When we are called to sing your praise (KINGSFOLD)

1. When we are called to sing your praise with hearts so filled with pain
That we would rather sit and weep or stand up to complain,
Remind us, God, you understand the burdens that we bear;
You, too, have walked the shadowed way and known our deep despair.

2. When we are called to sing your praise and cannot find our voice,
Because our losses leaves us now no reason to rejoice.
Remind us, God, that you accept our sad laments in prayer;
You, too, have walked the shadowed way and known our deep despair.

3. When we are called to sing your praise and life ahead looks grim,
Still give us faith and hope enough to break forth in a hymn,
A thankful hymn, great God of Love, that you are everywhere;
You walk the shadowed way with us and keep us in your care.

Text: Mary Nelson Keithahn (b. 1934)
Tune: KINGSFOLD, CMD

When we all get to heaven

Refrain:

When we all get to heaven,
what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
we'll sing and shout the victory!

1. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus;
sing his mercy and his grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed
he'll prepare for us a place. (Refrain)

2. While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
clouds will overspread the sky;
but when traveling days are over,
not a shadow, not a sigh. (Refrain)

3. Let us then be true and faithful,
trusting, serving every day;
just one glimpse of him in glory
will the toils of life repay. (Refrain)

4. Onward to the prize before us!
Soon his beauty we'll behold;
soon the pearly gates will open;
we shall tread the streets of gold. (Refrain)

Text: Eliza E. Hewitt
Tune: HEAVEN, 87.87 with Refrain. By Emily D. Wilson

Children of the Heavenly Father

1. Children of the heavenly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

2. God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

3. Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

4. Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

5. Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

6. Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Text: Caroline V. Sandell-Berg (1832-1903), tr. Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958)
Tune: TRYGGARE KAN INGEN VARA, LM (Swedish melody)

His eye is on the sparrow

1. Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shaddows come?
Why should my heart be lonely
and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant friend is he:
His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know he watches me.

Refrain:

I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
for his eye is on the sparrow,
and I know he watches me.

2. "Let not your heart be troubled,"
his tender word I hear,
and resting on his goodness,
I lose my doubts and fears;
though by the path he leadeth
but one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know he watches me. (Refrain)

3. Whenever I am tempted,
whenever clouds arise,
when song gives place to sighing,
when hope within me dies;
I draw the closer to him,
from care he sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know he watches me. (Refrain)

Historical Background 

Text: Civilia D. Martin (1866-1948)
Tune: Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932)

Here at the Table of Love (Dana Mangel)

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) series.  

I have decided to follow Jesus

1. I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.

2. The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me,
No turning back, no turning back.

3. Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
No turning back, no turning back.

4. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

 Background information

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) series.  

God of Silence (Bukas Palad)

The God of silence beckons me
To journey to my heart
Where He awaits
O Lord, I hear You calling tenderly
To You I come to gaze
At the beauty of Your face I cannot see

To rest in Your embrace I cannot feel
To dwell in Your love hurting but sweet
To be with You; to glimpse eternity

God of night, fount of all my delight.
Show Your light . . . that my heart, like Yours, burn bright.

Be still the torment of the night
Will not encumber you, if you believe
My child this darkness isn't emptiness
For here I mold your heart
Unto My image painfully you long to see

The self you yearn to be, but fear to know
The world from which you flee in Me find home
All these I give you, if you remain in Me

COUNTERPOINT:
I am ever here
My child, you need not fear
The dark will set you free
And bring your heart to Me

CODA:
The God of silence beckons me
To journey to my heart
Where He awaits me.

Setting: Bukas Palad (Philippines)

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One Thing I Ask (Hangad)

One thing I ask:
To dwell in the house of the Lord all my days,
To gaze on His goodness
And walk in His ways.

He will shelter me;
He will be my strength.
In the triumph that He brings me
I can hold my head high.

In His house I shall lift up my voice.
I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

Setting: Hangad (Philippines)

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All That I Am / Magnificat (David Haas)

Refrain:

All that I am sings of the God who brings new life to birth in me.
My spirit soars on the wings of my Lord.

1. My soul gives glory to the Lord, rejoicing in my saving God,
who looks upon me in my state, and all the world will call me blest;
For God works marvels in my sight, and holy, holy is God's name.

2. God's mercy is from age to age, on those who follow in fear;
Whose arm is power and strength, and scatters all the proud of heart;
Who casts the mighty from their thrones and raises up the lowly ones!

3. God fills the starving with good things, the rich are left with empty hands;
Protecting all the faithful ones, remembering Israel with mercy,
the promise known to those before and to their children for ever!

Composer: David Haas

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Yahweh, the Faithful one (Dan Schutte)

Refrain:
Yahweh's love will last forever,
His faithfulness till the end of time.
Yahweh is a loving God, Yahweh, the faithful one.

1. Have no fear for I am with you, I will be your shield.
Go now and leave your homeland.
For I will give your home (Refrain)

2. You shall be my chosen people and I will be your God.
I will bless your name forever and keep you from all harm. (Refrain)

3. Look up and see the heavens and count the stars if you can.
Your name will be even grearter, greater than all these stars. (Refrain)

Composer: Dan Schutte

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Sanctuary

Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true.
And with thanksgiving, I'll be a living,
Sanctuary for you.

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) series. 

Come just as you are

Come just as you are
hear the spirit call
come just as you are
come and see
come receive
come and live forever

Life everlasting
strength for today
taste the living water
and never thirst again

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) series. 

Deep calls to deep

I call upon You, Lord
My spirit longs to touch You
And I feel You calling me
So I draw near
I’m reaching out my hands
I need the kiss of Your Presence
And I feel You reach for me
So I draw near

I offer You my love, as You love me so freely
And I’m laying down my life as I draw near
You have brought me to this place by Your grace and your mercy
And I want to see Your face as I draw near

Deep calls to deep as Your glory surrounds me
Break through to my heart, O River of God
Deep calls to deep as I fall into worship
Flood my whole being with Yourself
Deep River of God

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) series. 

Wonderful Words of Life

1. Sing them over again to me,
wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see,
wonderful words of life;
words of life and beauty
teach me faith and duty.

Refrain:

Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.

2. Christ, the blessed one, gives to all
wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the loving call,
wonderful words of life;
all so freely given,
wooing us to heaven.

3. Sweetly echo the gospel call,
wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all,
wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
sanctify forever.

Composer: Philip P. Blss (1838-1876)

They'll know we are Christians

1. We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored

Refrain:

And they'll know we are Christians
By our love, By our love
Yes, they'll know we are Christians
By our love

2. We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news
That God is in our land

3. We will work with each other
We will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity
And save each man's pride

3. All praise to the Father
From whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus His only son
And all praise to the Spirit
Who makes us one

Composer: Peter Scholtes (1966)

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One Dark Night (John Michael Talbot)

One dark night
Fired with love's urgent longings
Ah, the sheer grace
In the darkness
I went out unseen
My house being all now still

In the darkness
Secured by love's secret ladder
Disguised
Oh, the sheer grace
In the darkness
And in my concealment
My house being all now still

On that glad night
In the secret, for no one saw me
Nor did I see any other thing at all
With no other light to guide me
Than the light burning in my heart

And this light guided me
More surely than the light of the noon
To where he lay waiting for me
Waiting for me
Him I knew so well
In a place where no one else appeared

Oh guiding night
A light more lovely than the dawn
A night that has united
Ever now
The Lover now with his beloved
Transforming two now into one

Upon my flowering breast
There he lay sleeping
Which I kept for him alone
And I embraced him
And I caressed him
In a breeze blowing from the forest

And when this breeze blew in from the forest
Blowing back our hair
He wounded my soul
With his gentle hand
Suspending all my senses

I abandoned, forgetting myself
Laying my face on my Beloved
All things ceasing, I went out from myself
To leave cares
Forgotten with the lilies of the field

Composer: John Michael Talbot (b. 1954)

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May I Never Boast (John Michael Talbot)

May I never boast of anything
Save the cross of the Lord
The cross of Jesus Christ
Through it the world has been crucified to me
And I to the life of the world
Through the cross of Jesus Christ

Refrain:

All that matters now is one created anew
Peace and mercy on all
Who follow this rule of life
The Israel of God

Henceforth let no man trouble me
For I bear the marks of the Lord
The marks of Jesus Christ

(Refrain)

May I never boat of anything
Save the cross of the Lord

Composer: John Michael Talbot (b. 1954)

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St. Theresa's Prayer (John Michael Talbot)

Christ has no body now but yours
no hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
with compassion on this world
yours are the feet with which He walks to do good
Yours are the hands,
with which He blesses all the world

Yours are the hands,
yours are the feet
yours are the eyes
You are His body

Christ has no body now but yours
no hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
with compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth
but yours

Composer: John Michael Talbot (b. 1954)

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O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o'er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
'Tis an ocean full of blessing, 'tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Background information

Text: Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925)
Tune: EBENEZER (Llaw lyfr Mo­li­ant, 1890)

Hidup Cerah [Radiant Life]

See my other blog postings in the Contemporary Catholic series.