Someone recently posted a question in a group that I belong to: "What religous songs inspire you the most?" Here was my response:
I like contemporary Christian and a little bit of country gospel plus a few hymns. I could probably name 50 songs since I'm so inspired by music. Here's my playlist of 10 off the top of my head:
Forgiven and Loved - I love this song because if represents the pure finished work and grace of God in comparison to our humanity and vulnerability. My favorite lines from that song? "When He died, He died to rectify my hopeless situation. And His blood commands my guilt to flee. Now on Calvary I stand, empty pockets open hands - and there is NO CONDMEMNATION for me"
Something Beautiful - I have fond memories of singing this song in church in the 80's. We were going to a small branch ministry. We had an outreach to the handicapped called "The Abled Ministry" and I remember sitting with some of these beautiful wheelchair-bound brothers and sisters in Christ, raising hands and praising God while we sang "All my confusion He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife. But He made Something Beautiful out of my life"
It is Well With My Soul - I've loved this hymn since I was a child in the old Primitive Methodist church where I grew up. I've had the peaceful river and the raging storms since that time and can still sing "It is well. With my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul".
Lead Me to the Rock (That's higher than I) - I've battled self-consciousness most of my adult life, second guessing what I say and do and wondering if someone thought less of me. God has helped me overcome it. He has shown me that He can lead me to the rock that is higher than I, so that I don't have to worry about that self-consciousness. That is why I love to sing "When my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock. Lead to the rock that's higher than I".
Stay Strong - The kids all love The Newsboys but so do I. We all are susceptible to the dangers of burnout now and then but we don't need to succumb. We can look the The Lord as our very life and know that He is with us in the race. I have to cite a few verses here. This is so inspiring to me:
We've seen the tragic flaws
The tortured souls
The saints with feet of clay
Here's where sin becomes cliche'
We've come through wilderness and watched
The cloud by day
The burning sky into dawn
Have you forgotten who you are?
Did you forget whose trip you're on?
Stay strong You are not lost
Come on and fix your eyes ahead
There's a new dawn to light our day, our day
We've gotta stay strong
You and I run For the prize that lies ahead
We've come too far to lose our way, our way
On My Knees - I used to be 5 feet 2 and a half inches. Not very tall but now because of osteoporosis, I am shrinking even more. But sometimes I feel like an edifice rising higher and higher and I am so very tall. When? When I'm on my knees. This song inspires me to remember the power of prayer.
There are days when I feel
The best of me is ready to begin
Then there are days when I feel
I'm letting go and soaring on the wind
'Cause I've learned in laughter orIn pain
How to survive
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
There I am before the love
That changes me
See I don't know how
But there's power
When I'm on my knees
At Calvary - This is another song I remember from childhood. It spoke to me then and it speaks to me now. I love dwelling on God's mercy and pardon. I remember belting this out as a child in the chapel at Bible camp:
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.
Mighty to Save - Everyone needs compassion! This song is like a two-fold blessing to me. It reminds me of the love that I long for and experience as a child of God but it also reminds me that there are others who need to hear that they too can experience the love and compassion that I have found:
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Awesome God - The lyrics, the beat, the music itself are inspiring and energyzing to me. Rich Mullins lived a short life on earth but his gift goes on:
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Why - This song by Michael Card is pure poetry to me. To do it justice, I have to paste all the lyrics below.
Why did it have to be a friend
Who chose to betray the Lord?
And why did he use a kiss to show them?
That's not what a kiss is for.
Only a friend can betray a friend.
A stranger has nothing to gain.
And only a friend comes close enough
To ever cause so much pain.
And why did there have to be a thorny crown
Pressed upon his head?
It should have been a royal one,
Made of jewels and gold instead.
It had to be a crown of thorns
Because in this life that we live,
For all who would seek to love
A thorn is all the world has to give.
And why did it have to be a heavy cross
He was made to bear?
And why did they nail his feet and hands?
His love would have held him there.
It was a cross, for on a cross
A thief was suppose to pay.
And Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away.
Yes, Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away.
Credits:
Forgiven and Loved - Written and sung by Jimmy Needham
Something Beautiful by Bill and Gloria Gaither
It is Well with My Soul - by Horatio G. Spafford. There is quite a story behind this beloved hymn: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.ht
Lead Me to the Rock - Lyrics are from Psalm 61. Not sure who wrote the melody. We sing it in church and it’s been recorded by several people.
Stay Strong - by Jeff Frankenstein, Peter Andrew Furler, Steve Taylor and sung by The Newboys
On My Knees by David Mullen, Nicole Coleman Mullen and Michael Ochs (sung by Jackie Valesquez)
At Calvary - William R. Newell
Mighty to Save - Reuben Morgan (sung by Hillsong Australia)
Awesome God - written and sung by Rich Mullins
Why - Written and sung by Michael Card
I like contemporary Christian and a little bit of country gospel plus a few hymns. I could probably name 50 songs since I'm so inspired by music. Here's my playlist of 10 off the top of my head:
Forgiven and Loved - I love this song because if represents the pure finished work and grace of God in comparison to our humanity and vulnerability. My favorite lines from that song? "When He died, He died to rectify my hopeless situation. And His blood commands my guilt to flee. Now on Calvary I stand, empty pockets open hands - and there is NO CONDMEMNATION for me"
Something Beautiful - I have fond memories of singing this song in church in the 80's. We were going to a small branch ministry. We had an outreach to the handicapped called "The Abled Ministry" and I remember sitting with some of these beautiful wheelchair-bound brothers and sisters in Christ, raising hands and praising God while we sang "All my confusion He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife. But He made Something Beautiful out of my life"
It is Well With My Soul - I've loved this hymn since I was a child in the old Primitive Methodist church where I grew up. I've had the peaceful river and the raging storms since that time and can still sing "It is well. With my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul".
Lead Me to the Rock (That's higher than I) - I've battled self-consciousness most of my adult life, second guessing what I say and do and wondering if someone thought less of me. God has helped me overcome it. He has shown me that He can lead me to the rock that is higher than I, so that I don't have to worry about that self-consciousness. That is why I love to sing "When my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock. Lead to the rock that's higher than I".
Stay Strong - The kids all love The Newsboys but so do I. We all are susceptible to the dangers of burnout now and then but we don't need to succumb. We can look the The Lord as our very life and know that He is with us in the race. I have to cite a few verses here. This is so inspiring to me:
We've seen the tragic flaws
The tortured souls
The saints with feet of clay
Here's where sin becomes cliche'
We've come through wilderness and watched
The cloud by day
The burning sky into dawn
Have you forgotten who you are?
Did you forget whose trip you're on?
Stay strong You are not lost
Come on and fix your eyes ahead
There's a new dawn to light our day, our day
We've gotta stay strong
You and I run For the prize that lies ahead
We've come too far to lose our way, our way
On My Knees - I used to be 5 feet 2 and a half inches. Not very tall but now because of osteoporosis, I am shrinking even more. But sometimes I feel like an edifice rising higher and higher and I am so very tall. When? When I'm on my knees. This song inspires me to remember the power of prayer.
There are days when I feel
The best of me is ready to begin
Then there are days when I feel
I'm letting go and soaring on the wind
'Cause I've learned in laughter orIn pain
How to survive
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
There I am before the love
That changes me
See I don't know how
But there's power
When I'm on my knees
At Calvary - This is another song I remember from childhood. It spoke to me then and it speaks to me now. I love dwelling on God's mercy and pardon. I remember belting this out as a child in the chapel at Bible camp:
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.
Mighty to Save - Everyone needs compassion! This song is like a two-fold blessing to me. It reminds me of the love that I long for and experience as a child of God but it also reminds me that there are others who need to hear that they too can experience the love and compassion that I have found:
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Awesome God - The lyrics, the beat, the music itself are inspiring and energyzing to me. Rich Mullins lived a short life on earth but his gift goes on:
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Why - This song by Michael Card is pure poetry to me. To do it justice, I have to paste all the lyrics below.
Why did it have to be a friend
Who chose to betray the Lord?
And why did he use a kiss to show them?
That's not what a kiss is for.
Only a friend can betray a friend.
A stranger has nothing to gain.
And only a friend comes close enough
To ever cause so much pain.
And why did there have to be a thorny crown
Pressed upon his head?
It should have been a royal one,
Made of jewels and gold instead.
It had to be a crown of thorns
Because in this life that we live,
For all who would seek to love
A thorn is all the world has to give.
And why did it have to be a heavy cross
He was made to bear?
And why did they nail his feet and hands?
His love would have held him there.
It was a cross, for on a cross
A thief was suppose to pay.
And Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away.
Yes, Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away.
Credits:
Forgiven and Loved - Written and sung by Jimmy Needham
Something Beautiful by Bill and Gloria Gaither
It is Well with My Soul - by Horatio G. Spafford. There is quite a story behind this beloved hymn: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.ht
Lead Me to the Rock - Lyrics are from Psalm 61. Not sure who wrote the melody. We sing it in church and it’s been recorded by several people.
Stay Strong - by Jeff Frankenstein, Peter Andrew Furler, Steve Taylor and sung by The Newboys
On My Knees by David Mullen, Nicole Coleman Mullen and Michael Ochs (sung by Jackie Valesquez)
At Calvary - William R. Newell
Mighty to Save - Reuben Morgan (sung by Hillsong Australia)
Awesome God - written and sung by Rich Mullins
Why - Written and sung by Michael Card