Saturday, September 13, 2014

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United

I have been deeply moved and comforted by this song more times than I can remember. The song draws from the story of Peter being called out on the water by Jesus in Matthew 14:22-36:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
The song lyrics link the story of Peter to our own lives - to have faith in Jesus, even "when oceans rise." But, it's more than that. We are called to grow deeper in our faith:
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior.
When we feel like we're drowning in life's storms (struggles / obstacles / trials), we are called to:
  1. call upon His name,
  2. keep our eyes above the waves (and on our Lord),
  3. find peace and rest in His embrace,
  4. remember that I am Yours and You are mine.
A Scripture verse that I personally feel a deep connection with is the story of Paul's thorn, in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
It is in OUR weakness that HE is strong... His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect. Now, do I always delight in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties? No, but I'm doing my best to be faithful in Him. To allow His sufficient grace to help me to grow my faith and trust in Him deeper, so that I can give all glory to Him... on the good days and the bad.

-----

I'm going to post the radio edition (4:15 minutes) and the full edition (9 minutes) - I'll also link to the Oceans Song Story, which has a discussion among the singers about the making of the song. 

Radio edition (4:15 minutes)
The entire song is great, though the part that always captures me is around 2:10-4:05.

 Full edition (9 minutes)
I know it's long, but it's worth it... the part that always captures me is around 3:40-7:45.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior


I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Oceans Song Story - Hillsong United

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Do Everything by Steven Curtis Chapman

I've heard this song before, but I listened to it this morning after reading a devotional, When Your Pain is Invisible (I wrote a blog post regarding that devotional: When Your Pain is Invisible: You Look So Good). It's a great reminder that we're called to do everything, from the mundane day-to-day to the big once-in-a-lifetime, for God's glory.

Lord, may everything I am and everything I do tell the story of Your grace and bring glory to You. Amen.



Do Everything by Steven Curtis Chapman

You're picking up toys on the living room floor
For the fifteenth time today
Matching up socks
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away

You put a baby on your hip
Color on your lips and head out the door

While I may not know you,
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long

[Chorus]
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you,
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do


Maybe your that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name

You may be hooking up mergers
Cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day

Little stuff
Big stuff
In between stuff
God sees it all the same

While I may not know you
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?
Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
[Chorus]

Maybe your sitting in math class
Or maybe on a mission in the Congo
Or maybe your working at the office
Singing along with the radio

Maybe you're a down and out rock star
Or feeding orphans in the Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere that you are

Whatever you do
It all matters

So do what you do
Don't ever forget

To do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause He made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace

[Chorus]

In every little thing you do
In every little thing you do

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Everything I Need by Kutless

I've been away from my blogs for quite a while. I've been struggling through some things. This song is so powerful, and really resonates with me, so I wanted to share.



Everything I Need by Kutless

When every step is so hard to take
And all of my hope is fading away
When life is a mountain that I can not climb
You carry me, Jesus carry me.

[Chorus]
You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need

When every moment is more than I can take
And all of my strength is slipping away
When every breath gets harder me
You carry me, Jesus carry me

[Chorus]

I need You
You are everything I need
I love everything about You 

[Chorus]

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin

I absolutely love this song! It really touches my heart, and fires me up. "The God of Angel Armies is always by my side." Wow! What a powerful image this invokes. Our God is one with incredible resources, and He surrounds us with powerful and plentiful strength.

In 2 Kings, Elisha and his servant are up against an enemy king's huge military force.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Elisha's servant got a glimpse of God's Angel Armies. What a sight!

God is our ever-present defender, our refuge in time of need. He is all-knowing. He loves us unconditionally, and He is in control. So, whatever trial or challenge you face, take heart... the God of Angel Armies is always by your side!


Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

[Chorus]
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side


The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side


My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear

[Chorus]

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful
You are faithful

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful
You are faithful
You are faithful

[Chorus] (repeat)

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

Friday, August 16, 2013

Overcomer by Mandisa

So, I had my first round of Botox today for my chronic migraines, and this was one of the songs that played during the treatment was. It truly blessed me today, and I wanted to share it here.

This song is a beautiful reminder that God has already overcome and won the battle on our behalf... all we have to do is to "just hold tight, fix your eyes on the one who holds your life [because] there's nothing He can't do."

Overcomer by Mandisa

Staring at a stop sign
Watching people drive by
Got so much on your mind
Nothing's really going right
Looking for a ray of hope

Whatever it is you may be going through
I know He's not gonna let it get the best of you

[Chorus]
You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer

Everybody's been down
Hit the bottom, hit the ground
Oh, you're not alone
Just take a breath, don't forget
Hang on to His promises
He wants You to know

[chorus]

The same Man, the Great I am
The one who overcame death
Is living inside of You
So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life
There's nothing He can't do
He's telling You

[chorus]

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Ground Turkey Risotto

Jeremy and I have tried this twice now, so we've made a few additional adjustments to the recipe (it's only loosely based on a recipe I found online). It's easy, delicious, and it makes for good leftovers. It can also be tweaked in a lot of ways - use a different ground meat, different or additional veggies (such as, celery, broccoli, peas), additional spices (perhaps some basil or Italian seasoning?).

Ground Turkey Risotto
Adapted from BettyCrocker.com

Ingredients:
¼ - ½ cup diced onions (we use frozen)
1¼ lbs ground turkey
1¼ tsp minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
¼ - ½ tsp black pepper
1¼ cups uncooked arborio rice
32 ounce chicken broth
1 cup chopped carrots
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
[Optional: fresh chives (sprinkle on top before serving)]

*** Use deep skillet or stock pot. 

Directions:
  1. Saute onions (this may just be our preference) over medium-high heat for just 1-2 minutes.
  2. Stir in ground turkey, garlic, and pepper. Heat 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring until meat is thoroughly cooked.
  3. Stir in the arborio rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Stir in the chicken broth. Heat until boiling.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in the chopped carrots. Cook uncovered 5-7 minutes longer, or until liquid is absorbed.
  7. Remove skillet from heat.
  8. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cover, and let stand 3 minutes.
  9. Serve.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Beauty From Pain by Superchick

I haven't heard this song in quite some time, but I randomly started singing it a couple nights ago. It just resonated so much with me - I listened to it three or four times in a row. It's a somewhat dark song, I suppose; but I find it beautiful. It's raw and honest, yet offers hope that "there will be a dawn," and "there'll be beauty from pain."


Beauty From Pain by Superchick

The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive but I feel like I've died
And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away

[Chorus]
After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today, someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain


My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I'll wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames


[Chorus]

Here I am at the end of me (at the end of me)
Tryin' to hold to what I can't see (to what I can't see)
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to Your promise
There will be a dawn


[Chorus]