My Own Journey Toward Grace

Five years ago I prayed to understand grace. I’d been a Christian for most my life. I’d been leading worship for eight years. I’d been in ministry to nursing homes for three years. And, I didn’t understand grace.

Something had to change. On the way back from a church conference I asked a group of friends from our church to pray for me to understand grace. As their worship leader, this required some humility. But it was worth it. God honored those prayers and he began to answer that prayer in profound ways.

Soon after, my wife and I became pregnant… well, she did… I obviously wasn’t pregnant… because I’m a boy and boys don’t get pregnant.

I was very concerned about being a father because I wanted my children to grow up knowing God loved them deeply and for them to be surrounded and immersed in Gods grace every day of their lives. I was more than a little apprehensive that I couldn’t provide that kind of environment for them which was why we waited eight years to have children in the first place. I didn’t know if I could convince them of these truths because I wasn’t quite convinced myself. But now the pressure was on.

I prayed and prayed and prayed about this and one day I was at a stop light and I heard God whisper to my heart,

“You know, I created you to love you.”

Wow! Of course he did! How could I have been so blind? The truth of it hit me in a fresh and profound way that changed everything for me that day. Up to this point I suppose I had been believing the lie that I was created to see if I would amount to anything or measure up. If I failed to impress, I thought, I would be shelved and God would move on to someone else. That was how I felt. Shelved. I didn’t measure up, and God had abandoned me.

Grace has since taught me that I never have to impress my Papa. He always has and always will love me just for who I am. I didn’t have to earn his love. In fact, there was nothing I could do that could make God love me any less, and on the flip side, there is nothing I could do that could make him love me any more. He just loved me, with a perfect infinite unfailing unconditional love that could bring you to tears in a moment… the good kind of tears that comfort and wash away all the pain of the past, all your shame, all the time wasted in the darkness when you doubted that love.

“There is nothing you could do that could make God love you any less, and there is nothing you could do that could make him love you any more.”

Believing I was that loved set me free.

This is the essence of the Christian life and the primary responsibility of every human being on the planet:

Let God love you! Receive his love!

Songs like How He Loves and Jesus prodigal son story made me weep as I let the sunshine of God’s love into the dark gollum cave of my heart. It had been dark for so long, the light of his love was most welcome! It seemed God would always give me what I needed when I needed it and as I could receive it as he led me deeper down the path toward love.

I would drive in my car and pray, “Jesus I receive your love right now”. I would often feel my spirit light up and His love wash over me. It was brilliant! I still purposefully get alone with God often to experience him and his love… who knew prayer time could be so exciting!

I was now free to be fully me, abundantly alive like never before, but… I was also free to run back to the darkness. I was free to play in the mud. I was free to be foolish once again. His love would not force me to stay in that love. As much as he desired me to stay in that love, as much as it broke his heart to see me go, his love would let me go.

How often I have prayed foolish prayers like that found in Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above

He simply will not do it. He will not chain you his side. You are not a puppy dog and he is not a cruel master. He won’t force you to stay. His love will not let him. Love has granted you and I free will. We can choose to keep company with LOVE Himself (God is Love) or play in the mud with all the nasty demons of darkness.

A widely-told story of the author of Come Thou Fount says that one day as he was riding in a stagecoach a lady asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. He responded, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

Even Solomon whom God named Jedediah (Beloved of the LORD) with all his personal visits from the Lord and profound wisdom wandered from the One who loved him and blessed him so much.

“With great grace comes great responsibility”

We have the holy responsibility to remain in the love of God. Remain in the love of Yeshua.

“Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love.” (John 15:9 NIV)

Jesus tells us how.

“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:10-12 NIV)

Just today my little Elisabeth Grace was shouting out in our front yard one of her bible story songs, “Keep my commandments and you will live!” Then she loudly announced, “The commandment of the Lord is to love others!”

“I love your song Ellie, and thank you for sharing that with our neighbors.”

We named her Elisabeth Grace and she has been one of the greatest gifts of grace in my life. Five has biblically been associated as the number of grace. Elisabeth (whose name means “dedicated to God”) was born on 5/5/10 and spoke her first phrase the day she was dedicated when she was five months and five days old on 10/10/10. (She said “Oh my Mama” in case you were wondering).

Exactly five years after my prayer to know God’s grace we are releasing our album Amazing Grace. Ellie closes out the album singing “Jesus Loves Me”. There isn’t a more profound truth than this.

FREE DOWNLOAD! (PLEASE read about why were giving it away HERE!)

June 19, 2014

Sample of Reflect Album for Free?!?

(Link for free download below)

We want to spiritually enrich your lives by sharing these songs with you that are themed around Jesus invitation:

“Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT)

That’s a promise from your Creator and Savior. Try it! Come to him! It will change your your life!

In a world where so much is competing for your heart and attention, we want to encourage you to allow Jesus to have first dibs.

Catherine and I (Daniel) want to help you to that end. On the inside of our album I Will Bring You Peace we wrote:

“It is our prayer that these songs lead you into a deeper place of trust, peace, and intimacy with Jesus. May you experience a closeness with the One who loved you to the death and worship him always.”

Every artists desire and dream is for people to take the time to enjoy their art. We hope you take the time to enjoy ours. One of the best feedback we received regarding our album, “I Will Bring You Peace”, was from a young man named Chris (who happens to be our nephew). Chris took the time to get alone and listen through our album and experienced it the way we hope everyone will. He called me up and shared this with me. What he had to say in our conversation so touched my heart and captured perfectly why we do what we do: to move people toward Jesus with our music.

All tips and proceeds go toward supporting our ministry and producing future music. You may also visit www.reflect.bandcamp.com to download it for “name your price” or click on the photo below:

MORE REVIEWS:

Here is what a few others are saying as they experience our newest album, “I Will Bring You Peace”:

“Enter the process of transparent heart cries, letting go, the gentle wooing of God’s love, biblical and personal declarations of faith and the delight of receiving God’s love all in one CD! Musically gentle and delightful yet deep calling unto deep. A treasure to be shared.” ~ Jane Wojta

We asked Chris if he would write a little about his experience of the album and this is what he had to say:

“The band Reflect has such a unique dynamic because of their duo between husband and wife. With their music you can be assured that before talent, character and relationship come first which is where the depth of their music really begins. This music is meant to uplift the spirit and that’s what it does for me. When I am hitting lows in my walk with God I have found that sitting still and letting God work in me through the lyrics and the peaceful music, is what my spirit needs during hard times. Thank you Reflect for the depth and care of your hearts!” ~ Christopher Peanosky

I have submitted our songs to a few independent A&R companies in Nashville and received some really encouraging responses.

Here is what Taxi, the largest independant A&R Company had to say about our song, Take Me Away:

“This lovely song features a well-crafted arrangement and an emotionally captivating vocal performance… I love how the arrangement builds as the performance unfolds. In terms of emotion, the bridge seems the most potent aspect of the arrangement. The production sounds very professional.” – Taxi, The World’s Leading A&R Company.

Here is what an independent A&R rep from Nashville had to say after hearing a few of our songs:

“You See Me” – Good song, I like the hook in the chorus, its pretty good. What I like about this song is that its short and sweet and doesn’t linger on too long.
“Erased” – Good message. Pretty good hook, I do like it.
“Take Me Away” – I love this song, good job. Good chorus. You both have good voices.

November 18, 2013

The Beauty of Redemption

(I am finally sharing this post after years of having a particular movie come back to mind time and time again. It continues to bless me with a glimpse of God’s redemption.)

The Razor’s Edge is a movie in which Bill Murray plays Larry. Shortly after WWI, Larry goes on a quest to find truth, to find something worth living for, to find a purpose to life. He was not content to simply be who everyone else expected him to be, living the status quo life he saw all around him. No, he wanted more.

And so he parts ways with the girl he was seeing at the time, Isabel, and goes off for a year to tour the world, eventually finding himself up on a snowy mountain peak in Nepal. At the end of the year he returns to London to learn that Isabel had married one of Larry’s wealthy and influential friends.

One night, while all three of them were out to dinner together they saw in the restaurant an old friend of theirs named Sophie. Isabel related the gossip about her. Evidently she had gotten mixed up with drugs and alcohol and even worse had now resorted to prostitution. Right then and there Larry decides to rescue Sophie.

Larry takes Sophie home with him, to save her. He convinces her to stay with him each new day and they spend the days just enjoying life. Picnics, outings on the lake, long walks, good conversation… Soon the light comes back to Sophie’s eyes. She remembers what it was to have fun, to laugh again, to really be alive. She has hope.

It was in this unselfish daily outpouring of redeeming love, giving worth to Sophie, and restoring the beauty of her soul that Larry finds what he was looking for all along. He finds it in true love. He never so much as makes a reference to her past. But instead he gently woos her, wins her confidence and trust and eventually her heart.

After many days Larry and Sophie become engaged, but Isabel, though married to another, is jealous and sabotages Sophie. She cuts her down with snide remarks and tells her that she doesn’t deserve to be loved by Larry. She doesn’t hesitate to remind her of her past and her words find their mark. Sophie is devastated and begins to drink a bottle of alcohol, a gift from Isabel.

Sophie leaves. When Larry learns that she is gone, he is soon in desperate search of her. Sadly, he learns that Sophie had returned to her old life and finds her at the brothel, drugged up, drunk, and surrounded by wicked men. He pleads with her to come home with him and she replies, “Don’t you see, you’re better off without me.” The men throw him out and beat him up as he struggles to rescue her.

The next day Sophie is found dead, floating in the river.

——–

In this story, I see the heart of God for us. We are “Sophie”. We all need a Savior to come to our rescue, sweep us off our feet, and show us how to live, laugh, and love again. But, our story could end as tragically as Sophie’s if we aren’t careful. We have to fight to embrace the love of Jesus. While it may be true that we don’t deserve God’s outrageous love, that doesn’t matter to him. It isn’t about what we deserve at all. It’s all about his passionate love for us.

There is a verse that saved my life found in 1 John 4:18:

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” NIV

or, as another translation puts it:

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” NLT

This verse gives me hope, that though I may still fear, it’s only because I haven’t quite yet grasped God’s perfect love for me. His love is still there. It still remains to be discovered, embraced and that’s encouraging! And then there’s that whole thing about punishment. Let me ask you, are there any sins left to be punished if Jesus took them all at the cross?

What remains then is, will we receive his love? Will we fight for that love, to hang on to that love? (Romans 8)

God will indeed receive you and lavish such love on you, never to mention the ways you went wrong in the past. But, you must not allow the devil to lie to you, and tear you away from the one who loves you so much that he would die for you (and he did). You must hang on to the hope that Jesus offers you. You need to believe!

There is a similar story found early in the book of Hosea in the Bible. Through this story God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea’s wife then leaves him and gets mixed up with other men. Hosea searches for her and when he finds her, he even has to pay a ransom to buy his own wife back.

God orchestrated this story in Hosea’s life to represent God’s relationship with his people. That even though we have been, and are, unfaithful to him, as Hosea’s wife was to him, and even though we cheat on him with our sins, God still loves us. He will not divorce us as his people but will restore us and redeem us… if that’s what we want.

“God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5 NIV

He doesn’t even wait for our hearts to turn toward him to redeem us. He redeemed us even when we still loved our sin. Even when we are still pursuing our wicked ways, he died for us. This is what Jesus has done for you and me at the cross.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated his love toward us in this, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

It is Christ’s death that redeems us from death. It is Jesus who came to our rescue while we were still “in the whorehouse”. He will restore life and beauty to our souls.

One more note. We also must be careful not to play the part of Isabel in other people’s lives. Jesus wants everyone to come to the table of his love and grace. We cannot be obstacles to people coming to Jesus. There is room for everyone and we must not make it about who deserves to come and who is more righteous than the next and who deserves his approval more. No one deserves the extravagant love of God. But God is desperate that everyone knows his generous love and redemption.

Redemption is such a beautiful thing!

Always remember this:

You are loved outrageously by an outrageously loving God!

(Love, by Jaeson Ma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73kZ6wBoqTk)

ps. Read Luke 15. This is the Father’s attitude toward us, and relates perfectly to this post:

Luke 15 (NLT)

1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[b]’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

April 13, 2013

He is Love

A message of hope for all who may despair and are in need of some encouragement today:

LYRICS:

If you can’t see past your pain and confusion
If you feel alone and overwhelmed by what you face
The circumstances of your heart feel too hard to navigate
& you feel so very far, far away

You’ve got to know there is joy beyond this heartache
You need to see there is peace behind this storm
It all can change in a moment with Jesus
As his light steals the darkness away

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

And if you’re broken and bewildered
And if you’re drowning in your pain
And if the sadness of depression
weighs you down every day… just know that…

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

He knows your name, He feels your pain
He cares more deeply than you’ll ever know
He knows your name, He feels your pain
He cares more deeply than you’ll ever know

He is love, He’s all around you
He is love, He’s come and found you
Feel His loving arms surround you
He is love, He is love, He is love

If you can’t see past your pain and confusion
If you feel alone and overwhelmed by what you face
If the circumstances of your heart feel too hard to navigate
Jesus is here to heal you now, for He is love

So many of us are living lives of quiet (or not so quiet) desperation. We are desperate for a more meaningful life, more meaningful relationships, and most of all, for a love that we hardly even know exists or have only caught fleeting glimpses of. We soon forget these glimpses as we pursue distractions and other vain things to numb the pain, quench the longing, and occupy our restless minds.

But, you and I were created by a loving God for the love of Jesus. Nothing else will satisfy our hearts. No one else will satisfy… except Jesus alone. Do you believe this?

When I was in depression I came across a song that spoke to me. It lifted me out of my depression by reminding me that Jesus was with me and that made all the difference in the world.

This song is my attempt to bring people comfort and encouragement and that you may come to believe that Jesus love really does make all the difference. He gives us a reason to live. He gives us hope where no one and nothing else can.

February 5, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Feeling Love for the First Time”

Inspired by the memories of our own budding romance, the song “Feeling Love for the First Time” is much like our relationship… it fell together like magic! As you listen, I am sure you will agree.

Share it with someone you love, or help us out by posting it to your facebook page!

Support us by downloading this song or our entire album @:

http://reflect.bandcamp.com

Catherine and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage this year. Incidentally that is also how long we have been sharing music together – whether it is leading worship in the church or just playing a fun show at a coffee shop.

Thought for the day: “You are outrageously loved by an outrageously loving God!”

January 25, 2013

I Will Bring You Peace – Album Reviews

Here is what people are saying as they experience our newest album, “I Will Bring You Peace”:

“Enter the process of transparent heart cries, letting go, the gentle wooing of God’s love, biblical and personal declarations of faith and the delight of receiving God’s love all in one CD! Musically gentle and delightful yet deep calling unto deep. A treasure to be shared.” ~ Jane Wojta

“The band Reflect has such a unique dynamic because of their duo between husband and wife. With their music you can be assured that before talent, character and relationship come first which is where the depth of their music really begins. This music is meant to uplift the spirit and that’s what it does for me. When I am hitting lows in my walk with God I have found that sitting still and letting God work in me through the lyrics and the peaceful music, is what my spirit needs during hard times. Thank you Reflect for the depth and care of your hearts!” ~ Christopher Peanosky – focus.one Support Staff

I have submitted our songs to a few independent A&R companies in Nashville and received some really encouraging responses.

Here is what Taxi, the largest independant A&R Company had to say about our song, Take Me Away:

“This lovely song features a well-crafted arrangement and an emotionally captivating vocal performance… I love how the arrangement builds as the performance unfolds. In terms of emotion, the bridge seems the most potent aspect of the arrangement. The production sounds very professional.” – Taxi, The World’s Leading A&R Company.

Here is what an independent A&R rep Austin Cook from Nashville had to say after hearing a few of our songs:

“You See Me” – Good song, I like the hook in the chorus, its pretty good. What I like about this song is that its short and sweet and doesn’t linger on too long.
“Erased” – Good message. Pretty good hook, I do like it.
“Take Me Away” – I love this song, good job. Good chorus. You both have good voices.

Listen to and download the album yourself at: http://reflect.bandcamp.com/album/i-will-bring-you-peace

Support our ministry by purchasing “Reflect Worship – I Will Bring You Peace”:

January 1, 2013

The New Deal

We have a new album out called “I Will Bring You Peace“. We love this album and we think you will love it as well! This album has been five years in the making and reflects the best of our songwriting to date and we are so grateful to God that he brought this project about.

One listener of the album sent us this review:

If you would like our new album, we want to make it simple for you, so here is the new deal:

Simply contact us and send us your mailing address. We will send you the CD along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for you to put a check in and drop in the mail.

To listen to the album, or if you’re the downloading type, please visit: www.Reflect.Bandcamp.com

(100% of the proceeds goes to support our music ministry to area nursing homes and churches.)

Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn’t do it without you!

Daniel & Catherine Lovett

www.reflectworship.com

ps. If you would like our Hymn CD instead, just indicate that when you contact us. Also if you want to bundle any of the CD’s just check the store for prices. ($20 for 2 + $3 shipping; etc…)

pps. Know someone who you think would enjoy our music? Please share this with them!

December 20, 2012

Merry Christmas Letter

Christmas Letter

Here are the numbers that have made up our year:

2 – Ellie’s current age in years. Ellie spends a good portion of every day singing around the house. Songs we sing at church, songs from our concerts, and songs she makes up. She also loves to read books, on someone’s lap or by herself. I think listening to her repeat the stories we’ve read to her stuffed animals is one of my favorite past times lately.

28 – The number of weeks the newest member of our family has been growing inside my belly! We are so excited to be welcoming another little girl to our family next March. Ellie is excited to be a big sister and I am so excited to have two little girls who can grow up to be close friends.

475 – The number of nursing home concerts Daniel will have done in 2012. (He’s tired). His ministry to the elderly grows every year. Every year he plays at more places, reaches more people, and travels farther. It continues to be a blessing that he can devote his time to music and ministry.

56 – The number of concerts, services, or other events we played together this year.

Infinity – The amount of love and gratitude in our hearts to all of our family and friends who love, support, and pray for us. Thanks for being a blessing to our family. We pray that you are surrounded by peace and joy this Christmas.

Daniel, Catherine, and Elisabeth Lovett

Next Concert: Feb 1st @ 7:30 in Green Bay, WI @ the Cup O’ Joy (232 S. Broadway)

June 5, 2012

"I Surrender All", June's free song of the month!

Surrender can be tough, but surrendering to God is precisely where our salvation and freedom are found. Surrender really is a matter of trust and it becomes so much easier when we focus on Who we are surrendering to.

When we really come to know the character of God and that this God is bursting with love and kindness toward us, it makes surrender a joyous thing. We come to count it a privilege that we get to surrender to this God of infinite unfailing love! We come to see how blessed we are that the only Sovereign God of the universe loves us desperately! When you surrender to God, you surrender to love, for God is Love! (1 John 4) Yes, we can indeed fully trust our Savior Jesus and our loving Heavenly Father. And when we keep the loving heart of our “blessed Savior” in our view we can easily say, “I surrender all.”

We hope your enjoy our updated version of “I Surrender All”. This month’s free song. Download it here.

We are busy getting ready for our summer gigs. We’ll be playing with a full band three weeks in a row. Plus at each show there will be other fabulous artists sharing their music for you to enjoy. Come out and hear some great music this summer!

Mark your calenders, bring some friends, and enjoy some inspiring events full of worship and reflection (no pun intended). We’d especially love to see you at our Cup O Joy show!

SAT June 30th @ 10 am to 10 pm – Harmony by the Bay – all day free music festival in Menominee, MI (We play at noon!)
SAT July 7th @ 7:30 – Cup O Joy – Reflect Worship full length concert with full band (Special Guest: our dear friend, Kate Marshall!)
FRI July 13th – LIFEST! – Performing twice. At 4:30 – a more intimate acoustic worship set and then later @ 7:30 sharing some of our best original songs.

Thanks for listening,
Daniel & Catherine

More about the music to this song:

We have been listening to a new band called Civil Wars recently and were musically inspired to take the music of their song “Poison & Wine” and put it to “I Surrender All”.

June 2, 2012

Francis Chan – Passion Conference 2012

I enjoyed watching this, and was challenged: