Arms Wide Open

I was getting caught up on my reader feeds today and found this article on StereoTruth.net. I have no idea what this song will sound like, but the lyrics are sure to go right to the heart strings. Below are the lyrics (as posted on StereoTruth.net) to the new song by Steven Curtis Chapman. According to their site, it is set to hit the radio November 3rd. Something tells me there was real healing in this for Steven Curtis Chapman. Something also tells me there will be healing for many, many others as well.

Heaven Is The Face by Steven Curtis Chapman

Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “daddy please come play with me for awhile”

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for God,
You know, I just can’t see beyond the door
So right now Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for God,
You know, I just can’t see beyond the door
But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space

All the cancer is gone
Every mouth is fed
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed
Every lonely heart finds their one true love
And there’s no more goodbye
And no more not enough
And there’s no more enemy (no more)

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You
And we both run into Your arms

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see Heaven in the face of my little girl

“In My Arms” by Plumb

[audio http://leftfield8.com/audio/pinmy.mp3]

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight

Knowing clouds will raise up
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books full of fairy tales
Kings and queens and the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You’ll someday see the truth from lies

Knowing clouds will raise up
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Because I will always
Always love you

Clouds will raise up
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

“Wolves” by Garth Brooks

January’s always bitter
But Lord this one beats all
The wind ain’t quit for weeks now
And the drifts are ten feet tall
I been all night drivin’ heifers
Closer in to lower ground
Then I spent the mornin’ thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pulled down

Charlie Barton and his family
Stopped today to say goodbye
He said the bank was takin’ over
The last few years were just too dry
And I promised that I’d visit
When they found a place in town
Then I spent a long time thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pull down

Lord please shine a light of hope
On those of us who fall behind
And when we stumble in the snow
Could you help us up while there’s still time

Well I don’t mean to be complainin’ Lord
You’ve always seen me through
And I know you got your reasons
For each and every thing you do
But tonight outside my window
There’s a lonesome mournful sound
And I just can’t keep from thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pull down

Oh Lord keep me from bein’
The one the wolves pull down

The kids and I watched “Meet The Robinson’s” the other night. I have this weird knack when watching films of picking up the soundtrack music and how it relates to the film. I have no idea how popular this song was, or if it even made it to radio, but it is rich. At the end of the movie a song called “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas played. The lyrics struck me. I won’t mess up the truth in the words by trying to put context around it. They pretty much say it all.Thank the Lord for “these small hours”.

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain

A few weeks ago the family and I were on a road trip. The 80’s station on Sirius radio was the music of the moment and prompted the following discussion:

Me: “with a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue” what do you think he meant by that?

(Through the radio comes the exact lyric I just quoted)

Heather: “You’re a freak”.

You see I have this sickness. Some people can memorize scripture. Others know history. I have this crazy ability to remember lyrics. Particularly from the 80’s. I can’t tell you what a congruent triangle is (I even had to look up the spelling), but I can sure tell you the next line that Spandau Ballet is going to sing. Fast forward to this past weekend and Heather, for reasons I cannot remember, brings up that lyric. I proceeded to put on an acappella performance of “True” by Spandau Ballet for the entire family.

The kids think know I am crazy now and we’re not allowed to ever go back to that McDonalds again. For all of you that are children of the 80’s too. I give you…”True”

Happy Birthday to my wife Heather today. Brian Littrell sang it best……

“The Grace of My Life”
I lie awake so often at night
With something to read or something to write
In the silence my mind is free
To think of the ways that God has blessed me

It’s easy to see how He’s been so kind
Any proof I might need is right here by my side

You are the grace of my life
So tender, so undeserved
Hard to believe you’re my wife
Even harder to put what I feel into words
If I need evidence God is good
Just looking at you is enough
You are the grace of my life
For you grace my life with your love

Love that is pure, so faithful and strong
You forgive me when I do you wrong
I’ve seen in you time after time
A picture on earth of love so divine

Oh, I am amazed for how can it be
That someone like you would love someone like me

You are the grace of my life
So tender, so undeserved
Hard to believe you’re my wife
Even harder to put what I feel into words
If I need evidence God is good
Just looking at you is enough
You are the grace of my life
For you grace my life with your love

[audio http://leftfield8.com/audio/blgrace.mp3]