Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Sacred Scars

There’s a fellowship of suffering and a living sacrifice
A once forever offering, pain that paid a perfect price
His sacred scars still testify
To the Way that we are justified
They still witness to the wounding of the consecrated lamb
And though he died he stood up so now on His blood we stand.

Jesus bears the wounds inflicted by this world and by our ways
And they witness to the finished work accomplished the third day
Marks of men from which Jesus died,
Borne on head, hands, feet, and his side
Now the fellowship of suff’ring bears a sign that sanctifies
For our righteous, wounded healer shall forever testify.

Jesus was forsaken so we are forgiven
His life was taken and so now we are living
We’re mourning for the murder of the Morningstar.
And we see a sign and seal in the sacred scars

So flee to the consecrated cross and flee from your precious pride
Flee to the cross where sin and shame and the bread of heaven died
By His stripes we are truly healed
By His blood the judgment’s sealed
Faithful are His wounds and we are resolved to never forget
We are all called to remember and repent without regret.

We who were drawn near to him while we were wand’ring off afar
Now we rest within the wounds hidden under the sacred scars.
He was wounded for our iniquity
When we were yet his enemy
There is wonder in the wounding of the mighty Morningstar
His loss becomes our glorious gain as we see the sacred scars

He draws us to his wounded side --all who enter in abide.
There is healing in the hearing of a word that testifies
To the wonder and the mighty sign
Of the Morningstar who shines.
After dying he was raised up by a glory of his own
Glory that's now shed abroad on those on whom this light has shown.

So let not your heart be troubled, let your soul be unashamed
He bore our blame so now His name’s above every other name
Our suffering servant has died
And so in His refuge we may hide
We will make much of his sacrifice upon the rugged tree
And we shall make much more of his overcoming victory!

Jesus was forsaken so we are forgiven
His life was taken and so now we are living
We’re rejoicing for the rising of the Morningstar.
And we see a sign and seal in the sacred scars


Anthony Foster
October 26, 2010

Thursday, October 21, 2010

NAPCE Presentation

Dr. Anthony Foster's presentation from October 22, 2010 at the NAPCE Conference,
The Leadership Curriculum, is located HERE.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Joy Is Growing In A Barren Land

God has shown kindness
By removing our blindness
Surely as the night gives sway
To another glorious day

Sure as the rain falls from heaven’s skies
Crops in their season shall arise
And as the tears fall from sadness
Soon our hearts will bring forth gladness

For joy is growing in a barren land
And peace is pervading this place
Blessedness rains down from His gracious hand
And in this desert’s an oasis of grace
Righteousness is flowing here where we stand
And joy is growing in a barren land.

God in His mercy has shown
All of the glory that can be known
His Son turns our mourning into a dance
And our grief gives way to a holy romance

Our rocky soil is raised as it’s tilled
All of its low places shall be filled
Flooded by living water from above
For it flows down from heaven in love

Now joy is growing in a barren land
And peace is pervading this place
Blessedness rains down from His gracious hand
And this desert’s an oasis of grace
Forgiveness is flowing at God’s command
And joy is growing in a barren land.

We were all a wilderness, lifeless parched and dry
Void of rivers running deep except for the tears we’d cried
But He has delivered us from our distress and raised our souls on High.
So we are called now to confess the Name of the Most High….

Now joy is growing in a barren land
And peace is pervading this place
Blessedness rains down from His gracious hand
And in this desert there's an ocean of grace
Forgiveness is flowing at God’s command
And joy is growing in a barren land.


Anthony Foster
October 20, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Consecration

The consecrated living way
Abides forevermore
The Holy One has made a path
A way to enter Heaven’s Door

We long to give Christ all our hearts
We devote our lives to You alone
The obedience of faith impart,
So consecrate us as your own!

This is true worship as we become
The holiness of the Holy One

Lord, consecrate our lives to You
Align our souls in one accord
Our pure devotion now is due
To our Holy, Most High Lord!

This is true worship as we become
Devoted to the Holy One!

Consecration, devotion, obedience
Made for the noble purpose of His presence!

Oh Lord, be our supreme desire
As your holiness we now confess
This is what holiness requires
You become our Righteousness

This is true worship as we become
The likeness of the Holy One.

Anthony Foster
October 20, 2010

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bold Humility

Boldly is the way we come
Faultless, without blame
For our Lord’s finished work is done
And we are unashamed.

Humbly at his feet we bow
We will not be cast out now
Here we declare His worth
In heaven and on earth

For at the throne His presence reigns
And all that’s hidden comes in view
Purifying glory attains
And hearts are changed, made new.

The truth of Your matchless worth
Known in heaven is revealed on Earth
The revelation of what is True
Makes us want to worship You.

Humbly at his feet we bow
We will not be cast out now
Here we declare His worth
In heaven and on earth

Human language cannot describe
The majesty that reigns on High
That glory now indwells these walls
The hearts of those the Spirit calls

Humbly at his feet we bow
We will not be cast out now
Here we declare His worth
In heaven and on earth

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

The Naphash Stream

Every hungry starving soul that feeds upon the Word
Bring your yearning to be whole, reject the lies you’ve heard
You who pant for living streams, who thirst for heaven’s dew
There is water here to redeem your dreams, and a better hope renew.

Rich provision, taste and see
The goodness of the Lord’s glory
Revealed in the fountain
That flows from the mountain to the sea.
Springs that never run dry
Shall run through you and me.
Rich provision full and free
The goodness of the Lord’s glory
Revealed in the bread
By which the body’s fed
Bread made from grain
That was milled for you and me.

You who thirst for an oasis in a dry and weary land
Bring your parched tongues, burned by the searing sands
And drink a draught of living water from this flow
Drench your thirst in The Naphash stream, then tell all that you know

Rich provision, taste and see
The goodness of the Lord’s glory
Revealed in the fountain
That flows from the mountain to the sea.
Springs that never run dry
Shall run through you and me.
Rich provision full and free
The goodness of the Lord’s glory
Revealed in the bread
By which the body’s fed
Bread made from grain
That was milled for you and me.

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

Cover Up

Buried in the depths of dust
Covered by miry clay
Captives of a dismal tomb
Yearn for the light of day
O’er whelmed by sin’s landslide
A covering that kills
A darkness where there’s nowhere to hide
Raised up against God’s will.

You can pray for mountains to fall
Or an avalanche to cover you all
You can pray to be washed away in a flood
But there is nothing but the beloved’s blood.

There is no garment you can weave
No skin of animals, no coat of leaves
To cover over the sin you love
There is nothing but the beloved’s blood.

You can pray to be swallowed by the earth
Or cast yourself in the sea
You can change your name, for what it’s worth
But you can’t change your identity
For the one who made you knows you
As He knows the hearts of man
He’s the only one who’ll show you
Who you are and what He’s planned

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

The Love of Jesus

Oh the love of Jesus is a fire
That warms the heart in its glow
Its flame envelops our desire
And burns the haughty soul

Oh the love of Jesus is a flood
Covering a multitude of sin
In love he poured out his lifeblood
Many sons of glory to win.

The love of Jesus is a wind
A storm that yearns to blow
It boils and breathes and enters in
To sweep the leaven from our souls.

The love of Jesus is a rock
Upon which we would stand
A mighty refuge for His flock
In a world of shifting sand.

Oh Love of Jesus draw me near
Perfect love that casts out fear
Nothing can separate us from
The love by which we’re overcome.

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

A Mighty Prayer

Oh Jesus deliver me
From evil and my schemes
And may your deliverance be seen
In the change you make in me
Save me from what I want to fix
From my inferior dreams
Save me from settling for less
From living beneath my privilege
Rescue me from my dangerous mind
Redeem my wasted moments of time

Restore me to right reckoning
Show me the value I disdain
Your holiness is beckoning
Give me vision to pursue what is plain
Make it obvious to me what you ordain.

Show me your way, guide me today
Give me the wisdom, I hunger and pray
Make my prayers a hunger
Make my desires a holy thirst
Only you can quench when I seek you first
I want you more than anything
I want to bless you alone
Put you before all others
Every moment I have known
Help me to clearly see
Make your will obvious to me!

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

There is Honey in the Rock

There is honey in the rock
For mercy is so sweet
The uncut stone not formed by hands
Now rests on mercy’s seat
Waters of Meribah made me thirst to know
Waters of Merom- and rock from which it flows

The place carved out for me to hide
Machpelah beckons me inside
So I will lay me low within its cleft
Hide my soul within its rift
Cast my life upon the cornerstone
The rejected rock, a tower and throne

Set my feet on the rock and save me from doom
A landslide of love will cover me
For this rock still rolls the stone from my tomb
Consecrated stone I hide in Thee.

Honey in the Rock
Honey in the Rock
Honey in the Rock
Honey in the Rock

Anthony Foster
October 14, 2010

Stone of Heaven

Sweep out all the leaven
That defiles this holy place
Break me on the stone of heaven
Make me a temple of grace.

Redeem all the rocks I have thrown
Rebuild my life stone upon stone
One on another an altar is raised
These stones of remembrance
Will declare your praise.

Raise up the Ebenezer now
A mighty memorial erect
In its shadows memories and vows
Both come to mind as they intersect
I need your wisdom to form my walls
I need your tower strong and tall
To form the ramparts of my defense
You will build unshakeable confidence

So fall on me oh Stone of Heaven
Righteous Rock crush my deceit
Forgive me seventy times seven
Make me a footstool for your feet

Sweep out all the leaven
That defiles this holy place
Break me on the Stone of Heaven
Make me a temple of Grace.

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

Repentance

There is a grieving in my heart
For the wasted opportunities
That never bore fruit in their season
They were consumed in vanity.

Forgive me Lord and take control
Lord forgive me for the hardness
That you find here in my soul
Restore me Lord and make me whole

Break my heart and rend my veil
I have sought my soul to shield
I am not faithful, am not true
So help me fully yield myself to You.

I have cast my heart before the swine
To eat the slop that this world serves
I have desecrated this holy place
By casting my eyes on the dark and disturbed.

So purify this hard heart
Consecrate this muddled mind
Empower my poor spirit
And destroy the chains that bind

Break my heart and rend my veil
I have sought my soul to shield
I am not faithful, am not true
So help me fully yield myself to You.

Anthony Foster
October 13, 2010

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Refugee

Long, long is the way from home
This side of the fall
Dark, dark is the path I’m on
Who will hear my call?

A runaway from justice
Believing I could hide
There’s no covert operation
Under God’s all seeing eye.

I will take refuge in my righteous rock
I will refuge in the cave of your heart
In the tower you build my soul shall sing
My home and hearth will be your sheltering wings
Your city of refuge is where I long to stay
You are the safe place for my wandering soul today.

No longer prone to wander
But prone to long after You
Prone to pursue your presence
United with the faithful and True.

I will take refuge in my righteous rock
I will refuge in the cave of your heart
In the tower you build my soul shall sing
My home and hearth will be your sheltering wings
Your city of refuge is where I long to stay
You are the safe place for my wandering soul today.

October 9, 2010
Anthony Foster

He will Clothe My Bones in Glory

When I die they will lay me low
Though my tomb be consecrated
Yet I am leaving, going home
I will have vacated.

When I die I’ll enter in
To my shelter from all harm
Hope will never die with me
Refuged in my Jesus’ arms

Consolation of the dead
Found in my own living Head
Sure salvation to those who believe
And breathe and move and live
This is what I am living for
The grave becomes the door
No fear of death
While I breathe life’s breath
For the battle is the Lord’s

He will clothe my bones
He will clothe my bones
In glory when I go.
Better than a chariot of fire
Will be the body that is higher
Than what I now can see
And my foot will be set free
From this world’s mire.

October 9, 2010
Anthony Foster

Breathe Deep

Breathe deep the breath of life
And breathing you shall live
The Spirit of Christ indwells us
And sustains the life He gives.

Break now the bread of life
And eating you shall live
The body of Christ receives us
And returns the life we give.

Our hearts now beat
Our minds will learn
His strength we seek
As our souls yearn
For the very breath of life
In the very bread of life.

Breath deep the breath of life
It overpowers death
Receive the bread of life
And deliverance from wrath

Our hearts now beat
Our minds will learn
His strength we seek
As our souls yearn
For the very breath of life
In the very bread of life.

October 9, 2010
Anthony Foster

A New Creation

We are regenerated and new
The old passed away and all credit is due
To the one who gives purpose and worth
The sovereign Lord of new birth

Transformed into glory
In our innermost parts
Conformed to your likeness
Keeping beat with your heart
Make us a mirror, give us your face
A face filled with glory, a face showing grace
May we be conformed to you in all we do
Transform our likeness to the image of You.

A new creation is truly new
We are now more than human
We are faithful and true
By the power that indwells us
By our captain of souls
By the Word that now tells us
We are complete and whole.

October 9, 2010
Anthony Foster

Tree of Life

The tree of life my soul has seen
Laden with fruit and evergreen
God has made a garden in this place
And a fertile field yields a harvest of grace.

Now we shall bear much precious fruit
For it springs from the righteous root
At his command we set hands to plough
And we will never turn back now

We are the workman and we are the field
But he gives the seed that has been revealed
He give us strength our soils to till
And we give increase as we do His will.

The tree of life my soul has found
And now I live by the fruit that abounds
God has supplied my every need
It springs forth from the woman’s seed.

October 8, 2010
Anthony Foster

Divine Comedy

Justice and mercy now kiss
Righteousness and peace embrace
Dust and starlight mingle in bliss
As heaven inhabits this place
So Man and Maker may coexist
Where justice and mercy kiss.

You cast our sins to the depths
As you reach down into our souls
Now in your song we catch our breath
And the broken image is made whole
For you have raised us up from death
And delivered us from wrath.

And so my soul takes courage
And though my heart takes strength
My mind can never comprehend
The height and depth and length
Of the lovingkindness without end!

Justice and mercy now kiss
Righteousness and peace embrace
Saved from the wrath and abyss
To become holy vessels of grace
We were created for this…
For justice and mercy kiss.

October 8, 2010
Anthony Foster

Heart Beat

Reshape and reform and replace
Reconcile our divergence from grace
Change and transform us
Shape and conform us
Until we see you face to face
You are the standard
Your likeness convey
For you are the potter
And we are the clay.

The beat of your hammer
On anvils of toil
There you shape our being
You are forging our souls
We are chas-ed and tempered
As a work of your art
By the beat of your hammer
And the beat of your heart.

Reshape and reform and replace
Reconcile our divergence from grace
Change and transform us
Shape and conform us
Until we see you face to face
You are the standard
Your likeness impart
For you are the sculptor
And we are your art.

October 8, 2010
Anthony Foster

Majesty On High

God has spoken fully and the work is done
God has spoken finally in His beloved Son
Heir of all things- the radiance of glory
He is Creation’s source and the end of God’s story

Oh Majesty on High
Oh Majesty on High
Come lift our hearts
As we cast our eyes
On the majesty on High!

By the word of His power he sustains all things
He cleanses us from sin by his perfect suffering
So in Christ we live and in Christ we die
He sits at the right hand of the majesty on high

Better than prophets, better than angels
On the right hand of the Majesty on High!
Better than Moses, Better than Aaron
Keep us anchored to the Majesty on High!

So let us not drift for the anchor is sure
Let us not doubt for the anchor’s secure
The more sure word is the anchor of our souls
Christ will keep our life for the anchor holds!

October 8, 2010
Anthony Foster

Throne of Grace

We have a great high priest who is wise
Who has passed through the heavenlies
When we are weak he will sympathize
Tempted in every way but without sin is he
And he never dies, he never dies
He sits on the throne of grace

Therefore let us approach with confidence
The throne of grace where he reigns
Our great high priest will be our defense
So mercy’s received and grace attains
For the weary soul that repents…
Before the throne of grace

No blood of birds or bulls or goats
There is only one sacrifice
Just as Adam and Eve received the coats
Only one covering lamb will suffice
Only one intercessor, Only One priest
Who offers his own blood and on his flesh we feast
Certain his redemption will mean our release
Before the throne of grace.

Oh throne of grace where mercy sweet
Flows down from on the the mercy seat
Where justice and mercy finally meet
Upon the throne of grace

Oh throne of grace where Christ alone
Now rules and glory is made known
Oh I would be a footstool for this throne
The very throne of grace.

October 8, 2010
Anthony Foster

Not By Might

It is not by might, not by Power
That the victory is finally ours
But by the Spirit of the Lord we overcome.
We are only dying dust
But in our Warrior we will trust
In our weakness it is done
Arise in strength in the One Son
For in Jesus every victory is won!

Not by power, not by might
By His Spirit fight the good fight
For in weakness mighty power is outpoured
Not by power, not by might
But His Spirit sets things right
So arise for the battle is the Lord’s

October 9, 2010
Anthony Foster