Another Song

Lately, I don't always have the words for how I feel, and then God sends a song to encourage me or at least help me process what I'm feeling. Here is a great one today that I read on the facebook page of a late professor of ours who died this past year. The lyrics are perfect in so many ways.


I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
...But once again, I say amen, and it's still raining.
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away...

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You and raised me up again
My strength is almost gone, how can I carry on
if I can't find You
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away...

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Thankful

This sums it up. Pretty awesome work by Derek Webb right here. Oldie but goodie.

Thankful

You know I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up some clothes for Goodwill
But you Know I had to laugh at the same old struggles
That plagued me then are plaguing me still
I know the road is long from the ground to glory
But a boy can hope he's getting some place
But you see, I'm running from the very clothes I'm wearing
And dressed like this I'm fit for the chase

'Cause no, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, I said no not one

So I am thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own

'Cause we're all stillborn and dead in our transgressions
We're shackled up to the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play in the work of redemption
I can't refuse, I cannot add a thing

'Cause I am just like Lazarus and I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes and walk to You
Because I have no choice

I am thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own
I'm so thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own

'Cause by grace I have been saved
Through faith that's not my own
It is a gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boast

Just a plug

This is completely a plug for an album/band you need to hear if you at all enjoy music. Here is an article about Red Mountain Music's Christmas CD, and a concert to come, for those of you in the Birmingham area. Brian T. Murphy, who is the interviewee, was a roommate of my brother's at Auburn, and is a gifted person in many ways. I have two of the Red Mtn. albums, and am currently wearing them out on frequent rotation on my stereo at home. You can listen to clips from Silent Night, the Christmas album, and all of the others, here. The simple beauty of their versions of Christmas carols is haunting.

I love Brian's explanation on their website of the philosophy of why they are passionately re-introducing hymns to a generation that has never heard many of these songs. It is also so encouraging to hear hymns being valued for the poetry and depth they contain. The truth in them, and the faith they were built upon, is inspiring, and transcends hundreds of years.

Just a Song

This has been running through my head the last few days. In case anyone else needs a reminder, here's "In the Name" by Jennifer Knapp.

All these years, too many ahead to think clear.
Some say, 'Where's my crystal ball?'
Some men play the lottery
Makin' bets against the government's economy.
They say, 'I'd rather be rich than be alive at all.'

When men in miry circumstances fall,
It won't be hard to tell where they placed their resolve.

Some trust in chariots,
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
'To each his own' won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand; they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God,
I'll trust in the name.

Picket fences may build our defense,
In domestic wars of leisure suits.
That's OK, it doesn't bother me.
You can hold onto your philosophy
Of 'What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours'
But what's the truth?

When the walls do crumble and they fall,
It won't be hard to tell where we place our resolve.

Some trust in chariots,
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
To each his own won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand; they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God
I'll trust in the name...

When the walls do crumble
And what will I find to hold on to
That's stronger than my Jesus?
Sing hallelujah...hallelujah…

Happy Easter!

The magnificent Chuck Hooten led us in worship today. This beautiful song sums up the amazing gift we celebrated today.


Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
To look on Him and pardon me.


Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Just a song-

No One Knows My Heart
Susan Ashton

Standing at my window, hidden by the night
Harboring the private wounds, safe and out of sight
There's an agony in living, but there's a comfort in the truth
That no one knows my heart better than you.

I can face a lot of people with this sanguine act of mine
Guarded by the eloquence I sometimes hide behind
But it's a veil of false pretenses that You can see right thru
'Cause no one knows my heart better than you.

Chorus:
Part of me is reaching, and part of me holds back
But when it comes to You I am a doorway
You're free to walk into
'Cause no one knows my heart better than you.

Wholly His?

We sang this song Sunday in our service. Its words really are beautiful, and I love the picture they paint -such a great way to express the contrast of God's goodness and our condition without Him. Though I was previously stained with dirt and hopelessly lost, He decided to reach out and give me His grace that cleansed my heart and gave me new life. That is something I seem to forget - how shameful that I don't continually thank Him by living a life that is more consistently seeking to honor Him...

Romans 5: Peace and Joy

¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Wholly Yours Lyrics

David Crowder Band

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean

Glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy, holy God

So here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly Yours

I am wholly Yours

I am full of earth and dirt and You

New Music

I'm so excited to have finally found a website that hosts some of the music I wanted to add to my player here on the blog. Some are oldies, but goodies, and favorites of mine. Anyway, music is such a big deal to me that I just assume everyone will care about the fact that I'm up past midnight working on adding these songs....

Lyrics to Remember

My sweet Dad mentioned a song recently I had nearly forgotten. It's an old favorite by Margaret Becker, and really is a beautiful prayer of thankfulness. The second verse really could've been written by any of us, I guess, but sure does sum up my heart full of gratitude these days. Thanks Dad, for the reminder, and Maggie B, for expressing yourself so well.

All I Ever Wanted

From where I lay
I can see the sun
Rising through the trees
Before I face
This morning rush
I get down on my knees

I lift my eyes
And thank You for
This life you've granted me
I pray that every day I live
Your heart will be pleased

CHORUS
I pray for
Hands that hold You
Higher than anything else
And a heart that loves You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

From where I stand
I can see the dreams
That you have fulfilled
Such kindness I did not deserve
But You gave it still

What do I have
That You did not give
There's nothing that I can see
So all I have to give to You
Is what You've given me

CHORUS
I pray for
Hands that hold you
Higher than anything else
And this heart to love You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

I know I don't have the power
To love You like I should
But every day with everything I have
I wish I could
I'm standing here now
These words I pray
I wanna love You better
Whatever it takes

In the wake of much stumbling...

It's been heartbreaking lately to see so many believers we know and admire really hurt multitudes with their wrong choices. We ALL blow it sometimes, obviously. Some sins though, do impact many more people and the consequences sure do seem greater. It's exhausting to go through, as the actual sinner, or just as a person who loves the particular sinner involved at the moment, when you can see havoc being wreaked across families everywhere. God reminded me of this old DC Talk song that has great lyrics, so here's an excerpt. The quote that precedes the song is pretty powerful and also makes me tremble with the weight of responsibility we as believers have.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Is this one for the people? Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?
You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame
Cause I see the trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need Your love in their lives
Compromise is calling

What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?

Father, please forgive me, for I can not compose
The fear that lives within me
Or the rate at which it grows
If struggle has a purpose on the narrow road you've carved
Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar?

Do they see the fear in my eyes? Are they so revealing?
This time I cannot disguise all the doubt I'm feeling

What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You are my comfort, and my God

quote of the day

Courtesy of Caedmon's Call -

This world has nothing for me, this world has everything
All I could want and nothing that I need

If I Stand

Today my Dad sent me an email from his best friend, a precious, godly man, who sang in our wedding. He was quoting an excerpt by my favorite songwriter of all time and his words were so timely. As we've been studying Daniel, and the whole Babylonian mentality that is so prevalent in our culture today, I'm just so aware of how easy it is to be sucked into thinking the way this world does--and not at all how God does. Some of these lyrics really hit me so I put them in bold. Also, it's another reminder, we shouldn't get so comfortable here - this is not our home. So, when I say repeatedly that I am ready to go to heaven, and some of my friends think I'm crazy, this is what I mean. I just pray we'll stand strong while we're still here!

If I Stand
Rich Mullins

There's more that rises in the morning than the sun
And more that shines in the night than just the moon
There's more than just this fire here that keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger than this room

And there's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
Stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things

So if I stand, let me stand on the promise that you will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You
So if I sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs
And if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home

And there's more that dances on the prairies than the wind
And more that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There's a love that's fiercer than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother's when her baby's at her side

And there's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things

So if I stand, let me stand on the promise that You will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You
And if I sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs
And if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home

So if I stand, let me stand on the promise You will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You
And if I sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs
And if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home

And if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home

funny kid stories

A funny thing happened Tuesday. I was taping American Idol, which I always do, since I like to enjoy it commercial free, and fast forward through the commercials when we watch the taped episodes. Since TV plays a very small role in our lives, and we only have 3 channels, when we actually do watch, I do not want to waste time on commercials. It's also our only show to (occasionally) watch as a family, and the kids have seen a little of it this year and love the whole "I'm going to Hollywood" thing and crack us up with that phrase often when they're pretending things. Well, this Tuesday, I was taping it, and we were starting to get ready for bed, and Isaac snuck back in there and turned it on for a minute, just in time to see a girl get sent home. She was pitiful, crying and all, and he was so sad. I walked in and this is what followed:

Isaac - Ohhh, she's crying! Why is she sad? Then, like he figured it out - Oh, she didn't get a ticket.
Me - Well, she got a ticket but she didn't sing good enough, so she's going home.
Isaac - Does she live far away? Like out of state?
Me - I don't know. Probably.
Isaac, walking away- Probably going back to Alabaster...

This is extra funny if you could've heard his little wistful voice, and could see him shaking his head with regret for her. We always talk about "stinky Alabaster" (no offense to those of you who live in the 35007) because of the infamous smell that reeks from that town next to us. So, I guess he thinks bad smells and bad singers come from Alabaster. Kinda like "nothing good comes from Nazareth" or something. :-)

Today we received valentines from a friend and her kids - homemade nonetheless. They were so precious. Abigail was quite giddy when she got hers. She was so funny trying to get out how excited she was. We've never had a conversation on this subject in relation to HER, and it was very special. She ended up saying all this together, really fast -

Abi - Wow - they made us these? Oh look! It's my picture! Wow! Oh, E. is so sweet...I just love him. I think I'm going to marry him.
Me - Wow, you must think he's special, because marrying someone is a BIG deal.
Abi, very seriously - I know it.
Me - You know, you have to really pray about that, and be sure God is telling you the right person, and when you marry, you promise to stay with that person and love them forever.
Abi - Yeah, I know. Then, So, do you hear him out loud?
Me - Huh?
Abi - Did you hear God tell you to marry Daddy? Was it out loud, or in your heart?
Me - Well, it was mostly just a knowing, and a peaceful feeling, where I knew it was right.
Abi - Well, I feel peaceful right now. Like, my heart isn't beeping fast or anything.

I just loved that we talked about hearing God talk in relation to her getting married, though I then proceeded to encourage her to wait a little while on that decision. It's especially nice since his mom and I have both secretly joked about how we'd love to arrange a marriage between the 2 of them since they seem so perfectly made for each other. Maybe our plan will work out and we can act like we have nothing to do with it (picture Graced and I each rubbing our hands together deviously and grinning)! I guess it's never too early to explain the seriousness of choosing a partner to share your life with, and I hope we always communicate so easily about listening to God guide us!

All the Way

This beautiful hymn just popped in my head today. It is old and I never hear it sung anymore, but for some reason, God reminded me of it on a day I needed to hear it. The version by Rich Mullins is the one I keep singing in my mind. Just thought a few of you might like to hear some comforting words.

Words by Fanny Crosby -1875

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.

Abi-girl, basketball player extraordinaire

Many of you know that Isaac and Abigail are playing Upward basketball at a local church now. He's had a few practices, and Abigail started today. James is her coach and it was an entertaining morning. We were a little concerned she'd be frustrated that the team's name was chosen for them, and it wasn't the ferocious "Wolves" or "Leopard Seals", as she'd hoped, but "Sparrows". Yep, I know - pretty disappointing. One of the other teams is the Geckos though, so it could be worse! We've drilled the positive points we know about sparrows into her head, so she's been o.k. with it. She's been so anxious to start practice and the day finally arrived! The Sparrows' practice was pretty fun. What they lack in skill, they make up for in cuteness. Abigail was like an asst. coach. I feel a little sorry for those 6 boys (the rest of the team) - she wasn't bossy, but really hilariously informative and positive. "And, did you know that sparrows are faster than crows?", "They're small birds, but very quick." "Yeah, that's good! Keep it up!" "Dad, you are a great coach!" and "Great shot!" (when 2 boys actually did make it to the hoop.) She acted much more like part of the staff than one of the youngest players. Oh, Isaac and I laughed hysterically at her, though we hid it well. I made him turn around backwards, because he kept cracking up she was so sweet and happy and would wink and give us thumbs up all the time. I wish I could've video-d her. It was like she's waited on this moment for her entire, long 4 1/2 year life. She has waited 2 years - since my Aunt Cindy gave her a little Auburn basketball uniform when she was 2, she has wanted to play the sport. She knows nothing about it, though we did get the kids a goal for Christmas. Isaac practices often, but Abi hasn't too much yet. The goal is a little high for her.
She is very motivated though, to practice with her team, and is so glad her Daddy is her coach.
Games start next Sat., and continue through Mar. 3 - all at 8 am. I know, lovely. Isaac will play after her next week, at 9:15, and I guess that may stay the same too. I'll let everyone know. You are certainly not obligated to come, but it will be some cheap entertainment, just a little early in the morning.
Assistant Coach Abigail - "Good Job!"