Ashes to Glory / Look Unto the Hills

Hello all,
Just a quick side comment — I don’t really look at my own blog much – I just write stuff and post songs. But as I pulled up jbriancraig.com and scrolled down, there are all these videos, pictures of my face… I hope it doesn’t look like I’m trying to build a monument to myself or something. I just have lots of people ask what I’m doing, ask about new songs, resources etc, and this seemed like a good way to share stuff. I would actually share more songs by other people too (Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Jeremy Camp, Lincoln Brewster, etc) but I want to respect copyright, and there are no copyright issues with posting my own recordings!

Anyway, I just got back from a great weekend with the Omaha Church of Christ and some great friends, Gregg and Cathy Marutzky. My wife and I taught a parenting class early Sunday and I got to lead the worship and share some thoughts for the Sunday worship service. They also had me give a concert Saturday night – which was a blast… two hours with no time pressure, I could tell stories and share songs and we all enjoyed a spiritual time together. Normally with Sunday worship I’m really concerned with trying to pull in the audience and help people sing, but with the concert I told them I wasn’t going to worry about that and I might go into my own little world a bit (honestly, I think it can be impacting and worshipful to just listen to music with a focus on the words as well as singing yourself).

It was great being with Gregg and Cathy again. Gregg was our campus minister (and leader of the Denver church) back at CU Boulder where my wife and I met and fell in love. He did our wedding over 16 years go. G and C had such an impact on our young days of learning to follow Christ, and to lead and love others. There were a couple songs he wanted to make sure I shared, both theme songs from conferences or retreats back in those days, Ashes to Glory, and Look Unto the Hills. I share a little bit about the songs on this video (I don’t mention the name of the school because we were in “Cornhusker territory”). It was moving to connect with the words of these songs again, not just for nostalgic reasons but for the spiritual message of these songs, written in my young Christian days. It reminded me of the freshness of salvation, and the grace that reaches me even now, as an older Christian.

I’ve also posted recordings of these songs from an album I put together in 1995 as a senior project. Yeah, they’re a bit dated, but so what…
Ashes To Glory

Look Unto The Hills

ASHES TO GLORY

Oh, my eyes are turning
From the past behind the wall
Oh, my world’s been burning
So I run to the waterfall
I can see my life for what it is:
A fragile paper doll
Oh, my heart’s been yearning
So I answer heaven’s call

I die and am made clean
I fly unbound and free
I cry and you move me
From Ashes to Glory…

Oh, my heart was crying
My life was spinning round and round
Oh, my soul was dying
Ashes, ashes, all fall down
But the like the phoenix from the flame
I leave the ashes on the ground
Oh, for glory flying
I want to wear a golden crown

I die and am made clean
I fly unbound and free
I cry and you move me
From Ashes to Glory…

Oh, I see forever
And whatever comes my way
Oh, we’ll be together
And forever yours I’ll stay
A thousand years from now
Perhaps I’ll think of what was yesterday
And I won’t remember
If I ever felt afraid

I die and am made clean
I fly unbound and free
I cry and you move me
From Ashes to Glory…

LOOK UNTO THE HILLS

Me, I was looking at me
and all I could see
was my iniquity.
I’d fall, couldn’t see at all
to know that I wasn’t moving.
So down, I was feeling down,
not looking around
out from inside of me
O I’ve got to lift up my eyes,
swallow my pride,
and see His glory!

I look unto the hills.
Where does my help come from?
I look unto the hills and I can
see my Maker’s love.
I look unto the hills
and then I know I’ve won,
’cause with my Daddy I can only
overcome.

Why, I’m wondering why
I sit when I
have the power to up and fly.
Not me – but when I see above me,
up into eternity.
And then I understand
creation’s hand
is what supports me,
I can see he’s watching over me.
I can be anything with Him when I…

I look unto the hills.
Where does my help come from?
I look unto the hills and I can
see my Maker’s love.
I look unto the hills
and then I know I’ve won,
’cause with my Daddy I can only
overcome.

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