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Saturday, June 27, 2020

My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist (repost)

(This is not part of the "end times" series I am posting.  But 2020 seems like a good time to repost this, with all the chaos and discouragement all around us all the time.  God help us!)

In the post "Getting through the 'broken' times," I said that I had made a CD to listen to when anxiety hits.  It has some of my favorite Christian songs on it.  

Here are as many of the songs as I could find online, plus some extra.  (Fyi: I couldn't keep the song titles or font sizes looking the same.  Oh well!)  Listen to some of them when anxiety threatens you.  It really does help to hear godly truths spoken out loud (and to speak them out loud yourself).  And personally, I think godly music helps repel evil, giving you some extra spiritual protection when you are most vulnerable.  They don't like to hear God being praised and Truth being sung!

(FYI: Videos are constantly being removed from online.  So if the video is no longer available, type in the name and artist and see if you can find it.  I simply can't keep up with replacing links.)


From The City Harmonic:
Love, Heal Me - The song that inspired the title of one of my blogs, Love, Heal Me - my heart's cry for the past year.

Fell Apart - One of the best opening lines ever!  These City Harmonic songs became my prayers at a time I was too broken to pray for myself.

Oh, What Love - One of my all-time favorites!  Always makes me cry. Grace, forgiveness, mercy, healing, hope, purpose ... it's all wrapped up in that amazing love!

Praise the Lord - This really is the key to getting through the trials with your faith intact, even if it's a bit battered and bruised. I love the way that City Harmonic's lyrics touch the very heart of being human, that crossroad where painful heartache and faith meet. I really do listen to their music practically everyday. I honestly don't know how I would have got through last summer without them. Such a God-send. Get their CDs. You won't be sorry!

Coming My Way - "Getting on with living" while waiting for God. Love that!

Confession (Agnus Dei) - I woke up once singing the line "Lamb of God who takes away ..." over and over again in my mind. I have loved it ever since.

Honestly - A new one I just found on-line, recently released on their newest album. So good and so right on.

Brand New - This heart, my heart, needs Him!

Long Walk Home - It's a long walk Home.  No need to rush it.  Just keep walking towards the Father.  Bit by bit.  Day by day.

Here and There - My favorite line ... "And if I'm barely hanging on ..."  I've been barely hanging on for years, crawling towards the Lord with every last bit of strength I have.

Holy (Wedding Day) - There's no greater hope than this!

My God - I know where my help comes from.  Do you?


Manifesto - Love it! Love it! Love it!  The first song of theirs I ever heard.  And I fell in love with it.  With them!  Oh my goodness, just buy their albums already!  You won't be sorry!




From Jeremy Riddle:
Sweetly Broken - Absolutely amazing!  It touched my heart so deeply that it became a theme song for my life and the inspiration for my other blog, The 'Sweetly Broken' Journey.  (BUT it's very concerning to me that Riddle went on to work at Bethel Church.  I have very serious concerns about them, which makes me question Riddle's discernment, and so I have not bought any recent albums from him.)

God Moves in a Mysterious Way - Love this song. The author of the poem it's based on - William Cowper - knew pain, to the point of attempting (or just contemplating?) suicide several times, so I've read. I treasure words of faith written by people who knew deep pain and yet still managed to cling to the Lord, who held on through life's storms and the darkest nights, who have learned that our God is a good, loving Father even when life is not good and that He can be trusted even when we can't trust ourselves.






From the Newsboys (old and new):

Blessed Be Your Name - I always said I want this one at my funeral, along with Sweetly Broken, Manifesto, and Oh, What Love.  (Oh, and I might add "The Last Goodbye" by Billy Boyd.)  What a way to go!

Hallelujah - Love it!


When The Tears Fall - It's okay to let the tears fall.  God doesn't ask us to be super-humans.  He asks us to be real with Him.

We Believe - Oh, how I wish all Christians could sing this out loud and really mean it!  Far too many have denied these very basic truths.



From Crowder:
I AM - God's always there holding onto us, calling us to hold onto Him.

Forgiven - Forgiveness is always available, no matter what you've done.

Come As You Are - You don't need to polish yourself up first, just come to Him as you are!

Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains) - A song for all of us.



From Tenth Avenue North:
Healing Begins - One of the inspirations for this blog.

By Your Side - No matter where we are, He's always by our side.  No need to earn His love, grace, forgiveness, or help.  Just accept them!  It's already waiting for you.

Hold My Heart - This is totally my prayer!  What I've been feeling for a long time.

Worn - Can anyone else understand the feeling of being tired just from the effort it takes to "keep on breathing"?  He's there, reaching for you, waiting for you to reach out for Him.

I Have This Hope - A great follow-up for "Worn"



From other artists:

Living Water by Anne Wilson - one of my all-time favorites!

It's a Beautiful Day by The Kiffness - so sweet and easy to learn, so I can easily sing it when I need it

Crazy Faith by John Waller - The other inspiration for this blog title.  I was watching "War Room" when I began contemplating starting this blog.  And as I thought of what to call it, I heard this song in the background of the movie, and I knew I had my title.  

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher - This one meant so much to me when we sang it at church while I was in a very dark time.

Strong Enough by Matthew West - I know I'm not strong enough.  But that's okay.  Because He is.

Better Than a Hallelujah by Amy Grant
 - It's okay to pour your pain out to the Lord. You don't have to hide it from Him.

Your Hands by JJ Heller - No matter how our world is shaking, we never leave His hands.


In the Sky by Carlisle, Russ, and Cleveland - It so helps to remember that life won't go on like this forever.  That day is coming soon when Jesus comes back to take us with Him.

My Jesus by Todd Agnew - That's my Jesus. It shows why I love Him. Why I follow Him. Why I want to be like Him. I love this song!

Secret Ambition by Michael W. Smith (Because everyone should watch this video at least twice in their life.)

Stuck in a Moment by U2 - Obviously, this isn't a "Christian" song, but I love it. And while I don't totally know what all the lyrics mean, I do know that it's about an imaginary fight between Bono and INXS's lead singer, Michael Hutchence, who committed suicide. Bono is arguing with Hutchence, trying to convince him that suicide is not the answer. While I never thought "I want to kill myself," I did get to the point last year - 2016 - where I understood those who do. And that's not a pleasant place to be. My heart breaks today for anyone who feels so hopeless and discouraged that they take their own lives. Remember that while the pain you're going through today might be enormous, it's just a moment in time ... and that moment will pass. God can always pull us out of whatever dark moment we are in, as long as we hang in there, seek help, and reach out and grab His hand.

Man of God by Audio Adrenaline - A great reminder that we are all human. And God knows it and loves us anyway.


What If I Stumble? by DC Talk - And guess what? We will all stumble. We will all fall. Thank God that He's here to pick us up and put us back together again.

Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew - Grace is raining down on us all ... will you stand in the rain or hide from it?

I Need a Miracle by Third Day - Because we all need a miracle.  So thank God that He's in the Miracle Business. 

Forgiven by Sanctus Real - No one needs to live in bondage to sin or guilt or shame anymore.

Remind Me Who I Am by Jason Gray - You matter to the Lord ... enough for Him to give His life for you.

Flawless by MercyMe - He's paid the price so that we could be Flawless.

Forgiveness by Toby Mac - We all need forgiveness. We all need a Savior.

A Christmas version of Broken Hallelujah that I love: Christmas Hallelujah.



And three "Just For Fun" blasts from the past, for when you get discouraged because it feels like evil is winning:
Witch's Invitation by Carman


The Champion by Carman (Whoever made this did a good job trying to find clips to go with the words.)

Radically Saved (live) by ... you guessed it ... Carman (Remember this one, Older Christians! What fun!  And here is the whole concert.)