music meditations

New Blog Site

2012-05-21T16:03:00.002-04:00

Hey friends, just wanted to let you know that I've changed by blog site to bendoggett.com/music-meditations. I just finished my first album, Glad, so I wanted to consolodate my "web presence" (can't believe I just used that prhase). There's info about Glad, as well as all the contents of this blog (and more content/songs soon to come) at bendogget.com.

If you've subscribed to this blog and would like to get an email whenever I post a new song, you'll need to resubscribe to my new blog (pretty simple, it's in a box on the right side of the screen).

Peace & Grace,
Ben

Name Above All Names

2012-04-09T15:37:00.008-04:00

The humility of God in Christ is one of my favorite themes to meditate on in worship. In my undergrad religious studies (at a liberal arts university), we took a look at Philippians 2:5-11 in the context of discussing the Christian understanding of Christ's divinity. My professor suggested that Paul didn't quite think of Christ as divine, but only that he operated as a sort of second Adam. Where Adam failed (in that he sought equality with God by eating of the forbidden fruit), Jesus succeeded in expressing humility. But by denying that Paul believed in Christ's divinity (a view I clearly disagree with but can't get into at the moment!), my professor's view only went a third of the way in explaining the humility of Christ on display in this passage.

The first step in Christ's humility is already evident in what my professor said: Adam considered equality with God something to be grasped, while Christ did not. This is a beautiful truth, but we must go a step further: Adam was a man who considered equality with God something to be grasped, while Christ was God, and yet emptied himself. Adam sought to grasp at what he could never attain, sought to steal divinity. Christ freely laid aside what was his by right.

But to fully understand Christ's humility, we must go even one more step further. Not only was Christ God who became man, who humbled himself in his incarnation. Even further, he humbled himself by experiencing the greatest humiliation that man could experience in death. He humbled himself unto death, "even death on a cross." While undergoing the excruciating pain of death on the the cross, Jesus was made a public spectacle to be mocked.

One of my pastors is currently working through the book of Philippians, and when he came to this passage he emphasized that while we have here a beautiful discription of Christ's humility, and a corrsponding exhortation to worship him as the Name above all names, the primary purpose for which Paul writes these words is to implore his readers to imitate Christ's humility: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God..." This song went through a number of editing phases, and the final addition was the bridge, in response to this point made by my pastor. I wanted to include some words that the church could sing as a declaration that we would choose the way of Christ's humility, that we would choose to make ourselves servants, having his same attitude, and therin finding a true fellowship with our humble savior.

But our humble Savior is now highly exalted. And so we do declare his Name to be above every name, and we look for the day when every knee will bow, "in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

------

Verse 1:

G C G

Jesus, You are God among us

C Em

You are God's own radience

C Dsus D

Light of the world

G C G

Jesus, how You condescended

C Em

Holy God of heaven

C Dsus D

You are the Lord

Prechorus:

Am7 G/B C D

You became nothing, broken to love me

Am7 G/B C

Even to death on a cross

Am7 G/B C D

Tempted as I am, You were obedient

Am7 G/B C

Faithful and true Son of God

Chorus: G D/F# Em C

You are the Name above all names

You are the One Ancient of Days

You are the One my heart will praise

Jesus I love You

At Your Name every knee will bow

All of creation will cry out

You are the One my heart will crown

Jesus I love You

Verse 2:

Jesus, You took on my weakness

Made in human likness

Servant of all

Jesus, risen and victorious

Glory in the highest

You are enthroned

Bridge: G D/F# Em C

Jesus I love You, I want to be like You

Having this attidude, I'm serving beside You

Jesus I love You, I want to be with You

Having the attidude, I'm dying to find You

Yeshua Ha'Mashiach

2012-04-02T17:26:00.003-04:00

"Yeshua Ha'Mashiach" is Hebrew for "Jesus Christ".

We just celebrated Palm Sunday, so I thought this would be an appropriate time to post this song. Before entering Jerusalem a final time, knowing that he was approaching his death, Jesus mourned over the city and said:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13:34-35)

When the Jews waved Palm branches as Jesus rode into the city, it seems most of them were longing for the establishment of an earthly kingdom which would free them from Roman rule. As they shouted "Hosanna" (which means Save!), they were seeking temporal salvation from a temporal kingdom, but Jesus had a different agenda.

As we celebrated Palm Sunday this past weekend, we invited Christ to ride into our hearts, to sit on his rightful throne. We worshipped with the words "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." We sought to align our lives with God's agenda rather than asking him to change his agenda to fit our lives. We declared Christ to be King of kings and our worship was a simple declaration of the salvation (Hosanna!) he has accomplished for us, by which we have been rescued from our spiritual bondage to sin and death.

I decided to include Jesus' Hebrew name in order to acknowledge that the Jews have a crucial role to play in the history of redemption, and their Covenant Lord is longing to redeem them through his Son Jesus. Jesus will not return again to Jerusalem until the Jews swear allegiance to him with the words "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

-----

D Am7 Em7 G

Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ our Lord

Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, You are God our saving One

Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, You will reign on David's throne

Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, We await the day You come

D C Em D

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (x4)

C G D C G D

Hosanna, Hosanna

Our Messiah, we sing Hosanna

O the Father's Love

2012-02-07T18:44:00.005-05:00

One of my pastors is doing a sermon series on God as Father, and it's been a wonderfully rich source of encouragement for our church body. This song is written primarily about the "Parable of the Prodigal Son" (Luke 15:11-32), which my pastor said would be better to title the "Parable of the Loving Father" (because even though there are two sons in the story, the Father is the main character).

A few points especially struck me as we worked our way through the parable:

1) The younger son (the "prodigal") essentially told his father "drop dead" when he asked for his inheritance early.

2) Even when the younger son "came to his senses" and set off to return home, he was rehearsing a speech that, if delivered, would have expressed his desire to be a cared-for servant, but not a close family relative.

3) When the Father runs out to meet him to kiss his face and embrace him, the son isn't even able to finish his rehearsed speech... the grace and love of the Father interrupt him with the giving of the ring and the robe. This was the moment of the son's true repentance: the moment he opened himself to receive the love of the Father.

I also heard a sermon some years ago in which the speaker argued that the older son is the antithesis of what Jesus was in reality. Because the younger son had squandered his inheritance, it was only at the cost of the older son's share that the younger could be re inherited. The older son in the parable is a self-righteous and hard-hearted character, who despised his brother rather than going after him to bring him home. Not only does Jesus go after the "prodigals", but it was at the cost and sacrifice of his own life that we are brought back into the family of God. Our inheritance in God's family is a shared inheritance with the Son of God, and so Jesus is the "firstborn among many brothers and sisters" (Romans 8:29).

In writing this song, I most of all wanted to capture the image of the Father running to embrace his returned son. I want to experience that embrace each day of my life, remembering afresh my need for the Father's inexplicable and extravagant love. "O the Father's love is overwhelming!"

----

You kissed my face when I was your foe

Father you called me home

I had returned to beg at your feet

Here you embraced me

O the Father's love is overwheling

Covering all my shame

See the Father run, His arms embrace me

Lifting me up in his grace

Riches unheard of squandered in sin

I spent my inheritance

Now at the cost of your innocent Son

You made a way for love

Heaven and earth, when have you heard

When have you seen such a thing

Wonder of wonders, the heart of the Father

You welcome the prodigal in

Some Good News and Some Bad News, but I'm still "Glad"

2012-01-11T11:23:00.006-05:00

Hey friends,

First the good news: I've finally finished my first album!! Well, almost...
It's been a long season, and I felt a real sense joy in the completion of my CD, titled Glad, which I made available to family and friends in December. The CD is descriptive of a period of life in which I witnessed the saving work of the Lord in my life and experienced his power to pick me up "out of deep waters" and to bring me into "a spacious place" (Psalm 18:16-19).

The bad news is that I have just been thrown a curve ball that I wasn't expecting. I have just discovered that in the process of making the album, I unknowingly violated the copyright restrictions for the final track, a cover of the song "He Has Made Me Glad" by Leona Von Brethorst (*see below for more details on my mistake). For this reason I will need to reprint the album and retrieve the old copies.

So for those who have not had a chance to hear this album, this blog post serves as an album-release announcement... It should be ready for purchase hopefully by the end of the month or by mid-February. Shoot me an email at bdoggett.music@gmail.com if you're not in the DC area and would like a copy. Otherwise, just grab one out of the trunk of my car some time! I also hope to have the album downloadable on iTunes sometime next month as well.

For those of you who already have a copy of Glad, this blog post serves as a request for help. In short, I will need to retrieve these old copies of the album. Upon reprinting the corrected version of Glad, I will provide you with the new version, for free of course, and would ask you to return the old version and delete any mp3's of the final track, "Glad (2)", that you may have on your computer or other devices.

I very much regret this hassle, but would greatly appreciate your help in my efforts to rectify this situation. I know that I did nothing intentionally malicious in printing the first version of Glad, and so I have a clear conscious in that regard, but now that I have discovered my mistake I need to make it right as best as I can.

Many thanks for your love and support!
Peace & Grace,
Ben

--------
*The final track on this album was actually a cover of a well-known worship song called "He Has Made Me Glad" by Leona Von Brethorst (c) 1976 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (ASCAP). The track was meant to serve as the concluding bookend to an album which began its first track with the words "Make me glad for as many days as I have known pain and sadness." Given this prayer-like intro, I loved singing "He has made me glad, He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad..." as a concluding declaration of praise for what the Lord has accomplished in my life, that my prayers had been answered! So I titled the first track on the album "Glad (1)" and the final track, "Glad (2)", to emphasize my intent to use these tracks as an introduction and conclusion to the album. I also included a musical and vocal part on the tail of "Glad (2)" that consisted of a free-worship expression of praise to the Lord, "You have done great things for me..."

I filed for a license to obtain permission to include this song on my album, but failed to understand the license restrictions properly, making two very unfortunate mistakes. Although I credited the original song, my CD lists the song title as "Glad (2)" rather than "He Has Made Me Glad", and this change of title was not permissible. My second mistake was in recording the final lyrical section in which I added my own words ("You have done great things for me..."), also a violation of the license agreement. For these two reasons I will need to reprint the CD's, removing the final track. I will also be retitling the first track simply "Glad". I'm encouraged by the fact that the new final track (after removing "Glad (2)") is still a joyful expression of praise to the Lord, and can still serve as a fitting conclusion to the album. The new final track will be "Whatever Was to My Profit."

Contented (Psalm 131)

2011-08-29T17:17:00.005-04:00

I wanted to write a song, based on Psalm 131, that expressed a simple, contented affection for God. Psalm 131 is a beautiful picture of contentment, like that of a child who has been fed and satisfied, who rests in the arms of his mother without a care.

"I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me..."

There are times to think about lofty things and to search out the mysteries of life and faith, and then there are times to rest in contentment, knowing that God is God and we are not, that God's wisdom surpasses ours, and we can rest in knowing He is with us and He cares for us.

At the end of a day, as I slip off to sleep, I want to know that sort of contentment.

-----
Chords throughout: E B/D# C#m7 A
Verse:
My eyes are not haughty
My heart is not proud
And all that concerns me
Is loving You now

Here in the quiet
Under your wings
I am contented
Simply to sing

Chorus:
I love you
I want you
I love you
Jesus, I do

Not My Own

2011-07-11T10:03:00.003-04:00

This song is about pride. C.S. Lewis made an insightful comment in The Screwtape letters that much of our issues with pride could be resolved by a sober-minded appreciation of the fact that we did not create ourselves. We have nothing to do with the fact that we exist. Every breath we take, every thought we have, is predicated on the initiating grace of God (to create us in the first place) and the sustaining grace of God (to continue our existence each and every moment). There is nothing for me to take pride in that is not first predicated on God's initiating and sustaining grace.

And if I am created, how can I reasonably maintain authority over my own life? The thing created must belong the One who created it. I was made by Him, and for Him.

If it's not enough to realize that I did nothing to accomplish my own existence, it should be even more humbling to realize that I did nothing to accomplish my own salvation. Many object at this point, but this is the Christian Gospel (and what distinguishes the Christian gospel from many, perhaps all, others). To be sure, I accepted the gift of God's grace, but I did nothing to deserve it.

So my creation and my salvation are all of God's grace, and I am left with only one reasonable conclusion, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price...." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Obedience to my Creator is only reasonable, and love for my Savior is only natural!

----
Verse1 : Am F C G
I did not make myself
You made me, God my King
And I am yours, I am yours
I could not save myself
You saved me, God my King
And I am yours, I am yours

Pre-chorus: F C
You humble all the haughty
Lifter of the heavy heart
Your love and tender mercy
Are the only hope I've got

Chorus: F C G Am7 / F C Gsus G
I am not my own, I was bought at a price
Jesus I am yours now
You will reign alone on the throne of my life
Jesus I am yours forever

Verse2 : Am F C G
Wonderful, fearfully
You made me, God my king
And I am yours, I am yours
By your blood, You redeem
All of me, God my king
And I am yours, I am yours

Do You Not Know?

2011-04-01T09:54:00.004-04:00

As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, one of my pastors is doing a sermon series on hope, and for the past few weeks he has focused on the necessary aspect of hope that includes waiting. Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful passages in scripture about what reasons we have to wait on God in hope.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 30-31)

(The word above translated "hope" can equally be translated "wait": but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength.)

This is preceded by a whole chapter of reasons why we can wait on God with confidence.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (Isaiah 40:28).

Juxtaposed to our circumstances is a God who is creator, re-creator, redeemer, and sustainer. He will not grow tired or weary. This portrayal of God brought my attention to the end of the book of Job, where we also have a description of God's might and strength, which remain true and constant despite the tragic condition of Job's life at the time. In the midst of his circumstances, knowing what he knows of God, Job is still able to say at one point "I know that my redeemer lives" (Job 19:25).

This song took a while to write. I had the chorus early on, but it took a bit of finagling for me to get a verse rhythm and melody that I liked. I also had the words for the first verse fairly quickly, mainly because they come out of the primary passage of the song, Isaiah 40. It wasn't until a few weeks later that my mind was drawn to Job's story, which provided the content for the second verse.

-----
Verse 1: Em Bm7 C G - G/F#
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
He sits enthroned o'er the earth
Nations are dust, men are as grass
Em Bm7 C
But He is of infinite worth
D C D C (Am7sus)
Who can compare to my God
Sovereign and mighty to save

Chorus: Em C G D/F#
Those who wait for Him
Will renew their strength
And those who wait for Him
Will rise up on wings
And those who hope in Him
They will run and not...
Am7
grow faint
Dsus
On You, O God, we wait

Verse 2:
Who told the seas, "Thus far and no more"?
Who drew the lines of the shore?
Who made Orion shine in the night?
Who but the Lord of all lords
Here in His shadow I wait
I know my redeemer lives, and...

With Us (2)

2011-03-24T15:47:00.003-04:00

I just recently worked on a new recording of this song, previously posted here.

For some reason, this song has been back on my radar, perhaps in connection with the world events that have been happening recently, the unrest in Libya and the Middle East, and especially the Tsunami in Japan.

We need to know that in the midst of nations raging, mountains quaking, and seas roaring, we have a God who is strong, before whom we can be still and confident.

-----
Verse: (C#m A B)
Oceans roar, mountains quake
But here in You I am saved
Kingdoms fall, nations rage
But You will come at break of day

Pre-chorus: (A B)
You are an ever present help
In times of trouble
Though all the earth is giving way
We will not fear

Chorus: (E B/D# C#m A)
The Lord of Hosts is with us
He is the God of Jacob
And ever faithful He has been
The Lord of Hosts is with us
He is a mighty fortress
And ever faithful He has been

Bridge: (E B/D# C#m A)
Though all the earth should shake
I will be still
Knowing that You remain
I will be still
Though all the nations rage
I will be still
'Cause You are my hope and strength
I will be still

Wonder of Wonders

2011-03-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

Hey friends, I know it's been a little while since I posted a new song, but I ran into some kinks with the previous music player I was working with and had to switch to something else before I could start putting up new songs. Anyway, here goes...

Wonder has been a theme of my thoughts on and off for the past year. There's something so child-like about wonder, that I think us adults frequently miss it, the sense of "woah" about life that allows for mystery and grandeur.

I'm a cynic and a skeptic by nature. If something seems too good to be true, there's probably a catch, or so the nagging voice in my heard says. That that voice in my head has never really helped me. His wagging finger doesn't really point anywhere. And my actual experience of life tells me that God is real, that God is good, and that God is wonderful. His wonders are beyond measure, and I would do well to sit and be still before him, to let his mysteries wash over me. Above all, I desire to "have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge..." (Ephesians 3:18-19)

The prayers of Paul for the Ephesian church have so blessed me in this meditation:
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people..." (Ephesians 1:17-18)

I want to intentionally live my life in a place of wonder, continually amazed at the grandeur of God's love for us in Christ. This song is a part of that.

-----
Verse: (C F)
Wonder of wonders, You have my heart
You are my one desire
Oh my Beloved, lovely You are
You set my mind on fire

Pre-chorus: (Am7 G F C Am7 G F)
Spirit of wisdom, Spirit of truth
Spirit of revelation
Lord I desire the vision of You
Hear now my supplication

Chorus: (C Am7 F G)
You are exalted, beautiful Jesus
Merciful Savior, coming King
And for the glory of Your appearing
I will surrender everything

Bridge: (Dm7 C)
Spirit reveal the deep things of God
How high and how wide, how deep is Your love

Father in Heaven

2011-01-27T12:51:00.004-05:00

I've been listening to a series of sermons by Tim Keller on the Lord's prayer, and one of his messages especially touched me. "Father in heaven..." Keller really drove home the difference between the kind of prayer that Jesus was advocating and the kind of prayer that was predominant in his day and age (and is arguably predominant today as well).

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)

If we come to prayer anxiously, it is because we don't realize it is our Father we are speaking to, and when we come to prayer with a set a of demands, it is because we think we're speaking to a business partner rather than a friend. The ability to call on God as Father completely transforms our approach to him. We need not assert ourselves (doing so is really ridiculous when you realize that God is not obligated in any way to us), but we can have an incredible confidence that God hears our prayers with a caring heart. Dad pays attention to the concerns of his kids.

The main scriptures I pulled from were Matthew 6:7-13 and 1 John 3:1.

(hope you enjoy the new instrument...)
----
Verse 1: (A F#m D E)
Father in heaven, O what a name
I am invited to call You each day
What wondrous love You lavish on us
That You would call us daughter and son

Refrain:
E/G# A E/G# A
Give us today our daily bread
E/G# A E
Forgive us all our trespasses
E/G# A E/G# A
And lead us not into temptation
E/G# A E
Heavenly Father, deliver us

Verse 2: (A F#m D E)
Heavenly Father, hallowed be
Your name forever from sea to sea
As in the heavens, Your kingdom come
Here on the earth now, Your will be done

(Refrain)

Ending:
E/G# A E/G# A E/G# A E
Yours is the king- dom, the pow- er, and glory
E/G# A E/G# A E/G# A E
Now and forev- er and ev- er, Amen

Unto Us (Wonderful Counselor)

2010-12-14T10:55:00.004-05:00

I wrote this song a number of months ago now, but as will become evident when you read the lyrics... it's more of a seasonal song than the others I have written up to this point.

As we're in the advent season, I thought this was the appropriate time to introduce the song to my church, and we've sung it the past few weeks for our morning worship. It tied in especially well with a message one of my pastors preached two Sundays ago, "When Hope Gets Stumped".

This song came out of a time when I was reading the book of Isaiah, and was moved specifically by the messianic prophecies in chapter 9 and 11.

(...I included a little seasonal musical touch to the recording... hope you like it)

-----
Verse: A D E F#m7 / A D Esus E
Wonderful Counselor, I love your name O Jesus
Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Your name alone can save us

Pre-chorus: D F#m7 E / A D F#m7 E
From the stump of Jesse's house
A root will come to reign

Chorus: A E Bm7 D
Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given
And the government will be on His shoulders
He will reign on David's throne, He will usher in his kingdom
And establish it with justice forever

More Than Watchmen (Psalm 130)

2010-11-22T14:09:00.005-05:00

I wrote this song a few weeks ago, also in response to one of my pastors' request for "hope songs" for us to sing in worship on Sunday mornings (He's doing a sermon series on hope). Most songs take at least a week or a few days of coming back to it a number of times for me to finish them, but this was one of the rare ones that came rather quickly, probably because the theme of hope resonates so strongly with me, and because Psalm 130 has been one of my favorite Psalms for years. I have been especially moved by its description of waiting on the Lord:

I wait for the Lord

More than watchmen wait for morning,

More than watchmen wait for morning.

I heard a story yesterday about a navy chaplain who was visiting soldiers who were standing guard through the night on the frontlines of a battlefield. He described the incredible tension, as a moving camel in the distance seemed so certainly to look like an enemy soldier, and a twinkle of light would set the whole camp on alarm. In the final hours of night, everyone was desperate to see the morning light, longing for the clarity of vision it would bring. These words from Psalm 130 became all the more real to the chaplain after this experience.

I have written below about how the Christian is always, in this life, waiting. For every answered prayer, there are many unanswered ones. And the ultimate fulfillment for what we can best desire will always remain unfulfilled until Christ returns. But we can still wait with confidence, believing that the morning will come and that the God who is in the business of making things new, will finally, one day, make all things new in Christ.

-----

Verse 1: Bm7 G D A

Out of the depths I call to You

Listen to my plea

Out of the depths I cry the name of Jesus

Battered by my circumstance

Broken at Your feet

But voice enough to sigh the name of Jesus

Pre-Chorus: Em7 D/F# G A

Where else would I go

You're my only hope

Chorus: Bm7 G D A

More than watchmen wait for morning

I will wait for You, my God

In Your promise I will glory

All my hope is in Your love

Verse 2:

If you kept a record of

All our sinful ways

Who, O Lord, could stand to face Your glory

But full of mercy, rich in love

You have come to save

So in my weary bones I whisper, "worthy"

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G Bm7 A

My soul waits for the break of day

You will surely come as the rising sun

Bm7 A/C# G A

My soul longs for the coming dawn

You will surely come to us

Faithful One

2010-11-14T14:24:00.004-05:00

I wrote this song a few weeks ago in response to a request from my pastor. He sent me a list of scriptures, revolving around the them of hope, which he'll be preaching on for the next few months, and he asked me to start writing songs! This one came originally from Psalm 147:11. As I thought about the verse, I wanted to write a song that was full of praise for the riches of God's love, his faithful, unfailing love. We can have such confidence in his love, knowing that He who was, who is and who is to come, is love, and will always look on us with love.

----

(the recording is in E, but I frequently play it in D when leading this song at church)

Chorus: D G D A (x2) Bm7 G D A Em7 G A

Faithful One

We will hope in Your unfailing love

From the rising to the setting sun

We will hope in Jesus' name

You have never failed us

Verse: D Em7 G A

Rich in Compassion, lavish in love

Hope of the nations, beautiful God

Full of new mercy day after day

You come to save me, Lamb who was slain

Bridge: Bm7 A/C# G

And for eternity we'll sing this song

Our God is love, Our God is love

The One who was and is and is to come

Our God is love, Our God is love

Em7 A

Our God is love Our God is love

Ending: Em7 G (x3) Em7 G A D...

You have never failed us

You will never fail us

We Are Waiting (2)

2010-10-18T13:00:00.003-04:00

I know I already did a blog post for this song, but I was helping with worship at a conference this weekend, and this song sort of came to the forefront because it tied in so well with the theme that emerged: waiting on God. (Plus, I got a new mic recently and felt like re-recording it).

I was reminded this weekend that waiting is such a crucial aspect of the believer's identity. We wait in confidence because we know that He who did not spare his only Son but gave Him up willingly, will not withhold anything good from His children (Romans 8:31-32). And we wait with a strong hope because of the coming Kingdom, where we will know Love personified in all His fullness.

P.S. I kind of went to town on this recording... I couldn't help myself... but I hope I'm not setting a precedent... I would still like this to be a place where I can throw up (very) rough recordings of songs I'm writing...

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Verse: (C Dm7 F Gsus)
Pre-chorus: (F C Gsus)
Chorus & Bridge: (F C Gsus Dm7)

All My Life (At the Cross)

2010-09-28T18:40:00.003-04:00

I wrote this song about a few months ago, around the same time as "This World Has Nothing for Me". Both songs are centered around the theme of losing all things for the Lord, being crucified with Christ, but this song sprang more out of a meditation on the first part of Galatians 6:14, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

And I stole a line from a great old hymn... I'll let you figure out which one.

(I've also included the chords for this one, in case you care to play along)

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(C F G C Am G F C)
All my life I will live
At the cross
At the place you loved me
With all my strength
I will boast in the cross
For the way you loved me there

(Am G F C)
And I am crucified with Christ
And I have found new life
At the cross at the place you loved me

(F Am G C F Am G)
Riches I will heed not, nor man's empty praise
You will be my first love now and always
I will ever praise you, see your hands and feet
You have won my love for eternity

Jonah

2010-09-27T11:10:00.003-04:00

I wrote this song probably four years ago now. I had a crisis of faith toward the end of my junior year of college, after which the Lord got me by myself for a little while. I felt like Jonah in the belly of the big fish. Anyway, I think I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves.

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I am Jonah and I am sailing on the sea
And you sent a storm because you wanted me
So throw me over, come and throw me overboard
I have a long awaited appointment with the Lord

I am Jonah in the belly of the deep
But it is in this place I can hear you clearly
And although its dark and cold, this I have come to know
It is my only hope

'Cause you had to get me into the secret place
You had to draw me out and get us face to face
You have my attention, and I know it's been a while
But I am all ears now

I am Jonah, and it has been three days
I've been waiting and praying here with no escape
Are you about to spit me out, 'cause Lord, I could use another hour
Just to be here with you

One thing I ask and I would seek
To meet you Jesus here in the deep
In lowly places my heart is weary
But you are near me, Lord

Strong and Loving

2010-08-23T14:54:00.005-04:00

I love the passage in Psalms where David says, "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving."

I have needed this image of God, who is both strong - able to save me and take my daily burdens upon himself - and loving - willing to save me and take my burdens.

This song is an effort to understand who God is as strong and loving in the context of Christ's death and resurrection. The One who died in weakness displayed greater strength than any man ever has. He who loved his enemies unto death arose in strength and power to make salvation available to all who come in faith.

Other passages that I had in mind when writing were Proverbs 18:10 and 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

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You are love, You are strong
You are good all day long

Your love is a strong tower
We run in and we are saved

You are our burden bearer
You are our sin forgiver
You were the man on the cross
You are our strong redeemer
You are our king forever
The risen ruler of all

You are God come in flesh
Knowing pain, drinking death

What strength displayed in weakness
What love conquered o'er the grave

Dead and risen, You have conquered
Strong and loving, What a Savior!

Thank You For Taking

2010-08-06T11:28:00.006-04:00

I wrote this song recently, inspired by a time of prayer at my church. A friend of mine prayed a prayer that really struck me, and knowing a little bit about what had recently transpired in his life, it was all the more striking.

It went something like this...

"Lord, thank you for taking [...] out of my life;
Thank you for what you have given to me;
Thank you for what you have left in my life.
You are my portion forever. Amen"

So I wrote a song about it (and added a little something that might remind you of Neil Young...).

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Thank you for taking
Thank you for giving
Thank you for leaving behind
What you have taken
What you have given
What you have left in my life

Refrain
You are my portion forevermore
Your ways are higher than mine
You are my lot in the land, O Lord
Your love is better than life

Thank you for making
Thank you for changing
Thank you for taking control
What you have made me
How you have changed me
O what a love I can know

Please, God

2010-07-01T10:24:00.004-04:00

This is yet another song I wrote in response to a sermon series one of my pastors did on ASKing. There are a few different ways I approach song-writing, and this one came first as the melody and first few lines of a verse... I figured out the guitar part later.

When thinking about what we should ask God for in worship, it seemed most obvious to me that we should ask that He be more greatly glorified on the earth. Our primary motivation in worship should be to make his "name and renown" the desire of our hearts (Isaiah 26:8).

James tells us that we have not because we ask not, and that when we do ask, we frequently ask with wrong motives and therefore receive nothing. But if we are firstly motivated by a humble desire for God's "name and renown," then our requests have a solid foundation.

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Please, God, build Your kingdom
Please, God, send Your rain
Hear, God, us Your children
Asking please, God, have Your way

We have not for we ask not
So we ask now
We are wretched, blind, and poor

Send Your Spirit, come down
And let every nation bow
For Your name and renown
We are asking, God
Holy Jesus we pray
Be exalted in our day
For Your glory and fame
We are asking God

Please, God, have a harvest
Have a people for your praise
Save, God, those in darkness
Teach our hearts to love Your grace

We have not
For we ask not
We ask now O God

One Thing I Ask

2010-06-22T16:44:00.005-04:00

I wrote this song a few weeks ago. One of my pastors has been studying Psalm 27 lately and encouraged me to write a few songs for corporate worship based on some of its themes.

Having music ministry as a part of my job, I have appreciated the time and opportunity to grow as a song-writer. The vast majority of songs I have written in the past have come out of a very personal place of worship. Some of these songs have been suitable for a congregation (i.e. they have a melody that can be followed by most and lyrics that can be sung by different people in different seasons of life), but the original meditations that prompted these songs have been very personal in nature. I am now trying to learn how to come at song-writing from a different angle. Rather than just asking, "What am I learning?" I am asking the question, "What is my church learning?"

Interestingly enough, some of the songs I have introduced at church lately have been better received initially by fellow worshippers than they have been by my own soul. But as I continue to use these songs in worship, they grow on me, becoming more and more a sincere declaration of worship born out of my own personal experience. Only after sharing these songs with others do I learn to own them myself.

Anyway... this is one of those songs. I wasn't even the one to introduce it the first time it was led at my church; a very capable fellow worship leader did! I pray this song motivates worship and praise in your own heart.

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One thing I ask, this I would seek
That I might gaze upon Your beauty
One thing I want, this I desire
O just a tast of You and Your glory

Heaven rain down
Glory pour out

I am confident of this
I will see Your goodness
In the land of the living
In the land of the living

We Are Waiting

2010-05-27T13:03:00.006-04:00

One of my pastors has been doing a sermon series over the past number of months on prayer and of the fundamental role ASKING should play in a Christian's prayer life. It has been an incredibly fruitful season for our church in which many individuals have experienced a revitalization of their prayer lives and intimacy with God (myself included).

About two months ago he preached specifically on the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. But the point he stressed (or which came across most strongly to me) was the excruciating delay which Jesus allowed himself, once hearing the news, before traveling to see Lazarus and his family. The practical application for our lives is that we often find ourselves, like those who loved Lazarus, in a state of waiting which we are powerless to change. And yet God will accomplish something good in the end of it all. Even if Lazarus should die, Jesus will show himself to be the resurrection and the life. We can wait patiently and pray fervently... these two are not mutually exclusive.

So these thoughts are what prompted this song...

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We are waiting God for You to respond
We are asking in Your name
We will stand and knock 'till your kingdom comes
'Till the nations know Your praise

And O to hear You say the final "Amen"
When You renew us unto life without end
But even now we pray Your kingdom come down

Holy King of love reigning over us
Jesus You will come again
Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven

We are waiting, we are waiting for You...
We are asking, we are asking for You...

This World Has Nothing For Me

2010-05-20T14:23:00.006-04:00

A lot of songs I've been writing recently have been about the idea of being "crucified with Christ." What does it mean to be crucified with him, or to be crucified to the world? What does this look like? For me it has seemed to look like a gradually decreasing desire to find my life in this world or to fulfill myself here. This song is a very simple one, and most of the words are not my own, but taken almost directly from scriptures that have prompted this meditation (Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Philippians 1:21-24).

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This world has nothing for me
I am crucified with Christ
This world has nothing for me
Since that glorious day I died

My will it is to know him
My longing is to see his face
In waiting I will love him
Now to live is Christ, to die is gain

With Us

2010-04-26T14:29:00.006-04:00

This is another old song... so far this blog has been mostly useful for sharing some old songs that didn't make it onto the CD I'm working on. Maybe I'll put some of these on future projects... not sure.

Anyway, I was meditating in the Psalms for a good number of months a couple of years ago, and this song came out of Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kindgoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
...
"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (verses 1-7,10-11)

I needed to know that God would help "at break of day," and that there was a stream that could "make glad" one who was in distress [me].

Also, the words "Lord Almighty" are translated "Lord of Hosts" in other translations. I like the latter, as it speaks to me of a mighty God with a host of angel armies at his command, ready to fight for me.

But most of all, I needed to know that in the midst of my circumstances I could just "Be still" and know that my God was faithful, that his love was constant and unchanging, and that there was no circumstance that could rob me of the hope He offers in Jesus.

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Oceans roar, mountains quake
But here in You, I am saved
Kingdoms fall, nations rage
But You will come at break of day

You are an ever-present help
in times of trouble
Though all the earth is giving way
We will not fear

The Lord of Hosts is with us
He is the God of Jacob
And ever-faithful He has been
The Lord of Hosts is with us
He is a mighty fortress
And ever-faithful He has been

Though all the earth should shake
I will be still
Knowing that You remain
I will be still
Though all the nations rage
I will be still
'Cause You are my hope and strength
I will be still

He Is the Image

2010-04-20T10:23:00.007-04:00

I wrote this song probably about a year and a half ago, and there isn't as much of a story behind it... but I was meditating in Colossians at the time, and this song came out of it. The lyrics are mainly inspired by the first chapter, specifically verses 15-20...

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blod, shed on the cross."

I also love to remind myself what Jesus' name means: God Saves. What a wonderful declaration to make in worship. Hence the last line of the chorus: "Forever we will love the God who saves." Glory! Hallelujah!

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He is the image of the, of the invisible God
He is the Word come in flesh
He is the resurrection, the way, the truth, the life and
The love of God manifest

He is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Fully God, He bore our shame
He is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Reconciled us through his pain
And forever we will love the God who saves

He is the man of sorrows, acquainted with our suff'ring
Obedient unto death
He is the humble, holy, exalted Lord of Glory
The firstborn up from the dead

Forever we will love You...