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Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs) - a song puzzle

21 Nov 14 - 04:26 PM (#3679053)
Subject: ADD: Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs)
From: Joe Offer

So, now I'm helping edit the "Faith" Chapter of the upcoming Rise Again Songbook, and I came across a song titled "Sanctuary." All of the recordings I found on Spotify have just the chorus, either in black gospel or country-western gospel style.

I found it in Celebration Hymnal, African American Heritage Hymnal, and Zion Still Sings. Hymnary.org says the song is also in Baptist Hymnal (2008) and several others. If somebody has that Baptist hymnal and can look it up for me, that would be very helpful.

So, here are the lyrics I find in the three hymnals I have:

SANCTUARY
(John Thompson & Randy Scruggs)

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
Sanctuary for you

© 1982, Full Armor Music and Whole Armor Music



Now, here are the lyrics that were proposed for the Rise Again Songbook. I have no idea where the verses came from, and they don't seem to me to be the kind of thing Randy Scruggs would write. Can anybody identify the source of these lyrics?

SANCTUARY
(John Thompson & Randy Scruggs)

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure & simple, tried & true
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
Sanctuary for you
C - G -   / F - C G /   1st / F G CF C

Tho' the road's been long & lonely
You've always been there by my side
Thru the troubles & difficulties
Bad times I've been victimized.

You've kept me humble, kept me simple
Tho' the world's full of turmoil
Held me close to your center
As the anger began to boil

Now I'm ready for my mission
Now I have you in my heart
I'm just waiting for my leading
So I'll know what is my part

For in spirit there is nothing
That together we can't do
Just as long as I am always
A sanctuary for You

John Thompson & Randy Scruggs

21 Nov 14 - 05:05 PM (#3679063)
Subject: RE: Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs) - a song puzzle
From: Joe Offer

OK, and then I found this very churchy-sounding arrangement at http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/sanctuary-sheet-music/19970444

You can listen to a recording on that page, and it has one verse:
    I am a temple, God's holy temple, for his Spirit lives in me;
    Created as a sacred dwelling of the most High God!


The sheet music says (additional text by Lloyd Larson), so I'm supposing that Larsong wrote the one verse and did the churchy arrangement.

21 Nov 14 - 05:06 PM (#3679064)
Subject: RE: Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs) - a song puzzle
From: Joe Offer

Here's the version from the Philmont Scout Ranch Protestant worship book - http://www.scouting.org/filestore/philmont/pdf/ProtWorshipBook.pdf

SANCTUARY

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true;
With thanksgiving I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You.

It is you, Lord, who came to save
The heart and soul of every man.
It is you Lord who knows my weakness,
Who gives me strength with thine own hand.

Lord, teach your children
To stop the fighting
And start uniting all as one
Let's get together, loving forever
A sanctuary for You


So, where did those verses come from?

22 Nov 14 - 10:25 AM (#3679191)
Subject: RE: Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs) - a song puzzle
From: GUEST,leeneia

Is this, perhaps, the kind of gospel song where everybody knows the chorus and a leader improvises the verses?

01 Sep 15 - 06:41 AM (#3734596)
Subject: RE: Sanctuary (Thompson/Scruggs) - a song puzzle
From: GUEST,Sandra

Trying to find the"rest" of the song too!
Found the version with
"I am a temple, God's holy temple, for his Spirit lives in me;
Created as a sacred dwelling of the most High God!"

Works best for me, but puzzled like you as to what the original song writers actually wrote.