The Sounds of the Morning...

One of the things I have come to enjoy in the early morning hours of the day, since moving into my apartment here in Tennessee, has been to step out on my balcony with a freshly brewed hot cup of coffee and enjoy the sun rising above the trees… and then over the apartment building across from mine.  I don’t know what it is… but there is nothing better than that first sip of java in the quiet still of the morning, before most people are up and out for the day!

The weather both yesterday and today has been gorgeous and muchly appreciated after another stretch of cold and wet weather.  So, as I stood near the open doorway to the balcony yesterday, I suddenly found myself being totally captivated by the Sounds of the Morning that seemed to encase and be clarified in my hearing like a quality set of noise cancelling stereo headphones.  After a few moments, I went back inside and grabbed my notebook so that I could write down the various sounds that were auditioning for me.

First there was the soft drone of distant traffic, then the gentle melody of wafting music, followed by the muffled sound of people talking somewhere below my room on the third floor and then off to the west, I could barely make out the familiar report of the commuter train whistle while its diesel engine crossed an unseen intersection on one of its morning runs to Nashville.  But my quiet symphony of calming music was suddenly interrupted by the uncomfortable discordant clash of loud, squeaky automobile brakes to my right.

The dissonant note was so incongruous to me that I had to break away from the orchestration outside and briefly return to the respite of my small apartment living room.  Once the irritation in my ears subsided, I took a calming breathe and stepped outside again.  This time around, all the other sounds melted away and I was drawn to the sweet, calming and gentle singing of the birds from their perches in the trees around my building.

As I leaned on the railing and absorbed the differing tones of the various melodies the different species of birds sang, I suddenly became aware of a song softly drifting through the open door from my computer on my desk.  When I stepped back in and sat down, I realized that the sound was emanating from the Southern Gospel channel I had clicked on earlier.

When my eyes focused in on the Sirius XM page opened on my screen, I understood what I believe the Lord was trying to show me!  It became like a moment of worship at church as the Southern Gospel group, Brian Free and Assurance sang the words:

“Behind my praise, there's a valley, God has brought me through

Behind my praise, there's a mountain I never thought I'd move

Behind my praise is a wilderness in bloom & I can't hold back

'Cause I've seen what God can do...

Because of God and His amazing grace

I live to tell the story behind my praise.”*

And then it all made sense to me.  You and I are able to enjoy and be gloriously mesmerized by the serendipity of the Sounds of the Morning that God broadcasts each and every day… right outside our front doors (or back door in my case)… because of the song that is in us and plays behind everything we hear, think, say and do.

As active and ever-growing Christians, the song that is in us… that is behind us… should be motivated and established by our Praise of God and His amazing grace that we can consistently experience in our personal lives!  Psalm 2:6-8 teaches us that,

“The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.  He stores up sound wisdom for the upright (that’s speaking of you and I), and is a shield to those (of us) who walk in integrity.  He guards the paths of justice and He preserves the way of His godly ones (& once again – that’s you and me).” (NASB – Ryrie Study Bible © 1976, 1978**)

From the WISDOM that He gives us through the regular personal study of His Word, attendance at a good Bible preaching and teaching church, sound Christian teaching books and fellowship with other believers, we gain the KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING we need to develop and amplify the song in us that is able to back us in every endeavor, challenge and situation that we face on a daily basis.

I really enjoy the Sounds of the Morning that greet me on my balcony every day… They encourage me to tell of the song that is behind my praise…

How about you?

Have a great weekend and listen closely for the Sounds of the Morning in your neighborhood!

 

*See: https://texasgospel.ca/2025/11/11/the-journey-of-faith-in-brian-free-and-assurances-behind-my-praise/

**Published by the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago

Listen!

It’s almost been two weeks since the somewhat sudden loss of my favorite, four-footed companion, Fiver.  I still think about him a lot, but the most difficult times seem to be in the late afternoons and evenings when I prepare and eat dinner and then relax for the night watching a little TV, followed by reading a good book while lying on the bed.  I can’t help but to remember the way he followed me around the kitchen whenever any food came out… be it his or mine… and then sat somewhat patiently at my feet… with the occasional whimper to remind me know that he was still there… while I are dinner. 

After the meal was completed, he would almost always suddenly disappear into the bedroom to rest on the loveseat in the corner, on the floor in front of the couch or right smack in the middle of the bed… many times pawing the decorative throw blanket on top of the bed into a comfortable pile for him to sleep on. 

When I finally retired for the night, got ready for bed and then laid on top of it to read, he would move up close to my face and not let me take one peek at my phone or Kindle until he was satisfied with the amount of petting and scratching that I would indulge him with.  Then he’d turn around and move to the end of the bed to sleep some more or to jump from the bed over to the nearby couch.

All of those activities in the quiet solitude of the evening… many that he also did previously in Oklahoma… just seem to be so engraved in me that I can’t easily forget them!  Not seeing them now, continues to bring the reality of an empty apartment and the sadness of the lack of his presence to my heart.

But… it’s going to get better… and you know why?  I bought me a plant!  So, while I can still come and go… pretty much as I please now (which is really weird to comprehend after 51 years of always having others to care about and coordinate with in the house…), I still have a living organism to see and care for when I walk in the door.

And with that… let me introduce you to JED, my new buddy Jade Jewl Dracaena house plant!  My daughter and I have been talking about getting some house plants for a while and are planning to go to a large nursery located just down the road from our apartments… but I needed something else sooner - that’s physically alive in my abode… and my new Walmart’s limited house plant section met the need.  So… who knows… future blog posts might occasionally tell about some new adventures that JED and I experience together!

But back to Fiver… While I really haven’t had many opportunities to tell his story to the folks around the apartment that we used to see on our daily walks, I have to told different people and their reactions were both expected and curious at the same time!

The expected reaction is the look of shock on their faces and the genuine sorrow that they express.  The curious part is how many of them will say how sorry they are and then immediately go into a long story about how they lost a pet and the tremendous emotional pain and stress that they endured.  And don’t get me wrong… because I know that their experience is their way of trying to connect with my grief and somehow consol me in the knowing that they’ve been through a similar ordeal.

What got me to thinking was how these conversations eventually changed from the discussion of my recent loss to theirs… and then onto their life story of unfortunate events.  When I contemplated on this during my Bible study time this morning, I was reminded of similar conversations in the past, when I would share about the loss of my beautiful wife.  And my first thought was that,

“They were not really listening to me and therefore not able to comprehend nor assist me with MY need at that moment in time.”

But that thought was quickly overshadowed by the personal revelation wondering… how many times did I do the same thing… when people told me about the needful times in their lives?  And Ooooh!  That hurt… because I was instantly flooded with memories of my guilt in that identical situation!  Hummm… I wonder if I am alone in this?  Have you ever considered the possibility that you’ve responded in a similar manner as me?

In discussing His reasoning for teaching in parables, Jesus explained to His disciples that,

“This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but THEY DON’T LISTEN. They don’t even try to understand.” (Matthew 13:13 – God’s Word ©) 

Jesus’ words kind of stung to me when I read this today.  I will admit though, that my personal experience with the years of caring for my sick wife and then her eventual departure to heaven and most recently, of the loss of the last dog that we shared together, has definitely helped me to understand what it feels like to be on the other end of reactions like these.  But has it cured me from only thinking of myself and my needs at times?  --- NO!

I guess if I was honest… I’m glad that it took a recent difficulty in order to get me more focused again on the needs of others around me.  As Christians, I believe that is a responsibility that we all carry into our individual worlds that we experience on a daily basis.  In Philippians 4:5 the Apostle Paul instructs us to,

“Let gentleness be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near.” (The Passion Translation)

The word “gentleness” in this particular verse is translated “moderation” in the King James Version and is defined in Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries as “being appropriate” or as I like to say, “letting your thoughts, speech and actions always be appropriate in every situation that you find yourself involved with in your life.”

And for me… that entails me keeping my mouth shut long enough to make sure that I really LISTEN to and hear what the other individual is saying… and then… and only then… make a reply that meets the need at hand and ministers to the heart and life of the person.

Another familiar scripture in this regard, is found in Colossians 4:6 where Paul once again, encourages us to

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (King James Version) 

Well… that makes it pretty clear to me… How about you?  At the least… It’s most definitely something for all of us to consider… pretty much every day!

My stomach is telling me that it’s time for lunch… so I’d best feed my new buddy JED and me… (actually I fed him some fertilizer and freshened his soil yesterday when I got home from the store?)

Have a terrific weekend, be BLESSED and then pass that BLESSING on to others by the way you LISTEN and then respond as a BLESSING back to them…

Genesis

This has been a difficult week for me with the unexpected loss of my favorite four-footed, furry friend, Fiver, on Tuesday.  I won’t go into detail as I wrote another post covering the details of the ordeal*… but to say the least… I feel like I’ve been in a fog for the last few days.  I guess that it is not too surprising, but I find myself constantly looking for him in all his favorite resting places around the house, or calling out to him before I realize… “Oh Yes!  He’s not here anymore!”

The blunt truth really hit home a couple of nights ago when I was sitting in the living room and suddenly thought that… “I’m the only one in the apartment now!”  Ever since my sweet wife went to heaven several years ago, I have regularly awoken in the morning, thinking in my slumber-soaked mind, that Piper is laying next to me with the dog curled up at her feet… only to fully awaken with the disappointing reality that “Nope… it’s just me and Fiver!”

This week I have found myself waking up and swinging my feet out and over the side of the bed, but pausing with the well-rehearsed reaction to make sure that I wouldn’t step on the dog… as he occasionally liked to lay on the floor next to the bed… only to have it dawn on me that he won’t be there anymore.  So… that’s another change that I’ll need to get used to!

I rehearsed all of these “realities” over and over again, in my mind’s eye this morning, when I automatically woke up around five when I would have normally taken Fiver down stairs for a quick, “wet stop” before hopping back in bed for another hour and a half before rising for the day.  As I stared at the ceiling through the dim of the nightlights in the room, I suddenly had the personal revelation that “This is where I am at… so, what am I gonna do about it!”

And without much contemplation… even surprising myself… I immediately spoke out… “Well, I am not a quitter and I going to continue moving forward to fulfill God’s plans for me here in Tennessee!”

My theme scripture for 2026, that I have personalized and have been writing down at the top of my Bible Study note page each and every morning since January first, is from Philippians 3:13-14, where I declare,

“Brothers and sisters… This is what I am doing TODAY:  I am not looking back as much as I was before, but instead – I am lengthening my stride and running FORWARD… STRAIGHT AHEAD… to fulfill the prize of my calling by God through Jesus Christ.” (combination of God’s Word © and The Heart of Paul, A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament by Ben Campbell Johnson © 1976)

So… you can see that my early morning statement really shouldn’t have surprised me after all… since I’ve been confessing that fact for about a month and a half already!  Another similarly themed verse that the Lord just drew me to on Thursday, is found in Psalm 51:10 and is translated in The Message Bible as,

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a GENESIS week from the chaos of my life.” 

It is interesting to note that the word “Genesis” in the Hebrew means “origins” which as defined in our modern dictionaries relates to “The point or place where something begins, arises or is derived.”  Dake’s Study Notes calls the book of Genesis “The Creative Ages” which speaks to my heart, telling me that “God’s wants to create something specifically for me, in this new season of my life!”

And so yes… I’ve had some traumatic events thrown at me over the past few years, but through it all… my heavenly Father keeps reminding me of His loving faithfulness to me and mine… and with that experiential TRUTH in my daily life… I can’t help but to see joy over and beyond the tragedies that I may face.  Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that,

“We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. (for) He saw the joy ahead of Him, so He endured death on the cross…” (God’s Word ©)

And don’t forget Ephesians 5:1 where the Apostle Paul encourages us to,

“Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as His beloved sons and daughters.” (TPT) 

Are there places or opportunities in your personal lives where you could use a fresh start?  Places where God would love to shape a Genesis, new beginning in the midst of the chaos, or confusion or changes in your life?

Well… He’s ready to make changes if you and I are willing to allow Him the freedom to move in us, with us and for us.  And how do we accomplish this?  By being an imitator of God in everything we do… By spending time with Him in His Word on a regular basis, in order to see how He does things… and then begin to slowly… but surely… imitate Him in how you handle the daily affairs of your life!

I’m excited about the Genesis that God is shaping in my life… and as I am not a quitter… I’m in it for the long haul… and will do whatever it takes to receive and then BE all that He has for me!

How about you?

 

*You can read Fiver’s blog post here:  https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2026/02/fiver.html

FIVER

It is with a heavy heart that I have to write that Fiver, my faithful shadow, confidant, and joy-giving dog over the last ten plus years, has gone on to join his earthly mom and three four-footed sisters that preceded him into heaven.  He had been having difficulties with his joints and hips over the last few years.  A recent set of X-Rays showed that he had arthritis in his hips and lower back but we were able to reduce the inflammation when things flared up with some prescribed meds from our Vet.  After a recent flare up last week, I noticed that although he was regaining the flexibility in movement, that he was getting more and more lethargic and beginning to refuse food.  

So, I brought him into the Vet on Monday where the examination discovered that he was bleeding internally and more than likely dealing with some tumors.  We immediately scheduled explorative surgery for Tuesday morning and when the Vet went in, his diagnosis was confirmed as they found a tumor and nodules on his spleen and nodules on most of his organs.  And while they could have removed some of the problems, they wouldn’t have been able to get them all… and therefore the outlook of his quality of life was not very positive.  So… I made the heart-breaking decision to let him go because I did not want to have him suffer anymore. The Vet administered the euthanasia while Fiver was still on the table under anesthesia, so he never felt a thing.

I can’t explain the moral support that Fiver gave me over the years since my wife passed in 2018.  He became a member of our family towards the end of Piper’s fight for life and he immediately took the roll of being her protector, sticking by her side and not allowing anyone to examine or care for her unless he was present in the room… many times standing between the medical personnel and Piper.  Once he sensed that they were not going to harm her, he would step aside… but keep a watchful eye on them!

After Piper’s passing, he and I became almost inseparable.  He stuck to me like glue and always seemed to know when I needed a shoulder to cry on or an attentive ear to listen to my ramblings.  We became well-known in our neighborhood in Oklahoma and for the short time we’ve been in Tennessee, for our daily walks, both early mornings and mid-afternoons… in any and all kinds of weather… and for him… the COLDER the BETTER!

I realized earlier last year that my entire daily schedule functioned totally around his needs.  So, to say that he was spoiled… would be absolutely correct!  As I sat at the table this morning, I enjoyed the luxury of being able to eat all the bacon on my plate… but, at the same time, kept waiting for him to appear… as he did every morning… put his head on my knee and look at me with those big brown eyes of his that just sort of said… “You weren’t going to eat all that bacon by yourself, were you?

And so… the stories could go on and on and they will, as I will always treasure this special guy in my heart.  I’m not sure if angels can take the form of a dog… but if they could… I would declare that Fiver was definitely an angel of the Lord sent to me in my most desperate time on need!

I see his passing as another new chapter for me in this new season of my life here in Tennessee.  I’m still excited as God’s plan unfolds… but I do wish that my favorite, four-footed furry friend could have spent a little longer of his time with me.  He would have turned eleven this month.

And like I told him as I squatted down on my knees in the Vet’s office yesterday morning and began to gently pet him… as the tech moved to bring him in back for the surgery prep… “Everything is okay buddy… I will see you real soon!”

FAITH has a Face

As I sat at my desk earlier this morning, I found myself wrapped up in the scriptures that  I was studying when the dog came in from the bedroom and gave me a funny look…  When I glanced over to him and then back to my desk… I realized that I had been tapping my colored pencils (one in each hand – like a drummer) to the rhythm of the upbeat Southern Gospel songs that I was listening to on Sirius XM’s Southern Gospel channel enLighten.

I also became aware that I was actually singing… rather loudly… “Scooby, Doobie, Doo…” repeatedly in syncopation between each measure of the music.  And with all of that, I began to laugh and turned back to the dog and declared “What can I say… I can’t help but to be happy and groove along with the JOYFUL music!”

But you know… that’s not the way my morning had begun.  After all the slipping and sliding that Fiver had done during our recent snowstorm, his hips and lower back became inflamed again and I had to put him back, temporarily, on his anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers… which tend to do the job of bringing him back to his normal flexible and active self… but also have certain side-effects that cause me concern.  So… when I took him out at 4:45 this morning and he wasn’t as sharp, steady and vigorous as he usually is... I definitely had to deal with some anxiety and a lack of JOY first thing!

Once we returned to our apartment and I got him settled in one of his favorite sleeping spots in the bedroom, with a treat, I climbed back into bed, picked up my little, first edition, 1945 Berkeley translation New Testament, that I have been enjoying lately, and dove into many of the familiar “JOY” scriptures in both Paul and James’ writings.  If I’ve learned anything over the many years of my Christian walk… I’ve discovered that the different fruits of the Spirit like “love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness” * don’t always manifest themselves automatically in times of need, but that we must endeavor to stir them up in order for them to take effect in our lives. 

Well… with that task completed… my mind and my heart were switched back from potential worry and refocused on the power of God’s love and JOY, and I fell back asleep for another hour and a half, got up around 6:30, brewed some coffee and began my daily Bible Study (on the subject of JOY, no less) with Southern Gospel playing softly in the background… or at least that’s what I thought… and somewhere during that time the dog came in and I guess my silly JOYFULNESS was caught!

Fiver was walking a lot slower than normal on our afternoon walk today, so it gave me a lot of time to think about the events from this morning… and I was reminded of something I believe that the Lord had shown me earlier in the week… on another walk that the pooch and I took.  I had been having a conversation in my head about some of the different aspects of FAITH, when I suddenly had the thought that: “Faith Has a Face” (or a look) and that Face or look is JOY!

And if that be true… then Paul’s writings in Philippians 3:1 take on an even more powerful meaning and charge to our lives, when he steadfastly declared:

“My beloved ones, don’t ever limit your joy or fail to rejoice in the wonderful experience of knowing our Lord Jesus! (and) I don’t mind repeating what I’ve already written you because it protects you—” (TPT)

That no nonsense command was so important to Paul in his life and ministry, that he made a point to tell his readers that he needed to repeat what he had already wrote to them (and demonstrated in his life – as he was in prison at the time he wrote this letter), because faith-based JOY was an important force of protection for them, in their personal lives.  He was and still is today… telling us that JOY has a direct effect of our daily walks of faith, where we are standing on His Word for the various situations we encounter.

JOY radiating from our faces is something that people around us can’t help but to notice… and more than not… want to have for themselves!  But like I described at the beginning of today’s post… JOY doesn’t always get up with the morning sunrise!  Sometimes… okay… maybe many times… we have to give it a little push or encouragement!  The best method I have learned is to build my faith each and every day by reading and speaking aloud, the exact same things that God speaks in His Word… and although I’d love to say that this is something that I thought up on my own… I can’t!  For I learned this infallible practice from God Himself in His Word, where He tells us:

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 - KJV)

Therefore, faith comes to us and increases in us when we HEAR the Word preached and/or taught in Church, on the radio, on TV, online and also… and maybe most importantly… coming from our own mouths!  I find that when I speak the Word out loud, that I tend to take it more personally and find myself uniquely applying it to my specific daily life’s experiences.

So… take a moment and think about it.  Where do you hang your faith-based JOY?  After reading and confessing the Word each day… I can’t help but hang mine right on my face… for everyone to enjoy and get built up by!  Even if it is the dog (or my very close in proximity neighbors) wondering what all the noise and action of beating pencils on the desk and singing without constraint first thing in the morning, is all about!  Hummm… I have gotten some strange looks from a few of my neighbors when I JOYfully say “Hi!’ to them in the hallway… You think that’s why???

What is being portrayed on your face RIGHT NOW?

Have a great new week ahead… and let me know how your week goes with JOY written all over your FACE!