Lord of sky and sea (sung to the tune of Highland Cathedral)
Heavenly Father Lord of sky and sea
Forever you shall reign throughout eternity
The skies may fall and the seas run dry
Yet we who are yours, oh we shall never die
We magnify our glorious King of Kings
Listen closely hear the angels sing
Of who you are and who you’ll ever be
You came and died so we’re forever free
Omnipotent Father, Love that knows no end
You are our Master, Saviour Lord and friend
We bow before you and we raise our hands
Your throne in heaven it forever stands
Chorus
Now I shout from the mountains high
I belong to you, I belong to you
Let no one ever doubt that I
Am yours till the day I die.
When my wife and I were 17, we had a son called Stephen. It is amazing how much effect he has had upon my life although he only lived for two days. Every life is precious. Our son was only six months in the womb and weighed only two pounds, he fought for every breath, he fought for life. Even after the machines were switched off, he still fought. Yet in some other darkened ward, a child just like ours life was being snuffed out. God sees it all and weeps for the lost generations of children.
Stephen
When I was very young
A star fell from the sky
How could something beautiful
Falter and then die
The light of life shone brightly
In the struggle and the pain
And though the light it soon was gone
I’ll see that light again
Only six months in the womb
He fought for every breath
After two days here among us
His life gave way to death
Yet that star that fell from heaven
That star that shone so bright
Left his mark on me forever
Like the stars that shine at night
So Stephen, Daddy loves you
And no matter where I roam
The day is near upon us
When I’ll be coming home
Then I’ll be with you in the night sky
Perhaps I’ll sit you on my knee
When I join you in the light of Christ
Where we shall ever be.
I was born under an angry sky
At the edge of the world in darkness
A place where the rain never ceased to fall
And boys grew up to be heartless
Tears were banished right from the start
And the foundations of the walls that surrounded our heart
Were laid deep in our souls and minds every day
It was a well-worn path and there was no other way
And the wind blew hard upon the window pane
There was never-ending darkness and never-ending rain
And the hearts of the boys grew dark in the night
Only in your dreams could you run and take flight
Still the morning would come and darkness remained
Look out of the window and it continually rained
Every blow to the heart another brick in the wall
The more you laid bare the more it grew tall
The land of broken hearts is full of high towers
Tis a black and white land ruled by darkened powers
Towers of lost tears and towers of pain
Tis full of dark clouds and continual rain
Yet there were some who spoke of a world of light
Where tears could fall and no continual night
This world had a King who had come to this land
They put nails in His feet and nails in His hand
The powers of darkness screamed in delight
As they pierced His side, this King of the Light
He had come to replace the hearts that were broken
With power and love in every word He had spoken
So they nailed the Word to the cross that day
Then they took Him down and in the cave He would lay
And they rolled a stone just to shut Him in
And the darkness fell and rejoiced in its sin
And the brokenhearted wept for their King
He had taught them to pray and taught them to sing
Yet the rain and the darkness seemed to prevail
By the power of the sword and the power of the nail
Then out through the darkness broke forth a great light
The rolled away stone revealed a glorious sight
The grave could not hold Him and death was defeated
Look up to the throne and see where He’s seated
Our King was victorious, the chains they were broken
Those asleep in the darkness were gloriously awoken
In victory He arose and He broke deaths spell
In the land of broken hearts the towers fell
The captives came forth their hearts were renewed
And the powers of darkness were finally subdued
No longer prisoners of the darkness and pain
Their tears were recovered and they fell like rain
Wind of the Spirit play the strings of my heart
Discover who I am, each and every part
I stand before you my heavenly King
You look at me and see everything
Nothing hidden, no secrets just you and me
With eyes ablaze that can truly see
Your Blood and your love they cover my sin
And with coals of fire I am cleansed from within
There is fire in your Blood that flows from the cross
And love from above that’s more than all loss
My thoughts of these things are so very few
When I consider that now I am found in you
The strings of my heart play a glorious song
As I am swept up in a heavenly throng
The hand of My God plays a sweet melody
My heart’s in Your hand and forever shall be.
Lay me down in a troubled land
I shall ever rest in the palm of your hand
My soul is refreshed by the waters of your Life
You are the Husband and the Body is your wife
I shall shout for joy from the depths of my soul
For I was broken and you made me whole
You lifted me up when I was down
It’s in Your love that I now abound
I have never hungered in a famined land
Even when I fall you make me stand
Your Living waters refresh my soul
You have replaced what my enemy stole
My leaf has not withered even in the drought
And from the mountain-tops you shall hear me shout
Glory hallelujah to the King of all the nations
I stand here not on sand but on your firm foundation
I have known your favor and Your grace rescues me
I an surrounded on every side like the deepest sea
The radiance of your beauty lights up my whole world
And Your banner over me is simply love unfurled
When the rainbow bursts into a thousand pieces
And showers down into my heart
And my soul lights up with the colors of heaven
And shines out boldly into the dark
When life and all its ways flood in
And the perpetual winter is here to stay
And spring is just some distant dream
We cannot rise but fall and pray
We know there’s a bright and morning star
That rises through the depths of winters loss
And the Balm of Gideon soothes our pain
Yet we know we shall never be the same again
And twilight echoes in the sky above
Cascading down in a shower of love
And the memories fade but linger yet
Like the setting of a sun that will never truly set.
It was one heart that formed the mountains
It was one heart that tamed the mighty seas
It was one heart that raised me back to life
Twas this one heart I found upon my knees
And with this one heart I am saved forever
And this one heart has opened up the door
This one heart laid the foundations of the world
And in this one heart I will dwell forever more
It was one heart that carved out the valleys
It was one heart that planted all the trees
It was one heart that formed the little babies
Twas this one heart I found upon my knees
And with this one heart I was born again forever
And this one heart will take me gently ore
This one heart created all the heavens
And in this one heart I will dwell forever more
This one heart belongs to God the Father
And the Blood flowed from Jesus Christ His Son
And by the power of the blessed Holy Spirit
We shall all stand together here as one
One heart, one soul, one mind, one Body
One purpose in everything we do
It is this one heart that holds it all together
And it is this one heart that will see us through
I know what a great privilege it is
For one such as thee to incline thine ear to me
To look upon one without much honor
Not upon what i am but what you would have me to be
You lead and guide with your mercy
And with such perfect grace you deem to look upon my face
I who am the least of the weakest clan
And the very air that I breathe is your exhaled grace
Father in heaven how i love you
You have heard my pleas whilst down upon my knees
I live because of your good pleasure
And have discovered a love that’s deeper than the waters of the seas
I’ve seen rainbows in the waterfall
As a child I heard my mother call
He lifts me up every time I fall
It all belongs to Him
I’ve seen dolphins dance upon the waves
I’ve watched squirrels as they misbehave
I’ve seen my Lord and how He truly saves
It all belongs to Him
I’ve seen starlings playing in the sky
I’ve seen the eagles teach their young to fly
I saw my Lord, He came to bleed and die
It all belongs to Him
I have seen a little baby crawl
Then I’ve seen him standing oh so tall
When I cry my Lord He hears my call
It all belongs to Him
So when you see the setting sun go down
And all the kings have finally lost their crown
And tongues confess and every knee bows down
It all belongs to Him
Can you see the furrows on my brow
Each tells a hundred stories of the whys and of the how
I have walked through howling winds I have walked through pouring rain
I have journeyed through the joys and I have journeyed through the pain
Every single furrow marks the valleys I have trod
And the narrow winding road that leads me back to God
And every single line that is marked upon my face
Highlights the very fact that I have lived by grace
Each and every soldier bears the scars of many fights
For every cloudless day there are just as many nights
But even through the furrows and all my many lines
You will see my joy, you’ll see my love and many other signs
For though I bear the scars that are etched upon my back
In the depths of my very soul there has never been a lack
There’s a deep wellspring of peace that continually flows
Despite the many rains and the mighty wind that blows
There is a greater wind from God that carries me along
There is a latter rain from heaven that makes me very strong
The hand of God Himself is the hand that holds the plow
You will know I’ve been to war by the furrows on my brow.
If every tear could tell a story
About your love and all its glory
Could you read the words that I cry
Could you even begin to try
With every single tear that fell
There is a story it will tell
A single tear that falls with emotion
Is deeper than the deepest ocean
Tears of joy and tears of pain
A single tear or falling rain
Some tears are caused by a poison dart
That finds it mark and breaks the heart
Some tears come from a cleansing flood
Part of the river and part of the blood
Other tears fall from bitter regret
Of all the things done we’d rather forget
So when all of your tears are gathered together
And are carried away by that heavenly river
They will flow to a sea and by its name it will bless
For the name of that sea is forgetfulness
I wrote this song for those who suffer from chronic pain of one kind or another, emotional or physical.
STILL GOD IN THE MIDST OF PAIN
Can I suffer through the pain
Can I love Him in the flames
Will you come and hold me up
When life has come and filled my cup
When my weary soul begins to tire
I find my Lord in the midst of fire
Oh Lord take me a little higher
And my Lord lifts me up
Will I make it till the end
Not without my Lord and friend
Oh Lord of wounds and stripes and pain
Shield me from the pouring rain
When my weary soul begins to tire
I find my Lord in the midst of fire
Oh Lord take me a little higher
And my Lord lifts me up
When all of life becomes too much
I desperately need to feel your touch
Oh Lord consume me with your power
And raise me up to your high tower
When my weary soul begins to tire
I find my Lord in the midst of fire
Oh Lord take me a little higher
And my Lord lifts me up
And when the race is finally won
And this world gives way to the eternal Son
You dear Lord were faithful and true
It was by your hand that I got through
When my weary soul begins to tire
I find my Lord in the midst of fire
Oh Lord take me a little higher
And my Lord lifts me up
A neighbor shot himself in the field behind my house on Tuesday. It is profoundly sad and tragic. I spent the the first few days of this week writing a poem about the many struggles that I had prior to becoming a Christian with this particular demon. This man was a good man. He was a Christian. I had spoken to him many times. The last time we spoke he gave me some tiny little crosses that he would hand out to people, he said that he knew I spoke to people and maybe I could give them one. I want you to know today that if you are struggling with this issue, please speak to someone, find someone. I also want to ask folks today to engage people more, even just ask how someone is doing. In a supposedly connected world we have become so disconnected. I pray the Lord’s grace upon his wife and adult children.
I was born with a trembling soul
Intuitively knowing that I’d have to pay the toll
Darkened troubled waters and the wind was in my face
Staying alive was just one perpetual race
Swimming up the river, never ever down
Really,would it be such a big deal just to drown
Just to stop the thrashing and simply to let go
And the darkened troubled waters would take me in its flow
You would see me laugh but you would never see me cry
The trouble with troubled waters is that they dare you to die
Hopes and expectations were for ordinary people
In my darkened troubled waters, hope was truly lethal
Pretending to be normal was the greatest pain of all
It looked like I was walking but it really was a crawl
The darkened troubled waters they were seeping into me
This was the kind of darkness that no one must ever see
It was the bottom of a bottle, sex and then a roach
In no particular order, this was my approach
And all the while the waters rise trying to pull you down
Any light was left receding as the darkness gathered round
Darkened troubled waters and a trembling soul
The man in dark was coming, he was coming for his toll
I looked around and found myself at the bottom of the pit
I looked up and saw no light and knew that this was it
I looked down in horror, no heart no flesh no bone
I looked around in horror, my God I’m all alone
And in that moment I cried “my God please come to me”
And suddenly there was light “I have come to set you free.”
And so it was and so it is my Father took me by the hand
Upward ever upward out of the pit into the promised land
He set me on the Rock and I looked down, no longer a heart of steel
Within my chest a new heart beat and it could love and it could feel
If you swim in troubled waters and there’s no where left to go
There’s no more fight, you’ve given up and are carried by its flow
There is a hand that reaches down and He will make you whole
For the hand belongs to the Son of God, He’s already paid the toll.
For what am I without the Lord?
A butterfly without a wing
A nightingale that cannot sing
A man who truly has no tears
Simply drowning in his fears
For what am I without the Lord?
A child without a lullaby
A sea that surely has run dry
A dark night sky without the moon
A man who cannot die too soon
For what am I without the Lord?
A child without a mother’s breast
A bird with chicks who has no nest
A man who has no will to live
Who has no heart that can forgive
Now what am I with my dear Lord
A valley through the mountains high
A swallow flying in the sky
A sun that sets in a majestic sea
A shackled prisoner now set free
One hundred evil hands reach up
They try to pull me down
One thousand hands reach from the sky
And lift my weary soul on high
There is a heavenly host above
A glorious cloud that covers with love
That sees your struggles and your fight
As the darkness comes against the light
But I will rise and not stay down
I will get up and claim my crown
And whether I am rich or poor
In Christ alone I will endure
I may be naked but clothed in light
I may be distressed but still ready to fight
I may be cast down but not defeated
For I lift my eyes to where Christ is seated
For in this vessel dwells heavenly treasure
Tis Christ alone who is my measure
For light is my affliction and Christ my story
I run the race for eternal glory
There is something about the butterfly
That once was tethered to earth
Suddenly released from its shackles
To fly in the heavens and serve
No longer bound by its original state
Gazing at the sky and having to wait
Now to fly in the heavens without limit
Ever closer to God with each passing minute
I too was bound by earthly limitations
No spiritual thoughts nor heavenly expectations
Just trudging along and playing the game
Knowing that yesterday, today and tomorrow’d be the same
I could not see beyond my earthly horizon
Nothing in my life that was even surprising
I knew all too well of my limitations
I was shackled and bolted to my earthly foundations
Then along came my King and set my soul free
He gave me my wings and eyes that could see
And a heart that knew I was no longer bound
So I flapped my wings and my feet left the ground
And now I soar in the heavens above
Lifted higher and higher in the updrafts of Love
No longer mindful of my earthly things
Just praising my Lord for my butterfly wings.
