What a total blessing I received this evening.  Well, blessingS actually.  After having a wonderful time of dinner and fellowship at a friend's house (blessing number 1), I drove home with my three children listening to the new VBS music for this summer.  My goal was to learn the words and get the kids excited about VBS, which really isn't too hard!  Prior to a few days ago when I had the VBS CD, I had been playing Travis Cottrell cd The Lamb Has Overcome constantly.  One of my favorite songs on that CD is called Shackles.  It talks about the freedom we have in Christ.  While I knew my kids enjoyed the CD, I was totally blessed to hear my 5 year old request that we turn off the VBS songs and turn on "that song that says 'take the shackles off my feet so I can dance...I just want to praise you, I just want to praise you...'".  My 7 year old quickly seconded the motion, so Shackles it was - to which my 1 year old, once she heard the first three notes, yelled "YAAA!!!" and clapped!!

Here are some of the lyrics of this song, in case you have not already heard it...

                 In the corners of my mind I just can't seem to find

                 A reason to believe that I can break free. 'Cause you see I have been down so long

                  Felt like all hope was gone, but as I lift my hands,

                 I understand that I should praise you through my circumstance.

                  CHORUS:  Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance

                                  I just want to praise you, I just want to praise you!!

                                  You broke the chains now I can lift my hands,

                                  I just want to praise you, I just want to praise you!!

One prayer I have for my children is that they will know and understand the words of this song and others which they love to listen to in our daily routine of errands.  That they will understand that there is a loving and faithful Father in Heaven who is there to pick them up when they are down, when everything seems to go wrong, when they have messed up, when bad things happen.  The Lord has helped me to see in recent weeks how He rejoices in our "dance" toward Him in our every day life of good and bad circumstances.  What a wonderful and refreshing awakening!!! 

For more information on the music of Travis Cottrell, I highly recommend visiting this link.   http://www.traviscottrell.com/main.html

PS - For those of you who know this song, you may appreciate that Anderson really believes that our church needs to sing "Shackles" at our church.  Can you only imagine???