LISTEN

READ

A traveler treads so wearily along his way
His situation worsens everyday
His burden bears so heavy on his back, it seems
The ground beneath his feet slips away
As hope is fading fast from his grasp he finds
A wildflower growing in the storm
As darkness comes, he strains his eyes to see…

A wildflower growing in the rain
An unexpected rarity to find
So beautiful in the hope that it brings
So perfect, so humble and divine

From fascination to fondness he floats away
Falling further he finds faith
His inspiration takes him to higher planes
In this moment he finds peace in this moment he finds grace
His desperation brings him to his knees to find

Should he take the treasure that he found and keep
Its beauty close to him for always
Or dare he try to bury his heart in the dirt
and leave the wildflower in the earth

REFLECT

A Wildflower, A Man in a Storm by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

LISTEN

READ

Take my hand; lead me through this promise land
Take my heart; lead me to a safer part of it
‘Cause You know which way to go from here

As I cross the river Jordan, I’m afraid
Of the armies, full of giants waiting there for me
But I know You’ll rescue me from them

The sun is shining on the other side of the world
I believe, though I can’t see it from here
The moon is beaming so serenely as I see it
And declares that dawn is coming soon

Round and round I will go singing the songs on my heart
While I’m waiting for these walls to fall
But You know how far that is from here

In my heart I am still so afraid, so afraid
But still I hear Your voice say "do not fear, do not fear
Do not fear, ’cause you are near…"

REFLECT

The Sun is Shining by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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A charming man takes a bride by her hand
And to the hall arm in arm they call
And in the dark, monsters are playing on their harps
As all she knows turns to a tragic show

She is not alone,
Her Father begs her home
Her Bridegroom waits at dawn for her

Her gray eyes see through a myriad of lies
As priests of old take to the ground for stones
Her spotless dress falls to the ground a mess
Her long dark hair is torn from her head so fair

Her wounded soul feels every stone that’s thrown
Oh she’s beautiful, she’s beautiful.

REFLECT

She’s Beautiful by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Brian Wetzel

I believe the last you heard of me was in February, when I played a show with Lana. In May, Lana and I were married and we are now expected our first baby! I also finished my degree in software development and should start my new job pretty soon.

I am sure this seems like it came out of nowhere. Trust me, I felt the same way. Lana and I were engaged only two weeks after we began dating. It was clear to me months earlier that she was the woman God had made for me, but I had to learn how to rest from my own effort and trust in God before I was ready to be with her. It is so easy to think we are fully trusting God. However, our faith is being made perfect through trial, as the scripture promises. God faithfully refines us, as He reveals our imperfection and lovingly disciplines us for our childlike rebellion. Truthfully, this was a lesson God was teaching us both at the same time; though, we did not know it, having not spoken for several months.

Lovesick Lullaby

Brian and Lana's Wedding Picture

May God receive all the glory! There is no way I could have worked this all out on my own. (I know, I’ve tried.) During the few months that we were engaged I was taking 20 hours of senior level college classes. There were times that I grew very frustrated and weary, but my hope in God was an anchor. He established each and every step, and gracefully showed me that He is faithful, steadfast and sure.

There were times that I wondered why things never seemed to work out for me. I would look around and see everything (seemingly) work out for all of these people that seem to have no knowledge of God, let alone faith. I asked God, “why not me?” How selfish we can be. He says, “my grace is sufficient for you.–Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added.” We worry so much about these things: who should I marry, what school should I go to, what job should I get, will I even have a job, how can I be a good parent, friend, spouse…You see we even ask what is God’s will for this or that, or ask God to give us faith for so many little things that it can consume our thoughts and steal the peace and joy that we are promised for simply trusting in Him.

Our precious little one.

Daily we find ourselves needing to rest from our efforts and in His grace. It is such a blessing to have a wife that encourages me in the way I should go, and desires God’s will for both our lives. As He leads us daily, I look forward to see God’s plan unfold, yet find perfect peace in trusting that His mercies are new every morning.

Lovesick Lullaby by Brian and Lana Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

LISTEN

READ

Our Savior is with us
He has given us eyes to see Him
And ears to hear His voice
He is calling us calling us to Him

You are the Faithful One, O God
Blessed are those who wait on You
You long to show Your love and compassion
You long to pour Your blessings out
On those who wait on You
So, I will wait on You

I’ll stand on the mountain of the Lord
Who is my strength and
I’ll praise His name
with the song of joy He placed in my heart

REFLECT

The Faithful One by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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You were my first love
And still I traded You for the
Thrill of the world
But this thrill could not fulfill the void of
An empty space left in Your place
So infinite and vacuous

Or had You left me at all
‘Cause in your time I heard You call me
How could you forget
When I am always in Your head
My name is written in Your palms
My name is written in nails and blood

And as Your life is filling up my chest
I’m finding rest in
The crimson power flowing in my veins
I’m not the same
Your Spirit’s over taking me, breaking my chains
Making me free

REFLECT

First Love by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

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Your steadfast love never ceases
Your patient mercy never ends
It never ends
All I want is to praise You
All I want is "Your will be done"
Your will be done

All my intentions are only
Opposition to Your will
Lord use me still

Teach me to wait on Your faithfulness
Teach me to bear the yoke You have for me,
the yoke you have for me.
All I want is to apprehend that for which You apprehended me
You apprehended me.

All my intentions are only
Opposition to Your will
Lord use me still

So, I’ll wait alone in silence
I’ll put my lips down in the dirt,
Down in the dirt
All I want is Your presence,
All I want is to live in You
I live in You

All my intentions are only
Opposition to Your will
Lord use me still

REFLECT

This song was inspired by the passage Lamentations 3:22-32.  Go ahead and take a look at that first.
I find this passage to be praise of God’s faithfulness.  Not just in word, but in works as well.  What I mean is this: it seems rather easy to sing praise songs, it makes us feel good; most Christians do not have trouble saying "Praise Jesus!"  (Especially, in the South)  But we should reflect on this.
Do our works reflect our words?  We should want them to, otherwise we are hypocrites.  Of course, what does it mean when our words are unwholesome. "Out of the heart, the mouth speaks."  As it relates to this song, however, if we say that God is faithful, then our lives should reflect that.
Basically, we say that "All I want is to praise You", but it is our intentions that oppose God.  We say, "I want to praise You, Lord, so I will do this or that".  Is that what God has asked of us?  To praise God’s faithfulness we must learn to wait on Him, submit our lives to Him.[Lamentations 3:25-26]  Then we say, "All I want is Your will be done".  Not that we know it completely, but we trust God to lead us in it because of His faithfulness.  He was faithful to begin His work in you, and He is faithful to complete it.  Our response is seen in Lamentations 3:27-30.  And when our hearts are filled with a desire to serve Him, we should say, "Lord, why have you made me Your own?  I want to make that my own."[Philippians 3:12] 
That is my desire for you, as well.  I want you to know God’s will for your life, and for you to seek after it patiently.  Even now I am tempted to say that I will do anything to help you in that endeavor.  But I should say, if it is God’s will, trusting that His steadfast love will produce good works in me.  Any work of my own, no matter how honorable, no matter the intention, is worthless in the Kingdom of God.  In scripture we find that it was Paul’s intention to visit the church in Rome.  But that was not God’s will.  We must surrender our will, to the praise of His glory.
So, I pray that His Word will fill our hearts, that His work will be perfected in us, transforming us, that He may receive all of the glory.  And I must wait patiently, trusting Him, with praise in my heart, and truth on my lips.

Use Me Still by Brian Wetzel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Playing at Fields of Faith

Oconee County High School recently hosted the first Fields of Faith for the North Georgia area (11.05.09).  Humbling is probably the most appropriate way to describe my experience with this event.  I find it ironic how, as Christians, we intend to do so much for God, yet it is our intentions that oppose Him.

At the onset of hearing about FoF I was excited. To be honest, I was rather desperate for opportunities to do what I feel God has called me to do.  It reminds me of a passage out of The Spiritual Man, which explains how noble works done in the flesh are simply a means for the enemy to affect what would otherwise seem to be godly works. My good intentions oppose the work that He wants to do, and I must be diligent to surrender my will.

That became very evident on the night of of the event. In my mind I had built up what would take place, things I might say, songs I would play. “The wisdom of man is foolishness to God.” All of my plans failed up to the moment I played. In fact, because of limited time, I ended up playing one song and saying very little.

Admittedly, it was frustrating in the moment, but I know now that it was what God wanted. I could not have played more than one song, because my hands were so cold I could not feel them. Besides, the event was obviously not about me. In the end, God was glorified. Two kids were saved, and it is an honor just to be a part of that. I thank God that He directs my footsteps. Just because we submit ourselves to the Lord, does not mean we automatically know exactly what He wants us to do. That is where faith comes in. We trust that His grace is sufficient for us, His power is perfected in our weakness. When we stumble, He holds us up. That fact is indeed very humbling. It reminds me of a verse from a song I wrote called “I Believe You”.

So many times I try to go my own way
But, Lord You’re there to guide me.
Your loving hand draws me closer to You.
No, You won’t let me go.

Oconee Leader Article on FoF, and here is a video from the event.