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.