Heaven has seen a great victory tonight.


Some have been wounded
Many are slain
Through the bloodied victory
Your throne: victorious rein
I have raised your banner
The enemy has seen
Deep, deep in his stronghold
Yes, his eyes have seen
He fears the valiant warrior
His spirit knows my blade
Now cowered in his fortress 
Dark plans are made
Made to pour his malice
Made to spite your crown
He fears the growing threat 
He knows the deafening sound
The trumpets sing of victory
The drums of war resound
Your rule has shown its strength
His flag lies on the ground
But he will return
He does not accept defeat
He may have here run
But it is mere retreat
He has seen you, warrior
And shall now come prepared
Never smote with ease
But you need never fear
Look above your head
The standard flies on high
You fight with my sword
By my wind, you fly
Sharped your blade, fast
Rest while you still may
Yes, he will return
With vengeance yet to say:


"You may have his strength
But you still bear yours
There is weakness still
I will find its doors!"


God, you are my strength
I look not to my own
By your shield I hold
Harvest what is sown
Bar the doors of weakness
Give me all you can
I take the shield and sword
The breastplate in my hand
Give my head your helm
Give my waist your belt
You, God, are the victor
No matter what is dealt
I lift my eyes to your light
Your heart shines on mine
Give me courage, oh God
I battle the front line
Give me all I need
From wisdom to your eyes
May I see our enemy
No matter the disguise


The battle, Lord, we've won
The time has come for joy
But the war still rages on
Rest this night, rejoice!

6/6/10

The light from the sun will shine and touch all below; that is its nature and its promise. We may accept it and enjoy it, or we may hide from its touch, but it is still shining and it always will be.

6/5/10

Our hearts are locks with but one key, and although many a key will fit into its cavity, there is only one that will open it

Listen

I have to a sort of revelation over these past few months, and it is simply this: God always wants to talk with me. It is not one of those 'once in a blue moon' things like many think, no, He is waiting to be in conversation with me. Even though I might not always hear it, He is always speaking to me. I started to hear God's voice right about the time that I started listening. I think of it like being out at night. If I go on a drive out at night and roll down my windows, I hear crickets chirping and birds cooing and a host of other sounds. But if my windows are up, and my music is on, how am I to hear the quiet voice just outside? No matter how much I cancel it out, though, those sounds are always sitting on the other side of my walls. So is the voice of the one who dearly loves us, and loves to talk with us.

We are given life not that God may live it through us, but that we may live it through Him

Wake Up, You Who Wait

Aslan is on the move
See spring in its march!
Victory shall be his song
Beneath the floral arch
Where his breath remains
Will prosper, bringing life
In ancient green and gold
Stands the awaited wife

Long awaited healing
We hold a frozen land
But we will have revival
Our Savior lies at hand

Ice of once springs forth
Melted by His gaze
From these distant clouds
Burst the glorious rays
What was once but clay
Will break up, bringing forth
The long awaited blooms
Greatest in their worth

The King once more arrives
He calls the dead and weak
"Wake up, you who wait!
The time has come to reap!"

Victory

Victory is counted as weakness surpassed
Carried to the hill to see the sun at last
Mute and deaf alike carried here along
From the shattered darkness to sing a new song
Victory lies not within the strength of arm
Nor is the sure avoidance from anything of harm
But in the hollow cry of men who know defeat
Raised within His arms to give what death deplete
Over yonder mountain lie many who succeed
Who fight with strength and valor, led by envy and greed
Their battle may be won, and men may give them praise
A red sun set with blood will see their end of days

Weep not, men of weakness; cry not men of loss
Yours will be the victory that reach beyond the cost
Sing a new song from the weak and humbled voice
Though you see only defeat, I say good men rejoice!
The sun must rise again within its fateful hour
Although we may not know its light, it will be our power
The sword and bow no longer will bring the victory
The banner is now held by Whom we cannot see

So says the Lord

"Sing to me, you weary men of helpless repute 
A weary soul calling me, I will not dispute
I see each bleeding wounded heart lying on the field
I come to you in silence though I may not here reveal
Trust to me, beloved, that I will hear your prayer
Each frail crying warrior I shelter with care
Though you cannot cry out for any man to hear
Mine is not so frail; I bear a listening ear
I judge each by his heart of hearts, though it may be weak
To one humbled in his loss, my heart longs to speak


So set your eyes for daylight, to where the sun will rise
The day is drawing nearer still where I wear no disguise 
Yes, the hour approaches with great exalted praise
Those who sought my heart to heal will have unending days"

So says the Lord

Glory

Who but aching bones to call upon your face?
What but idle words to quantify your grace?
Who that you should care, that I would catch a glance?
What has caught your eye that you would ask to dance?

Am I not just larger than the smallest grain of sand?
If you carried me would I fall from your hand?
Why the God who made it all would seek to know my heart
That you would long for me when we fall apart
That I could do you justice unto a faithless world
How to share the glory of the smallest shining pearl?
The greatest understatement any man could ever say:
To call you simply "God", as our speech would say

Galaxies surround you as stars dance in your sight
Suns came to existence as glory to your might
Oceans sing aloud with their voices all as one
To honor Your presence, from which all was begun
Trees and flowers raise to seek your shining face
All of life is captured by your never ending grace

All the words escape me as there were none to start
That I had not the mind of man to gaze upon this art!
Each piece of life unfolded sings in its own way
That I could share their song and glorify all days!
Minds of flesh cannot know what glory lies unsaid
Shut ears and closed mouths, our hearts bow to our heads
Awaken silent hearts, show what is not seen
In our eyes will shine your light like we've never seen

Glory to our maker, creator, giver of all things
I offer you my praise as the one and only King

Amen

The Earth Cries Out

Glory to the Maker

King of earth and sky

Heaven's light is brightest 

Within a child's eye

Breath of heaven eases

Peace unto my soul

Joy within the breezes

When the sky shines gold

A tapestry of colors

The artist at His work

Out from His great haven

No longer will he lurk

Sing to Him, Oh angels

Feathered wings abreast

From the seated thrones

Sing from you nests

Fly to Him, dear monarch 

Your wings shall wait no more

Take this message to Him:

"We long to hear you roar!"

Awaken might lion

The sun with warmth awakes

Call us by your standard

Give the earth a shake

By your mane, unite us

Call us to your side

You have called us suns

Remind us we are brides

Call the beauty in us

Leave not heart alone

Here we make the victory

That one day will be shown

The trees dance at your beauty

Look, even the Elm!

In all his splendid garb:

"Glory to Your relm!"

I say, "The earth cries out

From cloud to heart of stone

Listen, even the weeds

Rejoice that they were grown!"

Glory to the father

In the sky, His son

On this day, remind us

Your light: the only One

Heaven's song united

In the earth, a shout:

"See our savior coming!

Our king is on His route!"

Rejoice, oh my soul

Here is found all worth

Weaken not, my soul

He has given us new birth

Amen

Words for the Wailing Wall

This poem has a really amazing story behind it. I was sitting at Buon Giorno (the best coffee shop in the entire world), when God started speaking to me about the wailing wall. Now you must understand, some of my closest friends are going on a trip to Isreal -particularly Jerusalem- to pray over Isreal for its oppression and such. So, God tells me to start writing about something that I have very little knowledge of. I begin to write and all of the sudden my pen is practically flying across the page as God puts these words down:

The Lord will bring His laughter

He will dry the tears of the oppressed

From the days of sorrow

He will bring His rest

No more will you falter

Tears of joy are shed

Even through the desert

The shepherd’s sheep were fed

(So says the Lord)

“I fill the broken cisterns

I give to you new wine

Apart from me, no laughter

No joy apart from the vine

Weep not my beloved

I have heard your prayers

Wake up my beloved

In my joy you will share.”

So says the Lord

Rejoice Oh My Soul

From the pain of silence

My soul will not weep

Rejoice my soul, rejoice

His joy is my relief

I will lift my eyes

Take my heart from me

Into yours, Oh Lord

My heart has been set free

Peace to still an ocean

Sorrow cannot take

Tears of joy; a river

Gladness fills a lake

Sky has dried her tears

Light within her eye

No more draining tears

His words do not lie

In the Secret Place

In the secret place

Silence given song

Gentle voice of growing

Rushing river strong

Still; my heart yet quickens

Silence, oh my soul

Within me a wave

Gentle as it bold

Sing to me a song

Open up my ear

Whisper silent love songs

Draw me ever near

No presence as you give

-Even in the sun-

Who close his eyes by night

When you are just begun

Find me in the hollow

In the womb as old

Birth my heart anew

Speak and I am told

Find me as my lover

Embrace me as the bride

It is I you long for

Hold me at your side

Take me in your garden

Here I find your face

Grace me as a lover

In the secret place

A Peace of My Heart

Silence grows with grandeur

So follows my heart

Near the break of twilight

The sky: A work of art

To have glanced a sliver

An aspect of Your joy

Peace to carry onward

To heal what was destroyed

Weaken not, my soul

To come are brighter days

Hold this peace within

‘Till rise another day

<<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> 

Joy to follow mourning;

Morning follow night

Distant, ever shining

Your hope is my delight

One heart to a lover

Held above my head

Hope to start anew

Peace to go unsaid

A broken heart as praise

Poured upon the floor

Falling into creases

I will wait once more

"Twenty Years" (by Augustana)

"Do you wanna see it

The place where I am free?

'Cause in my mind I need it

But you're nowhere near to me

Do you wanna see it

The place where I am free?

'Cause in my mind I've been there

But there's no one here but me..."

Better Than A Hallelujah

Sometime yesterday, I had an idea for a song about praise that I wanted to write. It was going to talk about how sometimes the cry of a broken heart is truer that upraised hands, but the words would not come out. So I do what I usually do at times like this, which is to just sit on it for a while and keep it in the back of my mind until (or if) I get any inspiration. I had just about forgotten about the whole idea when I opened iTunes and saw a new album by Amy Grant (I'm not a huge fan, but I was interested to know that she was still going). The name of the song was "better than a hallelujah", which I didn't find marveling until I listened to the lyrics:

God loves a lullaby

In a mothers tears in the dead of night

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

God loves the drunkards cry,

The soldiers plea not to let him die

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,

The dying man giving up the fight

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what's been done,

The silence when the words won't come

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

Better than a church bell ringing,

Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

I really don't know what to take from this, except that God is showing me something, but then again, I only found the song three minutes ago, so I might find more later. 

Praise

Praise is easily done on a bright day when the sun is shining and smiles come easily, at a time when you haven't a care in the world; who can deny that? Praise at its greatest is when you are at your least, when the blinds are closed and rain falls as the tears from your face. To lift your eyes to your father and seek hope in this time, knowing that He will save you even as all falls in around you, that is praise.

A Broken Hymn

A broken hymn from a broken man

I came to know you by your silent hand

When words could not come out

I sat alone, a weary shout

When will the sunshine light my face

I feel alone in this human race

All broken things must have their place

So here I lie, a broken vase

Sent to a desert with no sand

Yet all the same a parched and thirsty land

Sent out for work I cannot see

Chained to a God to be set free

When will the sunshine light my face

I feel alone in this human race

All broken things must have their place

So here I lie, a broken vase

On the mountainside a fire burns

Once to see its light never to return

Now lost to find my way back home

Silence shows I am not alone

Here comes the sunshine on my face

held apart from this human race

broken clay left in my place

set to look upon your face

On The Move

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

 ~C.S. Lewis, "the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"~

Aslan is on the move...

"Remember Alice, the Vorpal Blade knows what it wants to do, you just have to hold on tight." -the Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland-

Breathe...

If you are reading this post and hoping to find some point at the end, then just don't even read this. Most of the time, this blog is just for my own good anyway.
I really needed to unplug somehow tonight, so I figured I would just write up a blog post. I usually go get coffee (or tea, seeing as I'm not having coffee for lent) when I feel like this, but time is my worst enemy's second cousin's brother-in-law (translation: I have no time). I have so much that I need to be doing right now, from preparing for the talent show on Thursday night to practicing my lines/songs for "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" to doing my Algebra 2 Homework. I really need to just sit back and look at everything, take a deep breath, and then just take it one step at a time.
Another pressing matter is one that has been on my heart for the last several months. It is almost a vision I guess that you could say about having a group of teenagers that meets and talks and pursues God and throws ideas and thoughts around. Maybe not even a bible study, but something along those lines. I think that something like this is so needed in this generation simply because opening up your heart is a very rare occurrence at this age when it is needed so badly. I have a calling to broken hearts, to those who do not have the strength to stand. That is what brings me alive and where I find God's strength in me, so naturally I want to serve Him in this way. I have prayed for a fellowship of hearts such as this for so long, and I feel that God is moving me towards it, but frankly, I am scared. I am definitely a person who likes to have a plan to some degree and have a general understanding of the way things will turn out, so stepping out like this is a hard thing to do for me. I feel like moses in the desert when he hears a call from the Lord to go and save the people of Isreal. God tells him to simply 'go', he does not say what he should do or how he should do it, but that he should just do it. I do trust God with my life, but something about this is scary to me and quite unnerving.
Well, that's out now. So if you've made to the end of this post, I would just ask that you would pray for me, that I would have the courage to step forward and a peace in my heart.