I have no greater joy
Than to see
All my children
Gathered round me there’s 
No greater peace
Than to know
They walk in the truth 
That secures their tomorrow 
No greater joy
No greater joy

So hold them in the palm of your hand
Never let them stray
Far beyond what You’ve planned
And keep them
In your glorious courts 
Sent help when they fall
Always give them support
In other words
Love them Lord


No Greater Joy

Gather round
Children of the earth
Ascending to this holy mountain (whoa oh oh)
Your pursuit
Of the sacred covenant
Fixing all that has been broken

Here within my house and behind this wall
Is a monument to the sacred hall
Where the prayers will rise for a million years
And I’ll wipe away your tears
Where the name of God will be on your tongue
And the everlasting song is sung
The outcast finally finds a place 
And the runner ends their race 
On my holy mountain
On my holy mountain

My salvation
It will not delay
Even now there’s preparation (whoa oh oh)
Holding fast 
To what little strength you have
As you join with the congregation 

Come let us rise (rise)
And go up 
To the mountain of the Lord 
(To the mountain of the Lord)
Come let us rise (rise)
And go up 
To the mountain of the Lord 
(To the mountain of the Lord)

Here within my house and behind this wall
Is a monument to the sacred hall
Where the prayers will rise for a million years
And I’ll wipe away your tears
Where the name of God will be on your tongue
And the everlasting song is sung
The outcast finally finds a place 
And the runner ends their race 
On my holy mountain (whoa oh oh)
On my holy mountain (whoa oh oh)
 

Come, Let Us Rise

 I’m a gate keeper in the house of the Lord
And I stand guard where his treasures are stored
Neither silver nor gold in this fortress are found
Rather doctrines, traditions and knowledge that’s been handed down
And the weapons I use are not fire and lead
That my enemies dread
 
No weapon formed against me is able to stand
No steel of mortal man
Nor arrows of the damned 
No fiery storm of affliction will cause me distress
I need only confess
That I’m ruined unless
This foundation is sure
And the message stays pure 

Though the mountains depart and the hills flee away
Yet I stand firm in this ancient door way
For he’s given me charge to remain til the end
So I watch and I wait praying that reinforcements he’ll send
And the sun’s going down as the darkness invades
And as righteousness fades  

No weapon formed against me is able to stand
No steel of mortal man
Nor arrows of the damned 
No fiery storm of affliction will cause me distress
I need only confess
That I’m ruined unless
This foundation is sure
And the message stays pure 


Gatekeeper

 He won’t let your foot be moved
And he who keeps you will not slumber 
For He knows when the sparrow falls
And every hair of yours is numbered 
Now rest assured

From this time forth and forevermore
I will lift my eyes, I will lift them to the hills
Oh, where does my help come from
From the sculptor of the moon
And the painter of daffodils 
My help 
Comes from
It comes from the Lord

He is the shade on your right hand
And he will keep your life secure
He watches over night and day
And gives you courage to endure 
Now rest assured

From this time forth and forevermore
I will lift my eyes, I will lift them to the hills
Oh, where does my help come from
From the sculptor of the moon
And the painter of daffodils 
My help 
Comes from
It comes from the Lord

Rest assured
It comes from the Lord
Rest assured 
Your help is from the Lord


From This Time Forth

 They say you’re in a better place
I’m sure that’s prob’ly true
But now there’s an empty space
Left here without you
How is it that the galaxy 
Just keeps on spinnin’ unaware 
And how can the better part of me
Feel like there’s nothing left but air
 
If heaven needed you today
I guess all that I can say 
 
They better be thankful
Cause the best part of life is not gone
You took my song
Ya must be thankful 
When you looked around and saw a new face
Now heaven is a much better place  

People say that life goes on
They’re assuming I want it to 
For I know I can’t replace
That time up ahead that is missing you
How can this whole relationship 
Just vanish into thin air
And how can I just keep movin’ on 
When there’s no more time left to spare
 
 
 


A Better Place

 Have you tasted the goodness of the Lord
Have you had a drink from the fountain
Where the joy of broken men can be restored
Have you tasted and seen that he is good
And the trial that you are facin’ 
Confirms that he has marked you for sainthood 
 
Taste and see 
All you were meant to be
For the table of his everlasting mercy is set for you and me
Come and dine
Upon this bread and wine
For the body and the blood are here 
So kneel down at this altar so divine
 
Have you fallen
So far away from grace
Have ya finally come to your senses
But you’re not sure if he wants to see your face
Have you wandered so far away from home
Well the journey back to the table
Is shorter than you may have ever known
 
Taste and see 
All you were meant to be
For the table of his everlasting mercy is set for you and me
Come and dine
Upon this bread and wine
For the body and the blood are here 
So kneel down at this altar so divine

Taste and see
Oh, taste and see
 


Taste and See

 Devoted to destruction
The slain shall be cast out
With the stench of corpses rising
As the demons thrash about
The wicked host shall fall away
As leaves drop from the vine
And the sky will disappear 
While birds of prey descend to dine
 
Arise enraged (HUH) 
Oh ancient of days
Let your sword of vengeance drink its fill
Arise sons and daughters (HUH)
To take part in this slaughter
Make a final stand upon this hill 
Let blood be spilled 
As his justice rolls on like thunder
 
The soil has turned to sulfur
And the city is bathed in fire
Ash and smoke are rising
And the earth is about to expire
With a line of confusion stretching
Over noble and prince alike 
And emptiness is ruling them
Final judgement is about to strike 

[Final Chorus: men’s chorus]
[Energy: High]
(same hook; biggest version)
Arise enraged (HUH) 
Oh ancient of days
Let your sword of vengeance drink its fill
Arise sons and daughters (HUH)
To take part in this slaughter
Make a final stand upon this hill 
Let blood be spilled 
As his justice rolls on like thunder

Like thunder 
Whoa oh oh oh
Like thunder
 


Arise Enraged

 The lines around your eyes
Grow deeper by the day
And the hair upon my face 
Is quickly turning gray
When did this happen
When did we get so old
When did the summer of our lives
Begin to grow so cold
 
The years can be unkind
To the image of our youth
And the mirror on the wall never lies
It only tells the truth
But my soul sees you differently 
And when you visit in my dreams
You’re just the way you used to be 
The way you used to be 
 
The early fire of passion
It slowly fades away
But the embers of our love
Still warm the sheets today
And when my eyes are growing dim
I pray that I can see
The beauty of your body
Lying next to me 
  
The years can be unkind
To the image of our youth
And the mirror on the wall never lies
It only tells the truth
But my soul sees you differently 
And when you visit in my dreams
You’re just the way you used to be 

Let’s grow old together
Oh oh oh oh oh oh 
Let’s grow old together 
My love
 


Let's Grow Old Together

 Only one thing I ask
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever
To see the beauty of his courts
In can’t imagine there could be any higher endeavor
 
Might I inquire 
In the temple of the Lord
In the day of my trouble 
See where my tears are stored
And could I look upon 
This face I long to know
Would you conceal me in your house
Far from the pain below
 
Only one thing I ask
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever
To see the beauty of his courts
In can’t imagine there could be any higher endeavor

Hide not your face 
In your anger oh God
And cast me not away
Guide me with your staff and rod
You said to seek your face
And so seek it I must
Hoping to discover 
The friend in whom I trust 
 


Dwell

Standing at the gate
To the evil that I hate
Knocking on the door
Invited in once more
And I’m running headlong down the hall
But my feet are tangled, I begin to fall
Then I recognize a familiar door
To a room I visited before
And the doorman bids me come inside
This place where a thousand times I’ve cried
I should flee but it feels to late
Is there someone to divert this fate
 
To change this fate
Mmmmm mmmmmm 

So I end up doing what I don’t want to do
For the sin I hate has stained me like a tattoo
What can save me from the wretched man I’ve become 
So battered and numb 
Rinse and repeat ad nauseum 
Ad nauseum

Time and time again
Giving in to this sin 
 
I delight in your commands
But something else is at hand
It takes me captive again
To the transgressions of men
And I’m hoping that someone will come 
To rescue me from the things I’ve done
But I might just be beyond repair
For I look inside and there’s nothing there 
I’m just a shell of the man I was
Which is prob’ly for the best because 
This shell is something to be filled 
Overwhelmed by the precious blood he spilled 
 
The blood he spilled  

So I end up doing what I don’t want to do
For the sin I hate has stained me like a tattoo
What can save me from the wretched man I’ve become 
So battered and numb 
Rinse and repeat ad nauseum 
Ad nauseum
Time and time again
Giving in to this sin 


Time and Again

Hi! I'm Scott Stroud. I have loved music since I can remember. As a pastor, I do a lot of writing. However, my favorite thing to do is write music. Until the AI production revolution, I was restricted to putzing around with GarageBand and trying to lure friends to record with me. Now, I have had the opportunity to create music with nearly the same level of production as the big-name studios. I hope you enjoy what you hear and that it draws you closer in your walk with God. Blessings!!

Dwell

Stroud Records

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