Why I Sing These Songs

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Track 1: More Than Wonderful

To me, the Lord really is more than wonderful and beyond any words I could think of to describe Him. That is why I sing it the way I do. This is a song of true praise from my heart and special to me as one day years ago, He healed my husband (the late Rev. Jerry Hinsen) of a serious and debilitating back condition right after I sang this song at a “Gospel Sing” at Church of the Valley in San Martin, CA.. Some of the most powerful miracles we experienced personally and in ministry did not happen in large auditoriums with many onlookers but in smaller, country churches. He doesn’t have to show off or display His power to prove anything to anyone but He does honor a humble, contrite heart of faith that pushes past the temptation of intellect to try to figure it all out.

Track 2. All That You Allow

Although this song is generally an expression of the experiences of my life and the comfort I received through the Lord and His Word, the verse and melody came to me in an ICU waiting room at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, MO while my mother-in-law was in the operating room after a heart failure (they had given up on her). She came back to us for 12 more years and told us of her experience in heaven. She was even singing a new song of praise that the family had never heard and when asked where she learned it, she said, “The angels were singing it”. One day after I had returned home to California, I was on my way home from my position at The Hoover Institution at Stanford and as I was driving on El Camino Real, the entire chorus just dropped into my mind. The song was now complete.

Track 3. A Perfect Heart

Track 4. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

This is a traditional song of the church written in the King’s English with “thee’s and thou’s” – and a favorite of so many people. It is a reminder that we start every day fresh in the economy of God – fresh mercy, fresh grace, fresh strength, wisdom, love, guidance, and answers to prayer. What is there not to like about each new day when we can live it with such a wonderful God?

Track 5. Lord, Take Control of Me

I first sang this song with our sanctuary choir and loved it from the start. It was a heartfelt prayer from my heart to God so of course, I wanted to include it in my album.

Track 6. Amazing Grace

The composer of this song (John Newton) experienced first-hand the miraculous power of God in transforming his heart and life and much has been written about it. The song is a favorite at Teen Challenge (a Christ based recovery program with 70-86% cure rate) in Oakland, CA.where I have had the privilege of ministering in song. It was an exhilarating experience as hearts were very open to receive everything the Holy Spirit would pour into them.

Track 7. Blood Bought Church

This is what makes the difference between Christianity and all other religions. Christ died so that we could live. Now, that’s true love! It was because He gave His very life-blood that we can have His presence and Spirit in abundance now and eternal life with Him.

Track 8. Jesus Be The Lord of All

This is a song of consecration and self- examination – a way to continually reflect on yielding to God and allow His gentle leading, wisdom and counsel to speak to my heart.

Track 9. His Eye Is On The Sparrow

This song became very special to me a few days before I recorded it. I don’t know that I can sufficiently explain in this short paragraph what a miracle happened this day for a little sparrow in my neighborhood but I will try to impart to you the event as best I can.
Early in the morning on July 4, 2011, I heard rustling and noises outside. I thought it was from children playing. However, I found a sparrow caught in a glue trap. His feet and right wing were enmeshed in the glue and my heart began to sink for I knew the certain fate of the bird without a major intervention of some kind. (I’m a bit sheepish to admit to you I was also concerned about singing a song I couldn’t sing with my whole heart, as if the Lord wouldn’t help me to free the sparrow – well, you get the picture -- I thought I might have to sing a different song.) I tried various methods of freeing the bird for more than an hour and sought advice of everyone from the word-wide web to animal control to emergency services and others. Finally, after joining my faith with a powerful, faith-filled friend in prayer, the Lord enabled me to free the sparrow and a few minutes later, saw him fly up into the air with both wings fully spread and functioning. Now I could sing the song with my whole heart, for God had answered our prayer. His eye truly is on even a little sparrow and surely His eyes are on us too!

Track 10. I Am

I was on a business trip and arrived late one night at a hotel in Washington, D.C. I was tired and a little anxious. ( I was also a new bride and missed the comfort of my husband.) As soon as I arrived in my room, I reached for the phone to call him, then sensed the Lord drawing me to Him and away from the phone.. It was hard for me to take my hand off the phone and draw aside in prayer to allow the Lord to comfort me that night. It seemed so much easier to pick up the phone and talk to my husband. As I began to worship and praise Him, He gave me my very own psalm (similar to a poem or prose). It went like this: “I AM your Father, I AM your mother, I AM your sister and I AM your brother. Without Me, they could not be, but without them, still I AM!” Tears began to stream down my face as I felt His all-encompassing love totally envelope me. My need had been met! I closed my prayer. Then the phone rang. ( It was my sweet husband.) Of course, I sang this song often when we ministered together and I told the story. (Since my husband was a minister and understood how one can love God so deeply, he was never jealous of my love for the Lord, but always happy to know that such a devotion was in my heart.)
One day years later, just before the Lord took him to heaven, I was at home about to leave for ICU where he was on life support. I couldn’t find my car keys and finally asked the Lord where they were. He said, “They’re in the garage on top of the dryer.” As I placed my hand on the door knob to go into the garage, He said He wanted to tell me something else before I opened the door. (I was amazed at the clarity of which I was hearing Him that day…it must have been His wondrous grace because of the valley I was about to pass through.) I paused and He said for the second time to me (but 25 years later), “I AM your Father, I AM your mother, I AM your sister and I AM your brother. Without Me, they could not be, but without them, still I AM!” I didn’t want to believe it, but I sensed the Lord was once again wanting to comfort me and was trying to prepare me for Jerry’s departure to heaven. He was reminding me that He is the great I AM, creator of each one of us, and that He will still be close to me. It is my prayer that You’ll sense His presence too, when you hear this song. He has anointed it just for you. Truly, He is the great, “I AM.”

Track 11. Together

What a thrill it was some years back – I was asked to sing the part of Mary in a Christmas musical. It was a dream come true and I asked the Lord to help me have a humble spirit and that I could somehow minister to everyone through this opportunity, especially others in the production with me. To top it all off, Rev. Jerry Hinsen (someone that had become very dear to my heart) arrived that day just before rehearsal (He had just come to town from his responsibilities of pastoring his church in Placerville, CA to conduct a funeral service). I received a proposal of marriage from him that day and sang this song walking down the aisle at our wedding. Now that he is in heaven, I want to sing it to you and to the Body of Christ – for the Bible tells us we (as believers in Him who have accepted Him as Lord of our lives) are the bride of Christ. He is the bridegroom and someday we will be with Him forever. We are more powerful together than individually. Two are better than one … and threefold cord (you, me and The Holy Spirit) is not easily broken. Ecclesiates 4: 9-12

Track 12. It Is Finished

Well, what can I say about this song? What can ANYONE say? He did what we couldn’t do for ourselves – deliver us from the bondage of death and sin. No one else has done this. No one. He is the only one and He finished the job. Please don’t be like a prisoner on some island still thinking the enemy has authority over you because the war has been won already and when you accept Christ as your savior and Lord of your life, you can walk in His authority too. As long as we live in this body on this earth we deal daily with matters to overcome – but we can and will be strong – through His grace.

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