I confess that I have neglected this blog and its small audience. Mainly, it’s just annoying to me personally that I don’t find time to update this as I would like to. I have so many things on my mind that I’d like to share - tech things, personal things, lifeguarding things, and even some news things. But alas, they remain thoughts trapped in my mind as I find myself with little time designated for my blogging.
I wish I had the energy to write here for hours and that I could do so guilt-free, but neither are true. Instead, I’m updating my blog while taking a personal pause to praise my God and enjoy the truthyness of some my favorite songs. In this latest go-around of my blog, I’ve held off on publishing these sorts of entries, but I suppose this entry will be marginally more enjoyable to see at the top of my blog than the “Don’t use Enom for hosting” entry beneath it. (PS. I still don’t recommend Enom. I’m now using Godaddy and so far I’m satisfied. Powweb comes in a strong 2nd place for hosting providers that I, personally, have tried.)
As for the guilt-free - I certainly do have a lot of work to do, but I can’t work every single hour of the day. I have to take some personal time to reflect on these truths, and blogging about it is only helping me to reflect. So here’s the plan for this post: a friend of mine just got back from leading worship at a camp, but we come from different denominational backgrounds and he hasn’t heard _some_ of the songs that lyrically are pillars of the doctrine I believe to be true. I’m burning him a CD (if this gets me sued by the RIAA, so be it - they’re out of control, I respect the artists and this is free marketing for them, not stealing - besides its on one of those “Music” CD-Rs, you know, the ones where the price is higher because they pay the RIAA a royalty for calling them a “Music” CD… which in Canada the courts have ruled, makes mix CDs completely legal) and I think I’d like to comment on some of the songs on the playlist, here, as I decide what order to put them in.
1) “Lead of Love” by Caedmon’s Call. My life’s song; the song my friends know is a must for my funeral one day. I could expound upon every line (but I’ll just choose a few here). “Looking back at the road so far, it sure has left its share of scars, mostly from leaving the narrow and strait.” Oh how true. I’ve messed up more than I care to think. But “Looking back it is clear to me, a man is more than the sum of his deeds, and how you’ve made good of this mess I’ve made is a profound mystery.” “Looking back I can finally see, failures bring humilty… helps me see my need for thee.” “Looking back I see the lead of Love.”
2) “To Ever Live Without You” by Jody McBrayer. Not incredibly strong lyrically, but a song that means a lot to me as we performed it as a traveling ministry group. One piece from the song, however, is strong enough both in music and lyrics that it was my ring tone for years. “No greater love has no one than this, that he would lay his life down for his friends! It was all about a man - it was all about a cross - it was all about the blood that was shed so I would NOT be lost - it was all about the love that was bigger than a life - it was all about the freedom that was given through your sacrifice.”
3) “Come Thou Fount.” A lyrical hymn that sings some amazing truth, even if it’s not the easiest to understand. “Jesus sought me when [I was] a stranger wondering from the fold of God. He, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.” “[I am] prone to wonder, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.” ”
4) “It is well with my soul.” I’m not really a fan of the tune of this song, and frankly, the chorus becomes too repetitive for me. But I can relate to the author as he’s singing literally to his soul, as if to say “Soul, listen up, you will be OK, so let’s praise!” (It is tempting here to insert some commentary on Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” and the daemons there, as it relates really well, but I shall not.) And of course, I rejoice with the truths this song presents as is builds up to the moment we Christians look forward to: “and Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight - the clouds be rolled back like a scroll - the trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descent praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O, my soul.”
5) “All Because of This” by Mercy Me. A quick song answering the questions of “Why do we do the things we do? How can we sing when there seems no reason to? How can we smile when there’s not much to smile about?” and answers it so simply: “It’s all because of this - we’ve tasted love, we’ve tasted hope, and tasted holiness.”
6) “Tears of the Saints” by Leeland. I wrote a human video to this song. I see it in my head when I listen. I wrote it because Leeland’s lyrics here quickly paint small snapshops of some of the situations that I envision Christ caring so deeply about, but that I feel the Church has left largely unhelped and ignored. I pray I’ll have the strength to do what Christ would do, especially when it’s inconvenient and unpopular. “There are many prodigal sons, on our city streets they run, searching for shelter” (Please note here: prodigal sons = Christians, thus he’s pointing out something that is sadly too true - when someone messes up, often the church fails to help them back into the fold of God’s love and instead they gossip about what it is that makes them “prodigal”) “And there are homes broken down - people’s hopes have fallen to the ground from failures.” (I picture financial burdens here. Family’s honestly trying, but their debt and mistakes have added up so greatly they’re not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - and it emotionally devastates them.) “This is an emergency.” And this beautiful scene here as it gets painted by Leeland - “Sinner, reach out your hands - Children in Christ you stand — and sinner, reach out your hands [God will pick you up, and as] Children in Christ you stand.”
7) “Run” by indie band After the Chase. A simply song I wanted to include mainly for its standout-ness as indie, but it also alludes back to a verse from Isaiah that was the “life verse” of my first youth minister, who taught me so much. “I want to soar on wings like eagles - You will renew my strength” “I want to follow your purpose until my legs carry me no more.”
8) “Cry Out Your Name” by John Sherrill band. I know these guys, and was working the conference where they recorded this live CD. They’re genuine. This song has a brilliant chorus, beautifully defining why and how we cry out His name. “Lord I worship you. And I cry out your name, that’s why I’m created - that’s why _I’m_ created - and I cry out your name, as I sign to the ones who don’t believe - and I cry out your name, so the rock’s will be silent - the rock’s will be silent - and I cry out your name unashamed!”
9) “Holy Holy Holy” continued from the above, since it was recorded live. This song actually reminds me of the funny fact that the Bible never mentioned the word “trinity” - it’s just taught as truth. Funny how God never got around to defining the exact word we had to use to describe his unique plurality; I guess he’s not a legalist. :)
10) “Before there was time” by Caedmon’s Call. “Before there was time, there visions in your mind - there was death in the fall of mankind, but there was life in salvation’s design. Before there were days, there were nights I could not see your face, but the night couldn’t keep my grace and you came and you took my place.” … as God is apart from time, his plan for my life was true, is true, and will be true from t = negative infinity to t = positive infinity.
11) “There’s Only One (Holy One) by Cademon’s Call. Oh how I love Caedmon’s lyrics that musically pack huge punches of truth into each verse. This song certainly does, and I can’t help but quote it in bulk:
Left His seamless robe behind
Woke up in a stable and cried
Lived and died and rose again
Savior for a guilty land
It’s a story like a children’s tune
It’s grown familiar as the moon
So now I ride my camel high
I’m aiming for the needle’s eye
I chased the wind, but I chased in vain
I chased the earth, it would not sustain
…
(And here, I think it’s a very nice mixing decision to bring in the drums hard and heavy here to emphasize the “war” - as it’s a personal spiritual war we are fighting)
Lord, You are my Prince of Peace
But this war brings me to my knees
See, there’s a table You’ve prepared
And all my enemies are there
But where my Shepherd leads
Where else can I go?
Who else fills my cup ’til it overflows?
…
There’s only One who never fails
To beckon the morning light
There’s only One who sets loose the gales
And ties the trees down tight
To the Solid Rock I fly
Though He bids me come and die
There’s only One, only One Holy One
12) “Wedding Dress” by Derek Webb. Another lyrical giant of a song here, even if the lyrics got it pulled from many stores for it’s biblical use of the word “whore.” Basically, Derek paints a picture here that I know oh too well - a believer who outwardly says he will follow Christ, but for we often “cheat” on Christ for stupid, petty, worthless reasons compared to the matchless blood of Christ. “I am a whore, I do confess, I put you on just like a wedding dress, and I run down the aisle.” Then with “Cause money can not buy a husband’s jealous eye, when you have knowingly deceived his wife” he warns those who may be deceiving the church, living sinfully, with perhaps special attention to those who donate large sums of cash and feel pridefully as if they’ve done something ‘just so great’.
13) “In Christ Alone.” Very simple, but very powerful lyrical truths are what make this song stand out as such a great song to worship with. “In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fulness of God in helpless babe - this gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones he came to save. ‘Til on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, for every sin on Him was laid - here in the death of Christ I live.” But thank God the story does not end. “There in the ground, his body lay, light of the world by darkness slain, then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave he rose again! As as he stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me. For I am his, and he is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.” (I love this musical break they take, as if giving time to reflect on the amazing truth of the last lyrics). And then to reassure the believer that salvation does not come from ourself but it come from God, and God’s promised he won’t allow anything or anyone to take it away, because to deny a believer salvation would be to deny himself, as he lives within us. “No guilt in life, nor fear in death - this is the power of Christ in me - from life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus command’s my destiny - No power of hell, nor scheme of man, can ever pluck me from his hand - ‘Til he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.” … Ps. Mysteriously, and without any explanation anywhere that I’m able to find, there is a dog bark very faintly heard at 0:36.
14) “Be Thou My Vision” - a hymn to God that asks God to be God of our lives - go figure. “Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word - I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord. … thou in me dwelling, and I with thee - one.”
15) “My Jesus” by Todd Agnew. Another song that challenges me personally to live radically and makes me a little bit angry at the stereotypical Christian church. “‘Cause my Jesus bled and died - he spent his time with thieves and sluts and liars - he loved the poor and accosted the arrogant[/rich/comfortable], so which one do you want to be? … Blessed are the poor in spirit, but do we pray to be blessed with wealth of this land?” “If Jesus was here, would you walk right by on the other side, or fall down and worship at his holy feet?” “Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church - the blood and dirt on his feet might stain the carpet - but he reaches the hurting and despises the proud, and I think he’d prefer Beale St. street to the stained glass crowd… Wanna be like my Jesus!”
16) “Our God Reigns” by Delirious. This song talks about abortion, (”40 million babies lost to God’s great orphanage”), HIV and violence in Africa, as well how little it costs it would cost each of us to help: (”100 million faces staring at the sky, wondering if this HIV will ever pass them by. The devil stole the rain, and hope trickles down the plug, but still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.”) It talks about war, (”The west has found a gun, and it’s loaded with unsure.”), the ridiculousness of a culture that spends millions on vanity and ‘doctors’ wasting their intelligence on these surgeries, (”Nip and tuck if you have bucks, in a race to find the cure.”) and it reminds us that despite it all, “Our God reigns - forever your Kingdom reigns… for there is only one true God” and it directs us to do something! - at very least we can pray: “forgive us all, forgive us please - as we fight for this broken world on our knees!”
17) Lastly, “Thankful” by Caedmon’s Call. Another Caedmon’s song with some scriptural truths in the lyrics that make it possible to truthfully say the very unusual tag line from the chorus: “I’m so thankful, that I’m incapable of doing any good on my own.” Because of scriptural truths like these: “Cause we’re all still-born and dead in our transgressions. We’re shackled up to the sin we hold so dear. So what part can I play in the work of redemption if can’t refuse but I can not add a thing? ‘Cause I am just like Lazarus and I can hear your voice - I stand and rub my eyes and walk to you, because I have no choice… so I am thankful, that I’m incapable of doing any good on my own [because good comes from God, and it's God who saves us, not ourselves]. “It’s by grace I have been saved, through faith that’s not my own, it is a gift of God and not by works, lest anyone should boast.”
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lyrics, music, personal, reflections