† Thoughts and Crosses †

This blog has a new home...

2010-11-16T21:13:00.004Z

For new posts on this blog, please visit www.louiseradcliffe.co.uk/blog

The Servant King

2010-04-05T12:54:00.002+01:00

From heaven you came helpless babe

Entered our world your glory veiled

Not to be served but to serve

And give Your life that we might live

This is our God the Servant King

He calls us now to follow Him

To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to the Servant King

There in the garden of tears

My heavy load He chose to bear

His heart with sorrow was torn

'Yet not My will but Yours,' He said

Come see His hands and His feet

The scars that speak of sacrifice

Hands that flung stars into space

To cruel nails surrendered

So let us learn how to serve

And in our lives enthrone Him

Each other's needs to prefer

For it is Christ we're serving

Graham Kendrick

To God Be The Glory

2010-03-21T21:42:00.005Z

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life in atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
And every offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.

Frances Jane van Alstyne

Be Thou My Vision

2010-02-14T20:34:00.001Z

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

I Do (Cherish You)

2010-02-07T21:01:00.004Z

All I am, all I'll be
Everything in this world, all that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes, shining at me
When you smile I can feel all my passion unfolding

Your hand brushes mine
And a thousand sensations seduce me 'cause I
I do, cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will, love you still, from the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much, I do

In my world before you
I lived outside my emotions
Didn't know where I was going
Until that day I found you
How you opened my life to a new paradise

In a world torn by change
Still with all of my heart, until my dying day

I do, cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will, love you still, from the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much, yes I do

I've waited so long to say this to you
So, if you're asking if I love you this much, I do
Oh, I do

I Do (Cherish You) by Mark Wills

Romans 8: 38-39

2010-02-06T18:51:00.002Z

For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Be Still

2010-02-06T10:11:00.002Z

Be still for the presence of the Lord

The Holy One is here

Come bow before Him now

With reverence and fear

In Him no sin is found

We stand on holy ground

Be still for the presence of the Lord

The Holy One is here

Be still for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around

He burns with holy fire

With splendor He is crowned

How awesome is the sight

Our radiant King of Light

Be still for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around

Be still for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place

He comes to cleanse and heal

To minister His grace

No work too hard for Him

In faith receive from Him

Be still for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place

Be still

Majesty

2009-10-14T20:46:00.000+01:00

Majesty, worship his majesty;
Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.
Majesty, kingdom authority,
Flow from his throne unto his own, his anthem raise.
So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus, the King.
Majesty, worship his majesty,
Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings

Loving Things and Using People

2009-10-06T21:24:00.001+01:00

Using things and loving people

That's the way it's got to be

Using things and loving people

Look around and you can see

That loving things and using people

Only leads to misery

Using things and loving people

That's the way it's got to be

Being loved is in the giving

All we have is what we share

Loving life is for the living

You have to have a heart to care

And loving things and using people

Only leads to misery

Using things and loving people

That's the way it's got to be

So put your hand inside my hand

I don't know where the road will lead

We may not find the things we want

But we will find the things we need

And all we need is love

Using things and loving people

Brings you happiness I've found

Using things and loving people

Not the other way around

'Cause loving things and using people

Only leads to misery

Using things and loving people

That's the way it's got to be

For you and me

Via Philosophy of Seph

Thank God

2009-09-29T21:28:00.003+01:00

Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Joyful Joyful

2009-09-26T17:27:00.001+01:00

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.

Majesty

2009-09-02T21:40:00.001+01:00

Majesty, worship His Majesty,
Unto to Jesus be all glory, honour, and praise.

Majesty, kingdom authority,
Flow from His throne, unto His own, His anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus,
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King.

Majesty, worship His majesty,

Jesus, who died, now glorified, King of all kings

When I Needed A Neighbour

2009-07-23T21:06:00.002+01:00

When I needed a neighbour
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour
Were you there?

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty
Were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty
Were you there?

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

I was cold, I was naked
Were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked
Were you there?

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

When I needed a shelter
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter
Were you there?

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

When I needed a healer
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer
Were you there?

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

Wherever you travel
I’ll be there, I’ll be there.
Wherever you travel
I’ll be there.

And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
I’ll be there.

Think of a World

2009-07-11T21:56:00.005+01:00

Think of a world without any flowers,

Think of a wood without any trees,

Think of a sky without any sunshine,

Think of the air without any breeze:

We thank you, Lord, for flowers and trees and sunshine;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any animals,

Think of a field without any herd,

Think of a stream without any fishes,

Think of a dawn without any bird:

We thank you, Lord, for all your living creatures;

We thank you, Lord, and praise you holy name.

Think of a world without any paintings,

Think of a room where all the walls are bare,

Think of a rainbow without any colours,

Think of the earth with darkness everywhere:

We thank you, Lord, for paintings and for colours;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any poetry,

Think of a book without any words,

Think of a song without any music,

Think of a hymn without any verse:

We thank you, Lord, for poetry and music;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any science,

Think of a journey with nothing to explore,

Think of a quest without any mystery,

Nothing to seek and nothing left in store:

We thank you, Lord, for miracles of science,

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any people,

Think of a street with no-one living there,

Think of a town without any houses,

No-one to love and nobody to care:

We thank you, Lord, for families and friendships,

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any worship,

Think of a God without his only son,

Think of a cross without a resurrection,

Only a grave and not a victory won:

We thank you, Lord, for showing us our saviour,

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Thanks to our Lord for being here among us,

Thanks be to him for sharing all we do,

Thanks for our church and all the love we find here,

Thanks for this place and all its promise true:

We thank you, Lord, for life in all its richness;

We thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Doreen Newport

The Last Psalm

2009-06-27T15:26:00.004+01:00

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet;

Praise him with the harp and lyre.

Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;

Praise him with the strings and the flute.

Praise him with the clash of cymbals;

Praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Serenity

2009-05-14T19:33:00.004+01:00

Reinhold Niebuhr

Praise the Lord!

2009-05-10T16:30:00.005+01:00

To God be the glory, great things he has done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

Who yielded his life in atonement for sin,

And opened the life-gate that all may go in:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son:

And give him the glory - great things he has done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

To every believer the promise of God!

And every offender who truly believes,

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son:

And give him the glory - great things he has done!

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

But purer, and higher, and greater will be

Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son:

And give him the glory - great things he has done!

Frances Jane van Alstyne

May the Words of My Mouth

2009-05-05T19:29:00.007+01:00

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
Bless Your name, bless Your name, Jesus
And the deeds of the day and the truth in my ways
Speak of You, speak of You, Jesus

For this is what I'm glad to do
It's time to live a life of love that pleases You
And I will give my all to You
Surrender everything I have and follow You
I'll follow You

Lord, will You be my vision, Lord, will You be my guide
Be my hope, be my light and the way
And I'll look not for riches, nor praises on earth
Only You'll be the first of my heart

For this is what I'm glad to do
It's time to live a life of love that pleases You
And I will give my all to You
Surrender everything I have and follow You
I'll follow You

May the Words of My Mouth - Tim Hughes

The Rose Beyond the Wall

2009-05-04T20:35:00.005+01:00

The Rose Beyond the Wall by A. L. Frink

Seek Ye First

2009-05-03T12:24:00.004+01:00

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

And his righteousness,

And all these things shall be added unto you,

Hallelu, hallelujah!

Man shall not live by bread alone,

But by every word

That proceeds from the mouth of God

Hallelu, hallelujah!

Ask and it shall be given unto you,

Seek and ye shall find

Knock and it shall be opened unto you,

Hallelu, hallelujah!

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

And his righteousness,

And all these things shall be added unto you,

Hallelu, hallelujah!

Karen Lafferty

Building a People of Power

2009-04-29T20:58:00.005+01:00

For I'm building a people of power

And I'm making a people of praise,

That will move through this land by My Spirt,

And will glorify My precious Name.

Build your Church, Lord

Make us strong, Lord

Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son.

Make us one, Lord, in Your Body.

In the Kingdom of Your Son

D. Richards

You Shall Go Out With Joy

2009-04-29T20:51:00.003+01:00

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace,

And the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you,

There'll be shouts of joy and the trees of the field

Shall clap, shall clap their hand

And the trees of the field shall clap their hands,

And the trees of the field shall clap their hands

And you'll go out with joy

S Dauermann

Colours of Day

2009-04-29T20:19:00.004+01:00

Colours of day dawn into the mind

The sun has come up, the night is behind.

Go down in the city, into the street,

And lets give the message to the people we meet

So light up the fire and let the flame burn

Open the door, let Jesus return

Take seeds of his spirit, let the fruit grow,

Tell the people of Jesus, let his love show.

Go through the park, on into the town,

The sun still shines on, it never goes down.

The light of the world is risen again,

The people of darkness are needing our friend.

So light up the fire and let the flame burn

Open the door, let Jesus return

Take seeds of his spirit, let the fruit grow,

Tell the people of Jesus, let his love show.

Open your eyes, look into the sky,

The darkness has come, the sun came to die.

The evening draws on, the sun disappears,

But Jesus is living and his Spirit is near.

Words by Sue McClellan, John Paculabo and Keith Rycroft

Spanish Lords Prayer

2009-04-29T20:10:00.006+01:00

Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos

Santificado sea tu nombre

Vénganos tu reino

Hágase tu voluntad, así en la tierra como en el cielo

El pan nuestro de cada día, dánoslo hoy

Y perdónanos nuestros ofensas así como nosotros perdónamos a los que nos ofenden

Y no nos dejes caer en tentación

Mas líbranos del mal

Porque tuyo es el reino, el poder y la gloria,

Por los siglos de los siglos

Amen

Galatians 5:19-25

2009-04-20T20:37:00.006+01:00

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealously, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.

(New English Translation)

May the Trinity...

2009-04-19T16:25:00.004+01:00

Seen in St Thomas' Church in Heptonstall

John 3:16

2009-04-08T19:11:00.005+01:00

John 3:16

How Great Thou Art

2009-04-07T20:16:00.004+01:00

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, with humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Holes in the Floor of Heaven

2009-04-06T19:00:00.007+01:00

One day shy of 8 years old, grandma passed away.
I was a broken hearted little boy, blowin out that birthday cake.
How I cried when the sky let go, with a cold and lonesome rain,
Momma smiled said dont be sad child, Grandma's watchin you today.

Cos there holes in the floor of heaven and her tears are pourin down
thats how you know she's watchin, wishing she could be here now.
and sometimes if your lonely, just remember she can see,
there's holes in the floor of heaven, and she's watchin over you and me.

Season's come and seasons go, nothing stays the same.
I grew up , fell in love , met a girl who took my name.
Year by Year, made a life in this sleepy little town.
I thought we'd grow old together , Lord I sure do miss her now!

But there's holes in the floor of heaven, and her tears are pourin down.
Thats how you know she's watchin , wishing she could be here now.
And sometimes when i'm lonely, I remember she can see,
there's holes in the floor of heaven, and she's watchin over you and me.

Well my little girl's 23, I walk her down the aisle,
Its a shame her mom can't be here now, to see her lovely smile.
They throw the rice, I catch her eye, as the rain starts comin down.
She takes my hand says daddy dont be sad, cos I know mommas watchin now.

And there's holes in the floor of heaven, and her tears are pourin down.
thats how you know she's watchin , wishin she could be here now.
And sometimes when i'm lonely, i remember she can see,
Yes, there's holes in the floor of heaven , and she's watchin over you and me.

Holes in the Floor of Heaven - Mark Wills

1 Cross + 3 Nails = 4giveness

2009-04-03T18:47:00.007+01:00

A similar sign seen outside Trinity Church Rawdon

Don't Laugh at Me

2009-04-02T20:21:00.003+01:00

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings

Don't Laugh at Me by Mark Wills

Debt

2009-04-02T20:03:00.004+01:00

Jesus paid a debt he did not owe
Because we owed a debt that we could not pay

Seen outside Trinity Church Rawdon

Give Love

2009-04-02T20:00:00.004+01:00

You can give without loving
But you cannot love without giving

Seen outside Trinity Church Rawdon

Your Love Is Amazing

2009-04-01T21:02:00.005+01:00

Your love is amazing
Steady and unchanging
Your love is a mountain
Firm beneath my feet
Your love is a mystery
How you gently lift me
When I am surrounded
Your love carries me

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, Your love makes me sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, Your love makes me sing

Your love is surprising
I can feel it rising
All the joy that's growing
Deep inside of me
Everytime I see you
All your goodness shines through
And I can feel this God song
Rising up in me

Brenton Brown & Brian Doerksen

God is a Jaffa Cake?

2009-04-01T20:55:00.003+01:00

Think of God like a jaffa cake:
The biscuit is the Father.
The orange is the Son.
The chocolate is the Holy Spirit.
The three together make the jaffa cake; the Holy Trinity

Matthew 6:25

2009-04-01T20:50:00.006+01:00

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

(New International Version)

You Are Who You Are For A Reason

2009-04-01T20:18:00.002+01:00

You are who you are for a reason
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfecft unique design
Called God's special woman or man

You look like you look for a reason
Our God made no mistake.
He knit together within the womb
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose
And no matter how you may feel
They were custom designed with God's plan in mind
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt you so
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow

You are who you are for a reason
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

Taken from The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Modern Language Lord's Prayer

2009-04-01T20:09:00.004+01:00

God in heaven, you're our Dad.
We respect everything you stand for,
We want others to.
Please bring heaven on earth.
People living life your way, like the angels do.
Please bring us what we need to keep us going each day.
Please acquit us, as we cancel our grievances and throw them all away.
Please pull us back from the edge of evil,
If we're falling or being thrown,
Cos you're all that matters,
You're able to do it and you're to take the credit.
You're on your own.
It's your throne.
Absolutely!

Taken from The Word on The Street by Rob Lacey