United Through Worship

Archive for January, 2012

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (Nelson, 1985)

It takes a purposeful study of God’s Word to truly come to know Him in all that He is. He is the Creator of sunsets and of hurricanes. He is the Creator of majestic mountains and of tidal waves. He is Sovereign, Holy, God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer, most loving and most terrifying. Our personal, spiritual, and professional identity is not determined by what we have done or will do. What we do is determined by our identity; who we are and by the beliefs we hold dear of ourselves and others. Our position and identity in Christ is not just our personal truth; rather it is the foundation for living and growing in Christ. God challenges us to be “an epistle…known and read by all men.” (Nelson, 1985) It is through clear understanding of the facts, principles, and concepts presented in God’s Word that one can manifest the person God declares him to be. Forever Transformed is written in poetic form, or in biblical terms; a Psalm. It is a religious pilgrimage; a spiritual awakening, as God delivers us from darkness into the light.

Before I came to know You, my Gracious Redeemer,
I was ignorant, blind, and with darkened understanding.
My conscience was evil; my heart corrupt and deceitful.
I was obstinate and rebellious, deceived, defeated, weary,
Dominated by sin, Satan, spiritually dead.
Before I came to know You, my Abba, my Father,
I was plagued with doubt; I questioned Your Word and Your goodness.
I was discouraged; focusing on my circumstances, not You.
My attention was diverted, determined to fill
Legitimate needs, goals, and desires, independent of You.
But then I came to know You, my Savior, and my Friend.
I am acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus,
My sins have been taken away and I am forgiven.
I am declared “Not Guilty” of sin, no condemnation awaits.
I can come fearlessly to God, boldly to His throne.
Because I came to know You, my Salvation, my Rock,
I am marked as belonging to Christ; I will live for Christ forever.
I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
I will have eternal glory, for I belong to Christ.
I have been given fullness in Christ, for He is the head over every power and authority.
I am united in Christ; united in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, life, power, and inheritance.

Oh, Magnificent Creator of heaven and earth. You have forgiven my past, freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death, and formed me into a new creature – pure and holy. I praise You. I adore You. I worship You. For You are mighty in deed and worthy of honor and praise.

Nelson, T. (1985). The Holy Bible; New King James Version. Tyndale Publishers. Nashville:

Vibrations that travel through the air
I am in awe.
If I stand still I can measure them
if only within my soul
while holding my breath
a note to know.
From a fragrant distance
I can feel its humming presence
onomatopoeia put to the test
winging through the trees
past silence.

Impressions of sound
vibrations touching my skin
traveling waves
composed by lenders of sacred visions
where true wisdom
begins.

Such a gift is sound
broadcast from our lips
composed by artists
wind in trees
oceans roar
birds tending to their hungry fledglings
televisions from an open window
right next door
cars passing by
airplanes in the sky
opening my eyes
I hear
the world
as it goes by.

Music
luscious muse
floating through the air
and connecting to this day
inside our atmosphere.
All over my anticipating being
dreams
never that remote
frequencies enticed
made perfectly clear.

From Ballerinas
Cinderella embarks
from their tip toes on stage
rhythm embraced
with what dwells in the heart
thus a brilliant transcending
of a most glorious
holiest art.

My heart waltzes past the open door
sensations found
walking over pebbles on the road

feet causing a moving sound
my mood goes from lowly
into a highlight
appreciating
the simplest
of sounds.

Pencil to paper
scribbling down poetry
rounds.
People in places
I never will meet
writing in silence
for a word to speak.
A tiny utterance of noise
meeting pen to paper
describing inner thoughts
acoustics on play here
creating giant noises
in a tiny minds eye
from an anticipating
hearts sigh.

Sound, tis such a lovely vibration.
Don’t you think?

These lyric writing tips are geared toward helping you write comfortable, natural-sounding lyrics. A contemporary lyric should sound conversational, and there should be no doubt as to what the song is about. Here are a few ways to get you started writing better lyrics.

1. Write the story in prose. Before you attempt to write in song form, write your idea as a short story. Include visual descriptions, things your characters might say, and even their names if you want. Don’t worry about rhyme or meter. The goal is to tell the story, to say exactly what you want to say. Stay on the subject you’ve chosen until you have a beginning, a middle and an ending. It doesn’t have to be very long. Remember your song only needs a couple of verses, a chorus, maybe a bridge. When you’re happy with what you have written it’s time to turn it into a lyric.

2. Write the lyric without rhyme. Begin writing your lyric, but don’t worry about making it rhyme just yet. Simply tell your story in lyric form. If you’re thinking too much about rhyming at this point, you may not say just what you want to say. You want to be able to write it with freedom. Once you have your verses planned out then you can start looking at how you might rhyme them. Use a rhyming dictionary to help you. You can also open your thesaurus to look for just the right synonyms.

And remember, you don’t HAVE to rhyme. Rhymes are very useful for helping to hold the lyric together, and to help us remember the words. And they can sound clever and cool. But be careful not to make it rhyme just because you think it should. Don’t risk twisting the meaning of your song just to force a rhyme.

3. Speak it out loud. Once you’ve finished your song give yourself a pat on the back! It doesn’t mean you’re finished but do it anyway. You deserve it. Now before you go any further, speak it out loud. How does it sound? Do people speak that way? How does it feel? Are there any parts that are awkward or uncomfortable? I’m not talking about subject matter. I’m talking about the natural flow of the words. You want it to sound as conversational as possible. Once it does, you know you’re onto something good!