Come to the Waters

by James Montgomery Boice

Come to the waters, whoever is thirsty;
Drink from the Fountain that never runs dry.
Jesus, the Living One, offers you mercy,
Life more abundant in boundless supply.

Come to the River that flows through the city,
Forth from the throne of the Father and Son.
Jesus the Savior says, 'Come and drink deeply.'
Drink from the pure, inexhaustible One.

Come to the Fountain without any money;
Buy what is given without any cost.
Jesus, the gracious One, welcomes the weary;
Jesus, the selfless One, died for the lost.

Come to the Well of unmerited favor.
Stretch out your hand; fill your cup to the brim.
Jesus is such a compassionate Savior.
Draw from the grace that flows freely from him.

Come to the Savior, the God of salvation.
God has provided an end to sin's strife.
Why will you suffer the Law's condemnation?
Take the free gift of the water of life.

It Happens Every Spring

by Mack Gordon

It happens every spring
The world is young again
Where children on an ups-a-daisy swing
A carousel with horses freshly painted
The oompapa that says, 'Let's get acquainted'

What is that cheer I heard?
A fellow stealing third
Your neighbor's boy became a home-run king
Your dad rolls up his sleeves to clean the attic
Your sixteen-year-old sister goes dramatic

It happens
Yes, it happens every spring

The tears that go with sulfur and molasses
The outstretched nickles when an ice cream wagon passes
A rippling stream sounds like a rippling heart
As Mother Nature proudly spreads her new green carpet

Be patient, lonely one
Your love will come along
Your autumn heart will find a song to sing
Then raindrops will be dancing to the tune of it
The carefree gay and April, May, and June of it

And remember it never rains but what it pours
And maybe raindrops will be whispering, 'This spring is yours'

Well, I Never Did

by Dame Victoria Bennett
AKA Stephen Fry

Oh yes, I'll never forget that one! That was taken before they pulled down the gasworks and built that Netto Superstore. Oh, he looks good in his Littlewood's Keynote cardie, does our Alan! I said at the time, I said, 'Alan, if you want to get on in the world, you'd be wise to write down everything I say, because it's gold, is what I say. And don't hog the Peak Freenes, lad. Pass them 'round.'

Lovely boy, he was. Teeth weren't his strong feature, of course, and his hair wasn't what you might call Leslie Howard, but I always say, 'Teeth is teeth. What does it matter so long as you've got your wealth?'

He said, 'I can't wait to get out of here, Auntie Ivy, and make my fortune down south.'

I said, 'Alan,' I said, 'I may not be as cabbage-looking as my tongue is a fisherman's doily, but what's London got that you won't find in the Arndale Centre in Todmorden?' Well, he was stuck for a reply. I said, 'You want sophistication, you stick with us up here, love.' He knew I was right, bless him. I mean, we've got a body shop in the parade now. You can't move for Volvos in the autumn months. But then he's always had his head in the clouds, has our Alan.

Caught him trying to scour a milk pan with a tea bag once. I said, 'It's all very well knowing long words, but if you can't tell the difference between a box of brillo pads and a packet of Typhoo One-Cup, you'll never get on.' I'll go to the back of our fridge....

He did leave, though; got a scholarship to Oxford. I said, 'You make sure as there's somewhere as you can buy Kendall Mint Cake and a good bar of Wright's coal tar soap, because they've no idea, down there.' Well, I mean fancy ideas and tropical mix croutons are all very well, but they don't get the Vimto buttered, do they? For all your fine Italian red lettuce — which to my mind tastes as bitter as a Skipton wind.

He said, 'Auntie, I'll be fine.'

Well of course, I didn't know him when he came back. Green corduroy jacket and duffle coat, horn-rimmed spectacles you could eat parsley out of, and a head crammed with I don't know what. And books, you've never seen so many! Some of them that dirty I blushed to the roots of my Playtex. I said, 'Those books are going straight into the Hotpoint and no buts.' Came up lovely, they did. Amazing what a bit of Lenor can do if you've a mind.

No, but that Oxford and his smart friends, they've changed him. Ideas, that's what it is. I said, 'What use is ideas when you've a capon to baste and the tally-man's due any minute? Name an idea,' I said, 'that can get the front steps scrubbed, the sausages pricked, and the navel oranges squeezed in time for a meat tea and finger buffet.' Well, he didn't know which way to look.

These Oxford types, they're all apricot facial scrub and yesterday's suet turnover: to look at them you'd think a packet of Bachelor's Savoury Rice wouldn't melt in their Vosene Medicated, but they've no savvy. I could take a Black & Decker nose drill to the pack of them and still have change left over for a bag of peanut brittle.

Left home, of course. Got involved with the BBC, all party eggs and tomato chutney. Next thing I know, he's got a damehood and a brand new hostess trolley to show for it. They'll fall for anything, them Londoners.

Well, I'm off down to Morrison's for a jar of melon lip balm and a four-pack of interuterine devices. Got that Pat Routledge 'round for elocution lessons at twelve. Tarra!

The Waiting

by Tom Petty

Oh baby, don't it feel like heaven right now?
Don't it feel like something from a dream?
I've never known nothing quite like this
Don't it feel like tonight might never be again?
We know better than to try and pretend
No one could have ever told me about this

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith
You take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

I might have chased a couple of women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I feel right now
You're the only one that's ever known how
To make me want to live like I want to live now

Don't let it kill you, baby
Don't let it get to you
I'll be your breathing heart
I'll be your crying fool
Don't let this go too far
Don't let it get to you

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith
You take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Give Praise to God

by James Montgomery Boice

Give praise to God who reigns above,
For perfect knowledge, wisdom, love;
His judgments are divine, devout,
His path beyond all tracing out.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

No one can counsel God all-wise,
Or truths unveil to His sharp eyes;
He marks our paths behind, before;
He is our steadfast Counselor.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

Nothing exists that God might need,
For all things good from Him proceed.
We praise Him as our Lord, and yet,
We never place God in our debt.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

Creation, life, salvation too,
And all things else, both good and true,
Come from and through our God always,
And fill our hearts with grateful praise.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!