So, yesterday I went to a Mexican rodeo with a couple of guys from Denmark.

It was a nice laid back day. We also checked out park Agua Azul. The water was mostly brown though…

Something that happened at the rodeo… I was sitting a few rows back with the guys from Denmark. After a while I decided to move up a few rows to a better location for the photos. I sat down in a little open spot with Mexicans all around me. After a little while, a cool old guy in a huge hat came by and shook hands with all the Mexicans all around me, and then greeted me as well. He opened a bottle of Tequila, and started pouring glasses of it for anyone who wanted some. He offered me some, and I said “no, gracias.” He looked surprised, and apparently thought I really wanted some but was just declining because I was shy or something. He pressed again a few more times and when I said no thank you again, he asked why I didn’t want to drink with them. Because I spoke so little Spanish, and he spoke no English, I apologized that I could not speak Spanish well. (”Lo Siento. Mi Espanol es muy malo.”) Rather than getting my meaning that I couldn’t explain my reason because I spoke little Spanish, he took it that I’d meant to say “yes, please” rather than “no, thank you” and went to pouring me a glass… Oi, vey! I again said “no, gracias” a couple of times, and so he shrugged and let it be.

Saturday morning, I had breakfast at the Embassy Suites in Phoenix. I had a large tray loaded up with fruit, omlette made to order, pancakes, juice, coffee, and more. I couldn’t carry this and my laptop (I was still working), but wanted to eat outside. I set my food out on a table in an empty area of the balcony and went back for my laptop. When I returned a couple moments later, I found a flock of birds eating my breakfast and a group of people watching and chuckling. When I walked up to my food, one man said, “don’t worry, they didn’t eat much.”

Today, I think I’ll see the cathedral, the market, some murals near the cathedral, and then who knows. Should be fun. I talked with a German girl at breakfast who is traveling in Mexico for a couple of months. She is going to be an elementary teacher, and likes to paint and draw. Part of her time here, she was studying art.

So here I am at a hostel in downtown Guadalajara. I´ve been in Phoenix for work during much of the past couple months, and decided to take a vacation for a week out here in Mexico since I was closer than usual.

After my week here, I´ll be in Seattle for a couple of weeks for work, and then home.

:o)

This morning, I got into G. about 5 something in the morning. After picking up my checked baggage and going through customs, I changed $20 USD into 206 pesos. Then I went outside and found that all the taxi´s charge $190 pesos for the ride to downtown. I decided to wait for a bus which ended up charging 5 pesos and got me in the neighborhood. A taxi from there cost 40 pesos ($4 USD) to get me to the hostel.

I haven´t yet heard from the missionaries here, but I only got a chance to send an email yesterday.

Today, I´ll see what there is to see nearby, and see if I can find a good church to attend.

I didn’t actively choose the topic of this writing, but I got the beginning in a very vivid dream. I wrote and went back to sleep. I woke again a few hours later (just a few minutes ago) and wrote the rest.

I’m excited, because it’s been almost a year since God began to increase my song writing (with “You Are the One” on Good Friday last year). It’s also interesting that God would give me this just before Easter. Right now, I’ve only got these words, no music.

Clearly, this isn’t an example of the most polished work. However, I wanted to share this with a few friends and family as Easter is coming up.

Amazing King

Oh God, my God
I see Your famous gaping wounds
I hear Your agony
How could You bear such pain for me
and love when You were almost lost in grief
Amazing grace can scarcely tell the story
Amazing God, Amazing Love, Amazing King

And of Your blood
there always is enough
The endless flow
though You are now made whole
is marvelous to me
The stripes they cut in You
were part of freedom’s cost
So I can walk
away from sin and death

Oh God, my God
I see Your famous gaping wounds
I hear Your agony
How could You bear such pain for me
and love when You were almost lost in grief
Amazing grace can scarcely tell the story
Amazing God, Amazing Love, Amazing King

Hi, Guys. It’s been a little while since I shared something I was working on. Here’s something that arrived when I was showering this morning. Hope you all have a great day.

It’s easy enough for me to fault other men on my strengths
But though I wanted them to go, my faults have mostly stayed with me
What foolishness for me to close one eye and justify myself
What foolishness that I would judge my brother’s heart

Have mercy Lord on me a sinful man
Please purify my heart and cleanse my life
You know my inmost parts and gave Your life for me
Have mercy Lord on me a sinful man

Will not the God
of the whole earth
do what is just?

And You have promised me
that You are loving, kind, and good.
What does Your justice mean?
How can we hope to pass
a test of love or law?
We fail in both.
And yet You promise us success
if we will lean on You.
Exchanging all our loss
for perfect love that has
no room for fear.

Hello friends…

I just decided to start a blog here on JonathanPaulMusic.com…

Lately, I’ve been emailing a friend or two (which of course includes family) with recent drafts of writings. I finally just decided to open up these little periodic/aperiodic posts to a few more people.

I don’t know if I’ll get much feedback, but part of my reason for posting is based off something I’ve heard several well-published writers express. They said basically that they don’t know what is their better writing and what is worse. What they tend to like, others may not find as good, and others may like what the author doesn’t. So… it’ll be interesting to see what gets more comments, and what sort of things are said.

I won’t mind if I don’t get much feedback though, because I simply enjoy the process of writing, even if I don’t come up with anything useful from that particular session/week/month.

I hope you’ll find that the topics are at least somewhat varied, but I can’t promise anything at this point… I don’t often set out to write about any particular topic. Like one-time Hope College prof Jack Ridl says, “I just wait for something to arrive.” :o)

~ Jonathan ~

P.S. Just in case you’re wondering, I’m posting most things by the date they were actually written in my journal rather than the date they were posted here on this blog. That’s why some posts show up before this one that was written and posted on my first day here…

Remember joy?
It came so many times.
The open field reminded you of praise.

Come back to Me,
Your feet have worn that
  distant road too long.
I never left our home,
I’m waiting gladly,
  soon to hear your voice.
Come speak with Me,
Forget the things you’ve learned.
Don’t be a slave in foreign lands,
Remember joy!

Remember joy
  that made you strong.
If you are far from home,
Why not come home?

Remember joy.

What has your beauty seen 
   since I have seen you last? 
What songs have you begun to learn? 
How strong are they in you? 

For me, I want to notice skies 
   beyond the place 
   where man might stand and see. 
I want to drink the ocean dry 
   and not be satesfied. 
I want to fly and find 
   that I’m not in a dream 
and then perceive the things 
   that might be called unseen 

What was your saddest day? 
What do you celebrate? 
What do you fear 
   and do you walk away 
   or toward that place? 
If you could whisper anything 
   what would that be? 
And if you could proclaim 
   and reach all men, 
Think carefully 
   what would you speak? 

What is your pain 
   and why can you not 
   make it go away? 
What is your joy 
   and is it great enough 
   to make these sorrows small?

Let me not discourage you 
  from speaking what you think. 
I will be safe; 
I am a house of peace. 
Let’s tend a steady flame 
  just soft enough to hide the flaws 
  or look away most days 
  except for when we’re better off 
  to face this thing 
  and then be through with it. 

You are the One
Who makes my morning bright
You are the One
Who brings the day
You are the One
Who shares my eveningtime
You comfort me
And hold me through the night

I’ll wait for You
Your love is beautiful
I’ll wait for You
Who’s always kind
I’ll wait for You
Until the ocean’s dry
I’ll wait because
You’re everything I need

We’re made for this
New love in summertime
We’re made for this
To see the stars
We’re made for this
To touch another heart
We’re made for life
Beyond the span of time

I am so glad
That we’re together now
I am so glad
To see Your face
I am so glad
You love me everyday
I am content
I couldn’t ask for more

You are the One
Who makes my morning bright
You are the One
Who brings the day
You are the One
Who shares my eveningtime
You comfort me
And hold me through the night

I delight in You
And I’ll be firmly planted
Rivers of water will wash over me

I will dwell on You
On the laws that You’ve given
They will bring comfort and will shelter me

And I’ve learned
The things I’ve longed for
These foolish things
Can’t satisfy
They leave me looking
For my Lord
You’re all I need (2x)

I am a fool most days
I often seek another thing
Beside Your face
These songs are not enough
To change my life
I need You here with me
Inside
To change the place that matters most

Please come to meet me
Here and now
I can’t believe
I’ve waited all this time
To ask again

Please cover me
In grace and peace
In everything You know I need
I am a fool but I have learned
To ask again
Please cover me

Please cover me
Please cover me
Please cover me
Again

You made my flesh
You’ve given everything
Everything I need
And yet I’m lost
If not for you
I can’t survive
I can’t do anything
Without the strength I have
From loving You

Please come to meet me
Here and now
I can’t believe
I’ve waited all this time
To ask again

Please cover me
In grace and peace
In everything You know I need
I am a fool but I have learned
To ask again
Please cover me

Please cover me
Please cover me
Please cover me
Again

Save me, oh God
For the water surrounds me
Save me, oh God
For I’ve no place to stand
Save me, oh God
For my eyes have failed me
Save me, oh God
For I can’t see the way

May those who hope in You
Never be disgraced
May those who seek for You
Always find Your face
Let those who trust in You
Bless Your holy name
Let those who long for You
Be sated by Your grace

Save me, oh God
For I am in distress
Save me, oh God
And I will praise Your name
Save me, oh God
Deliver me I pray
Save me, oh God
Take away my blame

May those who hope in You
Never be disgraced
May those who seek for You
Always find Your face
Let those who trust in You
Bless Your holy name
Let those who long for You
Be sated by Your grace

Be the light to guide my life
Shape my will and rob my strife
Let Your mercy and Your love come down
Trade my ashes for a crown

I will praise You set me free
With this love You’ve captured me
You open up my inner soul
Bind my wounds and make me whole

Innocence is now my goal
I was the head, You took that role
Your seeds of love within me sow
And to the world You bid me go

With bonds of love You set me free
You free me as You capture me

Be the light to guide my life
Shape my will and rob my strife
Let Your mercy and Your love come down
Trade my ashes for a crown

When I’m just overwhelmed
One more day
Much the same
Too much need in the world
And I’m losing my strength
And I’ve lost all control
And I’ve run out of hope and of love

Reach beyond
Reach again
Reach to love
I can never meet all of the needs
It’s ok
I call heaven again
And I find that there’s more than enough

You are more
You are more
You are more
More than enough

You are more
You are more
You are more
More than enough

This life is all I have
Until I leave it here
and go back home
and go back home

I’ll search for gold
And treasures won’t escape my grasp
I’ll search for gold
Your treasure won’t escape my grasp
I’ll seek until I find
And knock until the door is open wide

This life is full of
Famine and of feasting times
‘Till we go back home
‘Till we go back home

I’ll search for gold
And treasures won’t escape my grasp
I’ll search for gold
Your treasure won’t escape my grasp
I’ll seek until I find
And knock until the door is open wide

If I die today
If I die today
I would not think my life a waste
I would not think my life a waste
Now I have lived
Now I have lived a day
Now I have lived
Fully alive

And if You let me live
Give me the breath and strength again
Tomorrow I’ll live
Tomorrow I’ll live
Fully alive

I will wait forever
if it takes that long
till you come home
I will wait forever
just to spend a day with you

These Hands that made the mountains
may be infinitely strong
How will this Heart of love
go on while you are gone?

Don’t keep Me waiting long
I’m standing here … can’t you see that …

I will wait forever
if it takes that long
till you come home
I will wait forever
just to spend a day with you

Come back to me and show Your face
Don’t break this fragile heart I pray
‘Cause I can’t live without Your love
I could not make it one more day

You are my air, my food, my water
Don’t take away my source of life
You are my air, my food, my water
Come back to me and be my source of life

If You have broken my chains
How could I choose to stay?
The love that You’ve given my heart
Is beyond anything
All that I’ve known falls away
The beauty of You and Your name
Puts the oceans and mountains to shame

So I lift my head
You are the joy that has given me strength
You put the stars into place
You made the love that has
Echoed in everything
For all of time (4x)

As the stars come out tonight
I wonder when I’ll find my home
With my father
With my Father
With my fathers

I’m anxious to be lost in peace
And to be found full of joy
I’m anxious to be lost in peace
And to be found full of joy

That love will take over my soul
Over my soul

The stars come out tonight
I wonder when I’ll find my home