So, Steven Curtis Chapman released a new CD today called “Beauty Will Rise”. I pre-ordered it and got a free download of the whole CD. So in the next few days, I’m going to be going through the album and posting the songs. I am not going to be putting videos up of most of them, but I will post the lyrics and any thoughts I have of them. This is the track listing:
1. Heaven is the Face 2. Beauty Will Rise 3. SEE 4. Just Have to Wait 5. Faithful 6. Questions 7. Our God is in Control 8. February 20 9. God, is it True? (Trust Me) 10. I Will Trust You 11. Jesus Will Meet You There 12. Spring Is ComingThis whole album is very quiet and soft, which is not a big surprise considering the subject (his daughter, Maria Sue, died in a car accident about a year and a half ago), but it is also so full of hope and life. I am looking forward to exploring each of the songs in detail.You can buy the album at any online retailers (iTunes, Amazon, etc…), at Family Christian Stores, or on Steven Curtis Chapman’s website.
I really like this song about giving God glory. It’s very peaceful and the piano in it is very pretty. It’s funny that there seems to be two versions of the song. There is this one here and then there is the one that I own that I like better. Most of the song is exactly the same, but the ending part is different. Maybe one is for radio and one is for regular release.
“Glorified” by Jared Anderson Glorified by Jared AndersonPraise belongs to You Let every kingdom bow Let every ocean roar Let every heart adore You nowPraise belongs to You What can I do but sing? The greatest joy I’ve found Is to lay a crown before my King Before my KingI’ve come to worship I’ve come to lift up Your Name For You deserve this Life laid down like the One that You gave I have but one voice One heart and one sacrifice So, would You take this Life laid down and be glorified Be glorifiedPraise belongs to You Let songs of children rise You silence all Your foes You set Your glory in the skiesPraise belongs to You Creation’s calling now For the King to be revealed Oh, King of Heaven come down King of Heaven come down‘Cause I’ve come to worship I’ve come to lift up Your Name For You deserve this Life laid down like the One that You gave I have but one voice One heart and one sacrifice So, would You take this Life laid down and be glorified Be glorified Be glorified Be glorifiedI’ve come to worship I’ve come to lift up Your Name For You deserve this Life laid down like the One that You gave I have but one voice One heart and one sacrifice So, would You take this Life laid down and be glorified Be glorified Be glorified Be glorified Be glorifiedI’ve come to worship I’ve come to lift up Your Name For You deserve this Life laid down like the One that You gave I have but one voice One heart and one sacrifice So, would You take this Life laid down and be glorified
This is the story of our church losing it’s property put to a song thing. I rather enjoyed making it :) but I need a name…any ideas?
Now, this is a story all about how Our lives got flipped, turned upside down And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there I’ll tell you how we got kicked out of our property right hereIn west Orangeval-e-a, born and raised In the churchhouse was where we spent most of our days Kicking back, fellowship, chillaxin’ all cool And all listenin to our preacher and sippin our joeWe had all our programs, VBS and youth group We all had our lives, whether happy or droop We were Methodists, we knew it with pride We wore the emblem and we gave them a titheThen they went funny, they weren’t Bible-sound We said this won’t work, we can’t stick around Their lives aren’t of truth and we can’t stand the greed They said, hey wait, what about your church deed?We said, you’re mad! This place is ours We bought it with our money, we worked very hard They said, you’re with us, so we get it all We’re taking you to court and they’ll settle this brawlWell, the judge didn’t get it, we had a wacko up there He ruled in their favor, but against our prayers You see, he cared more about their liberal agenda Than about their personal vendettaSo it was settled, and we must find a plan We went to mediation, hoping we can Find a solution to this problem we fared But they were rude, they couldn’t have caredThey didn’t ever budge below one-point-eight Million dollars, a lot, we were in a bad state They said we must vacate, we had 6 months to leave Immediately, we were sad, we wanted to grieveFor we had baptized and babied, fellowshipped and funned Enjoyed each other’s company, laughed and punned We had been there over one hundred, twenty years We didn’t want to leave this place we held so dearSo now, we’re asking God to get us out For we in quite a pickle, we’re starting to doubt We need your grace, and a good dose of love To keep us moving on, send some help from aboveFor we’re looking at the mountains, we’re surrounded on all sides We want You to lead, but we’re in for a ride Following Your will isn’t always a breeze This time, we’ve got to hand over the keysBut God, we still trust, and we’ll band together For the cause You laid out, we’ll brave the weather Thanks for the fun and the memories, too Let’s start this chapter, and begin anew!
One Little Miracle by Hawk NelsonI know sometimes it’s hard to find The strength to turn the page When all of our tomorrows Look like used-up yesterdays Maybe this path we’re taking Could really be the road to breaking free Are you with me?One little revolution Could turn it all around Back to the kingdom we once knew Just a little bit of me Just a little bit of you One little miracle to get us throughBroken, empty promises Are all we knew before Our father’s dreams of better days Lay shattered on the floor It’s not too late to start believing Take me by the hand, I’m reaching out How about now? Yeah!One little revolution Could turn it all around Back to the kingdom we once knew Just a little bit of me And a little bit of you One little miracle to get us throughWe can right the wrongs From this moment onOne little revolution Could turn it all around Back to the kingdom we once knew Just a little bit of me And a little bit of you One little miracle to get us through We’ll get through Yeah, we’ll get through
This is a cute and bouncy song by Steven Curtis Chapman about our dependence on God. I love how he uses illustrations with some of his best songs, which is evident in this one.
“Declaration of Dependence” by Steven Curtis Chapman Declaration of Dependence by Steven Curtis ChapmanNow, just the other day I overheard a flower talking To the sky He said, you know that I Would be nothing without you Oh, oh He said, you give me rain You give the sun a place to shine You’re everything that my Whole existence comes down to Oh, ohThen the flower started singing a song Before I knew it, I was singing alongAnd we sang This is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration of my need This is my declaration of dependence On the One who gave this life to meNow, let me say that I’m the kind of guy Who wants to do it all myself Don’t wanna ask for help Don’t like to stop for directions Oh, oh But in reality, I’m nothing on my own It’s by God’s Grace alone that I can make this confession WoahAll that I am and all I’m hoping to be Is all and only what He’s given to meSo I’ll say This is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration of my need This is my declaration of dependence On the One who gave this life to me YeahAnd I know This is how my life was meant to be I was made for this dependency On the One who has created me So I’ll sing my declaration song For the One I am depending on And I hope you’ll sing alongThis is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration of my need This is my declaration of dependence On the One who gave this life to me Yeah, yeah, yeahThis is my declaration Woah, yeahThis is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration of my need This is my declaration of dependence On the One who gave this life to meThis is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration (My declaration) This is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration (My declaration of dependence on Jesus) This is my declaration of dependence This is my declaration (My declaration) My declaration (My declaration of my need)
I have three practical goals to be less selfish in the near future. The goal is to focus myself on me less and on others, and especially God, more. Here they are:
1) Less online posting - That means less status updates (already being a challenge) and less blog posting. Not that I’m totally stopping any, but definitely limiting and censoring what I post more. I will make an honest effort to have some substance and value above and beyond myself in everything I post.2) More and better quiet times - I have been SO horrible at these lately. I have been skipping them and hurrying through them, and I am wondering why I feel so burnt out over everything. I am going to start making them more deliberate and worth something.3) More obedience and kindness in my family - I will make an effort to obey my mom happily and patiently. I will alsomake an efort to be kinder to my family, even when I’m being impatient and they’re being annoying.Those are small and simple (definitely not easy, though!) steps I will take to focus on me less. I am wondering, though: Will you please help me and keep me as accountable as possible to these?
This is an amazing song about Heaven. Whenever I listen to it, all the things of my life suddenly seems so insignificant. You’ve probably heard this song, but it’s so amazing anyway.
“I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe I Can Only Imagine by MercyMeI can only imagine What it will be like When I walk By Your Side I can only imagine What my eyes will see When Your Face Is before me I can only imagine, yeahSurrounded by Your Glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your Presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine I can only imagineI can only imagine When that day comes And I find myself Standing in the Son I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever Forever worship You I can only imagine I can only imagineSurrounded by Your Glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your Presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine, yeah I can only imagineSurrounded by Your Glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your Presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine, yeah I can only imagine I can only imagine, yeah I can only imagine I can only imagine I can only imagineI can only imagine When all I will do Is forever Forever worship You I can only imagine
My church sang this song two Sundays ago, and I loved it! So I am going today to buy it on iTunes because it’s amazing.
“To God Alone” by Aaron Shust To God Alone by Aaron ShustCan You take me by the hand? Can You use me as I am? Break me into who You Want me to be When the time is finally right You will open up my eyes Show me everything You Want me to seeThis life is not my ownTo God alone be the glory To God alone be the praise Everything I say and do Let it be all for You The Glory is Yours alone Yours aloneTake the offering I bring You want more than what I sing Can I give You Every part of me? Turn these pennies into gold Take this life I call my own Until I’m running After Your HeartI’m needing to let goTo God alone be the glory To God alone be the praise Everything I say and do Let it be all for You The Glory is Yours aloneWe will rise And we will fall But You remain After all You’re glorious And beautiful So beautifulTo God alone be the glory To God alone be the praise Everything I say and do Let it be all for You The Glory is Yours alone The Glory is Yours alone Yours alone Yours alone
I woke up with this song stuck in my head, but soon began to realize that it ties in with a lot of things that we’re learning at church. Pllus, I lke the honesty and truthfulness behind the lyrics, like she’s not trying to say she doesn’t want any compliments, but that she also looks and wants her world to focus on God and have her life not point to herself, but point to God. So I figured I should post it because I like it…which is really the only requirement of any songs I post here, of course :)
“Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman Legacy by Nichole NordemanI don’t mind if you’ve got something Nice to say about me I enjoy an accolade Like the rest You could take my picture And hang it in a gallery Of all the who’s who’s and so-and-so That used to be the best At such-and-such It wouldn’t matter muchI won’t lie, it’s feels alright To see your name in lights We all need an “Atta boy” Or “Atta girl” But in the end I’d like to hang my hat On more besides The temporary trappings of this worldI wanna leave a legacy How will they remember me Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering A child of mercy and grace Who blessed Your Name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacyI dn’t have to look too far Or too long awile To make a lengthy list Of all that I enjoy It’s an accumulating Trinket and a treasure pile That moths and rust, theves and such Will soon enough destroyI wanna leave a legacy How will they remember me Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering A child of mercy and grace Who blessed Your Name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacyNot well-traveled, not well-read Not well-to-do or well-bred Just want to hear instead “Well done, good and faithful one”I wanna leave a legacy How will they remember me Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering A child of mercy and grace Who blessed Your Name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacyI don’t mind if you’ve got Something nice to say about me
My church has played this song two weeks in a row and I am falling in love with it! It’s such an amazing and beautiful song!
“Draw Me Nearer” by Caedemon’s Call Draw Me Nearer by Caedemon’s CallI am Thine, oh Lord I have heard Your Voice And it told Your Love to me But I long to rise In the arms of faith And be closer drawn to TheeDraw me nearer To the cross where Thou hast died Draw me nearer To Your precious bleeding sideThere are great depths of love That I cannot reach ‘Til I cross the narrow sea And there are heights of joy That I may not reach ‘Til I rest in peace with TheeDraw me nearer To the cross where Thou hast died Draw me nearer To Your precious bleeding sideYou draw me with Your Mercy You draw me with Your Love You draw me with forgiveness by Your Blood You draw me with compassion You draw me as a Bride You draw me closer to Your precious sideConsecrate me now To Your Service, Lord By the power of Grace Divine Let my soul look up With a steadfast hope And my will be lost in ThineDraw me nearer To the cross where Thou hast died Draw me nearer To Your precious bleeding sideDraw me nearer To the cross where Thou hast died Draw me nearer To Your precious bleeding side Draw me nearer Draw me nearer
