I wrote these lyrics when I was going through a difficult time. Everyone seemed to be telling me to just forget it, it won’t happen again, why can’t you just drop it etc etc. Even though I was doing my best, things would still happen and remind me and everything would come up again. It was like I was watching a scary movie and every time I got past the part that made me jump, someone would hit rewind.
It also reminds me of this time of year. As you know I am an introvert and this time of year always makes me anxious. I get thrown out of my routines. Christmas parties and Christmas shopping and the crowds of people and just the busyness of the season gets to me. I am trying to do better at just taking a few deep breaths and remember the real reason for the season, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. It was just a few years ago I couldn’t have said that. I am a work in progress, one that I know will always have improvements to make.
Anyway, here are the lyrics. If anyone wants to put music to it and make it a song, feel free to contact me to collaborate.
I’m Not Superman
You made me who I am
They think I’m superman
These feelings I conceal
I don’t know how to feel
They say I am strong, that I am strong
I hide my thoughts that I don’t belong, don’t belong
5 week posts on original Christmas songs that I like to bring in the season. Nothing wrong with the classics, Little Drummer Boy is my favorite, but wanted to showcase some originals.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. A few new musician followers this week. I hope my sharing your music will get word out about your music. Please take time to listen/share/purchase the song I wrote with the wonderful Lily Messer and Ceylon Wise at the bottom of this page. Thanks for the follows.
Gospel Step by Rifica (feat Flash) –
Hide and Seek by Lydia Laird –
So Done by Alyssa May –
Some non-follower music I have listened to recently :
We Will Survive by Andrew Peterson –
Mad River by Dar Williams –
Maintain by Jonathan McReynolds –
Moving On by Jonathan Butler –
Show Me The Light by Noah Gunderson –
Simple Things by Tamar Braxton –
We Belong by Def Leppard –
We Can Win by Rod Stewart –
We Did It All by Bryan Adams –
Where You Come In by Chris Janson –
You Never Change by Gateway Worship –
Your Amazing Grace by New Hope Oahu –
and our song:
I Question You by Lily Messer –
Now on i tunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-question-you-single/id1018588943
If you are travelling this week for Thanksgiving please be careful. Also be thankful that you can travel. Many can not because of income or the country they live in (be grateful for the freedoms we have in America) or they have no family left. Thank those that have fought to protect our freedoms. I pray you will have a safe and joyful Thanksgiving.
Over The River and Through The Woods by unknown
America The Beautiful by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert –
“Look around you. Many of you do not think you are ready yet. You wouldn’t be here if you were not. Few will take this journey with you. Many will not. Look around you. Those that are not ready need the help of those that are. There will be many that will not want to hear what you have to say. Say it anyway. You will be persecuted, jailed, beaten, laughed at. Say it anyway. This is your journey. Each of you will have a different path to take but we will all be on the same journey.”
“Do not stray from my word. I will give you a list of do’s and dont’s. However, I know all of you will fail. At some point you will turn away from this journey and go your own way. You will go down roads I wish you wouldn’t. I will not be mad at you. I will not leave you. I will wait for your return. Your journey will continue.”
“You must have the faith of a child. You must trust like a child trusts. Protect the innocence of the children. Do not follow the ways of this world. There is nothin in this world that can compare to the riches that await you.”
“You will hit walls. Smash through them. You will hit dead ends. Turn around. You will go the wrong way down a one way street. I will guide you back to where you need to be.”
“Love everyone you meet. Many will not love you back. Love them anyway. Plant seeds everywhere I send you. Some may sprout right away. Others may sprout long after you are gone. Some may never sprout at all. Plant them anyway. ”
“I will not lie to you. I will always speak the truth. I expect the same from you. You will be the light in this dark world. When you are not speaking, let your actions speak for you. Others will be watching you when you do not know they are. Lead them the right way. Do not be a hypocrite.”
“You will be hungry. You will see others hungrier than you. Feed them with what you have. Give them what you don’t have. Clothe them with the clothes you wear. Share your time. Volunteer to help the least of them. You may be tired but I will give you strength. You may think you are not making a difference but you are. ”
“Again I say you will stumble. You will make mistakes. You will make some of the same mistakes over and over. You may want to give up. Do not give up. Do not be discouraged. I will forgive you. I will love you. I will guide you back to me. I will put you on the right journey you are assigned to. Each of you have different gifts. Use those gifts. Do not be afraid. ”
“Lastly I leave you with this. My love for you has no ends. When you are lost I will search the world for you. When you are in the dark, look for my light. When you turn away from me, my voice will turn you back around. Show this world compassion, love, forgiveness. Find joy in me. Be content in all circumstances. Be thankful for who you are because you are who I made you to be. Be courageous on this journey I have set you on. The one you have chosen to take. The one I will be with you on.”
“Who wants to follow me? Now let’s go on this journey together. I love you my children. Who will follow me? ”
That’s when I stood up and shouted, “I will follow you!”
He stood in front of us. We had to number in the thousands but he did not seem nervous. He was not an imposing man but spoke with authority. I was hanging on every word he said.
“Today you have taken the first step in your journey. You will never take another journey more important than this. I must commend you being brave, for risking everything to be here today. There are many in this world that will never take this step.”
“I will tell you that this journey will not be easy, and that my friends is an understatement. You will be asked to do things you did not think you were capable of doing. You will be asked to make the impossible possible. Many times you will think your journey is over when it has just begun. Many times you will be asked to do things you don’t want to do.”
See what I mean. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. If I wasn’t sitting on the floor I would’ve been on the edge of my seat.
“Sometimes you will wonder if it is all worth it. Sometimes you will have doubts. You will doubt yourself, you will doubt my instructions. Sometimes you will forget my instructions and many of you will. You will go your own way. You will not want to listen to my voice. Keep listening anyway. ”
“Today, some of you will be asked to go by boat. You will have rough seas. You will have calm waters. Keep your guard up. Out of those calm waters a storm can rise. You will ask why but do not doubt and do not be afraid. Stay strong in my directions, stay on course, the waters will calm again. You will face many beasts out on the waters. Some will look dangerous and they are. Some will look harmless but they are the most dangerous. Some will look dangerous but they will help you. You may ask how will you know your enemies from your friends? Keep your eyes on the truth that I will give you and you will know.”
I have to be honest and say at this point my enthusiasm was starting to wain. I told myself I hope I don’t get picked to go on the boat.
He continued, “some of you will be asked to travel by plane. You will board the plane and not know where your destination will be. You will have turbulence. The engines may fail. I tell you do not fear. You will not die. Believe in my instructions and you will never die. When you land at your destination you may see horrors you have never seen before. Stay strong. I will guide you on what you need to do. You will see things that you won’t be able to forget. Things you would never see from where you are leaving. That is okay, but do not be anxious about them. Be grateful for what you have seen.”
“Some of you will travel by foot. You will have a long journey but stay strong. Keep my words in your heart. You will see many things along you way. Some will be great, others will be horrible. I will put people in strategic places along your journey to help you. They will feed you, clothe you, encourage you, and strengthen you. You will meet people along your way that will pretend to be my helpers. They are not. Listen to their words closely. They will not align with mine. Listen closely, as I have said before, my voice will guide you.”
Well as enthusiastic as I had been, I can honestly say it was gone. I know I didn’t want to go by boat, plane, or by foot at this point. Excuse me sir, are there any other options? Yet, something was still telling me to go.
“You will meet people along your way that you will wish will always be in your life. They may die, they may just simply be on a different path than you are on. Do not be dismayed. Remember the people I put in your life may only be there to help you in that time of your life. Then I will need to send them to help someone else. Most of the time it will not be because of something you did, but because of something I need them to do. However, there may be times they leave you because they don’t agree with you any longer. Maybe it’s because they are listening to another voice that is not mine. Know when to walk away and when to hold on. Be thankful no matter what happens that they were a part of your life. They helped shape you into who I need you to be. ”
“My word will be everywhere you go. Anytime you are discouraged, beat down, lonely, frustrated, feeling unloved, disappointed and feel like you can’t go on, they will be there to help you.”
At this point he had his helpers pass out his instruction manual. He said not only do we have this hard copy form but he said we all can find it on our phones, tablets, computers, etc. It can be found anywhere, we just have to look for it.
“Okay, who still wants to start this journey today.”
My hand immediately went up. Wait a minute, I pulled it back down. He looked at me and smiled, I couldn’t help but put it back up again. I looked around and was amazed at how many people did not put their hands up. What were they thinking? They were thinking the same thing I was a minute ago. I guess I was just braver, better than they were.
That was when he looked directly at me. This time he wasn’t smiling.
“Pride and judgement are of this world. You are new on this journey and you will learn.”
A few new musician followers this week. I hope my sharing your music will get word out about your music. Please take time to listen/share/purchase the song I wrote with the wonderful Lily Messer and Ceylon Wise at the bottom of this page. Thanks for the follows.
Brand New Day by Boiling Point –
I Can Lean On You by Moses Benjamin –
Broken Down Angel by Julie C Myers –
Tuesday Morning Groove by Mason Maphey Project –
Some non-followers I have listened to recently.
How Many Chances by Little Texas –
Ghost Town by Winery Dogs –
Girl Of The World by Dar Williams –
Grace That Won’t Let Go by Gateway Worship –
I Got The Boy by Jana Kramer –
I Had A Vision by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell –
If You Can Hear Me by Ben Rector –
Invisible by 5 Seconds Of Summer –
Looking Down From The Edge by BlessTheFall –
Love Is by Rod Stewart –
Love On The Line by Hillsong Worship –
The Man I Was by Lucer0 –
Messin’ With Jesus by Chris Janson (feat Tim Mcgraw) –
and our song:
I Question You by Lily Messer –
Now on i tunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-question-you-single/id1018588943
What a difference a year makes. Last year I was done Christmas shopping at this time, this year I have not started.
Here are some pics from November 17, 2014 : cold and 5 inches of snow.
versus Novemeber 17, 2015 : 60 degrees and running outside in shorts and t-shirt, at least I did. Wife was cold and ran with jacket.
Who knows what next year will bring. Maybe I will still be writing these posts, maybe I won’t. Maybe I will be running full strength (Marathon, 1/2 Marathon races), maybe I won’t. Maybe I will be alive, maybe I won’t. I do not know the future, only God does so whatever He has in store for me, I will be along for the ride.
I am thankful for the warm weather we have had for so long this fall. However, I recognize the destruction El Nino is causing with floods in the south and droughts around the world. Billions of dollars in damage world wide.
Do I look obese to you? We had to renew our life insurance policies and because life insurance companies determine your risks by BMI, which is a joke, I am considered obese and have to pay higher rates. I am 6′ 220 lbs. Here is a pic of Adrian Peterson, running back for Minnesota Vikings who is 6’1″ 220 lbs. (Yes I know I don’t look like that but he is someone that would also have to pay higher rates for life insurance based on BMI. ) BMI does not provide actual information on body composition (i.e. the proportions of muscle, bone, fat, and other tissues that make up a person’s total body weight), and may not be the most appropriate indicator to determine health status for certain groups of people, yet that is what insurance companies use for everyone.
(photo credit Muscle & Fitness Magazine)
For me to be the “ideal weight” for my height I am told to weigh 180 lbs for BMI. I would be so skinny, and I would not have much muscle on me. I weighed myself on our Iron Man scale and of my 220 lbs, 182 of it is muscle, but yet I am obese. In reality, I would probably be not as healthy as I am now but I could pay lower insurance rates. Something needs to be changed in the insurance game.
Watched this documentary this past weekend. Batkid Begins. It brought a tear to my eye because of all the people that came out to support him. It lets me think we do have some humanity in us yet. Make a Wish Foundation is a great organization that helps children experience a wish that they want.
One last thought, I am not usually political and I pray for the victims of Paris, and all the other terrorists attacks our world has seen. Remember not all Muslims are bad or good. Not all Americans are bad or good. Not all Jews are bad or good. Not all…. you get the point.
I walked by him at least twice a day. More often than not it was closer to six times a day. He was always in the same spot, always wearing the same clothes and always staring down at the ground.
Anytime that I would walk by and I had some change I would drop it in his hat. He would never look up. He never said thank you. As a matter of fact, I never heard him say anything. I was usually on the go or on my phone or talking to my co-workers so I might not have heard him if he did, but I really don’t think he did.
After a few weeks of dropping change, I decided to do an experiment. I started off dropping one dollar bills in his hat. When he didn’t react I started dropping fives. Then I would drop a ten spot here and there. Nothing, no reaction from this guy. He didn’t even look up to see what I looked like.
I even got my co-workers involved. I had them start giving whatever they had on them to this guy. They all reported back the same thing that I experienced. No acknowledgement that we even existed. No thank you. Nothing. We had to be giving him enough to pay for rent somewhere. Or at least buy some new clothes.
Many months passed. It was getting close to Thanksgiving. I had a really good year financially. Even got myself a promotion. Life was good. I was doing some early Christmas shopping and decided I would buy this guy a winter coat. I even put a hundred dollars in the pocket. I put the jacket down beside him on my way to work. Again, no acknowledgement.
I had enough. I was finally going to talk to this guy. I was going to ask him what his problem was. Why couldn’t he even say thanks. Why couldn’t he at least look up and give me a nod at least. Give me something man. I have been giving to you for over six months now.
As luck would have it though I was tied up in important meetings all day. I had to have lunch catered because I couldn’t get out of the office. When I left that day he wasn’t there. For the first time in as long as I can remember he wasn’t there.
The next morning he wasn’t there either. Same thing at lunch. Same thing on my way home. The entire week was the same. He was no where to be found.
The next week a lady came into my office. She asked for me by name. How did she know my name? Anyway, turns out she was the sister of this man. She told me how Jim, her brother, that was the guys name, had cancer and it took a turn for the worse. He passed away last week. He left a note for her to give to me. I asked how she knew about me. She said it was all in the note.
She also told me more about his story. One night Jim, his wife and kids went out to eat and on their way home they were hit by a drunk driver. Jim was the only one that survived. He never recovered. He never talked again. She never learned if it was trauma from the accident or by choice. Jim just checked out of this world.
I couldn’t believe what I heard. How come I never talked to him? Was I too lost in my own world to reach out to him? Did I think I was better than him? This was another human being and all I did was threw money at him. I didn’t even try to get to know him.
After his sister left I went to my office and opened the letter.
Dear Rob,
I know your name because I listened when you walked by me. I know you are married and have four girls. Congrats on your promotion by the way. I know all of this from listening to you talk on your cell phone. By listening to you talk to your co-workers.
I wanted to thank you for all you gave me. I wanted you to know that I listened because I cared about you. I listened waiting for you to say something to me. I listened, and waited for you to acknowledge me.
I would give you everything you gave me back to you if you would’ve said a single word to me. I would rather have had a friendship with you than your money. I wished you would’ve got to know me. I wasn’t always this way.
I heard you talk about God to your co-workers as you were leaving the building. I heard you thank Jesus when you got your promotion. I heard you talk about hope and faith to your wife in one of your talks. I would’ve liked to know more about God but you didn’t share him with me.
Take care,
Jim
All this time I thought he was ungrateful. What I have come to realize is how ungrateful I am. I realize how I take my life, my wife, my children, my friends, my health, my job for granted. I didn’t realize how lucky I am. No longer. I now realize how quickly all that can be taken away from me.
I also came to realize that I don’t share God or my beliefs with anyone outside my circle. I am not spreading the good news of my savior like I should.
For that, I will always be grateful for ungrateful Jim. I only wish I would’ve taken the time to get to know him.
Guilty by Newsboys – I am guilty of not speaking of God enough. I want to be guilty for sharing it.
I just wanted to take a minute and write to you. Not for me, but for you. I don’t need anything today and I am thankful for everything you have done for me. I just wanted to write you to ask how you are.
So God, how are you? I know I would not want to be you. I can’t imagine what you have to go through on a daily basis. Everyone doubting if you really exist. People worshiping you one day then condemning you the next. Everyone destroying this world you made for us to live on. I know I have caused you a lot of headaches. For that I am truly sorry.
How is Heaven God? What a joy it must be to spend your days with all those wonderful people. I know I can’t imagine what it is like to have all those people that believe in you. Most days I can count the people I think believe in me on one hand.
This is harder than I thought it would be. I want you to know that I truly want to know how you are but I keep going back to me. Of course that probably goes back to the introvert in me. I am not good asking questions about other people. It’s not that I don’t care but you know that. Hey God, you can’t complain, you made me this way.
Do you get tired? Do you hurt when you see the evil in this world? Do you get so frustrated with us that you just want to end it all sometimes? I look around at what is around me and what I see on the news and I know if I were you.. I would be like poof, end of the world. Who could blame you? But I know that’s not who you are and I know that you want as many of us to believe in you that you can so you are giving us time to do that. Plus, I know there is a lot of good in this world also. We just don’t see it because it doesn’t sell. What if it did sell though? Hmm, there is an idea God. Help me to figure out a way to sell the good news of this world. The every day heroes that don’t look for recognition. The ones that help the least of us. We can fill of 30 minutes of news easily. Maybe if more people started seeing good on the news, more people would start doing good.
God, who would you want to eat dinner with? Is there that one person in this world that you look at and think this person gets it? Knowing you the way I do you would probably pick the person who is a complete mess. Good luck finding just one of us. We, including myself, are pretty messed up if you ask me.
Do you have a favorite hymn or song? Are you happy that you made us? Do you think it was worth sacrificing your son Jesus for us? Do you go to your room and just cry for us sometimes? Do you like jokes? Have you ever made something then went oops? Like the platypus or naked mole rat or ?
How do you do it all? Would you do things over again if you could? Wait a minute, you could. Don’t answer that. Do you have a favorite place here on earth that you like to visit? How often do you visit? Do you think anyone ever recognizes you? I know there have been times in my life that I thought that was you but then you were gone. Was that you?
Well God, I know you are busy so I will let you go. I pray you are doing well and that you are filled with joy for us. You are truly an amazing, wonderful, loving, caring friend and I don’t know where I would be without you.
P.S. Say hello to my dad and my grandparents and friends that are there with you. Two more questions. Do you pray for me? What do you want me to do today?
Dear Mr. God by The Warren Brothers –
Maintain by Jonathan McReynolds feat Chantae Cann – This wasn’t a song I had planned for today but I heard it this morning and it spoke to me.
In My Room by Thousand Foot Krutch – I know I have included this on several posts but this is a song that just really speaks to me. I included one with lyrics this time. My favorite line “I’ve never prayed so can we just talk” –
Over The River and Through The Woods by unknown 
My God, My Music, My Life 