worship songs and hymns

i really enjoy worship through songs. it's one of my favorite ways to express my love for God.

i've been asked by other what my favorite worship song is. in the past, i used to say i could sing of Your love forever by martin smith (delirious). i think it was because the chorus is my heart's attitude that i really will sing of His love forever. i also liked how it is an easy song to lead and how there is room to be creative and sing your own song to God.

since then, there have been a lot of other songs that strike a chord in my heart. there are many chris tomlin, tim hughes, and matt redman songs that i really enjoy. there are also hillsong and david crowder band songs i like. and recently at EV, the worship team has been playing more tommy walker, israel houghton, and other various artist that are really good. but more and more, the songs that i've been drawn to the most has been hymns (and hymn-like songs). maybe it's a sign that i'm getting older. haha. still, there's something about the lyrics that seem more rich.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Words: Henry F. Lyte, 1824, revised 1833.
Music: Hyfrydol, Rowland H. Prichard, 1830

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken. All to leave and follow Thee. Destitute, despised, forsaken. Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition. All I've sought or hoped or known. Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still my own.

2. Let the world despise and leave me. They have left my Savior, too. Human hearts and looks deceive me. Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me. God of wisdom, love, and might. Foes may hate and friends disown me. Show Thy face and all is bright.

3. Man may trouble and distress me. 'Twill but drive me to Thy breast. Life with trials hard may press me. Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me. While Thy love is left to me. Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me. Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure. Come disaster, scorn and pain. In Thy service, pain is pleasure. With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee Abba Father. I have stayed my heart on Thee. Storms may howl, and clouds may gather. All must work for good to me.

5. Soul, then know thy full salvation. Rise o'er sin and fear and care. Joy to find in every station. Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee. Think what Father's smiles are thine. Think that Jesus died to win thee. Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

6. Haste thee on from grace to glory. Armed by faith, and winged by prayer. Heaven's eternal days before thee. God's own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission. Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days. Hope shall change to glad fruition. Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

tricksy

the past couple of days i've noticed more and more police cars that don't look like police cars. no lights on the roof (their inside instead), different colors, and even different car models (i saw a yellow corolla and a grey SUV). cops are getting more tricksy to catch people speeding. it's a good thing my car can't go very fast. haha.

oh, what could have been...

first of all, congratulations to the green bay packers on winning the super bowl. i am not a packers fan (i'm not a steelers fan either) and it was a little hard rooting for green bay because they used to beat up on my niners back in the 90s. but still, if i had to root for someone, it might well as be for aaron rodgers who grew up in the bay. it was a fairly entertaining game that came down to the final few plays and when it was all said and done, the packers held off the steelers and aaron rodgers was rightfully named the game's MVP. i was happy for him (for winning and for finally getting out of the shadow of brett favre), but at the same time i couldn't help but think, "oh, what could have been..."

in 2005, the san francisco 49ers had the 1st overall pick in the NFL draft. many experts (and niners fans including myself) were saying that the niners would draft aaron rodgers. he was a local kid who not only grew up in the bay area and went to cal, but was a niners fan as well. it seemed like the perfect match. however, the niners decided to draft alex smith that day and rodgers ended up going to green bay.

6 years later, aaron rodgers is the superbowl champ and MVP while alex smith finished another disappointing season with the niners. now, i am not going to completely blame smith for all the niners problems. he had to go through new offensive coordinators almost every year (learning new playbooks), he got injured multiple times, and the talent around him wasn't that great. if the niners drafted rodgers, he very might have also suffered and played poorly and niners fans would be hating on him (as they have been doing toward smith). maybe if smith wasn't thrown into the fire right off the bat and been able to sit back and study the game a little more like rodgers did behind favre, things would have been different. maybe this, maybe that. we will never know... but still, i have to wonder, what if the niners had drafted rodgers? maybe this could have been the year of the sf giants and the sf niners.