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None.
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2. |
Sculpting Wheel
05:42
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I hide myself behind this dune of shifting sand
Never able to escape your watchful eye
You know my disguises, my evasive strategies
You always seem to find me however hard I try.
You know more about me than I know about myself
Now I place my life in your full control.
Strengthen the weakness, gather the loose ends, forgive this lack of faith.
Loosen the bindings of sin about me, and free my captive soul.
Lord, turn your sculpting wheel and on it lay this heart of clay.
Shape it with your loving hand and smooth out the roughest edges.
Mold it into something new that is pleasing in your sight,
Let your will be done in me forever.
Let me ever hold your promise deep inside this heart
May I always trust the course you lay for me
Let me be your servant in this lost and lonely world
Let me be the one, the one you made me to be.
Lord, turn your sculpting wheel and on it lay this heart of clay.
Shape it with your loving hand and smooth out the roughest edges.
Mold it into something new that is pleasing in your sight,
Let your will be done in me forever.
I place my heart in your hands,
Lord form it with your love,
Then fire it with your spirit
And through me let your love be shown.
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3. |
Destiny
04:16
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Up there on the freeway, cars accelerating
Drivers rush to their destinations;
Beneath the glowing streetlight a lonely man stands waiting
To see if they will notice him there.
Forgotten in the rush of the daily mad commotion
Where living is by luck of the draw,
He watches all the robots just going through the motions
And wonders if they see him at all…do they see him at all?
Destiny, he often wonders who decides how things are gonna be.
Why is he the one who’s begging for his next meal?
Destiny, is it marked at birth or are we truly free?
Or is it only after we’re gone that we finally see that destiny revealed?
Life is just a game that everybody’s playing
And everybody wants to be the winner.
But the lonely man still yearns for a short break in the action
To see if they will notice him there.
He doesn’t understand why all the rules are being broken,
He’s doing all he can to survive.
But he knows he’ll have to take it if he’s ever gonna make it.
His hopes will have to keep him alive…they’ll have to keep him alive.
Destiny, he often wonders who decides how things are gonna be.
Why is he the one who’s begging for his next meal?
Destiny, is it marked at birth or are we truly free?
Or is it only after we’re gone that we finally see that destiny revealed?
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4. |
River Through Arid Land
04:06
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Lost in the darkness I wandered alone ‘til You called my name -
Out of the shadows and into the light of Your love I came.
Taking a sinner like me in your presence
You poured out your mercy, my cup overflows.
Though I’m unworthy, You willingly shouldered my blame.
You send your blessings that flow like
A river through arid land
Feeding, sustaining, restoring my soul –
Raising me up when I’ve stumbled and fallen –
Touching me, healing me, making me whole.
Spirit of Light, as You walk alongside us You hear our prayers.
Granting forgiveness and mercy You tell us You’re always there.
Feeding our hunger, providing us shelter,
And keeping us safely in Your loving care.
Quenching our thirst at a fountain that never runs dry.
You send your blessings that flow like
A river through arid land
Feeding, sustaining, restoring my soul –
Raising me up when I’ve stumbled and fallen –
Touching me, healing me, making me whole.
You led us out of the wilderness,
You freed us from bondage and shame.
Now, Lord, Your mercy and unending love we proclaim.
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5. |
Thoughts In A Song
03:34
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It’s been a long time since the first day I met you,
And I’m still just as awkward as then;
I'm searching for new ways to show you I love you,
Sometimes I don't know how to begin...
So I'll just sing you this love song, and play this guitar,
And make up the notes as I go;
You say it won't matter if the words never rhyme,
You tell me you still love me so.
You pretend not to notice if I miss the high notes,
You smile and I just carry on;
Cause you know that I'm doing my best, and I'm just trying
To capture my thoughts in this song.
I hope you can see just what you mean to me,
And you'll always be my favorite company;
You know I'm in love with you,
But you still like hearing me let you know;
This song says "I LOVE YOU",
And it's my way of telling you so.
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6. |
Playing The Game
04:17
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Playing the game, and it's always the same,
But we're playing by different rules;
There's nowhere to turn from the trouble that’s burning within.
You take me for granted whenever you can,
While you're watching me fall to ruin,
Someday I think I’ll be done with it but until then,
We just keep playing the game.
We do everything we're supposed to do,
But I always seem to see right through you.
It doesn't matter what we do as long as you say "yes";
I getting harder to ignore your lies,
And nothing I do ever satisfies you,
And we've been seeing things the same way less and less.
You keep saying that there’s still a chance,
Then you make no attempt to change your stances;
it seems I'm doing all the giving and you just take;
There’s so much yet I have to figure out,
And I don't know just what to do about it,
But I can't bring myself to make the final break;
My heart wasn't meant for the things it was spent for,
And it's time that I sent for replacements;
I’m hurting inside and I have to decide what to do.
I've got to be stronger for a little bit longer
'Til I know if I'm wrong or I’m right;
So for now I’ll just stand it, while the way that I planned it falls through,
As we keep playing the game.
Now I know I gotta go,
But I never seem to know how far;
And you stand pat and I think I won the battle,
Til I realize I'm losing the war.
I can't deny I want to say goodbye,
But my lips are just too dry to speak;
My heart's not in it, and in another minute
You'll prove to me just how weak I can be.
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7. |
Show Me The Way
04:12
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I have seen the storm clouds gather during seasons of my life
I’ve seen darkness that I could not understand
When I felt my spirits falling low that’s when I saw You
Offer me your hand.
Then I could see a rainbow where there was rain before
I could feel the weight get easier to bear.
And I’m humbled that You’ve never failed to show me Your
Unceasing love and care, You’re always there.
I can see Your glory shining through a parting in the clouds
Your love can change a storm to a sunny day.
Your word says we’ll see heaven if we only follow you
So Lord I pray – Show me the way.
In the hour before the sunrise there’s a glowing in the east
There’s a promise of the new dawn in the sky
And the wonder of Your majesty surrounds me as I
Watch the night pass by.
And I know that You can see inside the window of my soul
You listen as I humbly come to You -
And still Your Word keeps telling me You’ll be there on my
Wayward journey through, Your path is true.
I can see Your glory shining through a parting in the clouds
Your love can change a storm to a sunny day.
You say we’ll see God’s kingdom if we only follow you
So Lord I pray (every day) - Show me the way.
And I know that You can see inside the window of my soul
You listen as I humbly come to You -
And still Your Word keeps telling me You’ll be there on my
Wayward journey through, Your path is true.
I can see Your glory shining through a parting in the clouds
Your love can change a storm to a sunny day.
You say we’ll live forever if we only follow you
So Lord I pray – Show me the way.
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8. |
All The Trees
03:46
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As I sit beside a gently flowing river,
I think of all the things that maybe should’ve been.
And I can’t seem to begin to understand why all the
dreams of me and you have seemed to vanish on the wind;
We were two actors in a play that never ended,
Whenever one began to a line the other would complete it.
But something must have happened somewhere on the way,
We never seemed to fit the parts that we both needed.
And all the trees within this forest by the river
scatter wide the sunbeams and diffuse their warming glow,
And so I'll sit here and I’ll dream, and ‘til my heart tells me to go,
I'll just sit here and watch the river flow.
I feel a chill and as the autumn leaves start falling,
I get a feeling that I’ve come to know so well-
And I’m reminded that the winter soon is coming,
and it's gonna be a long one, I can tell.
And all the trees within this forest by the river
scatter wide the sunbeams and diffuse their warming glow,
And so I'll sit here and I’ll dream, and ‘til my heart tells me to go,
I'll just sit here and watch the river flow.
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9. |
Through The Mind's Eye
05:42
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In the stillness of the morning between the darkness and the dawn
There lies a well of contemplation from which a memory can be drawn.
And in the passing of the moment her lips have formed a rigid smile,
She lets the image grow around her, now she’ll be gone for just a while.
She sees the church rise up around her, the congregation wearing black.
She sees the mourners as they enter through the small door in the back.
And when they’ve settled in their places, she hears the preacher say a prayer.
And she just quietly sits and wonders who’s the woman lying there.
Through the mind’s eye you can never know what you’ll see
There’s no one there you can blame.
Sometimes without reason the mind plays a treasonous game of hide and seek
And if you should dare to peek will you see truth or lies
Through the mind’s eye?
And she remembers all the people and all the faces and all the names.
And she remembers well the season but not the reason why they came.
She has a notion she should leave now before the preacher has his say.
But something deep within is pulling like a chain and she knows that she must stay.
Through the mind’s eye you can never know what you’ll see
There’s no one there you can blame.
Sometimes without reason the mind plays a treasonous game of hide and seek…
In the stillness of the morning between the darkness and the dawn
There lies a well of contemplation from which a memory can be drawn.
Beyond the half-light and the shadows, not long before the break of day,
Just outside the edges of her memory she wanders on through shades of gray.
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10. |
Openings
02:51
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Stare through the darkness, still hours before dawn
With the dreams you can’t seem to remember.
Safe in your cozy room, night shades all drawn,
You await what tomorrow will render.
Windows and doorways with shadows behind
Openings in life that a heart yearns to find.
Night turns to day and the dreams fade away
And retreat to the corners of time.
Morn becomes noon becomes evening then night.
The day seems to pass in the wink of an eye.
Pull to the curtains and turn off the light
And dreams soon forgotten will come by and by.
Windows and doorways with shadows behind
Openings in life that the heart fails to find
Days turn to night and make haste in their flight
And retreat to the corners of time.
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11. |
Your Word
04:31
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There's times when I get weary, each step so hard to take,
So insecure I have to question every move I make.
There's times I feel so lonely like no one else is there
To lend a hand and let me know they care.
It may be in the evening, it may be break of day,
Maybe midnight, maybe noon but You always come to say
"Lay your burdens on me and I'll help you bear the load,
Take a rest and you'll feel better down the road."
Your word can make the lame man walk again
And cause the blind to see
Raise the lifeless from the dead and calm the rolling sea.
Your word it brings me comfort Lord in everything I do.
Then you tell me I'm forgiven and I know Your word is true.
You speak to me in silence, so well Your voice I know
I wonder how I hear you through the storms that round me blow.
But still I feel your presence, I can feel You oh so near
With a healing hand and a word to calm my fear.
You promised You'll stay with me as I stumble through each day.
I listen to Your whisper and I seem to hear You say
"Remember that I love you and you're always in My care,
Just call my name and you will find Me there."
Your word can make the lame man walk again
And cause the blind to see
Raise the lifeless from the dead and calm the rolling sea.
Your word it brings me comfort Lord in everything I do.
Then you tell me I'm forgiven and I know Your word is true.
Lord, Your word can heal the soul and cleanse a sinful heart,
Wanderers can hear your voice and make a brand-new start.
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Michael Stephen Ellis Bedford, Texas
Michael lives in the Fort Worth, Texas area. He has been a member of various bands over the years. His band Eli Michaels had a regular following in the early 1980's. Since then he has written and performed mostly as a solo act. In 2006 he began writing songs with a Christian theme along with others of a purely secular nature, but all of his songs tend to have a personal connection. ... more
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