Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I'm going to give you to the count of 10

Preface: I in NO way claim to be an expert at what I am about to disclose!!



I've been working on a new song. I started working on this song last week sometime, and I feel like it's going to be a pretty good song. I am really excited to hear it played with a full band, and see how it is received by my team.

Wait....sorry I have gotten ahead of myself here. It might be beneficial for you to know how I write songs before this blog makes sense.

Song writing for me is truly organic. It rarely happens in a 10 minute sit down. I will usually stew over the song for weeks and even months. Probably because I usually think the song sounds like a big ol' pile of poopy. Poopy...that is a strange looking word when you type it out. I'm not even sure I spelled it correctly. Anyway, I digress. Song writing usually starts by me playing around on my guitar and I figure out this "cool" guitar lick (lick meaning riff or hook) that I like. After that I begin piecing other parts of the song around that "cool" (I keep putting cool into "" because cool is very relative in music) lick. This "cool" guitar part might end up just being a very small portion of the song, but that guitar part was the light in my bulb. Once the majority of the song is written I then begin humming a melody (that usually sounds like all my other melodies I've written) over those chords I just came up with. Finally, I begin piecing lyrics into that song, and hopefully by the end of the song I have something worth showing to someone.

......This new song was just the opposite for me.

Sur.ren.der \sə-ˈren-dər\to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another


I have always been intrigued with the concept of TOTAL surrender to the Lord. What does that look like in today's world and I have ever witnessed someone totally sold out for Christ. (Like an Apostle Paul)
If I had seen someone like this, would I stare at them in wonder or would I be uncomfortable around them? Would they make me feel awkward, because they are a "Jesus Freak"? It's just something I've often thought about.

I have had moments of total surrender. There have been moments where I felt as if nothing in my life mattered more to me than my relationship with Jesus Christ, these brief moments where I longed to help the poor and the broken, where I was more concerned about reaching the lost than watching LOST. But on the flip side, I also I have had many moments of a complete rebellion. I have had moments where I have spit in the face of God to satisfy my own selfish pride and gratification. Or AKA my PRIDIFICATION


Sorry I had to do it.
This new song came from all these thoughts about surrender. I wrote these lyrics down and began praying them in my life last week. It was really for my prayer time, and I had no thought of making these words a song. This has rarely happened to me in the song writing process, and it feels much more real for me. Here is just a small section of the song. Maybe you can use these lyrics to begin praying in your own life.

I lay my crowns at Your feet,
I place my trust in You I seek
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way

Mend my heart so it beats
For Your Spirit my soul to keep
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way


There is nothing to fear
Because You are here
I have nothing to fear
Because Your love is near

     Lord have Your way in me
     Take my life and let it be
     A lot like You
     And less like me
     Lord have Your way

     Lord have Your way in me
     Fill my cup and let them see
     Through Your grace I am free
     Lord have Your way in me

Anyway that's just a verse and a chorus of what God is doing in my life. I leave you with this final thought. Let's all make total surrender our prayer as Christ followers. Think about it total surrender means to forgo who we are as selfish creatures in favor of being more like the Father. WOW just imagine.

I'm outty 5000

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