My Father’s House

Happy Father’s Day!

OK, so I missed a week completely of the Monday Morning Music blog, which I had told myself I wouldn’t do. But there were so many things coming together at the same time. The church of which I am a part had a big transition where one region merged with another and that has taken a lot of time, energy, and logistical stuff to make happen. We had several “final” worship services, send-off’s, things of that nature. And then just over a week ago our church-at-large, the Los Angeles Church of Christ, just celebrated her 20th anniversary in existence. We had a big worship service at the Home Depot Center –an incredible, memorable, heart-moving (and very long) time together.  You can see photos at this link a great photographer has put up here. And there will be a video and photo essay soon posted on www.laicc.net.

Anyway, all of that came together last week and I had some deadlines to hit with designing graphics and launching a new worship series, married series, planning for a singles conference I’m directing, and things like that. Whew, makes me tired just writing about it all! So, I missed a week of blogging. As my lovely and always supportive wife was nudging me to take a week off I said, “but how can I disappoint my 20 or 30 readers?!” (OK it might be a few more than that.)

We did have some great time to recuperate and relax last weekend and celebrate Father’s day with my wonderful family. I am so grateful for my dad, who has always been so loving, caring, spiritually-guiding, faithfully-trusting-in-God. And I’m so grateful God has given me my own family to shepherd and care for.

I’m going to share a song I wrote some years back for Father’s Day called “My Father’s House.” The words are from Jesus to his followers on the night of his betrayal, taken loosely from John 14 and the surrounding chapters. I love this section of scripture. Sometime I’ll write more about all the cool Jewish wedding language that is used here.

We did this song at church yesterday. I usually have the congregation sing on the choruses, “fa-ther’s house… oo-oo.” I have a recording I made for the part-singers so I’m posting that as well, in case you’d like to use it sometime.

My Father’s House – parts

This is the version that appears on my latest CD, “Remain in Me.”

My Father’s House

My Father’s House
John 14:2

You know the way
even as you have known me
I’m here today
though tomorrow you’ll feel alone
Don’t slip away
when you feel the demons on you
‘Cause in you I’ll stay
and then I’ll come to take you home

And in my father’s house
there is room enough to hold you
In my father’s house
there’ll be no more fear and no more pain
In my father’s house
Remember all that I have told you
‘Cause my father’s house
you’re going to find is worth the wait

I’ll be beaten I will bleed
I’ll be pierced and I’ll be stricken
And in my name just like me
you’ll be ridiculed and scorned
But for a single grain of wheat
to give it’s fruit it must be buried
And so I’ll go but you will see
Tomorrow I’ll be reborn

There’ll be war there’ll be cold
There’ll be flood and fire and hardship
But remember what you were told
when you see this happening
That if you trust, if you hold
hold on to what I’ve shown you
If you’re faithful, if you’re bold
you’ll do even greater things…

drums – Pete Wade
bass – Malcolm Turner
electric guitars, mandolin – Marshall Mead
piano, guitars, percussion, vocals – JBC

Verse:
amin emin / G D
amin emin / D (break)

Chorus:
A / D / G / A

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