Monthly Theme: Courage
Sermon Topic: “Fear and Courage”

The Climb
Music: Jessi Alexander and John Mabe; arr. Deke Sharon
Text: Jessi Alexander and John Mabe 

I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head saying
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high.

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb.

The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, ’cause

When Thunder Comes
Music: Mari Esabel Valverde
Text: J. Patrick Lewis

The poor and dispossessed take up the drums
For civil rights – freedoms to think and speak,
Petition, pray, and vote. When thunder comes,
The civil, righteous are finished being meek,
Why Sylvia Mendez bet against long odds,
How Harvey Milk turned hatred on its head,
Why Helen Zia railed against tin gods,
How Freedom Summer’s soldiers faced the dread,
Are tales of thunder I hope to tell,
From my thin bag of verse for you to hear,
In miniature, like ringing a small bell,
And know a million bells can drown out fear.
For history was mute witness when such crimes
Discolored and discredited our times.