Trust

I trust You

Whatever will be

I trust You know better then I do

What’s best for them and for me

Our own plans are so small

Compared to those of Your will

So I remember today to trust You

And be still.

Sing

You give me a song to sing

When my heart is trembling

When sorrow is knocking on the door

You give me a song to sing

When my life is struck by thunder

When I can carry on no more

You give me a song to sing

To rise my tune above all earthly things

And on your wings of gladness soar

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Life Line

I can write my story

I can tell you where I’ve failed

I can glory in the ways I got back up

But there’s a better story to tell

My common thread

My strong life line

Who’s been by my side

Since the beginning of time

He knows my frailties

Seen me through my darkest nights

He wakes me up every morning

And encourages me in this life

Just As I Am

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity as a lyricist on one of Olya Homesin’s new songs “Just As I Am”. Olya sings on the Praise and Worship team at “The Story Church” in Houston, TX. The single (or 3 song album) will be available for download on August 23rd. If you’d like, you can go to the link below to presave it and be notified by platforms when it’s out. I believe you will be blessed by her beautiful voice!

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/olyahomesin/through-time?fbclid=IwAR0upFvGApF1NOveCmo9tq4cnsJu9LDGeuAVyoNvD63HX7uTArOtTryXubo_aem_Aaz9GDEBzzrqA9_UeswjLYacfLQm-0No00VMHvdrr3h8ZBG18k1a5mExDLdEQHcM0CU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Psalm 103

Let all that is within me

Praise Your Holy Name

You rescue from the fire

Let all my actions and my words

Contribute to all You desire

You hear, You see

You answer, You free

Your love will not go unnoticed by me

Please and Thank You

Please reconcile all that’s gone wrong

Please heal hearts that have been hurting too long.

Please give peace where there are no answers

Please fill our hearts with grace for one another.

Please pave a new road for relationships gone bad

Please infuse hope for new memories to be had.

Thank You for wanting to hear our prayers.

Thank You for welcoming us into Your care.   

This Life

One day I’ll see You as You are

No hidden veil, healed battle scars

One day, I’ll join You in eternity

Until then, You have plans for me

Mountaintop views, treacherous terrain

Tests, trials, blessings – all for Your name

You refine, redefine, give new life and rebirth

Preparing my soul for heaven’s will on earth.

You See

You know my heart, You see my pain

In faithfulness Your love remains

You heal, restore, open up the doors

Your power breaks chains, I am sustained

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

You Knew

Inside my weakness, struck with flaws

Your power and plan considers them all

Never blind nor deaf, not surprised by defeat

But with a smile and a nudge,

You get me back on my feet

You knew the path, You knew the way

You knew what it would take

to prepare me for this day.

Gratitude

I am grateful

For life, second chances

And beautiful sunrises

I am grateful

For family, friends

Mercies that never end

I am grateful

For moments of blessings and truth

Lord, I am grateful for You

Your Embrace

When the crown turns into thorns

And the payment owed

Is more than I have to give

When my trials find me on my knees

And failures make each day so hard to live

I look to my Savior

Grateful I am His

When a mountain top is reached

And blessings shower down all over me

I stand in awe

Your grace too much to bear

Overwhelming joy mine to declare

I look to my Savior

Grateful He brought me here

Faithful

He collects our tears in a jar

To one day be redeemed

He sees who we truly are

And loves us all the same.

He sees our struggles

He sees our pain

He heals, restores

His faithfulness remains.

Hope

You are near to the broken hearted

You are near to those lost

Your faithfulness to us

Came at a great cost

You don’t see our iniquity

You don’t see our faults

Your Son paid that price

On the cross

We live in a world

Where questions abound

Doubt seeps in

And hopelessness is found

But Your Word and truth

Gives hope

Your voice and forgiveness

Helps us to cope

Every moment brings a new promise

A new sunrise and change

Every prayer makes us feel heard

And gives us hope for the next day

As a Child

Can we find the words of faith to utter yet one more prayer?

Is our seed of faith big enough for one more trial to bear?

You say come to You as a child, believing in your care.

Your forgiveness, your provisions, your promises are waiting for us there.

“But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” Matthew 19:14

Be Teachable

You give me what I need

When I need it

Even though my understanding

may be wrong

You teach new truths

And clarify questions

You lovingly show me

Where I belong

I’ll acknowledge the signs

And accept the corrections.

I’ll allow myself

To hear what You say

I’ll let go of the past

Knowing it was all direction

To develop me more

And brighten tomorrow’s day

Renew

Don’t let the past define you

But your eyes of faith provide you

Hope for each new day

Let the lessons teach you

But not the pain beseech you

To fall into doubt or dismay

Let your heart be renewed

Through the grace He gives to you

As He washes yesterday away

He Walks with Me

A secret way by which You lead

Off the beaten path

Where no other traveler has set foot

Just You and I together at last

A place where You tell me

Of things long ago

And give me glimpses

Of where we’ll go

We sit by a stream

to refresh and renew

Where I bask in Your presence

And give my praise to You

Stand Firm

Stand firm, He says

Do not be swayed or dismayed

Stand firm, He says

Knowing I command the waves

Don’t let impatience have its voice

Calling you away or aside

Don’t rush ahead to force change

Convinced by your own pride

No, stand firm, He says

In my will and in my way

Stand firm, He says

For I rule this and every day.

Single Petition

Two are better than one, they say

So please send someone my way

But not just any man will do

He must know, seek and follow You.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Deafening

I can’t hear a thing

When did it get so silent in here?

All the answers disappeared

Just waiting for a message from up there

Are my ears clogged

Did you pull the curtain?

Maybe my speech is too flawed

Of this I’m pretty certain.

Picture Perfect

Thank you for loving me where I am

You remove all rules and regulations

The broken woman that I am

Needs no excuse or explanation

I am free to live and trust in You

I am free from my past restraints

You’ve designed the perfect life for me

The narrative I don’t need to repaint

In Grace Alone

Just as I am

I find your embrace

You’ll use me here

In this very place

Not by my merit

But by your grace

“From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” John 1:16

Hope Beyond all Reason

If the Lord wills it, it will come to pass

Although his timing looks different than mine

While in the waiting, I can rest assured

Knowing at his determined time, his promises I’ll find

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:19-21

In Want and in Plenty

Let my hunger drive me to You, to bow at your throne of grace

But when I’m full and satisfied, may I remain in that place.

Let my blindness lead to a renewed and strengthened faith

But once my vision is clear, may I continue to see your face.

How and When to Go

It was time to go, but I stubbornly stayed

Even when the land around me went dry

Abandoned to this wasteland

Endlessly searching for signs of life

But no sustenance would be found

Only drought and silence would abound

In this dry and fallow ground

With reluctance and tiny steps

And a good bye to all buried below

I gathered up my belongings and heart

And found His footsteps to follow

““ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.” Leviticus 26:18-20

Confidence

I will not wait for You to rescue me

For You already did so on the cross

You’ve given me everything I need

To thrive, succeed and not be lost

My heart and my life

Are under the blanket of your care

I have freedom to move in confidence

And strength for all trials to bear.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

A Love Letter

I love you more then you can grasp. My love is unwavering, unchanging.

And, nothing you can do will alter it or take it away.

When you walk or run away from me, I hurt because I long to be with you.

I chose to face death to be with you.

I chose to see your sins no more.

I chose to speak until you heard me.

I chose to never close the door.

Healing

Let my tears melt the grief

Let my steps erase the memories

Let your truth destroy the lies

Let my prayers heal the sadness

Let your grace remove the regret

Let my faith give thanks for the goodbye

The Real Enemy

Our enemy, the deceiver

Always with something up his sleeve

Seeks to destroy and divide

And works to steal our peace

Be on the lookout, be alert

Hedge your heart so he can’t get in

Once inside the disguise is greater

And manipulates our lean to sin

Remember who the enemy is

Before his attempts begin

Our fight is not against each other

But principalities of darkness around and within.

“Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” John 13:34

Illustrations of Love

The truth of our redemption

Is the perfect picture of beauty

It embodies the fullness of your grace

To all who will receive and believe

It represents a new covenant

Through your Spirit and sacrifice

It is You ending our lawless attempts

And uniting us as your bride

Savior

He’ll take the leftovers, the cast aways, the ones forgotten and thrown away

He’ll take the hopeless cases, the given up, the accused, the strays

He’ll take them all, bandage their wounds, love them fully and still have room.

He’ll stand beside them as their proud bridegroom and offer them life outside the tomb.

Where to Then?

When He doesn’t raise the dead

But stays longer on his journey instead

When He doesn’t end the suffering

Or the drought with a fresh lain spring

When He allows the boat to capsize

And sits silently while we cry

Where does our faith, then, abide?

To the tomb, to the inner room

To the cross where He was forsaken

To the moments before victory

Where his believers sat unshaken

Iron, Silver & Fruit

We sharpened each other

Like an axe to the grind

Bearing down all the edges

Smoothing sin we tried to hide

Our weaknesses surfaced

But in grace we loved anyway

As little by little his righteousness

Burst forth and took the stage

For you, my friend, bore fruit in me

And I the same in you

I’ll never forget and always be thankful

For the refining we went through

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

“This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” Zechariah 13:9

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2

Believe

Let not my pride rob me

Nor my unforgiveness blind me

But my eyes of faith provide me

Vision to hope and believe

Let not my doubt corrupt me

Nor my selfishness drive me

But my call of grace guide me

To more than I can think or dream

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20

Sweet Surrender

To walk with You is my greatest desire

Receiving the wisdom of my faithful Father

No other fortunes or earthly ways

Satisfy this heart like your embrace

You humble every lofty idea

Reminding me I am but dust

All while loving and blessing me here

What a gift! The simplicity of trust

“More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:8

Wind or Will

It will disappear with the wind

If it is something I want to make believe

Unless it is God-breathed

If it is his will

And of this, I’m convinced

I no longer need to see the evidence

The Flood

You’re working in each of our lives

For You know all the changes needed

Still in the storm, clinging to the one branch left

You’ll let us know when the waters have receded

“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.” Genesis 8:11

God of Certainty

He is not a God of confusion

He clearly lays his plans out

He whispers his intentions

And is faithful to bring them about

So don’t let the waiting or the shadows

Fill your heart with doubt

“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3

Don’t trade what you know for what you don’t know…

Maybe this part of the past

Won’t be reconciled

Looking back

there may still be gaping holes

But time to let go of the questions

And focus on the truths I know

Although many days

seemed meant for evil

He’ll use them to produce good

Though oft it appeared

the enemy was winning

I’ll see his purpose in the end withstood

Battlefield

With an increase in wind

All my doubt rushed in

Harder pressure on all sides

Surfaced my pride

Humbled to find

The battlefield

In my mind

“The greatest challenge in receiving great things from God is holding on for the last half hour” selected from Streams in the Desert

under cover

Broken,

Missing a beat

Defeated,

Can’t even weep

Faithless,

With no sight

Wishing for answers,

Night after night

Hope is gone

You can’t be found

Only darkness surrounds

“He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.” Job 19:8

Beware

Every bright light

Has to be tested and tried

Held up to your Word

So the darkness can’t hide

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14

“We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Not My Will

I don’t need to make a plan or design my life

My best laid plans are mere rags in His sight

For if I know what He wills will surely come to be

I have nothing to worry as my Savior leads me

On the Way

Closer closer, Lord to Thee

My spirit gets every day

Trusting You for the desires of my heart

And my earthly needs while on the way

To an ever after in glory bright

Where I’ll behold You, your beauty

Your radiant light