What Moved Me in 2025

We have arrived at the end of another calendar year. 

2025 was quite a year for sure. 

Over the last couple weeks, as I've been reflecting on all that transpired in and around my life, I found myself remembering all the big and little things that moved me.

As he was fighting a losing battle with cancer some 30 some years ago, Jim Valvano gave a rousing speech that is famous for his ending mantra, "Don't give up, don't ever give up". At the beginning of this address, he mentions three things people should do every day of their lives, "laugh", "think", and "have our emotions moved to tears". If we do that every day, Valvano states, "that's a FULL day".

It is in that vein that I offer this list of things that stand out to me from 2025 because they made me laugh, think, or moved me to tears. Some of this list was inspirational, some involved pain, some of these things just left an imprint on my soul. Some were a mix of all of the above and more.

I offer three general things and then three specific things that really moved me this past year.

Generally: 

• Family - Our boys are growing up, with both now in elementary school. The development of their character and personality is a joy. Make no mistake, parenting two boys under 8 is exhausting but has special moments all the time. Family life was also filled with challenges too. My wife had significant health struggles. My mom did as well. Family is an area I see God constantly refining me in my own sanctification. But in my weakness, He is strong. 
• Funerals - I recently attended the memorial service of the former president of my alma mater, whom I'd had as a professor and whom I'd also worked under for a time. He was a man of sterling faithfulness and we celebrated that. That experience reminded me of the other funerals I officiated and attended this year. Good people with good legacies. Life is fleeting and I appreciate the reminder that this life is not all there is - and that Jesus has conquered the formidable enemy we all have.
• Pastoral Ministry - Tomorrow marks 13 years of serving at Milford First Brethren Church. It has been so rewarding, such a blessing. We are a smaller, aging congregation with plenty of limitations and weaknesses. But we make a difference in our community and beyond. It is such a joy to see God work in people's lives and to be a conduit for God's grace to those inside and outside the church. And even personally, God has shown up as I've led, studied, and proclaimed his Word at various points. Those moments keep me going.

Specifically:

• Andrew Peterson's "A Liturgy, A Legacy, & the Songs of Rich Mullins" album. This album is a recording of a live concert he did along with numerous musician friends as a tribute to the CCM legend. Mullins has long been an artist whom I deeply respected and the older I get, the more I appreciate his catalog. Few people could credibly take on this kind of tribute while matching the "heart" of Mullins - and Peterson is certainly one of those few. The entire album honors and celebrates one of the all-time albums in Christian Music history and leaves you not just grateful for Mullins - but drawn to Jesus. And that's just how Rich would have wanted it.
• "Downstairs" - Twenty One Pilots - This song stands on a drastically different end of the musical spectrum as Peterson/Mullins but it reflects a similar spiritual perspective. Twenty One Pilots are a band who transparently wear their heart on their sleeve in so many of their songs all of their art. This one is particularly raw, and humble, and lamenting, and doubtful, and worshipful. These lyrics in particular will both haunt me and be part of my own prayers for a long time:

You can have all I've made and all I've ever known
You can have both my lungs if you ask me so
'Cause I-I-I want to be the one after your own heart
And I-I-I might doubt the process like I doubted the start

        When you can find multiple videos of vocal coaches and musical analysts getting emotion                     themselves over the content and construct of this song, you know it is something special.

•  "Wake Up, Dead Man" - This movie, now streaming on Netflix, is the best portrayal of the Christian faith that I have seen in a long, long time. It pulls no punches in its honest portrayal of the strengths and the weaknesses of Christianity (western, evangelical and Catholic). It is impossible to miss the critique of the growing power-hungry passion that has taken over many who call themselves Christian. It is also impossible to miss the beauty of Christ-like service and devotion that is portrayed too. This is the third of the popular "Knives Out" franchise that features detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) solving a crime in a dramatic fashion. This installment however flips the narrative on its head from what we've come to expect from these "whodunnit" movies. And in doing so, it leaves room for the truth of the Gospel to land powerfully. The director Rian Johnson is a former evangelical who no longer professes to be a Christian. In the hands of another with his background, one would expect a scathing rebuke. Instead, he offers an accurate depiction of the way of Christ in the face of brokenness, corruption, and shame.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Twelve years ago, January 1, 2013, I officially started as pastor at Milford First Brethren Church. 

If my memory serves me correctly, I did go into the office that New Year's Day. A few days later, I started this blog. As you can see from that link, I was much more active back then with my blog posts.

Many things have changed with me, my family, and our church for sure. Through it all, God has been faithful and good. We have seen him at work in some special ways here in Milford. 

Today, I thought I'd share some reflections that have been sitting in the back of my mind for quite awhile but have only probably recently thought about connecting all the dots.

And they truly are reflections - looking back at God's hand in guiding and preparing me for these last 12 years. See, if you've ever read this blog before, you know the influence Christian music has had on my life. It's a favorite subject of mine - and while I am no longer someone who is on top of every new act or group, it is still an interest of mine.

And as I've reflected on God's guidance on my life to this point, I've realized that there were some particular songs that prepared me, almost subconsciously, for serving here in Milford. I was thinking about this awhile ago and realized there were 3-4 songs (plus one honorable mention) that were not big hits, but caught my attention in my college and seminary years where I was studying for pastoral ministry. Several months ago I wrote out my list and subsequently lost it but I rewrote it and will share it below. I feel compelled to say that I think my original list included another song that I just can recall.

But here are some Christian pop/rock songs that honor small-town ministry and being faithful in relative obscurity. These have always encouraged me lest I get envious or coveting greener pastures.

A Sermon Snippet about a Music Monday

 Ok, it's not Monday. But this blog started with two themes. I originally wrote either about stuff I found interesting in my sermon prep or about music.

Today, I dust off the mothballs of both of those subjects in a special combo post.

This coming Sunday I'll be preaching on Luke 14:1-24 which includes Jesus' parable about a banquet. The story he tells describes a man inviting his friends to a celebration. But the story takes a turn:

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.

The host then sends his emissaries out to gather up anyone and everyone to his banquet. Jesus then gives away some of the symbolism by concluding that "not one of those who were invited will be invited will get a taste of my banquet."

The story conveys God's fervent desire to bring in people to his future Kingdom banquet of blessing. But it also highlights the "good" excuses many employ to avoid committing to Christ and His Kingdom.

At face value, you wouldn't think this is a natural passage for a song. 

But you would be wrong. Thanks to my second and third grade education at Warsaw Christian School, I have this earworm permanently lodged in my brain:

It's catchy, memorable, and upbeat - even if the content isn't exactly truly happy-happy-joy-joy.

The cartoon animation artwork was not part of the presentation in the late 80's/early 90's but it's perfectly fitting to my memory. 

I have no deeper thoughts or comments, other than what I'll share in my message. But this is really 10/10, no notes. Cheers to the creative mind that took the challenge of putting this parable to music and authoring this little ditty. 

A Song for Good Friday

Is this the kingdom or just a hit n' miss?

A misdirection, lost in all this desperation...

It'll be a day like this one

When the sky falls down and the hungry and poor and deserted are found 

Are you discontented? Have you been pushing hard?

Have you been throwing down this broken house of cards?

It'll be a day like this one when the world caves in.

Is there nothing left now?
Nothing left to sing
Are there any left who hasn't kiss the enemy?
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

Does justice never find you? Do the wicked never lose?
Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?

And nothing is okay
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in

These lyrics are portions of Switchfoot's "The Blues" from their Nothing is Sound album.

While not written with Easter in mind, I find that it pretty accurately reflects the events, the appearance, and the mood of that first Good Friday. It was a day in which apparent darkness belied the light that was coming. A day where apparent defeat was transformed into victory. 

The sky fell down and the hungry and poor and deserted were found. 

Justice did find us, the wicked did lose. 

And nothing was ok until the world caved in.

Wednesday Wisdom (that could have been a Music Monday)

I can't find the original tweet, but a few weeks ago someone I follow posted a short thread about what they considered to be the best Disney song ever. 

I grew up in a classic age of Disney animated films with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and others coming out seemingly in rapid succession. All have well-loved music that was written for those films. More recent classics like Frozen, Moana, Encanto, and Coco have continued that Disney musical film legacy. 

But this tweet didn't identify any of the songs from any of those movies as the best ever. Instead, they called back to a movie from 1973 and the animated Robin Hood movie. But even then, this individual didn't select some of the memorable upbeat tunes like "Oo-de-lally" or "The Phony King of England". Instead, they chose this:

Once I saw this was their pick, I immediately understood. This song stands out. It stood out to me even as a young kid when I watched this movie. I had these lyrics stuck in my head still as an adult. The song matches the film's mood perfectly. And it sits in lament. It lets even a younger viewer grapple with the stakes of what is going on. The song allows the movie to not cheapen the comeback of Robin Hood and his crew with a quick resolution. It wallows in the darkness.

And while it's not my favorite Disney song ever, it has my enduring respect because of the uniqueness of it's tone and subject matter. 

On top of this, that scene also is spiritually instructive too. I used it as a sermon illustration a couple weeks ago because it matches well the instruction in 1 Peter about how God's people should respond to suffering. What do those characters do during the song? They care for each other, help feed and care for other sufferers. And the capper of the Friar and his assistant ringing the church bell "because it might bring those poor people some comfort. And we must do what we can to keep their hopes alive." 

I mean, read 1 Peter 4:7-11 and tell me that isn't exactly the point of Peter's letter.

So tip of the cap to Roger Miller, who wrote the music and lyrics. And shoutout to Mumford and Sons for their apparent love for the song as well. 

And if you are going through some struggles, let me encourage you to find some grace in an overlooked classic Disney song and God's Word to his people in the letter of 1 Peter.

Tunes for a Tuesday - Agnus Dei

I got a collection of records recently. 

My mom and other relatives are going through my grandma's house and preparing to sell, donate, or get rid of all of her stuff now that she's living in an assisted living facility. Not a whole lot interested me when I stopped by, but I did take a box of records. I didn't even take time to look through the whole set until later, but I could tell this was 70's and 80's Christian music. 

We don't have a record player but there's enough "Christian classic" stuff in there that we may get one soon. First albums of Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. Top-selling Sandi Patti records, a Gaither Vocal Trio album, and randomly, a Lilly Tomlin comedy recording. 

At some point I will do blog reviews of some of these albums for sure. But they led me down a road of some of the songs and albums that I grew up with in the late 80's and 90's. 

Eventually I stumbled back on an old favorite that I liked "before it was cool". By the aforementioned, Michael W. Smith, Agnus Dei was the next to last song on his popular "Go West Young Man" album. 

It is quite a musical contrast from the rest of his album. It is symphonic, classical, written for a choir. It is beautiful worship. 

The song may have been lost to time, if not for a project Smith produced in 1998 that featured singles by a variety of popular CCM artists. Third Day, a Georgia-based rock band, put their spin on it. As the album's Wikipedia states, this version "is still played on the radio today". It was a CCM mega-hit that turned the song into a rugged worship song that was all the rage in those days.

After taking this drive down memory lane, something struck me. Is there a precedent for this at all? A song taking off in popularity 8 years or so after it was originally recorded?

The answer is yes, but it's pretty rare. Covers are very popular if you do any kind of dive into YouTube, but how many really take the original to a different level?

• In the CCM world, the only comparison that jumps to mind is "In the Light" which was written and sung originally by Charlie Peacock and then sent to the stratosphere when dc Talk covered it for the Jesus Freak album.
• In the pop music world, I would compare this to "I Will Always Love You", where Whitney Houston remade the Dolly Parton song and turned it into a 14-week chart-topper.

I would point out one big difference with Agnus Dei. The above songs are examples of improvements on an original. And this is a matter of opinion, but I think the original Agnus Dei is much better. At the time, I loved the Third Day version as I was really into that style. But given some time and space and a changing musical palate - I prefer the original. Some songs just need to be sung by groups and choirs and great vocalists.

Side note and bonus feature: I am not too entrenched in the old classics to admit that if someone has made a better version, it's these folks. I don't know who the Cottrell's are, but they and their church choir (?) did an inspired job arranging two special worship songs here:

Lament

Yesterday saw another mass shooting, this time in an elementary school. Within the last two weeks, we've seen elderly people of color gunned down in supermarkets and Asian-Americans attacked in their place of worship. Yesterday was kids and teachers in a school.

We grieve, as we should. 

We get angry, as we should. 

We search for answers, as we should. 

But something is missing. 

We do not truly lament as we should. 

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This past weekend saw the Southern Baptist Convention release it's third-party report on it's failures to properly address abuse over the past several decades. 

This past weekend saw another pastor admit to egregious immorality. This time it was in my hometown.

We grieve, as we should. 

We get angry, as we should.

We search for answers, as we should. But something is missing. 

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Lament, as I see it in the Scriptures, is an inner and outer wrestling with the reality of injustice, pain, sin, and suffering. Not necessarily all of those at once, but allowing one or more of those things to set in your spirit, languishing with the trauma and not brushing it aside or pretending it doesn't exist. 

Lament involves grief and anger and answers, but it is more than that. 

Lament is facing the consequences of idolatry head on (see Lamentations).

Lament is part of repentance and healing. And I would argue it is such a vital component of each that you cannot repent or heal without true lament. 

Lament is the choice to confront your broken condition and broken circumstances and ultimately turn to Jesus - not for an explanation or answers but for his presence. It holds back no questions and lets out all emotions. It doesn't worry if it is "proper" to vent, it just does. 

Lament is Jesus' groan of anger and sadness at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:33,38).

Lament is Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem as he approaches it before His Passion Week (Luke 19:41-44).

We in the West have trouble lamenting like this. Those families and communities affected will lament, they have no real choice. But lament should be the response of the rest of us too. 

Instead we try to move on quickly. We find excuses why we should and why things should remain the same. It is easier to pretend the problems don't exist. It is easier to pretend it is enough to address the symptoms rather than the disease. It is easier to believe that since no specific solution will prevent all of these tragedies that we have to give up trying to do anything to prevent some of these tragedies from repeating themselves in the future. 

We need to Lament. 

Lament will bring healing, repentance, and change. It will lead us to Jesus.

I use this blog to often feature music I appreciate and enjoy. Here's a song of lament that I happened to revisit last weekend, I think it can be instructive in its own way. 

Obscure CCM Bands Vol. 3

There was a particular experience common to many of us who grew up around CCM in the mid to late 90's. It felt like the CCM market was flooded with all kinds of bands as labels tried to see which ones would 'stick'. Thus, there is this whole pool of "obscure" bands from which to pick from for these last several blog posts. Some emerged as real heavyweights - Switchfoot, Third Day come to mind. Others never got traction for whatever reason.

Shaded Red was a band that landed squarely in this latter category. I can't remember how I stumbled upon their first album. Probably either my friends Jason Zaugg or Dave Robertson - shout out to those guys. It may have been from hearing the single below in its brief run on the radio. The band actually did make its mark on the CCM world with its second album Red Revolution. "Revolution" and a cover of "When God Ran" drew praise from critics and fans. But even with some modest success, this second album would be there last. 

It's my personal theory that this band's trajectory was permanently altered by the tragedy that befell them before their last album was even released. They were in a car accident that killed their drummer and I can only imagine how hard this was to process, let alone continue as a group. 

But I will always appreciate the art they produced. In the vein of Jars of Clay, they mixed acoustic and electric guitars along with piano, and later horns to produce a classic "Christian grunge" sound. Their first self-titled album became a rarity - due to their original label closing up shop if I remember correctly. In fact, in the early 2000's, I remember shelling out at least $30 to help my friend Dave's girlfriend purchase it as a birthday present for him. We were all at a Christian rock festival and randomly came across it in a vendor's collection. 

Thankfully, someone's uploaded the entire album to Youtube. "Caught" and "Found Someone" are the favorites I always gravitate towards. Shoutout to Jamie and Jonathan Roberts and the rest of their crew who created some really good music in a really short period of time.

Tuesday Tunes - Obscure CCM bands Vol. 2

Music has this incredible effect of burning lyrics and melodies into our brains. Those things may lay dormant for years until a random trigger may cause them all to come flooding back into our heads.

Today's obscure CCM band is a perfect example of that for me. 

The Waiting had a signature style, a signature sound, and a signature way of conveying their message lyrically. 

They started to make a name for themselves with Blue Belly Sky in 1995. Their peak was in the late 90's, particularly with the release of their self-titled third album. 

For me, they were an example of a consumer-formula that made me a fan. They had some songs on some "sampler" CD's that labels put out to promote their newer bands. Those singles convinced me to shell out my hard-earned cash to get the full album. 

The aforementioned third album, The Waiting, is a solid effort top to bottom. At some points they remind me of R.E.M. but that's the closest I can come to a comparison. They had a way of hitting you upside the head with their challenging and perspective-questioning lyrics that you couldn't see coming. 

From my own memory, songs like, "Never Dim", "How Do You Do That?", and "Hands in the Air" got a lot of attention. But for me it was the second layer of songs like "Number 9", "Pride", and "Better off as Friends" that kept me coming back. The latter especially turned what would become trope on its head. Instead of writing a song that could be vaguely descriptive of Jesus or a boyfriend, this one intentionally used that relational category to expose how we often flippantly treat our Savior. 

In a similar vein, I must mention one verse from "My Pride" that stopped me dead in my tracks the first time I heard it and still convicts:

I've wandered like an orphan

Down every dirty street

Till I stood before the Man

Who bent down to wash my feet

It's easy to wallow in nostalgia and opine about how no one really writes like this anymore in the CCM world. I think it may be true in this case, especially when you digest their full catalog. 

According to their Wiki page, they haven't retired as a band, but the members have generally gone their separate ways and more or less faded into the obscurity of their local lives. They made a mark on this young listener however, and I am grateful for both their creative music and their creative songwriting.

Friday Fun

I've been so sporadic with my posts, I'm inventing a title for this Friday edition. We have Wednesday Wisdom, Thursday Thoughts, and now Friday Fun. They are all one and the same really...just a matter of when I get around to writing.

The subject of this week's blog stems from a Twitter thread I saw a few weeks back. @drleahpayne asked "Looking for very weird, very obscure Christian rock bands...any ideas?" It currently has received 249 replies which is great as many of them name bands I'd never heard of. 

But inspired by Dr. Payne, I'll take the next few weeks to highlight a few of my favorite long-forgotten and obscure CCM bands.

First up, let me offer you a Reality Check. 

They are characteristically 90's CCM in so many ways. Stylistically similar to dc Talk, they even had relational connections with Michael Tait of that band.

After their debut independent album, they put out two records on the Star Song label. It was their second that briefly put them on the CCM map. 

I recall they had a single that received Christian-pop airplay, "Know You Better". That song was a bit of an anomaly as far as their sound was concerned. Though they certainly had things in common with dc Talk, they had a unique "funkiness" and "edge" that made them distinct.

You can find a Jesus Freak Hideout Review that gives it 4 out of 5 stars. I may need to relisten to it in its entirety again, but I'd be hard pressed to give it anything less than 4.5 or 5 stars. It was on regular rotation in my late high school and college years at the turn of the millennium. 

The band faded from existence shortly after reaching their peak with this album. They made quite the impression, at least on this CCM connoisseur. 

Personally, I really loved the entire album, start to finish. But it is the first three songs that really draw you in, plunging you headfirst into their up-tempo, in-your-face rap/rock energy. "The Way I Am", "Plastic", and "Masquerade" set the tone for the 10 song set that never really lags but never exhausts your ears either.

Thursday Thoughts

We are in the throes of the Christmas season it would seem. 

With all of the extra programs and specials and events that churches tend to have around Advent, it can be a tiresome stretch for pastors. My church doesn't have too many extra things going on typically. But even just adding in family plans can pile stress on top of stress.

Pretty much every year there comes a point where I feel myself being drained by it all. Certain Christmas things can be reenergizing though. Near the top of the list is the music. But not all Christmas music. I find a few specific selections tend to refuel my tank. I'll probably feature several over the next week and a half, but here's one I've always enjoyed, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. It's a beautiful, simple song entreating the Lord for his grace and presence.

Music Mondays/Sermon Snippets

So I went the entire month of July without posting here. In retrospect, I'll call it an unintentional blogging sabbatical. 

This month has been filled with hot weather, family get-togethers, church events, yard work, our denomination's national conference, a mini-vacation...and now we are getting into August all of the sudden.

As I've traditionally done in the past, this summer I switched to a sermon series that lends itself to people's summer schedule (ie, traveling-vacation-inconsistent church attendance). I picked "The Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5-7 and am in the middle of the Beatitudes. 

Yesterday brought us to, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" in Matt. 5:4. Like many of these other sayings, Jesus doesn't seem to make worldly sense with this assertion. I had some extra time to prepare leading up to this and providentially I kept finding myself personally confronted with lamentable situations.

I'm convinced more and more that mourning/lament are the most ignored part of Christian discipleship in our modern times. Read Scripture with an eye for this and you'll find it everywhere. Whether it's mourning over the death of faithful saints (Gen. 50), the deplorable condition of God's city (Nehemiah 1ff), the depraved condition of God's people (Lamentations 1, all the Prophets), or simply suffering injustice (Ps. 22, 86), lament is an integral part of what it means to walk with God. It's not just about being sad. It is about seeing how the world is not as it should be - but still trusting in God to make it all right.

This brings me to our music for today. A Facebook memories reminder pointed me in this direction. Of all the modern CCM artists out there, I find Jars of Clay to have utilized this lament genre as much as anyone. Here are a couple examples I find notable and meaningful. 

If you find yourself in a time of lament, grief, or mourning - may you find God's comfort and consolation. And may we all learn to patiently protest the present while confident of God's future reconciliation.

Music Mondays

 So my cousin posted a link to this song on Facebook. 

It's from my mom's record, from, well, a long time ago. 

It is a rendition of "Amazing Grace" like I'm sure you've never heard before.

It is also not my mom. Apparently, the album also featured her friend Teddy Swinehart. It didn't sound like my mom and after asking her directly she confirmed that this song wasn't her but her friend.

But I should take this opportunity to praise my mom for her musical gifts. She was an accomoplished guitar player and won a talent context that allowed her to make this record. She met my dad in a music ministry group and they later traveled as a duo even while I was a little kid, singing and speaking in churches.

And if nothing else, she gave a platform to a friend that allowed a cover of Amazing Grace to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun" to be released to the world.

Music Mondays: Songs of a Certain Era

Upon hearing this song for the first time, you could have told me that this was going to be the biggest band in the world for the rest of my life and I would have 100% believed you.

And if my long-term memory serves me well, that initial impression was accentuated by the fact that I was hearing it in my friend Joe's house. His was the first house I ever remember having surround sound even with speakers in multiple rooms. 

Imagine being a musically naive middle schooler hearing this blast all around you at "11" as you jumped around and played air guitar and such.

Did every other Spin Doctors song I heard after this sound the same? Kinda. Were they a one-hit wonder band? Sort of.  But they created a perfect 90's pop rock song if there ever was one.

Music Mondays: Songs of a Certain Era

When I conceived of this idea, I came up with a short list of songs I wanted to include. It wasn't until now that I've come to realize that much of my list is from a very narrow timeline. 

I'll be adding a few to expand the actual "era" I'm talking about, but today's selection comes from what now seems like the classic year of 1993.  And I remember when I heard this song, I knew this was something different.

There was a way Counting Crows and Mr. Duritz told a story, played this song. It's like youthful energy mixed with the melancholy of experience. And of course his vocal delivery is unlike anyone else too. 

At the time, it felt like this was one of those songs that was going to last, that I'd be looking back with fondness in twenty years. Sure enough, we are almost at 30 and it still is a pretty fun ride.

Music Mondays: Songs of a Certain Era

Music Mondays are back! 

It has been a bit of a hiatus but I felt like my music ideas had gotten a little stale. And I'll be perfectly honest, I don't listen to a ton of new music which probably seems illogical.

Anyway, a fresh idea has emerged and I'll refer to it as "Songs of a Certain Era". These are hits from my formative teen years when I was discovering the music world beyond Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and the Maranatha singers.

I'm creating my list and one will be revealed per week, in general chronological order. These aren't all number ones - sorry no Ace of Base "I saw the sign" or Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", just songs that woke up my musical taste buds. 

First up - "Runaway Train", Soul Asylum

I always associate this song with 7th grade...and looking it up, the timing is right. Released in the summer of 1993, I remember hearing this in art class. The cool art teachers always did stuff like let us listen to Top 40 radio while we worked. Anyway, I remember listening to it and realizing, this non-Christian song has substantial meaning to it. On its face it is certainly what the biblical scholar in me would call "Lament". But couple that with the fact that the video sought to find missing and exploited kids - my mind was kind of blown away. Especially when I heard my peers sharing how it helped find missing people (they were correct I might add).

It is silly looking back on it now. I just hadn't had the exposure to Dylan and Cash etc. And in a sense, it showed me what music, even pop music could be - socially significant. 

Music Mondays

Theme songs have magical powers. 

Before, I would have affirmed that statement while recognizing how hyperbolic it is. You'll never be able to convince me otherwise of it's literal truth now that I'm a parent.

Partly due to my own tv watching habits and partly due to my own affinity for these songs, two distinct, lyric-less songs will stop our two boys in their tracks and get them dancing in front of the tv.

First, is the classic ditty from The Office:

Going back to the early days in our marriage, I would often drum tap on Stephanie's leg whenever the song played at the beginning of the episode. Now I carry on that tradition with our sons and it has gotten to the point where they will halt whatever activity or mood they happen to be in, in order to listen to the music.

A second one has emerged as a powerful attention grabber, this time without my enthusiastic encouragement:

I am a sucker for the classic L&O shows, my personal opinion being that the after the first 10 seasons or so, the writing and plot structures became a bit formulaic. The classic jazz/blues number (is that the right genre?) really matches the tone of the older, grittier seasons. 

Much like The Office, my kids couldn't care less about the show itself once the song is done, but it is so amusing to see them react to the music each time.

Music Mondays + Sermon Snippets

Yesterday was unique in the sense that Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday. 

Naturally, this pastor chose to prepare a topical sermon on love. I eschewed the theme of romantic love, though I believe Scripture has much to say on that topic. I decided instead to focus on God's love for us. 

The verses of Ephesians 3:17-19 had come to mind early in my preparation process, especially the part where Paul prays that we "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ...".

Have you ever thought about how wide God's love is? How long it stretches? How high it reaches? How deep it goes?

I tried to answer those questions in the message and, in doing so, many great songs kept popping up into my head. 

This one in particular stood out above the rest and I ended up quoting it in my conclusion. 

It is such a great song that pays proper tribute to the amazing love of God towards us. I am always captured by the lyrics of the second verse which state:

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky

Some songs begin with their most powerful and profound statements. This one waits until the second verse to use incredible imagery to capture the limitless nature of God's love for us.

The love of God - it shall forevermore endure, the saints and angels song!

Music Mondays + Sermon Snippets

We are beginning a sermon series in Hebrews and I'm going to do my best to regularly highlight songs that fit the passage. I imagine this will be harder in some parts than others, but I guess we will see.

The winter storm forced us to cancel our service yesterday, though I still shared my sermon in truncated form with a co-starring appearance from our son. 

It was no surprise that Tate's presence was a little distracting, at least to this speaker. It's a little ironic given that our passage, Heb. 1:1-4, is all about tuning into Jesus as the only voice worth tuning into. 

One of the songs our worship team was going to lead us with was an "oldie" I remember from my college days. It's a simple chorus - one that fits the 7/11 repetitious stereotype. And yet, in it's simplicity, it fits the tone of the introductory verses of Hebrews. 

There are many other more popular and more loved songs that focus on Christ and elevate His name. But something about this one seemed just right. May all the other voices fade away and we commit ourselves anew to worshipping and obedience.

Music Mondays - Synonymous Songs

So last week we featured this little mini-series. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I do keep coming up with more examples. 

To review, sometimes you hear a song, and it reminds you of another tune. Maybe it's the words, maybe it's the guitar riff or melody - but some element of it shakes the dust off some musical memory that's been tucked away in the attic of your mind. 

Other times, there's an obvious homage - an intentional sampling of a beat or phrase. Then there are the rare times in my experience where there's an unintentional direct parallel.

Today's set of songs include the first examples of this "phenomenon" that I remember noticing.

As a high schooler, I fully dove in to the new wave of CCM music that was coming out. Bands like Switchfoot, Third Day, Smalltown Poets, Newsboys, and of course dc Talk and Jars of Clay were emerging as credible artists that produced good music. 

Not fully able to differentiate every group, I confused these two artists due to their synonymous songs.

"Kindle" - Between Thieves

Around1997-98, I heard this song on the radio and I'd also been hearing from my friends and Christian magazines about a new group called "Third Day" who had a song called "Consuming Fire". So naturally I assumed this was Third Day. Eventually I realized it wasn't and liked the song enough to buy the album. 

This may be the most obscure CCM artist I've ever featured (which is saying something) but their first album was solid even if many of the songs sounded the same. All these years later, I had forgotten that this song wasn't titled "Consuming Fire" but "Kindle" instead.

"Consuming Fire" - Third Day

Whereas the Between Thieves song is descriptive of the Holy Spirit, this song includes those ideas but also connects to Hebrews 12:25-29. 

For me, this is quintessential Third Day. For all they became as a CCM supergroup, this style is what made them stand out.

Bonus Feature - "All Consuming Fire" - Jennifer Knapp

I had forgotten about this song until I went searching for these others. But I'm pretty sure I had this album at one point so I'm going to include it. It's musical style is far removed from the rock of the other two.

It seems as if there have been other more recent songs with this as a title or theme but I'm cutting this off at the three I'm most familiar with.