HYMN

in the smallness of my heart
lives a giant of love
in the selfishness of me
lives a selfless one
how can this be except
He lives
He lives in me
a promise made by God
held within this vessel
clay dust and bones
within lives a precious gift
oh how can this be
such beauty within such flesh
that God would know me
who am i Lord
who am i
to know His name
to behold such beauty
how can profane
whisper the holy
joy in this sorrow
love in this place
strength out of weakness
life from death
word of life
breathe of life
how is answered in Him
faithfulness and compassion
loving-kindness and holiness
grace and mercy
lavished upon me
lavished upon His sons and daughters
a simple thank you
a word of praise
a shout of gratitude
knees to the ground
heart abandoned
resting in His peace

 

Angel Barreto

 

 

UNDONE GO AWAY

go away from me Lord
how can You look upon me
in Your presence i see my filthiness
and yet You reach out for me
go away from me Jesus
i am undone in Your love
my heart breaks at what it sees
inside of me
of what i see inside of me
how can the holy desire the sinful
every waking breath has been
spent on living me
the things i have seen
the places i have been
the wounds inflicted on me
sometimes at my own hands
go away me Lord
i am undone by You
yet You reach for me
to pull me into Your embrace
You call me beloved
and worthy of Your love
how am i worthy of Your love
what can a man say
what can a man do
it's all i can do not to shrink back
from the beauty contained in You
oh look at my hands Lord
see the sin they have done
see the hardness of my heart
the poverty of me
go away my Lord
go away
i am undone by You again
i am undone by You again

Angel Barreto

NEED

i need You Lord
in each moment of my life
i want You Lord
to lead and guide
i desire You Lord
more and more each day
i want to know You more
i want to experience You
in ways that leave me wanting more
how can one be content
yet want more
i want more of You
for today
for this moment
for right now
You Lord
just You
i need You Lord
more than i even know
teach me Lord
teach me
to be still and know that You are God
to know that You are God
a light to my path
a lamp to my feet
a joy to my heart
a song to my soul
a name that saves me
a God who knows my name
i need Your Lord
a love so pure and satisfying
my Lord my God my King

Angel Barreto

MY HOPE MY HOME

you are my hope
you are my joy
you are my faith
you are my love
yet i take a long time
to say these things
i get caught up in this world
i lose the giver in the gifts

i know without you
i would be lost
i would be blind
i would hopeless
i would be without in this world

you are my tears

of joy
of pain
of regret
of repentance
of life
of love
of home

you are my smile
you are my laughter
you are my love
in the little things
in the quiet things
in the moments i am unsure
in the times i am confident
in the times i am stubborn
in the times i am broken
how did i ever live without you

you are mine and i am yours

i just had to say

i just had to let it be known
you Lord are my hope
you Lord are my home

Angel Barreto

A COMPLAINT OF GRIEF

i want to run
but i am frozen in place
i want to cry
yet tears seem misplaced
i am angry
and i don't know at what
i just want to be alone
but i need you
how i need you
oh i need you
this day seems to just drag
confusion and disconnection rule
i want to fight
i want to hide
i want to cry
i want to be comforted
no one ever talks about
this side of death
no one ever whispers about
grief's hard lessons
it holds a mirror to what you hold dear
to what you have placed on your altar
in all this turmoil
in all this loss
i still have You Jesus
i still have You

Angel Barreto

 

MY EYES LIFTED UP

i lifted my eyes
to behold Your glory
in the small little things
in the wonder of creation
i lifted my eyes
to behold Your beauty
in the eyes
of the redeemed
in the tears of rejoicing
o my Lord
o my soul
i mourn
i weep
i jump for joy
i laugh
i cry
at the thought of Your return
at the thought of Your return
i lifted my eyes
to behold Your strength
in my weakness
in Your grace
i tried to tell of You
but my words came out
filled with joy
filled with pleading
filled with wonder
filled with awe
of You my Lord
of You my King
of You my Savior
of You my God
i lifted my eyes to see You there
in my life
in my breathe
in my hope
in my life

Angel Barreto

 

 

DEATH AND SIN

and i sat with death in the air
smelled its fear
played its game
for hours on end
playing with grace
wondering
how was i gonna make it home
o death i feel your sting
o fear of the right thing
o fear of the Right One
and i turned my heart from listening
from a refrain of love
to a mocking laugh
and i knew my heart was wrong
yet i found myself sitting down
playing deaths game
letting sin reign
in flesh and skin
o to sit here in its stench
sin and death
death and sin
o to know that i am wrong
so far from You
who is so near
so far from You
who is so near

Angel Barreto

 

HIS GOOD WILL

i can look at the past
in its disaster
i can blame all my sins
on misinformation
i can think that all is lost to time
bad choices
left right turns
bad luck
wrong time
wrong place
and while that may seem true
it can seem oh so true
i know
yes i know
with God
oh with my God
all things yes all things
God works for the good
of those that love Him
according to His purpose
according to His will
i can look through the window shattered
broken wild pieces of shame and regret
i can look at the glass as empty
so in need of being filled
but i know yes i know
i know my God has His purpose
and in that i can rest
in Him i can say
nothing is wasted
nothing is lost
all that the locusts has eaten
He restores He restores
even when i do not understand how
even if i never feel or see it
i know yes i know He works for my good
in His purpose in His will
i am yes my whole life has been

Angel Barreto

UNSHAKABLE

this joy so unshakable
a smile in a cloud of loss
this peace so unshakable
a prayer in a time of turmoil

so You are Lord

my joy my peace
so You are my Lord
my God my King

this hope so unshakable

a future when nothing is left
this promise You give so unshakable
when no one is faithful

so You are Lord

my hope my promise
so You are my Lord
my Strength my Savior

this truth so unshakable

a rock when all is sand
this life You give so unshakable
a knowing when it is time

so You are Lord

my truth my life
my joy my peace
my hope my promise

yes You are
my Lord my God
my King my Portion
my Creator my Provider
my Friend my Healer
my Everything

Angel Barreto

TIME TO GRIEVE

if the tears are loosed
they just might wash away
your memory
if the ache is let loosed
it just might erase
the love i hold onto
fear of losing
fear of feeling
fear of the lose
of you
of you
memories fade
remembrances become tradition
the reason for them becomes myth
a legend of a better day
a better day and time
if i let these tears go
they just might wipe me away
lost in grief so profound
i might not recover myself
if this ache is expressed
it just might tear me apart
losing the essence of you
the pain of letting you go
if this anger is spoken
it just might hit between the eyes
keeping one from seeing hope
in this time
in this time
is it time
to let the grief find its voice
in this place
in this time
to let it be at peace
never the same
never meant to be
let the weight of loss
be lifted from
your heart and mind
to breathe again

Angel Barreto

the beauty of holiness

in the beauty of holiness

i will find my voice

to praise You Lord

to worship You my God

in the beauty of holiness

the silence of my voice

will sing of Your majesty

the cry of joy

will carry out Your name

O Lord O God

my God You are

 

Angel Barreto

YOUR FAVOR LORD

have i lost my vision
here in the wilderness
am i here because of my short sightedness
am i here
do i trust in You Lord
do i believe Your word
am i living as if i have Your favor
for You salvation is near
for Your salvation is now
is my focus on past failures
is my eye on past successes
can i perceive the new thing You are doing
the very thing You call me to
do i believe i am stuck in the desert
without water
without hope
do You not provide the streams in the wasteland
are You not the Living Waters
can i not perceive them
Your refreshing and Your new things
what is my worry
have i forgotten to call upon You Lord
are You all i need
are You my salvation
why am i so wearied
why am i so tired
where is the life i am to be living
do i not have life in You Lord
in Your salvation
in abiding in You and Your word
why do i act so dead
in the abundance of Your provision
now is the time of Your favor Lord
now is the time of Your salvation

Angel Barreto

AND YOU STILL CALL ME YOURS

i run
to find healing in anything i can
i run
to find comfort in a habit
i go
to old places that still haunt me
this pain
buried so deep
i have forgotten where it started
i come with unclean hands
used for unrighteousness
and still You call me Yours
and still You love this man
and still You hold me
as You whisper
I know where you go
I know why even when you don't
come to Me My child
find Me in your fear
find Me in your pain
find Me in your anger
I am still here
and you are still Mine
you are still Mine
and I am still God

Angel Barreto