Sunday morning, 6:30am

I usually don't stay up all Saturday night and go to the early service at church, but today I'm giving it a shot.

With the sun rise noticeable before 5am, you might as well stay up, at least for the sunrise and throw on some good music.

Rich Mullins' "The Color Green" is one of my favorites for this time in the morning:

"Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise."

For a slightly more avant-garde feel, Godspeed You! Black Emperor (pronunciation is correct, and yes, it's art-rock) has a nice long piece that sounds like an early morning storm called "Storm." The first part of the 20-minute instrumental piece, called "Life Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven" (again, art-rock) can be downloaded here. It's perfect for a sunrise, regardless of the weather.

The other song this morning is from Fernando Ortega, and his song "The Breaking of the Dawn." Traveling through the night (or some mornings where the sunrise is hours away), I think of this song often.

The hawk wheels away as we pass here
The clouds billow up and fly on
Down the road some hard turns
Are going to shake us
Ride with us
Through the breaking of the dawn

As I'm cleaning, reading, and finding other ways of staying awake for just a little longer, this is one of the easiest ways to keep from dozing off.