You Put This Love in My Heart

You Put This Love in My Heart
by Keith Green

I found it hard to believe
Someone like you cared for me
You put this love in my heart
I tried but could not refuse
You gave me no time to choose
You put this love in my heart
I want to know where the bad feelings go
When I'm depressed and I get down so low
And then I see you coming to me and it's alright
I want to tell you right now
I'm not afraid to say how
You put this love in my heart
There are sometimes when I doubt
But you always find me out
You put this love in my heart
Cause when I see all that you've done for me
It's hard to doubt, I just have to believe
Cause you followed and proved it all of your life
Well I know
the loneliness I had before
Is gone now
I'll never feel it anymore
Cause your love has released me
From all that's in my past
And I know I can believe you
When you say I'll never be forsaken
Your love is gonna last
There's so much more I should say
If I could just find a way
You put this love in my heart
Is all this real or a dream
I feel so good I could scream
You put this love in my heart
I want to know where the bad feelings go
When I'm depressed and I get down so low
And then I see you coming to me and it's alright
You put this love in my heart
You put this love in my heart
You put this love in my heart

Enough

Enough
by Chris Tomlin
(click here to listen to the song)

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You’re the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

'No Greater Love'

No Greater Love by Matt Maher
(click the link to listen to the song)

For the city, for the world we pray
Let Your light shine down
Come around and live in us
For the close and the far away

Everywhere You are
Everywhere

And we lift high the banner of the cross
There is no greater love than this, no love but this
Jesus Christ laid down His life for us
There is no greater love than His, no love but His

To the city, to the world we go
Set us free, heal the land
You have promised, God, You can
To the last and least we go

Everywhere You are
Everywhere

And we lift high the banner of the cross
There is no greater love than this, no love but this
Jesus Christ laid down His life for us
There is no greater love than His, no love but His

In the poor, in the broken
In the crowded city streets
In the towers, in the money
In the strong and in the weak

In the orphans and the widows
In the churches and the bars
You are everywhere
God, You are everywhere

And we lift high the banner of the cross
There is no greater love than this, no love but this
Jesus Christ laid down His life for us
There is no greater love than His, no love but His

Alive Again - Matt Maher

I posted the lyrics to Shout to the King, a song on the CD Alive Again by Matt Maher last week. This is a really good album; I literally have not been able to take it out of the cd player in my car for the past 3 weeks now. Remembering that I spend a minimum of two hours every day in my car, that is a lot of listening!

Alive Again is not a cd that I liked immediately. I bought it because I LOVED one of the tracks and didn't mind paying the $12 cost of the cd to get that one song. (I can hear all my married friends snickering at that one!) It just so happens that this song was the second to last on the album so I listened to most of the cd before arriving at that song and I have to say, I was not impressed.

A few weeks later, however, I put the cd back in the player because I was starting to feel guilty about the $12....and completely fell in love with it.

The lyrics of the songs are fantastic. They are theologically sound and well written with several phrases so well worded that I get shivers down my spine even after the 1000th time hearing them sung. I also love that a couple of the songs are incredibly missionally focused. I'm posting the lyrics of my favorite of these tomorrow :)

The music is, for the most part, awesome. I will be honest and say that there are two songs where, although they are theoligcally sound lyrically, the music just kind of drags for me. But the music for the other ten are outstanding.

I would HIGHLY recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys listening to Christian music. Matt Maher has quite a few CDs out and I am excited to pick up a few more. If they are even half as good as this one they will be spiritually uplifting, preaching truth and joy in our Father.

Shout to the King

Shout to the King
Matt Maher - Alive Again

You're not like man that You should lie
You do not falter or change Your mind
All that You say is what You do
All that You've promised You're seeing through

So we wait on You, Lord
And we rise to Your voice

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves
All you people rise to the shout of the King

There is no power, no scheme of man
That separates us from Your hand
We will not move far from Your gaze
Here in Your presence we will remain

So we stand on Your word
And we run to Your voice

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves

Its the sound that breaks down strongholds
It's the sound that makes a sinner whole
It's the sound of freedom falling on the earth
The sound of victory

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves
All you people rise, all you people rise
To the shout of the King, to the shout of the King

Behold the Lamb

Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away
Slain for us - and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith
Find forgiveness at the cross
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of peace
Around the table of the King

The body of our Savior Jesus Christ
Torn for you - eat and remember
The woulds that heal, the death that brings us life
Paid the price to make us one
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of love
Around the table of the King

The blood that cleanses ev'ry stain of sin
Shed for you - drink and remember
He drained death's cub that all may enter in
To receive the life of God
So we share in this bread of life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of grace
Around the table of the King

And so with thankfulness and faith we rise
To respond, and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again!
And we'll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King

Words and Music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townsend

We will be taking communion this week at Missio Dei. Let us begin even now to prepare our hearts.

Happy Easter!

I love Easter! It is seriously one of my favorite holidays. It is one of the holidays that make me wish I was a much better poet than I am so that I could write songs in expression of the joy I have in my salvation. But, alas, I have not been particularly gifted in this area. Praise God that so many others are! Praise God for the gift of His Son!

John 19:30 "It is finished!"

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, He has risen just as He said."

See What a Morning (Resurrection Hymn)
by Keith and Kristyn Getty

See what a morning, gloriously bright
with the dawning of hope in Jerusalem
Folded the grave clothes, tomb filled with light
As the angels announce, "Christ is risen!"
See God's salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives; Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
Its the Master, the Lord, raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us
Will sound til He appears,
For He lives; Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with power and authority!
And we are raised with Him
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered!
And we shall reign with Him
For He lives; Christ is risen from the dead!

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen
by Matt Maher (this may be my new favorite song!)

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
But fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely you've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but heavens will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold you down
In strength you reign
Forever let your church proclaim

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night!

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light,
Our God is not dead
He's alive! He's alive!

I Can Only Imagine

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
When I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you
I can only imagine

I really like this song. MercyMe sings it and I am pretty sure this is the only song of his that I like. What do I like about it? I'm so glad you asked! Because I am going to tell you.

First, I like it because it reminds me that one day I will be standing before God. It draws my mind to the inevitable end of my life and the inevitable goal of my faith.

Second, it makes me wonder, what will be like? I'm pretty sure I know what it will be like for me. In my imagination, I fall flat on my face in His presence, terrified into silence when confronted by the Holy God. Jesus will come down from the Father's side and pick me up. "She is mine, I have bought her with my blood," He will declare to the Father. "Why are you afraid? Do you doubt me even now?" He will say to me, one last rebuke before my sanctification is completed.

I don't think it will be like that for everyone though. When my friend, Willa Mae Hunter died, she had no knowledge of the gospel besides, "I am a sinner, Jesus died on the cross for my sins and one day I will be in heaven with Him." That was all she knew, but she loved it! It was her only hope! She was abused and taken advantage of her entire life by her father and her husband and her son. She worked hard all her life and died penniless. But she was loved by her Heavenly Father and she loved Him back. I imagine, that when she died, she stood before God with her tentative little smile on her face and was met by a loving Father, who came down and hugged her and said, "Welcome home, beloved daughter!" And I imagine that she cried with joy in her release from the horrors of sin.

When I picture those who have given their lives for the sake of the gospel, I imagine it a little differently. I imagine the men and women, tied to the stake, amazing the crowds as they lifted their voices in song to the praise of God even as they burned transitioning into even more joyous song and dance as they are suddenly out of the fire and with their Savior. "It was WORTH IT!" they cry, "Hallelujah, praise the LORD!!"

This is why I enjoy this song. It brings to mind my brothers and sisters, past and present, from all nations, tongues, and peoples who have been bought by Jesus. It reminds me that one day I will be with them in glory. It reminds me that there truly is an end in sight. It encourages me to run the race well. And it makes me cry in remembrance of the ones that I've lost, if only for a little while.

Wonderful Merciful Savior

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Wonderful, Merciful Savior,
Precious redeemer and friend!
Who would have thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh, you rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, comforter, keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost their way
Oh, we've hopelessly lost our way.

You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty infinite Father,
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne,
Oh, we're falling before your throne.

Completely Done

What reason have I to doubt
Why would I dwell in fear
When all I have known is grace
My future in Christ is clear

My sins have been paid in full
There's no condemnation here
I live in the good of this
My Father has brought me near
I'm leaving my fears behind me now

Chorus
The old is gone, the new has come
What You complete is completely done
We're heirs with Christ, the victory won
What You complete is completely done

I don't know what lies ahead
What if I fail again
You are my confidence
You'll keep me to the end
I'm leaving my fears behind me now

By Jonathan Baird, Ryan Baird, and Rich Gunderlock as recorded on the album Sons & Daughters.

Out of the Depths

Out of the Depths
From Sovereign Grace's cd Psalms

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail

How Can I Keep from Singing - Chris Tomlin

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

Songs to Pray Through

So far this month we've talked a lot about prayer. We talked about ways that we can pray for some of the leaders of our church. We've reviewed a couple of books on prayer. We've talked about the importance of praying without ceasing and also of the potential power that our prayers can have when praying through Scripture.
Another time I have found that naturally goes to prayer is while listening to music. There are songs whose lyrics are so good that my heart cannot be content merely to sing them, but to pray them! There are lines of songs call my heart to prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord! It never ceases to make me smile when, as I am driving down the road I hear a song and begin to pray because of something that I heard in the song - and then finish praying and realize that I completely missed the next four songs! These are good times.
Here is a list of songs/albums that I like to pray through. It is by no means extensive!

Songs for the Cross Centered Life, by Sovereign Grace
This is one of my all time favorite cds. Every song in the album is focused on the gospel, on the work that Jesus did on the cross, and on our standing before God because of it.

Awaken the Dawn by Keith and Kristyn Getty
Another one of my favorite cds, the lyrics are amazing and full of truth. The fourth song, By Faith, contains my favorite song line ever: "We will stand as children of the promise, We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward! 'Til the race is finished and the work is done, we'll walk by faith and not by sight."

Valley of Vision by Sovereign Grace
This is a cd I listened to for the first time today and I kept thinking, 'this has to go in my post today!' A friend recommended it to me and I am so glad he did. Every song is based on a prayer from the Valley of Vision a collection of Puritan prayers.

Amazing Grace

My Savior My God

Everlasting God

Indescribable

Lord, I Want to be Like Jesus

And Can It Be (Amazing Love)

I can think of many others but I want to hear from you as well. What are your favorite songs? Do you ever pray as you sing?