1. Hold On to Hope – (C) In the nearly thirty years I’ve spent as a counselor, I’ve sat on the front lines of pain. Day after day, year after year, I quietly listen to people’s sorrows, griefs, depressions, anxieties, heartbreaks, conflicts, and struggles. And I have borne a few of my own along the way. But I also sit on the front lines of hope. Time and again I have witnessed the miracle of hope and joyous transformation, even in the darkest of times. The songs on this CD are born out of the real struggles of real people. It is my hope that for you, they will be not just songs, but strengthening armor, to help you face your own challenges: a way to help you “hold on to hope.”

2. Butterfly – (G) Almost all of us struggle at times with feelings of inadequacy. But like the beautiful butterfly, we can be reshaped and strengthened by the experiences we pass through, emerging better and stronger than ever .

3. Lit Up From the Inside – (C) I’ll never forget her – the sad little lady whose depression seemed endlessly deep and impenetrable. When she lost her son to suicide, I thought it would utterly destroy her. But it didn’t. Instead, in this most unlikely way, it transformed her. She remains my inspiration, my living witness that even great pain can bring about great good.

4. For Right Now – (G) When a dear friend lost her last child to stillbirth, I wrote this song to support and comfort her. A few years later, this song was there to shore me up when I faced a similar challenge. For anyone facing the pain of grief: “Maybe this vision will be enough, To get me through when times are tough, And when these feelings get so raw and rough, Here and now.”

5. Tender Mercies – (C) In one way or another, sooner or later we are all tested to the limit – stretched in ways that seem beyond our capacity to endure. In those times, we can learn to rely on One who knows us personally, and who lovingly sustains and strengthens us, with His “daily tender mercies.” .

6. Heal Me, Lord – (C) I have watched her struggle over years, this dear one who has pled time after time for divine healing, but who still struggles with the endless pains of her mystery illness. Her ongoing faith and good cheer, through this continuing challenge, is a daily, regenerative miracle – though the illness itself remains with her. Sometimes, the miracle we get isn’t the one we asked for. But it is a miracle nonetheless. “Your love has healed me, Lord – even if nothing changes here.”

7. I Have Not Forgotten – (G) So often, I’ve witnessed the pain of loving parents who watch their cherished children make destructive choices. They hold the memory of the innocent child that was, in the midst of the sad reality that is. This is for all bearing the daily grief of a child who strays.

8. Daily Battle – (C) This song is an anthem of strength for all of us facing the daily challenges of life – and finding the power to withstand and conquer those challenges, as we look to Heaven for strength. Written originally for the inmates of the local prison, for whom life is literally “a daily battle.”

9. Behold, I Am With You – (C) Written for a friend enduring a difficult divorce after a long and difficult marriage, this song assures that whatever our trial, we do not walk alone. We will be sustained, in whatever challenge we face.

10. He’s Been Here Before – (C) As we pass through experiences in this world, it is comforting to remember that He whom we call upon for support is no stranger to our pains. He bore them before we did, and can help us through.

11. Eventually – (G) All of us have loved ones who at times make poor choices, and break our hearts. But we “never stop loving them,” and hold on to hope “that they will finally find their way back home – Eventually.”

12. Zion Means – (C) As predicted, we live in ever-more perilous times. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Matthew 24) But the confusions and contentions of this ever-darkening world are not our only option. We can choose to live in a way that brings peace and safety – even in these perilous times. .

13. I’ve Not Forsaken You – (C) The most natural thing in the world, when we experience pain or sorrow, is to cry to God, “Where are you? Do you even know I’m here?” It can be tempting to abandon our faith, when things go wrong. Yet we are not forgotten, or forsaken. “The tears you cry today will be tears of joy someday… I’m here to comfort you – I’ve not forsaken you.”

14. He Knows Me – (C) None of us get through this world without sometimes making mistakes, or losing our way for a time. But the better we get to know God, the more we realize – His love and mercy are there for us, no matter how far we may have fallen. He is the ultimate Hope to whom we can always look, no matter what. He is the Light that shines in darkness. Always, always, no matter what – “Hold on to Hope.”

— Carrie Maxwell Wrigley, August 2, 2016

NOTE: The songs here are all available as downloadable MP3 files. If you would like to purchase a physical CD of this collection, order it here.

Format: MP3
Duration: 50:00
Audiences: Christian, LDS, General
Style: Inspirational pop ballad
Written and recorded by: Carrie Maxwell Wrigley