A Song For The Previous Post

sift through the ashes left behind.

Beauty Will Rise
by Steven Curtis Chapman

It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down

Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes
That are left behind

But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams we have this hope

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning, beauty will rise

So take another breath for now
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can't believe, I will believe for you

Cause I have seen the signs of spring
Just watch and see

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning

I can hear it in the distance
And it's not too far away
It's the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face to wipe the tears away
You say it's time to make everything new
Make it all new

This is our hope
This is a promise
This is our hope
This is a promise

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that's been made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that He's made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

Out of these ashes
Beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of this darkness
New light will shine
And we'll know the joy that's coming in the morning
In the morning
Beauty will rise

Oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise

There Is A Call - Robbie Seay

Mobile post sent by gregwork using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Exclusive - Robbie Seay sings a song he hasn't released at Zoe's concert last year. Enjoy.

Dare You To Move

Got a few questions about "Dare You To Move." It's a phrase from a song by Switchfoot. The song is a call to live in get up off the floor, take off your grave clothes, and live. Walk in grace. Move.

It's been an anthem of mine through a life filled with some really bad, life altering decisions. The Bible says, "If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed." If you believe that, then you must live it. Live like today never happened. Forgiveness is right where you fell.

Dare You To Move
by Switchfoot

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next?


I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened

light of the world

Light of the World
by Jennifer Knapp

hold me, light of the world
love me
say you love me
and i will be free

sing me a lullaby soft as you can, i'm alright
i'm alright
sing me the melody strong as you can
i'm alright
i'm alright

hold me, light of the world
love me
say you love me
and i will be free

hold me, light of the world
love me
say you love me
and i will be free
i will be free

Day 210

Zoe is lying on the bed looking at her hands. We had a long night, but the days look like this. Zoe awake, pretty at ease.

I haven't seen her much the past days, outside of hearing her snore as I'm leaving in the morning.

Tonight a bunch of friends are doing another remarkable thing for Zoe - an incredible auction at an amazing house. I'm humbled and amazed. I know my friend Mipps wrote in his evite that Zoe would be at the event. It scared me a little because we just haven't talked like that. After 30 weeks of life, can we now? Could I tell you she'll have her first Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Thanks to you all for your wonderful supportive comments. Ironman wrote to tell me to hold out my hand while sinking and call out for the Master's help. With friends like all of you who have reached out hands of kindness, care and even prayer and financial support, I see so many hand extended, all in love.

After The Last Tear Falls
by Andrew Peterson

After the last tear falls
After the last secret's told
After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone
After the last child starves
And the last girl walks the boulevard
After the last year that's just too hard

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

After the last disgrace
After the last lie to save some face
After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue
After the last dirty politician
After the last meal down at the mission
After the last lonely night in prison

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last plan fails
After the last siren wails
After the last young husband sails off to join the war
After the last "this marriage is over"
After the last young girl's innocence is stolen
After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last tear falls
There is love

these carbon shells

i got an email from the ironman. his knee is hurting him so he's going to sit the next race out. it won't deter his quest, but it's time to pray for him and his mission and his call. and his knee and his wife and six kids in their little house.

pray for zoe. we met with her cardiologist today and her blood oxygenization is now between 70-80%. she goes in for an ultrasound next week so they can get a better view of her heart, and then big decisions need to be made about what to do next.

i don't know about you, but i hate begging. i hate it. i hate feeling abject, i hate needing you all and needing help. recently i thought God had blessed me in a special way that would have made me feel a little less dependent, but that's been taken away. back to being a poor and begging man. i think in another stage of my life, i'd be angry. but i'm too tired to be angry. i turn myself back to the scars that mark His skin. and lose myself.

the economy of mercy
by switchfoot

There's just two ways to lose yourself in this life
And neither way is safe
In my dreams I see visions of the future
But today we have today
And where will I find You?

In the economy of mercy
I am a poor and begging man
In the currency of Grace
Is where my song begins
In the colors of Your goodness
In the scars that mark your skin
In the currency of Grace
Is where my song begins

These carbon shells
These fragile dusty frames
House canvases of souls
We are bruised and broken masterpieces
But we did not paint ourselves
And where will I find You?

Where was I when the world was made?
Where was I?

I'm lost without You here
Yes, I'm lost without You near me
I'm lost without You here
You knew my name when the world was made

You're Special And God Loves You Very Much

Weird coincidences - this weekend, Aidan and I spent many minutes giggling and repeating the above phrase to each other. And then, I just read this moving link in Phil Vischer's - the creator of VeggieTales - blog. Phil was linking to someone else's blog, someone who spoke from his heart about being special. Read it.

It resonated words from a Nichole Nordeman song I heard this morning, from her album, "Brave."

...from "hold on"

to hang between two thieves in the darkness
love must believe you are worth it
you're worth it

JOOOY: Mystery Solved

Heidi just sent in this simple email: "

From: "One Silent Night" - JOY by Cindy Morgan, Published by Word, Copyright 2000

"
If you'd like to listen to it...to see how close Heidi was...I'm enclosing a pirated copy of "JOOOOYY."

I'm also going to include, at no additional cost to you, a link to the CD from Amazon.com.