Welcome to Pure Heart Music on the Web~Fresh Progressive Southern Gospel: Salvation

The HeartBeat

Growing in the Faith

After two years of drought in the Southeast, we’ve had one of the wettest springs I can remember this year. As a child it seemed like it rained all the time. In fact, I recall my third grade year when it seemed like we went outside for recess maybe 10 days all year because it rained so much!

The azaleas I bought my Mom for Mother’s Day a few years ago really suffered during the dry weather. Brown and weary, with the occasional sprinkle of rain and the expensive soakings with a water hose, they somehow survived the harsh summer and hard freezes of last winter. To our delight, this year they bloomed big, beautiful blossoms of pink, white and fuchsia, helped along by the nice rains of 2009.

One day, however, I pulled in the driveway only to notice what I called the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Weeds” in the back flower bed. They were almost as tall as me. Two of them were the really annoying type with the thorns all over them. It seemed they appeared all of a sudden, detracting from the beauty of Mom’s pretty floral display.

Weeds in our gardens are always a problem. They can grow through any weather, rain or shine, wet or dry, cold or hot. The weeds we pulled had large root balls that were stubborn and difficult to remove. And those thorns…well, they were rather painful.

This bed of azaleas has a major spiritual application. Whether we’re all filled with the Spirit and full of boldness or feeling a little dry and distant, weeds of bitterness, anger, jealousy, fear, pride, anxiety, and other ugly traits can grow in our hearts and dirty our lives.

The interesting thing is this: when it’s dry, there are fewer weeds. They have less water to

keep them thriving, just like the azaleas. But when the rains come that nourish the flowers and make them beautiful, the weeds grow just as quickly and begin to take over. If left alone, they would completely fill the garden and choke the life out of the plants.

We pray for spiritual rain, blessings, and a fresh dose of the Holy Spirit on our lives. What we must remember is when we ask the Lord to bless us, He also must help us to grow. “…but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.” Luke 12:48.

Sometimes our humanity gets the better of us once things get good. We become complacent, prideful about our blessings (not intentionally, but just out of our sin nature), or we want more and more! Obviously, this is NOT what God wanted when He blessed you.

Often the Master Gardener has to remove these ugly things with a test or trial. At times the weeds come right up, but that usually doesn’t seem to be the case. Deeply rooted and prickly, we don’t have the strength to get rid of them on our own.

It’s never easy to lose something or even someone we love, a ministry, a hobby, a job, or to endure a fiery trial that pushes us until we think our faith can go no more, but just as it takes a strong arm, a shovel, or even a saw to remove those giant weeds in the azalea bed, our Creator sometimes has to take drastic measures to clean up our hearts and restore them to the beautiful masterpiece He had in mind.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Heather’s HeartNotes

A Moment with the Master

I am exhausted from what seems like a non-stop month. Work, church, teaching voice lessons, yard work, errands, etc., keep me on the run. My respite often comes laughing and singing with Pure Heart. I was at a concert listening to a really powerful song that spoke about how much God wants a relationship with us; we just have to crawl up in His arms.

As I listened to the song, I pondered how little I listen for the Lord’s voice in my busy life. It’s often hard to even make time to study the Word, much less to just be quiet and listen. Then I remembered that He has spoken to me on several occasions. One was a cold January day in 2006 at a little church in Valdosta, GA, that began a long-overdue healing in my life. I had stopped the self-talk and just sought Him. That very day He spoke to my spirit and sent Word by two obedient members of the church. It was a life-changing day for me. The rationalizing and pity party stopped, and true healing began.

I’ve learned to listen for His voice and know that He speaks in different ways, but it’s always clear that it’s Him.

Take come time to recognize the voice and to listen. When God speaks, it’s something important.

Give and Take

We need your help to spread the word about Pure Heart’s ministry so that we can minister to more people who need the Joy of the Lord. Here’s how you can help:

1). Please keep this newsletter for your reference.

2). Clip out and give the “coupon” below to a friend, a pastor, or an event director that you think might be interested in learning more about our ministry and possibly scheduling us for a ministry date at their church or event.

3). Pray for our ministry’s growth and direction.

4). We operate on love offerings. If you feel so led to team up with our ministry, you can donate via PayPal on our website.

5). Share your prayer requests with us. We believe that prayer changes things, and we want to join you in prayer over your needs.