Skip to main content

All I Ever Wanted

Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.19.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER by Mindy Starns Clark.
My Thursday book giveaway is ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS by Cheryl Wolverton.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

MaggieB: I discovered Margaret Becker by accident when I was in high school.

Those were the days before Barnes & Noble or Borders, before Amazon.com or Christianbook.com. I don’t even think there was a Tower Records, or if there was, it was too far out of the way for my parents to drive me there, because—yeah—they had the car keys.

A closet-sized Christian gift store opened up in Ala Moana Shopping Center, and we were passing it so we stopped. I had gotten into Amy Grant and wanted to see if there was anything new.

Some cool-looking (remember, this is the 80’s) chick with moussed hair had this neato cassette tape (!) called “The Reckoning” and I thought that sounded hip. So I bought it. And since my only other options at that store were the Winans, Steven Curtis Chapman, and some moustached guy with really big hair, Margaret was a girl I could relate to.

“The Reckoning” was cool. But then “Simple House” came out two albums after that, and there were a couple songs that changed my life. That sounds melodramatic, but you have to remember I was the only Christian in my home, and I wasn’t even that great a Christian because I didn’t understand the whole “submit” thing.

The song below is what made me start to understand that a life with Christ should be complete abandonment. A foreign concept for a teenager with no Christian friends her age.

This song is like the album title—a simple house, a foundation built on simple, strong lines that would withstand time and trials.

All I Ever Wanted
Margaret Becker

From where I lay
I can see the sun
Rising through the trees
Before I face
This morning rush
I get down on my knees

I lift my eyes
And thank You for
This life you've granted me
I pray that every day I live
Your heart will be pleased

I pray for hands that hold You
Higher than anything else
And a heart that loves You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

From where I stand
I can see the dreams
That you have fulfilled
Such kindness I did not deserve
But You gave it still

What do I have
That You did not give
There's nothing that I can see
So all I have to give to You
Is what You've given me

I pray for hands that hold you
Higher than anything else
And this heart to love You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

I know I don't have the power
To love You like I should
But every day with everything I have
I wish I could
I'm standing here now
These words I pray
I wanna love You better
Whatever it takes

I pray for hands that hold you
Higher than anything else
And this heart to love You
More than life itself
This is all I've ever wanted
This is all I want to be
All I've ever wanted
Is to love You
Faithfully

Camy here: Aren't those lyrics just awesome? They're especially powerful now, years later, with my contract with Z. But before He even fulfilled these dreams for me, this song was my prayer. This was--and still is--where I want my heart to always be.

TMI:

Writing: Today, I got my Marketing Information Form from Zondervan. It asks all kinds of questions about the story for the Z Marketing and Art departments to start work on my book. How cool is that? It’s due June 1st.
Labels:

Comments

Ruth said…
I didn't know if you're aware -- Margaret Becker's just written a book entitled Coming Up for Air which was just released by NavPress.
That is so cool to read about how God used MB and her music to impact your life!!
Congrats on getting the marketing "ball" rolling on your book -- how exciting!! :)
Fri May 19, 05:03:00 AM 2006
Sheryl said…
Camy,
I love MaggieB too! The song you listed is one of my favorites as well. I also love "Who Am I" & "Come Quickly Lord" from The Reckoning.

Isn't it truly amazing the power of words and music to move us and change our lives?

Sheryl
Fri May 19, 11:48:00 AM 2006
Anonymous said…
Things are moving fast for you, Camy and I'm glad. Things are always slow for me though I haven't been blogging quite as much in the last two weeks. My arms and back continue to be very sensitive to writing and overall stress. I e-mailaed someone who is in sort of remission from FMS and she wrote me what the doctor prescribed for her. I'm going to talk to my doctor about it. He seems amenable to trying something else. Unfortunately, stress is one of the biggest factors in FMS and I can see no end in sight for me on that front. Even just living behind this beauty salon gives me sensory overload in noise and odors that make me want to hide or scream. These are my best hours right now: nobody else moving, talking or whatever in the place. No music: I haven't put any on myself since the first week I moved in here. And at the moment there's not much traffic on the road either. This is the time my mind is the clearest it gets. The fridge is make a strange noise but otherwise it's bliss and almost 4:45 a.m. I guess I'd better head for bed and try to get what sleep I can before 8:30 tomorrow morning. We have Victoria Day on Monday so it's a day off but that doesn't do me a bit of good. The salon is usually closed that day anyway. It also used to be closed on Tuesday, but the new manager decided to open it on Tuesdays as well. I can really feel the extra stress level. It's hard on the teeth and all the muscles as well.

I shouldn't gripe but it's hard when you don't know where to get some peace and quiet. A lot of people don't even understand that need for total quiet. Please continue praying that some avenue might open up to relieve this stress.

Yes music can be so soothing and meaningful. I've never heard of this singer. At first I thought she was just a poet. This song is very striking. I wish I could hear it.

I see the next blog is 'Gladiolas' one of my favorite flowers with carnations, snowdrops and crocuses. They don't remind me of an exactly stellar time but of a nice relative. I'd broken my arm in 1962 in Berlin and my great-uncle, a very good painter, often came to the hospital I was in and brought me Gladioli to cheer me up. They certainly did that.

ghpltw - Go help people; light the way.
Sat May 20, 01:54:00 AM 2006
Heather Diane Tipton said…
I love Maggie B! One of her albums kept me sane a few years ago. it was the "Falling Forward" CD. Specifically the song "Clay and Water"

So cool on the marketing form!! I'm so excited for you, Camy!!!
Sat May 20, 12:28:00 PM 2006
Anonymous said…
You selected my favorite Margaret Becker song for this blog. I listen to it every day. She's coming to Tulsa, Oklahoma in October -- we are excited!!
Tue May 23, 07:43:00 PM 2006
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...
18 comments
Read more

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...
10 comments
Read more

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...
2 comments
Read more

A Wallflower’s Slip of the Tongue – Free Regency eBook

If you enjoy Regency romance with wit, awkward ballroom encounters, and a heroine who can’t quite keep her thoughts to herself, you’ll love Lissa and the Spy . This free Christian Regency romantic suspense novella is the perfect entry point into my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series. Get it free when you join my newsletter (details below). Miss Lissa Gardinier survived her last London Season by pretending to be as inoffensive as possible. But at this ball, she lets her true thoughts slip yet again . And this time, they involve an unfortunately named spaniel. Excerpt Last year during that first dance with Mr. Collingworth, upon seeing him excitedly discuss his dog breeding, she had been encouraged to also speak without restraint. So she had voiced her exact thoughts rather than hiding behind a vapid facade. “Why in the world would you name a dog Lickspittle Furrybottom?” At Mr. Collingworth’s startled look, Lissa realized that she’d said that out loud now , in this dance with him. “… Not...
Post a Comment
Read more

Free Christian Romantic Suspense Novels by Camy Tang / Camille Elliot

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...
Post a Comment
Read more