You Came To Live In Me
words & music by Stephen Bautista

silently i sit and stare
at a loss for words i ponder that you're here
in this old tattered heart
when you could be most anywhere

the wondrous places you could go
the destinations way out beyond the great unknown
but here you are
in this tired worn out soul

in every way
i am humbled by your company
but may i say
that i'm struck by this great irony

chorus
you've dwelled upon the mountains
you've hoovered o'er the seas
you've sailed beyond the distant stars
that no one's ever seen
with a million different places that you could always be
I'm so amazed
that you came to live in me

there was nothing left inside
just an empty space with echos of my pride
but you filled me up
when you moved into my life

but the question still remains
why the Lord of all would come to this dark place
when you could bask in the light
of the heavens that you made

and i've been blessed
by the presence of your company
but nonetheless
i'm still struck by this great irony

chorus

bridge
when i consider all those places you could be
i can't get past the question of
why you are mindful of me



Abandon
words and music by Stephen Bautista

i've followed you
but mostly when convenient for me
rarely stepping out of my day to day routine
and living a life that's safe and ordinary

i've done my best
to straddle every line that you have drawn
with each foot in the best of both worlds for way too long
and losing track of which side i should be on

chorus
i must abandon
what i'm accustomed to
i must abandon
a worldly point of view
and then step out on
that small narrow limb and follow you
with abandon

afraid to leave
this familiar place that i have come to know
and push out through the boundaries of my comfort zone
and venture down a road i've never traveled

chorus

bridge
you know my fears
and every limitation that i have
but weakness has no power
when i'm completely surrendered
into your hands



The Most Beautiful Thing
words & music by Stephen Bautista

The warm subtle hues of a delicate bloom
And a song bird that greets the new morning
A cascading stream flowing through fields of green
And the mountains that rise up before them
In oh so many ways
The beauty of life has shined on my face
And yet I know of one thing
That surpasses by far the beauty I've seen

Chorus
The most beautiful thing I know
Is the cross with a Savior who died for us all
And the blood that flowed
From His hands and feet
And the wounds He bore
So that we'd be redeemed
This is the most beautiful thing

I've stood on the edge of a grand precipice
Overwhelmed by the span of creation
Then sat teary eyed while the sun paints the sky
As it settles beyond the horizon
And I'm still so amazed
At the beauty that life has shined on my face
But one thing stands alone
Unrivaled and incomparable

Chorus

And I'm still so amazed
At the beauty that life has shined on my face
But one thing stands alone
Unrivaled and incomparable



Forged In The Fire
words & music by Stephen Bautista

the trials of life ignite and fan the flames
that purify and purge my selfish ways
melted down like broken shards of steel
i'm molded back into the father's will

chorus
forged in the fire
refined for the father's desire
then by grace cooled by the waters of his love
forged in the fire
by troubles that help to shape me into the one
i know that He wants me to become

the fire burns with fierce intensity
to soften any hardness left in me
then the hammer bends and reshapes every line
'till I'm closer to the original design

chorus

bridge:
consumed completely by the flames
he surrounds me with his soothing grace
and teaches me to trust his higher ways



Grace Beyond My Need
words & music by Stephen Bautista

i've been redeemed
completely clean
of every sin from first to last
but i still struggle with
the temporal consequence
of my transgressions from the past
sometimes it's more than i can take
when i suffer the thorn of all my mistakes
but when i pray this thorn be removed
he answers "my grace is sufficient for you"

chorus
he's the source of my hope and rest
the fount of all my relief
and though i live with this thorn in my flesh
he has given
grace beyond my need

sometimes i seek
my own remedy
in hopes to cure what ails this fool
but the end result
is just like pouring salt
on all my self-inflicted wounds
then i fall down on my knees
and turn to my lord and cry for relief
 that's when i know that this thorn remains
to remind me to trust and lean on his grace

chorus

i know that this thorn remains
to teach me to trust and lean on his grace

The Man Who Drove The Nail
words & music by Stephen Bautista

if I were there
standing by Jesus' side
would I be bold enough
to go against the bitter tide
would I speak out
willingly plead his case
defend him to the end
from the angry crowds he faced

chorus I
would I run to his rescue
would I come to save the day
would I run out in his defense
and stand in the crowds way
would I hold to my convictions
even if I was assailed
or am I really that much different at all
than the man who drove the nail

so here I am
standing by Jesus' side
will I be bold enough
to go against the bitter tide
will I speak out
willingly plead his case
defend him to the end
from the angry crowds I'll face

chorus II
will I run to his rescue
will I come to save the day
will I run out in his defense
and stand in the crowds way
will I hold to my convictions
even if I am assailed
or am I really that much different at all
than the man who drove the nail

bridge
everytime I stand in silence
and fail to come to his defense
it's as if mine were the very hands that
drove the nails through him

chorus III
that's why he ran to my rescue
and came to save the day



Suddenly
words & music by Stephen Bautista

I recall
from the lessons of the past
the story of the prodigal
and the plight he had
and here i am
with a life that's much the same
I’ve wandered off and squandered all my father gave

alone, i cry to him for mercy
expecting just some meager crumbs

Chorus
suddenly he wraps his arms around me
joyously proclaiming that his son is home
suddenly his forgiving love surrounds me
and now i'm not alone

you'd think i'd learn
from the message of this song
that being by my father is where i belong
but once again
I wandered far away
thinking that i'm better off when i'm living my own way

alone i cry to him for mercy
expecting just some meager crumbs

Chorus

Bridge
lured by the quest to chase the world's desires
I strike out on my own
but by his grace he leads me back to home



I Finally Know Who You Are
words & music by Stephen Bautista

I used to think that you were nothing more
Than a mythical deity
Or a distant god that lived so far away
Wanting nothing to do with me

Caught up in the world's point of view
Perpetually blind and confused
And constantly questioning
Just who you are

Then I saw the light and there you were
Standing right here in front of me
Revealing all the wonders that you are
That I once could never see

You gave me a whole new insight
That opened my mind so that I
Am no longer questioning
Just who you are

Chorus:
You are the creator
Who's big enough to hold every star
You are the savior
Who's small enough to live in my heart
The friend of a sinner
Who hung upon a cross
And healed the deepest of scars
Now I have no doubt
I finally know who you are

You gave me a whole new insight
That opened my mind so that I
Am no longer questioning
Just who you are



Trying To Catch The Wind
words & music by Stephen Bautista

my thoughts race on 
through a never ending maze
trying to get mind around
all your wondrous ways
but struggling to figure out
the mysteries of your plans
and finding that i can't grasp
what's firmly in your hands

Chorus
i'm out of my element
i'm way out of my league
when i try in vain to comprehend
the things i can't conceive
it's too much to fit in this little mind
i wouldn't know where to begin
trying to understand
your wondrous ways is like
trying to catch the wind

my mind takes off
on an intellectual whim
intent on reasoning through
how i was saved from sin
the cross the blood the death
and how it makes me new
but lost in my feeble thoughts
i'm left to trust in you



A Brand New Day
words & music by Stephen Bautista

it's 6 AM I stumble out of bed
a cup of joe to help me clear my head
then I'm off and soon I'll be back to the daily grind

but I won't fret no I won't complain
despite this rat race I run everyday
cause Jesus lives God's in control and it's good to be alive

Chorus
rejoice the sun is a shinin'
rejoice my spirit is flyin'
rejoice cause I have been given
a brand new day

the kids are sick the house is a mess
the yard has weeds clear up to my chest
the list goes on and sometimes I get a little overwhelmed

but I won't fret no I won't be annoyed
I'll live my life reflecting the joy
that comes from sailing through everyday with my savior at the helm

Chorus

Bridge
the light of dawn brings with it a fresh new ray of hope
and twenty four new opportunities that I can serve my Lord