A New Family

Thanksgiving Day (1998)

YouTube demo

Oh my God, what have I done?

Oh my God, what can I do?

I am lost, out on the run

I am lost, without You

So I pray, and give thanks, to You, on this day

Thanksgiving Day

In a world without faith

And an age without trust

We are sealed in our fate

And it’s time that we must

Pray, and give thanks, to You, on this day

Thanksgiving Day

From the moment that we came

We have spoken of Your name

Stretched this nation sea to sea

Raped her bounty endlessly

Now the world chokes in our grasp

Will we heed Your voice at last?

Oh my God, what have we done?

Oh my God, what can we do?

We are lost, out on the run

We are lost, without You

So we pray, and give thanks, to You, on this day

Thanksgiving Day

I Heal All (1999)

With a heavy heart

My eyes look down upon you

When times get hard

And twisted all around your

Arms and legs

Your thoughts and brain

Your body aches

You scream in pain

But I heal all

I heal all who come before Me

I heal all

I heal everyone before Me

I heal all

When the winter falls

And the snow flies all around you

It's an icy pall

As the cold descends upon your

Ears and neck

Chilled to the bone

You're left for dead

You're all alone

But I heal all

I heal all who come before Me

I heal all

I heal everyone before Me

I heal all

From a distant shore

A golden ship will take you

Beyond the door

Where the light shines all around your

Eyes and face

Your heart and soul

A brighter place

To make you whole

Where I heal all

I heal all who come before Me

I heal all

I heal everyone before Me

I heal all

Stranded (1999)

Stranded, stranded
On the beach without a home

Lonely, hungry
Crawling toward a crumb or bone

Inching ever closer to the waves beneath the pier
Praying for a helping hand to lift her soul from here

Stranded, stranded
On this Earth so far from home

Calling Us Back (1999)

YouTube demo

Whispering through the trees
Beckoning me back home
Answering all my pleas
Proving that we're not alone

He's calling us back
He's come for us now
I don't know when
And I don't know how
But He's calling us back

Wrapped in a milky haze
On a November morn
Sunlight knifes through my daze
Carving a radiant form

He's calling us back
He's come for us now
I don't know when
And I don't know how
But He's calling us back

Steering His mount on high
Destined to set us free
Flashing across the sky
Shining for all who can see

He's calling us back
He's come for us now
I don't know when
And I don't know how
But He's calling us back

My Little Valentine (2000)

I have done everything

That I could have done

I have won every race

That I could have run

Though the years have passed

Still I need to ask

Will you be mine

My little Valentine?

Love has touched every soul

Placed upon this Earth

Nourishing every breath

Taken from my birth

With just one life to live

Still I wonder if

You will be mine

My little Valentine

Love can bring you up and down

Spin you all around

Tumbling to the bottom of the world

When you take the time to see

What’s inside of me

Then you’ll know the magic

Of the final flag unfurled

He has heard every thought

Dancing through my mind

Questioning every word

That I’ve left behind

But now I know it’s true

And I’m telling you

You will me mine

My little Valentine

Oh, Brother John (2000)

Oh, Brother John, it is just as you said it would be
So many centuries ago
I stand on the beach and I see the beast rising up out of the sea
But I will not be deceived, oh no

No matter what they say
No matter what they do to me

Oh, Brother John, is there nobody else who can see
All you have shown to me, my friend?
Why have you hidden your words in a mystery no one can read
Only to see at the end?

When the stars fall from the sky
And we all fall to our knees and pray

Oh, Brother John, there is just one thing I must say
As you go away from here
Please let there be no more suffering in the ones that I love
Their treasure above is clear

Shining in the east
Before the morning comes to us

Commentary

Our new blended family was now me and Karen, Mauri, Drew, Maria (Karen’s daughter from her previous marriage), and then the one child Karen and I had together, Livvy. The songs from this period include a pair that hint of things to come, Calling Us Back and Oh, Brother John, both of which came in the days following the bad cancer diagnosis that my Dad had received in August 1999 after life of heavy smoking. I found myself confronting my own mortality and the true purpose for my life. I also became increasingly focused on the prophetic elements of scripture – especially amidst the already terrifying increase in lawlessness and tragedy (this was still before the terrorist attack of September 2001), such as the Columbine school massacre (April 1999). It became obvious to me that remaining completely silent about my faith, knowing that Jesus was the only means of salvation – both in the “here and now” and eternally, was no longer tenable. I just didn’t yet know what God wanted me to do about it.

A New Family

Thanksgiving Day (1998)

I Heal All (1999)

Stranded (1999)

Calling Us Back (1999)

My Little Valentine (2000)

Oh, Brother John (2000)

Commentary

Downloads