HOMEWARD BOUND

Snippet

God is at home, it's we who have gone out for a walk. Meister Eckhart

Scripture

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,  since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11:39,40 NIV

Song

More than life by Whitley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0DjW2Awx4

A leaf in the breeze,

The smoky morning haze.

The sun on her face,

and the touch of lovers' hands.

The pain that comes today,

Is here, then goes away.

And we are homeward bound,

And I,

I want this more than life,

I want this more than life,

I want this more than life.

To touch something real,

Will help your wounds heal,

Like the sun on your face,

The dreams of starry nights.

And we are homeward bound,

And I,

I want this more than life,

I want this more than life,

I want this more than life...

I want this more than life.

Sentence Prayer

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you:

May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm:

May he bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders He has shown you:

May he bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.  Amen

SACRIFICE

Snippet

The Spirit does not take His pupils beyond the cross, but ever more deeply into it.

J. Knox Chamblin  Paul and the Self: Apostolic Teaching for Personal Wholeness, Baker, 1993, p. 117.

Scripture

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Philippians 2:1-5

Song

Sacrifice Lecrae

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDfMjb0May0

My eyes redder than blood shots, nightmares of them gunshots

I took my girl from the lone star to Memphis, Tenn on them cold blocks

And what you think we moved for, to see kids get killed in the school zone

To see crack get sold, bodies turned cold, what do you think, I think that's cool, bro?

And why do you think I went to school for? To turn around and move back to the hood?

Nah, boy, that's what it's called a sacrifice, this is bigger than me, it's for a greater good.

I was went to cape town, had a breakdown, Mozambique seen a man face down

Took blows to the head, boy it's cold out here so we're staying on the grind, no brakes (breaks), nah nah.

If this a gimmick then explain what's the incentive

Been extorted near deported for this faith I'm representing.

And when I started penin' lyrics I wasn't thinkin bout no cypher

I was thinking about them addicts and them juvies and them lifers.

Well this is what the people lose they life for. And why they give up all they rights for.

It ain't no church in the wild, huh? But tell me, who you think I write for?

And I ain't tryin' to be self righteous, but I write this if you think twice

Folks wanna call this gospel rap. Nah, homeboy, this sacrifice.

Some of these rapper's reputations should be in dispute

Cause real recognize real and you do not compute

Good as layin your life down, sacrifice for a worthy cause

Not for a buncha green paper stacks, overpriced clothes and shiny cars, no.

This is sacrifice, it's givin' your all.

Even when they don't understand you, you still answer your calling

And when the world is falling and they back is turned,

You reach your hand out and pull them out that fiery furnace.

I learned that from the old heads, you know the ones that never turned back

Martin Luther King got shot for it, that's priceless you can't earn that.

Then tell me what do you think he died for? A peace prize? A holiday?

So I can rap a whole bunch of weak lines about how I'm a make my choppers spray (Huh!?)

If Jesus really lived, then He really died

Sacrificed Himself and rose before their very eyes

And if I ain't really changed, then it's all a lie

Why put my life on the line, mang this ain't worth my time

Cause it's been real, when nobody knew us we been here

Before the billboards and the Grammy awards

It was Christ, homeboy we've been clear.

I ain't never been fake bout faith, if I lied to your face

May I die a disgrace

Live for the truth that He died in my place

Thank God for the sacrifice and His grace. (Uh!)

Sentence Prayer

Jesus

May your Holy Spirit lead us ever deeper into a life of sacrifice.

May we slowly learn to be a living sacrifice that points the way home

May we learn to live with the mindset of Christ.

Amen

FROST ON THE PUMPKINS

Snippet

We have all sinned and grown old Rich Mullins

Scripture

We are all infected and impure with sin.  When we put on our prized robes of righteousness we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves we fade, whither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.  Isaiah 64:6 LB

Song

Country Bumpkin By Cal Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDFyUTQru2k

HE WALKED INTO THE BAR AND PLACED HIS LANKY FRAME UPON A TALL BAR STOOL

AND WITH A LONG SOFT SOUTHERN DRAWL HE SAID I'LL TAKE A GLASS OF ANYTHING

THAT'S COOL

A BAR-ROOM GIRL WITH WISE AND KNOWING EYES SLOWLY LOOKED HIM UP AND DOWN

AND SHE THOUGHT I WONDER HOW ON EARTH THIS COUNTRY BUMPKIN FOUND HIS WAY

TO TOWN

(CHORUS 1)

SHE SAID HELLO COUNTRY BUMPKIN.  HOW'S THE FROST OUT ON THE PUMPKIN

I'VE SEEN SOME SIGHTS BUT MAN YOU'RE SOMETHIN'

WHERE'D YOU COME FROM COUNTRY BUMPKIN

(VERSE 2)

IT WAS JUST A SHORT YEAR LATER, IN A SWEAT-DRENCHED BED OF JOYFUL TEARS

AND DEATH-LIKE PAIN

INTO THIS WONDROUS WORLD OF MANY WONDERS, ONE MORE WONDER CAME

THAT SAME WOMAN'S FACE WAS WRAPPED UP IN A RAPTURED LOOK OF LOVE AND

TENDERNESS

AS SHE MARVELLED AT THE SOFT AND WARM AND CUDDLY BOY-CHILD FEEDING AT HER

BREAST

(CHORUS 2)

SHE SAID SHE SAID HELLO COUNTRY BUMPKIN.  FRESH AS FROST OUT ON THE

PUMPKIN

I'VE SEEN SOME SIGHTS BUT BABE YOU'RE SOMETHIN'

MAMA LOVES HER COUNTRY BUMPKIN

(VERSE 3)

FORTY YEARS OF HARD WORK LATER, IN A SIMPLE QUIET AND PEACEFUL COUNTRY

PLACE

THE HEAVY HAND OF TIME HAD NOT ERASED THE RAPTURED WONDER FROM THE

WOMAN'S FACE

SHE WAS LYING ON HER DEATH BED KNOWING FULLY WELL HER RACE WAS NEARLY RUN

BUT SHE SOFTLY SMILED AND LOOKED INTO THE SAD EYES OF HER HUSBAND AND HER SON

(CHORUS 3)

AND SHE SAID SO LONG COUNTRY BUMPKIN.  THE FROST IS GONE NOW FROM THE PUMPKIN

I'VE SEEN SOME SIGHTS AND LIFE'S BEEN SOMETHIN'

SEE YOU LATER COUNTRY BUMPKIN

Sentence Prayer

Father

Our most righteous acts are as menstrual rags before You

Our sins have put frost out on the pumpkins

May we cling to your righteousness

So we can  learn to love those you have placed in our life

After this life is over, resurrect us into eternal Joy

Through faith in Jesus Death, Burial and resurrection

Amen

TRUE COLORS

Snippet

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. Brene Brown Gifts of Imperfection preface Hazelden 2010 Pg 6

Scripture

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [al]sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Genesis 1:27,28 NASB

Song

True Colors Cyndi Lauper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wqO4KcJAVE

You with the sad eyes

Don't be discouraged

Oh I realize

It's hard to take courage

In a world full of people

You can lose sight of it all

And the darkness inside you

Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,

Don't be unhappy, can't remember

When I last saw you laughing

If this world makes you crazy

And you've taken all you can bear

You call me up

Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

Sentence Prayer

Creator

Praise to you for making us in your image

Praise to you for making man the crown of your creation

Forgive us for we are capable of great good and but 

even greater evil

Holy Spirit bring out our true colors, so we may

Point to the Savior of Mankind Jesus

Amen

AUTUMN

Snippet

There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end, as if summer was holding its breath, and when it let it out again, it would be autumn.  Sharyn McCrumb

Scripture

Jerusalem, worship God!

    Zion, praise your God!

He made your city secure,

    he blessed your children among you.

He keeps the peace at your borders,

    he puts the best bread on your tables.

He launches his promises earthward—

    how swift and sure they come!

He spreads snow like a white fleece,

    he scatters frost like ashes,

He broadcasts hail like birdseed—

    who can survive his winter?

Then he gives the command and it all melts;

    he breathes on winter—suddenly it’s spring! Message Paraphrase Psalms 147:12-18

Song

Autumn Almanac By Kinks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3AMWc6t3cc

From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar,

When the dawn begins to crack.

It's all part of my autumn almanac.

Breeze blows leaves of a musty-coloured yellow,

So I sweep them in my sack.

Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

Friday evenings, people get together,

Hiding from the weather.

Tea and toasted, buttered currant buns

Can't compensate for lack of sun,

Because the summer's all gone.

La-la-la-la...

Oh, my poor rheumatic back

Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

La-la-la-la...

Oh, my autumn almanac

Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

I like my football on a Saturday,

Roast beef on Sundays, all right.

I go to Blackpool for my holidays,

Sit in the open sunlight.

This is my street, and I'm never gonna to leave it,

And I'm always gonna to stay here

If I live to be ninety-nine,

'Cause all the people I meet

Seem to come from my street

And I can't get away,

Because it's calling me, (come on home)

Hear it calling me, (come on home)

La-la-la-la...

Oh, my autumn Armagnac

Yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac.

La-la-la-la...

Oh, my autumn almanac

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!

Bop-bop-bopm-bop-bop, whoa!

[etc.]

Sentence Prayer

Oh God Who brings us both light and darkness, I mourn the lost of light and accept the coming of darkness.  Grant that as darkness grows stronger and light weaker in the days and weeks to come, my faith in your triumph over sin and death may be certain as the eventual return of light.  I ask this in the name of Jesus, the light of the world.  Amen 

A book of Irish American Blessings and Prayers Andrew Greeley  Pg 165 

SUNSHINE

Snippet

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. Helen Keller

Scripture

Who stills the roaring of the seas,

The roaring of their waves,

And the tumult of the peoples.

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;

You make the [a]dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;

You greatly enrich it;

The stream of God is full of water;

You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. Psalms 65:7-9 NASB

Song

Pocketful Of Sunshine By Natasha Bedingfield

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gte3BoXKwP0

[Interlude]

I got a pocket,

got a pocket full of sunshine

I've got a love and I know that it's all mine

oh.oh,oh

Do what you want,

but you're never gonna break me,

sticks and stones are never gonna shake me

oh,oh,oh

[Chorus]

Take me away (take me away)

A secret place (a secret place)

A sweet escape (a sweet escape)

Take me away (take me away)

Take me away (take me away

To better days (to better days)

Take me away (take me away)

A hiding place (a hiding place)

[Interlude]

I got pocket,

Got a pocket full of sunshine

I've got a love and I know that it's all mine

oh,oh,oh

Wish that you could,

but you ain't gonna own me

do anything you can to control me

oh,oh,oh

[Chorus]

[Hook]

There's a place that I go

That nobody knows

Where the rivers flow

And I call it home

And there's no more lies

And the darkness is light

And nobody cries

there's only butterflies

[Chorus 2x]

[Chorus & Interlude]

The sun is on my side

Take me for a ride

I smile up to the sky

I know I'll be alright

The sun is on my side

Take me for a ride

I smile up to the sky

I know I'll be alright

Sentence Prayer

Father

May your face shine upon me

Until it melts my cold soul

Amen

HURRICANE

Snippet

How do men act on a sinking ship? Do they hold each other? Do they pass around the whisky? Do they cry?” ― Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea

Scripture

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

Nor will the flame burn you.

 “For I am the Lord your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;  Psalms 43:1-3 NASB

Song

Hurricane by Natalie Grant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttKnLwwHlig

You're spinning out of control again

Your life feels like a sinking ship

You're wondering how it came to this

Is it too late?

Is it too far?

For Him to reach you

And come to where you are

Step out on the edge

Don't be afraid of it

And when you feel the rain

Call His name

He'll find you in the hurricane

You're in the wreckage underneath

Your hope is buried somewhere deep

You're wondering how long it will keep?

It's never too late

Never too far

For you to reach out

And take a hold of love

Step out on the edge

Don't be afraid of it

And when you feel the rain

Call His name

He'll find you in the hurricane

Don't back down from the fight

He'll shelter you tonight

Just hold on for the change

Call His name

He'll find you in the hurricane

There's a place, there's a place you can run

When you fall, and it's all come undone

You'll be safe in the raging storm

So just let go

'Cause you are held in His arms

Step out on the edge

Don't be afraid of it

And when you feel the rain

Call His name

He'll find you in the hurricane

Ooo ooo...

And when you feel the rain

Call His name

He'll find you in a hurricane

Sentence Prayer

Father; when the winds of life blow

Me out of control

May you be my safe place

Amen