Reality Check with Ann Downing...

"When we sing, when we pray, when we praise when we sing, He blesses again, and again...it's just God looking in". Aren't you glad He chooses to "look in" on what’s happening in our days as we journey towards Heaven? Years ago I was in a beautiful church in Corpus Christi, TX...Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous day. In pastor's opening comments he said, "God, it's so obvious that You're looking in on us today.” Just as he said that, my eyes were drawn to a skylight just over the platform area…sunshine was pouring in, and the thought came to me that He IS looking in, and is that evermore something to celebrate? I think so. Thus, Dwight Liles and I wrote that song--GOD LOOKING IN. I admit that in looking back over my life, there were times I would have probably preferred that He not be looking in on me.  You know, those times we blow it big time and know our attitude isn’t anything akin to having the mind of Christ.  Those times when our actio...

This year of 2017 is still rather new.  At least for me it is.  I haven’t walked slowly since we entered this great year. As I am beginning to think of the next 11 months, I don’t want to get lost in the “oh my, life is so hard, what in the world am I gonna do” frame of mind.  I admit that I don’t know what I’m gonna do about certain things (important things), but my goodness, HE’S ALREADY THERE. We don’t walk in unknown paths… it’s all known to Him.  I’m sure my thoughts and words too often communicate a sense of being scared to death that He has run out of ideas, can’t come up with any new plans for my future, just doesn’t know which road to take. May I never forget that my days were planned for me before one of them came to be…they were planned…my part is to be obedient. 

Reflecting a bit today.  I have to admit that each year I do that a lot about this time in December. Growing up on the cotton farm meant we worked hard (I mean HARD) from March through November - in the field around the barn - all of the place. (Of course Daddy's work in feeding the cows and mules, and on and on and on, never stopped).   About the second week in December things started to move towards playing and fun. Since we had gas heaters, we couldn't get that cedar tree tooooooo early or by Christmas Eve it would be brown and drooping!  But when it was time, Daddy or Mama and I would head out for "tree searching".  Usually, Daddy had already eyed 3 or 4 prospects along the pasture fence rows. The "right" tree would be cut down and anchored in a big pot filled with mud (anybody know about that?). Getting those ornaments out, many of them very old, was such a fun search.   The tree was just what it was....one of God's creati...

So, today is my birthday.  As I was growing up, I remember hearing my grandparents, parents, and other adults talk about how quickly the years passed the longer they lived. That was a foreign concept to my young mind.  Since I have a December birthday, it seemed like it took FOREVER for my birthday and Christmas to roll around year after year.  Now, some ?? years later :)... what seemed so foreign as a 9 year old child is now strangely familiar.  A year still has twelve months, the months still have the same number of days, but as my Grandma said this morning as she wished me Happy Birthday; "It seems a year rolls by in six months!"  I agree.  Didn't we just pack away the Christmas decorations and find a place for all the unique little treasures we received? As we enter the Christmas season, I'm reminded of the beauty of the greatest gift ever given.  I don't know if Jesus was actually born in December, but we celebrate Hi...

I’m a dreamer, but I’ve been known to look back a lot, too.   What does that mean?  It means I don’t always live TODAY to the fullest.    We don’t have the promise of tomorrow, do we?  We can’t go back and redo yesterday, can we?  What can we do?   We can live today, experiencing every second!!!  I love how Bill and Gloria Gaither have always written songs like “We Have This Moment Today” taking those very ordinary things such as a cup of coffee, ketchup on their kid’s nose, playing baseball with a grandmother encouraging us to look at it all….the ordinary events that can whiz by, if we aren’t careful, causing us to miss something that could be life changing.    I don’t know why we look for the big stuff, especially when God uses more ordinary daily things like playing with children, fishing, plowing in the field, etc. to get His point across in scripture.  Sure, He’s parted seas, delivered men from lions’ dens, fed thousands w...

Several years ago John Darin Rowsey and I wrote “How Precious Are Your Thoughts”, getting inspiration from the 139 th  Psalm. I’ve always loved Psalm 139 – the entire chapter!!!   I encourage us all to read it every day.  My husband, Paul, said he memorized most of it just to remind himself that he was not a mistake… that he was planned in the heart of God ON PURPOSE! My Mama was a “counter”….she was constantly keeping track of how many white houses we’d pass on the right, how many tiles were in the ceiling of a waiting room, etc.  She was always engaged! Is it any wonder that I wanted to write a song around that wonderful Scripture which reminds us that if we could count His thoughts towards us, they would outnumber the grains of sand?  I know we can’t count them… except I’m sure Mama could go a long way J…but we can be lifted up today in remembering He loves us far more than we can even dream and thinks of us more than we can imagine. HOW PRECIOUS ARE YOU...

Happy Autumnal Equinox, everyone!  It doesn't much feel like Autumn in this part of the world, but based on the weather report, I think we'll be feeling the difference fairly soon. As we anticipate the change of seasons and all the fun events this change shifts our minds toward, I'm praying that I will be especially aware of the need to be thankful for provision, for life, for freedom, for America (as disjointed as it sometimes seems), for family, for ministry, for God's Word... for His love, His promises, and His steadfast, unchanging character. Do we have tough days?  Oh boy, do we ever!  Do we have the grit to make it through?  That depends entirely on how prepared we are... how grounded we are in prayer and in God's Holy Scriptures.  I challenge you today, if you've been praying for a fresh breath from the Holy Spirit, as you're reading your Bible, keep in mind that the words are more than just ink printed on the page.  Those words are The Inspired...