Jesus

More Than Just Contentment

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More than just contentment stole my heart that Summer day
when He took hold of all of me and settled in.
The certainty of being in
right time and place and will,
made it easy to surrender mine to Him.

You’re the notes for the song I’m singing, Jesus.
You’re the rhythm, You’re the key, and You’re the rhyme.
You’re the anchor that I hold onto, new colors when I’m feeling blue,
I welcome You this morning like the first time.

Although my world swings
out of orbit sometimes.
I’m not always sure
of what’s around the bend.
When my mailbox is full of bills,
my head is spinning and I’m ill,
I count on what dear Savior
You will send.

You’re the notes for the song I’m singing, Jesus.
You’re the rhythm, You’re the key, and You’re the rhyme.
You’re the anchor that I hold onto, new colors when I’m feeling blue,
I welcome you this morning like the first time.

It’s never mattered how frightening the storm,
never mattered how frightening the storm,
Jesus you are bigger than my storms!

You’re the notes for the song I’m singing, Jesus
You’re the rhythm, You’re the key, and You’re the rhyme
You’re the anchor that I hold onto, new colors when I’m feeling blue,
I welcome You this morning like the first time.
Like the first time.

“Do not let your heart be troubled;”

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

In the shadow of the cross you were
and yet you said, “don’t let your heart
be troubled.”

You took the time to prepare us on earth
and let us know there would be brighter days.

I believe.
I believe you went there for me.
I believe.
I believe in brighter days.
I believe.
You’ve already gone there for me.
There’s a place with my name on it.
Heaven’s ready glory days.

Jesus in a New Light

Blow the dust off of your Bible
Unclose your mind
turn back the night
If you’re weary of this dreary world
see Jesus in a new light.

He cast out demons
healed the lame
turned water into wine
He healed the centurion’s son
and even healed the blind.

He fed 5,000
without reservations.
Yeah, he raised Jairius’ daughter to life.
But look out dude cause He withered the fig tree
and said, “all things you ask in prayer, believing,
you will receive.”

See Jesus in a new light
Watch out for lightning
Jesus in a new light
Don’t you be frightened
Jesus in a new light
He’s bad!
Jesus in a new light
Oh c’mon, I didn’t mean it that way.
Jesus in a new light
Chillax!
Jesus in a new light
We’re out.

I and U

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I
a
door
U

the
1
eye
most
trust
in
side

U
reached
4th
with
2
hands

With
U
eye
doughnut
knead
2
Hyde

In
sail
or
swim
or
sink

with
U
air’s
know
missing
link

No
matter
how
ruff
the
see

I
a
door
U

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20

Ascended

The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3 “…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Verses 8-9

Jesus, in Your glory,
ascended to God’s right hand,
You have paved the way for us,
Your followers.
Most of us don’t suffer as the majority
of Your disciples did
risking
torture and death
for proclaiming your story.

If the disciples had simply
faded away, and not proclaimed
all that they had witnessed,
they would have avoided such
suffering.

But they didn’t fade away.
They delivered the gospel message
to so many, that over 2,000 years
later we are still talking about it
and experiencing the miracle of changed
lives the message of Christ bestows.

Remember how precious this knowledge is!
To this day, people are imprisoned for
spreading the good news. It is incumbent
upon us, after experiencing the transforming
power of Jesus Christ, to share that
message in any way we are able.

Here You Are

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Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”

Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
John 20:15-18

“Why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?”
To a heartbroken Mary, after His death and resurrection.
Jesus, it can’t be You! Teacher, can it be true?
Maybe if I hold You close,
and I keep my eyes open
this time, you won’t go
Please tell me
you won’t leave me
again.

I know that I cling,
but seeing you again
makes me want to sing.
How could you leave a second time?
I don’t understand.

But I believe,
and trust
and love You
Now that I’ve seen,
I’ll tell everyone
that you rose
and it wasn’t a dream

The stone rolled away
here you are
in front of
your empty grave

Now the
world
must
know

death
no longer rules

for here You are.

The Veil

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
Isaiah 53:4-9

For the moment all had scattered
the kingdom at an end
thoughts of grandeur,
of a place at the table
with their king,
vanquished.

This was to be the king
who set things right
the one worth fighting
beside
they would follow him through
hell-fire
wouldn’t they?
but…
now?

It was over,
wasn’t it?
Silence
and a distant storm
rumbles

The veil,
torn
the world,
no longer the same

In Your Presence

Christ in garden
In Your presence Lord,as we approach the hour of your sacrifice, we’re reminded of how unworthy we are for redemption. That’s just it, isn’t it? We’re not deserving. In so many ways we hope to build ourselves into something worth the struggle, the emotional and physical cataclysm that the earthy shell you inhabited underwent. When we go to war, we know there is a risk that we may die. When you went to war, you knew that you would be captured and die a miserable death. It wasn’t an endurance event. It wasn’t even a suicide mission. It was walking into war with a price on your head. In order to win for us, you had to lose. Triumph over sin would not be achieved without giving everything. Satan tried to get you to throw the whole game by using your powers, but you refused. The whole time you knew! You knew what it would be like to inhabit a human body and endure punishment certain to cause every cell in your body to scream. You allowed no short cuts. Every prophecy was fulfilled. We are forever in your debt, Lord. We bow before you in worship and only ask to be allowed to serve you, while you teach us how to serve each other, humbly, as you taught us.

Enough

Shout to God in times of grief
I won’t tell you to hold back
or pretend I know
you
I don’t

But I’ve been someplace dark before
and the only light I found
to lead me home
was a cross

a place
all bound together with
the greatest sorrow
and joy

where God’s Son
went to die
and claim victory

cross

He said, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me–nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
The physical and emotional pain we can quantify, horrific as it was, but as Jesus took on our sins and became sin, (God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21) the spiritual pain took everything Jesus went through to a new level. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” Matthew 27:46 Take the time when you felt most alone and multiply that by any number you know and it can’t approach the spiritual agony Jesus went through. But we know death was conquered in this unprecedented act. Jesus died, He was buried, He rose again and appeared. His victory became our victory.