Run For Your Life

"Run For Your Life" ~The Fray

I couldn't decide which Fray song to share cuz I've been putting on a couple of them on repeat hahaa, but I think this one wins out :]. I wouldn't consider this a praise song, but definitely a really encouraging song to chew on. It's just my interpretation, and it could be "right" or not, in an interpretive sense or spiritual sense too, if you any thoughts about it, comment :D!

17 years by her side
broke the same bread, wore the same clothes and you said,
We're sisters with nothing between
If one of us fall, the other will soon be following...

Both of you fell the same day,
you don't know why,  but one of you never woke up
and you lay your body down on the floor
desperate to hear her footsteps again
..but this house is on fire, and we need to go..

Woah, You don't have to go it alone, go it alone

Run for your life, my love
Run and you don't give up
with all that you are, all that you want
I will be close behind
Run for your life

She had a fire inside, and that terrified you
you swore you'd never lose your control
Baby, let yourself go, cuz part of you hides
and I know the hunger inside of you's strong
You can only hold back the river so long..

 Woah, You don't have to go it alone, go it alone

Run for your life, my love
Run and you don't give up
with all that you are, all that you want

Run for your life right now
and if you don't know how
I'll go back with you, take all that's true,
leave all that's burned behind
Run for your life

Woah, You don't have to go it alone...

I feel like there's so much I can say about this song. What I really enjoy about songs by the Fray is that their songs are like poems or abstract paintings, which at first glance can be simply pretty yet confusing, but when you sit and digest for a while, can bring about some really awesome reflections.

The story being painted here as it starts in the first verse is one of intense loss.. an incomparably close relationship ending prematurely.. The one sister who is left, perhaps wondering why this all happened and simply longing for a return to what was, but if she stays in her sorrow, she will surely be lost as well. (But this house is on fire, and we need to go..) It's so hard to let go of what's past. Perhaps this can represent our shame, guilt or pain--the relationships lost, the "what ifs," etc.

I interpret this song to say this: from all the pain and guilt that we experience, for the sake our lives, we gotta get out of that burning house. (Run for your life...) If we stayed in our guilt and pain, we will get consumed and burned up along with it. And the only chance at actual living is to leave it behind.

(You don't have to go it alone...I will be close behind...
And if you don't know how, I'll go back with you, take all that's true, leave all that's burned behind.)

But it's definitely scary to leave it all behind... but you are not alone. There are others who are running for their lives too; everyone experiences sorrow and shame that they need to leave behind. I can imagine this song being sung by a friend for me, reminding me that they'll be with me every step of the way. I think that's why I really like this song; I think it's meant to be an encouragement to us who are guilt- or pain-ridden, and it's meant for us to sing to our family and friends as well, for us to be there for each other when we really don't know how to get out of our burning homes.

[btw, I wanna congratulate you for reading this far, I am very long winded xD]

Perhaps this song is comparable to the verse in Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

That's something this song may be missing, but I would like to add: our brokenness is what causes us run to Jesus. And where are we running to anyways? How would we save our lives? Only by "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith". I'm realizing that God doesn't necessarily want us to run from our brokenness, but to allow that brokenness to move us--make us RUN--to Him.

But I DO want to sing this kind of song for my brothers and sisters; that I'd be willing to run along with them, to go back to all the burned, and to stick close. Needless to say, I really like this song :].

Grace is Sufficient

 "Grace is Sufficient" ~Shane and Shane

Phew, we're getting a lot of Shanes on this blog lately, but its cuz God's allowed them to make some really encouraging songs! =]

It was right before one of my midterms, and I was really stressing out; I hadn't stressed out like this for a while about school. I tried studying the entire day before, and nothing was inputting. The couple of hours before the test, for the life of me, I couldn't study at all. No focus, just stressed, thinking about how I didn't want to take that midterm. I just couldn't wait for everything to be over. In my stress, I decided to listen to this song.
 
What are you gonna say to God 
When all you do is pray to God 
To take the thorn away, 
And all you hear Him say is... 

"My grace...My grace is sufficient."

...wow...

I get so anxious sometimes. About my future, about how other people see me, about whether I'm doing a terrible or great job in leadership... And in my cries out to God, if I can take my eyes off my pain for one brief moment, He has reminded me: "My grace is sufficient. Sufficient for your stress, sufficient for your shortcomings, even in how you want to honor me; my grace is sufficient." I want to remember that His grace is enough in every situation. In the second verse, the speaker of the song is about to share the gospel, and even in those moments, its His grace for anything to happen. Let me sing it when I wake up, when I go to sleep, when I'm stressed, when I'm happy: "God, Your grace is sufficient!"

2 Corinthians 12:8-10
⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

If you catch that line at the end, here's also the end of my midterm story. I took the test, and the world continued to turn. It didn't stop. Life continued, and in fact we got our test back, and the score was much higher than I had expected. Phewww... good job Tim! Continue life. Right?

What are you gonna say to God
When everything you prayed to God came your way
but you forgot to thank Him..
And all you hear Him say is: 

"My grace."

Sustaining me every single day, even when I don't realize it or when I'm so forgetful of Him. Man, thank God for everything He does, but most of all, praise You God for Your grace =).







 

Without You

Tim has good taste in music :) Shane and Shane are quite wonderful. I was looking at Your Love. God worked so much in me this weekend! He's just humbled me like a billion times....but it's so gooood! Ahhh!! Boys. -_- Touchy topic.... but the time has come. I'm weary about this topic, especially because I thought any crush is like no-no. It's succumbing to temptations of the flesh. I was prideful for thinking I'd never crush hard and give so much of my heart to the certain brother... I always thought that when the time came that I'd be attracted to a brother, I'd crush right. But God totally humbled me and said, Annie, you don't know what you're doing, but I do, so trust me. Okay, this all seems a bit vague, let me clarify :). I've been attracted to a brother for a while...at first, it was just a mild crush. It was just like, this brother would make a great husband, then I thought about it more and more. And it started to get out of hand! So embarrassing..... Especially because I wanted to deny the attraction. The more I did that, the more attracted to him I got -__- And then he filled my head. I was thinking about him more than God. Bad Annie! I know! I was, sigh, something I thought I'd never do, something I thought I was mature enough to not do, I was giving more and more of my heart to him. I didn't know what to do with these feelings! Were they wrong or not? Am I meant to like this brother? I prayed for understanding of these feelings. I told a sister about it and she honestly and boldly pointed out to me that me wanting to understand these feelings is me wanting to take control of these feelings. And obviously I wasn't handling my feelings so well. I am so embarrassed to admit this, but I even got jealous. -_______- So, solution: trust God = surrendering to Him = place my feelings into God's hands. After talking to this sister, I went back home and I found this song, and I kept praying it.


I can walk through the storm
I can walk by father when my sight is gone
just as long as you are here with me


Here I am calling out father
Can you hear me?
I don't want to go without you
Here I am, Can you talk a little louder,
I want to hear you
I don't want to move without you


This song, along with Your Love, helped me to depend on God, give my heart to Him. And then, I stopped trying to deny the feelings, trying to understand them, and control them. I let myself have the feelings. I got less scared, which let me love that brother even if the love would not be returned, and even if it might be a mistake because God would be by me. And I just focused on loving God completely (like Jesus tells us to in the Sermon on the Mount), and loving that brother with His love as a result of loving God.

And then, I learned: he's dating! So saddd. It hurts! But, the weird thing is, I'm not crushed. God totally knows what he was doing. I'm glad that that sister told me that she was dating him, AFTER a couple of days, because if that did not happen, I wouldn't have filled more of my heart with God, and I wouldn't have been able to handle the fact. Me not crumbling proves to me: God loves me because God protected me by making Him my first and greatest love. That's what I get for trusting God :) This is pretty cool. I guess this is what it means to rejoice in the Lord. For He is near, and we don't need to be anxious of anything. But if in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we present our requests to God, then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. (Phil 4:4-7) :) :) :) He's doing that now... He's so good to me. He's so good to me.

Conclusion: God should just create one gender to simplify things for us! but then we'd never love Him more without going through these things. Okay, I guess it's okay for God to create two genders....
I'm glad that I had this crush on him, because it's drawing me closer to God. God knows what He's doing... LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eun34_2EmaQ

Hostage of Peace

This blog needs some lovin' =]. "Hostage of Peace" ~Tenth Avenue North I just like this song so much, I have to share it :]. I've only recently gotten into this song, but its a really great song. I love this metaphor of a war, and that we're held hostage. Arrested, held against our will. I want to be captivated by His grace. If we're fighting, let it be for Your kingdom If we're violent, let it be against ourselves Come arrest us with Your affection Give us freedom, make our need our only declaration! I really like that last line of the bridge. A lot of times, I don't want to declare my need.. I declare when I'm strong. Maybe I'll boast in my weakness even sometimes, but I'm still "strong" in a sense where I'm OK with my weakness.. but to boast in your need? I wonder what that's gonna look like.. Hopefully we'll see =]. God, I need you. That is all, and I will be satisfied in that. Take me hostage.

Clear the Stage - Jimmy Needham

This song, I found it on tumblr, and all of you can read my post on this on my tumblr, here's the link: Mayen's Musing The lyrics are in the video, but here's the lyrics anyways, enjoy =)

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze

If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols

Jerk the pews & all the decorations, too 

Until the congregations few, then have revival

Tell your friends that this is where the party ends 

Until you're broken for your sins, you can't be social

Then seek the Lord & wait for what He has in store 

And know that great is your reward so just be hopeful


'Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong;
worship is more than a song


Take a break from all the plans that you have made 

And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper

Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak

And pray for real upon your knees until they blister

Shine the light on every corner of your life

Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open

Then read the Word and put to test the things you've heard 

Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken

'Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song

We must not worship something that's not even worth it

Clear the stage, make some space for the One who deserves it


'Cause I can sing all I want to

Yes, I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to

And still get it wrong

And you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can, you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song
Worship is more than a song
Worship is more than a song
Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze

If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols

Kutless-Identity

Ahh, this album is really cool...and here is one of the songs I like. ("believer" is really good too). Basically, the message that is really resonating with me is one about identifying with Christ. This is who I am: I am a sinner, but I am also God's child because Jesus' death and resurrection has made a place for me in God's kingdom. Before, I didn't know how to put these two parts of me together because they contrasted with each other so much....But I guess it was because I didn't realize how radical and powerful what happened on the cross was. I didn't know how to let go of my mistakes. Mistakes held on to me because my future decisions were based on past successes. But, because of Jesus Christ, I have a future, and this is what I ought to base my decisions on. I should strive to become who I want to be, and meant to be, instead of focusing on not becoming who I was... Ahhh, thanks God for revealing this to me. Now, I know that I can become righteous even though I stumble.

Doesn't look like the embed code is working...here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-yjLB6etw&feature=relmfu

Embracing Accusation

It's been a LONG time, everyone =]. I think this is an amazing song, enough to share on this blog.



"Embracing Accusation" ~Shane and Shane


My approach to my sin is all messed up... At some points, I don't even realize the weight of it; that from day 1, my sinfulness made me deserving of death and destruction (Psalm 51:5). At other times, I am completely shackled by the continual reminders of my stupidity, brokenness, failure, sin.

Satan, in the Hebrew language, means "accuser." The image I think of is a courtroom, I'm standing before the Judge, and Satan the Accuser is there to try me as guilty. And it's so appropriate...These whispers--"You messed up. You are cursed. You are scum because of what you have done.."--in the end...is all right. All of it is right. It's incredible to think that Satan, the father of lies, is actually right when he points his finger at me and says, "SINFUL."

Hahaha..here's the gospel. "You're right Satan.. I embrace these accusations, because of this one thing you've forgotten: Jesus saves!!" That is SUCH good news.

It's amazing...so often, I feel like I need to escape Satan's and my own accusations. But THIS is SO important to what we call "THE Good News": We HAVE messed up; we HAVE sinned against an Almighty God, and deserve absolute destruction.. but the good news is that we are redeemed by God from this!! It's only in the full realization of our deserved death that Jesus's death and resurrection becomes the Greatest News Ever. Allelu-Yah.


Hope you guys are blessed by this song =].