Lyrics (aka Words)

I picked up a book for a friend called "Then Sings My Soul". It's a collection of classic hymns and the stories behind them. I grew up with those songs: Blessed Assurance, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, Amazing Grace, and my favorite, A Mighty Fortress is our God. I was reading about that hymn and where it came from and now I know why I relate to it so much. It was written by Martin Luther-the great reformist. The man who ushered in the reformation and the protestant faith. The man who posted his creed on the doors of the church proclaiming that grace had set him free and he would not be governed by man's religious rules and regulations.

I got to thinking about how powerful words can be and how they affect us. They can inspire us, encourage us, motivate us, move us; and on the flip side, hurt us, discourage us, and even destroy us. Words linger on after they are spoken, sung or read. They remain forever. Their affects do as well.

Martin Luther knew the power of words. His manifesto changed the course of Christianity. Barry himself knows the importance of words . That's why he's always telling us to listen. To pay attention to what the song says. To listen to the message and the messenger. After all, a great lyric can change the course of the path we are on. A great lyric can be a battle cry for change. A great lyric can give hope when darkness is all around.

So in the spirit of two men who knew/know the power of words, here's a snippet of lyrics from my two favorite inspirational songs:

A Mighty Fortress is our God
Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus it is He
Lord Sabbaoth his name,
From age to age the same
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.

Stars in the Night
In this world
Of darkest night
Where hope is hurled away
There they are
And still there's light
Oh so far
But will they...
Dare they lift our hearts
As we lift our eyes
Are we fools to see
The hope that's gleaming in the skies?
Look!
There's the light!

Stars in the night!

Feeling inspired today,
Texas Fan