All
Within Me
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I
love Psalm 103 for a variety of reasons, not the least of which
is its passionate call to worship, and its poignant reminder of
Deuteronomy 6, where Israel was commanded to love the Lord their
God with all their heart, soul and strength. You'll
remember that Jesus called this to attention in Matthew 19:37
when He was asked about the greatest commandment. As worshipers,
it's a strong encouragement to us today, isn't it?
Another
reason I love this psalm is that it reminds us of all the
reasons we have to bless (to speak highly of) the Lord:
He forgives all our iniquities,
He heals all our diseases,
He redeems our life from the pit of destruction,
He crowns us with lovingkindness.
By
the way, that word used for "lovingkindness" is the
Hebrew word, hesed. It's a rich and powerful word,
but it's difficult to describe or explain. No single English
word does it justice, but you can think of it in terms of tender
mercy, dependability, or loyal love. It depicts God's care
and compassion for us - unfailing and always faithful. It doesn't
depend on what we've done; it depends on who He is.
I
can't help but be convinced that we, too, are to live lives of hesed
for and toward each other. After all, hesed is not
really something we feel, it's something we do.
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O
Come O Come Emmanuel
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OK,
this one was a lot of fun to work on. I took the centuries-old,
classic Latin hymn, O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL, and
set it in a sort of brooding 6/8 time signature. (Later on,
though, it does get more robust and celebratory!)
Oh, and there are short references to "Carol of the
Bells" in the accompaniment and in the vocal parts. That
little insertion just adds some sparkle and punch to the
arrangement. A few additional lyrics make this a unique choice
for Advent worship, or for a special spot in your Christmas
presentation.
And by the way, you can begin with the big fanfare opening, or
start the piece at bar 8. There's a scripture narrative quote
printed there, and you might want to incorporate that as
part of the intro.
All in all, I love the way this one
turned out. I hope you do, too!
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Strength
for Tomorrow Grace for Today
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I
think the songs I like best are the ones that have been born out
of experience. They're not fabricated in order to incorporate a
catchy tune, an infectious rhythm or a trendy lyric. Those might
be a part of the song, but its essence, its core, is birthed out
of circumstances that may be glorious, or may be tragic.
Whatever the experience, if we're careful to take note of what
God's teaching us, then it's a lesson worth learning, worth
remembering and worth sharing.
In fact, scripture is full of references to a "new
song," and those new songs are the result of God's working
in the life of those who either wrote or are singing the
new song. Over and over we read the command, "Sing to the
Lord a new song, for He has ..." You see what I
mean, don't you? God moves powerfully, spectacularly,
miraculously - and the result is a new song.
All this was certainly the case when it came to writing
"Strength for Today, Grace for Tomorrow." I'm pretty
sure you can relate to some degree to the circumstances that
compelled me to write this piece. You've faced it, too in some
fashion. It might be pressures, even conflicts, at home (raising
kids, dealing with aging parents, scrimping to make financial
ends meet); challenges in the work place (a tyrannical boss,
uncooperative co-workers); discord or disunity in your church
("Why can't everyone see this as clearly as I do?").
You get the point, but the real point is this: we can't hope and
pray that all these will go away so that we can live the life we
dream of. This is our life, and in reality these are
opportunities to help us grow more and more into the likeness of
Jesus. Life calls for strength and it calls for grace. As
always, how we respond to what life throws at us is much more
important than what it is that actually comes our way.
And as we step out in
faith on this journey,
We know that You'll be our comfort and stay.
Lord, give us strength for tomorrow,
And grace for today.
Bottom
line - extend grace ... everybody benefits.
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You Are Welcome Here
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The
sad truth is, there are a whole lot of people who feel like they
can't enter the doors of our churches because they just don't
have it all together. They feel like they've made too many
mistakes in the past, or that, in continuing to make those
mistakes over and over again, they've somehow arrived at a point
that's beyond redemption. They're convinced that their life
is too scarred and their reputation is too tainted for them to
associate with "church folks." The Body of Christ
could never accept them, they think. And Jesus? Well, He could
never love "a sinner such as I."
Sad.
Tragic, really. The real truth is that we're a hospital for
sinners, not a hotel for saints. And we're all in the same boat,
you know. And where Jesus is, you are welcome there.
Come,
you wounded, weakened and weary,
You are welcome here.
Come, discouraged, come, broken-hearted,
You are welcome here.
This is a refuge for grace;
This is a harbor of mercy.
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Our Only Hope
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When
we lose sight of how we got to where we are today - for better
or for worse - we're in trouble. Every one of us is the product
and the result of thousands of experiences and just about as
many influences. None of us has gotten where we are all by
ourselves.
A couple of years ago I was asked to create
a patriotic work for my friends at PraiseGathering Music. I
jumped at the chance because 1) I love working with these guys,
and 2) it had been a while since I'd flexed a patriotic muscle.
We agreed on a couple of parameters, one being that this work
would be in the 25 - 30 minute range. I gotta tell ya, sometimes
it takes me 15 minutes just to say what I'm about to say! But I
think it turned out OK and we settled on the title,
"Freedom," for the entire musical. So, I got to work
and wrote what I think is a pretty celebratory expression,
complete with lots of orchestral fanfares, some stout choral
writing and a version of our national anthem that includes more
than just the first verse!
When it came time to wrap it all up, I
wanted to say something that would address our heritage and
offer a word of encouragement for the future. I don't have to
tell you that, as citizens of this great country of ours, we've
got lots to be thankful for, as well as a few incidents we wish
we could overlook. And we've got  lots
to look forward to, though at times, the days ahead can look
bleak. That's when I remembered that we didn't really get here
as individuals or as a nation exclusively by human ingenuity and
effort. We've been too fortunate, too prosperous, too blessed to
think we accomplished all this on our own. The undeniable hand
of God has been on us, and surely He won't leave us now.
So as we look to the days ahead, we also
look to the days gone by. We remember the great, great
faithfulness of a great, great God. We recognize His hand in the
lives of our ancestors, and we trust His hand in the lives of
our children. I'll say it again: none of us has gotten where we
are all by ourselves.
Our only hope for tomorrow,
And the only praise that will last;
Yes, our only joy in the sorrow
Is in the One who led us in the
past.
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