All Your Love

So I started writing this song in December to be an Advent song and I didn’t get it finished until after the New Year. The main idea of the song came from thinking about how much God condescended to show his mercy during Advent. It really sank in, that my whole life with him is typified by condescending mercy. This simple truth fills my heart with thanksgiving every time I think about it. This is our God. The God who regularly humbles himself to reach his enemies and pursue the weak in faith, the low and the humble.

We played it during worship but the recording did not come out that well so I decided to record it in my office. As you can see, it has taken me quite some time to get it finished but here it is. My wife even stopped by one morning to record some harmonies. Awesome!
It’s my post Advent song, released post Easter.

p.s. Apparently, since Sarah listened to it so much in the car in to prepare for recording, both of my children learned it too! Sarah captured it on her handheld device here.

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All Your Love       (listen)       (chords)

All my life,
Is your life.
Since you came,
Light of Light.

And all your love I’d never know,
Unless you came to me.
And all your love I’d never know,
Unless you remade me.

And now I cry,
Praise the Savior!
Your peace is mine,
I’m yours forever.

And all your love I’d never know, 
Unless you saved me.
And all your love I’d never know,
Unless you bound and bathed me.

Jesus has come that he should call us,
If we are his, he will not lose us,
And if he calls us, then he’ll complete it,
If he lives in us, then we shall se him.
We don’t deserve how he repays us,
We did not work that he should owe us,
We had not grace that he was drawn to,
We had not worth until he made us new.

And I’m so grateful that you came.

The Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Last Sunday while my family was out of town I decided to stay up way too late to write and record a version of this hymn by Haldor Lillenas, 1918. I only had my laptop with me so I used the built in mic to record everything. I had my classical guitar, our upright piano and my children’s percussion toys, including my sons toy drum set. I had a blast as you can imagine. (I did go back today to record a bass part because I thought it needed some more low end.) We played it this past Sunday during worship and I was able to get some of the musicians to shout along with me for the refrain. I rewrote the refrain because I thought that verses were really striking and I wanted to keep that tone throughout the song.

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The Wonderful Grace of Jesus       (listen)       (chords)       

The wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free;
The wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

The wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching a mighty host,
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost,
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty;
The wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

More patient than my fight, more faithful than my doubt,
Persistent though I run, O how his grace abounds!
Broader than my sin, deeper than my shame,
Stronger than my evil, O praise Jesus name!

The wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power, making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven, for all eternity;
The wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

More patient than my fight, more faithful than my doubt,
Persistent though I run, O how his grace abounds!
Broader than my sin, deeper than my shame,
Stronger than my evil, O praise Jesus name!

The wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?

Easter: His Word will Never Die

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
— Hebrews 1:1-2

This is another song that came as an assignment from one of my LAMP seminary classes. It is on the doctrine of the Word. Jesus said that heaven and earth may pass away but his words would never pass away. Further, on Easter we celebrate the Word made flesh; resurrected and forever alive. The living Word of God, (through whom the cosmos was created, about whom it testifies and by whom it is held together) the Son of God, can never die.

Vocals: Nathan Partain, Kyle Ragsdale
Acoustic guitar: Nathan Partain
Fiddle: Kipp Normand
Washboard: Elyce Elder
Shaker: Brian Allee
Banjo: Kyle Edgell
Harmonica: Jeremy Grimmer
Bass: Joel Chodakowski
Djembe: Wes Homoya

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His Word will Never Die     (listen)     (chord chart)

From the first of creation,
The Lord God of heaven,
Has stood out in broadest daylight.
So that all of his creatures,
Should know of his nature,
And worship their Author of Life.
Yet though all his wisdom,
Cries out at each corner,
All the day and all through the night.
The whole of mankind,
Has not wanted to find,
Any god who would challenge their pride.

See our God is not silent at all,
He has spoken in so many ways,
That his children would come to his call,
To believe and be saved.
Though the sun go dark,
And the land lost to sea,
Though the stars fall out of the sky,
His word never will die!

So out of compassion,
Pursuing all nations,
He called a small people his own,
That walking in mercy,
They’d make the world holy,
As their fountain of grace overflowed.
Then He sent and inspired,
The words of the prophets,
Who called out with blessings and woes.
Their words being written,
That all who received them,
The unchanging God they would know.

See our God is not silent at all,
He has spoken in so many ways,
For in Jesus his words are complete,
And his promises they are yay.
Though evil should stand,
And pervade every land,
Though his children be pressed on all sides,
His word will never die!

At just the right moment,
The Lord God infinite,
Was born into the world he had made.
Incarnate and holy,
He explained the great mystery,
Hidden before every age.
But those who weren’t looking,
To yield to any king,
Rejected and killed him in hate.
Not knowing the plan,
That the Word became man,
All to die and to rise and to save.

 See our God is not silent at all,
He has spoken in so many ways,
That in Christ are the doors opened wide,
Unto all who’d receive his grace.
Though all of human pride,
In their denial strive,
To disprove that our God is alive,
His Word never will die!

Though false hood confuse every mind,
With deceptions like angels of light,
Though the faithful are nowhere in sight,
Any hope is hard to find,
Let the dead be raised,
Let them cry out with  praise.
All God said is in Jesus Christ,
His word never will die!