1. |
Follow Me (87 Times)
04:51
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Bryan Sirchio
Justice and Love
I met this preacher from Australia
He read the Bible searching for its dominant themes
And he counted 87 times when Jesus said... "Follow me."
Well you know that got me thinking
Maybe that's the bottom line of what "Christian" means
'Cause "I follow Jesus" is deeper than "I believe"
'Cause it don't take much to mentally agree
With a set of beliefs written down in some creed
Now don't get me wrong,
we need to know what we believe
But lately I've been wondering...
(Chorus)
Am I following Jesus, or just believing in Christ
'Cause I can believe and not change a thing
But following will change my whole life
He never said, come, acknowledge my existence
Or believe in me I'm the 2nd person of the Trinity
But 87 time he said... Follow me
But if I'm a follower of Jesus,
Then why am I such a good life insurance risk?
And why, when I do my giving,
do I still keep so much when so much hunger exists?
And if I follow Jesus, then why do I have so many friends
among the affluent, and so few among the poor?
And if I follow Jesus,
why do missiles and guns make me feel more secure?
And it don't take much to mentally assent
To a statement of faith we can confirm and forget
But following will change our lifestyle if we get it and
more and more I'm wondering...
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Yes, we need to know what we believe,
to follow the Jesus who's real
God save us from the Christ's we create in our image
(you know what I mean...)
The Jesus who's as left wing or right wing as we
The one who baptizes our cherished ideologies
The one who always seems to favor our side
against some enemy
Now I don't mean to sound self-righteous
God knows I've got more questions than answers to proclaim
But its been over 20 years now since Jesus called my name
So forgive me if I'm mistaken
But there's something wrong with a lot of churches
in America these days
And I think the Spirit's trying to tell us
There's a question that the churches need to raise...
(Chorus)
Are we following Jesus? Or just believing in Christ?
'Cause we can believe, and not change a thing
But following will change our whole life
He never said, come, acknowledge my existence
Or believe in me, I'm your first class ticket to eternity...
But 87 times he said... Follow me...
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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2. |
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"Women Walked With Jesus Too"
Well almost everyone has heard of the apostles
The twelve men who walked by Jesus' side
But not so many seem to know the women of the Gospels
For lots of reasons they've not been historically recognized
So its time to celebrate some female disciples
Women who walked with Him
when the savior walked the earth
Mary Jesus' Mother, and Mary Magdalene (repeat)
Mary and Martha of Bethany (repeat)
Susanna, Joanna, and the women Jesus healed (repeat)
Salome and Mary, mother of James (repeat)
The Syrophenician woman, and the woman at the well (repeat)
And "certain other women" in Luke 8 (repeat)
They were the last to leave the cross,
and the first to reach the tomb
Women walked with Jesus too
They were the last to leave the cross,
and the first to reach the tomb
Women walked with Jesus too
Credits:
Words & Music By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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3. |
I'd Just Like To Know
05:16
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"I'd Just Like To Know"
I don't mind you trying to maximize your profits
I'm not trying to take a dime from your pocket
I don't want to see anyone lose a job
And I've no intention to stage a boycott
(Chorus)
I'd just like to know where my money goes
I'd just like to know if there's a sweat stain
hidden in the clothes I buy
Tell me why, if you've got nothing to hide, you don't
Disclose the names of the factories that you use
Open up their doors to an independent human rights group
If there's a reason why you won't
I'd just like to know
Wal-Mart, Disney, Nike, Guess, and J.C. Penney
I can't name them all-there's just too many
And I know these markets are competitive by nature
I am not saying you shouldn't use third-world labor
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Tell me please, what's with these off-shore factories
With barbed wire fences and guns at the gates
Tell us please, we need to know exactly
How our clothes are made
And what kind of wage those workers get paid
Let's bring it all to the light of day
(Repeat verse one and Chorus)
(Tag)
It's a small world after all,
you can't do business in the shadows (repeat)
What 'ya doing in Nicaragua, Indonesia and Saipan?
Bangladesh and Guatemala, Malaysia and Viet Nam
Maquillas in Honduras, in China and Salvador
In Thailand and Burma - what's going on behind those factory doors
In New York City, in Haiti and L.A.
The Dominican Republic - let's bring it all into the light of day
I'd like to know what you're doing in Mexico
Liz Claiborne, and K-Mart and Reebok and J Crew
I hear Victoria's got a secret
Eddie Bauer and the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch
All I'd like are the facts; all I'm asking is this...
Let's bring it all into the light of day
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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4. |
The Greatest Enemy
03:26
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"The Greatest Enemy"
Every day my list is long
So many things to do
Calls to return and letters to write
Most of them long overdue
God knows I can't stand to let people down
Or maybe I'm addicted to always trying to please
But lately I find myself thinking about
These words I heard recently
(Chorus)
The greatest enemy of God's will for your life
Is all the good things others want you to do
You keep saying yes, 'til there's no time left
To do what you're most deeply called to do
You know, "yes" doesn't mean much if you never say no
Are you doing what you're meant to do?
Don't let the good things take what's best from you
Choices would be much easier
If they were always between
The essential things and the expendable
But its rarely that way it seems
They're between good and best
instead of right and wrong
What good thing will I say no to?
I'll probably disappoint a friend
Should I write that letter, or should I write this song?
How do those words go again...
(Chorus)
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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5. |
If You Eat Each Day
04:51
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"If You Eat Each Day"
Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere
I go there now and then to get my vision clear
Sometimes it gets so hazy in this land of
I consume therefore I am
I was working in this clinic for the dying & diseased
Living skeletons with AIDS and TB
Organized and run by Mother Teresa and her sisters of Charity
I asked the nun in charge, Sister, what should I do?
She smiled and said I've got a job for you
Then she gave me a pair of scissors, and said,
See that man right there
He'd like for you to cut his hair
I said, oh, Sister are you sure?...
I mean its not like I have given
many haircuts in my day
But I was there to help, so I just smiled and said, OK
So there I was, this natural born Vidal Sassoon
just snipping that hair away
We struck up conversation as best we could
His English was broken, my Creole's not too good
But we managed to communicate enough for him to say
Something I never will forget
You see I asked him, do you think I'm rich?
And this was his response to me
He said, well how many times a week do you eat?
Well his question took my voice away
And then he said, you mean you eat every day?
And I said, yeah, and he just said this
Well if you eat each day, you're rich
Somehow that moment felt to me like Holy Ground
I finished his haircut and when I turned around
There was a whole line of customers
who kinda like the way I cut that one man's hair!
So I gave them haircuts but they gave me so much more
They gave me the perspective of the poorest of the poor
And I know I'll spend the rest of my life
trying to somehow respond
'Cause if its true as we often say that wealth is relative
It just might take the dying poor in a place like Port au Prince
To help us see this relativity from God's point of view
To cut through our first world denial with gospel Truth
And as for me, I know I need to receive this paradigm shift
That in a hungry world, if we eat each day...
We're rich
Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere
I go there now and then to get my vision clear
Sometimes it gets so hazy in this land of
I consume therefore I am
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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6. |
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"There Really Is A God" (The Daycare Song)
Michelle and her husband ran a daycare
They did it for love, and not much money
Word got around, they turned no children down
Even when their parents couldn't pay
And sometimes their friends would tell them
You know you can't do business this way
Michelle and her husband would gently respond
We're just trying to live as though
There really is a God
A mother of two kids, her name was Suzanne
She dropped off her children every morning
She never once paid, and at first that was O.K.
But after a while, Michelle felt used
And then one day Suzanne and her kids just disappeared
Michelle and the daycare got ripped off
Fine thanks for living as though
There really is a God
But not long after that, Michelle was praying one night
And this picture of Suzanne just flashed into her mind
And then this thought came out of nowhere, that said
"Find out where Suzanne lives,
and take a bag of groceries to her kids"
Well at first Michelle thought "no way"
"She ripped me off - why should I be kind/"
But every time she prayed, Suzanne came to her mind
So she finally said "all right!"
And she took those groceries by
There was no one at the door
She left the groceries on the porch
A year or so later, Michelle was driving
A couple of towns away one day
When to her surprise, some children caught her eye
And sure enough, it was Suzanne's kids
Well at first Michelle was tempted
To just keep driving on
But something deep inside said, "Stop"
Things like this happen when
There really is a God
Well the kids were glad to see Michelle
They gave her great big hugs
They said, "Michelle, come see where we live now"
Suzanne was at the door, and said
Michelle I'm glad you've come
Can I get you some coffee?
Please sit down
Then she said, Michelle, I'm sorry -
I never paid your bill
And you prob'ly won't believe me,
but I promise you I will
And I'd really like to tell you why things
happened as they did
Michelle said, there's no need
But Suzanne said, let me, please
You see I was married to a very angry man
He took all I had, I took his abuse
Then he just took off;
I was evicted with two hungry kids
I had no one that I could turn to
And I'm not proud of what I'm going to tell you now
But I was so hopeless and desperate
That I pawned my wedding ring,
and I bought myself a gun
And I planned to take my life,
and the lives of both my sons
But driving back home from the pawn shop
I cried out "Hey God, if you're really there!"
I need to know now! And God, I'm not messing around
And as I pulled into the drive
There were two huge bags of groceries on my porch
And Michelle, I know you prob'ly think I'm odd
But those groceries proved to me that
There really is a God
And believing God was with her, Suzanne was not alone
She grabbed the yellow pages,
and called a church up on the phone
And she says, from that day forward,
its like I've had a brand new life
And Michelle, well,
she never mentioned who brought those groceries by
Michelle and her husband run a daycare
They do it for love and not much money
And sometimes their friends still tell them
You know, you can't do business this way
But they just smile and gently respond
We're just trying to live as though
There really is a God
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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7. |
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"Westbound On Interstate 80 (The Sneaker Song)"
Westbound on Interstate 80, driving with my family
Little kids, little bladders, you know how it is
"Dad, can we stop soon please?"
Saw one of those blue signs, "Rest Area 2 Miles"
We got there just in time
While I was waiting for my children,
I saw this homeless man
Dirty hair, dirty clothes, you know how it is
Looking like a street man can
Something in my heart said, how can I help this man?
And then these words popped right into my head that said...
How does the love of God abide in you
If you have this world's goods
and yet refuse to help someone in need?
How does the love of God abide in you
If you have this world's goods
and yet refuse to help someone in need?
And then I saw his shoes
You see, both of his shoes were worn out
Most of his toes were bare
And then I heard this voice,
and I think it was the voice of God
It said, "Give the man your extra pair."
And I thought, oh God-that's a crazy thing to do
Besides, how am I supposed to know
If these thoughts are sent to me from you?
And anyway, my only extra pair's my favorite
New Balance running shoes
And then that same voice said something like, "Those will do."
How does the love of God abide in you
If you have this world's goods
and yet refuse to help someone in need?
So as my kids got in the car I laughed and thought, "This is insane."
So I turned the motor over and began to drive away
I got almost to the highway when my heart stepped on the brakes
I said, "There's something I forgot you guys - just wait."
And so I found that man and said,
"Excuse me sir, but you look down on your luck"
And he said, "Yeah, I guess I am. You got an extra buck?"
And I said, "Yeah, but try these shoes." And they fit just like a glove
And he said, "God bless you." And I thought, "God sure does."
West bound on Interstate 80, feeling kind of strange but free
Could it be God's gift to me - a gift to me
Just to see that homeless man
"Dad!" - you guessed it..., "Can we stop soon please?"
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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8. |
Dear Mr. Eisner
04:36
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"Dear Mr. Eisner"
Mr. Michael D. Eisner CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-0752
Dear Mr. Eisner,
I've recently heard about
your workforce in developing nations
I've also just learned the rather staggering terms
Of your own CEO compensation
But first let me thank you - you see I grew up
With Mickey Mouse and Goofy and the rest of the club
I've always seen Disney as a positive force
But that's why I was shocked and appalled all the more
To find out that your workers in third world sweatshops
Are working for starvation wages
Don't get me wrong-I mean they really need the jobs
And I commend you for the work you've created
But the 2 to 3 bucks that you pay them each day
Is not enough to keep food on their plates
I hear 97 thousand dollars is your hourly wage
Are you 346,000 times worth more than they?
(Chorus)
Well I wish we could talk face to face
I'd like to listen and explain to you why
If Disney won't pay a real living wage
You won't get a dollar of mine
I won't go to your theme parks, your movies or stores
I'll tell folks that Mickey Mouse rips off the poor
If Disney won't pay a real living wage
You won't get a dollar of mine
Dear Mr. Eisner, I do understand
The business of subcontract labor
But you and I know, the power's in your hands
To change subcontractor's behavior
So I appeal to you now on the firm basis of
The biblical ethics of justice and love
Its clear that your margins are healthy enough
To afford a wage increase that's modest but just
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Mr. Eisner, I mean you no disrespect
I know your stockholders demand dividends
So I want you to know that I'd gladly pay more
For clothes that aren't made by exploiting the poor
Mr. Eisner, I don't mean to single you out
But you're a symbol of what this whole system's about
And I pray you'll find courage to do what is right
But until you do let me say one more time
(Chorus)
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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9. |
Friends Like You
03:37
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"Friends Like You"
Sometimes I get feeling down
And I keep it to myself
But then you call or come around
And somehow your friendship helps
And you might not know how much it means
So I want you to hear me say, that...
(Chorus)
Its friends like you
Who keep the candle burning
When the flame gets weak and the night is long
And its friends like you
Whose simple acts of kindness
Reflect for me the love of God
And if I've learned anything its this
There's nothing I can't go through
As long as God's with me
And I've got friends like you
Sometimes I get wondering
Whether things I say and do
Really matter much to anyone
Or if the deeper things get through
But then you call and tell me how
God's been touching someone through my life, and you know...
(Chorus)
Sometimes we are distanced by
The miles in between
But in the Love of Jesus Christ
You're always close to me
Just knowing you are who you are
Helps me be who I'm trying to be
(Chorus)
Credits:
Music & Lyrics By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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10. |
Empty Chair
04:37
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Empty Chair
Words & Music By Bryan Sirchio
Back when he was 8 years old, he fell while climbing a tree
The doctor said this broken are will need some surgery
The little boy was frightened, and so his mother said a prayer
He said mom, sometimes I try to pray, but I can’t when I get scared
And then he mother just said this…
When you’re not sure how to pray, just find an empty chair, and think of Jesus there
And talk to him just like a friend who’s always there
In the empty chair
The little boy became a man, and had his own family
His daughter once fell off her bike, and was rushed to emergency
In the hospital waiting room, feeling lost and anxious and scared
He closed his eyes and tried to pray, but there words were just not there
And then he remembered what his mother had said…
Chorus
Bridge: Well his daughter pulled through fine, and the years kept rolling by
And his mother’s eyes grew dim, and then her mind began to fail
It got to where she didn’t even know her own son’s name
But he always stopped to visit, and before he’d leave he’d say (now remember mom)
Chorus
The doctor called one morning, and he said, you’re mom’s gone home
She passed away while sleeping; it was a peaceful way to go
One thing kind of strange though; the nurse who found her said
That your mother’s head was resting on this chair next to the bed
Chorus
Tag: What a friend we have in Jesus; all our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer
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11. |
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"Something Beautiful For God"
Know this one thing above all else
We are loved, loved by God
Let this be how we see ourselves
As people loved, loved by God
And once we know the love of Christ
Feel God's healing in our lives
Loving service is how we give our love back to God
(Chorus)
Today let us do something beautiful for God
Do something small, but do it with great love
Do what we can, where we are, with what we've got
Today let us do something beautiful for God
Everyone who we meet today
Is God's child, God's own child
May our lives help them hear God say
You are my child, God's own child
A smile can radiate God's love
Let them see the Christ in us
let our lives be the cheerfulness of God in this world
(Chorus)
Jesus will visit us today
In disguise, in disguise
Poor and weak, Christ will come our way
Jesus Christ, in disguise
The lonely, poor, the victimized
Love for them is love for Christ
Love is water to quench the thirst of Christ on the cross
(Chorus)
Credits:
Words & Music By Bryan Sirchio
Crosswind Music, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
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