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Category Archives: Hymns and Songs

“Rattle” by Elevation Worship

13 Sep

https://youtu.be/xrAdbH28gIg

“Rattle” by Elevation Worship

Saturday was silent
Surely it was through
But since when has impossible
Ever stopped You
Friday’s disappointment
Is Sunday’s empty tomb
Since when has impossible
Ever stopped You

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

Pentecostal fire stirring something new
You’re not gonna run out of miracles anytime soon
Yeah, resurrection power runs in my veins too
I believe there’s another miracle here in this room

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

Yeah
Whoa
Do you hear it?
Do you hear it?
Do you hear it?

My God is able to save and deliver and heal
And restore anything that He wants to
Just ask the man who was thrown
On the bones of Elisha
If there’s anything that He can’t do
Just ask the stone that was rolled
At the tomb in the garden
What happens when God says to move
I feel Him moving it now
I feel Him doing it now
I feel Him doing it now
Do it now, do it now

This is the sound
This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling, rattling, yeah

I hear the sound (I hear the sound)
I hear the sound (I hear the sound)
I hear the sound (I hear the sound)
I hear the sound (I hear the sound)
And the bones began to rattle
Rattle, rattle
Rattle

God said live, God said live
Hear the Word
And this is what He said
Live, live
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
Live (live), live (live)
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
Live (live), live (live)
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
Live (live), live (live)
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
Live (live), live (live)
Dry bones hear the Word of the Lord
Live (live), live (live)
Live, live, live, live, live

This is the sound of dry bones rattling, yeah
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling
Dry bones rattle
Dry bones rattle
Rattle, rattle, rattle
Live, live, live
Live, live
Live, live

Dear God, I just discovered this song this morning. My first thought was that there is a big difference between when you write this song and when you perform this song. I thought of it as I watched the performers move confidently around the stage, singing out to you with all of their might. They were kind of bad a** as they moved and sang. There was some bravado to it.

But then I thought about the person who wrote these songs. I don’t know Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, or Brandon Lake. I know nothing about them or their lives. But one of the things I like to do with Christian songs is imagine the state of the writer’s heart when they came up with these concepts. What kind of pain drove these words?

One thing I tried to do was apply these words to the moment. It’s easy to sing them when things are good. I might feel confident and powerful. Maybe I’m in a church service and the emotions are driving me. Faith is easy in those moments. Singing of your power is really easy in those moments. But what about the moments this song references? What about when I feel like my bones are dead and there is no hope? In those moments, can I sing this song with confidence? Bravado?

Right now, I’m currently in a pretty good place, but I have some people I know over whom I want to sing these lyrics. You know who I’m talking about. I pronounce this simple word over them and their lives. Live! Live! Dry bones hear the word of the Lord. Live! Live!

Father, please use every situation to do your work. Whether it’s a tragedy or a victory, use it to accomplish your plan and help my friends to…Live! Live! Dry bones hear the word of the Lord. Live! Live!

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 13, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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“And Your Praise Goes On” by Chris Rice

12 Sep

The moon is high and the sunset fades
The lullabies have all been sung
We’re tuckin’ in another day
And stars appear now one by one
But the stillness moves and the silence yields
And not a single beat is lost
You can hear the chorus in the fields
Taking up where we left off

And Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne
Where You guard us while we dream
Past the stars they fly, Your praises fill the sky
‘Til You wake us with the dawn
And Your praise goes on

Now bring your warmth, O morning sun
Chase the stars and the moon away
And wake us with your brightest song
And add our voice to your refrain
Now rise up everything that lives!
Flap your wings and leap for joy!
Oh forest lift your arms and sway!
Clap your hands you ocean waves!

And Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne
Where You bless our toil and play
Through the clouds they rise, Your praises fill the skies
‘Til the setting of the sun
And Your praise goes on

And when my final breath You lend
I’ll thank You for the life You gave
But that won’t mean the praises end
‘Cause I won’t be silenced by the grave!

And Your praise goes on
I’ll be runnin’ to Your throne
With every nation, tribe and tongue
To Your arms I’ll fly
I’ll gaze into Your eyes
Then I’ll know as I am known
And Your praise goes on
And Your praise goes on
And Your praise goes on

Dear God, we lost a loved one yesterday. He was sweet. He was loving. He also had struggles. The kinds of things we all battle through our lives. But he loved you. He loved his wife. He loved his children and grandchildren. No, everything wasn’t picture-perfect. Relationships weren’t all completely whole upon his death. There were things left unsaid, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

I woke up at 3:00 this morning, thinking about him. He is the last of his family of origin to die. He outlived his wife by just over 10 years. We don’t know exactly when he died. He was gone by the time we found him, but I know that you know exactly when he passed. I know you were there. I also know there was a cloud of witnesses ready to welcome him home. His wife. His parents. Even the daughter my wife and I lost during pregnancy 25 years ago. They were there to greet him. What we found was a shell. His soul was with you.

So your praise goes on. I was walking around the house this morning listening to my headphones when the song above came on. It’s about how this earth cannot help but worship you. If we don’t do it then the rocks will cry out. But the last verse really caught my attention:

And when my final breath You lend
I’ll thank You for the life You gave
But that won’t mean the praises end
‘Cause I won’t be silenced by the grave!

And Your praise goes on
I’ll be runnin’ to Your throne
With every nation, tribe and tongue
To Your arms I’ll fly
I’ll gaze into Your eyes
Then I’ll know as I am known
And Your praise goes on

I don’t think I ever noticed that line towards the end of the chorus: “Then I’ll know as.I am known.” I know I don’t know you like you know me. I don’t even know a fraction of you. We hold onto life. We fight so hard. But it is fleeting. Now, he knows what I don’t know quite yet. By the time we found him, he was in pure joy. Maybe he watched us. Maybe he cried over our lack of understanding as we called 911. If it’s possible, I’m sure he did his best to wrap us up, or at least beseeched the Holy Spirit to wrap us up.

And now your praise goes on. My wife and I have a path to walk, and it must include your praise. You worked out so many things over the last three years for his good and for ours. How could you possibly care enough to have done all of that for us? But you do. You do. What an amazing God you are. When I look at even the small details of how you ordained my steps yesterday–even against my will–I stand amazed at you. Give us your wisdom to help healing happen in those broken relationships. It won’t be easy, but the situation is what it is. And I’m trusting that it’s what you need it to be because I am convinced that not even the smallest detail has escaped your notice. And again, I stand in awe of you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 12, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Genesis 11:26-12:4

16 Aug

After Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living. Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children. One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran. The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Genesis 11:26-12:4

Dear God, maybe we aren’t as great as we think we are. Maybe, sometimes, we are just convenient to your plan.

It’s interesting that Genesis doesn’t really give us any great insights into why you chose Abram. I imagine it had something to do with the fact that he was pretty much willing to do any weird thing you asked him to do.

  • Leave your family and go where I tell you (to be disclosed later). Okay
  • Listen to Sarah and send Hagar and Ishmael off to seemingly die. Okay.
  • Sacrifice your son on an altar to me. Sure.

I would imagine that the people around Abram/Abraham thought he was pretty weird. A religious zealot. But you gave him credibility through the blessings you gave him so I would imagine that was enough reason for the people around him to go along with him.

Is everything I just typed heresy? I don’t know. Maybe. But then I think of Paul. It certainly wasn’t his love for Jesus or goodness that made you call him. It was his zeal that you knew you could redeem and redirect for your purposes (is that more heresy?). Samson? Well, Samson was just a mess of a person, but certainly your person for a specific time. It certainly wasn’t his goodness or love for justice and mercy that earned him your favor. Jacob? A scoundrel if ever there was one, but you had some specific plan for this clan spawned by Abram through Isaac and Ishmael. Thousands of years later, and these are the two dominant religions in the world.

It makes me think of a Rich Mullins song called “Who God is Gonna Use.”

As part of the intro to this YouTube video he said, “Some people say, ‘Rich, don’t you feel like a phony talking about Christ?’ And I say, ‘No, I don’t because I don’t believe Christ loves me because I’m good.'” Then he goes on to sing about all of these people in the Bible you used about whom there was nothing particularly Godly. Balaam’s donkey. Pharaoh’s daughter who found Moses. Esther. Pilate.

So what’s my point in all of this? I think it’s that I can let go of any search for significance and rest assured that whatever significance you want my life to have you can accomplish with or without my decision to be significant. My job is to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love my neighbor as myself. I’m called to do that because you deserve that. As to my worth in your kingdom, one day you will hold me accountable for what I did or didn’t do with my life.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:31-40

I’ll admit that I don’t try to solve every problem I see. I don’t think there is any way that I possibly can. But then again, that is why you have the body of Christ and not just me. My job is to be sensitive to what you are calling me to do.

Father, give me ears to hear and eyes to see. Help me to not embrace my own posterity, but to embrace you. Help me to also see others through your eyes. Help me to not judge. To not assign a “kingdom value” to them. I would have totally discounted Abram, Jacob, and Samson. There are national leaders whom I discount now. I definitely have my opinions about who should win the next election for president, and I will vote that way, but I can also recognize that I don’t know your heart on this and I will trust that you are working out a greater plan that I cannot see even if it looks on the surface like we are taking two steps backward.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 16, 2020 in Genesis, Hymns and Songs, Matthew

 

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“Daring Daylight Escape” by Caedmon’s Call

02 Jun

“Daring Daylight Escape” by Caedmon’s Call

I’ve got my mind made up
I’ve got to love you or leave you fast
‘Cause I’ve been thinking clear
And I don’t know how long it’ll last
Just like Uri Gellar
I’m bound to twist the facts around
I’ve got to get them straight
Before my baby up and leaves town

‘Cause I can’t walk on water
And if I chase you I might drown
And I’m already up to my neck

If I may pose a question, it’ll only take a second
‘Cause I know that it’s getting late
And depending on your answer I might have to pack
And make a daring daylight escape
Because it’s either high time to make you mine
Or I swear it’s time to get out of town
So please say yes quick
‘Cause the sun’s going down

Yeah, well, London’s nice
But it’s the last place you want to go
But there’s no crime and
You can catch a Broadway show
‘Cause it’s just so far
And it’s bound to get a hold on you
And I’ve got front-page headlines
Pulled right out of yesterday’s news

You can read all about it
About boy meets girl and then
Screws the whole thing up
Just like always

If I may pose a question, it’ll only take a second
‘Cause I know that it’s getting late
And depending on your answer I might have to pack
And make a daring daylight escape
Because it’s either high time to make you mine
Or I swear it’s time to get out of town
So please say yes quick
‘Cause the sun’s going down

It’s no crime to love you
And my heart’s still doing time
It’s acting on its best behavior

If I may pose a question, it’ll only take a second
‘Cause I know that it’s getting late
And depending on your answer I might have to pack
And make a daring daylight escape
Because it’s either high time to make you mine
Or I swear it’s time to get out of town
So please say yes quick
‘Cause the sun’s going down

Written by Derek Webb

Dear God, this song and “Somewhere North” are both back to back on this album and written by the same guy. I’ve never put them together before, but is one the continuation of another? At the end of the day, it’s a guy just trying to figure out his path. In this case, it’s about love, but there are a lot of things that come up in life that bring us to a fork in the road. New job? More kids? Expand my business? Change churches? Start a ministry on the side? Join a protest? The list is endless. I come to these forks in the road every day. How do I respond?

My biggest frustration with myself is how seldom I see the fork in the road and immediately turn to you for guidance. I just plow through. Sometimes I get it wrong. Sometimes I get it right. And sometimes you bless the activity even though I was foolish.

Father, I thought about skipping this song because there weren’t any obvious theological implications since it’s pretty simply a love song. But there’s always something in the description of a life experience that brings us back to you. I think of Paul trying to figure out which way you wanted to send him. You kept closing doors until he found the right one. I think about his argument with Barnabas over Mark. They were just trying to figure it out. And you used all of that to still accomplish your will. Mark matured and even wrote Peter’s version of the Gospel. So please be with me through my ignorance, and ordain the steps I will walk today, even if I am a fool and I can’t see where I’m going.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Somewhere North” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

31 May

“Somewhere North” by Caedmon’s Call

It’s a muggy night in Houston
And all the intersections are
Like full serve stations
And I’m on my way to a familiar place

It’s cold in Kansas City
And you can no more hear me
Than I can see your face
And how I wish it was just you and me

We wouldn’t have to talk above the crowd
We wouldn’t have to talk so loud

Yes, I give you my life and all I am
But what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
Of this little boy cause I
Have nothing to my name
But I can give you that

See I don’t miss the driving
Seems like forever, and
I’m always driving in my mind
I’m wearing out the road that gets me there

I’m driving till my eyes just can’t see straight
But I suppose it is getting late

Yes, I give you my life and all I am
But what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
Of this little boy cause I’ve
Got nothing to my name
And I can give you that

See I may never find the sleep
I’ve lost all feeling in my hands
And feet may touch the ground
But my mind’s somewhere north of here

Cause I give you my life and all I am
So what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
of this little boy
Cause I have nothing to my name
I’ve got nothing to my name
But I can give you that
And I will give you that

Dear God, first, I don’t think there is much here that is theological, but there is a ton here that is completely human. And if I consider the idea that you gave us all of these emotions and help us to sort through them then it makes this song as relevant as any I’ve done on this album.

I wanted to see if I could find any comments by the author or band about this song, and I found this comment by just a person who loves the song:

I love this song. The way Derek’s voice cracks and soars lends itself beautifully to the heart-wrenching sentiment in these lyrics. “We wouldn’t have to talk above the crowd / We wouldn’t have to talk so loud…” This will be my song until I find that person. “I’m always driving in my mind, and wearing out the road…”

Yeah, good music taps into nerves like this. I’ve been happily in a relationship for over 30 years now, but I remember this pain before I met my wife. I remember looking for that Eve to my Adam. I remember these feelings. And I’ve felt them in other ways since then. I’ve felt them when I was unemployed and looking for that next job. I’ve felt them when I was estranged from my children.

Father, thank you for the answered prayers in my life. Thank you for what you’re doing that I can and cannot see. Thank you for peace. I pray for those I love to find this peace as well. Heal our wounds. Make our pain count and use it to bring all of us closer to you regardless of our situations.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 31, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Petrified Heart” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

30 May

“Petrified Heart” by Caedmon’s Call

This old heart’s been left
Upon my sleeve
And I have paid as it’s been rent
into pieces

Seems everyone I’ve loved has
Taken a bit of my insides
I’m scattered as the woman whose body
Was torn for the twelve tribes

When did my heart get so petrified?
When did it get so hard to feel?
When did my heart get so afraid to love?
When did it get so hard?

And the easy-living Gnostic proud
Use their knowledge
Like a wrecking ball to tear me down
Flooding me with their fallacies
I can’t walk on this water
I’m starting to drown

When did my heart get so petrified?
When did it get so hard to feel?
When did my heart get so afraid to love?
When did it get so hard?

Strike this rock with your rod
I’ll take the blows
Till your living water begins to flow
As it flowed from the Man of Sorrows’ side
On that day when his body
Was torn for the twelve tribes

When did my heart get so petrified?
When did it get so hard to feel?
When did my heart get so afraid to love?
When did it get so hard?
When did it get so hard?

Written by Aaron Tate

Dear God, I’ve been anxious to get to this song. Frankly, it’s the one that inspired me to finally sit down and dig into this album a little more from beginning to end. This song reminds me of a friend. A couple of weeks ago, when I heard it for the first time in a long time, I called my wife over and read her some of the lyrics. It reminded her of our friend too. I decided I wanted to pray the spirit of this song over her. She’s been hurt, she feels betrayed. She’s been hurt by family, friends, boyfriends, etc. On paper, she has a lot going for her and a lot of people would trade for her life in an instant, but the scars from the past have left her, seemingly, unable to feel.

The biblical allusions in this song are interesting. Comparing the woman in Judges 19 (the Levite’s concubine–one of the more horrific stories in the Bible, in which there are no heroes, but only cowards and one victim) to this person’s pain is interesting. Victimized. Left for dead. Attacked by strangers and betrayed by one who was supposed to love her so that he could save himself. Awful. The story is really too terrible to read, and yet you included it in your scripture.

Then there is our hope. The rocky, petrified heart can still contain water. It can be a conduit through which your water can flow. We are reminded of this from the biblical allusions in the bridge:

  • “Strike this rock with your rod, I’ll take the blows, Till your living water begins to flow” (Exodus 17:6 – [God speaking to Moses] I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.) – This story was a result of the people grumbling about God and having been brought out of Egypt just to die. In verse 7 it says, “And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not.” Well, there are times when I wonder if you are really there. I wonder if my friend wonders that too. 
  • “As it flowed from the Man of Sorrows’ side on that day when his body was torn for the twelve tribes” (John 19:33-34 – But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. In stead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’s side with a spear; bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.) – It’s important to remember that Jesus experienced much of what any of us experience that would harden our hearts. Rejection by family. Poverty. Want. Betrayal by everyone around him.

Father, the words of Rich Mullins in the song “Bound to Come Some Trouble” come to mind: There’s bound to come some trouble to your life, that ain’t nothing to be afraid of. There’s bound to come some trouble to your life, that ain’t not reason to fear. I know there’s bound to come some trouble to your life. Reach out to Jesus. Hold on tight. He’s been there before, I think he knows what it’s like. And you’ll find he’s there. I pray these words over my friend, and I pray them over myself. Help us to reach out to Jesus and experience the healing of the mercy given to us and that we can give to others. Help us to experience that freedom.

It’s in that same Jesus’s name that I pray all of this,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 30, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Climb On (A Back That’s Strong)” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

28 May

“Climb On (A Back That’s Strong) by Caedmon’s Call

Oh, my soul
Sometimes we don’t know what to do
We work so hard
Being tough on our own
But now it’s me and you
Let’s give it up, sad bones
‘Cause we all fall on hard times
But you don’t have to stand up all alone
Just put your hand in mine

Climb on a back that’s strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that’s strong

If you could save me a
A place in heaven
With a clean, well-lighted room
I’ll muscle up to Armageddon
And I’ll wave to you, Darlin’
Be home soon

And if you could show me
The story of love
I would write it
Again and again
And then you could be
The woman you need
If you just let me be
The man that I am

Climb on a back that’s strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that’s strong

Oh, I don’t know
Sometimes we try too hard to see
But we got one down
And one more to go
That’s when you say to me

Climb on a back that’s strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that’s strong

Climb on a back that’s strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that’s strong, oh yeah

Climb on a back that’s strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that’s strong, yeah, yeah

(written by Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal)

Dear God, this is one of the only songs on this album that wasn’t written by a band member. I’m a little fuzzy on the meaning of some of it as I look through the lyrics. The whole part about saving a place in heaven makes me wonder if the singer is talking to a terminally ill person and they are trying to help the person to be strong through their last days on earth, but I’m not sure. So I’ll just look at this song from a macro level.

The main message, I suppose, is that there are times when we need to encourage others to use us for strength. And then, and this is the hard one for me, I need to allow others to help me to be strong through my struggles. Frankly, it’s a lot easier for me to be there for someone else than it is for me to ask someone else to be there for me. But we need community. We need others. It is not good for man to be alone. No accomplished person is truly self-made. Everyone has at least one person who believed in them, encouraged them, guided them, and helped them. At least one, but likely there are many. Many, many. For me, I can look back on several people you put in my life and very specific times. I’d like to think I’ve been able to be that for others, but I don’t know that I’ve ever really been that consistent, long-term person that someone else might have needed.

Father, help me to simply respond to the people you put around me. Whether you put them there to help me or for me to help them (or both), give me eyes to see and a mind to interpret the situation as you see it. Give me a willing heart and and a persevering spirit. And do it all for your glory and not mine.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 28, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Table for Two” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

26 May

“Table for Two” by Caedmon’s Call

Danny and I spent another
Late night over pancakes
Talkin’ about soccer and
How every man’s just the same
We made speculations on the
Who’s and the when’s of our futures
And how everyone’s lonely
But still we just couldn’t complain

And how we just hate being alone
Could I have missed my only chance?
And now I’m just wasting my time
By lookin’ around

But ya know I no better
I’m not gonna worry about nuthin’
Because if the birds and the flower survive
Then I’ll make it okay
Given a chance and a rock
See which one breaks a window
See which one keeps me up all night
And into the day

Because I’m so scared of being alone
That I forget what house I live in
But it’s not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call

Well this day’s been crazy
But everything’s happened on schedule
From the rain and the cold
To the drink that I spilled on my shirt
Cause you knew how you’d save me
Before I fell dead in the garden
And you knew this day
Long before you made me out of dirt

And you know the plans that you have for me
And you can’t plan the end
and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
Just to get me to sleep.

Dear God, the video above was recorded about 15 years after this song was released, and his short introduction resonated with me. His final words before he started singing it described by unarticulated thoughts regarding the overall truth to this song when you look at it (and life) with older eyes: “Everybody, just enjoy the season of life that you are in.”

Of course, that’s easy to go back and tell my younger self, but am I doing that now? Am I enjoying this season of life? It makes me wonder how I would describe this season. I guess I could label it as empty nest/aging parents/stable career/good health. Wow, that’s not a bad season at all. When looking at it from a Texan’s point of view of the seasons, I’d call it a nice fall. The harshness of summer (teenagers) is over. The winter of our own health issues is not yet here. There are struggles, to be sure, but they are just the fluctuations of a solid fall. But back to my question: Am I enjoying this season of life? Will I look up and it will be gone? There are parts of my life’s history that I miss and I wouldn’t mind living again. The good news is that I feel like I knew what I had at the time and I enjoyed them. Will I look back at this period and feel the same, or will I have missed how nice it really is?

Father, help me to consider all things joy. All things. I’m sorry for taking so much of this for granted. I promise I try not to, but I do it anyway. Thank you that you’ve not only been singlely good to me, but you been doubly good as well. Find me faithful with everything you’ve given to me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on May 26, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Where I Began” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

25 May

 

“Where I Began” by Caedmon’s Call

The grass looked greener on the other side
So I tried to, snatch myself from your hand
Caught a boat to anywhere but Nineveh
And, well you know, I got spit back on dry land.

Give me purity and give me continence
But oh no, not yet.
Like a coin hiding in the corner
Trying not to be swept
And I was trying not to be swept.

Kicking against these goads
Sure did cut up my feet
And didn’t your hands get bloody
As you washed them clean (you washed them!),

Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can’t get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

So you have yourself your ninety nine (ninety nine),
Isn’t that enough for you?
Still you followed me to the shadowed valley
Carried me on your shoulders too.

I’ve done the work of Sisyphus
Thinking that I could get over this hill
But the one thing I can’t get over now…(is the)
Is the force of your will.

Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can’t get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can’t get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

Dear God, well, here’s another great song that is just full of biblical reference, and happens to be a really enjoyable song to listen to as well. I’ve always noticed the references to familiar Bible stories in this song, but I’ve never really thought about the theme of how these stories fit together. This should be interesting.

The grass looked greener on the other side
So I tried to, snatch myself from your hand
Caught a boat to anywhere but Nineveh
And, well you know, I got spit back on dry land.

John 10:28 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Jonah 1:1-3a,17, 2:16 – The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed to Tarshish…Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights…And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

When thinking about Jesus talking in John 10 about not letting any get snatched from his hand, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about snatching myself. But isn’t that what I do? “Worshiping you and spending time with you doesn’t sound like much fun today. I have some things I’d rather do instead.” Then I start doing them. At least I can say that I do, indeed, start to miss you after a while.

Give me purity and give me continence
But oh no, not yet.
Like a coin hiding in the corner
Trying not to be swept
And I was trying not to be swept.

Luke 15:8 – “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?”

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Kicking against these goads
Sure did cut up my feet
And didn’t your hands get bloody
As you washed them clean (you washed them!)

Acts 26:14 – “We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “

John 13:8 – “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 

The reference to the goads takes my rebellion to the next level. Not only am I leaving you and hiding from you, but a goad is something an animal worker uses to get an animal to do its will. But like Paul was actively working against you, there are times when my selfishness actually gets in the way of your plan for me, for others, and for the world. But there you are, washing us clean.

So you have yourself your ninety nine (ninety nine),
Isn’t that enough for you?
Still you followed me to the shadowed valley
Carried me on your shoulders too.

Luke 15:-6a – “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.”

Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. 

When I read the parable about the hundred sheep and the thrill of finding the lost one, it made me think of Jesus being found by Joseph and Mary in the temple. He was too big at that point for Joseph’s shoulders, but I’ll bet their anger melted pretty quickly when they found him. He knew what it was like to see that kind of love for him from his parents.

I’ve done the work of Sisyphus
Thinking that I could get over this hill
But the one thing I can’t get over now…(is the)
Is the force of your will.

So now we get a little Greek mythology. Here’s the beginning of the Wikipedia entry for Sisyphus:

In Greek mythology Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity.

“Self aggrandizing”

“Craftiness”

“Deceitfulness”

Yes, I’ve lied to you, myself, and others over the years. Who am I kidding? Maybe not so long ago. But here I am again, back where I began. And try as I may, I can’t get away from you. All of these roads that lead me to roam bring me back home. Here I am again, back where I began. I’m sorry for leaving.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 25, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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“Faith My Eyes” by Caedmon’s Call (40 Acres Album)

24 May

 

“Faith My Eyes” by Caedmon’s Call

As I survey the ground for ants
Looking for a place to sit and read
I’m reminded of
The streets of my home town
How much they like this concrete
That’s warm beneath my feet

And how I’m all wrapped up
In my mother’s face
With a touch of my father
Just up around the eyes
And the sound of my brother’s laugh
More wrapped up in what binds our
Ever distant lives.

But if I must go
Things I trust will be better off without me
But I don’t want to know
Life is better off a mystery

So keep on coming
These lines on the road
Keep me responsible
Be it a light or a heavy load
Keep me guessing
These blessings in disguise
I’ll walk with grace me feet
And faith my eyes

The hometown weather is on TV
And I imagine the lives
Of the people living there
And I’m curious if they imagine me
They just want to leave,

I wish that I could stay
I get turned around
And I mistake my happiness for blessing
And I’m blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I’m dressing

So keep on coming
These lines on the road
Keep me responsible
Be it a light or a heavy load
Keep me guessing
These blessings in disguise
I’ll walk with grace me feet
And faith my eyes

So I’ll sing a song of my home town
Breathe the air and walk the streets
Maybe find a place to sit and read
But the ants are welcome company

So keep on coming
These lines on the road
Keep me responsible
Be it a light or a heavy load
Keep me guessing
These blessings in disguise
I’ll walk with grace me feet
And faith my eyes

Dear God, not all songs have to beat you over the head with religious talk or explicit prayers to you to speak to my soul. This song is a great example of a Christian just kind of taking some contemplative moments to work through some things. Instead of going through this one verse by verse, I want to just pull out a couple of phrases that speak to me because, like all good poetry, a lot of this was written for the poet himself and wasn’t intended for me. But it does give me a peek into the life and struggles of a fellow believer as he works out his path and his faith with fear and trembling. :

The first verse:

It’s interesting to go back and remember being away from home for the first time. My memories are a little clouded, but I remember being a freshman in college and trying to build new routines. I was, for the first time, having a life experience completely separate from my parents or siblings. I was building a new life in a new place, in a totally different city. I remember trying several things out to see what would work. I would find different places to read my Bible. I tried out jogging around campus. I tried out the different cafeterias on campus to see which one I liked. I tried out some different friends, ultimately hanging out mainly with my roommate and two other guys. I remember walking across campus one morning and hearing the bells in the administration building playing a hymn and thinking that you were there on campus and welcome. While it was a Christian school, it was not as conservative as other Christian schools, but you were there, and I was grateful. I’m trying to remember what I did for church. I think I went somewhere, but I can’t quite remember where. I think I tried several churches that first year.

Even now, I live a life that is completely different than my family of origin. It’s in a different town. I have a career that none of them has experienced. I’m fortunate to be 50 years old and have all of them still living. But we are all certainly different and living different lives.

And the sound of my brother’s laugh
More wrapped up in what binds our
Ever distant lives.

My siblings and I are very different from each other. I joke that my brother and I are photo negatives of each other. Outside of a love for cars (especially old cars), we have nothing in common. But social media and texting have been a remarkable thing for my brother, sister, and me. Even though we live in different cities, I would say that being able to check in with each other via text and social media has drawn us closer over the last 5-10 years than we were the previous 20. I’m grateful for that because I really do love them and want the best for them. And we’ve all been able to support each other through different trials in ways that we weren’t before. I’m glad that I would not describe our relationships now as “ever distant.”

I get turned around
And I mistake my happiness for blessing
And I’m blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I’m dressing

The whole idea of happiness is an interesting one. What is success? What does a blessed life look like? How do I misinterpret the different situations or realities in my life? When things were really rough seven years ago, did I miss that I was actually living in the middle of your blessing at that moment? When things are going well, do I interpret that as you being extra happy with me? Am I any closer to seeing the reality that you see, or do I still just see the world through my own eyes. That brings me to the chorus.

So keep on coming
These lines on the road
Keep me responsible
Be it a light or a heavy load
Keep me guessing
These blessings in disguise
I’ll walk with grace me feet
And faith my eyes

I suppose this chorus kind of sums things up for me. Keep coming life. Father, help me to do what I need to do to live up to the responsibilities you have for me. Help me to let go of evaluating my life by measuring only the things I can see and understand, but to embrace every circumstance (be it a light or heavy load) as being part of the journey you have for me. Help me to walk in grace. And help me to see my life through faith and not what my eyes actually see because my eyes lie to me all of the time.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 24, 2020 in Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres Album, Hymns and Songs

 

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