If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I’ll feel nude when to where I’m destined I’m compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
‘Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He’s coming

da série “Sydney Impressiona pela…”

No domingo à tarde, demos uma passadinha rápida pra conhecer um dos prédios da igreja Hillsong. E tenho que confessar: ao ver o “Jesus Hope For Humanity”  na parede, fiquei muito mais emocionada do que quando vi o Opera House. O culto já estava acabando (mas não tínhamos mesmo planejado em ir porque iríamos à noite na gravação/noite de oração), então  estava cheio de gente esperando algum dos ônibus da igreja passarem. Entramos, conhecemos tudo lá por dentro (as fotos ficaram horríveis, não me pergunte por quê. :S) – a sala em que o culto acontece, bem menor do que eu esperava, as outras salas onde as outras atividades são organizadas, como a parte das crianças, e a livraria da igreja. Obviamente, com (quase) tudo que você possa imaginar da Hillsong e algumas outras coisinhas cristãs que não são deles ( CDs da PlanetShakers, por exemplo!). Enlouquecedora. Comprei o CD mais recente do United e a Bíblia que eu sempre quis – The Message. Essa versão não existe em Português e é fantástica, numa linguagem suuuper coloquial, parece até que você está lendo uma coisa totalmente nova. Já li Filipenses nela (meu livro preferido) e é como se eu não tivesse lido umas 50 mil vezes antes… Tem até pontos de exclamação! Ha ha ha.

Saindo da igreja, resolvemos pegar o ônibus (escrito Hillsong na lateral!) pra ir pra estação e então seguir pro lugar da gravação do CD. Nem precisamos – o ônibus ia direto pra lá. Suuuuuper emocionante andar no ônibus da Hillsong!

Chegamos no ginásio bem em cima da hora, quando os portões estavam se abrindo, não conseguimos um lugar mais perto do palco, então fomos parar lá nas últimas fileiras – bem de frente pro palco, com a melhor visão, na minha opinião. Uma hora de espera, e finalmente, o bonitão do Joel Houston sobe lá. Uau…. Uau. Não tem outra palavra – a sensação era… Uau.

Embora não tenha sido a mesma coisa que no último show deles que eu fui (o primeiro deles no Brasil) – 1. porque não era United, era Hillsong; 2. porque não era num estádio de futebol, era num ginásio menor; 3. porque não estava lotado com brasileiros (embora tivessem vários lá), mas sim com australianos -, foi fantástico. Mesmo sem a Darlene Zschech (estou começando a achar que ela nem existe – porque eu nunca consigo ver a mulher com os meus próprios olhos, caramba! Ha ha ha), foi altamente fantástico. Fiel ao estilo Hillsong de ser – isto é, pelo menos até a Brooke Fraser subir ao palco. Há, aí o negócio vai pra um nível ainda mais alto, se é que é possível. Uau. Fantástico. Intercalando músicas com orações conduzidas por diversos pastores, foi tão bom que todo mundo tem que comprar esse CD novo assim que sair. Total.

(Vai ficar melhor pra ver a igreja no vlog. Não tiramos muitas fotos e as poucas que tiramos ficaram bem ruim. :S)

O quê?  Igreja Hillsong.
Onde? 188 Young St, Waterloo / 1-5 Solent Circuit, Norwest Blvd, Baulkham Hills / 5 Watsford Road, Campbelltown.
Quando? Finais de semana – consulte os horários de culto aqui.
Pra quê? Tá brincando?! Pra realizar o sonho da sua vida! E louvar a Deus, é claro!

Brenda Nepomuceno

We’ve been singing this at the Baptist Tabernacle a lot. I like it.

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me, declares the LORD.
Isaiah 54:17 (NASB)

I love this song. And even more wonderful than this song is Hillsong’s Jill McCloghry’s amazing testimony.
“All of my life, In every Season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship”

Estou completando hoje, 14 anos de vida! Nada melhor do que comemorar ouvindo uma das músicas que mais me marcaram em todo esse tempo.

***

P.S.: Falando em clipe, você já conhece o Upload Gospel, outro blog que tenho e é só de clipes?

P.S.2:catapora não ser muito bom =/

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  Ecclesiates 3:11 (NIV)

Whatever life brings you today-joy, heartache, or even conviction-allow Him to shape you with His Word. And His beauty will be amplified in your life.

Rihanna came out on top twice today in your top ten celebrity news posts in Hollywood. And award-winning singer/songwriter Brooke Fraser and Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand are looking pretty chipper down under too.

1. TAYLOR SWIFT is definitely not a Jew Hater.

2. LIL KIM + RIHANNA are both pop divas rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.

3. AMBER ROSE  has divalicious heat.  Ima ima diva is how the Cape  Verdean beauty rolls with online voters.

4. CHASTITY BONO gives an update on gender reassignment.

5. CHELSEA HANDLER’s PlayBoy cover brings a chuckle.

6. Twilight New Moon’s Mall Tour has everyone looking for Tour dates.

7. JULIANNE HOUGH on the red carpet for This Is It amuses her country fans.

8. Journalist IAN HALPERIN’s BRAD PITT and ANGELINA JOLIE tell all book threatens to be a small zit on Hollywood’s favorite couples’ epic romance.

9. Elephants + jack ‘o lantern pumpkins = #9 most viewed post.

10. RIHANNA’s fashion “shout out” to LADY GAGA.   

horiwood’s latest tweet on twitter is: “RT @Brookefraser ….  http://twitpic.com/nmdjv Gotta love baby showers and learning about new nappy/diaper technology…

Good morning!  I was just skimming through a few Youtube clips this morning and I was really touched and encouraged by this particular clip and testimony.  You know, there are so many contemporary Christian songs that we sing that lack the content and depth and truth of the older hymns.  This song isn’t one of them. Enjoy!

Desert Song

- Brooke Fraser (Hillsong)

-VERSE 1-
This is my prayer in the desert,
When all that’s within me feels dry,
This is my prayer in my hunger and need,
My God is the God who provides,

-VERSE 2-
And this is my prayer in the fire,
In weakness, or trial, or pain,
There is a faith proved more worth than gold,
So refine me Lord through the flame,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-VERSE 3-
This is my prayer in the battle,
When triumph is still on its way,
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ,
So firm on his promise I’ll stand,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-REFRAIN- x 4
All of my life, in every season,
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing,
I have a reason to worship,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-VERSE 4-
And this is my prayer in the harvest,
When favour and providence flow,
I know I’m filled to be emptied again,
The seed I receive I will sow

This is what I was talking about

Artist: Brooke Fraser

Album: What To Do With Daylight

Year: 2004

Genre: Pop

Best Tracks: Arithmetic, Lifeline, Scarlet, Mystery

It’s odd when you have one of those moments where things so effortlessly click into place.

And the first time I heard Brooke Fraser’s single ’Lifeline’ was one of those moments. I liked it immediately. I felt complete while listening to it. This was in 2004. The next day, me with my tiny allowance traversed into the nearest music store, praying they would have a copy of the album that no one else seemed to be interested in.

They did have it. The little beige album was sitting smack in the middle of the female artist section and it was on sale. I swear it was beckoning to me. I grab the album, head over to cash register and patiently wait for the girl to ring up the sale, whilst she is telling me that she has this album at home, and completely adores it.

That’s amazing, I say, ready to grab the album and throw it onto the nearest stereo I can find.

Which I do, immediately, and for the rest of the day my family cannot get any kind of sense out of me. My mind is somewhere else, unbelievably relaxed and settled by the simple sweetness of Fraser’s take on acoustic pop music, with invariable touches of folk peppered throughout.

And what was the album like the first time I heard it?

It was lighter than air.

‘Arithmetic’ opens, soft and sweet, the music flowing like a gentle stream, confirming my original impression of Fraser’s music as soothing background . ’Lifeline’ is just as full of longing as it was the first time the first time I heard it, but still easy and catchy whilst ‘Waste Another Day’ perfectly captures the flush of dreamy, new love .

‘Scarlet’ is, in a word, absolutely perfect. Unsettling, poignant and aching in its honesty, it pulls and lifts and echoes around you, like being caught inside on a rainy day. The staggering simplicity of the song is a thing of beauty, and Fraser obviously has a talent for songwriting. ’Mystery’ ends the album in a cacophony of orchestral music, exploring the unconditional, enduring love that exists both in this world and the next, echoing the sentiment started by the opening track, ‘Arithmetic’. 

Is it ground-breaking, earth-shattering, history-defining music?

No.

But it is beautiful. And I love it for what it is. Soothing, gentle, uplifting instrumentally-driven pop. And you might too.

4 stars out of 5. What To Do With Daylight can be purchased here.

This morning I took my wife to her driving lesson, as became customary every Friday.  To kill time instead of heading back home I went over to Caribou Coffee in Time Square for a coffee, and while there hooked up on the wifi.  I was immediately taken back exactly a year ago, after my first arrival in Dubai.

At the time I did not have internet at home, being a temporary accommodation until suitable quarters were found.  My boss lent me his Etisalat 3G modem, but it was very unreliable and slow.  I used to trek it to Uptown Mirdif (30 minutes walk) and camp myself at Caribou’s to catch up with my wife on Gmail chat.

I find this happening to me on a semi regular basis.  I’d be going around minding my own business, when something triggers a memory recall.  Mostly it’s songs or smells.  When I hear certain songs they take me back to certain points in my life, or remind me of something I was doing while hearing that song (or album).  I used to listen to the same album ad nauseam, so if while doing so I was also (for example) playing a PC game, then the two would become linked.

One particular case is the album Albertine by Brooke Fraser.  I had picked it up while honeymooning in New Zealand, and we used to play it during the long trips between our stops.  Since we spent a month on the road, and had only a couple other CDs to rotate, I ended up listening to it quite a lot.  It is a beautiful album by a very talented artist, and I am still kicking myself for not going to see her play live. She happened to be touring and had stopped in Wellington during the same time we did, but we were exhausted by some field trip we did and turned it down.  So nowadays any time I put on her songs I’m instantly reminded of those beautiful times, the rolling roads, the stunning scenery, and the occasional roadside cattle.

My wife is already pining to go there for another trip (it has only been two years), but I have my reservations.  I fear that it would not be as memorable to us as the first time round, and I do not wish to spoil the memories.   Besides there are many other worthwhile destinations, I just need to convince her.  Maybe South Africa.

Eu nunca dei muita atenção a C.S. Lewis, apesar de ouvir meus amigos falarem dos livros, dos textos, etc. Até que um belo dia o Diogo, que trabalha comigo, me deu um livro repetido que ele já tinha na coleção dele do C.S. Lewis.  O livro chama “Mere Christianity” (me chamou muito a atenção!!!), já que na minha cabeça alienada C.S.Lewis = Leão, a feiticeira e o guarda-roupa.  [Que vergonha!!!]

Desde então tudo que tem C.S. Lewis eu paro um momento e leio, vejo, ouço. A Tatá (@tatanascimento) um dia postou essa música linda da Brooke Fraser. A letra é muito bonita, eu não consigo parar de ouvir!! Que essa música (inspirada nos textos de C.S. Lewis) possa fazer você parar para pensar…

Se quiser saber mais sobre C.S. Lewis, entre no site do Solomon aqui.

ENJOY!

Last Sunday driving to church I had the radio on…this eagles song came on (all to familiar) and even though my past is long behind me…I felt like I could currently relate to the lyrics

Life in the fast lane, Surely makes you lose your mind
Life in the fast lane, Huh
Life in the fast lane, Everything all the time
Life in the fast lane, Huh
- Eagles – Life in the Fast Lane

My life has felt like its in a fast lane and I haven’t posted in a while because I just feel like its been one thing after another in the past few weeks…I just want to drive in the slow lane…or just stop at a rest station…a nice one with trees and a clean bathroom..

Over the past two weeks….

• I ran over a street sign.
• Scott went to the ER two Saturday nights ago…he thought he had a heart attack and had the worst spasms/seizures I’ve ever seen. Took me, and EMT, two female nurses and a male nurse to hold him down so they could get an IV in.
• Pearl earrings my mom gave me are missing from my house.
• Important mail missing from my house.
• Im house-sitting most of this month and the bird died yesterday.
• While at my house-sitting job the night Scott was in the ER someone threw rotten apples at my car.
• Work has been insane.
• Can’t continue with my small group because it meets on a night that I have pre-marital.

This all in the past two weeks. Its nuts! I feel like I am cautiously going out into the world when I leave in the mornings….what will happen this time? Will I accidently run over a squirrel instead of a street sign? Will something happen to Scott and I can’t get to him in time to help him. What else?

It feels like

…life in the fast lane and it surely makes you lose your mind..life in the fast lane…everything all the time

I sometimes feel like I need to be Penny in that Twilight Zone movie “A Little Peace and Quite” when she wears this pendant she found. She can actually make time stop so she can rest. Actually if this really happened to me I would probably freak out and this movie has a super bad ending. I would rather trust in the Lord than a pendant around my neck.

I do want to be out of the fastlane. I want to stop trying to fight the Lord in trying to do things on my own. I want to be able to get out of the way and just let Him do His job. To trust that just when we break muscles so they grow back stronger, that in the Lord allowing these circumstances is breaking something in me to grow back stronger and healthier than it was before. Knowing that He has formed me for Himself and its to bring Him praise (Isaiah 43:21 “The people whom I have formed for Myself, Will declare My Praise“) It doesn’t matter if material things are missing (my moms earrings) or if the bird died, or if Scotts health is not right. The Lord knows and has it completely under control with out my help…He will provide….and He will take me out  of this fast lane to give me His rest. That He will if I allow Him provide a pretty sweet rest stop….with an amazing view just so I can praise Him. That in all of this…He wants us to trust in Him and to abide in this temporary land to cultivate and harvest faithfulness….

Psalm 37:3

Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness

That as Brooke Fraser sings in the C.S. Lewis song…If i find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here…If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I’ll feel nude when to where I’m destined I’m compared…

Nothing in this world can satisfy…Scott can be 100% healthy and not have a spasm ever again…I can be 100% assured that he would make it till we are married…that I would have a happy and long life married to him with plenty of kids….but nothing….nothing in this world can satisfy…that only the words of Christ can ever satisfy all our deep longings….it can satisfy all that this world could ever offer.

Psalm 40:14

oh satisfy us in the morning with Your loving-kindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days

Nothing….no trial…no frustration…nothing…should ever stop us from truly praising our Lord for the unmerited grace he bestows on us. His gifts are worth far more than anything this world can provide. Not only has he rescued and redeemed us and call us His own…but he also bestows blessings of peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….

Oh Lord if only…I can truly trust in You….stop trying to do things on my own…stop thinking this world could ever satisfy me…because my heart that knows and loves you…knows the truth….

…Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee…

Every now and again, and more and more as basketball season approaches each year, Anfernee Hardaway pops into my mind. Growing up, he was my favorite player- it was posters of Hardaway that adorned my walls, not Jordan or Mullin or Grant Hill or Shaq. I adored Penny because Penny could do things with the basketball that no other man on the planet could, or should even have been able, to do- things that defied the laws of this world according to my seven-year-old self. More than that, he had personality, charisma; he brought a certain pizazz that few possessed, and fewer still, perhaps only Jordan, could capitalize on. He became a brand unto himself, with the slickest kicks on the block and even a Lil’ doppelganger selling Air Pennys to the masses.

Penny Hardaway was a boom-shaka-lacka, razzle-dazzle, bona fide superstar.

Was.

Today, he is nothing more than an afterthought, Fredo Corleone in the bigger picture. Penny Hardaway the phenomenal talent is forever eclipsed by Penny Hardaway the tragic figure- the all-world ability rapidly stripped out of him by injury after injury. It is almost impossible for us to remember the player he was because the nagging question of what could have been is always at the forefront of our mind- that is, if we choose to have him in our minds at all. Sometimes it is easier for us to just forget Anfernee Hardaway, and, lamentably, for the same reasons we still consider him beloved: he is potential wasted; all that we could hope for morphing before our eyes into a cautionary tale. While some still cling to the dimming light of Hardaway’s former glory, more find it convenient to have him out of our memories altogether.

Even more unfortunate, however, is that, for all of his talent and superstardom, Hardaway could have been a bridge to something greater even than himself. You see, when he was in his prime, we all thought Penny was the Second Coming- of Magic, of Michael; someone with the million dollar smile and the million dollar skills to oversee a new age of the NBA. What is only clear now, years later, is that in reality, Hardaway was- or should have been- John the Baptist, heralding the coming of the King… because in so many ways more than Penny was Magic after Magic, he was LeBron before LeBron.

While part of James’ legacy is that he is an unquantifiable force- there has never before been a creature quite like LeBron on this hardwood earth- one cannot help but feel that his greatness might be more appreciated if, perhaps, instead of merely watching him demolish the numerous records and statistics pitted against him, we had someone to measure LeBron up against. A gauge. A bar. A prototype. A model we could watch him rise up over and surpass while we marvel and gape. We would still be Witnesses, only this time to someone we were at least somewhat familiar with instead of something undeniably transcendent but altogether unknown.

Penny could have been- should have been that benchmark.

Alas.

Perhaps it is better this way. Perhaps, as LeBron continues to establish his dominion over the art of basketball, breathtaking play by breathtaking play, we can simply sit, admire, and let it be what it is. Perhaps Penny Hardaway is meant to be seen only in glimpses- the occasional “did-he-just-do-what-i-think-he-did” alley-oop or no-look pass or impossible scoop shot- as his spirit lives on in an electric new generation of guards… while he himself is left behind by the game he gave his heart and his legs to.

Perhaps.

Every now and again, I wonder.

—————-
Now playing: Brooke Fraser – The Thief
via FoxyTunes

Some quick reviews of lately favorite yoga class music.  Check out the YogaFit music that I use as well.

Brian Carson- Liquid Soul

I adore this album.  It was produced by Brian Carson for Eoin Finn’s yoga DVD, Power Yoga for Happiness Surf Edition.  This album is extremely chill, with an almost sexy bass vibe and a slow oceanic texture.  The beats aren’t heavily defined, allowing for full free flow.  This album truly gets one in “Zen zone.”      

Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead- True Love Waits

A good mix of beats and speeds of choice Radiohead songs, the consistency of instrument (piano) is what makes this mix perfect for yoga.  Some of the tracks can have an anxious quality, so I save this album and those tracks for the “work phase” of power vinyasa.  This album has two of my favorite songs of all time, Fake Plastic Trees and Let Down.

Afro Celt Soundsystem - Seed

VERY cool!  This band mixes Irish music with West African percussion and dance beats.  The album flows together really well, yet each song is itself creative and inventive.  The album offers various faster paced rhythms and vocals that are appropriate for my power vinyasa class.

Brooke Fraser - Albertine

Beautiful vocals and words.  This album has a gentle pop/easy listening sound.  Brooke’s voice is clear and strong.  Her lyrics balance feelings of searching and longing, and then enlightening and realizing.  The tone of the album seems to be about seeking and finding, and affirming understanding.  I love to play this particularly when my class is all ladies.

Achillea - Amadas Estrellas

Achillea is featured on the Yoga Moods and Angel’s Voices YogaFit albums, and that was the inspiration for purchasing this album.  Sensual, deep, and intriguing, each track carries a great momentum for yoga.  If you aren’t familiar with Achillea, this band has a little bit of an “Enigma” vibe.  My only gripe is that the album is quite short, so I mixed in the Achillea tracks from the YogaFit albums to round out my play list.      

Soulfood - Yoga Groove

A good mix of Eastern instrumental and electronic sounds, chanting and some lyrics…this is your basic but GOOD basic yoga sound.  This album encompasses versatile tempos with some introspective and meditative tracks, and some light, airy tracks.  I recommend this to round out any teacher or practitioner’s yoga mix.  It is a “go to” album.  About 1 hour long, it helps a teacher time class.

Dido - Safe Trip Home

Another album I like to play with ladies class, Dido’s voice is so smooth and the backbeats pump silky.  The lyrics are about a girl’s life…love, recollections, contentment, and change.  She is sweet in this album, offering simple realism over anxiety.  The mood and tempo of the collection is pretty steady which makes it good for class.  Northern Skies is an awesome track, my favorite. 

Classical Music for Meditation and Yoga

This is my most recent purchase.  After hearing a song of my heart, Claire de lune, in a recent yoga practice, I was craving some classical music to simply edit images and write to, but I happened upon this album that is great for yoga!  It got RAVE reviews in my Go with the Flow vinyasa class.

Enya - And Winter Came

I bought this album last holiday season, and it was my yoga Christmas music for 2008.  I’m excited to bring it back again soon.  I have, however, used the track Oíche Chiúin (Silent Night) for a Shavasana song all year.  What can you say about Enya?  She’s just beautiful.

Share some of your lately favorite music, for yoga or otherwise!

As I reflect back over the past week – all the ups and downs – I’m excited.  God is teaching me how to be completely content in Him.  We’ve had major bad news and minor difficulties, but through it all, I can honestly say that my confidence has remained in Christ and knowing that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

The scary, sad and devastating are just… not when all joy, peace and comfort is in Christ.  He is the controller of my happiness, not any thing or any one else.  What joy and peace, lasting peace this little nugget brings me. 

Romans 8: 18-25

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Putting my hope in anything but Jesus Christ is a waste of hope.  It is not hope.  It is a lie to myself.

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you.  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says” – James 1:21-22

The more we make a habit of applying God’s Word to our lives, the more it becomes part of our nature, our natural way of acting and reacting.  Knowing God’s Word and doing what it says not only saves us from heartbreak and trouble, it also brings more satisfaction to our souls than anything else ever could.  Think about that for just a minute.  Aren’t security and satisfaction what many people spend their every waking minute pursuing?  Yet, the world’s answers are temporary facades that disappoint every time.  Not just sometimes, every time.  – Lysa Terkeurst

 

Read all of Romans 8

If I find in myself
desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude
that I, I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best
only light and momentary,
then of course I’ll feel nude
when to where I’m destined I’m compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found?
On the straight or on the roundabout
of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me
is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
‘Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth
of who I was born to become

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath,
so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live
I was made to love
I was made to know you

Hope is coming for me
Hope, He’s coming for me
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He’s coming

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
as I wait for hope to come for me
For me, for me, for me

knittingprose

I’ve had a number of people ask me for information on the songs that we use each Sunday at Brooklife Church. So, in the interest of being a resource to people, here are the songs that we worshiped with this Sunday, September 20th. If it seems like this is helpful or useful for people, I’ll continue to do this weekly.

“Holy Is the Lord” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio (Amazon /  iTunes)

“Hosanna” by Brooke Fraser (Amazon /  iTunes)

“Better Is One Day” by Matt Redman – the words of this song are drawn from Psalm 84.  (Amazon /  iTunes)

“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”, which is a reworking of the hymn “Amazing Grace” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. (Amazon /  iTunes)

One of my favorite authors ever is C.S Lewis. Here’s diva Brooke Fraser, from New Zealand, singing her tibute, Shadowfeet, for C.S.Lewis. It’s Friday night in New Zealand, yes… they are one day ahead of America on the calendar. Enjoy New Zealand!

Brooke’s lyrics for Shadowfeet, follow for  the good ole’ Kiwi and Aussie sing-a-long at the barbie!

Walking,stumbling on these shadowfeet
toward home,a land that i’ve never seen
I am changing: less and less asleep
made of different stuff than when i began
and i have sensed it all along
fast approaching is the day

[CHORUS]
when the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
when the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
when time and space are through
I’ll be found in you

Theres distraction buzzing in my head
saying in the shadows it’s easier to stay
but I’ve heard rumours of true reality
whispers of a well-lit way

[CHORUS]

You make all things new

[CHORUS]

[CHORUS 2]
When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
when time and space are through
I’ll be found in you

A friend turned me on to a song this past week which has seduced me over and over since hearing it. I keep playing it, hoping that I can get to the bottom of it, but I’ve not tired of it yet. You can find it here: Albertine by Brooke Fraser 

More than the song, there’s a line that really comes out of nowhere in this gripping and haunting way, and it says this:

“Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead…”

Maybe it’s gripping and haunting, because I fear what it actually means for me.

We watched a movie in my Ethics class on Wednesday called “Weapons of the Spirit.” Its the tale of a small farming community in southern France called Le Chambon. During the German occupation of France, the Christian members of this community and others surrounding Le Chambon took in and sheltered thousands of Jews who were being hunted to be taken to concentration camps. The thing that got me… well, there were a couple things, actually… but the biggest was that they chose to live in the story of Christ. Throughout history, tensions between Christians and Jews had been explosive at times. This community could have lived within that story, the tense and explosive one. After all, they were a community of persecuted French protestants, and they had plenty to avenge if they had wanted to. But instead, somehow they located themselves within the story of Christ. I think that’s remarkable.

They saw, they found themselves responsible, and their belief translated into action. In fact, in listening to the interviews with those who took Jews in, it was like they almost found it unthinkable that they could do anything else. There didn’t seem to be a divide between faith and deeds. They were one, the same. The deeds were faith.

We were discussing why this story isn’t told as often as the story about the Haulocaust is. After thinking about it, I’m coming to the conclusion that we don’t tell it often because it raises the standard and what is required of us. And when we do tell this story and others like it, we raise the honorable ones up on a pedastal. Almost like what we do with Mother Teresa, and other saints throughout time. Heroism isn’t your normal every day stuff, and so we make a big deal about it. When we’re overwhelmed and can no longer deny the story, we then give it a gentle twist so that we couldn’t possibly fit into it.

But have you noticed that heroes never want to be seen as heroes? What do they always say? “I was just doing the only thing I could, I was just doing my job…” and variations on that theme. Don’t heroes make it sound like their heroic actions are really very normal and just exactly what you would do had it been you? We think they’re crazy, that they can’t see themselves rightly, and just too humble. Maybe the truth is that we don’t see ourselves rightly, and our humility is false. Or mine is. I want you to think I’m humble. Truth is, I’m just terrified and am glad it wasn’t me. I’m glad I didn’t see.

Have you ever thought about the risk we take in seeing? Is it any wonder that the primary pain within the human race is this struggle to be seen, noticed, and have one’s life witnessed?

Maybe it’s why we pretend not to see when someone stands at the corner of Main and 41st street with a cardboard sign with words scrawled across it in black Sharpie. Maybe it’s why we divert our eyes from the outcasts among us. It’s why we flip the channel when the horrors of human suffering grace our television screen and the newscaster reads the news like a worldwide obituary, and then tells us to have a nice evening.

Eventually, we can’t look anywhere. If suffering is a given part of being human, where are we safe to look? Even the mirror becomes no longer safe.

“Now that I have seen, I am responsible.”

I’m terrified to be responsible… because if I accept responsibility, and then somehow end up being irresponsible, its not money or time or whatever other things we’re responsible for. Its people, human beings, hearts. The risk of screwing that up is immense! People aren’t a renewable resource. We’re not expendable. We’re each here once, and then we’re gone.

The friend who pointed out the song, also asked this question about what I have seen. I’ve been wrestling with that this entire week. Tonight, the song got to me, and I kind of just fell apart in the midst of my reflections. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been responsible… and irresponsible at the same time. I’ve slept in my bed with an empty couch in my living room, knowing full well that someone I loved, someone who was a fellow child of God, was sleeping on a concrete park-bench not a mile away from my house. The truth is that he asked my husband and I if he could sleep on our couch, and I said no. I was afraid, and not so much for my physical safety, though it crossed my mind. I was more worried about how many nights he would stay.

It’s a moment I’m not proud of.

I’ve sent money, which seems to be the American solution to every evil in the world. It’s all falling apart? Write a check. Money will fix everything. Except that it’s true that money can’t buy love, and love in the flesh is often what is needed. I have sent money instead of loving deeply.

Those are the beginning. There are more…

Conviction. Just how alive is my faith after all?

Loving your neighbor as yourself sounds like warm fuzzies. It’s not! It’s demanding, and frightening, frustrating… it requires. I used to think “well of course I love my neighbor! I don’t hate him,” but it’s not even about that. It’s going about your daily business and not seeing vs. getting in the middle of their lives in a way that expresses back to them their deep value.

I repented of a few things this week as I just sorted through the places I’ve fallen short. Repentence means change though, because faith without deeds is dead. Repentence without change is a sham. Repentence too is terrifying, but what is the other option? It’s not so great either.

Whether we can help it or not, we’re responsible. What that means practically is maybe different for every person. Someone might be an amazing mother, raising up well-adjusted children that are going to go out and change the world. Someone might be a revolutionary, on the front lines fighting for social justice and making huge advances for love. Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela. Most of us are somewhere in the middle, living ordinary lives. But we don’t have to go far to find an opportunity to love. It’s not about finding a cause and getting involved in it. It’s about the refugees among us – the misfits, those who run away, those with gaping holes in their hearts. Among us… Pain is everywhere.

I think we have to wrestle with this, with how we be responsible for what we’ve seen. Jesus said that if we do not feed him and clothe him, He doesn’t know us. I can’t imagine not feeding or clothing Jesus. Can you? And yet we don’t, every day.

What have you seen?

We went off for a two day break. We call these Leadership Advances because we get refreshed and renewed. We get away from the noise and the tyranny of the urgent and get to what’s important, listening to that still small voice and taking an assessment of where we’ve been and where we’re going. So as we drove through the mountains, our destination was on the horizon.

We arrived, and immediately did a drive-by of our favorite spot. We were happy to be free for a couple of days. Thank you God for a some rest. The next morning we got up bright and early, had a good breakfast and went to set up camp!

We settled in for the day. Neither of us really saying a word. We really needed to be quiet. Let the Advance begin!

We stayed until the sun began to set and it started to get a little cold. As leaders though we are never quite alone. There are always those who need ministry and today was no exception. They came to sit at our feet.

My husband, the pastor, never misses an opportunity to preach the word. So he gathered them around and began.

The looks on their faces were priceless!

We went home that evening happy and refreshed and ready to do it again the next day.

As Brooke Fraser ministered to me through my Ipod with her song, Indelible, the view was incredible, the sun was shining and God was whispering. I had been sensing a connection that was unlike one I had experienced before and I was glad that I was not disappointed. How magnificent You created the earth to look, Lord. Who could not have faith in You when they see Your wonders?

Our friends were back and we relaxed in the beauty of the wonders He has created.

We stayed until the sun began to go down once again. We are headed home now as you read this. Refreshed, renewed, anointed and invigorated. Praise God for His blessings!