I'm Yours

You opened my eyes to show me the light
and You were the light
You opened my eyes to show me the way
and You were the way
You awakened my heart to sing
so now let me give You this offering

Take my soul, make it wholly Yours
Take my will, make it bend to Yours
Take my mind, make it think only of You
Take my strength, make it depend on You
Take all of my life and make it holy

There are places I've never seen
You will show to me
There are places I've never been
You behold for me
There are places I'll never know
but there's no place I wouldn't go

Take me, take me, take me now, I'm Yours

Sanctuary

I've done many things I'm not proud of
I may not deserve forgiveness and love
But if there's a way for a second chance
I'd do anything, meet any demands
Just free me from these daunting fears
Of rejection that's followed me all of these years
Each situation of impossible means
They get relived every night in my dreams
I need sanctuary -

Running away from my fears in the night
Blood on my hands from a murderous life
Mob chasing after me to make me pay
Won't someone please take this nightmare away

A thorn in my flesh, some people have said
The days I'd awaken and wished I were dead
They don't understand what a terrible fright
Or how it affect every day of my life
I've distanced myself from the cause of abuse
Temptation's called to me but I have refused
Curtains were drawn to expose hidden lies
But terror still haunts me when I close my eyes
I need sanctuary -

Running away from my fears in the night
Blood on my hands from a murderous life
Mob chasing after me to make me pay
Won't someone please take this nightmare away

I cried for sanctuary, Lord, and you heard my prayer
Clinging to the door for dear life, you met me there
You saw me broken, heart wide open, down on my knees
I need you Lord to overflow and sanctify me
I need sanctuary -

You give me peace in exchange for my strife
You give me joy and a new way of life
You give me love I could never deserve
More grace freely than I could ever earn

I cried for sanctuary and you gave it to me
Opened up the doors so that now in you I'm free

This is Heaven

So this is heaven, where I’m standing here today
surrounded by Your presence and walking in Your way
So this is heaven, the place where I belong
singing to Your rhythm, and lost within Your song
So this is heaven, to know that I’m thought of
to hear You singing over me, to feel Your endless love
So this is heaven, to just simply believe
filled with Your Holy Spirit who’s living inside me
So this is heaven, or at least it’s a small taste
Still I believe that heaven is an even better place
So this is heaven, to know You and to be known
to look back at my years of life and see how much I’ve grown
So this is heaven, to live out what I’ve heard
to hear Your voice speaking to me and hanging on every word

Lift Him Up

Don’t give up while you’re growing up. Keep your eyes focused on the light ahead. Don’t grow faint and weary-hearted. Grow strong in your devotion instead. It takes trusting in what remains unseen. It requires faith, hope and believing. But the greatest of all these is love as we praise and lift Him up.

It’s not by strength. It’s not by might, but it’s by my Spirit says the Lord. No eye has seen, no ear has heard all the great things He has in store. Only be strong and of good courage for you have not gone this way before. The day will come when all will be done and there won’t be tears anymore. So rejoice in Him. Abound in His love. The journey begins as we lift Him up.

Don’t grow weary in well-doing for in time you’ll reap if you do not faint. Don’t go fearing what you cannot see for nothing can harm you; you’re a well-armed saint. Don’t worry, the battle is the Lord’s. He’s paid for what we cannot afford. He’s driven out our enemies before, and He promises to do it once more for eternity. All we do is believe and walk in love, and lift Him up.

Charlie Beans

Charlie Beans is my new best friend
BFF's to the very end

There were days I'd wake up and I couldn't look myself in the eyes
Too afraid I'd break up from the shame of what I might have done last night
Too intoxicated to remember details of my last fray
But there's a tattoo on me that seems to say hip-hip-hooray
How could anyone, anyone ever live this way?

And I would hear Charlie, calling to me
I didn't recognize the voice, so I'd start drowning out the noise
How could I ever be, okay with someone like me?

Then one day I met him and my whole world was toppled upside down
Reflected in the faces of a group of new relations gathered 'round
Other scarred individuals with painful secrets openly revealed
Sharing how their wounds were deep, but by God's grace, they were being healed
How could anyone, anyone ever be the same?

And I would hear Charlie, calling to me
I didn't recognize the voice, but I quit drowning out the noise
Finally, it's time to be, okay with me, I'm Charlie

Charlie used to be a stranger, now he is my doppelganger
I used to be my own worst enemy, but now...I love me
Charlie Beans is my new best friend
BFF's to the very end

(This song is dedicated to the fellow members of "Write Your Own Story")

Jacqueline

Just as I hear your name
Aptly whispered on the breeze
Carried like a melody
Quietly hummed as a tune
Uniquely yours
Ever inspired
Lilt of imagination
Instrumental in creation
Noticing every inflection of
Extraordinary perfection

Time

Yesterday is old
Tomorrow may never come
Today begins something new
Take each moment one by one

The universe is timeless
One song without an end
But life on Earth is as a flash
So take account of the time you spend

This day is almost over
Before it has begun
So cherish every memory
Of your time spent having fun

Devote some time to listen
To the stillness in the air
Take every opportunity
To show someone how much you care

You're done before you know it
So get your butt in gear
Right now is your only chance
To make a difference while you're here

Like an Autumn Rain

Things that don’t seem right to the human mind
are his delight time after time
like an autumn rain on a summer’s day
or a winter wind in the month of May.

There’s a brightness shining on the darkest night
When everything seems wrong even though you’re right
and although you’re trying with all your might
and you think you’ve seen the light
it still won’t go your way.

There’s a fire burning in a rain soaked land
causing a desperate yearning in an empty man
tired of building castles in the sand
knowing they won’t stand
still you continue anyway.

And losing everything you’ve owned
to remind you of the simple truth you’ve known
you’ll keep falling short no matter how you’ve grown
you can’t do it on your own
still you fight through one more day

Things that don’t seem right to the human mind
are His delight time after time
Like an autumn rain on a summer’s day
or a winter wind in the month of May.

Love Song

I’m so grateful. You know I’m thankful
for all the beauty you’ve given me.
Although I’m needy, Lord you are with me,
making me all you’d have me to be.

There is no greater joy to ever fill my heart
than the wonder of your presence and everything You are.
Your mercy overflowing, the grace You offer free,
peace beyond understanding fills every part of me.

Here I am, send me. I give you the glory
for I am just a simple jar of clay.
But to reflect You in purity and truth
is how I choose to live my life.

I pray, “Let my life be a love song
as I live only to worship, praise and adore You,
and lift Your name up.
Lord, let my life be a love song."

Progress

I’ve heard the same words before. It’s a familiar message on a different day. I already know what’s in store. It’s only presented in a different way. So why must I listen time and again? How can these words determine what’s meant to be? It’s all the same story without an end. Will it ever change what’s within me?

I feel heartless and hopeless and helplessly lost – doomed to wander alone in the dark. I’m continually confused and left counting the cost, wondering why I keep missing the mark. So many things I don’t understand, like why I’m still falling further behind; and why I struggle to gain command of the battles I lose in my mind.

But thanks be to God in His infinite strength, even though I’m weak, tired and poor. His grace is sufficient. His mercy is great. His love has already won the war. So although they’re the same words I continue to confess, until I’m perfected, I’ll continue to progress.

It’s Not All About Me

How quick I make it all about me
How fast I crash when I’m too blind to see
You are all I need, You always will be
You are enough, You are more than enough for me

How my heart breaks apart when I realize
I try to fill my thoughts and my will with a glorious prize
But nothing compares with You , Your holiness shines through
You are enough, You are more than enough for me

Once again I am broken
Once again You have opened my eyes
Once again I’m shown that
I’ve been chasing emptiness and lies
Once again I repent of self-seeking
Once again I admit that I’m wrong
Once again You’re gently reassuring
You’ve been carrying me all along

Still how quick I make it all about me
When it’s really not about me at all
Once again I am humbled
Once again I fall
When I’m quick to make it all about me