My Father’s Sword: the prelude (From here to You)  (Close to the Heart Songs, 2016, Kerry Belcher, all rights reserved)
(For Elihu and Anne Anderson, Clynard and Anita Belcher, Pastor Joe and Becky Morecraft, Pastor Wayne and Judy Rogers, Pastor Richard and Janice Hicks, Pastor David and Anita Cummings and Elder John and Ellen Thompson)

This Anthem, dedicated to those who carried me along on my Spiritual journey, through the taught, prayed, sung and ministered Word of God is for introspection for all of us “covenant children”. The meditative prelude was a gift from the Lord to me as I sat at my piano and asked God to give me a new song for that very purpose.

There’s a call that rung out through history that many a good man heard The source was a Bible, a preacher or friend-the spoken and ministered Word
And it forged righteous men from the foulest of wretches-it gave us a brand new start
Built an army in the Savior’s charge to fight for and wins souls and hearts

I heard the call as a wee little lad-some call it a covenant child
Some are deaf ‘til they are a grown man and it tames what was otherwise wild
Or a few like a dying thief on a cross look around and they’re suddenly near
To the Lord who had sacrificed all for their soul and everything’s perfectly clear

Chorus
I take up my Father’s Sword and though it is rusty it’ll swing once more
Ready to live-ready to die the heart of a warrior looks up to the sky and since I must die I would die with the brave and proclaim the gospel this side of the grave oh I will fight til I can’t fight no more, Oh I take up my Father’s Sword
V2 On that cold lonesome night when He gave up His life He told Peter, “take along a sword” “There’s only a few, there’s just one or two”, “That’s enough” were the words of the Lord and with one single swipe of the death-causing type, his blow took off Malchus’s ear And to the surprise of all who despised Him, Jesus showed him real love when He healed him When you strap on the uniform of this war you stand as a soldier at ease-the yoke of our General is a light, loving one in the battle that offer’s sweet peace Well there’s no backplate to protect us from hate, so a soldier cannot safely flee As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord, will you take up your sword with me? Chorus