(resonance of reforming)
the blog of Jerry Bolton
Rejoice?
Jan 6th
Currently listening to: “Circles” by Thrice
Thrice recently did a session at Daytrotter, and the results are stripped-down, sparse, largely acoustic, and predominantly wonderful. If you’ve ever wondered what a masterful rock band would sound like when given a room with a bunch of instruments in various states of being, this is a great example. You can listen/download the tracks here at Daytrotter.
I have a bundle of news for those who don’t know me personally – namely, a bundle of Bolton that is on the way! Yes, my lovely Steph and I are happy to announce that (with God’s help) we’re in the midst of welcoming a new human being into the world. It’s one of the reasons that I haven’t been able to devote the kind of time to writing that I usually like to. The other reason is that my rebellious heart prefers distraction, abstraction, and escape to reality. So, truth be told, I’ve been much in the habit of wasting time on things far less than eternal.
So, with that said, and with my apologies implied therein… I would like to share some of what God has been teaching me through his Word as He speaks to me in the midst of the constant swirl and ebb of the circumstances of my life.
For starters, it hasn’t escaped me that for 21 weeks now, I’ve been a father. Granted, I haven’t been conscious of that for all 21 of those weeks, but increasingly as our lives already feel the weight of changes and as my wife’s abdomen swells with new life… I’m conscious of the responsibilities I now carry before God. Being a father means that, in addition to my wife and I, there is now another person for whom I am very intimately responsible. Another person, one for whose training and fathering I will answer, for whose provision I will be held to account, and to whom I must strive to be an example of the gospel in action. My daughter (assuming that the Ultrasound Technician was right – and they’re not always) or son will look to me to be an example of pastoral, godly, disciplined righteousness.
I love my daughter deeply – more with every passing day as she grows and develops and learns and changes and as God shapes and knits her together. I love my daughter, young as she is. I love her, and so many questions fill my mind:
Someone mentioned to me today that, because of how I love her, she will always be “Daddy’s Little Girl”. My head reeled. Not because I don’t treasure the thought of taking care of this little girl, nor because I really hope she doesn’t stay little. Neither was it because my hope and prayer is that she grows into a godly woman who loves Jesus Christ. No, I reeled because the thing that immediately jumped into my head was a question:
Is this Little Girl mine?
Let me explain:
How dangerous would it be to my soul if I thought she was MINE… of all things? If I believe that she is “mine” and I lose her in any of the above ways I might despair of life or betray God!
Isn’t it true that so often the line between responsibility and idolatry is very thin?
Or what about the line between love and idolatry?
I am responsible for my daughter. I love my daughter.
But she is not mine.
At my church, we’re about to start into a series in the book of James. This week we’ll be delving into the first twelve verses, which (among other things) say the following:
James 1:2-5 ESV
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you probably have encountered these kinds of ideas before. After all, from Genesis to Revelation, God makes incredible good come out of incomprehensible evils. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery and ultimately Joseph saves them from a famine many years later. David is pursued all over Israel and the surrounding areas by Saul (who is rabidly trying to murder him), and becomes a “man after God’s own heart”. Jesus, God of very God, is betrayed, spat upon, brutally beaten, and crucified… takes upon himself sin – that which he justly and righteously hates, and experiences the full Wrath of God poured out against sin… and in submitting himself on the Cross in this way makes a way for sinners to be reconciled to God.
If you’re like me, the principle makes sense: God allows and sometimes causes trials and suffering in our lives in order to refine and purify us, in order to transform us and conform us into the likeness of Jesus.
But James didn’t just say “Accept it, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds”. He said to count it all joy. Joy. In other words, James is saying “rejoice when you suffer!” and “be delighted when you go through difficulty” and “chalk it up as a sweet thing when your circumstances are sour and bitter”.
What? I understand accepting that, as Joseph said to his brothers, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20)… but to rejoice in suffering? How?
Let me take a stab at it, with my thanks to preachers like John Piper and Matt Chandler for crystallizing this in my thoughts lately:
Everything we have is loaned to us that we might point to and make much of Jesus Christ and him crucified. ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ – they are all given to us or allowed to us so that in all of it we would rejoice in the Cross.
The Cross?
The Cross, through which our worst adversity becomes an instrument of God in subjecting our hearts more wholly to him!
The Cross, through which everything that would seek to destroy us serves instead to strengthen us – conforming us more and more to the likeness of Jesus!
The Cross, the greatest sin ever committed, but through which sinners are reconciled to God!
How else can we move beyond merely accepting our circumstances (especially when they constitute trials and suffering) to REJOICING in them? How else but to see God’s grace and mercy overflowing as he works through our varied and frequently terrible circumstances to accomplish the transformation of our hearts and lives?
We rejoice in adversity because the worst of circumstances is a gift from God. The worst of circumstances is the gift of a dark, painful, and evil place in which to say to a watching world (and to our rebellious hearts):
“God is enough! He is all I need! He is my life and sustenance! There is no world, no meaning, and no hope without Jesus Christ!”
I am responsible for my daughter and I love her… but she is not mine. (May God grant that I never see her as mine!) My daughter, much like every good thing that I have, is a gift from God, created and sustained by him for my joy and for His glory.
God Is Enough
Dec 8th
Currently listening to: “The Best It’s Gonna Get” by Celldweller
Chapter two of Wish Upon A Blackstar just dropped. It’s uhh… Celldweller at its best, basically.
This is just a quick post to share this: [video].
I have a lot of respect for Matt Chandler, and have benefited greatly from his preaching as well as other resources that The Village Church puts out online. Along with many others, I was shocked when he was hit by a pretty brutal seizure during American Thanksgiving and diagnosed with a brain tumor. In this video, Matt explains what happened, but also what it means.
I entrust it to you with rejoicing. What an encouragement to hear where Matt’s heart is focused, with his life on the line.
Remembering Grandpa
Nov 13th
Currently listening to: “Holy” by Brenton Brown
Brenton is a favourite in these parts. We really appreciate his anything-but-showy approach to putting together worship songs. Also, he has a knack for penning meaningful lyrics (with very little “I” and “Me” in them).
My wife’s grandfather passed away last Thursday – November 5th, 2009. I only had the pleasure of spending time with him once, at our wedding last year. We spent the first half of this week down in Kansas for the funeral – a journey that was full of stories in itself. We flew out of Rochester at 7am EST (which meant getting up around 2am to drive down), stopped over at O’Hare in Chicago, and landed in Kansas City around 11:30am CST. We then drove a couple hours west of KC to Abilene, Kansas – grandpa’s hometown.
Throughout our time there, we enjoyed much time spent with family – mourning the loss of grandpa, but celebrating his life. There was a lot to celebrate. If you have a spare minute, please have a gander at his obituary. Grandpa was a missionary to the Philippines, a radio personality, a WW2 vet, a Moody grad, and perhaps most of all – a husband, father, and grandfather. He loved Jesus Christ and dedicated his life to serving him. He left a legacy of faithfulness that touches even me – his grandson-in-law.
Wednesday, we made the trek home.
Today is Friday, I’m thinking about the challenge of following (and some day leaving) a great legacy. Although I didn’t know Grandpa, I’ve spent much of this week mindful of the life he lived, and of the family he raised (which includes my mother-in-law, of whom I am rather fond). Certainly, I’ve inherited a different world than he did – but we serve the same King, and are called to the same faithfulness to that King.
Feel free to check out Grandpa’s radio shows here, and other info here.
The Primacy of Preaching in Worship
Nov 4th
Currently listening to: “Get Me Right” by Dashboard Confessional
Chris Carrabba is a bit of a tough one to pin down. It’s difficult to know, in his songs, whose voice he speaks from – his own, or those of various characters he creates or whose stories he tells. The answer to that question would seriously uncomplicate the question of what precisely it is that he believes. What he believes is an interesting question because, before he was “The Famous Chris Carrabba – King of All Emo and the man behind Dashboard Confessional”, he was the unknown frontman of Further Seems Forever, an essentially Christian technical rock band. This song is remarkable because it’s the first one (as Dashboard) in which Chris talks in fairly straightforward terms about faith, Jesus, doubt, sin, depravity, and such things. I’m still processing what’s going on – there’s a lot of history to reckon with, and there’s a lot of voices on this record (and all his Dashboard records, for that matter).
There are about 50 blogs on my feed reader. I read most of them in their entirety every day – it’s a part of my morning routine. One that I recently added was CJ Mahaney’s blog over at Sovereign Grace Ministries. Although I disagree with CJ on some points (and really, we could all say that about anybody if we’re being honest!) I’ve really appreciated his ministry – both in book form and in his preaching.
I had the opportunity to attend CJ’s breakout session this past April at the Gospel Coalition 2009 National Conference and it was, in many ways, a pivotal point for me. Through CJ’s message entitled “The Pastor’s Charge“, God sparked in my heart a desire for pastoral ministry. Does this mean I’m hoping to be a “Pastor” someday? God only knows. Right now, I’m just working through what it means to be pastoral in character and daily practice – both internally and externally. I firmly believe that all believing men are called to strive toward the standards required of all “overseers” as laid out in Titus and Timothy and such. So, in this season of life, one of my particular concerns is to nurture and develop in those areas – striving toward being (as Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3) above reproach, faithful in monogamy, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not an addict, gentle, not violent, not a money-lover, a good father and husband, dignified, mature in the faith and constantly pursuing humility.
With that as background, you’ll understand my excitement over today’s post on CJ’s blog, made by his friend Jeff Purswell, entitled “Preaching vs. Worship?” (entitled so as to question the false dichotomy). I’d encourage you to read it. Here’s something that stood out to me:
Why? Why so much preaching? Why all this talking? Because the primary way we encounter God in worship is through the preaching of the Word of God.
Think about it this way. Normally, in what we call “worship,” we spend significant time—perhaps the whole time—addressing God, singing to him, praising him, extolling him, praying to him. Wonderful! But in preaching we are no longer addressing God; he is addressing us. Nothing is more important than this moment. And this is why the most important worship leader in your church is your pastor.
That really gets to the heart of preaching. The Bible is not simply a book that we talk about. When God’s Word is faithfully preached, God is addressing us. God is speaking. We hear not merely a man’s voice. We hear the voice of God.
And when God addresses us, what is the appropriate response? We respond with glad and reverent hearts, with voices that proclaim his praise, and with lives that increasingly reflect his character.
God addresses us with a saving Word. We respond to him with faith, praise, and obedience. That is the rhythm of worship.
This article caught me, striking me as both true and unnoticed. As I reflect on my week-to-week experience of preaching (thanks to my Pastor, for whom I am becoming more grateful constantly), I resonate with the above sentiments on a level I can’t really express at this point. Rare is the Sunday afternoon that I don’t feel at least a little weak at the knees because of the awareness that, despite all of the flawed humanity in the preacher, God spoke to me through the faithful preaching of his scriptures. Further, as I reflect on CJ’s message at the Gospel Coalition in April, I realize the same thing – God spoke through CJ’s exposition of scripture in preaching. He called me to greater faithfulness to Him and His truth. He called me to sacrificially serve and love His church. He called me to grow and mature in Christ. He called me to repent of myself. He called me to teach and learn, to suffer and wrestle, to counsel and to seek counsel. He called me to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus – the author and finisher, the perfecter, the archetype, the God-man, the dread warrior, the Holy One. He called me to lay down my life.
It’s not that He hadn’t said all of those things before – they’re all over Scripture. But, God spoke to me that day in a way I hardly understood at the time, and hardly do now. He spoke through the Bible. What an amazing gift!
May those who preach do so faithfully, and may those of us who listen to their faithful preaching worship with our lives faithfully in response. Amen.
…a new place to breathe
Oct 19th
I’ve been wanting to do this for years.
Welcome to a new look, a new name, a new location, and a reinvigorated sense of purpose.
There’s a lot of work left for me to do, but I trust this early iteration will be both helpful and appealing. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. At present, I’m hurriedly categorizing, editing, and tagging my archive of 800+ posts.
It is my prayer that this place will be home to many years of quality writing. Writing that provides insight into the many facets of music and literary criticism – not to mention turning you on to some great tunes and reads in the process. Writing that gives insight into the inner workings of one unfinished person being sanctified and reformed. Writing that challenges readers with careful exposition of Scripture – God’s divine revelation to mankind.
Most of all, my desire is that this be a place where Jesus Christ is glorified and honoured as Saviour, Lord, and God.
My name is Jerry Bolton, and you’re reading the resonance of my reformation.
Thanks for stopping by.
…the difference between knowing and knowing
Oct 15th
Current Tunage: Plankeye – The Meaning Of It All
I’m among the few who really prefer the second iteration of Plankeye. That probably says a lot about my tastes, I guess. I also like Fanmail better than the first Plankeye. Go figure.
Preaching isn’t something I’ve done in a few years. Back when I lived in Peterborough, I had the opportunity on a handful of occasions to preach on a Sunday morning from the pulpit of my local church. I don’t think I understood at the time just how unusual that was – a young guy, not particularly qualified (no fancy degree or ordination… or pastorate) – preaching a Sunday morning message. Some of the “blame” can be attributed to the tradition I was a part of at the time (and still respect), but ultimately I’ll chalk it up to God’s grace.
There’s something spectacular about taking Scripture to people – and not just blathering at them for 45 minutes. There’s something amazing about really conveying truth through exposition… and watching as God makes his words powerful in people’s lives. It’s humbling how much he accomplishes. More humbling, of course, when in the process he has made his word powerful in the preacher’s own life as well.
This morning a new post by James MacDonald hit my RSS Reader. I recommend you check it out here. It’s a post passing down advice from his many years in preaching ministry, primarily concerned with how to communicate better.
With that as background, James’ basic advice to young preachers concerning how to better communicate as they preach… is this:
The simple move I made, and commend to you, is setting up the word before you need it. By making the word significant in the hearers’ mind before you want to use it, you accelerate your move from explanation to application.
He illustrates his point with this video – in which “know” is the significant word:
(Note: The video didn’t make the transition here. Check it out here: http://blog.harvestbiblefellowship.org/?p=3180 )
As I’ve found myself at one of life’s many crossroads following graduation, I’ve been considering deeply how and where God would have me serve him. I’d love to say I have some answers to that important question, but for now I’m still searching through his words, spending time wrestling with him… falling down and getting back up again. In the last couple days I’ve been reconsidering pursuing a Masters degree at a good Seminary, not out of some bondage to schooling (ha!), but because there is in me a strange, growing glimmer of desire to pursue it.
This morning I’ve been thinking more about the short clip that James posted (and that I’ve reposted above). He makes a brilliant point – Jesus doesn’t just know in a fact-based, sensory, empirical-data, observation-oriented way… he knows experientially, and that’s a whole new echelon of ‘knowing’.
Hearing it made me recall my pastor’s message this past week from Jeremiah 15, in which he highlighted Jeremiah 15:15a… which says “O LORD, you know“.
As I considered these two messages – one brief and provided as an illustration, the other a straightforward reminder… my mind was drawn to Philippians 3:
Philippians 3:8-11 ESV
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith– (10) that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (11) that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Here’s what occurred to me: Both of the messages that I heard ruminated on the fact that God knows – not just factually and logically, but experientially… empathetically.
Here’s my response-thought: We are called to know God in the same way that He knows us. Experientially and empathetically; intimately – not just factually and empirically. The Apostle Paul nails this in Philippians 3 when he talks about knowing Christ in the same breath as he yearns to ’share in his sufferings’, and to become ‘like him in his death’. The grammar in English is a little tricky, but it is still clear that Paul isn’t talking about some kind of abstract, purely schoolbook knowledge… he’s talking about a knowledge characterized by intimacy of relationship. He’s talking about sharing in Jesus’ sufferings and becoming like Jesus in his death… right after saying he wants to know Jesus and his power.
Hopefully nobody’s surprised when I say that there’s a difference between knowing Jesus and truly knowing Jesus. Lots of people know Jesus factually or theologically or empirically… but so few know him experientially the way Paul talks about. So few even want to know him that way – it comes at a great cost.
It will cost you your hobbies, your time-wasters, your habits, your lust, your selfishness, your self-sufficiency, your fears, your lies, your leisure, your friends, your family, your comfort, your poverty, your wealth, your mental illness, your mental wholeness, your certainty… it will cost you everything if you choose to follow Jesus. In Luke 9:23, he called it your cross.
Lets take them up… let’s know him and follow him, not just with a head-full of factoids and memory verses we can’t remember the location of, but with hearts inclined toward him, with a sacrificial way of living that trusts him to provide and spares nothing that would get in the way of our being closer to him.
Someone asked me this week: “If God seems far away… who moved?”. By implication or otherwise, the answer is always “me”. Let’s do everything we can this week to close the gap – let’s be people who are willing to kill our hobbies, to kill our habits, to kill our entertainment… and to build defenses against their return… as we seek to truly know Jesus through scripture, through prayer, through obedience, and through all the ’sharing’ and ‘becoming’ that will surely come out of being faithful in those ways. Let’s stop just ‘knowing’, and start really ‘knowing’.
…thirty years of bad hair that nobody cares about
Oct 14th
Current Tunage: Fee – Glory to God Forever
It’s strange to me to hear a recorded song that up until now I’ve only heard in church. Usually it’s the other way around.
I was introduced to Dr. John Piper when I was in Bible College and his manifesto on Christian Hedonism (”Desiring God”) was our text for Spiritual Life Emphasis week. The book for me was a turning point, speaking of my long-held faith in terms I’d seldom heard used in association with it, and suggesting a worldview far larger and more encompassing (and satisfying) than what I, in my childish understanding of Scripture, could have fathomed prior.
I recall with some fondness that back in my second and third years of University, I would often listen to JP (as I sometimes affectionately refer to him) on the city bus as it took me to Trent’s Symons campus, headphones square on my head… with Bible in my lap. Amidst all the plethora of delicious hyphenated adjectives (ie. “Gospel-soaked”), I found my heart caught hold of just a small glimmer of the power that the faithful preaching of scripture can exert.
This morning I had the privilege (and I mean that) of reading an account by Justin Taylor of how God called Dr. John Piper into the pastorate thirty years ago today. Something in me surged as I read this. Have a look, you might just find that your response is quite the same: 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor.
…how we praise
Sep 26th
Current Tunage: Deepspace5 – We In Here
Mighty Deepspace5 released a surprise mixtape yesterday. You can cop it at deepspace5.com for all the “goodness gracious lava raps of flaming amazing”.
I was having some email-type correspondence with a friend today on the subject of worship. We were talking about how praise and worship are things that are so much more than songs and Sunday mornings.
Here’s an excerpt:
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We present ourselves a living sacrifice – in a holy and acceptable way – which IS spiritual worship. In other words, worship isn’t just singing with our spirits and minds, but how we live and act and think and behave. It’s how we transform into the image of God by renewing our minds with His Word and using it to discern good from evil and acceptable from unacceptable and perfect from imperfect… all of it is worship.
Ephesians 1:11-12 ESV
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
When we’re in Christ, the “praise of his glory” is something we can be.
Philippians 1:9-11 ESV
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
We grow in love, knowledge, and discernment – learning to determine excellence, to be pure, to be blameless… to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit – filled with righteousness… and it’s all ultimately praise and glory to God.
Of course, praise is also something we speak and sing -
1 Corinthians 14:15b ESV
I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
When we praise, we don’t sing empty words (or it ain’t praise!); we sing and speak things to and of God that honour him as God – primarily for what he is, but (underneath that) also for what he has done in and around us. He took dead things (us) and made them alive. He saves some of us from our just damnation because of his glorious grace and mercy. He makes stone hearts beat. He holds the universe in order and cosmic control. Yet, he’s personal and makes himself known. He does the impossible endlessly.
Praise…
It’s not just coldplay-lite rock or organ/piano tagteams, it’s all the raps and metal and slam poetry and apoligetics and deep conversations and quiet moments and handwritten notes and anything else that communicates the truth about Him, honours Him, glorifies Him.
It’s what we were designed for.
When we’re not communicating, we praise him by loving, forgiving, and serving others, by crucifying the flesh, by sacrificing ourselves for our wife, children, family, church, friends, leaders, followers, acquaintances, enemies, and nobodies.
We praise him by spending time pouring through His Word gleaning the truth and the heart-transforming that it does, by depending on him in prayer, by sharing his goodness and blessings with others through hospitality and friendship and generosity.
We praise him by living with his people and with those who are still his enemies – always in a way that honours him and gives him the glory for the rebellious, sin-destroying, servant-hearted, self-sacrificing lives we live before both sets of people.
We praise him by loving his Church and his churches (…his Bride).
We praise him by fullfilling the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment.
When we’re in him, we praise him with everything but our sin – yet we praise him by the way we respond to it… with forgiveness and grace (to ourselves, to others), but without mercy (crucify the flesh).
…visited here, tenfold on your head
Aug 20th
Current Tunage: Project 86 – To Sand We Return
Surrender to the sound.
I’m just beginning to catch my breath after a whirlwind summer. In June we were able to visit family “up north” in New Liskeard and Timmins for a pair of weeks. July found us house-sitting for friends in the Bayview & 401 area, which was thoroughly enjoyable – among other things, it gave us enough room to invite our “friends who have childrens” over, which of course was a delight. The first weekend of August was, progressively, my brother-in-law’s wedding, our FIRST ANNIVERSARY (hooray!), a great day at the beach with Steph’s extended family, and – moving into the following week – a trip down to Ohio to visit old friends. The last couple weeks have included time up on Baptiste Lake near Bancroft cottaging with my family (as well as my honourary brother Shane) as well as, this past week, a stint of freelance writing, editing, and layout for a great family-run business in Mississauga.
In other words, I’ve been “busy”. Hopefully that fleshes it out a bit.
Of course, I haven’t been resting on my laurels much in terms of things I’d like to be writing about, either. That said, I do have a disturbing habit of falling short on my own hopes and intentions for this space – promises to myself I don’t seem to keep. My friend Todd recently captured some of the dynamics involved (and helpful), in this post.
So, there’s not a dearth of profundity to be found here today. Just a random mishmash of words that have been bouncing around my noggin of late. Words like Church, Marriage, Ecclesiology, Authority, Covenant, Hebrews, Galatians, Titus, Thrice, Beggars, Project 86, Emery, Review, and a host of others. We’ll see what comes of it all.
Galatians 5:22-26 ESV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
…too good not to share
Aug 11th
Current Tunage: Thrice – Beggars
Album of the year.
It’s been forever. I’m (kind of) sorry. There’s much to report on, but that will be another post.
For now, here’s what’s on my mind:
“THE WEIGHT” by THRICE from their new album BEGGARS
There’s many who’ll tell you they’ll give you their love,
But when they say “give” they mean “take.”
They’ll hang ‘round just like vultures till push comes to shove.
They’ll take flight when the earth starts to shake.
Someone may say that they’ll always be true,
Then slip out the door ‘fore the dawn.
But I won’t leave you hanging on.
Another may stay till they find someone new,
Then before you know they’ll be gone.
But I won’t leave you hanging on;
No, I won’t be that someone.
And come what may, I won’t abandon you or leave you behind
Because love is a loyalty sworn, not a burning for a moment.
And come what may, I will be standing right here by your side;
I won’t run away, though the storm’s getting worse and there’s no end in sight.
Some talk of destiny, others of fate,
But soon they’ll be saying goodbye.
But I won’t leave you high and dry.
Because a ring don’t mean nothing
If you can’t haul the weight,
And some of them won’t even try,
But I won’t leave you high and dry;
I won’t leave you wondering why.
And storms will surely come,
But true love is a choice you must make
And you’re the one that I have set my heart to choose.
As long as I live, I swear I’ll see this through.