crazy

this day's been crazy, but everything's happened on schedule.

the years go by, but it is still true

"Why me? Why this privileged position?" -me

nothing

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

anticipation

And at the end of my days
When your throne fills my view
I will sing of Your mercies anew

- Mark Altrogge & Bob Kauflin

did winter finally end?

is it really spring today/ thawing out my heart/ promising the sun and a brand new start/is it really gonna rain/ giving us new life/ making everything alright/ is it really spring today sweet solace/ no one even knows i’m here/ if i hide inside these blankets, could i disappear/ ah angels, they whisper in my ear “better days are almost here”

-katy kinard

earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal

a couple of days ago i posted the lyrics to a hymn that resonated with my heart. today another has found me. i've been thinking about why i love hymns, and i have come to believe that it's because they tell us our story. i could go on and on about how we need to hear our stories again and again. but for the sake of this post, i'll just say that i think God in His great wisdom knew that we would so quickly forget our stories. so, He commanded us to return to them again and again. to tell them, to write them, to live them, to rehearse them. and, i think the great hymn writers knew that. so, as i listen to hymns written years and years ago, i am caught up in the beauty of the poetry that describes just where i am today. here's another one: "Come Ye Disconsolate" which means "Come you who are hopelessly unhappy or you who are deep in despair." and, in case you are wondering, Indelible Grace does have a beautiful arrangement of it which i have been enjoying very much today.

"Come Ye Disconsolate" words by Thomas Moore, 1816

1. Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

2. Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
"Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure."

3. Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.

Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish.

i shall want to go someday

today was one of those days. a day that followed a sleepless night and consequently didn't start until around 11:00 a.m. a day that i learned one of my dear friends had been in a serious accident. a day which held heavy thoughts regarding job. a day of overcast skies and snow. a day when i would prefer to eat just chocolate and peanut butter and skip every meal. a day with a lot of posts all with a tinge of melancholy. a day i don't wish to repeat.

and, after a day like this, i'm thankful for the hymn i've just come across. a hymn that gripped my heart. it doesn't hide from the hurts of this world, but it also holds the glimpse of hope we as Christians know. so, i close out this day in my pjs with a good book, and with Indelible Grace's version of "Beams of Heaven" written by Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933).

1. Beams of heaven as I go,
through the wilderness below,
guide my feet in peaceful ways,
turn my midnights into days.
When in the darkness I would grope,
faith always sees a star of hope,
and soon from all life's grief and danger
I shall be free someday.
I shall be free someday.

2. Often times my sky is clear,
joy abounds without a tear;
though a day so bright begun,
clouds may hide tomorrow's sun.
There'll be a day that's always bright,
a day that never yields tonight,
and in its light the streets of glory
I shall behold someday.
I shall behold someday.

3. Harder yet may be the fight;
right may often yield to might;
wickedness a while may reign;
Satan's cause may seem to gain.
But there's a God that rules above
with hand of power and heart of love;
and if I'm right, he'll fight my battle,
I shall have peace someday.
I shall have peace someday.

4. Burdens now may crush me down,
disappointments all around;
troubles speak in mournful sigh,
sorrow through a tear-stained eye.
There is a world where pleasure reigns,
no mourning soul shall roam its plains,
and to that land of peace and glory
I shall want to go someday.
I shall want to go someday.
I shall want to go someday.

praise God You're here

another new favorite artist i've discovered: katy kinard

here

i've never given up so much for you/ i've never been quick to obey/ but this time i knew the voice was you/ and so i gave all i gave/ i’ve heard it said that when you’re needed most, sometimes it seems that you’re not there/ so it’s been hard to love the choice i chose when it seemed to me you’d all but disappeared

but now you’re here just like the sun after the rain/ and now you’re here just like the calm after the waves/ and i don’t mean to sound surprised that you’d be near/ but yesterday i wasn’t sure/ praise God You’re here.
i’ve heard that even in the eaglets’ nest, the mother watches when they fall/ and they would never learn to spread their wings if she came right as they called/ ...and so i'm falling in the open sky/ and it's been hard to even breathe/ i've been waiting for a Father's love to carry me/ to carry me

and like the years before i met you, you were still there/ ...though it took so long to see you, you were still there/ and you're still here

in honor of my last post

you are not alone
you are not alone
His love is all around
He holds you even now
you are not alone
- kate hurley

to download this song and others for free go to kate's website

welcome here

"And you are so welcome here, if you're ever in New Mexico" - Mitch McVicker

someone thinks like me...

My soul is weathered but green
When a storm passes over the roots are unseen
until all is laid bare
and the hope that I needed was already there

Iowa, I don’t know how to leave you
don’t know how to tell you goodbye
Iowa, I am a field after harvest
sowing under a new sky, Iowa

- Alli Rogers “Iowa” (my new favorite artist! check out her free download on noisetrade)

this blest assurance

This hymn was written after Horatio Spafford experienced tremendous loss like I certainly have not seen. However, after thinking about the comments on a recent blog post of mine, I was thinking about this hymn. During college my friend Lindsey and I would sneak in the chapel, lay under the pews or hide behind the curtains until it was locked, and sing through all the hours of the night until our fingers and voices could do no more. Somehow we always came back to this hymn. And, still today Spafford’s powerful words and testimony minister to my heart. So…here it is. Another favorite of mine.

“It Is Well With My Soul”

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.