Overcome Me

I need your help today
'Cause I can't help myself
I try in vain to do things my own way
But only end up hurting someone else

I've spent my whole life as
My own worst enemy
I've wrapped myself in so many chains
The you're the only one to set me free

You've overcome the world
Now overcome me
I stumble in the darkness
'Cause I'm too blind to see
Your plans are so much greater
Than mine could ever be
You've overcome the world
Please overcome me

I don't want to be
The cause of others' sin
Better that I go off by myself
If that's the way the healing can begin

I'll stay inside my shell
Where I can do no harm
Until the day when you have made me well
And given me a shelter from the storm

I have caused so much pain
To the ones that I love
And there's no way I can make it right
So I ask you today
Send your grace from above
And open my eyes so I see the light

Give Me A Reason

The feeling's coming once again

The memories invade and then

The weight of all my past mistakes

Comes crashing over me

Don't know how much more I can take

Before something in me breaks

And I fall apart in pieces

For all the world to see

 

I am calling out to you

Because it's all that I can do

 

God, give me a reason to survive

Give me a place where I can hide

Give me something I can hold on to

So I don't lay down and die

Give me a reason to believe

In the things that I can't see

Send your angel now to hold me

And your love to set me free

 

Am I crying out for help

Or feeling sorry for myself

Or is there really any difference

Looking through your eyes

Now my faith just seems too weak

To find the answers that I seek

Is your mercy great enough

For you to hear my cries

 

I'm tired of wearing a brave face

While I'm waiting for some grace

And wondering if it's ever going to show

Now I'm begging you today

To send a miracle my way

Because I won't be here tomorrow

Here With Me (for PT)

I have walked a million miles

And I've seen a million things

Spent the fullness of my life

In the shadow of your wings

 

Every step along the way

You've been there to hold my hand
Though I didn't always see

Now I finally understand

 

You are here with me

As I walk through the valley

You're here with me

As I climb the mountain tall

You're here with me

With every step of the journey

You're here with me

To pick me up when I fall

You're everywhere I go

In everything I see

Lord may you always be

Here with me

 

There is nothing that can take

Away the love you've given me

It's the thing that fuels my heart

And it will eternally

 

Across every bridge

Behind every door

You're there on the other side

Your light shining through

To banish the dark

There's nowhere that it can hide

Every Time I Turn Around

I am Judas, the betrayer

I turn my back upon you every day

But when I come to you in prayer

You open up your arms and bid me stay

You're always there to catch me when I fall

You're always there to see me through it all

 

Every time I turn around you're standing right behind me

Every time I try to run away you always find me

After all my broken promises and bridges that I burn

You're still there every time I turn around

 

I am Thomas, always doubting

Why do I find it so hard to believe

And even when the proof is shouting

The truth is sometimes so hard to conceive

But your patience and compassion tell me true

I see it every time I look at you

 

I am Peter and Matthew and Simon and James

And the rest of your unruly band

I am trying to follow, but scared just the same

'Cause there's so much I don't understand

How the love still pours from your hand

Living Water

Help me seek so I can find

And learn to ask for what is mine

Teach me to knock upon your door

And praise your name forevermore

 

The other things to which I've turned

Have left me cold, have left me burned

They can't compare with what you give

For you I'd die, for you I'll live

 

Lord fill me up with your living water

'Cause I never want to thirst again

All the wells that I try have all run dry

And I need what comes from God, not men

 

There is naught that I can do

To earn the love that comes from you

Nothing I have is worth a thing

If it's not from you, my king

 

Teach me to put no other gods before you

And to love my neighbor as myself

Let my heart and soul and mind adore you

And my eyes to look at nowhere else

Grace Abounding

Create in me the cleanest heart

And give my soul a brand new start

Don't want to be cast away

It's by your side I want to stay

 

Lift me to a higher place

And let me feel your saving grace

So I can teach and be a guide

To bring more people to your side 

 

I want to die to the power of sin and death
I want to live for the one who gives me breath
I want to be an example of righteousness
And grace abounding
Sing to the glory of his name
Who lifted me from the depths of my guilt and shame
Invited me into a kingdom I could not claim
And turned my life around

Deliver me from guiltiness

And I will sing your righteousness

O let my lips be open to

Shouts of joy and praise to you

 

What can I give to you in love

Things of this world are not enough

A broken heart, the highest price

I give to you in sacrifice

 

I was broken down in pieces

My soul was scattered 'cross the floor

Now I owe my life to Jesus

And he is what I'm living for

Fight The Good Fight

You're feeling like the whole world is against you
You don't see any point in the struggle anymore
Your enemies have won and left you broken
You wish you would have quit long before

The battle lost, the war still continues
And even though it seems that there is no way to compete
You have the perfect weapon in your corner
And Christ will make your victory complete

Fight the good fight
Take hold of your faith
You are called to face the challenges
To carry on in truth and grace
He'll stand by your side
And give you the strength
You will find in him all you ever need
If you seek his face

You bear the scars of pain and disappointment
And the times that you've been told that you're not worth much at all
But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger
And Jesus picks you up when you fall

He'll see you through the trials and tribulations
And the times it seems like all your hope is gone
He'll give you courage and the perserverance
To keep on going til the race is won

Let This Be The Year

I know you've had your share of disappointments

The past is not the way it should have been

You're tired of the hand that fate has dealt you

And looking for a way to start again

 

I know that we're not getting any younger

And I dream about the future we will find

So as I watch the ball drop from the comfort of my easy chair

A new year's resolution comes to mind

 

Let this be the year

That we find a way to make it happen

Let this be the year

That we go the extra mile

Let this be the year

That we vow to spend our lives together

Let this be the year

That I walk you down the aisle

I want to share with you each hope and joy

Each sorrow and each tear

Oh baby, let this be the year

 

My life was changed the first time that I saw you

You smiled at me and took hold of my heart

There's no way I could ever live without you

I suffer with each day we spend apart

 

The hours we're not together pass so slowly

I want to spend forever by your side

So tell me by the next broadcast of New Year's Rockin' Eve

I'll finally get a chance to kiss the bride

Navigator

I'm afraid of letting go

Surrendering control

I'd rather stick to the familiar

Habits that I know

 

But there's a better plan for me

And it's something I can't see

And I realize I have to learn

To trust God completely

 

So I'll set out on this journey

With Jesus at my side

The Bible as my compass

And the Spirit as my guide

 

I am the pilot

But alone I know I'll never find my way

I am the pilot

But by myself I always go astray

When I can't see the horizon

I got Jesus to focus my eyes on

And He'll keep me flying true

Whether skies are cloudy or blue

On the course set by my Creator

He is the navigator of my soul

Can I See You Tonight

Desperation
I'm callin' out your name
I feel the ache inside
Can you take away the pain
I'm tired of waiting
To finaly see the day
I can hold you in my arms
There has got to be a way

Oh baby, can I see you tonight
Baby, will you turn on the light
The one that leads me to your door
'Cause I can't find it anymore
Ever since the day you told me goodbye

Times are changin'
And I've fallen off my stride
I can't live another day
Without you by my side
I can't escape it
The feeling is too strong
Our lovin' is so right
I just know it can't be wrong

Just Another Christmas Song

Well Halloween is barely gone

There's Black Friday deals on Amazon

But I don't understand why they're on

'Cause it ain't Thanksgiving yet

There are Santas on my TV screen

With the networks raking in the green

And in all the excitement it seems

That there's one thing we forget

That's the reason for the season

This is just another Christmas song

And it won't be here for very long

'Cause when January comes along

They're put away where they belong

So let's sing a song to Jesus Christ

Who took our sin and paid the price

See it's not about the presents or a tree

It's about eternal life for you and me

The PA's in the shopping malls

Play "Jingle Bells" and "Deck The Halls"

And I wonder if we know at all

What we're really doing here

'Cause we'll wait five hours in the rain

For a Barbie doll or Xbox game

And we never really act the same

Any other time of year

Let it lead us back to Jesus

Let's put the Christ back into Christmas

And never miss a chance to witness

To what the Savior's doing in our lives

And let's sing our songs to Jesus Christ

Who took our sin and paid the price

And sacrificed himself upon the tree

To buy eternal life for you and me

Where Do I Belong

Father, if you're listening

I need to talk to you

There's a burden on my heart

And I don't know what to do

 

I've always tried to follow

Where the spirit leads

But the place that I have come to

Conflicts with what I read

 

How can something feel so right

When the Bible says it's wrong

Your word is written on my heart

And it's been there all along

So how do I explain

Why this feeling is so strong

Father, please tell me

Where do I belong

 

Lord, if you got time

I got something to say

I'm tired of feeling all alone

Each and every day

 

So tell me if you can

Is the one I'm waiting for

The one that I would give my heart

For now and ever more

All I Have To Do

Lord what must I do

To live forevermore

Should I sell all my possessions

And give the money to the poor

 

Do I love my God with all my heart

And my neighbor as myself

Do I set aside for the church

Ten percent of all my wealth

 

I know that I can never buy

Forgiveness for my sin

But you gave to me

A way to enter in

 

All I have to do is believe in you

All I have to do is know your word is true

It's true

You make all things new

I believe you came to rescue me

You took the chains upon yourself to set me free

I'm free

And in you I'll always be

Trust you

That's all I have to do

 

I fall short of your glory

And I will for all my days

'Cause I fail all your commandments

In a thousand different ways

 

If it's up to me I'll never see

The beauty of your face

But it's through your love

And your amazing grace

 

You take away my guilt and shame

All by the power of your name

Your righteousness is mine to claim

If I believe in you

It's all I have to do

You're Not Here

I sit here on the grass

Staring at the stone

Your name is etched upon it

Surrounded, yet alone

I think of all our dreams

And the plans we used to make

The things we'd do together

The trips that we would take

And I'm reminded...

You're not here

 

I lie here in my bed

There's room enough for two

But only one that sleeps here

Looks like it needs you too

There's lightning in the window

In the coming of the storm

And in spite of all the blankets

I just cannot stay warm

It's all because...

You're not here

 

You're not here to see the way the kids

Are growing up so tall

You're not here to know how being alone

Has made me feel so small

You're not here to watch the way that I

Have broken down and cried

You're not here to feel the cancer as

It eats you up inside

 

I sit here in the pew

Listening to the Word

Of Jesus' resurrection

It's the sweetest ever heard

You're in the Father's arms now

Free from any pain

And I have the blest assurance

That I'll see you once again

And it's okay that...

You're not here

Odds & Sods

I don't like to post incomplete things. Stories, songs, whatever. This is supposed to be a collection of stuff with a beginning, middle, and end - it's not a diary where I sit and kvetch about inconsequential nonsense, and how my life isn't going how I thought it would, and blah blah blah. Blech.

There comes a point where I have to get stuff down on "paper", before I lose/forget what I was working on. Vapor trails, and all that. That being said, I need to get some bits and pieces of songs somewhere permanent before they disappear into the mist.

Grace Abounding

I want to die to the power of sin and death
I want to live for the one who gives me breath
I want to be an example of righteousness
And grace abounding
Sing to the glory of his name
Who lifted me from the depths of my guilt and shame
Invited me into a kingdom I could not claim
And turned my life around

Not So Much

Tell me why can't I learn how to trust you
Why can't I give you my heart
Why do I keep doing all of those things
That constantly tear us apart
Why do I find it so hard to believe
In something that I can't touch
Your grace is sufficient
But my faith, not so much

Overcome Me

You've overcome the world
Now overcome me
I stumble in the darkness
'Cause I'm too blind to see
Your plans are so much greater
Than mine could ever be
You've overcome the world
Please overcome me

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