Lyrics

Running to You
(Donna Gray/Eric Copeland)

Days go by, when everything seems alright
I keep pressing for what I know is right
Taking every turn, even when it’s hard to see
What’s coming up next in this life for me

People keep on saying the same old lines
But I know what’s helped me time after time

Chorus
I keep
Running to You
It’s all I know how to do
I’ll just keep running to you
No matter what I’m going through

Keeping my faith strong each day
Praying to you and singing Your praise
Cause when I’m weak You are my strength
When everything is gone, You’re all I need

When reality can be just too much to bear
I call out You name and You will be there

Chorus

In you alone I have found my place
You give me hope and so much grace
You are my joy and my almighty king
In you I trust I am blessed each day

People keep on saying the same old lines
But I know what’s helped me time after time

The Story Behind the Song

“Running to You” was created to uplift my soul and the listeners too. It’s the idea that we can always go before the Lord with gladness and with joy! Too many times I feel that the burdens and difficulties in our lives, may discourage us to fully come to Jesus and allow Him to do His work in us to complete our purpose. When I finally and completely surrendered everything to Him, I experienced a true peace and realization that He loves us with a love that surpasses all of our iniquities and brokenness.

3If we run to Him, all our past failures can be wiped away. No matter how we may have fallen away from the very truth, we can trust that His love is never-ending and He will never forsake us. When I ran to Him and placed my every need in His Hands, a newness of my own life started to take place. I hope you feel that way too with this uplifting song. – Donna

Cover Me
(Stephanie Newton/Eric Copeland)

I’m no stranger to the darkness
Sometimes it seems like my closest friend
And though I smile I’m hoping no one looks too closely
Cause I’m fighting unseen demons in my head

You follow me into the shadows
You’re there before I even call Your name
You have promised to be near the brokenhearted
So I’m waiting for one glimpse of Your face

Chorus
You cover me when my spirit’s broken
You cover me on the ledges of despair
You cover me in the shadow of Your wings
As Your grace falls down
You cover me

Who knows why sometimes we suffer?
We struggle trying to make it on our own
You have said that in this world we would have trouble
But we’d never have to walk the road alone

Chorus

When the darkness beckons me, You won’t let me fall
Nothing separates me from Your love

Chorus

Story Behind the Song

I love the Psalms. It’s the song book of the Bible. As a worship leader and songwriter, I often go to the Psalms for songwriting material as well as for my own personal worship time. The greatest, most poetic words of praise ever written are in the Psalms.

But along with songs of praise to God, there are also psalms of lament. These are some of my favorites. As redeemed people, we are called to live lives of freedom, peace and joy. But we know all too well that we are not immune to the sorrows and calamities of this world. We are children of the Living God, but we walk in a fallen world.

Psalm 88 is one of my favorite songs of lament. The writer says, “O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.” (Psalms 88: 1-4)

As long as I can remember, I have struggled with periods of depression and anxiety. Sometimes these episodes are directly related to some circumstance in my life, and sometimes it just comes out of nowhere, leveling my spirit and sucking the joy and light out of my life. Psalm 88 ends with “the darkness is my closest friend.” Anyone who has suffered through depression can relate to that.

And yet, in the very worst darkness, there is always hope. I have always found that Jesus follows me into the shadows. He will not leave me there to suffer alone. It takes time for the light to come sometimes, but it always appears. In the meantime, He covers me until the storm passes. David, the most famous psalm writer, says, “In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.” (Psalm 57: 1 NKJV)

If you are suffering, hold on. Don’t lose hope. He is there. He is covering you.

Close My Eyes
(Michelle Skoog)

I’m here, crying in the dark
I’m here, on my knees again
I’m here, feeling so alone
I’m here, trying to believe again

Time goes quickly and it slips away
We keep on running in circles living for tomorrow, but we lose today
Oh I’ll never be ready to let go
But the time has come, I’ve got a choice to make, what will I do with today?

Chorus
So I close my eyes, and see You
When I close my eyes, I can feel Your arms, holding me tight
Oh this world has me down, I’ve hit bottom again
So I close my eyes so I can see

What I really want to do is give up the fight
Wanna crawl in a hole and be by myself, shut out the light
But, dear Lord, You see me
You take me as I am
There’s a much bigger plan I don’t understand
You’re not finished with me yet

Chorus

I see You running for me with your arms open wide
You wipe away my tears, say “My child, do not fear,
Just hold on,
Trust and believe,
I have so much waiting for you.”

So I close my eyes (and trust You)
I close my eyes (and let go)
I surrender
Close my eyes and believe

When I close my eyes, I can see You
When I close my eyes, I can feel Your arms, holding me tight
Oh this world has me down, I’ve hit bottom again
So I close my eyes so I can see
I will close my eyes…so I can see
Close my eyes…so I can see

Story Behind the Song

This song is about surrendering my life once again to the Lord. There have been times in my life when “I’ve hit bottom again” and didn’t know what to do or where to turn. I just felt alone; on my knees “crying in the dark”. When I wrote this song, I was contemplating what I would do if I ever lost someone very special to me: my husband. I know there are so many people who have lost loved ones, their spouse, a child, a parent, or a close friend. It keeps me awake at night sometimes and I struggle with that fear of what I would do if a tragedy like that happened; would I be able to go on?

Throughout this song, there is this struggle of wanting to pull away from God, to give up, to crawl into a hole and hide. But He continues to gently call me to trust and let go. And it is so hard with the noise of the world. The ‘world’ tells us to fill our void with things, food, drugs, distractions, etc. But in every difficult trial of this life, we have a choice to make. We can choose to give up or we can choose to go on. As hard as it seems at the time, can we choose to close our eyes to the world and really “see” the truth? The truth is that our Lord is running toward us with open arms. The truth is that He is holding you and me. We can see hope and know that we can go on once again. I know that God has a ‘much bigger plan I don’t understand’ and He has ‘so much waiting for me’. This world is not the end; a heavenly paradise is waiting for each of us.

I hope we realize that we cannot crawl into a hole and hide; God needs us to share our stories so that we can help others along this sometimes difficult journey of life.

I’m Letting Go
(Words and Music by Brett Rush)

It takes a lot of tears, sometimes it takes years
To free yourself from yesterday
Why am I still holding on, too something so far gone
It’s time for me to finally say

Chorus
I’m letting go, I’m letting go
Of every thought that doesn’t make me strong
I’m letting go, I’m letting go
Surrender is the place where I belong
I’m letting go

I’ve counted all the wrongs, I’ve held them far too long
And unforgiveness ruled the day
Why am I still holding on, yesterday has come and gone
It’s time for me to finally say

Chorus

I’m letting go, so I can live
I won’t look back, I will stay strong, and I forgive

Chorus

The Story Behind the Song

I’m letting go… seems like such a simple thing to do. Then why are so many of us letting yesterday rob of us today?

My wife, Dawn, and I wrote this song together to share some of our personal experience. The principle of letting go applies to life on every level regardless of age or relationship status, but for us, the marriage relationship was where we needed to learn to let go to find healing. It’s amazing what forgiveness can do for any relationship!

The hope and healing that some of you are waiting for is just an “I forgive you” away.

In Philippians 3:13 Paul said in his effort to follow Christ, “I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

A powerful truth… Yesterday is gone and today is a gift. Make the most of this day and everyday by learning to let go. Don’t let the mistakes of yesterday keep you from living today. – Brett

This Is Your Pain
(Kerensa Gray/Eric Copeland)

Here I stand hypnotized by visions laid before my eyes
Of promises that you never made
When everywhere, surrounding me
Is everything I cannot be
But I am mesmerized by the lie

Chorus
This is my obsession
This is my pride
This is my knowing that I know it all and running to hide
This is my apple
This is my shame
This is why you came to shed your blood
This is your pain

I stand before you and declare my unfailing love,
Yet you’re aware, that there is something I will not lay down
This idol has a hold of me
With blinders on, I sit and see
Only what I can’t and what I’m never going to be

Chorus

Oh Lord, why does it seem that You might have forsaken me?
I run from You, I cry to You, I ask you why….

Chorus

This is why You came, this is why You came
This is your pain

Story Behind the Song

Time heals all wounds. Everything happens for a reason. God has something so much better in store for you. This pain is a learning experience so you can help others.

I’m sure you’ve heard them all from well-meaning family and friends who just don’t know WHAT to say. I’d venture to bet that you have even said them to yourself; these sage expressions meant to convey hope and healing but here is the hard truth. Not every wound heals. You lean to live with it. You learn to push it aside and pretend to get on with life – to pretend to be normal. You smile a forced smile, and after a while you find (quite by surprise) that your genuine smile has returned, you find love and laughter and begin to relish “normal” again… but it’s there, it’s always there.

“This is my Pain” is my wound; my heartache, my inability to “let go and let God”. I have laid this wound at His feet more times than even I know. I have sobbed in the silence and sorrow and screamed with rage at the top of my lungs at Papa. I know He hears me. I know He loves me and wants to take the hurt away. I know…and still. I will keep trying to let him take this pain, this obsession, this apple from me. This is a journey and I am not alone. Neither are you. – K

On the Bright Side
(Words and Music by Eric Copeland)

There’s a land very far away from here
Never seen, but yet so very clear
Hear the drums they call to me
Oh how I long just to be

Chorus
On the Bright Side
We’ll never have to cry
On the Bright Side
We’ll know the reasons why
On the Bright Side
Together again
With everyone we loved and lost
On the Bright Side

In this world with its constant stream of tears
When the ones we love seem to disappear
But they are never forgotten
And we can see them again

Chorus

Haya, Oh Jahweh, we are waiting
Haya, Oh Jehovah to enter in
Haya, Oh Jahweh, we are waiting
Oh to enter in to…

The Story Behind the Song

It’s hard for us when we lose someone to death, or are frightened that we might. Even if they are believers, it’s scary to look at the distance between us even though we know they will be in heaven (on the bright side).

But it is a real place, and one day we will all be together with the God of the universe and all our loved ones as well.

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1

“Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” – John 13:36

Speak to The Storm
(Dee Marvin Emeigh)

There’s no show tonight, my friend.
This is the real thing.
Will this darkness never end?
What will the dawn bring?

I don’t know the words,
But somewhere I’ve heard
You spoke and the storm obeyed
I’m hopin’ it’s true
If I come to you
You won’t turn me a-way!

Chorus
Speak to the storm
On the raging sea
Of the doubt in me
Speak to the storm
The voyage is long
And I can’t go on
Til you speak to the storm

It wouldn’t be very hard
For someone like you.
They say you know every word
Before I am through…

Come still the waves
I’ve tried to be brave
But I don’t know what to do
I’m taking a stand
My heart in your hand
And leavin’ it up to you.

Chorus

I’m gonna close my eyes for a while hmm
I’m gonna lift my head with a smile
and believe you see…

Take a deep breath now,
Knowing that somehow
You will be at my side.
Things will be fine,
Just give it some time
You’ll make it turn out right.

Chorus

The Story Behind the Song

When our reality is a bad dream we want to run away from, but our feet are fixed in the mud and there seems to be no way out… When it is so dark we cannot begin to find our direction, but we must choose one… When the storm within us is raging so violently we can’t imagine how we are going to make it… When there is no possibility of acting as if nothing’s wrong, because everything is wrong…

These are the desperate, dark moments when the faintest tinge of hope shines the brightest. It may arise from something we passed while channel surfing. “God loves you.” It may be a prayer we learned as a little child, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It may be a stained glass window picturing Jesus with the little children. “Come Unto Me.” Or, maybe it was a song that caught our attention on the radio, “Allelujah, Allelujah,” and something stirred within us. It was there and we desperately want it to be true…now.

Is it enough, this frail hope? Is it enough for the God who made the universe to enter? Does He hear? Does He care? Is He real? We steady ourselves with the glowing coal of hope. It is the only bright thing we have.

And then, we realize that this hope is the only hope there is for calming the raging storm within. We see a break in the clouds. We can breathe. We can know that someone greater than ourselves is there with us and that somehow it will work out, because if we got through this, we can get through other things we never thought possible. We can know that even if it does not turn out as we hoped, our hope is now in someone who has the power to make all things new and bright, and good. Beyond our pain, beyond our understanding, we sense His unmistakable peace and we can go on.

Be With You
(Tom Dolan)

I have heard you crying, but I want you to know
I have heard love dying, but I won’t let you go, I’m with you

I have seen you fighting, seen you torn apart
I have seen you trying hard to find your broken heart, I’m with you, I’m with you

Though your heart is aching, it’s all gone wrong
When you just can’t take it, it’s when I’m strong

CHORUS
Be with you when babies cry, be with you to dry your eyes, it’s gonna turn around
Be with you in dark of night, be with you when you need light
When it all comes down, I’ll be with you

I will be your warrior, and I will be your friend
I will never leave you, I’ll love you to the end, I’m with you, I’m with you

Though your heart is aching, it won’t be long

CHORUS
Be with you when babies cry, be with you to dry your eyes, it’s gonna turn around
Be with you in dark of night, be with you when you need light
When it all comes down, I’ll be with you

BRIDGE
Be with you when giants call, be with you when towers fall
And when you’re far from home
Be with you, in the fire, I’ll be with you, it’s my desire, you’re never all alone

CHORUS
I’ll be with you when babies cry, be with you to dry your eyes, it’s gonna turn around
Be with you in dark of night, be with you when you need light
Cause when it all comes down, I’ll be with you, be with you, it’s gonna turn around
Be with you in dark of night, be with you when you just need light
Cause when it all comes down, I’ll be with you

I have heard you crying, but I won’t let you go…

REPRISE
You’re not alone, you’re not alone mmmm
You’re not alone yeah, you’re not alone
You’re not alone, no, you’re not alone

Story Behind the Song

“I was practicing one of my earlier songs called “Find You There” from my first CD with Eric down in Nashville. It’s a beautiful song with an awesome string arrangement that I’d written for a friend I’d played in a band with for quite a few years. The song was about God finding you even in the deepest dark places, and I wanted to go over it for a church service that weekend.”

It always touches me to sing these songs and this time was no different. As I was finishing up, I started playing this little melody, and all of a sudden, I had the first verse and chorus, just like that. Some songs take a while to develop, but this was amazingly quick. It’s like God was giving me a sequel to the other song, and I just knew I needed to get it all down. I don’t usually write songs from God’s perspective, but this song was different. I hope you get as much encouragement from “Be With You” as I have.

In Christ,

Tom

Hope and Healing
(Eric Copeland)

When your faith is tested and your worlds have collided
It seems the fate of your life has been decided
But this is when you have dig the deepest
There’s joy in your sorrow, there’s strength to find in weakness

There is a Power we find in these moments
Something to reach out for

Chorus
You gotta have
Hope and Healing
Something to hang on to when the world sends you reeling
You gotta find
Hope and Healing
Just some way to cope with the pain that you’re feeling

Another day, another fight, just like the one before
It doesn’t seem like you can take it anymore
In these times of overwhelming despair
You gotta look upward, know Someone is there

Someone to go to, someone to cry to
Something to hear your prayer

Chorus

Hope, just hope, and healing

Somehow this all will subside (I’m letting go, Speak to the storm)
We’ll all meet again (On the bright side, I’m with you, Already in my arms)
This is…the reason that He died (I close my eyes, Cover me)
He’ll come running to you, and you’ll be healed inside (Peace)

Chorus

The Story Behind the Song

This song and album started with one goal: to provide a set of songs to those who were hurting and looking for hope and healing.

One of the hardest things for us to do in life, especially when hard times hit, is to look to God and trust that He will bring us through the tumult. We have to let go, and let God take care of it. It’s not at all easy.

We have to run to God, try to find some peace in the situation, and then let His grace cover us. We close our eyes and speak into the storm we are facing. If we listen, we can hear God saying that He is with us. He knows our pain and has experienced it, and can promise us we will see him and our love ones on the other side.

I pray you find the peace in listening to this album, and that it touches your heart and spirit in tough times.

We’d love to hear from you at http://www.WeAreCreativeSoul.com if we can help in any way.