coincidence?

Quite a while ago, at least two years, a dear friend shared a short clip that showed her and some others singing a song a capella in a church. I loved it! I am not very familiar with contemporary Christian music - I do know "the Christian songs of old" much better -  so I didn't recognize it. Beside this, I was so "into" that song, that I forgot to ask my friend what kind of song it was.
Last year another friend showed me a totally different far-away-from-church song but a special part of the tune reminded me of that first said song.

Yesterday evening I played with my smart phone and the "tune-in" app that comes with all kinds of radio stations, local and internet and I clicked the category "religious" and picked one station without thinking about it. It was WGTS 91.9 FM. I listened to it all evening and started it right away when I got up this morning.

While I was taking a shower I couldn't hear the sound of the music that was still playing in my bedroom and so, suddenly this very tune that I had almost forgotten came back to my mind. I also remembered 3 words of what I thought must be the chorus.
When I got back to my room, the music was still on and I thought, well, this tune sounds familiar! I checked the RDS and exactly those 3 words I just had remembered were on there. VOICE OF TRUTH... if I had known it was from "Casting Crowns"...  I still can't believe, that it was playing on an internet radio station from the US right when I remembered it after such a long time!

I searched for it in youtube and found it - and reading the lyrics it was just getting better because it describes exactly how I felt during the last weeks!



Checking the song out more and more I realized that it is also soundtrack to one of my favorite movies, "Facing the Giants".

I love that song!!! With my Lord, I can face the giants and I don't care anymore if they are laughing back at me or not... for His Glory!

Made to love you - TobyMac

Toby Mac Made To Love Lyrics

Ken Lee. Language Class.

It seems I don't have to say much these days. Well, I could say a lot, but it is nothing "wise", "fun" or "interesting" at all so I just share another movie Chris showed us today in "Language Class" at Debra's House (she has made a wonderful breakfast and afterwards we listened to a German-lesson CD). When it came to pronunciation and how we misunderstand things sometimes, Chris mentioned "Ken Lee". So listen to it and enjoy (I laughed my head off!):

tulibu dibu douchoo!!!

...you and I are not that different...

I can't get away

definition of me

Everybody's got an opinion
Of what they want me to be
Everybody's got a condition
That I may never meet
So tired of looking in the mirror
‘Cause it always says the same thing
I want to be about something different
Something more than the mirror can see
Like joy, peace
Alive in me
When it comes to my identity
I want the love
I want the light
I want the beauty
On the inside
I want the one that you can't see
To be the definition of me
More than the face
More than the girl
More than the voice
More than the world
I want the truth that I believe
To be the definition of me
Pretty is cool for a minute
But it will always fade away
Trends are hot for a second
But they'll be gone the very next day
So before you get lost in the moment
Let’s get one thing clear
Only love will last forever
That's the reason that we're here
It's up to you ‘cause everybody's looking
Who do you want them to see?
I want Your love to be
The very heart of me
Jesus, I want You to be
Living inside of me
Lyrics of “Definition of Me” sung by Mandisa
Amanda, I didn’t know about Mandisa until I got a newsletter from tangle announcing her new CD “Freedom” a couple days ago. I’ve got 3 favorite songs from it and this is one of them. If you want, send me an email (see my profile), I’ve got something for you :-)

not guilty

I actually discovered this song; Mandisa was the ninth-place finalist in the fifth season of American Idol (2006)

I can't help but post it, as well:

...only one did that for me...!

Lay all your Love on me...

Once again Anju inspired me to write a post... but don't worry, it's different and the story starts when I was a teenager.
Do you know the feeling if you suddenly hear a melody or a song that kind of opens your heart? When you feel like bathing in warm water, flying into a sunset scenery and dancing in the rain - all three at the same time?

So one of my utterly favorite songs when I was a teenager was "Lay all your Love on me", but I only new the version sung by Erasure (a British band). I had no idea that the original song was performed by ABBA. I really like ABBA songs but as you can see I am not that kind of fan that knows all their songs. But now it makes even more sense to me that I loved that special song from Erasure (I only like two or three Erasure-songs alltogether...).

Well, as some of you know, I had to stay in hospital some weeks this summer. After my 2nd surgery in Mainz University Hospital I was moved to Bad Kreuznach Hospital at August 1st. They had promised me to take some tests there and try to find out what the problem with my body (skeleton and joints) is. (Many doctors are trying to diagnose me since I am six years old, so I was not extremely excited about. They didn't find something new and they actually didn't take a test that appeared somehow new to me, but that is a different story)
So I got kind of stuck in Bad Kreuznach for nine days which was on one hand frustrating. The big plus: I met three wonderful young women there and we are still keeping in touch. Another plus: we were allowed to leave the hospital to go downtown (it was only a ten minute walk to get to the part of the city that is called Fußgängerzone - "pedestrian zone" - in German towns). Right there was a movie theatre.

I think it is needless to say what movie we watched one afternoon...

Can you imagine how I felt when "my song" suddenly came up? I had almost forgotten about it (shame on me) as well as I had never expected to hear it in an ABBA musical (because, as you know I always thought it was an Erasure-song). And - if you believe it or not - I had one of my precious "God moments" hearing this song - out of the backgound I actually was reading the book I mentioned earlier. So when the leading male actor started to sing

Don't go wasting your emotion
Lay all your love on me
Don't go sharing your devotion
Lay all your love on me

it was like Jesus would straight say that to me. It is hard to explain and you probably have to read the book to know what I mean, but MAMMA MIA!, I won't forget that day and that movie!





By the way: the original ABBA version of the song is much better!

Song of Love

You are Amazing, God!

I was just surfing the internet and found this song "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin... the song really touched my heart and showed me again, how great God is:



From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Faithful One

I am right back from our annual church retreat in - have a guess - Gemünden and I really, really needed this 4-days-break of usual daily routine.

I had hard times at work the last weeks and a lot more I don't want to talk about in detail. There was one song in my mind all the time - especially during the retreat - that helped me through... and I am still overwhelmed how my heavenly father listens to my "smallest" requests concerning my work or for example (for me this was a big thing) sunshine during the retreat. And although it was raining the whole week before and - how it is turning out - after the retreat (thunderstorms etc.), we had sunshine all the time in Gemünden except saturday afternoon when a strong thunderstorm came up. But also this one was one of that kind I like the best...

That's why I am more than sure he will also help me out of those troubles, that aren't solved yet!

Faithful One
by Brian Doerksen

Faithful one, so unchanging
Ageless one, You’re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on You
I call out to You, again and again
I call out to You, again and again

You are my rock in times of trouble
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm
Your love is, the anchor
My hope is in You alone

1990 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing
CCLI Song No. 465840

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All I Need

All the beauty I can see
If it could belong to me
I would give it all for you

Any greatness I achieve
Every praise I may receive
I would give it all for you

All I need
You are all I need
I have found it true
Life comes only from you
All I need
You are all I need
Nothing else will do
No one else but you

If I'm given comfort here
Offered what the world holds dear
I would give it all for you

All I need
You are all I need
I have found it true
Life comes only from you
All I need
You are all I need
Nothing else will do
No one else but you

(Brian Thiessen)

CD: Home Again, Vol. 4 (Germany)

Home Again, Vol.4 (USA)

My Father

I found a song in our (english) songbook from church which I used to sing (in German) when I was a little girl. Not having a father at home (he left when I was 3 years old) it gave me strenght not only during hard times and it still does today, even though I forgot about the song for a long time. It is so good to know that we have a heavenly father who is in control!

This is the song:

1.
My father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, - He has riches untold.

Refrain:

I’m a child of the King, A child of the King
With Jesus, my saviour, I’m a child of the King.

2.
My Father’s own Son, the Saviour of men,
Once wandered o’er earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning in glory on high,
Preparing a place for the sweet by and by.

/Refrain/

3.
A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there!
Tho here I’m a stranger yet still I may sing:
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King!

/Refrain/

I have come into the world as a light. ***********John 12:46***********

Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining;
Jesus, light of the world, shine upon us,
set us free by the truth You now bring us:
Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father's glory.
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light!
(Graham Kendrick, w. 1988)

Merry Christmas
to all over the world!