I gracefully begin painting a masterpiece with black and white
My fingers, the paintbrush
The piano, the canvas
Whose keys unlock a world of passion and creativity
Meandering through melancholy minor and merry majors
The keys sing melodies as my fingers dance across the canvas
Something I've learned, something that can transcend
This world of music and into the way we live
Playing music and creating music
Those are two different things
When we live life, what do we bring
Are we merely pressing white and black keys
Or are we intentionally engaging our unique hearts
Bringing color to what was lifeless, not simply playing a part
Do we live passively, or are our hearts bursting with excitement
An anticipation that the One whose Son He sent
Is going to move tremendously, is going to Open eyes for people to see
That life with Him is greater than anything the world dreams
That Only His love can satisfy the void in a soul
And that He removes skin that's old
He softens hearts that have grown cold

It creeps into our minds and compels us to turn and walk away, even if that means letting go of the things we yearn for the most
Somehow, it manages to whisper lies that we deem of more than the pure truth
The things that we have perfected no longer embrace value, for our words cannot escape from our locked lips and our bodies become more frozen than ice
Opportunities become grains of sand that slip through our fingers
We endeavor to perceive what is in the vast and mysterious unknown
Our views are distorted, and we believe that we are only fools for dreaming of something so great and unfathomable, even when we have prepared for this our entire lives
That something is our future, but there is one thing that possesses the power to stifle us
Fear.

The perfume of warm caramel married to spiced pumpkin permeates the amiable atmosphere
The stifling heat stammers a tired goodbye and welcomes the blushing breeze
Shorter days feel interminable as the lethargic sun sleeps behind comfortable clouds
Courageous colors in leaves, calming colors in the sky
The pure scent of rain washes over parched life and pushes people indoors

You ask us to follow You
To fracture the foolishness that unmercifully undermines us
Why are we persistent in our poisonous pride
And obdurately grasp the darkness that destroys us
The deafening depression, the hardened hatred, the conflicting chaos
When You are the light that gives us hope
The One who can bring us back to life
You create wonders out of nothing
Surely You can make something out of us
What You have to offer is so much more
Than what we must relinquish

Sparkling eyes, smiling face

Mini me, a newborn baby

When I had nothing to offer You

Your heart for me was pure and true



Before I could pour my love at Your feet

You had made up Your mind about me

Before You called me faithful servant

With the sound of many waters, You called me daughter



I thought I needed to have it all together

Before I could call Your name

I thought I had to do more, be more

So Your love for me would endure



Hearing Your voice had to be earned

When I stumbled, You were far

Until You showed me who You really are

So close, speaking with a tender heart



Daddy God, always smiling at me

With love never-ending, grace overflowing

Warmth in Your embrace, fire in Your eyes

Not angry when I fall, You are kind



I hear You calling, come rest in who I Am

Over me You sing, there are no strings

I love you for you, not what you do



You take me back, to before our journey began

To before I knew Your name, but You spoke mine

Daughter of the King

Your heart is what I wanted the whole time

Look at how far you have come
Instead of how far you still have to go

I was drowning in the sea of my own mess
Then you rescued me, you set me free
From my shame, regrets and who I used to be

You are the powerful voice that ordered the universe to be
You are the still voice that whispers into the depths of my soul and delights in me
You are the commanding voice that drives out demons
You are the gently guiding voice in every season

You are not bound by the constraints of time
Before the beginning You were there
You always existed, and always will
You loved me before time existed
And You will love me when it ends

Out of your heart will flow streams of living water
When you believe in the Father
You're a son, a daughter
And you trust in the Potter
He says I pour out water on this dry and weary land
Come take my hand
I will show you, you will see
I am all You need
He says I satisfy every longing in the soul
And you never have to feel alone
For I am closer than the skin on your bones
And because of what My Son did at the cross
You're no longer lost
You're forgiven, set free
All you have to do is believe
All who are thirsty come and drink
And you don't even have to think
Love undeniable, making you whole
Grace undeserved, mercies new every morning
Leading me to sing
Praises to the giver of every good thing
But what could I bring
But this life, this heart, to the King of Kings
Source never ending, Who never runs dry
So I lift these hands to the sky
He says, my beloved, I give every part of me to you
And I say Jesus I'm in love with You too

I am from devouring chapter books and making music
from the Chronicles of Narnia to falling in love with the piano
I am from the kingdoms of playgrounds and pools
Enjoyed with unforgettable friends on serene summer evenings
(Blissful innocence, alive with imagination, it was permeated with endless laughter)
I am from the blushing pink roses,
the cheerful cherry blossoms in my front yard
the epitome of beauty and the color I have always been drawn to
I’m from the warm family dinners at the kitchen table and unconditional love
from Noel and Thelma and Hope and Charity
I’m from the songs of gladness and hearts of thanksgiving
From choose to let your mistakes make you better not bitter and
think on whatever is lovely and true
I’m from trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding
I’m from Brooklyn and the Philippines,
Cheesy New York pizza and sizzling chicken adobo
From nights enthralled with captivating characters in wondrous worlds of books
The sweet strolls on sunset beaches with my dad and mom
in cherished pretty photo albums
I am from formidable obstacles that taught me to never give up