The Test
June 17th, 2006
TESTING GROUND
Paul Adams, Bill & Karen Itzel
Working hard to pay the bills, but now we’re in a bind
Recession hit our town real hard, and jobs are hard to find
Hungry mouths are waiting, and there’s no relief in sight
But we trust the great provider, who will answer in our plight
Our lives are the testing ground of faith
God will lead us through the trial when we trust His name
There’ll be loss and sorrow as we run the race
But we will gain the victory through His overcoming grace
Daddy’s called away to a troubled foreign land
He’s gone to fight for freedom in a skirmish in the sand
But a letter from the Army says he won’t be coming home
But God, our Heavenly Father says we’ll never be alone
Parents kiss their child goodbye as she dashes off to school
A young girl full of faith and life, dreams waiting to come true
But all that changed the moment she stood up for the truth
And the innocent died at the hand of a disenchanted youth
SAVE ME
Bobby Ayres, Bill & Karen Itzel
On one stormy evening Jesus walked upon the sea
Calling His disciples “Come out and walk with me”
When Peter knew in his heart it was the Lord’s command
He stepped out on the water as though it were dry land
But his faith began to waver and the waves began to swell
And as he was going under, Peter began to yell
He said save me Jesus, my life is almost past
Death water’s all around me and Lord I’m sinking fast
If You are the Son of God I know you to be
Then surely You can still the water on the stormy sea…Save Me
There came a day when all the earth was hidden from the sun
Two thieves were dying on a cross beside the Holy One
Each man was there because of sin to pay the awful price
But only one man on the cross could be our sacrifice
One thief said to Jesus, “Lord, You’ve done nothing wrong
Remember me in paradise, it won’t be very long”
He said save me Jesus, my life is almost past
Death water’s all around me and Lord I’m sinking fast
If You can still the water out on the stormy sea
Then You can take me home with You for all eternity…Save Me
Now I was born a sinner, my life tossed upon the waves
My boat was going under to sin’s power I was a slave
My problems were an anchor that began to pull me down
The waves were crashing ’round me and I knew that I would drown
Then Jesus drew me to Him and I took Him by the hand
And through His power He raised me, and I found that I could stand
And I said save me Jesus, my life is almost past
Death water’s all around me and Lord I’m sinking fast
If You can still the water out on the stormy sea
Then surely you can still the storm that’s raging in me…Save Me
I’M GONNA FLY
Karen & Bill Itzel 3/00
For Centuries man has tried to conquer the sky
Building wings they learned how to fly
But no matter how high they rise above the ground
They know what goes up always comes down
I’m gonna fly
Fly up through the heavens
I’m gonna soar
Into the great unknown
And I’ll be free
From the weights that try to hold me down
‘Cause When I hear that trumpet sound
I’m gonna fly
Man may say I’m crazy, an optimistic fool
Their laws don’t fit with my philosophy
But my Father’s the creator of all of space and time
And He’s not bound by man or gravity
Are you ready
For the day when we’ll be called away?
Won’t you come and fly with me?
REACH THE WORLD
Karen & Bill Itzel 2/1/00
His clothes were torn, his shoes were worn
And his hair had not been combed
Still he climbed aboard the church bus
Feeling scared and all alone
But the looks he got confirmed his fears
That he just did not compare
For how could a boy who looked like him
hope to find a God who cared
And he cried
For they failed to show the love of Christ
They claimed to have inside
How can we reach the world for Jesus
When we preach only ourselves
How can we hope to make believers
Of those we’ve doomed to hell
Shouldn’t love and grace and mercy
Be our only creed
If we hope to love like Jesus
And reach a world in need
It seemed all her life, she’d been his wife
But he left her anyway
It was good while it lasted
Was all that he would say
She walked into the nearest church
Looking for a friend
But she never would have guessed that she’d
Be cast away again
And she cried
For they failed to show the love of Christ
They claimed to have inside
Show them love, show them love It’s the message from above
.
THE LAST DAYS
Bill Itzel 3/18/2000
CHORUS
The Last Days (the last days) God has a purpose, God has a plan
To bring to an end the sin of man in the last days
In this Gentile time, in this age of grace God’s calling out people from every race
To be His church, to be His bride To be forever by His side
We have His Spirit, a promise, a seal That in the clouds He’ll be revealed
And call us away in the blink of an eye To live with Him and never die (extra measure)
And we’ll be changed in a moment We’ll be changed incorruptible
We’ll be changed and be rewarded We’ll be changed, we’ll be changed
But after the departure the man of sin’s revealed
He’ll have subjects over all the earth, but we know his fate is sealed
He will win the world’s affections with wonders and with signs
They’ll think he’s their messiah, a savior of mankind
He’ll be eager to form an alliance, a treaty with Israel
That he’ll break a few years later, so history will tell
His kingdom will be Babylon, 10 nations he will lead
He’ll destroy the Holy City, those in Israel forced to flee
He’ll institute his mark, and for you to buy or sell
You must pledge your sworn allegiance, and doom your soul to hell
But there will be a remnant who will not take the mark
And though two-thirds of them will die, they will light revival’s spark
And Israel as a nation will repent and turn to God
And He will hear His people and he will spare their lives
For after all the judgments, and the world is left to burn
On the field of Armageddon, the Savior will return
And there will be peace at the end of the fight
There will be peace when wrong’s turned into right
There will be peace when the earth is made anew
There will be peace When the King comes in view
There will be peace When He wipes away the tears
There will be peace for another thousand years
There will be peace when the lion lays down with the lamb
There will be peace at the feet of the great I Am…in the last days
THIS IS JUST A TEST
Bill and Karen Itzel - 3/18/2000
You’re searching for the answer to life’s greatest mystery
How could a loving God allow such pain
But you’re not the first person down through history
To mistake the sin of man for God’s distain
Don’t think of it as punishment The trials of life are heaven sent
This is just a test I want to make it clear
There’s no real emergency There’s no need to fear
When we’re faced with circumstances that can take away our rest
We have peace in knowing that this is just a test
We glory in tribulation for it produces hope
As we work to build endurance everyday
His strength is made perfect in the weakness of our soul
For when we trust in God we exercise our faith
We must count it all joy Our Father knows what’s best
Trusting in His sovereignty is how we pass this test
FISHING FOR MEN
Karen & Bill Itzel
Throw down your nets and follow Him
Don’t wait another day, find the purpose for your life
And He’ll show you the way
Leave behind your past, and start your life again
Waste no more time on earthly things and start…
fishing for men
They were walking on the shores of Galilee
When they met a man who would change their destiny
A plain and simple life was all that they knew
But He offered them the chance to be one of the chosen few
I was searching with a sense of urgency
When I met the Savior who revealed my destiny
It was decided when the world was just brand new
That forever I would be one of the chosen few
You see a world that’s dying and you hear the Spirit’s call
Giving you direction that’s ecclesiastical
Will you follow His leading, taking up your cross
Giving your service to the one who paid the cost
LET THE RIVER FLOW
Karen Itzel - 3/17/00
Let the river flow Let the river flow
Let the river of Your love run over into my soul
Let my life be complete in purity
And let the river of Your love flow through me
Each day I face the question of how to treat my neighbor
I try so hard to show the love you give
But it’s not always easy to deny human nature
And live the life you’ve called me to live
In every situation I pray for You to lead me
And give the words you’d have me to say
‘Cause the seeds of love are growing as your Spirit moves within me
And I’m compelled to help someone today
PRESENT TENSE FAITH
Bill Itzel 2/20/00
CHORUS
I’ve got a present tense faith
I’m not looking back
Got a life worth livin’
And I know it’s gonna last
Though the devil tries to tempt
I won’t take the bait
I’m not livin’ in the past
I’ve got a present tense faith
The Devil knows all the things I’ve done before
But He doesn’t believe me when I say I’ve closed that door
Old things passed away, all things are new
I’ve changed the way I think and the things I do
The consequences of how I used to act
Have left all the scars of an ungodly past
But the guilt is gone, forgiveness now is mine
And by the grace of God I’m pressing on one day at a time
I’ll press on toward the mark I’ll press on toward the goal
I will run the race upon my knees, I will dedicate my soul
I will burn with passions fire from the very start
And even when I’m weary I’ll press on toward the mark
Unifiediversity
Bill Itzel - 1/21/00
People got the castin’ out fever
‘Till it’s in their own eye
People makin’ Big decisions
As to who to criticize and why
Takin’ aim at the enemy
Who’s sittin’ in the next pew
They won’t be content, ‘till there’s no dissent
from their point of view
I am different than you
and you are different than me
But God put us all together
It’s unifiediversity
There’s one body, but many parts
Different minds, but common hearts
It’s unifiediversity
Some people look on the outside
While God’s concerned with the heart
They see anything new as irreverent
Cause it doesn’t match up with their chart
They think their mission’s important
When really, they’re just splitting hairs
There’ll be no smile on their face, ‘till everyone’s taste
Is just the same as theirs
Just ‘cause someone is different
That doesn’t mean that they’re wrong!
THINGS THAT DON’T MATTER AT ALL
Bill Itzel 1/29/00
I don’t mean to take out my frustration
Or cause a big altercation
But I see a great time dedication
On things that don’t matter at all
Our minds seem fixed on the present
On fads that we find unpleasant
And we condemn them with fervor incessant
But they’re things that don’t matter at all
Why do we major on minors
When the world is full of despair
They won’t care how much we know
If they don’t know how much we care
We sermonize our customs
And deliberately withdraw
To worship our traditions
And things that don’t matter at all
Now, I need to put things in perspective
For the truth we have is objective
And the Word of God is effective
But some things don’t matter at all
So let’s reach out to mankind
With truth that can change their mind
And leave our traditions behind
For they’re things that don’t matter at all
Religiosity - won’t save a soul
Churchianity - won’t make them whole
Tearing others down will take its toll
But showing the love that Jesus showed
That should be our goal
Entry Filed under: Song Lyrics