music monday// fighting for me

hi ya'll! 

i know, it's been a terribly long time since i poked my "face" here. a lot has happened. from finally completing my master's, while healing from a motor accident to publishing new books...life has been quite a roller coaster, not to mention this 'rona pandemic. anyway, i would love to encourage you with a song that's one of my new favs. 

fighting for me by riley clemmons

I need the kinda love that

Can outlast the night

I need the kinda love that

Is willing to fight

When the going gets tough

And my strength's not enough

I see You showing up like never before

This battle for my heart

You took on from the start

You are the peace when my mind's at war

And o-ohh

You will never stop fighting for me

When I can't fight for myself

Every word is a promise You keep

Cause You love me like nobody else

You stand up for me

In the darkest night

When my faith is weak

You're still by my side

You will never stop fighting for me

You will never stop fighting for me

In the perfect timing

You make all things right

You paint a silver lining

In this heart of mine

When the going gets tough

And my strength's not enough

I see You showing up like never before

This battle for my heart

You took on from the start

You are the peace when my mind's at war

And o-ohh

You will never stop fighting for me

When I can't fight for myself

Every word is a promise You keep

Cause You love me like nobody else

You stand up for me

In the darkest night

When my faith is weak

You're still by my side

You will never stop fighting for me

You will never stop fighting for me

Your love

Is winning me over

Your heart

Is pulling me closer

Your love

Is winning me over

Your heart

Is pulling me closer

You will never stop...

Fighting for me, fighting for me

Every word is a promise You keep, oh, o-ohh

You will never stop fighting for me

When I can't fight for myself (when I can't)

Every word is a promise You keep (oh, oh)

Cause You love me like nobody else (nobody)

You stand up for me (You stand up for me)

In the darkest night (In the darkest night)

When my faith is weak (yeah, yeah)

You're still by my side (my side)

You will never stop fighting for me (You will never stop)

You will never stop fighting for me

i hope you remember that Jesus, our Redeemer, is fighting for us.

pray, talk to Him, trust Him in the waiting.

it's like in the Lord of the Rings trilogy...evil is eventually destroyed and good wins.

take heart, we win in the end. :)

xoxo,

gen.

music monday// beloved

 hi! :)

dropping in to remind you that you are loved!

i hope you soak the truth of this song into your lovely soul

 

 via

Head full of questions, how can you measure up?
To deserve affection, to ever be enough
For this existence
When did it get so hard?
Your heart is beating, alive and breathing
And there's a reason why
You are essential, not accidental
And you should realize

You are beloved
I wanted you to know
You are beloved
Let it soak into your soul
Oh, forget the lies you heard
Rise above the hurt
And listen to these words
You are beloved
I want you to know
You are beloved
You-ou-ou, you-ou-ou, you, you are beloved

Sometimes a heart can feel like a heavy weight
It pulls you under and you just fall away
Is anybody gonna hear you call? (Oh oh)
But there's a purpose
Under the surface
And you don't have to drown
Let me remind you
That love will find you
Let it lift you out

 Don't be afraid
Don't let hope fade
Keep your eyes fixed on the light above
In the heartbreak, in your mistakes
Nothing can separate you from love

Don't be afraid
Don't let hope fade
Keep you eyes fixed on the light above
In the heartbreak, in your mistakes
Nothing can separate you from love

 Don't be afraid
Don't let hope fade
Keep your eyes fixed on the light above (you are beloved)
In the heartbreak, in your mistakes
Nothing can separate you from love
You are beloved

 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 

 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze. 

 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead. 

 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life. 

 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west. 

 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 

 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.” //isaiah 43

no matter what negative words someone has spoken that has slayed your heart and 

no matter who has made you feel rejected and unwanted, the truth is you are so loved, beloved. 

focus on the love of Jesus and find your worth and identity in His precious word.

you're going to be so OK, buddy. :)

xoxo, delali.

music monday// never too far gone

hi lovelies!

 i hope you had a great weekend!

so this song i'm sharing today has been steadily replaying in my head and i thought it was worth the share.

i've come to love it so much.

enjoy!

never too far gone~ jordan feliz

I have loved you from the start

I have seen your hurting heart (your hurting heart)

And you feel so lonely, but you keep on hiding

'Cause you feel so guilty for what you've done, but

There's no distance too far, that I can't reach you

There's no place that's so dark, that I can't find you

Anywhere that you are, if you need proof

Take a look at these scars, and know I love you

Doesn't matter, doesn't matter, doesn't matter what you've done

You are never, you are never, never too far gone

Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

You have run down every road

And you've lost your way back home (your way back home)

And you feel so dirty; you know you're unworthy

Feeling undeserving of any love, but

There's no distance too far, that I can't reach you

There's no place that's so dark, that I can't find you

Anywhere that you are, if you need proof

Take a look at these scars, and know I love you

Doesn't matter, doesn't matter, doesn't matter what you've done

You are never, you are never, never too far gone

Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

You will never outrun my love, my love, my love

You will never outrun my love, my love, my love

You will never outrun my love, my love, my love

You will never outrun my love (you will never outrun my love)

There's no distance too far, that I can't reach you

There's no place that's so dark, that I can't find you

Anywhere that you are, if you need proof

Take a look at these scars, and know I love you

Doesn't matter, doesn't matter, doesn't matter what you've done

You are never, you are never, never too far gone

Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

Never too far gone

Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

Never too far gone

Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

"God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!"// psalm 139:1-6 (the message)

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."// jeremiah 31:3

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."// isaiah 1:18

you're never out of reach of our loving Lover, Jesus. He owns this world and universe. and there's nothing too horrible you have done that He wouldn't forgive if you ask Him. 

so go ahead and ask Him, accept His forgiveness and move on with your wonderful life as His Holy Spirit leads you day by day to live a life of purpose for Him. 

Jesus is awesome! 

He will always find you, no matter where you are, i promise!

stop fighting His love. embrace all of it, darling. :)

xoxo, delali.

music monday//clean

  hello lovely people! i hope you had a restful weekend. mine was spent clocking the time away behind my laptop. ;) 

sooooo this songgg! a friend sent it to me one night and your guess is as good as mine. hihihih! 

i loved it instantly! the words are so true and full of mercy and grace. take a listen!

 

via 

 

clean// natalie grant

I see shattered
You see whole
I see broken
But You see beautiful
And You're helping me to believe
You're restoring me piece by piece

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

What was dead now lives again
My heart's beating, beating inside my chest
Oh I'm coming alive with joy and destiny
Cause You're restoring me piece by piece

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean, oh yeah

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I am clean

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I'm clean, I'm clean, ohhh I'm

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I'm clean, oh I'm clean, I'm clean
Oh You made me
You wash me
Clean
Oh You made me clean 

 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.// romans 8:1

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.// hebrews 4:16

 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.// isaiah 54:5

 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.// isaiah 62:5

 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.// john 8:36

 if you've done something that you feel guilty about ad you feel like the Lord will not be able to forgive you, please hear me when i say that that's such a lie! the Lord is ever waiting for s to come to Him with a repentant heart and confess our sins to Him and He's soooooooooooo loving, ever ready to forgive His children.

if the enemy keeps whispering lies to your heart and bringing thoughts of condemnation to your mind about something the Lord has already forgiven you about, silence those voices with truth of the Word of God that says you are worthy, loved, redeemed, adored, cherished. 

sing the truth of this song over your precious soul and dance in the freedom of knowing that you are clean! because in the sight of God He has covered you in the righteousness of Jesus and you're clothed in radiant white garments.

 you're feeeee! you're cleaaaan! live like it

live loved. :)

xoxo, delali.

tunes tuesday// hills and valleys

itssss mayyyy! :) one of my absolute favorite months! how wonderful to have it again, to walk through its days, to sing through its nights, to smile at the surprises tucked away in each of its hours!

i loved this song the moment i first watched the video and listened to it on YouTube. and in no time i could sing along so well too. i could bet Tauren Wells, Chuck Butler, Jonathan Smith wrote it just for me. its perfection. enjoy!

via

hills and valleys// tauren wells

I've walked among the shadows
You wiped my tears away
And I've felt the pain of heartbreak
And I've seen the brighter days
And I've prayed prayers to heaven from my lowest place
And I have held Your blessings
God You give and take away
No matter what I have, Your grace is enough
No matter where I am, I'm standing in Your love

(chorus)
On the mountains I will bow my life to the One who set me there
In the valley I will lift my eyes to the One who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley I know I am not alone
You're God of the hills and valleys, hills and valleys
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone

I've watched my dreams get broken
In You I hope again
No matter what
I know I'm safe inside Your hands

(chorus)
On the mountains I will bow my life to the One who set me there
In the valley I will lift my eyes to the One who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley I know I am not alone
You're God of the hills and valleys, hills and valleys
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone

Father You give and take away
Every joy and every pain
Through it all You will remain over it all

On the mountains I will bow my life
In the valley I will lift my eyes

(chorus)
On the mountains I will bow my life to the One who set me there
In the valley I will lift my eyes to the One who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley I know I am not alone
You're God of the hills and valleys, hills and valleys
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone

And I will choose to say
Blessed be Your name
And I am not alone

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.// psalm 23:4

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.// psalm 40:2

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."// job:1:21

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.// habakkuk 3:19

 i find it so comforting to know that God is always, always by my side. when i was walking through the valley of the shadow of death He was right by my side. When He lifts me up on to the peak of the mountains, He is still there with me. whether life is up or down, my Father is with me. 

in the valley He teaches me how to trust Him and seek Him. On the mountain tops, He glorifies Himself through the story He keeps writing through me, through my life.

be encouraged if you're in a valley right now. if you believe in Jesus believe that God is with you and He wants you to trust Him and pass this test. talk with Him ad listen to what He has to say about what's going on in your life. He has angels on assignment to help you.

if you don't believe in Jesus yet God sooo much wants you to call on Him and believe in His Son Jesus. and this doesn't mean everything will automatically become perfect. But He's going to help you figure things out if only you're willing to listen to Him.

if you're on a mountain top, go ahead and enjoy the victory the Lord has brought you. remember to give Him the glory and point people to Him, acknowledging that He's the one who helped you break through.

i hope you come to love this song as much as i do. :)

xoxo, delali.

music monday// broken lullabies

hi folks! i was a little caught up with last week so i couldn't post. buuuuut today, I'm so posting! (obviously) *giggles*

so this song....broken lullabies. I heard a few years back and i fell deep, head over heels in love with it. it's so gentle to the ears and it's so soothing to the soul and the truth it echoes is so real and totally vibes with me. hehehe 

via

i guess i fell for this beautiful song because it's resonates with me. it reminds me of me, the little girl me when the home i lived in became a place of strife and anger...when the home tore apart and became a house of humans living in their own hurt and bitter worlds. and i remember how listening to Kids love Jesus too on a christian radio station (sunny fm) became solace for me. the laughter and joy of the kids dramatically narrating the Bible stories brought some color into my world during "your story our" hosted by aunt carole and uncle dan, and then crocheting became my thing of escape too.  

i remember how i always looked forward to my test scores from the "your story hour" team based in US ...and all the smileys they put on my scores and encouraging words. and all those times, all those moments of brokenness...Jesus was working, He was so close, He knew everything and He knew I'd survive and thrive. and He comforted me in ways I didn't even know back then. 

i hope this song brings some emotional relief to you as you listen and sing along.

 

broken lullabies// for King and country

Lovely child, lay your head and sleep
Dream of a world full of circus rides
And golden streets
Lonely child, why are you so sad?
Why do the tears fall so easily?
You're too young to weep

So you pray
And you wait
For the better days when you'll be safe

And some day soon you'll find where you belong
Where there are no more broken lullabies

How long, child, have you been afraid?
When was the last time you laughed out loud,
The last time you played?
You build your walls with blankets from your bed
You hide underneath them, you close your eyes
And try to forget

And some day soon you'll find where you belong
And one day soon you'll leave it all behind
You'll find a place where love remains
Where there are no more broken lullabies

I know you feel like you're alone
But you're not
And I know you feel like no one knows
But you're wrong

So you pray
And you wait
But don't worry I will keep you safe

Some day soon you'll find where you belong
And one day soon you'll leave it all behind
You'll find a place where love remains
Where there are no more broken lullabies

 "For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal." // job 5:18

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit." // psalm 34:18

"He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds."// psalm 147:3

no matter what you've been through, no matter what you're going through, no matter what you'll be going through, no matter who broke your heart with their lies, Jesus is near, so, so near.

  take heart, be strong. you'll be so fine.

xoxo

delali

music monday// You don't miss a thing

Hiya! I'm sharing a song that holds such a special place in my heart. i love it so much because it's like poetry to my soul. it reminds me of how Jesus pursues me so relentlessly. no matter where i go, wherever i am, He is with me, He knows me by my name. and what even baffles my mind is how there are thousands and thousands of humans walking the face of this earth and yet He still knows me and loves me as if i'm the only person He has as a friend and co-hier of our Father.

 via

You don't miss a thing// bethel music

When You stand
I feel the floor of Heaven tremble
As You breathe
We live and have our being
When You speak
Oh I feel it in my chest
When You sing
All my fears are put to rest

What a wondrous thing
I can stand to sing
Cause when I fall to my knees,
You’re the one who pulls me up again

What a mystery
That You notice me
And in a crowd of ten thousand
You don’t miss a thing
You don't miss a thing

When You sigh
The wind becomes a sonnet
When You laugh
The storm around me ceases
You whisper
And all my enemies are scattered
You surround me
With angels on assignment

What a wondrous thing
I can stand to sing
Cause when I fall to my knees
You're the one who pulls me up again

What a mystery
That you notice me
And in a crowd of ten thousand
You don't miss a thing
Cause You see everything

And I am seen
And I am known
  By the King of kings
And Lord of lords

There's no place I can go
Where Your love won't find me
No place I can hide
That You don't see
  No place I can fall
Where Your love couldn't catch me
You see it all, You see it all
Through the eyes of love...oh oh oh oh oh

There's no place I can go
  Your love won't find me
No place I can hide
That You can't see
No place I can fall
  Your love wouldn't catch me
You see it all, You see it all
And You're in everything, You're all around me..yeah eehh

When I withdraw..still You pursue

There's no place I can go
Where Your love won't find me
No place I can hide
That you don't see
When I'm misunderstood
Your love understands me
You see it all, you see it all
You're in everything

There's no place I can go
That you won't find me
There's no place I can hide
That You don't see
No place I could fall
Your love wouldn't catch me
You see it all, You see it all
Through the eyes of love

i hope you have thoroughly soaked in the beautiful lyrics of this soul-stirring song. i love bethel music so much! The love of Jesus sets me free, it allows me to dance in this safe freedom, it fills my heart full to the brim to know that the most important Person ever to walk on this earth loves me! and knows me! and pursues me!whoaaaa! this is some crazy, crazy love! francis chan is absolutely right with his book.

 i bet you'd feel special if the queen of England knew your name, and was personallyyour friend, only a phone call away. how much more Jesus, the King of aaaaallllllll kings! the fact that we can't see Him wit our physical eyes does not mean that He's not real. as Christians our walk is one of faith, not by sight. He's so near. He knows you! let's seek Him by intentionally spending time with Him, the Word, by talking to Him every single day throughout the day, by listening to what He has to say about the day He has planned for us. He's incredible ad awesome!

 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’// acts 17:28

 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.

^17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
    God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
    any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in! // psalm 139:1-6 (msg)


Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
    God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
    any more than I could count the sand of the sea.Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!// psalm 139:13-22 (msg)

Jesus loves each human being so much! We are all unique too and no wonder we all have different thumbprints. He loves us all personally. He's able to do this because He's Jesus, our Savior. Only He can save, only He can love us this way. let's trust Him with our lives some more. He's so present and close to our hearts

xoxo,

gen delali.

music monday // still that girl

hey, hey, hey! I've been a lil MIA the past couple of weeks. my bad, folks.
so today, I'm gonna share a beautiful song of bravery by britt nicole! the song brings memories of the years when i was so wide eyed with so much hope that my plans were gonna play out. you know, when i thought there was no way God was going to deny me the scholarship i wanted with all my heart right after I completed uni. The world was before me and i couldn't wait to make a change.

 via

oh, but He had other plans. plans that i thought were too different from who i thought i was. plans that seemed way, way, way too good to be true to the point that they completely freaked me out.

but as the years have been passing by, I'm beginning to realize how perfectly faithful Father is. so not getting the scholarship for the program i wanted stung. buuuttt, He's so gooood. He's provided me with a scholarship to study what He wanted me to study for my masters all along! And me + God, we're still gonna make the change I always wanted. And it's gonna be waaaayyyyyy better than my dreams. some dreams must die for better things to be birthed.

so, yah, enjoy the song.

still that girl// britt nicole

Dreams, they come

Plans, they change. Yeah, we’re gonna break

Things we face make us who we are

Baby, you’re a star shining in the dark

Let’s go back to the summer,

The summer when we dreamed in love

Let’s go back again, let’s go back again

Yeah, back again, my friend to the summer when…

I’m holding a picture from 7 years back

I smile at the memory, it’s smiling right back at me, and I see

Brown hair and bright eyes, such a beautiful blue,

A heart full of laughter with nothing to lose

That’s how I remember you

You were young, you were free

And you dared to believe you could be the girl

Who could change the world

Then your life took a turn

And you fell and it hurt

But you’re still that girl

And you’re gonna change this world

Woa oo oo o o o, you’re still that girl

Sometimes life don’t go the way you planned

And we all have days when we just don’t understand

Searching for meaning, it’s not always easy

But your story’s not over, it’s still being told

Your sunrise is coming, brighter than gold

Lets go back again to the summer when

What if the picture is bigger than you see

And God has you right where He wants you to be

Just listen to your heart

He’s telling you with every beat

You’re still that girl

You were young, you were free

And you dared to believe you could be the girl

Who could change the world

Then your life took a turn

And you fell and it hurt

But you’re still that girl

And you’re gonna change this world

Woa oo oo o o o, you’re still that girl

I see it in your eyes, I see it in your smile

                                                                You’re still that girl

"In their hearts man plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."// proverbs 16:9


Remember that no matter how twisted your plans get, God has better plans for your precious life. It's gonna take some time, but things will pan out so well and fine if you truly trust in Him and never give up. no matter where your story has gotten to, you're still that girl and you're gonna change this world one person at a time. :)

and it doesn't even matter that i've blogged about this song before. ;)

xoxo, gen delali