One of my favorite songs starts out by saying, “I can only imagine.” When was the last time you imagined God doing something supernatural in your life? Is there a relationship that needs restoration? Is there a business you’ve wanted to start, but are holding back? If there were no limitations on your life if anything were possible, what would you be willing to imagine?
Remember, the only limits on your life are the limits you have in your mind, and God wants to do exceedingly more than you can ever imagine today! He wants to overwhelm you with His goodness, and amaze you with His faithfulness. But in order for Him to exceed what you’ve imagined, you have to at least be imagining something!
Today, why don’t you take a step of faith and let your imagination come to life? Begin to see in your mind all the possibilities for your future. Meditate on the amazing things God has done throughout history. Let that seed of faith take root in your heart. Hold on to His promises because He is faithful. He is able to exceed your expectations and go beyond what you can imagine!
“For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. Father, I submit my imagination to You. Help me to see what You see for my future. God, please help me to take the limits off of my thinking, so that I can receive everything You have in store for me, in Christ’s name! Amen.
We are just a few weeks into spring – the time of year when many people sow their seeds. The Scripture talks about seasons of sowing and reaping in your life. In Psalms, it talks about sowing in tears and reaping in joy. That verse is saying that the sowing seasons are usually the most difficult.
At times, it’s difficult to keep a good attitude when it seems like all your friends are being blessed, but you’re not. You may feel like they don’t work as hard as you do. You may feel like they don’t give like you do, or don’t deserve the blessing. That’s a time of testing. It’s hard to go through disappointments and stay positive and hopeful. These are seasons of sowing. If you’ll do the right thing even when it’s hard, when you sow in tears you will always reap in joy!
Today, have a new attitude towards what God has placed in your heart. It may be taking a long time, but God still has a plan to bring it to pass. Don’t give up. Your time is coming. It’s never too late! God is saying, “This is your season, your spring. Keep your faith stirred up.” Keep sowing because in due season, you will reap the bountiful harvest with a song of joy in your heart! Hallelujah!
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5, NIV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You for another season to serve You and sow into the lives of those around me. Father, I ask for Your strength today to do Your will, and keep a good attitude during the unpredictable time of spring. God, please help me in my season of sowing so that I can be ready in the time of harvest. Lord, I love You and bless Your Holy Name today. In Christ’s Name! Amen.
Worship is in an extremely important component of the Christian life. As Christians, our whole lives should be a living sacrifice of worship to God, but undoubtedly, praise and thanksgiving through song play a big role (just look at Psalms). With the rise of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) in the last 50 years or so, the previous popular choice for corporate worship time, hymns, have become less prominent in some circles.
The best Southern gospel songs are among the most beloved and enduring tunes in all of gospel music. You don’t have to be religious to be affected by the power of gospel music. After all, it influenced soul and R&B music – along with rock’n’roll legends the likes of Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones – and even Bob Dylan tried his hand at writing bona fide gospel songs.
What we need in the churches is the Holy Ghost and fire. We need what the old time saints had. That old time religion. More than anything else they had a dedication to God. When they prayed you knew that God was there.
There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long
But now I think I’m able to carry on
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
Follow our Forever Gospel playlist for more of the most uplifting music you’ll ever hear.
Partially paid for via crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, ‘The Golden Thread’ is Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter Andrew Serino’sfirst full-length album. An incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Serino has been in bands for most of his life and made a name for himself on his local scene, as well as auditioning for American Idol. He plays every single instrument on the album, resulting in a time-consuming recording process that took many months to achieve. Now finalised and released, it’s an album that Serino has a right to be proud of, and will certainly get him some of the attention he deserves further afield from Portland.
‘Wake Up’ is essentially the opening track after the short ‘Introduction’ and it certainly sets us off with a bang. It’s a thumping, fist pumping post-hardcore/emo rocker that will sound familiar to fans of the likes of At The Drive-In, Fall Out Boy and Anberlin. “I know that feeling, believe me,” he admits in this catch and feel good song exploring the bad habits we can all easily find ourselves falling into, urging the listener to “wake up” and fight their way out of it, or even perhaps, to wake up and see the light!
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
‘Arrogance’ goes further down into the pop-punk style, as does ‘Broken Record’, which has the slick, modern feel of current Paramore and Panic! At The Disco, with yet another catchy chorus. Serino has said it’s “his version of a love song”, and it’s a track that could be taken at face value as an actual love song, or it could easily be a love song to God. It’s up to the listener to make up their mind and take from it what they will. Serino readily admits he’s like a broken record because of how often he talks about the subject of the song, declaring he “will try to find the tallest mountaintop just to prove what I’d do to show my love”.
Andrew Serino – The Golden Thread
‘Honestly’ is a stand out track, featuring an appearance from Justin Abel, who produced the record but has an excellent voice too! It’s got more of a metalcore/emo Pierce The Veil type feel, as does ‘Deal With It’, a fast-paced hard rocker.
“I’m not a perfect person, I’m not a perfect person man, I’m trying to stay humble and I do the best I can” Serino sings in the title track ‘The Golden Thread’ which finishes off the collection of twelve songs, before screaming, “don’t let me stay broken” in a desperate plea to God to help him. It’s heartening to see someone unafraid to expose their fears and imperfections in such a way, and readily admit that we can’t all be perfect Christians. Towards the end of the song, there’s a repetition of the chorus from ‘Wake Up’, which echoes the theme of the album perfectly. It feels like the whole thing is calling society to open their hearts to God and allow him to heal and help us.
Both ‘Unwavering’ and ‘Shadows’ show Serino’s softer side with beautiful soaring power ballads and swirling soundscapes, the latter of which features a duet with his wife Heidi. With lyrics such as “I question what is real but you fight for me still” and “I’ll always love you cause you have found me”, again, it’s ony of those that could work as a simple love song to his wife, or a love song to God, which makes it a perfect fit for believers and non-believers alike.
It seems to be a recurring theme in the style of his writing. Anyone could enjoy Andrew Serino’s music, and that’s the beauty of it. For those ‘in the know’, the lyrics have multiple meanings. They work on the surface as regular songs, but you can also easily see the spiritual nuances that are clearly important to Serino. Presumably the hope is that this way of writing will cause secular listeners to think on different levels and dig a little deeper, a subtle evangelising tactic which has merit and does actually work.
In short, it’s an excellent debut album with lots of potential for future growth. Andrew Serino is a vibrant, exciting songwriter with an important message delivered in an accessible and fresh style.
