i wanna sing a song

since I haven't posted any new music in a while....

PSALM 62
Stuart Townsend and Aaron Keyes

My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation,
A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me,
I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me.

O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.

Find rest, my soul, in God alone amid the world’s temptations;
When evil seeks to take a hold I’ll cling to my salvation.
Though riches come and riches go, Don’t set your heart upon them;
The fields of hope in which I sow are harvested in heaven.

I’ll set my gaze on God alone, and trust in Him completely;
With every day pour out my soul, and He will prove His mercy.
Though life is but a fleeting breath, a sigh too brief to measure,
My King has crushed the curse of death and I am His forever.

and a short chorus from Hillsong...

the same power the conquered the grave, lives in me, lives in me

the same love the rescued the earth, lives in me, lives in me

can I be perfectly honest?

I'm learning something about myself...something big.

I'm afraid. I don't mean your average afraid. Not afraid of snakes, or planes, or the dark (although I am afraid of the dark).

I'm afraid of life.

I'm afraid of failure. Afraid of missing the mark. And messing everything up. Afraid of not being smart enough. Afraid of expectations. I'd rather you just not expect anything, I don't know how much I have to give. Afraid of love. Loving others and being loved. Afraid of change. The unknown. Afraid of me. Afraid of you. Afraid of what you'd say if you knew. Afraid I'll miss the plan. And miss out on my whole purpose. Afraid of disappointment. Of disappointing or being disappointed. Afraid of who you might really be. Afraid I'll make the wrong choice. Afraid I'm not pretty enough. That I don't fit the mold. Afraid I'll never figure it out. Afraid if I follow, there will be only pain.

For a long time I've been sitting in the corner, in the dark, afraid. But the Lord is shining His light in...and revealing the deep fears. The light hurts my eyes...but once I'm awake, I've adjusted...Lord, I wanna be brave...help me set my face like a flint and walk straight towards you. No fear, only faith...because perfect love casts out fear!

commission

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered and honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"

-David Livingstone

two things

My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.
John Newton

No Scar?

this has been on my heart, so I'm sharing...

by Amy Carmichael

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?

more music, all the time

Watch Over Me
by Aaron Shust

I was lonely
You came waltzing over to me
And Your eyes they saw right through me
And You heard each one of my cries for help
And You came to rescue me
I was broken
Every prayer that I had spoken
Reached Your ears and all my tears weren’t cried in vain
You carried all my pain
And put me back together again
You watch over me in the darkest valleys
You watch over me when the night seems long
You help me to see the way before me
You watch over me; You watch over me
Always faithful
To be leading, at this moment
Interceding for Your children
Though I’ve wandered astray from Your infinite ways
You’ve never left me alone
Take my frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will guide and defend me
You’ll guard and protect me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will lead me home

living like eternity is at risk

...cause it is!

I am speaking the truth in Christ-I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness ion the Holy Spirit-that I have great sorry and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Romans 9.1-3

I don't know about you, but I don't live this way. Not only do I not live this way, I don't even think this way. Ever. I've never had such great compassion for the nations, for my neighbors, that I'd give up my own eternity for their sake.

If all of this is true...
for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith...Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with god through our Lord Jesus Christ...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!...For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do...
Romans

and this is true...
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night...
Revelation

and this....
1 billion people have never heard the name of Christ
at least 4.5 billion have never encountered Christ

what are we waiting for? how can I not be willing to jump into the chasm of eternity when so many have never known this great love!

We've found someone worth risking it all!

can't somebody do something about this guy?

Sudanese warning on peacekeepers

Sudan has again warned it cannot guarantee the safety of UN and African Union peacekeepers in Darfur if its president is indicted for war crimes.

A presidential adviser said that if the International Criminal Court indicted Omar al-Bashir, Sudan could not be held responsible for the troops' well-being.

Earlier this month, the ICC prosecutor asked judges in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir.

The judges are expected to announce their decision in a few weeks' time.

The adviser, Bona Malual, told the BBC the government was not expelling the joint UN/AU force (Unamid), or even threatening the troops.

It was, he said, simply saying how Sudan would view the situation.

Seven UN peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in northern Darfur the week before the prosecutor's request.

Visas in question

Mr Malual, a veteran south Sudanese politician, was speaking in Ethiopia, which he is visiting as part of Sudan's diplomatic offensive against the indictment.

He was more forthright than any other Sudanese spokesman has been so far about the effect a possible indictment might have on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Darfur, says the BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Mr Malual suggested Unamid could become a kind of Trojan Horse, bringing the threat of arrest into Sudan's own sovereign territory.

He said it meant that the government could not be held responsible for the security and well-being of the peacekeepers and other foreign nationals in Darfur.

It was not a question of asking them to withdraw, he said, but if they did not take this seriously, and left their people in Darfur and anything happened to them, then it was their own responsibility.

The only thing the government might do, he added, would be to cancel the visas and permits they needed to remain in the country.

Story from BBC NEWS

Hosanna

hopefully y'all like music as much as I do...

by Hillsong United

I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the Highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You
Have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

come for me

by Charlie Hall

Jesus come take me away, I long to see Your face
This world is broken yet beautifully made,
Jesus come take me away
Jesus I’ll patiently wait, till like a vapor I’ll fade
Help me fulfill all your dreams for these days,
Jesus I’ll patiently wait

You’ll come again with a shout,
like a thief in the night you’ll come riding on clouds
Finally the voice I have followed for life
has a glorious face that is lit up with light
And you’ll come for me, no more pain, peace,
No more fear, release
just lost and consumed with my glorious King,

And you’ll come for me

Jesus today I am tired, I need your music to come and inspire
I give myself to be refined in this fire,
but Jesus today I’m so tired

Come for me