The River Flows On

By Anna Hartt

As Sarah prays on Christmas Eve, she asks God to help her do everything possible to make the world a better place, all while understanding that the best way to start is with herself. After lifting her head to see the Christ child in the manger scene, Sarah finds comfort in knowing her heart and soul are protected by the peace that only Christ offers.

Blessed with the talent of music, Sarah loves leading a congregation in singing and playing the pipe organ. As life throws challenges Sarahs way, she listens to her inner voice and trusts that God will carry her, even when her path is strewn with obstacles. While walking through each day knowing God is with her in everything she does, Sarah reflects on her past, relies on hymns and scripture to guide her actions, and embraces every gift from God. Through it all, she demonstrates that while the journey with Christ is not always perfect, it is possible to find eternal salvation and peace on earth through steadfast faith.

In this inspirational story, a Christian woman offers a glimpse into her walk with Christ as she relies on love, grace, forgiveness, and music to make a difference in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973628255

Anna Hartt

Anna Hartt is an accomplished musician, composer, poet, painter, and teacher of forty-eight years who has served several churches as a music director and organist. The author of Listen to the Voices of Your Heart and The River Flows On holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in music education and an equivalent doctorate degree in the psychology of learning. Hartt resides in Wisconsin with her dog and cat.

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Copyright © 2018 Anna Hartt.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-2824-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2826-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2825-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905585

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/4/2018

Contents

The Message

Author’s Note

Prologue

CHAPTER 1     Memories

CHAPTER 2     Challenges

CHAPTER 3     Stairwells

CHAPTER 4     Choices

CHAPTER 5     Blessings

CHAPTER 6     Concerns

CHAPTER 7     Gifts

CHAPTER 8     Clouds

CHAPTER 9     Changes

CHAPTER 10     Joys

Epilogue

Sources of Hymns

Bibliography

To my mother, Julia, and my father, Henry. They made our home a sacred place to abide in, where faith, hope, and love were central to who we were and where God was the solid foundation of our souls.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.¹

The Message

The river flows on. When you believe in the energy of the river and use its power to help others, you nourish God’s children and become good stewards of the earth.

And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, withersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh.²

God sends each new day so we may be blessed with an abundant life. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.³ He wants us to be His loving children, sending our lights into a darkened world. A smiling love may make someone else’s day beautiful, just as God has smiled on us.

The things you have gone through are making you more Christlike. Character is not easy to achieve, but through every trial and difficulty, our souls grow in strength. What you do when life throws you up against a wall is prayerfully build a bridge over or around that wall. Building bridges brings us closer to others and lets them feel the confidence, strength, and courage to conquer their own fears. We are God’s light that pierces a world that is slowly becoming dark.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; And it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.⁴

Find a way to use the river’s power to keep you moving toward your goal: a beautiful life with God as your Captain. We do not lose the vitality, love, and honor of the river’s strength by harnessing it. Rather, we realize the full extent of God’s love for us and know that He will always be with us, no matter how fast or slow the river flows.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early.⁵

Placing our boats in the river with faith the size of a mustard seed, God will do the rest. He will take the rudders of our boats and direct them to the other shore. If our sails do not take the wind, He will blow wind into them to keep us moving forward. If the waters become wild and the storms wrestle with our boats, He will not let us sink. He will walk on the water for us and bring us home. All we need do is trust in the Lord and unconditionally love Him. The river will flow on.

Author’s Note

The events in this book are true. Names, dates, and places have been changed to protect actual people. With respect to my two trips to Europe, I will try to convey my inspirations and feelings, rather than the historical significance of those countries. These events are about sharing hope, love, joy, and peace. I used my love of music to bring peace to all who would listen, and in sharing my talent, I found the courage to say, With God, all things are possible.⁶

The hymns used in this book are my most treasured hymns. In my forty years of serving churches, an interim pastor at one of those churches asked me, What is your most favorite hymn? To my surprise, I couldn’t answer him, but as the years passed, I discovered the hymns that had guided me throughout my life. They helped me to praise God in a very special, heartfelt way, and it was in those times that I realized God was always by my side.

As you read The River Flows On, remember the songs and hymns from your childhood that guided your paths. Believe your flowing river was guided by the power of the everlasting Father and the inspiration of the words of those hymns. Through our praises, He sees our love, and in turn, He blesses us with His abundant grace. It is an amazing grace that only He can give, and only He can guide our small boats to the other shore. Our world would be so much more beautiful if all people would do small acts of kindness. With God holding us in His hands, we will have peace.

Prologue

God is active in our world, and He knows where we are on each journey. He assures us we are not alone, and He is interested in who we are becoming. Sarah realized she was stronger and more loving with every event in her life. She could feel God’s handiwork as she walked every trail and every mountain. Nothing can compare with knowing that God has had your life’s journey in the palm of His hands since you were born and will continue to carry you through your experiences. Health issues, a car accident, teaching, Christmas memories, a beautiful foreign exchange student, her grandson in the military, our divided nation, our nation’s children, her private students, her favorite hymns, and two trips to her parents’ homelands were a few of the life-changing events marking her journey.

As Christmas quickly approached, Sarah’s heart was filled with the love of God. She had climbed mountains throughout her life, but this year, she saw only the shining light of God’s amazing love and grace at the top of the summit. That love and grace made all the difference in how she saw her future. He was creating a newness in her that blessed her loved ones; she became a reservoir of the Spirit’s fruit. As Sarah reached for God’s hand, He gave her love, joy, and peace.

An integral part of Sarah’s Christmas traditions was picking out the most beautiful live tree she could find, decorating it with lights, multicolored ornaments, and special handmade things, and placing an angel on the top of the tree. Just the sweet scent of pine wafting through the house was enough to awaken Sarah’s memories. Except for the three years after her mother’s passing when her father put up a silver tinsel tree, every Christmas was made more beautiful with a majestic, graceful live Christmas tree.

Along with the inside Christmas tree traditions, the family always decorated a tree outside of the house with beautiful lights and an angel on the top of the tree. Her mother, Julia, had said this tradition was one of her precious memories that began with her parents in Hungary. However, during the Depression, her family couldn’t afford to decorate two trees. The inside tree far surpassed any of the trees that were chosen in Hungary as a result. Sarah’s grandmother said, When you decorate an outside tree, the tree reaches up to God and lets His light shine into the world. Everyone who entered her grandparents’ home was greeted with the sweet scent of a beautiful tree that radiated love.

Sarah had tried to follow her mother’s traditions, but this year was different. As she walked around the tree lot, she found a beautiful blended tree of balsam and Douglas fir. She quickly bought it and rushed it home to place in the stand.

That night, Sarah dreamed of sitting with God in a garden of evergreen trees where that beautiful tree shone through the fog. She felt His love as He knelt in the snow to smell its aroma and admire its beauty. By blending two beautiful types of trees, God had given her a message. The people of the world will someday come together in love and harmony. When we choose love, faith, hope, and joy, we become His stewards here on earth, and He will bless us with an eternal home beyond anything we can imagine.

There were some problems with decorating this beautiful gift, but Sarah continued to find ways to make it her gift to God. The colored lights wouldn’t work together, and after several trips back to the store, she discovered electric companies no longer make electric plugs to match the plugs used in tree lights. In lieu of colored lights, she connected two cords of white lights for the tree, and she stepped back to enjoy her creativity. She imagined her parents saying, "God’s