Stayin' Outta the Fire (Plan in Motion) (song)

 (Note: I'm pulling a few more classics out of the archive. My last post referenced the lines I used in this parody so it only seemed fitting to post this next. I've included my original introduction from 2009 below. Since I had two others that seemed in a similar category of lyric-tweaking that already seemed to be such a good fit to talk about The Lord, I have posted those other two in this post and the previous one.)

    And I've got one more '80s classic for you. And this one I've definitely been thinking of after hearing the pastor's sermon today in church. Some of the passion for this one was definitely burning hot like a certain fire that the Laodicean church was called to get going- or remain cold. But lukewarm gets you spat out of God's mouth! This one was another one that was just begging for some God-centered lyrics that would really help put His plan in motion when we follow His plan in The Bible. :-)

"Stayin' Outta the Fire (Plan in Motion)" (parody of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/01/09)
(Romans 10:9, 15:20, Psalms 95, Hebrews 12:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 3:12-14, Jude 1:22-25, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 1-2, Acts 2:1-4, Exodus 40:34-38, Revelation 20:14-15, Matthew 3:11-12, Luke 12:49, Matthew 17:20, Philippians 4:13, John 15:5-7, Revelation 3:15-16, Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 6:2, Isaiah 40:28-31, Hebrews 10:19-25, Luke 15, John 3:3 and 3:16, John 14:6, Daniel 5, Philippians 1:6)

Going's tough- You don't see the writing on the wall
Passing by- Knew He'd save you then- you blew it off
But baby, sometime if you call His name
You'll find you're not alone- everything has changed
Stay the same- you know He won't quit on His lost son
Soldier on- only you can do what must be done
You know in some way you're like Six to me
You're just a Prisoner and you're trying to break free

I can see a new hope rising- all I need is faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna heed Your plan in Romans- as I read, I repent and kneel
10:9's where my Savior's Christ- I'm staying outta the fire!

Turning out, don't know just now where that I should go (just now where to go)
Truth be told, go look just a few miles down the road
I will make it- through God I can
He broke the old in me- so He could make (a) new man

I can see a new hope rising all replete by faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna heed Your plan in Romans- in 15:20 there reveals
Take me where witness is lacking- send down Your fire!

I can move the highest mountain- faith of a mustard seed
I can feel the Spirit's fire burning in me, burning in me

Just once in this life a man has to die
When my time comes 'round, I'm covered by Christ!

I can hear the music playing as I read Psalms 95
Kneel before God the King- extol Him on high
Gonna be Your man in motion- as I read Jeremiah's zeal
20:9- my heart's on fire by Consuming Fire!

I can see a new hope rising- all complete by faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be Your man in motion- like Ezekiel's pairs of wheels
Take me there in 2 verse 5 and send down Your fire!

I can move the highest mountain- faith of a mustard seed
I can feel The Spirit's fire burning in me!
Burning, burning in me, I can feel it burning
Ooh- burning inside of me...

...............................................................................

The Power of Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

     A lot of people have a wrong view of Christianity as a list of "do's and don'ts" and because of this they wind up making their identity about things they do for Christ instead of finding their identity in Christ alone and what He has done for us. We can never do enough good and avoid enough bad to measure up to God's standard. His standard is perfection. (Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48) That's why we all need Jesus because He met the standard of perfection for us- because He is God's perfect son and He is perfection. He is God. His death and Resurrection pays the price for all sins- the punishment of Hell we all deserve Christ paid for us. When we put faith in Him, He saves us because He loves us and He keeps His Word. And His Spirit dwells in us to guide us into all truth and draw us closer to Himself.
     I was thinking on this some as I read about Hawk Nelson's lead singer who has sadly fallen away from his faith in Jesus. :-( Among other questions and doubts, this is one of the concerns he raised. He felt his faith was more about obligation and "do's and don'ts" in some legalistic pretense of The Gospel.
    But that's not The Gospel at all. The Good News of Jesus is that the work is done! The good we could never do has been done for us. When we put faith in Jesus, we enter into a covenant much like that of marriage. (Our relationship with God is even described in those terms in Ephesians 5 and Revelation 21:2.) A husband and wife united as one in the holy bonds of matrimony are not seeking to do things to impress each other. They do things for each other because they love each other! There is a relationship there that is real and active and it's driven by love! There's a reason husbands and wives tend to even physically look like each other over the years as they become so united in body, mind and spirit. They accept each other and come to enjoy even activities they may not have previously liked or cared about solely because their spouse enjoys them! Anything that reminds them of each other brings them joy!
     The song I have linked came to mind for me because I think it captures that feeling of ecstasy so well that comes with being in love for the first time. I think it's a great picture of the love relationship that develops between us and God. We want to get to know all we can about Him just as I would for my wife (if I had one.) We want to spend time with Him in the same way. We pray to Him constantly and we read and reread and reread over and over again His love letter to us in The Bible. We love saying His Name and thinking about Him. We love seeing acts of love and kindness that remind us of Him. We love to do those things that we know please Him- even things that we previously may not have liked because being with Him changes us. We hate the things He hates as well because we are of one mindset with Him.
    Our attitude should be like David's in the Psalms where he pours out his love for The Lord! In Psalms 119:2, we are to seek God with our whole heart. (And verses 9-12) In verse 14, I delight in God's testimonies as much as in all riches. In verses 15-16, my eyes are fixed on God's ways and I won't forget His Word and statutes. I hope in His Word in verse 81 and I meditate on it all the day in verse 97. The entire chapter says over and over again how much David delights in The Lord and His Word.
      Jesus is the treasure hidden in a field worth selling everything I have to buy the field and get the treasure! Jesus is the pearl of great price worth selling everything I own in order to buy the precious pearl! Of course, I don't have to pay anything to have Jesus- God gives Him to me for free! (See Matthew 13)
In coming after Him, I deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Him. I lose my life for His sake and He saves it. (Luke 9:23-24) There's no profit in gaining the whole world and losing my soul. (Matthew 16:24-28) But for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21) Jesus is better than anything else my heart desires. (Psalms 73:23-26 and 84:10) The love relationship I have with Him naturally makes me to be more like Him each day and naturally makes me fall deeper in love with Him all the time as I understand more and more the depths of His love for me. (Romans 5:8, Romans 8:38-39)
     That's the power of His love and The Gospel. It's not rote religion- it's reinvigorating relationship! It's the power of being "seized by a great affection", as N. Gordon Cosby put it. As Lifehouse put it, it's like "feeling alive all over again" and "being in love for the first time". That's the power of Love that wilt not let me go! It's believing wholeheartedly, whether I always feel it or not, that God is there and that He loves me beyond all my imagining and understanding and loving Him for who He is because He's worthy of all worship- and knowing that I'm right where I'm supposed to be in His arms forever and seeking to let everyone know about Jesus and His love. :-)
 
Lifehouse- "First Time"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J0YvWQNWEJA

Andrew Peterson- "The Power of a Great Affection"
https://youtu.be/_dtBVvMmHnY

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

(Note: I had to use Larry Norman's classic song title for this blog! :-)) 

     I've heard some say that they can't believe in God if such a nice person like so-and-so isn't in Heaven. (And admittedly, there are a number of nice people in the world that did some great, nice things in life- but that doesn't mean they're in Heaven. I had just watched a PBS documentary on John Denver when I wrote this and maybe that's why I was thinking on this. I have some heroes like him and Christopher Reeve and Jim Henson and Karen Carpenter and others that I certainly want to believe they're in Heaven. I love so much of their work, which conveyed some Biblical truths at times. I hope they are there and that everyone will be there, but I know that Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7 that only a few ever get in, compared to the many on the broad road to destruction.)
     Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it clear that we're not saved by works but rather by grace through faith, both of which are the gifts of God- so no one can boast. Our faith in the completed work of Christ's death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins is what saves us and our obedience is what proves it. If so-and-so isn't in Heaven, it will be very sad indeed- but it will always be Heaven because Jesus is there. Without putting faith in Jesus, we are doomed to Hell. And a Heaven without Jesus is Hell.           God wants all to be in Heaven and I certainly do too (1 Peter 3:8-9, Revelation 7:9). But as Romans 1-3 talks about, everyone has a chance and is without excuse. And God loves us so much, He makes it so easy- just like a child trusting his daddy to catch him coming off the slide- that's the childlike faith we are called to have in Jesus. He's waiting- today's the day of salvation. And when we know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we experience Heaven on earth with an abundant life (John 10:10) until we reach Heaven itself- because Heaven is Jesus. :-)

Hope From Disaster (song)

        One of the many things I love about God is that He is the God of redemption. He takes seemingly hopeless situations and somehow manages to bring good out of them. He takes the vilest sinner and redeems them and uses them for good things when they come to Him in repentance. He even takes unrepentant sinners and still uses them for His purposes. (See Romans 9 for a great review on that as God used the unGodly Pharaoh to accomplish His goals.) Of course, as 1 Corinthians 1 tells us, God delights in using the foolish of the world to shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong. He can take hopeless odds and create victory even out of defeat- so that we know this power comes from God and not ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Even when someone feels buried in defeat from their own sin, God can take that man or woman from a low place and raise them back up to the heights. This song talks about just such a case, with a sad falling of one of Israel's greatest leaders- King David. And even though he suffered greatly for his sin of adultery and murder- all of which started with lusting after Bathsheba and plotting to kill Uriah- God still used his line to bring the Messiah about- and specifically- through a son David had with Bathsheba after he had taken her as his wife. It doesn't mean God condoned David's actions, but it does mean that God still makes all things work together for good- to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)


"Hope From Disaster"
(parody of "Copa Cabana" by Barry Manilow)
(parody song lyrics copyright Nathan Ludwick 10/31/2015)
(2 Samuel 11-12, Exodus 20:13-14, Proverbs 5:15-22, Song of Solomon 4:12, 1 Kings 15:4-5, Psalms 51, Matthew 1:6, Romans 1:1-6, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Hebrews 11:32)

Her name's Bathsheba- she let it show, girl
This fellow saw her bathing there; was impressed- caught quite a stare
She was a-married (to) that dude Uriah
And while he's fighting in a war
David just lies with his girl
Of course, a child is formed- Dave worked for days to force
Her husband and her to lie together- Uriah won't while at war

In the book of (uh) 2nd. (uh) Samuel (2nd. Samuel)
The tryst's found 11 through 12 (There)
In The Bible (in) 2nd. Samuel
Choosing their passions, not God's ways- Dave fashioned
(A) final cover- a murder plot

(Like a soap opera drama)

His name was Joab
He led the fighting
He sent hard-core men to their share- left Uriah fighting there
And he was finished just as Dave ordered
Bathsheba then became Dave's bride
And she bore a son in time
How did this Psalmist dude- God's heart he was after, too-
Fall so much? 'Cause we're sinners from start
Jesus still loves you!

It's not over (no) Not by a long shot (Not by a long shot)
The prophet God sent was Nathan- yeah! (yeah)
When he showed up (yeah)- Told a tear-jerker
Using compassion, riled up- Dave's empassioned
For the poor man who lost his lamb
(Nathan told a parable)
(Rich man stole from the poor man)
(You are the man, Dave!) (Ahh! x5)

Bird in the hand's- yeah-
Worth two in the bush.... (Drink from your fountain!)

Lurid lust passions sent David's life crashing

His name is mud, yeah- Lead in the tabloids
While Dave kept dirty deeds shadowed, when Dave's Youtube channel's shown
It'd be a fiasco- wives sleep with others
All Israel is viewing those
David's feathers ruffled?- No
He sits there so contrite- "I've sinned against The Lord"
Though God forgave him, he lost the baby
Then he sought The Lord

So there's hope for (hope) totally all of us (totally all of us)
The Father's wrath poured out on Jesus (He's)
Son of David (read) Matthew 1:6- yeah
Using Dave's actions, God made good despite sin
But the moral's- Don't fall to lust

Don't fall in lust
(Chapter 11)
(Of 2nd. Samuel)
(Don't fall to lust- yeah!)
(Don't fall- Don't fall to lust- yeah!)
(Don't fall to lust- yeah!)(x5)

(and fade)

"Written Right In My Heart" (song)

Note: The next three blog posts are entries that I submitted for my church's Art Exhibit earlier this year and they were first originally published August 5, 2015 in the commemorative booklet detailing all the artists' work. :-) The theme was God's creation.

I have this creative output I want to share. This one is an actual original song (OK- original song lyrics anyway- I have no tune other than those famous “dah, dah, duh, dah dee” chords). But I felt inspired to write one night and had to rush to get pen and paper to commit it to page. It’s kind of talking about my vision as a writer and what I hope to accomplish in any communications. It’s also about the drive to write and Who really puts it there and hopefully uses it for His purposes. It’s all for You, Lord Jesus- and it’s all from You and because of You. Thank You.
(I borrowed a quote from Rachel Joy Scott about her reason for writing and I agree- it’s for the sake of my soul. There’s a play on words from “The Man of La Mancha” too. )

  

“Written Right In My Heart”
(original song by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 1/13/2012)

(Psalms 45:1, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 2:5, Colossians 3:1-3, Acts 4:20, Psalms 139:17-18, Psalms 69:9, Psalms 96:3 (KJV), 1 Chronicles 16:24 (KJV), Proverbs 25:11, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Matthew 28:18-20, John 3:16-17)
 
(Verse 1)

The quill quakes in trembling hand

The mind- a race of thoughts that land

Spilling out of control with anxious rush

Filling up the scroll from a heart that’s touched

Stirred by a noble theme in honor of The King

The Creative Passion that flows in the soul

 

(Chorus)

And it’s He who moves and breathes it on me

He whose thoughts for me are more than the sea’s

Grains of sand that fill my hourglass- they go past

The Maker of new things is making my new identity

One defined by Christ and not the embers of my old life

And He pours through me in every pore more and more

 

(Verse 2)

To write the unwriteable song is not my call

I write not for fame or wealth but the sake of my soul

I can’t keep His Word inside- it burns through my sides

Zeal for His house will consume me alive

 

(Repeat Chorus)

 

(Bridge)

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee

Take these clumsy words in me

To him who has ears to hear

May Your Love flood their soul

May they find themselves in You whole

 
(Repeat Chorus twice and fade)

Words, Thoughts and Letters

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His Name when they saw the signs that He was doing. But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man." (John 2:23-25)
"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus does.
"And the Spirit of The Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, 'Say, Thus says The Lord: 'So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.' ' " (Ezekiel 11:5)
Jesus knows our hearts and our minds and our souls- everything about us.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37)
Jesus knows every single word we've ever said or even thought of saying- the ones we've just whispered under our breath and the ones we've thought but haven't uttered out loud. He also knows every single word we've typed on any online posting and in every text message and letter we've written.
Don't think that any area of life is off-limits for God and that He doesn't know about it and won't deal with it. God deals with all sin and He counts it all as equally wrong.
(Matthew 5:17-19- Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.)
How then do we deal with the gravity of these realizations? How then should we live? Thankfully, the wrath of God upon all of our sins has been poured out on Jesus. Through our faith in His death and Resurrection, we know that we can have forgiveness and a new life in Christ- and the hope of eternity in Heaven with Him. But this faith must be one that drives us to repentance. (i.e. This goes beyond mere lip service to God-Jesus also has stern words about those who just call Him, "Lord, Lord" but don't actually do what He says. Check Matthew 7:12-27. Again- it's only faith in Jesus' grace that saves us, but real faith is defined and demonstrated by action. [see James 2.]
So if we have truly been crucified with Christ and have nailed our sins and worldly passions to His cross, then live by The Spirit and walk by The Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by The Spirit, let us also keep in step with The Spirit. (see Galatians 5:16-26)
Father, forgive me for the times I have been lagging behind and out of step with The Spirit. Help mold me to be more like Your Son every day. Help me to keep my thoughts captive to You and use my tongue to pour out Your praises and not curse my brothers. Cleanse me with the hyssop branch and I will be clean. Thank You for Your longsuffering and grace that refuses to give up on me and continues to work with me, in me and on me all the time. Keep removing the chaff and dross until only the refined remains. May the light of Your glory and grace continue to open my eyes to the dimness of the things of this world in comparison to Your glorious brightness and sunshine. May You always be my treasure above all.

(Note:  I should acknowledge that, while I was recently thinking on some of these things anyway, this was also largely based on the sermon from church at Hampton First Baptist today.)