Forever I will be
Loving you eternally
I am your strength and salvation
I am your hope and song
I walk beside you, for the road is long
I will keep you safe in my arms of love
Close to my heart you will remain
I will give you comfort in the pain
Lean on me and I will carry you
Know in your heart that this is true
Do not fear, for I am here
Take my hand and you can
Rise up from your mat and walk
Be silent and rest while I talk
Be filled with the living spirit
Come to life as you draw near it
I am as close as your shadow
As close as your very next breath
Nothing will separate us: not even death
I am as close as your heartbeat
Lay your troubles at my feet
Because forever I will be
Loving you eternally
I give you my peace and my love
And, my child, that will be enough
Trust in me and remain in me
As I will remain in you
Let me help you, let me heal you
Let me work in and through you
I will provide in your time of need
For, I hear the prayers of those who intercede
Find your strength and solace and light
A ray of hope, even in the darkest night
From our hearts to yours
For you, we'd break walls and doors
Because forever we will be
Loving you eternally

We live in a place somewhere between two worlds
One the physical and one the spiritual
They are separate and distinct
But they can coexist, they can be linked
To be practical and active
And still live contemplative
Living with one foot in the sea and the other on dry land
We fight to maintain equilibrium and meet every demand
So how do we reconcile one with the other?
Is it even possible to do so?
Maybe we don't have to, maybe it's already been done
For a baby born of a ******: God's own precious son
Jesus was of two worlds, and he bridged that divide
Became bread and wine so he could live inside
Let all you do be a prayer, and all your work give him glory
All you say be with love, and all your life lived with joy
This is how we can live in two worlds

Today I have progress on my mind
Of a physical and spiritual nature and kind.
Taking steps to improve my health
Where I am ow is better than where I was.
From day to day or even week to week
I don't notice the progress that I seek.
But when I step back and reassess
It is then that I'm aware of the progress
I'm farther than I was before
But still not where I want to be
Even so, I'm closer and it gives me a thrill
Because I can get there, I know that I will
There are good times and bad times
Sometimes I move forward, sometimes back
But I refocus, recenter, and get back on track
Losing weight, getting stronger
It takes practice, patience, and time
It's tough, but it's always worth the climb
It seems to me that our spiritual life
In many ways runs parallel
To the ways that make us physically well
In our prayers and in our giving
How we're loving, how we're living
Sometimes our faith builds slow
And, sometimes, it quite quickly grows
It's hard to see in the desert place
Where the wind blows hard against your face
The path ahead is very nearly lost
No idea how much distance you've crossed
But the winds die down and the skies clear
Breathe in deep as you are standing here
And through the trials you see
Just how far you've come
And how you came to where you are
You've done so well and worked so hard
Now have some rest and keep making progress

Shine forth like the sun
Radiant beams and glory streams
And hope springs forth like the dawn
Your golden glow giving glimpses
Of a gift greater than any on earth
Life eternal and a new birth
Shine and let your light lift
The mind and body and soul
With praise and prayer
Pierce the very heart of darkness
Sing and dance with every fiber
And this Adoration we will employ
Till the very rocks cry out with joy
Warm the earth and hearth and home
May the glow follow wherever we roam
All the nations on earth will see
And many people will come to believe
From miles around they will flock
To be close to you and take stock
Of their own light that lives within
Where they end, He will begin
So, shine your light, your God-given sun
Giving thanks and praise to the Holy One

Be silent. Listen. Breathe. Easy enough to say, but much harder to put into practice. Sometimes I talk to fill a void. I talk to avoid having to feel the weight of silence like judgement, so I don't have to go down deep and see what actually lives there. Help me deal with my emotions, help me feel my emotions, especially those that are uncomfortable or unnatural to me. Be silent. Listen. Breathe. Maybe the hurts and sadness, the hungers and scars deserve to be recognized for what they are. They are part of life. The help me know and feel I am alive. They help me remember and be more grateful for the many wonderful blessings I have in my life. There is a time for talking, but now it is time To Be Silent. To Listen. To Breathe.

Ask of me what you want
What does your heart truly desire?
I delight in providing for your needs
Even when you do not ask me.
Come to me in your weakness and strength
Seek my aid each morning.
Offer me your day and everything in it
And ask me to bless it and give you graces
I rejoice in your asking, and I love to give
Open yourself to me and receive
Receive my love and affection
Receive my presence and do my will
Receive the gifts I have prepared
Believe that I live within you
In all you think and speak and do
Let me help you do more good
What would you do if only you could?
Have faith in me
For, with me, all things are possible
If you are truly doing my work
Do your best and I will make it work
Give it to me that I may bless and multiply
Walk with me faithfully
and I will teach you how to fly
When this happens, and it will, be assured,
Be not proud, but rejoice and give me thanks
Everything you do, do it for the greater glory of God
For you have been chosen to bring
A bit of heaven down to the earth
You are a beloved Child Of The King
Called to a purpose before your birth
Call me up: I'm always free
For you, I'm never too busy
But when you are done, stop and listen
Be patient, persevere even if I seem silent
Sometimes I speak through things
Sometimes what you want is not what you need
Sometimes I have something better
Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder
So often you take for granted
The many blessings you are given
You don't appreciate their value as much
Until it is taken away
My spirit longs for you
As a desert longs for rain
How long must I wait
To feel your presence again
Let your face shine upon me
Take not your spirit from me
Open my eyes to truly see
As I live out this new reality

Maybe it's the sun, but maybe you're the one of whom I'm dreaming
Maybe it's not real, but this is how I feel: my soul you're redeeming
Maybe it's just sound, but maybe I have found a love that's unending
Maybe it's the air, but maybe you are there I'm constantly depending
Maybe it's war, but maybe it's worth living for
It's time to take a stand
Maybe I'm kneeling, and maybe you're healing
With a touch of your hand
I come bowed and broken, hearing words so softly spoken
Teach my heart and heal my soul
For sin exacts a heavy toll
But a deal was made, the debt was paid
As water and blood flowed free
Now at long last, no longer slave to my past
What do you see in me?
Given a second chance, at Blessed romance
I know not why or how
But maybe it's enough just to live in your love
For it's all that I have now

Listen to the Lord in the silence of your heart
Be still and know that He is God and King
The Author Creator Sustainer of Everything
Be filled with His presence in every breath you take
Know that He is with you in every choice you make
To know Him is to love Him to love Him is to see the light
To listen to Him is to hear the words of everlasting life
May the peace of the Lord shine upon your face
And may you walk forever in the light of His grace

Amen

Arrested by God's grace and blinded by His light
Convicted by the Spirit and found dead to rights
You are found guilty of ****** in the first degree
The sentence to be carried out: death on a tree
Justice will be served, and the price must be paid
About to be led away, but the crowds are stayed
By a voice soft and strong: "Let them go. Take me instead."
A perfect stranger was tortured, he suffered and bled
It should have been me on that cross on that hill
But He had plans for me and, to this day, He does still
I had condemned, I had tortured, and I had slain
I felt no remorse, and even enjoyed their pain
But God's love and mercy found me on the road
My life is His now: a life is saved, a life is owed
If God can take a wretch like me and turn my life around
Use me as an example of how much his grace abounds
He humbled me greatly: knocked me off of my horse
And, with a mighty wind, I was forced to alter my course
I am by no means the greatest, rather I am the least
But He bids me rise like dough to His yeast
Through his goodness I have done great things
I have seen the blessings that a grateful heart brings
For it is not I, but Christ that lives within me
I die with him and in rising He sets me free
Glory to Him who sits on the throne
Honor to Him to whom I am intimately known
Praise be on my lips and in my heart
For we have been given a brand new start

Don't you know that you are loved?
You are loved more than life itself.
Don't you know how much you are worth?
You are worth more than the treasure on earth.
Don't you know your past does not define you?
And, when you are free, nothing can confine you.
Don't you know how beautiful you are?
More brilliant than the sun and every star.
Don't you know that there is hope
And a place of peace beyond all scope?
Don't you know you are wanted and cherished?
That what was before is gone and perished?
Don't you know there is a real belonging?
New life, like the morning sun, is dawning.
Don't you know you are more than fear, than doubt?
There is a light inside you that won't be put out.
Don't you know what lies just over this hill?
And in the climb your lungs he will fill
Your strength and spirit will be renewed,
And you will find a most pleasant mood.
Joyful tears flow as mountain springs
To take in the splendor of such things!
The soul: it longs and even faints
For the brush of love by which He paints.
Don't you know you do not need to hide
From that which waits just on the other side?
Don't you know life is a chance worth taking?
That you are a masterpiece in the making?
Don't you know you're not in this alone?
That we know the ache, that we also groan?
Don't you know it doesn't matter what you've done before?
Don't you know your life is all this and so much more?