Psalm 40 (Part Three)

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

What can I offer You, Lord,
That You don’t already have?
What can I bring to You, Lord,
That’s not already Yours?

What would please You more
Than for me to read Your Word
And to listen for Your voice
And to answer, “Lord, I’m Yours”?

Your Word is all I need, Lord,
To teach me how to live.
Help me to understand what it means,
So I can obey.

What would please You more
Than for me to read Your Word
And to listen for Your voice
And to answer, “Lord, I’m Yours”?

What can I give to You, Lord?
Here I am; I’m Yours.

About this Song:

Part Three of my songs from Psalm 40 is based on verses 6-8, probably from the Good News Version of the Bible, which I used most often during that period of time:

6 You do not want sacrifices and offerings;
      you do not ask for animals burned whole on the altar
      or for sacrifices to take away sins.
   Instead, you have given me ears to hear you,
    7 and so I answered,
         Here I am;
      your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.
 8 How I love to do your will, my God!
      I keep your teaching in my heart.

Verse 6 reminds me of another Scripture, Hosea 6:6.

I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.

Verse 7 reminds me of Isaiah’s response to God’s call in Isaiah 6:8.

8 Then I heard the Lord say,
         Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?
 I answered,
         I will go! Send me!

Next Wednesday will bring this series of songs from Psalm 40 to a close.

Comments are always welcome.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

 

Posted in God's Word(s), Obedience, Offering, Pleasing God, Psalm Forty, Psalms | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Psalm Forty (Part Two)

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

Happy are those who trust in You, Lord,
Not in the false gods of this world;
So many gifts You’ve given,
I can’t name them all.
Lord, there’s no one else like You.
Lord, there’s no one else like You.

About this Song:

Part Two of the songs from Psalm 40 is short and to the point. It’s based on verses 4 and 5:

 

4 Blessed is the one
    who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
    to those who turn aside to false gods.[b]
5 Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many to declare.

I’m the first one to admit that the Scripture expresses the idea much better than my song. I didn’t make any effort to deal with the reference to “the proud.” Neither do I refer to the things God has planned for us.

But it does focus on three of the basic ideas from those two verses:

    1. Unlike those who trust in false gods, those who trust in God are happy
    2. God’s gifts are too numerous to be counted or named
    3. God is incomparable; no one is like Him

“Psalm Forty (Part Three)” is coming next week.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

 

      

 

 

Posted in False Gods, God's Gifts, Happiness, Psalm Forty, Psalms, Trust | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Psalm 40 (Part One)

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

Lord,  I was sinking deep;
There was no hope for me
Until You heard my prayer for help
And picked me up and rested me upon a rock.

Lord, You picked me up
And put me on a rock
Where I can sing
A song of praise
For all that You have done,
All You’ve done.

Lord, on this rock I stand
And sing a song of praise
To thank You for the way You guide me
And to thank You for the many gifts You give.

Lord, You picked me up
And put me on a rock
Where I can sing
A song of praise
For all that You have done,
All You’ve done.

Lord, may this song I sing
Be heard by everyone
Who needs to be told all about Your love
And goodness and to put their trust in You.

Lord, You picked me up
And put me on a rock
Where I can sing
A song of praise
For all that You have done,
All You’ve done.

About this Song:
Early in 1985, Dr. Don Runion, then the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, preached a four-part series on a portion of the fortieth Psalm. I can’t recall whether “From the Mire to the Choir” was just the name of the first sermon or of the whole series, but it was a catchy title–one I didn’t need to write down to remember. Don did such a terrific job that I felt led to write a song based on each of the four sections he covered.

Just as Don preached only on the first eleven verses, I limited my song set to the same ones.

I was about to insert the appropriate lyrics beneath each of the verses listed below, but then realized I couldn’t. Although the song matches the whole content of the first three verse of Psalm 40, they don’t match stanza to verse.

Here are the verses I used for this song:

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him.

King David must have been in humongous trouble. “Mud and mire” makes me think of quicksand. Not something someone can necessarily get out of without help.

But he didn’t start this psalm of praise by complaining about the “slimy pit” and the “mud and the mire.” He began by acknowledging God’s response to his cries for help.

Isn’t God’s help more important than the problems He helps us with?

God didn’t simply set David on solid ground again. Solid ground might have been at the same level as the top of the pit.

Instead, he set him on a rock. And a rock would be elevated–especially if it was so large that David couldn’t have climbed up on it by himself. Apparently it formed a natural pulpit.

Not a pulpit for preaching, however, but for composing a new song and singing praise to the Lord for His miraculous intervention in the midst of David’s otherwise insoluble problem.

But wouldn’t you know David realized that his song had an evangelistic function? “Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.”

Shouldn’t that be the desire of every Christian musician–to write songs that show what God has done in their lives, to stand on the rock where God has placed them, and to use those songs to “preach” God’s Good News to everyone who will listen?

We’ll look at “Psalm 40 (Part Two)” next Wednesday.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

 

Posted in Don Runion, King David, Mire, Psalm Forty, Quicksand, Rescue, Rock | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Giver, Gift, Gifted

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

God is the vine,
And we are His branches.
We are known by the
Kind of fruit we bear.

refrain
God is the giver of every perfect gift.
Christ, His only Son, is God’s most perfect gift of all.
When we accept Him, we become the gifted,
Gifted with eternal life by God’s redeeming love,
By God’s redeeming love.

God’s fruit is love,
Love that gives and forgives
And strives to turn
His enemies into friends.
(refrain)

God is the vine.
We are His branches.
When we share His love,
We bear His fruit.
(refrain)

About This Song:
“Giver, Gift, Gifted” uses something closely related to a neologism.

“Huh?” you say. I had to look that word up the first time I saw it.

A neologism is a made-up word. We writers love to use them. Especially novelists and other writers of fiction.

In this song, however, I haven’t created a new word, but I’ve given a new meaning to an existing word: “Gifted” to signify that the recipient of God’s love (rather than talents) has been blessed with something special. The lyrics are based on these Scriptures. . .

    • James 1:17
      Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
      (NIV)
    • John 1:12
      Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
      (NIV)
    • John 3:16
      For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
      (NIV)
    • John 15:4
      Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
      (NIV)

Hence God is the Giver, Christ is the Gift, and Christians are the Gifted–the blessed recipients of God’s gift.

However, what the lyrics strongly imply comes closer to the conventional meaning of “gifted” as well. Through faith, Christians have been joined to the vine and thus enabled to bear God’s fruit.

If you’re a Christian, have you allowed God to fully enable you to bear His fruit? If you have a comment about this song, please leave a comment.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Fruit, Gift, Gifted, Giver, God's love, Love, Neologism, Vine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Witness Between Us

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

Sing to the Lord; let’s make up a new song.
Sing to the Lord; let’s make up a new song.
Sing to the Lord; let’s make up a new song
As a witness between us that He is our God.

Sing of His love and sing of His goodness. . .
As a witness between us that He is our God.

Sing of His mercy and His forgiveness. . .
As a witness between us that He is our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord;
Sing of His infinite greatness.

Sing of His power and sing of His presence. . .
As a witness between us that He is our God.

Sing of his truth and sing of His wisdom. . .
As a witness between us that He is our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord;
Sing of His infinite greatness.

Sing to the Lord; let’s make up a new song. . .
As a witness between us that He is our God.

About This Song:

What Christians sing is a witness to others of what they believe. And sometimes that involves the creation of a new song. To be God-honoring, it doesn’t need to have professional potential or adhere to the rules of good musical composition. It just needs to be sincere–from the heart.

I made this song repetitious on purpose–to enable people to sing along with it more easily.

The basic idea comes from Psalm 98:1. . .

Sing to God a brand-new song.
He’s made a world of wonders!
He rolled up his sleeves,
He set things right.
(MSG)

and Joshua 22:34. . .

Reuben and Gad named the altar:
A Witness Between Us.
God Alone Is God.
(MSG)

The rest of the lyrics come from various Psalms and name many of God’s attributes. If you can think of any  I should consider adding–at least as optional stanzas–please Contact Me and let me know.

This song seemed complete for a number of years. But then a new idea came to mind and I  needed to add something–the little bridge that’s in italics: “Sing a new song to the Lord; Sing of His infinite greatness.”

Finally this song had something to break the potential tedium of the repetitious stanzas. I don’t know about other people, but I enjoy singing this song more with the addition of the bridge, even though–unlike a refrain–it only appears twice in the song.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in God's Attributes, God's goodness, God's love, Joshua, Psalms, Singing, Songs, Witness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blessed by the Past

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

We’ve been blessed in the past by the Saints who’ve gone before us,
Who in times of tribulation showed theirs was a living faith.
But the future is our challenge, for in days of wealth and leisure,
Will we show a lonely world that God is love?

We’ve been blessed by the past, but will we embrace the future?
When the Lord asks, “Who will go for me?” how will we answer Him?
Will we stay safe in our churches and drop coins into the offering,
Or will we respond to Him, “I’m yours; send me!”?

We’ve been blessed by the past, but when we embrace the future,
We will prove to be a blessing if we show our faith is real.
When we sacrifice our wealth and when we sacrifice our leisure,
We will show a lonely world that God is love.

View and/or download the lead sheet here.

About This Song:
A number of years ago, one of the Baptist associations in Virginia held a song writing competition as part of the celebration of a significant anniversary, although I can’t recall which association–or even which anniversary.

The theme was “Blessed by the Past.” I honestly thought that was a pretty weird idea–something I ordinarily wouldn’t have been interested in. But it seemed like a worthy challenge.

Months after the event at which the winning song was shared, I sent email to the association office. My song hadn’t won the contest, and that was okay, but what had become of it?

When I heard back, the contest coordinator apologized for the fact my song had somehow gotten lost–and consequently had not been considered.

I didn’t have much choice but to shrug off my frustration. Nothing they could do to make amends.

Have you ever put your best efforts into something you wouldn’t ordinarily have done? Something that seemed like the right thing to do, only to have your efforts ignored–or perhaps to have the project backfire on you? Then you can relate.

Yet as I look at these lyrics, perhaps my decision to write them was my way of telling God, “I’m Yours; send me.”

I believe God sometimes calls people to go somewhere or do something  to test their obedience. God’s asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac comes to mind. God didn’t want Abraham to actually kill his son, but to prove that he put God first. So God was able to prepare Abraham to do what He really wanted.

Let me change directions.

American Christians are currently under attack from the federal government, homosexual organizations, abortionists, atheists and non-Christian religious groups, and who knows how many other special interest groups that represent things Christians cannot biblically accept or endorse. And in some cases they are things Christians must actively oppose.

We may well be facing times of tribulation. Are we prepared to sacrifice our Isaacs to show that ours is a living faith in a loving God–a loving God who teaches us to “hate the sin, but love the sinner”?

NOTE: This post was originally written four years ago. Everything I said in the last two paragraphs is even more true today.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

 

Posted in Anniversary, Blessings, Future, Past, Persecution, Song Writing Competition | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Won’t You Tell Me About That Cross?

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

Won’t you tell me about that cross that’s hanging down from your neck?
Did you get it as a gift or purchase it for yourself?
Did you put it on by choice or wear it out of habit?
Won’t you tell me about that cross that’s hanging down from your neck?

Won’t you tell me about that cross you’re wearing as a necklace?
Do you often have it on or mostly keep it boxed up?
Is it just some pretty shape or does it have some meaning?
Won’t you tell me about that cross you’re wearing as a necklace?

Won’t you tell me about that cross you’re wearing upon your neck?
Do you like to dwell on it or take it much for granted?
Does it tell what you believe or is it merely jewelry?
Won’t you tell me about that cross you’re wearing upon your neck?

I wear this cross upon my neck to tell how God loves me.
I wear this cross upon my neck to show I love Him, too.
I wear this cross upon my neck to say that God loves you,
For His Son died upon a cross,
But He rose from death to give us life,
When we trust in Him.

About This Song:
Thanks to my former pastor, Randy Mathis, for making me think more seriously about the reasons people wear crosses.

If you’re like me, you probably see dozens of people wearing crosses–both men and women–during the course of the day. Some crosses are small. Petite. Some are large and heavy enough to ward off an attacker if the wearer took it off and swung it.

Some of them are quite plain. Some, like the crosses I’ve made for my wife and me, are wooden. Others aren’t just fancy; they’re fine jewelry. Probably quite costly.

Could you picture yourself taking part in the following conversation?

You: “You must be a Christian.”

Cross Wearer: “Why would you think that?”

You: “That cross you’re wearing. It’s outstanding.”

Cross Wearer: “Thanks, but it’s just a cross. No reason for you to get nasty and accuse  me of being a Christian.”

You: “But don’t you understand the significance of the cross?”

Cross Wearer: “I understand that you’re nuts. Get lost before I call a cop.”

Hmm. Not funny, is it? But isn’t that apt to be the way the conversation would go with many cross wearers–maybe even a majority of them?

This song addresses that issue–and gives the explanation.

I’m not suggesting that you go out and make enemies of every cross wearer you run into by coming on that strong, but I am asking you to evaluate your own reason for wearing a cross–if you do. Are you trying to identify yourself to other Believers? Or does the cross just happen to be the piece of jewelry you put on today?

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Cross, Crucifixion, Jewelry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beggar

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

I was once a beggar in my soul,
Just looking for a fuller kind of meal,
When another beggar found me and said,
“Let me show you where you can get your fill.”

Then he took me to the House of God
And he gave me some of God’s Living Bread,
And I never felt so satisfied inside
Until from God’s table I was fed.

Then I exclaimed, “Can such a feast be free?
There must be something that I should do to pay.”
Then he explained, “You can’t pay the price God paid,
But you can thank Him by giving His love away.”

So if you’re a beggar in your soul,
Just looking for a fuller kind of meal,
Let me take you to the table of Living God,
Where you can always get your fill.”

About This Song:

I can’t claim that the portrayal of Christians as beggars showing other beggars where to get food is original, but I’ve long thought it an excellent extended metaphor.

I don’t know much about homeless people or beggars regardless of my church’s former yearly outreach to a group of homeless people, but I can’t imagine many of them would be willing to help a fellow-beggar unless he or she had a source of food that was sufficient for both of them.

But God’s table is big enough for everyone. Everyone in the world. The Scriptures clearly state  that God doesn’t want anyone to be left out.

The question for us Believers is whether we’re thankful enough for God’s provisions–especially our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ–to willingly share our faith with others. And sometimes to share from our abundance of material possessions as well.

Your comments are welcome.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

 

 

Posted in Beggar, Bread, Feast, Good News, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Neighbor

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

NOTE: You may listen to this song here.

A man went on a business trip that took him far from his home.
A Sunday stroll took him to the worst part of the city.
His shoes and clothes bespoke such wealth; his watch and rings so glittered.
Thugs beat him up and picked him clean and just left him there dying.

A preacher came along that way en route to church that morning,
A sermon forming in his mind about God’s love and caring.
He saw the man, his clothes stripped off, another hapless street bum.
An illustration he could use, he noted as he rushed by.

A deacon from that preacher’s church came by there moments later.
He saw the blood and bruises and he feared he’d get infected.
He knew he’d be late if he stopped, so scared that he’d get robbed, too.
It wouldn’t do to get involved and fail to do the Lord’s work.

A homeless man awoke near by, his cheeks red from the cold winds.
He looked into that dying face, his heart filled with compassion.
He took the blanket from his back and wrapped it round the victim;
He tore a patch from his own shirt and worked to stop the bleeding.

Though old and bent, that homeless man ran to the busy curbside.
He waved his arms to stop a cab and pointed to the stranger.
“Take him for help or else he’ll die.” The cabbie hesitated.
“My coins are few; take these for him. Come back. I’ll find more for you.”

When you are bruised and broken, who would you want for your neighbor?
A man whose love is only words or one who’ll tend your bleeding?
A man who always counts the cost or one who holds back nothing?
And who will YOU be neighbor to? Will God’s love reach out through you?

About This Song:
Novelist John Grisham probably doesn’t know that his book, The Street Lawyer, was a major inspiration for this song. I’d long wanted to retell Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan in song. With its emphasis on the homeless, The Street Lawyer gave me the handle I needed.

The comparisons aren’t perfect, of course, but they make the point, I believe:

    • A traveler gets robbed, beaten, and left for dead
    • Hypocritical religious people see the victim, but don’t want to get involved
    • A man the victim would probably have otherwise despised comes to his rescue
    • The rescuer does everything he can to help the victim
    • The rescuer arranges for the victim to go elsewhere for additional care
    • The rescuer offers to make good for any additional cost

And just as Jesus then asked his listeners who the real neighbor was, this song ends by challenging the listener/reader to be the kind of neighbor Jesus described.

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Caring, Helping, Homeless, John Grisham, Neighbor, Street Person, The Good Samaritan, The Street Lawyer | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When I Am Scared

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Roger E. Bruner

When I am scared, God gives me His courage;
When I am weak, He gives me His strength.
When I am lost, God gives me His guidance;
When I am cold, He gives me His warmth.

When I’m in doubt, God gives me assurance;
When I am sad, He gives me His joy.
When I’m alone, God gives me His presence;
When I am tired, He gives me His rest.

When I’m distressed, God gives me His comfort;
When I’m in pain, He gives me His balm.
When I’m confined, God gives me His freedom;
When I’m in darkness, He gives me His light.

When I’m perplexed, God gives me His wisdom;
When I’m besieged, He gives me defense.
When I lose sight, God gives me His vision;
And when I die, He gives me new life.

About This Song:
My daughter, Kristi, was eight years old and having symptoms of something that might have proved to be quite serious.

I woke up in the middle of the night and started fretting about it. No, not just fretting. I was worried sick about Kristi. Scared of what might happen to her.

Then I realized I should pray instead of worry. After doing that–possibly even while I was still praying–I was able to get back to sleep. Kristi’s problem went away and has never surfaced again, but the effect of that prayer on my tendency to worry has been long-lasting.

And I wrote this song because of that prayer time.

In a long ago Bible study, the speaker on the video shared this idea: “I don’t know what God will do [in a given situation], but I know what He’s capable of doing.”

That’s more than enough for me.

What about you, though? Do you have confidence in God’s ability to deal with all of your challenges and problems? Notice that I didn’t say, “And fix them the way you think best.”

God’s ways are beyond our comprehension, and sometimes His answers aren’t the ones we want to hear. But He’s always there to help us through our crises, even if He doesn’t  let us come through them unscarred.

That’s a lot to think about, isn’t it? Is there a time in your life when you’ve been especially conscious of God helping through an especially tough situation? How about sharing a comment?

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

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

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Assurance, Belief, Despair, Disasters, Faith, God's Help, God's protection, Helping, Prayer, Problems, Suffering, Trouble, Trust, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment