Sheltered from the Storm


Inspiration: 


I) In spring of 2011 I had a dream in which I saw my deceased father. When I asked him, “What are you doing here?” He responded, “I heard that beautiful song you wrote, Sheltered from the Storm.” When he said that I began weeping and then I awoke from the dream. When I woke up I didn't want to forget the name of the song so I quickly typed it into the notes application of my ipod Touch. 


II) A photograph of Jacob at almost 4 years of age sitting on his father’s [my brother Tim]lap and looking like he was in the safest place in the world. It reminded me of the first picture I ever saw of my brother Tim with Jacob when he was still a new born baby. He was asleep on Tim’s chest and he seemed like he truly believed he was in the safest place in the world. It was as if he had absolutely no anxiety and no fears about anything and there was nothing at all to worry about. It spoke to me as the perfect image of rest, the kind of rest we should have in the arms of our Heavenly Father:


“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” -Mathew 11:28-29


III) The example my father set for his five sons as his body was dying from cancer. He showed us by his own example that we could find shelter from the storms of life in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father no matter how dark the circumstances may appear to be.


Sheltered from the Storm


Looking at this photograph of my brother with his son, when he was still a new born infant, his life had just begun, sleeping on his father’s chest in the perfect state of rest, no hurry, no worries, no fear, no sign of stress


Even in my darkest hour, your light is piercing through. And as I doubt your love and power, you are guiding me to truth. I know that you have called me blessed, still I cry out in distress. As I languish, in anguish, broken and depressed


This rain is hammering upon me, as waves crash all around. In vain I’m answering with anger at the lightning’s thunderous sound

Amidst a storm which knows no bounds, only loneliness is found

all my fears and doubts resound, and its here I fear I’ll drown


Then looking out into the darkness, a light flickers, there’s a man

who having walked out on the water, beckons me to where He stands

To leave the vessel I command, all the work of my own hands

the doubt, pride, and rebellion, the fueling all my plans



Looking back at what I had, I was blessed to be your son

Your love for Christ never diminished, as cancer consumed your lungs

Although your soul and flesh were worn, you refused to be forlorn

in His rest, peace, strength and warmth, you found shelter from the storm...


...and though your absence here we mourn, the crown of righteousness adorns you now, He has lifted the crown of thorns


2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith


2 Timothy 4:8

In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing

 


   

This song is about finding rest for your soul in Jesus Christ and is based on the bible verse quoted above. The first verse illustrates the kind of rest we should seek and find in Jesus Christ /our Heavenly Father during the storms of life, through use of an earthly image of perfect rest. The second verse contrasts this rest with the pain, turmoil, and depression I was experiencing for a period of about three years, having lost my father and dealing with other issues that also caused me a lot of pain and suffering. The third verse uses a storm as a metaphor for all the pain, turmoil, and the depression I experienced during that three year period. The rain hammering upon me represents life beating me down and the weight of the world on my shoulders while the waves crashing all around me represents everything in my world crashing down around me. Connecting verse two with verse three, the lighting represents God's light piercing though my darkness. At times I was extremely angry at God for allowing me to suffer through the intense pain and sadness I was feeling at the time, hence the words "In vain I'm answering with anger at the lighting's thunderous sound." The storm which knows no bounds represents the depression and deep sadness I was experiencing at the time. I didn't know when, if ever, I would begin to heal and eventually recover. No one can suffer through depression with you and so no one can really understand the pain, agony, turmoil, and profound sadness you feel. The fears and doubts resounding in my life at the time were my  questioning God's very existence, His word, His power, and His love for me, and my fear at the time was that my feelings of sadness and despair were so great that I would never escape them and I would drown[die] in them. The fourth verse uses the bible verse in which Peter calls out to Jesus, who is walking on the water, from his boat. Jesus calls Peter to leave the boat and walk out on the water to reach Him. The "vessel I command/the work of my own hands" represents my safety net and/or the plans I made due to my lack of trust in God's word, His goodness, and His love for me. God eventually showed me He didn't have to change my circumstances, I needed to change my attitude and my point of view and bring it into alignment with God's word. I needed to take God at His word and have faith in Him to work all things out for my greatest good. Jesus calling me out of this structure built with my own hands is calling me to step out of the safety of the boat and out into faith in Him and his promises to me as a born again follower of Jesus Christ. The fifth verse is a tribute to my father and the legacy he left behind for his five sons and everyone he came in contact with. Even after being given a death sentence in the form of terminal lung cancer, and suffering immensely, he was able to find rest and "shelter from the storm" in the Lord Jesus Christ. He loved Jesus and possessed the joy of Christ even in his time of suffering until the day he was called home to be with Jesus Christ/The Heavenly Father on December 3, 2010.


UNTITLED


CHORUS

I don't ever want to hurt you baby, 'cause you're the only one, under the sun, I can think about lately/

And ever since before God made me, I believe, It was His design, before time, He had you in mind, as fate for me/


VERSE 1

Waking up in the middle of the night you were the first thing on my mind/

I said a prayer for you, I really cared for you, my hope was Jesus you would find/
That he would save your soul, and you'd be remade whole, a new creation by design/
Lay down the self of old, conform to His own mold, your life and His will be aligned/
And one day dance before the Holy Risen Lord, using your gift to praise His name/
So very thankful for, His many blessings poured, out on our family without shame/
As tears come racing down, thoughts of the day she drown, in  the midst of His perfect love/
Her torn and tainted gown, white as the saints renown, fixed with a spoken word above/
Now humbly laying down, her homemade paper crown, at the feet of the King of Kings/
Her chains fall to the ground, healing and grace abound, knowing she has nothing to bring/
Before the Throne of Grace, but to make known His ways, to a cold world at death's door/
A living sacrifice for Him who paid the price, to see her own life be restored/

BRIDGE 
I wanted to be there, to see all God has in store for you/
Stand shoulder to shoulder with you-in battle-or even go to war for you/

VERSE 2

And I still think about you everyday(echo "day" 3x), can't seem to help myself, because there's no one else, who has affected me this way...

(a work in progress...TBC)


Prayer

God I'm tired of religious rituals 

and worship that is habitual 

show me love that has no pinnicle
and the power of spiritual miracles
Jesus you're my savior
change my thoughts and my behavior
I want to know you, I don't want us to be strangers
speak to me and set me free
tell me that you hear my plea
rescue me from this darkness that my world has come to be


The Way I am: A New Creature

I'm depressed, in distress, and no longer impressed, with this world, in a word I could say it's a mess, when you break it down compounds to elements, lets just kill the embellishments and stick to what's relevant, let's just act for the hell of it that you have some intelligence, and assume you're not blinded and you see all the evidence, all the things this world worships with reverence, and the mindstate of man i describe it as selfishness, 'cause you're all filled with pride, some don't hide it while others disguise it, with your secretive motives like women in spy flicks, but eventually you must come to realize this, there just has to be more to life than this world emphasizes, you're just dying to know what your reason for being alive is, and you're empty inside though you try to deny it, 'til the day that you find you can no longer hide it, and you look at yourself tryin' to find where your smile is, you're not thriving you're dying inside as you wonder where your drive is, 'cause you're no longer living life you're just tryin' to survive it.

 

(A work still in progress, this was written at a time of frustration, when I had grown tired of all the fakeness and games that are played by people "friends" in the world and I discovered all the things they cherish only left me with a feeling of emptyness in the end, and so I made the decision to stop running away from Christ and run back to him.


9-11 Battle Rhyme

 I'll terrorize your plain(plane) raps, send 'em to dirt naps, throw out your old plans, it's destination devistation

Let's change direction, let me take you for a ride, just one wrong turn and you're an unwilling suicide

No way to fight, no where to hide, as I include you in my mission, one bigger than you or I

It's all up in the air as the audience looks on, wondering what i'll do with you but they know something's wrong

You're headed for mass destruction and ego reduction, onlookers must run or my rain(rein) will crush some

As my impact occurs there are no words, everything becomes a blur, now you're a witness to things that were

As your WORLD comes crashing down the aftermath is profound, and when the dust settles some of your friends won't be around

So give up your TRADE while you still have it made, or be afriad and wait, another card may be played

You may be dealt with on some other day, in some other way, I'll put you in a mental cage, you're paralyzed in fear, 'cause i react in rage, when I take CENTER stage.

 

V2: React

Thought you'd heard the last of me, but didn't know I can also float like a butterfly and sting like a bee

Thought I'd just accept defeat, didn't think I'd chase you overseas

Please!...i've done worse to kill enemies so here come the remedies

Take a taste of your own medicine, like antibiotics to defend against disease

Brace yourself for the shot, like penicillin for you villains

Beware 'cause the plot's to kill you in the hole you live in

Like it or not you have to make a decision

And surrender or death are the only options given

You may have won the battle but I took on a cold war

Gave 'em more than they could handle, my competition is no more

My might and my power are the subject of folklore

To light up you cowards, its in the budget, it's no chore

 

V3: One Way

Would you destroy what I create?

Live by the sword die by its blade

A martyre for a god of hate, who keeps you prisoner as a slave

and now he's ordered you to stalk his prey, beware he's stalking you along the way

with every single step you take in haste, he is hunting you, and he is keeping pace

he won't be outmaneuvered, he cannot be outraced, and this is nothing new, so there will be no grace

a more ruthless master you will never face, of course its you he's after, you can be replaced

and once he finally gives your blood a taste, he will never yield or turn away disgraced

he will devour you and leave your corpse in waste, revealing power through man's need for more depraved behavior and living, greed, hate, war and killing, anxious to be slaves for man's bidding, while a free savior stands willing to offer peace, favor, and giving  


 

(Also a work in progress, the last verse is from God's point of view(Christ), and at first speaks of Islamic terrorists but will also touch on America's sins.)

 

Covenant Community

Back in the day we lived in a community under a covenant

And things were so hot then Satan couldn't touch it with an oven mit

But then you changed or maybe you just couldn't hide your other side

And I just can't decide why you'd end it all in spiritual suicide

Was it 'cause your brother died or were you taken by your pride?

When that car crash claimed John's life, did anger toward God burn inside?

Or was it what was testified when prophets came and prophesied

The message may have been disguised but still I think you realized

For all your secret sins in life, from him there's no place you can hide

Thought God's laws didn't apply to you

Punishment came so what'd you decide to do

Repent? No, that couldn't be right for you, and your ego, already so badly bruised

Could have chose life but sadly you grabbed the noose, made sure it wasn't loose and did the equivalent of jumping off the World Trade Tower roof

With just enough slack to stop you before the first floor, just to make it hurt more

So what is it you're willing to live under a curse for?

What did you give up God's word for?

What is it that you search for, 'cause there's nothing on this Earth or anywhere else that's worth more

You can only serve one God, I'm sorry you have to choose

You chose spiritual abuse, and lead your followers down the path of fools, the deaf, dumb, blind, and chronically confused

Even though you knew and know now what you do, they were and some still are ignorant to the fact they're being used

Only puppets to you, dangling at the ends of strings

Seeking your council before doing any little thing

Should I get a tatoo? Let me go talk to Paul

Should I become a vegetarian or just not eat at all? Let me Go talk to Paul

Should I go to the bathroom stall? Let me go make a phone call and make an appointment so I can ask Paul

When did you become a Pope Paul?

When did you become the law?

Where's your bulletproof cart?

For one so close to God i'm suprized you don't have it all

A bulletproof vest for your chest, a jet with bomb protective reinforced walls

Walk with God? You havn't begun to crawl

You got it backwards, true believers are supposed to evolve

To me you're a mystery, one not even close to being solved

I'm going to hit you with these lyrics, and i don't care if you care to hear it

There's the Father, but do you still believe in the Holy Spirit?

But most importantly there't the Son, the one to which our world revolves

There's no good without Jesus involved, so any good you think you do is just a worthless cause

You're up to no good.

I've heard you have books, no doubt written by crooks, that teach how to manipulate people like chessmasters do rooks

Like those who fish for sport, abusing those hooks

If your followers only knew, how you you think that would look?

You act like you're the people's only go between to talk to God

But you'd better get rid of that ego, and get rid of that pride, 'cause all that is is suicide

Satan's got a hold on you, and I don't know what he's told you, but none of it's true

Like Adam and Eve you've been decieved and you put down your bible

but that's the only handbook necessary for your survival

I know you like to write like I do, but that will only leave you idle

And your idols will leave you lying in bed, closing in on death, nurses checking your vitals

That being said, I'm going to keep it real with you

I'm just going to sit back and let god deal with you

I can assure you, God's not feeling you

He's just going to keep exposing and revealing the real you

As he opens your followers eyes and they see past your disguise, saying, "this man's been misleading you" and telling them why, saying, "I am the truth, Paul can only offer lies."

For God there's no fear in you, and until you humble yourself and repent, there is just no healing you

The only question to ask is will you ever learn your lesson

I heard concil has the feel of confession

So i have another question

When did you become Catholic

Just the thought of it makes me laugh a bit

I had a vision of you as the Great Titanic ship

God's going to break you like nature did when man thought he's mastered it

I can only see half of it

Guess the rest of it's laid laid to rest on the dark ocean floor, half still hanging in the balance but there's soon to be more

God's saying "this is my planet, as you succomb to the Atlantic

The situation is frantic, those who relied on you panic

And i'll just watch it all happen like as if i had planned it

If you don't believe in Christ, you don't believe in life

Before you rolled that dice you should have thought twice

right now there's a curse on everything you do

'Cause in your mind there's no God apart from you.


Vampires

Vampires of the darkness 

all so cold, completely heartless
creatures of the night
reject the sun(son) and fear the light
what makes you think you have the right?
the light is what created life
the sun(son) allows your seed to grow and is the reason you have seeds to sow
it's all that exists and all that you know
you reject the very thing to which your very existence you owe
and now as your teeth show, you've become like an animal
you feast on your own likeness, no different than a cannibal
the light is what you fear, and you despise those who live in it
you put them down with your words, as if they live in bondage an they are the ignorant
misleading the meek and into the darkness they stray
like paranas, you devour those like prey