More Than Just the Way I Am

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner
(You may listen to a recent recording of this song here. A free lead sheet is available here.) 
 Although I'm not like the prophet Daniel
 With vast knowledge and wisdom and power,
 I praise the Lord every day of my life for making me
 Just the way I am.

 Just the way I am, just the way I am,
 The Lord made me just the way I am.
 Just the way I am, just the way I am,
 The Lord made me just the way I am.

 No, I'm not like the prophet Daniel;
 My abilities are nothing like his.
 But I thank the Lord every day of my life for making me
 Just the way I am.

 Just the way I am, just the way I am,
 God uses me just the way I am.
 Just the way I am, just the way I am,
 God uses me just the way I am.

 How I long to be more like my Savior;
 He's merciful and loving and kind.
 So I pray for him to keep growing me
 Into more than just the way I am.
 More than just the way I am,
 More than just the way I am,
 I pray He'll grow me into more than
 Just the way I am.
About This Song: Roger-2021 Although I don’t normally republish a post until at least three years after the original posting, I have a special reason for doing it this time. I originally published this song in January as “Just the Way I Am,” but a couple of months ago I felt led to add a third stanza. With that change I decided to rename it “More than Just the Way I Am” and share the change here. Because the Bible study class I’m in has been in Revelation for several years now, I’ve read through Revelation at home three or four times. In fact I’m reading it again now. After considering what Daniel prophesied about end times I turned my attention to the book of Daniel. The day after I started I ran into these verses from Daniel 2: 20-23a 
 May the name of God
 be praised forever and ever,
 for wisdom and power belong to Him.
 21 He changes the times and seasons;
 He removes kings and establishes kings.
 He gives wisdom to the wise
 and knowledge to those
 who have understanding.
 22 He reveals the deep and hidden things;
 He knows what is in the darkness,
 and light dwells with Him.
 23 I offer thanks and praise to You,
 God of my fathers,
 because You have given me
 wisdom and power.
Something in those verses suggested a song for me to write, but it took a while (days, maybe weeks) to catch on that the Daniel passage could effectively be linked to Psalm 139 without actually attempting to set either passage to music as such. God has created each of us intentionally. He didn’t mass produce us. Each of us is unique. So although I don’t have Daniel’s abilities, I’ll bet I have some he didn’t have. And God has a use for each of them. A use that’s just as important in its own way as Daniel’s abilities. So I’m not going to be jealous of other people’s abilities any more than I am of Daniel’s. We’re all important in God’s eyes, and we’re all useful to God if we allow Him to use us. Please check back here again next Wednesday or, better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email. Best regards, Roger

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Yes, He Does!

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to a recording of this song here.]

God wants me for his child. Yes, He does!
He loves me as His own. Yes, He does!
He wants what’s best for me. Yes, He does!
He provides all I need. Yes, He does!

God does such wondrous things. Yes, He does!
He gives me light and life. Yes, He does!
He gives me air to breathe. Yes, He does!
He gives me sleep at night. Yes, He does!

God forgives all my sins. Yes, He does!
He soothes my hurting heart. Yes, He does!
He finds me when I’m lost. Yes, He does!
He lifts me when I fall. Yes, He does!

God wants me for his child. Yes, He does!
He loves me as His own. Yes, He does!
He wants what’s best for me. Yes, He does!
He provides all I need. Yes, He does!

About This Song:

I wrote this song in 2011 for one of the children’s choirs at church. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too complicated. (It has some clapping at places that would keep the singers on their toes.) Nonetheless, it expresses things (the best I can) from a child’s point of view.

Far too often, we adults overlook the significance of being a child of God. Just as we tend to place a greater emphasis on earthly life than we do on eternal life after earthly death.

I’m adopted. The couple I consider my parents brought me home from the hospital–just as if I had been born to them. My daughter is adopted, too. Even though we didn’t get her until she was five months old, we became the only parents she knew.

I loved my parents, but they’re both dead now–and living with our Heavenly Father. How much better to focus on my sonship with God than on my sonship with them. As His adopted son, I’ve come under the watch-care of the strongest, most powerful–yet most loving–power in the universe.

He knows every detail of my life–past and present. He not only knows the hairs of my head, He knows where each one I’ve lost over the years has gone.

Like any normal human parent, God wants what’s best for me. Unlike even the best of earthly parents, He’s able to provide it.

Yet He knows better than anyone else–far better than I know–what’s good for me and what isn’t. He gives me everything I need and more, yet He never spoils me with things that would hurt me or come between Him and me.

I could go on, but you understand what I mean. The song says it all.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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A Child Much Loved by You

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to an old recording of this song here. More recently I lower the key to A on the final stanza, but don’t have a recording of that. The lead sheet available here is also all in the original key.]

Let me climb into Your lap, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me climb into Your lap, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me climb into Your lap, my most loving heavenly father,
For I know I’m a child much loved by You.

Let me look into Your face, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me look into Your face, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me look into Your face, my most loving heavenly father,
For I know I’m a child much loved by You.

Let me lean against Your arm, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me lean against Your arm, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me lean against Your arm, my most loving heavenly father,
For I know I’m a child much loved by You.

Let me whisper in Your ear, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me whisper in Your ear, my most loving heavenly father,
Let me whisper in Your ear, my most loving heavenly father,
For I know I’m a child much loved by You.

Let’s go walking hand in hand, my most loving heavenly father,
Let’s go walking hand in hand, my most loving heavenly father,
Let’s go walking hand in hand, my most loving heavenly father,
For I know I’m a child much loved by You.

About this Song:
Roger-2021
Long before Kathleen and I got married–or even lived in the same state–we liked to pray together electronically. Either in an Internet chat room no one else was using at the moment or by email.

We agreed at the outset that formal prayers didn’t cut it for us. But since Jesus had referred to God as Abba–“Daddy”–we felt comfortable thinking of God in an equally father-and-child way.

So I ended up writing this song to describe the idea–that we would first climb into God’s lap in our imaginations. Then we would look into God’s face (in a purely spiritual sense, of course), lean against His arm, and then whisper in His ear–whatever we wanted to say to Him. And of course that also put us in the right position for Him to speak back to us.

Praying that way couldn’t last twenty-four hours a day, however. We would have to end our prayer eventually. But that didn’t mean we wouldn’t continue to enjoy fellowship with Him. Furthermore, spending that time with God should energize us to action. Hence the last stanza.

As a novelist with twenty published books and one I’m working on now, I have to laugh at one aspect of my lyrics. Using the passive voice–“a child much loved by You” rather than something like “a child You love very much”–would be a real no-no in one of my novels. But as the title and ending line of each stanza of this song, that doesn’t concern me. It fit.

What do you think? When you pray, do you do it formally or informally? How do you feel about our approach to prayer? Please share a comment with the rest of us.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

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All He Made Was Good

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to a recording of this song here.]

When God created the world,
He began a major project,
And when each phase was finished,
He saw that it was good.
Sometimes we face a task
That seems quite overwhelming.
Yet when we let God help us,
We see the end is good.

On the first day of creation,
God made the day and night,
On he second day of creation,
He made the sky above.
On the third day of creation,
He made the earth, the plants, and the trees.
And day by day He looked and saw
That all He’d made was good.

On the fourth day of creation,
God made the sun and moon.
On the fifth day of creation,
He made the fish and fowl.
On the sixth day of creation,
He made animals and man.
And day by day He looked and saw
That all He’d made was good.

When God created the world,
He began a major project,
And when each phase was finished,
He saw that it was good.
Sometimes we face a task
That seems quite overwhelming.
Yet when we let God help us,
We see the end is good.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
How often have you been requested–or required–to do something that seemed totally impossible? I still remember demands like those that made me cringe in my own weakness. No matter how confident I felt about some of my abilities, I was weak in a number of others–including areas I should have been stronger in. Is it any wonder that assignments outside my comfort zone seemed IMPOSSIBLE?

Are you with me so far? Can you relate?

Now let’s think back eight or ten thousand years (or so many millions of years if your belief system can reconcile evolution and creationism), to the time God created the world and everything it contains.

The first question that comes to my mind is where God was and where He came from if nothing existed before Him. I can only assume that He lived (and still lives) in a dimension that’s not part of our normal human experience. A dimension that interacts with ours.

Hmm. That works for me, even though it doesn’t really answer the question.

And how did He plan something so intricate? Although I picture myself as a creative person, I can’t imagine designing the layout of the universe and determining the functionality of even the tiniest parts. Not to mention the relationships among them. I may detest flies and mosquitoes, but I don’t doubt they played a part in His Grand Design.

And what about the act of creation itself? How could anyone make something from nothing? Especially something as extensive as our universe? Did God use materials from His dimension? I can’t even guess at that one.

And to create life where none existed before? That took a degree of intelligence–or an ability that transcends intelligence–that no human being will ever come close to matching.

The more I look at what God faced “in the beginning,” the tinier my seemingly impossible challenges seem. Especially since God doesn’t expect me to accomplish everything on my own. He’s standing close by, ready to help. All I have to do is ask.

He doesn’t expect me to do everything at once, either. He set the example for that. He took His time–whether in 24-hour days or some unit of time we humans are unfamiliar with–and carried out His plan in steps,  steps that were both logical and realistic for Him. Then He assessed His progress at the end of each step. He never had to back up and redo anything. He’d been careful all along, and He hadn’t made any mistakes.

Then at the end, He rested. Not because He was tired, I’ve been told. But to set an example for mankind. Even the Energizer bunny is going to run down eventually, and God wants us to get enough rest to face the next project refreshed and ready to go.

Yes, I wish I could look at each of those major projects I’ve faced over the seventy-six years of my life and say that each of them was good, but they didn’t always turn out acceptably. I failed sometimes. Too often. Maybe I didn’t do the proper planning. Maybe I didn’t break my work down into the proper steps. Maybe I wasn’t sufficiently physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually rested.

Or maybe I just didn’t rely on God enough.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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All Those Who Love the Lord

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to this song here. Please turn up the bass if you can. I can’t play that well anymore. A lead sheet is available here.]

Come and listen, all who love the Lord;
Let me tell you what He’s done for me:
I cried out to the Lord for help,
And I praised Him with my song.
Come and listen, all who know the Lord;
And I will tell you what He’s done for me:
I cried out to the Lord for His help,
And I praised Him with my song.

If I had refused to repent of my sins,
God would have turned His face from me.
But, in His love, He’s forgiven each one,
And He’s listened to my prayer.

Come and listen, all who love the Lord;
Let me tell you what He’s done for me:
I cried out to the Lord for help,
And I praised Him with my song.
Come and listen, all who know the Lord;
And I will tell you what He’s done for me:
I cried out to the Lord for His help,
And I praised Him with my song.
And I praised Him with my song.
And I praised Him with my song.

About this Song:
Roger-2021
This song from more than thirty years ago is quite special. Psalm 66:16-19 had drawn my interest, and I’d already begun writing a song based on these words:

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.

But then I learned about the death of the adult son of a coworker. His name was Roger.

Although he had grown up in the best of Christian families, he had strayed far from the Lord as an adult. Only when dying–apparently of AIDS–did he come home to his parents and to the Lord he had served faithfully years earlier as a teen.

I never met Roger, but his mom said he was a fantastic musician, and he shared his faith with everyone who would listen–up to the very end.

I looked at these three verses from Psalm 66 with fresh eyes. If anything told Roger’s story, it was that passage.

So this song is dedicated to the memory of Roger Koss.

If this song says something special to you, please leave a comment.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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He’s Not Finished Yet

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[Listen to an old recording here.]

I’m like clay that the Lord is making something from, (3x)
But He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.

He takes pleasure in making something good from me, (3x)
But He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.

God keeps molding me till I am the way He wants, (3x)
But He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.

I can’t tell what the Lord is making out of me, (3x)
But He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.

I’m like clay that the Lord is making something from, (3x)
But He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.
He’s not finished yet.
No, He’s not done.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
When God made the world, the earth was “void and without form” (Genesis 1:2). But He took that void and gave it form and substance. As if he were a master potter creating a work of art out of nothing.

As if that wasn’t sufficiently amazing, He created man from the “dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). Another work of art from the Master Potter. The “crown of creation.”

But when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world through the misuse of free will, they became cracked vessels. No longer the works of beauty their Maker had intended. And no longer able to function the way He had intended.

But God demonstrated His love for His broken creation throughout the Bible. Time after time He demonstrated His desire to restore His broken human vessels and make them beautiful and useful once more.

The prophet Jeremiah understood:

“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in His hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”
(Jeremiah 18:3-4, NIV)

So did Isaiah:

“Yet, O Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
(Isaiah 64:8, NIV)

Isaiah also said,

“Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?”

Each of God’s children is a work in progress. We’ll never be complete until we reach heaven. Unlike a flawed piece of clay, however, we have a choice about letting God work on us. If we resist Him, we’re apt to be unduly miserable. But if we view the process as a good and necessary thing–no matter how unpleasant it seems at the time–we can be sure God will turn us into something far better and more useful than we can do on our own.

I’m glad God’s not finished with me yet. I’d hate to think I’m already the best I can be.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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God’s Special Mirror

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[A very old recording of this song may be heard here.]

All those who hear the Word of God
But don’t apply its teachings
Soon lose sight of who they are,
With backs turned to God’s mirror.

But blessed are those who hear God’s Word
And put it into practice;
They gaze into God’s special mirror
And see just who they can be.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
This song might remind you a tiny bit of last week’s song, “When the Storms Come,” which is based on Matthew 7:24-27–one of Jesus’s parables…

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

“God’s Special Mirror” comes from James 1:23-25…

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

What about you? Do you listen to God’s Word and then fail to let it change your life? I hope not.

God’s Word provides abundant freedom. Are you enjoying that freedom or have you forgotten what you look like–and what you CAN look like when you’re obedient to God’s Word?

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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When the Storms Come

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[A very old recording of this song is available here.]

Those who will listen to Jesus’ words
And try to obey them are like a wise man,
One who builds his house on a rock,
And when the storms come,
It will stand firm.

When the storms come and the flood waters rise,
When the winds blow, his house will survive.

Those who don’t listen to Jesus’ words
Or try to obey them are like a fool,
One who builds his house on the sand,
And when the storms come,
It will fall down.

When the storms come and the flood waters rise,
When the winds blow, his house will collapse.

When the storms come and the flood waters rise,
When the winds blow, will your house survive?

About This Song:

Roger-2021This  Scripture-based song comes from Matthew 7:24-27. . .

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
(NIV)

I’ll never forget hearing a knowledgeable architect use this Scripture as the basis of his presentation. As many sermons as I’ve heard over the years, no one else has ever made the point he did.

Here’s his spin.

Yes, rock makes the most secure foundation, but sand is next best. So anyone building on sand is at least using the second best foundation available.

Looking back, however, I don’t recall how his point relates to the one Jesus was making. It’s not as if believing in Jesus and obeying His words is best and ignoring him is second best.

The Scripture is clear. We should build on the best, the only sure foundation–Jesus as Lord and Savior–or lose everything. Eternally speaking.

I hope your life is built on the Solid Rock. Not just to have the assurance of eternity with God in heaven, but to live the most meaningful life possible here on earth. That doesn’t mean trouble-free or pain-free. But it does mean experiencing the kind of hope, peace, and satisfaction there’s no other source of.

What is your life built on?

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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Working Behind the Scenes

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to a recording of this song here.]

I believe God’s working behind the scenes;
He’s helping me in ways I can’t see.
God understands all my problems;
He knows my best efforts are not enough to solve them.

I believe God’s working behind the scenes;
He’s retouching my faded hopes and dreams.
God always provides the things He knows I need.

I believe God’s holding me in His hands,
Assuring me I’m safe in His plans.
God banishes fear and confusion;
I know that His way is the only true solution.

I believe God’s working behind the scenes,
Drawing from His unlimited means.
God always provides the things He knows I need.

About this song:
Roger-2021
In 2003 I was downsized from my work as a programmer/analyst after working almost nineteen years at a Christian organization. I wasn’t quite fifty-seven at the time–far too young to think of retiring.

At the same time, trying to keep up with the changes in Information Technology had worn me out so much I couldn’t conceive of continuing to work in that field.

I participated in several job search groups, but my favorite was a small group sponsored by a local Presbyterian church. It met weekly for breakfast at a Bob Evans restaurant. The fellowship among the men in the group was wonderful, and God inspired me to write this song and dedicate it to the group.

I might add as a P.S. that I ended up working  a while at home as a part-time administrative assistant for a management consultant. When she ran out of work even for herself, I started a three-year job on the register at Target.

During that time, I wrote my first novel and started attending Christian writer’s conferences. By the time I turned sixty-two, my wife agreed that writing was more important than working outside the home–and I was eligible for more Social Security than I’d been making at Target, anyhow.

So I look back on that whole time and see God’s hand leading me from stepping stone to stepping stone as I hopped across what at first had appeared to be an uncrossable river.

And that makes this song all the more personal to me.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

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Links you might be interested in:

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The Faith Song

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to a recording of this song here.]

Faith’s acceding to God’s leading,
And it’s going without knowing.
Faith’s revering and adhering to God’s Word.
Faith is moving without proving
And agreeing without seeing;
Faith’s abiding in, not hiding from the Lord.

About This Song:
Roger-2021
In 1994 I got the idea for a musical drama I was going to call Covenant Child–about Abraham and his sacrifice of Isaac and God’s deliverance of Isaac because of Abraham’s faith. I wrote the play and a few of the songs, but I never felt inspired to go any further than that. If you’ve listened to any of the songs on my website, you may have heard the instrumental Covenant Child Prelude.  Because I’m not a keyboardist, I had to memorize that piece in order to record it. You may listen to it here.

This little song–I play it straight through in 3/4 time and then in 4/4, which makes it sound (much) faster–is descriptive of Abraham from start to finish: Abraham left his home country to follow God’s leading to an unknown land. He moved his family and his possessions without any proof that God’s promise would be fulfilled. He agreed to go without being able to see the end results. So he abided in the Lord rather than hiding from and failing to obey God’s commands.

It applies equally to the sacrifice of Isaac. God directed Abraham to take Isaac with him to a far place to sacrifice him, even though He had promised that Abraham’s off-spring–Isaac was his only son and his birth was a miracle in old age–would father millions. But Abraham took God’s command to carry out the sacrifice just as seriously and faithfully as he had the command to move. Even as Abraham was about to kill Isaac, he didn’t question the fact that God was in control and would carry out His promises any way he chose to.

God honored Abraham’s faith by sparing Isaac and using him to be the father of the Jewish people.

I claim to have a great deal of faith in God. But would I react the way Abraham did to being uprooted so completely and having to move so far away? Or to sacrifice my only child, knowing she was supposed to be a blessing to all humanity?

Abraham wasn’t perfect, but what an inspiration. The next time you feel God tugging at your heart about something that seems humanly unreasonable, think about Abraham. I will.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

     Recalled to Life (11-13 - whole cover)

Links you might be interested in:

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