A Great [Easter] Song

This song was part of the Easter service this morning at church. What a fantastic Easter song!

The music's great. The lyrics are phenomenal. The video's footage, effects, and text are all delightful. I really hope you'll take a few minutes to watch it.

The service was one of my favorites that I've been here for. They had so many people involved in so many different ways. This church is wonderful about giving people opportunities to use their many gifts, and there are so many very talented people here. They even had a lot of children involved in today's service, which of course is always something I love to see. I'm really going to miss this church!

After church we had a big lunch, a big nap, and one of the other pastors and his family over to swim for a while. Delo made Easter baskets for us and even hid some eggs for us to find -- it was super-sweet! It was a very, very relaxing Easter.

So, dear friends, I'd love to hear about your Easters as well. I hope it was an all-around fantastic day!

~"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." [John 3:16]~

The Aftermath

The skies lay low where You are

On the earth You rest Your feet

Yet the hands that cradle the stars

Are the hands that bled for me

[Chorus]

In a moment of glorious surrender

You were broken for all the world to see

Lifted out of the ashes

I am found in the aftermath

Freedom found in Your scars

In Your grace my life redeemed

For You chose to take the sinner's crown

As You placed Your crown on me

[Chorus]

[Chorus 2]

And in that moment You opened up the heavens

To the broken, the beggar, and the thief

Lifted out of the wreckage

I found hope in the aftermath

And I know that You're with me

Yes, I know that You're with me here

And I know Your love will light the way [x3]

Now all I have I count it all as loss

But to know You, to carry the cross

Knowing I'm found

In the light of the aftermath

["Aftermath" by Hillsong United]

I posted this video a while back after going to this group's concert, and I wanted to post the lyrics tonight for 2 reasons:

1) We sang this in church tonight.

2) This is a song that hits me over and over again.

Its beauty and truth get me every time I hear it.

I am living in the aftermath of my Savior's glorious, selfless, loving surrender. What tragedy that it's all of my failures and mistakes that drove him there, but what wonderful, amazing beauty is held in his willingness to take my place. Such a love I cannot fathom, nor can I fully appreciate it...but as much as my human heart can be thankful for it, let me be thankful.

We are loved by one amazing God.

"The Aftermath"

The lyrics are even more beautiful than the music...

"The Aftermath" by Hillsong United

The skies lay low where You are
On the earth You rest Your feet
Yet the hands that cradle the stars
Are the hands that bled for me

[Chorus 1:]
In a moment of glorious surrender
You were broken for all the world to see
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath

Freedom found in Your scars
In Your grace my life redeemed
For You chose to take the sinner's crown
As You placed Your crown on me

[Chorus 2:]
In that moment of glorious surrender
Was the moment You broke the chains in me
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath
And in that moment You opened up the heavens
To the broken the beggar and the thief
Lifted out of the wreckage
I find hope in the aftermath

And I know that You're with me
Yes I know that You're with me here
And I know Your love will light the way

[Chorus 3:]
Now all I have I count it all as loss
But to know You and to carry the cross
Knowing I'm found
In the light of the aftermath

"Wanna stay in your warm embrace..."

Thank God for songs stumbled upon just when you need them.

LoveLyrics

I love the lyrics to this song. They capture so much: optimism, a shared peace, determination to fix the problems and learn from them, enjoying time together...and that love is more than sappy songs make it out to be.

Love is the downs just as much as the ups. Love can be so, so difficult. Love is challenging

...whether it's a romantic kind, a friendship kind, or a family kind.


And love is necessary.

~"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." [-1 Cor. 13:13]~

"Grace Like Rain"

I had the opportunity to sit in on a Bible study with the Salem staff yesterday, and they were discussing the concept of truly knowing grace before sharing grace.

And this song crept into my head. We sang it my very first weekend as a college student at CUC's New Student Camp (a trip to a camp about an hour or so away from campus), and I sang it many, many more times before leaving CUC. I haven't gotten too many opportunities to sing it since then so it always makes me nostalgic -- especially for those few nights around the campfire in the last of the summer heat singing along to the guitars with a bunch of other new students. We were all just as anxious and excited as we faced a seemingly endless journey through college.

It was beautiful.

Leaving Day

This song's been stuck in my head since it popped onto Pandora last week...and it feels like it fits right now.

Thank goodness for music that is sympathetic and speaks the words we can't find for ourselves sometimes.

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" - Green Day

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

In the words of a very wise 4-year-old, "Go defeat something else."

[Onward -- to more "times of my life."]