Let My Lifesong Sing, Casting Crowns

Last week, Pastor David Wilkerson was killed in a head-on car accident; that same day his last blog was published. He had lived a life of power, grace, and joy! What a testimony to his faith in Jesus at age 79! He lived what he spoke - he left a 'lifesong' worthy of note!


In 1986, while walking down 42nd Street at midnight, Pastor David Wilkerson’s heart broke over what he saw. At that time, Times Square was populated mainly by prostitutes and pimps, runaways, drug addicts and hustlers, along with live peep shows and X-rated movie houses. Pastor David cried out for God to do something—anything—to help the physically destitute and spiritually dead people he saw.



He cried out to God to bring a testimony to that hellish place of drug addicts, prostitution, and pimps. God spoke to his heart that 'he knew New York and he should do something about it! ' In 1987, he opened Times Square Church. He loved those in the street gangs and helped many to receive their Lord and Savior. He wrote about the rough years working in the gangs in The Cross and the Switchblade.

Here is an excerpt from his last blog:
WHEN ALL MEANS FAIL by David Wilkerson | April 27, 2011

"To believe when all means fail is exceedingly pleasing to God and is most acceptable. Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are those that do believe and have not seen” (John 20:29).

Blessed are those who believe when there is no evidence of an answer to prayer—who trust beyond hope when all means have failed.

Someone has come to the place of hopelessness—the end of hope—the end of all means. A loved one is facing death and doctors give no hope. Death seems inevitable. Hope is gone. The miracle prayed for is not happening.

That is when Satan’s hordes come to attack your mind with fear, anger, overwhelming questions: “Where is your God now? You prayed until you had no tears left. You fasted. You stood on promises. You trusted.”

Blasphemous thoughts will be injected into your mind: “Prayer failed. Faith failed. Don’t quit on God—just do not trust him anymore. It doesn’t pay!”

Even questioning God’s existence will be injected into your mind. These have been the devices of Satan for centuries. Some of the godliest men and women who ever lived were under such demonic attacks.

To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights—and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, “I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.”

Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world."

Mark Hall of Casting Crowns has written this song that makes me cry out to the Savior for the grace to live a sold-out life for Him. I want to be that witness and let my life-song sing, too!

"I love this song.... God is so powerful. I mean I am only 12, but I am so grateful for what he has done for me. I got saved recently, and my whole world became brighter. I have had at least 20 people ask me how I went from being a stuck up brat, to a whole new person, And I just reply saying- 'I once was lost, but now I see'. I now walk with Christ in Faith. Casting Crowns helped save my eternal life. Thank you, Jesus!" ~ anonymous comment

Lyrics:
Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say

And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You

I want to sign Your name to the end of this day

Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Hallelujah Hallelujah

Let my lifesong sing to You

Supporting Scriptures:

"The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15: 2

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12 :2

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer." Psalm 19: 14

"Whom have I in heaven, but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my Portion forever." Psalm 73: 25-26

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." Psalm 28: 7-8

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." Philippians 2: 14-16

Glorious Day, Casting Crowns

Yesterday I woke to the beauty of an incredible sunrise. For some reason I have always thought that Christ will come again when the sun is shining! And while the Bible tell us that Jesus will reappear, it does not tell us when.

What it does tell us is found in Matthew 24 and 25 (also Mark 13 and Luke 21), known as the Olivet Discourse, a teaching given to the disciples when they asked about His return. These 4 chapters provide a comprehensive truth about the last days and a way to understand the end times.

Jesus tells about the first half of the tribulation in Matthew 24: 4-8 and the signs associated with Christ's return. They include 1) false messiahs (v.5); 2) reports of wars (v.6-7); and 3) natural catastrophes(v.7). These are only the "beginning of birth pangs"(v.8).

The Scientific American, the World Meteorological Organization, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency all agree that worldwide catastrophes are quickly increasing. The cause, they say, is global warming.


But the Bible tells us something different:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24: 36-39

Lyrics:
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Chorus:
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Oh, glorious day

Supporting Scriptures:

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap." Malachi 3: 2

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4: 8

"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work."
1 Corinthians 3: 12-13

" And then the lawless one [Satan] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."

2 Thessalonians 2: 8

"And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

2 Timothy 1: 11-12

Find the core beliefs of true Christians here. "...and they shall know us by our love."~ based on John 13 :35

Praise You In This Storm, Casting Crowns

My son sent me this National Weather Service aerial photo earlier this week. (Can you see the tip of Florida and Mexico?- barely?) Much of the nation prepared for the worst, ridding grocery shelves of much of the food and hunkering down to ride out this gigantic system bringing ice, heavy snow, and blizzard-like conditions with high winds. Pipes froze in Texas and Florida; electricity was out for tens of thousands elsewhere. Above average snow and ice covered almost 70% of the contiguous states, according to NOAA.

Here at home, we prepared cold foods a day in advance of the storm and drew up water reserves. We finally got our wood burning stove hooked up (well, partially)! We were spared the worst, but many were not so fortunate. I am not sure I was actively praising God for this!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Casting Crowns has written a powerful song which captures what we are to do when faced with life's storms. Mark and Melanie Hall of Casting Crowns give testimony on adopting a little girl with special needs from China into their home schooled family. This music flows from their lives. Read how God is working in the storm this brought to them: http://www.castingcrowns.com/blogs/melanie/update-hope-0

This version is softer than the original sung on their CD. I present that video below this one.

Notice: may want to turn down the volume at first - heavier than some might care for. Original track. This communicates more of how I feel when I am really crying out to God!! You can decide which one you can worship better to.

Lyrics:
I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain "I'm with you" And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away

[Chorus:]

And I'll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to you And you raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

Supporting Scriptures:
"Through him [Jesus], therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name." Hebrews 13: 15

"Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121: 1-4

"I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, save me!” Psalm 116: 1-4

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings." Psalm 40: 2

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" Romans 12: 1-2

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”" Hebrews 13: 5

While You Were Sleeping, by Casting Crowns

Since I am a 'boomer' and have a perspective of the then (50s) and the now, I have been mourning the widespread loss of the Christian heritage of our country. Around the world we are known as a 'Christian' nation, even though the polls here show otherwise. One product of our culture exported around the world is our entertainment-driven media. It encourages a lifestyle of sports-consuming couch-potatoes, internet and video game addicts, as well as, overfed and undernourished children who disdain a real education in favor of personal fun. In many cases this is becoming reality, as parents pursue their own interests and abdicate headship of the home, leaving children to do "whatever'! We are increasingly asleep at the wheel, unaware of the chaos this is heaping upon the vital infra-structure of our land - the family. There are still a few who uphold the true values of Jesus Christ which include modesty, morality and decency, honest business practices and a strong work ethic, enduring family ties, and compassion. There will always be a remnant as in Genesis 18: 32 when Abraham asked God if He would spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were as few as 10 righteous people who had not bowed the knee to idols. May it be that we are like the five virgins in the parable (Matthew 25:1-10 below) who were found awake and ready!

" This is what I see in our culture. We have strong convictions in one area, but we totally contradict them in another place. And to me, someone who is passionate about saving dolphins and saving trees and then applauds someone who is killing their child--and to do it with a straight face--it just shows you how far away we are.

"To look back at Bethlehem and to look back at Jerusalem and say, "How can they have had Jesus with them face-to-face and still miss it?" I think we have even more than that. We have Jesus’ people all around us and we've got the signs. We’ve got all the scripture that they never had back then. And here we’re going to miss it again as a country.

"Paul said to Timothy, the time is going to come when people are going to surround themselves with teachers that are going to tell them what their itching ears want to hear, and what our philosophies tell you today is, “I’m OK, you’re OK, don’t believe anything that has any sort of accountability to it. Just take some from here and take some from there and just be/do whatever feels good to you."--Mark Hall of Casting Crowns

Lyrics:
Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

Supporting Scriptures:

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. "Matthew 25:1-13

"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:1-9

The church is the bride of Christ (America is NOT the church, however):

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Ephesians 5:25, 31-32

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” Colossians 2:8

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron... Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. " 1 Timothy 4:1-2, 16

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7