Shout to the Lord on American Idol...

My gosh... Just found out in Youtube that a Christian Song was debuted on American Idol. One of the most watched show on earth. How cool is that? And its one of the all time loved and enjoyed songs ever "Shout to the Lord". Though the lyrics were tweaked a bit but the song still hold its meaning. And guess who is the writer of the song. Yes its Darlene from Hillsongs. The original Lyrics is like this:-

My Jesus, My Savior
Lord there is none like You
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
My Comfort, My Shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You
(Chorus)
Shout to the Lord, all the earth
Let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in
YOU!

(chorus)
My Jesus, My Savior
Lord there is none like You
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
My Comfort, My Shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

(Chorus)
Shout to the Lord, all the earth
Let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in
YOU!
(bridge)
let the earth sing
i declare your great name
all of my life i will
with all of my breath
i will praise you
lift it up, life it up

(chorus)

nothing compares to you
i shout your praise
nothing compares to you
Nothing compares to the promise I have in YOU!

And at the American Idol- Idol gives back the lyrics is like this:-

My Shepherd, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love

CHORUS
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise
I have in You

VERSE
My Comfort, my Shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Though the word Jesus was removed, the song totally retains its meaning and I guess most of the people out there knows who it refers too. Cool huh? Well here is the video from Youtube. Enjoy...

Once upon a time there was this girl who had four boyfriends.

She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adored him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him!

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."

Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, "I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!", replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.
His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, "I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"No!", replied the 3rd boyfriend. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!"
Her heart sank and turned cold.

She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, "I have always
turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd boyfriend. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave."
His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go."
The girl looked up, and there was his first boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the girl said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your lives:
Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.
Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth.When you die, it will all go to others.
Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.
And your 1st boyfriend is your Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.
However, your Soul is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go.Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

Thought for the day:Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.
Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did.
Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.

- Johnson-

Thank you Johnson for the wonderful story.

A story worth telling...

One day I decided to quit...
quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit
my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good
care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on
the bamboo." He said.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit." He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He asked me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots". "I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others."
He said.
"The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me.
"You will rise high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never, Never, Never Give up. For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!
Heavens door open this morning, God asked me... My CHILD... what can I do for you?" and I said "Daddy please protect and bless the one reading this story.

P.s.: Darren, the bamboo in this story, its not Y.C.