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Just as Yesterday
Today is just as yesterday, different though the same
The sky is bluer, the trees more green
Nights often brighter than the days
We’ve been together longer than ever we’ve been apart
Trudging through the thick, reveling in the thin
Wrapped around each other’s heartWe were made for this, you and I, since long before we could dream
We looked ahead to a life together and there we were, you and meWe could not imagine the lives we’d share
Nor the journey we might take
The joy of our children each step of the way
And the pain as each heart would break
But we made a choice, just as yesterday, to always do it together
To laugh, to love, to sing, to cry—embraced, you and me, foreverCan’t turn back now, where might we go?
For at His side we stand so strong
It’s here we’re best, even at our worst, and it’s here we are meant to grow
‘Cause there’s nothing special about us when we stand apart
There we are burdened, scared and alone
Just nothing but empty and useless bones
Chained and unable to seeBut as we journey side by side along this long and winding road
We share the wonders of Creation and the warmth of His abode
Our Love is true power, our Love a powerful truth
Living as one, and never apart
Always together, an entangled cord
Together in Spirit, forever in heartWe were made for this, you and I, since long before we could dream
We looked ahead to a life together and there we were, you and me . . .For Our Anniversary, 32 years and counting . . .
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Worth Loving For
Through victory and tragedy
We can find the very best
With selfish hearts and greedy ways
We must contend with all that’s leftOur hearts search the arid places
Finding sorrow and despair
Often stumbling through the forest trees
We must contend with the tiger and bearYet one day we surely discover
Something worth living for
A purpose that drives and consumes us
Pushing towards something more
With passion and pride we pursue it
But pain and heartache subdue us
Until we’re not living anymoreThen our hearts align with justice
Our eyes opened to the widow and slave
We rush to bring the promise of hope
But push aside the pitied and depravedOn that day we surely discover
Something worth fighting for
A purpose that drives and consumes us
Transforms us into something more
With courage and care we undo it
But pain and heartache subdue us
Until we’re not fighting anymoreAnd our hearts soon fill with sorrow
For there’s no fight left to give
And our souls so burdened and weary
For there’s no life left to liveBut then one day we come to learn
That we were worth dying for
It fills us with power and purpose
And over time our hearts are transformed
With passion and peace he pursued us
With glory and power subdued us
And now we’re not dying anymoreAt a time long before—a decision was made
That we were worth loving for
Born in our hearts an eternity’s thought
On a tree to settle the score
With love and hope he saved us
With mercy and grace he raised us
And we are loved forevermore… -
I Can Do This on My Own
I don’t need anybody else
I don’t like everybody’s rules
I just want to do what pleases me
The things that fill the void
I’m the one in control
The one in charge
So don’t tell me what I can’t do
I don’t need your guidance
And I don’t need youSome things have happened
And there’s things I’ve done
They hurt me so but I don’t care
I’m carving my own path
Doing it my own way
Just trying to forget the things
That got me here
So don’t tell me what I can’t do
Cuz this works for me
And I’m gonna see it throughYou think you know better
But you don’t know me
You think you know the answers
But you can’t hear what I’m asking
The way that I feel seems right to me
How can you tell me it’s wrong?
The world is broken, everyone can see
So I have to make it right for me
I don’t need your help to fix it
I just need you to leave me beAnd I’ve done it my way for just so long
I don’t dare turn it all around
My path may not be very straight
But at least it’s my own
For I’ve laid every stone
And planted every shrub
Though I’ve never brought the rain
I don’t need you to hold my hand
But you’re welcome to walk with me on the wayI don’t need to listen to you
But that doesn’t mean I can’t hear
I’m tired of walking these miles alone
Even though I’m surrounded by friends
My shoes track the mud
From all over I’ve been
Each step I take reminds me of what’s behind
How can I start anew?
How can I start again?I don’t need to follow you
But that doesn’t mean I can’t see
There are things I need to change
But they’re all I ever knew
And I’m accepted, at least that’s what they say
But not loved, that’s clear every day
Life is hollow, so unsure
How can you claim to have the cure?And if I take a chance with you
Can I know I’m not a fool?
Everyone says that you’re a lie
How can they not be right?
And so I stand here, daring to leap
Hoping not to be dashed to the ground
In a broken, helpless heap
Reach out to me, make your intentions clear
Speak to me, show me that you’re nearYou come down to me and lift me up
And make promises only you can keep
You show me everything I’ve ever done
And then throw them in the deep
My past is history, my future bright
You don’t see the mud, I’ve been washed white
But I look up and see the road that lies ahead
It’s straight and narrow
No room for what I like to do
And then, I recall, life was good before —
When I went my own way
And followed my own cuesSo I’ll go on ahead of you
For I think I know the way
Maybe we’ll talk from time to time
But when I need you most, be sure you’re there
Otherwise just watch and see
Because I think that I’ll be fine
I’ll run back if I have to
But don’t slow me down
And if you need anything from me
I’ll try to find the timeI’ve done this all before, you know
Though you’ve given me fresh new legs
I can run this race on my own
Nothing is different
Though everything’s changed
Thanks for the lift, but I’ll take it from here
I’ll see you at the finish line
Hope you’re waiting there to cheer… -
Beautiful
You are Beautiful, my child
And I know that you are scared
Things are not as you’d hoped they would be
But I want you to know
Although you feel alone
I am with you and am working to set you freeThis is not the life I want for you
Or a pain I want you to endure
But this world is not what I intend
Though it all has gone astray
The plans for you I’ve made
Will bring your sorrow to an endTake my hand and follow me
And I will show you something new
I will show you something true
Let me put my arms around you
That you may know that you are loved
That you may know your Daddy aboveThere is hope for you, my child
So have courage in what’s to come
Even as you tread carefully in the dark
For a brand new life awaits you
Much more than can be dreamed
Where you can dare to make your markYou are precious to me, my child
And I’ve never left your side
Though you think I’ve left you far behind
Am I powerless to save you?
Do you think I cannot hear?
Is it possible that I could be so blind?Once you asked I leave you be
You thought that would make you free
But now you live more like a slave
But here I am to rescue you
Here I am to set you loose
So turn to me and in my arms be savedTake my hand and walk with me
And creation will come alive
And you will learn to thrive
Let me put my arms around you
That you may know your Daddy above
For you are Beautiful, my love -
Overflowing
Psalm 16:5-6 Life sure can be overwhelming
To the point I feel so sick inside
The world appears
To feed on my fears
And it seems I have no place to hideLord, I don’t know where I’m going
Though I certainly know where I’ve been
Can you guide me along
This path that seems wrong?
Let me fall back in your arms once againThe days just seem harder and harder
As if nothing I do makes a change
My steps seem to falter
As I fall at the altar
Of the world I’ve tried to arrangeSome say that their cup is half empty
But mine seems to be way too full
I struggle to carry
This cross that’s so heavy
If I set it down, will you help me pull?You give me so much responsibility
I feel I’m spread way too thin
It seems like enough
Is just way too much
And I know not where to beginYou can fill me with strength and with courage
To confront the challenges that come
O give me the might
To be strong through the fight
And the peace to stand tall when it’s doneMy cup was once just half empty
And my portion a tad bit too small
I struggled to see
What was in front of me
As you prepared me through it allNow I wish this chalice was half empty
Instead of spilling all over my feet
But now I would think
Should I continue to drink…I’ll need to get a bigger cup
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In the Middle
I want to be in the middle of the battle
So that I can see your victory
I want to be lost in the middle of the ocean
Where your power washes over meI want to stand in the middle of the fire
So that my heart can be purified
Keep me in the middle of humiliation
That I would not know pride -
I Was There
I was there in the garden early that day
To bring you and your companions to court
When the one you called “friend” had kissed your cheek
I wondered what I was really there forI was there when they brought you before the governor
When they said you claimed to be a king
But I saw in your eyes there was something more
A strange but wonderful thing -
It Was Me
Luke 22:47-23:34 I watched him in the garden
Greet his friend there with a kiss
Silent as he was led away
Though the soldiers had much to say
Against himI watched him in the courtyard
Afraid they’d take him too
With fear he denied he was a friend
On his courage he could not depend
AnymoreI watched them in the temple courts
As they accused and lied and screamed
They cursed him for all the right he’d done
I watched them as they beat him
And put thorns upon his head
“Crucify Him! He says he’s his father’s son!”I watched them as they led him
Up the long and winding road
They weeped for him along the way
Though they knew not what he’d done that day
Deserving thisI watched them as they stretched him out
Across a tree there on the ground
They took his clothes and bound him
Extending all his limbs
In painIt was clear now that this was an innocent man
And I shouted for them to stop
But my blood ran cold when he drove the nail
Through his wrist from bottom to top
I grabbed the soldier by the arm
And wrestled the hammer free
I cursed him for condemning an innocent man
But when the soldier turned I saw…That it was me
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What Have I Done?
Matthew 26-Present What have I done?
This man has done nothing wrong
Yet I’ve betrayed him into the hands of men
He stands condemned though he was innocent all alongI can’t live with the pain
What have I done?
I claimed not to have known you
I did just what I promised I wouldn’t do
What kind of friend is concerned only for himself?My Lord, please forgive me
You’ve done nothing wrong!
Except be a friend to those who needed love
You took a stand to show the world the truth they never knew
You took the burden of our sin and you gave us all
A chance to be forgiven
But we mistreated you and we tortured you
And we betrayed the trust you gave
Yet still you loved us
When you could have walked away
Still you died that day…What have I done?
Surely this was the ‘Son of God!’
Yet I crucified him with my own hands
I closed my eyes and now I am filled with tearsHow could I have been so blind?
What have I done?
All you’ve ever done is give your love
I thought that I could live my life alone
I turned my back and ignored all of your waysHow could I be so cold?
But you’ve set me free
From the chains of the sin that had a hold on me
You’ve helped me be
A new creation that I now can let the world see
You lifted me out of my despair
While you were still nailed there
Though I mistreated you
And I spat in your face
And laughed at you in your pain
You stood up for me
And begged God to forgive
What I couldn’t even seeMy God! What have I done?
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Scattered Truth
Luke 8:4-15 It gets tossed along the busy streets
Where every kind of bird and insect feed
Trampled underfoot and turned to dust
The hungry find their fill
Yet they remain unsatisfiedIt often lands upon the gravel road
A place that’s rough where the rain hardly falls
There’s no place for the roots to grow
The child finds the sugar
It’s sweet but does not endureSometimes it’s forced to grow among the shadows
Of the prickly-pear or the thorns of a pretty rose
Cut off by the others growing there
It starves for attention
And silently passes awayBut once in awhile it falls in a lovely place
Where life-giving water flows
And the radiance of a loving sun glowsIt grows into a mighty tree
That scatters a hundred or thousand seeds
To be blown by the wind to places unknown…