Matthew West – Song Dive

Start Right Here

The next entry for my Blog is Start Right Here, which was written by Bernie Herms, Mark John Hall, Matthew Joseph West, and Seth David Mosley. The song was first released October 26, 2018. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Start Right Here

We want our coffee in the lobby
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a Rockstar preacher
Who won’t wake us from our dreams
We want out blessings in our pocket
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our cities
Would we even cross the street?

Huh but we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

I’m like the brother of the prodigal
Who turned his nose and puffed his chest
He didn’t run off like his brother
But his soul was just as dead
What if the church on Sunday
Was still the church on Monday too?
What if we came down from our towers
And walked a mile in someone’s shoes?

Hmm ’cause we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land but it starts right here
We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

As I prepare to produce my Blog entries, I take the time to listen to multiple songs and then select the one that really touches my heart at that particular time. As I listened to this song a few times, it helped me to better understand the real mission that each of us has in front of us. We are probably all creatures of habit and we really don’t want to change unless forced to do so, this perspective can be good or bad. Think of some of the habits you have implemented in your life, note that I say implemented not just random things you do every day that perhaps you used to do differently. The writer lists of few of these, some may apply to you and some may not. You may ask, what is wrong with a regular routine or habit? The writer is not condemning habits, the writer is calling out the negative impact of certain habits.

Some of our habits are harmless and are perfectly ok, but some of our habits can take us farther away from God and his mission for us. We are always willing to change if it doesn’t impact us too much since most of us don’t like a lot of change in our lives. One of these habits is how we personally define the role of the church in our lives and how our habits impact the mission we were given from God through his word. Many churches today have live broadcasts or recorded broadcasts, so we can enjoy the message of the pastor without getting out of our pajamas, leaving the house, or worrying about our next cup of coffee. We may be listening to an awesome speaker who speaks about the joys of the Christian life and what the ultimate future holds for us, a promise of eternal life. Perhaps the preacher doesn’t focus on our responsibilities as a Christian, so we count on him to do his job and get the people outside of the church into the building so that they ultimately accept Jesus as their personal savior. The preacher’s message probably helps us grow as Christians every time we hear the message and we want the unsaved to hear that same message. This all sounds great doesn’t it? We don’t have to do anything but enjoy our Christianity from the comfort of our recliners. Before I continue, note that I am not criticizing the broadcast of messages from the church. There are many reasons for some not physically going to church including being out of town, working, not physically able, etc. The issue that the song raises is, what about all of the people in the world who do not know Christ and are completely unaware of the possibility of eternal life. Many of these people have perhaps never set foot in a church and never seen a broadcast from the church. It all comes down to the mindset that it is all about us as opposed to sharing the blessings that Christ has given to us. Who is out there telling people the good message of eternal live that only Jesus can give? Is it really the responsibility that falls only upon the preacher and missionaries?

Jesus did indeed die on the cross so that everyone in the world could have the opportunity for eternal life. He depends on his followers to tell the world what he did for all people, his message to his followers is found in the book of Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This directive applies to everyone who has accepted Christ as their personal savior. It is up to the Christians to share this message everywhere they go. The writers pose the question as to whether or not the followers of Jesus today are even willing to cross the street to help someone and deliver his message. Do we try to spread Christianity merely from our pockets or do we actually support Christ with our presence, our words, and our actions. Can we do any of the above if our Christianity only lives in our family rooms or our churches?

I truly believe that most of us are Sunday Christians, I believe this to be the direct message coming out of this song. As we go to church or watch church on our TVs, we do absorb the message being presented, we do grow in our love for Christ, and we do pray for others to become part of the body of Christ. We leave Church with good intentions, but these all dissipate before we even get back into our comfy recliners or sofas in our homes. The writers then ask a question we probably don’t want to hear, what if the church was still a church on Monday? I would take it a little farther and ask, what if the church was still a church seven days a week? In theory, everyone in the church is like minded when it comes to the teachings of Christ and his directives for all of us. The issue is that so many of us, probably too many, ignore the directives once we get away from the building. Christianity is not a building and that is where many of us fail in our Christian lives. We should be fed the word of God when in the church and we should be delivering the word and helping others when we leave the church. If someone is sick, do we only pray for them once? Do we only visit them once? Do we only take them meals once? If our friends and family need something, we will be there as often as we need to be and provide whatever is needed. If we truly want to follow what Christ commanded, our mission of spreading his word is never complete. As someone once said, “you are the only Jesus some will ever see”, keep this in mind as you start every day.

We all need to attend church if able, but we all need to remember that the church is not really all about the building or the preacher, it is all about the people who make up the church. Christ gave us our mission long ago, have you taken up this mission and become part of the real church? If not, now is the time and outside of the building is the place. If you are not ready to start right now on the mission you were given, when will you start? If your answer is that you have not started, take some time right now and ask yourself what is holding you back from the one mission your savior asked of you. Take the first step right here and right now.

Click to hear Casting Crowns sing Start Right Here

Truth be Told

The next entry for my Truth be Told, which was written by Matthew West and Andrew Pruis. It was first released October 18, 2019. A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you’re doing
Just smile and tell them, “Never better”

Lie number 2 everybody’s life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

There’s a sign on the door, says, “Come as you are” but I doubt it
‘Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn’t you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals
Like me

Well truth be told
The truth is rarely told
Oh am I the only one who says

I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Can I really stand here unashamed
Knowin’ that you love for me won’t change?
Oh God if that’s really true
Then let the truth be told

There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

This is a very thought-provoking song. It directly challenges the honesty of each of us. I think most of us are likely to get offended when someone tells us we are not being honest, but in this case; I believe the writers are telling the truth about all of us. When someone asks you how you are doing today, what is your typical answer? Maybe we say I am fine, life is wonderful, never been better, and these types of responses seem never-ending. Why are we so reluctant to be completely honest with everyone? I know there is a litany of reasons, but I think the main reason is we just really don’t want to talk about it. We believe our problems are our problems and no one else needs to know about them. We basically put on our false façade and go on with our lives.

We are also of the opinion that everyone else’s life seems to be perfect, at least the piece of their lives that we see. Our view is that they don’t need to know what we are going through. Why do we take this approach? Maybe deep inside we are envious that their lives seem so perfect and we believe our lives are a mess when compared to theirs. So, once again we put up our façade and life goes on. We many times struggle to tell the truth to our friends and our family, even though they are perhaps the people who can help us the most. As I listened to the words of this song, it was a very sobering moment for me. I understand not wanting to share every intimate detail of our lives and also believing that my issues are my own and no one else’s business, but this mentality only hurts us more. Friends are actually our family in so many ways and they are the ones who are willing to listen to us, help us when they can, and not be judgmental. If your friends can’t meet these qualities, perhaps you need to evaluate the people in your life that you call friends. These are the people who love you and are not there to judge you, but are there to lift you up whenever you fall. I can understand that opening your heart and soul to true friends is a real challenge, it requires us to let our guard down in order to share our hurts. It requires us to let things go and realize that our friends are there to help us carry our burdens and give us the love and support we need.

With all of the comfort that our friends can offer, they still come short of giving the true inner peace that only God can provide. He is really the first place we should turn. It is great to have friends we can talk to who know us and care about us, but the true inner peace we are looking for can only come from God. He is the only one who truly knows our heart and our soul and is perhaps the only one who casts no judgement upon us. He is also the only one who can give us an eternal life of joy and happiness and unconditional love. He created us, he knows us, and all he asks of us is to accept his son Jesus as our personal savior. Once we accept Jesus, we are guaranteed that one day we will live in complete peace and harmony that far exceeds anything in our dreams. He is also the one who puts friends and loved ones in our lives so that we will have people who love us and want us to be happy and free from sadness and pain. Another positive in accepting Jesus as our personal savior is that we are then indwelt with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there to help bring us peace and help us to feel the love of God within us. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us we should not worry about anything and to put everything in God’s hands, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Maybe, one of the most disturbing thoughts in the lyrics, is the reference to “come as you are.” I believe there are some places you can go and no one cares how you look, the status of your clothes, or even perhaps your cleanliness. There are various entities that truly do reach out to many people that perhaps some churches may reject. Is it really true that churches are sometimes not the welcoming place you would expect them to be? If you attend a church today, and I hope that you do, I sincerely hope that your church has its doors open to all. Just like God accepts us as we are, we should let people come into our church who are seeking help. Maybe they are wearing ragged clothes, maybe they are unkempt, and maybe they know nothing about Jesus; are they still welcome? Jesus judges us by our hearts and not our appearance, his arms are open to everyone at all times. This is reinforced in perhaps one of the most quoted scriptures, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God let his only son die on the cross for us so that we would have a path to heaven. Once we accept Jesus as our personal savior, our past is gone and forgotten by God. So if our church is based on the gift of Jesus dying on the cross for all of our iniquities, shouldn’t our churches welcome all who wish to come in?

So, there are perhaps things we don’t want to share with our friends, and that is perfectly fine; but we still need someone we can talk to about everything going on in our lives. Jesus is there to listen to our words and our inner spirit, to wrap his arms around us, and to love us unconditionally. Truth be told, there is no one else but him who can truly listen, understand, love, and judge.

When is the last time you took the time to share your heart with Jesus and bared your soul to him? Let the truth be told.

Click to hear Matthew West sing Truth Be Told

Me on Your Mind

The next entry for my Blog is Me on Your Mind, which was written by Matthew West, Jeff Pardo, and Anne Wilson. It was first released February 18, 2022. A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

I’ve read the words in red
How You leave the 99
To find the one missing
Feels like that was written
With me on Your mind

And the prodigal son who ran, leaving his home behind
The part where the father came running to meet him
Did You say that with me on Your mind?

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
Who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Just knowing You’re mindful of me
Just knowing You call me Your child
It’s flooding my soul with unspeakable hope
Thank You, Lord, that it’s me on Your mind

I’ve read the words in red of a heavenly home on high
You’re preparing a place where the sorrow’s erased
And when I stand before You, I’ll find
All along, it was me on Your mind

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
And who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
With me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Woah (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was me on Your mind

I believe we all have times in our life when we feel all alone and we often get down and out and feeling sorry for ourselves. Unfortunately, many people have this feeling way too many times and they lead very sad lives. Maybe our friends and our families try to encourage us, but they really don’t understand. The words of encouragement and friendly hugs and prayers may be there, but your heart is still hurting and sad. Some people, such as our Christian friends, may encourage us to read our bibles and read about the promises of God in hopes that it brings us out of our depression. Have you ever been in this situation before? If so; didn’t you feel completely hopeless? It seems even more distressing when you are in a group of people and everything in life seems perfect with them.

The writers of the song refer to the text in the bible that is written in red. These red letters are words that came from Jesus, the son of the almighty God. Not every bible has these letters, but the red-letter editions always put the words of Jesus in red. There is a story in the bible that Jesus shared in the book of Matthew 18:12-14, which tells us just how much Jesus loves us and views each of us as his children. “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” We are the lost sheep until we acknowledge Jesus as our savior and God as our father. No matter how far we wander away from God, he will be there with us. Yes, the 99 sheep are still as important to him as they have always been, but for that moment in time; he is focused on getting us into the flock and becoming part of his eternal family. When I reflect on the scripture above, it does seem as if I was the lost sheep Jesus came after and the red letters I had been reading were referring to me. It is so important to know that none of us are ever alone and we can never hide from the eyes of God.

The writers of the song also tell us about a family member who ran away from home with the dreams of getting everything he wanted in life. His father gave him his share of the inheritance and he went and squandered it all within a short time. This parable is found in the book of Luke 15:11-22, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes every single day. We say things we don’t mean and do things we don’t really mean to do. God loves me when I hold him close to my heart and God still loves me when I wander away. So maybe this story fits all of us in some way.

The chorus of the song is so powerful as it describes how the king of this entire world with its billions of people, still loves me and watches out for me every single day. Why am I so special that he wipes the tears from my eyes, heals the hurts in my heart, and loves me unconditionally? It is because each of us are his children and no matter how bad we act, he loves us unconditionally. He allowed his only son to suffer a brutal death on the cross, so that we could spend eternity with him. He wants us to come to him as we are and find comfort in his love. I don’t know if I will ever be able to comprehend the depth of God’s love, but I do know he always has me on his mind and in his heart. One day I will join him in the heavenly home he has prepared just for me and he has a special home for everyone who accepts him as their father and Jesus as their savior. The day Jesus died, you and I were on his mind.

Click to Hear Matthew West Sing Me on Your Mind

Man on the Middle Cross

The next entry for my Blog is Man on the Middle Cross, which was written by AJ Pruis, Matt Jenkins, Matthew West, and Rhett Walker. It was first released July 21, 2023. A link to Rhett Walker singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Heard the Preacher talking about three wood crosses
Up on a hill everyone to see
Two sinners on the outside couldn’t save themselves if they tried
All I could think is man that sounds like me

I’ve been the one on the left full of guilt and regret
Long gone on the wrong side of living
I’ve been the one on the right always looking for a fight thinking I could never be forgiving
I’m standing here today
Overwhelmed by grace cause I know who paid my cost
Thank God
for the man on the middle cross

He didn’t have to do it But for me it went thru it
A love like that I’ll never understand
Lord knows I don’t deserve it And I know I couldn’t earn it
Mercy rained down on this desperate man

The cross is where he went
But that ain’t where he stayed
He brought me back to life when He rose up out of that grave
Someday I’ll stand before him
See Jesus face to face
I’ll worship and adore him
For a life forever changed

Perhaps many of you reading this blog were not aware of the crosses that are spoken of in Christian religions, maybe some of you know about the cross Jesus died upon, and some of you may be familiar with the three crosses this song talks about. The bible does indeed tell us there were three crosses together, with Jesus being on the center cross and felons on the other two crosses. We find this in the book of Luke 23:33, “When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.” The mount where the crucifixion occurred was call Golgotha, which translates into the word skull from the Aramaic language. As the preacher was delivering the message that the song writer heard, maybe it was the first time the writer had really listened to the scripture about the crosses. So many times, we may be the same way, the message may be one we have been aware of for years, but we never allowed it to resonate in our life. I believe most people who are aware of Jesus are probably aware that he died on a cross, but have little awareness of the fact that two criminals were also crucified on either side of him. The good news is that Jesus came back to life after his death on the cross, but the two sinners on either side of him had no chance of returning to life on this earth,

Obviously, none of us are perfect and most, if not all of us, struggle to be the best person we can be every single day in our life. The writer of the song assigns backgrounds to each of the two people on either side of Jesus, the purpose is so he can help show all of us how we may fit into the scenario. How many times have you felt guilty about something? Maybe your guilt is from long ago or maybe it is from a few hours ago; but how does it make you feel inside? Sometimes I sit and reflect on the past and think about the things I should not have done and the people I may have hurt. As I do this reflection, I think it was very insensitive of me to say what I said or act the way I did. This is when we are similar to the person hanging on the cross on the left. We realize where we have failed in our life and finally recognize that the acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and savior is the only way to gain eternal life. We have come to the realization that we can never gain eternal life until we give our soul to Jesus.

Unfortunately, some of us are similar to the man on the other cross. We are bitter, vindictive, and only care about ourselves. In common vernacular, these types of people are recognized as hardened criminals who are unwilling to ever change. We go about our lives without even thinking about who we hurt. The hurt we inflict may be emotional, violent, physical, or destructive. The goal is to gain whatever we can without even considering the damage we cause along the way. We form the opinion that because we believe that no one loves us or cares for us anyway, why should be act any different. Our most secure prisons are most likely filled with people of this mentality. There are also many people roaming the streets today who have the same mindset of if I want it, I will take it and are willing to harm anyone who gets in their way. This is perhaps the mindset of the man on the cross on the other side of Jesus. We find the scripture about the two criminals in the book of Luke 23:39-43, “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Regardless of which camp of people we fall into, God views us all as disobedient to him. He doesn’t evaluate us based on the wrongs/sins we have committed; he just knows that we have not accepted his son as our savior. He also knows we are walking through a world that we can’t control and that we feel all alone with no hope. All of us are on the first cross I mentioned above at all times and some of us cross over to the other cross if we wander too far away from where we should be. This takes us to the middle cross, where Jesus, the son of God, was hanging. He died on that cross and when he died that day, he gave us grace. Grace basically means that if we accept him as the son of God and his sacrifice for us, then all of the wrongs we have committed in our past and all of the wrongs we will commit in the future have been forgiven. God then views us as a perfect being and no longer sees the blemishes we gathered over a lifetime. This is basically what transpired with the criminal the writer depicted as being on the left side of the three crosses. It doesn’t mean we will be perfect in our actions and thoughts every day, but it does mean that we have an eternal life in front of us as we traverse the way to heaven.

Just imagine someone loving you so much that they would lay down their life for you. I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like to finally see Jesus face to face and worship him and thank him for dying for me and coming back to life just to help me realize that he truly is the son of God. The cross couldn’t kill his spirit, the tomb could not contain his body, and nothing on earth could stop him from walking among his disciples three days after he came out of that tomb.

Which of the people on the cross would you most likely be if you were on Golgotha that fateful day? Would you be the one who believed in Christ or the one who rejected him? Now is probably a good time to do a self-assessment to determine the priorities in your life and where Christ fits. We will all face death one day, we just don’t know when. The good news is that we can decide today on which cross we would have hung long ago.

Click to Hear Rhett Walker Sing Man On The Middle Cross

Nobody

The next entry for my Blog is Nobody, which was written by Bernhard Herms, Douglas Williams, John Mark Hall, Leonard Williams, Matthew West, and Melvin Williams. It was first released August 13, 2019. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Why You ever chose me
Has always been a mystery
All my life, I’ve been told I belong
At the end of a line
With all the other Not-Quites
With all the Never-Get-It-Rights
But it turns out they are the ones You were looking for
All this time

‘Cause I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright
And David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked twelve outsiders nobody would’ve chosen
And You changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is
Everybody’s got a purpose
So when I hear that devil start talking to me, saying
“Who do you think you are?” I say

I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
So let me go down, down, down in history (go down in history)
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
(It’s all I ever wanna be) And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus, yeah

I’m just a nobody (nobody)
Trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody
Who saved my soul (oh, saved my, saved my soul)
Ever since You rescued me
You gave my heart a song to sing (you gave me a song to sing)
I’m living for the world to see
Nobody but Jesus (nobody but You, Lord)
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I believe perhaps that the majority of us are described in the first verse of this song. How many times have you just felt completely invisible when you were trying so hard to be seen? We dreaded the times when it was time to choose teams. The biggest, strongest, and most handsome guys were always chosen first, unfortunately I did not meet the criteria I mentioned for guys. It seemed as if the most beautiful and popular girls were always selected first. Once the cream of the crop was selected, then people like me were finally picked. Sometimes I may have been picked in the middle of the group and sometimes I was last. Of course there were other times when maybe I didn’t get selected at all. The above could apply to sports, plays, choirs, other group activities such as groups getting together just to socialize, or to life in general. Every year in the Christmas holiday season, the animated movie Rudolph comes on TV, and of course there is the song about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. One verse in the song states,

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.

I realize it may be somewhat juvenile to use this song in my example, but doesn’t it seem to fit the scenarios I described above? Probably all of us end up in this situation at sometime in our lives, we become a member of the Not Quites and Never Get it Right Club. As I shared the above, I hope I didn’t cause you to recall any painful memories.

The heart of this song is the fact that we are the ones that Jesus was looking for when he came to be with us so long ago. We are the reasons God sent his only son to die for us. Maybe most of us have been lifetime members of this “nobody” class and Jesus came to offer us one gift, the gift of eternal life and his acceptance forever. He wanted to bring this eternal joy to all who were willing to accept him. The song asked the question, why did Jesus ever choose us and be willing to die for us; after all; we are the ones who were never first. Think about where Jesus taught, he taught in the fields and along the coasts more than he taught in the towns and cities. He wanted people from all walks of life to hear of his promise and let them know that his arms reached out to everyone, not just the select few who didn’t feel as if they needed him. He really asks us to do two things. First, the absolute was to accept him as our personal Lord and savior, the second was to spread his word throughout the world. He wants everyone to feel loved and wants each of us to feel as if we are at the front of the line; we are no longer the ones at the end of the line. Jesus sees us as a circle where everyone is equal, no one is above another.

Jesus wants to let everyone know there is no such person as a “nobody” in his eyes. His love goes to everyone all the time, the lines with beginning and end are gone, we are part of the circle that has no beginning and no end and can expand every minute of every day. Jesus is always in the middle within reach of every single soul. As we learn what life should be all about, we no longer care who is physically first or last, we are just glad they are here and listening to the teaching of God’s word. As we step into the ever growing circle of the followers of Jesus, our burdens become lighter. We find this in the book of Matthew 11:28-30. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Some of the greatest heroes in the bible were just normal people like you and I. Moses, the shepherd, was scared to speak in front of the Egyptian Pharoah, so God sent Aaron to go with him and speak for him when he was trying to lead the Israelites out of bondage. David was just a very young shepherd and God chose him to battle the giant and guided him to only take his sling, while the giant carried a spear that was probably bigger than David. God chose Noah to build an ark and save his family. Although others were invited to join, they just laughed at Noah and his family. Their laughter stopped once the floods came and Noah was setting sail. God chose the lowly shepherds to be some of the first to see the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Jesus chose twelve disciples from all walks of life, none were famous and most were fishermen just living from day to day. Some were unliked, some were hot headed, but Jesus took them regardless of their background. Take a second to think about how these disciples carried forward his message and helped change the world. All of these people were people like you and I, all nobodies, it is just that they dedicated their lives to Jesus and spreading his love to everyone they came in contact with.

It is also important to note that God used many people who were people we may have never chosen based on their background. God knew their strengths and did not hold their weaknesses against them when he accepted them as one of his own.

David had an affair
Peter, a disciple, had a temper
Noah got drunk
The apostle Paul was a murderer
Sara was impatient and had Abraham father a child with another woman
Jonah ran from God and was swallowed by a whale
Thomas was a doubter.

In the book of Romans 5:8, we are told that God loves us even though we continue to do the wrong things. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He does not judge us on our past, he accepts us for our future. All we have to do is accept him and the sacrifice of his son.

As you take time to digest the words to this song, you should begin to realize that there is no one more important than you in the eyes of God. We are all equal and what we physically own or what we have accomplished in our lives doesn’t really mean a lot to him. What is important to him is that we start reaching out to everyone around us to make sure they do not feel like a nobody with no hope. Our mission is to make sure everyone understands there is no such person as a nobody, that Jesus loves us all and we are all equal. For those of you who are used to being the best, the brightest, the most talented, and the most beautiful; realize that God gave you these qualities. Many people with these qualities have already accepted Christ, but I surmise there are a lot who still have more faith in themselves than they have in God. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal savior, then the time for that is now, tomorrow could be too late since tomorrow is never promised to any of us.

Doesn’t it feel great to be a nobody?

Click to Hear Casting Crowns Sing Nobody

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

The next entry for my Blog is Tell Your Heart to Beat Again, which was written by Bernie Herms, Matthew West, and Randy Phillips. The song was initially released January 8, 2016. A link to Danny Gokey performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

You’re shattered
Like you’ve never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you’re never gonna get back
To the you that used to be

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again

Beginning
Just let that word wash over you
It’s alright now
Love’s healing hands have pulled you through
So get back up, take step one
Leave the darkness, feel the sun
‘Cause your story’s far from over
And your journey’s just begun

Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
‘Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven’s working
Everything for your good

Oh, so tell your heart to beat again

This is a song about the loss of a loved one and suggestions on how to somewhat recover from that loss. Note that I do not even pretend to know how each of you are impacted by a significant loss such as this, I am just sharing my views. The singer of this song actually lost his wife at an early age and this is his story. Just imagine losing the one person in your life who you loved the most and who felt the same about you. Many of you have perhaps had to live through this situation already. As this happens, the world around you just shatters and comes crashing down in small pieces. There are no words that bring comfort and no embrace that can fill your empty and broken heart. At this point in time, you probably can’t even imagine making it through today, much less tomorrow. The whole weight of the world has suddenly fallen upon your shoulders as you crumble to your knees. One of the biggest challenges for us, is how do we rise out of the deep dark pit of loss and our intense feeling of loneliness? Our emotions are out of control and our desire to live seems to be fading away. We may have many friends who love us, but even their tears and their embraces bring us little hope.

Psalm 121:1-2 can provide us hope in these times of anguish. “I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” I realize there is a period of grief we must all go through as we experience our loss, but there also comes a turning point as we start to open our eyes to life once again. The chorus of the song is delivered with such power and with a strong message of encouragement and direction. At some point, we need to realize that we must rise from our knees and take that first step into our changed future. We have to almost tell our lungs to breathe and our hearts to beat again; and we have to look to the light that only God can provide. He is there to give us strength and comfort and to take our hand as we begin our new journey. This strength may be felt through our prayers, our family, and our friends. I know that God listens to our prayers and I also believe that he brings the right people into our lives at the right time. The sooner we put God in control, the sooner we can start our new future. We will always have the past with us as a heartfelt memory, but we must go forward and not let the past dictate our future. The hardest part is taking that first step into your new future and driving your heart to beat again. In the book of Isaiah 41:13, we are told that God will help us when we are ready to move forward, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

As we start our lives over, it is like a new beginning. We are starting over and starting to find our way out of the darkness. God has been with us every step of the journey through our darkness and loneliness, and he gives us his love as he prepares us for that first step. He is there to lead us, to guide us, and to love us. As we take our first steps into our new future; we start to leave the darkness and feel the bright sunlight shining on our face. It is a time of building a new future and beginning the next chapter in our lives. We have to learn to deal with the conversations around our loss, how we handle dinner invitations when we are now alone for the first time, how we go to events, and how we completely restructure our lives. Perhaps Matthew 6:34 gives us some of the best guidance regarding one day at a time, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is not only a new beginning for us, but also for those around us. It may be the first time we have paid attention to just how many people care about us and how they have been there supporting us during our deepest darkest hours.

Our heartbreak will never go away, but it doesn’t mean we can’t go on living. Our loss has taught us lessons about cherishing every moment of every day; take nothing for granted. Yes, we will have the scars of our loss forever, but we have also learned to keep walking forward no matter what life throws at us. Every moment of our past means even more and every memory is more precious than we could have ever imagined. We must look to the future and the path that God lays before us. We can have hope once again as God opens the new doors of our future and helps us close the doors of the past. We will never be alone, God tells us this in Matthew 28:20; “and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Maybe, as others hear about the scars on our heart and soul, we may be able to help them find their way and continue their story.

Click to Hear Danny Gokey Sing Tell My Heart to Beat Again

The God Who Stays

The next entry for my Blog is The God Who Stays which was written by Matthew West and AJ Pruis. It was first released in 2019. A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

The God Who Stays

If I were you, I would’ve given up on me by now
I would’ve labeled me a lost cause
Cause I feel just like a lost cause

If I were you, I would’ve turned around and walked away
I would’ve labeled me beyond repair
Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair

But somehow you don’t see me like I do
Somehow, you’re still here
You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And you tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

I used to hide
Every time I thought I let You down
I always thought I had to earn my way
But I’m learning You don’t work that way

Somehow you don’t see me like I do
Somehow, you’re still here
You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

My shame can’t separate
My guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

My sin can’t separate
My scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms

And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

Do you know anyone who appears to be just a complete failure? This might be a person you know, a family member, someone you know about, or perhaps a perception you have formed based on what you have seen of someone’s behavior and actions. Sometimes it is easy to walk away and ignore the person and sometimes it is heartbreaking to see that person self-destruct right before your eyes. They seem to make one mistake after another and commit failure after failure until they have completely given up on their lives and are destined to live a life or regret instead of hope.

As you witness this ongoing self-destruction of the person feeling shunned by the world, what do you do? Do you ignore the fact that a life is being destroyed, do you go about your daily life and try to forget this individual, or do you do whatever is in your power to try and help put that person on the right path again? What if that person was once a close friend or a family member? As I look at these various scenarios, I am of the opinion that many of us are willing to turn our backs and walk away. I do understand there are some situations we believe we are not capable of handling, but what about those that we can help, with possibly additional assistance from others. Let’s take this a little closer to home, what if you are the one that has given up? Are you alone because everyone else has given up on you and believe you are just a major screw-up who will never turn around? Maybe you have become the lost cause the song talks about. The really sad part is that you have labeled yourself as a complete failure and that only contributes to others forming the same opinion of you. A lot of times, we project the way we feel about ourselves and this causes others to view us that way as well. We reach a point where we don’t blame people for not wanting to help us or even be around us.

Wow, this entry sounds really depressing so far doesn’t it? Now for the good news, God is not like us and will never be like us. When we finally try to hold our head up and open up our heart a bit, we find out that God sees deep into our heart and soul and he knows that the person we could be and want to be is still in there. Others see the outward appearance, actions, and words; God only sees us from our true inside. As others flee from us and who we have become, God is always running along with us loving us. As we finally allow ourselves to feel his presence, we sense his arms wide open as he reminds us that he has been there with us all the time and always will be. He runs to us instead of away from us, he runs with us as we try to flee others, he is the one who stays. Our God doesn’t look at our sin or what we have become, he only knows our heart and that we are his children. All he asks of us is that we accept his son as our personal Savior and every sin goes away forever. As a result, God never sees the sin in our lives, he only sees his child and what we can become.

You may be a Christian already, but even with the knowledge that you have of the powers of our God; aren’t their times when you want to hide because of some mistake you have made? Maybe something you lied about, maybe infidelity, maybe you lost a job because you didn’t do your best to succeed; you can probably think of a few things you have done in your life that you are ashamed of and just want to hide from God. Even David tried to hide from God. I encourage you to read Psalm 139 in full, but here are verses 1-6 showing that hiding is impossible: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

Peter lied about being a follower of Christ as shown in Matthew 26:69-75: “Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man! After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly”. Both of them ended up in agony and even tears. When they finally faced God again, it was as if their sins never happened. God didn’t say, you owe me for what you have done. He doesn’t go about reminding us of our sins. When we finally hold our heads up again, his arms are open wide and there is look of love upon his face. God reminds that no matter what we do, we can’t get him away from us. Instead of him walking into our darkness, he pulls us into his light.

God will always run to us, no matter how far we run, and he will always find us, no matter where we hide. He doesn’t see our shame and he overcomes every enemy and obstacle in our lives. Even the power of Satan and the evils of the world cannot overcome us when we have God on our side. The even better news than all of the above is that we are his for eternity.

Our God truly stays with us every minute of every day. As you struggle with the events of life, look up to his extended arms and feel his never-ending all-encompassing love.

Click to Hear Matthew West Sing The God Who Stays