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Category Archives: Hymns and Songs

“Curtains” by Ed Sheeran and “Staring at a Bird” by The Waiting

26 Aug

“Curtains” by Ed Sheeran

Can you pull the curtains, let me see the sunshine?
I think I’m done with my hidin’ place, and you found me anyway
It’s been forever, but I’m feelin’ alright
Tears dry and will leave no trace, and tomorrow’s another day

Hide and seek
I am somewhere closed away
You won’t believe
How long it’s been since we started the game
I can’t be seen
And you won’t find me today
I’ve not been
This low, but I’ll be okay

“Are you alright?” Maybe, don’t ask
‘Cause you know I never like to talk about that
Keep it inside, yeah, you say I always hold back
And I always wear long sleeves
Is it in your childhood? Somethin’ happen in your past?
Well, the sadness, yeah, I promise that it won’t last
And if I could, I would try to take it all back
There’s still more underneath and that’s when you say to me

“Can you pull the curtains, let me see the sunshine?
I think I’m done with my hidin’ place and you found me, anyway
It’s been forever, but I’m feelin’ alright
Tears dry and will leave no trace, and tomorrow’s another day”

Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine

Hide and seek
Count to ten and close your eyes
Try to breathe
See a message and don’t reply
Nice to meet
But in reality, say goodbye
Life can be
So beautiful if you try

“Are you okay?” Yeah, I guess so
But on some days, I feel like I’m trapped in a hole
But I keep quiet, so the ones around me don’t know
That the mountain feels so steep
And I’ll say that I’m here to help to carry the load
And the outside rays, they are good for the soul
So let’s step out of the dark, ’cause in here, it’s so cold
The day’s not out of reach and that’s when you say to me

“Can you pull the curtains, let me see the sunshine?
I think I’m done with my hidin’ place, and you found me anyway
It’s been forever, but I’m feelin’ alright
Tears dry and will leave no trace, and tomorrow’s another day”

Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine, shine, shine
Let me see the sunshine

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Ed Sheeran / Aaron Dessner

Dear God, I was listening to this song yesterday, and while it wasn’t a day I felt like hiding and just staying in bed, I could certainly relate to the feeling. I do get it from time to time. There are times when I just want to hide away. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen often, and when it does it doesn’t last too long–usually just several hours. I’m very grateful for that. I know some who struggle more frequently and for longer periods of time, and I know it is hard for them. And for the young, I fear that the combination of social media and videogames can only enhance this desire to lock yourself away and disengage from society.

As I listened to this song the second and third time, it reminded me of a song that was very important to me back in 2003 and 2005 when I was unemployed for a while. It was an explicitly Christian song called “Staring at a Bird” by The Waiting.

“Staring at a Bird” by The Waiting

I’m here staring at a bird in a tree
Lying still, only wishing he were me
‘Cause for a bird it’s not a crime
To try and satisfy his bird belly hunger
Or fly the blue belly sky

And from his bird’s eye view
He can pick and he can choose
He doesn’t have to grieve his spirit
No he doesn’t have to lose a moment’s joy there in his nest
No matter what his mess, and he can barrel out his chest
And he can fly away…

But I’m pinned down in my bed again
I don’t think I could fly (I wouldn’t try)
If I was a bird I would be content
To peck along the ground
‘Cause I’m pinned down again…

I’m here staring at a bird on a limb
Lying still, only wishing I was him
‘Cause I could use a haven,
A nest above my fate
Call it a rest from the chasing of me pillow and my plate

And for a bird it’s always right to love his appetite
He’s too dumb to know the struggle, to weak to know the fight
He can fly south when he gets cold, sing until he’s old
And on a whim, he can unfold his wings
And fly away

I’m here staring at a bird in the air
I wonder what I’d see if I looked down from there
I’d see a shattered temple, all it’s members in a sweat
Everyone’s been degraded, every sermon they forget

I’d see a man pulled from his bed by the same Hands of Love
That hung a cross around his neck
Just to remind him, remind him who he was…

So I guess the question I need to ask myself is how do I keep from falling into too many of these moments? I don’t think they are 100% avoidable. But I do think I need to stay away from cancerous things that can cause me anxiety such as news and too much discourse that focuses on political discussion or any kind of discussion designed to produce anxiety in me. I need to make sure I am feeding myself scripture and listening to teaching and discussions that cause my heart and mind to dwell on you. I need to be about seeking reconciliation in relationships and forgiving others who I feel have wronged me. I need to read things that inspire me to be who you need me to be for your plan and want me to be for my sake. I need to serve others, starting with my wife and family. I need to pray and spend contemplative time with you. I need to worship and remember where I am in the pecking order of life.

Father, I give you this day. I’m grateful that you have a life of joy for me. Help me to live that out and then invite others into being reconciled and joyous with you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“Hard to Get” by Rich Mullins

25 Aug

“Hard to Get” by Rich Mullins

You who live in heaven
Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth?
Who are afraid of being left by those we love
Who get hardened in the hurt
Do you remember when You lived down here?
Where we all scrape
To find the faith to ask the daily bread
Did You forget about us
After You had flown away?
Well, I memorized every word You said

Still I’m so scared, I’m holding my breath
While You’re up there just playing hard to get

You who live in radiance
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin?
We have a love that’s not as patient as Yours was
But still we do love now and then
Did You ever know loneliness?
You ever know need?
You remember just how long a night can get?
When You are barely holdin’ on
And Your friends fall asleep
Who don’t see the blood that’s runnin’ in Your sweat

Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While You’re up there just playin’ hard to get?

And I know You bore our sorrows
And I know You feel our pain
And I know that it would not hurt any less
Even if it could be explained
And I know that I am only lashing out
At the One who loves me most
And after I have figured this, somehow
What I really need to know is if

You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time?
We can’t see what’s ahead and we cannot get free from what we’ve left behind
I’m reeling from these voices that keep screamin’ in my ears
All these words of shame and doubt, blame and regret
I can’t see how You’re leading me
Unless You’ve led me here
To where I’m lost enough to let myself be led

And so You’ve been here all along, I guess
It’s just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get

Dear God, yesterday, I prayed that you would direct my day and I would give it over to you. For the most part, that went well. One decision I made was to listen to worship music during my workout instead of YouTube videos on car reviews or whatever. I started with Rich Mullins’s The Jesus Record and this was the first song that came up. It was the last verse that really caught my attention:

You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time?
We can’t see what’s ahead and we cannot get free from what we’ve left behind
I’m reeling from these voices that keep screamin’ in my ears
All these words of shame and doubt, blame and regret
I can’t see how You’re leading me
Unless You’ve led me here
To where I’m lost enough to let myself be led

I think the exact part that really struck me was when he says, “We can’t see what’s ahead and we cannot get free from what we’ve left behind.” Living in the past and waiting on the future is so fruitless. And maybe I’m wrong about this approach, but I think that is why I just simply don’t care about “End Times” theology. I simply don’t see how it impacts who I am today.

That’s not to say I don’t get distracted by or anxious about the future. I certainly do. I worry about the idols I’ve developed to replace my faith in you and whether they will hold out. Will enough money continue to come in at work to pay my salary? Will my wife’s and my health continue to be good? What will my relationships with my children or other family members be like tomorrow? Who will win the elections in November in the United States and how afraid should I be of this person or that person winning? There are so many things that can distract me about the future, but they are mainly things that I allow to be idols that I think will bring me peace and certainty.

Then there’s the past. Past hurts. Traumas. Abandonments. It’s rarely the good things about the past that drive me and motivate me to act now. It’s often the negative things that haunt me.

Father, I can’t see what’s ahead and I won’t let go of what’s been left behind. I’m reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears. All these words of shame and doubt, blame and regret. I can’t see how you’re leading me unless you’ve led me here. To where I’m lost enough to let myself be led. That’s brilliant writing on Rich’s part, and I offer those words to you as my words this morning. I am rejecting my idols of self-pity, money, political power, health, love from others, etc. There are parts about my current situation that are amazing and bountiful. Thank you for those. There are other parts that bring me great sorrow. Thank you for those as well. You have brought me here, to a place where I am lost enough to let you lead me. Holy Spirit, please lead me again today.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit, Father,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 25, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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1 John 1:5-10 / “In the Light” by dc Talk

20 Jul

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:5-10

Dear God, I came across this passage this morning, and it made me think of the song by dc Talk (written by Charlie Peacock), “In the Light.” Humility before you. Introspection before you. Repenting before you. Acknowledging exactly who I am before you. All of it can be very cathartic. Yes, I am sinful. Yes, I fall and fail. Yes, I do things that don’t hurt you as much as you get frustrated because they hurt me or those I love around me. The more I am in your light the more I am free.

I was texting with a friend yesterday who is reading through my series of these prayer journals I did on fathers of the Bible. One of his comments to me is that I am kind of hard on myself. I replied that when I start praying before you and bringing myself into relationship with you then some of this stuff starts pouring out. At the same time, I am experiencing your forgiveness as I put it into the light, and it is actually quite, well, as I said before, cathartic.

Some of the lines of this song I love:

I keep trying to find a light on my own apart from you — What foolishness!

What’s going on inside of me? I despise my own behavior! — Echoes of Paul in Romans 7:15-20.

Every attempt on my behalf has failed to bring this sickness under control — Only you, Jesus. Only you.

Father, I have the opportunity today to live in the light. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. I have experienced evil this week. I have done evil this week. I am sorry. Help me to be totally in your light today and to then carry that light to others.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 20, 2024 in 1 John, Hymns and Songs

 

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Psalm 19:12-13

04 Jul

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

Psalm 19:12-13

Dear God, my hidden faults. My deliberate sins. You don’t want either for me. The deliberate sins…well, they are just selfish foolishness on my part. Some are bad habits. Some are born out of selfishness. Some come from be fighting for my own rights that I should have already laid at your cross to follow you. I am sorry for these sins. I am sorry for this foolishness. Once again, here this morning, I lay them at the foot of your cross so that I might pick up your yoke and walk with you in the life you want me to live.

Then there are the hidden faults. The sins that are so engrained in me that I cannot see them. Like an odor in a room I’ve gotten used to. Others can smell it when they walk in the room, but I’m oblivious. So give me eyes to see myself. Give me your eyes. Give me ears to hear myself. Give me your ears. Raise up voices around me who will be your voice to me. Reveal to me the things I need to know.

To quote the song “Spirit of the Living God,” “Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” That is my prayer this morning, Father. Fall afresh on me today. It’s the 4th of July, and I am about to attend a worship service where my wife is leading singing. Fall afresh on me and everyone in the room this morning. For her, make it not about her voice, which is beautiful, but make it about your Spirit falling on all of us, from the priest on down. Help us to leave that place worshipping you and taking you into the world so that others might have the joy of knowing you.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

“That’s the Way I Always Heard it Should Be” by Carly Simon

24 Jun

“That’s The Way I Always Heard It Should Be“
Music by: Carly Simon
Lyrics by: Jacob Brackman

My father sits at night with no lights on
His cigarette glows in the dark
The living room is still
I walk by, no remark
I tiptoe past the master bedroom where
My mother reads her magazines
I hear her call sweet dreams
But I forgot how to dream

But you say it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be
You want to marry me, we’ll marry

My friends from college they’re all married now
They have their houses and their lawns
They have their silent noons
Tearful nights, angry dawns
Their children hate them for the things they’re not
They hate themselves for what they are
And yet they drink, they laugh
Close the wound, hide the scar

But you say it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be
You want to marry me, we’ll marry

You say we can keep our love alive
Babe, all I know is what I see
The couples cling and claw
And drown in love’s debris
You say we’ll soar like two birds through the clouds
But soon you’ll cage me on your shelf
I’ll never learn to be just me first
By myself

Well O.K., it’s time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me
Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be,
You want to marry me, we’ll marry
We’ll marry

© 1970 Quackenbush Music Ltd. / Kensho Music, ASCAP

Dear God, it looks like this song was copyrighted the summer I was born. My parents had been married just under 16 months when they had me. It’s interesting to thing about them as a young couple.

Marriage is such an interesting sacrament (in the words of the Catholic Church). And there is a difference between living together and getting married. For some, like the writer of this song, there is a fear there. You see the misery of an older couple and you don’t want that for yourself. “What if that happens to me?”

I remember when my wife and I were dating and wondering if she was the one to marry. I don’t know if it was the right question, but the question I asked myself was, “Can I imagine being 65 years old, waking up on a Saturday morning and enjoying talking with her over breakfast?” Now that I think about it, that’s kind of an odd question to ask. And our lives have taken a lot of twists and turns since then. But I’m grateful that even this morning, as recently as 15 minutes ago, we sat and had breakfast together, sharing our thoughts on a couple of things. I played a Tracy Chapman song (“I’m Ready”) for her and we talked about the Christian overtones. She talked about some writing she is submitting to a journal. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that I still enjoy her company.

What makes marriage hard is kind of what makes life hard. It seems like we are constantly fighting the slide towards selfishness. In marriage. In life. I have a friend who is always asking, “When will it be my turn to [fill in the selfish desire here]?” But the best thing I ever heard about marriage was something I’ve mentioned to you several times, the Sacred Marriage material by Gary Thomas. “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” I am grateful I heard that presentation and then read the book less than 10 years into marriage. I can look back and see how selfish and needy I was before that. That book alone might have saved my marriage.

Father, first, please help me to be the husband my wife needs me to be. She is your daughter. And while I am your son, I am also you son-in-law. Help me to do my best for your daughter. Second, help me to be an encouragement to those who are in tough marriages and a supportive counselor to those who are in good marriages. I guess, Father, I just want to be your man today. I’m giving someone I’ve never met a tour of our nonprofit. Help me to be what you need me to be for her. I have friends and family who are facing significant health issues. Please heal. Please comfort. Please strengthen their caregivers and family as well as them. I have relatives whom I love very much. Please show me how to love them and how not to love them. And I pray for favor for my wife in the pieces she is submitting to that journal. Guide her in her career, her passions, and her gifts.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“The Living Years” by Mike & the Mechanics

16 Jun

“The Living Years” by Mike & the Mechanics

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that I’m a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got

You say you just don’t see it
He says it’s perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defense

Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It’s the bitterness that lasts

So don’t yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in
You may just be okay

So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it’s too late, it’s too late (it’s too late)
When we die (oh, when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

I wasn’t there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn’t get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye

So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)
Say it loud
(Don’t give up, don’t give in and don’t look away ’til it’s too late)
Say it clear
Say it loud (say it loud, say it loud)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: B.A. Robertson / Mike Rutherford

Dear God, this seems like a good Father’s Day song. As I said a day or two ago, I think there are probably more of us who struggle with Father’s Day than sink into the joy of it. I think this son by B.A. Robertson and Mike Rutherford explains why.

When I think about it from a macro level, I think the words mercy and forgiveness are what come to mind. It reminds me of the beginning of the poem “This Be The Verse”: The f*** you up, your mom and dad. They don’t mean to but they do. They fill you with the faults they had. Then they add some extra just for you...

What the child never realized until maybe when they are a parent is how much the parent loves them. How much the parent sacrifices for them. I’ve seen a mom I work with fight for her child’s brain development and health. Doctors and therapists were convinced he is autistic, but she knew there was something more and she has put him through amazing amounts of occupational and cognitive development therapy for the first three years of his life. She has sacrificed. She has taken time from work. She has spent tons of money. And now it seems to be paying off to the point that she was told last week by his developmental therapist that she was once convinced the boy was autistic, but now she doesn’t think he is. As she told me this story, I thought about how this boy will one day be a teenager and frustrated with his parents, and he won’t realize how much they’ve done for him or loved him. How can he.

I can’t really understand how much my parents have done for me over the years. I know there was a time when I was a baby that I was very sick and my mother fought for me to see the right doctors when she felt like I wasn’t getting the care I needed. She carried me and walked with me a long distance to get me where I needed to be. And yes, I have been frustrated with her over the years. And yes, I haven’t fully appreciated everything she has done. And yes, I still have some issues. But it’s okay to let mercy and forgiveness rule the day.

So, Father, I offer this prayer to you today–this Father’s Day. The only hope any of us have is if we, to quote Rich Mullins, “let mercy lead.” Help me to lead with mercy today. Mercy for my dad. Mercy for my children. Mercy for everyone around me. Help me to lead with mercy today, see each person with your eyes, and worship you throughout this day.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“Alive & Breathing” Matt Maher (ft. Elle Limebear)

14 Jun

“Alive & Breathing” Matt Maher (ft. Elle Limebear)

What holds your heart
What stirs your soul
What matters come to mind
The cares you keep
The thoughts you think
It’s not all wasted time
Seek and you will find

Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord

Years roll by
We wonder why
We lost our way from home
Our Father finds
The child inside
We had left for growing old
Awake, awake, awake my soul

Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord

Let everything, let everything
Let everything praise the Lord
In the working, in the waiting
Praise the Lord
In the blessing, in the breaking
Come on, praise the Lord
In the dying, the rising
Let it praise the Lord
Let it praise the Lord
Praise the Lord

Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord

Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Elle Limebear / Matt Maher

Dear God, I’m about to have breakfast with a friend. I’m not sure what his emotional state is, but I know he’s facing a challenge in life. I’m not sure why, but I woke up with this song in my head, and it encouraged me. I hope you can use me as an encouragement to him as well.

The first verse of this song reminds me of the prayer I learned to pray several years ago: “Father, make it count.” If there’s going to be pain, make it count. If I’m going to struggle, make it count. If I’m going to sin and repent, at least make the sin count.

Father, right now, as I go to meet with this friend and prepare to talk on the phone with another friend, I ask that you take all of this and make it count. Awake my soul. Worship the Lord. He is God. You are my God, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. I am yours today.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 14, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“God Beyond All Names” by Bernadette Farrell

27 May

“God Beyond All Names” by Bernadette Farrell

God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory,
you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth.

God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image,
we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story,
you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us;
we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness,
you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Bernadette Mary Farrell

Dear God, I heard this song in church yesterday morning, and I really stuck with me. Honestly, I think it is the haunting tune even more than the lyrics, but the lyrics are lovely worship of you as well. I thought I would spend some time with it this morning.

God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory,
you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.

It’s amazing you choose to reveal yourself to us at all. You could sit there silently. You could walk away and ignore us. But that’s not what you do. You speak to us. You reveal yourself to us. You put a hole in us that looks for you to fill it.

God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image,
we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man.

What does it mean to be made in your image? What gives us a soul? What is in us that could possibly look like you? I feel very inadequate to even sit here right now and express my love to you. To worship you. To say that I will take you into this world and reflect you to the world. That seems ridiculous to me because I am such a poor representative of you. Help me to be just a little bit better reflection of you today.

God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story,
you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears.

There are no words that can describe you, but the beauty of creation is more than all of the words I could possibly conjure. You are amazing, God. Everything around me attests to that.

God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us;
we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new.

I was going through some pictures of myself from 35 years ago yesterday. I was 19 then. I’m 54 now. I thought I knew so much. Even now, I think I know so much. But one day I will look back on 54 and think about how young I was. How naive. Thank you for laboring within me. Moving me. Changing me.

God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness,
you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.

Oh, Father, comfort me. Comfort my wife. Comfort my children and their significant others. Heal us. Make us whole, Father, God.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

I know you, Father, in that I know you are there. I know you are beyond what I can know. I know you love me. I know you are rooting for me. You comfort me. You live through me and bless others. Help me to not hurt, but to bless in your name and with fruit of your Spirit.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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(Children Who Will Love) “While the Nations Rage” by Rich Mullins

26 May

“While the Nations Rage” by Rich Mullins

Why do the nations rage?
Why do they plot and scheme?
Their bullets can’t stop the prayers we pray
In the name of the Prince of Peace
We walk in faith and remember long ago
How they killed Him and then how on the third day He arose
Well, things may look bad
And things may look grim
But all these things must pass except the things that are of Him

Where are the nails that pierced His hands?
Well the nails have turned to rust
But behold the Man
He is risen
And He reigns
In the hearts of the children
Rising up in His name
Where are the thorns that drew His blood?
Well, the thorns have turned to dust
But not so the love
He has given
No, it remains
In the hearts of the children
Who will love while the nations rage

The Lord in Heaven laughs
He knows what is to come
While all the chiefs of state plan their big attacks
Against His anointed One
The Church of God she will not bend her knees
To the gods of this world though they promise her peace
She stands her ground
Stands firm on the Rock
Watch their walls tumble down when she lives out His love

Where are the nails that pierced His hands?
Well the nails have turned to rust
But not so the Man
He is risen
And He reigns
In the hearts of the children
Rising up in His name
Where are the thorns that drew His blood?
Well, the thorns have turned to dust
But behold the love
He has given
It remains
In the hearts of the children
Who will love while the nations rage
While the nations rage

Well, where are the nails that pierced His hands?
Well the nails have turned to rust
But behold the Man
He is risen
And He reigns
In the hearts of the children
Rising up in His name
Where are the thorns that drew His blood?
Well, the thorns have turned to dust
But not so the love
He has given
Oh, it remains
In the hearts of the children
Who will love while the nations rage

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Rich Mullins

Dear God, this has never been one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs, but it came up on my playlist yesterday morning while I was mowing the lawn, and there was one line that caught my ear: In the hearts of the children who will love while the nations rage.

Oh, Father, where has our love gone? And when I say “our,” I mean the church. Your church. Your body. Where has our love gone? It feels like we have joined the fray with bullets and raging. With barbs. With “destroying” or “owning” each other. I’ve mentioned that I’ve been reading a memoir by Nancy French called Ghosted: An American Story. She is a ghostwriter, and she describes about ten years ago one of her jobs was to sit off camera at Fox News and feed zingers to her clients so they could “own the libs.” She is a great believer in you. Her love for you is deep and sincere. But she didn’t “love the libs” as Jesus would have commanded. She wanted to “own” them. She regrets it now. Especially since she fell out of step with the current makeup of the Republican party. Now she is the one they try to “own.” And sometimes it has worked. Sometimes, they have devastated her and her family. Of course, they claim to love and worship you too. Where is their love?

Now, before I get too sanctimonious on this topic, I could ask the same question of myself. Where is my love for those I oppose? Do I want to own them, or do I want to love them? Do I want to attack them or attract them? Do I want to fight them, or do I want to accept their attacks and meet it with love? Do I want their defeat, or do I want to comfort them? No, I make the same mistakes French describes she made. I get defensive. I get angry and then let that anger become something destructive instead of constructive.

Father, the nations are raging, but our nation is raging too. French described the difference between a Republican campaign rally in 2012 vs 2016. The anger and hate in 2016 vs 2012 was apparently remarkable. People arguing with security guards that they should be allowed to bring their guns in. Yelling at the press. Of course, chanting awful things about their opponent. Yes, right now, our nation is raging. Sometimes with real bullets. Sometimes with barbs of hate, superiority, and dominance. Even Rich Mullins, in a live performance of this song threw a barb at the Clintons (Rich died during Bill Clinton’s second term, so he was President when the song was recorded). It made me uncomfortable. I wondered if Rich could watch that now if he would regret it.

Father, I might have to take a principled stand at some point about political issues, whether they be local, national, or international. And it might cost me. My prayer is that, if it costs me, it be for a reason that glorifies you and sees me honoring you in my response to it. And while I’m here talking about the nations raging, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, China and Taiwan, etc. Oh, Father, please bring peace. Please bring solutions. Raise up your leadership to guide your will to be done. And be in our current elections from local sheriff all of the way up to President. Let nothing happen outside of your will, Father. And while you do that, I will worship you and not look to any outcome that I prefer as my idol.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 26, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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James 5:13-15

25 May

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

James 5:13-15

Dear God, this passage reminds me of the Rich Mullins song “If I Stand.” I heard him say once that he wrote it thinking about calling on you in the bad times and thanking you for the good times. Worshipping and celebrating you always.

I’ll confess that I feel a little flat this morning. It’s a Saturday morning, and while I have something planned to do at 10:30, I don’t really have anything planned today. What will I do? Will I take time to worship you? Or will I waste the day? Will I take time to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, or will I just be self-indulgent? Will I bring my hurts worries and concerns to you, or will I just feel sorry for myself?

Father, “if I stand, let me stand on the promise that you have pulled 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.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 25, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, James

 

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