Sweeter: Just to Be With You

Our Jesus loved us this much!

And He still loves us this much!

And He always will love us this much!

"I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain

Just to be with the one he loves

How many times has he broken that promise

It has never been done.

I've never climbed the highest mountain

But I walked the hill of calvary

Just to be with you, I'd do anything

There's no price I would not pay

Just to be with you, I'd give anything

I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean

Just to be with the one he loves

How may times has he broken that promise

It can never be done

I've never swam the deepest ocean

But I walked upon the raging sea

Just to be with you, I'd do anything

There's no price I would not pay

Just to be with you, I'd give anything

I would give my life away.

[Bridge]

I know that you don't understand 

the fullness of My love

How I died upon the cross for your sins

And I know that you don't realize

how much that I gave you

But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything

There's no price I did not pay

Just to be with you, I gave everything

Yes, I gave my life away."

Sweeter: Give Me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus, give me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

And when I am alone
Oh and when I am alone
And when I am alone
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus, give me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

And when I come to die
Oh and when I come to die
And when I come to die
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus, give me Jesus
You can have all this world
You can have all this world
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

~ Negro spiritual

Sweeter: You Are More Than Enough

God has been teaching me the tough lesson of this song lately. And yes, He IS more than enough - even when I don't act like it. . . .

"All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

"You are my supply, my breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward, worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

"And all of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

"You're my sacrifice of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King, You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

"And all of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

"More than all I want, more than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know, more than all I can see
You are more than enough

"More than all I want, more than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know, more than all I can see
You are more than enough

"All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
And all I have in You
And all I have in You is more than enough

"All of You is more than enough for all of me"

By Chris Tomlin
Published by Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

The "Take Care of Yourself" Delusion

We've all heard these words. Most of us have probably even said them. I picture a group visiting Grandma in a weatherbeaten farmhouse; and when they leave, she kisses each one on the cheek and says, "You'uns take good care of yourselves, y'hear?" She means well, and I have no fault to find with her. What I will say is this: This is one piece of advice you should never, ever follow. It's self-defeating. Why?

The song goes like this:

 "Love is like a lucky penny.

Hold it tight, you won't have any;

Give it away, and you'll have plenty -

You'll end up having MOOORE.

Love is something if you give it away,

Give it away, give it away.

Love is something if you give it away; 

You'll end up having more."

God is the best Father and takes perfect care of His children, so we don't have to worry about that part. Now, I didn't say that we will understand or like everything He does. We often won't understand, and will even frequently dislike it. But that's just cause we're the finite humans that don't know much. "We'll understand it better by and by."

Jesus said the two most important rules are to love God, and to love each other.

So leave yourself in Father's capable hands. Then get out there and forget yourself in loving people!

Man of Sorrows

Man of sorrows Lamb of God
By His own betrayed
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid

Silent as He stood accused
Beaten mocked and scorned
Bowing to the Father's will
He took a crown of thorns

Sent of heaven God's own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree

See the stone is rolled away
Behold the empty tomb
Hallelujah God be praised
He's risen from the grave

Teach Me Thy Way!

Teach me Thy way, O Lord, teach me Thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford, teach me Thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
Lead me with heav’nly light, teach me Thy way!

When I am sad at heart, teach me Thy way!
When earthly joys depart, teach me Thy way!
In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,
In failure or success, teach me Thy way!

When doubts and fears arise, teach me Thy way!
When storms o’erspread the skies, teach me Thy way!
Shine through the cloud and rain, through sorrow, toil and pain;
Make Thou my pathway plain, teach me Thy way!

Long as my life shall last, teach me Thy way!
Where’er my lot be cast, teach me Thy way!
Until the race is run, until the journey’s done,
Until the crown is won, teach me Thy way!

He Who Safely Keepeth

He who safely keepeth,

Slumbers not, nor sleepeth;

Though by all the world forsaken,

Wherefore should I fear?

That which He hath spoken

Never can be broken,

Who shall harm the trusting heart 

When He is near?

He will keep me ever,

Where no pow'r can sever

From my heart, the love that hides me

In His secret place.

There in faith abiding,

All to Him confiding,

Through His Spirit I am sealed

An heir of grace.

~ Lyman Cuyler (aka Fanny Crosby)

I Am Not Forgotten

The other night, my dad took me to a Watoto concert where African children sang and danced. singing the praises of our great Lord! It was great!The song that touched me the most was "I Am Not Forgotten."

I Will Not Forget Thee

Sweet is the promise “I will not forget thee,”
Nothing can molest or turn my soul away;
E’en though the night be dark within the valley,
Just beyond is shining an eternal day.

Refrain:

I will not forget thee or leave thee,
In My hands I’ll hold thee,
In My arms I’ll fold thee,
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee.

 

Trusting the promise “I will not forget thee,”
Onward I will go with songs of joy and love,
Though earth despise me,
Though my friends forsake me,
I shall be remembered in myhome above.

Refrain

 

When at the golden portals I am standing,
All my tribulations, all my sorrows past;
How sweet to hear the blessèd proclamation,
“Enter, faithful servant, welcome home at last.”

Refrain

 

~ Charles Gabriel

Celebrating Happy Days

Music!

It wafted up from the cafeteria, and my feet followed its strains out the door of art history and down the zigzag steps to the side of the hall, where I joined the crowd of a couple hundred students smiling while peering over the railing.

Down there in our own beloved cafeteria, bereft of the typical tables and chairs with laughing groups of students huddled over laptops, textbooks, and TV dinners - down there a ring of people surrounded the spacious, spontaneous dance floor where a score of individuals flowed danced to the Cupid Shuffle!

I looked around quickly - was there anyone I knew well enough to talk into joining the dance? I couldn't go by myself, not in front of all those people, but maybe if there was one person . . . but there wasn't, so I shrugged and immersed myself in the watching. Aahh, the joys of dance parties! =)

An international student from Africa joined us at the railing. "What?" Her face expressed confusion as she gestured toward the dancers.

"They're dancing, just for fun." I smiled.

"For fun," she nodded as she turned back to gaze at them. A few moments later, "What are they celebrating? They are just having a happy day?"

I laughed and nodded, full of the jubilance of the moment.
"A happy day, yes."

What further reason do we need in order to celebrate?
It's a happy day!
Let's dance.

Trying Hard

Well she tries to believe it
That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling
That it's not true tonight
She knows all the answers
And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better
But then she's too weak to try
~ You Are More
(Tenth Avenue North) 

You can't get to Heaven by working hard to earn a ticket,
and I can't become pure and holy by trying really hard.


It is God who saves, and it is God who purifies.
His grace made me His, and His grace will make me all His.
He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it!
Jesus is the Author and Finisher of my faith.


I've tried so hard, and the results are only failure; but His grace is sufficient for me.
Thank You, Jesus!

Open Our Eyes

This life is only an echo

Of the deeper life to come

This ache is born of

Your Spirit in our hearts

Calling us homeward

Till our passing days are done

And You bid us "rise and...

"Come, now the wait is over

Eternity's begun

Wake, now the dream is ended

You're finally free to run" (Dance in the morning sun")

Open our eyes

Open our eyes

Wonder is only a window

Beauty is an open door

Longing, leading us onward through the night

To what we're made for

When these shadow lands are done

We will hear You crying...

"Come, now the wait is over

Eternity's begun

Wake, now the dream is ended

You're finally free to run" (Dance in the morning sun")

Open our eyes

Open our eyes

All that's eternal

You've set in our hearts

Our joyful desire burns like the morning star...

Open our eyes (to the joy that's to come)

Open our eyes (to the home that we seek)

Open our eyes (to the promise of heaven)

Open our eyes (to eternity's dream)

We're longing to see (open our eyes)

To live in Your light (open our eyes)

To always be near (open our eyes)

Open our eyes

~ Words by Doug McKelvey

Yet Another Post About Physical Expression in Worship

Another example of culture playing a part in interpretations: lifted hands. Normally when we see this in church, it looks like the person is raising his hand in class. It lasts between two seconds and twenty. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with this, but there is no Biblical example of it. In the Bible, when a person lifts his hands to God, he does just that – he lifts his hands to God. Not one hand, but two. And not as a statement of agreement of commitment or worshipful feeling. It’s not about the person at all. It’s to God!

In Nehemiah, the people worship God with their heads bowed, their faces to the ground, their hands lifted, and their lips repeating “Amen” as Ezra prays.

In the Psalms, David passionately cries unto God with His hands lifted toward His “holy oracle”. He longs for God and overflows with praise as he lifts up his hands in God’s name. He lifts up his hands to God’s commands, perhaps written on the walls and doorposts of his house (Deuteronomy 6)? God’s servants are commanded to lift up their hands and bless the Lord in His sanctuary. David again passionately cries unto God and asks that God view his prayer and lifted hands as incense or the evening sacrifice.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah tells Israel to get up and passionately cry out to God with lifted hands for the lives of their young children. Later he reminds the people of God’s goodness and advises them to consider their ways, return to God, and lift up their hearts with their hands to Him.

And in 1 Timothy, the men of the church are to pray everywhere. When they do, they are to lift up their hands, first making sure that the hands they lift are holy, without wrath and doubting.

But by far the most common physical expressions of worship in the Bible involve kneeling, bowing, falling upon your knees, or falling on your face. Does this indicate something about the reverence we ought to feel as we worship? Bigger question: as these are some of the more common Biblical expressions, when is the last time you saw someone (or you yourself) lay flat on your face before God? Or your whole church? When is the last time you all knelt together? Or bowed with your faces to the ground?

Here’s another interesting tidbit I found: It’s okay to pray with your eyes open, looking up.

It’s been a joy to study this. There is tremendous freedom in Christ. Not license to do what we want; but liberty to worship Him in a wide variety of ways, with a plethora of postures. So don’t be afraid of what other people in your church will think. Still be respectful, of course. But our authority is Scripture. If people did it in the Bible, we can do it now. “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45).

More About Physical Expression in Worship

Okay, I’m back. I learned a few things I hadn’t expected. For example, I didn’t expect to read about people sitting before God!

Here are a few principles that stand out. First, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If God really expects us to do this, then of course any posture is acceptable; because He wants us to pray all the time – while we’re doing everything else.

This puts some of the above posture in context. For instance, lying down on a pew in a chapel would probably look like sleeping and distract a lot of people. But praying in your bed at night when you can’t sleep would be perfectly natural and right.

Another consideration is culture. That might sound strange, as if I were contradicting the whole premise of this book. I believe in taking God’s Word literally and in following it even if it seems outdated or even unacceptable in our culture. I don’t think there is any verse which is irrelevant to us for any reason, including the 2000-year/ Hebrew-to-American gap.

On the other hand, it would be unrealistic to try to understand what God really meant when He said certain things without considering the culture of the people to whom He was directly speaking.

Take the word “dance,” for example. We are commanded to praise God with dancing. When is the last time you’ve done that? I must confess I never have. But what does it look like to praise God with dancing (beyond the 1 Thessalonians 5:17 principle)? It would be easy to insert our modern concept of “dancing” into the ancient word. But what would the original readers have pictured? Waltzing? Square dancing? Hip-shaking? Break dancing? I doubt it.

The Strong’s Concordance gives the following words for dance:

· 2287 chagag – to move in a circle, i.e. to march in a sacred procession, to observe a festival; by implication to be giddy: celebrate, dance, a (solemn) feast (holiday), reel to and for
· 2342 chuwl or chiyl – to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e. to dance
· 3769 karar – to dance (i.e. whirl)
· 4234 machowl – from 2342; a (round) dance
· 4246 mechowlah – feminine of 4234; a dance: company, dances (-ing)
· 7540 raqad – to stamp, i.e. to spring about (wildly or for joy): dance, jump, leap, skip
· 3738 orcheomai – a row or ring; to dance (from the ranklike or regular motion)
· 5525 choros – a ring, i.e. round dance (“choir”)

Twist, whirl, circular, spiral, whirl, stamp, spring about wildly or for joy, jump, leap, skip, round, row, ring, ranklike, regular, company, move in a circle, march, giddy, reel to and fro, sing, round.

My Young’s Concordance offers these definitions: chorus, turn, twist, move round, skip, lift up the feet, move round, company.

Have you ever seen Jewish dancing? I had the opportunity to attend a friend’s bat mitzvah several years ago, and the dancing certainly resembled these words. It was beautiful. Several young girls, moving in a circle, twisting, twirling, jumping, skipping clapping their hands.

You know something else I’m reminded of? Little kids. Children love to dance; and very young children who have not been exposed to too much television dance very similarly very simply and very much like the above words.

Physical Expression in Worship

Many views have been proclaimed on this subject. "Do whatever you feel led." "Do whatever comes naturally" or "whatever feels right." "Clapping is wrong." "Lifting your hands is worldly." "Everybody, lift your hands in prayer to God." "Dance before Him." "Dancing is of the devil." It’s easy to get lost in the jungle. But what does the Bible say? I’m not entirely sure myself, so excuse me while I open my concordance and peruse God’s Word.

• Daniel 4:34
  Nebuchadnezzar
  Psalm 121:1; 123:1; John 11:41; 17:1
  “lifted up mine eyes unto Heaven”
• Leviticus 9:22
  Aaron
  Luke 24:50
  “extending [lifting up] hand toward people in a prayer of blessing”
• Psalm 28:2
  David
  Nehemiah 8:6; Psalm 63:4; 119:481; 134:2; 141:2; Lamentations 2:19; 3:41; 1 Timothy 2:8
  “lift up my hands toward Thy holy oracle”
• Ezra 9:6
  Ezra
  Luke 18:13
  “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee”
• 1 Kings 8:54
  Solomon
  Ezra 9:5; Daniel 6:10
  “kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to Heaven”
• 1 Kings 18:42
  Elijah
  “put his face between his knees”
• Luke 5:8
  Peter
  “fell down at Jesus’ knees”
• Romans 14: 11
  Everyone
  Ephesians 3:14; Philippians 2:10
  “every knee shall bow to Me”
• Psalm 95:6
  God’s people
  “Let us worship and bow down . . . and kneel”
• Luke 22:41
  Jesus
  Matthew 17:14; Mark 1:40; 10:17; Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5
  “kneeled down and prayed”
• Deuteronomy 29:10
  Israel
  Genesis 18:22; Leviticus 9:5; Deuteronomy 10:8; 1 Kings 8:22; 2 Chronicles 20:13, 19; et cetera
  “stand this day . . . before the Lord”
• Psalm 149:3
  Israel
  Exodus 15:20-21; 2 Samuel 6:14; Psalm 150:4
  “praise His name in the dance”
• Ezra 9: 5
  Ezra
  “fell upon my knees”
• Genesis 17:3
  Abraham
  Leviticus 9:24; Numbers 22:31; Deuteronomy 9:18; Joshua 5:14; Judges 13:20; Samuel 5:3-4; Job 1:20; Psalm 72:11; Ezekiel 11:13; Mark 3:11; 5:33; 7:25; Luke 8:28,41; 17:16; John 11:32; 18:6; 1 Corinthians 14:25; Revelation 1:17; 4:10; 5:8,14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4
  “fell on his face”
• Psalm 22:29
  All who die
  Psalm 72:9; Micah 6:6
  “bow before Him”
• Genesis 24:26
  Abraham’s servant
  Exodus 4:31; 12:27; Numbers 22:31; 1 Chronicles 29:20; 2 Chronicles 29:30
  “bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord”
• 2 Chronicles 7:3
  God’s people
  2 Chronicles 20:18; 29:29
  “bowed themselves with their faces to the ground”
• Exodus 34:8
  Moses
  Nehemiah 8:16
  “bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped”
• Judges 20:26
  Israel
  1 Chronicles 17:16
  “sat there before the Lord”
• Psalms 120-134 – Songs of Ascence – praise songs the children of Israel sung while walking up the hill to Jerusalem
• 2 Samuel 12:16
  Psalm 1:2; 17:3; 22:2; 42:8; 77:6; 88:1; 92:2; 119:55; 134:1; Luke 2:37; 18:7; Acts 26:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:5; 2 Timothy 1:3
  Lying down or at night
• Noises
  Ø Weeping
  Ø Shouting
  Ø Rejoicing
  Ø Crying out
  Ø Singing
  Ø Silence
  Ø Musical instruments

Challenging Femininity #7 and Other New Stuff

My favorite webzine!

One of my favorite websites with a brand-new format!

My brand-new, very favorite hymnal! It's the new worship hymnal from Lifeway, with all the best hymns and all the best choruses from the last thirty years. :-)

The Music You Want to Hear

There are plenty of secular radio stations, but who wants to listen to them when there is more edifying music? So that leaves us with religious rock and rap (which can eventually give a bit of a headache), southern and bluegrass Gospel (which are not my radio favorite), and classical (which is great for three minutes but then gets a little boring). With youtube you can only hear the songs you specifically ask for.

Here's to pandora.com, your online radio station with the music you like! =)

You enter the name of a song you like (for instance,  I might type "He Is Good" by Steve Green or "Easter Song" by Keith Green), and Pandora will create a radio station with similar artists and musical styles. You can like a song, ban a song, or ban a song for a month. You might not want to "like" too many songs, though, because they try to give you totally new songs that you've never heard before; and they tend to play your favorites first.

I Will Go

By Steve Green

Give me ears to hear Your Spirit;

Give me feet to follow through;

Give me hands to touch the hurting;

And the faith to follow You.

Give me grace to be a servant;

Give me mercy for the lost;

Give me passion for Your glory;

Give me passion for the cross.

And I will go where there are no easy roads,

Leave the comforts that I know.

I will go and let this journey be my home;

I will go.

I will go!

I'll let go of my ambition,

Cut the roots that run too deep;

I will learn to give away

What I cannot really keep,

What I cannot really keep.

Help me see with eyes of faith;

Give me strength to run this race.

I will go, Lord, where Your glory is unknown;

I will live for You alone.

I will go because my life is not my own;

I will go.

I will go.

I will go!