Your Voice of Hope
I come from a long line of worriers. It’s not only in my DNA, but my parents had advanced degrees in worry. If there was an Olympic event for worry, my parents would have gone gold-gold every four years.
To really begin to move towards hope, you’re going to have to train your brain to think differently. To think hopefully. And the easiest, most powerful way to do that is through your voice, through music.
Now I don’t give a rip whether or not you have any musical talent or ability. It doesn't have to follow any particular musical style. If it reminds you of hope, go for it. You can do this.
Find hopeful songs and play them, hum them, sing them. In the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the shower, in the car.
Here are a few of my favorite hopeful songs.
Keep Hope Alive – Mandisa and Jon Reddick(1)
Hope In Front of Me – Danny Gokey(2)
Lean On Me – Bill Withers(3)
Great is They Faithfulness – congregational singing(4)
If you send me your favorite hopeful songs, I’ll share them within our hopeful community.
And if you’re a little bit crazy, you might write your own hope song.
Hopen’ Safari
With apologies to Surfin’ Safari, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, The Beach Boys, Capital Records(1)
[Chorus 1]
Let's go Hopen’ now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)
[Verse 1]
Early in the morning we'll be starting out
Everybody will be coming along
We're loading up our courage
With our hope inside
And heading out singing our song
[Chorus 2]
Come on (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (surfing safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
Come along (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (hopen’ safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
[Chorus 1]
Let's go hopen’ now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)
[Verse 2]
At Huntington and Malibu
They're shooting the blues
At Rincon they're walking the walk
We're going on safari to the world this year
So if you're coming get ready to go
[Chorus 2]
Come on (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (surfing safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
Come along (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (hopen’ safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
[Chorus 1]
Let's go hopn’ now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)
[Verse 3]
They're hopen’ in Laguna in Cerro Azul
They're kicking out in Doheny too
I tell you hopin’s mighty wild
It's getting bigger every day
From Hawaii to the shores of Peru
[Chorus 2]
Come on (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (surfing safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
Come along (hopen’) hopeful wait and see (hopen’ safari)
Yes, I'm going to (hopen’) take you hopen’ (hopen’ safari) with me
[Chorus 1]
Let's go hopen’ now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)
Be creative, be spontaneous, be authentic.
Find your voice of hope today.
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Second in a series:
Hope: From Head to Heart
Practical steps for living with hope in a hope deprived world
(1) https://youtu.be/Xv1NJzpjT4Q?t=15
(2) https://youtu.be/RPEErtCjtg0?t=19