Spurgeon on Psalm 121

What we as sinful human beings need is help,—help powerful, efficient, constant: we need a very present help in trouble. What a mercy that we have it in our God. Our hope is in the Lord, for our help comes from him. Help is on the road, and will not fail to reach us in due time, for he who sends it to us was never known to be too late. The Lord who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at the disposal of him who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite helper. He will sooner destroy heaven and earth than permit his people to be destroyed, and the perpetual hills themselves shall bow rather than he shall fail whose ways are everlasting. We are bound to look beyond heaven and earth to him who made them both: it is vain to trust the creatures: it is wise to trust the Creator.

humph.

I know you all have been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out if I've EVER mastered the art of fried Plantains...  (See: here and here)

well... I tried again today- this time the texture was spot on- I had to wait 3 weeks for them to turn totally black- but the flavor was all wrong.  Oh plantains, why do you vex me so?  Do you turn bitter if you over-ripen?  Do you need brown sugar?  Why plantains, why?  Also, why is the internet totally devoid of plantain information?  Seriously.  I can find out what shoes Jessica Simpson wore to the Emmy's in 2002 but I can't find out how to properly fry a plantain?  just ain't right, man... just ain't right.

Update- The Simpson thing has proven to be just as illusive... it just isn't my day..

Asleep

My buddy Marc is blowing up right now and that is so awesome, but even more awesome is this song he covers by Keith Green.  WOW.  I had never heard it until yesterday and now I can't stop listening.  good stuff.

Tuesdays with Buechner!!

Today's Buechner quotes are acutally not Buechner at all, but rather Henri Nouwen.  Why, you ask?  Why not I say! :)
Enjoy!!

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

“Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.”

God as a House and a Pilot. Or: Two About a Storm.

I started writing one, and then it turned into two... SO here are two thoughts about storms... un-original as they may be...


I don't know if they still do this, but it used to be that in farm towns students would be given a "storm house" that was close to their school in the event that a blizzard occurs and traps them in town.  Rather than having parents risk life and limb to come into town and pick up their children, or getting the buses stuck in the drifts, the kids would simply go to a house nearby and weather the storm safely there.  It really is an ingenious idea that arose out of necessity, no doubt as I've seen first hand the blinding misery that blowing snow causes. 
I think it would be really fun to have a storm house.  All school year you knew the house that you would go to if the storm hits rendering you stranded at school.  Maybe you didn't know the people who lived there, but you walked by the place a couple of times- just so you know how to get there.  While it would be better if the big one never hit, you knew you had a save place to stay if it did.  Never would you have to sleep on a science table or on the wrestling mat.  You had a warm house with good food and a comfy bed in which to seek refuge if the weather outside turned frightful.  What a comfort that must have been to the families who lived in the outlying areas.  Country storms are no joke, and driving in them is an act white-knuckled heroism to be sure.  But to know that their kids would be safe in the storm must be a wonderful relief.  I really hope some communities still have storm houses, because it is a fantastic idea.
I think of my storm house.  When the storms of doubt and disaster hit.  The winds of worry and the hail of haughtiness swirl around me.   The green skies of heartbreak and the thunder and lightning of jealousy assail.  I sometimes run around in the storm- looking for shelter in houses that are full or uninterested: friends who don't care to listen, or inward reflection that only produces more side aches and emptiness.  For these kinds of storms, I need only run to my storm house.  Proverbs 18:10- "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  Only Jesus can take away worry, pride, heartbreak, and sadness.  Only Jesus can give comfort to the broken and peace to the restless.  Only Jesus took away our sin.  Only Jesus gives us Heaven.  He is our strong tower- our storm house.  When Satan huffs and puffs, he can't even make a dent.  We run to Jesus and we are safe.  Oh how foolish we must look running around trying to dodge the rain drops and keep our hair pretty in the wind.  Why do we venture out on our own?  Lord do you get tired of us constantly running away and then back to you?
No. Thanks be to God that He is good and His mercy endures forever.  He is our storm house- He tells us to call upon Him in the day of trouble and He will deliver us.  He says to come to Him as weak and heavy burdened children because He'll give us rest.  He says He's our storm house and when we see the clouds billowing on the horizon we need only seek refuge in His alimighty, all-loving arms.
Thank you Jesus!

When I am alone
When I am alone
Oh, when I am alone
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus


-------------------
Last week I flew threw a storm.  I've flown over a storm before and I've been grounded because of a storm, but never have I flown through a storm.  But last Monday I did.  There was no beverage service and the fasten seat belt sign was never unlit.  It was 68 minutes of up and down side to side flying.  All I could see was grey out of the window and there was time when rain drops seemed like they would never end.  It was pretty unnerving.  I would have much rather been sitting in the terminal waiting for it to pass, but nonetheless here I was in the middle of a pretty big Arizona desert storm.  I took solace in the fact that the pilots had all the latest technology and instruments at their disposal and if they thought it was safe enough to fly through, then who am I to second guess them?  I would say there are fewer moments in the 21st century American's life that require more trust than when one is flying.  Think about it.  We are in control of almost every aspect of our lives, but when you fly, you buckle up shoot up to 30,000 feet and trust.  You trust the plane, the airline company's background checks, the flight school's training, the pilot's diligence, the technology's functionality, the air traffic controller, the security measures, the reliably that the mask will indeed inflate when it is filled with oxygen, and undoubtedly 55 other factors.  That's a lot of trust! But millions of people every day make it to their destinations without a single hiccup.  Its amazing!  The things that we trust have proven time and time again their trustworthiness, so we are silly to second guess them in most instances.  Certainly, even in the midst of an hour long storm, I was never in danger.  The ride was a bit bumpy, but the pilot had it well in hand.  His job was to get me safely to PHX, my job was to sit back, buckle up, keep my tray in the upright/lock position, and trust.
I think you know where this is going...
The storms of life seem bumpy and rough and gray, but the Pilot has it well in hand.  God has proven time and time again His trustworthiness, so who are we to doubt the Almighty?  What He ordains is always good- so even though the storms come and the winds blow, He is in full control.  We are safely wrapped in His nail-marked hands.  Our sins are forgiven, Heaven is our inheritance, and the peace that passes all understanding is ours through our Savior Jesus.  He gave us His Holy Spirit to get us safely home to Heaven, so we need only trust that He is greater than we.  Storms come and go- they flare up and whip and blow- but God is forever.  He who calmed the wind and the waves took away our sin and guilt, and He invites us to come as weak and wounded sinners because in  Him there's rest.
Hallelujah!

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. -Lucius Annaeus Seneca

booked it

I finished a book recently that was very wonderful.  It's called Ragman and it's by Walt Wangerin.  It is a collection of stories and hymns a prayers that are really powerful.  If you have a second, check out this chapter- one of my favorites- called "Killing in the Little Cuts". 
Very good stuff. http://tinyurl.com/littlecuts
OH bummer!  I just realized that the last 2 pages of the story aren't included in that link... grr.  Well, buy the book.  It's a dollar on Amazon.  You won't regret it.  When I have some time, I'll type out and then react to this story- because I think its really important- the whole "its not about me" mentality... and its a struggle because you're inviting people to use you as a doormat if you are only concerned with others and neglect yourself and your own feelings... anyway, more on that later.

daily bread

Today I made some lovely whole wheat-honey-agave nectar bread.  It was my first try, and it turned out ducky, just ducky!  Even after I put in Baking Soda instead of yeast... I got my jars mixed up... oops... It still worked- in fact it is quite tasty and delicious.    Thanks $20 Ebay breadmaker!  We're going to be good friends, I can tell. 
Its pretty cool to be able to create every aspect of my diet and know exactly what I'm consuming... well, I'm not sure what baking soda is... and I have no clue how it differs from baking powder, but I know that I unintentionally ate 1 1/4 tablespoons of one of them, and that's something... right?  Oh, also, one of them makes volcanoes when combined with vinegar and red food coloring... that's awesome.

Tuesdays with Buechner!!!!

"Turn around and believe that the good news that we are loved is better than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in that good news, to live out of it and toward it, to be in love with that good news, is of all glad things in this world the gladdest thing of all.
Amen, and come Lord Jesus."

"If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in."

A Need to Breathe

Think you need a day of rest? You're right
 Article by: ELECTA DRAPER , Denver Post

The brain is a machine that needs downtime.
Americans have become so averse to being unproductive that many have trouble waiting in line, riding in an elevator or stopping at a traffic light without simultaneously reading, texting or talking into some device.
Psychologists, ministers, scientists and even politicians are urging revival of the ancient concept of Sabbath -- a sanctuary in time. And it's not just for the religious.
Wayne Muller, therapist and minister, works with chronically stressed people who know they need to slow their pace -- clergy, doctors, educators, social workers, parents and so on -- but they find it so difficult to step back from their work that they desperately seek permission to rest.
Muller points out that no less an authority on people than God gave permission for an entire day of rest every week. "It's not just permission, it's a commandment."
It's the commandment people most frequently blow off, Muller said, but it's the one that scripture explicitly refers to more than the other nine commandments combined.
Religion aside, psychologists and neurobiologists are learning that, if the Sabbath didn't exist, it would be more necessary than ever to invent it.
A constant flow of information and a perpetually busy state interfere with our ability to think and make decisions, scientists say.
Angelika Dimoka, director of the Center for Neural Decision Making at Temple University, studies how the brain processes information. Her research has found that, as the flow of information increases, activity increases in the region of the brain responsible for decisions and control of emotions -- but only up to a point.
Flood the brain with too much information, and activity in this region suddenly drops off. This center for smart thinking not only doesn't increase its performance, it checks out.
Boulder, Colo., psychologist Joan Borysenko works with busy executives who fear taking time off each day or week will break their stride in their high-achieving lives.
"A lot of people I know can't take a full day off. They are anxious the whole time. Their minds are racing," said Borysenko, author of "Fried: Why You Burn Out and How to Revive."
But when people take time to quiet down the left brain, to forget about to-do lists and to unplug from more input, she said, solutions often percolate up from the subconscious.
"The history of creativity is filled with stories like this," Borysenko said. "A few days of not thinking about a problem, then the answer simply appears."

Original Link: http://www.startribune.com/nation/129241828.html

¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.  Ps 139.

The "too lofty for me to attain"...
Some things are meant to be a wonder and not fully understood or grasped. It's just too lofty - too impossible for the created to understand.  How limited the Creator would be if His creation fully understood His ways.
It is fun though - to ponder and discuss... Maybe that is partly what pulls us closer to God - because, like small children, we don't understand, but we trust as He navigates us through life as we, as his dearly loved kiddos trotting along side Him, cling to His finger because His hand is too big for ours to fit around...

Tuesdays with Buechner!!!!

I almost forgot!  Check out this cool little java script gem:

Solid Declaration

hmm... post #400.  Nice.
I love being a Lutheran for so many reasons.  I'm not talking the cheeky, stereotypical, give a chuckle reasons either.  In fact, I'm not the type of Lutheran who eats lefse, and I hate Sauerkraut so there goes those.  I smile and don't mind clapping, so those are gone as well.  No, I love being a Lutheran of the conservative ilk, because it means that I have been blessed to have been given and taught the proper understanding of God's Word.  Yep, I'm going to say it.  If you're not a (conservative) Lutheran, than you do not have a proper understanding God's Word.  Namely, you misunderstand the sacraments and (probably) conversion.  I'm not saying I'm better than you or that my tribe is greater than your tribe, I'm just saying that, quite frankly, you have been misled, thus you're missing out on a wonderful piece of God's overwhelming grace.  I'm not saying we're perfect, far from it!  But we as Lutherans have a scandalous and unique understanding of how God imparts His grace on His people, and I happen to believe that it is the truth.
I realize that sounds pompous and horribly haughty, but I know what I know.  And, really, if I didn't know that Lutheranism = truth, then why would I be a Lutheran?  If I thought the Baptist understanding of the sacraments was right, you'd hope I was a Baptist, right?
Anyway, this whole diatribe comes from a discussion we as a pastor staff were having this morning about the Lord's Supper and forgiveness.  There are those among us that feel that we are merely reminded of our forgiveness as we partake, and those (like me) who believe that our sins are tangibly and actually forgiven with the consumption of the body and blood of our Savior.  It was a great conversation because we are Lutherans!  As Lutherans we have this AMAZING collection of our statements of belief called the Lutheran Confessions.  I've always been one to roll my eyes when one speaks of the Confessions, but that was because I never dove into them.  The truth is they are amazing in their eloquence and exposition of God's Word and, truth be told, they are completely unique in all of Christendom.  What a blessing they are!
As I was reading the Confessions in regards to the Holy Supper, I came across this beautiful passage in SD VII, 69-71.  Enjoy!

The true and worthy guests, for whom this precious sacrament above all was instituted and established, are the Christians who are in weak faith, fragile and troubled, and greatly terrified in their hearts by the immensity and number of their sins, and think that they are not worthy of this precious treasure and the benefits of Christ, and who feel the their weakness of faith and deplore it, and desire with all their hearts that they may serve God with stronger, more joyful and resolute faith and pure obedience.  

As Christ says, (Matt. 11:28): Come unto Me, all who are weak heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Also (Matt. 9:12): Those who are well need not a physician, but those who are sick. Also (2 Cor. 12:9): God's strength is made perfect in weakness. Also ( Rom. 14:1&3 ): welcome those who are weak in faith.., for God has received him. And, for whosoever believes in the Son of God, be it with a strong or with a weak faith, has eternal life  (John 3:15f). Moreover, worthiness does not depend upon great or small weakness or strength of faith, but upon the merit of Christ Jesus our Lord.

OK, so they really liked commas in the 16th century... But wow!

Lord, make me a true and worthy guest of your table  May I always be weak and fragile before you and troubled by my sins.  Not that they would burden or hinder me, but rather I would look at my filthy rags and I would always turn to you, leaving my weakness and sin at the empty tomb and be made whole and strong in your perfection.  May I always desire to serve you with a stronger, more joyful and resolute faith, granted to me by the power of your Holy Spirit who is living within me.  Thank you for giving me your body and blood in which I receive the forgiveness of sins, assurance of Eternity in Heaven, and the strengthening of my faith.  In the name of your perfect and risen Son, Jesus I come to you, my rock and my redeemer.
A-men.

lotto!

It is fantasy football season and I am kind of freaking out.  I'm in four leagues this year and they're all very serious.  Gone are the days of checking on my team from time to time and allowing the computer to draft for me.  No, now I have all the research in front of me and I'm checking injury reports and mock drafts and all the websites for the latest news so that when I draft my team I pick the best guys.  Its tough work!  Certainly not for the faint of heart.  There are some MAJOR bragging rights on the line!  You never know how the people you choose will perform, so you have to know your stuff in order to pick reliable, consistent players.  I have to make sure I pick the right guys lest my team is terrible and I spend 16 weeks of football bottom-dwelling and hearing about it from my opposition.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 says: But we ought always to thank God for you because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
It seems to me that God didn't do His homework.  If He was to have read the fantasy report on you and me, He would have seen that we are consistently rude, spiteful, lustful, prideful, unreliable, and downright unpleasant.  There's no way that He would choose me.  I don't bring anything to the table except my filthy rags and inadequacy.    And yet, chose me He did!  He took my dirty rags upon Himself and clothed me in the splendid robe of His glorious righteousness.  He took my rudeness, spite, lust, pride, flightiness, and every other defiancy and He nailed them all to the cross.  He CHOSE me.  It wasn't because He didn't know me, or because He was unaware of my weakness.  Rather it was because He DOES know me and He is FULLY aware of my weakness that He was nailed to a tree and chose me to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  He knew I was too weak to do it on my own, so He chose to suffer and die that I might live.  Wow.  Thank you Lord!

New stuff from Aaron Shust

Tuesdays with Buechner!!!

"I not only have my secrets, I am my secrets. And you are yours. Our secrets are human secrets, and our trusting each other enough to share them with each other has much to do with the secret of what it means to be human." 

"Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It's the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. "

sunday funday

another year of church league softball finished tonight.  Both games were decided by one run... well, we tied the last game... so lame.  But man, softball is such good fun.  I wish I had the athletic drive I have now back in high school... regardless, sunday nights in the summer I'm living the dream, baby!

Anyway, this is a big and busy week.  Fall planning is in full effect and some of the things that I proposed were more or less adopted, so now it falls on me to follow through... sometimes I really need to keep my mouth shut. :) good times, though!
yep.  big week.

most vexatious.

wow.  GRE vocab lists are categorically quixotic.  To imbibe such lexeme is inanely absurd.  It is incontrovertible to ruminate that I will recollect said lexeme or their morpheme once this assessment is concluded.  Oiy.

clang a lang

This isn't a well flushed-out thought, so forgive me, but I've been thinking about this and I wanted to get it out on paper... er... screen.  I'll add it to my "work on later" list... anyway-
This past Sunday I had the privilege of cheering on some friends as they ran a mini-triathlon.  I had a great time cheering on my favorite people ever at the TC marathon last year, and I'm doing the same for my roommate this year, so I jumped at the opportunity to once again rah rah rah for people who are attempting a feat that I would never even dream about doing.  I respect their drive and determination.  BIG TIME! and it is really fun to see the look of relief and sheer elation when it's all over.  Honestly, they are genuinely fun experiences. 
Anyway, I was standing on the curb waiting for the first of our cheer recipients to pedal by when a guy my age and his two little kids settled next to me.  The kids were cute and he was obviously supporting his wife.  No big deal, right?  Well the thing is about cheering for running events is people sometimes bring noisemakers.  The family to my left brought cowbells.  Like 10 of them.   So every time someone rode in front of us,  the kids would frantically shake their cowbells and cheer wildly for the sweating stranger swiftly speedy by.  By the forty fifth minute, it had become almost nauseating.  I, a mature and seasoned cheerer, opted for the more civilized cheer of "Go!  good job ladies!  Keep on pedaling!"  (It was an all female race).  I would yell this out randomly as I was carrying on a conversation with the rest of our cheering section. The cowbell kids made enough noise for the bulk of us.
Really we were all annoyed with the constant cowbell clattering, so when their mom rode by and they moved on to cheer for her elsewhere we were all relieved.  But then something strange happened.  We all started talking and sharing stories and we kind of stopped cheering at all.  That's when a woman rode by and scolded us, "Hey!  Make some noise!!"  she clamored.  (Full disclosure, I could have sworn she said, "Hey, my Illinois!," but I was assured she wanted us to support her).  I was quickly reminded that I wasn't there for me and my conversation, rather I was there for the participants of this insane feat of physical strength and endurance.  So I cheered with all the gusto of Sparky Polaski.  It seems as if what had become annoying to us was sweet music to the strained ears of those actually exerting themselves. 
After our riders had rode by we made our way to the finish line which is so much fun.  People are going nuts and runners can't help but smile as there is a tunnel of people encouraging them on.  Well, as luck would have it the cowbellers were right next to us again.  This time it didn't really bother anyone because the whole crowed was going bananas.  After their mom had finished- she had an amazing time- she ran over to them and give them a big, undoubtedly moist, hug and she looked her kids in the eyes and said, "thank you so much for shaking those cowbells and making so much noise! I could hear them and they made me go faster and faster!" or something to that extent.  I was once again reminded that this cheering thing wasn't about me... it was about those swimming, biking, and running.  And, in that regard, it is obvious that the cowbells work.  There's a reason why corporations give them out at marathons, I suppose...
So, here are my thoughts on this.  I want to be an encourager.  I greatly admire people who, without even trying, are able to give that word of praise that just sends people over the moon.  Who doesn't love that feeling?  Its wonderful to be thought of and to know people who are thoughtful.  I was paid a supremely high compliment a couple of weeks ago when someone I didn't really know came up to me and said that even though she didn't know me she liked me because I was good at encouraging kids to do their best.  I don't know if that is true, per say, but I do indeed try to encourage.  Sometimes its all I can do, you know?  I can't run the marathon for you, but I can, and do, take real joy in cheering you on as you trot on by.  Its the least I can do.  And, when I remember that it's not about me, I think I do an OK job of cheering people on.  But the thing is I don't want to be a cowbeller.  I mean I don't want to be a cowbeller to the people that I'm trying to encourage.  What I'm trying to say is I don't want to be annoying.  It's a fine line, isn't it?  I want people to know that I care and that I'm in their corner and I want them to succeed and have all their dreams come true, but if all I do is stand there and clang the cowbell... well, that encouragement falls on ringing, annoyed ears.  Sometimes encouragement comes in rah rah rah's and sometimes it comes in a simple high five...  I guess I just hope and pray I can always give the right kind of cheerleading... is that an odd concern?
As I write this, I don't know why it is such a big deal to me... but it really is.  I guess I'm just very conscious of how I come off lately and I just don't want to annoy...  I want to give love and support the way the people need to be loved and supported... which is often easier said than done.
I want to be a Timothy, who was sent to the Thessalonians to encourage them.  I don't want to make this about me, but rather focus on those God has given me and lift them up as they race on by, you know?  I think that's a pretty fantastic goal.  So, Lord, I guess my prayer is may I be an encouraging cowbell ringer, not an annoying one.  May you use me to inspire the attitude of that mom to her kids rather than the attitude that I had toward them.  Yep, if one day people are sitting around drinking beers talking about the kind of guy I was... I think if I could choose what I'd like to be known for, it would be as an encourager.  That would be pretty great.  Now I need to get me a cowbell, baby!

Its a shame about ray

ten points for anyone who knows the band who's album is this post's title...

So you know how I said I wanted some new tunes?  Well, I revived my love of Ray LaMontange for the past couple of days... man he can sing.  BUT, tonight as I was on my way to basketball I went up a couple of clicks on the ole iPod to Ray Boltz. Why not, right?   I know he's now on the outs... literally... but back in the day he was a big deal.  I still remember when my dad came home with his album Allegiance.  He sat my mom and I down and played Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb at least twice.  The whole album, however, is just really solid.  For real.  I've always had a place in my heart for it, and even though I've sung Pledge Allegiance no less than 9,000 times in my life, my favorite song on the album is The Anchor Holds.  Its the last song of three called "The Storm".  It starts with the up beat Set Sail talking about living life knowing God is in control, then there's an instrumental interlude that goes through a storm- building and chaotic- then calm.  Then comes The Anchor Holds... It spoke to me tonight as it did back in '93 when I heard it for the first time.  I am really glad God has made music such a major part of my life... I just can't imagine a tune-less existence.  As Luther said (I think it was Luther...) after the Bible, music is God's greatest gift to His people,  afterall, it is the only thing we can take with us to Heaven... well if Marty didn't say that, he should have, cuz it's genius! :)
SO, if I may... please enjoy The Anchor Holds... ALSO enjoy Ray Boltz's mullet.  It is glorious.



I have journeyed through the long dark night,
Out on the open sea, by faith alone,
Sight unknown; and yet his eyes were watching me.

The anchor holds,
Though the ships been battered.
The anchor holds,
Though the sails are torn.
I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas.
The anchor holds in spite of the storm.

I've had visions, I've had dreams;
I've even held them in my hand.
But I never knew they would slip right through,
Like they were only grains of sand.

The anchor holds,
Though the ships been battered.
The anchor holds,
Though the sails are torn.
I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas.
The anchor holds in spite of the storm.

I have been young but I'm older now.
And there has been beauty these eyes have seen.
But it was in the night, through the storms of my life,
Oh, that's where God proved His love for me.

The anchor holds,
Though the ships been battered.
The anchor holds,
Though the sails are torn.
I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas.
The anchor holds in spite of the storm.

I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas.
The anchor holds in spite of the storm.