Missional Musings

for KING & COUNTRY … Let me first start by saying this band has one of the greatest names.  It’s kind of one of those names that makes you excited, inspires you and give you purpose.  When I hear this name, I think of some of the great war/battle scenes in the movies where the lead character gives a great pre-battle speech (Braveheart, The Narnia movies, Lord of the Rings, etc.) and ends by shouting something similar to “FOR KING AND FOR COUNTRY”.  What a perfect way to proclaim your life by living and shouting that phrase!

Probably the most popular and better tracks of this groups new CD is “Busted Heart”.  This is such a powerful track that explores a common theme that most people experience whether you believe in Jesus or not.  Everyone experiences times that we feel lost or need help getting through a tough day, week, year whatever it may be.  We lose heart, sometimes feel like there is no hope.  Yet we try and gather up whatever energy we have left and try to do it on our own.  This doesn’t get us very far…

We can’t do this thing called life on our own.  We need help, we need support no matter how tough and self-sufficient we all think we are.  There is someone who can help us through – Jesus Christ.  He is the strength to help get us through – but it takes belief and trust in Him to open the doors to his rest.

Trusting is not always easy.  There are still times where our faith struggles or mistakes that sways us from the path.  As the writer says “My faith is dying tonight” and “I keep chasing the wind” and “I’ve got a busted heart”.  But he follows up these words each time with “I won’t try to pretend” and “instead of chasing Your love” and “I’m in need of a change”.  The writer recognizes that even trust can’t be done on our own and realizes we need something.  That something is still Jesus.

The music is great as it builds up to the chorus and screams out to Jesus - “Hold on to me! Don’t let me lose my way”.  God wants us to seek Him, chase after Him instead of the wind that blows in many different directions.  He wants our heart and for us to give him our all – even our broken, restless, and messed up lives.

The next part is where the song really captures the Heart of God and His love for us: “Broke your heart a thousand times, but you’ve never left my side.  You have always been here for me – you never let me go!”  Even in the worst of times, God does not abandon us.  He is always there walking beside us and really the one carrying us along the way.  What an awesome God!!!!

The song ends with a great line.  God wants us to follow and love him, but where many people get it wrong is that they believe they have to have all their “crap” together.  They need to have everything “right” before they can approach God.  So far from the truth, that’s what Satan wants us to think.  We don’t have to have everything together – and that’s the power of God’s Grace.  So no matter where we are or what condition we’re in, just remember the words of the song “You meet me right where I am”.

Ryan

http://www.topchristianlyrics.com/2012/02/10/busted-heart-hold-on-to-me-chords-lyrics-sheet-music-for-king-country/

It’s been awhile since my last review….nothing newer has really jumped out at me and struck me as being something to write about.  However, I heard the song in review on the radio little while ago and although I liked the sound of the emotional ballad as it had a simple melody and lyric, I didn’t deem it as powerful enough to write about.  I struggled while listening to the radio that day – whose perspective is this song from? Who is the intended recipient?  It can’t be God speaking to us as His love IS enough…so what was going on here? 

Without using my brain – I realized this song is by the lead singer of Sanctus Real – Matt Hammitt who just recently put out a solo album. 

So I searched this song on YouTube and the internet to find out more about this song.  Similar to Double Rainbow – I wondered “What does it mean”? 

It’s really strange because the theme of this song and very similar related themes have been popping up through different instances and avenues recently.  My heart breaks, is convicted and yet inspired by these themes. 

The song All of Me is a song Matt Hammitt wrote to/about his son who was born with a heart defect and was afraid that his son might not live long as he was in critical condition hanging on to life.  They were unsure how much time they would have with him.   

The movie Tree of Life is a complex film following the life of a man who, as an adult, still wrestles with the loss of his brother who passed away as a teenager.  The story follows the man and flashes back to his childhood and how his rocky relationship with his father and his brother’s death causes a strain on his faith.  One key point is the father recognizes his need to tell his son he loves him and that he is proud of him. 

I’m reminded of a co-worker who lost a child soon after birth and the pain that they carry.  I’m reminded of friends and stories of people I know who’ve had the same thing with the loss of a child.  I’m reminded of great friends who were told their child was going to be born with health defects or born and spent time in the hospital in critical condition. 

Our preacher this week told the story of his son who wrestled in the state tournament this past weekend and lost his match as and he got pinned he looked up and saw his father cringe like he was disappointed.  His son was devastated and came up to his father and said “I’m sorry I let you down”… and our preacher broke down as he recognized how his reaction crushed his son’s spirit. 

And we watched the movie Courageous this past week.  The very emotional story of a father who clearly made time for his daughter while neglecting his son and then his daughter gets killed in an accident.  He’s devastated and comes to the realization that he has neglected his son and vows to be a better father – a man of integrity, a man of courage.

I could think of many more examples.  However, with great emotion Matt Hammitt exclaims “Could I move on, if you were torn away?”  Wow.  Putting myself in that position thinking of either of my sons taken from me…could I deal with that?  I tear up thinking about that – I tear up thinking of any parent having to deal with that.  I don’t want to see any struggle, harm, sadness come to my children.  It breaks my heart to see them in pain.

Then I realize from some of the themes/stories/movies above maybe I cause my children some pain.  Am I giving them enough?  Are there ways I’m too hard on them?  Am I neglecting them?  I don’t necessarily know the answers to these questions.  However, it convicts me and inspires me to desire to be a better father.  It inspires me to want to give my family All of Me.  I need to work to make sure my children know I’m proud of them and that they are loved.  I need to be the role model that shows them what a man of integrity and a man of God looks like. 

It’s definitely not an easy thing to do – especially after a long, hard, bad day of work.  Regardless, we don’t know how much time we are given with our families and I want and desire to give God and my family All of Me.

Recommendations:  the full album Matt Hammitt – Every Falling Tear.  The movie Courageous and Tree of Life.

Ryan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50ygAc2qP5A

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/matthew_hammitt/all_of_me.html

Winter Time 

Christmas – it’s the best time of the year!  The anticipation of Christmas is such a wonderful and great thing, but as it approaches and arrives – it is gone just like that.  I think we all get that feeling like Christmas flies by and that special feeling fades away until the next winter season comes back the next year. 

One of the great newcomers to Christian music this past year, Chris August, has hit this exact Christmas feeling with his song “Winter Time” from the album No Far Away.  He has a great way of putting topics and concepts woven into great melodies and a very soulful voice. Funny enough, the original intent of August was not about this very idea, but I like believe it fits better in this analogy. 

We all love Christmas.  We love the warm fuzzy feeling that helps remind us that our Savior came to this earth and lived the same life as us as a human.  And although His mission was not to stay forever in the flesh – He served his purpose by living the unblemished life to atone for our blemishes.   

I think the tough thing about Christmas is that we all know its coming and we love it, but we also know that it doesn’t last long and it is gone so quickly.  Like August says “I knew you’d come, but soon you’ll go.  You have to leave, but believe you’ll be frozen in my mind and back to life….come winter time.” Also, “I hate it when you leave, but love when you arrive.”  He hits that feeling right on the head. 

However, although that feeling comes and goes, the important part of the song we should all remember:  “you’ll be frozen in my mind.”  We serve a God that isn’t only with us one day a year.  We have a Friend that is with us at all times – not just on Christmas.  We are not alone and this feeling can be frozen in our minds – He wants us to know he loves us and walks with us daily.  We just need to believe, follow and speak to Him and know he’s with us. 

What an awesome time of year that doesn’t only have to be here on Christmas!  Merry Christmas to all – God is Good! 

Ryan

More recommended songs from Chris August:  “Canyons”, “Battle”, ”Starry Night”, “7x70”.

http://www.chrisaugustmusic.com/songs/winter-time

I’m always amazed when you take a song that you hear and you love the music and the passion you feel in it so much that it becomes one of your favorites.  Yet, when you go back to really look closely at the lyrics and the meaning that the song means something so much different than you thought.

That’s the case with “I’m Not Alright”.  I’ve loved this song for years, the first Sanctus Real song that caught my ear.  It was such a catchy chorus screaming the song title out I’m Not Alright, I’m broken inside!  I’ve related to this song because I’ve known for many years now that I am not alright, and I am broken inside.  Sin has too often seduced me away from the Truth, from the true Lover of my soul.  What’s sad is that I know it, yet it continues to happen….my brokenness still is not fixed and won’t be this side of heaven.

But where this song twists for me, now that I take a closer look at the lyrics and point of the song, is it’s not just about being “broken inside”.  It’s the specific reason the writer of the song realizes why he’s broken inside.  Too often we as Christians people try to put up phony facades to cover up our flaws so that others won’t know we are hurting or that we aren’t perfect.  We try so hard not to let anyone see weakness and achieve a “cool” status that we think impresses others.  Or getting others to think we have all our stuff together. 

There’s only one person who has ever had his stuff together, and that man knows our weakness and can relate to us as he faced the same temptations we face (Hebrews 4:15).  It’s not easy to be “real” with people, it’s not easy to talk about our insecurities, our sins, our failures.  And I don’t think that means we need to immediately be a gushing well of sharing our hurts with others.  It will take time to build relationships and trust to be able to do so…which leads to the song’s chorus (my favorite part).

The music of the song starts out with a very gut-wrenching distortion of electric guitars.  I believe this is done to recognize the tension our weakness and sin wrangles us inside.  It proceeds to a verse which is followed by an almost flip of a switch chorus that lets it all out.  The vocals of the chorus scream out “I’m not alright” – a scream to the heavens crying out for someone to hear him, someone to understand his struggles, someone to empathize.  The singer then realizes that there is one who understands and all the pains and trials of life leads us to the one who can carry that load for us.  It leads us to the cross, to Jesus Christ.

So if we aren’t at a place yet to open up to others, we know that there is a Savior who we can open up to to help strip away all the stuff we go through, all the hurt, all the pain.  There still is pain and that is expressed by the chorus and especially the last line of the song which is my favorite:  “I’m not alright…and that’s why I need You”.

I’m Not Alright lyrics:

http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/sanctusreal/imnotalright.php

More recommended songs from Sanctus Real:  “Lead Me”, “Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)”, “Forgiven”.

Ryan

Have you ever felt not good enough?  Have you ever felt embarrassed to talk to God?  Have you ever wondered why a perfect God could love someone like yourself? 

In this current reflection on music, the song “Dirty and Left Out” by The Almost is an honest portrayal of these feelings put to music.  The amazingly talented Aaron Gillespie (former drummer and vocalist for Underoath and mastermind behind The Almost) has beautifully crafted this song with the guilty and humble emotion poured into the notes and chords. 

It’s an acoustic song with a little drum which builds as the song progresses and then backs-off again towards the end.  What’s beautiful about it is that it is a very simply strummed acoustic guitar song.  It is not an acoustic version of a big band song – it’s truly meant to be a low-key (humble) sound which builds in emotion to the bridge and continues in its humble nature to close out.

As I listen to this song, I visualize a young man who is at wits end and feels like his world is crashing down.  He knows he’s made some bad decisions in his life which has messed up his relationships with everyone.  The life he was trying to attain has left him empty and he realizes this life he’s living isn’t how it should be.  He vaguely knows about God, but feels God is too far away or too important to want to have anything to do with him.

The conversation in this song is very simple.  It’s that embarrassing conversation where we don’t want to admit to our failings and don’t want to admit we’re weak.  We feel like we aren’t worthy to talk to someone because they have all their “stuff” together…but yet, there is someone who is listening with a close ear.  We want someone to be   genuinely interested in who we are and want them to be a part of our lives – and yet there is!  The second verse says it perfectly, “Why do you wanna be all listening to me? Why do you spread your arms and tell me I’m free? Why do you wanna be in my life?” 

The flow of the song builds to the most emotional and heart-felt part of the song – the bridge.  It reminds me that talking to God doesn’t always need to be a big production.  Just calling on the name of our God is enough.  Psalm 116:3-5 says this “The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD:  “LORD, save me!” The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”  He knows our guilt, he knows our embarrassment – yet he opens his arms wide and tells us he loves us.  How does that not make us fall to our knees and shed tears of joy?!

“Jesus, Jesus…there’s something about your name.  Master…Savior…Jesus”

Remember, Jesus is always there with us.  He understands how we are feeling even when we don’t think He or anyone really does.  He endured more suffering and pain than we can imagine.  Jesus is Love and Salvation – what more could we need to give us hope and live life how God intended!

Dirty and Left Out lyrics:  http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/almost/dirtyandleftout.php

More recommended songs from The Almost:  “Hand Grenade” “Amazing (Because it is)” “Say This Sooner” (pretty much anything on the Southern Weather album).  As a side note, I was blessed enough to see this band live once at a very secular music festival and I was impressed that they were bold enough at the end of their set to share that they have dedicated their lives to Christ and share the Gospel with a very rough crowd.  God is definitely working in the music by The Almost.

Ryan

Music is a powerful thing.  There can be so many combinations of notes and rhythms that make music complex and yet sometimes so simple.  That’s just the sound of music itself – not to mention composing lyrics that often rhyme and fit within certain rhythms.  Music can mean different things to different people.  There are songs and types of music that can fit many different feelings and moods.  And they can touch people’s lives and drastically change their outlook on life. 

Music has always played an important part of my life and quite often I would judge a song on how it sounds rather than on the lyrical content.  I’d like to say that I am much more mature and will listen to lyrics before brushing a song off…but I can’t lie, I still do that. However, I’ll try and at least give a song a couple listens and try and get used to it.

I’m starting this blog as a way to reflect on music and maybe try and share what certain songs mean to me and why they are so powerful in my life, but maybe also as a bit of a music “critic” and give some recommendations and reviews of certain music. 

I’ve been thinking about doing this for awhile and thought my first selection would be one of my favorite songs…but it hit me just over a week ago what had to be my first.  The song still comes from my favorite band and favorite album, but it is not the typical sound and song from this band.  The selection:  Relient K – Let It All Out (from the album mmhmm) 

“Let It All Out” is a song by Relient K which is usually known for more punk-rockish type music - a style which relies on fast pace drum rhythms and guitar riffs of quick 16^th note picking of the same note. The album mmhmm is really the album that pushed Relient K onto a more national scene with the songs “Be My Escape” and “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been”.  “Let It All Out” is a slow ballad, if you will, with little guitars and mostly drums and piano (something lead singer Matt Thiessen has always used and is very talented at).  The music is very pleasing to the ears and a soft, contriteful voice from Thiessen really makes this song easy to sit back and feel and relate to the emotion of the song. 

As I said, the music is easy to feel and listen to, but it’s the lyrics of this song that stand out and, to me, really has had an impact on me the last few weeks.  

Life was “comfortable” in Kansas City.  We were both at jobs in which we loved and excelled in.  Kids were healthy, financially things were stable, and we were in a church which we loved the people, mission, and feel of worship.  I thought life was still challenging enough where we were at…however, God thought differently – Verse One.  Life presented a situation which took us out of comfort and threw us to a new surrounding in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  New weather, new job, new home and the search for a church family.  The comfort we knew in KC was ripped out, removed from us and in a sense started a bleeding wound.  The bleeding wound being living in a place that is not comfort. 

Why is comfort something we cling to so tightly?  Why are we so scared to try new things?  Is it because we hold on to things of the flesh so much that we hate giving up these things that we know shouldn’t rule our lives?  I think so, and I think “…knowing all along…” is the worst part.  And I think it’s so true that things will get worse if we don’t have our heart broken on these worldly things we hold on to so tightly. 

How bi-polar we can be! (a term also used in another song off mmhmm called “High of 75”)   We pray to God to remove these things that make us comfortable, yet the next day find ourselves even more entrenched in the love of those things.  And then we blame God for not helping us resist it – really?!!  Inconsistency.

I cried on the drive to Sioux Falls.  It hurt to leave friends and church in KC – and those are good things!  Why do those need to be removed from our lives?  I prayed for strength and things were alright short term.  While living in SD and going to a new job where everything is very new and difficult and looking for a new church family painful feelings overwhelm as of late.  I cried on the way home from work.  The burden of life and non-comfort seemed and sometimes seems too much to bear.  I’ll be honest – it’s still hard to see the justification and reward on this.  I have no patience and I think many of us would be in the same boat.  But I know in the context of ultimate life that our reward is in heaven and I have to keep my eyes on that prize.  I’m not living this life for my own comfort – but for my Father’s glory. 

Sometimes we just get caught up in the things that we believe to be important in life and the plans that we make for ourselves reign supreme.  I thought KC was the best plan for our lives, but no.  And that led to uncertainty and living life nervous, worried, uncomfortable.  I was lucky enough to have an old co-worker give me a plaque that sets on my new desk at work:  Jeremiah 29:10 “For I know the plans that I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

I need this verse everytime I get that uncomfortable feeling, that depressing feeling like when we think life stinks. I need this song to remind me that I need to find that strength and trust in the One who gives that strength.   

And although pain will come, we have confidence that God does have a plan for us and this pain is not to harm us but to refine us and mold us into beautiful art.  And when we allow God to take over, we don’t have to carry a heavy heart, but one that He makes light.

This song is definitely a must.  Here are the lyrics:  http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/relientk/letitallout.php

I’d like to do this as often as possible and if anyone has any suggestions of songs to review and comment on – let me know.  I’d be glad to share my thoughts.

Ryan Lefever

John Calvin is one of the most well-known and talked about figures in church history and is making a major “comeback” in Evangelicalism. For evidence, you do not need to look much further than the March 12th addition of Time magazine in which the magazine listed the top 10 things changing the world and at number three, there you will find big John and his resurgence as The New Calvinism. Now, I am not sure that John Calvin himself was actually a Calvinist and often gets pulled into discussions that begin with phrases such as “are you a 5 point Calvinist or a 3 point Calvinist?” I think we easily buy into these simplistic caricatures.

I do not pretend to be a Calvin scholar, but from what I can tell of the man, he did not mess around in being politically correct or hiding his convictions because of the chance they might cause offense.  He said what he meant and meant what he said. A friend gave me a book on Calvin, John Calvin a Pilgrims Life.  I enjoyed this section from the book and thought I would pass it on. Love him or hate him, you knew where he stood.  I find it refreshing.

He loved being straightforward and honest…As a young theologian, he criticized the experienced Reformer Martin Bucer, claiming that he could act no differently: “I prefer to make my complaint against you openly rather than to suppress my annoyance and cause it to grow.”  He found it more honest “to give offense in my boorish simplicity than in hypocrisy to praise someone.” p. 31

One of my favorite authors is Frederick Buechner.  He is a gifted wordsmith and offers insights into the Christian Life, which both challenges and comforts. Below I am providing an excerpt from one of his books, Whistling in the Dark; a doubters dictionary.  I think he appropriately challenges the church.  Church is much more than an AA meeting, but is it really less? We are so guarded, so consuming, so caught up in keeping up with the Jones’, at least in the Suburban environment I find myself in. Wrestle with what is said here.  “Hi, my name is Kevin and I am a sinner.” From Buechner:

When they first start talking at a meeting, they introduce themselves by saying, “I am John. I am an alcoholic,” “I am Mary. I am an alcoholic,” to which the rest of the group answers each time in unison, “Hi John,” “HI Mary.”  They are apt to end with the Lord’s Prayer or the serenity prayer. Apart from that they have no ritual. They have no hierarchy.  They have no dues or budget.  They do not advertise or proselytize. Having no buildings of their own, they meet wherever they can.

Nobody lectures them, and they do not lecture each other. They simply tell their stories with the candor that anonymity makes possible.  They tell where they went wrong and how day by day they are trying to go right. They tell where they find the strength and understanding and hope to keep trying. Sometimes one of them will take special responsibility for another – to be available at any hour of day or night if the need arises. There’s not much more to it than that, and it seems to be enough. Healing happens. Miracles are made.

You can’t help but thinking that something like this is what the Church is meant to be and maybe once was before it got to big business.  Sinners Anonymous.  “I can will what is right but I cannot do it,” is the way that Saint Paul put it, speaking for all of us. “For I do not do the good I want, but he evil I do not want to do, I do.” (Romans 7:19)

“I am me. I am a sinner.”

“Hi, you,”

Hi every Sadie and Sal. Hi every Tom, Dick and Harry. It is the forgiveness of sins, of course. It is what the Church is all about.

No matter what far place alcoholics end up in, either in this country of virtually anywhere else, they know that there will be an A.A. meeting nearby to go to and at that meeting they will find strangers who are not strangers to help and to heal, to listen to the truth and to tell it.  This is what the body of Christ is all about.

Would it ever occur to Christians in a far place to turn to a church nearby in hope of finding the same? Would they find it? If not, you wonder what is so big about the Church’s business? P.4-5

I could never figure these things out; at most I was able to get two sides and that was after way to much work. Some Rubik’s Cube geek would be able to get all four sides in minute and it always annoyed me.  How did they do that?

I have heard it said that leading change is much like mastering the Rubik’s Cube, if you want to get all four sides, you must be willing to break it up when you have one or two completed. To achieve a new thing, you must be willing to part ways with the way things currently are. New ideas and ways of doing things are never accomplished without a willingness to risk changing what is in front of you, without a willingness to fail or even look like a fool.   

The church in North America generally likes the stability of doing things that have a proven track record of success. We can debate what is success is - a traditional model, a contemporary church growth model, a missional model- but I think there is little doubt that what we like to start, what we like to fund, what we like to write books about are things that everyone can agree produces something predictable. We are comfortable with our outcomes being very moderate or at least easy to define. We quickly accept the ideas of those who have achieved some level of success and run to the book store, the next conference, the next podcast to adapt what they are doing and begin to make small changes, but get nervous when our one or two sides begin to get broken up - we can’t preach like that, we can’t meet then or in that space, that person cant lead, we always have these things, done in this order, this way, at this place. Change is easily talked about at conferences, but very difficult to implement.

 I believe we all long for the stories we hear of the Gospel exploding around world to take place in our suburbs, our cities, our towns, but have resigned ourselves-unspoken of course-to be safe and comfortable, to be healthy, to accept getting one side or if we are really good, two sides of the cube. Better to live with that  than truly risk failure.  Fear keeps us trapped in a state of mediocrity. Fear keeps me trapped in a state of mediocrity. I think fear is what allows us to so easily follow the next big thing or the guy who has now figured it out. We need a church culture that allows for the freedom to fail, the freedom to try new things, we need to encourage each other to make better mistakes, to fail while daring to be more creative in bringing the entire Gospel to people, neighborhoods, and cities. We need denominational or other support systems which can celebrate a failure and help church planters and churches work through those failures and learn from them.

I invite you to listen to this presentation (it is short) by Tim Hartford on TED.com.

“Economics writer Tim Harford studies complex systems — and finds a surprising link among the successful ones: they were built through trial and error. In this sparkling talk from TEDGlobal 2011, he asks us to embrace our randomness and start making better mistakes.”

His presentation, Trial, error and the God complex, suggest how oraganizations improve.  No, I don’t agree with everything he says.  No, I am not suggesting that we make mistakes that reject any part of Christian orthodoxy, the Bible is God’s word and authoritative, but I do believe that the church can take more risk and learn to start making better mistakes in our efforts at bringing the Gospel to our post christian culture.