Day 31: "The Power of the Cross"

When I started writing this month, I figured I would write about a mix of songs...Christian and "other". Just whatever songs I felt like writing about. However, a distinct theme has developed over the last 31 days. That theme is Jesus. Everything in my life is affected by Jesus. How could I write about anything else? This last song is what it's all about. Jesus gave His life for us and makes it possible for us to live. Without His sacrifice, nothing else matters. 

"The Power of the Cross"

Oh, to see the dawn

Of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men,

Torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood. 

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross. 

Oh, to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed

Crowning Your bloodstained brow. 

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross. 

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross. 

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love. 

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God—slain for us.

What a love! What a cost! 

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Day 27: "Flawless" (Not Beyonce)

Have you ever misheard lyrics? I know I'm not the only one who has because Jimmy Fallon has a whole hashtag about it. There's a song called "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by Travis Tritt, and when I was little I thought the words were "I spilt tea all over your BLT." Which is, you know,  a legitimate reason to write a song. You gotta tell em their sandwich is soggy. No good.

Anyway...that hasn't happened to me in a long time, but recently I figured out I was singing this song completely wrong (full disclosure: I also thought Building 429's song "I press on" was called "Happy Song" and I was really confused about it.) This song says "The cross has made you flawless." However, I was hearing "The cross has made you promise" which is just bad theology. Jesus didn't make us promise anything to Him. He didn't wait to die until we agreed to do our part. He just did it anyway. Even though He knew we were going to keep messing up over and over again. Just like this song says, it's never too late! As long as you have breath in your lungs, you can have Jesus and His life and His love and His grace and His mercy and His forgiveness and all you have to do is give up trying to do it all yourself! That's it! Just admit to God that you are just messing it all up and you cannot do it anymore. He has to take over. He wants to take over our lives. Not in a creepy possessed kind of way, but in a He knows way better than we ever will kind of way. We just have to stop trying to control it and let Him take it all over. Honestly, even in the times when I am most anxiously trying to control everything, I don't really want to. I am just believing the lies from the devil that are telling me I have to work harder, do more, be more, and I certainly can't give up. But God says "go ahead and give it up. You don't have to work harder or do anything differently. You can come just as you are. I already love you." We don't have to promise God anything in order to get salvation, but we do GET to promise ourselves to God. God never breaks His promises, but He is always willing to forgive and forget when we break ours. And we will. We always do. He stays perfect through our imperfection. He stays faithful through our unfaithfulness. He stays close through our drifting. He just wants you. That's it. You don't have to bring anything, but you will still want to. When you experience God's grace, you will want to promise Him everything and give Him all you have. And all we have is our own life. Thankfully, all we have to give is exactly what He wants.

Don't mishear these lyrics. And be careful with your tea around other peoples' sandwiches.

"Flawless" (MercyMe)

There's got to be more
Than going back and forth
From doing right to doing wrong
‘Cause we were taught that's who we are
Come on get in line right behind me
You along with everybody
Thinking there's worth in what you do

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We're on the edge of our seats saying it's too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace

No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless

Could it possibly be
That we simply can't believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough
To take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that's exactly what He did

Take a breath smile and say
Right here right now I'm ok because
The cross was enough

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We're on the edge of our seats saying it's too late
Well let me introduce you to grace grace
God's grace

No matter what they say
Or what you think you are
The day you called His name
He made you flawless

Day 22: "Above All"

I've had this song stuck in my head for the last few days, and I have no idea why. I haven't heard it in years, but I love it. It shows an excellent and perfect picture of the cross. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us...a bunch of whiny sinners. Amazing!

"Above All"

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Day 20: "Lord, I need You"

I was reminded again last night when two girls from my 12th grade girls' Life Group class were sharing their testimonies that we all have a different story. These girls are identical twins and even though people sometimes try to make them two halves of one whole, they are truly two completely whole people on their own. They are whole because Jesus made them that way. They both shared about when Jesus saved them and how they knew immediately that they were different than they had been before. The hole they felt inside was now filled with the One who made them. Both. Individually.

God loves each of us for who we are. Not for who we hang out with or who we're related to. We could be orphans with no friends and He would still choose us! That is a lesson I need to learn every single day.

Today's song was mentioned last night too. The melody is simple. The words are simple. The message is simple. But it is also truth. God's love is simple. We make it complicated and try to do instead of just being. We just need Jesus. Everything else will follow when we are filled completely with Him. Our relationships, our thoughts, our actions...they'll all reflect Him if we look to Him first and only.

"Lord, I need You" (Matt Maher)

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without You, I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You
Oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense
My righteousness
Oh, God how I need You

Where sin runs deep
Your grace is more
Where grace is found, is where You are
Where You are, Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Yes, where You are, Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You
Oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense
My righteousness
Oh, God how I need You

Teach my song
To rise to you
When temptation comes my way,
When I cannot stand
I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You
Oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense
My righteousness
Oh, God how I need You
You're my one defense,
My righteousness
Oh, God how I need You
My one defense,
My righteousness
Oh, God how I need You

Day 10: "Be Born In Me"

I've never been a mother, so I can't fully understand how Mary loved Jesus. I don't know what it was like for her to be visited by an angel and told of God's plan--a plan unlike anything that had ever happened in the history of the world. I don't know if she was afraid or anxious or felt like maybe she was crazy. I do know that she was obedient. I think God still would have accomplished His plan if Mary had said no to being the mother of Jesus, but I know she would have missed out on the biggest blessing.

We know from the Bible and other historical accounts that life was not easy for the early followers of Jesus. I know that by saying yes to God, Mary was not choosing the easy path. I think she knew that. I think she understood that people would turn their backs on her and question her account of how she came to be carrying a child out of wedlock. She probably knew she was putting her family's status at risk and risking her chance of ever becoming a wife. But she said yes anyway and God honored her obedience. He gave her a husband and a family. He also gave her the opportunity to be the mother of our Savior.

I want to be this trusting and obedient. I want to do what God asks of me regardless of the "consequences". I want to trust that what He has for be is so much better than what I would plan for myself.

This song was part of The Story tour. If you haven't heard of that, it's a concert/CD that goes through the Bible from beginning to end. Various artists wrote songs based on the lives of different people throughout the Bible, and the concert goes chronologically from Genesis to Revelation.

The song written for Mary is called "Be Born In Me" by Francesca Battistelli.

Everything inside me cries for order
Everything inside me wants to hide
Is this shadow an angel or a warrior
If God is pleased with me, why I am I so terrified
Someone tell me I am only dreaming
Somehow help me see with Heaven's eyes
And before my head agrees, my heart is on it's knees
Holy is He. Blessed am I.

Be born in me, be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me
I'll hold you in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

All this time we've waited for the promise
All this time You've waited for my arms
Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected
So we might know that Love would go that far?

Be born in me, be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me
I'll hold you in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

I am not brave
I'll never be
The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy
I'm just a girl
Nothing more
But I am willing, I am Yours

Be born in me, be born in me
I'll hold you in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
Be born in me

Day 6: "The Stand"

In 2008 (yes, I looked it up), Hillsong United released an album. One of the songs from that album is called "The Stand". It builds beautifully and the lyrics are honest. The line of the song that I think is the most important says "What could I say, what could I do, but offer this heart, oh God, completely to you?" When we really see all that God has done for us, do we have any other option? There's nothing else we can do but offer our whole life to the One who made us and loves us more than we'll ever be able to fathom.

"The Stand" acknowledges what Christ has done for us because of His love for us, and then it responds with surrender. With awe. With determination for how our lives should look after we've encountered the Living God. It's both an admission and a challenge. When you've seen God, there's no other or better response than to offer your heart to Him. Completely.

Here are today's lyrics:

You stood before creation

Eternity in your hand

You spoke the earth into motion

My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure

And carried the cross for my shame

My sin weighed upon your shoulders

My soul now to stand

So what could I say?

And what could I do?

But offer this heart, Oh God

Completely to you

So I'll walk upon salvation

Your spirit alive in me

This life to declare your promise

My soul now to stand

So what could I say?

And what could I do?

But offer this heart, Oh God

Completely to you

I'll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe of the one who gave it all

I'll stand

My soul Lord to you surrendered

All I am is yours

Day 5: "Come Alive (Dry Bones)"

Lauren Daigle sings a song called "Come Alive (Dry Bones)" and it is just magical. The lyrics are honest and real. So many times we hear people talking about the obvious blessings of God with big, cheesy grins on their face. We forget that there is a battle raging all around us. Dark vs. Light. We aren't always aware of the battle, but it's happening. One of my favorite verses is Exodus 14:14. "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." We don't realize the battle is going on, but we feel the effects of it in our lives. We feel trapped or weighted down. Anything but free. But God tells us that He will fight for us and we can just be still. In fact, I'm sure he prefers us being still and waiting for His direction. I don't believe God gets mad when we take off on our own again, but I do believe it makes Him sad. Just like the prodigal son and his father, God misses us when we are not close by. When we're not listening and waiting eagerly for His next Word. But. When we do come back, He doesn't scold us or give us the cold shoulder. He rejoices and celebrates that His child is home!

"Come Alive" references over and over the relentless love of God. His heart is for rescue. For redemption. For reconciliation. We waste so much time staying away from Him because of pride or shame or guilt or fear, and the whole time we're away, He's expectantly awaiting our return. I love that.

Here are the words:

Through the eyes of men it seems
There's so much we have lost
As we look down the road
Where all the prodigals have walked
One by one
The enemy has whispered lies
And led them off as slaves

But we know that you are God
Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come
That we may not yet see
So with the faith you've given us
We'll step into the valley unafraid, yeah

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones, come alive

God of endless mercy
God of unrelenting love
Rescue every daughter
Bring us back the wayward son
And By your spirit breathe upon them
Show the world that you alone can save
You alone can save

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive

So breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe, oh breath of God
Breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe

Breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe, oh breath of God
Breathe, oh breath of God, now breathe

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive, yeah
We call out to dry bones, come alive

Oh come alive

31 Days of Lyrics That Give Me the Feels

I've tried this before...this 31 days of writing thing. I usually make it to day 11 or even 15 before just stopping. I think I made it all the way through one year, but my posts got super lame near the end. Please accept my apology for lameness. For some reason, I'm trying again. 2015 style.

This year, I'm writing about song lyrics that give me feels. Some songs make me cry. Some songs make me smile. Some make me want to take off and go to Heaven already. Some lyrics don't make any sense, and I don't think I'll just be writing about Christian songs, but we'll see how it goes. I'm not giving myself too many rules this time.

31 Days of Lyrics That Give Me the Feels:

Day 1: "Be Thou My Vision"

Day 2: "Fight Song"

Day 3: "Forever"

Day 4: "Because He Lives"

Day 5: "Come Alive (Dry Bones)"

Day 6: "The Stand"

Day 7: "It is Well"

Day 8: "Bones"

Day 9: "Give Me Faith"

Day 10: "Be Born In Me"

Day 11: "I Am Not Alone"

Day 12: "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)"

Day 13: "It is Finished"

Day 14: "C.S. Lewis Song"

Day 15: "At the Cross"

Day 16: "Oceans"

Day 17: "You Make Me Brave"

Day 18: "I Will Carry You"

Day 19: "While I'm Waiting"

Day 20: "Lord, I need You"

Day 21: "Even If (The Healing Doesn't Come)"

Day 22: "Above All"

Day 23: "Jesus, Son of God"

Day 24: "Cornerstone"

Day 25: "Hard to Get"

Day 26: "Good to Me"

Day 27: "Flawless" (Not Beyonce)

Day 28: "Beautiful"

Day 29: "Just Be Held"

Day 30: "My Everything" and "Always Enough"

Day 31: "The Power of the Cross"

Day 6: "No way me too!"

My parents waited 7 years to have my twin. That sounds weird. Okay, fine. We aren't actually twins, but we kind of are. Autumn is the baby. The "surprise". She is a legit miracle child in every sense of the word. My sisters are my best friends. We've been through life together. Even if we don't live in the same house or same state, we still talk all the time and we share life with each other. There are things we say to each other that we would never say to anyone else. Autumn and I like to say that we share a personality. Or really 5 personalities. Susan, Thomas, Jeff (as in Jeff the Wiggle), Alicia, and Autumn. We were separated at birth (+7.5 years).

If you watch Grey's Anatomy, you'll understand that Autumn is my person. I don't love her more than Amanda or Alayna, but she is the person who says "That happens to me too." She reminds me that I'm not alone. I'm not crazy for feeling the way I feel about things. The stupid things I get excited or angry about, she is there to say "NO WAY ME TOO!" or NWMT. We shortened it because we said it so much. Autumn and I are so much alike, but I can only hope that I have the same qualities she has.

Autumn is brave. She's hilarious. She takes chances and risks. She is quirky, but she's not afraid of it. She has a unique style, and she does not care that she gets weird looks when she wears a turban. Autumn loves people. She sees the good in people that others write off. She appreciates. She notices. She is smart and passionate. She gets cranky when she's tired. She gets silly when she's tired-er. She loves Yoo-hoo's and Cheez-its and Twix bars. She's allergic to peanut butter and fake people.

She is my sister, a miss, not mister. Smallest of four, farthest from the floor. How did she get tall? Her name, it means "fall". For some, a favorite season, and we all know the reason. It's cause of her, you see. Cause she is Pre-et-ty.

Day 4: Don't Give Up

My sister, Amanda, has always set goals for herself. When we were miniature, her goal was to win the District, State, and National Free Will Baptist Singing Competitions each year. When she did, she had an iconic (shrill) scream that she became known for. People would plug their ears when they heard her name being called. In high school, her goal was to be voted Best Dressed of her senior class, and she succeeded. She went to an expensive college and graduated with some student loan debt, so her next goal was to pay that off. She worked hard to get there, but she didn't put the rest of her life on hold. She and her husband still travelled (a lot) and still pursued other goals and dreams at the same time. She's had one big goal for a long time. She's always wanted to own a café. A place where she could have coffee with people and talk with them and build relationships. Last fall, she paid off the last of her student loans, and on January 1 of this year, she and Chris bought their café.

There have been times that Amanda thought her dream would be realized only to be faced with another disappointment. She may have had to wait, but she never lost sight of that desire to have a place where she can make friends every day. Now she has that place. And she loves it. And the people love her. One man said "she's like the mayor of this town. she knows everybody." And that is accurate. Amanda will talk to you like she's been your best friend for all 32 years of her life even if it's the first time she's ever seen you. She does not care if you're a stranger. She will treat you like family.

Day 3: Music

Oh my word. I could probably write about the lessons I've learned about music from my family for all 31 days. It may will definitely come up again. God is first. Family second. Music is third. A strong third.

I mentioned on the first day that when my family gets together, we sing. We also shoot guns (at targets), but that's a story for another day. At some point, the guitars and egg shakers come out and we sing our way through hymns, old songs my grandparents and great-grandparents taught all of us, new songs, and every song my cousin Matt or Uncle Tony has ever written. We all know them. And we know all the harmony and echo parts too. You'd think it would get old, but it just doesn't. It's always wonderful. Whether we're around a fire outside, or around a futon in the basement of my aunt and uncle's house, it doesn't matter. The songs are the same. The people are the same. That's what home feels like to me. I lived in the same house from the summer of 1987 until May of 2011, but that's not what I think of when I think of home. I think of music. But not just any music. Our music.

My mom's family is mostly all musical in some capacity. On my dad's side, dad sings and his brother plays every instrument. Just about. That's how it felt when I was growing up, at least. He mostly plays the fiddle, and he gave me a violin for Christmas one year. I took lessons for a couple of years, and I wish I had stuck with it. Just like those pesky piano lessons. I want to play everything now and I wish I had learned when I was younger.

My love of music came from both sides of my family, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. If you find yourself with nothing, and everything seems lost, you still have a voice and a song in your heart. Regardless of the circumstances, music just always IS.

Day 2: God's Word is Valuable

Up until my senior year of high school, my mom ran a day care. For a while when I was very little, that day care was a separate building from our home. When I was 9, Alayna was 4 and Marm realized she hadn't been at home with Alayna at all since she was born. So Marm quit the "external" day care and brought it to our house. She started out by just keeping a few kids during the day, and then she got licensed by the State to keep more and opened her own business. There were kids there when she woke us up for school and kids there when we got home. Some of them came and went, and some became part of the family.

One day, one of the children tore my Mom's Bible to pieces. She wrote in it, ripped out pages, and just destroyed it. My Mom was devastated. She loved her Bible so much and had written so many notes in the margins and underlined so many ways God spoke to her within those pages. It broke her heart to see it messed up, and she cried for a long time.

She got a new Bible--maybe a few more since that day--but that memory sticks out to me. My Mom loves her Bible. Not because of how much she paid for it or who gave it to her, but because of what's inside. She has always taught us songs about the Bible or written from Bible verses. She taught us to memorize scripture when we were little, and those verses are still with me. Her dad was a preacher, and her mom loved God's Word too, and that was passed down to my mother and then to me.

God's Word is valuable because of who God is. With technology today, you can carry multiple versions of the Bible in your pocket, but I still love turning the pages of the Book. God's Word is living and active and relevant to every day. I learned that from many people, but mostly from my Mom. Thanks Marm. :)

Day 1: Family Facts

Hi. I'm Alicia. I'm the second oldest of 4 girls. We're spread out from age 20 to 32. I have one brother-in-law, one boyfriend, and my two younger sisters both have boyfriends named John. My mom and dad are still married. My mom is one of 5 kids--2 boys and 3 girls--all are married and have children and some have grandchildren. My dad has a brother who has a daughter and 2 sons--all with kids of their own. My family is big. My family is loud. My family drives me crazy most of the time. But. I love every one of them because they are mine.

I've learned lots of valuable things from my family over the years, and i'm going to take these October days to write some of them down.

Lesson 1 for today is: Family is Important. I learned this from everyone. My mom's family is quite large. Both of her parents have died in the last 10 years, so currently there are:
10 adults/parents
17 kids (+6 spouses and 3 boyfriends)
11 grandkids

Every "Christmas" we get together--as many of us that can make it--and we hang out. We sing. We stay up too late. We open presents. We celebrate. Most years it's actually New Year's when we get together (that's why I used quotation marks). We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our individual families, and then everyone who doesn't already live in Middle Tennessee travels there to join everyone else around NYE/New Year's Day. It's amazing. Sometimes not everyone can make it, but we make the most of it with who is there and miss the ones who aren't. We eat a lot. We dance a lot. We love each other. We Christmas. I know that's not a verb, but that's the best one I have. It's awesome.

The reason I know family is important is that my cousins and aunts and uncles will put their lives on hold to come be with everyone for 2 days. Some drive 8 hours just to be with the family. Family takes sacrifice. It takes time and compromise. But it's worth it when we're all together. Even when we fight, we wouldn't trade our fights with each other for peace with anyone else.

31 Days of Lessons From My Family

Day 1: Family Facts

Day 2: God's Word is Valuable

Day 3: Music

Day 4: Don't Give Up

Day 5: It's okay to show some emotion

Day 6: "No way me too!"

Day 7: Get Involved