BEHIND THE SONG CHOICES
WHEN I DO A SONG, I FIRST OF ALL TRY TO ALLOW THE LORD TO LEAD ME AS TO WHICH SONG TO DO. I ALSO WANT TO
PICK A SONG THAT TOUCHES ME, SOMETHING THAT I CAN SING FROM THE HEART, NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SOUND GOOD OR APEAL TO
SOMEONE.
WITH THAT IN MIND, HERE IS A LITTLE ABOUT EACH SONG CHOSEN FOR THIS CD.
MY THANKS TO HIM: WHEN I THINK OF THE DEPTHS OF SIN THE LORD LIFTED ME FROM I
CAN'T HELP BUT STAND IN AWE OF SUCH LOVE. HE IS SO DESERVING OF ALL OUR HONOR AND PRAISE, NOT ONLY NOW, BUT FOREVER MORE.
I COULD NEVER THANK HIM ENOUGH.
BUT FOR THE BLOOD: IF IT WASN'T FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS, HIS PURE SINLESS BLOOD, WE'D
ALL BE BOUND FOR HELL WITH NO HOPE. SO MANY TIMES THE DEVIL TELLS ME HOW UNWORTHY I AM, HOW SORRY OF A CHRISTIAN I AM, AND
YOU KNOW HE'S RIGHT. BUT IT'S NOT MY RIGHTEOUSNESS I'M DEPENDING ON AND TRUSTING IN, BUT THAT BLOOD SHED FOR ME ON CALVARY!
IF I COULD HEAR MY MOTHER PRAY AGAIN: WHEN MOM GOT SICK SHE HAD TO HAVE SOMEONE
STAY WITH HER ALL THE TIME. IN ADDITION TO HAVING CANCER, SHE ASLO HAD ALZHEIMER'S, SO US KIDS TOOK TURNS STAYING AND EVERY
NIGHT IT WAS LIKE A COMPLETE ROLE REVERSAL. ME, HER AND DAD WOULD KNEEL AT HER BED AND SAY OUR PRAYERS AND THEN I'D TUCK HER
IN, AND KISS HER GOODNIGHT.
THOSE PRAYERS WERE SUCH A BLESSING FOR ME. THOUGH SHE WAS ALWAYS IN A LOT OF PAIN, SHE NEVER PRAYED A SELF
CENTERED PRAYER, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS OTHERS SHE WOULD BRING BEFORE THE THRONE OF GRACE. ALWAYS HER KIDS, GRANDKIDS, CHURCH,
NEIGHBORS AND MANY TIMES JUST PERFECT STRANGERS, MAYBE SOMEONE SHE SAW ON THE NEWS WHO HAD SUFFERED SOME TRAGEDY. SHE ALWAYS
PRAYED THE SWEETEST PRAYERS AND ALWAYS, IN SPITE OF ALL SHE WAS SUFFERING, PRAYED PRAYERS FULL OF PRAISE TO OUR LORD. SHE
TAUGHT ME SO MUCH DURING THAT TIME AND NOW, OH HOW I LONG TO HEAR THOSE SWEET PRAYERS ONECE MORE!
BEULAH LAND: THIS WAS A SONG MOM LIKED TO HEAR ME SING IN CHURCH BUT IT REALLY
TOOK ON A NEW MEANING TO ME WHEN SHE DIED. NOT ONLY BECAUSE I SANG IT AT HER FUNERAL, BUT BECAUSE WHEN SHE DIED, MY LONGING
FOR HEAVEN BECAME EVEN STRONGER. THOSE SAD GOODBYES HERE ON EARTH ARE SO HARD, BUT JUST TO THINK THAT ONE DAY WE'LL GATHER
TOGETHER AGAIN, NEVER TO PART, NEVER TO HURT, NEVER TO CRY, NEVER TO DIE, NO MORE FAITH, BUT SIGHT, NO MORE PRAYERS BUT WE'LL
TALK TO JESUS FACE TO FACE! WHAT A DAY THAT WILL BE!
ONE DOOR: ARE YOU A GOOD PERSON? COMPARED TO ME, YOU MIGHT BE. EVEN COMPARED TO
YOUR CO-WORKERS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR KINFOLK, EVEN COMPARED TO SOME OF THOSE HIPOCRITES DOWN AT THE CHURCH. HOW DO YOU LOOK
COMPARED TO JESUS CHRIST? DID YOU KNOW THAT TO GET TO HEAVEN YOU HAVE TO BE AS GOOD AS HE IS? IN OTHER WORDS PERFECT. NOBODY'S
PERFECT SO HOW CAN ANYONE BE SAVED? THERE'S JUST ONE WAY, AND THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT WAY, THROUGH CHRIST, THE DOOR.
HE'S THE ONLY WAY, BY FAITH IN JESUS AND HIS PAYMENT FOR OUR SINS ON THE CROSS. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET IN ALL KIND
OF DIFFERENT WAYS, GOOD WORKS, MORALITY, CHURCH MEMBERSHIP, BAPTISM, SACRIMENTS, RITUALS, ETC... BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE DOOR,
ONLY ONE WAY, JESUS SAID: "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO MAN COMES UNTO THE FATHER BUT BY ME".
WEAPON OF PRAYER: THIS IS SOMETHING THE HOLY SPIRIT DELT WITH ME ABOUT. HERE WE HAVE
YOUNG MEN OVERSEAS FIGHTING TO KEEP US FREE AND MANY OF US HERE IN OUR COMFORT ZONE IN THE USA ARE JUST TO BUSY WITH OUR PLEASURES
AND INTREST TO TAKE THE TIME TO BOW OUR KNEES AND LIFT UP THESE BRAVE HERO'S TO THE THRONE OF GRACE. WHY ARE WE HAVEING SUCH
A HARD TIME WINNING THE WAR? IN MY OPINION, IT'S BECAUSE WE ARE IN OUR COMFORT ZONE, EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT HERE AT HOME (RIGHT
NOW ANYWAY) AND UNLIKE OUR FATHERS IN WARS PAST, WE ARE JUST TRUSTING IN THE MIGHT OF THE MILITARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA INSTEAD OF PUTTING OUR TRUST, AND DIRECTING OUR PRAYERS WHERE THEY OUGHT TO BE DIRECTED, TO ALMIGHTY GOD, WHO CAN
GIVE US THE VICTORY.
WHEN HE SEES ME: WHEN THE LORD SAVED ME HE COVERED ME WITH HIS BLOOD, HE IMPUTED
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS TO ME AND NOW WHEN THE FATHER LOOKS DOWN AT THIS OLE BOY HE DON'T SEE THE SORRY NO GOOD SINNER I AM, BUT
HE SEES THE BLOOD OF HIS SON AND HE SAYS, "THAT MARLON VEAL IS PERFECT!" BECAUSE OF THAT, WHEN I SEE MYSELF AS I AM, NO WHERE
NEAR PERFECT, NO WHERE NEAR WORTHY, BUT RATHER PRONE TO FAIL IN MY DAILY WALK, IT MAKES ME WANT TO STRIVE TO LIVE BETTER FOR
MY LORD. PRAISE GOD FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SAVING GRACE: FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH AND THAT NOT
OF YOURSELVES IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST. EPH 2:8-9
I COULDN'T EARN WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR ME, I COULD NEVER DESERVE IT, THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT GRACE!
IT'S WORTH IT ALL: LOOKING AT THINGS FROM THE FLESH ONE MIGHT SAY I'VE HAD SOME
RUFF TIMES IN MY LIFE, LOTS OF HEARTACHE, DISSAPOINTMENTS, FAILURES, POVERTY, SICKNESS ETC... BUT WE MUST REMEMBER, THIS IS
ALL TEMPORARY, IF YOU LIVED 1000 YEARS IT WOULD STILL BE LIKE A SECOND COMPARED TO ETERNITY AND IF YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN,
EVEN WITH A LIFETIME OF HARTACHE AND TRAGEDY, YOU CAN SAY, IT'S WORTH IT ALL! THOUGH THE CHRISTIAN IS NOT EXEMPT FROM ALL
THE BAD THINGS EVERYONE ELSE ALSO FACES, THE CHRISTIAN IS NEVER ALONE IN HIS TRIALS, HE WILL NOT LEAVE US OF FORSAKE US, THE
CHRISTIAN CAN EXPERIENCE PEACE AND JOY IN THE MIDST OF THE STORMS OF LIFE, AND LIVE WITH A HOPE BEYOND THIS LIFE THAT THE
WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW.
THANKS FOR LOVING ME: SO MANY TIMES I GET CAUGHT UP IN ASKING GOD FOR THIS AND THAT
WHEN I OUGHT TO BE JUST THANKING HIM FOR ALL HE'S ALREADY GIVEN ME OUT OF HIS LOVE AND ESPECIALLY THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE
THAT WAS PROVIDED FOR ME BY THE DEAR SON OF GOD ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY AS HE SUFFERED AND DIED FOR ME.
ONE DAY I WILL: JUST TO THINK THAT ONE DAY, NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING I HAVE DONE OR EVER
COULD DO, BUT BECAUSE OF HIM, I WILL STAND ON HEAVEN'S SHORE, THERE I WILL SEE THE GATES OF PEARL, THE STREETS OF GOLD THE
RIVER OF LIFE FLOWING FROM THE THRONE, I WILL SEE MOTHER, AND ALL THE OTHER FAMILY WHO HAVE GONE ON BEFORE,
IN ADDITION TO MOSES, JOHN, PETER, AND OTHERS BUT NO DOUBT, THE FIRST FACE I SHALL BEHOLD WILL BE MY LORD!
MY TRIBUTE: I DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING THE LORD HAS DONE FOR ME, AND I COULD NEVER REPAY
HIM NO MATTER WHAT I DO, BUT ALL I DO, I WANT TO DO FOR HIS GLORY AND HIS PRAISE. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
