Daniel Childs
Lyrics from the heart, music from the soul, expressions from the mind, and inspiration from life.
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Oh, Come, Angel Band
Jefferson Pascall
My latest sun is sinking fast
My race is nearly run
My strongest trials now are past,
My triumph has begun.
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I know I’m near the holy ranks
Of friends and kindred dear
I hear the waves on Jordan’s banks
The crossing must be near.
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Oh, come, angel band
Come and around me stand
Oh, bear me away on your snowy wings
To my eternal home
Oh, bear me away on your snowy wings
To my eternal home
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I’ve almost reached my Heavenly home
My spirit loudly sings
The holy ones, behold, they come
I hear the noise of wings.
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Oh bear my longing heart to Him
Who bled and died for me
Whos blood now clenses from all sin
And gives me victory.
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Oh, come, angel band
Come and around me stand
Oh, bear me away on your snowy wings
To my eternal home
Oh, bear me away on your snowy wings
To my eternal home
Such a powerful song. These words give me chills. I can’t think of a song that better speaks to me about where I am in life right now. A lot of changes are taking place… but everything is for the better. I am living in Tennessee again. I’m on the road singing again. Things are really looking up.
Today I’m a little sick. May have caught a stomach bug. But I cling to what the first verse of this song says… “my strongest trials now are past, my triumph has begun”.
And in times of worry or times of doubt, I cling to the lyrics in the fourth verse (which I made bold) that say “Oh, bear my longing heart to Him, who bled and died for me; whose blood now cleanses from all sin, and gives me victory.”
I am finally starting to find victory in my life. It has been a long road to get here, and I have made a ton of mistakes. I am not completely the person I need to be yet, but for once, I can say that I think I’m finally heading in the right direction.
Seek God’s will in your life. It’s the only path to peace.
If you like the song lyrics I posted check out an older Gaither Vocal Band album called “Homecoming”. It has a lot of cool guest appearances on it and some really sweet songs. I’ve been enjoying it a lot lately.
Thanks for reading and for your support. May God bless you all.
By the way, here’s a peak at what is to come…. click here. -
Screams. The inside can scream things at us. We can tell it to be quiet and leave us alone, but that doesn’t change the fact that worries try to plague our minds, especially when we are the most vulnerable.
But this is not the voice we should be listening to. The voice of condemnation always doubts, always terrifies, and always stresses.
But there is another voice, the one that you feel in the pit of your heart. The Voice of Truth.
Like many Americans in today’s world, I hear many voices calling out to me. You’re not alone in the struggle. We all deal with it at some time or another. In these times, I want to learn to listen to the Voice of Truth.
“But of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen to and believe the Voice of Truth”… the voice of Jesus Christ is what these Casting Crowns lyrics speak of. This voice assures us that we are His own.
Check out this song. I hope that it will mean to you what it means to me.
This song calls out to me at a time when I don’t know how to feel, and reminds me of a truth that is available to us all, even when we are confused, hurt, or afraid. My friends, I challenge you to listen to the Voice of Truth today.
“The Voice of Truth”
By: Casting Crowns
Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he’s holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
“Boy, you’ll never win,
You’ll never win.”
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
and the Voice of truth says “this is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth
Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand
But the giant’s calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
“Boy you’ll never win,
you’ll never win.”
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
and the Voice of truth says “this is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth
But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don’t seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me
But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”
And the Voice of truth says “this is for my glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
‘Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth -
Emerson Hart wrote this song about forgiving the men who murdered his dad.
God calls us to forgive. In fact, He expects it of us. He has made it clear over and over in His Word that we are to forgive those who have sinned against us.
I am amazed at the amount of forgiveness it would take to forgive men who murdered your dad. That’s some rough stuff. That had to be purely God-sent forgiveness.
This song means a lot more than just that to me, though. This song tells someone I still love (who left me) that I’m still here… we used to listen to this song together. This song means forgiving people who have hurt me or have something against me, and being a friend to those strangers. This song means wanting good relationships with all people, even though that is sometimes nearly impossible.
So I wish you happiness and freedom, and I wish you life.
DC
Friend to a Stranger
Emerson Hart
From a friend to a stranger, how’s your life?
In your current situation
Did they hold you hostage? Did they tell you lies?
Just to add to your frustration
Oh, my heart
So you travel all day and you travel hard
On a road to change your life
Not to give it all away but to sing your song
‘Cause in the end that’s when you arrive
Oh, my heart, it brings me pain
When I hear them call your name
Oh, to see inside myself
Like I can see but no one else
Could ever know
The way we’d end up here
So from a friend to a strangerHow’s your life?
In your current situation
Wish you happiness and freedom, and I wish you life
When you reach your destination
Your destination, your destination
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“YOU FALL APART AND THEN YOU STOP” - SAOSIN
Change… good? bad? I think it can be both sometimes.
I’ve been alive 24 years and have experienced a life of continual change from one stage of life to the next. Nothing ever seems to stay the same. Life goes into different chapters and periods at frequent rates. Somehow though, I persist. Not on my own strength.
For the first time in a long time, I can say that I am experiencing good changes. Changes in me. I have been in Florida three months now, and have gone through periods of about every normal emotional range there is, all over the emotional scale. There has been a ton of adjustment involved in this process, because I had to get used to several things, including being on a church staff full-time. Now that I am used to it, I really like it.
I’ve also had to adapt to the huge change in my daily life. This is my first time to ever live apart from my family and not be able to see them on a weekly basis. It’s my first time to ever live outside of Tennessee. It’s my first time to ever have my own apartment. And there are many, many more firsts that go along with it…
My first two months here, I worked hard but it was ultimately an adjustment period. But now that I’m settled in and getting focused, I am seeing positive changes in me from the inside.
I think God is grooming me for something. I notice myself becoming more mature. My thoughts becoming more adult and less scattered. My words becoming more sincere and less foolish. My friendships becoming more meaningful and less casual. My demeanor becoming more confident and less timid. Thickening my skin and being less prone to fear of spoken word.
God has so obviously been doing a work within me, without me even knowing it, until now. And I am so glad to be changing in good ways. Saying “no” to things I used to say “yes” to. Coping with things I used to complain about. Learning to put my ego aside and look at things from a more logical standpoint (that’s a REALLY tough one for me at times).
I say this not to pat myself on the back. I say this to show that when you can’t feel God working in your life… HE IS. People were telling me in my first couple months here, “God’s working in your life, man”. But I couldn’t see it… couldn’t feel it. But now, I can see it. And it’s not me. It’s all Him. And I’m ready to feel it. I want to grow in my faith now.
So that’s where I’m at in my walk right now. Changing. Check out this song from Saosin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ZAGNW8ShE&feature=related
God bless you all,
Daniel
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Wow. This singing takes me back. THIS is the kind of singing that influenced me early on. Michael English. Mark Lowry. And my dad, Andy Childs.
My dad was a country music artist when I was growing up. He had records out on RCA and Warner Brothers, and also wrote songs for EMI and Windswept. But the music he sang that touched me most was not the music on the albums he had out. It was the music he would play at his oldies rock ‘n roll shows… and also the Gospel music that he would sing at Central Church in Memphis. My dad could deliver a Gospel song with the same type of powerful, earth-shaking style vocals that Michael English has sung with for years and years.
Michael English is a voice that I grew up with. On the above video I posted, Michael sings the second verse to “He Came Down to My Level”. Just hearing his voice takes me back to being a young boy at church in Memphis. Michael was the original singer (other than my dad) who inspired me. His self-titled debut solo album has been a life-long favorite, and I have always loved his work with the Gaither Vocal Band, especially from the “Southern Classics Volume One” album… and all the other albums he was on.
To me, Michael is so much more than a great Gospel singer. Michael is a historic icon in my life. In the world I grew up in, he was a household name. And his amazing voice is a constant that has been with me my entire life.
I love great Gospel singing more than I love a warm, pepperoni pizza. Gospel singing is an amazing thing because it’s not about production nor instrumental musicianship. It’s all about singing, and it’s all about Christ.
For those who don’t know, I come from a family who is very famous in the Gospel music world. My great-grandfather, Roy Blackwood started a quartet called the Blackwood Brothers Quartet in the year 1934, and they have become one of the most famous quartets of all time. My grandfather, Cecil Blackwood joined the group in 1954 and stayed until his passing in the year 2000. Eight years later, I joined my uncle Mark Blackwood in carrying on grandpa’s singing legacy for a while.
So, not only is Gospel music a passion for me, it is literally in my blood. I grew up hearing my dad, my grandfather, and Michael English sing Gospel music… and it has always been a heart-wrenching passion… a passion that I wasn’t even aware of until two years ago when I realized I wanted to sing Gospel.
And so, I traveled with a couple groups…the Blackwood Gospel Quartet, The Toney Brothers, and others. Had my day in the sun. Here’s a clip from those days…
And so it goes. Gospel music continues to bless people everywhere. Hundreds of quartets, trios and soloists travel the nation full-time being a blessing to audiences by allowing God to work through them as they sing and witness. Once a year, they all come together at National Quartet Convention in Louisville, KY… a week that most Gospel singers live for. It’s a great time to meet and chat with other singers, and fans, and to perform.
Now, I am working on the other end of the spectrum, being on staff at a church full-time, focusing on leading Worship. It’s interesting how life takes us different places.
However, my days of singing Gospel will never be over. I recently released a solo “Gospel Favorites” album, featuring me singing many of the old classics, like “I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy”, and “Glory Road”.
I hope you’ll take a moment to go to my website, www.danielchilds.com and place an order for your copy today!
Okay, enough with my blabbering. Anyway, if you weren’t familiar with Gospel music and read this, I encourage you to check out the following groups, if you liked these videos…
Ernie Hasse and Signature Sound
The Kingsmen (who didn’t hire me but should have)
Statement of Faith Trio (good friends of mine)
May God bless you all, and thank you for letting me share my heart today.
Daniel
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This song reminds me so much of a night that I will never forget with a person I will never forget. Though I still know her, the girl she was three years ago has faded away and she’s someone else. Our relationship never began, and we’ve always been under the premise of friendship… but it’s always been so much more than that in my mind.
She’s with someone else. And I’ve gone out with a million girls since her. But somehow, the memory of the best time I ever spent with her tramples most of where I’ve been since them.
I’ve been lost over things like this many times in my life, but now I’m learning to not let it own me. The road goes… and I am finding home in it.
“Finding Home”
Saosin
if only i had truthfully seen
that night we’ll never relive
but you and i could not go and walk away
just close your eyes
you’ll never see me crashing down
now i see where we had common doubt
i’d be lonely if you weren’t so proud
i have seen so many loving faces
they turn back and leave with looks of regret
the road goes and i am finding home in it
but you and i should not play those games
the world is coming to an end
it’s just the way i see my face
and i could never believe
(now i can see it)
now i see where things are turning ‘round
and i’d be lonely if you weren’t so proud
i have seen so many loving faces
they turn back and leave with looks of regret
the road goes and i am finding home in it
the road goes and i am finding home in it
i saw him fly
he’s never looked this way
i saw in his eyes
he’s never coming down
i have seen so many loving faces
they turn back and leave with looks of regret
the road goes and i am finding home in it
the road goes and i am finding home in it
the road goes and i am finding home in it -
Am I groggy from a physical period of extensive rest, or am I just emotionally drained? I don’t know. But for whatever reason, on my day off yesterday, I slept nearly the entire day.
I guess sometimes when we have been extremely busy, and finally have a day in which we have nothing to do, life catches up to us, and… boom. We pass out.
So I’m back in the office today and ready to work hard this week in all aspects of ministry. But this place; this day… is far more than a job. It is more than a set of week-to-week responsibilities to be taken care of and goals to be met. I’ve got to remember that every step made here at the church is a step toward furthering the Kingdom of God. Everything from the food that is prepared for the people in attendance on Friday nights at Celebrate Recovery, to the selection and preparation of Sunday’s Worship music, to the scheduling of volunteers to work our special events…. These things, on the surface, can seem so small. And if I’m not careful, they seem to be chores to mark off on the list of things to do.
However, my thinking is all wrong. The reality is that each step that is taken here at the church is a step toward God’s Kingdom. Think about it… whether we are feeding the needy, leading Worship for the broken hearted, or working for an event to draw new people into our church body… these are the steps of Christ. Each step that seems so small and little known is really a giant leap for the furthering of the Kingdom of God.
It is time to wake our sleeping minds. With the busy bustle of the fall, I’m sure many of us are looking at each step with the wrong mindset, like I have been lately… as just another chore to accomplish. But we are SO WRONG. When we wake up our minds to the reality of doing God’s work, that is when we realize that every little move we make is an important leap of ministry in this body of Christ.
So starting today, I commit to watching the little moves I make, remembering the big picture, and understanding that these steps in ministry are giant leaps for the furthering of the Kingdom of God. I hope you will join me in this commitment, because if we are united, there is no limit to what God will do through this ministry!
I may mess up at some point, like I always do, but I am 100% ready to commit to this and to improve my approach to God’s Kingdom. That’s a start. As an imperfect person, I have my doubts and fears… but Jesus stands ready to lift those things away from us.
It’s time to wake up our sleeping minds, grab a shovel, and get to work in the harvest. In whatever area you’re called to labor, just know that little is much when God is in it. Your small steps are giant leaps. My friends, let’s wake up.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 (English Standard Version)
