The Meaning behind EVERYTHING

God in my laughing...
There in my weeping...
God in my hurting...
God in my healing...
...Be my everything.

Just a few lines from the worship song "Everything" by Tim Hughes. I've been honestly living with this song for past few months. I absolutely love it. It is quite simple yet has moved me with its profound message. I've really come to respect Tim Hughes for his heart, his musicianship and his gift for writing and leading good worship. I've even had the pleasure of sitting under his worship leading at Passion'06.

Here's a bit of the song... with some explanation behind it... from some random English worship TV show... I think.



Maybe life is up... your job is good, your family is healthy, your ministry is growing, your team is winning, your account is growing, your flowers are blooming, your kids are obeying, your shots are falling, your relationships are growing... but who is your everything?

Maybe life is down... your health is failing, your clients are leaving, your basement is flooding, your car is leaking, your collectors are calling, your kids are leaving, your ministry is fleeting, your friends are ignoring, your life seems boring... but who is your everything?

Sunday Bloody Sunday

A song of longing for the end of pain... war... battle... unrest... and the restoration of shalom (the peace & wholeness of God).

I can't believe the news today
I can't close my eyes and make it go away.
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?

-selah

Behind the Music of Keith Green

I was reminded of my fond affection for the music of Keith Green this past Sunday. Dennis Jernigan shared of the influence that Keith has had on his own music. Then I found The Keith Green Story on youtube.... and I ate it up today (all 7 parts and 60 minutes of it). This is the best thing I've watched on youtube...ever.

His story of acid-dropping, star-seeking, spiritually-minded, hippie... to life-turned upside down, born again, follower of Jesus... to ministry-minded, hard-core evangelist... to top-of-the-charts Christian musician... to tragic death... is gripping (quite an understatement).

This piece of Christian Music History should be required reading. Keith Green's authenticity and passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ is a swift kick in the pants.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

So(u)l music for kids

Allow me to introduce you to the music of Jamie Soles... this is no joke...


I know they look like a home-schooled version of the partridge family... but don't let that scare you... just yet.

I first heard of Jamie from my friends at St. Anne's Public House. I love the pub... they make me think... and do it for free.

Jamie is a reformed brother from North of the border and father if 8. He writes and performs Christian children's music that is in a category all it's own... it is stuffed with Scripture and is thoroughly theological.

In addition he is keeping a blog... and here are a few of my favorite posts:

How do you DO that? : On the virtues of elders and alcohol and how they are best enjoyed together.

Harry Potter: On the delightfulness of the writings of J.K. Rowlings and how they are possibly the best Christian literature written in the past 60 years.

Rock On!

Doing that Church Hop

Anyone recognize the photo? Clue: One of the coolest early '80s Christian music artists..... give up... Ray Boltz. Oh yeah... back in the early '80s Raybie was the shizz.

I saw him in concert at the "Kings Place" when I was in high school. It was shweet! I'm not talking the shaved head, goatee wearing, guitar playing Ray Boltz. I'm talking the perm sporting, mullet wearing, mustache grooving, old school Ray Boltz.

Well he had the cheesiest song called "Church Hop." I wore out the tape listening to that one. Here's a taste of the lyrics.

Some folks go where they get fed
They do
Some folks go where they feel led
Do you?
Some folks just can't
Make up their mind
Changing churches all the time
They want something hot
They want something new
They just can't find that perfect pew

Doing that church hop
Doing that church hop
Once you get started
You just can't stop
Don't you be doing that church hop

I know. You've copied the lyrics into your prayer journal. However cheesy the song... the issue of how to choose a church... or maybe when to leave a church.. is legit. A friend of mine, Josh Perry, recently posted on reasons to leave a church and go to another one.

He is a church planter in Huntington, WV. He is going places. He is gifted. He loves the Lord. He is a leader. He has "it"... but gives God the all the glory for "it". He wants to reach non-Christian people.

And his problem is that people want to jump ship on their little church to ride his wake for the next season. So he has the fun job of scaring away people from polluting the gene pool. His post rises from his context... but the truths apply to us all. Good work Josh.

VT is not forgotten

I regret not posting earlier on the tragedy down at Va Tech. For some the news has come and gone. For others the pain is still fresh. I was stunned and saddened and appalled at the darkness that could lie within a human soul. And I really had no idea what to say. Sometimes I just need to be silent.

But after some reflection I thought I'd post on how do we respond Christianly when such tragedy strikes? In a variety of ways I suppose. One is simply to be present with one another. It is not so much what we say or do for those who mourn, but to be in the presence of a loved one. I even remember hearing some of the students say they could not go home during the break... because they needed to be together.

This is the very thing that God offers to us... his presence. Even his name "I am" or "I will be" is not so much a quality as it is his dynamic presence. The creator is a dynamic presence in the lives of those whom believe and trust in him.

Another Christian response is that we sing. It may sound simple or silly or even condescending, yet it is profoundly true. In times of tragedy or deep pain we turn to our poets and musicians to remind us that things were good... that things are OK.. and that things will get better.

In light of this the Passion movement, led by Louie Giglio, which is the Christian voice to college students is offering a free EP in the month of May called Hope for the Hokies. You can download it here.

How Great is Our God

My wife and I and a couple of friends went to the "How Great is Our God Tour" last night. It featured singers Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman and speaker Louie Giglio. This was certainly todays Jesus Rock at its finest. It naturally blended the finest in show production (with fancy lights and LED panels) with Christ-centered worship (with little left to the imagination).

As a confessing intellectual (not that I'm all that smart... but I love hearing from smart guys) my favorite piece was the talk by Louie. His mixed his passion for the glory of God and hankering for science into a soul-stirring, worship inspiring look out at the cosmos and in at the human body. When Louie shines the light on creation it certainly stirs my soul into wonder and amazement at the Creator.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Psalm 33:6

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:18-19

Here is Louie holding up a golf ball (representing in the Earth) in front of a 15 foot image of the sun... giving us an image of how small we are.

Start with the ending

Last Friday night my wife and I double dated with my brother and his wife. In celebration of my little bro's recent birthday we took in a David Wilcox concert. Wilcox is a solo folk artist who is as much a storyteller as he is a singer/songwriter.

His show started with a clever yet insightful song, Start with the Ending, my favorite of the night.

The show was at Little Brothers down on High Street. Boy am I glad that there is no longer smoking in bars. The small crowd of 100 ranged in age from college students to 60 year old married couples. Most were deeply acquainted with his music even reminding him of lyrics when his memory failed him.

I was drawn into the magic of the night and mystique of the man. As the night continued a theme began to emerge... which seemed to be as much a shock to Wilcox as to the crowd. He shared repeatedly about the recent death of a close friend which added depth to songs of longing and loss and hope.

I was struck at how present Wilcox was. It was as if the evening was a give and take between him and us. The room seemed small. The stories and songs seemed to be about more than just a concert but almost like a church service that begged us to consider the bigger questions of life.

The songs were not Jesus hidden behind kitchy images... but were honest takes on selfishness, fear and love. His songs ring with the honest truths and pains of life. His stories, like parables put abstract ideas into concrete terms that the congregation could wrestle with during the following days. If you want to get a taste of David Wilcox, I recommend Live Songs & Stories.