The stories and their songs… This record seems to have a theme… A theme that asks, "What will you do with the time that¹s left?" I have spent so much of my time, like most people, living as the main character of my own small story. Through the struggles of growing and maturing over the last two years, God has allowed me to see that He is inviting me to take part in His larger story. One where He is the main character and the focus and where I play a smaller, yet crucial role that He wrote specifically for me. I hope that through these songs you will hear a quiet voice inside calling you to the larger story. ~ Mark Schultz You Are A Child Of Mine (Mark Schultz and Chris Eaton) Galatians 4:6-7 Because you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. THE STORY: There have been many times in my life when I have heard voices saying you'll never be good enough, you don¹t really matter, you are nobody special, if people really knew you they wouldn¹t find you worthy of their time. The evil one has a way of distorting and down playing the story and the role that God has imprinted on your heart. This is a song about the voice of God breaking through and defeating the other voices reminding us that we are His Children and that He made us in His image and that He rejoices in us. THE SONG: I’ve been hearing voices Telling me that I could Never be what I wanna’ be Their binding me with lies Haunting me at night And saying there’s nothing to believe But somewhere in the quietness When I’m overcome with loneliness I hear you call my name And like a father You are near And as I listen I can hear You say Chorus You are a child of mine Born of my own design And you bare the heart of life No matter where you go Oh, you will always know You have been made free in Christ You are a child of mine And so I listen as You tell me who I am And who it is I’m gonna be And I hang on every word Knowing I have heard I am yours and I am free But when I am alone at night That is when I hear the lie I’ll never be enough And though I’m giving in to fear As I listen I can hear you say Chorus Mine………….Mine I am calling I am calling I am calling I am calling I am calling I am calling Chorus Repeat Chorus (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company)/ Jo Music Service (ASCAP) Everywhere Do You Even Know Me Anymore (Mark Schultz and Brown Bannister) (Mark Schultz) Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" THE STORY: I wrote this song one night before getting on the tour bus last spring. I had just come from the chapel where I write all my songs, and it just hit me all at once. I drove around the parking lot for about a half hour circling the bus because every time I tried to stop I would come up with another line. Everyone was watching me pull into a parking spot and then drive off again. Pull up and then drive off again. You have to take them when you get them. THE SONG: I was thinking of placing an ad Inside a magAzine so I could find you I was picking up book after book Taking a look At trying to define you I was lookin for proof of your life Wondering why I couldn’t verify you Then you came and you spoke to my heart Now I see Where you are… Chorus You’re every Time I turn around In every sound You’re in the very air I breathe You’re up above And now I know You’re in my soul You’re in the very depths of me Every step I take I take by faith Oh and now I see I believe I believe Yes, I believe I believe That you’re everywhere I was looking way up in the sky I was looking way up in the sky (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)/ Banistuci Music (ASCAP) (both Admin. by The Loving Company) THE STORY: I have a friend who outwardly seemed to have it all…family, good job, car, nice house, etc… However, he could not see that the most important things in his life were slipping away right in front of his eyes. He, like so many men, had allowed society to tell him that his self-worth was in what he did or what he could buy. It was almost to late before he saw that all his wife and children really wanted was his heart. THE SONG: It’s cold tonight I heard her say She was staring out the window As I came home late She tried to smile But looked away Oh but I could see the tears were running Down her face She said… You go to work You pay the bills I stay at home And I make the meals But you don’t even know who I am anymore You’re a million miles away Though I see you everyday And I’ve been waiting right here Oh, for all these years And sometimes I get so lonely I need to know you love me But do you even know me anymore? I turned around To see my son Well I remember his first birthday Now he’s twenty-one I missed his life I missed it all Oh, to him I was a man Just living down the hall He said…I learned to live Without you Dad But I’d give it all Just to have you back But you don’t even know who I am anymore I used to wait at all my games But still you never came And I’ve been waiting right here Oh, for all these years For the time you said you’d owe me I’ve wanted you to show me But do you even know me anymore? I watched my days Turn in to years And now I’m wondering how I wound up here I dreamed my dreams I made my plans But all I’ve built here is an empty man And I don’t even know who I am anymore Oh God I’m praying through the tears Let me make up for these years Oh, have I waited too long Can I start again To be the man you’ve wanted of me I’m begging you to show me Do you even know me anymore ? (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company) Letters From War (Mark Schultz and Cindy Morgan) THE STORY: My Great Grandma, Ebba Forsberg, lived to be nearly 100 years old. When she had passed away Great Aunt Dolly and my cousin, Ed put together a scrapbook of her life. In it I found a letter that her son wrote her while he was away in World War II. That letter and her diary became the inspiration for this song. THE SONG: She walked to the mailbox On that bright summer’s day Found a letter from her son In a war far away He spoke of the weather And good friends that he’d made Said “I’ve been thinking about Dad and the life that he had That’s why I’m here today” And at the end said “you are what I’m fighting for” It was the first of his letters from war Chorus Then two years later Autumn leaves all around A car pulled in the driveway And she fell to the ground And out stepped a captain Where her boy used to stand He said “Mom, I’m following orders From all of your letters And I’ve come home again” He ran in to hold her And dropped all his bags to the floor Holding all of her letters from war Bring him home Bring him home Bring him home (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company)/ Lola Max Music/ Word Music, Inc. (ASCAP) Time That Is Left (Mark Schultz and James Isaac Elliott) Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. THE STORY: This is a song that was inspired by the life of Vann Webb. Although his life ended too soon, it was filled with the most important things: laughter, love, friends and family. We never know the day or the hour when God will call us. So we live fully, letting go of the past and straining towards the ultimate goal in which Christ Jesus has called us. Chorus She started writing “You’re good, And you’re brave, what a father you’ll be someday Make it home, make it safe” She wrote every night as she prayed THE SONG: What will you do with the time that’s left Will you live it all with no regret? Will they say that you loved ‘til the final breath What will you do with the time that’s left? Late in December A day she’ll not forget Her tears stained the paper With every word that she read It said, “I was up on a hill I was out there alone When the shots all rang out And the bombs were exploding And that’s when I saw him He came back for me And though he was captured A man set me free And that man was your son He asked me to write you I told him ‘I would,’ oh I swore” It was the last of the letters from war And she prayed he was living Kept on believing And wrote every night just to say… Oh Hallelujah Oh Hallelujah Amen What will you do with the time that’s past? And all the hurt that seems to last? Can you give it to Jesus and not look back? What will you do with the time that’s past? Oh Hallelujah Oh Hallelujah Amen What will He say when your time has come? When He takes you into His arms of love? With tears in His eyes will He say well done? What will He say when your time has come? Oh Hallelujah Oh Hallelujah Oh Hallelujah Amen What will you do with the time that’s left? Will you live it all with no regret? Will they say that you loved ‘til the final breath? What will you do with the time? (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company)/ Cabinetmaker Music (ASCAP) Running Just To Catch Myself (Mark Schultz) Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God" THE STORY: I¹m in a small group for men called "The Man¹s Group." I played this song for them and after they all stopped laughing my friend Don and said "You know, that sounds a little too much like my life." We talked about how we stay busy and do lots of things but are we really using our lives to do God¹s best work? Are we slowing down enough so that we can take part in life instead of life taking us apart? Ironically, I have been in the studio and really busy these last three months and would like to take the opportunity to tell my small group hello and that I plan on coming back when I don¹t have so much going on. THE SONG: I am driving I am late for work Spilling coffee Down my whitest shirt While I’m flossing And I’m changing lanes Oh, yeah Now I’m driving Through the parking lot Doing eighty What the heck why not Watch it lady ‘Cause you’re in my spot Once again It’s early to work And here’s a surprise I got a McMuffin for just 99 cents today I think they ran a special Chorus I can’t stand still Can I get a witness Can you hear me Anybody, anybody I think I am running just to catch myself Maybe someday I could fly away Go to Key Largo or Montego Bay Sport my Speedo, maybe grab a tan A dream vacation, wild elation Now I’m running Straight into my boss And he’s angry Oh and he calls me Ross Which is funny ‘Cause that ain’t my name And that’s lame I’m still running Running very late For a meeting Wait, that was yesterday Guess I’m early for the one next week And that’s sweet I get on the ladder I corporately climb I wave at my life as it passes my by every day My name’s not Ross Chorus Life in my cubicle is discreet Life in my cubicle is neat I’ve got some pictures of my friends My sharpened pencils…where’s my pen Ten O’clock I’m at a meeting Paper cut I think I’m bleeding Check my hair it’s still receding Hey what a life Break for lunch There’s nothing better Run outside and don my sweater Like Fred Rogers we are neighbors I’ve lost my mind I’m over worked And under paid And non-appreciated It’s just a perk of being Middle class And educated One… Two… Three… Four O’clock and I stare at the door And I stare at the clock Then I stare at the door I stand by my desk like I’m going to war There’s just one thing that I’ll be needing Grab my paycheck as I’m leaving Oh oh oh oh oh oh ohhhhhhhhhh 5 O’clock bridge: It’s five o’clock It’s time to go There’s crowds to fight And horns to blow I’m talking fast on my cell phone Hey watch out that’s reckless driving Five O’clock It’s time to leave To hit the couch And watch TV Set the clock and go to sleep It’s 8am on Monday morning Again and again an again and again and again Driving around No where to go And so I hang with my lady And chill with my bro’s It’s okay, in my Cabriolet I can’t stand still Can I get a witness Can you hear me Anybody, anybody I think I am running just to catch myself When I meet God I will have a question I just forgot my question I think I am running just to catch myself Oh oh oh Oh oh oh (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company) It’s Been A Long Time Dust me off and then you say it’s Time to be yourself Chorus: And it’s been a long time Been a long time Been a long time for me You’ve opened my eyes I’ve realized It’s been a long time to see Who I am….. I know there’s a little boy in me trapped inside I know that he’s so afraid to fail and so he hides And you go and you open up a door within me Take him by the hand and say we Need to play outside Chorus And like a bird I want to fly away from here Don’t want to look inside this selfish heart of mine It’s where you show me there’s so much I have To give away So much to give to you So much I buried deep inside me Behind a wall of memories You brought me here to set me free The more I look the more I see that it’s Been a long time Been a long time Been a long time for me You’ve opened my eyes I’ve realized It’s been a long time to see Who I am Who I am (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company) (Mark Schultz) Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. THE STORY: I¹ve spent 32 years of my life looking for my validation in everything from winning awards, performing well in front of other people, and staying away from things that I couldn¹t do without being successful. I stopped getting my worth from others and started getting it from God and took a look and discovered something for the very first time. He Will Carry Me (Dennis Kurttila and Sampson Brueher) He Will Carry Me: Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God. THE SONG: I know there’s a hole inside of me that’s nine feet wide I know cause I’ve tried to fill it up with foolish pride And you go and you take my trophies off the ledges THE STORY: This song was not originally going to be on this record. It was meant for another project but I never forgot about it because I listened to it one night about a year ago over and over and over again when I had been so discouraged. I was holding on to it like a life raft in a storm in the middle of the ocean. I really believe in this song and believe in what it says. I know that I’ve worn a thousand costumes in my life I know so that no one else could see me deep inside And you go and peel away the perfect faces THE SONG: I call, you hear me I’ve lost it all And it’s more than I can bare I feel so empty You’re strong I’m weary I’m holdin’ on But I feel like givin’ in But you are with me Chorus And even though I’m walkin’ through The valley of the shadow I will hold tight to the hand of him Whose love will comfort me And when all hope is gone And I’ve been wounded in the battle He is all the strength that I will Ever need And he will carry me He will carry me I know I’m broken But you alone Can mend this heart of mine You’re always with me Chorus And even though I feel so lonely Like I’ve never been before You never said it would be easy Buy you said you’d see me through The storm THE SONG: Oh Christ Had the choice Oh, to set us free And he broke through the darkness And came with a passion Gave up the Heavens To take up the fight He poured out His heart And He fought for your freedom Hung on a cross And then gave up His life Chorus Just to know you Oh really know you Just to know you Oh really know you Oh and I Have a choice And the choice for me Is to live like a man Who will love with abandon Follow the promise And pay any price I’ll give all I can Just to stand in your glory And long for the day Oh to look in your eyes Chorus Chorus Repeat Chorus He will carry me He will carry me He will carry me He will carry me (c) 2003 Kurttila Songs (ASCAP) / Be Together Music (ASCAP) /Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)/(all Admin. by The Loving Company) Just To Know You (Mark Schultz) Philippians 3:7-11 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" THE STORY: I love the first line of the second verse. "I will live like a Man who will love with abandon." I guess I want my whole life to look like this verse. To pursue God and His purpose for my life so much that He will say well done when I finally see Him face to face. Bridge: I want to live I want to live I want to finish strong I want to run Into your arms And say I gave it all Chorus Just to know you And to live like a man Who will love with abandon All this to know you Follow the promise And pay any price Just to know you I’ll give all I can Just to stand in your glory Oh really know you And long for the day Oh to look in your eyes Chorus (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company) Closer To You (Mark Schultz) 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. THE STORY: This song was inspired and written to celebrate the life of my friend Lacy Yowell Ould who passed away this year at the age of 31 after an intense struggle with cancer. This song came into my head as I was jogging the morning of her funeral and my eyes just started filling up with tears. I still have a voice mail on my phone that I left myself that morning as I was singing the song so that I wouldn¹t forget it. Lacy walked through her cancer with her eyes focused on the promise of Heaven knowing that she could withstand each day of the trial because it lead her one day closer to God. I would also like to dedicate this song to Cheri Alford. and her family. Cheri was an incredible mother and wife and a great example of faithfulness on her journey home. It was an honor and a privilege to share in the life of someone who had such a rich aroma of Christ. THE SONG: Closer to me I’m tired and I’m weak And every breath within me Is longing just to be Closer to you So I face the road ahead ‘Cause I know there’s no comparing To what’s waiting at the end Chorus So let the rain start falling where it will And I will run through the valley Just to climb to that hill And when they ask why I’m smiling After all I’ve been through It’s ‘cause I’m just a day closer to you Closer to me I hear you whisper in the wind You say although my life is ending A new one will begin Closer to you And I know I’m not alone Cause I can hear you in the distance Chorus Closer to me You’re in the laughter and the tears Of the ones I leave behind me Who have prayed me through the years Closer to you And I know it won’t be long Until your running down the pathway And you take me in your arms Chorus I’m just one day closer I’m just a day closer to you Oh to you (c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving Company) All Rights Reserved. All Songs Used by Permission.