OBEDIENCE OR EXPIERENCE

Like a kid who can’t decide
Hoping that he can have it all
Not just the cake but to eat it too
Not just to eat but to enjoy it all
Because of coarse
My happiness calls
Just under and over
The obedience of it all
The fight between
What I know and what I feel
The question over truth and experience
Which is better to live by
Which is better to desire
What do I hold to
When my happiness
Is at stake
What do I look to
When my life
Is about to fall apart
The tug of war
That burns the skin
Obedience or experience
This is how I have felt
This is what I know
What do I trust
Who do I believe
Will experience leave its scar once again
Will obedience blossom into hope
You would think this lesson
Once learned would not repeat
Yet over and over I find
This question raised
What will I trust
Who will I believe
Obedience or experience
Me or Jesus
I can bow the knee
I can kick against the goads
What is God more interested in
Obedience or a happy experience

Angel Barreto

ONCE BROKEN

broken man
broken life
broken heart
pieces of what
i once was
i am now
i will be
broken vows
broken promises
broken spirit
a life lived in shadows
once in darkness
now in light
one day revealed in Christ’s glory

oh my God
oh my Lord
oh my Shepherd
my Savior
what was once broken
now is being realized

for what it was meant to be
for what You see
for what I could never believe
now coming alive

this song I sing
of my Savior and King
the freedom found
in life in Him
of who I am
not who I was
of who He has called
to be in Him

broken as broken
whole as whole
times to be broken
times to be whole
once broken
once healed whole

Angel Barreto

CAUSE I KNOW WHERE I’VE BEEN

It can be so dark and lonely
The smiles can be such a mask
Hiding what is trying to drown you
But hope just won’t die
You can seem to be going nowhere
The dark and weary nights just blend
It can seem that no end is coming
But the light can never go out

Let me tell you a little story
Let me share with you some truth
I may not know your story
But I know where I have been
You shake your head to push me away
What works for me is just fine
How can I be sure that God is real
Let me tell you friend

I know where I am headed
I know the road He has called me to walk
I can tell you with conviction
There is a God who changes lives
You ask how I can be so sure
Cause I know where I have been
Cause I know where I am going
Cause I can trust Gods every word

It can seem to take forever
Have you never wondered why
You can turn and go only so far
Before you run into God’s mighty hand
He holds you closer than a father
He holds nearer than a friend
Don’t let the past trouble you
Don’t let the future get so dim
Just rest in His strength and promises
Just trust and hope in Him

I know where I am headed
Cause I know where I have been
Held so tight in His loving arms
Held so close in His grace
Nothing will ever separate me
From such a great and faithful God

Angel Barreto

TO LET IT GO AND BEGIN AGAIN

Was it your fault
Does it matter after all these years
When life has become fearful
When you can’t remember how to live

You hold to failure
Like it can be a friend
When God is trying to tell you
You got to let it go and begin again

The pain in your eyes
Seems dull yet alive
Memories can fool you
Into believing they live again

You hang onto the memory
The what ifs and maybes
When God is trying to teach you
How to live and trust again

Let down your armor
For it has rusted in your tears
Take a drink of living water
Bring life to these dry bones
Bathe in the light of hope
Get out of the shadow of shame

Can you let in God’s message
Of love and redemption
Can you believe in something other
Than the past that hangs on you
God is here beside you
To help you
Let it go and begin again


Angel Barreto

THIS IS HIM

This is Him
My dwelling place
This is Him
My refuge
Why need I fear
When His faithfulness is my shield
Why need I want
When He provides for my needs
Yes He is Lord
Yes He is King
Oh He is God
The Almighty
My refuge
My peace
My shelter
Yes He is
My fortress
My deliverer
My covering
He is yes He is
How can my soul not sing
How can my lips not praise
Let my life reflect His glory
Let my speech tell of His might
I will trust in Him
I will make Him my dwelling place
This is Him
My joy
This is Him
My peace
This is Him
My Lord
My God
My King
This is Him
Of whom I praise
This is Him
My faithfulness
He is my prayer
He is my peace
This is Him

Angel Barreto

ATTITUDE

It can seem to be alright
Life just chugs along
What’s that chip your carrying
It seems to speak first
In your face
In your walk
In your eyes
Attitude
Angry at what you don’t know
Pride
Lifting you higher than you should be
Arrogance
Can’t see past the log in your eye
All the while
You’re losing yourself in the desert
Sneaking up like a shadow
Coloring everything it can
Shaking your intention
To live for Christ
Yet you find
It’s all about you
In your
Attitude
Looking down on everything
Haughtiness
Lest you get contaminated
Selfishness
It’s got to be my way
Oh when will this end
This battle over who will lead
Is it you or Him
The One who died for you to live
When will you stop
Feeding your flesh
Just to starve the spirit
When will you stop
Quenching the Living Water
How it does cost
To pick up your cross each day
And follow His lead
To obedience to death
Oh let my attitude be
One of humility and grace

Angel Barreto

HE IS HE WILL (Psalm 46)

In the silence
In the quiet
Your voice is heard
In the thunder
In the rain
Your voice is heard

He is my song in times of distress
He is my strength in times of trouble
He is my joy when despair threatens
To overwhelm my soul
He will be my song in the morning
He will be my song throughout the day
He will be my song in the evening
He is my song after trouble has come

In the silence
In the quiet
Your love soothes my soul
In the thunder
In the rain
Your love shelters me

He will uphold me in the testing
He will restore me in times of want
He is the hand that wipes my tears
He is the truth that speaks to my soul
He is who He is
The Lord who is my refuge

Angel Barreto

TO FOLLOW

The importance of who you follow
And where they are leading you
The freedom or bondage that can be found
In the place they lead you to
The importance of knowing who you follow
And to whom they point to
Will you find hope or despair
Is there the do this and the don’t do that
Is there faith to follow and grow in
To follow
To chase
To be out of step with the crowd
The freedom found in cutting loose
In your faith and salvation
The importance of a future
And a hope to hold to
The importance of who you follow
And where they are leading you to
Is the One who was nailed to a cross
The source of the path you walk
The place where you will end at
Yes the importance of who you follow
And where they will lead you to
Examine the ones you look to
Examine who they follow
Is the path they ask you to tread
The same one Jesus walked
In obedience to death
That life would rise forth
To follow
To chase
To be out of step with the crowd
Who do you look to
Who is your standard
Who is your grace
The importance of who you follow
And where they are leading you to



Angel Barreto