It all comes back to You - EP Release, 7.01.11 - 7.04.11

Truth be told, when all the noise is through, it all comes back to You:

To You who made the water, 

And You who made the sky, 

And You who made the sunshine's rays dance before my eyes. 

And to You, I ask my questions to, when I wonder, "Why?"  

When I'm alone and my day is through, 

no matter what has been and is to come...

It all comes back to You.

I love You...Thank You. -Your Little Pauline

About-the-Song Series, track 2: "I'm Free"

I'm Free is a really fun way to say some really true things about I once was, and who I am now.  

The truth about me is this:
I was being played by a puppet master with dark intentions.  I walked a path well traveled, paved by the prince of the power of the air.  I could not control my dark thoughts and feelings...and I couldn't help but act on them somehow, whether in the light or in the dark.  I was prone to greed, jealousy, rage, pride, lust, strife, depression, uncontrollable up-and-downs - MISERY!  And I could not pull myself together.  I was desperate; destitute.


But now!  Because of my Jesus, RICH and GENEROUS in His mercy toward me, I have been given new life!  A new chance!  A million-trillion new chances!  I have received sweet release from the bondage and chains of who I was!
And guess what?  It's a GIFT.  It's free!  I don't have to earn it, I don't have to work for it, I don't have an insurmountable debt over my head that I have to pay back.  It's FREE.  I'm FREE - PERIOD.  
And guess what again?  The same offer goes for you: You want it? You got it.
Now come on!  That's somethin' worth singin' about!!!

About-the-song Series, track 6: "Dear Me"

Tamalpais Glory - Marin County, California, a photo by PatrickSmithPhotography on Flickr.

I once heard it said: "life is a series of deaths and resurrections." I like that.
I mentioned this to a friend of mine as we talked about the ups and downs of life (once again, at a coffee shop).
"During our 'Up' seasons, we really should write ourselves a little time capsule or something. Something to remind ourselves when we're in the valleys that it really is going to get better," we decided.
"Dear Me" was born from that short conversation. The song is an open letter, written from oneself during a mountaintop season of life, to oneself during a season when things aren't coming up roses.
Let's face it, "valley" seasons are rough. They're lonely. They're hard for anyone else to understand. They're just plain hard!! I mean, David didn't call it "the valley of the shadow of death" for no reason! During these dark times, it can become harder and harder to remember what it's like to wake up feeling genuinely hopeful. What it feels like to be genuinely at peace with who you are. To feel assured that you're on the right path. These are testing times - sometimes by God's leading, sometimes by our own less-than-awesome decisions...
The beautiful thing about our faith is that, either way - whether we don't know why in the world we're going through this, or maybe we know exactly why - we have a Redeemer who is in the business of taking these seasons and turning them into, what we look back on as some of the most profound, amazing experiences of our lives. During the valleys, we grow; we get stronger; we learn. We become better versions of ourselves in ways we never would have dreamed possible!
And then, maybe just when we've conditioned ourselves not to expect the sun to shine again, and we've learned to be content and grateful, whether we ever see another spring day...
....Here it comes...just over the mountain: the sunrise. And you begin to feel it's warmth on your face. The clouds fade away to blue; the flowers begin to bloom. A new spring has sprung, and it's better than ever before. New life has been created all around you, and best of all, in you.