I have been singing “He Reigns” by the Newsboys since July, during our trip and since coming home. This morning I placed it on my rotation of music and relished the words.

Every tongue, every nation–all God’s children singing Glory, Glory, Hallelujah He Reigns!

Every evening in the darkest area of the Siminjaro plain in TZ, young and old from the Maasai village of Orbille come together around a fire to worship and pray to God.

The praise songs raise from deep within their soul. Voices lifted, feet intricately stepping to the simple rhythm of a single drum. Their hands weaving in motion…illustrating a story based on the descriptive beauty of the Massai language Maa. All bringing glory and honor to God.

David and I sat next to each other on a makeshift wooden bench, in the inky darkness, listening and watching the tribe as they praised God around a fire.

I somehow know that if the space shuttle were passing over the  area–they would have not seen a speck of flickering fire–but rather a burst of light that expanded as the praises of the Maasai filled the vast expanse of the area.

The shadows moved and swayed to an ancient rhythm from thousands of years gone by. The voices of angels lifted in praise to a God they have never read about. A God they only experienced as Abraham did.

We sat in blissful ignorance of a language we could not understand.

It didn’t matter.

Our Teacher the Holy Spirit was speaking to each of us through the choir. We sat next to each other weeping as the presence of God grew stronger and stronger with each song of praise.

In the inky darkness we were turned upside down and the light of Christ glowed from the area we sat.

We both listened as the Holy Spirit spoke to us.

He told us that these were His people and He loved them very much. He told us that they worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

God took our breath away with that statement. He breathed into our spirit the understanding of:

John 4:23  “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

“…for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

What does that mean to us?

We know, that we know, that we know, that we know what it means deep, deep within our spirit.

We ask you all to agree with us in prayer that God guide us through the Holy Spirit to provide the words to express His heart and what He has shown us.

We have changed.

Our love for God has deepened.

Our desire to serve Him fully is consuming us. *smile*

We hunger and thirst for more of Him.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Our prayer today is that God will reveal Himself to you today as He has never before. That He takes you in the inky darkness of your soul and gathers you in the embrace of the light of His love and fills you to overflowing with Him.

We love you all in Christ,

David and Ann Marie

There seems to be a new trend of criticizing “worship” music. I read this blog the other day where the author talked about how annoyed he is with worship. He, and others, complain that certain lyrics are too “Jesus is my boyfriend”-esque, that some lyrics just aren’t true in his own heart, that some worship leaders try too hard to manufacture emotions, or that some songs are just dumb or cliche. I suppose I understand where these people are coming from, and it certainly causes me to look over the song choices for upcoming weeks, but I can’t say that I relate. Here are some thoughts on the subject…
1) Singing and making music to God is one of the things that really makes me come alive. It makes me tick. It stirs my affections for Him.
2) I don’t think the songs we choose at Origins are cheesy, cliche, or irrelevant…at least I hope not.
3) Worship, as a life, and through music, is a command.
4) If you don’t like it, provide some sort of constructive feedback to your leadership, don’t write a freaking blog about it. That goes for all of you Origins folks too. Listen, you can’t offend me. If you’ve got feedback of any kind, I want to hear it.
5) I could be wrong about this one, but I don’t think I’m one of those metro-style or emotionally awkward worship leaders. While I appreciate quality music and especially dynamic music, I am not organizing a song for the purpose of manipulating your emotions. If I back away from the mic and do a section a cappella, it is because it is powerful for me personally to hear voices being lifted up in praise. If we build up a certain section of a song, well, it’s really just to create quality music. Quality music has ebb and flow, it is dynamic, it is flowing. That’s it. If you get the vibe that we’re trying to manipulate, or if you feel like me intro-ing a song is just talking too much, please let me know. Again, you can’t offend me.

So why bring this up? Well, it really does have me thinking about what songs we sing, what they say, if they’re biblical, and whether or not I can relate. We’re introducing a song called “It is You” this week that I hope and pray doesn’t disgust anyone, isn’t cheesy, and speaks truth. It’s a pretty simple song…lyrics like ~”will you meet us here? we have come to worship you. god of mercy and grace. it is you praises are for”, etc. There is, however, something that the conservative backgrounded peeps may not be used to, “As we life up our hands…” To expand on point #5 above, if I ask you to lift your hands, it’s not because it’s a proper way to do things and it’s not to try and conjure some emotion that wouldn’t otherwise be there. Instead, I think there’s something to be said of us taking a certain posture towards God. In scripture we see bowing on knees, face to the ground, jumping and dancing, lifting of hands, quiet reflection, and more. I believe as we get out of our comfort zones, we create the potential to encounter God in a unique way. Come Sunday morning, you’re free to sit, stand, kneel, jump, or whatever you want…but I encourage you during this song in particular to try lifting your hands. If you relate at all to the blogger, then singing something that isn’t true probably won’t sit well with you. So singing, “as we lift up our hands” while we’re all standing there twiddling our thumbs is a tad silly, isn’t it? Again, I’m not going to force anyone into anything, but I don’t want us to be a congregation that just goes through the motions. I suppose the other option is to metaphorically lift your hands, or perhaps to just not sing those lyrics.

I first heard this song done by The Stillpoint Band down at Hill Country SW and it always engaged me in worship. Unfortunately, the only recorded version I could find out there was by the Newsboys and I don’t like it at all. But rest assured, it should make for a great song Sunday morning! Check it out below, but a little disclaimer: I just recorded this during my lunch break and thus didn’t bother to set up a mic and plug in my guitar. The audio is straight from the camera so won’t sound as good as usual. I also widened the lens angle so you’ll have to see my face on this one…I heard that just the guitar was awkward, but this feels more awkward for me!

My family and especially James can tell you I have very detailed dreams.  Most of the time they are crazy scenarios, but my most recent dream was one I had last week.  I shared a little about it as a Facebook status, but because I can’t seem to get it out of my head I want to share more about it here.

I was in a crowded gymnasium with metal bleachers.  Large groups were filing in and when everyone was seated I was one of a few people holding a microphone in front of the crowd.  The crowd was similar to crowds hundreds I have been in before, but the difference was that I knew each and every single person.  I couldn’t name the people who were there, but I knew every face in the crowd.  It was a huge praise and worship gathering for God.  We were singing and praising God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  I made my way around the gymnasium holding the microphone for people to testify and share what God has done in their lives.

Thinking about being the one holding the microphone made me think of the song Step Up to the Microphone by my favorite Christian band The Newsboys. (Click the link to listen!) In truth I do want to be the one with the “microphone” if not literally then figuratively. I want to be the one telling others about what God has done for me. I want to lead others to God and let them know that it’s through Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection that we can belong to God’s family. I want to be the example.  I want to get others talking about belonging to Jesus.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the crowd. I feel like as of late God has been showing me more and more just how many people belong to Him.  We are all in this together.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  Our differences don’t matter.  Our imperfections don’t matter.  All that matters is that we belong to Jesus. I usually don’t like to go with the crowd, but give me a crowd of believers any day . . . If you don’t know what I’m talking about, borrowing some Newsboys lyrics . . . . “if you don’t know, then you need to be told!”  Ask me or someone else that you know! I’ll step up to the microphone.  If you know what I’m talking about then I hope that you are part of my crowd!

Winter Jam Tour Spectacular Christian Music’s Largest Annual Tour. Featuring Third Day, Newsboys, Newsong, and more.

Worship Leaders – Bonny Voshell, Scott Hobbs

• Shout to the North
• Let Your Kingdom Reign/Mighty to Save (New Spring Church’s Arrangement)
• He Reigns (Rita Springers Arrangement)
• The Reward

Special thanks to Josh King for taking a leap of faith and filling in this morning on VERY short notice.  God presence was powerful today with a real anointing for healing.  God is moving!

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NASB)

…loved unconditionally.

Worship Leaders – Scott Hobbs, Janice Jester, Bonny Voshell

• Our God Saves – Paul Baloche
• Holy Is the Lord – Chris Tomlin
• Your Name – Paul Baloche
• Holy and Anointed One
• He Reigns – Newsboys (Rita Springer Version)

The youth celebrated and made a presentation for the 30 hour famine they had been on.  They had made a chain that had 2900 links in it with each link representing tons of people who die from hunger each day.  It was a great challenge to mission.  Then J. P. Herholdt gave a challenging and moving testimony about his tour of duty in Iraq as we honored our Veterans.  Amazing Day!

I thought these three videos complement each other very well. First, a very sharp, sadly true and thought provoking teaching from the lead vocal of Casting Crowns, Mark Hall, about the slow fade that so often happens for Christians when they start to listen to what non-Christians and Satan believe and think and slowly start ignoring the life-giving truths of God:

Keith Green talks about some of the same in this song where he laments the fact that so many of us Christians seem to lose the fire we may have had early on in our walk with Christ, but he comes to a place in the song, and came to that place at the end of his too short life on earth, where he saw that it was and is only the grace of God that we can trust to always sustain and cause us to not fall into sin and stuff that will destroy our lives and bring death in our relationships with God, ourselves and other people (Romans 6:23):

And finally this simple song about what to do when life is difficult, and you’re tempted to listen to the lies of the enemy who wants to bring you into the mud of mediocrity, sin, compromises and counterfeits. All we can do is turning our eyes upon Jesus, the initiator, author, sustainer and perfecter or our faith (Hebrews 12:2):

Blessings, Torben – who is so glad that my relationship with God is not based on what I do/say/think/feel or don’t do/say/think/feel. I’m so glad that everything is built on Jesus who never changes!

LINE UP: Third Day, Newsboys, NewSong, Tenth Avenue North, Fireflight, Sidewalk Prophets, Robert Pierre, Revive & Guest Speaker Tony Nolan

Date: 3/12/2010
Venue: iWireless Center, 1201 River Dr., MOLINE, IL Map

More Info:
TIME: 7:00PM
COST: $10 @ Door – No Advance Ticket

Doors open at 6:00PM
Pre-Show approx. 6:20PM
Lights Down approx. 6:55PM
Show Ends approx. 10:20PM

A study on “inattentional blindness” is to be published in an upcoming issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology — and its findings are startling (to most).

It seems that people using their cell phones are so distracted, and pay so little attention to things happening around them, that they fail to notice bizarre occurrences taking place. Bizarre like a unicycling clown.

Dr. Ira E. Hyman, Jr. of Western Washington University, is head researcher of the study and says that cell phone users were the group most prone to oblivious behavior (as compared to individuals walking alone, in pairs, or listening to their ipods). Only one-quarter of them noticed the unicycling clown, while pedestrians not not using a cell phone noticed the clown over half the time.

Now, Dr. Hyman, that’s all very interesting and I agree that all cell phone use while driving a motor vehicle should be banned. However — in the interest of science and all that, I think you should know that when you’ve got me in my stockroom, trying to decide between a couple of glorious tweed caps, you could have the entire troupe from the Cirque de Soliel, dancing on stilts, and I wouldn’t see a thing. Just saying.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

If you called someone on your cell phone after reading this post, get free updates (and maybe a unicycle) by email or RSS.

ScienceDaily.com source article

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It is bad enough that Christians aren’t more intentional about sharing the Gospel. But in a twist that Screwtape would be proud of, countless people who profess to follow Christ are actually proud about not sharing the Good News.  Michael Moore gave a good example of this when he said:

I have always believed that one’s religious leanings are deeply personal and should be kept private.

I’m not sure where he came up with that belief, but it isn’t in the Bible.  Since Moore was claiming to speak for Jesus, perhaps he should tell us how the Bible teaches that we should be private about our religious beliefs.  That would make it hard to fulfill the Great Commission: Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A commenter named Joanne noted that:

Progressive denominations have stopped trying to proselytize with their missionaries YEARS ago. Look at Global Ministries (UCC/Disciples of Christ). They make no efforts to convert people.

She’s right, and it is pathetic that those organizations who willfully withhold the Gospel call themselves churches or “disciples of Christ.” 

A regular commenter (“Sunday School Teacher”) noted this:

Our church is currently having a sermon series on Wesley’s “Three Simple Rules”.

The 1st rule is “Do No Harm”. Some people are trying to use this rule to argue that we should not try to change the religious view of others, as this could lead to conflict and thus harm.

I’m glad that SST is trying to lead his church in the right direction, but it is amazing that people learning about John Wesley would ever imagine that he’d discourage people from sharing the Gospel.  They couldn’t be more wrong. 

As Paul said in Romans 1:16:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

From the Newsboys song, I’m Not Ashamed:

What are we sneaking around for?  Who are we trying to please? 

Shrugging off sin, apologizing like we’re spreading some kind of disease.  I’m saying no way.  No way.

I’m not ashamed to let you know I want this light in me to show. I’m not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

This one says, “It’s a lost cause.  Save your testimonies for church time. ” Other ones say, “You’d better wait until you do a little market research.”

I’m saying no way.  No way.

The Gospel can and will offend people.  We don’t want to add to the offense with our own style, but that is no excuse not to share it.  The bad news is that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  The Good News — and it is still good news worth sharing — is that there is a Savior.  He is Jesus, and He is the only way to salvation. 

Hear the Good News, believe the Good News and share the Good News!  But please don’t identify as a Christian if you think it is bad news and refuse to share it with others.

NOTE: This is the Ridiculously Long Prelude to my Actual List, which is linked here:
Week of 10/18 – Honorable Mentions (#14-#11)
Week of 10/25 – #10. Lord of the Rings
Week of 11/1 – #9. How To Save A Life
Week of 11/8 – #8. The Beautiful Letdown
Week of 11/15 – #7. Awakened
Week of 11/22 – #6. MMHMM
Week of 11/29 – #5. The Alchemy Index
Week of 12/6 – #4. A Collision
Week of 12/13 – #3.
Week of 12/20 – #2.
Week of 12/27 – #1.

——————————

Little more than two months remain in this decade… well, unless you want to be technical and say the decade ends on a ‘0 year, but come on, when we say “the 80’s,” we’re not talking about 1990, so let’s call this decade 2000-2009. Anyway, it’s almost over, and I’ve been reflecting on those years and the influence they’ve had on my life, particularly in the realm of music.

Epoch The First
When this decade began, my knowledge of recorded songs consisted entirely of Chris Rice’s “Cartoon Song,” Stephen Curtis Chapman’s “Dancing With The Dinsoaur,” and my father’s Petra collection. My parents were not exactly musical connoisseurs, and while they did not necessarily object to rock and roll and the whole shebang (see Petra collection), the Christian radio station my mother listened to in Minneapolis probably did, and their repertoire consisted mostly of talk shows and the occasional “Cartoon Song.”

Then, in the late spring of 2000, we moved to Chicago. My mother probably had no idea she was about to change my life forever. She was just looking for a local Christian radio station to replace the one she listened to in Minnesota. But the one she found was much more in tune with the great conglomerate affectionately known as the Contemporary Christian Music industry. SHINE 89.7! (I still remember the jingle.)

This was all new and exciting stuff for me. We had discovered the station just in time for Plus One to storm across the airwaves. I had no idea they were supposed to be appealing to teenage girls. I had no idea they were carbon copycats of more popular (but undoubtedly less holy) boy bands. There was melody! There was harmony! There was instrumentation! This was cool stuff! The Promise, I am unashamed to say, was the first album I purchased with my own money, and later that year when we moved to St. Louis, their concert at the enormous Family Arena with Stacie Orrico and Rachael Lampa was probably one of the highlights of my formative middle school years (though I wish I could go back in time and see the smirks of the older schoolkids as I wore out that band T-shirt through the halls of CHS).

Of course, it wasn’t all sugar and spice. Some artists survived completely on the nourishment of the CCM market, but there were others that merely spilled over into radio appeal, and I tended to gravitate towards the Audio Adrenalines more than the Avalons. AA, dc Talk, and Newsboys all put out greatest hits albums around the same time, allowing me to quickly imbibe some of the highlights of the last decade while laying a foundation for the rockier side of things (I also got my first taste of industry practices.. The recorded version of “Say The Words (Now)” has Toby rapping on the bridge?!? And more electric guitar than the radio version?!? But it sounds so much cooler that way!)

I soon discovered that 89.1 played Christian rock on Saturday nights (and they let you request songs!), and while the Internet was a long way from utilizing music to its full potential, I used our dial-up modem and my 30-minute parental daily time allowance to read up on the latest charts, news, and even exclusive music videos from JesusFreakHideout.com. Kutless, Pillar, Thousand Foot Krutch…. such energy and power! Music became an interaction with my friends… John introduced me to some band named Skillet with whom he had a mildly distant church/family connection, and a kid named Dylan Chapman let me listen to an album by four young punny guys called The Anatomy Of The Tongue In Cheek (I though it was just OK at the time).

I floated happily along the twin channels of Christian Contemporary and Rock radio for the next three years and into high school (the 2003 “Go Show” at the Family Arena with Audio A and Kutless was another highlight), but eventually I was starting to get bored. I was still eating up new releases by bands that had come to be favorites, but the CCM radio thing was getting stale. The whole worship craze was kicking into gear, and while I had learned to love worship through the churches my family had been attending (particularly The Life! Church), the songs that made it through the machine and onto the careful airwaves didn’t give me the emotional connection of Hillsong United’s power chords, ambient keys, and raw lyrics. Some of them weren’t even original, and it started to bother me that Tree63’s “Blessed Be Your Name” and Phillips Craig and Dean’s “Come, Now Is The Time To Worship” were contributing sales and popularity to bands that didn’t even come up with the songs themselves. So Hillsong United kept me spiritually anchored while I went to explore elsewhere.

Epoch The Second
I’d heard for awhile the criticisms that the Christian industry just copied the mainstream, and, strangely enough, some of my favorite bands were actually starting to get played on secular radio! Those were the stations my high school peers were listening to anyway, and I was ready to get in on the exciting stuff. I was driving now and could listen to the radio in my car, and I was often tuned to the adult contemporary/pop tunes of Y98 or 101.1 The River, but I also discovered the alternative rock of 93.3 before I graduated high school. 3 Doors Down! Gavin Degraw! And on and on…. The well-polished catchiness of the mainstream stars was invigorating. I discovered the Pageant with my crossover bands, and as I had only ever seen a show from the back of a stadium, I was surprised and more than pleased to discover that in this “small” venue, there wasn’t a bad spot. The content of the secular musicians wasn’t all totally evil, although I wasn’t really interested in the depressing stuff. I even found uplifting Christian artists hiding in the mainstream…. The Fray, Flyleaf, Mat Kearney. It only bothered my ever-shaping worldview that there seemed to be an inverse relationship with how popular a band was and how much they specifically mentioned God or Jesus…. new Switchfoot was less blatant than old Switchfoot…. but compared to The Fray? Was this what was known as “selling out”? How could you “be a light” if you had to keep dimming it the farther you got into the darkness?

These thoughts churned in the back of my mind as I delved further into the mainstream. Breaking Benjamin was pretty depressing, but “Diary of Jane” had a cool and intense rhythm. MCR’s “Welcome To The Black Parade” sounded soooo epic! I even took a short detour through the hip-hop and rap scene. I certainly never allowed my personal library to be defiled with such vulgar language, but the beats of “Snap Yo Fingers” and “Ridin‘” and even some of that Rihanna stuff were really catchy to listen to on the radio. I can still recall most of the songs at the top of any major 2006 songs list, although it amazed me how easily the masses gobbled up the Top 40 “variety.” The R&B-laden “Temperature” and beat-driven “Lean Wit It” went down just as easily as the super-sugary ballad “What’s Left Of Me” or the country-pop “What Hurts The Most.” It didn’t matter what it was as long as it was catchy and easy and…. mindnumbing. Oh, so mindnumbing.

I got sick of the Top 40 stuff very quickly as I realized that three months later I didn’t know the songs anymore… it was all new and yet it pretty much all sounded the same as the old stuff. And the lyrics seemed to be getting even trashier. The unfaithful and cheating “Lips Of An Angel,” the deliberately audacious “Girlfriend“… it all felt like a blatant attack of selfishness, instant gratification, and destructive pleasure. It broke my heart to see my McDonald’s co-workers collapsing in broken relationships while they were listening to an utter glorification of physical satisfaction by any means possible (consequences not included). The Akon radio edit that replaced the obscene verb of “I Wanna F— You” with “I Wanna Love You” (as if the two words were somehow equatable) was one of the last straws. By the time the more innocuous and simply mindnumbing “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” came around, I had said goodbye to the radio, and I have no idea how that song goes, or most of the transient “hits” that have followed.

So what filled the new void? Well, the hardcore scene, for one, although that was really only one piece of a bigger puzzle (Underoath powerfully pioneered my epiphany that screaming nonsense actually contained discernible lyrics, often backed by beautifully talented music). But the integral element of my newly forming landscape was the Internet.

Epoch The Third
By the time I started my first year of college at the end of 2006, the Internet had come a long way from merely displaying charts and providing online radio…. and no, I’m not talking about downloading (which I still shun for a patchwork of legal, ethical, and philosophical reasons). I’m talking about this little website called MySpace and this nebulous buzzphrase called “social networking.” People forget that before MySpace there was no surefire, legitimate way to spontaneously listen to an entire song without spending money (unless you were lucky enough to find a music video on AOL… here’s to you, modern YouTube). You mean I can listen to the whole song… not just a clip…. of “Bad Day” without buying the album and without waiting 30 minutes for the radio to play it again??!! This was a monumental breakthrough!

Initially, towards the end of my radio days, I merely used this service to satisfy the urges for singles I had not yet purchased from iTunes. But it quickly became an efficient tool for discovering new music. Everyone was on MySpace. When CCM Magazine (which my grandmother mysteriously stopped renewing for me right about the time its value was waning for me) recommended a little Arkansas band called Deas Vail, I was able to find some tracks online that convinced me to purchase the album when it released.

AbsolutePunk.net quickly became a priceless beginning source, which, despite its name, collects news and reviews from a variety of genres. I had heard that Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman was working on solo projects, but it was a news post on AP that reminded me that it was out and that I needed to get it. I had heard the name Thrice mentioned here and there, but it was the buzz on AP that led me to the MySpace full album stream of the Alchemy Index (Vol I & II) that led me to purchasing the project that led them to become one of my favorite bands. A lot of these bands were also re-jolting my Christian/mainstream paradigms, as I discovered an increasing amount of Christian musicians who were respected and liked by unbelievers – even the musicians that were less compromising about their faith.

I was finally checking out musicians that had never been played on the local radio stations. Some of the bands I was listening to couldn’t fill a place like the Pageant, and I soon discovered truly small venues like the Creepy Crawl, Pops, and Off Broadway. I couldn’t try out every band I heard of, obviously, but I fell into a system of letting the buzz on a band build upon itself from a variety of sources – Internet, friends, live shows, etc – until they warranted a listen. I had heard of mewithoutYou, and I knew my friend Sam really liked them, but it was their midnight show at my first Cornerstone (2007) that finally pushed me over the edge. Ah, yes, Cornerstone. I have said plenty elsewhere about the impact of that annual festival.

These days, I feel like I’m pretty well-rounded. David Crowder Band and MuteMath slowly worked their way into my consciousness through a variety of connections via CCM, the Internet, and friends until I finally purchased an album and fell in love. Even now I don’t manage to entirely avoid the CCM circuit and occasionally come across a gem (tobyMac’s “Made To Love” gets a 5-star rating), and this is also true of the mainstream (see Coldplay’s last album). I found Children 18:3 because of my brother Jacob, Ian McIntosh because of my cousin Andy, and Josh Garrels because of my newer friend Josh Ehrmann. I went from the fence to a fan of Becoming the Archetype thanks to my college friend Ben, and Tyler Burkum went from forgotten to fascination this February thanks to a girl I had just met named Emily.

Maybe I’m starting to spread myself too thin, trading a few popular acts for a smattering of smaller ones and scooping up dozens of follow-up releases that all too often simply don’t seem as good as the originals (I’m looking at you, Ian McIntosh, Mat Kearney, MuteMath, The Glorious Unseen, and A Fine Frenzy). But before I consider the path of the future, I’m going to spend some time looking back at the last decade, highlighting the landmarks of my journey that was ridiculously long in the telling. I’m a musical nerd who always posts top lists at the end of the year.

In the coming weeks, as we finish off the 2000’s, I will be posting my countdown list of the ten most personally influential albums of the decade – how I discovered them, what I liked so much about them, and why they were and still are so important to me. If you want to humor my mild narcissism, feel free to guess what’s coming and read along….

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:24-25, NIV*

Peter’s words echo Isaiah 53, and to me they speak of a spiritual healing: from sin into righteousness, from our transgressions and iniquities and sorrows into peace.

I have no insights about physical healing, but spiritual hurts go even deeper—and they are clearly promised to be  healed.

The Apostle Paul tells us to count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, and he doesn’t mean to ignore our failings and pretend they don’t exist. I think he means to walk in the truth of God’s Word and not give in to the old ways.

To take Jesus’ promises as true and trust Him to be at work in us. To believe that His power is greater than our pain. To cooperate with Him as He changes us into what He designed us to be.

Father, there are so many things You want to heal and change in each of us. So much pain in the world. You are the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. The Message says You have named us and keep us for good. Help me love, trust and obey You.

I know I referred to this song last week, but I can’t read these verses without hearing Peter Furler’s impassioned recitation of parts of Isaiah 53 in the newsboys’ song (extended version), “I Am Free.” What I’d really like to share with you is the 7-minute version on the special edition Go CD, but this is at least more of it than you’d usually hear on the radio. It’s loud, but take the words to heart. It’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

I have some thoughts ensuing from my last post.  The first is about music.  This blog is primarily about classic Christianity as revealed through texts.  A discussion of Haydn’s Creation and the doctrine of creation is not about any classic texts of the faith, and a significant portion of it was about a teaching or idea.  However, a discussion of a piece of classical music such as that is consonant with the aims of Classic Christianity as seen in the sidebar on the main page.

The riches of the Great Tradition are not only locked away between the covers of books.  Another of the places where Christians can find the richness of the past ages is the arts.  Haydn’s Creation carries within it pieces of the tradition, truths that are timeless, enrobing them in the flesh of music.  The beauty of Haydn’s composition sings forth the beauty of creation.

Haydn’s Creation is but one example of many, but is an entrance into one facet of how music can carry the tradition through the ages.  Similar to Creation is Handel’s Messiah, also an oratorio, recounting the life and theology of the Messiah in beautiful music with words all taken from Scripture.  Within that tradition of performance-oriented classical music we also have Bach’s cantatas based on the passion narratives of the Gospels, Brahms’ German Requiem, and Stravinksy’s Symphony of Psalms among others.  All of this music captures in some way some aspect of the Great Tradition.  All of this music is worth listening to as music, as art.  And, I believe, all of this music is a vehicle of God’s grace and revelation.

Most Christian music, however, has been composed for use in worship.  The earliest surviving music is the chant of the ancient churches, Gregorian, Byzantine, Syrian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Armenian.  Related to these are Anglican plainsong and the chant of the Slavic churches.  This music is filled with an austere beauty and able to create space for worship of a type that modern worship music does not.  The Renaissance produced music so beautiful one imagines that the angels in heaven must use it as they gather around the Throne of the Almighty, especially Palestrina but also Tallis, Allegri, and others.  All of this ancient, beautiful music for worship stands within the same musical tradition and is very valuable.

Composers of classical music have also written music for times of worship.  Tchaikovsky wrote settings for the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  Monteverdi wrote Vespers.  Verdi and Mozart both wrote Requiems.  Vivaldi wrote a Mass.  Their music has also been applied to hymns by different lyricists, such as Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” providing the tune to “Joyful, Joyful.”

Also important is the tradition of hymnody.  I speak now of music with English lyrics.  These old hymns are worthy to be sung in congregations all of the world.  The best of them have resonant theology with captivating music.  My favourite hymnographers are Charles Wesley and John Mason Neale.  Some of my favourite hymns by other writers are “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus,” “I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship,” “As I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

In modern worship, these hymns sometimes fall through the cracks as we seek to be cool and contemporary and relevant, singing only the newest and hippest songs.  Yet these songs, these tunes with these words, connect us to the tradition of Christians who have gone before us, passing along their thoughts and theology, their beauty and sense of holiness.  I encourage leaders of worship to keep the hymns in the repertoire amongst the newer songs.

Exciting to my mind are some new hymns that have been produced (we’re talking hymn as a musical genre).  The only things that come immediately to mind are “In Christ Alone,” and “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”  Other musicians who have kept links to the old music, old poems, and old theology have produced new music for liturgical settings, as John Michael Talbot who has essentially produced the entire Mass and Steve Bell who has a version of the Sanctus, “Holy Lord.”  Steve Bell has also recorded musically new yet truly old songs on his album Devotion, though these are not all his own compositions.

A study of the old music is important for those who wish to engage in the creation of new music.  Some churches act as though only the old is worth singing; this is not true, for the old was once the new.  Some churches act as though only the new is worth singing; this is also not true, for the new is untested and untried.  A combination of the two is worth singing, in my opinion.  However, a knowledge of this old music, of Haydn, Palestrina, Tchaikovsky, Wesley,  and Neale, of what has gone before, will undoubtedly deepen the new music, as a knowledge of old poetry can deepen new poetry, that of old theology new theology, that of old paintings new paintings and so forth.

Since we’re talking about music, I do listen to some new Christian music besides John Michael Talbot and Steve Bell.  I am a fan of Rich Mullins and dc Talk (both “old” new music by now), some Newsboys, Jars of Clay, and Third Day as well as a certain amount of new worship songs by the likes of Matt Redman and people whose names escape me (except — because I worship at Little T — Mike Janzen and — because I’m kind of oldskool — Graham Kendrick).

Music is an important part of the life of church, ancient and modern, old and new.  We should tap the resources of this vast tradition that spreads out behind as well as all around us.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
John 1:47-49, NIV*

I’ve been told an Israelite’s fig tree in those days was a place of prayer. I like to imagine that whatever Nathanael’s prayer time had been that day, it was personal, intense. He meant business with God. Maybe he questioned if God really heard him, and if He’d ever send the promised Messiah.

Now something in Jesus’ words, or a look in His eye, let Nathanael know God had heard.

I’m making this up. But God does hear us, and sometimes He lets us know.

This morning after my quiet time with God, I turned on K-LOVE internet radio. Amid the friendly chatter, a lady called in to say she’d just read their Encouraging Word for the day on her Blackberry—and something in the verse spoke directly to what she’d been praying about. She knew God had heard.

I listened with half an ear until the next song began and my spirit shivered—the Newsboys’ “I Am Free” pointed right back to Isaiah 53, the Scripture I’d read twenty minutes earlier as I prayed for myself and for a friend. When the song started playing, I was typing him an email of encouragement.

Tell me God doesn’t hear prayer. The sun isn’t hot, either.

Father God, You are El Roi, the God Who Sees. Who loves us and has compassion on all He has made. Forgive our doubts when we wonder if You’ve heard us. Thank You so much for those very personal moments when You touch our individual spirits to let us know You hear.

Our song this week is “He Knows My Name,” by Tommy Walker.

*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

In the Hands of God by Newsboys is lead singer Peter Furler’s (the last remaining original member) last album as a member of Newsboys, the job being taken over by Michael Tait, former member of dc talk.

  The album starts off with the first of the two songs that reflect on Peter Furler’s time with Newsboys, The Way We Roll, a great song to kick off this amazing album. Following is the rocker No Grave, which shows off the perfect combination of Steve Taylor’s lyrical poetry and Peter Furler’s musical genius.

  Next is This Is Your Life, which has a bit too cliché lyrics and an over synthesized beat. Glorious, a great worship song, is sure to be their next I Am Free, from their last album, Go.

  The album gets even better on the second half, including RSL 1984, and Dance. My Friend Jesus is a story about a guy who bought a faulty product, and he gets put on hold when calling Customer Service. The meaning of it is to change the world and to basically stop and think, “What would Jesus do?”

  The Upside is an awesome song, Lead Me to the Cross, a song written by Brooke Fraser for Hillsong United, is just OK. Dance is a very upbeat song about how short life is and you have to live like there’s no tomorrow.

  RSL 1984, the second of the two songs that reminisce Peter Furler’s time with Newsboys, is the perfect song to end your career with. The first verse talks about the past times with the band, the second thinks about his homeland of Australia, and the third verse just wraps it all up.

  Overall, In the Hands of God is one of Newsboys greatest albums of all time.

1. My favorite singer of all time is unashamedly Michael McDonald.
2. I have a crush on Donald Sutherland, which is unrelated to music, but related to white hair (see #1).
3. Growing up, I learned to sing parts from listening to 4Him. Andy was my favorite.
4. I listened to a lot of BeBe and CeCe Winans as a young girl, and gospel choirs. I still love that music.
5. I discovered Christian Hit Radio in 5th grade. I used to record hours of music on tape and relisten to it.
6. I discovered the music of Carman that same year (Darn you, Christian school!) I believed God sent me Carman so I wouldn’t crush on the New Kids on the Block. It didn’t work.
7. I crushed on Carman and the New Kids on the Block. Until Michael English came along. Then Clay Crosse.
8. I sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonny Raitt for my college vocal recital.
9. That song (above), “Insensitive” by Jann Arden and “Lost the Plot” by the Newsboys were three of my favorite songs in college.
10. I once went to a Michael Bolton concert. It was the same day I had my front teeth bonded. Strange concurrence of memories.
11. My favorite concert entertainer is Harry Connick, Jr.
12. I want to see Brandi Carlile in concert but she’s not coming close enough on her fall tour.
13. I took piano lessons for about 10 years.
14. I played the flute for six years. My band instructor told me in Middle School that once I got my braces off, I might be pretty good, which pretty much crushed any ounce of self-confidence I had theretofore.
15. I almost minored in French in college, until my teacher told me I’d be better off minoring in English (see #14). I minored in graphic design because there was too much reading homework in English. La langue est surestimée.
16. My first interview ever as a journalism student was with Christopher Cross of “Sailing,” “Arthur’s Theme” and “Ride Like the Wind” fame.
17. I used to work at the Chevy/Geo Theater in the now defunct Opryland Do Wa Ditty City which hosted summer concerts for Alabama, Tanya Tucker and the Oak Ridge Boys. One year several acts came through, including Billy Ray Cyrus, whose sweat dripped on the top of my head while he was bending over the stage where I stood as security to prevent women from throwing their panties at him. I was also knocked down by a hoard of women rushing Randy Owen from Alabama, who then accidentally stepped on my finger while I was down. Speaking of, I leaned over to pick up my cheap watch that fell off my arm while Toby Keith happened to walk by after a meet-and-greet in the same theater. His reply was, “While you’re down there…” I didn’t know what he meant then, but I do now, and I don’t appreciate it.

This happy collection of memories is quickly going downhill.

Hey there!  Found a song I just bought from a CD.  Called “I am Free”, sounds quite familiar.  Quite a happy song.  Enjoy! =D

P.S. The video’s key would be in E instead of D. Can either capo at 2 or transpose one key up (i.e. open E, which should be easier to play) =D

I AM FREE
Newsboys
Key: D
Tuning: Standard
Source: christiantabs.wordpress.com

INSTRUMENTAL:
D  D4 	D
D  D2	D

VERSE 1:
D		D4 	D      	D	D4	D2	D
Through You the blind will see, Through You the mute will sing,
G
Through You the dead will rise, Through You all hearts will praise,
Bm                                         A    A2             D  D4 	D  D  D2   D
Through You the darkness flees, Through You my heart screams, I am free! I am free!

CHORUS:
       D
I am free to run (I am free to run)
       G
I am free to dance (I am free to dance)
       Bm                            A
I am free to live for you (I am free to live for you)
       D
I am free (I am free)

Band Members: (L to R)

Duncan “Squiz” Phillips (drums, percussion)

Michael Tait (lead vocals)

Jody ”Helmut” Davis (lead guitar, BGV’s)

Jeff “Oinch” Frankenstein (keys, synth bass)

Newsboys are a Christian pop/rock band formed in Mooloolaba, Australia, by drummer Peter Furler, bassist Sean Taylor, guitarist George Perdikis, and singer John James in 1984. Soon after, they packed their bags and headed to America, and toured the United States in a beat up old Dodge van. In Georgia, they found their manager, Wes Campbell. In 1988, they signed with Virgin Records and released their first album, Read All About It. The album wasn’t very much of a success, so the label dropped them. Because they didn’t have enough money to go back to Australia, they just kept going, and eventually signed with Star Song Records. In 1990, they released their sophomore album, Hell is For Wimps. Star Song kept them, and the Newsboys became a success in 1992, with Not Ashamed.  Fast forward 15 years, and they are releasing #1 hits, selling Gold records, and headlining tours and festivals across the world.

Newsboys Discography:

1. He’s Coming Back, 1987 (Independent)

2. Read All About It, 1988 (Refuge)

3. Hell Is For Wimps, 1990 (Star Song)

4. Boys Will Be Boyz, 1991 (Star Song)

5. Not Ashamed, 1992 (Star Song)

6. Going Public, 1994 (Star Song)

7. Take Me To Your Leader, 1996 (Star Song)

8. Step Up To The Microphone, 1998 (Star Song)

9. Love Liberty Disco, 1999 (Sparrow)

10. Shine – The Hits, 2000 (Sparrow)

11. Thrive, 2002 (Sparrow)

12. Adoration: The Worship Album, 2003 (Sparrow)

13. Devotion, 2004 (Sparrow)

14. Go, 2006 (Inpop)

15. In The Hands of God, 2009 (Inpop)

The Way We Roll Tour Itinerary
10/1 Greensboro, NC
10/2 Marietta, GA
10/3 Thomasville, GA
10/4 Winter Park, FL
10/8 St. John, NB CANADA
10/9 Lowell, MA
10/10 Augusta, ME
10/11 Albany, NY
10/17 Whitestown, IN
10/18 Ft. Wayne, IN
10/23 St. Charles, MO
10/24 Salem, IL
10/25 Little Rock, AR
10/28 Farmington, NM
10/29 Prescott Valley, AZ
10/30 Yuma, AZ
10/31 Tucson, AZ
11/1 Las Cruces, NM
11/2 Colorado Springs, CO
11/5 Tulsa, OK
11/6 Ft. Worth, TX
11/7 Cypress, TX
11/13 Bourbonnais, IL
11/14 Grand Rapids, MI
11/15 Wilmington, OH
*dates subject to change

Kan inte låta bli att skratta varje gång jag hör Newsboys “Wherever we go”. Riktigt rolig text. Hör själva:

Wherever we go, the bluebirds sing
And the flowers bloom
And the grass gets green
It’s a curious thing
But it’s just our thing

Wherever we go, the bees behave
In the treetops, squirrels smile and wave
It’s a curious thing
And it’s humbling

Where we go, little glow-worms glow
Little roadrunners run ahead
Gonna tell their friends
Little mice, little men
Get ‘em all excited
All invited

Hands up
Holler back here
Let’s throw this party in gear
We brought the welcome mat
Wherever we go, that’s where the party’s at

Wherever we go, the dumb get wise
And the crime rates drop
And the markets rise
It’s a curious thing
But it’s just our thing

Bullies make nice, crooks repent
And the ozone layer shows improvement
It’s a curious thing
And it’s humbling

Wherever we’re led
All the Living Dead wanna leave their Zombie Mob
It’s a touching scene when they all come clean
God help us, we just love our job

Hands up…

LOL. Visst märker vi kristna av just det – att där vi drar fram blir ozonlagret lite bättre, och lysmaskarna glöder lite extra. “God help us, we just love our job!”

Och här har ni själva låten.

Newsboys verkar för övrigt ha värvat Michael Tait som ny sångare. Låter spännande. Lyssna på fler låtar på deras myspace –> www.myspace.com/newsboys

Hilsen. Linus.