Music, baby. Here’s a couple songs to tickle your eardrums. The first one is called Never Ending. I wrote it a while ago and Nick recorded it today. It’s not an edited version. It’s just a straight up recording, complete with flaws and all. Enjoy.
Your love for me is never ending
You are always on my side
Your love is so hard to comprehend
A light that never ends
And pierces through the dark
Places in me I can’t fight them on my own
I am weak and You are strong
Open up my eyes to see
And I know I cannot earn it I don’t deserve it
A mystery to me
And I know at times I’m faithless ashamed and naked
Your love covers me
Okay, here’s gem #2. I found this little beauty on my phone. It’s called Turtle Song and it’s a true story. I remember the day I made the recording. I’m not 100% sure it’s fit for human ears but here it is anyway.
There is a turtle out in the road
Walking toward his turtle home
Don’t want to hit him I’ll drive around
Until that turtle is safe and sound
Well, that’s all I got for now, my pretties. Feel free to check out some of my other songs by clicking MMMM… STUFFat the top of the page. I’ve written 30 or 40 songs now but I’ve only recorded a few. One of these days I’ll get around to recording the rest. Nick eagerly awaits the day that I record Robot Death Match. One of these days. 😉
This is my absolute favorite song right now. I can’t get it out of my head. Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney and Ben Coleman cover it on the About Time soundtrack and I heard it for the first time when I watched the movie. Since then I can’t stop listening to it, singing it, playing it on the piano. Here are the lyrics and a couple different versions of it, including the original by The Waterboys and one by Ellie Goulding.
How long will I love you? As long as there are stars above you And longer if I can
How long will I need you? As long as the seasons need to Follow their plan
How long will I be with you? As long as the sea is bound to Wash upon the sand
How long will I want you? As long as you want me to And longer by far
How long will I hold you? As long as your father told you As long as you are
How long will I give to you? As long as I live through you However long you say
How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you And longer if I may
Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
– Matthew 16:6
I think there are probably a lot of unhealthy teachings out there that would pass for the yeast of the P’s and S’s. Not too long before Jesus gave this warning to the disciples he said this to the Pharisees and scribes:
You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.'”
– Matthew 15:7-9
Are we teaching our human precepts as doctrine?!?!? I’m horrified *whisper voice* because I think we are.
I’m not gonna really go into what I think these “human-precepts-come-doctrines” are because that would just be me turning my ideas into doctrine and the vicious cycle would continue.
But Jesus said something else to the P’s and S’s, said it more than once even, that I feel is a pretty good gauge for measuring our “awesome” doctrines against.
Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
– Matthew 9:13
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
– Matthew 12:7
Everyone knows what Matthew 22:36-40 says… (but just in case you don’t or you forgot, here it is)
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
– Matthew 22:36-40
So it’s pretty obvious that love is really important to God. It’s kind of the point, I guess. So, maybe, remembering that God desires for us to show one another mercy even more than he desires a sacrifice, is important too.
Love and mercy should be our yardstick. We’re supposed to love one another.
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
– John 13:34-35
And if we need a refresher course on what love is (in case we start thinking that our horrid behavior is actually just ‘tough love’), it’s right here in 1 Corinthians 13:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Here’s a little ditty I wrote that I like to call “The Love Chapter“.
My daughters and I memorized those verses together and we say them every night as a prayer at bedtime. And when they are fighting I totally hold those verses over them. (Cause that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Lol.) Really, I just remind them what the verses say and ask them if they were being very loving towards their sister or their friends. Guess what? It works every time.
I think we all need a DAILY reminder of what love is and that God desires mercy from us. So let’s be merciful. Let’s measure our awesome doctrines against love and mercy and see if they measure up. If they don’t, they might just be yeastie beasties and not love babies.
Every Day Bonnie 