When You Look In The Mirror

For National Bully Awareness Month – Stand Up Speak Out

roberthansen1317's avatarMy God, My Music, My Life

When my wife and I went through our troubled times a few years back, I wrote on the mirror – Who do you want to be today? It was a daily reminder that when we looked in the mirror, we had a choice that day to do the right thing and live for God or do the wrong thing. It was our choice.

It is your choice who you want to be today. Do you want to be a bully? Do you want to put others down and make fun of them? Do you want to make a change and make your corner of the world a better place? God gave us free will. He let’s us choose what we will do with this time we spend on this earth.

I don’t understand bullies. I don’t understand taking your frustrations out on someone that is weaker than you. Why don’t…

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The Haunted House

A story from last year. Happy Halloween

roberthansen1317's avatarMy God, My Music, My Life

Animated Haunted House animated house gif halloween haunted

I have been in the house many times since the first time. The first time was when I was eight years old. I was being teased, called a chicken, and all those things kids say to each other. Triple dog dare. You can’t turn down a triple dog dare. It was the first time I opened the door. I only looked inside for a second but that was enough.  The door had been opened and my future was doomed.

I soon started visiting the house more than I would like to admit. Always by myself of course. I couldn’t let my friends know what I was doing. Each time I went in I would find a new room to explore. It was fascinating at first. All these new things I was finding meant I was also learning more about myself. I thought I was being brave. Anytime something would happen to…

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New, Forgotten, Unknown 10/21/16 New Music Friday

No new musician followers this week.  Please feel free to share/purchase the song I wrote the lyrics to,  Lily Messer is the voice and Ceylon Wise is the producer. I have many more songs I would like to get out there but can not financially afford to record them. If interested in teaming up together, feel free to contact me.

 

Thanks for all the follows, musicians and non-musicians.

Some other music from non-followers I have listened to recently.  Pick out a few you haven’t heard and take a listen.

Mama by Aaron Lewis – 

Giant by Banks & Steelz – 

Drop Your Stone by Chris August –

Give All You Can by Cody Jinks – 

Forgive and Forget by A Day To Remember – 

How Does It Feel by The Dead Daisies –  

Better Together by Gaither Vocal Band – 

Talking To Myself by Gallant – 

Harder To Believe  by Gavin Degraw – 

Perfect Story by Idina Menzel – 

Rocks by The Isaacs – 

Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake – 

Hold On To You by New Hope Oahu – 

Follow Me,Follow You by O.A.R. –  

Def Pacts by Of Montreal –  

Keep Walkin’  by Racket County – 

Never Burn Out by Stars Go Dim – 

One Way by Tamela Mann – 

Song Of My Father by Urban Rescue – 

Stronger by Usher –  

Chain Breaker by Zach Williams – 

and our song:

I Question You by Lily Messer – 

On Itunes :  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-question-you-single/id1018588943

The Battle

Image result for starless beach

It wasn’t a good night. Alone again. Alone  with my thoughts. Alone with my doubts. Alone with my past regrets. That’s when I realized I wasn’t alone. Something, or someone was there with me. I could feel it. I would rather face off against Freddie Krueger.

I could feel it before I could see it. I looked around but I was the only one here.  Fear crept in.  The only sound was the sound of my too loud beating heart. Evil lurked. Looking for a place to land. It only needed a small opening and it waited patiently.  I wasn’t going to let it in, but it waited. Evil is patient, waiting for its opportunity.

I fought the invisible evil.  It wasn’t going to win. Doubts would sink in. At times I believed the lies. I was stronger than this. I had a power inside of me. I often forgot about this power. I often forgot about the strength it gave me. I wasn’t going to forget this time.  I also knew I couldn’t do it alone.  I yelled out to God.

The evil was gone. A peace overcame me. I stopped shaking. My heart calmed. I wasn’t naive though. I knew the evil would be back. It doesn’t give up easily.  More importantly, I knew neither did God.

Image result for ephesians 5 8

I had to get out of the house.

I liked walking on the beach. The wind coming off the ocean, the smell of it. The way the moon and stars shined their light off the waves.  I could walk for miles. It was relaxing but there were no stars to light my way tonight. Only the light of a full moon, and it didn’t seem to be as bright as it should have been.

I walked along the beach. Even the waves didn’t sound the same. Like they were whispering to me.  There was definitely a thickness in the air.

Something just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Was something in the house with me? Was it just my imagination? I couldn’t quite shake the feeling.

That’s when I saw him. Well, I guess I should say it. I couldn’t quite make out the form in the darkness but something was definitely there. He, or it, was hiding in the darkness under the pier.

My heart was starting to beat fast. Stop it, I said to myself. This is just your imagination acting up. There is nothing to fear.

I was getting closer to the pier.  Maybe 30 feet away. I took a deep breath. My mind was playing tennis. Volley to the left, it’s going to be okay. Volley to the right, be prepared. It’s going to be you or him. Volley left, volley right. That’s when he stepped out and I could see it in his eyes. Volley right it is.

I had no weapon. Or at least I thought I had no weapon. God, be with me. I heard the scream, I saw the light.  That’s when I fell to the ground.

Did someone sneak up behind me and hit me in the head? What was that light? I quickly did a self check and realized I wasn’t hurt. I  looked up looking for the man but he was nowhere to be found. What just happened?

Add that to my list of weird things happening tonight. The list would be getting longer.

I know what you are thinking. I should turn around and just go back home. Lock myself in my room and say goodnight.  I could not do that.  I should’ve done that but something was telling me to keep moving forward.

Image result for we are the light of the world

 

I heard the screams.  I ran to them. I know you are yelling for me to run away from them. I was thinking the same thing!  I couldn’t do it. I am not a hero but I had to see if there was anything I could do.

They were huddled together at the dead end of a one way street. The look of terror on their faces is something I can never forget. They were looking upward. I followed their eyes and then I saw them. There had to be at least twenty, maybe more, of them. The legion of demons were hideous. They were attacking relentlessly.  They disgusted me.

At one time or another they were all a part of my life.  I am a sinner and I knew them all by name. There was greed, lust, fear, addiction, hopelessness, negative, pride, envy. I knew them well. There was also wrath, sloth, doubt, low self-esteem, failure, sorrow, gossip and hate. Many more I will not name  but they were all following their leader Baal. I was actually surprised to see him. They usually let their minions do the work and don’t show their faces. With him here, I knew this was going to be a long battle.

That’s when I saw the glow. I looked down and I was shining like a light. I wasn’t alone. I looked around and there were many others with me. We had been brought together for this moment. We are the light of the world and now was the time to defeat the darkness.

We lit up the dark night. Many of the demons ran when they saw the light. Many others chose to fight. The light was their enemy. The truth was their adversary. Hope was their opponent. We were their prosecutors.

After a long, bloody, hard fought battle we were victorious.  There was sadness in our victory. We lost some friends in the battle but they will forever be remembered as heroes. We will fight the good fight. Where there are demons, so will we be. We will honor the truth and defend it with our lives.

They will be back.  We will be here when they return.

We are the light of the world and we will shine victorious.

Image result for we are the light of the world

Good Fight by Unspoken – 

Soldier On by Sidewalk Prophets – 

Never Burn Out by Stars Go Dim –

Same Power by Jeremy Camp – 

Independence Day by Union Of Sinners and Saints – 

Soldiers by Martin Smith – 

Onward Christian Soldiers by Petra – 

I’m Just Another Soldier by The Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi – 

Children Of The Light by Lecrae – 

Where The Light Is by Dan Bremnes – 

I’ll Be The Light by Colton Dixon – 

 

 

The Maze

A story from last year. I will have a new one for you tomorrow.

roberthansen1317's avatarMy God, My Music, My Life

I was shivering. Strange, since when I went to bed I put an extra blanket on and set the thermostat to heat up the house at 6:00. I then realized I was also wet. I startled awake only to realized I wasn’t in my warm bed. I was in some type of… give me a minute to look around. I was in some type of maze. Confused, bewildered, baffled were some of the words that came to mind. I had to be dreaming, but I wasn’t.

I yelled out, but no one answered. I did the only thing I could and started to walk. Around this bend, turn left here, turn right there, dead end, start again. I then saw a note up ahead. I read it: If you have ever lied turn left at the next turn.  Well yeah I have lied, who hasn’t? I came to the turn…

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This Disease

For National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and all the other Disease Awareness Month that are in October.

roberthansen1317's avatarMy God, My Music, My Life

I have been going back and forth, fighting myself on whether or not I should put my lyrics on here. On the plus side, maybe my words could touch someone without being in a song. On the negative side, what if someone used my lyrics without my permission. Anyway, in honor of October being breast-cancer month I have decided to put this one on here. I can hear how I want it to sound in my head but, unfortunately, God didn’t bless me with the talent to write music.

I wrote this 2/10/15 when I was in Kroger one day and saw someone in a wheelchair and the words just started coming out. I wrote if for cancer but a friend of mine said he could see this disease as just being sin in general. I had never thought of it like that but I can see it like that…

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New, Forgotten, Unknown 10/14/16 New Music Friday

Yes, I know it is Monday but last week got out of control. Wednesday through Friday I didn’t have time to breathe. So here is what should have been posted a few days ago.

One new musician follower this week.  Take a listen, find some new music to listen to.  Please feel free to share/purchase the song I wrote the lyrics to,  Lily Messer is the voice and Ceylon Wise is the producer. If interested in collaborating, feel free to contact me.

Hypochondriac by Kate Ball  –  

 

 

Thanks for all the follows, musicians and non-musicians.

Some other music from non-followers I have listened to recently.  Pick out a few you haven’t heard and take a listen.

Stuck In These Shoes by Aaron Lewis – 

12:03 by Against Me –  

Some Friends by The Amity Affliction – 

The Only Way Out by Andra Day – 

Get Back Up Again by Ana Kendrick – 

No Words by Cody Jinks – 

Naivety by A Day To Remember –  

Song and a Prayer by The Dead Daisies –  

Ceasefire by For King & Country – 

When He Set Me Free by Gaither Vocal Band – 

She Sets The City On Fire by Gavin Degraw – 

I See You  by Idina Menzel –  

God Is Still With Me by The Isaacs – 

You’re Bigger by Jekalyn Carr-  

Overwhelmed by New Hope Oahu – 

I Go Through by O.A.R. –  

Sunday by Racket County –  

Sisters And Brothers by Sidewalk Prophets – new for Ben-Hur movie 

Through It All by Tamela Mann – 

Crash by Usher – 

 

and our song:

I Question You by Lily Messer – 

On Itunes :  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-question-you-single/id1018588943

Birds Of A Different Color: The Sequel 

Image result for dove

Please take a minute to read part 1 : Birds Of A Different Color

The birds of the land lived in peace for quite a long time

They shared everything, what’s mine is yours and yours is mine

They sung songs together and visited each other’s nest

Peace, nothing to worry about when their feathers would lay down to rest

Then one day the unthinkable happened

The skies of blue suddenly blackened

During a training flight a blue jay crashed into a warbler

I can’t put into words, it was indeed horrible

Image result for blue jayImage result for black and white warbler and blue jay together

The warbler fell to the ground, it had been killed

Mourning came to the land, his little heart had been stilled

It didn’t take long for the warblers to blame the blue jays

Even though the birds that witnessed it said the warbler flew the wrong way

They demanded justice, the words were harsh that they spoke

They didn’t consider that the blue jays heart was broke

He was terribly sad for what happened but said he wasn’t to blame

The warblers attacked his nest, the land would never be the same

Attack after attack, nest after nest

None of the birds could find rest

A dark cloud had overtaken the trees

No bird was safe, no bird was free

The eagle couldn’t believe what his eyes did see

He thought, Have they forgotten our history?

Nothing good will come from this

He bowed his head and prayed his wish

O mighty father above, help me find a way

To help these birds remember our yesterday 

When we nearly destroyed our homes, our land

We fought over the colors of our feathers right where they now stand

How eventually we put aside our differences and came together 

We joined as one as we each held those different colored feathers 

He opened his eyes and looked around

Hate wasn’t the answer, love had to be found

Image result for eagle talking to birds

He once again called a meeting

He searched hard for the words he would be speaking

He looked left, he looked right

He said “My fellow birds, why do we fight?”

“I’m not saying what happened was right or wrong

But don’t you remember when we all sang the same song?”

“Warblers, I know your hearts are bleeding

But violence isn’t the answer to what you are needing.”

“Blue Jays, I know your heart is breaking

But fighting back leaves only hate for the taking.”

Image result for 1 peter 4 8

“I ask both of you is this really the answer?

Look around, can’t you see the disaster

We’ve been here before, look in our history books

There can never be peace if we are all crooks.”

“I know what happened is a travesty

But anger and hate only leads to more tragedy!”

“I ask you birds, can we move on from the past?”

“Today is a new day, the anger and hate doesn’t need to last!”

“I ask you birds not to forget yesteryear

I tell you birds it’s okay to shed a tear

But let’s not let history repeat itself

It’s time we put hate and anger on the shelf!”

 

Image result for love is the only answer

 

“How easy it is to forget we are all one

I’m not asking you  to forget what is done!”

“I am asking you to join hands

Reunite all the birds in this land!”

“I’m asking you to look at your communities

Ask yourself, is this who we want to be?”

“If you have even an ounce of love in your heart

Let it ignite and become a spark!”

“We do not need to fear each other !”

“You are my sisters, you are my brothers!”

“I end with these word said not long ago

That love is all we need to know

We are all created to be equal

We all can live peaceful

Look into the depths of your hearts

And let today be a new start

But you must not let the evil of anger and hate

Destroy our land. It is not, it will not be our fate!”

It was then he looked up and saw a  dove

The symbol of peace, the message of love

Image result for love is the only answer

Everyman by Blackfoot – 

Love With Your Life by Hollyn – 

Be The Change by Britt Nicole – 

What You Want by Tenth Avenue North – 

Jesus Built This Church On Love by Ivan Parker – 

Jesus Again by Tamela Mann – 

Future + Hope by New Hope Oahu – 

Common Ground by Julianna Zobrist – 

The Funhouse of Mirrors

One of my stories from last October.

roberthansen1317's avatarMy God, My Music, My Life

sites at the local fair ground - I never liked to funhouse.  But if I was with friends I went in them and rode rides anyway.  Nana

“Step right up, come on in, only a dollar” shouted the carny. He looked right at me and my friends. “Come on in boys, this will change your life” and he winked at me. I don’t know but my gut was telling me something was wrong. My friends wanted to go in and since I didn’t want to be left out, I went in with them.

It wasn’t much at first. A conveyor belt going the opposite direction. Oooh scary right? We made a tight turn to the right and the floor started shaking. Everyone started to laugh but the feeling inside me was getting worse. It was then the lights went out. We started reaching out, touching each other to make sure we were all still there. We slowly inched forward and hit a wall, promptly piling into each other.  Then the lights came on and that was when…

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New, Forgotten, Unknown 10/07/16 New Music Friday

Four new musician followers this week.  Take a listen, find some new music to listen to.  Please feel free to share/purchase the song I wrote the lyrics to,  Lily Messer is the voice and Ceylon Wise is the producer. I have many more songs I would like to get out there but can not financially afford to record them. If interested in teaming up together, feel free to contact me.

Blindfolds by Rilan feat Naz Tokio –  

What I Would Say To You by The Color – 

Awake by A Foreign Affair –  

Fix You (Coldplay Cover) by Chris Bianchi – 

 

 

 

Thanks for all the follows, musicians and non-musicians.

Some other music from non-followers I have listened to recently.  Pick out a few you haven’t heard and take a listen.

 

Back Together by Aaron and Amanda Crabb – 

Dmitri’s Song (Jesus Is Alive) by Todd Smith –  

Soldier by Unspoken – 

Play by Ben Talmi – 

Hurt Me by Amos Lee – 

Never Be Mine by Angel Olsen – 

Thing For You by Big Smo feat William Michael Morgan- 

Hillbilly On by Billy Ray Cyrus – 

Let The Mystery Be by Bun E. Carlos feat Xeno – 

What If I Gave You Everything  by Casting Crowns – 

Can’t Beat The Old Damned Machine by Charlie Daniels –  

Her Own Kind Of Beautiful by Chris Lane – 

Tilted by Christine And The Queens –  

Every Scar Has A Story by Cody Johnson –  

Signs Of Life by Crown The Empire – 

Spineless and Scarlet Red by The Descendents –  

Sober by DJ Snake feat JRY –  

Speak To My Heart by Donnie McClurkin  –  

Story by Drake White –    

Grow Old by Florida Georgia Line –   

Your Mother’s Eyes by The Head and the Heart –  

Street Called Mercy by Hillsong United –   

Old Days by Ingrid Michaelson –    

Jesus Built This Church On Love by Ivan Parker –

In Case You Don’t Remember by Jason Aldean – love this song but nothing on Youtube yet.

Bound For Glory by Jon Guerra –    

Always The Same by Julianna Zobrist – 

My Best Friend by Kiefer Sutherland – 

Those Days by Lindsey Stirling feat  Dan & Shay   –  

Out On Love by Lydia Loveless –  

Beautiful Rose by Sean McConnell – 

Down by The Shelters – 

 

and our song:

I Question You by Lily Messer – 

On Itunes :  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-question-you-single/id1018588943