Two Favorite Easter Songs

Day Of Tears (Kenneth Cope - Women at the Well album)

A crown of thorns - a cross to bear
And sorrowing friends following near
Yet, He speaks through His grief
"Weep not for me"
But how can we hold back these tears

Yom tzaar - day of sorrow
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Day of tears

The tearing flesh - the trembling nerves
Some now bow in jest and mock His thirst
And still from His lips
"Father, forgive"
How could they slay their Lord

Yom tzaar - day of sorrow
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Day of tears

Now asleep - rest in peace, Jesus, Lord
With love we come to wash away where hate hath marred
But, can it be
Now we see no grave can hold Thee in
Death has an end
Thou lives again

Yom simcha - day of gladness
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Yom peley - day of wonder
Yom dmaot (simcha) - day of tears
Tears of joy



High Noon (Andrew Peterson - Love & Thunder album)

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the deep of the valley was bright
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the Victor of the battle
At high noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

Now the demons, they danced in the darkness
When that last ragged breath left His lungs
And they reveled and howled
At the war that they thought they had won
But then, in the dark of the grave
The stone rolled away
In the still of the dawn on the greatest of days

It was high noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When Jesus took in that breath
And shattered all Death with His life
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the Victor of the battle
High noon in the valley of the shadow

Let the people rejoice
Let the heavens resound
Let the name of Jesus, who sought us
And freed us forever ring out
All praise to the Fighter of the night
Who rides on the light
Whose gun is the grace of the God of the sky

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
I said go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
All praise to the King
The Victor of the battle
High noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

The Breath of Life

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

For the past few days Liz has been playing one of my favorite songs on the piano. It's called Breathe In Me by contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith. I first discovered this song when one of my favorite musicians, Kenneth Cope, included his version of it on the Hear My Praise album. It is a very moving piece of music with a simple but profound message.

You breathe in me
And I'm alive
With the power of Your holiness

You breathe in me
And You revive
Feelings in my soul that I have laid to rest

So breathe in me
I need You now
I've never felt so dead within
So breathe in me
Maybe somehow
You can breathe new life in me again

I used to be
So sensitive
To the light that leads to where You are

Now I've acquired
These callouses
With the darkness of a cold and jaded heart

So breathe in me
I need You now
I've never felt so dead within
So breathe in me
Maybe somehow
You can breathe new life in me again

The words to this song seem so carefully and meaningfully chosen. Holiness - perfect purity, sanctity, freedom from sin. Revive - restore to life, renew, bring back into use. Laid to rest - bury, place in a grave or tomb. Callouses - aspects that are emotionally hardened, toughened, and unfeeling. Jaded - dulled, broken-down, exhausted, wearied by overuse or overindulgence.

I've experienced the renewal this song speaks of many times throughout my life. Every time spiritual apathy has overcome me, every time I've willfully disregarded God and His commandments and all the promises I've made to Him, every time I've turned away from Jesus Christ for any reason, I've felt the breath of life which comes to revive and restore me. The key is in the four pleading words, "I need You now." When this realization becomes painfully apparent - at that very moment - the Savior comes to bring new life once again.

I love these words from President Howard W. Hunter:

"Jesus and those who were with him had just recrossed the Sea of Galilee, and a multitude of people who had been waiting met him on the shore near Capernaum. 'And, behold [suddenly and unexpectedly], there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue.' ... This was a man of rank and prestige whom the Jews looked upon with great respect. ...

'And when he saw him [that is, when Jairus saw Jesus], he fell at his feet.' ...

'And [Jairus] besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death.' ... The tremor we hear in Jairus's voice as he speaks of 'My little daughter' stirs our souls with sympathy as we think of this man of high position in the synagogue on his knees before the Savior.

Then comes a great acknowledgement of faith: 'I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.' These are not only the words of faith of a father torn with grief but are also a reminder to us that whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives. ...

It is not necessary to read the remainder of the story. When they got to the home of the ruler of the synagogue, Jesus took the little girl by the hand and raised her from the dead. In like manner, he will lift and raise every man to a new and better life who will permit the Savior to take him by the hand."

This is not merely a nice thought or a pleasant-sounding concept; it is a truth that I've experienced time and time again. His healing hands and His reviving breath are real, and they are made mercifully and lovingly available to every person. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ saves, and continues to save, all who will permit Him (and I love music that reminds me of this wonderful and beautiful truth)!

Refreshing Integrity

I witnessed something that impressed me today in my morning Medical Skills class. Every Thursday this course begins with an individual readiness quiz. After all the quizzes have been turned in, they are quickly graded and then handed back for a brief moment to allow students to see their grade.

As the teacher was collecting our quizzes for the final time, one of my classmates pointed out that her quiz had been graded incorrectly - an extra point had accidentally been given to her. Our instructor burst out laughing and exclaimed, "You shouldn't have told me! You just lost a free point!" This physician-teacher openly mocked my classmate's decision without hesitation, and soon most of the other students were chuckling along. But my classmate defended her choice calmly and unabashedly, and all the laughs and smirks were soon silenced.

I thought about what I had just seen, and something remarkable occurred to me. In the countless hours of school during these past eight months, this was the first experience of personal integrity I could recall seeing. I compared that to the astounding amount of academic dishonesty I have encountered. The ratio was discouraging, to say the least. I sent this courageous student an email thanking her for the positive example she set for me and for everyone else in the room, including our instructor. It really was refreshing to be reminded that integrity - while apparently rare in some settings - is nevertheless alive and well.