I want Jesus to walk with me I want Jesus to walk with me All along my pilgrim journey I want Jesus to walk with me
In my trial, Lord, walk with me In my trials, Lord, walk with me When the shades of life are falling Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me
In my sorrow, Lord walk with me In my sorrows, Lord walk with me When my heart is aching Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me
In my troubles, Lord walk with me In my troubles, Lord walk with me When my life becomes a burden, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me ~Spiritual
What more can I hope for
than to never be alone
in my fears, my worries, my troubles, my burdens,
when my heart aches with the joy
that God is here, with me, for me,
and I am here, with Him, for Him,
because of Him.
Peace be to you and grace from Him Who freed us from our sin Who loved us all, and shed his blood That we might saved be.
Sing holy, holy to our Lord The Lord almighty God Who was and is, and is to come Sing holy, holy Lord.
Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein Rejoice on earth, ye saints below For Christ is coming, Is coming soon For Christ is coming soon.
E’en so Lord Jesus quickly come And night shall be no more They need no light, no lamp, nor sun For Christ will be their All! ~Paul Manz
Imagine that
which transforms sorrows,
banishes the night
so darkness flees.
It is that
of which I sing,
that about which I rejoice,
that which bought me
and set me free.
His love is all.
That which was, is and will be
has risen.
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home,– Lead thou me on! Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene,–one step enough for me.
O lux aeterna, lead thou me on O lux beata, lead, kindly light, lead me on So long thy power has blest me, sure it still Will lead me on
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou Shouldst lead me on: I loved to choose and see my path, but now Lead thou me on! I loved the garish days, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still Will lead me on; O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till The night is gone; And with the morn those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. ~John Henry Newman
Lead, kindly light, amidst the grey and gloom The night is long and I am far from home Here in the dark, I do not ask to see The path ahead–one step enough for me Lead on, lead on, kindly light.
I was not ever willing to be led I could have stayed, but I ran instead In spite of fear, I followed my pride My eyes could see, but my heart was blind Lead on, lead on, kindly light.
And in the night, when I was afraid Your feet beside my own on the way Each stumbling step where other men have trod shortens the road leading home to my God Lead on, lead on, my God, my God, lead on, lead on, kindly light. ~Audrey Assad inspired by Ven. John Henry Cardinal Newman’s poem of the same name
Waking up in a storm-tossed night,
in pitch blackness, realizing the power has gone out,
and the bedside flashlight is not where it should be~
the familiar path to bathroom and kitchen
becomes obstacle course,
full of places to trip
and stub toes
and bump heads.
Illumination for only the next step
is all I need.
A small circle of light that shows
where to safely put my foot.
You, Lord, step alongside me
You, Lord, make the dark less fearsome
You, Lord, are that safe and kindly light
that never goes out.
His voice, as the sound of the dulcimer sweet,
Is heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet,
The air is perfumed with His breath.
His lips as the fountain of righteousness flow,
That waters the garden of grace,
From which their salvation the Gentiles shall know,
And bask in the smiles of His face.O! Thou in Whose presence my soul takes delight,
On Whom in affliction I call;
My Comfort by day,
And my Song in the night,
My Hope, my Salvation, my All?
Where dost Thou at noontide resort with Thy sheep,
To feed on the pastures of love?
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or ‘lone in the wilderness rove?
O! why should I wander an alien from thee,
And cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.
Ye daughters of Zion, declare,
Have you seen the Star that on Israel shone?
Say if in your tents my Belovèd hath been,
And where, with His flock, is He gone?
“What is thy Belovèd, thou dignified fair?
What excellent beauties hath He?
His charms and perfections be pleased to declare,
That we may embrace Him with thee.”
This is my Belovèd, His form is divine;
His vestments shed odor around;
The locks on His head are as grapes on the vine,
When autumn with plenty is crowned.
The roses of Sharon, the lilies that grow in the vales,
On the banks of the streams
On His cheeks in the beauty of excellence blow;
His eyes are as quivers of beams.
His voice as the sound of the dulcimer sweet is
Heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet,
The air is perfumed with His breath.
Read more at http://www.lyrster.com/lyrics/his-voice-as-the-sound-lyrics-mormon-tabernacle-choir.html#HhDxcEshh3JGXUG6.99
His voice, as the sound of the dulcimer sweet, is heard through the shadows of death; The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet, the air is perfumed with His breath. His lips as the fountain of righteousness flow, that waters the garden of grace, From which their salvation the Gentiles shall know, and bask in the smile of His face.
Love sits in his eyelids and scatters delight, through all the bright regions on high. Their faces the cherubim veil in his sight, and tremble with fullness of joy. He looks and ten thousands of angels rejoice, and myriads wait for His word. He speaks and eternity filled with His voice Re-echoes the praise of the Lord.
He looks and ten thousands of angels rejoice, and myriads wait for His word. He speaks and eternity filled with His voice Re-echoes the praise of the Lord. Re-echoes the praise of the Lord.
~ Southern Folk Hymn
During these days of bright darkness
preparing for next week,
I am absorbed in all I am not,
my shortcomings and failings,
my temptation to deny self-denial,
my inability to see beyond my own troubles,
forgetting this is not all about me:
~neglecting to witness first hand
all that God through Christ is~
the beauty in His becoming man,
the joy of His joining up with us,
the love in His gracious sacrifice,
the full promise of His Word that breathes
life back into my dying soul~
and so it becomes all about me
not because of
what I’ve done,
or who I am,
but because of
who He is and was and will be,
loving us
no matter what.
His voice, as the sound of the dulcimer sweet,
Is heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet,
The air is perfumed with His breath.
His lips as the fountain of righteousness flow,
That waters the garden of grace,
From which their salvation the Gentiles shall know,
And bask in the smiles of His face.O! Thou in Whose presence my soul takes delight,
On Whom in affliction I call;
My Comfort by day,
And my Song in the night,
My Hope, my Salvation, my All?
Where dost Thou at noontide resort with Thy sheep,
To feed on the pastures of love?
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or ‘lone in the wilderness rove?
O! why should I wander an alien from thee,
And cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.
Ye daughters of Zion, declare,
Have you seen the Star that on Israel shone?
Say if in your tents my Belovèd hath been,
And where, with His flock, is He gone?
“What is thy Belovèd, thou dignified fair?
What excellent beauties hath He?
His charms and perfections be pleased to declare,
That we may embrace Him with thee.”
This is my Belovèd, His form is divine;
His vestments shed odor around;
The locks on His head are as grapes on the vine,
When autumn with plenty is crowned.
The roses of Sharon, the lilies that grow in the vales,
On the banks of the streams
On His cheeks in the beauty of excellence blow;
His eyes are as quivers of beams.
His voice as the sound of the dulcimer sweet is
Heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet,
The air is perfumed with His breath.
Read more at http://www.lyrster.com/lyrics/his-voice-as-the-sound-lyrics-mormon-tabernacle-choir.html#HhDxcEshh3JGXUG6.99
The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain: Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky. ~Frederick Lehman
Each photo taken of the horizon
of our farm’s surrounding mountains
and silhouetted trees,
of glowing colors and hues
in clouds and sky,
is my mere attempt to scribe
for the record
the love of God
unchangeable
strong
pure
coming from above
reaching down
to touch
even one
such as me.
In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, You can have all this world, But give me Jesus
When I am alone When I am alone When I am alone, give me Jesus Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, You can have all this world, But give me Jesus
When I come to die When I come to die When I come to die, give me Jesus Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, You can have all this world, You can have all this world, You can have all this world, But give me Jesus ~Jeremy Camp
Those who know me well
know I fret and worry
better than most.
Medical training makes it worse.
It teaches you to think catastrophically.That I do, for a living,
to always be ready for the worse case scenario.
When it comes to my own aging body,
it isn’t hard to come up with worse cases.
When I rise, sleepless,
to face a day of uncertainty
as we all do at times,
I reach for the certainty I know
to comfort me
body and soul
when I am afraid~
give me Jesus.
Some bright morning when this life is o’er I’ll fly away To that home on God’s celestial shore I’ll fly away.
Chorus: I’ll fly away, oh Glory I’ll fly away in the morning When I die Hallelujah, by and by I’ll fly away.
When the shadows of this life have gone I’ll fly away Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly I’ll fly away.
Oh, how glad and happy when we meet I’ll fly away No more cold iron shackles on my feet I’ll fly away.
Just a few more weary days and then I’ll fly away To a land where joys will never end I’ll fly away.
When I die Hallelujah, by and by I’ll fly away… ~Albert Brumley
Most of us don’t want to let go
of this familiar soil,
rocky and muddy as it is.
By and by may seem too far
but it could be today.
As I’ve watched folks die,
it is not so much flying away
but letting go of here
to be led there to that new home,
picked up and carried
to a Hallelujah by and by.
Men of faith rise up and sing Of the great and glorious King You are strong when you feel weak In your brokenness complete
Shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
Rise up women of the truth Stand and sing to broken hearts Who can know the healing power Of our awesome King of love
And shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
And we will shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
We’ve been through fire, we’ve been through pain We’ve been refined by the power of Your name We’ve fallen deeper in love with You You’ve burned the truth on our lips
Shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
And we will shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all Yes, He’s Lord of heaven and earth
Rise up church with broken wings Fill this place with songs again Of our God who reigns on high By his grace again we’ll fly
Shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
Yeah, we will shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
Yeah, we will shout to the north and the south Sing to the east and the west Jesus is Savior to all He’s Lord of heaven and earth
Yes, He’s Lord of heaven and earth Yes, He’s Lord of heaven and earth Yes, He’s Lord of heaven and earth ~Robin Mark
There is much wrong with the church overall,
comprised as it is
with fallen people
with broken wings
determined to find flaws in each other
in doctrine, tradition, beliefs.
What is right with the church,
is who we sing to,why we sing,
whose body we are part of
despite our thoroughly motley messiness:
Our Lord of Heaven and Earth.
Calvary, Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
Calvary, Calvary,
surely he died on Calvary.
Every time I think about Jesus, every time I think about Jesus, every time I think about Jesus, surely he died on Calvary.
Don’t you hear the hammering? Don’t you hear the hammering? Don’t you hear the hammering? Surely he died on Calvary.
Don’t you hear him calling Father? Don’t you hear him calling Father? Don’t you hear him calling Father? Surely he died on Calvary.
Don’t you hear him say “It is finished?” Don’t you hear him say “It is finished?” Don’t you hear him say “It is finished?” Surely he died on Calvary.
Make me trouble thinking ’bout dying, make me trouble thinking ’bout dying, make me trouble thinking ’bout dying, surely he died on Calvary.
Jesus furnished my salvation. Jesus furnished my salvation. Jesus furnished my salvation. Surely he died on Calvary.
Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Surely he died on Calvary.
African-American Spiritual
“It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth And when we come to it To the day of peacemaking When we release our fingers From fists of hostility And allow the pure air to cool our palms…” ~Maya Angelou
Christ released us
to unclench our fingers,
stop making fists,
to trust His way of making peace
through sacrifice.
