hope

The Gospel

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let me feel the gospel
Lord
anyone could say the words
so don’t let them pass right through me
hardly pausing on their way
let them change me
rearrange me
I’m willing to learn
God, you hear what my heart has to say.

let me carry the gospel
Father
its bright colors spilling forth
with grace to balance justice
east west south and north

friends we’ve become
your gospel and me
it’s the truth that shines
from the eyes of the knower
but it’s not only a companion
that wants to hang around
it would much rather be with
those who are sowers

gospel moves through music
through songs that inspire
through words lifting hearts
and taking us higher
like a good rain
washes the world clean
the gospel takes the scales from our eyes
while the riches of God it leaves

to everyone
around the world
to every land
and every flag unfurled
till the people all know
that Jesus died but now lives
we’ll share the precious gospel
just like our savior did

© Joel Tipple
#29/14

We Are New

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We are drawn to the cross, Lord,
where instead of a bitter ending
a joyous new beginning burst forth for all humanity.
Because of your astounding love we are new.

We are new and becoming new,
though by rights we should not be.
The sin that was our inheritance
you purchased on Calvary.
We are new and becoming new.
You reached down with your nail scarred hand.
You saw the lost children we were,
then gave us vision for who we could be.

The future we embrace now,
for this course we race now
we do not run alone.
You carry us when our strength leaves
and eternal life is our guarantee
for your power rolled away the stone.

We are new and becoming new,
for your sacrifice tore the veil.
Because we are adopted sons and daughters
death cannot prevail.
Life is new.

The world now can’t claim us as its own.
We have eternity written in our hearts
and a place before your throne.
We are new.

Earthquakes and tidal waves,
fires and ferocious storms,
poverty and sickness,
cannot prevail against your love.
No matter what the scales read before
your love is more.
Because you died
and rose again
we are new,
and becoming new.

© Joel Tipple
#20/14

Creature of Hope

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You were drowning in despair,
just waiting for the end.
Then you came up for air.
A message from a friend
spelled new beginning for you.

Now you’re a new creature,
a creature of hope,
a child of Jesus,
giving out warm
as the world grows colder.
You can’t contain it.
Why would you want to?
And so, you’re growing bolder.

This is victory,
now you can see
beyond you.
Your eyes open wide,
seeing possibilities
you never saw before.
God is alive in you.

Feed the flame, feed the flame.
Call out His name,
creature of hope.
Feed the flame, feed the flame.
Call out the name of Jesus,
creature of hope.

Let the world know
for them the stone was rolled,
creatures of hope.
For those who were healed,
to those the truth revealed
share the message
of death, resurrection, and new life…
Creatures of hope, creatures of hope.

© Joel Tipple
#19/14

There You Go

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(For a friend)

Remember, when I was a child
and you were on your way out the door,
and I said please, can I go too?
Well, now feels like before.

There you go, out the door and to the Lord.
Praise God, it’s heaven’s gain,
but though I’m so full of joy for you,
It’s joy accompanied by pain.

But thank God for blessed memories…
in albums and frames on the mantle.
Those times you celebrated with me.
The times you handled what I couldn’t handle.

I grew older and it was my turn
to open and walk out the door.
You were braver the dad than I was the child,
but behind your eyes there was more.

The grief, now that you’re gone,
is married with joy and pride
for your legacy and the expectancy
I’ll see Jesus at your side.
We’ll look back at the front door together,
this time left open wide.

© Joel Tipple
#7/14

Do That

Imagine you are near the end of your life.
Those you love are with you to say goodbye,
and you say I wish I had…

Do that.
Say that.
Be that.

I’ve said it before,
but it’s a drum worth beating.
God implants within each of us talents and dreams more real than we believe.
So it bears repeating…

Do that.
Say that.
Be that.

We are meant to add
something noble.
We are meant
to enrich.
Potential
is gold deep underground.
Until you’ve done the work
to bring it to the surface
and use it,
you’re not finished.

© Joel Tipple
380

Don’t Keep the Faith

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It’s so tempting to keep your salvation to yourself,
protecting it, like a beautiful bird in a pretty cage.
But God’s love really flies out in the real world.
You need to let it show; don’t keep the faith.

Don’t keep the faith, don’t keep it, all locked up inside you.
Don’t keep the faith, growing cold, away from the sun in the sky.
Don’t keep the faith. That anthem always had it wrong, I believe.
Because a glass of water held under lock and key…
will still go dry.

Now the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He doesn’t go knocking down doors.
He goes where He’s invited and empowers the children of God.
Those born again, are given a part in the great commission
and that doesn’t involve keeping Him on a shelf like a set of laws.

Don’t keep the faith, children, don’t keep it, all locked up inside you.
Don’t keep the faith, growing cold, away from the sun in the sky.
Don’t keep the faith. That anthem always had it wrong, I believe.
Because a glass of water held under lock and key…
will still go dry.

Release it. Sonshine. Release it. Now is the time.
Release it. Sonshine. Release it…
Don’t keep the faith.

© Joel Tipple
373

Living the Dream

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Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6 NLT

Living the Dream

I’m living the dream, but it’s not because I’m a dreamer.
I’m living in anticipation of my home.
You see when I read about God’s promises,
I took that dream on for my own.

Surely your goodness,
Surely your goodness, Lord
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me.

Surely your goodness,
Surely your goodness, Lord
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me
all the days of my life.

There’s nothing I would ever hold on to,
nothing that could ever tie me down.
Nothing would ever hold me to this world
when it’s time for you to call me home.
Sweet Lord, when it’s time to go.

Surely your goodness,
Surely your goodness, Lord
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me.

Surely your goodness,
Surely your goodness, Lord
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me
all the days of my life.

Sweet sweet Jesus, that place beyond the horizon
Sweet sweet Jesus, your everlasting arms
Sweet Jesus, you know that’s where I’m bound.

Surely your goodness,
Surely your goodness, Lord
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
will pursue me
all the days of my life.

I’m living the dream, but it’s not because I’m a dreamer.
I’m living in anticipation of my home.
You see when I read about God’s promises,
I took that dream on for my own.

© Joel Tipple
370

Fighters

There are those who beat the air with their fists,
expressing impotent rage,
those who continually fight the past
unwilling to turn the page.

Some fight poverty.
Some fight from prison.
Some fight without
a single friend in the stands,
still focused on their vision.

Some fight their waist.
Some fight to lay waste.
Some fight waste.

Some fight to be heard
Some fight the herd
Some fight to fight
then later demur.

Some fight their image.
Some fight their reflection.
Some fight the man in the mirror,
always risking rejection.

Some fight for God.
Taking pains to be broken.
Some fight apathy
and for those whose words are unheard or unspoken.

There will always be a fight
for those who don’t want to live asleep,
those who believe in the words of Jesus
and promises to keep.

© Joel Tipple
361

If you work at it…

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If you work at it hard enough
you can find seven things wrong with you
at the expense of the one thing that’s right.

If you commit thoroughly to the cause
you’ll ignore that encouraging word
and instead find a way to start a fight.

If you just devote yourself
you can undermine the faith
someone dear helped you find.

With focused effort you can avoid
seeing the strengths God gave you
because it’s easier to remain blind.

You can put in the work to be amazing
or you can work just as hard to be not.
God uses those you might least expect
when they say yes to what they’ve got.

© Joel Tipple
354