I Am Free

You have wakened such a stirring,
 a changing, 
      a drawing,
             these past weeks.      
You have pulled me close to You.
            You have opened up Your self and drawn me inside.
You have freed me to long for You.
                 You have made it clear that I am Yours.
My longing has become only for You.
                My very bones ache with desire to be near You.

You have freed me to long without shame.

You have come near,
                 breathed Your life directly into my lungs
and set me on fire for You.

Nothing will separate me from Your love,
      Your desire,
Your longing to be near me as I desire to be near to You.

You reach out with Your desire and draw me close.
        I let go of all I am clutching as I spin into Your arms.
 
We dance.

           As we turn, we leave a trail behind us of
  tears,
          aching,
                    old fears
                               lies.

My hands are now free to be held in Yours.
             My face can reflect Yours,
and the passion in Your eyes consumes me.

I am free. I am free.

I am free
            to dance,
                       to love,
to let my longing run wild after You.

I am free to run into Your embrace without tripping over anything.
           I am free to join You in singing over this love.
              I am free to join in the song You began long ago.
I am free to sing my own song over those around me,
           knowing You desire for this freedom to flow into them.

I am free.

Love Met Me Here

Love chase away storms of doubt

Love change me from the inside out

Love free me from all my fear

Love, only Love, come meet me here.

It used to feel safe inside

Locked up with fear and doubt

I was comfortable with all the lies

They told me of what Love’s about.

“Oh, you’re stronger than that,”

Was one thing that they said.

“And it was never meant for you,”

Was their answer to me instead.

Love chase away storms of doubt

Love change me from the inside out

Love free me from all my fear

Love, only Love, come meet me here.

I got tired of pretending,

Sick of looking at these scars

I was ready for something new,

 To move past these prison bars.

I decided to take the chance

And began to open up inside

 I watched You move past the pain

And cut deeper than the knife

Love chase away storms of doubt

Love change me from the inside out

Love free me from all my fear

Love, only Love, come meet me here.

You found me on the inside

A young woman still caged by her fear

And every scream never released

Burst forth as Love came near.

As I collapsed in Your arms

I was wrapped in Love’s embrace

And I found no cage can compete

When it meets Love face to face.

Love chased away storms of doubt

Love changed me from the inside out

Love freed me from all my fear

Love, only Love, could have met me here.

Under My Skin

I’ve got to have You under my skin

Under the skin is where healing begins

Past all the tears to the place they began

Past all the smiles to where the giants still stand.

I’ve made them so big I can’t see who You are

The scars run so deep – can You really reach that far?

The only way out is to let You inside

To let You touch all the places where innocence died.

Next time we wrestle, I’m aiming to lose

If You ask once more I promise not to refuse

I’m tired of holding so tight to my fear

That all I can ask is for You to come near.

I’ve got to have You under my skin

Under the skin is where healing begins

Past all the tears to the place they began

Past all the smiles to where the giants still stand.

You’re bigger than I think, safer than I fear

I want Your voice to be louder than everything I hear

The answer’s not inside me – no, not yet

But I can feel You moving past the anguish and regret.

The battle is intense, You’re nearing my heart

The war of how to trust is tearing me apart

Then suddenly I give up, let my defenses down

And the terrorists of the past scatter with an echoing sound.

I’ve got to have You under my skin

Under the skin is where healing begins

Past all the tears to the place they began

Past all the smiles to where the giants still stand.

I’ve waited so long to feel like I was free

With my back against a closed door I didn't want to see

But now that it’s opened, I finally understand –

From the beginning, this is what You had planned.

I am not my own, I belong to a King

And my life is meant to be the song that You sing

So You're working to heal me from the inside out

But You can only reach in as far as You’re allowed.

I’ve got to have You under my skin

Under the skin is where healing begins

Past all the tears to the place they began

Past all the smiles to where the giants still stand.

No More Ashes

All the stories

Talk about the phoenix

Rising from the ashes

So I’ve been grasping at these black specks

Of my past

That keep crumbling into smaller pieces

The more I touch them.

Then the wind of your Spirit

Blows in

Catches the ashes in my hands

And sweeps them out of my reach.

Why do you bemoan

This newfound freedom, oh my soul?

The God who spoke

Creation into existence

Now has room

To speak.

Intercessor

I was looking at my hands

You said they would heal

I looked up,

And you were standing before me

Stretching out your hands

Still covered in blood

As you took mine in yours

The blood flowing between us began to speak.

It spoke of the open wound

You still bear in your side

It spoke of love being poured out

Still

It spoke of not asking to be washed away

Until everyone is washed.

The crown on your head

It wavered between gold and thorns

You are the triumphant King

And the sacrificial Lamb

You bear the highest Name

And the marks of your intercession

I began to feel the tension between

Bearing scars for others

And protecting my own skin

You let others put their hands inside of You

If it helped them to believe

Help me to reach that far.

Why I Write

I ache to paint a picture with words

For life to dance across the page

Words creating

pictures creating

life creating

HOPE

Now -

How will you see it?

How will you read it?

Will you sing it?

Will you dance it with me?

It’s time to let your life sing

Of who He is.

Open up your arms

And let the blessings rain.

He’s saying,

Don’t limit Me

Don’t try to draw the line

Determining where I end and you begin.

I am the I AM

You are not

So let Me be God

Over you.

The Time is Now

You live in a cage with an open door;

Fear papers your walls and carpets your floor.

The time has passed for you to learn how to fly

But each time I push you turn your back on the sky

What is it you fear that keeps you inside?

I’m tired of watching you run off and hide.

 Every time I want to set you free

You harden your heart and refuse to see.

I am the I AM, who always will be

I am the answer, but you are the key

Why won’t you trust Me? You praise so strong—

Your hands are raised, you know every song.

Yet you’re content in your box, refusing to stretch out;

What comes from your life isn’t what comes from your mouth.

The time is past, you’ve used every excuse

I’ve given you all you need to cut yourself loose

It’s time to rise up, it’s time to be free

It’s time to find out who you should be.

I am the I AM, who always will be

I am the answer, but you are the key

There’s people around you drowning in need

They’re up to their necks, struggling to breathe

I need you to be one who sees and who hears

Then brings them to life and destroys all their fears.

I am the I AM, who always will be

I am the answer, but you are the key