Jehoshaphat
by Don Francisco
Now Jehoshaphat was King in Jeruselem a long long time ago
When the children of Juda all worshiped the Lord from the high on down to the low
And Juda was a weathy kingdom Everybody's children were fed
Because Jehoshaphat studied the Word of the Lord and did everything He said
But out the east came an army one day after Jehoshaphat's gold
And they were marching right staight to Jeruselem and Jehoshaphat soon was told
So he called all the people together and everyone fasted and prayed
The Lord God answered the people and He said there's no need for you to be afraid
Because the battle is mine tomorrow, it's not yours and it's not the kings
And all you got to do is just stand and watch to see the salvation I bring
Just believe that what I told you is exactly what I'm going to do
And go out tomorrow against them because the Lord's gonna fight for you
Great jumpin' Jehoshaphat
The army rose early next morning marched on out with the king
Jehoshaphat chose some singers, he told them singers to sing
And they praised the beauty of holiness instead of shouting out a battle cry
And all the way down to the enimies camp they sang to the Lord on high
They were singing Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end
The Lord God set up an ambush He got the enemy all turned around
And they started killing each other you know till they all laid dead on the ground
And the riches and the jewels that they left behind it took them three whole days to hall
The children of Juda all praised the Lord because He saved them one and all
They were singing Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end
If the paralle not real obvious now I'll spell it right out for you
When you see trouble comin' to rip you off here's all that you need to do
Pray to your heavenly father and believe that His Word is true
And then step out and shout the salvation of God because He'll win that battle for you
And praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end
It will never end!
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord for His mercy indores forever and ever
Praise ye the Lord our God His mercy will never end
Voyage To Gennesaret
by Don Francisco
Eleven men besides myself in a boat both small and light
Pushed off for Gennesaret in the first watch of the night
A storm blew up at midnight coming hard down on the prow
We started losing headway shipping water stem and bow
When someone shouted loud, "Hey, look to starboard on the sea!"
The men screamed out in terror at the form we all could see
A man was walking on the water, and we trembled, cried and prayed
Till He stopped and turned and spoke to us, "It is I, don't be afraid."
I shouted out to Jesus, "If it's You, then call to me,
And tell me how to come to You and walk across the sea."
Without a second's thought He looked at me and answered, "Come!"
My insides turned to water and my mind went blank and numb.
I climbed across the gunwhale looking straight into His eyes
But long before I reached His side, the wind began to rise
I forgot Him in an instant and I sank just like a stone
I cried out, "Jesus save me!" and His hand was on my own.
"Oh man of little faith," He said, "what made you doubt My word.
Have you been this long with Me without knowing what you've heard?"
We climbed into the boat and all at once the wind was gone
The sea turned calm and gentle and the day began to dawn.
We knelt amazed and worshipped Him for the power He displayed
For all that we had seen had left us wondering and dismayed
It was not till after Pentecost I could really understand
But even when I doubted Him, He did not let go my hand.
Steeple Song
by Don Francisco
I don't care how many buses you own
Or the size of your sanctuary
It doesn't matter how steep your steeple is
If it's sittin' on a cemetery
I don't care if you pave your parking lot
Or put pads upon your pews
What good is picture perfect stage
If you're missin' all the cues?
I don't care if your pastor's super-powered
And your program's always new
What you need is love and truth
And men are going to come to you
It doesn't matter that you know the Bible
If it's all just in your head
The thing I need to ask you is
Have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for your children
Are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you livin' as a servant to
Your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
I don't care if you pray for miracles
I don't care if you speak with tongues
I don't care if you said you love Me
In every song you've sung
It doesn't matter that your sacrifice of praise
Is loud enough to raise the dead
The thing I need to ask you is
Have you done the things I said?
Repeat Chorus
Lord, when were You a prisoner
That we did not come to You?
When was it that we saw You sick
That we didn't follow through
Every time you turned your head
And pretended not to see
When you did it not to the least of these
You did it not to Me
Do you love your wife?
With all you've got inside you
Are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you living as a servant
To your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
Beautiful To Me
by Don Francisco
The crowds were in the streets that day when Jesus came to town
All the synagogue was there and more from miles around
So I asked him home to dinner just to see what I could see
Of this famous local prophet from here in Galilee
And I don't know just how that woman got into the room
But you couldn't miss her gaudy clothes and her strong and sweet perfume.
She went straight to Jesus' feet and stopped and stood right there
Then cried and wet His feet with tears and dried them with her hair.
Now of all the women in my town none was more well known
For the fragrant sin she'd lived in and the wickedness she'd sown.
But He didn't move to stop her -- seemed this phophet couldn't tell
That the woman who was touching Him was the kind they buy and sell.
And I had no idea just what this Jesus planned to do
When he said "Simon, there's something I need to say to you."
So I said "Teacher, if it's on your mind then tell me what you will."
But as He began to speak to me the room grew quickly still
He said "Take a good look at this woman now, in spite of all her fears
She's kissed me and anointed me and washed my feet with tears.
She's honored me and you've been only rude to me instead.
You gave no kiss of greeting, no anointing for my head."
And her sins were red as scarlet and now they're washed away.
The love and faith she's shown is all the price she has to pay
For the depth of God's forgiveness, it's more than you can see
And in spite of what you think of her, she's beautiful to me
Now my anger flamed to hatred, I wanted nothing more
Than to take this prophet by the throat and throw Him out the door
To act like God, forgiving sins, and then speak so to me.
This itinerant from Nazareth in backwards Galilee.
But instead I sat and trembled, shaken to the core
The woman still was weeping as she knelt there on the floor
Jesus turned to her and said, "Your chains have been released
Your faith has saved you from your sins, rise -- walk in peace."
Your sins were red as scarlet but now they're washed away.
The love and faith you've shown is all the price you have to pay
For the depth of God's forgiveness, it's deeper than the sea
And no matter what the world may think, you're beautiful to me.
There Is No Condemnation
by Don Francisco
Sittin' by my window on a rainy afternoon
Everything inside my head was playin' out of tune
I was thinkin' of the fool I'd made of me the night before
In front of God and everyone I'd sinned and sinned some more.
I thought of all the things I'd done, I winced at things I'd said
I wallowed in self-pity, I hung my worried head
Right when I was so far down that even up looked wrong
That's when Jesus gave to me the chorus of this song.
He said, "Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear"
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.
Now I could say that right away the sun burst through the clouds
And I just started singin' on the chorus right out loud
But actually I moped around and blew another day
Before I let myself accept the words I'd heard Him say.
Repeat Chorus
So I can't criticize you now if you want to take your time
And cling to all your problems just the way I clung to mine
But now you've got the answer Jesus wanted you to know
He'll take your sin and guilt away if you'll just let them go.
Repeat Chorus (Sing last line twice)
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Give Your Heart A Home
by Don Francisco
I hear your hollow laughter your sighs of secret pain
Pretending and inventing just to hide your shame
Plastic smiles and faces blinkin' back the tears
Empty friends and places all magnify your fears
If you're tired and weary, weak and heavy laden
I can understand how it feels to be alone
I will take your burden, if you'll let Me love you,
Wrap My arms around you, Give your heart a home
It hurts to watch you struggle and try so hard to win
But trade your precious birth right for candy coated sin
Wasting precious moments restless and confused
Building up defenses for fear that you'll be used
If you're tired and weary, weak and heavy laden
I can understand how it feels to be alone
I will take your burden, if you'll let Me love you,
Wrap My arms around you, Give your heart a home
Take My yoke upon you and walk here by My side
Let Me heal your heartaches, dry the tears you've cried
Never will I leave you, never turn away
Keep you through the darkness lead you through the day
If you're tired and weary, weak and heavy laden
I can understand how it feels to be alone
I will take your burden, if you'll let Me love you,
Wrap My arms around you, Give your heart a home
Wrap My arms around you, Give your heart a home
It Ain't No Sin To Get The Blues
by Don Francisco
Some people when they meet you
Wear a manufactured smile
You can't tell if they're really happy
Or just tryin to be in style
It's like somebody told 'em
Only sinners ever frown
But when you're really hurtin'
It ain't no crime for feelin' down
No obedience that means sufferin'
And to some that may be news
Jesus paid our lifetime membership
But you still gotta pay some dues
So when Job's comforters surround you
And your prayers all seem refused
Don't you lie about your troubles
It ain't no sin to get the blues
BRIDGE
Now some folks dig self-pity
But others make it clear
That if it were pos'ble
They'd rewrite the Epistles and the Gospels
So that nobody, nobody, ever
Had to shed a tear
Everybody's got to suffer sometime
We all got to work out our salvation on our own
Jesus never told you pain would never get a hold of you
He said "I'll never leave you all alone"
So when you feel those tears start rollin'
Don't you get yourself confused
He'll dry your tears if you just cry 'em
It ain't no sin to get the blues
Now you can say you're doin' fine
Say there's nothin' on your mind
Denounce it and deny it
Stick you head down in the sand
Try and make out like your Superman
But ain't nobody, nobody
Really gonna buy it
Everybody Else But Me
by Don Francisco
Way back there in Jesus' time; the Pharisees walked so proud
They thought that they had the way to God; they prayed their prayers out loud
But Jesus said they had hell to pay; for the pretense and the games they'd play
I'm glad that's not like us today; we wouldn't act like that
Everybody else but me, Everybody else but me
He was talking to the hypocrite and pharisee
Everybody else but me
I went to church one day last month, the preacher he preached real good
Talked about 'true' commitment; New Testament brotherhood
Talked about watching the things we say; the gossip that can wound and slay
I sure wish Joe had been there that day; cause he really needed to hear it
When Jesus made disciples; he told them what they had to do
He said take up your cross and follow me; deny yourself and you'll be free
But he ment those guys back in Galilee; that was just for them back then
Everybody else but me; everybody else but me
He was talking to those people back in Galilee
Anybody else but me
Balaam
by Don Francisco
Balaam was a prophet about the time that Moses was coming through
And every now and again God'd speak to him and tell him what to say and do
He had a reputation in all those parts for bein' on the line of power
And when Moab's king heard Moses was comin' he called him in his neady hour
He said, "Balaam come and curse these Israelites
If you do I believe I could beat 'em in a fight!"
But when Balaam asked the Lord, the Lord said, "Balaam don't you go
Israel is blessed by Me, don't you go mess up My show"
But Balaam's head was turned by the money he could earn
So he saddled up his donkey anyway
Balaam and his servants hurried off for the King of Moab's castle
But they hadn't gone very far down the road when the whole trip became a hassle
Because the donkey ran off across a field, then she nearly broke Balaam's ankle
But when she lay right down and wouldn't get up Balaam got a little more than rankled
For the third time Balaam beat her with his cane
But that donkey just refused to move again
It was the thing that happened next though, that made Balaam's knees get weak
Well, that donkey still would not get up but she began to speak
She said, "Balaam you're to blame, the way you beat me is a shame
'Cause all I've done is tried to save your life!"
Then the Angel of the Lord appeared with a flamin' sword in his hand
Balaam fell down on his face, a very frightened man
The Angel said, "Balaam, you'd be dead if your donkey hadn't detected
That I was waitin' there to part your hair when you and my sword connected"
Balaam then repented for his sin
And he promised not to act like that again
And I hope he learned his lesson about God's reward for greed
But you know it's that talkin' donkey that's really strange indeed
Now that donkey's just a donkey but she's still the thing God used
And that's the point I want you all to see
The Lord's the one who makes the choice of the instrument He's usin'
We don't know the reasons and the plans behind His choosin'
So when the Lord starts usin' you don't you pay it any mind
He 'could have used the dog next door if He'd been so inclined
I Could Never Promise You
by Don Francisco
I could never promise you on just my strength alone
That all my life I'd care for you and love you as my own.
I've never know the future -- I only see today
Words that last a life time would be more than I could say.
But the love inside my heart today is more than mine alone;
It never changes, never fails, it never seeks its own.
And by the God who gives it and who lives in me and you,
I know the words I speak today are words I'm going to do.
So I stand before you now for all to hear and see
And promise you in Jesus' name -- the love He's given me;
And through the years on earth as eternity goes by,
The life and love He's given us -- are never going to die
Still Your Soul In Silence
by Don Francisco
In the lives of those that follow there is going to come a time
When rhythm starts to stumble and singsong swallows rhyme
When imaginations crumble, false foundations turn to dust
Towers fall to piles of stones and girders into rust
Til you let the blood of Jesus wash the rubble from your mind
And your eyes again can see the one you almost left behind
When theology's in tatters and reason is absurd
Still your soul in silence and listen for His word
So many turns, so many ways, so many voices cry
Standing at the crossroads watching time go flashing by
Indecision paralyzes, it's the fear of choosing wrong
But waiting is a step itself, and your wondering too long
So again you search the scripture, and again you ask your friends
But last of all the One who knows the beginning from the end
In the clamor and confusion and the blindness of your choice
Still your soul in silence, and listen for His voice
Rome is full of ruins, Babylon is gone
The temple's just a memory that some still dwell upon
But deep within a place that sword and veil had once denied
A tree of life is growing, living waters flow beside
Far beyond all human reason and words upon a page
His glory lightens all who fret their hour upon this stage
To know Him is our freedom, to hear Him is release
To fix your heart and soul on Him is rest and perfect peace
Lullaby
by Don Francisco
Darkness covers all the land -- sounds of day are gone;
But love is all around you now and will be 'till the dawn
Stars shine on the window sill, the moon shines through the trees;
Angels by your bed tonight -- shine where no one sees.
So there's no need to be afraid all the whole night through
'Cause God has made a promise child, that He'll take care of you.
Stars shine on the window sill, the moon shines through the trees;
Angels by your bed tonight -- shine where no one sees.
All that you've been dreamin' of awaits you when you rise;
So with the peace that Jesus brings close your sleepy eyes.
Stars shine on the window sill, the moon shines through the trees;
Angels by your bed tonight -- shine where no one sees.
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