Broken and Beautiful, by Mark Schultz

I don't have much to say to this song. I'll let it speak for itself.

Broken and Beautiful: Mark Schultz (Album: Broken and Beautiful)

There's a businessman
There's a widowed wife
There's a smiling face with
A shattered life
There's a teenage girl with a choice to make
It's crowded here in church today

And the preacher says as the sermon ends
Please close your eyes and bow your heads
Is there anyone in need of prayer
Jesus wants to meet you here
'cause we all fall short
We all have sinned
But when you let
God's Grace break in...

[Chorus]
It's beautiful
Beautiful
Come as you are
Surrender your heart
Broken and beautiful

Well he'd never been to church before
But he came today as a last resort
His world was crashing in
And he was suffocating in his sin

But tears ran down
As hope rushed in
He closed his eyes
Raised his hands
Worshiping the God who can
Bring him back to life again

[Chorus]

Cause there's nothing more beautiful to God
Than when his sons and daughters come
Broken

Alleluia
Alleluia
Come as you are
Alleluia
Alleluia
Come as you are

[Chorus]

Alleluia
Alleluia
Come as you are
(Come as you are)
Surrender your heart
Broken and beautiful

Alleluia
Alleluia
Come as you are
(Come as you are)
Surrender your heart
Broken and beautiful

Blessings, by Laura Story

A lot has happened recently. Many tears have been shed over the past couple of weeks and questions as to why this all has to happen. It always seems so unfair and it hurts because of how hard it hear the news, the lies, and the truth of it all. It hurts even more because of the dreams we may have or the setbacks we face. It's hard to endure all of that when we don't why it has to happen now of all times. But I think we forget that the trials of this life are sometimes blessings in disguise.

Blessings: Laura Story (Album: Blessings)

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Courtesy of lyricshall.com
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Rescue Me, by Krystal Meyers

Lately, I feel like I'm a dog chasing my own tail at work. It's frustrating and I don't see a way out of it. The burdens that I take home with me keep me up, make me sick, and just weigh on my mind. I forget that I am never alone in this fight.

Rescue Me: Krystal Meyers (Album: Krystal Meyers)

Swallowing this hurt
Making it lie down
I'm my strongest ally, living life as I know how
I'm carrying the weight of a world that sold me out
I'm running with my eyes closed
Hoping you don't see this doubt

I'm lost for words
I'm at a loss to tell you what I need
I know there's something more
God, help me to believe

(Chorus)
And all this time
I thought the fight
The fight was only mine
I need to let you rescue me
I'm taking fire
I'm feeling tired
I'm tired of this fight
I need to let you rescue me

I let it go to breathe
I can't take it anymore
I refuse to wake up one more time bleeding on the floor
I won't let myself hold back
I'll surrender what's inside
You become my healing tourniquet
So I can feel alive

I feel so exposed
I'm afraid to lose total control
With nothing left to hold
You reach for me and wouldn't let me go

(Chorus 2x)

Heart of Worship, Various Artists

I remember them talking about this song on the radio once. The story still lingers with me, even to this day. The song was born from a moment where a church had lost its focus in worship. They had the lights, the musical instruments, and all of the gadgets to put on a good show. That's exactly what they were doing though. They were merely putting on a show. Somehow, they had lost their original focus and made it about all of the extra things, but not about God or the connection we have with God through our worship. They took away the extra stuff and just started to sing a cappella. It was them and God. Just as it should be.

Life always gives us "extras." We always have something to do, something to look at, something to put our time and energy in to. Somehow, we train ourselves to think that we can't focus on God until ABC gets done. Or even during our worship time with Him, we think about all of the things that we still have to do. We lose the closeness to Him and have an empty session where we don't draw nearer to our Lord. We stay exactly where we are. We have to leave all of the "extras" at the door. It's hard to do, but it's what we need to do if we want to grow in Christ.

Heart of Worship: Various Artists


When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

Bridge:
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Verse 2:
King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

Bridge:
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Forever, by Fireflight

Forever doesn't always compute in my mind. It's scary and exciting to think that even after death on this earth, I'll be up in Heaven. We all have our visions of what Heaven will be like, and I'm sure it will exceed any physical expectations we have of it. But forever seems like a long time. We can't even put a number on it because forever is exactly that, infinite.

Christ died on the cross over two thousand years ago. He loved the people that lived then enough to die. However, this plan was made for everyone to come! Even as time has passed, His love has never failed us. He loved us over two thousand years ago enough to suffer that pain, and He loves us and our future generations forever.

Forever: Fireflight (Album: Unbreakable)

Sometimes I feel so cold
Like I'm waiting around all by myself
Loneliness gets so old
I'm in the lost and found sitting on the shelf
Been stuck for way too long
But I hear Your voice
You're who I'm counting on

[Chorus:]
Oh, tell me You're here
That You will watch over me forever
Oh, take hold of my heart
Show me You'll love me forever

I know that You can tell
When I start to let my hope fade away
I need to catch myself
Open my ears to hear You calling my name
Been fighting way too long
But I hear Your voice
You had me all along

[Chorus]

When I'm starting to drown
You jump in to save me
When my world's upside down
Your hands, they shake me and wake me

[Chorus x2]

Forever

Oh, My Dear, by Tenth Avenue North

I've listened to this song maybe thirty times in the past week. Every time I hear it, it stuns me. It's another reminder that nothing I've ever done comes in between me and Christ. He loves us the same yesterday, today, and forever. That will never change.

Oh, My Dear: Tenth Avenue North (Album: The Light Meets the Dark)

I called you up, you were in bed, could barely make out the words that you said
But you wanted to see me instead, so I got dressed
So I stepped out into the snow, and walked for a mile or so
Felt the rush of blood come from the cold, within my chest

Well, you finally came to the door, and we talked for an hour or more
Until I asked if you would stay up until four, and you said that's fine
But you said "theres something I have to say, and I can't because I am just so afraid"
And so I held you as you started to shake, that night.

Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the guilt begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight

You slowly lifted your head from your hands
You said "I just don't think you'll understand
You'll never look at me that way again
If you knew what I did"

And so your tears fell and melted the snow
You told me secrets nobody had known
But I never loved you more, even though
Now I know what you did

Oh, my dear, ill wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Oh, my dear, ill wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the guilt begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight

Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the guilt begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight
I'll keep you in my arms tonight