“Me and 2012 are gonna fight” was my Facebook status in early January.  So, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that the first quarter of 2012 has been a rough one.  Even my friends find themselves in the midst of some struggles and irritations.

I hate to wish the year away, but I find myself doing it almost on a daily basis.  Case in point:  I thought it would be fun to have an Adios 1st Quarter 2012 party.

My friends did too.

But regardless of how much I want to fight with 2012, the fact of the matter is that God has blessings in store for me through the fits and frustrations.  And that fact is what brings me to our Music Monday for today.

Blessings

By Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet Love us way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
And what if trails of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home
‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. – John 4:23

What does God require of us when we worship Him? John 4:23 says that the Father seeks worshipers that worship Him in spirit and in truth. Those believers are the people that He seeks out!

Oh, how I want to be sought out by God!

Worshiping God can happen at any time in any place with or without music. There are times when the sweetest, most honest, God worshipping time that we can offer our Savior is alone. When the beat is nothing more than the rhythm of our own hearts in sync with His. When the strum of a grateful soul gives Him greater pause that the chord on a guitar. When our thoughts wonder at:

His beauty and His grace;
His mercy and His faithfulness;
Him might and His power;
His works and His wonders.

But…

sometimes a song helps.

I Wonder

by Leeland

At the stars in the night, I wonder.
At Your lightning in the sky, I shudder.
Your glory is a blanket that covers every living thing.
And it feels like there’s not enough praise inside of me.
With all these words all my heart can sing in holy.
You are holy.

Jesus Christ
You bled Your love
Laid down Yourself
And gave me life
In naked shame You hung
And You were lifted high.
So, here I lay in awe and wonder.
I am afraid
for no one’s ever sacrificed and loved me this way.
So, on my face I fall under Your heavy grace.
Here I lay in awe and wonder.
Oh, and I wonder.

I’m in awe at the majesty of who you are
Your love is a seal burnt inside my heart
And all of the day I want to be where You are

And it feels like there’s not enough praise inside of me.
With all these words all my heart can sing in holy.
You are holy.

Jesus Christ
You bled Your love
Laid down Yourself
And gave me life
In naked shame You hung
And You were lifted high.
So, here I lay in awe and wonder.
I am afraid
for no one’s ever sacrificed and loved me this way.
So, on my face I fall under Your heavy grace.
Here I lay in awe and wonder.
Oh, and I wonder.

“Awaken” is the name of the conference in January.  I had a nice blurb written all about why Jamie & I picked that word, but I trashed it when I ran across this video by Leeland Mooring.  This is EXACTLY what I feel like God wants to do in His Church today.

The Great Awakening

One man wakes, awakens another
Second one wakes his next door brother
Three awake can rouse a town
And turn the whole place upside down
Many awake will cause such a fuss
It finally awakes all of us
One man wakes with dawn in his eyes
Surely then it multiplies
Surely then it multiplies

This song has been on repeat for the past week on my iPod. I just love it so much. I hope you do too! Let’s bask in His beauty this Monday morning!

Your face is beautiful
And your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
There, inside the scars
You’re loving arms they draw me near
And your smile, it brings me peace
Draw me closer, Oh my Lord,
Draw me closer, Lord, to thee

Captivate us, Lord Jesus
Set our eyes on you
Devastate us with your presence
Falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with you
And captivate us, Lord Jesus
With you.

Your voice is powerful
and your words are radiant bright
In your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
And your fellowship is free
Draw me closer
Oh my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to thee

Captivate us, Lord Jesus,
Set our eyes on you
Devastate us with your presence
Falling down
And rushing river draw us nearer
Holy Fountain consume us with you
And captivate us, Lord Jesus
With you.

Let everything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of your face
Let every chain be broken from me
As I’m bound in your grace
For your yoke is easy
Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom, power and might
And every eye, will see you.

Captivate us, Lord Jesus,
Set our eyes on you
Devastate us with your presence
Falling down
And rushing river draw us nearer
Holy Fountain consume us with you
And captivate us, Lord Jesus,
With you.

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the verse Zephaniah 3:17.  This is an obscure verse in the middle of an even more obscure book of the Bible.

God brought this verse, and the concept of him singing over me, to my attention about a year or more ago.  I cannot tell you how many times I see this verse or hear a song that references it.  It’s like God’s little love note to me that pops up in the most unexpected places.  He’s dropped these little sticky notes…

…at work
…in emails
…in the car
…with my friends
…at the beach
…in Peru (yep, in Peru)
…in devotions
…at church
…in books (there is even a book called The Singing God)
…in innumerable songs
…in church bulletins
…on a jumbo-tron at a conference
…and then, last night, in the movie Courageous

Hence our song for Music Monday.  Enjoy.

Sound of Your Voice
I ran away from your love
but you waited for me
yes you waited for me
and then I heard your song
singing over me
singing over me

and now that I hear you, Lord
I want to know you more
I want to know you more

Sing your song to me
oh, there’s no greater thing
than to listen to the sound of your voice
and when I hear your song
I want to sing along
and listen to the sound of your voice

Lord I am calling your name
and I’m waiting for you
yes, I’m waiting for you
so, won’t you show me your ways
and I will follow you
yes, I will follow you

And now that I hear you Lord
I want to know you more
I want to know you more

Sing over me
bringing peace and mercy
with a song that never ends
sing over me
I want to listen for it
Lord, I want to hear your song again.

It’s been a while since we had a music Monday, but Thursday night this song caught my attention and I’ve been captivated by it since.

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “…He will take great delight in you.  He will quiet you with his love.  He will rejoice over you with singing.”

God singing at all – especially over me – was not something of which I was familiar.  So,  I asked God to show me a song that he sings.  I’m not sure if this is it, exactly, but knowing him, it probably sounds a lot like this:

My Beloved

You’re My Beloved
You’re My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You’re Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You’re Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I’ll breathe My life inside of you
I’ll bear you up on eagle’s wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I’ll take you to My quiet waters
I’ll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You’re My beloved
You’re My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

I am writing this post from my hotel in Arequipa, Peru. We just wrapped up five days of ministering to the Peruvian people, and my mind and soul are still trying to sort through all that I have seen and all that God has taught me on this trip.

Considering my present location, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate song for Music Monday than Follow You by Leeland. As you listen to the song and read the lyrics, let me challenge you with a question: where will you follow Him?

Follow You
You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away
All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
‘Cause Faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was she’d
So how could I not give it away so freely?

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

I give all myself.
I give all myself
I give all myself… to you.

And I give all myself.
Yes, I give all myself.
And I give all myself… to you.

And I’ll follow you into the homes that are broken
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

I had the sweetest time with Jesus last week. He showed me just how far He has brought me over the last two years, and I stood amazed at how beautiful, gentle and patient He really is with me. It makes me wonder why I resist Him; doubt Him; or question His goodness? I cannot capture into words the love that I have for Him but this song by Leeland does a pretty decent job.

My Jesus

Here on the bank I stand.
But in the water is the hope of man.
Unclean, I fall before You now.
Jesus, come wash me inside out.

I’m running to the water now.
I’m running to the water now.

And I’m lost in Your love and Your mercy.
Lord, Your beauty is so overwhelming.
I’m thankful for Your truth.
I’m so in love with You.
My Jesus, My Jesus.

Here on the bank I stand.
But in the water is the hope of man.
Unclean, I fall before You now.
Jesus, come wash me inside out.

I’m running to the water now, oh
I’m running to the water now.

And I’m lost in Your love and Your mercy.
Lord, Your beauty is so overwhelming.
I’m thankful for Your truth.
I’m so in love with You.
My Jesus, My Jesus.

All things are new again.
Covered in waters of love I stand.
All my chains are broken.

All things are new again.
Covered in waters of love I stand.
All my chains are broken.
‘Cause I’m washed inside Your ocean.

I’m running to the water now.
I’m running to the water now.

And I’m lost in Your love and Your mercy.
Lord, Your beauty is so overwhelming.
I’m thankful for Your truth.
I’m so in love with You.
My Jesus, My Jesus.

And I’m lost in Your love and Your mercy.
Lord, Your beauty is so overwhelming.
I’m thankful for Your truth.
I’m so in love with You.
My Jesus, Oh, My Jesus.

You make all things new.
You’re so good to me Lord
So thankful Lord, so thankful Lord.
I’m new creation, You make all things new oh Lord.
You are my salvation.
You are just so beautiful.
I’m a new creation, You make all things new. Oh, Lord.

We love You.
We love You.
So in love with You…

God is many things to me.  I know Him as Father, Counselor, and Friend, but the book of Hosea challenged me to see Him as Husband.  I struggled with this concept for one obvious reason:  I’m not married.

The story of Hosea goes something like this:  God tells him to marry a prostitute.  Now, speaking from a singleton’s standpoint, I’d have to say I’d be pretty disappointed if the husband God chose for me was a prostitute.  Not exactly what I have in mind for myself.  But God uses Hosea’s marriage to Gomer (unfortunate name, don’t you think?) to illustrate the unfaithfulness of His people and His undeserved, lavish love for His people.

But there is another thing that surprised me in this book:  God’s relentless pursuit of us despite our unfaithfulness.  We run from Him time and time again, but he pursues us patiently, purposefully, powerfully.

This story reminded me Brandon Heath’s song, “Stolen.”

Stolen
(Brandon Heath, Nate Campany, Dan Muckala)

I’m a fugitive
Running from the life that I was meant to live
Looking for somewhere that I can lay my head
I’m lucky if I make it through the night
But I can’t sleep
Knowing that You’re one more step ahead of me
I’m a fool for ever thinking You’d just let me go
That’s not the way it’s ever gone before
I’m Yours

You catch me like a thief in the night
You hold me when I put up a fight
You chase me when I run from Your light
Because You love, You won’t give up
‘Til my heart is stolen
‘Til my heart is stolen away

I’m trying to understand that life comes after dying
To embrace that I’m a slave until I’m captured
But You would never use a lock or a key
‘Cause I am free

You catch me like a thief in the night
You hold me when I put up a fight
You chase me when I run from Your light
Because You love, You won’t give up
‘Til my heart is stolen
‘Til my heart is stolen away

I could change my name, cover all my tracks
But I’m wrong to think I could lose the past
‘Cause You found me here and You took me back
Once a criminal, now a prodigal

© 2011 Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing / Big Skwawka Music (ASCAP) All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing and Big Skwawka Music admin. by Sony/ATV. / Dear Cleveland Publishing / Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) / Wintergone Music (ASCAP) (admin. worldwide by Kobalt Music Publishing, LTD.)

Has a song ever made you squirm?  Audrey Assad’s song, “Known” did that to me.  The first time I heard this song, I found myself in uncharted territory:  somehow I felt exposed; naked.  From a song.  Weird.  It took me a while to figure out why, and once I figured it out, I began to love it.

This song speaks of how God knows us – intimately.  He sees us as we really are.  He sees past the make-up, the perfectly coifed hair (obviously, I’m not talking about my hair here), and the outer embellishments that we use to cover-up who we really are.

He sees us exactly the way we are.  He sees the truth that no garment can cover.  And He loves us anyway.

Known

As the dew falls on the blade
You have touched all this fragile frame
And as a mother knows her baby’s face
You know me, You know me

As the summer air within my chest
I have breathed You deep down into my breast
And as You know the hairs upon my head
Every thought and every word I’ve said
Every thought and every word I’ve said

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known me, yeah, You know me

Oh, and as the exhilaration of autumn’s bite
Oh, You have brought these tired bones to brilliant life
And as the swallow knows, she knows the sky
This is how it is with You and I
Oh, this is how it is with You and I

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known me, yeah, You know me

From the fall of my heart to the resurrection of my soul
You know me, God, and You know my ways
In my rising and my sitting down
You see me as I am, oh, see me as I am

And as a lover knows his beloved’s heart
All the shapes and curves of her even in the dark
Oh, You have formed one in my inward parts
And You know me, You know me, yes

Savior, You, You have known me as I am
Oh, healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be in the morning, in the evening
You have known

You have known me, in the morning, in the evening
You’ve known me, God
In the morning, in the evening You have known me
Yeah, You’ve know me

You have always known me
You know me, God, You have known me
You have always known my heart

Credits :
songwriters: assad, audrey; larue, phillip
© deeper still music publishing;my maxx songs;river oaks music company;songs of razor and tie

Many voices compete for our attention: co-workers, family, friends, bosses, children. Sometimes, they can all scream at once.

The same happens in the spiritual world (at least for me). I can feel God speak to me so clearly one minute, and then the next minute, I can hear Satan’s minions scream to the contrary.

There is a war that is raging all around us.

Being aware of the battle in the spiritual realm is something new to me, but I assure you, I have found it to be very real and very bloody.

God has asked me to believe some pretty crazy things over the last couple of years. Things that are completely impossible without His hand on the situation, and it has been a wild ride.

Satan likes to remind me that these situations are impossible. Many months ago, during one particularly brutal battle, this song played on my iPod and finally, though I had heard the song many times, I listened to the words. The words just happened to be what God had been whispering to my soul earlier in the day. I love when He does that!

Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. ‘Boy, you’ll never win!’
“You’ll never win”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again “boy, you’ll never win!
“You’ll never win”

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

When you describe yourself what words do you use? Are you a wife? Mother? Daughter? Aunt? Sister? Are you fat? Skinny? Homely? Beautiful? Average? Ugly?

God sees us differently. Jason Gray’s song, I Am New, reminds me that God sees us as: Forgiven, Beloved, Hidden in Christ, Made in the image of the Giver of Life, Righteous, Holy, Reborn, Remade, Accepted, and Worthy.

I Am New

Now I won’t deny
The worst you could say about me
But I’m not defined
By mistakes that I’ve made
Because God says of me

CHORUS
I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I’m dearly loved
I am new

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

CHORUS

Too long I have lived
In the shadows of shame
Believing that there
Was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn’t see me the way that I do
He doesn’t see me the way that I do

CHORUS

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
Dead to the old man
I’m coming alive
I am new

Forgiven beloved
Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name
This is who we are now…

By: Jason Gray, Joel Hanson

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Credits :
songwriters: story, laura mixon
© new spring publishing;new spring publishing

If you have not heard of Chris Tomlin, please tell me which rock you live under so that I can bring you a CD because he sings the best praise and worship songs. He’s like the modern-day David without the crown (or harp, for that matter).

Speaking of David, we’ve been reading about him on our journey through the Bible. I chose this song for Music Monday because I think it is one David would sing.

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

All the way my Savior leads me
Who have I to ask beside
How could I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my guide

All the way my Savior leads me
Cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me grace for every trial
Feeds me with the living Bread

[Chorus:]
You lead me and keep me from falling
You carry me close to Your heart
And surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me

All the way my Savior leads me
O, the fullness of His love
O, the sureness of His promise
In the triumph of His blood
And when my spirit clothed immortal
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way
Jesus led me all the way

All the way my Savior leads me
All the way my Savior leads me
© 2008 Sixstepsrecords

Looking back at our Music Monday posts, I noticed something odd.  There are no men represented.  Why is that odd?  Well, because roughly 99.975% of the music that I listen to are male singers. Weird, right? You would think I would be all about some girl power. But, as a former alto,  I find that I am able to sing along more loudly in the car to those of the tenor persuasion.

To remedy this lack of male representation issue, allow me to introduce you to Andrew Peterson.  If that name sounds familiar it’s because I mentioned his concert “Behold the Lamb of God” in the (Re)Thinking Christmas series.

Andrew is hands down my favorite singer/songwriter.  Hands.  Down.  He is able to weave the most beautiful stories into magical melodies which touch my heart.

I had the opportunity to meet him in May of last year at a house show in Nashville, TN.  I’m not easily intimidated and rarely am at a loss for words, but my mind was boggled by talking to someone who works phrases into his songs like “shake a man’s timbers” and “he rode the night all full and bright with his face at the far horizon.” Ummm…yea.  Somehow, “Hi” just seemed inadequate.

I was uber-excited when his new album came out recently entitled, “Counting Stars.”   It is phenomenal, and there is not a bad song on there.  I’ll share a couple of songs from it down the road, but first, I want to introduce you to one of his former works.  So, without further adieux, behold one of my all time favorite songs by Mr. Peterson from his “Love and Thunder” album.

The Silence of God

It’s enough to drive a man crazy; it’ll break a man’s faith
It’s enough to make him wonder if he’s ever been sane
When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven’s only answer is the silence of God

It’ll shake a man’s timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they’ve got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
‘Cause we all get lost sometimes…

There’s a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He’s kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He’s weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

(C) 2003 New Spring Publishing, Inc. (a div. of Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) / ASCAP. All Rights Reserved

Remember that Jill Phillips’ album I was telling you about?  Well, there is another song on her album that I think is completely beautiful.  I know someone needs a reminder of exactly who our God is today.  Enjoy!

I Am

Oh gently lay your head
Upon my chest
And I will comfort you like a mother while you rest
And the tide can change so fast
But I will stay
The same through past the same in future the same today

I am constant
I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy
I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires

Oh weary tired and worn
Let out your sighs
Drop that heavy load you hold cause mine is light
And I know you through and through
There’s no need to hide
I want to show you love that is deep and high and wide

I am constant
I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy
I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires

I am constant
I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy
I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires

Oh gently lay your head upon my chest
And I will comfort you like a mother while you rest

(c) Jill Phillips, 2006, “Nobody’s Got It All Together”

This weekend, I had the privilege of going on a solo prayer retreat to El Bethel.  El Bethel is actually a condo in Destin, FL, but it’s such a special place to me spiritually, that I gave it a new name which literally means, “House of God.”  (You can read about the real El Bethel in Genesis 28.)

El Bethel is special to me for many reasons, but mainly, because God speaks with me there.  No, He doesn’t speak audibly.  He speaks to my heart.  He speaks through His Word.

I felt God calling me to come away with Him alone a few weeks ago.  I wasn’t sure if I was just wanting a vacation or if God really was calling me away.  So, I asked Him to confirm that for me.

Three days later, Pastor Calvin did an entire sermon on solitude and silence with God.  Seriously?  I didn’t need a whole sermon.  A verse would’ve been sufficient, but obviously God wanted to make sure that I got the hint.  So, I prayed for God to tell me where to go and give me the means to get there.

Enter my dear, sweet friend whose parents graciously offered a chance for me to go to my most favorite place on earth!

And true to form, God did not disappoint.  He never does!  It was such a sweet, sweet time of solitude with Him.

A song kept popping into my head while I was on the trip, and so it’s our Music Monday song.  We sing this a lot at church, but the words held a special meaning to me this weekend.  I hope they do to you as well.

You Are

You are holy, you are faithful.
You are Savior, you are friend.
You are all I’ll ever need, Lord, you are.
You are ev’ry questions’ answer,
You are ev’ry reason why,
You are moving, you are still, Lord, you are.

You are the Lord on high,
You are the way, the truth, the life.
You are the Word made flesh,
You are the bright Morning Star; you are.

You are Glory Hallelujah.
You are hope of peace on earth.
You are Alpha and Omega, you are.
You are comfort, you are refuge.
You are love personified.
You are kindness and compassion, you are.

You are the Lord on high,
You are the way, the truth, the life.
You are the Word made flesh,
You are the bright Morning Star; you are.

You are my God and my King.
You are the words that I sing.
You are the reason I make this offering.
(Repeat twice)

You are the Lord on high,
You are the way, the truth, the life.
You are the Word made flesh,
You are the bright Morning Star; you are.

You are the words that I sing.
You are.
You are my God and my King.
You are.
You are.
You are.

Copyright © 2005 Mark Roach. CCLI #4387343
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Published by Worship Today Music Service
1 866-859-762

I’m a picky eater.  If you know me, I’m sure you are thinking that is the understatement of the year or perhaps the century, and you are already plotting in your mind the comment you are going to leave about what a nightmare I am at the dinner table.

Much like my super human hearing, I have super sensitive taste buds.  It’s weird.  I know.  But if you want to hang with me, it comes with the territory.  I’m a whole lot better than I used to be, but I’m by no means normal when it comes to food.   If a four year old will eat it – I might like it.  There’s a 50/50 chance.

It’s not that I’m high maintenance when it comes to food.  It just that I like everything plain – the way God intended it to be; but somehow, because everyone wants to put sauce on things, it becomes high maintenance.  Go figure.

As selective as I am about food, I’ll pretty much listen to any kind of music (with the exception of techno funk, hip hop, or opera).  I love me some jazz, blues, country, soul, pop, bluegrass, classical.  You name it.  However, when it comes to actually dropping some cash on an album, I’m pretty frugal.

So, when Robyn told me about Audrey Assad‘s album, “The House Your Building,” I was skeptical.  She insisted that I buy it.  Now, Robyn knows me pretty well.  I think she prides herself on figuring out things that I will like – whether it be a CD or K-Cups for my coffee machine.  She hasn’t failed me yet, so I trust her judgment.  That’s why two months after she told me to buy the CD, I actually got up the courage to do it.  And as expected, Robyn was correct – I love it!  One of my favorite songs on her album is called “Show Me” and it’s our feature for today.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think (preferably about the song and not my finicky eating).

Show Me

You could plant me like a tree beside a river
You could tangle me in soil and let my roots run wild
And I would blossom like a flower in the desert
But for now just let me cry

You could raise me like a banner in a battle
Put victory like a fire behind my shining eyes
And I would drift like falling snow over the embers
But for now just let me lie

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die

Set me like a star before the morning
Like a song that steals the darkness from a world asleep
And I’ll illuminate the path You’ve laid before me
But for now just let me be

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die
Oh, not before You show me how to die

So let me go like a leaf upon the water
Let me brave the wild currents flowing to the sea
And I will disappear into a deeper beauty
But for now just stay with me
God, for now just stay with me

Credits :
songwriters: assad, audrey; hart, sarah
© river oaks music company;spiritandsong.com

I have a super power. It’s true. I do. It’s a little known fact about me, because, well, I don’t like to brag. What’s my super power? I have super human hearing.

I can hear the faintest whisper from across the room. I can hear the slightest noise in the distance.

As with any super power it can be quite helpful, but more frequently, it’s just plain old annoying. Like when I go to a party or am in a crowd of people – I can hear every conversation around me. So, if you are talking to me in a crowd, and I look like I’m not listening, chances are, I’m not, because I can hear the 900 other conversations in the background.

I can also hear repetitive noises. For instance, that man who is turning his pen in the meeting a million times – I can hear it squeak and it drives me nuts. If I’m watching TV with you, and I ask you to turn up the volume, it’s not because I can’t hear it, it’s because I can’t drown out the other sounds around me.

A slightly more well-known fact, albeit not quite as interesting, is that I work in a small gray cubicle in the midst of a hundred more cubicles. For those of you other cube dwellers, you might see where my problem lies.

I can hear everything. I can hear the conversation two cubes back. I can hear the phone call that I’m trying desperately not to hear. I can hear someone laugh across the room. Oh, and don’t think that because you whisper that means I can’t hear you because that just makes it worse.

As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So, I try desperately to use my powers for good and not evil. I try everything in my power to drown out my surroundings because, well, I don’t want to eaves-drop or be distracted from my incredibly important work. So, most of the time, you will find me at my desk donning a set of ear buds (or in the case of missing ear buds – I’ll pull out the retro clam shell headphones as seen in the above photo) listening to music.

Ironically, most of the time, I’m not really listening to the music; it’s just background noise to distract me from the other background noise. But sometimes, out of nowhere, a song will catch my attention and I’ll start to listen to the words.

In these moments, I become truly impressed by the ability of songwriters. It amazes me how someone can not only come up with eloquent words, but that they can come up with eloquent words that rhyme and touch your soul. Amazing.

And their courage? Their courage astounds me! Truly great songwriters write about their vulnerabilities and their failures. They expose a bit of themselves in each song. I’m telling you, it’s nothing short of courageous, and I admire their transparency.

Most of the time, when I listen to music I don’t really hear what the singer is saying. The musical arrangement distracts me from the lyrics. I might give the impression that I’m listening to it. My feet might tap to the beat, or I might hum the tune because it’s familiar, but am I really listening?

What about you? Do you ever stop and LISTEN to the words?

With all that being said (and I know it was a lot), I am instituting Music Mondays. Each week (hopefully) I will strive to send you the lyrics to one song that touched my heart that week. I’ll give you the link to a recording of the song if I can find one, but before you listen to it put to music, I challenge you to read the words the artist wrote, because those are the words from their hearts.

Thursday morning, I downloaded an album by Jill Phillips. Up until then, I did not own a Jill Phillips CD, but had been meaning to purchase one. The song below caught my attention on Saturday as I was driving to meet Robyn for a morning trail run. I had prayed just a few minutes before that God would be so close that I could feel His breath on my neck. These are the words Jill Phillips sang to me that morning.  You can check out her website at www.jillphillips.com.

Moving On
Jill Phillips

What we want is a tidy picture
Neat and easy to read
What we get is a trust walk
Finding out what we really believe
Don’t you be surprised now when it doesn’t lead you
To a clearer place
To some great resolve
You don’t have to wonder if he’s still beside you
He’s as close as breath
You just have to walk

I have seen and I have heard that
This is just the way He works
And I’ll take this chance to remind me that
Its His grace that keeps me moving
Moving on

What I want is for Him to tell me
I won’t always feel this pain
What I get is a constant love
When nothing else stays the same
I won’t be surprised now when it doesn’t lead me
To a clearer place or to some great resolve
I don’t have to wonder if He’s still beside me
He’s as close as breath
And I just have to walk

I have seen and I have heard
That this is just the way He works
And I’ll take this chance to remind me that
Its His grace that keeps me moving

Moving on and on as far as he will take me
When I walk with Him I know

This is just the way he works
And I’ll take this chance to remind me that
Its His grace that keeps me moving
I have seen and I have heard that
This is just the way He works
And I’ll take this chance to remind me that
Its His grace that keeps me moving
Moving on

So, what do you think?  Are you excited about Music Mondays?