Monday, July 28, 2014

Now That I Found You - Terri Clark

Just the idea alone that you have found someone like them is so hard to believe.  They care about you. They take their time to love you for who you really are and they don't judge you or make you feel bad.  They want to see the real you and help you open up and not hide things from them.  you can tell them all your secrets and they will still love you. 

What an amazing opening for a song.  It is a wonderful thing to find someone like this that wants to be more tomorrow than they were today.  That looks for new ways to love you and wrap you around their finger.  Life and love should be exactly like this.  Most of us have a past.  A History.  Full of things we regret and are ashamed of and embarassed.  And this person says so what.  I see the road you traveled to get here.  Turn around with me and lets look at the road ahead because that is all that matters.

I see the heavens open.  Again, another appropriate component to this song because love like this is a gift from God.  The heavens open and our lives are forever changed because of the person God sent our way.  We need to remember this truth and ensure we protect the gift God sent to us. We have something destined to make it through the good and bad times.  We have the chemistry that will give us the strength we need when we are weak.  Yes, there will be mistakes.  Yes, we will fight.  Yes, we will want to quit.  Yes, we will be afraid.  But if we keep our eyes on God and looking down the road ahead of us, nothing formed against us shall stand.  We are more than conquerers and we will be ok.  Because I found you.  Or maybe you found me.  Either way life is so good.

How can I believe
That my heart would find someone like you
You see me, the real me
No in bewteens, I had nowhere to hide
You took away the walls around me
Made me feel safe to share my truth


I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you

I do believe we're meant to be
Our chemistry will last forever
And through the years
We'll see some tears
We'll conquer fears
And together we will grow
Looking in your eyes
They tell me
I no longer have to feel alone

You see me, the real me
You believe in me

HEARTWORK:  Print the words to the song out and sit down together and read them to each other.  Start to finish.  Then go back and read 1 line.  And tell your spouse/partner how that relates to your relationship.  How it represents what is going on in your heart.  Explain things.  Tell them about your fears.  Tell them your secrets.  Tell them how glad you are that you have them and you can tell them these things because they are your best friend.  Take down the walls around you. 

If you can't do that.  TELL THEM.  They need to know what it is that keeps you locked away behind your walls.  Conquer your fears together. Cry together.  Cry about mistakes and missed opportunities and regrets and cry happy tears that your road looks so much different ahead than behind.  "Relationship partner, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL"

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

I'd Choose You Again - Forester Sisters




I have loved this song from the first time I heard it.  Absolutely heart-warming and fun.  An honest look back at a life well lived.  Here a girl is acknowledging that she is getting older, and with age comes wisdom, and now she is reflecting on the decisions she has made along the road of life.  I really like that she acknowledges mistakes made.  Some of them even come back to visit her and give her grief.  I certainly know what that feels like.  Looking at missed opportunities, errors in judgment, and just down-right regrettable decisions.  Feeling so helpless with all the “what if” and “would have” and “could have” moments in my life.

The thing I love is that she doesn’t let them keep her down.  She doesn’t have to be held hostage to those mistakes.  You really get the sense that not only does she see the mistakes, but she clearly learned the lessons and you know given a second chance those mistakes would be avoided.  She can look back and see not only the mistakes, but the best choices she has made.  And those choices are the ones she would happily repeat.  The others, yes, we all wish we could rewind time and make changes.  Erase parts of the past.  But they are part of who we are.  Did we learn anything from them?  Or did we find ways to snatch defeat right from the jaws of victory and do the same dumb thing over again?

She says if God gave her the chance to do it all again she would carefully consider those options.  Maybe make some wiser decisions.  But bottom line is she would pick that man again.  Without a doubt.  Thank the Lord for the man he gave her, and not miss a chance to say yes all over again to him.  The song is great because God is so central to the entire story being told.  Times were hard, and God sure seemed to give the easy road to others.  But regardless of how life was treating them, he had a way of making things ok.  He could comfort her and tell her it was going to be ok because they had each other. What more does anyone need when they have someone who loves them like that?  What does the world have to offer that would be worth losing that?  What is the world capable of throwing at us that could defeat us when we have that kind of love in our corner?  The love of her life kept her going and she was all he needed. 

If she could start her life anew, the first that she would do is?  Choose him again.  She knows what she has with this man and regardless of what other possibilities exist with other options, she would not make a mistake and gamble on another.  Stick with a winner.  When you have a solid victory stop looking around and wondering how you can trade your beautiful lawn for some grass just a bit greener.  Focus on the gift God has given you.  Grow that gift.  Water that lawn.  Make it the envy of all your friends and family.  Make it the example for your children.  Make it a life well lived with an unregrettable choice :)


Looking in my life
Through the eyes of a young girl growing older all the time,
Maybe just a little wiser
I can clearly see
All my mistakes keep coming back to visit me
Pointing out the roads not taken
So much I'd like to change but one thing I'd do the same

I'd choose you again, I'd choose you again
If God gave me the chance to do it all again
Oh, I'd carefully consider every choice and then
Out of all the boys in the world
I'd choose you again

Times weren't always good
Seems like the Lord gave all the easy parts away
But every time the road got rocky
You'd look at me and say
Had all you needed long as I was there with you
You're the reason I kept going
If I could start my life anew
The first thing that I would do


HEARTWORK:   Asses your life.  Write down the good and bad choices and write down what you got from them.  Rewards or lessons?  Which choices are your favorite?  Do they involve someone you love?  If so, share them.  If your choices are less than happy and they involve someone you love, tear that part of the page off and throw it away.  We are new creatures in Christ Jesus.  The past is the past.  Drop the hurt off and grab tight to the love.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

She Is His Only Need - Wynonna.



Just the title alone should be enough for this post.  She is his only need.  This is the story of a simple man.  He doesn’t require much in life to make him happy.  He is not driving the nicest car out there.  His home is probably very humble and packed wall to wall with love.  I bet he has one suit and he wears it church on Sunday and sits there holding her hand during the service.  Saturday morning he does his “honey do” list that she put together for him.  She makes him a sandwich for lunch and they sit on the front porch rocking chairs talking about everything and nothing, sipping lemonade and eating those sandwiches. 

I often ponder this life.  A simple one.  Not complicated and demanding.  A man in love with the woman God sent to him.  Satisfied that she is all he needs to make it through each and every difficult day.  Life is not easy.  But when you have a good woman it sure is worth it.  So I would ask you who do you turn to when life is getting at you?  Where do you go?  Whom do you confide in?  

Can see the whole “grass is greener” idea looking at you at this moment.  I sure do.  A lot of people make the disastrous decision to allow an outside influence into your heart or mind.  Such a destructive thing to do…so inexplicably foolish.  This man in the song knew long before the ring was picked out that she was the one for him.  He never allowed anything or anyone to distract him from loving her.  Nothing would be worth what he would lose if he made those kinds of mistakes.  He tended his yard.  He watered his marriage daily.  He kept the grass cut and the weeds out.  You can see it as you listen to the song being sung.  His priorities never waivered.

And like a well maintained yard he added in the nutrients when it called for it. When he hears about something she wants he makes a way to find it and get it for her.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  He does it.  Having her happy is a priority that he is not willing to neglect for any reason.  They grow old together…why?  Because he invested in his relationship with her and grew it.  He never let his job be a higher priority than him and yet he is successful at work.  Proves that you don’t need to sacrifice your home life for a job to get ahead. 

Billy was a small town loner Who never did dream
Of ever leaving southern Arizona
Or ever hearing wedding bells ring
He never had a lot of luck with the ladies
But he sure had a lot of good working skills
Never cared about climbing any ladder
He knew the way in a small cafe, found the will

He met Miss Bonnie And a little bit of her was a little too much
A few movies and a few months latter The feeling got strong enough
They didn't own a car So it must have been love
That drove him uptown for a diamond
That's when he started goin'

[Chorus]

Over the line
Working overtime
To give her things just to hear her say she don't deserve them
But he loves her and he just kept going overboard
Over the limit to afford to give her things he knew she wanted
'Cause without her where would he be?
See, it's not for him. 
She is his only need

Ring on her finger and one on the ladder
A new promotion every now and then
Bonnie worked until she couldn't tie her apron
Then stayed at home and had the first of two children
And my, how the time did fly
The babies grew up and moved away
Left 'em sitting on the front porch rocking
And Billy watching Bonnie's hair turn gray

And ev'ry once in a while you could see him get up
And he'd head downtown
'Cause he heard about something she wanted
And it just had to be found
Didn't matter how simple or how much
It was love
And, boy, ain't that love just something
When it's strong enough to keep a man goin'

HEARTWORK:  Do you make her your only need?  Do you tell her?  It is not enough to love her.  She needs to hear it every day.  She needs to know it every day.  Find a way to show her every day.  You don’t need a million clever ways.  But come up with something out of the norm every now and then.  Send her a text when she would least expect it.  Call her and ask “Have I told you lately?”  Do something on the list that you have put off for a long time and when she notices tell her you were thinking about her and realized you needed to get this done for her.  Do the things that endear you to her.  Love is a verb.  Actions! 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

It Might Be You - Stephen Bishop

Some of you may recognize this as the theme song from the movie "Tootsie" In the movie Dustin Hoffman's character stumbles into the girl he realizes is the woman of his dreams.  When the song starts to play the movie is doing one of those reflective moments where you see Hoffman falling in love with her.  Very touching.  GREAT MOVIE.

There are 4 sections of the song that we need to look at.  1 and 2 we will take by themselves.  3 and 4 we need to combine because they are the same thought continued.
** Verse 1 **
Time, I've been passing, time watching trains go by all of my life
Lying on the sand, watching seabirds fly
Wishing there would be someone waiting home for me

How many days turned into months into years did we spend alone and wishing we had someone special to share our very short life with?  It is fitting that the scenario is a beach setting because so many dating profiles have the cliche "take long walks on the beach" in them.  So it is cute that this amazing song has this poor sad person taking a lonely walk on the beach wishing they could be holding someone's hand. 

** Verse 2 **
Looking back as lovers go walking past all of my life
Wondering how they met and what makes it last
If I found the place, would I recognize the face?

Here is what I get out of this.  You look around and see people in love.  You want to know what they did to find them so you can try it yourself.  BUT how many of us meet the wrong person there because we are so eager to settle just to have someone, if even for a fleeting moment?  And then the right one comes along and we are oblivious to them because we are busy being distracted with temporary "love".  Remember Alex in "Fools Rush In?"  When he says to Isabel "This is morning I was worried I'd met the girl of my dreams at the drycleaners and not recognized her. But you- You are what I never knew I always wanted. "  Keep your heart ready and your eyes open.  Don't miss your moment.

** Verse 3 and 4 **
So many quiet walks to take
So many dreams to wake
And we've so much love to make
Oh, I think we've gonna need some time
Maybe all we need is time
And it's telling me it might be you all of my life
I've been saving love songs and lullabies
And there's so much more no one's ever heard before
Something's telling me it might be you
Yeah, it's telling me it must be you
And I'm feeling it'll just be you all of my life

When you find that one your heart had begged you to search for...cherish it.  Don't take things for granted.  Don't miss chances to really share your lives with each other.  Take walks in the cool evening and hold hands.  Talk about everything and anything.  Share ideas and thoughts and fears and dreams and frustrations.  Don't hold back.  Put effort into your love life.  Be sure you put a high priority on making love.  It should not just be sex.  If should be the re-enforcement of your emotion connection.  Sing to each other.  Share your secrets and dreams.  If you can't share your secrets and dreams...pray and ask God to help you tear down that ugly wall that keeps you from letting them in. 

HEARTWORK:  Google the song and watch the video.  pay attention to how he looks at her.  Do you look at your love this way? Are you doing the things that build and strengthen your emotional connection?  Are you wasting time with someone?  Or have you found the one that deserves you and you want to give your heart and soul to? Make your own list of things to do with each other and start doing them.  Walk.  Get up extra early and make love before the sun comes up then have coffee together in the quiet of the morning.  Whatever works, but start your list!

Any thoughts?  email me:  brainstorminglife@yahoo.com