#MusicMonday

I say, "I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine"

But I'm not, I'm broken

And when it's out of control I say it's under control

But it's not and You know it

I don't know why it's so hard to admit it

When bein' honest is the only way to fix it

There's no failure, no fall

There's no sin You don't already know

So let the truth be told

There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it

'Cause if we lived like that was true, every Sunday mornin' pew would be crowded

But didn't You say church should look more like a hospital?

A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred, and the prodigals, like me

 

The first step to solving any problem is identifying it. When we stubbornly refuse to admit that one exists, we do ourselves a disservice, choosing to suffer under it rather than fix it and be free of it. We might fool those around us and ourselves for a while, but God already knows all our slip-ups, mistakes, failures, inadequacies and sins. We can't surprise Him by being worse than He expects. So why won't we be honest with Him? What do we have to lose? In truth: nothing. Let's admit it. Let's fix it. Rather, let's let Him fix it. Lay it at the cross and be free of it. Let the truth be told.

Truth Be Told by Matthew West

#MusicMonday

I'm looking at a masterpiece

I'm staring at a work of art

I'm listening to a symphony

In every beat of your tiny heart

You used to be a choice to make

But now I think you've chosen me

'Cause I see ten fingers, ten toes

Two eyes and I know this is meant to be

This song was actually the one that first introduced me to Matthew West's music, which I subsequently discovered I enjoyed more of and have shared here before. I remember some of the early midwife appointments for my younger siblings: the sound of water sloshing around as we all waited on the edges of our seats until finally the doppler found its destination and the steady thump-thump, thump-thump of our newest little sibling's healthy heartbeat could be heard and we all let out our breath and broke out into smiles. Sometimes we were allowed to hold the midwife's correctly-sized, correctly-weighted fetal models and see how big, how heavy, or how formed the youngest member of the family was. Ten tiny fingers. Ten tiny toes. Incredibly small and yet so perfectly formed. A masterpiece. A miracle that didn't happen by chance. Truly, there's no such thing as unplanned!

Unplanned by Matthew West

#MusicMonday

How can You see me at my worst and still say I am loved?

What promise can I stand on when I don't feel good enough?

When the enemy's reminding me of all that I've done wrong

What freedom do I have to sing this new creation song?

Wave upon wave, of grace upon grace

Endlessly washing my sins away

I know the only reason I can stand here free of all my shame

Is wave upon wave, of grace upon grace upon grace

Have you been a believer for years but recently found yourself focused on and weighed down by memories of past sins you've already been forgiven? Are you regularly studying your Bible and trying to live as God calls you to, but feeling like you aren't good enough to be a Christian? Look to God and remember His grace. Thank Him for it. That's why we're free. That's why we don't need to be ashamed. I know I'm grateful for wave upon wave of grace upon grace.

Grace Upon Grace by Matthew West

#MusicMonday

Oh, but somehow You don't see me like I do

Somehow You're still here

You're the God who stays

You're the God who stays

You're the one who runs in my direction

When the whole world walks away

You're the God who stands

With wide open arms

And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart

From the God who stays

How often do we feel insufficient, insecure, broken, hurt, confused, ashamed and all manner of other negative things? If we have Christ for our Saviour then He will stay throughout our trials. No matter how badly we feel. Regardless of how badly we've messed up in the past. Even when it feels like everyone in the whole word is deserting us, we have the God who stays right beside us.

The God Who Stays by Matthew West

#MusicMonday

After several months of pondering (and a little planning for good measure), I have decided it is time to launch a new series here on the blog. Music has always been an important part of my life. I was the child who watched musicals or Disney movies and waited for the bits of spoken story line to end so we could just get back to the music already! :P While my tastes have changed, my love of music has remained. The series #MusicMonday will be a peak into my musical library. Despite being classically-trained myself, my repertoire of listening material is varied so expect a wide array of genres to feature here. 

The thoughts I share along with each track are my own and not necessarily indicative of the artist's own. I also won't be receiving anything financially should you listen to or purchase the tracks, because, well, I just haven't organised that.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't wanna miss it
I don't wanna look back someday and find
Everything that really mattered
Was right in front of me this whole time"

As we go into this (not so) new year, I want to consider this. Am I taking notice of the beautiful things, the important things, the things that really matter? Or am I flying through life from one item on my to do list to the next, never stopping long enough to take in my surroundings? The truth is that all of life is busy. All of life includes things that have to be done. All of life is messy in some way. I want to remember to open my eyes and take in what's around me. I want to appreciate the beautiful, the important, the special -- before they're gone. Before they're just the beautiful things I miss.

The Beautiful Things We Miss by Matthew West