In a Short, Little Breath

This is a poem I penned during the days following the sudden passing of my dear Uncle Samuel--a godfather to me since birth and an uncle to me by marriage. And every time the words of the chorus float through my mind, I learn to rejoice that he is resting in the arms of God. 

Verse:

In a short, little breath,

All the memories made

Are disrupted by death

Of the loved one who’s laid

On the altar before us today.

In the blink of an eye,

All the plans we had made

Disappear with the sigh

That forever would fade

In the shadow above us today.

Chorus:

But the body we see

Is no longer he

For he’s in his heavenly home

And there he is free

To live painlessly

In the arms of our heavenly Lord.

If Only You Could See

Every time I enter a memorial chapel with my church's singing ensemble to bring songs of comfort, my heart goes out to the family members whose faces are drenched in tears and pale with sorrow. I feel incredibly sorry for their loss. But if only they could see their loved ones enjoying in heaven, perhaps the sorrow might not be so difficult to bear. And I hope these unique lyrics--written from the perspective of the one in heaven--might bring that comfort closer to home.

Verse:

I dwell in mountains where the sun

Would never set in sorrow;

I live a day that's never done

And will never reach tomorrow.

I sing with birds of paradise

Eternal songs of gladness;

And jubilantly I arise

Without a trace of sadness.

Chorus:

If only you could see

Me dancing round in joy,

My body light and free

Of pain that once destroyed,

If only you could see

This everlasting day,

You'd stop to smile with me

And wipe your tears away.

Nothing in the World

I seldom write pure lyrics, lyrics that do not resemble poetry in any sense. But with this song, the words flowed out of me so naturally as I composed beside my cousin Theodore. I remember that evening of composition very well, just as I remember the song very well. Truly, nothing can satisfy once one has been found by the One who finds.

Time and time again,
I’ve felt a longing deep within,
Trying hard to find my place
Within this world of sin,
Time and time again,
I’ve searched my dreams all over
Saw them formed, fulfilled, and lost…

Until the day I said
I couldn’t do it any more,
His love called and restored me
To all I should be living for.

And so I found by being found,
And I was freed by being bound,
And bound to Him I’ll always be,
For in His goodness I am free.

And nothing, nothing in the world
Could ever satisfy,
For Jesus, He is everything
I’d ever want in life.

Homesick for Heaven

People sometimes do not understand why I say I'm homesick when I'm actually spending the staggering majority of my time at home. When I say I'm homesick nowadays though, I'm referring to quite a different home, a Home more real than anything. Am I suicidal? No. Yet sometimes, I do get homesick...in this piece, I've once again borrowed a few lines from a friend. If you read this, you know who you are. Thanks for the help.

When struggles always reoccur…
When battles in the soul refuse to end…
I’m homesick, I’m homesick,
I’m homesick for heav’n.

When those one cares about the most…
Fall short of what ones wishes they had been…
I’m homesick, I’m homesick,
I’m homesick for heav’n.

When I discover in myself…
Repeatedly what I detest to see…
I’m homesick, so homesick,
So homesick for heav’n.

When knowing what is right to do…
Cannot equate to making it come true…
I say, “Lord, I’m homesick,
I’m homesick for heav’n.

“Lord, burn me hard, and burn me bright,
And burn me fast until the end,
That in You, I soon might
Be back home in heav'n."

All Done for You

It's another new year, and I can hardly keep up with everything I want to do in every area. I admit the tendency to pursue only what I want to do, instead of what I should. Yet all our pleasures on this earth are temporal, and I can only pray for God to help me keep an eternal perspective, no matter what sacrifice it requires.

My heart is beating, beating, Lord,
Each moment of each day;
The time is fleeting, fleeting, Lord,
As hours refuse to stay.
O may Your voice repeating, Lord,
Remind my heart today
That when in heaven meeting, Lord,
In Your eternal day,
All done for me proves fleeting, Lord,
All done for You will stay.

When I Am Gone

Over all these years, this has remained my favorite poetic composition. It is the poem that I hope to live by, and it is the poem I wish to have read at my death. This, after all, is what really matters, when I am gone.

Remember not my weaknesses,
Remember not my shame,
Remember not how I had worked
To glorify my name.
Remember not accomplishments
That people called my own;
Remember not the words nor deeds
That blessed me with renown.

Remember now the instances,
Though few and scarce they be,
When you beheld my human form
But saw the Lord in me.
Remember all His promises
Of faith, of hope, of love;
Remember that I have returned
At last to home above.

Hour by Hour

I cannot believe the first three months of 2007 have already gone by. Time is fleeting indeed. "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," wise Solomon said. May God help me to keep this lesson close to my heart in the midst of all my strivings.

Hour by hour, the days pass by,
Day by day, the weeks move by,
Week by week, the months go by,
Month by month, the years fly by.

Hours, days, weeks, and months, and years,
How fast they come and go!
And when my youth is all but gone,
What will I have to show?
When wrinkles capture youthful smiles,
When brittle bones become,
When painful moments fill my days
Of life beneath the sun,
The blissful mem’ries of the world
Would prove mere vanity;
Take heed, young heart, and serve today
Creation’s Sovereignty.

For All Eternity

This is a set of lyrics I wrote several years ago. All this time, none of my composing partners have been able to come up with a complete tune for it. Even so, however, I still hold them close to my heart. Although they may have their imperfections, I love these lyrics for their universal message. God sent His Son to save us, and now we may live in Him for all eternity.

I once believed in all the things the people taught to me.
I thought there couldn’t be a God that no one ever sees.
I thought there wasn’t such a thing as true eternity,
But should the road just end one day, what would become of me?

I heard the story of a man who died on Calvary
Who loved the world so much that He would die to set men free.
I couldn’t help but wonder why he died so willingly,
And should the road just end today, will He be there for me?

Chorus:
O Jesus, Christ, the Prince of Peace, You gave Your all for me.
You brought me everlasting life by death on Calvary.
There is no other person who will be as dear to me.
I offer up to You my life for all eternity.

The day arrived when I picked up a book I used to see,
An aged book I never thought could be a part of me.
As I read on I realized it’s teaching me to be
A child of God much better than the sinner found in me.

Today I love above the world the man on Calvary.
I know He lives within my heart where I can’t touch or see.
I know He is perfecting me to last eternity,
And should my road just end today, He will be there for me.