(You can read this in 🇩🇰 Danish at the bottom)
This month's power verse
1 Chronicles 16:11 “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."
I love this verse because there never is a bad time to seek the Lord. Sometimes we only look to Him when we are in trouble. But why not look to Him and seek HIs face , always?
It's summer, finally!
The birds are singing and everything is vibrant green and beautiful all around. I love hanging out in my garden. We have a corner of the garden where someone, long ago, built a horseshoe shaped area out of big stones and then planted ivy which has covered the stones. It is my favourite place to hang out when the sun is out, and a great place to pray, make social media videos and have barbecues. What a blessing to have such a place to be. This is what it looks like.
Another place is the garden at the local castle called Svaneholm where I can sit indoors in a gazebo (when it is raining), or walk around without meeting too many people to pray, think, exercise and get energised.
It is important to find places where you can rest, exercise, pray, write, think or just be.. Air and sunlight do wonders for you! We are body, soul and spirit and finding a place of rest is a necessary thing for the whole person!
Sometimes you have to find a way to get to a place like that. Maybe a short bicycle trip, a train ride or a walk through town will take you there. It is necessary to find and visit a place like that regularly in order to feel good, be able to reflect on life and also to let God speak to you. We, in the western world are often so busy that we don't take this important time and we wonder why we feel depressed, stressed and worn out. Find a place of rest! Do you have one?
Concert in Copenhagen
Sometimes that place of rest is indoors. I was in Copenhagen this past Sunday and had a concert with a small group of beautiful people at an art gallery. I really enjoyed being there and sharing my heart with them. As we took the mandatory mid concert break, I went out and looked at the area of Copenhagen the gallery was in. A beautiful area, but there was no garden or park in sight. But I bet you that Galleri Fjellvang is the artist's favourite place to think and rest because it is an oasis in the middle of this heavily trafficked and urban city.
I sang the first five songs from the Change My Mind album and shared my story of my journey from stress to rest, heavily resting on power verses. After the pause I shared some songs that are coming up in the near future and some worship songs, too. It was my first concert ever in Denmark and I guess they liked it because they asked me to come back in the Fall and play an outreach concert at a second hand store in Copenhagen called Happy Hand.
Thanks to all of you who showed up! And thanks to Julie and Birgitte for the snack and all the love we all received there! ❤️
Music News
This week I worked a little on my song I'm Allowed to Be Myself. I added some electric bass - three takes, and have yet to edit it. I also added a drummer track, but most of my time has been spent writing the book. I also ran into some technical issues I'm trying to resolve. Here is a pic of the beginning of this song project.
Book News
The Change My Mind book is my story about how God took me from a dysfunctional home with no hope to being an independent musician and writer full of peace - a journey from stress to rest. This week I concentrated on the third chapter called Questions which talks about the "pressure years" when my kids grew up and I was working full time. God was working on me and through me even though I didn't have much or enough time alone with God. In the middle of all the chaos I would "look to the Lord and His strength" and sigh in his lap. Them I often thought about the poem Footprints in the Sand because I felt carried by God throughout this, the toughest period of my life.. You can read about that amazing poem by Mary Stevenson here: https://poem4today.com/footprints-poem.html
It will encourage you!
Well that's all for now. Hoping and praying for you that God will lead you to places of rest and encourage your heart to lean on Him daily!
Free Book:
P.s. Here is the link to the free handbook on how to memorise and meditate on Scripture. www.featherheadmedia.com/books
🇩🇰 Dansk (Chat GPT translation)
Denne måneds kraftvers
1 Krønikebog 16:11 "Søg Herren og hans styrke; søg altid hans ansigt."
Jeg elsker dette vers, fordi der aldrig er et dårligt tidspunkt at søge Herren. Nogle gange søger vi kun Ham, når vi er i problemer. Men hvorfor ikke søge Ham og søge Hans ansigt altid?
Det er endelig sommer!
Fuglene synger, og alt er vibrerende grønt og smukt overalt. Jeg elsker at hænge ud i min have. Vi har et hjørne af haven, hvor nogen, for længe siden, byggede et hesteskoformet område af store sten og derefter plantede de vedbend, som har dækket stenene. Det er mit yndlingssted at hænge ud, når solen skinner, og et fantastisk sted at bede, lave sociale medie videoer og have grillfester. Hvilken velsignelse at have sådan et sted at være. Dette er, hvad det ser ud som.
Et andet sted er haven ved det lokale slot kaldet Svaneholm, hvor jeg kan sidde indendørs i et lysthus (når det regner), eller gå rundt uden at møde for mange mennesker for at bede, tænke, motionere og få energi.
Det er vigtigt at finde steder, hvor du kan hvile, motionere, bede, skrive, tænke eller bare være. Luft og sollys gør underværker for dig! Vi er krop, sjæl og ånd, og at finde et hvilested er nødvendigt for hele personen!
Nogle gange skal du finde en måde at komme til et sådant sted. Måske en kort cykeltur, en togrejse eller en gåtur gennem byen vil tage dig derhen. Det er nødvendigt at finde og besøge et sådant sted regelmæssigt for at føle sig godt tilpas, kunne reflektere over livet og også lade Gud tale til dig. Vi i den vestlige verden er ofte så travle, at vi ikke tager denne vigtige tid, og vi undrer os over, hvorfor vi føler os deprimerede, stressede og udmattede. Find et hvilested! Har du et?
Koncert i København
Nogle gange er det hvilested indendørs. Jeg var i København i søndags og havde en koncert med en lille gruppe smukke mennesker på et kunstgalleri. Jeg nød virkelig at være der og dele mit hjerte med dem. Da vi tog den obligatoriske pause midt i koncerten, gik jeg ud og kiggede på området af København, hvor galleriet lå. Et smukt område, men der var ingen have eller park i sigte. Men jeg vedder på, at Galleri Fjellvang er kunstnerens yndlingssted at tænke og hvile, fordi det er en oase midt i denne trafikerede og urbane by.
Jeg sang de første fem sange fra albummet "Change My Mind" og delte min historie om min rejse fra stress til hvile, stærkt baseret på kraftvers. Efter pausen delte jeg nogle sange, der kommer snart, og nogle lovsange også. Det var min første koncert nogensinde i Danmark, og jeg tror, de kunne lide det, fordi de bad mig komme tilbage i efteråret og spille en outreach-koncert i en genbrugsbutik i København kaldet Happy Hand.
Tak til alle jer, der dukkede op! Og tak til Julie og Birgitte for snacken og al den kærlighed, vi alle modtog der!
Musiknyheder
Denne uge arbejdede jeg lidt på min sang "I'm Allowed to Be Myself". Jeg tilføjede noget elektrisk bas - tre optagelser, og har endnu ikke redigeret det. Jeg tilføjede også et trommespor, men det meste af min tid er blevet brugt på at skrive bogen. Jeg stødte også på nogle tekniske problemer, jeg prøver at løse. Her er et billede af begyndelsen af dette sangprojekt.
Bognyheder
Bogen "Change My Mind" er min historie om, hvordan Gud tog mig fra et dysfunktionelt hjem uden håb til at være en uafhængig musiker og forfatter fuld af fred - en rejse fra stress til hvile. Denne uge koncentrerede jeg mig om det tredje kapitel kaldet "Questions", som handler om "pressårene", da mine børn voksede op, og jeg arbejdede fuld tid. Gud arbejdede på mig og gennem mig, selvom jeg ikke havde meget eller nok tid alene med Gud. Midt i al kaosset ville jeg "søge Herren og Hans styrke" og sukke i hans skød. Da tænkte jeg ofte på digtet "Footprints in the Sand", fordi jeg følte mig båret af Gud gennem denne, den sværeste periode i mit liv. Du kan læse om det fantastiske digt af Mary Stevenson her: https://poem4today.com/footprints-poem.html
Det vil opmuntre dig!
Nå, det var alt for nu. Jeg håber og beder for dig, at Gud vil lede dig til hvilesteder og opmuntre dit hjerte til dagligt at læne dig op ad Ham!
Gratis bog
P.s. Her er linket til den gratis håndbog om, hvordan man husker og mediterer over Skriften. www.featherheadmedia.com/books
❤️
Thank you, Elisabeth for your encouragement on rest :) We have busy lives and true rest comes from time with our Father. I loved your word "sighing" on God's lap. Sometimes, that's all we have, yet He is good and restores us as we lean on Him.
We have two places in our home we love to spend time with the Lord... our sunroom and our firepit area. As we spend time there, I will be thinking of you and thanking the Lord for you ❤️