Music Monday

Forgiveness

Frank

Funny how things work. Long before the Aurora shootings, I was planning on these songs from Matthew West and Tenth Avenue North to be featured for a Music Monday post. But they take on a different tone now in the aftermath. All that I was planning on writing about these songs, forget about it.

Key verses:

Show me how, to love the unlovable
Show me how, to reach the unreachable
Help me now, to do the impossible
Forgiveness
***
Seventy times seven times,
Lord it doesn’t feel right
for me to turn a blind eye,
though I guess it’s not that much
when I think of what you’ve done…
Oh Father, give me grace to forgive them
Cause I feel like the one losing

And the important story “behind the music” to Forgiveness.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

A dozen lives lost. A number that could rise in the coming days as doctors struggle to keep others alive. Seventy total shot. That is seventy times seven people directly affected: parents, siblings, spouses, children, and closest friends. Then there are those indirectly affected but only removed by a single degree of separation (more on that in another post). Add to those a full theater of witnesses.

Forgiving seventy times seven times sounds impossible. That’s the point. We need God’s grace to overcome our own reactions of anger, hatred and revenge. It sounds impossible, but it’s not. The video above testifies to the power of forgiveness. Another great example is that of the Amish in Pennsylvania who not only forgave a school shooter, but embraced his family through the pain of recovery. While that side of the story is well known, here’s an update from the other side to show just how powerful forgiveness can be.

Can we forgive James Holmes to the same degree? Even if we cannot, there is a merciful Father in heaven who can, as hard as it may be to fathom. Jesus died for him too.

Father, give me grace to forgive him. Help me to do the impossible.

I Hear God Singing to Me

Frank

Continuing my posts from the 2012 World Discipleship Summit- I am still singing some of the great worship songs in my head more than a week later. Of course, a personal favorite is the international version of Praises Heard Around the World below. But what was your favorite song from the 2012WDS? (Or if you didn’t attend, what is your favorite worship song?)

[Found the bug in the poll! For some reason the buttons seem swapped or that your vote doesn’t show up right away. Pick your songs, click “vote” go back by clicking the “vote on this poll link” and then click “show results”. That is long and tedious, but seems to work best.]

What Was Your Favorite Song from WDS?

Dangerous

Frank

Love this new song from KJ-52. Key lyrics that hit me every time I hear it:

Can’t forgive, or forget
We hold on, and it’s dangerous
dangerous…
It’s obvious that you’re hurt
That’s the role you play
The one where you blame
and push everybody away

Homecoming

Frank

A few weeks of insanity at work (wish it was the workout plan, I could stand to lose a couple of pounds) and a couple of trips later, I’m home and at peace. Of course, Monday means back to the grind, but I need a reminder that this is not my home. Even though after being away my own pillow and bed feel great, it is nothing compared to the home God has prepared for me. Some favorites from Switchfoot, Mercy Me, Building 429 and The City Harmonic:

Sing Jesus into Your Heart

Frank

“That if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

“Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” (1 John 4:2)

I’m driving home from work the other day listening to some lesson on Christian radio when it comes time for the standard invitation to pray Jesus into your heart. I change over to the 24-7 Christmas station and hear this verse from Silent Night, “Christ our savior is born. Christ our savior is born.”

Something hit me. I don’t know whether to call it a dichotomy or a paradox. But the above passages that justify salvation via a prayer in the comfort of my own car while cruising alone down the highway aren’t limited by the tradition of the “sinner’s prayer.” In fact, could they not extend to our favorite Christmas hymns? Consider:

  • “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.” -O Come, All Ye Faithful
  • “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!… Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!” -Joy to the World
  • “The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone him.” -What Child is This?
  • “Christ the savior is born… Jesus, Lord at thy birth” -Silent Night
  • And the entirety of Hark the Herald Angels Sing is a song of praise for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

So considering the basis for praying Jesus into your heart, could not one be saved simply by singing one of these traditional songs of worship?

As you ponder this doctrinal loophole, consider its implications. A local radio station effectively goes off-air from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas to play nothing but Christmas hymns and carols. Yes, many are secular. But others have such theological depth that you cannot help but to praise God while singing along. These same songs fill our shopping malls and department stores. School choirs and bands practice these songs for months to prepare for the annual Christmas concert (where they are still allowed to do so). Television schedules Christmas specials while movie producers plan their releases to time with the holiday season.

Two thousand years later, the whole world stops what it is doing and changes course. All because of a little baby born in a manger.

Now I’m not necessarily suggesting that one can “come to Christ” by singing along to a Christmas hymn, but I am suggesting that maybe these songs are the only glimpse of Jesus someone else may see. If we can go door knocking to invite someone to church, shouldn’t the same principle apply when we go door to door caroling?

These are more than just favorite traditional songs. They are hymns of worship and praise. Come, let us adore Him!

Under-horses

Frank

So the Bowl Championship Series match ups are set and we are lucky enough to watch a rematch of Alabama and LSU in the BCS shampionship, er I mean championship. But where is the underdog? The dark horse? Where is the Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl or the Utah-Alabama Sugar Bowl? No such luck this year.

But everybody love to cheer on the underdog (except for the rabid Sooner and Tide fans in the games above). Why is that? What captures our collective conscience when it comes to cheering for the little guy?

That, and more deep thoughts related to sports and football in particular, will be reflected on over the next few weeks as I go through Kyle Idleman’s book, Not A Fan. Please join me in the weeks ahead as I explore the difficult question, am I a fan or a follower?

But in the meantime, some tunage:

Label or Content?

Frank

Which of the following lyrics would you expect to hear on a Christian radio station? (answers at the end of the post)

  1. Save me, I’m lost. Lord, I’ve waiting for you.
  2. My tongue dances behind my lips for you
  3. All alone, smoking his last cigarette, where were you?
  4. I wanna get right with God, you know you gotta get right with God
  5. You make my teeth clench and my hands shake, do you ever see what you do to me?

What defines “Christian music”? (I’m thinking specifically here of Christian rock. Worship music and Christian pop are a little more obvious.)

Is it the record label? Switchfoot brushed off the description and for a long time resisted playing in Christian festivals even though their first label before going mainstream was Christian rock powerhouse Tooth and Nail.

Is it where it is sold? Evanescence vehemently opposed the description even though their first album was heavily promoted in Christian stores by their label. It took a near lawsuit to remove their album from the shelves.

Is it the radio station that plays it? Take the lyrics above. Sometimes you can find more redemptive value in mainstream rock than in some songs that are labeled Christian. I’ll cheat and give you one answer from above- #5 above is from Anberlin’s “Impossible” and is played frequently on Air1. The chorus, “Take what you want from me, it means nothing now…” sounds like surrendering to God. But the verses have more of a double entendre. The song, thematically, is very similar to Hoobastank’s “The Reason” yet Hoobastank pulls a fast one in their video.

Disciple, Thousand Foot Krutch, Flyleaf, POD I first heard on the “new rock” stations. Switchfoot, Lifehouse, Mat Kearney, Anberlin, Mutemath I am just as likely, if not more so, to hear on an alternative hits station.

Is it the faith of the artist? Mat Kearney was interviewed a year or so ago in Relevant magazine and didn’t once mention God. Yet, he has become more explicit in expressing his faith on his second album.

Flyleaf has been quoted, “I don’t know what you mean by a “Christian rock band.” It’s hard to say that because people all have a different definition of what that means. If it means that we’re Christians, then yeah, we’re Christians, but if a plumber’s a Christian, does that make him a “Christian plumber?” I mean we’re not playing for Christians. We’re just playing honestly and that’s going to come out”

Meanwhile, Chad Wolf from Carolina Liar (not a “Christian” band) said about his song (#1 above), “If someone thinks I’m singing about God in this song then I’m honored to have made that connection.”

Or go back to Anberlin and their lead singer Stephen Christian, “I don’t care who listens to our records. If it helps people in whatever circumstances they’re in, that’s amazing, but I definitely don’t classify us as a Christian band.” and elsewhere, “[My faith] affects every single aspect of my life, but I’m not a preacher, I’m an entertainer.”
 
My favorite though has to be from Switchfoot frontman Jon Forman, “For us it’s a faith, not a genre.”

And isn’t that the bottom line? Isn’t the label Christian about describing one’s faith, not one’s marketing campaign? If the stats are correct that roughly 80% of Americans call themselves Christian, then wouldn’t it follow that many music artists would identify themselves as Christian? And wouldn’t it therefore be expected that those values come through in their music even if not labeled as such?
 
Listen outside of the box. You might be surprised what you hear.
 
(And the answers above: 2, 3, and 5 receive regular airplay on Christian stations. 2-Flyleaf “All Around Me”, 3-The Fray “Where Were You?”, 5-Anberlin “Impossible”. #1 is Carolina Liar “Show Me What I’m Looking For” and #5 is Lucinda Williams “Get Right With God”.)

All Things to All Men

Frank

Tomorrow, Seventh Day Slumber’s new album, “The Anthems of Angels” drops. This band is a case of those “behind the music” clips on the radio working. I bought their last album, “Take Everything” after hearing about the band on Air1. Their song, Oceans from the Rain, received a lot of airplay, but I didn’t know anything about the band. But when I heard that they were motivated to do a worship album to praise God for delivering them (namely, lead singer Joseph Rojas) from their addiction, I had to check them out. As an alcoholic myself helping to lead a recovery ministry, I was drawn in. Needless to say, despite calling myself a metal-head, their hard-rock versions of songs I knew well like I Can Only Imagine were disarming, yet authentic. Once I got used to the driving chords, I now listen to that album frequently as their harder edge more often reflects how I feel than softer versions of the same songs from Chris Tomlin or Mercy Me.
I am also inspired by lead singer Joseph Rojas’ testimony. Check out the video below.

Now, there’s a lot I don’t agree with doctrinally. But in dealing with addiction I have come to the conclusion that the Grace of God is not limited; that the redemptive, healing power of Jesus knows no lines. I praise God for his recovery and his ministry.

Seventh Day Slumber catches a lot of grief for their ministry. Being rooted in the Bible Belt, they face their fair share of fundamentalism condemning their image and their music. But to quote Paul, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, emphasis added) The tatted-out, hard rock, felon and addict may be the only Christian some may ever know. He is likely the only Christian some will ever trust.

If you haven’t heard this band, I encourage you to check them out. They’re not what you might expect. But isn’t that just how God likes to work?

Below is the first single of their new album, Love Came Down

Zombies vs Monsters

Frank

I woke up this morning feeling like a zombie, but that’s not what this post is about.
Imagine if Jesus was born in today’s culture. I’m not talking about his return, but if he were to come the first time around in 21st Century America. The reaction to the virgin birth would be scandalous enough, but think about some of the things Jesus said and some of the things he did. Imagine the reaction after being told to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Imagine the headlines raising Lazarus from the dead would have garnered. But most of all, imagine the response upon seeing the risen Jesus.

George Romero couldn’t come up with a better story. Zombies are this years’ vampires, with the success of the TV show The Walking Dead, based on the comic book of the same name. And if you visit a comic book store, you would see that almost every other title involves zombies.

brains….

But this is about Jesus, the original zombie (you can skip to the 3:00 mark, but it’s the Colbert Report, so really you want to watch the whole thing.)

While Jesus may have been the original zombie, you and I are also zombies. (now you know what that persistent itching is all about)

“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:9-11)

BRAINS!

Well that’s one interpretation anyway.  Jeff Kinley actually takes the opposite view (see, even zombies have denominations!) that those without Christ are the actual zombies and offers a “zombie guide” to help combat them.

BRAINS!

(sorry, I haven’t had breakfast yet.)

Yesterday, our sermon was Halloween-themed about fighting the monsters within. I haven’t read the book above, it actually was just released, but in a similar vein I recommend Mike Talieferro’s The Killer Within. It relates sin to real disease, not a zombie-like infection. Yesterday’s sermon actually centered on the story of David and Goliath, but Jesus talked about this condition himself.

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24-26)

I think we all have felt that monster inside of us. Sometimes it comes out for just a moment and surprises us. Other times it feels like that monster has complete control. What is your monster? Anger? Addiction? Impurity?

Today, Halloween, this zombie is going to fight some monsters.

Killer Queen

Frank

Several years ago I was helping to plan a campus ministry conference. The theme was One Vision. As a classic rock nerd, I knew the perfect theme song. One of the campus ministers agreed, borrowed my “Queen: Live at Wembley CD” and started to work on a highlight video. The video and song, however, were never used.

Of course, I can understand why. There is the need to be sensitive to a broad range of convictions when putting on a large event like that. And some just didn’t feel comfortable with a conference theme being sung by someone who was gay and died of AIDS.

“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind… Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” (Romans 14:5,13)

Marc Martel of the Christian band, Downhere (my personal favorite song: “My Last Amen”) is auditioning for The Queen Extravaganza– a Queen tribute band that is sponsored by the surviving members of the band. (Sadly, this is only a tribute band. I had to swallow this news at the same time I saw a headline that the actual band was considering Lady Gaga as their lead singer on their next tour. No, I’m not going to link that in principle.)

Instantly Marc became a youtube sensation. With over 4 million views in two weeks (as of this writing) he scored himself a writeup in the Wall Street Journal and a performance on the Ellen Show. But not every Christian is happy for his new found popularity.

Some are criticizing Freddie Mercury’s lifestyle, his legacy, the rock and roll drug culture, and every other reason they can think of for a self-proclaimed Christian not to do this. I could go on and on, but I’ll let Marc defend himself:

“Freddie Mercury wrote songs that were real and true. Rock and roll reaches people because it’s honest, and doesn’t shy away from the issues. You can have a great voice, but people can spot a fake from a mile away. Our music may come from a biblical standpoint but we don’t shy away from true experiences – doubt, loss, pain, sorrow – we want to deal with all of that. Queen’s repertoire deals with those emotions and feelings too and I love singing their music because at the end of the day, it’s just true.”

Amen.