A New Song I'm Working On

Here are the lyrics to a new song I'm working on.

So many girls want to put their hope in men

To save them, to love them, as only God can

They worship an ideal of a prince they've created

Only God can fill the void and yet they're still saying

Where are you Darcy I've been waiting so long

And every night I pour out my heart to you in song

I'm a damsel in distress - or single - same thing

So hurry up and show your face and start the rescuing

They sit on their balcony dreaming all day

watching in the distance for a sparkling ray

falling on a rider on a white horse

And the the knight in shining armour doesn't show they say

Where are you Romeo I've been waiting so long

And every night I pour out my heart to you in song

I'm a damsel in distress - or single - same thing

So hurry up and show your face and end my suffering.

But they're worshipping an ido they've put in God's place

Man cannot save you, God only saves!

For some trust in chariots, horses, idealized men

But we must trust in the Lord our God and say

Here I am Lord, surrendering every care

And every night I pour out my heart to you in prayer

I am your child - how can I serve you

I am busy about your work - what else can I do?

Covenanter Song

I was cleaning out my desk and I came across this song I wrote in 2008.  I actually remembered the tune I wrote for it, and it was really lame.   It was basically the same thing over and over again for every line.  But I think the words, or the meaning, are not bad, and so I thought I'd post them.

Covenanter Song
'Twas a bright sunny morning as I walked through the glen
I was going to chapel and I'd go there again
There I met my lover: He'd loved
Me long before I ever loved Him
He'd wooed me, protected me an' died for me too
He gave His life to save mine and I never knew!
He rose from the dead; lives forever to save
I fell on my knees, wept, to Him my heart I gave
Every Sabbath I went to chapel to hear
Of the works that my Saviour had done o'er the years
But then England came an' tried to force us apart
I could not give up the love in my heart
Some of my friends were killed, they never gave in
I determined to be strong, like them, for Him
The took me me, bound me, ordered me break the 'trothal I had
They told me they'd kill me I was making them mad
I could not I would not break the betrothal
My lover gave His life for me I'd give my life for HIm!
After much pleading, persuasion in vain
They chose to take upon themselves the mark of Cain
They once again took me and bound me anew
Within a few moments my soul away flew
What they would have known, if they had paused
Is the blood of the martyrs is seed for His cause
Do not mourn my death but rejoice in my life
For those cowardly soldiers have ended my strife
Those who sought to destroy our understanding
Have rather instead hastened our wedding
'Twas a glorious death, I'm glad it was so
rather than dying peacefully tho'
He gave his life for love of me, I died for love of Him
And now may I in glory rise
And look into my lover's eyes
And remember with joy, unfaded then
Of meeting my lover in the church on the glen.

I hadn't realized I was such a romantic.  A great deal too much for my taste now, anyway.:)  And yet I think that there are some good concepts hidden within this.

Liberty Song

Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call,
No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim,
Or stain with dishonour America's name.

(Chorus)
In freedom we're born and in freedom we'll live,
Not as slaves but as freemen our money we'll give.

Our worthy forefathers - let's give them a cheer -
To climates unknown did courageously steer;
Thro' oceans to deserts for freedom they came,
And dying bequeathed us their freedom and fame.

(Chorus)

Their generous bosoms all dangers despised,
So highly so wisely their birthrights they prized,
We'll keep what they gave - we will piously keep,
Nor frustrate their toils on land or the deep.

(Chorus)

The tree their own hands had to liberty reared,
They lived to behold growing strong and revered,
With excitement they cried, "Now our wishes we gain,
For our children shall gather the fruits of our pain."

(Chorus)

Swarms of Placemen and Pensioners soon will appear,
Like locusts deforming the crops of the year,
Suns vainly will rise, showers vainly defend,
If we are to labor for what others will spend.

(Chorus)

Then join hand in hand brave Americans all,
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;
In so righteous a call, let us hope to suceed,
For heaven approves of each generous deed.

(Chorus)

All ages shall speak with amaze and applause,
Of the courage we'll show in support of our laws.
To die we can bear - but to slave we disdain -
For shame is to freemen more dreadful than pain.

(Chorus)

This poem I crown for our sovereign's health
And this to Britannia's glory and wealth;
That wealth and that glory immortal may be,
If she is but just and if we are but free!

...John Dickinson

I love this poem; my brother and I wrote music for it.  There are a lot of good concepts and principles within these lines - concepts that more of us need to grasp and take to heart.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Christ the Lord is risen today,

Sons of men and angels say;
Raise your joys and triumphs high,

Sings ye heavens and earth reply,

Sing ye heavens and earth reply.

Love's redeeming work is done,

fought the fight, the battle won.

Death in vain forbids him rise,

Christ has opened paradise,

Christ has opened paradise!

He lives!  He lives! Our Glorious King,

Where, O Death, is now thy Sting?

Dying once he all doth save,

Where thy victory, O grave? 

Where thy victory, O grave?

Soar we now where Christ has led,

following our exalted head.

Made like Him, like Him we rise,

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies,

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies!

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven!

Praise to thee by both be given;

Thee we greet triumphant now;

Hail, the Resurrection Thou,

Hail, the Resurrection Thou!



Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say "Alleluia!"

In vain the stone, the watch, the seal,

Christ has burst the gates of hell,

Christ has burst the gates of hell!



Jesus Christ is risen today,

Our triumphant holy day,

Who did once upon the cross,

Suffer to redeem our loss.

Hymns of praise then let us sing,

Unto Christ our heavenly King,

Who endured the cross and grave,

Sinners to redeem and save.

But the pains which he endured,

Our salvation hath procured.

Now above the skies he's King,

Where the angels ever sing.

Sing we to our God above,

Praise eternal as his love.

Praise him, all ye heavenly host,

Father, Son and holy Ghost.

A Song in the Making...

Oftentimes when a certain concept has been really striking me or lying heavy on my mind for a while, I come to a point where I need to overflow and it's often onto paper.  I enjoy writing so this is a familiar way for me to free my mind.  If I'm in the middle of a story and I can work it in, I'll do so, perhaps causing some indignant words to flow from the mouths of my characters that seem incongruent with the story.  If, like now, I am trying to take a break from writing books to catch up on the myriad of other things that make up my life, these thoughts remain pent up in my mind a little longer...which almost always causes them to end up on paper with a rhyme, a rythym, and a bit of tune...
Could be called the lyrics to a song...

After a bit of perfecting I take my laptop to the piano and try and put my tune on the keys, which usually results in my recording to my laptop a new little bit of piano playing.
Which said recording has definite tune to it, but would be rather lame as an actual song if it were just piano and singing.
I personally am partial to the sound of electric guitar (especially bass) and drum sets.  Sadly (to me anyway)we don't own those instruments despite the fact that we have a whole collection of instruments including some (very) unusual ones. 
With a bit of drum added to the piano, perhaps a violin, and an acoustic or electric guitar, these songs wouldn't be all that bad.  But for now I am leaving them at the piano stage.

I thought I would post some of the lyrics to one of my more recent songs, called:

The world around us


feeds us worldviews

different than God’s word

And oftentimes we suck it in



They say “Someday your Prince will come”

But that’s not always true

They say no harm will be done

Make last first kiss sound so sweet



They call good bad and evil good

They make good look dark and scary

They put the bad in a field of flowers

With a sunset, water and sparkly lights



But it’s all

Fairytales




It doesn’t look as popular

nor as beautiful to you

Because you’ve been deceived

And accepted their worldview



They make the story however they want

Stealing gets applause and truthfulness a grunt

Rebellion is applauded while obedience decried,

In real life it doesn’t work that way it’s an outright lie


...
But they make the lies seem beautiful

and wickedness so cool

That we easily get drawn away

and allow the lies to rule
...

And their lies lead to destruction

their path leads down to death

so guard your heart, mind, soul, and eyes

with every waking breath



Cause it’s all fairytales
...


They capture your heart

and excite your poor mind

They capture your fancy and

make wiser eyes blind

They draw you away and

They poison your mind

They make you start looking

For things you can’t find

When you should seek God and

to live by His law for their

attractive lies are fairytales

and aren’t true at all


...
God’s word alone contains the truth

though the path is narrow and the way is hard

that path alone will lead to life

so follow it with all you are

Cause the world cannot give you truth

the best that they can give you is a dressed up lie

And it’s all Fairytales



This isn't the entire song but these are the best lines and will give you the general idea.  What do you think?

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Three Charlie Zahm Songs...

I really like balladier Charlie Zahm and the songs he sings.  Here are three favorites:

Reformation Heritage Choir Christmas Concert

Our family Christmas Concert got postponed and that's why we sang Christmas songs in February.  It went really well!

The children all recieved certificates.

Half-circle set up for O Come O Come Emmanuel.

I made a cake for afterwards.  It had all the children's names on it, and each child wanted the piece with their name on it.  Because of this, some of the children recieved larger pieces than others. :)

Everyone did a great job!

Traveling across the country

The Tiphereth Trilogy has not yet arrived at the printer, but is taking a stop at a post office in Iowa, the home state of my previous book, The Teacher.  The excitement builds...I check the track and confirm website at least twice a day.  And then I post sentimental things like this on my blog.

Here are some pictures I took the other day.  I thought the trees looked really pretty.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me

 to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom to the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion--

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Isaiah 61:1-3

This chapter is so beautiful, I love to read it.  It is the kind of Scripture passage I would like to paint a picture of, or write a story following the imagery.  I don't know quite how to explain it, but this chapter makes me want to go and demonstrate the beauty of it in some way.

I will keep posting on the printing process of The Tiphereth Trilogy!

Reformation Heritage Choir Pictures

Our first concert, last spring.  More to follow of our winter concert!