He Is Who He Is

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

He is my rock,
And He is my redeemer.
He is the Way,
The Truth and the Life.

He is the Way,
The Truth and the Life.
He is God’s Son.
He is who He is.

He is my light,
And He is my salvation.
He’s the Good Shepherd,
The Bread of Life.

He’s the Good Shepherd,
The Bread of Life.
He is God’s Son.
He is who He is.

He is the Word
Who was with God in beginning.
He is the Word
Who Himself is God.

He is the Word
Who Himself is God.
He is God’s Son.
He is who He is.

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smaller
In Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” The same idea, using the Hebrew word translated as “I AM,” is found in numerous places in the Old Testament. When the Jewish people heard that word, they knew it was a reference to the Living God.

As the Son of God, Jesus had the right to refer to Himself as “I AM,” too. Look at these references…

John 6:51:“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;”

John 8:23: And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 8:58: Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 10:9: “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

John 10:11: “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 10:36: “Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 15:1: “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

John 19:2: Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”‘”

I AM signifies that God is alive today. He has always been alive and always will be.

That’s the essence of this song. And the fact that I believe it.

But the question is whether you believe God is alive now and whether Jesus is living in you.

You may find the PDF lead sheet for this song here. An audio recording of this song is available here. If you’re a guitar player trying out the lead sheet, be sure to listen to the song because the Bm7 and D#Maj7 may not be where you expect them to be.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please check back then or, better still, sign up to receive these posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

P.S. Here’s my newest novel, the third and final book in the CURMUDGEON series:

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Posted in God's Identity, God's Timelessness, I AM, Jesus, Moses | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

(If Christ Had Not Been) Born a Baby

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

(You may listen to this song here.)

If Christ had not been born a baby,
Fully human and yet still fully God;
Had He not lived and died as a man,
Then how would God know what we feel?

If Christ had never been tempted,
If He had never suffered grief,
Had He never known the pain of rejection,
Then how would He know how I feel?

If Christ had never been lonely,
If He had never dreaded death,
Had He never known physical suffering,
Then how would He know how I feel?

If Christ had never been lied about,
If He have never suffered loss,
Had He never known emotional anguish,
Then how would He know how I feel?

If Christ had not been born a baby,
Fully human and yet still fully God;
Had he not lived and died as a man,
Then how would God know what we feel?

About this Song:
RogerCapped - smallerOne of people’s hardest problems about accepting Christianity is making sense of Jesus being “as fully God as if He weren’t human and as fully human as if He weren’t God.” We rational human beings can’t–pun not intended–conceive of a baby whose Father was God Himself and whose mother was teen-aged Mary–a human being. How was that, uh, humanly possible?

That’s the problem, isn’t it? We can only look at this question (and try to explain it) in human terms. And it doesn’t work.

How many times have I acknowledged that–if I could understand God–He wouldn’t be big enough or powerful enough, loving enough or merciful enough, righteous enough or enough of anything good to be worthy of my worship and adoration. And He certainly wouldn’t be someone I would want to put my life into the control of.

But that raises another question: As perfect as God is and always has been–in every way–how could He possibly understand everything about us human beings? He created us to be perfect, but sin did a dastardly number on that. How could He understand our loneliness, our dread of death, our physical suffering, and all of the other problems mankind suffers?

That very question is why I value and accept Jesus not just as my Lord and Savior, but as a model of how to live successfully in spite of every possible human hardship I could encounter–and then some. What problems will ever pop up that Jesus didn’t face and overcome (including death itself) 2,000 years ago?

I can’t explain the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). Honestly, that very concept is as mind-boggling as anything I’ve ever tried to understand. But what I believe–and this is extremely important to me–is Jesus as God the Son returned to His Father’s side after His resurrection and (so to speak) clued God the Father (God the Father is spirit) in on what being human really felt like. I picture Jesus telling God, “You’ve never experienced that kind of self-doubt, but I have. Believe me, that fellow needs Your help getting through it.”

Maybe that’s why Christians typically pray “In Jesus’ Name.”

Those thoughts have helped me over the years, and I hope they’ll help you, too.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

You can find a free lead sheet for “Born a Baby” here.

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Posted in Baby, Birth, Grief, Human, Jesus' birth, Temptation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trust in the Lord

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

A recording of this song may be heard here.

Trust in the Lord
With all of your heart.
Don’t rely on your own modest wisdom.
Seek to follow His will,
Wherever it leads,
For His path is straight,
And His way is sure.

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smallerWhen I started this blog to share my song lyrics, I never promised that everything would be poetic or complex. Whatever beauty these lyrics have is the beauty of the Scripture they’re based on.

While working at the International Mission Board, the first thing I did when I arrived each day was to pick up the A.M. Adviser, a daily information sheet. Each issue contained a verse or two of Scripture. One day in 1994 the Adviser quoted Proverbs 3:5-6:

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
(NIV)

Although I was already familiar with those verses, they spoke to me that day as never before, and I started to mull them over.

I normally had company on my lunchtime two-mile walk, but that day I walked by myself. Thoughts about those two verses bubbled up to form not only the lyrics but a very definite melody–one that struck me as a keeper.

Working out the melody for a new song normally takes days. Often weeks. But this one took less than an hour.

I had access to a guitar at work, so I jotted down the notes when I returned from walking. Remembering that tune for thirty or forty minutes was one thing, but I didn’t want to chance forgetting it before I got home.

Since then, I’ve added a descant that makes it a little nicer. If you’re musically inclined, please look at the free lead sheet for this song and see what you think.

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Greater Than All

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

You may listen to an old recording of this song here.

Your questions fall like a hard rain,
And your problems rush like a flood.
Your faith is stuck in the mud of despair,
And your sunshine is tainted with clouds.

But remember that Somebody loves you,
Someone Who has lived here before,
Someone Who is greater than questions and doubts,
Someone Who is greater than all.

The mountains you want to conquer
Are taller than you think you can climb,
And the valley you’re walking through right now
Seems to keep leading you down.

But remember that Somebody loves you,
Someone Who has lived here before,
Someone Who is greater than mountains and depths,
Someone Who is greater than all,
Greater than all.

About this Song:
RogerCapped - smaller
This is one of two songs I wrote on a visit to my (then) in-laws in 1979.

My former brother-in-law was a teen then, and he was experiencing some significant problems. I’m not sure I even knew what they were, but that didn’t matter. I felt compelled to write this song of assurance for him.

The first stanza follows a logical progression: from rain to flood to mud. And even the clouds (where else would the rain come from?) enhance the symbolism of the problems being addressed. The refrain, which differs slightly from stanza to stanza, echoes the ideas expressed in the stanza it follows.

The second stanza uses a contrast rather than a logical progression: mountains and valleys. People often use mountains to symbolize a goal or something desirable. Think about mountaintop experiences.

But I’ll bet our American forefathers didn’t view the mountains that blocked their westward travel as anything but problems to overcome.

And even though valleys symbolize peacefulness, normal life, or even home, I suspect that our forefathers felt quite differently when looking upward at the next mountain from the depths of the current valley.

And that’s the way I imagined my brother-in-law felt as he faced his seemingly insurmountable problems at that time.

One thing I’ve always found interesting about this song is the fact that the “Someone Who…” clearly means Jesus, even though the song never references Him by name. But that’s okay. This song was written for a Christian who understood that.

My former mother-in-law surprised me by making a printing plate of some kind from a copy of this song. I no longer know exactly how a plate like that could have been used for printing, but she’d framed it, and it still has a place of honor in my home.

Please leave a comment if this song has spoken to you.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. The one for this song is here.

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Posted in Assurance, Faith, Greatness, Mountains, Mud, Problems, Questions, Rain, Valleys | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Spend Money on Food?

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

You may listen to an old recording of this song here.

Why spend money on food that does not satisfy?
Why buy groceries that don’t even give you strength?
If you’re hungry inside for something that will fill,
Come eat from the Living Bread of God.
It’s free!

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smallerYou might not recognize these lyrics as Scripture, but they are–as expressed in my own words, that is.

Isaiah 55:2 says,
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
(NIV)

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
(NKJV)

Why spend money on what does not satisfy?
    Why spend your wages and still be hungry?
Listen to me and do what I say,
    and you will enjoy the best food of all.
(GNV)

Why do ye weigh money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which is not for satiety? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat good, And your soul doth delight itself in fatness.
(YLT)

Although Isaiah speaks specifically about food, his meaning goes far beyond that. He’s talking about the search for satisfaction.

Not everything people indulge in to seek satisfaction is bad in and of itself. Eating for fun in moderation, for example, is fine. But it’s not truly satisfying, and if we overeat in our quest for satisfaction, all we get is fat. Or, in some cases, fatter.

So why do we spend money on food–or anything else–that doesn’t satisfy?

Instead, why not invest our time and resources in things that will satisfy us?  Feeding the poor, going on volunteer mission trips to spread God’s Good News, and helping fellow believers who’re going through a hard time are just three of the endless possibilities that come to mind.

The satisfaction gained by doing things like those is eternal. It allows us to store up treasures in heaven.

How about sharing a comment?

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. One for this song is available here.

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Create in Me a Clean Heart, O Lord

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

You may listen to a recording of this song here.

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t turn me away from Your presence, Lord,
Or withhold Your Spirit from me.
Don’t withhold Your Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation;
Let Your Spirit make me whole once more.

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord,
And renew a right spirit in me.
Lord, renew a right spirit in me.

About this Song
RogerCapped - smallerI have to be honest. Ever since I started writing novels in earnest over the past ten or twelve years, I’ve written fewer songs. I’ve really missed it, though, but I can’t write a new song until God gives me an idea, and He seems to have kept me busier with novels.

At my church’s weekly nursing home ministry one day three years ago, Bob Gearheart presented a devotional that concluded with a group prayer using Psalm 51:10-12. He prayed a phrase aloud, and everyone repeated it after him before he proceeded to the next phrase.

The devotional itself was quite good, but the use of the verses from that Psalm as a prayer–something Bob hadn’t originally intended to do–was especially moving. I couldn’t ignore the feeling that this was a song God wanted me to write.

What Christian hasn’t occasionally recognized that things between him and God aren’t quite right? Perhaps He seems distant. And the relationship with Him no longer seems as joyous and meaningful as it used to be.

How relevant Psalm 51:10-12 is to those problems:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

King David wrote this psalm seeking God’s forgiveness after Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba’s husband.

Hopefully, the things that affect our relationship with God aren’t quite that drastic. Nonetheless, this reminder that God will forgive any sin should be an encouragement. Along with the fact that He’s always willing to restore broken relationships with His rebellious children when they turn to him in repentance.

I felt a special need to remain as true to the biblical version of these verses as possible, but I was having problems with “and uphold me with thy free spirit.” I originally wrote “let Your Spirit set me free,” but that ultimately didn’t feel quite right. I pray that “Let Your Spirit make me whole again” at least fits the spirit of the biblical wording.

I pray that you may use this song in your own time of worship.

You’ll find a free PDF of this brand-new song here.

Feel free to leave a comment, and look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Posted in Bathsheba, Forgiveness, King David, Psalm Fifty-One, Restoration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What I Can Do for You I’m Doing for Him

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

An old recording of this song may be heard here.
Here’s the free lead sheet.

Let me feed you when you are hungry;
Let me quench your thirst when you feel dry.
Let me shelter you when it’s cold outside.
Let me cheer you up when you feel cold inside.

Let me walk with you when you’re lonely;
Let me lift you up when you fall.
Let me show you the love of Jesus:
What I can do for you I’m doing for Him.

Let me love you when you need love;
Let me visit you when you’re in jail.
Let me wash your feet when you enter my house;
Let me clothe you in my very best.

Let me walk with you when you’re lonely;
Let me lift you up when you fall.
Let me show you the love of Jesus:
What I can do for you I’m doing for Him.

Let me forgive you when you have wronged me,
Let me turn the other cheek.
Let me bring you soup when you’re home sick in bed;
Let me listen to your ills, not make you listen to mine.

Let me walk with you when you’re lonely;
Let me lift you up when you fall.
Let me show you the love of Jesus:
What I can do for you I’m doing for Him.

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smaller
Jesus talked many times about the importance of ministry to others. One of His most popular sayings is from Matthew 10:42:

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

But He also talked specifically about ministering to Him by ministering to others. Many of the ideas this song uses come from Matthew 25:40-46:

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

But this passage from Luke 6:29 is also relevant:

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

There are far too many passages dealing with forgiveness to pin a specific one down.

What do you think, though? Is Jesus speaking to you now the way He’s speaking to me? We (individually) aren’t responsible for feeding and caring for the whole world, but our lives touch people who need something from us–whether physical help, encouragement, or simply a listening ear. Are we willing do that much for Jesus?

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Settled Out of Court!

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

Settled out of court!
My case was settled out of court,
Though I was as guilty of sin
As anyone on earth could be.

But I had to trust my Lawyer;
Trust Him I did,
For I had to tell Him I was guilty,
And I had to tell Him I was sorry,
And I had to place my life within His control,
For I can’t control my own life.

Settled out of court!
My case was settled out of court,
Though I was as guilty of sin
As anyone on earth could be.

I had such a good lawyer:
The very best.
For He was the Judge’s Only Son,
And He talked my case over with His Father
So I wouldn’t have to face His Father’s wrath in court,
For we both knew how guilty I was.

Settled out of court!
My case was settled out of court,
Though I was as guilty of sin
As anyone on earth could be.

About this Song:
Although written in the past tense, this song is actually about the future: how it will be for the Christian appearing before the throne of God following earthly death.

Christians are accustomed to the concept of Christ being the Mediator between sinful, unrighteous man and perfect, holy God. But I believe the image of Christ as a defense attorney who holds the advantage of being the Judge’s only Son is a unique way of looking at the same idea.

We’ve undoubtedly all heard the term “throwing ourselves on the mercy of the court.” This song suggests that–in being redeemed, in turning away from our sins and to Christ–we’re throwing ourselves on the mercy of our Lawyer, who provides the same mercy we will eventually receive from God Himself.

I hope YOUR case has already been settled out of court. If not, Jesus is waiting to receive and forgive you for all of your sins and to bring you into a right relationship with His Heavenly Father. Judgement is not something you need to fear.

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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I Don’t Show that I Trust Him

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

A very old recording of this song may be heard HERE.
Click HERE for the lead sheet.

I know that this is a chair;
I believe that it can hold me.
But till I put my weight on it,
I don’t show that I trust it.

I know that this is a plane;
I believe that it can fly me.
But till I board to go some place,
I don’t show that I trust it.

I know that this is a pill;
I believe that it can cure me.
But till I put it in my mouth,
I don’t show that I trust it.

I know that this is a map;
I believe that it can guide me.
But till I plan a trip with it,
I don’t show that I trust it.

I know that this is God’s Word;
I believe that it can fill me.
But till I read and feed on it,
I don’t show that I trust it.

I know that Christ is God’s Son.
I believe that He can save me.
But till I let Him live in me,
I don’t show that I trust Him.
Till I let Him live in me,
I don’t show that I trust Him.

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smallerMost people are familiar with the old story about the tightrope walker preparing to walk across Niagara Falls. He asked, “How many people believe I can make it all the way across?” Everyone in the crowd raised their hands.

“And,” he added, “who’s willing to ride on my back?”

No takers.

Hmm. And why not? Not one among those hundreds of people who said they believed that guy could make it across Niagara on a tightrope actually had enough faith to put their lives in his hands.

Aren’t we like that at times, too? We say we believe God is able to do anything and everything. We believe He wants to provide for us and take care of us.

But when something is going wrong, how often do we rely on ourselves when we should be relying on God?

Unless we put our faith into practice, it’s useless.

What about you? Do you simply believe God is Who He says He is–even the Devil believes that–or are you willing to place your life totally in His hands? How about leaving a comment?

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Roadmap & Compass

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Roger E. Bruner

Before I start a journey to a
Place I’ve never been before,
I get out the road map and
I plan how best to get there.

But life’s a different type of trip;
The map’s not mine to look at.
I don’t know where Heaven is,
But God will help me find it.

I’m attracted to God’s love
Like a compass to magnetic north;
God knows where I ought to go;
I’ll follow close behind Him.

Life’s a different type of trip;
The map’s not mine to look at.
I don’t know where Heaven is,
But God will help me find it.

Sometimes I get distracted by the
Things this world considers good.
God comes close, His love calls fresh,
And I resume my journey.

Life’s a different type of trip;
The map’s not mine to look at.
I don’t know where Heaven is,
But God will help me find it.

About This Song:
RogerCapped - smaller
Thank goodness some people still don’t use GPS to find the way to their destinations. Otherwise, the words to this song might seem totally dated.

Where is Heaven? Is it in some dimension we can’t enter or be part of until we die? That’s hard to say.

Hard? It’s impossible. No one on earth knows.

Maybe that’s why I’ve used the same idea in “I Believe It!” The third verse of that song says,

“Heaven is the home of God; He shares it with believers,
Though moving there takes a lifetime to do.
I cannot claim to tell you just where Heaven is located,
But–day by day–I long to see it more.”

God gave us the Bible as the instruction manual for righteous living. But it doesn’t give us step by step instructions for the trip to Heaven. Instead, it tells us that our faith in Jesus is enough to get us there.

The closer we follow His leading, the better. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get distracted and make some wrong turns along the way. When we do, we must draw closer to Him, for He alone knows the way.

Are you on the way to Heaven? Are you counting on God to lead you there? You’ll never be good enough to make it on your own, you know.

Comments are welcome. Please join me here again next Wednesday or, better still, subscribe to this blog to receive posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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Posted in Attraction, Compass, Guidance, Heaven, Magnetic North, Road Map, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment