The Broken Heart - Valley of Vision

O Lord,

No day of my life has passed that has not
proved me guilty in your sight.
Prayers have been uttered from a
prayerless heart;
Praise has been offered praiseless sound;
My best services are filthy rags.
Blessed Jesus, let me find a covert in your appeasing wounds.
Though my sins rise to heaven your merits soar
above them;
Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell,
your righteousness exalts me to your throne.
All things in me call for my rejection,
All things in you plead my acceptance.
I appeal from the throne of perfect justice
to your throne of boundless grace.
Grant me to hear your voice assuring me:
that by your stripes I am healed,
that you were bruised for my iniquities,
that you have been made sin for me
that I might be righteous in you,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins,
are all forgiven,
buried in the ocean of your concealing blood.
I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost, but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning, but cleansed.
Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to your cross,
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,
sparkling like crystal,
flowing clear and unsullied
through my wilderness of life.

Journeying On - Valley of Vision

Lord of the cloud and fire,

I am a stranger, with a stranger's indifference;
My hands hold a pilgrim's staff,
My march is Zionward,
My eyes are toward the coming of the Lord,
My heart is in your hands without reserve.
You have created it,
Redeemed it,
Renewed it,
Captured it,
Conquered it.
Keep from it every opposing foe,
crush in it every rebel lust,
mortify every treacherous passion,
annihilate every earthborn desire.
All faculties of my being vibrate to your touch;
I love you with soul, mind, body, strength,
might, spirit, affection, will,
desire, intellect, understanding.
You are the very perfection of all perfections;
All intellect is derived from you;
My scanty rivulets flow from your unfathomable fountain.
Compared with you the sun is darkness,
all beauty deformity,
all wisdom folly,
the best goodness faulty.
You are worthy of an adoration greater than
my dull heart can yield;
Invigorate my love that it may rise worthily to You,
tightly entwine itself round you,
be allured by you.
Then shall my walk be endless praise.

Love Shines

Such a great day today leading at The Austin Stone. I'm completely humbled that God has allowed me to be part of this church and that He has been so gracious to let me help lead worship.
Today felt different. I felt like my heart connected in a deeper way. I guess that is what happens when you start consistently getting into His word. You start to know more of who He is, and what He's done for you and you can't help but worship Him. He is so good.
We've been singing a song called "Love Shines" some of the guys wrote it and it has been such an anthem for our church.  This song came out of a prayer from the book "The Valley of Vision".
The prayer is called "Love Lustres (Shines) at Calvary" it's beautiful....here it is:

My Father,
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,
open my lips,
supply words that proclaim 'Love shines at Calvary'.
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on Your Son,
made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There Your infinite attributes were magnified,
and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due,
and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell's worst
that I might attain heaven's best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
thirsty that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory,
entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
My Savior wept that all tears may be wiped
from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive
welcome,
closed his eyes in death that I might gaze
on unclouded brightness,
expired that I might for ever live.
O Father, who spared not Your only Son that You
might spare me,
All this transfer your love designed and
accomplished;
Help me to adore You by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
hell's gates closed, heaven's portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me 
the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

The song that came out of this:

Amazing Love that sent His Son

To suffer in my stead.

The sinless King who died for me,
When I deserved His death.
Yes, I deserved His death.

The Savior wept my every tear,
He groaned that I might sing.
My thorny crown upon His head,
My cross, His suffering
My cross, His suffering

Your love shines
Love shines at Calvary, Calvary
Your love shines
Love shines at Calvary, Cavary

Jesus, Glorious Risen One,
No grave could keep Him stayed.
And He who triumphed over death,
Now lives and leads my way.
He lives and leads my way.
He lives and leads my way

Your love shines
Love shines at Calvary, Calvary
And we proclaim, that Jesus reigns
In victory, victory

From the cross from the grave you rose victoriously
Son of God, King of love you reign victoriously

Love this so much.

A Disciple's Renewal - Valley of Vision

O my Saviour,Help me.
I am so slow to learn,
so prone to forget,
so weak to climb;
I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.
I am blind while light shines around me;
take the scales from my eyes,
grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.
Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
meditate on thee,
gaze on thee,
sit like Mary at thy feet,
lean like John on thy breast,
appeal like Peter to thy love,
count like Paul all things dung.
Give me increase and progress in grace
so that there may be
more decision in my character,
more vigour in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervour in my devotion,
more constancy in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature
what can be found only in the Creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee
until it vanishes into sight.
Ride forth in me, thou King of kings
and Lord of lords,
that I may live victoriously,
and in victory attain my end.

Valley of Vision pg 334-335