Author - Clay Corvin

Heartache and suspense
Am I getting through?
Which way do you
Want me to go

How can I know?
Am I in your will?
Selfish pride proclaims
I’m more than a slave

I put my thoughts in line
Reaching out to find
The future way to walk
Today is not the time

That is so frustrating
Because my will is strong
It seems I want to meet
Lord could you be wrong?

Now I’m alive
Now I’m your child
Your will is moving me
I am called to rely

Okay, I’ll search my heart
What would I like to do?
Does it honor you?
That door I’ll walk through

Then the moment comes
I will do as you say
Your hand holds my heart
My life is yours today

Your will is always good
Even when I’m suffering pain
I love you Lord my King
Praise your holy name

I hear that you’re in pain
Have I told you Jesus name?
He came and spoke to me
He offered me eternity

I looked at all I had
Little I could use
In my heart was pain
My life was just abuse

I said Lord save me
Help me change my life
I want to be of worth
With joy and wisdom first

Every day is new
The Lord knows what I need
I remind Him though
So I can grow and know

Know the King of Kings
Know the way to go
Know His love for me
Jesus is my way to go

He will give me strength
To face the wrongs I’ve done
Giving me release
To be the Father’s son

I will grow today
I will bend my knee
Absolute surrender
Keeps me at Calvary

Jesus paid it all
I will give my life
To stop my pain and strife
Jesus is my life

I’ve never felt this way before
My world is new
My heart is true
The Lord has saved my life

Now I have a friend
He knows my outs and ins
His love is absolute
My life is based on truth

I am telling all
How Christ changed my fall
No longer alone
The Lord is always on

I belong to Him
All will hear me say
By all the things I do
Have you heard-Jesus is the way

My life is made
I have strength to be
The person I once saw
A life that is full of worth

Walking with Jesus
Fills me with joy
Puts a song in me
I will tell all how to be free

CC 8/22/04

Everywhere you go
Your troubles follow you
Never letting up
This day is a mess

You cannot escape
There is no refuge here
Troubles come
And they never let go

Just when you think
You’ve got this problem fixed
Another problem comes
Worse than what you fixed

Why are things this way?
I wish I had a say
You do in Christ
He will heal your life

Jesus brings us peace
We know He cares
And His presence gives relief
From the burdens we bear

All the needs I have
Christ will give me strength
I can trust in Him
His life gives me release

No longer alone
I’m living at home
The Lord’s way
Makes me new each day.

cc 8/21/04

What have you done?
That claims your life
Pulling you down
Enduring strife

Do you think?
Good is gone
Those things you dreamed
Will never come home

Are you sure
You want this life
Full of burdens
Overwhelmed by advice

Christ will come to you
If you will ask Him too
He will give you life
He will heal your pain

You are the one
The Lord cares for
He knows those things
That condemns your name

Jesus still cares for you
He will rebuild your life
Let Him guide your way
Listen as you walk about

Now you know the truth
You really count with God
Your life is important to Him
He has a purpose for you

Choose the Lord
In all you do
Take His strength
Each day you live

CC 8/21/04

There you sit
All alone
Life is hard
You have no home

The breaks are tough
They’ve broken you
Now you hurt
Life is blue

What can you do?
Today is real
Jesus comes
To find you

A little lost lamb
Wandering around
Don’t you think?
The Lord still cares

You’ll never change
The things you do
Unless the Lord
Finds you

Bend you knee
Ask Christ in
He will heal
You will win

CC 8/21/04

I Samuel 8:4-7 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

Samuel had spent his entire life totally dedicated to the Lord. Now, foolish, immature Israel was impugning his master’s love and faithfulness. Would God wipe them out? Would Samuel get a chance to intercede as Moses did? Samuel was given a chance to change, called to obedience and name a king. The Hebrew for this is WOW.

I love my work. It nourishes me and indeed as with so many that live to work much of my identity is tied up in my work, Business manager, homeless mission pastor, Bible land traveler, writer and student of the Word. Note that I did not claim to be a scholar. Dennis Cole is, Ken Keathley is, Walter Brown is and so too many of you.

In my work I have discovered that there are times that I attempt to parley my faithfulness to the Lord’s work for certain “insider” information on where we (God and me) are going. I must confess that I am repeatedly amazed at what the Lord is up too.

I cringe at change. I hide from new responsibilities. I whine when I am in the dark. Out of my desperation I find that the Lord has done a new work in me. I am stronger. I am kinder. I listen better. I empathize with those that are hurting. I learn to care for those that don’t care for me.

Every time that I find myself in freefall, crying “Lord what are you doing?” I discover more about myself. What love the Father has for me. What concern for the smallest need He has. Desperately I want to grow and at the same time fear the change that will be wrought in me. Now at this time in my life I find myself at a point where I am reluctantly recognizing that His change is coming if I am faithful. I want to know Him more.

OH DARK NIGHT COME

Oh dark night come
I want to grow
Come and change me
Make me whole

And yet I fear
That which is dear
May lose its hold
And leave me here

Do not o night
Let me drift
Away from things I know
Clasp my soul

I seek to control
And in control
Discover the truth
I am not in charge

But in the mist
I cannot remove
I find the change
So dearly sought

Pain and heartache
Evil I refrain
Cleanses me from habits
Presenting me new and changed

Again I am whole
A new me unfolds
Until the bell is tolled
O dark night of my soul

Clay Corvin 8/18/04

Psalm 51:3-4 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.

I like for people to think well of me. I want to be recognized as a paragon of virtue and a role model to follow. I want my prayer life to be successful, and indeed would not turn down the opportunity to perform a few miracles.

Notice the I. Too often I commend myself to the Lord and command those around me. It seems that I can quickly resort to exalting my ego and forgetting that I am first and foremost a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet when we measure sin in individuals I must confess that I am the chief of sinners.

I am so blessed and so immature, so useable and yet so quickly useless. My ego compels me, my insecurities blind me and for good measure my faith is weak.

Then as quickly as I am convicted I am pardoned. Jesus is my king. Jesus is God’s everything. Jesus saves me from my sin. Jesus enables me to serve again. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

ALL OF US SIN

I cannot deny my sin
It holds me near
Confusing me
As I seek to be free

I do the things
I say I won’t
And walk the lanes
I swear I don’t

The sickness comes and goes
I waver on broken toes
Never able to run the race
I always fall on my face

Then the Lord came looking
His love had my name
He said He had a vaccine
That would free me from this pain

Whosoever will can come
He said my freedom was done
In Christ I am complete
By grace He destroys defeat

Victory is mine
I am free from my bind
Each move I make is a choice
And Christ will keep me free

Clay Corvin 8/19/04

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Discouragement is a spiteful taskmaster. There is always that still small voice that contests every victory, and clouds every campaign. We begin reliving our service and then the boo bears arrive, you could, should, if you only would have done it better. Where you are is unimportant. No one even cares how hard you are trying.

Feet of clay is a universal experience. The pain and chaos of life will make sure that we question our ministry, our faithfulness and our holiness. In addition to that the surprises of life, real surprises, will cause us to question our value and worth.

The solution is Jesus. I can truthfully say that Jesus is my best friend. I am painfully striving to cultivate a commitment to constant conversation with Him. Asking Him to change my moods, close my mouth, give me wisdom and equip me to do the next right thing. Jesus gives me direction and encouragement, a future and a hope. God really cares for me.

MY FUTURE IS SECURE

I’ve wandered all my life
Giving advice
Seeking gain
Even thinking of fame

Who will remember?
What I’ve done
Can I be important?
Is it worth the run?

All around are people
More successful than me
They seem to prosper
As failure enshrouds me

Sin is always present
Words seldom right
China dolls are breaking
As I turn left then right

The problem isn’t service
If my service counts
Delivery is my issue
Are my actions heaven sent?

Then I squirm and scramble
Lord look what we’ve done
It seems I’ve missed your message
No one has won

Then the words of Jesus
Reach into my heart
The Father says I’m worthy
I’ve been faithful to the Son.

Clay Corvin 8/20/04

What do you want from life?
Knowledge
So that you can give advice
And be in charge

Knowing all the evil
Hearing all man’s fears
Knowledge makes us fearless
And often unable to hear

Maybe power is your thing
Controlling others
Demanding things
Overwhelmed with goods

Sickness quickly destroys
Powers sense of strength
Behind the world’s controlling
A little man on the brink

We walk and talk of issues
Life is what we want
How to grab the gusto
And live without a think

I want and I have and soon I will be
Rhymes we make to soothe
The truth is death is coming
I don’t when it will unfold

I want to be of value
Important where I am
Able to see my condition
As worthy of who I am

Jesus says surrender
Give my your heart
I will fill you with value
And worth will overflow your heart