"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19). Are we praying to this end?
Oh my God, look around this place Your fingers reach around the bone You set the break and set the tone Flights of grace, and future falls In present painall fools say, "Oh my God"
Oh my God, why are we so afraid? We make it worse when we don't bleed There is no cure for our disease Turn a phrase, and rise again Or fake your death and only tell your closest friend Oh my God, can I complain? You take away my firm belief and graft my soul upon your grief Weddings, boats and alibis all drift away, and a mother cries Liars and fools; sons and failures; thieves will always say Lost and found; ailing wanderers; healers always say Whores and angels; men with problems;leavers always say Broken hearted; separated; orphans always say War creators; racial haters; preachers always say Distant fathers; fallen warriors; givers always say Pilgrim saints; lonely widows; users always say Fearful mothers; watchful doubters; Saviors always say
Sometimes I cannot forgive And these days, mercy cuts so deep If the world was how it should be, Maybe I could get some sleep While I lay, I dream we're better, Scales were gone and faces light When we wake, we hate our brother We still move to hurt each other Sometimes I can close my eyes, And all the fear that keeps me silent Falls below my heavy breathing, What makes me so badly bent? We all have a chance to murder We all feel the need for wonder We still want to be reminded That the pain is worth the thunder Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven All the times I thought to reach up All the times I had to give Babies underneath their beds Hospitals that cannot treat All the wounds that money causes, All the comforts of cathedrals All the cries of thirsty children - this is our inheritance All the rage of watching mothers - this is our greatest offense Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God Jars of Clay, 2006
"We must live a holy life; the gospel is not to teach us to talk, it is not to make us eloquent and subtle, and I know not what; but it is to reform our lives, that the world may know our desire to serve God, to give ourselves wholly to Him, and to conform ourselves to His good will." -John Calvin
"With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures."