by My Pastor, Kirby Jones
2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

In June of 1876 the U.S. Army suffered perhaps their most notorious defeat at the hands of American Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. A league of Indian nations led by the holy man Sitting Bull, mounted a counter-attack against the 7th Calvary under the command of General George A. Custer.

Custer made a fatal miscalculation of his ability to overpower Sitting Bull's confederation. The result was a stunning defeat of Custer and the 7th Calvary at the hands of Sitting Bull and the tribes under his leadership. Historians disagree on the reasons General Custer was so overwhelmingly routed by Sitting Bull. But among Custer's missteps, one appears to have been his dependence on reinforcements that never showed up. His subordinates and the pack train following, failed to come to their aid. General Custer is a vivid reminder of how critical it is to have support you can depend on. In the entire universe, only God is absolute in His dependability. He has declared: "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) Our God is immutable. It is impossible for Him to change. And if that is true, it is also impossible for Him to go back on His word. The challenge, however, is for the Believer to trust in that promise; especially in times of severe difficulty. Many of the storms that engulf us cannot be quelled by human intervention. And when heaven seems to be uninterested in our prayers, we can feel deserted by God. But it is in those moments that Christ wants to make His presence and comfort most evident. Elisha was one of the most powerful of all the Old Testament prophets.

Only Jesus Christ performed more miracles than Elisha. However, his service for God was not always popular among unbelievers; most notably the king of Syria. Elisha frustrated the king in no small measure. Every effort the Syrian army made against the king of Israel was thwarted. God gave forewarning of the impending attacks to Elisha, and Elisha promptly forewarned the king of Israel. After Syria's plans repeatedly failed, they decided to go after the man of God instead. They surrounded the city where Elisha lived with intent to capture and forcibly remove him. When Elisha's servant saw the hostile host that encircled them, he was overcome with fear. The servants question to Elisha was simple: "...what will we do now"? (2 Kings 6:15 NLT) Have you ever asked yourself the same question? Certainly distress and difficulty can cause us to wonder how we can ever bear such heavy burdens. But in those moments of doubt and fear, God wants us to know that He is near; He is interested; and He is involved in our struggle.

Elisha didn't rebuke his servant. Neither did he indulge him in his alarm. Instead Elisha prayed for him. He didn't pray for God to remove the trial; he asked the Lord to change the servant's perspective. This was Elisha's prayer: "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" (2 Kings 6:17 NLT) What the servant saw when God opened his spiritual eyes, was absolutely incredible. "The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire." (2 Kings 6:17 NLT) Elisha already knew what his servant had to learn. They were not alone in their trial. The hills were filled with a heavenly host. There was no need to fear. God had their back! I believe God still has His peoples back. We are not left alone - defenseless in a hostile world. The mountains are yet filled with our deliverance.

Copyright © 2009-2010 Kirby Jones Ministries. All rights reserved. This essay is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This Essay may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged.

Music is a basic social and cultural activity of mankind. He was born with a great musical instrument, his voice. Man probably used his voice go express himself through music long before he thought of making music with instruments. Music takes many forms and reflects many different ways of life. But all types of music have one basic quality in common. That is, all music is a form of communication in which sounds are deliberately organized in some manner for an artistic purpose. The way to enjoy music is to find music that interests you and listen to it. By listening repeatedly to music, you become familiar with the way composers and performers use music to communicate with an audience. If the music says nothing to you at first, try again, until you think you understand it. It is possible to enjoy music without understanding it fully. But the greatest enjoyment comes with the greatest understanding. After listening to music, try to make some music yourself. You may want to play the piano; imagine that!

We are about to start the last half of the school year. To succeed one must practice regularly after each music lesson. There are a variety of ways to promote good habits. Here are some simple suggestions.

1. The Magic Three. For students who have just begun, I recommend that they play each new song three times each day. For most students that will take all of five minutes.

2. Listen to the new songs. On the day your child has a piano lesson, ask them to play all of their new songs. That will reinforce what they have just learned and give you an idea of what to listen for.

3. Don't be too tidy. Allow your child to leave the books out. That way if they just walk past the piano they will be tempted to sit down and practice. Keep it open like a working office.

4. Keep the piano in a lively place. If your piano is in the living room or family room, spontaneous practice is more likely to happen. If you have the piano shut away in a separate room (or in the basement) it will seem like a punishment to be locked up with. You can even keep it close to the television. Whenever there is a commercial break, hit the mute button and ask for a little concert.

5. Prepare for the next lesson. On the night before the next lesson sit down and ask your child to play everything they should have ready. Then help them put their books together and place them by the front door so that you remember to take them along before school in the morning.

6. Praise, praise, praise. Even if you don't know how to play or read music, you can praise your child for the good habit of practicing. Some parents reward their children with a special treat if they practice every day. My students know that if they practice every day they will be rewarded with a trip to the "prize box" at my house.

7. Choose a regular time to practice. Help your child to find a good time to practice daily. Immediately after school is good, but if you have after-school activities, you may want to set up a regular piano practice time after supper, or before going to bed.

Do you know someone who needs a place to teach music lessons on Saturdays? Contact Bonnie at (919) 427 5826

Workshop Coordination and Facilitation Available Gospel Music Workshop coordination and facilitation are available through Want Music Ministry. Please call for details. (919) 427-5826

Add your name of someone you know who wants to play part-time to Want Music's Substitute Musicians Database Seeking qualified and committed relief musicians. If you are available or you know someone who is available to sub on Sunday mornings from time to time, please contact me at (919) 427-5826 or (919) 266-2502.

Seeking Musicians Advertise with Want Music! If you are interested, please contact me at (919) 266-2502.

Spring Recital Our annual Spring recital will be held at Ruggero Piano on June 5th at 6:30 pm. All students can invite 7 guests.

Want Music School Schedule Want Music is currently operating on Wake County Public School track 4 schedule. We have classes for 9 weeks, and then we track out for 3 weeks. During the 3 week period, each student should spend time perfecting their musical pieces for the upcoming recital.

Make up Classes & Tuition As a reminder, Want Music does not offer make up classes for absences caused by the student. We will offer make up classes for inclement weather and absences caused by the instructor (s) only. Each of you should have received an outline of the current payment schedule with payment due dates. If you did not receive an email or letter outlining the payment schedule, please contact me as soon as possible.

Williams Grove Baptist Church
735 Rock Quarry Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27610
Pastor: Rev. Kirby Jones

Sunday School 9:45 am
Worship Service 11:00 am
Bible Study (Wed) 7 pm - 8 pm

Sunday, January 31st is Jubilee Day.
Sister Denise Lyttle and United Cadence will be the guest ministers of music. Join us and bring a friend at 11 am.

If your organization could use an email newsletter like this one, for more information please contact:

Mike Marinaro
919-374-9209
mmarinaro@nc.rr.com

Happy Birthday - December 09,
January and February 2010
Happy Birthday to you!
Hope your day is pleasant too,
Enjoy it in a safe way Remember it is your day!