Lyrics

As I'm certain I've said before, I adore music. I particularly love the lyrics in songs that I listen to and sometimes I really just sense that God puts certain songs in my world to speak to where I find myself at that moment. I've run into several interesting lyrics recently and just thought I'd share.

First, from the song "I Would Die For You" by Mercy Me:
And I pray that You will use my life
In whatever way Your name is glorified
Even if surrendering means leaving everything behind

Second, from the song "Until I See You Again" by Mark Schultz:
Live with the wonder of a child
Pray with your arms thrown open wide
Love with a love that has no end

Finally, from the song "Healer" by Mike Guglielmucci:
I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

All of these songs are powerful but these are the words that really struck me this last week. This life is challenging but I'm so blessed by a God who uses words to speak to my heart and draw me back to Him. He truly is everything to me and my only hope is that my life reflects this every single day. I long for Him to be glorified even in my utter weakness. How He accomplishes that, I'll let Him determine. I just hope that it's apparent to those I speak with, live with, and worship with that I love Him first!

Walk On

This morning an old-school song began to play and today it just resonated with me. If I were to define one thing that I feel in these days it would be the overwhelming sense that I have no clue where my life is heading. I don't mean that in a bad way, just in recognition that the path that I'm on is not one where I can discern the ending destination and what it will look like.

The funny thing is that I'm not overly concerned about where I'm heading because I know that God is working things out that are far beyond my comprehension and I can rest securely in that. However, there are moments when I struggle with the road because it's hard to explain and sometimes hard to walk. My God is big though, big enough to be the ultimate destination that my heart seeks.

Maybe these lyrics will speak to you too and encourage you to keep pressing forward, not because you know what things will look like but because you know the One who does!

Walk On
By: 4Him

The Wind Blows Hard
The Climb Is Slow
Shadows Are Dark
I Stumble On These Stones
But My Lord, You Are Near
I Will Not Fear

Chorus
I Chose to Take This Road Called Faith
I Will Walk On
I Trust That You Will Lead Me Through
I Will Walk On

No End in View
At Times I Feel Alone and the Signs Are Few
But At Least They All Say Home,
And You My Lord, You're the Hope I Hold
Strength of My Soul

Because of Love
There Was An Awful Hill You Climbed
And Because of Love
I'll Live My Faith
One Step At a Time

The Course Is Set
Life's Hard But Yet
We Will Walk On
Around Each Bend, Until the End
We Will Walk On

We Chose to Take This Road Called Faith
We Will Walk On
We Trust That You Will Lead Me Through
We Will Walk On

We Will Walk On
We Will Walk On

Tis The Season

Once again we enter the month that holds such meaning, not only as the culmination of the last year but as a time to celebrate the blessings of family, friends, and God incarnate. Things become so busy in these days that it's easy to allow purpose to fall by the wayside as life turns into a hectic dash towards the 25th. The challenge for all of us is to not just say that Jesus is the reason for the season or that we're keeping Christ in Christmas (both somewhat hokey although with good sentiment) but to really live our lives in that manner.

As I enter this month with all of its parties and events, my goal is to continually be asking what God wants from me in these days. Where am I to serve, who am I to minister to, what is my heart to be touched by? These questions are ones without easy answers but I believe in a God who delights in directing His kids so I will ask. Over everything in these days though, I hope that my mind is never far from the amazing reality that the holidays center around: God became man, walked among us sinlessly, and went to the cross with the weight of my sin and yours. If all else was to disappear, there is still plenty of hope and love in that sentence alone to sustain us through the darkest of days. That's where I hope my heart rests and I invite you to take time to dwell there too.

I'll leave you with a hymn I recently found based on one of my most favorite passages in Isaiah 9. May it help you remember why we celebrate!

The People That in Darkness Sat
By: John Morison

The people that in darkness sat
A glorious light have seen;
The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been.

For unto us a child is born,
To us a son is given,
And on His shoulder ever rests
All power on earth and heaven.

His name shall be the Prince of Peace
Forevermore adored,
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The great and mighty Lord.

His righteous government and power
Shall over all extend;
On judgment and on justice based,
His reign shall have no end.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

This is a day for reflection. For celebrating the goodness that God has blessed us with over the last 365 days and giving Him thanks and praise. Many may not approach this day as a time to turn gratitude towards God but my hope is that even if it's not a common practice, many will pause today and whisper a prayer towards the One who makes their every breath and blessing possible!

As I've written many times here, I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of my God. I don't have it all together and I would be the first to say as much but God still takes the time to work on me and refine me and give me abundant blessings in the process. Even in the hardest days, there is much to praise Him for.

So, please count your blessings today and thank the good Lord for each of them. I'll leave you with a wonderful hymn I recently found. May it bless you and may your day be excellent and bright!

Thanks to God for My Redeemer
By: August Ludwig Storm

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav'nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

Another Year!

I love birthdays and I think I appreciate them more the older I get (strange, I know)!

The truth is that I'm always happy to chalk another year up to this life that God has blessed me with and I use this day each year to stop and be grateful for the journey that I've walked since the last year's milestone. I also tend to set new goals for myself to accomplish during the next trip around the sun and I usually associate a verse or song or something with what I want my life to look like. Yes, it's kind of like getting New Years twice a year! I'm silly that way!

Just to share, this is the verse that I'm drawn to for this coming year:
Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.
~ 1 Peter 1:15

I love this verse and it's what I really desire my life to look like! A woman shaped by God's life and character and presence. A life lived wide open to the will of God and facing the future with hope and joy and faith! That's what I want to be!

Also, for those of you who know me, music is one of my big passions and sometimes a song just comes along that I really identify with. I recently heard a song that just jumped out at me as one that spoke so much of where I find myself. It reminded me of my weaknesses and how even with them, my primary desire is to live completely surrendered to God. I look forward to God taking my life and doing with it what He desires. Refining is not easy but I want to walk through it that I might better glorify Him with the time He gives!

Thanks for reading along and I hope to challenge and encourage you in the days to come!

For now, enjoy this great song!

Here I Am
By: Downhere

Sometimes your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes it comes in the Spirit's breeze,
You reach for the deepest hope in me,
And call out for the things of eternity.

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say,

CHORUS:
Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began.

These broken parts you redeem,
Become the song, that I can sing
(chorus)

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness,
And the fear that I'll fail you in the end,
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but you can.

Magnificent Obsession

This topic is tied to what I talked about yesterday but I wanted to discuss it again (and since it's my blog, I can!). I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman's song over the weekend and was struck by how much it could describe my life, both where I am today and where I want to be tomorrow.

I find myself so often asking God to explain things or give answers in situations but despite my calling out to Him, I rarely feel as though I'm able to leave behind the complications of this life. However, I have found that if I stop in the midst of questioning and tune in to the reality that God knows all and purposes all and watches over all then suddenly my questions become less critical. It's not that they cease to exist or they don't run through my head at times but the truth is that in those moments I am able to turn away from the confusion and rest in the knowledge of God alone.

I want to be able to sing the chorus of this song and mean it: God is everything I want and need and I want Him to be my one consuming passion. In a world that promises its fair share of brokenness and sorrow, I am ever so thankful that God is someone who I can always return to and be completely lost in and found in at the same time!

Magnificent Obsession
By: Steven Curtis Chapman

Lord, You know how much
I want to know so much
In the way of answers and explanations
I have cried and prayed
And still I seem to stay
In the middle of life’s complications
All this pursuing leaves me feeling
like I’m chasing down the wind
But now it’s brought me back to You
And I can see again

This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession

So capture my heart again
Take me to depths I’ve never been
Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy
Return me to the cross
And let me be completely lost
In the wonder of the love
That You’ve shown me
Cut through these chains that tie
me down to so many lesser things
Let all my dreams fall to the ground
Until this one remains

You are everything I want
And You are everything I need
Lord, You are all my heart desires
You are everything to me

You are everything I want
You are everything I need
I want You to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You
I want it all to be for You

Closer

I love this song today - it just reminds me that so much of my life needs to be viewed with a different perspective than the one that I so often cling to. The reality of everything is that my purpose and desire is to be all about God; when it's hard or painful or not what I want but also when it's sunny and happy and my earthly desires are met in abundance. May God be the driving force of my every moment and may my sight not waiver from the eternal purpose to which my soul is called.

Closer to You
By: Mark Schultz

Closer to me I'm tired and I'm weak
And every breath within me is longing just to be
Closer to You
So I face the road ahead
Cause I know there's no comparing
To what's waiting at the end

So let the rain start falling where it will
And I will run through this valley
Just to climb to that hill
And if they ask why I'm smiling
After all I've been through
It's cause I'm just a day closer to You

Closer to me I hear You whisper on the wind
You say although my life is ending
A new one will begin
Closer to You
And I know I'm not alone
Cause I can hear You in the distance
Saying, you are nearly home

So let the rain start falling where it will
And I will run through this valley
Just to climb to that hill
And if they ask why I'm dancing
Though my days may be few
It's cause I'm just a day closer to You

Closer to me You're in the laughter and the tears
Of the ones I leave behind me
Who have prayed me through the years
Closer to You
And I know it won't be long
Till You're running down the pathway
Just to take me in Your arms

So let the rain start falling where it will
And I will run through this valley
Just to climb to that hill
And if they ask why I'm singing
Though my life's almost through
It's cause I'm just a day closer
I'm just a day closer
I'm just a day closer to You

Keep Singing

Mercy Me brings a great reminder for me today - no matter how stuck I might feel, my only choice is to continue moving on and trusting in Him because that's where healing comes. So many lessons to learn in this life - so many questions without answers - such a journey towards righteousness. I love that God allows us to walk through the valleys but He always loves us too much to leave us there. When we can't walk we can still worship and when we can't run we can still crawl into His arms and let Him hold us. God is so very good - I will never understand that goodness but I will worship Him for it!

Keep Singing - Mercy Me

Another rainy day
I can't recall having sunshine on my face
All I feel is pain
All I wanna do is walk out of this place
But when I am stuck and I can't move
When I don't know what I should do
When I wonder if I'll ever make it through

I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
You're the one that's keeping my heart beating
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
That's the only way that I'll find healing

Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing

Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing

Oh You're everything I need
And I gotta keep singing

Ever Nearer

Today this hymn just speaks to me. Storms are always going to come but if at the end of them I look more like Him then that's truly the only thing that I can hope for. It's not about answers or understanding, it's about refining and, unfortunately, sometimes that takes fire. So while there is pain now, I believe towards then.

"Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer"
Music by Keith Getty; Words by Margaret Becker

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I'll follow, though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go -
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

Weathering the Storm

Today my timing was off.

I stalled at my house thinking that whatever storm was turning my house to night and requiring me to turn on the lights to find my shoes would blow over before I had to leave. Well, after about 15 minutes I decided to try the other tactic and see if I could make it to work before the rain came down. I was wrong. I ended up trekking to work through the worst part of the storm which had not been my goal!

This was one of those storms that cut the visibility to almost nothing and was accompanied by lots of wind and many lightening bolts. I drove through it praying the whole time that I would safely make it to work and struggling to not let my anxiety grab hold too much. With a couple of narrow misses, I arrived safely and was able to get into my building.

While a storm is not an unusual occurrence, being face to face with this one made me think about how I always have a choice in how I'll respond when a storm blows into my life. Storms tend to arise in so many areas, whether physically appearing on the horizon and dumping buckets of rain or showing up in the spiritual realm and leaving me drenched in unexpected emotion and doubt. When each one comes, I have a choice to run around in fear, frantically trying to make sure that I'm controlling each aspect of my environment or I can choose to press on through it, holding tight to the Lord as my stable point in a shaky world.

I find that the more I take the second approach, the less phased I am by the storms I encounter. Sure, some of them knock me down and leave me reeling but I am seeing that through the years, my response to turn to the Lord is becoming more instinctual and I'm weathering things with more faith and less doubt. I think this is one area where practice does make perfect and while I doubt I'll ever get to the place where nothing can topple me, I do believe that the more I lean into the Lord, the more I am able to stand up through the winds. Today's storm was just another reminder of the fact that I can find peace in the middle of anything that may happen around me as long as I look up and not around.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to an excellent song that I've been hearing a lot lately by Mercy Me. It's called "Bring the Rain" and seems appropriate for today:

"I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain"

Faith to Stand

Today I find myself fighting for the joy that I know comes from knowing the Lord and walking through my days with Him. It doesn't seem that it should be so hard and yet, some days it just is. This is one of those times. However, as those of you who know me are already aware, music is one of my greatest sources of inspiration and today is no exception. I heard two songs today, both of which just helped me to stand strong knowing that no matter how I might feel or what circumstances I might find myself in, God is always faithful and true. So, here's what I've been listening to today (and I highly recommend picking up these albums as they are both AWESOME)!

First, from one of my all-time favorite artists, is "Believe Me Now" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. This whole song reminds me that God never ceases to be present and giving us strength but this section in particular struck me this morning:

"You hear the enemy
That's closing in around you
And I know that you don't have the strength to fight
But do you have the faith to stand and...

[Chorus:]
Believe Me now, believe Me here
Remember all the times I've told you loud and clear
I am with you and I am for you
So believe Me now, believe Me now "

Second, a relatively new song from another favorite artist is "How Can I Keep from Singing" by Chris Tomlin. This song just reminds me that no matter what I'm going through today or how down I'm feeling at this moment, someday it will all be gone in the reality that is heaven and because of that, I just can't stop talking about and rejoicing in the goodness of God. Great song!!!

"I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And I fall down again

I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer

I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

How can I keep from singing Your praise?
How can I ever say enough?
How amazing is Your love?
How can I keep from shouting Your name?
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing"

I hope these encourage your heart today as they encouraged mine!