My Louisiana

Background

The spirit of Louisiana shines as we continue to rebuild in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our great state has dealt with great tragedy and this CD speaks of hope for the future. The song, My Louisiana, was brought to life in order to help share with the world that we are “rebuilders” in Louisiana, but we need the help of friends to move forward into our future.

Your purchase of this CD directly supports the rebuilding efforts as 100% of the proceeds will be received by the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana (UMF #111).

To learn more about how you can become involved in the rebuilding efforts within the Louisiana Annual Conference go to www.laumcstormrelief.com or connect with the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana at www.umf.org. The rebuilding process in Louisiana has only just begun and it will take our brothers and sisters in Christ, around the world, to help us rebuild as a stronger family.

If you would like to purchase a My Louisiana CD, go to www.cokesbury.com. For more information about this project, you can request further information at mylouisiana@stacyhood.com.

Lyrics

1 - My Community
Verse 1:
We Rise in worship, we take our place,
To lift the yoke of the oppressed
From every tribe and race.
You offer shelter, from the storm
Of poverty, injustice—
Wars that leave us torn.
Lord, we cry to you
What would you have us do?

Chorus 1:
“Rebuild with purpose and unity
The house of love
That hold us close as family.
Raise the Foundations, across generations
To tell of restoration for all humanity.
Restore, Renew, and Revive - My Community.”

Verse 2:
We Rise in Worship, to Shine your Light
That pierces darkness giving us new sight
To see a future that springs forth hope.
That grace and peace might shape and mold
As the life of Christ unfolds.
Lord, we cry to you
What would you have us do?

Repeat Chorus 1

Verse 3:
Go Forth in Joy, go forth in Faith
That God’s protection
Guard us, guide us, and keep us safe.
We’ll serve the helpless, the hopeless, hungry,
Everyone one in need—
To the least of these we serve,
We know we’re serving thee.

Chorus 2:
We'll build with purpose and unity
The house of love
That hold us close as family.
Raise the Foundations, across generations
Let us tell of restoration for all humanity.
Oh, Lord, Restore, Renew, and Revive—
Our Community.

2 – Take This Moment
Standing on the edge of possibility
Held back by my doubts and insecurities.
Can I reach beyond myself
And take the hand of One
Who offers hope beyond what I can see?
I must stand on faith and trust in grace.

Can I leave these chains behind,
Can I take this moment, take this moment
To live the rest of my life?
Let it not be said of me
That I missed this moment,
Can’t miss the chance to live, to laugh, to love
For the rest of my life.

We’re standing on the edge of possibility
Held back by our doubts and insecurity.
Can we reach beyond ourselves
To take the hand of One
Who offers hope beyond what we can see.
We must stand on faith and trust in Grace.

Will we leave the chains behind,
Will we take this moment, take this moment
To live the rest of our lives?
Let it not be said of us
That we missed this moment,
Can’t miss the chance to live, to laugh, to love
For the rest of our lives.

We will leave these chains behind,
We will take this moment, take this moment
To live the rest of our lives.
Let it not be said of us that we missed this moment,
We won’t miss the chance to live, to laugh, to love
For the rest of our lives.

3 - My Louisiana
From the cotton fields, to the sugar mills;
Lighted shores of refineries.
Creole food, a little jazz and blues;
Our diversity shapes history.
But the levee failed and the storms derailed
Any sense of normality.
Shock set in, where do we begin
With our new reality?
We begin with hope
Of the dream we’ve yet to see.

Chorus 1:
My Louisiana;
I’m falling on my knees.
My Louisiana;
Lord, send your mercy please.
My Louisiana;
You’re always home to me.
Oh, you’ll see,
We’ll rebuild as a stronger family.

Trees are twisted, people torn.
Houses marked with spray art,
How many dead must we mourn?
Water marks break people’s hearts
Chlorine’s washing the old away.
It may take a little time,
But the spirit of Louisiana shines!

Repeat Chorus 1

Our nation grieves, our nation mourns.
From terror strikes and internal strife;
To sounds of war beyond our shores.
But if our nation sees—possibility
And takes a chance to stop the pain
Our unity in diversity
Will start to fall like healing rain.
It may take one state at a time,
But the spirit of America will shine!

Chorus 2:
Our Louisiana;
We’re falling on our knees
Our Louisiana;
Lord, send your mercy please.
Our Louisiana;
Let’s join in harmony.
Oh, you’ll see,
We’ll rebuild as a stronger family.

Words by Stacy Hood and Rob Weber
Music by Stacy Hood
©2006

4 - Different Roads
I saw a man today; he was homeless and alone.
I saw a mom today; she was making it on her own.
The world has turned,
Different faces, different races—people change.

Chorus 1:
We may travel different roads.
We may carry different loads.
I may live here, you may live there,
We may have families that we share.
Our lives won’t unfold as images of old; times have changed.
I saw a boy today with his step dad Mr. Ray.
I saw a girl today makin’ two cards for Mother’s Day.
The world has turned; different voices, different choices—people change.

Chorus 2:
We may travel different roads.
We may carry different loads.
I may live here, you may live there,
We may have families that we share.
Our lives won’t unfold as images of old, but the common bond remains,
God loves us all the same.

5 - Hear Our Prayer, O Lord
Gracious God, we thank you for your constant love and faithfulness to all generations. We thank you for the many ways you have provided for us and have led us throughout this journey of faith. We are especially thankful for those you have called out and set apart to be leaders.

When the dream of your people was yet a distant promise, you called forth Abram. When the children of that promise found themselves in captivity, you heard their prayer and called forth Moses to deliver them.

In a time of transition and change, You called forth Joshua asking him to trust in you even if it meant doing things differently than they had been done before. And through his faithfulness, when the trumpets sounded, the walls of the enemy came crashing down.

In a time of crisis, you brought forth Deborah, and, through her courage and strength, gave victory. From a foreign land and a different culture you raised up Ruth, who through commitment and faith, became part of the line through which your son was born.

When your people were unfaithful, you sent the prophets to challenge them. And when they waited in silence lifting up the hope that your promise would be fulfilled, you sent Jesus.

Across the ages, Oh God, You have brought forth leaders to teach and challenge, to comfort and correct, to direct and protect. When the people have cried out, you have always been faithful.

Today, God, we cry out to you. For we believe you have a plan to profit and not harm your people—to give us hope and a future.

Call a new generation of leaders for your people. Raise up leaders who will be filled with faith and vision. Fill their hearts and ours with a courageous fire that does not shrink at the task of being faithful in the whirlwind of change.

At this turning point in history, we again cry out to you and ask: Guide us. Lead us. Fill us. Help us to be faithful.

6 - A Seed is a Promise (Included on the Special Edition reproduced for the 2006 UMW Assembly in Anaheim, California)

A seed is a promise taking root in our hearts.
In our work together new life soon will start
When we nurture the promise
That’s waiting to be;
A promise of faith—faith, hope, and unity.

The fruits of our labor growing out of our past;
Our branches connecting our call to our task.
To shade and to shelter with justice and peace
Those crying out, out for relief.

Chorus:
If your heart is as my heart
Then give me your hand.
The least, the lost the lonely;
Together we will stand.
Our roots deeply planted
In what has been and what will be;
God’s future alive; the future alive in you and me.

Giving, and living, and caring, and sharing
The message of Christ for the world to know . . . God’s love.

Our hope for tomorrow
Is nurtured today
Our mission determined by our leap of faith
Into God’s story, that’s yet to unfold,
A message of love that waits to be told.

Repeat Chorus

Contributors

Digital Mix and Mastering...................Sam Denton
Photography...........................................Rob Weber
Graphic Design.....................................John Martin
CD Duplication and Tech Support.....Drew Sutton

My Community: Stacy Hood, Craig Madole, Rob Weber, and George Hancock
Take This Moment: Stacy Hood, Rob Weber, Anita Weber, and Sam Denton
My Louisiana: Stacy Hood and Craig Madole
Different Roads: Stacy Hood, Rob Weber, Anita Weber, and Sam Denton
Hear Our Prayer, O Lord: Howard Hanger and Earl Hefley with a combined choir of clergy and lay delegates from across the Louisiana Annual Conference
A Seed is a Promise: Stacy Hood, Rob Weber, Anita Weber, Jonathan Weber, Mallory Montgomery, Sam Denton, George Hancock, Pete Bollinger, and Steve Hill

2006-07, Stacy Hood
Site design by Kelsey Johnson