They have placed the constellations in the brilliant midnight sky
They have opened Heaven’s storehouses of rain
They have written every word in every language on this earth
They have lit the sun’s illuminating flame

They have touched and cleansed the lepers who were shunned by all they knew
They have made the blind to see the shining sun
They have mended broken hearts and brought the dead to life again
Look at what those hands have done

They have felt the piercing pain of sharp nails pouring out their blood
They have reached out for the lonely, offering unending love
They have hung upon a cross of shame for all the world to see
Just what those hands would do for me

Whose hands have plunged the knife into the backs of friends they’ve lost
And have slammed the door on God’s beloved Son
And have held onto their pleasures no matter what the cost

All this blood was a stain that I could never wash away
Look at what these hands have done!

They have caused that piercing pain of sharp nails pouring out His blood
They have preyed upon the lonely, and rejected His great love
They have thorn-crowned their Creator and mocking called Him King
See what these hands have done to Him

Whose hands have placed the constellations in the brilliant midnight sky
And have made the blind to see the shining sun
And have mended broken hearts like mine, raised me back to life

Look at what His hands have done
See the wayward heart He’s won
Look and tell me why you’d run
From those hands, those outstretched hands
That call you home with love that will never let you go,
Will give you the freedom you thought you’d never know…

Look at what those hands have done.

I can sense you slipping
They’re pulling you down
I know it’s hard to stand up
When temptation’s all around
And when the ones you thought would hold you up
Are only helping you fall
I hope you know
I want to help you stand tall

And I’m on my knees
With my hands raised begging, please
Lord, give him strength
I’m on my knees
‘Cause I know it’s easier
To follow than to lead
So when you feel alone and weak
I hope you know
I’m on my knees

I’ve heard prayer’s always worth it
I sure believe that’s true
Though sometimes I pray heartbroken
Just wishing that you knew
That when the ones you thought would hold you up
Just keep helping you fall
I’ll be here
To support you through it all

I’m on my knees
With my hands raised begging, please
Lord, give him strength
I’m on my knees
‘Cause I know it’s easier
To follow than to lead

Oh, I’m on my knees
Begging, begging O Lord, please
Give him Thy strength
I’m on my knees
Lead him, Lord, give him Thy joy and peace
And when he’s weak
Can you let him know I love him?
Even if I can only love him
On my knees, on my knees
I’ll keep loving him
On my knees

Chosen as His bride I just don’t understand
Doesn’t he know I’m not worth His love?
My life is only lies
And empty love that leaves me broken
Doesn’t He see I’m not what He dreamed of?

He holds me-I’m secure
Then I run back to my lovers
That give me what I think
I’ve always needed to survive
He feeds me-I am nourished
Then I go begging to the others
Thinking that their food
Will leave me better satisfied

And He waits, He waits for me
With more pure love in His heart
Than I could ever dare to take
He waits for that back door to be opened
Knowing I will feel my shame
And try to escape
His notice

Walking in the door I don’t expect to see
My groom standing before me
In the clothes he wore that day
The look on His face sends me
Falling to my knees as I realize
His love has never changed

And He lifts me up from the pool of my tears
He pulls me close ’til I’m suffocated
I know He’s angry but, his hurt
Is punishment enough
He offers Himself to me once more
So desperately-I can’t breathe

I know now that I can’t go back to what I had
Now He’s everything
I love Him with all that I am
And His love for me is all I have left

He waits for me to come back home
He lifts me when I fall to the ground
He feeds me, He holds me
And He loves me with a love
I can’t believe I’ve found

I have always loved the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This poem came to me as I was thinking about her desperation as she left Thornfield Hall and her own Mr. Rochester-the day after they were to marry.

Plain Jane

I walked the dirt road listening
For your voice to call me back
I waited for a dream to take me
Off that beaten track
I prayed that you could hold me
In your warm embrace once more
Yet I knew things could never be what they were
Before
Your face tortured my imagination
And I hated hurting you
But, what could I do?
My heart was breaking in two
So I had to follow what I knew

Oh, how did I forget my place?
I let myself hold onto hope
That things were gonna change
Oh, how did I forget my face?
You made me think I was worth something
But I am nothing
Nothing but this plain Jane

That night I begged for shelter
But noone heard my cry
And I told God if I had to live without you
I was sure I’d rather die
The muddy earth my bed, a rock my pillow
As I yearned for your touch
Yet I knew even heaven couldn’t give me that much

Oh, how did I forget my place?
I let myself hold onto hope
That things were gonna change
Oh, how did I forget my face?
You made me think I was worth something
But I am nothing
Nothing but this plain Jane

Even though you still may think I’m worth all your love
And even though I need you more than I can bear
All my life I’ve hid this passion that’s burning in me
So people wouldn’t see, all that they shouldn’t see
In the heart so deep inside of me

But now you’ve ripped it out, ripped it out

Oh, how did I forget my place?
I let myself hold onto hope
That things were gonna change
How did I forget this face?
You made me think I was worth something
Maybe I was worth something to you for a while
But I am nothing
Still nothing but this plain Jane

Oh, Mr. Rochester, come to me
Don’t leave me here alone
Though I know I can’t be yours anymore
Oh, Mr. Rochester, come save me
From myself
I’ve had enough of being nothing but a
Plain Jane!

You wanted what I had
And didn’t know you already had it
So you let it slip away
Just like that

You wanted to be me
And didn’t know I wanted to be you
And have what you had

So many words left unsaid
So many years now gone by
Between my best friend and I
So, if you’re out there listening

I wish I would have told you
How my heart ached for you
Maybe you would not have bled so long
I wish that you could know how
Much I love you but now
It’s the end, time is gone
That’s the end of it all
That’s the end of this song…

That never could be sung
This bell I pointlessly have rung
I’m sending out an S.O.S
For my best friend
Longing to be rescued from
The lonely side of this radio
The lonely side of this song…

That never could be sung
This bell I never should have rung
I’m sending out an S.O.S
For my best friend
Knowing I will not be rescued from
This loneliness

The lonely silence of
This song

A-E-F#m-lowA-E-F#m-D

Roads (Click to open the recording in a new window)

Two roads diverged in a barren heart
And I stood wondering which one I should take
The first was a temptation
Full of every sweet sensation
And this heart started racing
With excitement
The second one looked hard to walk
The signs weren’t filled with pretty talk
And I put up every roadblock
To escape it

Both roads claimed they would take me
Where I wanted to go
So I chose the one which felt the best to me
I should have known

Following your heart works for the movies
But rarely leads you well in reality
And oftentimes the road that seems
Impossible to tread
Is the one that takes you where you want to be
I know pleasure’s road looks thrilling,
All its sensations fulfilling
But take it from one who knows
You’ll never reach home
Without taking the other road

I walk back to the fork in the road
After traveling the path of the deceived
I can’t believe I was so blind
I let the tour guide make my mind up
It took me years retracing to find
Where I went wrong
A life of foolish choices
Listening to foolish voices
So now my only choice is
To choose again

Both roads claimed they would take me
Where I wanted to go
But the one I took landed me in this prison cell
So by experience I’m telling you

Following your heart works for the movies
But rarely leads you well in reality
And oftentimes the road that seems
Impossible to tread
Is the one that takes you where you want to be
I know pleasure’s road looks thrilling,
All its sensations fulfilling
But take it from one who knows
You’ll never reach home
Without taking the other road.

We learn the list of miracles
That 36 are known
We learn all the disciples’ names
Like Peter, James, and John
We learn all the Spirit’s titles
Comforter and Holy Ghost…
We learn the rules, the dos and don’ts
Avoid this-do this most

Yes, we know the facts and figures
The mathematics, book by book
All the scientific evidence
For which we’re made to look
We can read all those Old English words
And never blink an eye
We’ve got theology, philosophy
On which we base our pride

Forget the statistics!
This ain’t about some record log
It’s time we fall to our knees
Leave the figuring to God
His love is not a figure
Made up of numbers and straight lines
We can’t lock Him up inside a box
The “I AM” won’t be defined
Can’t know everything
So, why has this pursuit of genius
Become our shtick?
Our salvation’s become
Salvation’s become
Just one more statistic.

We’re surprised when we get thirsty
This masquerade sure makes us tired
We turn to our knowledge to be refreshed
Then, we find the well is dry
We thought our search for deeper meanings
Would make us satisfied
But, all that’s left is emptiness
Suffocated stoic-have I died?

Yes, we know the facts and figures
The mathematics, book by book
All the scientific evidence
For which we’re made to look
We can read all those Old English words
And never blink an eye
But if theology means nothing to us
It’s practically a lie

Forget the statistics!
This ain’t about some record log
It’s time we fall to our knees
Leave the figuring to God
His love is not a figure
Made up of numbers and straight lines
We can’t lock Him up inside a box
The “I AM” won’t be defined
Can’t know everything
So, why has this pursuit of genius
Become our shtick?
Our salvation’s become
Even salvation’s become
Another statistic.

As a little child I skinned my knee
Falling off the playground slide
When I saw the blood trickling down my leg
I hid my face and cried
When I walked barefoot on the fishing dock
And the wood put a splinter in my skin
I screamed if anyone tried to take it out
‘Cause of all the pain I was in

Then my mother would tell me the story
That still lives in my heart today
The story of one named Jesus
And a child He came to save

She told of a King born in a stable
She told of God’s Son born to a virgin girl
And a star that led poor, lowly shepherds to greet
One who ages before had created the world
Mother told me the greatest story ever told

The more I cried, the more I bled
The more of the story I’d hear
Cause Mother wouldn’t give up ’til the whole story
Of Jesus reached my ear
She told me of the miracles
Making blind to see, deaf to hear
Raising the dead to life

She told of a king crowned with a crown of thorns
Beat into his skull
She told of God’s Son nailed to a cross
For common criminals
And the darkness that clothed the whole world for three hours
As the Light from above was suffering for my sin
She told me of Jesus

And I finally realized
That the blood trickling down my leg was nothing
Compared to that precious blood He shed
And that splinter was soft as a pillow
Compared to the thorn-crown on His head

Yes, she told of a King born in a stable
She told of God’s Son born to a virgin girl
And a star that led poor, lowly shepherds to greet
This child who ages before had created the world
But then
She told of a King crowned with a crown of thorns
Beat into His skull
She told of God’s Son nailed to a cross
For common criminals

And I found out I needed Jesus to save me
From more than the hurt that I felt
From falling down
Jesus died-He died for me
And that story turned my whole life around

Mother told me of Jesus…..Jesus

Gm-F-Eb-C#

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

Grace came down to me
Grace so beautiful and free
People may say the feeling
Fades into history, but
This grace
It’s still amazing me.

Amazing grace, that like a flood
Came washing over me
That cleansed my soul with precious blood
And from sin set me free

Grace came down to me
Grace so beautiful and free
People may say the feeling
Fades into history, but
It’s still amazing me.

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree
I love thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow
‘Tis Thou who art worthy, Lord Jesus, ’tis Thou.

Love came down to me
Love so beautiful and free
People may say love
Fades in time, but
This love, His love
It’s still amazing me.

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my heart, my life, my all

Love came down to me
Love so beautiful, beautiful and free
I know people, they say
Love fades with time
But this love, His love
So amazing, so divine
That I can call Him mine
Oh, it’s still amazing
He’s still amazing me.

Have you heard the One whose voice is
The most beautiful sound ever made?
Have seen you seen His loving smile
Or gazed on His lovely face?
The dearest Friend I have
Has the sweetest name I know
No other name will take its place in my heart
No matter where I go

His name is Jesus, Jesus
His name is Jesus, Jesus
And I know
Jesus is mine

Have you felt guilty for all the bad things
You’ve done that you thought no one saw you do?
Have you read of the cruel Roman cross
He was nailed to so He could die for you?
I’ve been down that road before
Ashamed of the mess I’d made
Until I met Him for the first time one night
And heard Him gently say

My name is Jesus, Jesus
My name is Jesus, Jesus
Did you know
I died to give you life?
I love you ’cause it’s who I am
And no matter what you’ve done
I want you to be mine

His name is Jesus, Jesus
His name is Jesus, I love Him
And I know Jesus is mine.

Ab-Eb-Db