Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Furthest I Can Fall - Bridge Worship

Unknown. Ever changing. Transition. "I know I told you___, but ____."

Anybody else sick of these words?

Whatever the last two and a half months has looked like for you, I would imagine that these are words you have heard, too often. I would imagine that the you that was living your life 6 months ago couldn't have even begun to imagine what life looks like today. Change and unknown is so hard. Even people who love change generally do not thrive on unknowns, and constantly fluctuating truth. Things that people thought were certain and true one minute can change, quickly.

And all of that brings lots of emotions. Big emotions. Anger, fear, passion, offense, rejection... the intense reactions we have when we are in a place of feeling unbalanced, alone, out of whack and routines. And grief. Oh the grief. That pops up at weird times, that leads to blind spots, that leads to desperate reactions. That feeds those emotions, outside of our knowledge or control.

Friends, I don't know what the future holds. I don't know what the truth about all the virus information is. I've fallen down that rabbit hole too many times in too many different places. I've found myself feeling lost, angry, afraid, rejected. But here's the truth I do know:

I know the furthest I can fall is in His hands.

Who am I, forgiven?
Now my name is written
On the hands, that were pierced up on the cross
To save me
To save me

Whatever the coming days, weeks and months look like. Whatever decisions are made for me, decisions that may leave me feeling unsettled, feeling rejected, feeling like I am not enough. I am forgiven. My name is written on the hands of the One that was pierced up on the cross to save me.

Who can stand to condemn me now?
What can shake this solid ground?
The work is done
I put my trust in the Son of Man
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

Whether that feels like you have fallen a short distance or a long distance, friends - His hands are there, waiting for you. With your name written on them. Put your trust in Him.


Who am I, unworthy?
To a God so Holy
You seen my heart but still
You gave Your son to save me
To save me

Who can stand to condemn me now?
What can shake this solid ground?
The work is done
I put my trust in the Son of Man
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

Who am I, forgiven?
Now my name is written
On the hands, that were pierced up on the cross
To save me
To save me

Who can stand to condemn me now?
What can shake this solid ground?
The work is done
I put my trust in the Son of Man
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

No depth of darkness
No pow’r of earth
Can take away
What I didn’t earn
No condemnation
No sin can stand
Cause the furthest I can fall
Is in His hands

No depth of darkness
No pow’r of earth
Can take away
What I didn’t earn
No condemnation
No sin can stand
Cause the furthest I can fall
Is in His hands

Who can stand to condemn me now?
What can shake this solid ground?
The work is done
I put my trust in the Son of Man
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

Who can stand to condemn me now?
What can shake this solid ground?
The work is done
I put my trust in the Son of Man
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands
Now the furthest I can fall is in His hands

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

All Things New - Andrew Peterson

Do you ever fall prey to the "I need to do ___ before I can come to God" lie? The "I need to clean up before I can be made clean" thoughts are amusing when it's other people saying it and you can see the irony, but significantly less amusing when you are caught in the middle of it for yourself.

          Come broken and weary
          Come battered and bruised
          My Jesus makes all things new
          All things new

Friends, can I invite you into the truth? Come however you are - that's how God wants you. He wants to make all things new. Not just that one thing that you trusted him with last month. All things. That secret that you would never share with anyone. That place where you are hurt beyond all measure. He wants to make that part new. The places where you are weakest. The things you try so desperately to hide from everyone.

          Come lost and abandoned
          Come blown by the wind
          He'll bring you back home again
          Home again

Do you crave for something solid, something that won't blow you around like a boat on the tossing sea in the wind? He can be the safe harbor, the home. The place where you go to love, be loved and find rest. Maybe that isn't your home right now. Maybe you've never experienced that sense of peace and home. Can I invite you to a new kind of home?

          So hold on to the promise
          The stories are true 
          that Jesus makes all things new
          (The dawn is upon you.)

Hold on to the promise. The stories are true. Jesus make all things new - including you.

The dawn is upon us. Rise up, sleepers.


(Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
(Rise up, oh you sleeper.)

Come broken and weary
Come battered and bruised
My Jesus makes all things new
All things new

Come lost and abandoned
Come blown by the wind
He'll bring you back home again
Home again

Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
He makes all things new
All things new

Come frozen with shame
Come burning with guilt
My Jesus, he loves you still
He loves you still

So, rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
He makes all things new
He makes all things new

The world was good, the world is fallen
The world will be redeemed
The world was good, the world is fallen
The world will be redeemed

So hold on to the promise
The stories are true
that Jesus makes all things new
(The dawn is upon you.)

Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
He makes all things new

Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, (Rise up, oh you sleeper.)
He makes all things new
He makes all things new

All things new. (All things new.)
All things new. (All things new.)
He makes all things new

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Tell Me Again - Skye Peterson

Ever had something that you had to hear a lot of times in order to believe it was true?

"You're beautiful"

"I love you"

"You are valuable"

I think part of our human condition is a distrust in what people say. In what we hear that is good about ourselves. Certainly, it is part of my human condition.

It is so easy for me to get lost in the negative. To lose sight of what God has said that is true and real and lovely. It's so easy for me to have a one track mind about the negative things, the mistakes I have made. They replay over and over again in my head. And yet... what God calls us to is to hear His truth over and over again, on replay - to dwell on that and nothing else.

So tell me again
Tell me again
Tell me again
The truth that makes me new

So I'll leave you with the same challenge that we stumbled upon in high school small groups tonight in reading Psalm 119. Verse 99 says "I am always thinking of your laws" - are we always thinking of them? Do we see them for the sweetness? "How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey." (Psalm 119:103) Honey is pretty sweet. How often do we turn away from God's word because we find it too sweet? Or the sweetness feels tart? Does that sweetness feel fake? Friends - God is that sweet. His word is for you, it is real. To quote Skye's father: "the stories are true". May we dwell on His word, His truth forever.

Tell me again, God. Tell me again!


Deep within the waters
I'm drowning in my heart
Underneath the surface
and the darkest part

I want to know that He is calling
And to know that He is here
Even when I cannot see Him
And I'm in despair

So tell me again
Tell me again
Tell me again
The truth that makes me new

Every single morning
I cannot see the light
But every day I'm learning
His presence is disguised

I want to know that He is calling
And to know that He is here
Even when I cannot see Him
And I'm in despair

So tell me again
Tell me again
Tell me again
The truth that makes me new

Tell me again
Tell me again
Tell me again
The truth that makes me new

I need a little comfort
I need a little hope
I need a little loving
For You to be my hope