chapter reveals the obvious emotional intensity she experienced in this writing endeavor.   As for syntax, it is easily read, but the content not so easy to swallow. This non-fiction account of her life is transparent and at times uncomfortable to read. But Mary links each stop along her journey to a movement of God in her life – a thin place of grace.

Readers who long to make sense of their own childhood issues will be encouraged by Mary’s redemptive reflections. While portions are despairing, Mary artfully closes each story with words of healing. Without her honest account of each taxing circumstance, the light of God’s hope could not have shined as brightly. Most people will find their own story hidden somewhere within Mary’s varied experiences. Her challenging narrative includes: death; fatherlessness; divorce; inappropriate exposure to drugs, sex and porn; poverty, materialism and envy; feelings of worthlessness; people-pleasing; anxiety and anger; and even narcissism. She courageously offers her life story without reserve, hoping to inspire others to reframe their own trials in the light of God’s truth.

Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary DeMuth

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