The Crystal Lewis Blog

hi ya’ll!  oops, sorry, the effects of that trip to nashville still linger….

anyway, i was going through some things over at our office the other day and i came across this book that i wrote a devotional for a while back called ‘behind the music’.  it’s a book that is a compilation of short devotionals written by various christian musicians and artists.  i thought i would share mine with you since, as i re-read it, i was convicted/inspired by what i wrote.  convicted because i haven’t done the best job of memorizing scripture lately and inspired to do better:

as a kid, i remember being rewarded for memorizing scripture verses.  we got ‘Bible Bucks’.  we got points toward a camp scholarship.  we got applause when we recited them in front of the congregation on sunday night.  yes, you could easily consider this bribery. what we, the kids, didn’t realize was that we were being doubly rewarded.  we received our bucks, points and applause, yes, but we also received valuable knowledge and the beginnings of wisdom with each memorized verse.  the act of committing a verse or passage of the Bible to memory means becoming so well acquainted with a thought , a value, a concept, an idea, a command, that it becomes cemented in your mind.  so much so, that when the time comes for that idea or command to be put into action, it’s immediately accessible.  okay, by way of example…and i realize i’m totally dating myself here… but have you seen the movie ‘Karate Kid’??  well, in the movie Daniel is taught a number of karate skills without his knowing it, through the teaching of washing and waxing the cars, sanding the floor and painting the fence.  he is so irritated by the fact that he’s been doing chores instead of learning karate, that he loses his temper and explodes at Mr. Miyagi, his wise and knowledgeable teacher.  Mr. Miyagi responds with a series of punches and blocks that Daniel is able to defend, and is pleasantly surprised at his ability to do so.  turns out, he’s been training all along.  memorizing scripture can have this effect as well.  we learn them, memorize them, and when the time comes (ie; when we are faced with temptation, weakness, sadness, fear), we are able to combat those things with the Word of God as our strength.  

the Bible says in Psalm 119:11(NIV)  ”i have hidden your word in my heart that i might not sin against you”.   God speaks to us through his word.  if we don’t know his word how can we know what to do and what not to do?  the Bible is a source of strength and power.  in Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) it says “… the Word of God is living and active.  sharper than a two-edged sword…”  in Ephesians 6 (NIV) the word is referred to as “the sword of the Spirit”, part of an armor that must be put on.  i think these references to weapons and armor signify the fact that we are in a battle!  we are pursued by an enemy that wants nothing more than our destruction.  John 10:10 says “…the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.”   we must fight!!  and the way we fight is by the spirit, with the WORD.

the first step is to get out your Bible and begin to read it. as you come across verses that speak to you, inspire you, motivate you or convict you, write them down.  i like to write things more than once, in different places.  for instance i might write the verses down in my journal, and then transfer them one by one onto small cards that i can tuck into my purse or pocket.  one idea is to choose one verse to learn and memorize each week.  just keep reading it until you can recite it by memory.  repeat it to yourself as often as you think of it.  before long you’ll have a collection (an arsenal, if you will) of verses, both written on paper and on your heart, that you can draw from whenever you need them.

be encouraged that God knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need to hear it.  he will faithfully speak to you through his Word as you faithfully seek him.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9, James 1:22, Colossians 3:16

this weekend past i had an amazing opportunity to be a part of an exciting event honoring some gospel music legends.  the annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel luncheon paid tribute to CeCe Winans, Donald Lawrence and ‘Twinkie’ Clark (one of the incomparable Clark Sisters).  i was asked to sing a couple of Cece’s songs in her honor, (Throne Room and Alabaster Box) along with her brother BeBe and my friend Israel Houghton.  there were 3 or 4 artists that performed for each honoree.  i had the profound privilege of hearing Kim Burrell, Lalah Hathaway, Donnie McClurkin,  Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Karen Clark Sheard, and Kiki Sheard  among others.  do you understand… these are some of my FAVORITE vocalists!!!  i felt like i was sitting in a master class, learning from the best!! as an added perk, i reconnected with friends like Dadra Crawford Greathouse, of Anointed, and Kirk Franklin.  it was a truly fantastic time!!  then to top it all off i was able to share a meal with my dear friend Shawn Tubbs (guitar player extrordinaire responsible for pretty much most of the guitar work on all my projects from Remember on…including People Get Ready and Only Fools) and his wife Missy and their 2 girls.  Shawn is now touring with Carrie Underwood!  i’m SO proud!!  

sorry i don’t have any accompanying photos.  i get so caught up in the moment that i forget to document it in pictures!!  i’m trying to do better with that…

so, i know you know this, since my last 2 posts have had to do with winter weather and the travails of traveling in it, but everyday i’m more aware of the fact that we are in that terrible, beautiful season called ‘winter’.  moving to montana from sunny southern california was indeed quite the shock to the system!  a 180 in every possible way, i’m fond of saying.  we’ve lived here through 2 winters already though,  and we’ve actually quite enjoyed them.  this year is proving to be a bit different.  it seems we practically already have as much snow now, only one month in, as we had all winter last year! this is apparently what the local montanan’s like to call ‘the kind of winter that sifts out the californians’.  hmmm.  well this ex-californian isn’t going anywhere.  although i must say, the sight of so much snow hanging heavily on branches is a bit disconcerting.  the more snow on the trees, the heavier the branches and often the trees just can’t take it and they fall over, potentially breaking fences or causing accidents.  just yesterday one had to be chain-sawed into pieces and removed from the highway.  and then there is the amount of snow on the rooftops!!  oh my, i don’t know if they can take much more!  the rooftops, i mean.  the deep snow, the harsh wind, the biting cold, the icy roads all equal dangerous living conditions.  there are people who just aren’t prepared, or who don’t have the means to deal with what the weather is bringing right now.  and it can be scary.  i was thinking of this yesterday as i watched the horses, with their tangled manes and ice covered backs, run through the snow anxious for hay.  i watched as the trees swayed, branches heavy with all that snow.  i watched as car after car slid on the road, several off of the road,  only to have their tires freed by kind motorists that stopped with shovels at the ready.  and i thought…”what if that happens to me?  what if i slide off the road?  what if my roof can’t take the weight of the excess snow?  what if our electricity goes out during a storm and we can’t stay warm?  what if the snow is so deep we can’t get to the horses, or worse, to the store for food?……”

and then last night i read joshua 1:9.  

‘have I not commanded you?  be strong and courageous. do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’  

thank you Jesus for your protection, for your provision, for your great and precious promises!!  you are worthy of praise and i trust you!

yes, this command applies to my immediate circumstances and my accompanying fear of ‘what if’.  but it also applies to everyday.  our spiritual journeys and battles.  God never said anything about ‘roads being paved with ease’.  but he does talk an awful lot about running races and fighting battles…oh and winning them!  we can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us!  be of good cheer, my fellow winter warriors….the joy of the LORD is our strength.