Tag Archive for 'music'

27
Mar

Mr. Jones and Our Seven Longings

By couch 0 Comments
Categories: Heart and music

Sitting outside the new coffee place in town, enjoying the Sunday afternoon breeze - an old familiar song came on the speaker. It was Counting Crows famous “Mr. Jones and Me” song, “La la la la la la yeah” the song began. I had been sitting inside, where everyone, including the workers, had been staring agape at the teenage couple outside by the fountain that were embarrassingly making out for all to see. Many people were laughing, hard not to I guess, but it made me think about what I’ve heard taught about the “Seven Longings of the Human Heart“.

These kids were simply trying to fulfill these longings, afar off from actually doing so, and in their giddy foolishness ignored the world around them as they plunged head-long (literally) after their longings. I wanted to go interrupt them, not to tell them to leave, but to kindly remark that their love for each other would never ultimately satisfy. To point them to the love of Jesus, the truest, purest love man could ever know, not only as the foundation and fulfillment of their own hearts’ longings, but for the purer enjoyment of their own human relationship with each other. But, unfortunately or not, I didn’t. I went outside.

And the Counting Crows front-man began to howl out the loud-speaker. As the familiar tune played, I realized - this is the PERFECT song to articulate the Seven Longings of the Human Heart! Seriously, check out these lyrics below:

1. Longing for Beauty. “We all want something beautiful, man I wish I was beautiful.”

2. Longing to be Fascinated. “Come dance this silence down through the morning! Cut Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances and pass me the bottle, Mr. Jones!”

3. Longing to be Great. “I want to be a lion. Yeah! Everybody wants to pass as cats, we all want to be big big stars - but we don’t know why and we don’t know how…”

4. Longing to have Intimacy. “Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women. She’s looking at you, man, theres’ got to be somebody for me!”

5. Longing to be Enjoyed. “When I look at the television I wanna see me, staring right back at me!!”

6. Longing to be Whole-Hearted. “I want to be Bob Dylan….I will paint my picture, blue and red, and black and gray. All of the beautiful colors are very very meaningful…if I knew Picasso, I’d buy myself a gray guitar and play!

7. Longing to make a Lasting Impact. “Mr. Jones and me look into the future…where everybody loves me, I will never be lonely….I’m going to be just about as happy as I can be!”

So here’s to you - crows that count! You have counted for us very clearly the seven longings in each and every human heart. Here’s to finding your longings in that which satisfies ultimately, Jesus the Christ.

19
Feb

More Beautiful Today

By couch 0 Comments
Categories: music

And You, are more beautiful today

More beautiful to stay…

I was real encouraged (and ministered to) by the worship that went on at Chapel tonight on campus. For many years now I’ve really respected both the man and music of Robbie Seay, ever since he and my former youth pastor (Steven Smith of the Smith Band) would hang out, write songs (ex. all I want is you), and lead worship for us. Robbie is the kind of guy that you know isn’t just leading worship to lead, He really worships. You also get the feeling that if no one else was in the room, he’d still be singing those songs out passionately, with that great grimace on his face that assures you he’s genuine. I love the guy, his incredibly unique voice, and his great music.

He played some of his own stuff, which is all worship focused and Christ centered anyway, and then mixed in a few more well known songs, some to his own creative melody. The guy loves Jesus, and Jesus has created him to be a brilliant musicion. I praise God for real creativity in the body of Christ, it shows that the Holy Spirit it breathing fresh on people, inspiring them to think, act, play, and harmonize life in a way that promotes the person of Jesus and burns the heart inside. Ever since I heard that newsboys song on KSBJ - “you - still - captivate me, fascinate me” - I’ve been thinking, that that should be our ongoing testimony of our walk with Jesus. That no matter where we are in life, through the ups and downs and all arounds, He still genuinely captivates us, and makes us thankful to have the joy and oppurtunity to follow this man Jesus in the first place. In all the doings and strivings and figuring out, does our heart really “burn within us as we walk with Him on the road?” Is it possible for it not to if we are genuinely following Jesus? After its all said and done, its all about knowing and following Jesus anyway right? (John 17:3) The reality is,  God doesn’t require us to follow Jesus. He invites us, He calls us, He beckons us to. He romances us and invites us to leave the greatest bondage and know the greatest life and love history’s ever known. And the revelation of that great love should really do something within us to make us “throw our cloak aside and go to Jesus.”

I will arise and go to Jesus - He will embrace me in his arms - and in the arms of my dear saviour - there are - Ten Thousand Charms

Everyday I want to believe that. Everyday I need to believe that. Everyday the question of whether I will truly live “LIFE” depends on believing that. Those ten thousand charms may be entirely different than I expect, but the combination of the mystery of it all and the securtiy I have in knowing He loves me (and knows whats best) puts one foot in front of the other.

So yes, I think there’s a legitimate place for “Christian Music”. I think this is what “christian music” should do - draw out the great truths and revelation of the person and work of Christ - and strike your heart with them in such a way that your spirit climbs and your soul cries for and to your faithful God. Otherwise, the monotony of it all drowns you in your own religion of self and checklists. For this reason, I enjoy music that makes you think, ponder, consider, and run to know Christ more, and not just because its catchy. And not because you feel you have to, or even that you should. But because you want to. You really do.

15
Nov

The ‘Scott Stapp’ Dilemma

By couch 0 Comments
Categories: Dilemmas and music

Hmmm… I don’t even really know how to start this blog here. Basically I’m just kinda confused about something. Not a bad way confused, but a good way confused. Confused about the man featured in the picture here above. I have to admit, I like this guy. I like his voice. In fact, it was his voice coming over the speakers of my explorer’s radio that one night 6 years ago penetrated my suffering soul with the words “Can you take me higher? To a place with golden streets? Can you take me higher? To a place where blind men see?”. My beautiful, wonderful savior used the words of this song to call me out of my religiosity, to call me out of my seeking after security in some sort of horizontal relationship, to call me after Himself in a depth of relationship that would indeed take off and higher still. I was a basket-case of tears, the flowing of them only outdone by the rain, the pounding of it only outdone by my wounded, pounding heart. I wasn’t even listening to the radio, in fact, I was crying out to God. Why has this happened to me? Why do I feel this way? What’s wrong with me? And then a simple - “Turn up the radio”. And I heard Creed, singing “Higher”, and my Lord spoke to me - “I want to take you higher than this world can ever take you. I want to love you more than this world could ever love you. I want you to give me your whole heart, not just the religious part of it.”My story has gone on from there, and praise God He has already fulfilled his promises and desires, and is yet ever doing so. But todays curiosity goes into the other side of the story. The story of a man named Scott Stapp, former lead singer of a band known as Creed. What has happened to him, the man whose thundering voice could at one time often be heard on 4 local stations at once? Single after single, the band seemed to have a relentless charge to the top of every chart. The vibrancy of their lyrics reached out to many, christians and non-christians alike, mostly because they were filled with depth and soul-searching questions. “With Arms Wide Open”, “One Last Breath”, “Sacrifice”, “What if?”, “Are You Ready”, all seemed to have some sort of yearning for the one true God who alone gives life, and made many question what ‘genre’ the band should be in.

Unfortunately, the band’s offstage interviews often times answered the questions “Are you guys Christians?” with violent denials, jokes, and cussing. But most of those times, there was Scott Stapp, sittling idly by, a searching man who seemingly could never figure out who he was. What could he say? His writing spoke one thing, his life another. He was the classic case of someone who everybody knew except himself. It seemed that the dichotomy wore on him like a plague, because it seemed apparent that his words made up who he was more than his life ever could. He could only really be himself through his music, but the rest of his life was just a lie. What could he do, where could he find himself?

Well, as surely as they showed up, Creed dropped off the map. Broke up. Gone. Why? I’m not totally sure, some said it was Scott Stapp’s vocal chords shutting down after some many stadium shaking shows. I don’t beleive it. I think Scott Stapp was trying to find out who Scott Stapp was. That’s why he took his 5 year old son and headed for Maui. Scott Stapp is looking for Scott Stapp. And I don’t think he has found him yet.

Npw, how in the world did I get on this to begin with? Well, while on mlb.com doing some research about a sports team for Infinity, I saw that MLB was (interestingly enough) featuring Scott’s new SOLO album “The Great Divide”. Hmmm, I wondered, havent heard of that guy in awhile, wonder where he’s at, if you know what I mean. Dressed in a t-shirt reading “Music is the weapon of the future” and a beanie, he sang portions of his new song - “The Great Divide” -

“I have run to the ocean
Through the Horizon
Chased the sun
I’ve waited for the light to come,
And at times I would give up
You have
Wrapped your loving arms ‘round me,
And with your love I’ll overcome.
You have
Loved me when I was weak,
You have
Given unselfishly,
Kept me from Falling…Falling
Everywhere but my Knees!

You set me free!
To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide
You set me Free!

I’ve been on Heaven’s doorstep,
With the Door open,
One foot inside
I’ve cried out…God give me answers!
Please hush child I’ll tell you why
You have
Loved me when you were weak,
You kept
Giving unselfishly,
Kept you from
Falling…Falling
Everywhere but your Knees!”

Wow. Sounds like he’s actually realized some things. But, still no real mention of Christ - is this more psycho-babble about a man trying to find his way, more words from Scott Stapp just trying to make a good record? Or has he finally found that there is one light, one love, and one way to “bridge the great divide” between heaven and earth, Jesus the Christ, the lamb of God? Some Christian publications have already been quick to announce Scott’s christianity, and that his new album is more worship like. Well, from this song, maybe, but lets see another…

“Justify” by Scott Stapp -

I do not have to justify,
The way I live my life.
I do not have to justify,
The reason I’m alive.

I saw her from across the room with diamond eyes she’s heaven’s jewel.
Dropped two aces smiled and threw my cards back.
Yeah I’ve been that man
Who lives deceit
Surrounds himself with worldly things.

So let me tell you a story
Let me feed it to you

We fly around like we were superman live in another trance
a different way to dance with dark romance
you get another chance to do that dirty dance without consequence.

Let me change the timber of this section
Add a little booze to ice
I guess you probably noticed
I’ve been living a double life

So fly around like you are superman given another chance
a different way to dance with true romance
you get another chance to tell your dirty, darkest secrets!

Aha! So he admits it, he has been living a double life! On paper, he wants to know and love God, but his life tells a different story. Has his solo effort allowed him to really figure out who he was, without all the distractions of who the band was around him? Has his quest for reality brought him any further on the journey to the strait gate? Or has he just come back to where he started, a life who gives homage in words, but not in deed? But then again…

“Surround Me” by Scott Stapp

” They say no man’s an island but I tend to disagree
I guess they’ve never seen my island,
And where it lies at sea
I’m lost inside my memory.
I’m still in disbelief.
If I could paint a picture for you this is what you’d see

I’m down on my knees
Begging you to rescue me
Please stop me
Don’t let me run
Surround me…Surround me…now

A wounded man sounds desperate when he’s lost all his belief
Can you look into my eyes and say you won’t betray me
We’re running out of time
How precious time can be
I’m counting all the moments of the times you could have helped me

I’m down on my knees
Begging you to rescue me
Please stop me
Don’t let me run
Surround me…Surround me”

Well, well, well, sounds like an awesome song to me. Perhaps he is further along, just not quite there yet. I sincerely hope so.

Now, the thing that really strikes me about this isn’t necessarily Scott Stapp himself, but the open portayal of a searching man, straight out and honest before the watching (and listening) world. This is a man, not unlike many men, who is demonstrating before us what many men never get to demonstrate: that they don’t have it all together, that they want to find answers, desperately, but they’re not sure where to find them. They want love, but their not sure where to find it, or if they even know where to begin looking.

So this curiosity has led me to this - Here is a picture, my friends, of a man (not unlike many we will come across) in desperate need of the love of Jesus Christ. What will we show him? What can lessons can we give, stories can we tell, of our own searchings and findings? Will we have much to say, will they give us the time of day? Will our eyes defend what our mouths are saying? Or will we simply sound like another broken record of the same ol’ same old. For men and women such as these, on the worlds stage and in the back-alleys - what, or shall I say, WHO, will we show them? Because they are desperate -

“Broken” by Scott Stapp

” Why are we overcome with fear?
What if I told you that fear isn’t real.
Why are we overcome with death?
What if I told you my friends your doubt
You could live without!

There is a question I want to understand
Why can’t everyone tell the truth and learn to love again

Do you know…what it feels like to be broken and used
Scared and confused
Yes I know

One more question…I know time is dear
Is what the world speaks of love really real?
The answers not of this world but very clear
Look above to find love and you found eternal life

Street corner preachers you’ve heard before
Friendly advice just gets thrown out the door
There is a question that I want to understand
Why can’t everyone tell the truth…and learn to love again

Do you know…what it feels like to be broken and used?
Scared and confused
Yes I know…what it feels like to be broken and used
Scared and confused
Yes I know

I’m Broken!”

Only Jesus knows how to pick up the pieces - let’s follow and learn of Him and His ways. If He alone is the answer to a lost, hurting, and searching world, we MUST know Him.