Thy mercy my God is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here.
Sin would reduce me to utter despair,
But through Thy free goodness, my spirit's revived
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I've found.

(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
Hallelujah
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
In the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.

Well, Hallelujah
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Well, Hallelujah

An old hymn- rediscovered.

The following lyrics belong to one of the many hymns we sing at our church. This was today's closing hymn, following Pastor Scotty's poignant message on prayer. It has been one of my favorite hymn arrangements for a while, but was especially meaningful following today's message and in light of a period of waiting and praying in which God has placed us.

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

words by Jean S. Pigott,
music by David Hampton

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee
And Thy beauty fills my soul
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart

O, how great Thy loving kindness
Vaster, broader than the sea
O, how marvelous Thy goodness
Lavished all on me
Yes, I rest in Thee, beloved
Know what wealth of grace is Thine
Know Thy certainty of promise
And have made it mine

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus
I behold Thee as Thou art
And Thy love, so pure
So changeless, satisfies my heart
Satisfies its deepest longings
Meets, supplies its every need
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee
Brightness of my Father's glory
Sunshine of my Father's face
Keep me ever trusting, resting
Fill me with Thy grace

©1998 New Spring Publishing / ASCAP / a div. of Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.

Insomnia strikes again...
and I am really missing the CD's I loaned to someone. At last month's A Mom's HEART, I was captivated by the lyrics and music of Jill Phillips. She came across as a very real person, one who is not afraid to let it be known that she does not have all the answers....

Anyway, here's a video someone put on you tube to one of her songs, I Am:

FREE Concerts at CCC

Our church is hosting a "Worship of God" Conference later this week, and the Thursday and Friday evening concerts are open to the public.

I'm not sure if we'll make it to either of them yet, but both should be really good. Click on the link above for more info!

Note to self:

God is bigger than the boogeyman! Or the power-hungry individuals who let agenda interfere with their responsibility to listen to neighbors. I initially tried to defend this person to neighbors who expressed the sentiments I shared in last night's ramblings. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying that he was just trying to enforce the letter of the "law". The problem is, a HOA President's responsibility is to try to look at things from the perspective of his neighbors as a group, not to make false promises that can't be kept and then later pass the buck. Anyway, enough of that.

God has a way of putting things into perspective when you need it most, and thankfully this morning's worship service did just that. We sang several of the verses to two classic hymns- "This Is My Father's World" and "How Firm a Foundation", not just the first and the last verses. The depth of the texts reminded me that petty issues like HOA dictatorship really aren't that significant in the grand scheme of things. Of course, the Pastors' message only added to that, as did our celebration of Communion as a church body.

I still can't sleep, though I desperately need a nap. Oh, well... one step at a time.

I bought the CD today.

(scroll down if you're not sure which one).
It's really good. Wow. I knew Daniel was talented. I mean, his whole family is. You should hear him harmonize with his siblings. I knew that in college He had a heart for leading worship and I liked some of his songs then.

Let's just say I'm leaving it in my car right now because I don't want to forget it on our 3 hour drive tomorrow. I love the scripture memory in Baby Bear's favorite CD, but definitely needed a change.

I was fully prepared to pay full cd price for it, too, since I do actually sort of know the guy. I won't be getting free tickets or anything, but college acquaintance counts as knowing someone if you actually talked to them, right? :)

Anyway, the CD was on sale for 9.99 at my local Christian bookstore. Woo hoo!

Over 10 years have passed since I met Daniel Doss and Brian Wolski, two of the members of the Daniel Doss Band, whose debut CD on a record label is coming out tomorrow. We went to the same college, and our paths crossed. I always looked up to Daniel's sister for her cheerful outlook, and their family's God-given musical talent was amazing. I can't honestly say I was close to either guy, but that's okay (in fact, I'm not sure that both of them remember me, though I'm pretty sure DD does, since I lurk and comment on his wife's blog). They were still a part of a time in my life when God taught me that being "saved" was more than the legalism we as believers try to impose on each other and others, that were it not for His grace alone through Jesus Christ alone, faith would be empty and futile.

Anyway, I plan to buy my copy of their new album soon. I still have some of the chords to some of the songs Daniel wrote and we played in the praise band of the campus ministry we were involved in, and every once in a while I find myself humming one the tunes. It sounds like his music and heart for ministry have grown by leaps and bounds in the past 10+ years.

I really, really, really really wish I had itunes right now. But I don't even have an ipod.

Someone I knew in college, well, two someones if you count one of his musicians in the band, too, have their first release....

The Daniel Doss Band

The album doesn't come out until Feb. I need to get their independent albumbefore then. I supposed I could join this century and download the EP, too.