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To Know You
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"To Know You", was written almost as a sequel to an earlier chorus I wrote entitled, "I'm Walking With You, Lord". I originally planned to include the words "to know you more" in the chorus. However, the words interfered with the flow of the song and so I chose to use them as the theme for a follow-up song to the chorus.
In real life, the two themes go hand in hand. In order to really know God, a Christian has to spend time with God, walking with God, talking with God, and following the footsteps of Jesus. The closer you walk with God the more you will learn about Him and the better you will know Him As the process continues, other earthly things will fade into the background and God will become the most important one in your life as a Christian.
In order to sing this song, I have to examine my own heart. I view this song as a prayer to God. In the song, I am calling out to Him to "draw me close, draw me near" in order that I might know Him better.
I hope that this song will be a prayer for all Christians. It is not one that is always easy to live but it is one that I hope to make my daily prayer. |
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What Kind of Legacy
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I am usually not one who writes upon request or upon demand for a song. I do keep my ears open for phrases, messages, and other things that might be used in songs, though. This case, however, was different. I had volunteered to sing the Sunday morning special on Father's Day at my church. I try to make it a point to choose a song that will tie in with the sermon. When the pastor and I spoke, he informed me that he would be speaking a special sermon for father's and would be talking about Zebedee; the father of the disciples, John and James. He stated, "If you can't find one that fits, just write one". I laughed it off and went home.
That was quite a challenge for me and I was not real serious about trying to write a song. My pastor's words, however, continued to circulate in my head and so I took on his challenge. Thus, "What Kind of Legacy” was born. I had to do my research on what kind of father Zebedee was. I also thought about what kind of legacy I would leave, and whether or not God would be pleased with me?
Too many times we think that our life is ours to live and that as long as we mind our own business it should not matter to others what we do. The sad part is, it does matter to others what we do. Our lives affect the lives of our children, our relatives, our friends, and church members. Even people that we do not know can tell by our actions what rules we live by. Do others see Jesus in me? When I am gone, what will they remember? What kind of example am I setting before the youth that I interact with? Will they know that I believe and trust in Jesus? or, Will they be like the lost generation and create and worship idols such as television, drugs, premarital sex, selfishness, and so on? How we walk and talk does matter. Christ told his disciples that 2 thousand years ago when He walked the earth. It still applies to us today.
We are called to be the salt and the light. That means that we are to serve God and tell others about Jesus. You have to back up what you say with what you do. So, what kind of legacy will you leave behind? |
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I'm Walking With You, Lord
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"I'm Walking With You, Lord", is a chorus that was written shortly after our Wednesday night Word of Life Bible Club had begun a series entitled, His Walk. The first night of this series was a real challenger for me. My Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor and I prayed together, as was the habit, before the club meeting. Both of us were very up front and honest with each other that our walk with the Lord was not as close nor as on track as we would like for it to be. What it all boiled down to was that both of us were hearing the Lord speaking to us through messages, friends, and His Word but neither of us felt that we were truly listening.
In preparing for that club night, I realized that I needed to be more serious about my own personal walk with the Lord if I expected the teenagers to do the same. If I expect them to love as Christ loves, to study and pray and draw nearer to God, to share their testimony, and to be on fire for God, then I certainly had better be a good example.
After much thought while playing through a melody I had written, the words "I'm walking with you, Lord" kept coming to mind. I put the song aside until I knew for certain that those words were truly what I wanted to say. I determined that I wanted to capture the whole meaning behind all of the lessons on walking with the Lord. My goal was to write a chorus the teens could sing while we were studying this short series. I hoped to represent the different areas we are supposed to be walking in ... in love, in His light, in faith and not by sight, in His truth, and doing so every day.
None of us are perfect. None of us could ever truly say that we are satisfied with our spiritual walk with the Lord. I truly believe that we always have room for improvement. That is why we must take up our cross daily and rely on God's grace and strength for us to try a little harder to live Christ-like. To sing this chorus and truly mean it from the heart is a challenge. You cannot truly sing it unless you honestly mean it. |
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Back to the Cross
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The Holy Spirit wrote the music and lyrics for "Back to the Cross". I was simply the tool through which He wrote it. I had already gone to bed and was trying to clear my thoughts but the Lord would not allow it. God poured out the words so fast that I was scrambling for pen and paper on which to write it. The melody played over and over in my head, again and again until at last the song was completed.
"Back to the Cross" was God's way of reminding me that no matter what burden I was bearing or trouble I was facing, Jesus had overcome much worse. Jesus had bore His cross for me, certainly I could get through whatever it was I was facing. After all, God never promised us that the Christian walk would be an easy road. He forewarned His disciples that persecution and rejection was to be expected.
When trials come your way, when doubts and fears cloud your mind, when your dreams are shattered, go back to the cross. Jesus was the epitomy of pain and sorrow. He died in shame so that you and I could have eternal life. Remember, He also rose again victoriously! |
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In the Image (I Am Made)
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Yes, I Believe
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I had a strong desire to write a song that proclaimed my belief in God and the necessity for others to believe in God's truth. It seemed to be a heavy burden on my heart that there were people who did not believe in Christ as their Savior, yet, when a crisis occurred there was a need to pray. When things were going well God was forgotten, but when wars and freak accidents occurred many people ran to the synagogues to pray. Even Christians, including myself, have used God like a fire extinguisher… only in the event of an emergency.
"Yes, I Believe" was written as a reaction to this common occurrence of using God only in the event of an emergency. It burdened my heart that few people knew of the saving grace of God and the importance of acknowledging Him in everything. It also amazed me that people could and still do believe that the beauty in this earth was created by an explosion! I have never seen an explosion that resulted in something as awesome as God's creation of the heavens and earth.
I am thankful that God saved me from eternal hell at an early age of 9. My heart is burdened, though, for those who continue to put it off for tomorrow. The problem here is that we are not promised tomorrow. It may never come. Tomorrow may actually be the day that Christ returns ... "the day that God's trumpet shall sound ... that we [the saved] will rise up to meet the Son". Tomorrow may be too late! |
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