the song I cannot get away from...

(nor do I want to)

Thy Way, Not Mine

Thy way, not mine, O Lord
However dark it be
Lead me by Thine own hand
Choose out the path for me

Smooth let it be or rough
It will still be the best
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest

I dare not choose my lot
I would not, if I might
Choose Thou for me, my God
So I can walk aright

Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill
As best to Thee may seem
Choose Thou my good and ill

Not mine, not mine the choice
In all things great or small
Be Thou my guide, my strength
My wisdom and my all, my wisdom and my all

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)
Words by Horatius Bonar (1857)
Music and additional words by Joel Sczebel

the perfect day for...

AND:

check it out

Open: iTunes---> Select: iTunes Store

Search: The Village Church--->
Select: The Village Church - Sermon Audio

Select: Gospel Realization---> Click: Get Episode
Select: Gospel Contextualization---> Click: Get Episode

Listen: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).

a new heart?

"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 pain all 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

Hosanna

There was a man who smiled like the sunrise
His face I can’t forget
His love displayed was unlike any other
He humbly dressed just like a vagabond with
Discourse like a King
And when he talked the angels stopped to listen

Hosanna
Filio David (Son of David)
Hosanna
In Altisimis (in the Highest)

He often spoke about a Kingdom coming
His words I can’t forget
Where all who come may rest beneath His mercy
Where royalty is flowing through the veins of
Every citizen
And every soul is treasured like a promise

Jason Morant, 2006

Grace, all sufficient.

March 4, Morning,
Mr. Spurgeon writes:
"If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we would not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has nowhere to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the Lord;" when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, who yet has faith in Christ, oh! what honor it reflects on the Gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing 'that all things work together for [their] good' (Rom. 8:28), and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring—that their God will either deliver then speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea. It is a calm night. I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm. The tempest must rage about it, and then, I will know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work. If it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we would not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The masterpieces of God are those who stand steadfast and unmovable in the midst of difficulties—'Calm mid the bewildering cry, confident of victory.' He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts are many. If yours, then, is a much tried path, rejoice in it, because you will all the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it—hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end."

grace.
the gospel.
all sufficient.
enough.

watch. http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=faf0159744aecaf5c732
_ _ _ _ _

On the other hand: the best of friends cannot all be found upon bookshelves

A friend challenged me this week about the meaning of reciprocal friendship and whether I could really call a dearly-loved author, my close friend. So to clarify, while I benefit much from the companions on my bookshelf, by no means do I take lightly the gift of real-life fellowship. (Pr. 27:17).

Mrs. Groveman captures well my sentiments:
An old friend visits, and time passes by. Memories upon memories knit together the tapestry of friendship bonded; love molded. What is it that draws two people together? Is it common likeness, or interests and intellect? Is it gifting, or some mirrored reflection of your very self seen in this new person? Time reveals the hidden motives, and tests the bond of true fellowship. It indeed is a mystery why two people become friends. I am convinced it is the blessing of God. Unity is a gift from above, and it is that unity that draws you together. You enjoy a similar author, or painting, or a reflection on a particular Bible passage. Somehow, you realize that in all the vastness of this universe, there is someone who sees the world from similar eyes. This too, is the blessing of Him who watches over us. It becomes like the spring rain on the mountains; the balm of Gilead; touched by the Spirit of God. A gift given from Him to a most undeserving recipient. It is rare in this life, and there are many who walk through this world without ever experiencing true friendship. The vulnerability that is required in giving of oneself, requires the cross of Jesus Christ. It is only in giving that we truly receive; and it is this vulnerability that opened the way for all men to find freedom from sin. His example of friendship to His redeemed, sets the stage for all true friendship. Only in embodying this example do we find true peace and joy. "We love, because He first loved us" 1 John

And Mr. Lewis writes of this costly gift:
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...."

transparent, vulnerable, sweet and costly fellowship.
only grace makes this possible...

what a gift.