Humble Beginnings

They didn't have a building of their own
But they had a call to answer
And God's word to make known
There was a new community to serve
And a need for "Here I am, Lord"
From someone with the nerve
So as the wind from the orange groves
Blew on that fateful morn
A new family in Christ was born

From humble beginnings
We gather here today
What God has created
The world can't take away
The call is still the same
His love we will proclaim
And until the job is done we're here to stay

They didn't have a place where they could stay
They'd come all the way from Galilee
With a baby on the way
The rooms were all full for the night
But there was space in the barn
If that would be alright
So as the star shone on that silent night
O'er a lowly manger stall
The son of God came for us all

No matter were you're headed
No matter where you're from
As long as you're with Jesus Christ
The best is yet to come

You Inspire Me

You make me want to be more than I am

You make me want to do more than I can

You give me courage to leave my comfort zone

 

You fill me with passion beyond all compare

To go and accomplish more than I dare

When my spirit fails me you lend to me your own

 

You inspire me

To be the man I never thought I'd be

You inspire me

To see the things I never thought I'd see

To break the chains of fear and doubt

Forever holding me

You inspire me

 

 I hope that I can help you to understand

The way I feel when I'm holding your hand

My heart soars higher than it's ever been before

 

I never dreamed it could be like this

You set my world on fire just with one kiss

My soul is yours for now and evermore

Impossible

I got boxes that reach to the sky
In stacks over six feet high
It's a beautiful house
But it doesn't feel like home

To buy it was always a dream
But it's crashing down it seems
'Cause since you're gone
My heart has turned to stone

I'm starting to think it's impossible
To go on living without you
'Cause the more that I try
The more I break down and cry
And I don't know what I'm ever gonna do
My impossible you

Somehow there must be a way
To make it through each day
To bury the pain
And heartache deep inside

Maybe someday I'll find
A way to leave it all behind
But as for now
I need a place to hide

Chorus

Lost in the Wilderness

I thought that I was listening to you
I thought that I was walking straight and true
But when I look back upon my life I see
The one that I was listening to was me

So here I am, lonely and confused
Broken down with nothing left to lose
Praying for forgiveness from my sin
And begging you to rescue me again

I am lost in the wilderness
And I need you to come and find me
My life is a terrible mess
And I need you now to guide me
I can't seem to find the way alone
And I know only you can lead me home
On the path of righteousness

My pride is what has led me to this place
So I lay it down and humbly seek your face
And commit myself to follow you this time
That the will I serve is yours instead of mine

Chorus

I can do all things
With the strength you give to me
But I've fastened myself up in chains
Only you can set me free

Chorus

Golden Fist

Time is growing short for the man

With the belt around his waist

The list of pretenders to the throne

Is getting hard to face

They claim he's over the hill

But they know he's undefeated still

And they can't wait to take the title away

From the man with the golden fist

 

Some say the kid is ready

But no one knows for sure

For the number one contender

The title's a big lure

But he knows he won't be king

Until he steps into the ring

To meet the the man who they call champion

The man with the golden fist

 

The ruler's days are numbered

The writing's on the wall

He's been measured and found wanting

And he's headed for a fall

The only thing that's missing

Is someone to heed the call

'Cause he's battled through them all

 

This fight will be the last one

You can see it in his eyes

His body has betrayed him

Time has claimed its prize

But he never will retire

Because his heart still holds the fire

And the passion of a hero

The man with the golden fist

 

The crowd looks on in silence

As the doctors rush the floor

He's lying still and lifeless

He'll rise again no more

And no one thinks to sing

The king is dead, long live the king

But you can read it in the papers

A requiem for the golden fist

 

There will never be another

Man with the golden fist

Writer's Block

It's something that every writer experiences, and something that nearly every writer writes about. The dreaded Writer's Block. In my case, it's song lyrics - I don't like to post something that's not complete, and I have half a dozen songs in various stages of undone-ity. One song might have verses and chorus, but no bridge. Another might just be a chorus. Another a snippet of an idea, but no real structure behind it.

 

One song that has been dominating my creative headspace for the past month or so was the first song (really, just a couple verses) I ever wrote, some 25-30 years ago, after discovering Rush. Moving Pictures has just come out, and it was musical nirvana to my teenage ears. So, almost out of nowhere, I penned a bit of ultra cheese about an aging boxing (it was bigger then) champion coming to the end of his career.

 

I have come to the sad conclusion that I am going to have to finally finish this thing and get it out of my skull before I can move on with other stuff, so that's going to be my next post - I actually have in idea of where it needs to go now. Like Victor Hugo, who took 30 years off in the middle of Les Miserables, it's taken me 30 years to finish this. I promise not to write eight chapters about the Parisian sewer system, however.

 

Seems like 30 - Could you ask as much from any other man?

 

But as you the (nonexistent) reader point out, not everything I post is a song lyric. Why couldn't I post a rant about what's going on in my life? Well... it's a long story.

 

That's part of the problem. The long story isn't finished yet. As I said before, I don't like to post things that aren't complete. This isn't a diary - what I write should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And so far, there has been no end in sight. So far. That might change soon.

 

Why so damn cryptic? Confidentiality. How do I write about people who are (and known by other) occasional readers of this blog? I don't know that I will ever be able to tell the story, or even hint about it.

 

Expect to see a rant sometime in the near future. I'm going through a move, and not only am I hemorraging money, but I'm turning gray in the process. At any rate, I'm more than a little disgusted that this is my first post of 2011, and the year is more than half over. C'est la vie.