I enjoy watching birds and have written a number of songs for which they have supplied the inspiration. I have several birdfeeders around my house and studio that keep a steady flow of visitors nearby. I typically introduce the song, Outside the Window, as the story of my life. Actually, it's the story of us all. Our misconceptions of God make us flee His presence when, in actuality, He is what we most want in life. That we might understand Him adequately, God became one of us in the person of Christ. He became a bird, so to speak, to be able to communicate with birds. And the role of Christ's followers, those fallen, fearful, foolish ones who've ceased to flee from Providence, is to go to others and make known, by word and deed, the goodness of Him Who sought us out to bring us in. We're all in this song somewhere.

"Outside the Window"

Just outside my window are songbirds I know by name,
sunflower seed keeps them close to my windowpane,
I treat them like children and feed them on every day,
but when I try to get near them, they always fly away,

They wrongfully fear that I might do them harm,
and I understand their sense of alarm,
cause I've been on that side of the window myself before.

They fly from my shadow, they seem not to understand,
I've nothing to hurt them, it's food that I hold in my hand,
the gifts that I give them should make it so plain and clear,
that I care about them and really do want them here,

They don't my language, not one single thing at all,
it must sound like thunder whenever hey hear me call,
if I learn their music, I'll sing to them words of peace,
and open my window to welcome the very least.

They wrongfully fear that I might do them harm,
and I understand their sense of alarm,
cause I've been on that side of the window myself before.

Be still, songbird, turn and see,
you fear the Hand that sets you free.

Love comes a calling, Jesus says "follow Me,"
but we're fearful and foolish we gather our hearts to flee,
we're frightened by shadows, we don't recognize this friend,
who welcomes the weakest and tells us to enter in.

Cause we wrongfully fear that He might do us harm,
and I understand their sense of alarm,
cause I've been on that side of the window myself before.

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