Hymn 76
Christ dwells in heaven, but visits on earth.
SS 6:1-3,12.
When strangers stand and hear me tell
What beauties in my Savior dwell,
Where he is gone they fain would know,
That they may seek and love him too.
My best Beloved keeps his throne
On hills of light, in worlds unknown;
But he descends and shows his face
In the young gardens of his grace.
[In vineyards planted by his hand,
Where fruitful trees in order stand;
He feeds among the spicy beds,
Where lilies show their spotless heads.
He has engrossed my warmest love,
No earthly charms my soul can move:
I have a mansion in his heart,
Nor death nor hell shall make us part.]
[He takes my soul ere I'm aware,
And shows me where his glories are;
No chariot of Amminadib
The heav'nly rapture can describe.
O may my spirit daily rise
On wings of faith above the skies,
Till death shall make my last remove,
To dwell for ever with my Love.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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Psalm 84
v.1-4,10, paraphrased
C. M.
Delight in ordinances of worship; or, God present in his churches.
My soul, how lovely is the place
To which thy God resorts!
'Tis heav'n to see his smiling face,
Though in his earthly courts.
There the great Monarch of the skies
His saving power displays,
And light breaks in upon our eyes
With kind and quick'ning rays.
With his rich gifts the heav'nly Dove
Descends and fills the place,
While Christ reveals his wondrous love,
And sheds abroad his grace.
There, mighty God, thy words declare
The secrets of thy will;
And still we seek thy mercy there,
And sing thy praises still.
PAUSE.
My heart and flesh cry out for thee,
While far from thine abode;
When shall I tread thy courts, and see
My Savior and my God?
The sparrow builds herself a nest,
And suffers no remove;
O make me, like the sparrows, blest,
To dwell but where I love.
To sit one day beneath thine eye,
And hear thy gracious voice,
Exceeds a whole eternity
Employed in carnal joys.
Lord, at thy threshold I would wait
While Jesus is within,
Rather than fill a throne of state,
Or live in tents of sin.
Could I command the spacious land,
And the more boundless sea,
For one blest hour at thy right hand
I'd give them both away.
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 23
The sight of God and Christ in heaven.
Descend from heav'n, immortal Dove,
Stoop down and take us on thy wings,
And mount and bear us far above
The reach of these inferior things:
Beyond, beyond this lower sky,
Up where eternal ages roll;
Where solid pleasures never die,
And fruits immortal feast the soul.
O for a sight, a pleasing sight
Of our Almighty Father's throne!
There sits our Savior crowned with light,
Clothed in a body like our own.
Adoring saints around him stand,
And thrones and powers before him fall;
The God shines gracious through the man,
And sheds sweet glories on them all.
O what amazing joys they feel
While to their golden harps they sing,
And sit on every heav'nly hill,
And spread the triumphs of their King!
When shall the day, dear Lord, appear,
That I shall mount to dwell above,
And stand and bow amongst them there,
And view thy face, and sing, and love?
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 69
Christ appearing to his church, and seeking her company.
SS 2:8-13.
The voice of my Beloved sounds
Over the rocks and rising grounds;
O'er hills of guilt and seas of grief
He leaps, he flies to my relief.
Now through the veil of flesh I see
With eyes of love he looks at me;
Now in the gospel's clearest glass
He shows the beauties of his face.
Gently he draws my heart along,
Both with his beauties and his tongue;
'Rise,' saith my Lord, 'make haste away,
No mortal joys are worth thy stay.
'The Jewish wintry state is gone,
The mists are fled, the spring comes on;
The sacred turtle-dove we hear
Proclaim the new, the joyful year.
'Th' immortal vine of heav'nly root
Blossoms, and buds, and gives her fruit:'
Lo! we are come to taste the wine;
Our souls rejoice, and bless the vine.
And when we hear our Jesus say,
'Rise up, my love, make haste away!'
Our hearts would fain outfly the wind,
And leave all earthly loves behind.
poem by Isaac Watts
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Going Home
Going home sure sounds good, to be at home with the brotherhood.
Home with those who went before, now in the presence of The Lord.
Whether through that veil of death, when I take that very last breath,
Or at that time we upward abound, when we hear the trumpet sound.
A Christian’s death from this sod, is truly precious in the eyes of God.
As He takes you where you died, to bring you to Heaven by His side.
But the Rapture is a special hope, which gives men an eternal scope.
A hope that goes beyond this earth; a hope given to us by New Birth.
I do know that my Redeemer lives, and New Life to all men He gives.
God, who lives in Heaven up above, came to earth to show His love.
He sent His Only Son Jesus Christ, who died for all, to give men life.
Christ then returned to prepare a place, up in Heaven, by His Grace.
A place in Heaven for me and you, so where Christ is we will be too.
Christ has for us an Eternal Home, right beside His Glorious Throne.
Whether the rapture or death friend, this temporal world isn’t the end.
Our end on the earth is only a start, of the hope we have in our heart.
We’re passing by this temporal place, heading home by God’s Grace,
And we’re headed for a Mansion high, prepared for us above the sky.
My friend, home for us is in Eternity, where with God we’ll forever be,
For when we see the face of Christ, we’ll truly begin our Eternal Life.
(Copyright ©03/2006)
Thirsty Souls
Everyone has a thirsty soul, a driving force to make man whole,
To fill that spiritual side of man, being part of the Creator’s plan.
Everyone who truly does thirst, truly must seek the Creator first,
He’s the only one able to fill, souls according to His eternal will.
Filling us with the Spirit of God, sent down upon all earthly sod,
To dwell in the soul of all of us, who in the Lord place their trust.
God brings us first to His Son, the Lord and Savior of everyone,
Then God fills you day by day, as you walk in life’s Narrow Way.
Out from a dry and barren land, He guides us with a loving hand,
To God’s Eternal River of Life, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God takes a soul, once aloof, into the Word, God’s Eternal Truth,
And He fills the soul as they read, making changes as they heed.
Christ fills us beyond our need, as God’s Spirit, we allow to lead,
Upon The Rock we take a stand, as we go to the Promised Land,
The Rock, from where water flows, to the souls the Father knows,
The Living Water from above, provided through the Savior’s love.
God shall fill the souls of men, who in Christ become Born Again,
Come to Him and thirst no more, by Jesus Christ the Living Door,
Who fills thirsty souls of men, in ways which only the Creator can,
As He fills their souls spiritually, preparing them for Life Eternally.
(Copyright ©06/2008)
Heavenly Love
Eternal spring of boundless grace,
It lifts the soul above,
Where God the Son unveils his face,
And shows that Heaven is love.
Love that revolves through endless years--
Love that can never pall;
Love which excludes the gloom of fears,
Love to whom God is all!
Love which can ransom every slave,
And set the pris'ner free;
Gild the dark horrors of the grave,
And still the raging sea.
Let but the partial smile of Heaven
Upon the bosom play,
The mystic sound of sins forgiven,
Can waft the soul away.
The pilgrim's spirits show this love,
They often soar on high;
Languish from this dim earth to move,
And leave the flesh to die.
Sing, oh my soul, rise up and run,
And leave this clay behind;
[illegible] ing thy swift flight beyond the sun,
Nor dwell in tents confined.
poem by George Moses Horton
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Age of Grace
Now is the time of God’s Favor, today dear friend, not tomorrow,
Today accept Christ as Savior, and eternally you’ll see no sorrow,
This is the day of God’s Salvation, an offer by God to everyone,
Given through God’s Revelation, Jesus Christ, His begotten Son.
Today He’ll hear you as you call; as you’re moved by His Grace,
To save you from Adam’s fall, as you seek the Light of His face.
God’s made a way, for all men, to live with Him in Heaven above,
As we stand today condemned, He saves us in the Savior’s love.
In this Age of Grace which we live, God sent His Son to all of us,
To man, with eternal life to give, to all who in Him place their trust.
And the Lord comes to live within, each and every believing heart,
As Christ saves us from all sin, to be the friend who won’t depart.
New Life Christ gives to all men, this to live anew upon this earth,
This as they are Born Again; born of God through a spiritual birth.
God sends The Spirit, as our guide, as we begin to live New Life,
The Spirit helps us to abide, in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
All that we need, we get from God, as He sustains us, every day.
God helps us on this earthly sod, to walk along life’s narrow way.
All you need to do is to believe, in the Grace from God’s Throne,
And you too, Christ will receive, as God makes you His very own.
(Copyright ©08/2007)
Hymn 170
God incomprehensible and sovereign.
[Can creatures to perfection find
Th' eternal, uncreated Mind?
Or can the largest stretch of thought
Measure and search his nature out?
'Tis high as heav'n, 'tis deep as hell
And what can mortals know or tell?
His glory spreads beyond the sky,
And all the shining worlds on high.
But man, vain man, would fain be wise;
Born like a wild young colt, he flies
Through all the follies of his mind,
And swells, and snuffs the empty wind.]
God is a King of power unknown,
Firm are the orders of his throne;
If he resolve, who dares oppose,
Or ask him why or what he does?
He wounds the heart, and he makes whole
He calms the tempest of the soul;
When he shuts up in long despair,
Who can remove the heavy bar?
He frowns, and darkness veils the moon;
The fainting sun grows dim at noon;
The pillars of heav'n's starry roof
Tremble and start at his reproof.
He gave the vaulted heav'n its form,
The crooked serpent, and the worm;
He breaks the billows with his breath,
And smites the sons of pride to death.
These are a portion of his ways;
But who shall dare describe his face?
Who can endure his light, or stand
To hear the thunders of his hand?
poem by Isaac Watts
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When I Depart
My body now’s only a shell, where my spirit used to dwell,
No longer in this earthly tent, up to Heaven I’ve been sent,
Though on earth I have died, I’m now by my Savior’s side,
No longer in this body friend, to begin life that has no end.
Indeed on earth, I have died, but, now my body’s glorified,
I’ve risen as my Savior said, alive in Heaven far from dead,
While lifeless my body may be, I’ve passed to life eternally,
Now from earth I’ve departed, life with God has just started.
When on this earth I see death, I shall receive eternal breath,
Entering in that heavenly portal, I’ll receive a body immortal,
A new body to begin eternal life, with my Lord, Jesus Christ,
As I enter in that Eternal Door, to be with Christ forevermore.
Death again will see me never, as I will live with God forever,
In a mansion prepared for me, that I now can touch and see,
A place surpassing all my hope, a paradise of eternal scope,
A home granted to me by grace, to sit with God face to face.
Death was just to say goodbye, to meet with God up on high,
Where one day I’ll see you there, in a paradise, without a care,
For one day soon we will reunite, to be forever in God’s Light,
As death won’t stop us friend, from life with God, with no end.
(Copyright ©11/2010)
Sonnet: Our Earthly Love Ain’t Divine
Let not our minds with unknown fears be filled;
Let not our hearts seek love that never fails;
Let not our endeavors be ever killed,
Till soul sinfree and Heavenwards, sets sails.
All things, we seek on earth are transient;
All things we leave back here after our death;
Our soul's return, He seeks, Omniscient;
Yet, only after our one, earthly birth.
The love on earth is not the ultimate;
The love of Heaven is always ideal;
We leave behind, joy, sorrow, love and hate;
The love of God, God's love are ones real.
On earth, we can't see love that is divine;
No vine-yard's press can make us Heaven's wine.
poem by John Celes
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Hymn 149
The offices of Christ. From several scriptures.
Join all the names of love and power
That ever men or angels bore,
All are too mean to speak his worth,
Or set lmmannel's glory forth.
But O what condescending ways
He takes to teach his heav'nly grace
My eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love he bears for me.
[The Angel of the cov'nant stands
With his commission in his hands,
Sent from his Father's milder throne,
To make the great salvation known.]
[Great Prophet! let me bless thy name;
By thee the joyful tidings came
Of wrath appeased, of sins forgiv'n,
Of hell subdued, and peace with heav'n.]
[My bright Example and my Guide,
I would be walking near thy side;
O let me never run astray,
Nor follow the forbidden way!]
[I love my Shepherd, he shall keep
My wand'ring soul among his sheep;
He feeds his flock, he calls their names,
And in his bosom bears the lambs.]
[My Surety undertakes my cause,
Answering his Father's broken laws:
Behold my soul at freedom set,
My Surety paid the dreadful debt.]
[Jesus, my great High Priest, has died;
I seek no sacrifice beside;
His blood did once for all atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.]
[My Advocate appears on high,
The Father lays his thunder by;
Not all that earth or hell can say
Shall turn my Father's heart away.]
[My Lord, my Conqueror, and my King!
Thy sceptre and thy sword I sing;
Thine is the vict'ry, and I sit
A joyful subject at thy feet.]
[Aspire, my soul, to glorious deeds,
The Captain of salvation leads;
March on, nor fear to win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.]
[Should death, and hell, and powers unknown,
Put all their forms of mischief on,
I shall be safe; for Christ displays
Salvation in more sovereign ways.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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What Beauties?
Though I lament the passing years, what treasures have I left?
What vivid verse to soothe the fears of those who feel bereft?
For life's not sweet to all Mankind! Some feast while others starve!
And there are those whose souls are blind who seek no higher path!
What beauties and what dainty treats have I been privy to?
And what was told of noble feats that only angels knew?
What has God granted to these ears that others should be told?
Though I lament the passing years, at least God gave me gold!
I do not mean the kind that shines and sparkles like the sun!
I speak of wisdom that refines the soul in everyone...
I speak of light beyond this Earth, beyond the sun and stars!
I speak of truth that shows its worth, that cannot fade or pass!
This treasure fills the empty heart with faith that overflows!
This measure given can impart true beauty, like the rose!
This blessing surges like a storm to help you rise on high!
It cannot harm, deface, deform, disgrace or make you sigh!
It's like God's Spirit floated down from Heaven's Throne of Grace!
It's like He put a holy crown upon a human face!
It's like He said, 'I love you, child! Forgiveness, now, is yours! '
It's like all sin is reconciled and peace has stopped all wars!
This vision I extend today... and each new tomorrow...
By faith, what beauties come your way, overcome life's sorrow!
Yet not just yours, but others, too! Let God unfold His plan!
Each has a duty left to do: to help one's fellow man!
I once sought beauty just like wealth and only thought of me...
Then came the vision: Christ Himself was crowned... for Calvary!
If God's own Son must face His Fate, then we must claim our own...
Else none of us can celebrate what beauties can be known...
What angel hates the wings he bears? What angel hates to fly?
Yet wings help him ascend with prayers, for even poets cry...
Would that I could depart this realm, transported by Christ's love!
Though I am rooted like the elm, what beauties wait above!
poem by Denis Martindale
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Hymn 75
The description of Christ the beloved.
SS 5:9-16.
The wond'ring world inquires to know
Why I should love my Jesus so:
What are his charms," say they, "above
The objects of a mortal love?"
Yes! my Beloved, to my sight
Shows a sweet mixture, red and white:
All human beauties, all divine,
In my Beloved meet and shine.
White is his soul, from blemish free;
Red with the blood he shed for me;
The fairest of ten thousand fairs;
A sun amongst ten thousand stars.
[His head the finest gold excels;
There wisdom in perfection dwells,
And glory like a crown adorns
Those temples once beset with thorns.
Compassion's in his heart are found,
Hard by the signals of his wound:
His sacred side no more shall bear
The cruel scourge, the piercing spear.]
[His hands are fairer to behold
Than diamonds set in rings of gold;
Those heav'nly hands, that on the tree
Were nailed, and torn, and bled for me!
Though once he bowed his feeble knees,
Loaded with sins and agonies,
Now on the throne of his command
His legs like marble pillars stand.]
[His eyes are majesty and love,
The eagle tempered with the dove;
No more shall trickling sorrows roll
Through those dear windows of his soul.
His mouth, that poured out long complaints,
Now smiles and cheers his fainting saints
His countenance more graceful is
Than Lebanon with all its trees.]
All over glorious is my Lord
Must be beloved, and yet adored;
His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 87
God dwells with the humble and penitent.
Isa. 47:15,16.
Thus saith the high and lofty One:
"I sit upon my holy throne;
My name is God, I dwell on high,
Dwell in my own eternity.
"But I descend to worlds below,
On earth I have a mansion too;
The humble spirit and contrite
Is an abode of my delight.
"The humble soul my words revive,
I bid the mourning sinner live,
Heal all the broken hearts I find,
And ease the sorrows of the mind.
["When I contend against their sin,
I make them know how vile they've been;
But should my wrath for ever smoke,
Their souls would sink beneath my stroke."]
O may thy pard'ning grace be nigh,
Lest we should faint, despair, and die!
Thus shall our better thoughts approve
The methods of thy chast'ning love.
poem by Isaac Watts
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It’s Waiting There
You’ve never been to Heaven yet
Perhaps you never will
Yet faith dictates that man will get
To reign on Zion Hill
We’ve heard what God has had to say
Of things that must be done
We’ve heard by grace He’s paved the way
Through Jesus Christ His Son
We know by faith God’s Light will dawn
On those who seek His face
Through Jesus’ blood become reborn
Receiving Heaven’s grace
Who’ve faith to fight and faith to stand
Who’ve grace to serve our King
Who’ve hope to dwell The Promised Land
Our endless praise to sing
Impossible for doubting fools
For self conceited man
But those who live by Jesus’ rules
Will see where life began
We’ll see The Way to David’s Rood
We’ll eat the leaves of health
We’ll see life’s tree and eat its fruit
And reap eternal wealth
But who has ears The Truth to hear?
With faith enough to see
That Jesus Christ will soon appear
To bring these things to be
Allow God’s grace to come your way
Open to Light your heart
Accept what love has got to say
Let all your doubts depart
poem by Michael P. Johnson
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It's Waiting Here
You’ve never been to Heaven yet
Perhaps you never will
Yet faith dictates that man will get
To reign on Zion Hill
We’ve heard what God has had to say
Of things that must be done
We’ve heard by grace He’s paved the way
Through Jesus Christ His Son
We know by faith God’s Light will dawn
On those who seek His face
Through Jesus’ blood become reborn
Receiving Heaven’s grace
Who’ve faith to fight and faith to stand
Who’ve grace to serve our King
Who’ve hope to dwell The Promised Land
Our endless praise to sing
Impossible for doubting fools
For self conceited man
But those who live by Jesus’ rules
Will see where life began
We’ll see The Way to David’s Rood
We’ll eat the leaves of health
We’ll see life’s tree and eat its fruit
And reap eternal wealth
But who has ears The Truth to hear?
With faith enough to see
That Jesus Christ will soon appear
To bring these things to be
Allow God’s grace to come your way
Open to Light your heart
Accept what love has got to say
Let all your doubts depart
poem by Michael P. Johnson
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A New Year's Message To Joseph Mazzini
Send the stars light, but send not love to me.
Shelley.
I
Out of the dawning heavens that hear
Young wings and feet of the new year
Move through their twilight, and shed round
Soft showers of sound,
Soothing the season with sweet rain,
If greeting come to make me fain,
What is it I can send again?
2
I know not if the year shall send
Tidings to usward as a friend,
And salutation, and such things
Bear on his wings
As the soul turns and thirsts unto
With hungering eyes and lips that sue
For that sweet food which makes all new.
3
I know not if his light shall be
Darkness, or else light verily:
I know but that it will not part
Heart's faith from heart,
Truth from the trust in truth, nor hope
From sight of days unscaled that ope
Beyond one poor year's horoscope.
4
That faith in love which love's self gives,
O master of my spirit, lives,
Having in presence unremoved
Thine head beloved,
The shadow of thee, the semitone
Of thy voice heard at heart and known,
The light of thee not set nor flown.
5
Seas, lands, and hours, can these divide
Love from love's service, side from side,
Though no sound pass nor breath be heard
Of one good word?
To send back words of trust to thee
Were to send wings to love, when he
With his own strong wings covers me.
6
Who shall teach singing to the spheres,
Or motion to the flight of years?
Let soul with soul keep hand in hand
And understand,
As in one same abiding-place
We keep one watch for one same face
To rise in some short sacred space.
7
And all space midway is but nought
To keep true heart from faithful thought,
As under twilight stars we wait
By Time's shut gate
Till the slow soundless hinges turn,
And through the depth of years that yearn
The face of the Republic burn.
poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
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Sonnet 86: Alas, Whence Come This Change Of Looks?
Alas, whence come this change of looks? If I
Have chang'd desert, let mine own conscience be
A still-felt plague, to self-condemning me:
Let woe gripe on my heart, shame load mine eye.
But if all faith, like spotless ermine lie
Safe in my soul, which only doth to thee
(As his sole object of felicity)
With wings of love in air of wonder fly,
Oh ease your hand, treat not so hard your slave:
In justice pains come not till faults do call.
Or if I needs, sweet Judge, must torments have,
Use something else to chasten me withal
Than those blest eyes, where all my hopes do dwell.
No doom should make one's heav'n become his hell.
poem by Philip Sidney
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My God Is Good To Me
My God my God is so good to me, if only other men could really see.
If only they would open their eyes to see who reigns above the skies.
If they looked they would surely see just how my God watches over me.
My God walks with me everywhere to show me how much He truly cares.
He guides me each and every day as He gently shows me a better way.
Christ died to take away my sin so that I could live my life for Him.
He leads me in the path I trod for my life to glorify The Living God.
If I choose another path to take, my life I know God won’t forsake.
Christ is with me to the end of time, for I am His and He is mine.
Not only is He with me to the end, my Lord even calls me His friend.
He’s not a god far out in space, as He came to show Love and Grace.
And He’s not a god man can’t reach, that is what we’re here to teach.
He is a God from far and wide, and from our God no man can hide.
Neither does He hide His Love, as He sends it down from up above.
And this love to earth that He sends changes the very heart of men.
Men who were lost and deceived, with The Spirit are able to believe.
Christ came with His life to give so we could have New Life to live.
You too can have New Life in Him, no matter how much you’ve sinned.
He’s forgiven all your past behavior and He wants to be your Savior.
Just come to God in Christ’s Name and He’ll be sure to make a change.
The Spirit has no small part, as He lives in every believer’s heart.
It is Christ’s Spirit that lives in me and how God has set me free.
Today accept Christ into your heart and you too can have a new start.
And then my friend you could see just how good my God can truly be.
(Copyright ©09/2004)
Power To Change
The power God used to save me, is the power that will change me,
The power of the Savior’s blood, and His grace He gives with love.
He is my friend and my Savior, my Sovereign God and my Creator,
And He, who saved my dark soul, can make a heart pure and whole.
The power of His awesome Grace, truly helps me as I seek His face,
To allow His Spirit to take control, as God changes this wicked soul.
The precious blood of God’s Son, has the power to change anyone,
Who comes to The Cross of Christ, to receive from God a New Life.
By Christ’s blood we were bought, so that change could be wrought,
In the body that belongs to Him, Christ who was crucified for our sin,
This body Christ called the Church; He did not leave here in the lurch,
But sent His Spirit, with His Light, to guide us safely out of the night.
The changes are the Father’s will, for this Church that Christ shall fill,
Filled with sinners from every nation, saved by The Lord’s Salvation,
Sanctified by the power of God, throughout the many lands we trod,
As a witness for those still lost, pointing them to our Savior’s Cross.
The changes shall continue in us, as in our Savior we place our trust,
To be all that we can be, through His blood, that flows from Calvary,
As His Grace gives us the power, for our needs, every day and hour,
Until that day, when by God’s Grace, we see our Savior face to face.
(Copyright ©06/2008)