Oh, my Father in Heaven
Guarding me from all perils and trials  
And sets my heart free of all clutter
For you, my songs of praise, I reserve

All my life, I shall sing
Without fail, in bloom or gloom
On every unfolding day
Through months and years
Till death and beyond
Let my songs sail across the skies
And with the chorus of the heavenly band, unite

Oh, the benevolent Lord of all creation
Custodian of all wealth
Contriver of birth and death
The Master Crafts man
Everything is your handiwork.

The lofty mounts
Veiled in misty snow
The verdant dales
Lush and still
The fathomless deep
Where mysteries peep
All the flowers
That bloom and wither
All things
Bright and beautiful
Everything, above and below
In all,
Let me behold thy grace
And sing Thee praise!

Oh! Redeemer of Mankind
Guide me through the dark
Guard my steps where dangers lurk
Hold my hand
And never loosen your grip

Make me face the light
Illumine me with wisdom serene
And fill me with love divine;
So that you be glorified
Here, on Earth
And in Heaven be!

Oh what glorious day will be then
when the rapture finally comes;
When we're called up home to Heaven,
all our fighting here is done!

Be prepared for just that moment,
could be morning, night or noon;
Oh, to hear those trumpets sounding,
Heaven's Angels all in tune!

For that day the Heaven's open,
there's no time to say goodbye;
Hear those chariot wheels a soundin',
see My Savior in the sky!

Can you feel the anthem mounting
hear now Heaven's jubilee;
Can't you picture just that moment,
Angels far as eye can see?

Now the saints on Earth all ready,
for the dead in Christ to rise;
See a glimpse of happy faces,
headed Home beyond the skies!

You've not asked my Lord's forgiveness,
find your knees without delay;
Ask Him now to be your Savior,
for your sins the price is paid!

All the rich and poor now equal
doesn't matter wealth or fame;
When the roll is called up yonder
will my Jesus call YOUR name?

in the darkness,
there are different kinds of light
.
there are lights that;
too bright for you to see the truth,
too dim for you to distinguish the reality from fantasy.
there are also lights that may burn you down.

but the best of all is the light that comes from him---
Our Father.

Our God

©IGMS

When my faith was as small as a mustard seed,
God was still my knight in shining armor,
Protecting me from this society that can be cruel.

When I was living in misery,
I slammed the door on the almighty’s face,
But he still loved me with all his heart and soul.

He guided me through the obstacles of life,
Making sure that I was safe from this imperfect world,
Setting a course to a destined path which led to happiness.

Deep inside, God always lived within me,
But I was lost on the trail of life,
And the lord helped me find the light.

God will always be my hero and savior,
And I will try not to turn my back on him again,
Praying every day for his love and courage.

090116

Lies, shame; innocence ruined
Feeling exposed? Uncovered?
Shame & blame, are a constant theme;
Shame came about,
As a direct result of sin.

That evil twin notion of shame,
That good twin notion of shoulds,
Both are responses to the same root problem.

Inner character, God can truly see;
And those stifling atmosphere
Of work, duty, & expectations
All have nothing to do
With the heart of God.

We tremble in shame,
Wrapped in a sheet or a shift;
But we're a lot closer to salvation now
Than once we're in all our finery.

We're naked in our sins
'Til Jesus died and rose again!
To clothe us in righteousness
Rather than with layers of works & legalism.

Human efforts are so uncomfortable;
It's difficult, useless, and endless work
Of clothing ourselves in a spiritual sense.
But when we admit our need for Him,
In His righteousness & grace,
We can truly rest!

Let us not slip into a place
A place of spiritual nakedness & shame.
Come back now,
Fling open the door of every heart,
For we base our hopes on healing
On what is real, not on how we feel.

Now we plant seeds of redemption
Forget shame, receive lavish blessings
How could such a wonderful thing possibly happen?

This is not the end of my story.
It is merely the conclusion of many chapters.
It is the end of part one of an epic.
Which is my life.
The next chapter is not yet written.
The next part is yet blank.
I take God's hand.
As together...
we write...
my new beginning.

Lord, how can I come to You...
when I feel so ugly inside?
How can I draw near to Your Throne...
when I keep remembering my sins?
Every.
Single.
One.
How do I dare approach You
in Your Holiness...
when I feel like such a mess?
Lord, how can I come to You?
When I fall so short of what I ought to be.
How can I---
"Shhh...my dear child.
You can come because it's all been covered.
By Me."