We learn by living through an experience or being told a fact, and then build additional learning on top of that experience. Further experiences or facts are added on top of the original one, supplementing or reinforcing them, and adding to a wall of knowledge that makes us who we are.

Have you ever noticed how much non-factual memories cement the factual ones in place? Consider the sense of smell. It has a strong connection to memories. An experience in the past can be brought immediately to the forefront of the memory by smelling something connected with that memory. I can think of several situations in my own life where I have experienced this. If I were to smell the odors that were around the rubber processing plant where I worked for a summer while in college, it would immediately bring that memory to mind. When my parents moved to Tustin, California and I visited there for Christmas, the fresh smell of the air in the morning was very striking, and when I smell that again, I am brought back to that Christmas.

Just as the sense of smell is connected to memories, so also is music. I have many tapes of music I recorded from the radio as I was moving from high school to college and beyond, and as I listen to those tapes, I am reminded about places and events in my own life, things that were going on when I made the recordings. Sometimes there is not even a clear specific memory, just a feeling associated with the music – sadness or satisfaction or joy or exhuberance.

Today’s song hit me this way. It brought me back to an Easter service several years ago, and the thrill of celebrating once again the triumph of the resurrection of Jesus. Not just the story of it – the fact of it. And this is one that you can’t enjoy properly by just reading the words – you have to listen to the song itself!

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Celebrate! He’s alive!

Let the children sing
A song of liberation
The God of our salvation
Set us free
Death, where is thy sting?
The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open
Come and see!

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb.
Alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive forever, Amen!

Let my heart sing out,
For Christ, the One and only
So powerful and holy
Rescued me
Death won’t hurt me now
Because He has redeemed me
No grave will ever keep me
From my King

I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive forever, Amen!

I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb
I’m alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive forever, Amen!

Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One
Who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance
Let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!
(repeat many times)

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive forever, Amen!
(repeat many times)

He’s alive forever, Amen!
He’s alive forever, Amen!

He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive
He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive

Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One
Who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance
Let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King!

He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb
He’s alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive forever, Amen!
(repeat forever, amen!)

Let me know what you think, and whether you’d like to see more of these tapes posted.

One of the earliest Jesus music writers and singers I came across was Gary S. Paxton. He is on the first tape I recorded off the radio from The Scott Ross Show back in 1976. He was not mellow like the 2nd Chapter Of Acts, and he was not folksy like Malcom & Alwyn; he was Gary S. Paxton, the guy who created Monster Mash and Alley Oop back in the early 1960s. And when Jesus got ahold of this wild man, his music didn’t suddenly become something you’d hear the choir singing on Sunday morning. It was gutsy and growly; in fact, he himself labeled it as “Christian Grit”.

I didn’t have the privilege of owning one of his albums until just recently. His web site is, sadly, difficult to navigate, and finding the place where his albums can be ordered is like finding the Loch Ness monster; sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. Right now, it’s one of those “don’t” times, and I can’t share the information about exactly where I found them on his site. (The albums are also available on iTunes and Amazon). In any case, when I ordered his first two recordings, The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable, Different World Of Gary S. Paxton and More, not only did I get CD quality recordings of this unique music, but those CDs included additional tracks that did not appear on the original vinyl LPs, and Paxton himself, age 71, signed them and included a sheaf of notes about his life.

Several of the songs are favorites of mine, and I will share a couple of them on this blog. One that caught my ear was a song I did not know as well as some others. What I noticed was a brass riff in the song. It seemed familiar because it was almost identical to a brass riff on one of the jingles for The Larry Black Show, which I listened to for many years. Paxton created the jingles Larry used once he took over the show from Scott Ross, and the strong similarity suggests that both the jingles and this track were recorded at about the same time, using the same studio musicians and singers. Listen to these two jingles from the show:

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]
[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

And then listen to this Paxton song from the 1977 album More. In particular, notice how the song sounds at about 1:25 into it, compared to the jingles just above:

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing

I thought I had life and things all goin’ my way
I thought I had freedom, rights to think, hear and say
Self-ruled my kingdom, I had me on the throne
Love seemed all around but still I felt all alone

Things I thought could keep me high were tearin’ me apart
Step by step on my way down ’till something changed my heart

And now I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, yes I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing

Now what I’m plugged into isn’t fake or insane
It even has strength when I just mention His name
He has replaced me as the king on the throne
With Him in your life you’ll have a new life of your own

Now the high I’m gettin’ on is buildin’ my life up
I’m walking in a constant high since I drank from the loving cup

Because I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good, good, good, good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing
Oh, well I’m hooked on a good thing

Life can be incredibly difficult. No matter how good things may seem to be, we live in a world that is broken, and that brokenness may impact me at any time. It could be something that affects me personally, or it could be something that affects someone close to me, or it could be a place in the world that is hit by a disaster, natural or otherwise. Any of these things may be the straw that “breaks the camel’s back”.

Upon waking up in the morning, the disasters in my life can make me feel like I want to just put my head under the pillow to try to make it all go away. The reality of life is that I cannot really escape from these things. The greater reality of life is that I have Someone to carry these burdens for me. There is no way that I am strong enough, especially when that burden is there facing me day after day after day. Jesus takes the load that I cannot, and supports me in my weakness. Let Him be the strength in your life.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

I open my eyes to the sound of morning news
And wish for ten more minutes left to sleep
And as I get into the shower
The thoughts of facing one more day
Overwhelm me and I begin to weep
And I’ve never felt
Like I’ve needed Your help,
So bad

Well, my tears are pushed away now
For the sake of morning rush
‘Til the Bible on the table catches my eye
And I read that You are near to
The hearts that break with grief
And I realize that I don’t have to try
To live life myself
Because You’re ready to help
Me live

And every day I look to You
To be the strength of my life
You’re the hope I hold onto
Be the strength of my life

Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today
Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today

Each day has its problems, it troubles and its tears
And it seems I’m always anything but strong
When I learn to know my weakness,
I understand Your strength
And even when the hard times last so long
I won’t try by myself,
I’ll just ask for Your help
Each day

And everyday I look to You
To be the strength of my life
Breathe on me and make me new
Be the strength of my life

Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today
Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today

Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today
Be the strength of my life
Strength of my life
Be the strength of my life today

I rarely post a new song, since there are so many excellent older ones. But every so often I find there is a new song that stands out and really speaks to me, and then I feel I must share it. I have enjoyed Bob Bennett’s voice and music for some time; click on his name in the tags to the right and see other posts where I have used his songs. This is from a new 2009 Christmas album of his; as in the past, his words are powerful, and his simple guitar backgrounds are pleasing to the ear. For me, this is a new Christmas favorite!
[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Make wide the way and straight the path
God with Us
He comes in mercy, not in wrath
God with Us

Behold an ancient mystery
God stepping into history
Hail the incarnate deity
God with Us

Good will to men and peace on earth
God with Us
He comes to us by humble birth
God with Us

Clothed alike in flesh and bone
He comes to make His Father known
His Spirit says we’re not alone
God with Us

God with Us
Because we fell
Yeshua Hamashiach
Emmanuel
God with Us
It was always meant to be
God with Us
With you, with me

Innocent as a newborn child
God with Us
The souls of sinners reconciled
God with Us

From Bethlehem to Calvary
Come to set the captives free
That every grave might empty be
God with Us

God with Us
What a story to tell
Jesus Christ
Our Emmanuel
The lame will dance
The blind will see
God with Us
With you, with me

Not by merit do we proclaim
He is fully God and fully Man
Blessed be His Name
For the Eternal One
Has surely kept his Vow
To be God with Us
Here and now

So light the lights and trim the tree
God with Us
A holiday with a mongrel pedigree
God with Us

But at the heart of why we’re here
The morning after midnight clear
Reverence replaces fear
God with Us

God with Us
Our hearts compel
Our worship of the Living God
Emmanuel
May His Spirit give
Open eyes to see
God with Us
With you, with me

God with Us!

You can purchase this directly from Bob Bennett at his web site here, If you prefer a downloadable album, he gives a link to a place where you can get it. It is also available on the iTunes store.

My first semester of college was exciting to me. It was an adventure in which I was eager to participate. It was to be on my own, to be an “adult.” Yet, by the time a month had passed, I was so homesick I could barely stand it. Home was over 500 miles away; a weekend visit was out of the question. When an opportunity arose for me to share a ride home for Thanksgiving, I jumped at the chance. And that Thanksgiving is possibly the most memorable one of my life, but not because of any details of it. Honestly, I cannot recall anything specific about it other than the fact that I was there. But the feeling I associate with that event is one of warmth, welcome, and the joy in just being home.

As we have just left the holiday of Thanksgiving and are now into the official Christmas season, I was thinking about what it is that makes this a season of joy and warmth for some, and one of dread and anxiety for others.

The basis for this joy seems to be home, and my connection to it. My home was a pleasant place, my family was loving. We had conflicts at times, but the overall feeling I have of my home life was positive, warm, and a good memory.

It is not a matter of how wealthy your family was. My mother’s family had little in terms of money or possessions, and her parents were strict. Yet in their lack, the holidays she experienced were amongst her favorite memories.

Some people don’t have a positive home background. Their parents were neglectful, or abusive, or skewed their favor toward a sibling. This made childhood a continuing pain, and not a pleasant place to seek out in memory. As a result, there is no warmth in thinking about past holiday seasons.

For all people, whether home life was good, indifferent, or bad, there is still that desire to have a good and warm experience at holidays. And when we do try for the desired “happy holidays”, be it at Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year’s Eve, it often falls short of our expectations. It doesn’t matter whether we are trying to recapture the joys of the holidays of our childhood, or trying to create the joy that was not there when we were young; it just doesn’t, it can’t live up to the ideal.

Why is this? Are our expectations too high? Are they unrealistic? True, some of our desires are heavily colored by culture, by the many movies and TV specials we’ve seen as we grew up. But regardless of what it is that contributes to any positive attitude toward the season we may have, behind it all is a longing for that home that is warm and loving and welcoming. I long for the home where everyone shows love to each other, where nobody is sick or in pain or distressed, where I am just grateful for the time I can spend in the presence of those I love. Or better still, to come home and find those friends and family that I’ve lost, waiting to greet me and spend time together. In this dream, it doesn’t even matter whether or not I receive any presents; just being in this home is the only gift I want.

What we are really longing for in our preparations and celebrations is for Heaven itself. What we have loved about home (or dreamed about for that perfect home) and the positive feelings associated with that home is the glimpse of heaven that home provides.

In today’s song, Michael Card expresses some of these feelings about home, both his connection with his home through the one who loves him and welcomes him there, and in thinking about that permanent home that we who love the Lord Jesus will some day have.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Home is a comfort, and home is a light
A place to leave the darkness outside
Home is a peaceful and ever-full feeling
A place where a soul safely hides

And being at home should remind you that still
There’s a place that’s prepared just for you
And I think my home is just heaven’s reflection
As long as my home’s here with you

Home is where someone is waiting and loving
And happy to see you again
That half of your heart that somebody else treasures
The one who’s your forever friend

But it seems that He’s told me, the life that He showed me
Is life mostly spent on the road
But when the world’s empty jar has done all of its harm
I know that His love waits for me in your arms

Cause home is a comfort, and home is a light
A place to leave the darkness outside
Home is a peaceful and ever-full feeling
A place where a soul safely hides

And being at home should remind you that still
There’s a place that’s prepared just for you
And I think my home is just heaven’s reflection
As long as my home’s here with you

And being at home should remind you that still
There’s a place that’s prepared just for you
And I think my home is just heaven’s reflection
As long as my home’s here with you

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The origin of the holiday is profoundly Christian; giving thanks to God by some of the first white settlers to this country for His favor in surviving a first, hard winter in a new world. And the tradition of thanking God survives to this day, so many years later.

There are many things I can come up with for which to be thankful to God, but today I want to use this post as an opportunity to thank the Lord for people in my life, people who were used to grow me in my spiritual life during my college and post-graduate years.

When I arrived at college way back when, I met a group of people who introduced me to a more full life in Christ, who led Bible studies that influenced me, and who showed me this phenomenon of Jesus music. Thank you Tim Hamilton (you may find one of your songs up here some day!), Craig Cooperrider, Russ Sizemore, Ed Woods, Bill Rasmussen, and many others. You played an important, critical role in shaping my life.

Later on, many friends I met in Omaha while in medical school were also influential to me. Thank you Pastor Don Rice, Lloyd & Lois Weyhrich (uncle and aunt), Tom Amenell, John Camoriano, Steve Moessner, and the group of friends I came to know at The Cavern at Pella Lutheran Church. You helped me get through those challenging years, and further grew my faith.

Finally, I am thankful for the people I came to know at Christ Lutheran Church while I was in residency: Joe Rystrom, Steve Hoffart, Dean Slyter, Pam Yaksich, Karla Struble, Jim and Diana Moeller, many others I knew then, and of course Kim Pfeiffer, who blessed me by becoming my wife.

For all of these people who God used in my life, I am thankful. I regret that I have not been consistent in keeping in touch with everyone over the years as I wish I had done. I bless God for those who have fallen asleep in Jesus and are now rejoicing in heaven, as this song expresses. And for all of you — I am a life that was changed.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me;
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
We turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, “Friend you may not know me now,”
And then he said, “But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
One day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart.”

Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

Then another man stood before you
And said, “Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn’t have much money,
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that’s why I’m here today.”

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done,
Sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven, now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You’re not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, “My child, look around you.
For great is your reward.”

Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

In my last post, I discussed “love” as it was sought for by the generation that came out of the 1960s, and what they were seeking. Another thing that they were looking for was truth.

The problem with a search for “truth” is that the definition differs from one person to another. This is unfortunate, because it leads people to believe in “relative truth”, that truth changes under differing circumstances or with different people.

So, what exactly is truth? It does not have to do with preferences, where one person likes Italian food, but his friend likes Japanese food instead. It might have to do with a political alignment, depending on what that party is advocating. It certainly can apply to clearly reproducible scientific principles (gravity, mass, velocity, etc.)

Why should “truth” be a matter of debate? Shouldn’t it be self-evident? If that were the case, there would be much less conflict in the world, from the levels of country versus country all the way down to husband versus wife. The nature of truth has been an issue since the very day that Adam and Eve chose to listen to a voice other than God’s, and acted on what sounded like a “better” truth than what they had already been told.

The “truth” that you choose to follow has an impact on your entire life. If my personal interpretation of traffic laws means that “55 MPH” is a suggestion rather than the law (or truth), then I will have a conflict with the officer who pulls me over for going 75.

There are also truths that are true whether or not anyone believes them. The truth of gravity is in effect even if  I choose to not to accept it. I will fall to the ground when I jump off the roof, even if I think that I am able to fly.

Going back to the people of my generation, those who were becoming disillusioned with the truth of “free love” and “free your mind”: Many discovered that this freedom from the rules of society, from the rules of their parents, tended to bind them to other problems. And, at the end of the day, after they had lived with their new truth, the emptiness of life still faced them.

Discovery of the truth of Jesus results in a kind of freedom unknown to the unsurrendered heart. His truth directs me away from focusing on doing “my own thing” and instead pulls me to learn to do His “thing”.

In John 8:31-32, Jesus said to those to whom He was speaking, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  The song I share today from Dion DiMucci speaks of the truth told to a young man by his father, the truth about Jesus, the truth that can set a person truly free.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Down the dirty city street
Blacktop sneakers on my feet
I raced through early teenage years
And dealt with all those nameless fears

Waiting as the school bell rang
To drop my books and join the gang
And alley fights and stickball games
The passing girls wore dirty names

Over my shoulder and back through the years
I can see my father’s eyes in my memory
“Jesus died upon the cross
All was won and nothing lost”
And how the Truth will set you free, yeah
And how the Truth will set you free

I turned my collar, I combed my hair
I’d hide all the confusion there
When two dimes made my pockets ring
I was a wealthy New York king

Being cool by the candy store
I knew my world, yet wanted more
My high school colors of black and blue
They would disturb my point of view

And over my shoulder and back through the years
I could see my father’s eyes in my memory
Saying, “My Jesus died upon the cross
All was won and nothing lost”
How the Truth will set you free, yeah
Son, the Truth will set you free

You know, our candy store’s turned shopping mall
Huh, two dimes won’t buy you much at all
Boy Caruso on the street
Is a father now in slippered feet

Who tells his son as years go by
How God’s the Truth, hate’s a lie
It’s not what’s in your pocket, son
But what’s in your heart that makes us one

Oh, over your shoulder and back through the years
You will see your father’s eyes in your memory
Telling you, “Jesus died upon the cross
All was won and nothing lost”
And how the Truth will set you free, yeah
And son, the Truth will set you free

Truth will set you
Truth will set you free

Truth will set you
Truth will set you free

You are free
You are free
That’s the truth, son
That’s the truth, son

Truth will set you
Truth will set you free

I mentioned last time about the mind-set in the early to mid 1970s amongst some who had gone through the 1960s and who were disillusioned with how things actually turned out. So many groups had been speaking of love — love-ins, the “Summer of Love”, and “love is the way”, but what did they really get out of it? More sex did not result in more love; it just led to a continued search for that perfect experience, and still had the emptiness afterwards of the non-relationship. Even if they didn’t catch some STD, it still didn’t fill that empty hole in the heart.

Drugs were no better. “One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small,” sang the Jefferson Airplane. The expanded mind, whether using LSD or peyote or marijuana, was fine while the experience lasted. After it was over, life was just the way it was before.

And then we had this phenomenon appear, these people at coffe houses or concerts who were singing about … Jesus? What did religion have to do with the real, nitty-gritty, down-to-earth life anyway? As it turned out, quite a lot. The search for the perfect experience was actually a search for the Creator and the life He could provide. The search for “love” was the same thing — a longing for a real love that could accept me, regardless of who I was or what I had done.

For a week in June, 1972, an event was held in Dallas, Texas that had a profound effect on a large number of people, and re-directed many lives. Explo ‘72 was organized by Campus Crusade for Christ, and was a conference with speakers who motivitated attendees to learn how to reach the world for Jesus. The week culminated in an outdoor Christian music festival held on June 17. The crowd in attendance has been estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000, and the concert lasted eight hours, featuring many of the early musicians of the Jesus movement, including Randy Matthews, Armageddon Experience, Larry Norman, Danny Lee & The Children Of Truth, and even more famous performers, such as Johnny Cash. This music festival was a factor that ignited further interest in the whole genre of Jesus music (what later was labeled as Contemporary Christian Music), and launched some of the groups who performed there to national prominence. It also had a profound affect on many who attended, motivating them to spend their lives in Christian ministry.

One of the new Christian groups that performed at Explo ‘72 was Love Song. The performance of their signature song was unique in the recitation of 1 Corinthians 13, the famous “love chapter” in the Bible. When I heard this recording, several years after the event, I was most struck by hearing this chapter, read from the Living Bible paraphrase. Hearing it in this unfamiliar form made the words have all the more impact to me, helping to nail down that this was what love was about, this was the love that everyone had been looking for. The perfect love that was described was a love that could only be obtained with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Lend an ear to a love song
Ooh, a love song
Let it take you
Let it start

What can you hear in a love song
If you can feel it
Then you’re feeling
From the heart

All the emotion, true feelings of life
Is what music of love is about
If you are listening with peace in your heart
And no doubt

So listen now
To a love song
Ooh, a love song
Let it take you
Let it start

[spoken]
If I had the gift
of being able to speak in other languages
without learning them,
and could speak in every language there is
in all of heaven and earth,
but didn’t love others,
I would only be making noise.

If I had the gift of prophecy,
and knew all about what is going to happen
in the future,
knew everything
about everything,
but didn’t love others,
what good would it do?

Even if I had the gift of faith,
so that I could speak to a mountain
and make it move,
I would still be worth nothing at all
without love.

If I gave everything I had to poor people,
if I were burned alive for preaching the gospel,
but didn’t love others,
it would be of no value whatever.

Love is very patient
and kind,
never jealous
or envious,
never boastful
or proud,
never haughty
or selfish
or rude.

Love does not demand its own way,
it is not irritable or touchy,
it does not hold grudges,
and will hardly even notice
when others do it wrong.

It is never glad about injustice,
but rather rejoices
whenever the truth wins out.

If you love someone,
you’ll be loyal to him,
no matter what the cost.
You will always believe in him,
you will always expect the best of him,
and always stand your ground
in defending him.

All the special gifts and powers from God
will someday come to an end,
but love goes on forever.
Someday prophecy,
and speaking in unknown languages,
and special knowledge,
these gifts will disappear.

Now, we know so little,
even with our special gifts,
and the preaching of those most gifted
is still so poor.
But when we have been made
perfect and complete,
then the need for these inadequate special gifts
will come to an end,
and they will disappear.

It’s like this:
When I was a child,
I spoke
and thought
and reasoned
as a child does.
But when I became a man,
my thoughts grew far beyond
those of my childhood,
and now I have put away
the childish things.

In the same way,
we can see
and understand
only a little about God now,
as if we were peering
into a reflection
of a poor mirror.
But some day
we are going to see Him
in His completeness,
face to face.

Now, all that I know
is hazy
and blurred,
but then
I will see everything clearly,
just as clearly
as God sees into my heart
right now.

There are three things that remain:
Faith,
hope,
and love.
And the greatest of these
is love

[sung]
So listen now
To a love song
If you can hear it
We will never be apart.

As usual, you can go to VideoRocket or find the podcast on the iTunes Store to hear the show. Take a listen!

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I grew up during the 1960s, and began to pay attention to the phenomenon of rock & roll music by the middle of the decade. I remember many summer afternoons swimming at the community pool down the street from our home, with the background of current pop music playing over the loudspeakers. When I hear the songs “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan, or “Summer In The City” by The Loving Spoonful, it makes me think of that pool (and also identifies it as the summer of 1966).

This was further brought to my recollection as I listened to The History Of Rock & Roll “rockumentary” recently. Those who identified with the music of the 60s saw a change in the worldview presented as the decade progressed. It started with a focus on love, cars, and fun, and by the end of the decade the music was dealing with more weighty subjects and introspection about the Vietnam war and uncertainty about life itself. There were still “fun” songs, but many were more concerned about the realities of life and the world.

Not only were songwriters paying attention to these issues, but some of them were also thinking about spiritual matters. Beatle George Harrison stated in an interview:

The main thing that I felt from the 60s thing that happened was the realization that all the goodness and all the strength and things that can support life, is all coming out of love. And not just as simple … as one guy saying to a chick “I love you”, you know, as a personal, as an emotional kind of a thing, that is. But the love … just real love which is like unconditional love. [Because] so often we say, “I love you if“, you know; “I love you when“, “I love you but“. And that’s not real love. You know, I don’t want to just hear the word, I want to feel it and see it and be it.

Harrison had the right idea about the selflessness necessary for real love, but he sadly was unaware of the true Source of that love. His former bandmate John Lennon later voiced some of his philosophy in his song Imagine: Imagine there’s no heaven, no hell below, no religion, no possessions. His rejection of True Spirituality caused him to turn his eyes away from those aspects of spiritual reality to what he thought was the truth. In actuality, he also had cut himself away from Truth.

Like these poets of the 60s, many at that time who had no firm spiritual anchor found themselves pulled and pushed by the social and metaphysical tides and storms of the decade. Some found themselves washed ashore with sadness, hopelessness, or worse. And many wondered if there was anything better to look forward to. Pop and rock music was not the cause of this state of mind, but was rather a reflection of it. The music forced many to face the realities of life.

Music affects people on so many levels: emotionally, intellectually, and sometimes physically. For people like me, the greatest effect has been the impact of the lyrics; that’s why on the posts I’ve made on this blog, I’ve wanted very much to illustrate the value of songs through their words. The quality of the music dresses up the words, just as icing on a cake makes it perfect.

Those words can have a profound impact on the heart of an open listener, for better or worse. Searchers for truth in the late 1960s and early 1970s would immediately jump on the words being sung, if it provided a glimpse into that truth. Today’s song relates the desire of the writer, Michael Omartian, to get beyond the superficial things that people say, and dive into the feelings in their hearts. And the “poet” that he was encouraging the listener to hear was, in reality, Annie Herring of the 2nd Chapter Of Acts. Listen to Omartian’s words, and then go and pull out some of songs from Annie’s group to deepen your heart.
[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

I don’t wanna hear about your conquests
Or your casual affairs
Each one a great new story,
But who cares?

I wanna know about your feelings
Or the ache in your heart
The thoughts that make you what you are
That set you apart.
‘Cause maybe I’ve had them, too

I come to where you’re playing often
And you know why I do
‘Cause maybe you will sing about
What I have felt, too

Of things I’ve never told a soul
Because of my pride
And long time fears that keep it hidden
Way down inside
And I’ll know what you mean

And I’ll say, Go hear Annie the poet
She sings of something she’s lost
Mistakes that were made in her childhood
And the price that they’ve cost
Well I have lost that, too

And I’ll say, Go see Annie the poet
She sings of something she’s found
I don’t see that in my own life
When I look around
I want to find that, too
I want to find that, too

The rich man hears the word of truth
And doesn’t care
The poor man sees his prospects
Scattered everywhere

Well I’m a poor man
Looking to get rich upon your words
So lift my heavy spirit
With the truth you’ve heard
And I’ll know what you mean

And I’ll say, Go hear Annie the poet
She sings of something she’s lost
Mistakes that were made in her childhood
And the price that they’ve cost
Well I have lost that, too

And I’ll say, Go see Annie the poet
She sings of something she’s found
I don’t see that in my own life
When I look around
I want to find that, too
I want to find that, too

Eight years ago today, our world was changed profoundly. By the actions of some very lost men with a very great hatred, many lives were taken in a tragedy that affects us still today.

As an adult, I had not previously experienced a disaster that affected me in a way that caused me to simply stop and stare at the news on the television, not believing what I was seeing, praying that somehow it was not as bad as it appeared.

I did not personally lose anybody that I knew in the disastrous plane crashes on the World Trade Center towers in New York, or on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001. I have no personal connection with either city. I am a midwestern born and raised person, and frankly I have no great love for large cities.

And yet this wanton destruction, this attack on this land that I love, struck me with the same intensity as it did to many others in our country, even in the world, on that day. It was such a feeling of helplessness, of sadness, of horror for the victims (both in the jets that crashed, as well as for those in the buildings those jets struck) and for their families.

In the months following 9/11, one story written about the tragedy from the point of view of Jesus began to circulate the Internet. It first was played on radio station KFSH 95.9 FM in Los Angeles, California in November 2001, and continued to get airplay spreading throughout the nation both during and after the Christmas season that year. The words were written by Stacey Randall, it was read by Bob Holiday of KFSH, and it was recorded with Mannheim Steamroller’s Silent Night playing in the background. Titled Met In The Stairwell, but also known as I Was There (9/11), I found it to be an intense look at that snapshot in time, and a reminder that most of us do not know whether or not today will be our last day on earth.

I’ve written posts in the past on this web site about the brevity of life, and the need to know now where you stand with Jesus Christ. In the 2 Corinthians 6:2 the Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted hour, behold now is the day of salvation.” I am not promised tomorrow. I am that Jesus will be with me in anything that comes my way today, even if that happens to be the end of my time here on earth.

If you do not know where you stand with God now, don’t take this song and lyrics to be something only intended to draw a tear from your eye. Take it as a promise of the presence of Jesus in your life, knocking at your door, waiting permission to enter. And do not delay, thinking that you will have time “tomorrow”. Take that step today.

[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

You say you’ll never forget where you were
when you heard the news on September 11th, 2001.

Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say goodbye.

I held his fingers steady as he dialed.

I gave him the peace to say,
“Honey, I am not going to make it,
but it’s okay…I’m ready to go.”

I was with his wife when he called
as she fed breakfast to their children.

I held her up as she tried to understand his words,
and as she realized he wasn’t coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor
when a women cried out to Me for help.
“I’ve been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!”
I said, “Of course I will show you the way home -
only believe in Me now.”

I was at the base of the building when the Priest
ministered to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend his flock in Heaven.
He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer.
I was with the crew as they were overtaken.
I was in the very hearts of the believers there,
comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London.
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face.
I knew every name – though not all know Me.

Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.

Some couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames,
“Come to Me…this way…take My hand.”

Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.

But, I was there.

I did not place you in the tower that day.
You may not know why, but I do.
However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time,
would you have reached for Me?

September 11th, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you.
But someday your journey will end,
and I’ll be there for you as well.
Seek Me now while I may be found.
Then, at any moment, you know you’re “ready to go.”

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Remember…I love you.

I enjoy songs that explain a facet of God, whom I cannot see, by comparing it with something I can see.

There are also writers and poets who, during the past 2000 years, have done their best to describe facets of God and His nature. Some of them have written their descriptions in the form of prayers that stay with us to this day.

One of the most famous of these was written by St. Francis of Assisi, who lived back in the early 13th century. He is remembered as a founder of the Franciscans, a Catholic religious order. During his life, he dedicated himself to more closely identifying with the teachings of Jesus Christ, to the point of taking a vow of poverty, and preaching repentance. His Prayer Of St. Francis is translated as follows:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

I was not raised as a Catholic, but during part of my childhood I lived in South Bend, Indiana, the home of the Catholic-based Notre Dame University. Back in the days when televisions stations did not broadcast for 24 hours a day, I vividly remember staying up late enough for Johnny Carson to be over, followed soon afterwards by the sign-off of television station WNDU in South Bend. In addition to the national anthem, they also played a recording of the Prayer of St. Francis. It seemed a peaceful end to the day.

Today when I read the words of this prayer, I am reminded of those aspects of the Christian life that involve communion with God, through prayer and meditation on His word. And if you want to find Jesus music that fits into a meditative style, look no further than John Michael Talbot. Although he released an album in 1980, Come To The Quiet which includes St. Francis’ prayer put to song (Peace Prayer), he and his brother Terry Talbot also used some of these themes in two of the songs on their joint album The Painter. They used the imagery of a God as an artist, painting His image on the canvas of my life, with colors of His qualities.

Here are the two songs First, Paint My Life:
[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

So paint my life with your charity
So paint my life with your mercy
Paint my life with your humility
And I will share in your glory

Jesus, paint my life!
Jesus, paint my life!

Color your brush with your kindness
Color your brush with your meekness
Color your brush with your gentleness
Color your brush with your forgiveness

Jesus, paint my life!
Jesus, paint my life!
Jesus …

And now, The Mystery.
[ please go to the post to hear the audio! ]

Could you be findin’ the Mystery
You have been looking for?
A kingdom where servants will come to be kings
Are you looking for?

And you’ll know
That the sweet paradoxes unfolds
And the mystery will clearly show
And you’ll know
And you’ll know…

Jesus, paint my life
(Could you be findin’ the mystery?)
Jesus, paint my life
(Could you be findin’ the mystery?)
Jesus, paint my life
(Could you be findin’ the mystery?)

And we know, you are the Master of painters
Comin’ the true Prince of Peace
And we know, you are the true Creator
Comin’ the King of Kings

Jesus, paint my life with charity
(Could you be finding the mystery?)
Paint my life with mercy
(Could you be finding the mystery?)
Paint my life
(Could you be finding the mystery?)

Can you be the light of the world?
Can you be the light?
Take the light that’s given to you
Can you be the light?

Can you give your love to the world?
Can you give your love?
Take the love that’s given to you
Can you give your love?

Jesus paint my life with charity
(Can you be the life?)
Paint my life with mercy
(Can you be the life?)
Paint my life
(Can you be the life?)

Paint my life

And if you want more meditative music, check out Talbot’s Come To The Quiet album.