Bride's Song

 “We’ll Come Running” is a song based on Hosea, Chapter 11.  This song written by Len Douglas and June Schuldt parallels the journeys of Israel and the United States of America.   Israel, God’s chosen nation and America who chose God.  America chose God when the Puritans came to the shores of North America and established covenant in this land with the settlers and with God through the Mayflower Compact in 1620.  Both nations have a stormy history of numerous times falling away and then returning to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.    This song takes the narrative of God’s relationship with Israel as expressed in Hosea, Chapter 11 and develops a dialogue between God and His people.  It is a dialogue of history, intent and question.  It is a dialogue that requests an answer from God’s people.   In Verse 1 Israel/America is called by God.  God has a divine destiny for these nations and as a result the enemy has plans to d...

In 2004 I was serving in Albany at the Capital Region Prayer and Healing Center as a worship leader and the founder/director of Bride’s Song.   During the years I was there 2001-2007 I met the most amazing Christian servants from all walks of life.  Susan Castell was one of them.  To me she was an Anna in the house of the LORD.  Anna was in the temple continually interceding for the coming Messiah and God rewarded her faithfulness by bringing her into the temple while Yeshua was being dedicated and letting her see the fruit of her intercession.  Susan said, that the Lord revealed to her that before Yeshua returns, there will be a corporate "Anna" ministry that will be interceding for His return.  Susan was an individual who knew how to wait before the LORD and listen to His heart, His voice.   Susan was a wonderful mentor to many and continues to share the heart of God where ever the LORD sends her.  Susan and her husband Billy were ma...

Heavens/Heaven Shamayim / Shameh   H-8064   Strong’s# The root of this Hebrew word comes from the root meaning, “to be lofty.”   As a noun it means, “heavens, heaven, sky, aloft and air.” The ancient root means, “breath” and “a place of the wind.”   Heaven often appears as plural in the Old Testament because the Hebrews understood the great expanse and vastness of heaven.   The plural form emphasized this point.   Heaven also referred to God’s dwelling place.   LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.   1 Kings 8:23 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all it is this day.    Deuteronomy 10:14 Worship opens the door to heaven.   Worship creates an atmosphere where earth and heaven meet.   Perhaps we can compare it to Jacob’s ladder...

Incense Qatar (Strong's # H-6999)    Qatar as a verb means, “to smoke, to turn into a fragrance by fire, to kindle and to burn.” The noun form qetorith means, “incense or perfume.” You shall make an altar to burn incense on;    Exodus 30:1 Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.   And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.   Exodus 30:7-8 These were the instructions given to Moses regarding the altar of incense.   The incense offered twice a day to the LORD on the altar of incense symbolized the prayers offered to God;   the intercession of the priest in the morning and evening for the people of Israel.   The altar of incense was in the Holy Place just in front of the curtain that concealed the Holy of Holies.   As the priest physically offered incense to burn upon...

In the Old Testament, in most translations you will notice that the word Lord will appear in all capitals, LORD or with the first letter capitalized and the following letters in lower case, Lord .    The translators have done this to delineate between the two Hebrew words translated as, Lord.   The later is a general title and the other is the personal name of God revealed by God Himself to man.     Yahveh/Yehovah   Strong's #  H- 3068        The Hebrew word for LORD first appears in Genesis, Chapter 2 just before the creation of man.   Prior to that time the name Elohim was used.    In Genesis, Chapter 2 the writer uses the name LORD God or Yahveh Elohim .   Some Christian writers will attribute this change in name to the creation account being pieced together from many sources.   The more traditional Christian and Jewish view is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible or Torah and there is...

Elohim (Strong's # H-430) is the first name of God that appears in scripture in Genesis 1:1.   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim is translated as God.    The name Elohim comes from the root, elah or el meaning, “strong or mighty.”   Elohim is associated with the idea of a “strong creator.”    The ancient meaning of El is “one who holds authority over others.”     The ending added to the word elah or el makes this word plural yet it is used with singular verbs and adjectives.    Elohim is plural but used as singular thousands of times in the Old Testament.   When elohim is used in the plural sense it is usually in reference to pagan gods and not referring to the God of Israel.  From a Christian perspective we can see the trinity expressed in this name (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) but the corporate Godhead was also part of the Hebrew understanding from the Tanakh (Old Testament Scr...

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 ESV  I have a precious tribe of believers who share the same heart.  We are an Intercessory Worship Team called, Incense Rising.  Our little group plants the songs and decrees that the LORD gives us in places where we are led to deposit them.  We do lead worship for groups of people but our main purpose has been to voice God's hopes and dreams into the region and state we live, New York State.  We have been writing songs together as a team for over a year.  Even those of our team who have never written songs are writing lyrics that become songs.  It is a unique blending of the gifts God has deposited and developed in each one of us. "Above All Names" is a wonderful ...

My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me. I give to them the gift of eternal life and they will never be lost and no one has the power to snatch them out of my hands.  My Father, who has given them to men as his gift, is the mightiest of all, and no one has the power to snatch them from my Father’s care.  The Father and I are on.   John 10:27-30 TPT So many voices clamoring for our attention.   Emotionally charged voices everywhere we go, across every part of our lives.   Who are we listening to?   Who is telling us the truth?   Who can we trust? Even in the most trusted environments such as church and family we can hear the wrong voices.   It is not that people intentionally want to give speak things that are not true but they are sometimes speaking out of what they know, their own agendas and what the world says, not what God says. There have been several times in my life where this battle against d...

 Holy Spirit is preparing the bride through worship, a worship that is deeply rooted in our hearts.  The Spirit is blowing on the smoldering coals within us and producing flames of desire to be with our Eternal Bridegroom.  It is not just knowledge of Him as Savior and what He has done for us, but a deep desire to be with Him.  This worship of the heart speaks His name as we open our eyes from sleep and is our last thought as we drift off to sleep at night.  It is a desire that causes us to search for Him in our everyday experiences.  It prompts us to look for Him in every circumstance.  It is worship that sings throughout our days, in the best and the worst of times.  This depth of worship will bring about the return of the Bridegroom.  Only God the Father knows the hour of His Son’s return and He is waiting for a bride who will be ready for His Son.  A bride who loves Him, desires Him and desires for Him to be her husband.  His br...

  Len Douglas, worship leader, musician and songwriter gave me this song to record in 2019.   Len, his wife Gail, our friend Marcia and I are an Intercessory Worship Team, Incense Rising.  We meet to worship, pray and plant God’s desires for our region through decreeing His Word and prophetic song.   Last year Len had been meditating on John 20 and Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the empty tomb on the day of resurrection.  This song is filled with a depth of emotion; of loss, then surprise and unspeakable joy.  “We seek the one we love so such, we brought the spices for a final touch. It’s an act of worship, in our own way but His love was greater and He couldn’t stay.”   Later in the song the lyric changes to, “He brought the spices for a final touch.” That resurrection morning the women came with their precious spices for Jesus.  It was their act of love that compelled them to go with their spices to the tomb that morning.  At that...

  The LORD of Hosts , Yahveh Tsebaot (Strong’s # H-6635) is the plural of tsaba which means, “an army, a company organized for war, soldiers, a mass of persons.”   It originates from the root, “to fight, to mass, to war.”  The ancient meaning is, “mustering of an army as a wall or protection.” This title is used when God sent His heavenly forces to aid His people.  This is the God of victory, who commands the angels, the hosts of heaven.  Awake to help me, and behold!   You therefore, O LORD God of hosts , the God of Israel, awake to punish, all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.  Psalm 59:5 The LORD of hosts leads the host of heaven in battle against the enemy of our souls.   The LORD of hosts will return with His armies as Captain of the hosts and defeat satan forever.  Worship is warfare.   When we worship our God with all our being we are agreeing with the LORD of hosts and His forces in heaven are m...

  My heart is on fire, boiling over with passion.  Bubbling up within me are these beautiful lyrics as a lovely poem to be sung for the King!  Like a River bursting its banks, I’m overflowing with words, spilling out into this sacred story.   Psalm 45:1 The Passion Translation I discovered the incredible passion of this psalm over 25 years ago walking in the misty morning on the coastline of the Olympic Peninsula.    I was on vacation with my family and got up at dawn and decided to walk the beach and talk with God.   I opened my NKJV Bible to Psalm 45 and started to read it as I walked along.   I don’t think I had ever read this Psalm before or if I did, I did not understand the depth of these words.   My heart felt like it was about to explode.   My heart became filled with words that I couldn’t seem to speak.   My silence was actually singing deep inside my soul and spirit.   When I returned to my home in New York, ...