Liners & Lyrics
Click on the song title to learn about its background and to know its lyrics.
The Glory Song
By My Spirit
I, the Created
Adored, Exalted, Revered
Gethsemane (Your Will Be Done)
All the Way
On the Mountain of the Lord
I, the Created (Original Perspective)
Right Now
By My Spirit
I, the Created
Adored, Exalted, Revered
Gethsemane (Your Will Be Done)
All the Way
On the Mountain of the Lord
I, the Created (Original Perspective)
Right Now
The Glory Song
Back in 2003, I was moved by a lesson I heard during a Sunday morning worship service. During that lesson, one of the points that was made was that God's church did not begin in 1979. Upon hearing this, I was inspired to write new lyrics to a well-known song that was sung among my family of churches that best depicted the history of God's church according to the Scriptures. Below are the new lyrics:
Well, it all began in 30 A.D.
When something changed the course of history
The world was surely dead and lost
But then, a miracle happened at Pentacost
A promise was fulfilled by the Lord that day;
The kingdom had come and was here to stay!
Now, Jews from every nation saw this take place
Expressions of amazement were on their face
Repentance and forgiveness of sins was preached
And about 3,000 people were reached
Now all of the believers had something to share,
And the gospel of the Lord was spread everywhere, uh-huh!
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Now, Saul tried to throw the disciples in jail,
But the voice of the Lord began to wail
Jesus spoke to Saul and then took his sight,
And 3 days later, Saul saw the light!
And, ever since then, he'd spread the gospel of Christ,
And his entire life was a sacrifice!
Cornelius said to Peter, "Hey, listen up, man,
We wanna hear the Word in this here land!"
"The Rock" preached repentance and forgiveness of sin,
And the Pentacost miracle happened again!
When they were baptized into Christ, they all knew
Salvation had come for the Gentiles, too, uh-huh!
Chorus
Now, all of this was prophesied long ago
If you read the books of Daniel and Isaiah, you'll know
In the time of the Romans, the church would land,
And every single nation was in this plan
Now, all of this was done to thwart the devil's ploy
The kingdom of God won't be destroyed!
I tell you the truth--I'm telling no lies--
The kingdom won't be seen with your own eyes!
The kingdom is found in the hearts of man
If you hold to His teachings, you'll understand
We need to help each other to follow The Way,
So we can be prepared for the Judgement Day!
Now, in this life, trouble will unfurl,
But Jesus Christ said He overcame the world!
If we're motivated by our Father's grace,
Then we'll have the power to run this race
And when it's all over and the race is won,
We're all gonna hear Him say, "Well done!" Uh-huh!
Chorus to fade
Back to Top
Well, it all began in 30 A.D.
When something changed the course of history
The world was surely dead and lost
But then, a miracle happened at Pentacost
A promise was fulfilled by the Lord that day;
The kingdom had come and was here to stay!
Now, Jews from every nation saw this take place
Expressions of amazement were on their face
Repentance and forgiveness of sins was preached
And about 3,000 people were reached
Now all of the believers had something to share,
And the gospel of the Lord was spread everywhere, uh-huh!
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Oh, my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Now, Saul tried to throw the disciples in jail,
But the voice of the Lord began to wail
Jesus spoke to Saul and then took his sight,
And 3 days later, Saul saw the light!
And, ever since then, he'd spread the gospel of Christ,
And his entire life was a sacrifice!
Cornelius said to Peter, "Hey, listen up, man,
We wanna hear the Word in this here land!"
"The Rock" preached repentance and forgiveness of sin,
And the Pentacost miracle happened again!
When they were baptized into Christ, they all knew
Salvation had come for the Gentiles, too, uh-huh!
Chorus
Now, all of this was prophesied long ago
If you read the books of Daniel and Isaiah, you'll know
In the time of the Romans, the church would land,
And every single nation was in this plan
Now, all of this was done to thwart the devil's ploy
The kingdom of God won't be destroyed!
I tell you the truth--I'm telling no lies--
The kingdom won't be seen with your own eyes!
The kingdom is found in the hearts of man
If you hold to His teachings, you'll understand
We need to help each other to follow The Way,
So we can be prepared for the Judgement Day!
Now, in this life, trouble will unfurl,
But Jesus Christ said He overcame the world!
If we're motivated by our Father's grace,
Then we'll have the power to run this race
And when it's all over and the race is won,
We're all gonna hear Him say, "Well done!" Uh-huh!
Chorus to fade
Back to Top
By My Spirit
The music for this song was composed in 2003; lyrics hadn't come to me at that point. Once I moved back to Houston, I wrote some lyrics and entitled the song "Pure in Heart." After getting some constructive feedback, I shelved the song. Years later, I was given the charge to create a song that went in line with the church congregation's theme for that year. I decided to pull "Pure in Heart" off of the shelf to see if I could write new lyrics to the already-composed music. Praise God for what He inspired me to write as a result!
When the angel spoke to Zechariah,
He asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
Zechariah said, "I see a lampstand,
And I see 2 olive trees."
Zechariah didn't know what these things were,
So the angel spoke to him with God's own Word
He said...
Not by your might, but by My Spirit!
Not by your pow'r, but by My Spirit!
The Spirit who lived in the apostles
The Spirit who lives in the Lord
Is the same one who lives within us
And keeps us all on one accord
But what good are we if we don't live by him?
We've got to keep in step, or our lives will be grim!
Not by our might, but by His Spirit!
Not by our pow'r, but by His Spirit!
It's by His Spirit that we'll know which way to go
It's by His Spirit that His church will truly grow
It's in His Spirit that we praise His holy Name
Due to the Spirit, we will never be the same!
It's not gonna happen by man, beast, or sword,
It's only gonna happen by the Spirit of the Lord!
(repeat)
Living by the Spirit is a righteous choice
So, let's all surrender and say with one voice...
Not by our might, but by Your Spirit!
Not by our pow'r, but by Your Spirit!
(repeat)
Back to Top
When the angel spoke to Zechariah,
He asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
Zechariah said, "I see a lampstand,
And I see 2 olive trees."
Zechariah didn't know what these things were,
So the angel spoke to him with God's own Word
He said...
Not by your might, but by My Spirit!
Not by your pow'r, but by My Spirit!
The Spirit who lived in the apostles
The Spirit who lives in the Lord
Is the same one who lives within us
And keeps us all on one accord
But what good are we if we don't live by him?
We've got to keep in step, or our lives will be grim!
Not by our might, but by His Spirit!
Not by our pow'r, but by His Spirit!
It's by His Spirit that we'll know which way to go
It's by His Spirit that His church will truly grow
It's in His Spirit that we praise His holy Name
Due to the Spirit, we will never be the same!
It's not gonna happen by man, beast, or sword,
It's only gonna happen by the Spirit of the Lord!
(repeat)
Living by the Spirit is a righteous choice
So, let's all surrender and say with one voice...
Not by our might, but by Your Spirit!
Not by our pow'r, but by Your Spirit!
(repeat)
Back to Top
I, the Created
One Monday evening in August 2009, I was dealing with a lack of joy in my heart for serving as a worship leader. I was getting tired of this happening, so I wrestled with God in prayer, asking him why this was happening. During that time, He gave me the answer: Satan didn't want me doing this. Therefore, I asked God to remove this demon off of my back and to clothe me with the joy I once had when I first started serving as a worship leader; God answered the prayer immediately. At that point, I couldn't help but to praise God for the joy He restored within me. Then, out of the joy in my heart, I started singing to Him. What I was singing was the chorus to this song. As soon as my prayer time was done, I got up and wrote the entire song in 30 minutes. This song holds a very special place in my heart not only because of its message, but also because it's the song that turned me into a published songwriter! (If you would like to sing this song in your congregation, then you can find the sheet music and chord charts at Life-Changing Worship.)
You are the potter; I am the clay
Bend me and shape me in Your perfect way
Use me however, however You please
I'm at Your disposal; I'll follow Your lead
I, the created, give thanks to the Creator
I, the created, know where I stand
I, the created, give thanks to the Creator
You hold me in the palm of Your hand
You are the treasure; I am so frail
Where I fall short, Lord, may Your mercy prevail
My flesh is weak, but Your Spirit is strong
It's all by Your grace I can sing a new song
Chorus
Your wisdom is marvelous to me
I wish that I had the sight
To know all of the mysteries of You
Show me the truth as I walk in Your light!
Verse 1; chorus twice
Back to Top
You are the potter; I am the clay
Bend me and shape me in Your perfect way
Use me however, however You please
I'm at Your disposal; I'll follow Your lead
I, the created, give thanks to the Creator
I, the created, know where I stand
I, the created, give thanks to the Creator
You hold me in the palm of Your hand
You are the treasure; I am so frail
Where I fall short, Lord, may Your mercy prevail
My flesh is weak, but Your Spirit is strong
It's all by Your grace I can sing a new song
Chorus
Your wisdom is marvelous to me
I wish that I had the sight
To know all of the mysteries of You
Show me the truth as I walk in Your light!
Verse 1; chorus twice
Back to Top
Adored, Exalted, Revered
I started writing this song during the World Discipleship Summit in July 2012; I finished it a few months later. The original title was "Loved, Respected, Feared." After sharing a first-draft recording of the song with another worship leader, he suggested that I modify the chorus to the song in order to make it more poetic. The result is what you now see and hear:
Lord, You're adored; You are exalted
Lord, You're revered among the nations
All will bow down at the sound of Your Name
Praises will ring throughout creation
(repeat)
Nobody knows the day or the hour
When You'll return in Your glory and pow'r
Some will be left, and some will be taken
All who are with You will not be forsaken
At Your return, no one will hide
We speed Your coming with our lives
Repeat chorus sequence
Adored
Exalted
Revered among the nations
(repeat to fade)
Back to Top
Lord, You're adored; You are exalted
Lord, You're revered among the nations
All will bow down at the sound of Your Name
Praises will ring throughout creation
(repeat)
Nobody knows the day or the hour
When You'll return in Your glory and pow'r
Some will be left, and some will be taken
All who are with You will not be forsaken
At Your return, no one will hide
We speed Your coming with our lives
Repeat chorus sequence
Adored
Exalted
Revered among the nations
(repeat to fade)
Back to Top
Gethsemane (Your Will Be Done)
This song was written in 2002. My wife and I were living in Dallas, TX at the time; I was about to begin rehearsing with the band I was a part of. In order to warm up, we started jamming on a piece of music that the bass player, Vance Perry, composed years before. After we were done warming up, some of the band members were reminiscing about the time when they premiered this music at a HOPE for Kids event (it had different lyrics at the time)...and how it tanked! Vance then said, "I'd love to do something with that song again." Immediately, the first thing that came to my mind was the phrase, "Your will be done." I started writing lyrics on the spot; it took me 2 days to finish them. Two years later, the song became a part of the mini-musical "...And Believe." Thank you, Vance, for writing such beautiful music...I hope I did it justice.
I can't take the pressure
I can't take this pain
Who is there to guide me
And get me through everything?
I lean on my companions
To support me through this trial
I said, "My soul is overwhelmed now...
Stay with me for a while."
Father God, I beg you, take this cup away
But if it's the only plan to save the ones astray,
Your will be done!
Your will be done!
I look around and find out
All my friends are fast asleep
My heart is now in pieces
What kind of company is this I keep?
"Rise from your slumber!
Get the tiredness off your back!
Pray not to fall into temptation
The Spirit's willing, but the body lacks."
Father God, I beg you, take this cup away
But if it's the only plan to save the ones astray,
Your will, your will be done!
Your will, not mine, for your glory!
Your will, your will be done!
So those beyond can tell the story!
I lost my friends; they now are gone
So now, with you, I carry on
My heart embraces death so others can be saved
(repeat 3 more times)
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID!
Back to Top
I can't take the pressure
I can't take this pain
Who is there to guide me
And get me through everything?
I lean on my companions
To support me through this trial
I said, "My soul is overwhelmed now...
Stay with me for a while."
Father God, I beg you, take this cup away
But if it's the only plan to save the ones astray,
Your will be done!
Your will be done!
I look around and find out
All my friends are fast asleep
My heart is now in pieces
What kind of company is this I keep?
"Rise from your slumber!
Get the tiredness off your back!
Pray not to fall into temptation
The Spirit's willing, but the body lacks."
Father God, I beg you, take this cup away
But if it's the only plan to save the ones astray,
Your will, your will be done!
Your will, not mine, for your glory!
Your will, your will be done!
So those beyond can tell the story!
I lost my friends; they now are gone
So now, with you, I carry on
My heart embraces death so others can be saved
(repeat 3 more times)
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID!
Back to Top
All the Way
In September 2010, My wife and I took a trip to Miami, FL to participate in a worship leader's conference. During that conference, I took lots of notes, made a ton of friends, and even participated in Saturday evening's worship presentation. By the end of the conference, I was physically worn out but excited about being for the praise of God's glory and letting my actions show it. As I was writing down my thoughts on Sunday morning regarding the conference, I wrote the first line of the first verse of what would soon become "All the Way." Suddenly, I started writing more...and more...until I left Miami with verse 1 and the chorus to the song! One week later, while at a men's retreat, I finished the song.
My body's tired, but my soul's inspired
To do greater things for You
Sometimes I feel weary, but I'm not leery
Of the one thing I know to be true
I will praise You, Jesus, my Lord and my King
A fragrant offering to You I will bring
No matter what I face or what this world may say,
I'm with You all the way!
My sins don't blind me, for You remind me
Of the mercy that saved my soul
Now I'm encouraged; my being's nourished
By the One who has total control!
Chorus
Vamp:
With all of my heart
And with all my soul
And with all my mind and strength
(repeat)
Chorus and vamp at the same time (2x)
Back to Top
My body's tired, but my soul's inspired
To do greater things for You
Sometimes I feel weary, but I'm not leery
Of the one thing I know to be true
I will praise You, Jesus, my Lord and my King
A fragrant offering to You I will bring
No matter what I face or what this world may say,
I'm with You all the way!
My sins don't blind me, for You remind me
Of the mercy that saved my soul
Now I'm encouraged; my being's nourished
By the One who has total control!
Chorus
Vamp:
With all of my heart
And with all my soul
And with all my mind and strength
(repeat)
Chorus and vamp at the same time (2x)
Back to Top
On the Mountain of the Lord
When I found out in May 2011 that the title of the 2012 World Discipleship Summit was "On the Mountain of the Lord" and I read the general synopsis at the website, I got very excited, because I knew that the summit needed a theme song. The title and synopsis got my creative juices flowing, and well...you know what happens when the Holy Spirit takes over! I wrote the song in an hour, created a first-draft recording of it, and taught it to my local congregation. I then shared the song with a fellow worship leader who, unbeknownst to me, was also writing a theme song for the summit. His song was eventually chosen as the summit's theme. (You can hear that song by clicking here.) I thank God for the unity of the Spirit that we share, because we both respected each other's songwriting abilities and skill set, and Satan had no room to destroy or to divide us. Here are the lyrics to the song I wrote for the summit:
On the mountain of the Lord, we will be transformed
On the mountain of the Lord, wisdom is reborn
We will see things more clearly on the mountain of the Lord
Remember Moses who, on Mount Sinai,
Received commandments from the LORD on high?
After that time, his face began to glow
The glory of God was shown!
Chorus
Remember when Elijah, filled with fear,
Was summoned by the LORD to come near?
'Twas on the mountaintop that he received
The courage to succeed!
Chorus
Remember when, upon a mountaintop
Sat our Lord Jesus, Peter, James, and John?
Jesus was transfigured before their eyes
That moment changed their lives!
Chorus
When you awaken to a brand new day,
Do you begin it in a righteous way?
Go to the mountaintop and you will see
His will for you and me!
Chorus
Back to Top
On the mountain of the Lord, we will be transformed
On the mountain of the Lord, wisdom is reborn
We will see things more clearly on the mountain of the Lord
Remember Moses who, on Mount Sinai,
Received commandments from the LORD on high?
After that time, his face began to glow
The glory of God was shown!
Chorus
Remember when Elijah, filled with fear,
Was summoned by the LORD to come near?
'Twas on the mountaintop that he received
The courage to succeed!
Chorus
Remember when, upon a mountaintop
Sat our Lord Jesus, Peter, James, and John?
Jesus was transfigured before their eyes
That moment changed their lives!
Chorus
When you awaken to a brand new day,
Do you begin it in a righteous way?
Go to the mountaintop and you will see
His will for you and me!
Chorus
Back to Top
I, the Created (Original Perspective)
When I first wrote "I, the Created", the bridge had different lyrics. Those lyrics are below. (I also wanted to give you the very first recording of the song as a special treat.)
Man's wisdom is foolishness to You
I simply don't have the right
To call into question the mysteries of You
I trust You, Lord, with every part of my life!
Back to Top
Man's wisdom is foolishness to You
I simply don't have the right
To call into question the mysteries of You
I trust You, Lord, with every part of my life!
Back to Top
Right Now
The music to this song came to me in a dream (Don't ask me what the dream was...I don't remember it). Fortunately, the musical arrangement stayed with me after I awakened; the end result was this song. I wanted to make sure that the recording had a dreamy feel to it, which is why it sounds the way it does. The song was written in 2011.
I won't worry about tomorrow,
And yesterday's gone anyhow
All that I have is the present;
All that I have is right now
Right now, I choose to be holy,
Forsaking what makes me fall
Right now, I choose to be faithful
To the One who is Lord of all
Back to Top
I won't worry about tomorrow,
And yesterday's gone anyhow
All that I have is the present;
All that I have is right now
Right now, I choose to be holy,
Forsaking what makes me fall
Right now, I choose to be faithful
To the One who is Lord of all
Back to Top
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