Hello hurricane

Ohhh yeah yeah ohhh

I've been watching the skies
They've been turning blood red
Not a doubt in my mind anymore
There's a storm up ahead

Hello hurricane
You're not enough
Hello hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows
Boarded up
All your dead end fury is
Not enough
You can't silence my love, my love

Every thing I have I count as loss
Everything I have is stripped away
Before I started building
I counted up these costs
There's nothing left for you to take away

Hello hurricane
You're not enough
Hello hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows
Boarded up
All your dead end fury is
Not enough
You can't silence my love
Yeah my love

I'm on fire fighting for control
I'm a fighter fighting for my soul
Everything inside of me surrenders
You can't silence my love
You can't silence my love

Hello hurricane
You're not enough
Hello hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows
Boarded up
All your dead end fury is
Not enough
You can't silence my love

Yeah I said hello hurricane

Youtube

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"


Malachi 4.2

Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

youtube

Luke 2.36

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Tell It On The Mountain

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour's birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When I was a seeker,
I sought both night and day;
I asked the Lord to help me,
And He showed me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

engaged

Jill:
When Stuart and I got engaged, we knew what sort of a ring we wanted. We wanted one with three stones, Jesus in the middle, Stuart on side and me the other and that’s what we got.
I was an English major and I had all these romantic ideas of what my husband would say to me when he put that ring on my finger. And I thought it would be sorta of Wordsworthy or Shakespearian or, you know I had all these little dreams.
Well we got engaged in the middle of rush hour in Liverpool. It wasn’t a very romantic spot but it was how it had to be. We got the ring, rushed back over the street got in the car, and I waited for these wonderful poetic words. And my husband put, well he wasn’t my husband then, my fiancé put this on my finger and said, ‘Well Jill, That’s that.’
Well I thought we’ve got a whole lifetime, I’ll buy some poetry books and get going on this and see what we can do. And at the end of that, sort of a little bit in shock, he went back to inspecting banks and catching criminals and I went home. At the end of the day Stuart and I went to my mom, and she was on the phone with a friend of hers who had a jewelry store. And she had promised this woman, without telling me, that we’d get the ring from her. So its now very embarrassing, I’m flashing this ring in front of her – my mother throws the phone at me and says, ‘well you explain.’ And so I get on the phone and I say ‘oh Mrs Kennle I’m so sorry we’ve already got the ring but, maybe next time.’ And it was then that Stuart took the phone out of my hand put it down, took me in his arms and said ‘Jill, there won’t be a next time because remember; that’s that.’
And suddenly those two little words: ‘that’s that’ became the bedrock of our marriage.
And they kept me faithful and in faith through many a strain that came as we left the banking world went into missions were separated for months on end for about ten years. And sometimes very lonely I would sit in my little cottage and struggle and then I would remember ah! – that’s that. That’s that -for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health till death us do part.

Stuart:
Hearing that story again just makes me think, ‘boy is she lucky.’

does anyone live here?

Love's as warm as tears

Love's as warm as tears,
Love is tears:
Pressure within the brain,
Tension in the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat
Featureless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.

Love's as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts-infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,
Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
And that empyreal flame
Whence all loves came.

Love's as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird-song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering 'Dare! Dare!'
To sap, to blood,
Telling 'Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best.'

Love's as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick, hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.

Psalm 30:11

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy

Revelation Song

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
to You the only wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name
Jesus your name is power
Breath, and living water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah…

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Kari Jobe
youtube

viva.org

viva vision

"you, me, let's go"

restored

we are one in the Spirit
we are one in the Lord

we are one in the Spirit
we are one in the Lord

and we pray that our unity may one day be restored...

God be merciful to me

God be merciful to me
on Thy grace, I rest my plea
Plenteous in compassion Thou
Blot out my transgressions now

Wash me, make me pure within
Cleanse, oh, cleanse me from my sin

My transgressions I confess
Grief and guilt my soul oppress
I have sinned against Thy grace
And provoked Thee to Thy face

I confess Thy judgment just
Speechless, I, Thy mercy trust

I am evil born in sin
Thou desirest truth within
Thou alone my Savior art
Teach Thy wisdom to my heart

Make me pure, Thy grace bestow
Wash me whiter than the snow

Gracious God, my heart renew
Make my spirit right and true
Thy salvation’s joy impart
Steadfast make my willing heart
Steadfast make my willing heart

Broken, humbled to the dust
By Thy wrath and judgment just
Let my contrite heart rejoice
And in gladness hear Thy voice

From my sins, oh, hide Thy face
Blot them out in boundless grace

jars

candlelight

To know her is to love her
I’m going undercover
To catch a glimpse
But not get caught

But to see her
Could be worse
If I don’t get my head straight first
On second thought I guess I’ll not

She’s almost brighter than the Sun
Seems to me to be unfair
When you consider everyone
Who pales when they compare
When they compare

Can’t hold a candle to her
Cause all the moths get in the way
And they’ll begin to chew her
Entire, entire to embrace

She outshines anyone
Who ever might dare to bask in the same candlelight

Oh please don’t seat us in the back
With all the insects and the trash
She is a lady, I’m the tramp
Collecting stares from pairs close by
Then flutters and the butterflies
You are just a moth drawn to the lamp

She’s like an ancient artifact
Something you’re lucky to have found
She’ll pinch the nerves in all the necks
When she turns those heads around
Those heads around

Can’t hold a candle to her
Cause all the moths get in the way
And they’ll begin to chew her
Entire, entire to embrace

She outshines anyone
Who ever might dare to bask in the same candlelight

Who ever might dare to bask in the same candlelight
She’s almost brighter than the Sun
Seems to me to be unfair
When you consider everyone
Who pales when they compare
When they compare

Can’t hold a candle to her
Cause all the moths get in the way
And they’ll begin to chew her
Entire, entire to embrace

For he outshines anyone
Who ever might dare to bask in the same candlelight

In the same candlelight

relient k
youtube

sca

it's ok to be a mess.

just know that you don't need to be a mess alone.

hallelujah

hallelujah

Its Amazing

Baby doll, my baby doll
You're just fine the way you are
So what's the matter?
Where's the problem?
They don't love you
'Cause they don't know you
Like I do

Can you see
It's amazing what you do to me
Took my heart and made me feel things
I never felt before
It's changing me
Which direction so certainly
Shook me up and threw me around
Helped me learn to breathe
It all in

Tiger lily, my tiger lily
You're just wild
You're as wild as they come
So what's the trouble?
Where's the problem?
You're just a growing beautiful someone

Can you see
It's amazing what you do to me
Took my heart and made me feel things
I never felt before
It's changing me
Which direction so certainly
Shook me up and threw me around
Helped me learn to breathe
It all in

When I was afraid to reach out
Oh, when I was the one to run
You came along with a new lease on love
To show me how it's done

Can you see
It's amazing what you do to me
Took my heart and made me feel things
I never felt before
It's changing me
Which direction so certainly
Shook me up and threw me around
Helped me learn to breathe
It all in

Helped me learn to breathe it all in


mindy smith
youtube

The Tale Of Flibber-o-loo

The sun always shone on the mountains of Fibble
The wind and the rain never came
To call the place beautiful no one would quibble.
Though hard on the feet they’d explain.
But high in those hills, past the rocks and the rubble,
So high that the clouds were below,
Were two tiny towns that were nothing but trouble.
As you listen you’ll see that it’s so.
The town to the west, that thought it was best,
Bore the name Flibber-o-loo.
Where the women and men, since seventeen-ten,
Have worn on their heads one big shoe.
Now in town number two, one big shoe wouldn’t do.
So the people of Jibberdy-lot,
Would look down and below at shoe headed fellows,
And place on their own head a pot.
For days without end these two neighbors would bicker,
As to whose headdress was best,
And the shoes and the pots would fly ever thicker
From morning to night without rest.
But not all the people who lived in these cities
Were angry and bitter and vile,
A few would write poems and sing happy ditties.
And greet all their friends with a smile.
One flibbian fellow who hated a fight, tried hard not to act like a monster.
While pots crashed around him from morning to night,
He’d just play with his pet wind up lobster.
They kept to themselves and they’d talk and they’d talk,
Till one day he said, ‘Hey let’s go for a walk.
I’m tired of laying around like a squid, I want to get out there’?
So that’s what he did.
The shoe headed boy and his blue plastic friend,
Walked out of the town and began to descend,
To the dark rocky valley between the two cities
Away from his friends and their light-hearted ditties.
‘Hey this is swell’? He said, ‘Gosh this is fun.
It’s great that my lobster can get out and run?”
But neither the toy nor the boy with the shoe,
Could see the disaster about to ensue.
For up in the rocks, hidden just out of sight,
Were six beady eyes filled with anger and spite.
Six beady eyes watched our hero meander,
Two shifty crooks, and their ruthless commander.
‘Oh look what good fortune?’ The nasty one said,
‘Here comes a poor fool with a shoe on his head’?
‘I bet he’s got money. I bet he’s got gold.
Our maybe some jewelry he’d like us to hold’?
‘Whatever the booty I think I can stand it,
Why that’s what I live for. That’s why I’m a bandit’?
And then they attacked him from under their rock.
First they knocked off his shoe, then they knocked of his sock.
And what they did next was extremely unfunny.
They shook him so hard that he dropped his milk money.
‘hey’? He protested. ‘I don’t like you ilk.
How will I grow strong if I don’t drink my milk?’?
But they didn’t care. They’d accomplished their goal,
So they put our friend down, stuck his head in a hole.
Then they walked off with his money, every last nickel,
And yelled back as they left, ‘see ya ‘round silly pickle’?
‘Um, um, I’m a cucumber’?
Then he said with a moan, ‘well, I guess I’m alone’?
But this was a loneliness he’d never known.
His friends were far off and his lobster was missing.
The sound he could hear was just the wind. Hissing.
Things looked pretty grim for our flibbian buddy,
His head in a hole and his shoe bent and muddy,
But wait. Were those footsteps? Oh could it be true?
Why here came the mayor of Flibber-o-loo.
Of anyone surely he’d help the poor soul,
‘Hello,’? said the boy with his head in a hole.
‘I seem to have fallen. I seem to be stuck.
But now that you’re here, well, I guess I’m in luck’?
‘Oh dear’? Said the mayor observing the shoe,
‘a fellow in need and he’s flibbian too.
Young man I have seen your dire situation
And please rest assured I share your frustration.
But how shall I put this, oh what shall I say?
Maybe you’ll understand better this way. [Song.]
As soon as the mayor had finished his song,
A flibbian doctor came strolling along.
‘Out of my way’? She said starting to slid,
‘If you and your pickle would please step aside.
I’m very important I can’t stand and chat,’?
‘Why that’s not my pickle I found him like that.
Besides I am noteworthy too. Why, I am the mayor of Flibber-o-loo’?
‘Um, um, I’m a cucumber’?
‘I see,’? said the doctor, ‘than you understand,
That without an appointment I can’t lend a hand.
There are folks with bronchitis. There are kids with the flue.
If I’m not mistaken you’re quite busy too’?
She said to the mayor of Flibber-o-loo.
So they talked about schedules, compared daily planners
Until a voice said, ‘please pardon my manners,
I don’t mean to bug you; I see that you’re busy,
But being inverted has made me quite dizzy’?
The two other flibbians paused for a while,
Then looked at each other and said with a smile, [song.]
Why that was just dreadful.
How could they desert
Their flibbian friend with his head in the dirt?
‘That’s it then. I’m finished. I’ll die here down under.
If they would not help me than who would?’ he wondered.
But wait. Someone else on the road over head.
Would they help a friend, beaten up left for dead?
Oh look. On his head he is wearing a pot.
Why this little fellow’s from Jibberdy-lot.
Would he help a flibbian? Certainly not.
The boy with the pot saw our friend with the shoe.
‘Oh look’? He exclaimed. ‘He’s from Flibber-o-loo.
They think we’re garbage. They pelt us with shoes.
Why should I care if he’s beaten and bruised?
But here in the wild his chances are slim.
If I were in need would I want help from him?
He looked at our friend and he looked at the shoe,
And then in his heart, he knew what to do.
‘He may be flibbian, that’s plain to see,
But god made him special. Just like he made me’?
So he got him unstuck and he picked up his shoe
And together they walked back to Flibber-o-loo.
Out of the valley and into the town,
Where he stayed by his side till the doctor was found.
‘Oh my’? Said the doctor. ‘He’s wearing a pot.
Why this little guy is from Jibberdy-lot.
You helped this fellow? You pulled him through it?
I don’t under stand. Tell me why did you do it? [Song.]
Then the boy with the pot gave the doctor some money
To pay for the cucumbers bill,
And the mayor said with his eyes moist and runny,
‘I’m touched by his act of good will.
If this little guy can take care of his brother,
When he lives in one town and he in another,
Why can’t we all try to help one another?
And love will surround our fair hill’?
Now if you visit the mountains of Fibble,
You won’t see a shoe or a pot.
Instead they throw flowers and candy to nibble.
I think that you’d like it a lot.

From Where You Are

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us worlds apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you
So far away from where you are
Standing underneath the stars
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things I never thought that they’d mean everything to me
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

I feel the beating of your heart
I see the shadows of your face
Just know that wherever you are
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things
I never thought that they’d mean everything to me
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us worlds apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here


~lifehouse
youtube

The sin and soaked heart

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nails that still remains
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
And wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
The sin and soaked heart and make it yours
Take my world all apart
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
So wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nails that still remain
So steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
Take my world apart

Worlds Apart.

Resistor

Under twenty thousand tons of brick and stone,
She carries all the weight of her own world,
But somewhere deep inside,
Beneath the cartilage and bone,
Beats the battered heart of one little girl alone.
She is sweet, like sugar,
But she is bitter like the broken sugar pot.
that says that she could be anything she wants to be,
She only sees what she is not.

Disbeliever, underachiever,
Disconcerted with the way things look from here,
Disinclined and disinterested,
Nothing in your world seems clear.
Disbeliever, underachiever,
Don't you shed another tear,
Little Sister, broken heart resistor,
It's not like that over here.

With the Blanket of Security,
And the mighty force of her own will,
Treading water in her pink pajamas,
She is treading water still.
Hopelessly hopeless,
and she is swimming,
further into the sea.
Thinking she's substandard,
While all the while,
She is beautiful to me.

She is strong and silent,
She is blunt and shrewd,
She thinks that nobody loves her,
If she only knew,
How much we all have missed her,
We all pray for you, my little sister.

Disbeliever, underachiever,
Disconcerted with the way things look from here,
Disinclined and disinterested,
Nothing in your world seems clear.
Disbeliever, underachiever,
Don't you shed another tear,
Little Sister, broken heart resistor,
It's not like that over here.

never

"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

~Winston Churchill

about time

Enough had been thought, and said, and felt, and imagined. It was about time that something should be done.

mess of me

I am my own affliction
I am my own disease
There ain´t no drug that they could sell
Ah there ain´t no drugs to make me well

There ain´t no drugs
It´s not enough
There ain´t no drugs
The sickness is myself

I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
The rest of my life alive!

We lock our souls in cages
We hide inside our shells
It´s hard to feed to the ones you love
Oh when you can´t forgive yourself
Yeah forgive yourself!

There ain´t no drugs
There ain´t no drugs
There ain´t no drugs
The sickness is myself

I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna reverse this tragedy
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
The rest of my life alive!

There ain´t no drug
There ain´t no drug
There ain´t no drug
No drugs to make me well
There ain´t no drug
It´s not enough
I'm breaking up
The sickness is myself
The sickness is myself

I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna reverse this tragedy
I´ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
The rest of my life alive!

youtube
~Switchfoot

The Stand

You stood before creation
Eternity in your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
And carried the cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart, Oh God
Completely to you

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your spirit alive in me
This life to declare your promise
My soul now to stand

So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart, Oh God
Completely to you

I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is yours

Youtube
~Hillsong

Man of Sorrows

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Words & Music: Phil­ip P. Bliss 1875

Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Words: S. Tre­vor Fran­cis, 1875.
Music: Eb­e­ne­zer, Thom­as J. Will­iams, in Llaw lyfr Mo­li­ant, 1890
youtube

My Jesus, I Love Thee

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.


Words: Will­iam R. Fea­ther­ston, 1864;
Music: Gordon, Adon­iram J. Gor­don, 1876

ourselves

love of ourselves does not mean that we like ourselves

~csl

The Dirty Worm

Since no one really seems to care about here, i'll simply put up whatever i want. and this falls into the smile category anyway.

This by the way was presented in person in front of all of impact, in the chapel mind you by Benj (on staff) and Matt Depreist (on EB staff).


(the intro by benj)

In a missions trip there’s a lot of things that can stir within our soul, there’s a lot things that we can come back with. And one of the more emotional ways we thought we could share that is through song. So Matt and I wrote a song about our/my experiences and what we came back with and how that changes things. So, this is our little tune…

(the song)

When Benj came back from the Guatemala dump
He had something inside

His recovery was proceeding he was almost o’er the hump,
But that was just the start of the ride

The Doc’s diagnosis was a deadly parasite,
water-borne now feasting on a man

The look in the doctor’s eye said it all that night,
you’ll be spending 2 weeks on the can

Cryptooooooosporidium
Resident of my gut
Cryptooooooosporidium
Please come out of my butt

The following days were characerized by intense intestinal strife
as the pain it did increase
A once nominal Benj saw revival in his life
as he prayed for it to cease

Time marched on with the Dirty Worm inside
as Benj felt constant pain
But suddenly 1 day he felt a movement in his bowel
and that dirty worm sprayed out like rain

Cryptooooooosporidium
Resident of my gut
Cryptooooooosporidium
Please come out of my butt

(bridge)
Pooping and moaning
farting and groaning
as bananas came out liquefied
Pooping and moaning
farting and groaning
as bananas came out liquefied
as bananas came out liquefied
as bananas came out liquefied

(Everyone!)

Cryptooooooosporidium
Resident of my gut
Cryptooooooosporidium
Please come out of my butt


© Benj Petroelje and Matt DePriest

(there is video, but its on a limited view capability)

Be Sick. Be Loved

Be sick. Be loved.

Be sick. Be loved.

Be sick-Be loved.


"The 4 word Gospel"
~Jon Acuff

imperfect

It's people's imperfections that make them beautiful.

~Mason, Dead Like Me

monkey's paw

I held the monkey's paw
and put my wishes into play
To know the will of God,
or show a motive for delay
I'm holding on to find myself
Just one more wish

I found a pot of gold
or something shining anyway
And caught in my reflection
a conviction held at bay
I crafted a cross to adorn my neck
and finally earned my due respect
And then a jewel encrusted crown
To complement my priestly gown
Just big enough to weigh me down
And bring this temple to the ground
From inside out without a sound
I found a pot of gold today

I held the monkey's paw today
and put my wishes into play
Thanked heaven for the trophies
but I still had hell to pay

So I brought my spoils to the altar's edge
Heard You say obey instead
For all of my labors and best laid plans
I'd only earned a reprimand
Forevermore to understand
that dreams come true can kill a man
If never graced by sovereign hands
I held the monkey's paw

Songwriters: Moody, Lee; Stephens, Daniel Franklin
~Smalltown Poets
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Monkey_s_Paw/7646069

Una Notte A Napoli :

Una notte a Napoli
Con la luna ed il mare
Ho incontrato un angelo
Che non poteva più volar
Una notte a Napoli
Delle stelle si scordò
E anche senza ali
In cielo mi portò

Con lui volando lontano dalla terra
Dimenticando le tristezze della sera
In paradiso, oltre le nuvole
Pazza d'amore come le lucciole

Quanto tempo può durare?
Quante notti da sognare?
Quante ore, quanti giorni
E carezze infinite
Quando ami da morire
Chiudi gli occhi e non pensare
Il tempo passa, l'amore scompare
E la danza finirà!

Una notte a Napoli
Con la luna ed il mare
Ho incontrato un angelo
Che non poteva più volar

Una notte a Napoli
Delle stelle si scordò
E anche senza ali
In cielo mi portò

Tristemente tutto deve finire

Ma quando il cuore mi ha spezzato
Ed in cielo mi ha abbandonato
Adesso sulla terra son tornata
Mai più di amare mi sono rassegnata

Ma guardo su!

Quanto tempo può durare?
Quante notti da sognare?
Quante ore, quanti giorni
E carezze infinite?
Quando ami da morire
Chiudi gli occhi e non pensare
Il tempo passa, l'amore scompare
E la danza finirà!

Una notte a Napoli
Con la luna ed il mare
Ho incontrato un angelo
Che non poteva più volar
Una notte a Napoli
Delle stelle si scordò
E anche senza ali

In cielo mi portò

In cielo mi portò
In cielo mi portò
In cielo mi portò

~pink martini
youtube

City of night

Well the sun’s going down
With its deep amber light
Embracing the town as we fall into night
To the silvery sound as the birds fly away
Getting ready for love
Getting out of the day

It is the city of night
It is the city if night
Leave the worries of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight

All the lands are a glow
All the lids painted red
And you wish you could take
That last thing you said
Well the night is a drum
Singing songs of delight
But when dawn comes along
Love is lost in the light

But in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
Leave the troubles of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight

Youtube
~pink martini

Tonight the stars speak

Tonight the stars speak of your infinite love
And it serves to remind me
That what I have means nothing at all
Compared to your glory, Oh lord

How long till your voice speaks clearly?
How long till your arms envelope me?
I cry be my strength when I am weak
Oh Lord have mercy on me please

My spirit is willing but my flesh is so weak
I cry in your arms now
God grant me the strength to rest in you
I lift my hands and cry

How long till your voice speaks clearly?
How long till your arms envelope me?
I cry be my strength when I am weak
Oh Lord have mercy on me please

The Glorious Unseen © 2007 Bec Recordings / Emd
Youtube

Aspetta mi

Aspetta mi
Wait for me
I've been lost
Adrift at sea
In your dreams
Dream my way
Someday I'll find my heart
And come back to stay

Do you miss me
My darling
As I miss you
Take my hand
And pull me near
And never let me go again my dear

There was a time
I was safe in your arms
And the stars fell away like diamonds
Then we were young
And our love was younger still
Was it just an illusion

Aspetta mi
Wait for me
Close your eyes
And you will see
I'm coming home
Every sky in my heart will be blue
On the day I come back to you

I'm coming home
Every sky in my heart will be blue
On the day I come back to you

~pink martini

sweet apples

It is no disparagement to a garden to say that it will not fence and weed itself, nor prune its own fruit trees, nor roll and cut its own lawns. A garden is a good thing but that is not the sort of goodness it has. It will remain a garden, as distinct from a wilderness, only if someone does all these things to it. Its real glory is of quite a different kind. The very fact that it needs constant weeding and pruning bears witness to that glory. It teems with life. It glows with colour and smells like heaven and puts forward at every hour of a summer day beauties which man could never have created and could not even, on his own resources, have imagined. If you want to see the difference between its contribution and the gardener’s, put the commonest weed it grows side by side with his hoes, rakes, shears, and packets of weed killer; you have put beauty, energy, and fecundity beside dead, sterile things. Just so, our “decency and common sense” show grey and deathlike beside the geniality of love. And when the garden is in its full glory the gardeners contributions to that glory will still have been in a sense paltry compared with those of nature. Without life springing from the earth, without rain, light and heat descending from the sky, he could do nothing. When he has done all, he has merely encouraged here and discouraged there, powers and beauties that have a different source. But his share, though small, is indispensable and laborious. When God planted a garden He set a man over it and set the man under Himself. When He planted the garden of our nature and caused the flowering, fruiting loves to grow there, He set our will to “dress” them. Compared with them it is dry and cold. But its laborious – and largely negative – services are indispensable. If they were needed when the garden was still Paradisal, how much more now when the soil has gone sour and the worse weeds seem to thrive on it best? But heaven forbid we should work in the spirit of prigs and Stoics. While we hack and prune we know very well that what we are hacking and pruning is big with splendour and vitality which our rational will could never of itself have supplied. To liberate that splendour, to let it become fully what it is trying to be, to have tall trees instead of scrubby tangles, and sweet apples instead of crabs, is part of our purpose.


csl

Lilly

Lilly comes when you stop to call her
Lilly runs when you look away
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!

Lilly comes when you stop to call her
Lilly runs when you look away
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!

One day she passed him by
A twinkle in her eye
He said " she was meant for me!"
But when he turned around
He lost what he had found
Oh where can his Lilly be?

Lilly comes when you stop to call her
Lilly runs when you look away
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!

He searched the city streets
He tempted her with treats
But nobody stopped to taste them
Some are in his pocket
Some are in a locket
He couldn't bring himself to waste them

Ever since she's gone
Some days he can't go on
She runined him for another
Pressed up against the glass
He prays that she will pass
Now he's living with his mother

Lilly comes when you stop to call her
Lilly runs when you look away
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!

Lilly comes when you stop to call her
Lilly runs when you look away
Lilly leaves kisses on your collar
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, stay!

Stay, stay, stay, stay

youtube

ins and outs

This signature on each soul may be a product of heredity and environment, but that only means that heredity and environment are among the instruments whereby God creates a soul. I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one.

Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you.

Eye of the Storm

Hey you, what do you do
when the rain falls
who do you call
when you’re hurt inside

Hey there, are ya scared
when the flames grow high
who do you cry to
where do ya hide

get down on your knees
and lift your hands up to heaven
you’re praying in the eye of the storm

you’ll survive in the fire
of life, and its trials
don’t give up in the eye of the storm

Hey son, do you run
when the night is long
will you stand strong
when you’re on your own

Hey girl, in the world
when the wind blows
where do you go
when you feel alone

get down on your knees
and lift your hands up to heaven
you’re praying in the eye of the storm

you’ll survive in the fire
of life, and its trials
don’t give up in the eye of the storm

Hey child, hold on while
the waters churn
where do you turn
when the pain begins

Hey friend, in the end
when the storm is through
who will you look to
to find your strength again

get down on your knees
and lift your hands up to heaven
you’re praying in the eye of the storm

you’ll survive in the fire
of life, and its trials
don’t give up in the eye of the storm

~Dave Lutz

let's never stop falling in love

I wish a falling star could fall forever
And sparkle through the clouds and stormy weather
And in the darkness of the night
The star would shine a glimmering light
And hover above our love

Please hold me close and whisper that you love me
And promise that your dreams are only of me
When you are near, everything's clear
Earth is a beautiful heaven
Always I hope that we follow the star
And be forever floating above

I know a falling star can't fall forever
But let's never stop falling in love

When you are near, everything's clear
Earth is a beautiful heaven
Always I hope that we shine like the star
And be forever floating above

I know a falling star can't fall forever
And let's never stop falling in love
No let's never stop falling in love


~pink martini
youtube

Hang on Little Tomato

The sun has left and forgotten me
It's dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I'm gonna drown
In a sea
Of deep confusion

Somebody told me, I don't know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you're feelin' all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside and you will find

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love

Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice
When change is hard and not so nice
If listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you


Pink Martini
Youtube

lifted

Happily for us, the fundamental Christian message concerns not what we ought to do, but what God has done and what God is willing to do. In fellowship with Him and with others who are likewise trying to be like Him, we can be lifted up above our native possibilities.

Hugh Martin

maner and the means

The heart is a lonely thing to lose in the dead of night
The heart is a sad thing to lose in the throws of a fight
The heart is the match to the fire
And the embers of desire, to keep it burning

I am a shell of the manner and the means
Mine is a story of nothing as it seems
But when we have come this far
And still don't know who we are, does it keep burning?

I call for angels to breathe holy on this rust
I call the snakes to come out slowly from the brush
I need a massive overhaul
A revival to fall, to keep it burning

The heart is a costly thing to sell in the prime of the years
And my heart is thinly veiled in the usual fears
The heart is the dream, and the kiss
That there could be more than this . . . to keep it burning

~C.C.

new name

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

rev. 2.17

the world

By afflictions, God is spoiling us [i.e., taking away from us] of what otherwise might have spoiled us. When he makes the world too hot for us to hold, we let it go.

John Powell

Amado mio

Amado mio
Love me
forever
And let forever begin tonight

Amado mio
When we're together
I'm in a dream world
Of sweet delight

Many times I've whispered
Amado mio
It was just a phrase
That I heard in plays
I was acting a part

But now when I whisper
Amado mio
Can't you tell I care
By the feeling there
'Cause it comes from my heart

I want you ever
I love my darling
Wanting to hold you
And hold you tight

Amado mio
Love me forever
And let forever
Begin tonight

Many times I've whispered
Amado mio
It was just a phrase
That I heard in plays
I was acting a part

But now when I whisper
Amado mio
Can't you tell I care
By the feeling there
'Cause it comes from my heart

I want you ever
I love my darling
Wanting to hold you
And hold you tight

Amado mio
Love me forever
And let forever
Begin tonight
And let forever
Begin tonight
And let forever
Begin tonight

youtube
1946: Fisher, Doris; Roberts, Allen

My Deliverer

i will wait for you to move
for your mighty hand to save
when troubled waters rise
you are my hiding place
you are my hiding place

your walls are - salvation
your gates are praise
your walls are - salvation
your gates are praise

my deliverer
my deliverer
my deliverer is the Lord

who is like you mighty God
who can take me from your hand
as i walk with you in freedom
you're the rock on which i stand
you're the rock on which i stand

your walls are - salvation
your gates are praise
your walls are - salvation
your gates are praise

my deliverer
my deliverer
my deliverer is the Lord


(c)2008 Vamos Publishing
sixsteps Music
worshiptogether.com
Thankyou Music
spiritandsong.com

Screwtape

[T]he humans are to be encouraged to regard as the basis for marriage a highly-coloured and distorted version of something [God] really promises as its result. Two advantages follow. In the first place, humans who have not the gift of continence can be deterred from seeking marriage as a solution because they do not find themselves 'in love', and, thanks to us, the idea of marrying with any other motive seems to them low and cynical. Yes, they think that. They regard the intention of loyalty to a partnership for mutual help, for the preservation of chastity, and for the transmission of life, as something lower than a storm of emotion.
~The Screwtape Letters

liberating work of love

The reconciliation of man to God begins when God accepts the child of man, exactly as he is, into a relationship with himself—“this grace wherein we stand.” This He does for the sake of what man is to inherit, to become. And for the means, He gives him over to a Person, Christ, and a community, the Church; and in attachment to these, personality grows, freedom is attained, sin is forgiven, estrangement is ended, capacities for relationship extend. Reconciliation is the Spirit’s liberating work of love, exercised through a Person and a community of persons.

G. R. Dunstan

You're Beautiful

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, I see Your face
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

youtube
~Phil Wickham
Copyright: 2007 Seems Like Music Phil Wickham Music

beat

Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.

~John Bunyan

golden

She's alone tonight,
With a bitter cup and,
She's undone tonight,
She's all used up,

She's been staring down the demons,
Who've been screaming she's just another so and so,
Another so and so

You are golden,
You are golden, Child

You are golden,
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go tonight)

There's a fear that burns,
Like trash inside
And you're ashamed of the curse,
That burns your eyes

You've been hiding in your bedroom,
Hoping this isn't not how the story has to go
It's not the way it goes, It's your book now,
You're,

Golden,
You are golden, Child

You are golden,
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go tonight)

You're a lonely soul,
Inlet of broken hearts
You're far from home,
It's a perfect place to start


So this final verse,
Is a contradiction
And the more we learn,
The less we know

We've been talkin' about a feeling,
We both know inside but couldn't find the words
I couldn't write this verse,
I've seldom been so sure,
About anything before

Golden,
You are Golden, Child

You are Golden,
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go tonight)

This world is a dead man down (Golden, you are)
Every breath is a singing crown away, (Golden, Child, you are)
Like some debilitated king, (Golden, don't let go)
Don't let go tonight

Earth Spins and your mind goes round' (Golden, you are)
Green comes on the frozen ground, (Golden, Child, you are)
And everything will be made new again, (Golden)
Like freedom and spring, (Golden, Golden)
Hey, like freedom and spring, (Golden, you are, hey)
Like freedom and spring (Golden, Child, you are)
(Gold...)

~Switchfoot
youtube

ancient

I wonder how often the spiritual cure of faith in the Son of Man, the Great Healer, has been tried on those possessed with our modern demons. Is it proved that insanity has its origin in the physical disorder which, it is now said, can be shown to accompany it invariably? Let it be so; it yet appears to me that if the physician would, like the Son of Man himself, descend as it were into the disorganized world in which the consciousness of his patient exists, and receiving as fact all that he reveals to him of its condition—for fact it is, of a very real sort—introduce, by all means that sympathy can suggest, the one central cure for evil, spiritual and material, namely, the truth of the Son of Man, the vision of the perfect Friend and Helper, with the revelation of the promised liberty of obedience—if he did this, it seems to me that cures might still be wrought as marvelous as those of the ancient time.

George Macdonald

Stars

Maybe I’ve been the problem
Maybe I’m the one to blame
But even when I turn it off and blame myself
The outcome feels the same

I’ve been thinking maybe I’ve been partly cloudy
Maybe I’m the chance of rain
And maybe I’m overcast
And maybe all my luck’s washed down the drain

I’ve been thinking about everyone, everyone
You look so lonely

But when I look at the stars, when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars, I see someone else
When I look at the stars, the stars
I feel like myself

Stars looking at a planet, watching entropy and pain
And maybe start to wonder
How the chaos in our lives could pass as sane
I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance
Of a hope beyond my own
And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home
I've been thinking about everyone, everyone you look so empty

But when I look at the stars, when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars, I see someone else
When I look at the stars, the stars
I feel like myself

Everyone, everyone feels so lonely
Everyone yeah everyone feels so empty

When I look at the stars,
When I look at the stars,
When I look at the stars,
I feel like myself
When I look at the stars
The stars
I see someone


~switchfoot
youtube

beauty

The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive
But I feel like I've died

And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away

After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I wonder why God let me walk through this place

And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how You've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

Here and I am at the end of me (at the end of me)
Trying to hold to what I can't see
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to your promise there will be a dawn

youtube

superchick

crazy!? still old school

you're cold that way
And that's why you say
The things that you say
You can't attract
The things that you lack
You're trying in vain

It seems it's always the crazy times
You find you'll wake up and realize
It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right

You spiral down
You've broken your crown
You don't feel like a queen
You've seen the proof
But you're still crying wolf
You'll never believe

It seems it's always the crazy times
You find you'll wake up and realize
It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right

You try to climb a broken ladder
Grip the missing rungs
And fall down, down, down
Seems sometime ago you said
This wouldn't last
And now you sit here crying

Beside your bed
You feel left for dead
You kneel in the dark...

It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right
It seems it's always the crazy times
You find you'll wake up and realize
It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right

~Jars

old school - Shine

dull as dirt
you can´t assert the kind of light
that might persuade
a strict dictator to retire
fire the army
teach the poor origami
the truth is in
the proof is when
you hear your heart start asking,
"What´s my motivation?"


and try as you may, there isn´t a way
to explain the kind of change
that would make an Eskimo renounce fur
that would make a vegetarian barbecue hamster
unless you can trace this about-face
to a certain sign...

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let ´em glorify the Lord

out of the shaker and onto the plate
it isn´t Karma
it sure ain´t fate
that would make a Deadhead sell his van
that would make a schizophrenic turn in his crayons
Oprah freaks
and science seeks a rationale
that shall excuse
this strange behavior

when you let it shine
you will inspire
the kind of entire turnaround
that would make a bouncer take ballet
(even bouncers who aren't happy)
but out of the glare
with nowhere to turn
you ain´t gonna learn it on "What´s My Line?"

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let ´em glorify the Lord

shine

shine

shine

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let ´em glorify the Lord

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let ´em glorify the Lord

shine

Lyrics: Steve Taylor / Music: Peter Furler
© 1994 Ariose Music

youtube

He reigns

It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

Let it rise above the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word

When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns


~Newsboys

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Lead me

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart


~Hillsong

true

Any alleged Christianity which fails to express itself in cheerfulness, at some point, is clearly spurious. The Christian is cheerful, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate.

~Elton Trueblood

not the land

So many miles behind
Still I drive with the pedal down
I was off the map hours back
It’s beneath the seat, I think
It’s with two pennies and a match
And something else, I can’t remember
But in the time that it would take to fish it out
I’ll be another mile gone

And I feel so wrong
Trying to feel right
In light of all the things I’ve passed
You’d think that I’d have learned

This is not the land was promised me
Even as far as my eyes can see
I’m so wound up, Lord, I can’t even breathe
And I don’t want words
I just want some peace
Some peace, some peace

It seems I’ve misplaced my faith
‘Cause it’s 11:12, nothing’s changed
Well, nothing except the channel I’m afraid
And the number there
No, it’s the same
Oh, this must be the savior of the month
And what I must have
Where’s the night gone?
‘Cause I’m so tired and out of shape
You’ve gotta get me up
But I can’t get up today

‘Cause it’s been so long
Since I’ve felt right
All the rote, rehearsal, proof
You’d think that I’d have learned

This is not the land was promised me
Even as far as my eyes can see
I’m so wound up, Lord, I can’t even breathe
And I don’t want words
I just want some peace
Some peace, some peace

Break me, break me, break me

This is not the land was promised me
Gotta get out of bed, get something to read
I gotta feed my brother, not my eyes
If not, then I’ll be all I despise
This is not the land was promised me
Even as far as my eyes can see
I’m so wound up, Lord, I can’t even breathe
And I don’t want words
I just want some peace


Derek Webb: Caedmon's Call

diffuse and vague

Many people confuse the conviction of sin with such feelings as inferiority, lack of self-confidence and so on. Yet whoever observes people closely can see that these feelings and the conviction of sin are not only different from each other but in certain regards are mutually exclusive. A diffuse and vague guilt feeling kills the personality, whereas the conviction of sin gives life to the personality. The former depends on people, on public opinion, while the latter depends on God.

~Paul Tournier

Flail

If you can't run to where you need to go, walk.

If you can't walk, crawl.

and if you can't crawl - FLAIL!

Brandon Brown

Person

Suffering is sometimes a mystery. We must affirm both the mystery and God. The paradox remained, but now, at least, Job knew that it belonged there -- that it is built into the moral and physical orders, and into the very nature of God as He has permitted us humans to perceive Him. In a world where the universal principle is cause/effect, the book of Job reminds us that the principle is a reflection of the mysterious, self-revealing God. It is subsumed under Him, however, and He cannot be subsumed under it. The God-speeches remind us that a Person, not a principle, is Lord.

C. H. Bullock

Video Post?

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high of 75

We were talking together
I said, “What’s up with this weather?”
Don't know whether or not
How sad I just got
Was on my own volition
Or if I’m just missing the sun

And tomorrow I know
Will be rainy at best
And the forecast I know
Is that I’ll be depressed
But I’ll wait outside
Hoping that I’ll catch sight of the sun

Because on and off
The clouds have fought for control over the sky
And lately the weather has been so bi-polar
And consequently so have I

But now I’m
Sunny with a high of 75
Since you took my heavy heart and made it light
And it's funny how you find you enjoy your life
When you’re happy to be alive

And the temperature is freezing
And then after dark
There’s a cold front
Sweeping in over my heart
And we might break up
If I don’t wake up to the sun

Because on and off
The clouds have fought for control over the sky
And lately the weather has been so bi-polar
And consequently so have I

But now I’m
Sunny with a high of 75
Since you took my heavy heart and made it light
And it's funny how you find you enjoy your life
When you’re happy to be alive


~relient K

compassion

THERE IS AN EVERLASTING KINDNESS You lavished on us,
When the radiance of heaven came to rescue the lost.
You called the sheep without a shepherd to leave their distress
For Your streams of forgiveness and the shade of Your rest.

What boundless love, what fathomless grace
You have shown us, O God of compassion.
Each day we live an offering of praise
As we show to the world Your compassion.

And with compassion for the hurting You reached out Your hand
As the lame ran to meet You and the dead breathed again.
You saw behind the eyes of sorrow and shared in our tears;
Heard the sigh of the weary, let the children draw near.

We stood beneath the cross of Calvary and gazed on Your face
At the thorns of oppression and wounds of disgrace;
For surely You have borne our suffering and carried out grief,
As You pardoned the scoffer and showed grace to the thief.

How beautiful the feet that carry this Gospel of peace
To the fields of injustice and the valleys of need.
To be a voice of hope and healing, to answer the cries
Of the hungry and helpless, with the mercy of Christ.


Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2008 Thankyou Music

shines

The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or — if they think there is not — at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.

play

How can the characters in a play guess the plot? We are not the playwright, we are not the producer, we are not even the audience. We are on the stage. To play well the scenes in which we are “on” concerns us much more than to guess about the scenes that follow it. In King Lear there is a man who is such a minor character that Shakespeare has not given him a name: he is merely “First Servant.” All the characters around him – Regan, Cornwall, and Edmund – have fine long-term plans. They think they know how the story is going to end, and they are quite wrong. The servant has no such delusions. He has no notion how the play is going to go. But he understands the present scene. He sees an abomination (the blinding of old Gloucester) taking place. He will not stand it. His sword is out and pointed at his master’s breast in a moment: then Regan stabs him dead from behind. That is his whole part: eight lines all told. But if it were real life and not a play, that is the part it would be best to have acted

and why on earth it matters

There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else. You may have noticed that the books you really love are bound together by a secret thread. You know very well what is the common quality that makes you love them, though you cannot put it into words: but most of your friends do not see it at all, and often wonder why, liking this, you should also like that. Again, you have stood before some landscape, which seems to embody what you have been looking for all your life; and then turned to the friend at your side who appears to be seeing what you saw-but at the first words a gulf yawns between you, and you realize that this landscape means something totally different to him, that he is pursuing an alien vision and cares nothing for the ineffable suggestion by which you are transported. Even in your hobbies, has there not always been some secret attraction which others are curiously ignorant of-something, not to be identified with, but always on the verge of breaking through, the smell of cut wood in the workshop or the clap-clap of water against the boat’s side? Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been hints of it-tantalising glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest-if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself-you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say ‘Here at last is the thing I was made for.’ We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work. While we are, this is. If we lose this, we lose all.
This signature on each soul may be a product of heredity and environment, but that only means that heredity and environment are among the instruments whereby God creates a soul. I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved, but you-you, the individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith. Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another’s. All that you are, sins apart, is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction. The Brocken spectre ‘looked to every man like his first love’, because she was a cheat. But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it-made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.

The Call of the Kingdom

Hear the call of the kingdom
Lift your eyes to the King
Let His song rise within you
As a fragrant offering
Of how God rich in mercy
Came in Christ to redeem
All who trust in His unfailing grace

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To be children of light
With the mercy of heaven
The humility of Christ
Walking justly before Him
Loving all that is right
That the life of Christ may shine through us

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To reach out to the lost
With the Father's compassion
In the wonder of the cross
Bringing peace and forgiveness
And a hope yet to come
Let the nations put their trust in Him

Hear the call of the kingdom
Lift your eyes to the King
Let His song rise within you
As a fragrant offering
Of how God rich in mercy
Came in Christ to redeem
All who trust in His unfailing grace

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To be children of light
With the mercy of heaven
The humility of Christ
Walking justly before Him
Loving all that is right
That the life of Christ may shine through us

King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

Hear the call of the Kingdom
To reach out to the lost
With the Father's compassion
In the wonder of the cross
Bringing peace and forgiveness
And a hope yet to come
Let the nations put their trust in Him


Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2006 Thankyou Music

CCLI No:4930752.

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desire

We must not be unjust and require from ourselves what is not in ourselves. Do not desire not to be what you are, but desire to be very well what you are.

François de Sales

How deep

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom


Stuart Townend

Ye Sinners

Come Ye Sinners


Come ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready stands to save you
Full of pity, love, and power

Come ye thirsty, come and welcome
God's free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms

Come ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry until you're better
You will never come at all

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms


~Todd Agnew

Grace Like Rain

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing Your praise
Than when we first begun

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

Todd Agnew

rest

It is not necessary to maintain a conversation when we are in the presence of God. We can come into His presence and rest our weary souls in quiet contemplation of Him. Our groanings, which cannot be uttered, rise to Him and tell Him better than words how dependent we are upon Him.

O. Hallesby

April Showers

Oh, like April showers on the slick cement
When I consider how our light is spent
Keeping the candles inside the cathedral
Hold on tight, Don’t go into the night
So full of evil, evil

Rain rain don’t go away
We need you this dry and dusty day
Rain rain don’t go away
Though some may say please go away

Like the April Showers on the slick cement
And the roads once straight have now become so bent
Weaving through the trees of vain security
Rounding round the hard rocks of hard morality

Rain rain don’t go away
We need you this dry and dusty day
Rain rain don’t go away
Though some may say please go away

And the sacred cows
Feed on the green
While the least of these
Are dying on the streets
And they’re crying…

~ Aaron Tate; caedmon's call

praises

Let us go and wake up the universe... and sing His praises.

Mariam Baouardy

You wore my thorns

You wore my thorns, that I may know Your grace
Pierced by my sin, that I may see Your face
Loved and forgiven from shame and deep disgrace
You wore my thorns, You wore my thorns.

You wore my robe, You let them mock and sneer
You took the beating, You knew I could not bear
In this silent moment, I turn and see You there
You wore my robe, You wore my robe.

You felt my nails, and watched the hammer fall
Legions of angels You refused to call
Watched they who loved You, holy and appalled
You felt my nails, You felt my nails.

You bore my cross, You bore Your father’s frown
Tears on His face, His judgment took You down
Now it’s my turn to wear the thorny crown
For You bore my cross, You bore my cross.

You died my death, You gave Your life for me
Laid in my tomb of sin, You set me free
You loved a girl, who hurt You terribly
You died my death, You died my death.

Teach me to love what once I so despised
Live for Your smile, the love light in Your eyes
Ignite a flame of love that never dies,
You wore my thorns, You wore my thorns!

Jill Briscoe

"Come to Jesus"

Oh, my baby, when you're older
Maybe then you'll understand
You have angels that stand around your shoulders
'Cause at times in life you need a loving hand

Oh, my baby, when you're prayin'
Leave your burden by my door
You have Jesus standing by your bedside
To keep you calm, keep you safe,
Away from harm

Worry not my daughters,
Worry not my sons
Child, when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus and let Him hold you in His arms

Oh, my baby, when you're cryin'
Never hide your face from me
I've conquered hell and driven out the demons
I have come with a life to set you free

Worry not my daughters,
Worry not my sons
Child, when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus and let Him hold you in His arms

Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh, my baby, when you're dying
Believe the healing of His hand
Here in Heaven we will wait for your arrival
Here in Heaven you will finally understand
Here in Heaven we will wait for your arrival
Here in Heaven you will finally understand

Worry not my daughters,
Worry not my sons
Child, when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus and let Him hold you in His arms

~by Mindy Smith, album "One Moment More", Vanguard Records 2004
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live thus

To live thus -- to cram today with eternity and not wait the next day -- the Christian has learnt and continues to learn (for the Christian is always learning) from the Pattern. How did He manage to live without anxiety for the next day -- He who from the first instant of His public life, when He stepped forward as a teacher, knew how His life would end, that the next day was His crucifixion; knew this while the people exultantly hailed Him as King (ah, bitter knowledge to have at precisely that moment!); knew, when they were crying, Hosanna!, at His entry into Jerusalem, that they would cry, "Crucify Him!", and that it was to this end that He made His entry. He who bore every day the prodigious weight of this superhuman knowledge -- how did He manage to live without anxiety for the next day?

Søren Kierkegaard

how we think of God

In the end that Face which is the delight or the terror of the universe must be turned upon each of us either with one expression or with the other, either conferring glory inexpressible or inflicting shame that can never be cured or disguised. I read in a periodical the other day that the fundamental thing is how we think of God. By God Himself, it is not! How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important. Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except insofar as it is related to how He thinks of us. It is written that we shall, “stand before” Him, shall appear, shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. To please God…to be a real ingredient in the Divine happiness…to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son – it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.

csl

enabled

If we would talk less and pray more about them, things would be better than they are in the world: at least, we should be better enabled to bear them.

John Owen

Mind Games

Your thoughts can make yoU believe or make yoU doubt. They can be true or false. They can lead yoU toward a healthy lifestyle or steal away your ability to live a fulfilled life. Perhaps most powerfully, thoughts have the ability to free yoU, or they can enslave yoU inside the worst cage of all…yourself.
…
I believe God has placed inside each of us a desire for intimate passion, soulful purpose, and mind-boggling potential. Yet too often we let our minds (or the way we think) get in the way of all that. We let our poor thinking dictate how we aRe going to live. We invest poorly in our minds, so we get a poor return on our investment. In short, we play mind games with ourselves.
…
I’ve played mind games for most of my adult life. One day a couple of years ago, I woke up and decided I was going to stop cold turkey. No more playing the games that had so often left me feeling depressed, anxious, obsessed, alone, fearful, codependent, and paranoid. I’m no shrink or theologian, and I will not pretend to be, but I’ve learned over the past several years what God can do with the human mind. And I’m living proof that he can use just about any type of mind for his purpose and glory. The book you’re now holding, Mind Games, is one part my story and one part lessons I’ve learned about my mind and how I cannot survive without thinking free – and neither can yoU.
…
I coined the term ‘freethinking’ to describe a mind that is free of game playing, free of bondage, free of self-absorption. A mind in pursuit of being surrendered to the passions and dreams of Jesus is truly free. I’ve often had to learn this the hard way on my journey of faith. But I’ve come to realize that the more I surrender, the more I am able to be free from bondage of worry, anxiety, and depression. It’s not like I don’t ever feel those things; I do, but they no longer define who I am. They don’t lock me up in a cage. They don’t control me. My pursuit of being dependent on Jesus sets me free from that cage.
…
Reality brings challenges into our lives that can send us into mental tailspins. I’ve been there. You’ve probably been there, too. But no matter whether it’s depression or anxiety or codependence or anger or lack of confidence or fear that cripples our ability to think free, God can heal it. That’s what freethinking is all about – finding freedom and healing. And we all need it no matter what our stories entail…

Matthew Paul Turner (The opening to Mind Games)

only

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

Saint Augustine

spring

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf in springtime.

Martin Luther

Romans

Dr. N.T. Wright wrote, "Many have given (Romans 9-11) up as a bad job, leaving Romans as a book of "gospel" for eight chapters, four of "application" at the end, and three of "puzzle" in the middle" adding, "it is as full of problems as a hedgehog is full of prickles." We believe its all "gospel" so we need to study it - prickles and all!

Western

We sometimes come to God, not because we love Him best, but because we love our possessions best; we ask Christ to "save Western civilization", without asking ourselves whether it is entirely a civilization that Christ could want to save. We pray, too often, not to do God's will, but to enlist God's assistance in maintaining our "continually increasing consumption". And yet, though Christ promised that God would feed us, he never promised that God would stuff us to bursting.

Joy Davidman

Swete

There are times when we cannot pray in words, or pray as we ought; but our inarticulate longings for a better life are the Spirit's intercessions on our behalf, audible to God who searches all hearts, and intelligible and acceptable to Him since they are the voice of His Spirit, and it is according to His will that the Spirit should intercede for the members of His Son.

Henry Barclay Swete

I will sing of my Redeemer

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.


Words: Phil­ip P. Bliss
Music: James Mc­Gran­a­han

too happy

What then are we afraid of? Can we have too much of God? Is it a misfortune to be freed from the heavy yoke of the world, and to bear the light burden of Jesus Christ? Do we fear to be too happy, too much delivered from ourselves, from the caprices of our pride, the violence of our passions, and the tyranny of this deceitful world?

François Fénelon

grandest rhetoric

Christianity is pre-eminently the religion of the heart. It does not always ask words, but it always wants work. The motives and not the means are the things on which it passes judgment. And the man who shows by his life that he is not ashamed of the Gospel will assuredly one day find that the Gospel is not ashamed of him. There is much more which might be said, but I refrain. Ere I close, you will let me add my emphasis to the fact that it is in our life and conduct that we must show our devotion to Christ. The silent Gospel reaches further than the grandest rhetoric.

Woodrow Wilson

beyond

If He hath promised to make us happy, though He hath not particularly declared to us wherein this happiness shall consist, yet we may trust Him that made us, to find out ways to make us happy, and may believe that He who made us, without our knowledge or desire, is able to make us happy beyond them both.

John Tillotson

inexorable

It is for people whom we care nothing about that we demand happiness on any terms: with our friends, our lovers, our children, we are exacting and would rather see them suffer much than be happy in contemptible and estranging modes. If God is Love, He is, by definition, something more than mere kindness. And it appears, from all the records, that though He has often rebuked us and condemned us, He has never regarded us with contempt. He has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.

cslewis

summer-day

I shall think it mercy to my soul, if my faith shall out-watch all this winter-night, and not nod or slumber, till my Lord's summer-day dawn upon me.

Samuel Rutherford

soften

It was reserved for Christianity to present to the world an ideal character, which through all the changes of eighteen centuries has inspired the hearts of men with an impassioned love; has shown itself capable of acting on all ages, nations, temperaments, and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern of virtue but the strongest incentive to its practice; and has exerted so deep an influence that it may be truly said that the simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.

W. E. H. Lecky

sacrifice

The principle of sacrifice is that we choose to do or to suffer what apart from our love we should not choose to do or to suffer.

William Temple

common

Every man has in his own experience some knowledge of the perplexing uncertainty of this whirligig of time. Yet with his best thought, and largest opportunity, and the application of his highest ability, he cannot penetrate far. But the Christ of God unfolds both its meaning, and its order. He shows that the goal is freedom, and the guidance love. In this way Christ appears direct to the spirit of man, not by its special acquirements, or special ability, but through its common needs and common tasks.

John Oman

nothing

I'd rather do 'nothing' with you forever, than the greatest thing on earth with someone else.

~popstar

Forget

This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Prayer and action

Prayer and action, therefore, can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive. Prayer without action grows in powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation. If prayer leads us into a deeper unity with the compassionate Christ, it will always give rise to concrete acts of service. And if concrete acts of service do indeed lead us to a deeper solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the sick, the dying, and the oppressed, they will always give rise to prayer. In prayer we meet Christ, and in him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the suffering Christ.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Amor, ergo sum

Welcome to postmodernity, where even the 'I' at the centre, Descartes's last bastion, turns out to be an unreliable kaleidoscopic mirror. But with Paul there is a way through, not to a reconstruction of an arrogant modernist Self, but to a new way of being human, a way that is rooted, through baptism, in the Messiah, or more particularly in the love of the one God revealed in him. If anyone is in Christ - new creation! Not 'Cogito, ergo sum' but 'Amor, ergo sum': I am loved, therefore I am.

N.T. Wright