He watches over everything, so we sing

When I was singing with all my might, lifting up my head and probably closing my eyes longer than a blink, it felt as the the salient issues and voices and demands on my life were eclipsed for a while.
Most of the time was spent enjoying two songs with a big connection to each other (that they are features exuding excellence in Sister Act II!

If ever I don’t know what to say, to pray, to think, you’ll find me humming a made up tune or harmonizing along with something going on around me. If there’s one thing that gives you a voice for things you cannot or don’t know how to say, it’s in the singing. skills, heart, soul, joy.. just trying to bring it all together!!

I’ve copied out the lyrics here that I consider so beautiful and a further thought on my previous post about eyes… seeing, watching, waiting, beholding…joyfully (links show two girls singing with only a voice to fill the silence…) can you not rush them, if you stick around to read though? It’s just that, they’re worth more than a minute… ‘why?’- they talk about life, they tell you a little about how to deal with it, and they are a little deeper than the blatant, un-artistic songs that are easy to pump out for a deadline, but which have little meaning past the funky chorus- so  join the ‘chorus’ that the morning stars began- something along the lines of ‘ i see the liiighhht’…- it’s beautiful

Joyful, joyful, Lord,we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
(come and the chorus, the mighty, mighty shorus which the morning stars began
the Father of love is reigning o’er us,)
brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

————————–

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart fell lonely
And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is he
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches over me

I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches…me

eyes, a four letter word

“see what’s next, maybe avert your gaze, be wishin’ away today for tomorrow’s sake
behind the veil, look and see”

looking at your hand to open,
to take mine and unlock: release.
but, watching, waiting, unseeing,
all eyes are towards the door.
will you walk in or leave?

Approaching days will
let me, us, shape them if you please
so are you
an open door or stuck and glass and still?

It’d be easier if I mentioned something
if I could see just to hold it, I would.
but it’s forever shifting like shadows
and invisible breath.

So I breathe in hope like it is the wind

and expect the clouds to burn away

either to nothing,

or something bright and light

that’s what summer burn could do here and

There my eyes won’t hit the wall
but, my gaze; your face

muse to the musician

i spent today being happy. something about that is surprising- that’s not right though is it?! it’s kind of nice to be, as CS Lewis put it, ’surprised by joy’. loads of things contributed to it, such as an amazing pastry delight breakfast from Marks and Spensers (yess!!) before a long, sunny walk to a meeting and then an afternoon writing music.

The best part of the day, not belittling how much I love and cherish friend-time, or work or music, was the church prayer meeting tonight. It was so cool to pray alongside others, but go on our separate walks with God around and about the church. i love God. i love the way writing a song this afternoon made me ‘feel the love’ for God more because i playing the artist and connecting with music and words, at least in my own head, and was glad to create like God created me.. you know, artist-makes-artist.

i spent time wandering around, praying on the newly made stage at the top of the sanctuary. The massive cross and stained glass windows with musical cherubim off to the side were so inspiring! also, not so much loneliness but rather, communal silence and space and intentional apart-ness is not done enough. when was the last time you sat in silence or prayer or relative peace with a friend for a while!?

so, you can read the rough lyrics- i’m not too precious about letting you see a work in progress- and let me know what you think. i’m kind of interested that i know what it all means, but that at least one other interpretation so far has turned out to be as different to mine as it is beautiful!

Truly/ Black and White/ ??

”there is a certain colour called freedom
that glows when i look at your words of art
written out so i can read them

feelings in my heart collide with
revelation in my mind that grows in
the shade of efflorescent sorts of light…
::
think aloud of what things oppress
our minds, they’re often overdressed sometimes
with memories, grief, guilt ‘n’ stress, or even always trying to please

but something’s coming, its already here
it means that we’ll lay down the branches
get struggle to quit and start employing quantities of hope…
::
so full of colour life is golden with worth,
like being born again in a new earth
a real life fairytale that unfurls your hope

i guess we all just want to know the Truth
beyond our way of life is an open mind:
belief in your head but also delight in your spirit
——-
it’s never been just black and white
knowledge is fine
but there’s a step further to see
it’s never been just black and white
liberty is as free
as the colour (that) faith is making me

——-
believe your prayers deeply
forgive for life so that you will receive the same
believe deeply
forgive for life so that you will receive the same
believe
forgive unto life
::
truly he says to me
truly he says to ya’
——–
(there is a certain colour called freedom
that glows when i look at your words of art
written out so we will read them)”

-KMac

nose to the grindstone, eyes to the stars

i’ve been thinking for a while about getting away… taking a rest. i hear that a change is as good as a rest, and the weather really did make a change today- it was warm and sunny, plus there was a breeze and blossom to float on it. i enjoyed today. i felt like i was actually out of the norm, not thinking or work and pressure, not trying to fit everything in to one short afternoon- not worrying about tomorrow either. that is a beautiful thing.

i read these quotes from Relevantmagazine.com’s email, the first is by this guy derek webb who i really like the sound of:

”The “wilderness” could mean a lot of different things. I’ve gone through seasons where retreating into the wilderness meant selling my television and shutting off my cell phone. You can create a wilderness for yourself to retreat to in various ways other than physically going out into the desert. In today’s world of connectivity, you turn off your cell phone, you shut off your TV, turn off your computer and suddenly you feel like you’re out in the desert a little bit—and that can be a tremendously healthy thing to do. We should probably all do that more often than just the Sabbath day.

Though the TV is out of my house, it is not out of my soul yet.”

i just enjoy the beauty of the ideas and how they are rooted in what Jesus did, rising early before others to be still with the knowledge that God made a new day and filled it with mercy and his compassion (see previous post). i love the thought that busyness can somehow be bypassed for a while. i’m not for the monastic lifestyle, but i’m for a retreat once in a while, and i especially like the idea of getting away in order to recharge so i’m better in the busy spells

– — –

i also watched a tv show this week, it was a drama… at the end, Jane Austen dies, still with so much to offer, yet sad and quite lonely. her sister was her closest companion and says of her;

‘’she was the sun of my life. the guilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow. i had not a thought concealed from her and it’s as if i’ve lost a part of myself”

although it’s good to get away, i also only want to have a lifestyle fit to stop and take note of what’s going on around me. to notice the pleasures, the gifts, the joys, and the startling things. i want to listen to people, and have the constant appreciation of a day that is always new. it’s not groundhog day, it’s new and unique. as song i heard this week says ‘you’re going to miss this’ speaking of the good and bad moments of life that pass by. it’s true. take note, don’t take it lightly, watch and see and learn and love… i often think we age really fast, like time rolls away from me like a ball of wool, and i’m left holding the tip of the end. but, we’re made to worship God, not let days slip through our fingers. that’s really the contrast i’m thinking through:

don’t dissolve into busyness
don’t forget to appreciate the minute you’re in

conversely

have time to recharge and rest
take each day as it comes (oooh, cliche….!)

gather freckles, memories, laughter lines and melody, but never dust