tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525623906118489772024-03-13T02:39:53.899-03:00Eli Words and MusicA collection of worship songs by Elizabeth Skinner. written in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia 2010-2013. Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-73286438726896317782013-05-10T10:05:00.005-03:002021-06-30T06:57:49.168-03:00Where to Turn<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Today marks the end of my current collection of worship songs. I hope to have more songs to share in future - some old, some new.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And today I return to my two favourite sources of inspiration - the psalms and the prophets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 36:</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> "For with you is the fountain of life; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">in your light we see light."</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">The <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/r45g0yc7eii724w/Fountain%20Of%20Life.mp3?dl=0">Fountain Of Life</a>. This is the reason I write and present these songs. This is the reason I press on through limiting resources and skill and give what I have to give. It is for God. For with God is the fountain of life. And I desire to live in this ever flowing water. This ever flowing light. Limitlessness. Nothing hidden, nothing held back. Drinking from the river of delights. Worth pressing on for!</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">Perhaps the prophet Jeremiah pressed on for similar reasons, with the hope that Israel would feast on the abundance of God's house. His ministry became one of lamentation for a people who would not turn to God.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">Jeremiah 25:7 - <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"Yet you did not listen to me, says the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, and so you have provoked me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/4s85xsfhujlwrav/Turn%20Now.mp3?dl=0">Turn Now</a></span></span>, Jeremiah continued to cry, but the people continued to choose their own way. They chose to follow what they could conceive with their own minds, Gods they could see and make with their own hands, i</span></span></span>nstead of repenting and choosing to go "beyond the mind". <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Thank you Dr. Darlene A. Mayo for that translation from the Greek for repent.)</span><div>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">Thanks for joining me on this little journey through song. It was nice to have your company.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">Where to turn now?</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-36-9">E.</span></span></span></div>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-36850875184389694952013-05-09T09:40:00.003-03:002021-06-30T06:50:23.293-03:00Mercy and Wonder<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Psalm 57:1 - "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1">for in you my soul takes refuge; </span></span><span class="text Ps-57-1">in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1">until the destroying storms pass by."</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1">This was the song of my heart early this week as I tried to rise up from the remains of a weekend headache and record some challenging songs - ones hard for me to play, free of stumbling fingers. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vzea6xvkc1xu3ly/Be%20Merciful.mp3?dl=0">Be Merciful</a> would have been a nice plea to God, compared to what did come from my mouth. At times like this I could easily doubt the effort and discipline that has gone into the production of this song blog. A task that really began back in 2010 when I first picked up the guitar for a second go at being a professional songwriter. Has there been any benefit? Will there be a reward?</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1">Psalm 119:82 - <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"My eyes fail with watching for your promise; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">I ask, “When will you comfort me?"</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">It's not always easy to see God's hand in the tasks he calls us to. Even less apparent is the good result we hope to come from our efforts. I think of the mothers who pray year after year for their children, and of those who are faithful in seeking the "promised land", yet continue in poverty.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">There is good news. Everything will be all right. Stayed tuned to hear the happy ending to this mournful song. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">I have returned again and again to my imagination for a glimpse of those hoped for outcomes - a vision of prosperity, a joyous celebration, a thought of love. Sometimes God will meet me there with a vision of his own. I love those moments and that place where creation begins. A place to dream and contemplate <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/pzbskpwzffu92so/Wonder.mp3?dl=0">Wonder</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">God imagined... God created... and new life began.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-57-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-82">E.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-17688612678794835932013-05-08T10:28:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:48:17.430-03:00Heavens Chorus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtVLabI1snF5DhvNXfU07lf5nZ77gkZbFFtnXvtubPU2eEKRQW4YcdVbAJWfp9hLmwQ2OskxCgSUt4Y9vBqTsuHWtEdl9g8h_hv4UKEENamaAnB7nCdBxC5Vj26MBXsEtNtBoKdLNQBk/s1600/IMG143-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtVLabI1snF5DhvNXfU07lf5nZ77gkZbFFtnXvtubPU2eEKRQW4YcdVbAJWfp9hLmwQ2OskxCgSUt4Y9vBqTsuHWtEdl9g8h_hv4UKEENamaAnB7nCdBxC5Vj26MBXsEtNtBoKdLNQBk/s200/IMG143-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The leaves are making their first appearance here in NS. Spring has sprung. It's a good day. </span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">It will be a wonderful day when we hear the heavens praising God. If the sound is anything like the beauty of the night sky or the morning sunrise, or the first signs of spring, we are in for a treat. It will certainly be a taste of his glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 89:6 -</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> "For who in the skies can be compared to the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/1k156xuby7q2on8/Let%20The%20Heavens%20Praise.mp3?dl=0">Let The Heavens Praise</a>. And when the heavens begin to praise, we will join with them in song. It will be a great chorus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 68:32 - "</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32">sing praises to the Lord".</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32">There are some who have heard this chorus - angels joining with them in worship. There was one time in worship during a Gathering of the Watchmen For The Nations in Gander, NL, that I had a sense of being surrounded by a choir of angels. I've yet to hear them with physical ears, but I'm always open to that. It will surely be a sweet moment when I do. In Gander, I remember slipping off my shoes because it felt like I was standing on holy ground.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32">Psalm 68:33 - "<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">O rider in the heavens, the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/6zphyg6itth1tdy/Ancient%20Heavens.mp3?dl=0">Ancient Heavens</a>; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-33">listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice."</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-33"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-33">Listen.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-33"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-32"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-68-33">E.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-87985739846422668502013-05-07T10:02:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:46:26.899-03:00In God's Sight<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I Peter 3:4 - "... the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/p9ca5qs3fz074ns/Unfading%20Beauty.mp3?dl=0">Unfading Beauty</a> of a gentle and quiet spirit... is of great worth in God's sight."</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRxBmDCkTKGKNMtYnfTgNT-V2KiNvnceJvp15TqriZ2meEYoVxMc3nJT9TAu9ZfMPTEPLx5ag0m5Jz_9-fd3pdrEPmXRtF5sBMuGO-0e4mHwuEWmUtdcpRwDLSb12jHmclovLWQedqNc/s1600/IMG150-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRxBmDCkTKGKNMtYnfTgNT-V2KiNvnceJvp15TqriZ2meEYoVxMc3nJT9TAu9ZfMPTEPLx5ag0m5Jz_9-fd3pdrEPmXRtF5sBMuGO-0e4mHwuEWmUtdcpRwDLSb12jHmclovLWQedqNc/s200/IMG150-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">This was the quote of the day on the October 17th calendar page from 2007, shown here with a matching leaf I had picked up that same fall.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br />
On the evening of the 16th, we had a missionary, Alan Baker, visit our home group. He had prayed for many of us and in his prayer for me, he had blessed my "gentle spirit", saying it would be effective in ministry. My friend Lisa, discovering this bible verse on her calendar the following day, passed it along to me. It came as an encouragement and confirmation of the missionary's prayer.<br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Hebrews 13:20-21 - </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"Now may the God of peace... <span class="text Heb-13-21" id="en-NRSV-30246">make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us<span style="font-size: small;"><sup> </sup>that which is pleasing <span style="color: #a64d79;">in his sight</span>, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen".</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="text Heb-13-21">This prayer was written on the journal page from where the leaf and calendar page had been safely tucked away. It seems to fit with this blog post, focusing in on God's sight.</span><br />
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<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11">I depend on God's sight. My own sight is limited. I have very narrow vision. Near sightedness. And I don't always see beauty in my own gentle spirit. It can often feel more like weakness and over-sensitivity to everything around me.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11"></span></span></span><br />
Psalm 16:11 - "You show me the path of life. <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11">In your presence there is fullness of joy; </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11">in your right hand are pleasures forevermore."</span></span><br />
<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11">I need God to show me life through his eyes! <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/irtmlsm2s2w8j1r/Evermore.mp3?dl=0">Evermore</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Heb-13-21"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-16-11">E.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-17299885723796938822013-05-06T11:26:00.002-03:002021-06-30T06:44:13.648-03:00Wait and Rest<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Wait. Rest. Two words that appear over and over in the bible. And two actions that are required over and over in life. They must be important. Impatience, though, has a way of superseding everything in its path. We're in a hurry to get wherever it is we think we're going.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 130:5 - </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"I wait for the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, my soul waits, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5">and in his word I hope".</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5">Waiting can be agonizing. For me it's been hard to know when God means for me to stop - stop and wait - and when he means for me to be patient and wait - hold on a little longer. Some will say it's more the latter, but in my experience it's been to stop. Stop what I'm doing and wait for the next step. Stop working. Stop being busy. Wait. Take some time to tune into God. Be still. Be quiet. So... <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/z75wajqgx2llbxk/My%20Soul%20Waits.mp3?dl=0">My Soul Waits</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5">Resting is a little easier to understand, but I would say, just as hard to do. I have spent too much time being rest<i>less</i> - believing there was more I needed to be doing or more that I needed to be. Unsettled and unsatisfied with myself and my circumstances. I can see the importance of rest. All around me, the world speeds by. People hardly stop to notice their bodies and souls crying out for rest. Simple physical rest. </span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5">Psalm 42:8 - <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"By day the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> commands his steadfast love, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8">and at night his song is with me, </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8">a prayer to the God of my life."</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8">I believe God's song is always, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/wlh9m2d1lwmk8jr/Rest%20Now%20My%20Beloved.mp3?dl=0">Rest Now My Beloved</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8">Resting now.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8">E.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-130-5"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-42-8"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-82725123985827658222013-05-05T10:21:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:42:19.493-03:00Taizé Worship<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> Taizé style of worship is quiet, reflective, and meditative in nature. It takes a simple line of scripture and repeats it over and over. It was first introduced in the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic order in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiz%c3%a9_Community">Taizé</a>, France. The community was</span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">founded by Frère Roger Schutz in 1940. "<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">He pondered what it really meant to live a life according to the s</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">criptures</span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> and began a quest for a different expression of the Christian life." <span style="font-size: x-small;">- Wikipedia</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I didn't set out to write Taizé style songs, but as I was writing the two songs here, I recognized the influence. At <a href="http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/rhs/rs_listing/134.html">St. Thomas' Church</a> in St. John's we would have a regular evening service dedicated to this style of worship, using the songs written by Frère Roger. I also came across a service one Friday evening strolling along a street in Victoria, BC. A nice find. I asked if they did this every Friday evening. They did not. I love God's timing.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 97:11-12 - </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"Light dawns<sup> </sup>for the righteous, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-11">and joy for the upright in heart. </span></span><span class="text Ps-97-12" id="en-NRSV-15491">Rejoice in the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, O you righteous, </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12">and give thanks to his holy name!" </span></span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ffuh6orghezizk4/Light%20Is%20Dawning.mp3?dl=0">Light Is Dawning</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12">Psalm 139:18 -<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> "<span class="text Ps-139-18">I come to the end - I am still with you." </span></span></span></span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/igf9wjly62zexof/I%20Come%20To%20The%20End.mp3?dl=0">I Come To The End</a></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18">These lines of scripture are capable of standing alone in songs of worship. I didn't have any inclination to add or subtract from them. Sung over and over, they surely bring one into the presence of God, and into the peace that one finds there.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18">This is where I want to go in worship.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-97-12"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-139-18">E.</span></span></span></span></span></div>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-87964667453679455952013-05-04T09:37:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:40:07.519-03:00All About You<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">If I remember correctly, the first line of the bestselling book, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purpose_Driven_Life"><em>The Purpose Driven Life</em></a>, by Rick Warren, is, "It's not about you." So I need to tell you that today's post is not about you either. Sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The "you" that it is all about is God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 104:1-4 - "</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-104-1">O <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> my God, you are very great. </span></span><span class="text Ps-104-1">You are clothed with honor and majesty... y</span><span class="text Ps-104-2">ou stretch out the heavens... </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-104-3" id="en-NRSV-15575">you set the beams of your<sup> </sup>chambers on the water... </span></span><span class="text Ps-104-3">you make the clouds your<sup> </sup>chariot... </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-104-3">you ride on the wings of the wind... </span></span><span class="text Ps-104-4" id="en-NRSV-15576">you make the winds your<sup> </sup>messengers".</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-104-4">It's <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/j73md9nls1abvm1/All%20About%20You.mp3?dl=0">All About You</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-104-4">Now this next part is for you... and the question comes to you, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/is31t5j9537tpef/If%20You%20Could%20Have%20Anything.mp3?dl=0">If You Could Have Anything</a>, what would it be? Would it be me? - Not me, Elizabeth. But me, Jesus. Confused?</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-104-4">What would it take for us to choose Jesus over all else and in every circumstance? The moon and the stars to proclaim his name? The wind whispering our name, beckoning us? The birds singing God's praise? Your heart responding to God's song? I think maybe all these things happen if we're willing to stop and listen, stop and recognize Jesus in all these things.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-104-4">Turn around and see... me. God.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-104-4">E.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-7527248095590993152013-05-03T10:09:00.000-03:002017-03-07T11:18:49.516-04:00Walk Uprightly<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"I have decided the two choices open to me are (1) to torment myself or (2) to trust the Lord. There is no earthly solution to the problems that confront me. But I can add to my problems, as I believe I have done, by dwelling on them. So, no more of that."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I like the resolution in this quote from the novel, <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead_(novel)">Gilead</a></em>, by Marilynne Robinson. It really does come down to trusting in God. "It" being the Christian walk, or in simpler terms, life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 84:11 - "</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> God is a sun and shield; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11">he bestows favor and honor. </span></span><span class="text Ps-84-11">No good thing does the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> withhold </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11">from those who <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkyxrs5s7nvloyh/Walk%20Uprightly.mp3?dl=0">Walk Uprightly</a>."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11">How exactly does one walk uprightly? To me, it speaks of integrity - finding the honest and true within yourself, and walking in it. Truthfully though, it's not about me at all. It's about trusting in God and in who he is. Walking in him.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/i8hk6c1rnvzix68/I%20Am%20The%20Lord.mp3?dl=0">I Am The Lord</a>, he declares, "who brought you up from the land of Egypt". Up from those places or circumstances in our lives that have enslaved us - addictions, habits, sins, mindsets, past hurts. Up from our worship and influence of "strange gods". Things that will never satisfy. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11">God tells us to open our mouths and he will fill them. Have you ever tried to see how wide you can open your mouth? It's amazing how far the jaw will stretch... and then stretch a little more. I thought my mouth was small until I tried one night to open it further and further for God to fill it. I was desperate.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11">Psalm 81:7 -<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "In distress you called, and I rescued you; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-7">I answered you in the secret place of thunder".</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-7"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-7">Now... I wonder where this secret place of thunder is. God knows. I'll trust him.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-7"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-84-11"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-7">E.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-40446924928452580012013-05-02T10:20:00.000-03:002017-03-07T11:20:32.284-04:00God Remains<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I always feel a little rush of excitement when I come to the prophet section in reading the bible. Odd, but true. The prophets carry the burden of foresight - seeing what would come to be if the people did not heed to the word of the Lord spoken through them. Among the lesser known prophets is Habakkuk with only 3 chapters that culminate in a prayer, closing with his pledge, "... yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation." He was able to devote himself to God even if all else was lost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I echo the sentiment of the prophet in song. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymx27520t27kczz/Yet%20I%20Will%20Rejoice.mp3?dl=0">Yet I Will Rejoice</a>... somehow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">You may have noticed the lovely image in my profile picture - a painting by my good friend and exceptional artist, <a href="http://antoniamcguane.com/">Antonia McGuane</a>. I am happy to have the painting as the focal point in my living space, as well as in my working space here on the song blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Antonia was recently working on a series titled "Ephemeral" - an interesting word that I hadn't really given thought to before. As she shared about her work, I began to think about the meaning and experience of this ephemeral life. Its fleeting nature. The moments that come and go and never pass our way again. I had come across a note in my journal from a few months earlier titled, "<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/g9mqlljyghdugga/Only%20God%20Remains.mp3?dl=0">Only God Remains</a>", together with the words, "new become old and new again, while God remains." It seemed to fit with the concept of ephemeral. Could this interesting word ever find its way into a song? Indeed, it could.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Ephemeral - something worth pondering while "dancing in time with my eternal one."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-54356609805925676862013-05-01T10:13:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:34:38.265-03:00God In Your Face<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I was on the walking trail that circles around the town of <a href="http://www.lunenburgns.com/main-attractions/">Lunenburg, NS</a>, following the path of the former railway track. I remember the old days of hearing the train whistle by as we sat in our classroom in the Lunenburg Academy on the hill above. The trail was quiet on this day... except for the voice in my head saying, "God is in your face". I took it to mean, "in your face", like the modern expression of someone getting your attention. The voice continued...saying, "talk to the hand". Another expression with a bit of attitude attached to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I've often said, to myself mostly... and now to you, that to believe in God I would only have to look as far as my hand. It has an awe inspiring design, with extraordinary capabilities. How could one doubt a creator in this? "Eye cannot see what the hand knows." - <span style="font-size: x-small;">journal Jan. 14/12.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I love that the evidence of the Creator God is so apparent in creation. So... in my face.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">God "in your face" could be taken another way. When I look on your face, really look, I might just see God there. See his reflection. See the evidence that you are made in his image. So why not <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0tafbj4q6d8nid8/Rise%20Up%20And%20Show%20Your%20Face.mp3?dl=0">Rise Up And Show Your Face</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">In a well known quote from <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marianne_Williamson">Marianne Williamson</a> she says, "We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God, that is within us."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">In other words, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/342nhghs0rf3aid/AABxd8P-2FYvQFctJlNbx6uva?dl=0">Be Radiant</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 34:5 - </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"Look to him, and be radiant; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-34-5">so your<sup> </sup>faces shall never be ashamed."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-28488911801403756322013-04-30T10:25:00.001-03:002021-01-10T09:39:40.615-04:00More Heart Words<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Is there anything more sought after than that place or experience of peace called home? And is there anything more abundant and available to us than the ever sufficient gift called grace? The two co-exist in God. There they are found. From there they are received.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">There... here in my heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">One day I asked myself the question, "Will I sit in judgement over my own life?" I discovered that I was afraid of disappointment - disappointing others... and myself. Feeling disappointed. I was believing the lie that I would never be good enough. If that was the lie, then what was the truth? The truth is... I am capable of being me, perfectly, even when that includes making mistakes. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vu1ti15yg5303io/Grace.mp3?dl=0">Grace</a> is what I needed to have toward myself. Grace to stop judging - to allow mercy, to permit imperfection, to remove the mask, to accept, to forgive, to love. I had my answer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I had a clear thought earlier that day as I walked along my favourite beach, Hirtle's Beach, NS - "There is a sweet life in me". I wasn't feeling particularly sweet. As on other days, I was feeling the frustration of not really being at home in the world. Spending most of the last ten years unsettled and without a home of my own has added to that. The good news is, I have come to realize that as long as I am aware of God's presence, here beside me and involved in my life, I am content. There's a great sweetness in coming home to that reality... in accepting that reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">From this place of home comes meekness, love, and all the things I've hoped for, longed for, searched for, and needed. This was the conclusion to my thoughts that day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ym4py766hg8u2yg/Home.mp3?dl=0">Home</a> sweet home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-52513095620775944012013-04-29T10:03:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:30:09.706-03:00On This Mountain<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Who doesn't like the idea of a 'mountain top' experience? That moment of being on top of the world. I certainly do. I think I've spent a great deal of time circling the mountain without ever reaching the pinnacle. But, I remain hopeful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I recently attended the funeral of my uncle Eli Skinner, a great name... and a great uncle. One of dad's eight siblings - a family size I thought large until I started meeting other Newfoundlanders. During the service, there was a reading from Isaiah 25, verses 6 to 10. I had never before considered this scripture in relation to the time of death. I suppose I've always hoped that one could be <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/dm2qbt9y6u6r3el/On%20This%20Mountain.mp3?dl=0">On This Mountain</a> in this lifetime. And that the feast of rich foods and well-aged wines, and the wiping away of tears and disgrace could be experienced sometime in the present. That's what I've been waiting for.</span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Isaiah 25:7-8 - "And he will destroy on this mountain <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-7">the shroud that is cast over all peoples, </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-7">the sheet that is spread over all nations; </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8" id="en-NRSV-18127">he will swallow up death forever."</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8">I can understand why these verses would be read on the day we say good-bye to our loved ones. Certainly for them, the wait has ended.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8"></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8">Mount Zion. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/br8saeqf2iclmmj/His%20Holy%20Mountain.mp3?dl=0">His Holy Mountain</a>. Can one begin to imagine the beauty and joy to be found there?</span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-25-8">Psalm 48:12-13 -<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> "Walk about Zion, go all around it..."</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">It's time to set my eyes upon the pinnacle. I echo the words of Prince Caspian of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia">Narnia</a>, in his realization, "I spent too much time wanting what was taken from me, rather than wanting what was given to me."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Mountain climbing ahead!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-74165405766666034512013-04-28T09:06:00.002-03:002023-08-19T07:37:24.364-03:00Steadfast Love<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Words from the Psalms featured in today's post were jotted down on facing pages of my journal back in February 2011. They found their way into songs later in the fall, one in September, the other in October. It's pure coincidence that they continue together on this page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">How songs come about is always fascinating. For me, I usually first discover a nice sounding chord pattern and from there let a melody develop. When the melody seems complete, I go in search for lyrics that are a good fit, leafing through my journals. The words may be found in an entry just days before, or a few years back. I'm always surprised by the match I find. I will play through the song dozens of times before I'm happy with the flow of it. Then the song will circle around in my head for days until it becomes annoying. That's my signal to start a new song!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I love the creative process and I hope that it will always fill a portion of my days. Each day requires a good dose of God's <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/sipg3v7i52g5hym/Steadfast%20Love%20In%20The%20Morning.mp3?dl=0">Steadfast Love In The Morning</a>. I rely on his strength and participation more than I ever knew I would.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 59:17 - "</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">O my strength, I will sing praises to you, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-59-17">for you, O God, are my fortress, </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-59-17">the God who shows me steadfast love."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The other thing I rely on, more than I ever knew I would, is hearing from God. Looking to him on a regular basis to answer questions and lead me through the day. I don't like it when he seems to be silent. "<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/5thewju0odmv4qo/Let%20Me%20Hear.mp3?dl=0">Let Me Hear</a> you", is always my petition.</span><br />
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<span class="text Ps-85-10"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Psalm 85:10 - "</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-85-10">righteousness and peace will kiss each other." - </span></span></span></span><span class="text Ps-85-10"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-85-10">The kissing part has always puzzled me. What could it mean?... Maybe it's the point where God's voice meets my listening ear. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="text Ps-85-10"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-85-10">A nice thing to ponder and write about.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="text Ps-85-10"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-85-10">E.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-19964119037706661272013-04-27T10:45:00.000-03:002017-03-07T11:29:24.249-04:00God Shines Forth<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was in a mini-van full of ladies headed for a women's conference in Windsor, NS, driving along a scenic valley road. Out of the blue, the driver Bernadette exclaimed, "Majesty!". She was admiring the colour and beauty of the rolling hills and farm dotted landscape. It struck me as an unusual exclamation, especially since I had written a song of the same title just a month earlier. For me, this was God's stamp of approval. I decided to keep the song's original title, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/e2jjcc9pzivudoc/Majesty.mp3?dl=0">Majesty</a>, even though there were established works with the same name. No other name matched the exclamation of God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">It's comforting to know the Lord is "more majestic than the thunder of mighty water". - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Psalm 93:4</span><span style="font-size: small;">. And he can be spotted at work even along a valley road.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 50:2 -</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-50-2"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ur3okee6lxr86k/God%20Shines%20Forth.mp3?dl=0">God Shines Forth</a>."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-50-2">Could there be a more perfect line of scripture? It says it all, does it not? What more could I add?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I would like to take a moment to add my welcome... to all those who are listening in various parts of the world. I was thrilled to discover I had listeners in Russia, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Pakistan, the US, as well as across Canada. It's been so nice to have you all tuning in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">When my collection of songs began to grow, I didn't know how I would go about publishing them and sharing them with others. So this blog has turned out to be perfect. I enjoy writing the background information as much as the songs themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I would love to hear your comments - to hear your story... your voice! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Such a pleasure to meet with you here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-50-2">E.</span></span></span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-54064856873856487552013-04-26T11:42:00.000-03:002017-03-07T12:58:26.373-04:00Round And Round<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Ecclesiastes 1:3 - "What do people gain from all their labors <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-1-3">at which they toil under the sun?"</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-1-3">As King Solomon said, "All is vanity." One could easily become discouraged in the circular nature of life. Repeating patterns. Repeating results. Attempts to change but remaining the same. What will make the difference? What will bring a breakthrough? These are two questions I've asked many times and for many years, as I've sought "my calling", moving from place to place and home to home. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/rewf3r8cl23uev9/Round%20And%20Round.mp3?dl=0">Round and Round</a>, chasing the wind. In all the vanity Solomon speaks of, I can find one glimmer of hope...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-1-3">Ecclesiastes 2:24 -<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God."</span></span></span></span><br />
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It is the recognition of God's hand in our labour that makes the toil worthwhile. And, to enjoy the fruits of our labour is the reward!<br />
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One afternoon at the Chester Career Resource Centre, where I find computer access and from where I publish this blog, I met Klaus Gehrig, a local musician and instructor in Celestial Navigation. He noticed I was working on music and asked to see the lyric sheet for <em>Round And Round</em> laying beside me. Being the philosophical type, he appreciated the lyrics and so I offered to send him a recording. As often happens, I struggled to record the song without messing up. After many failed attempts I had a "meltdown" and found myself saying to God, "I gotta know that you're in this with me..." and before I knew it I was singing the words. When I settled down, I sat and wrote <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/6m51teaf8r48ee7/I%20Gotta%20Know.mp3?dl=0">I Gotta Know</a> - a product of my recording agony.<br />
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The amazing outcome was that Klaus eventually heard both songs and made home recordings of his own. I love these versions. Here's Klaus Gehrig with <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/d24e0synpd75gvj/KG%20Round%20And%20Round.mp3?dl=0">Round And Round</a> and <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/1b0ii23wmf1xnb0/KG%20I%20Gotta%20Know.mp3?dl=0">I Gotta Know</a>.<br />
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Thanks Klaus for your unique navigation through these songs!<br />
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E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-52370366623163076722013-04-25T10:56:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:12:40.336-03:00Jean Margaret<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0kwc02856164lbs/Jean%20Magaret.mp3?dl=0">Jean Margaret</a> was my grandmother. It was her great-great-grandfather, a Selig of German descent, who built our family home. Seven generations later, my niece is now growing up there. My three sisters and I grew up with our grandmother as a second mother. She was a blessing to the whole family. Late at night I could sometimes hear her in her room reading from the bible or quietly praying. Her bible was always next to her pillow. I credit Nanny's prayers with keeping me under God's umbrella and drawing me back to him when I began to stray. She was a fine example of someone with faith.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">In her later years, my grandmother was confined to a wheelchair, having lost her legs to disease. I am most proud of the years I was able to wheel Nanny to church on Sundays. Throughout her life she was a Sunday school teacher and active in the church. It was her second home. I was honoured to have a seat in the pew next to her. She had an appreciation for my every little gesture of assistance. I wish I had done more. She passed away in 1995.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Jean Margaret married Michael Joseph O'Connor, who had come from Newfoundland to fish out of Lunenburg. They had 4 children. The second, a daughter, was Josephine Mary, born April 25, 1940. My mom. Today is her birthday. Besides birthing me into a childhood full of musical influence, I credit my mother with passing along an innate creativity, an openness to new things, and the ability to persevere. I also give her credit for holding onto things of value. She had the foresight to copy all my earlier songs on the day she came across them. Because of that, I now have the song Jean Margaret, written in 1997, to present to her as a birthday gift. I had forgotten even writing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I also present, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/a4nxgj7ucjpwcb5/A%20Sweet%20Tune.mp3?dl=0">A Sweet Tune</a> - the happy birthday version. Happy Birthday, Mom!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-66328696532693895962013-04-24T09:58:00.001-03:002021-06-30T06:09:07.205-03:00The Unfolding Word<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">There really is something to reading the bible daily. Early in my Christian walk, I complained one Sunday to my minister that I was hungry, spiritually under-nourished. He seemed to understand. He suggested I start a daily bible reading habit. I could follow along with the church calendar and do the suggested readings in the <a href="http://www.bcponline.org/">Book of Common Prayer</a>. The prayer book also has The Psalter, a layout of morning and evening Psalms for each day of the month. </span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Doubtful that it would be a cure for my hunger, I went ahead anyway and started to read. Before long, I began to notice that readings during the week were addressing particular issues I was wrestling with. I could be pondering something through the week, and find the answer in one of the days readings, or hear an answer in the Sunday sermon based on the readings for that day. It was an ongoing occurrence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 19:9-10 - "T</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="text Ps-19-9">he ordinances of the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> are true </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-19-9">and righteous altogether. </span></span><span class="text Ps-19-10" id="en-NRSV-14179">More to be desired are they than gold, </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-19-10">even much <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/r2nfwujz1bl8mur/Fine%20Gold.mp3?dl=0">Fine Gold</a>; </span></span><span class="text Ps-19-10">sweeter also than honey, </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-19-10">and drippings of the honeycomb."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For several years I followed that reading pattern and found the nourishment I needed. The Psalms, in particular, became my comfort food. In them I found the cry of my heart and the hope for better things to come. And I found the praise that I often struggled to produce on my own. As it turned out, all those expressions of heart and hope and praise have made their way into almost half of the songs I have written to date. Two of them are in today's post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 119:130 -</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/jhyc7tuqbt78kxw/The%20Unfolding%20Of%20Your%20Word.mp3?dl=0">The Unfolding Of Your Word</a> gives light; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-130">it imparts understanding to the simple."</span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-130">I love the idea of God's word unfolding, bit by bit, revealing more and more of the mystery and truth within it. Food for the soul. Sweet.</span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-119-130">E.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-77699796559178533862013-04-23T10:13:00.001-03:002021-01-10T09:33:55.013-04:00Redeemer and Sovereign<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">In the prayer group at Lighthouse Community Church, we would sometimes sit in silence and listen to hear what God might be saying. In one of those times of quiet, I heard the message that would become the song <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ij1o0d2qak8u0mh/Sevenfold.mp3?dl=0">Sevenfold</a>. Of course, to claim it's God speaking is a step of faith, but I simply wrote the thoughts as they came. Afterward, when we all shared the impressions, thoughts or experiences we had during the period of silence (God speaks in many ways), I read what I had written. Ready to accept that it was nothing, I looked up from reading to discover Pastor Jocelyn with tears in her eyes. It had been a message that she had received in an earlier time and setting. This was confirmation of God's personal message for her. I think it's a message for all of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"I return to you sevenfold. I return to you sevenfold. For all your loss, for all your pain, I will redeem you sevenfold..." - <span style="font-size: x-small;">journal, May 31/11</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I never tire of reading the Psalms. King David's expressions are from the heart and cover all facets of emotion. I especially like the expression of wonder and majesty in Psalm 8. "<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">O <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, our Sovereign, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-8-1"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/seda1i8g3xwzkyq/How%20Majestic.mp3?dl=0">How Majestic</a> is your name in all the earth! </span></span></span><span class="text Ps-8-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">You have set your glory above the heavens." I always hear this song with a full choir of children joining in on the refrain... "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-8-3">the moon and the stars..."</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span class="text Ps-8-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-8-3"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span class="text Ps-8-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-8-3">It's a child-like wonder. I would love to have that again.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span class="text Ps-8-1"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-8-3">E.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /> </span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-21473733038518427652013-04-22T10:20:00.000-03:002017-03-07T11:39:59.978-04:00Precious Child<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The issue of personal identity is a universal one. Who are we? Where do we come from? What is our purpose? Questions the world cannot answer... our work cannot answer... our circumstances cannot answer. The answer is bigger than all these things. Our identity is beyond who and what we are in the world. Our identity is in God. That's where we find ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 139:14 -</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-139-14">Wonderful are your works; </span></span><span class="text Ps-139-14">that I know very well."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-139-14">It occurred to me one day that I was first imagined in the mind of God. He liked the idea of me, and so I was made. His <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/yru6dcyze7m6lzo/Precious%20Child.mp3?dl=0">Precious Child</a>. A product of his delight. That's a nice thought. A nice reality. And there really is no expectation that comes with that. If I am myself, then the gifts that are in me will naturally evolve, and I will just be... me. Simple, huh?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-139-14">The world has other ideas for me. I should be this, or I should do that. Even as a Christian it's easy to fall under the 'should' curse, which at best leads to pretense and the carrying of burdens that are not mine to bear. It has taken much time and contemplation to reach this understanding, and I imagine that the fullness of it's truth is far beyond my reach. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-139-14">Psalm 139:6 - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-139-6">it is so high that I cannot attain it.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-139-14"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-139-6"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm satisfied to know a little and to be out from under the pressure, out from under the weight of expectations. In God's eye, I am perfect. I am this particular version of the Elizabeth Anne design. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/20gt0m9sui3ht1x/I%20Am%20God%E2%80%98s%20Own.mp3?dl=0">I Am God's Own</a>.<br />
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E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-11270885670756963142013-04-21T08:52:00.002-03:002021-06-30T06:03:30.219-03:00Returning To Eden<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/il99ul0dg3t6f1a/Blessed%20Are%20Those.mp3?dl=0">Blessed Are Those</a> who bless you Israel... - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Numbers 24:9</span></span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">If there's a blessing to be had, I want it. I will join with the prophet Balaam in blessing Israel... and reap the benefit of a blessing for myself. Myself aside, it needs to be said that Israel is God's chosen people. Chosen for a purpose - to be a "light". I want that light shining, don't you? So let's bless them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I didn't have any those worthy thoughts in mind when writing the words of Balaam's oracle in my journal. I simply liked the poetry and imagery of the palm groves stretching far and wide, the gardens beside the river, the aloes planted by the Lord and the cedars by the waters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Number 24:5 - "How fair are your tents, O Jacob".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I asked the question in bible study one evening at St. Thomas' Church, NL, "Is The Promise something that we have to wait for until the day we die, or is it something we can receive before then?" I guess what I was really asking was, can I hope to experience the life of Eden in this time on earth? - To look around me and see lives fully restored, fully healed, and at one with God. Freedom from disease and corruption. Evil banished. In whole communities. In my community. In me. The song <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/raqqchdd01njd4c/Returning%20To%20Eden.mp3?dl=0">Returning To Eden</a> came from a time of pondering this ongoing inquiry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I don't remember if the question was answered that evening. I suppose one can always hope to have at least a taste of Eden... "while it is still called today". - <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hebrews 3:13</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-35861814387413351762013-04-20T10:13:00.002-03:002021-06-30T06:01:30.543-03:00My Soul Thirsts<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Soon after moving back to Nova Scotia, I visited my friends at Lighthouse Community Church. Whenever I was in the province, I would often go there on Sundays and through the week to the prayer group and bible study. That week they were planning a "soaking in the presence of God" evening, with worship music on CD. The thought crossed my mind to offer to sing and play some of my songs. I left that thought right where it was... until I was certain it was a divine prompting. So... I offered... and Pastor Jocelyn accepted.</span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">And there I was, Wednesday evening with guitar in hand, wondering how was I ever going to do this. This was my third time playing in front of more than an audience of one or my cat. And it would involve playing more than one or two songs. I trembled my way through the first few songs and then gradually became more calm. Fortunately, they're a generous and forgiving bunch at LCC. I was glad in the end to have followed the prompting.</span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The response amazed me and I was richly rewarded with positive feedback. Debra, o</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">ne of worship team at the church, had several encouraging words and in particular, one prophetic word. She believed I would soon be writing a song with more than one voice. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0znt0o93l6k4otr/Who%20Rises%20Up%20For%20Me.mp3?dl=0">Who Rises Up For Me</a> is that song. There are three "voices" that can be heard - two that are me: doubt and hope; and one that is God: assurance. Can you tell who's who in the lyrics?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">There is only one voice in <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ht28nq27segkj9d/My%20Soul%20Thirsts.mp3?dl=0">My Soul Thirst</a>, and it's all me. If there were one song that could sum up my daily walk (and talk) with God, this would be it. My prayer is that the rich feasting and <i>joyful praise</i> would increase, and the <i>dry and weary land</i> would decrease.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I always imagine myself as a little song bird on her perch singing this song. If it's a cage I'm in, I'm sure the door would be open. At least I'm protected from the cat!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-73765745531304218292013-04-19T09:28:00.000-03:002017-03-07T13:01:35.726-04:00For The Lord Is Coming<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I occasionally get the sense that one of my songs is prophetic in nature - a message for the times we are in. There is no surprise in this, as many of the lyrics I write come straight from the inspired word of God - the bible. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqzm51bvbvpq2ax/For%20The%20Lord%20Is%20Coming.mp3?dl=0">For The Lord Is Coming</a> is one of those songs. It's a message that one can hear in the airwaves these days. It's straight forward. Short and to the point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 96 -</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "<span class="text Ps-96-12">Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-96-13" id="en-NRSV-15479">before the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>; for he is coming, </span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-96-13">for he is coming to judge the earth. </span></span><span class="text Ps-96-13">He will judge the world with righteousness, </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-96-13">and the peoples with his truth."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">If there were ever any doubt, and you needed a reference letter for God, Psalm 146 would be it. Beginning at the 6th verse, all the key attributes are listed: creator, source of faith and justice, provider... liberator, healer, guardian, upholder... God loves. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The key word for me in writing this next song was "happy". Not one of the attributes listed, but the hoped for result in me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Psalm 146:5 -</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> "<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/5f3yqomsqjtumo0/Happy%20Are%20Those.mp3?dl=0">Happy Are Those</a>... <span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-146-5">whose hope is in the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> their God".</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I was in the pursuit of happiness. You may have seen the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness">movie</a> of the same name, featuring Will Smith. The unbelievable true story of homelessness, divine encounters, heartache, perseverance, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, which ends in the most joyous moment of success. Was it worth it? Is it worth it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For my own pursuit, I'm happy to say, "yes"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-28286738116662144462013-04-18T10:29:00.001-03:002021-06-30T05:56:39.780-03:00Be Bold<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">It was one of my final days in the little cottage on Neary's Pond, NL, just puttering about in the kitchen. I heard myself singing a chorus, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/zsa5vb2zoftpnto/I%20Will%20Call%20Upon%20Your%20Holy%20Name.mp3?dl=0">I Will Call Upon Your Holy Name</a>. I had to stop and wonder what I was singing. I was surprised to discover it was something new. Words and melody. A rare occurrence. For a time it remained a chorus and I liked it that way. However, in searching the scripture to see where the words may have originated, I found in Psalm 116 what would become the body of the song. The little chorus then became an intro and finale. I think it could easily stand alone as a meditative chorus for those who want to try it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"I will call upon your holy name. I will call upon your holy name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">In your presence now, I will pay my vow, and offer sacrifice of praise."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The day eventually came when I made my final departure from Newfoundland, after 10 years of going back and forth between various homes there and my family home in <a href="http://www.lunenburgns.com/">Lunenburg</a>, Nova Scotia. I headed for a little village along the LaHave River, NS and to a potential new job with the local winery - <a href="http://www.petiterivierevineyards.ca/">Petite Riviere Vineyards</a>. I was graciously offered a place to start from, in the cottage of one of the owners, sharing the space with the vineyard foreman. After a couple of weeks it became apparent that finding more permanent accommodation was going to be next to impossible, and it was still not clear what my job would be with the winery. I began to lose confidence in the move. That's when this little but mighty song came along to keep me going forward. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/342nhghs0rf3aid/AABxd8P-2FYvQFctJlNbx6uva?dl=0">Be Bold</a>... and be strong.</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Deuteronomy 31:8 - "It is the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I did not end up settling in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_Riviere_Bridge,_Nova_Scotia">Petite</a>. I found myself back in the family home and back into a time of songwriting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Back into a time of transition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-30198887870810286422013-04-17T10:04:00.001-03:002021-06-30T05:54:13.819-03:00O God, It's True<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">During the first and unforgettable <a href="http://www.alphacanada.org/">Alpha</a> retreat weekend, I had the experience of making my first ever confession. It came as a complete surprise, as I was lead in prayer by Peter, one of the course leaders. I had grown up Anglican and the act of personal confession was not something I was familiar with. And, to be perfectly honest, I didn't know I had anything in particular to repent of. Surprise! On God's agenda that day was, bringing into His light, my dabbling in the occult - visits to clairvoyants, tarot card readings, horoscope readings, and the like. I had been seeking - trying to find myself - in darkness, rather than in the light of God. It was time to turn from those practices. I must say, since that first confession, I've experienced a complete revulsion to any of those things. I can see now that they are deceptive at best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">After the prayer, I went for a walk through the woods by the retreat centre. I discovered a spot where a beam of sun was making its way through the trees. I sat in that spot of light and thought about what had just taken place, feeling bewildered. I found myself in a state of remorse saying, "O God. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">As we celebrated communion later in the day, my mind was flooded with other sins in my life. I pictured myself going before the group and presenting the list. Coming clean. Fortunately, my friend Anne sitting next to me, sensing my struggle, suggested I bring those things privately to God for the moment. Somewhat relieved, I was able to go forward to accept the Lord's Supper - his body and blood, given for me! <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/iqat29syd9s2ia9/O%20God%2C%20It%E2%80%98s%20True.mp3?dl=0">O God, It's True</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Here's a gentle lullaby to bring today's post to a close. God's promise, found at the end of the popular Psalm 91, known for its ability - the power of the spoken Word - to shield us from evil. I love the part about the "angels set round about us to keep us in all our ways." I depend on God's heavenly host, daily. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/34xhrtxkjomaiel/Those%20Who%20Love%20Me.mp3?dl=0">Those Who Love Me</a>, "I will deliver".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">God's will be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">E.</span>Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452562390611848977.post-85624335719706241662013-04-16T10:20:00.002-03:002021-01-10T09:27:49.389-04:00Unto The Lord<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">For months, as my head hit the pillow each night, I would have the thought "I love you, Lord", words I had read many times at the beginning of Psalm 18. It was during a period of time when I wasn't feeling any particular kind of love at all. And yet, the thought persisted. "I love you, Lord." I continued to wait for the feeling to match the words. The psalm goes on with words I could easily relate to, "my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield" - sentiments I truly felt. </span><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/42827kckwkjypt6/O%20Lord%2C%20You%20Are%20My%20Rock.mp3?dl=0"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">O Lord, You Are My Rock</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> conveys them all. Perhaps the day will come when I can sing with conviction "I love you, Lord". That may seem odd coming from someone with a growing collection of worship songs. What I feel seems like a faint whisper to whatever it is I'm waiting for. Compared to God's love for us, I suppose our love for him would seem like a faint whisper.</span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">There was a chorus I began hearing, "I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song." It seemed like a good start to a new song... until I discovered </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZDp7i9RfRE"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">U2</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> had a song with the same words! Yet, the chorus kept coming to me, along with a great big gospel voice singing overtop, "He is Marvelous..." It was the voice of </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Jimmy Lee Howard</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> - an accomplished drummer, songwriter, and "big gospel voice". He ministers through his music wherever opportunity brings him. I knew him from my time at </span><a href="http://www.musicnl.ca/"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">MUSICNL</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> in St. John's, NL. </span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Jimmy Lee likely has no shortage of material to sing, but it would be cool to hear him do his thing with </span><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqh2x6rnkyepgx6/Unto%20The%20Lord.mp3?dl=0"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Unto The Lord</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, the song that eventually evolved from its U2 beginning. What do you say Jimmy Lee? And no, I don't want to sing back-up in your choir. He's always recruiting. Here's a </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-L-KR5_qs"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">YouTube</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> taste of Jimmy Lee Howard... and those are my friends Margaret and Donna Squires in red, singing back-up! There's also a nice glimpse of some of the other great musicians I once knew in St. John's.</span><br />
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Feeling a little homesick now.</span><br />
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<br />Eli Words and Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883276124613533438noreply@blogger.com0