Servitude

I've always had a passion for serving God in any way I could. Even from a young age, I volunteered as an altar server, in the community at food banks, and cooking breakfast for the homeless. I later became a Eucharistic Minister in the Catholic Church and was a few hours away from becoming a certified Sunday school teacher. Even when I left the Catholic Church and started going to a non-denominational church, I served in the nursery.

After that, and through a rough season in my life, I found APC and served on the welcome team as an usher and later became the lead usher for the 11:15am service. I went on church planting mission trips and did all I could to please God. From there, I joined the Mt. Nebo campus and was a part of the launch team there. At Mt. Nebo, I wanted to do everything I could to make our space of worship the most comfortable and enjoyable experience I could. I wanted to be the one to put a smile on someone's face. I was a part of the set-up team, helped with the welcome team, and did some of our events. I, I, I, I, I. I got burned out.

Why you may ask?

If it's not obvious, there was a problem. "I" was doing it. I wasn't partnering with God. I wasn't trying to please God. I wasn't trying to serve the people; I was trying to please people.

I saw a video recently that spoke volumes to me and prompted me to dig into this message. Mr. Myron Golden said, "God put us here to please God and serve people, not please people and serve God."

It took me far, far too long in my life; far too long in my relationship with Christ; to come to the realization I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. All the "I"'s and all the misguided attempts to please people or myself by thinking I was pleasing God when all I was doing was trying to fill this want, this need, to please God instead of doing what he asked me to do. Love on people, yes, but do it to please him. Not to please them or do it because you think you're "supposed to do it".

So what's your attitude towards servitude?

What's up Tude? (in my best voice impersonation of Crush from Finding Nemo) Which "tude" are you bringing? Are you going to dial up the attitude or servitude? You can only choose one. Are you going to give in to your attitude (your "Self") and let your wants and needs dictate how you serve? Or are you going to let your servitude (your "Yes Lord") determine how you serve? Where's your mind at? Are you in it to please God or please people, or even yourself?

I'm going to read from the Amplified Bible translation here for its expanded explanation of this passage:

Matthew 16:24 (Amplified Bible): "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].'"

Which "'Tude" are you going to bring? Are you going to lay down what are your wants and your desires and pick up the life God has planned for you? Or are you going to pick up your attitude and put your wants first? Are you going to tell God, "I can't put down this bottle till you stop things from going wrong in my life." Or "God, I won't stop watching porn or reading dirty novels till you give me a partner." Or "God, I won't start tithing until I can make more money or stop having so many bills." (Preaching to myself on that one).

What's your attitude saying there? Are you going to please God and serve the people? Give all to spreading his word and following his instructions, or are you going to give into your friends' voices that say, "Oh, you've changed, you don't want to go out anymore." No thank you, I'm gonna kick it with the Holy Spirit tonight. OH YEAH, I'm gonna get my worship on. I'm gonna praise his name! I'm not putting that poison in me, I'm going to get some of that living water, some of that Holy Ghost Fire.

When I came to SCC and talked to Pastor Kelli about becoming a member, she shared her vision and mission for SCC. I knew at that moment, it wasn't about me, it wasn't about the act of serving God. I wanted to please God and love on people. The people I met at SCC and all those I would come to meet and everyone I would encounter, and be on mission. It wasn't about doing a job. I wasn't there/here to serve to fulfill me. I found "ME" at SCC. I found a family, a church of people who want to please God, who want to love God, who want to spend time getting to know God.

SCC is an equipping church. Pastor Kelli offered an opportunity to partake in a course called "Understudy". What a blessing. To see such an amazing leader shaping other leaders; Iron sharpening Iron. Wooo!

So what are you going to do to please God? What are you going to do to serve his people? How do you find your place in a ministry? The short answer: start doing what pleases God. Your personality and the things you do best will be amplified by his spirit and it will become evident to you and to everyone else what your calling is. If you're pleasing God and doing his will, everything will be much clearer.

Guess what, doing this and asking the Holy Spirit to come into your life you can get a gift. Did you know that the Holy Spirit is giving away gifts? He is.

This is from 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 in the NIV translation:

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

Did you know when you gave your life to Christ you signed up to get gifts? Oh, and so much more. Just like in Matthew 16 where it says it might even involve suffering and trials, but in all that God's there for you, to walk beside you, to give you spiritual gifts, to give you community, to give you love, and hope. And here's the best part, it's all been paid for! Is that a Father worth serving? Isn't that a God worth pleasing?

If you keep reading along in 1st Corinthians the next title is "Unity and Diversity in the Body". Guess what we have here folks? Every one has a story and every story matters to God. We're a multi-generational, multi-ethnic church of God-fearing, God-pursuing, God-love people. This is what pleases God. This is how we serve people.

Matthew 5:46-48 AMP says:

"For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God's blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect."

I want everyone to look to your left. Do they look like you? Then look to your right. Do they look like you? Okay, look at the person behind you, do they look like you? The person in front of you? You don't have to look far here to find someone that doesn't look like you. Isn't that beautiful? Each of these people are different from you in some kind of way. They might be a different sex than you, they might be older than you, they might be shaped differently than you. That pleases God.

Now it's easy to love one another here. This family is so easy to love. There isn't a person in SCC I'd have trouble loving on. You all are great. But if I only love you all, what's that saying? What's the reward in that alone? I've already received my reward. Jesus didn't just love on his disciples. What would our Bible look like if that's all that was documented? People would've been stoning disciples to free up a spot to get into Jesus' circle. Hey, where's Peter? (A voice faintly heard in the distance) "Hey guys, someone pushed me into the well". I mean, c'mon. No, that's not how it was written. He fed thousands with a few loaves and fish, he healed many and spoke to thousands in many lands and to people of all different backgrounds.

Who are you serving? You serving the lost sheep, or are you serving the wants of your flesh?

What's your "'Tude"? Are homeless people so beneath you that you can't take time to give them a meal or some clean socks or some water? Are people of other ethnicities too different for you to get to know?

"What sir, you're a Muslim? Let's go to Starbucks and share our faith. Let me buy you lunch and you can tell me about your life and I'll share mine. I know a great place that's Halal friendly.

Excuse me, I see your body mods and tattoos are amazing, tell me about what inspired them. We can get some coffee, tea, or Red Bull or Celsius, whatever, let's talk.

Excuse me, I see you're out here walking with your walker, can I give you a lift somewhere? Do you need some help to where you're going?

Excuse me, I see you're different, please share your life with me." -Jesus

We may all be different, but we were ALL made in his image. Serving one another should not be that hard. Yes, it often requires us to be uncomfortable, yes, it often is inconvenient to our plans, but the reward God has in store for those who do is more than you could imagine. The reward in this isn't for you. It's for God. It pleases God to see us wanting to love on people as he's loved on us. He wants that love to spread.

God put us here to please God and serve people, not please people and serve God.

The definition of Servitude is: The state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.

Are you going to be completely subject to your wants and needs and give them more power over your life? Or are you going to be completely subject to what God wants for you? Are you going to give God the power over your life, or are you going to keep that power all to yourself and the things of this world you so desire?

I chose God.

Exclusive One

 

 

Exclusive: Noun; an item or publication by only one source.

Adjective; excluding or not admitting other things.

 

              Thinking about the word “Exclusive” reminds me of times when I was kid, seeing on cereal boxes, exclusive items you could get by eating something outrageous like 10 boxes of cereal. Then you send in the proof of purchase along with shipping and handling and you can get that exclusive item. Other times the exclusivity was specific to a gaming system. Nintendo had Mario, Sega had Sonic, Playstation and Xbox have had their share of exclusive titles as well that drew you in to their brand. The made it exclusive so you’d seek after it. Shoes are another example. Nike, Adidas, and Converse have all had exclusive shoes that only their brand had. Even designer shoes have their celebrity exclusive shoes. They all are unique, and all have worth. Growing up I collected trading cards. Some cards had their exclusive things they did. Now in modern times everyone is after the “One of One” cards. Exclusive cards that usually are worth a small fortune. There was a Lord of the Rings card, it was “The One Ring” from the movie. A holographic card that only had one print. If you got that card you were an instant millionaire.

 

              Some of us might have been on a fancy date, in a fancy restaurant. Or perhaps you have seen a movie where a couple go on a date to a nice restaurant and the waiter comes out and offers their wine list. Maybe not in real life, but certainly in the movies, the guy springs for the exclusive wine, the most expensive for the occasion. It’s something that’s precious and revered as better than the rest right? A vintage of wine that’s exquisite and kept for just a special occasion.

 

              In Lacey Sturm’s (Formerly of the band “Flyleaf”) song “Awaken Love”; a song that’s almost a love letter to God has a beautiful chorus. It says “Would you take? Come and break, multiply Open my eyes till we’re standing face to face Awaken love’s exclusive wine”. Then the final chorus “Come and take come and break, multiply open my eyes to the one flesh, drinking in, my only love’s exclusive wine”.  Lacey paints a beautiful picture of the bread and wine, specifically saying my only love (God), his exclusive wine. His sacrificial lamb. His one and only son. Just as we see mimicked in movies and sales and marketing, the value of the exclusivity of the most precious things, we have access to the ultimate exclusive gift ever. All we’re asked is to believe in the Exclusive One. The gift so unbelievably costly, its priceless.

 

              We all know the verse John 3:16. In Matthew 27:50-51 Jesus died and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, Luke 24:5-6 Jesus is risen. The exclusive one, died and risen. The bread and wine of everlasting life. Broken and given to us. It’s something every Christian knows. But we often overlook the how exclusive heaven was until Jesus died for us. John 3:13 says no one has ever gone into heave except the one who came from heaven – The Son of Man. The only Son of God. If you’re a parent and you’ve been separated from your kids, even for a short period of time, you know it’s not easy. God loved us so much, he separated himself from his only son. Sent him here, to suffer, be spit on, whipped, mocked, tortured, and killed. He loves us so much he did that for us. So unworthy and ungrateful and undeserving of such a gift. We were given grace and forgiveness and so much more. We were given Jesus.

 

              Parents are very protective of their kids. Mothers and Fathers alike will defend theirs. They’ll love and protect them with everything in them. I’ve seen the “momma bear” come out in some of the moms I’ve known and it’s a real thing. You don’t mess with a momma’s baby. But could you imagine giving up your one and only child for everyone who’s hurt you, put you down, cussed you out, did you wrong, hurt you, or otherwise was wrong to you? If someone asked you that you’d look at them like you’re crazy right? Not God. Huhuhh. He gave his only Son. He gave us grace. He gave us forgiveness. He gave us life. Forever. He gave us the exclusive one. The most desirable thing you could ever seek. And it’s free. Already paid for. our exclusive one. Thank you Lord! 

I choose you

 I choose you 

Verse 1:

I can't carry a tune

And may not have a powerful voice

But i stand before you now

Because following you is my choice

Bridge:

And i'll always choose to worship you

In hard times; when sad

In good times, when glad

Chorus:

I choose you. I choose you.

Hallelujah Yeshua

I choose you

Verse 2:

I cant play a guitar

And might be a little out of sync

But I stand before you now 

Becasue you are my missing link

Bridge:

And I'll always choose to worship you

In hard times; when sad

In good times; when glad

Chorus:

I choose you. I choose you

Hallelujah Yeahu

I choose you

Weary

 Weary: exhausted of strength, endurance, vigor or freshness. 

    We are a weary world. We're human, and one of the downfalls of our humanity is we often lack the self discipline of consistency and enduring through life. How many times have we worked a job that was the same thing day after day and it just wore us down physically and mentally. we grow weary, we lack strength, we loose a freshness that we had when we first started that job. You start taking PTO just to escape the stress and life sucking work of that job. Sometimes its it might not be a job, it might be an illness, or long term condition that just makes you...Weary. One way or another, we've all become weary. exhausted. tired. run down. a lifeless zombie going through the motions. 

    As the lyrics of the classic Christmas song 'O Holy Night' goes, 'Till He appears and the soul felt its worth, A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. Before Jesus was born the world, our souls, were lost. God sent his only son, in the most miraculous way. Prophesied in a way that the chance of it actually happening as it was spoken was astronomically obtuse. You have better odds of hitting the lottery 10x in your lifetime than the odds of the Prophesy of how the Lord is born would come to pass. But God looked upon his creation, his children, and sent his Son. the only part of him that could grace humanity, to live, and die, and rise again. God seen our weariness. He seen humanity needed him. we needed his reminder we need his strength, we need him to refresh us, we need him to give us everlasting life. When Jesus was born the weary world rejoiced. 

    We were given a gift that never expires, it never goes away. a forever gift, so when we're tired, exhausted, run down, we have Jesus, God With us, Emmanuel! REJOICE! Because God sees you're weary. God sees you're tired. God sees you! He cares! Lean on his Son, Lean on the Holy Spirit, Lean on God and Rejoice and be glad for he is good. He gave us the gift no one else could. Love, Sacrifice, Grace, and Life. No expiration date. No cost. Batteries not included, but thankfully not needed. Holy Spirit powered, Amen to that! 

    What do wo do with the gift God gave us? we all know God sent his son, we know the scriptures, what do we do when we're weary? Matthew 11:28 Jesus said "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". What does that mean? That means you need to pursue Jesus. you need to talk to him, pray to him. give all your worries and cares to him. He wants you to. He cares for the weak, the tired, the lost. He's there waiting for you with open arms. Reach out to him in praise and worship. Reach out to him in prayer. learn about him. find him in scripture. find him in loving on others. giving to those who despise you. Luke 6 27-36 tells us, its easy to love those who love you, even sinners can do that. Love your enemies. do that and you will find him. he will give you rest from their stress and angst. 

    A weary world rejoices indeed. Just remember, if you're tired, worn out from the hustle and bustle of life, or even the holidays, God gave us a an opportunity for rest and rejuvenation. 

Teacher

     Do you remember the teacher you liked the least of allllll the teachers you ever had? The one's you wanted to skip their class, and sometimes some of us did. The teacher that gave you homework over the weekend or over a holiday? Remember them? Did you learn anything from that teacher? I bet you did. Even if you think you didn't, you did.  It might have been that you learned you don't want to grow up and be like them, but you learned something didn't you? 

    No matter what age we are, we need to be teachable. No matter how much we thing we know about something, we need to remain open minded and able to learn from others. Sometimes in life, the best thing to do is just listen and learn. At the time I'm writing this, I'm 41. When I tell you to be teachable, we need to allow ourselves to be enriched from people and sources of any age. The ageless wisdom of the Bible, the Word Of God, to the kindergartener child who teaches us to share no matter how much we have to CEO, to janitor and all the in between. 

    We're particularly blessed to have a Lord and Savior that came to earth to give us knowledge and teach us. In fact some of the disciples even referred to Jesus as "Rabbi". They knew that in the presence of the Lord, to be open and teachable, by the teacher. THE Teacher. Can you imagine what it would've felt like to be able to learn first hand from Jesus? I feel blessed being able to share with everyone what Jesus has taught me. But to have learned from Jesus, walked by him and was able to consume the wisdom he spoke as it came from his mouth! I wish I could've heard all he shared. However I'm blessed to have what I have from those who were martyred so we may hear his teachings. 

    God has something he wants to teach us. Every day of our lives, he has something for us. Staying grounded in the word, reading it daily, reflecting on it, taking the time consume it. Its a teachable moment we need to take advantage of. its a discipline we often struggle with. I for one, am not a fan of reading. English was one of my worst subjects in school. But as I grow, as I learn, I remain teachable. I seek out knowledge, wisdom, and understanding for what God has for me. We're blessed with amazing pastors that have such a talent for preaching, and teaching us about the word. Telling us more and more about the one we adore. The GOD the most high. And he wants us to pursue him. He wants us to learn from him and learn about him. We'll never know it all. 

    Psalms 25:5 says Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Lead me, allow me to be taught. Are we missing out on an opportunity to be lead for fear of giving up control? Are we missing out on an opportunity to serve God because we're fearful of not knowing, or messing something up? Are we unwilling to be lead? Are we afraid to be lead because we feel that we should be the one doing the leading? If God is the one doing the leading and teaching what do we have to fear? What do we have need to hold onto? He's in control. We just have to listen. Answer him with "Yes" and "Amen". We should be open to the teachable moments when they come because we never know when the next one will arise. 

    Part of being teachable is knowing that you're not always going to succeed. In life we're going to face set backs, failures, and doors closed that God did not want opened. If we're called to be taught, we learn. We don't let adversity stop us. We learn. We pick up our brothers and sisters and dust them off, fix their crowns and we say "Rabbi...Teacher...Lead US!". Be open to the opportunities both good and bad. God's making you walk it for a reason. I might be for a day, it might be for a season. But rest assure he's leading you and teaching you and forming you to be what he wants you to be. HIS. His child. His good and faithful servant. His friend. His beloved. 

Muck and Mire

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtVBSEpvXAM

 

I’ve been listening to this song, and one line in particular has been on my heart. It comes from Psalms 40:2 “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the miry clay; he set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path”.

 

I feel like this week at service we started off in the sludge. Pastor Kelly in her wisdom and experience seen that, and magnificently started to shepherd us back on path. The Holy Spirit was truly working through her. Like a heat seeking missle, called out the needs of the church and prayed through them. Guided us to shake off the funk and praise God and invest in the word he had to share with us. If we just come to consume and not put anything into our relationship with God and not invest in the message he’s bringing us, then we’re lacking. We’re not getting out of what he has for us. This week we were taken from the miry clay, we were pulled from the slimy pit of ourselves, he put us on a rock and set us on the right path. AMEN and AMEN! Shout out to our Pastor on doing such a great job! We are blessed to have her guiding us. (on a side note, the word “Pastor” wasn’t used as a reference until like the 1700’s or something like that. Pastors and priests in much earlier times were referred to as shepherds)

 

I know before coming to SCC I went through a season of sitting in the slimy pit. I became complacent and was just going through the motions. I wasn’t connected. I wasn’t pursing God. I wasn’t invested in the word and reading it daily. I wasn’t participating in service. I tried serving on the welcome team at APC but it was just going through the motions again. I knew I needed to get back to pursuing God. I made up my mind I was going to stop putting off visiting Pastor Kelly and Pastor Ben and go visit. The week I made that decision I felt God telling me to hold on. Pastor Jeff was preaching at SCC and I didn’t want it to be just more of what I was experiencing at APC. So I waited till the following week. I was super excited to see my friends again. It’s been too long since I seen them too. When I arrived at SCC, no doubt, God was with me. I could feel the Holy Spirit renewing my soul. I could feel him working on me. I was greeted by a few familiar faces, and a few unfamiliar. But each person I encountered I felt the sense of community with them. Terry, who I served with said hello and expressed his joy in seeing me, Bryan who I never met before shook my hand and gave me complements on my Steelers gear. And everywhere I turned I was just simply welcomed. I sat down and felt like I was home. God pulled me from the slimy pit I was in. out of the miry clay, out of the funk I was in. Sunday was another reminder that God delivered me from that and so much worse. He’s always there and always pursing me.

 

Jesus, lover of my soul, my savior, my closest friend, I’m sorry I took my eyes off of you and let myself slip into a complacent state. Thank you for delivering me from that place. Just as we all experience the moments of our lives like Peter did when he stepped off the boat, you’re always there to pull us up. Be it unsteady waters, storms, slimy pits, self-inflicted wounds, selfishness, sin, or whatever the case, you’re there, reminding us you paid the price, and set us back on our path.

 

In addition to that, the song reminded me that we too came from clay. We’re the miry clay. There’s topsoil and the organic layers of the earth that sustain life. The subsoil helps support that. Below that is the clay, and below the useless layer of clay, is the bedrock which holds it all in place. The clay layer doesn’t serve much purpose. On its own it’s nothing. God took us from that nothingness and breathed life into us. Took nothing and made each of us in a special way. If you take the clay and mold it, it can be made to be a vessel used for many things. It has to be formed, molded, bent in ways it wasn’t supposed to, folded over and over and formed into something of use. It takes care, put through a furnace, and time to develop the clay into something of use. So no matter what we go through, what fire, what pressure, we must remain flexible and allow God to form us into what he wants us to be. Isaiah 64:8 says, “you are my Father, we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.”. We need to remember that when we’re broken, we’re God’s blank slate, the miry clay, the blank canvas that God creates a masterpiece from. 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord said My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Know that in our weakness, in our brokenness, God’s grace, his love, his power, is made perfect in that moment. He’s there for US! Always pursing, always loving and always there. We are blessed!

Someone seen me

Can someone see me for myself

As I sit here on this shelf

Collecting dust

I begin to rust

Can someone occupy my mind

Of this that does bind

A mental disorder concoction 

My sanity up for auction 

Can someone find my soul

And dig me out of this hole

Goosebumps and tingles

My chains jingle

Can someone hear my pleas 

Too many times found on my knees

Begging for escape

Of my lifeless shape 

Can someone see I've changed

This whole time feeling estranged 

Under attack

Fighting back

Can someone see

See, Just me

Winter's morn.

On my window the soft patter of these frozen flakes

That soothe me as I wake

Under the warmth of cover 

Next to my lover

A feeling I cannot fake

If i could hold the clock hands from ticking

These cherished moments for the picking 

I lay here wishing

For more than one thing 

As the hours keep trickling 

Theres now a rustling of the leaves

Being tossed by the cold breeze

Start the morning coffee 

I'm becoming a softy

We'll be warm as the outside freeze

For its certain the cold of winter approaches 

With no warning or written notices

Season change as does life 

Tomorrow will you still want to be my wife 

In a wedding ceremony with hores drawn coaches 

In this fleeting dream

Things are not as they seem

I wake in my bed

Alone instead

As the sun begins to beam.

Step On me

I wish you could see inside my head

the wonderful things you could dread

I wish you could see my dreams

so I could hear your screams

I wish you were alone with me tonight

I know I wouldn’t put up a fight

just three words you could break me (I love you)

weakening me to one knee

you're so overwhelming

when you’re not complaining

you've got where you want me

step on me

get a little bit higher

when you step on me

I’m your solid ground

don’t make a sound

this is where I’m found

when you step on me

when I’m here for you

you step on me

you could be on fire and never feel it

I gave you my all and you gave me shit

you could have been honest with me

but then you would have some humility

You could have worn a crown

instead used it to beat me down

just three words and I was gone (let me know)

thrown out like garbage on your lawn

you're so overwhelming

when you're contemplating

you got me where you want me

step on me

get a little bit higher

when you step on me

I’m beaten into the ground

can’t make a sound

my voice is downed

when you stepped on me

when was there for you

you stepped on me

can I run this by you

as you run away like you do

can I have some satisfaction

in having some say apart from your faction

I was always a part of the conversation

never in it, but waiting for your revelation

Just three words that were a lie (maybe one day)

then you end me with a sigh

you're so overwhelming

when you're not reciprocating

you got me where you want me

step on me

get a little bit higher

when you step on me

I’m not your ground

don’t make a sound

I won’t be found

when you try to step on me

when I’m not here for you

you try to step on me

If I were

If I were to be an Angel, God would make you my wings

the way you care for me makes makes my heart sing

If I were to preach the gospel to all nations, every person tall and wide

he'd give me the perfect companion in you, and have you by my side

If I were to lead a church and bring the lost to Christ the most high

I'd want to do that with you and rightly so, so on one could question why

If I were to be a prophet and speak his mind

it would be through your voice, a voice that's so kind

If I were to be the best mate for you

God will aid me in all i do

I haven't posted in forever, finally have reason to again :)

Break Free

--Break Free



Break Free
You're breaking me
Put me back together again
I'm made perfect in you

Break Free
You're healing me
Today you saved me again
I'm growing close to you

Break Free
You're unleashing me
with the Holy Spirit again
I'm following after you

Break Free
You're here for me
With your arms open again
I"m living for you

The answer is US

our lives look great in pictures
stale memories of the past
the pain of today not forgotten
good times never seem to last

words sound great in our heads
but a mess when mixed with paper
we keep our feelings down deep inside
that way everyone's a little safer

in all reality its the quite ones
that go by with just a smile
hiding the hurt we've caused them
yet they always go the extra mile

before you go and judge someone today
remember they're just like you
there is a solution that doesn't include "ME"
but starts with "U"

You're pure beauty (set me free)

You're pure beauty, I'm just a beast

I was hungry you gave me a feast 

Show me your love as my prayers will not cease

You're pure beauty, send me your peace

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh

Set me free

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh

Till I'm on my knees

Dear beloved, touch my soul

Send me your spirit, until I am full

Send me your love till I can feel the pull

Dear Beloved, I give you my soul

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh 

Set me free

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh 

Till I'm on my knees

Oh my savior, I'm in too deep

You said I love you, feed my sheep

Send me you love, as I take the leap

Oh my savior, comfort me as I weep

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh 

Set me free

Ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh 

Till I'm on my knees

the back slide

I've slid back so far
i cant see me any more
I've fell down into a hole
that i was never in before
I hid there for a while
rejecting your helping hand
not ready to leave my sorry
and once again stand

when i was down
wanting no one around
i pushed you away
when i was broken
no words to be spoken
i would dread today
now you lift me
so i can see
this is the debt you pay

this is the back slide
this is the bad side
of me
this is the back slide
when i run and hide
from me
this is the back slide
where our souls collide
inevitably

I slid back but what for
now i don't see me anymore
all i can see is you
and all the things you do
i cant hide your love lord
and you have answered my plea
i finally see you lord
i can finally see you in me

when i was down
wanting no one around
i pushed you away

what i stand for

father, son, and spirit; i pray we all hear it
this is my creed.
i want to plant this seed
hear me now and listen; I'm a bold christian
i want to scream it out
come on now shout

this is, this is my heart
this is, this is what i stand for


this is what i stand for
faithful with some so you give me more
this is what i stand for
i live for you 'cause you died for me
this is what i stand for
you fill me up, and then fill me more
this is what i stand for
this is what i stand for