1. BLIND GUIDES

Truth is an unshakeable doctrine
One undefiled from the world and it’s corruption
You may not believe like me one day every eye will see that…
God is not dead nor does he sleep

Check the facts and purge the lies
There is truth out there to find
We’re all just digging graves when we trust the words of blind guides

You’ve made your own religion
With yourself as your god

We’ve forgotten the truth and forged it into a lie
We’ve forgotten about God

Did you hang the stars in the sky?
Can you add a single day to your life?
Was it your hands that formed this place?
And did your words separate the night from the day?

I know that truth is not based on just what we see
There is more to all of this
I know that truth is not based on just what we see
And I’m not afraid to say what I need to
There is more to all of this

There is no excuse or reason to believe all these lies
Check the facts; seek the truth and open up your eyes

I’m not brainwashed and
I don’t believe everything that I see
We’re saturated with lies, ignorance and blasphemy
You have every right to believe what you choose
But there is one God, there is one way, there is only one truth
There is one God
There is one way
There is one truth
I’m not shoving it down your throat but
I’d take a bullet if it means this gets to you

Blind guides
Throw off your scales and open up your eyes
Blind guides
Come back home the door is open wide


2. RUNNING SCARED

I’m sick of holding back and biting my tongue when
I look around
There is a change to be made
And it’s not change gonna change itself
Who do we think that we are?
We’ve got our hands tied behind our backs
We cannot be the change that we wish to see on our own

I’m tired of running scared from everything
It’s time we pick our heads up and be the change
These shackles do not have a hold on you or me
So why are you afraid when you’ve already been set free?

Back against the wall where did your spine go?

I can’t just turn my back on everything
My mind was freed when I opened my spirit to the king

Are you free now?

Fear of man or fear of yourself
What are you afraid of?
Are you free now?

Leader, overcome!
Head up, you are not alone
Leader, overcome!
Eyes up, you’re not on your own

I’ve been down this road before
I’ve felt the pain and the doubt of this broken world
I’ve been down this road too many times
I can’t just sit back and let you die
I’ve watched my mother and my brother fight their demons on their own
And though there’s pain I found strength in this broken home
I will never turn my back on you
(So I hope you’ll fight this with me)
Fists clenched and now we’re swinging

Fight off your demons with everything you’ve got till your knuckles are bleeding
This is life or death so just keep swinging
Fight off your demons
Fight off your demons
Are you free now?


3. DRY BONES

Staring down this barrel
Our silence breeds death
Speak up; speak out
Resurrect

Dry bones with potential of life
But we mime to an audience blind
(Pull the pin)
No concern for the lost of this world
We shut our mouths as we walk on by
Will you be the one to break the silence?
And not settle for positivity just to spare an offense

Do not hesitate to speak
Life is caged only by teeth
Do not hesitate to speak
Life is what this world needs
Four winds fill these sails and propel us down this sea
Give us the breath of life; give us words to speak

Death is equal to life when life is unmentioned
Point the barrel pull the trigger just like keeping your mouth shut

Resurrection; resurrection
Use your words, use your actions, use whatever it takes
We are ambassadors of life; boldly proclaim

It has been so much longer than 4 days,
What are you waiting for?
You can already smell the flesh decomposing,
What more motivation do you need?
Life starts at the tip of your teeth,
Like an ocean growing from your throat,
A hydrant to the seed, a water warrior
With a plowshare sword commanding willows from concrete!
Discover new ways of self harm, cut yourself to the core,
Separate the goats from the sheep!
Your fear of man is a cop-out,
It has nothing do with what you perceive others to see.
Your tongue is a rudder, but you lack passion for the sea
So what comes out is drought soaking moisture
From dessert air, hanging dry,
Your bones and the tome of life
From which you refuse to speak,
Becomes your condemning tomb.
So I ask, "In whom do you believe?"

Come forth
No longer dry bones
Come forth
Breath of life fill these lungs
Come forth


4. GOOD INTENTIONS

Lost in the lust and pull of the desires of my eyes
It starts a fire in my skin
And burns it's way into my heart
This sin tore us apart
And now it's too late to go back
Cause I lost track of all the love that I said we shared
It's like smoke and mirrors

I don't know my heart
I don't know my plans
Everything has fallen apart
God save this wretched man

I have fallen apart and I can’t free myself
I can’t let go
I have fallen apart and I can’t free myself
Who will save me now?

There must be something wrong with me

Every time I try it’s like I’m digging my own grave
It’s like there’s poison in my veins
Every time I think I’m getting closer to break through
I make the same mistakes

I've been chasing the wind
I’ve been playing god
replaced these gifts with efforts
How did I end up like this?
I used to be passionate
I used to have conviction flowing through my veins
I used to be in love with you
God, you must be so disappointed in me

My knuckles are callused and stained with your blood
God save this wretched man
I must have worn out your patience by now
This has become my hell

I swear to God something is wrong with me
Cause I can’t breath; feels like I’m suffocating
I know it’s not just the snake around my neck
But these hands that pushed the nails into your flesh
God these hands have pulled the apple from the tree
And I've been striving for atonement
But it's just out of reach
This whole time I thought I was living in your name
Hands to the plow? I was digging my own grave
I've been trying,
I've been trying to somehow earn your grace
I've been lying, I've been lying;
Wearing masks to hide my face
I've been thinking to myself, does this cycle ever end?
I've been falling short and burning out;
Your patience must be thin
Have I worn out your patience yet?


5. SIMPLY GRACE

O little man, what know you of our patience?
Talk to us about time as if you know I am,
The one who made it
Talk to us about pain as if you know I am,
The one who laid it
All down for you at the crown of the place,
Stripped of its flesh,
The hill without a face, to give you a foundation of mercy
To carve into your hands, valleys for our grace.
We can see that you are hurting,
Suffocating in your tightly woven mask.
It’s enough to keep you breathing,
But not near enough to last
If you keep asking all these questions
One of you will die of asphyxiation
You lead a double life, and only do half the living.

We said to be like Christ, you cannot be like the trinity.
Of a single mind, yet thrice,
You've not uncovered that mystery
Only we can be three in one without anything spilling
Where we do not absolutely intend it to be.

So have you started reaching for the ties behind your head?
Or do your fingers fumble scratching your eyes out instead?
Have you learned nothing? O man, listen to what we said!
Trade your trying for trusting, and let us do the rest.

And just so you know we intend to spill all over creation
But for some reason you are not making the connection
That includes you
Which of our actions has ever led you to believe
Our intentions are to exclude?
What makes you think that we exude anything other
Than unmerited favor toward the entirety of your endeavors?
Historically, when have we ever proved
To be anything less
than your forever victorious Savior?
Was it the beginning when we made man in our likeness?
Or on the ark of Noah when we saved you from the torrents?
Perhaps it was when we promised the land of milk and honey?
Or delivered you from your enemies
And closed on them, the sea?

And you ask for your chains back!
You have loved a new slavery!
No matter how much you nag,
We will not place you on that tree!
You cannot sacrifice your words and acts! You cannot convince us of your piety!
You can be still, relax, let us sing to you our poetry.
We could speak in the way you ask,
But what would you hear more audibly?

Have you started reaching for the ties behind your head?
Or do your fingers fumble scratching your eyes out instead?
Have you learned nothing? O man, listen to what we said!
Trade your trying for trusting, and let us do the rest.

I will condescend my finger tip
To graciously fold your hip
You have fought for long enough
I see your seam starting to rip
Let me cut the strings for you strung
Stretching from the corners of your lips
And separate the plastic grafted
To your cheeks, ears, nose, and chin
It will hurt at first, but trust me,
Your flesh must be stripped
Be ready with the oil
And keep your lamp wick well trimmed
Wait for me eagerly, I will send the second skin
You knot this thing thoroughly,
But it is not a match for the
One who will undo all the damage that you did
He will take the hewn with open wounds
And sew your folds back into Him
Your tattered attempts to mend the holes
Will soon hold inside the hem of his robe
Made white by his life,
Red in his death,
Whole at moment I chose to resurrect,
Then yours the second you accept
That I want nothing less than the best
For all my elect.
I have the authority to command
And the power to affect,
The strength to defend,
The compassion to protect
You work futility to its end
And forsake the day of rest
But when you grow tired again
I will be there to help you unforget...

It's my hands that formed you out of clay
(It’s your hands that formed me from the clay)
It's my hands that lavish you with love and grace
(Those same hands are filled with love and grace)
My hands were held by nails to the tree
(It’s your hands held by nails up on that tree)
It's my hands that will bring you back to me
(Those same hands are reaching toward me)


6. IDLE HANDS

Comfortable and poised
We sit on our thrones,
We sit on our hands and we let them die
We’re all too blind, we’re blinded by our American eyes
I will not, I will not be idle
(Stretch out your hands)

Living in a new perspective
Everything I once held close I count it all as lost
What is life lived selfishly when nothing goes with me?
Hollow and empty.
My hands cling far too tight to the things of this life, I’m finally letting go

What is life lived selfishly?

Rip out my eyes cause I don’t see right
Selfish and blind to my pride I am my own disease

Hollow and empty
I can take nothing with me
Hollow and empty
I’ve served myself and hordes the rest

Life is more fulfilling when you put yourself last
I have learned this the hard way all of my life
I’ve been given more than enough its time I give back

Servant of all

Idle hands murder the helpless
Let these words end the silence
Stretch out your hands

I never wanted to come to this
End my pride and my selfishness
I will not, I will not be idle
(I refuse, I refuse)

Living in a new perspective
Everything I once held close I count it all as lost
What is life lived selfishly when nothing goes with me?
Hollow and empty.
My hands cling far too tight to the things of this life, I’m finally letting go


7. HOLLOW VEINS

I know this has come back to me
I opened the doors that have led me here
Face to face with the devil
I've been fighting these demons for the last few years

I’ve grown weary
Struck down and worn out
Turn the page once more
I placed myself here

I let them lead me to the slaughter
Step by step into this living hell
I let them slide the noose around my neck
When they chained me I sat still

Dancing with the devil I am plagued with disease
Fill my veins with your blood, spark my pulse into a beat

Purge this poison from my veins
I’m calling them out
Every demon that I’ve faced, every devil that’s held me down
I'll spew you because I’m tired of being warm
And my home is not this storm

I’m through with you
No more darkness, no more shame
Turn on the lights, give you no place to remain
Your hold on me is no longer here

“Have you forgotten that
I dwell in the depths of your dark and filthy heart?
I did not merely force my way in, I found an open door.
I left and came back to discover your hollow veins, so
I made my home. I know everything about you,
I know everything about you.
I know your secrets and the things you do when
You think your alone.
I live in the shadows you create;
You’ve made this place into my home.”

I let them lead me to the slaughter
Step by step into this living hell
But as I cry out to my Father
My strength begins to swell

Your lies are replaced with the truth
This heart was never mine to give
I may have opened the doors
But now I choose to live

Dancing with the devil I’ve been plagued with disease
You’ve filled my veins with your blood,
Sparked my pulse into a beat

Bind the host, shine your light, give them no places to hide

Go to hell, dark passenger
Back to where you came from
Go to hell, dark passenger
I stand with heaven as a child of the king
Go to hell.


8. ENDLESS CYCLE

You can gauge out my eyes
But I’ve already seen enough to last a life time
You can cut off my hands
But I'm a thief at heart and I know I'll steal again
No more innuendos
No more hiding my face
The truth is that I keep looking
At your daughters the wrong way
Sever my flesh from me

I can’t stop tossing and turning
Reliving the regrets that I can’t seem to forget
Wipe the slate clean; I want to be set free
I believed a lie; this is not me

My fantasies are built on things I was never meant to see
I’ve turned into the man that I was never meant to be
God knows I tried but the devil whispered lies and
I believed; I believed
(This is not me)

I believed a lie
I believed a lie
My flesh knows the way back to her door
And no matter how strong my heart is I keep going back for more
Going back for more
I believed a lie

Replace these lies with the truth
I want to see the right way
Replace these lies with the truth
I am not my mistakes

I am not my mistakes


9. PORCELAIN FAITH

You've gone too far now
I saw the tide swell
Violent, pulling at your feet
Now the currents pulling you under
I watched you sink
Past the point of turning back
No sense of direction
No evidence of conviction
I can see through your masks
I see the pain that you feel
Was your faith ever real?
Because I swear it was

What made you turn your back on the God who was so present in your past
Where are your monuments?
Where are all your reminders?
How could you forget what he has done?

I wish I could understand
And take away what's caused you pain
If I could I would bear it myself
I would remove what made you hurt
Let it burn in hell
If I could I would take your place
I would carry your burdens
All the way to my grave

You are not alone
And you never were

You uprooted from the soil you once knew
And sought growth in the thorns
No roots will survive in the shallows
Now you're drowning in scorn

It's not my goal to cure you
I'm far too weak to do that on my own
But with everything I am I will do my best to point you back home

Hear the call

I want you to know that I'm right here
I want you to know I'm not going anywhere

(I want you to know you're not alone)
I will never give up, I will never stop
I will fight for you even with nothing left
So never give up, and never give in
When you fall down I will pick you up again
It breaks my heart to see you like this

Here you are
No strength to stand
You gave up everything
You let go of his hand
(When you let go of his hand)
Here the call


10. NAMELESS; FACELESS

I’ll shrink myself so that everyone can see
Past the doubt and know that this is not about me

I was born into a world of sin in a universe of grace
All my struggles have been shaping and changing me
And reforming my face

I don’t want to be a better version of me
Just to feed my vanity
Change my name to the one that conquers graves
Make me more like you

I am nothing without grace
(Flowing through my veins)
I am nothing without grace
Everything I have has been given to me

My path has not led me here to exalt my own name
If I put myself on the pedestal
This will have all been in vain

I’ve got a novels worth of testimony infused within these notes
And I’ll spill my guts until the day
I die just to bring an ounce of hope

This is not about me
This is not about me
No man can ever attain to the power of the cross; the name above all names
There’s a lot for me to learn and
I don’t have all the answers
But I know enough to know that
I am only here because he conquered death

I know there’s beauty in the desert
And there’s glory in the storm
So I’ll keep my hands stretched
To the sky and wait for the son to make me warm

I am nothing without grace
(Flowing through my veins)
I am nothing without grace
Everything I have has been given to me