In the 80's

It was difficult for me to come up with any music that I loved from the 80's because my parents loved country and that is mostly all I heard for all ten years. I don't listen to that sort of music much anymore, but if you ask, I probably know all of the popular country songs from the 80's.
To come up with my favorite song from the eighties took a while. It seemed that every song that I thought of was actually written in the nineties.
Then I thought of Rich Mullins - I figured that he'd been around for a while, but I was almost wrong. He started producing albums in the late eighties and died in 97. Over those few years, he produced a fantastic body of work. He is one of my very favorite artists; and by artist, it seemed like he could play anything, and to me, when he wrote a song, he wasn't afraid to lay his heart out. As I was looking for a link to the song I've chosen, I found on YouTube a video of a concert that Rich put on. If you watch it and you know me, it should be easy to figure out why I like His stuff so much. It was cool to see Rich doing his thing and it seemed really familiar - it was filmed at the Carpenter's Way church in Lufkin. It was the second concert of Rich's that we made in the year. You can see the first part (1 of 6) of the concert by clicking here. At that particular concert, during intermission, I was wandering the halls of the church and I unknowingly busted in on Rich and the band resting, getting ready for the second half. It was a weird moment but they waved and I left the room feeling like a big doofus. That concert was two months before he died.
The song that I love is called If I stand - released 1988 -You can listen to an amazon.com clip here. (though it's pretty short) If you don't have this album Songs, you need to get it!

The stuff of Earth competes
For the allegiance
I owe only to the giver
Of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

2nd Chapter of Acts

I'm writing this as part of a three or four part series about music that I love - starting with a hymn (It Is Well) and progressing through time to newer stuff.
Yes, the title of this entry, the 2nd chapter of Acts, is in the Bible - and fantastic - but there was a band in the seventies called 2nd Chapter of Acts. They produced a lot of music that I'll probably never know, but I do know one song that I have heard done by Keith Green - on a cd of course - and fantastic. You can check out a clip of Keith Green singing the Easter Song from amazon.com if you click here. Because I learned the song from Keith Green, I like it better when He sings, but you can see the original band in video, singing the song below.
Just check out these lyrics:

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah

Here were some of my thoughts as I read through Luke 24:3-6

When they got to the opening of the tomb, they looked in and hoped that Jesus would still be in there, but He wasn’t. As their minds started thinking about who could have taken the body and what would they have done with it, it got real bright in the tomb. They looked towards the door and saw two men standing in between the ladies and their exit. Whether they noticed it or not, these two guys were almost as shiny as the sun and their clothes were as bright as lightning. The women were so terrified because of what had happened to Jesus, they all fell to the floor and put their faces on the ground. They were terrified of what might happen, and as they began to plead with the men to leave them alone, both of the men asked together in one voice, “Why are you looking for the Living One in the place where the dead are kept? He’s not here because He is alive and has not been held by death.

JOY TO THE WORLD - HE HAS RISEN!

Well With My

Horatio Spafford has written a doozy of a fantastic song. Although it was 1873, and it was penned because of some rough times, I love to hear and match my heart to the song - It is Well With My Soul. The great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871 ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter the fire, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, he was inspired to write these words. (just three of the verses)

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Isaiah 40:31

The Babe claims - "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - as her own, but right now our whole family must look at it and hide it in our hearts because - the waiting has begun. God has given us a glimmer of the service that He wants us to bring. Waiting is very hard and very scary and that is when I am able to look at this verse and know that God is with my family. We are waiting and praying for the right family to buy our house because it is a special thing. But, we are waiting and praying and will let pretty much anyone with the money, purchase my truck - very nice, but not real special.
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." - God, give us strength and endurance.