PRETTY AMAZING GRACE - NEIL DIAMOND

Pretty Amazing Grace
Pretty amazing grace is what you showed me
Pretty amazing grace is who You are
I was an empty vessel
You filled me up inside
and with amazing grace restored my pride

Pretty amazing grace is how You saved me
and with amazing grace reclaimed my heart
Love in the midst of chaos
Calm in the heat of war
Showed with amazing grace what love was for

You forgave my insensitivity
and my attempt to then mislead You
You stood beside a wretch like me
Your pretty amazing grace was all I needed.

Stumbled inside the doorway of Your chapel
Humbled in God by everything I found
Beauty and love surround me
Freed me from what I fear
Ask for amazing grace and You appear

You overcame my loss of hope and faith
Gave me a truth I could believe in
You led me to a higher place
Showed Your amazing grace
When grace was what I needed

Look in a mirror I see Your reflection
Open a book You live on every page
I fall and You're there to lift me
Share every road I climb
and with amazing grace You ease my mind

Came to You with empty pockets first
When I returned I was a rich man
Didn't believe love could quench my thirst
But with amazing grace You showed me that it can

In Your amazing grace I had a vision
From that amazing place I came to be
Into the night I wandered
Wandering aimlessly
Found Your amazing grace to comfort me.

Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing
Pretty amazing

You overcome my loss of hope and faith
Gave me a truth I could believe in.
You led me to that higher place
Showed me that love and truth and hope and grace
Were all I needed.

MAGNIFICENT - U2

Magnificent

Oh, oh, magnificent

I was born, I was born

To be with you in this space and time

After that and ever after

I haven't had a clue only to break rhyme

This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue, oh, oh

Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love can heal such a scar

I was born, I was born to sing for you

I didn't have a choice but to lift you up

And sing whatever song you wanted me to

I give you back my voice from the womb

My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh

Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love can heal such a scar

Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh

Magnificent, magnificent, oh, oh

Only love, only love can leave such a mark

But only love, only love unites our hearts

Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh

Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent

magnificent 

adjective

1 impressively beautiful, elaborate, or extravagant; striking : a dramatic landscape of magnificent mountains | the interior layout is magnificent.

2 very good; excellent : she paid tribute to their magnificent efforts.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1

We were born to love and be loved by God our Father, now and forever. This love is magnificent, a magnificent love, from a magnificent God. 

It was God’s love for us, that allowed His Son Jesus to be marked  with nail holes in his hands and feet. Jesus became a sacrifice for us, with our sins put on him, so that we can be ‘justified till we die’.

It was God’s love for his Son, Jesus, that saw him raised up from the dead, and declared to be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 

When we reflect on the magnificence of God’s love, we want to sing for joy, and praise Him, and magnify him with our praises. 

It is God’s love that unites our hearts. 

PARADISE - COLDPLAY

PARADISE - COLDPLAY

When She was just a girl 

She expected the world 

But it flew away from her reach 

So she ran away in her sleep 

Dreamed of paradise 

Every time she closed her eyes 

When She was just a girl 

She expected the world 

But it flew away from her reach 

And the bullets catching the tees

Life goes on it gets so heavy 

The wheel breaks the butterfly 

Every tear a waterfall 

In a night, the stormy night she closed her eyes 

In a night, the stormy night away she flies 

Dream of paradise 

So lying underneath the stormy skies 

She said I know the sun's set to rise 

It's gonna be paradise

Throughout the storms of life, having hope is a powerful thing!

Around 2400 years ago, a song was written that  went ‘ Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.’ Psalm 42

King David, (who wrote the song), was speaking to his very soul, and telling it to stop the depression and start having hope. 

Hope is an antidote to depression and depair.  And true hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5)

King Solomon, the richest man who ever lived, wrote of God ‘ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’ Ecclesiastes 3:11

If we search deep down in the longings of our hearts, we all long for paradise, just as the song says. So have hope, that God’s mercies are new every morning, and we can be heading towards paradise. 

Thanks Coldpay - great song !! 

Nicki Minaj - Fly Featuring Rihanna

This is a great song of victory. 

I love the video too, that out of the desolation hope comes, in the form of blooming flowers, a hope that things will get better. 

And when she whips the ninjas trying to attack her, and is fearless. A really good image of strength. 

It is so important for us to have a winning attitude as we approach the hardships of life. 

Just like Paul the apostle wrote nearly 2000 years ago, ‘ Do you not know that in a race all the runers run, but only one gets the prize? Run is such a way as to get the prize...Therefore I do no run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  1 Corinthians 10:24-26

And again ‘...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of god that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

God wants us to be prosperous and successful. He said to Joshua ‘Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be carful to do everything written in it. Then you wil be prosperous and successful.'  

‘but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.’ Isaiah 10:31

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly

I wish today it will rain all day
Maybe that will kinda make the pain go away
Trying to forgive you for abandoning me
Praying but I think I’m still an angel away
Angel away, yeah strange in a way
Maybe that is why I chase strangers away
They got their guns out aiming at me
But I become near when they aiming at me
Me, me, me against them
Me against enemies, me against friends
Somehow they both seem to become one
A sea full of sharks and they all see blood
They start coming and I start rising
Must be surprising, I’m just summising
Win, thrive, soar, higher, higher, higher
More fire

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly

Everybody wanna try to box me in
Suffocating everytime it locks me in
Paint they own pictures than they crop me in
But I will remain where the top begins

Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can every be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
So we become alive in a time of fear
And I aint got no muthaf-cking time to spare
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
But when you go hard your nay’s become yay’s
Yankee Stadium with Jay’s and Kanye’s

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly

Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly

EVERYTHING - Lenny Kravitz

This song is a song of celebration and praise, rejoicing in the fact that we have  a creator that is wanting to make sure that we have everthying that we need. 

It reminds me of another famous song , Psalm 23 

The LORD is my shepherd (The lifeline to my  eternal destination)

I shall not be in want (you give me everything, everything that I could ever need)

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul (The sweetness in my soul) 

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of

death ( In this valley dark and cold) 

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me  (That’s when I grab a hold, on to that rock of olde)

your rod and your staff, 

they comfort me     (I say your always there to fix my situation)

You prepare a table before me  ( You give me everything)

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil, 

my cup overflows,  (You give me everything) 

Surely goodness and love will follow me 

all the days of my life, (Well you blessed this child) 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever

Linkin Park - What I've done

 LINKIN PARK - WHAT I'VE DONE

In this farewell

There's no blood

There's no alibi

'Cause I've drawn regret

From the truth

Of a thousand lies

So let mercy come

And wash away...

What I've done

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

Put to rest

What you thought of me

While I clean this slate

With the hands

Of uncertainty

So let mercy come

And wash away...

What I've done

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

For What I've done

I'll start again

And whatever pain may come

Today this ends

I'm forgiving what I've done

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

What I've done

Forgiving what I've done

This song speaks of the feelings of guilt that accumulate as we live our lives, often meaning well, but finding out the truth that we live, is based on a thousand lies. There is a deep longing for spiritual forgiveness, from our Creator, from the God who is totally righteous.  We all long for mercy to wash away, and cleanse us from the mistakes and sins of our lives. 

Good news can be found 'At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, decieved and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us , not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.' Titus 3:3-7

Burn Your Name - Powderfinger

The Lyrics are :
I was stumbling round by,
Like a wreck I came to you,
So I staggered through the night,
Seeking out your rescue blues.

Gonna burn your name right across the sky,
So I never forget what the feelings like.
Gonna burn your name right across the sky,
So I never forget what the feelings like.
I want every single soul to know,
That I love you for what you are.
So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart.

So tomorrow will arrive,
In a burst of broken light,
....
Shattering like glass 

This may not be what Powderfinger mean by their lyrics, but this is what the Lyrics mean to me.  

Often we come to God, not because we know the way, but because we realise that we are lost. We journey through life, as the song lyrics say, staggering, wrecked, seeking a rescuer.

When we realise the grace and peace we have through our Saviour Jesus Christ , our reaction is one of passionate praise and worship, to declare to the world our love for what God has done for us. 

Read more from Mark S.