Hanging By a Moment

The words "desperate for" came to mind, and I thought about Lifehouse as I was driving my van toward a routine Dr. appt. I am overwhelmed lately with spiritual stimuli - both blessing and trial - and the Lord has admonished me that if I do not stand firm in my faith, I will not stand at all. A friend today gave me the simple reminder that I needed to remain in His word and in prayer. I feel like I have to be steadfast in all of this. "There's nothing else to lose, nothing else to find." I'm hanging by a moment, and I should be letting go of what holds me back. Letting my soul stand before the Lord, hanging on every moment with Him. Good song, LH.

Forgetting all I'm lacking
Completely incomplete
I'll take your invitation
You take all of me now...

I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you
I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
And I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with you

There's nothing else to lose
There's nothing else to find
There's nothing in the world
That can change my mind
There is nothing else
There is nothing else
There is nothing else

Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
I'm closer to where I started
Chasing after you....


From the album No Name Face.

So Long, Self

Hello! Sunny day here where I am, after days and days of grey and snow! Soon we are going to have snow again; meantime, spirits are lifted and all feels blessed.

I've been doing some reading for a workshop I'm leading on the role of music in worship. Reading broadly has brought me face to face with the truth that my life is meant to be about worship, and worship is not about me. It's almost comical how often I have to be reminded. I am so grateful for a God who doesn't let me forget, because the less I see of me, the more I see of Him! Hallelujah!

Helping me stay light-hearted on this step in the journey is Mercy Me with their song "So Long, Self" from the 2006 album Coming Up To Breathe. It's written like a breakup song, only it emphasizes that they can't still be friends.

So long, self
Well, it's been fun, but I have found somebody else
So long, self
There's just no room for two
So you are gonna have to move
So long, self
Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me, farewell
Oh well, goodbye, don't cry
So long, self

How I wish I were really that free and easy! My "self" is like the crazy girlfriend that keeps calling. And I am like the crazy woman that keeps answering the crazy ex-boyfriend's calls and texts, like I need the attention or something. Oh - to be rid of it! I'm hopeful that if I keep singing this song to myself I'll experience death to self as a greater reality.

So long! :)

Jesus, Messiah

Christmas, the celebration of the incarnation of God in man. Unexpectedly, the Christmas occasion sermon at my church this ytear was taken from Philippians 2, rather than one of the gospel accounts of Christ's birth. It brought a fresh understanding to me of what God With Us really means. Our pastor reminded us that the most proper attitude at Christmastime is humility, considering the degradation to which Christ submitted Himself, and the glory that God gave him, as the God-man, as a result of His obedience.

I looked on my notes tonight in a quiet moment and was reminded of Chris Tomlin's "Jesus Messiah." He came as a man so that He could carry a cross and become sin, Who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness. Love so amazing!

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer, Immanuel.
He's the rescue for sinners
The ransom from heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all.

I am all about Christmas -- all of it. Give me the chestnuts roasting on an open fire where I can dream of a winter wonderland. The sweets, the lights, the gifts - it's all magical to me. At the heart of it, I believe, is a sense of comfort and joy, that He has come to be with us.

All our hope is in You
All glory to You, God
The light of the World.

Amen, and Merry Christmas.

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

I feel ambivalent about my birthday this year in a lot of ways. One the one hand, I like parties, cake, and I admit, presents. On the other hand, I am getting older. I have to maturely accept that my birthday will not be as cool for me as it was when I was a kid. It's nice to have a reason to celebrate, but I kind of want to deny I'm getting older. So I kind of want it to be a big deal, and I kind of feel like it shouldn't be. I think we are going out to dinner with some friends tonight, and my husband is getting me a cake.

I think I'm seeing a pattern now over the years that things even out; one realizes that a lot of stuff that seemed important in the teen years, or even in college, really weren't. You knew they weren't then, too, but it just really seemed like it. Now I feel old and wise enough to be the hoary advisor who tells teenage girls what's up and how to stay steady.

I started to thank the Lord this morning for what He's done this past year. There has been so much grace when I have failed. Strength when I was weak. Patience when I was stubborn. Delight when I sought it. I thanked Him for a wonderful church, a beautiful daughter, a caring husband. And as I started to think of life carrying on for another ten years, I thought of this hymn.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast
And our eternal home.

I looked up the seventeenth-century lyrics and it turns out they suited my musings quite well. You see, Isaac Watts writes about the passage of time, and how it takes all of our lives, and at the same time, how God is in control of all of that time, and of all of our lives. It talks about creation and eternity. The new, and the continuous. That's the kind of contrast life holds for me right now.

I've been studying 2 Peter, which talks about our hope in Christ's second coming. You know, I am not sure I think enough about what happens after this life, or how I'd really like it to end. The saints to whom Peter was writing seemed concerned that those who died before Christ's return wouldn't get to see the event. He assured them that they would rise first, and then the living would meet them in the air. How thougthful, really, of the living, and of Peter to allay their concerns.

Such framing events provide a narrative to life, and I know I need a story to live in. Christ will return one day. I don't think much about it, but I believe it. And looking back on life, I see how He has been my help, and I can trust Him to be my home now in the future.

That kind of truth is better than a birthday party. Gives me steady hope. But give me a birthday party, too, and if it's not too much trouble, a short-lived, cake-induced sugar rush. Oh, and that other song I love to hear - "Happy Birthday to You."

"O God, Our Help in Ages Past," Lyrics by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft. More lyrics can be read, and the tune heard, at http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/g/ogohiap.htm

Revelation Songs

Tomorrow marks the date when, nine years ago, my husband and I embarked on life together as a couple. It so happens that I was going to write about Third Day's song "Revelation," which is a plea for a specific, timely direction from the Lord. There are times when you just need that. There have been times in our marriage when we've said, in effect,

Tell me should I stay here
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've nothing without You.

The last line of the chorus is always true - I've nothing without Him. In good times and bad, sickness and health, in plenty and in lean times, I have Him, my husband has Him, we have Him. This is both humbling and reassuring. A bedrock on which to establish a marriage, a family, a life.

The title of Third Day's song combined with the wedding theme reminded me of "Revelation Song," originally recorded by Kari Jobe and now also by Phillips, Craigs, and Dean. This is an awesome song. It's in some kind of odd key - maybe minor? I tried playing it and can't quite figure it out. The effect is ethereal, and evokes the throne room, where four living creatures surround the throne, eternally singing,

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come,

We have a glimpse of this heavenly scene in Revelation 4, while here on earth -

With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!

Marriage is a glimpse of heaven, as well, meant to symbolize Christ and His bride. When they are united, Revelation 19 says that a great multitude say, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

Oh babe, I don't really know that I was ready. You know that now. But we both know that our purpose here is to get ready for heaven, when things will be revealed "which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9). It will be true then, as it is true now, that "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," but for now I see only dimly.

Here is to more of the journey, of seeking, remembering, believing, and worshipping.

Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He.

KMM

"Revelation" by Third Day, title track of the new album.

"Revelation Song" by Gateway Worship recorded by Kari Jobe on her self-titled album and Phillips, Craig and Dean on the album Fearless.

Step by Step

Ah, naptime. I call it "mommy time." A few hours when things are quiet and I can work on projects, or think.

Time has been telescoping in my mind lately. Every little moment seems huge, and yet I can all too easily look ahead twenty years and realize the world is going to be a much different place then.

My little one turns eight months old today. I've said it before, but people who say time just flies by when you have a baby are speaking from outside the event. Inside the phenomenon, time passes very slowly. There are diapers, feedings, endless nights when you hold her because she doesn't feel well enough to sleep peacefully. There are milestones, moments, pictures, visits from grandparents. There is fear, failure, victory and reward.

All the while, you are loving a little person - a baby, in other words. It has just become clear to my heart that this little person will grow up. In twenty years, I will not be able to just hold her, as much as I might want to, and that thought makes me sad. If I could indulge a single moment longer here, it also makes me sad to think that she won't remember how good we had it when we could just lay on the floor and play together. I have to take pictures to prove it to her. :)

So time passes slowly, still, and yet I can see past the horizon to know that these days are coming to an end very soon. There will be birthday parties, scraped knees, teeth, and - gasp - school! Walking through the school supply aisle today at the supermarket I was thankful we don't have to deal with that just yet.

There will soon be that first step. I admit that I am ambivalent about her walking, per se, because I know once she is mobile I will be worn out chasing her around. Of course I will be proud, though. I imagine that my husband I will both be there and I will let go of her hands as she toddles over to him. I hope it happens that way. :)

My daughter's Praise Baby video features the song "Step by Step," originally written and recorded by Rich Mullins. The video portion features babies taking some of their first steps, which is especially cute over the words, "learn to walk in Your ways." God is in it all, I've concluded. Cradle to grave.

Being mentally transported into the world of my daughter's future also means considering the years of my own life. That makes me think of other lyrics from the song, and I don't think these words are in the Praise Baby version:
Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that no less than he
A star in the Abraham's array - one that waited to be born for thousands of years, one of many. My life is put in perspective with these few lines. In the grand scheme, I am blessed through Abraham, blessed to be a child of the faith. In seeing my daughter's future I get the sense that my life is part of history. I do not understand all of my past and don't know what will happen in my temporal future, but I know one thing remains constant - He is my God, and by His grace I will ever praise Him.

Feeling inspired

Silent for a season. I've been finishing a semester of school, packing, moving, and traveling. And in the middle of it, I've felt kind of uninspired.

But, the other night I saw a sneak preview for Julie and Julia, a movie based on Julia Child's life story and the experience of a woman who blogged her way through Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I really enjoyed the movie. It wasn't Shakespeare, and far from scripture, but it did have its transcendent moments, I think, and what especially what worked for me was how she stuck with her blog out of the desire to finish something. The movie made blogging - and cooking - look fun, and it made me want to get back into the former.

I'm including some of my cooking in this first post-hiatus post. I'm relying on Super Foods for Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel for ideas and recipes. It's not French cooking, but it does involve sauteeing onions and making delicious food. I just added the frozen peas to "Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pea Puree," in which I substituted regular potatoes. It smells wonderful. In a few minutes I will puree it and then freeze in ice cube trays what I don't serve my daughter for lunch. I have been successful making other purees and recipes from this book.

It's just what a cookbook should be - full of pictures, clear on directions, and enthusiastic about the food. It is also didactic; it tells you how to do what it's telling you to do. One learns how to cook. That is just what Julie wanted to get out of Julia's book. Ah, there's something hospitable, neighborly, and genuinely lovely about a good cook book.

Well, I'm hoping to get back to writing about songs soon but for now, Bon Appetit!

We're the issue

I've been reading a lot of feminist writing lately for school, in part because there is not much from any other perspective dealing with problems women face today. I'd like to offer another perspective, though: problems women face today, including chauvinism, are real, but their solutions are spiritual, not political. I hear a lot of talk about power relations. Isn't it obvious that the question of who has the power is just another way of asking who is abusing it? Much of the discourse I've read merely pits interest groups against one another. The conflict is real, but additional skirmishes of the same kind will not end it. Fighting will just lead to more fighting, more wounds, more animosity.

The real problem is a fundamental moral flaw in men and women. Among Switchfoot songs that have been relevant to me today is "Ammunition," which describes the strife aptly: "We've been blowing up, we're the issue. It's our condition. we've been blowing up; we're the issue. A detonation ... we are the fuse and the ammunition." The problems that exist among humans exist because of human nature. We start them - we're the fuse - and we make them worse when we add the ballistic forces of hatred, denunciation, and derision. As the song says, "We've got ourselves to blame. Look what a bomb we've made of love."

When women fight for rights while men continue to accuse them of the sameo old things; when men find that no woman is able to live up to every ideal, isn't it time to ask if the problem is perhaps both created and sustained by human nature itself?

If so, the question becomes not whether women and men can strike a power balance but whether or not human nature itself is redeemable. How do you make ammunition safe from its own volatile nature? Furthermore, how can this be done without taking away all of its spark? I don't believe we were meant to be either combustible or cold as gunmetal.

In the gospel according to Switchfoot there is another song, "Redemption Side." Four in the morning, the speaker is lonely and alienated, but says,

I've got my hands
At redemption's side
Whose scars are bigger than
These doubts of mine
I'll fit all of these monstrosities inside
and I'll come alive

That's what I want, and that's what I think we need - a savior big enough to handle all of our monstrosities - the messes we've made - and bring us into a real life that isn't about bruising each other for our own selfish gain but living for something bigger - something holy - an eternal flame that consumes what part of our ambitions make us impure and refines us to live for the glory of One who created us in His image, male and female.

Blessed Be Your Name

I started reading the book of Job the other day because, like him, I feel caught in the middle of circumstances I don't understand. I wondered what I would take away from this book which is at times very dark. I have found one bright spot that dispels this darkness. Chapter 1 verse 21 says, "And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

I've been returning to that verse over the past few days as I have had occasion to bless the Lord on my behalf, and that of others. God gave a son to some friends this morning; blessed be His name! His name is also to be blessed though He took away a child growing in another mother's womb. The Lord took away a friend's job, but even the friend would declare "blessed be the name of the Lord."

The friend who experienced a miscarriage told me she has been meditating on Job's words in 2:10, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not adversity?" This has kept things in perspective for her. On my own small, private, scale, it keeps things in perspective for me, too. My daughter sleeps through the night at two months old - blessed be the name of the Lord! It is difficult to get her to nap and she yells in my ear when I try to burp her. Blessed be His name.

I have had the Matt Redman song in my head for the past few days. It is such a catchy tune that it's easy to forget the dark circumstances that were the context of those words.
Remembering Job's sufferings when I hear this song reminds me that I may not understand my circumstances, good or bad, but that God is still in control, has a purpose for my suffering, and plans to prosper me, as He did for Job.

On a very practical level, this helps me accept the ups and downs of my day. When my daughter rests or entertains herself in the bouncy seat, I can bless the Lord. When she cries for a solid hour, and I don't understand why, though I've tried, blessed be His name. The Redman song reminds me how to respond, to: every blessing He pours out I'll turn back to praise, and when the darkness closes in, still I will say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord.'

If this is a dream...

I've been thinking about a Charlie Hall song that is really a scripture song, entitled "You Have Done Great Things." Its Psalm 126 set to music, which makes memorization a cinch.

The Psalm is about how God had set His people free before, and now His people want Him to do it again.

When they were set free the first time, they felt as though they were in a dream state (v. 1). It must have seemed too good to be true. Like the Cardinals getting into the Superbowl after a history of bad seasons.

Charlie Hall takes the statement "we are glad" and turns it into "we are filled with joy." I like the simplicity of the Psalmic language. It doesn't need to be overblown; if you've been in captivity for awhile, just to be glad is enough.

For me, the "great things" the Lord has done have been little breakthroughs my seven-week-old daughter has made, like learning to smile. It sets my heart free to sing for joy. The bridge of the song, which is the end of the Psalm, tells why:

Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy
And return with shouts and songs
Carrying the fruit of God.

The season of sowing is different for everyone. I for one have sown in tears the past few weeks, as all new mothers do, and the harvest I reap is when my daughter reaches a new milestone. My heart is singing this song - "You have done
great things." If this is a dream, don't wake me!

Walk With Me

I put this song on a CD I made for my daughter. Her name means "annointed," and the verses I chose to bless her with with were Psalm 23:5-6, on which this song is based. Little did I know how much this song, and she, would be a source of overflowing blessing to me.

Here's how it works. I have more to do when taking care of my newborn daughter than I thought I could possibly handle. Minute by minute, my husband and I are providing 100% of care for her. We don't sleep or get out as much as we used to. Somehow it all works out; we get to the end of the day. And there is joy along the way, and sometimes, even some peace.

Like yesterday, when I got out to Wal-mart for the first time in a month. I got the whole trip, start to finish, done in an hour. That never happens. But it happened in part because WM was fairly empty. It was like the Lord was leading me beside quiet waters. And as I shopped, I was thanking the Lord that I could get out of the house and attend to the needs of my family. And suddenly I realized He was restoring my soul.

I started wondering if this song were written by someone in my exact situation; watered-down, or decaffeinated coffee, is about the only kind I can drink in any satisfying quantity. My husband and I must speak in hushed voices. Sometimes we feel empty and sometimes we feel strong. But I think that it's just a good song that speaks a universal lesson about trusting, and God providing, that peace like the Good Shepherd can.

Welcome to Our World

It's a bit late, but here is a post about a Christmas song.

"Welcome to Our World" wasn't originally on a Christmas album, but it is Chris Rice's best contribution to the Christmas repertoire. I remember making up a creative dramatic movement to this song that involved sign language and acting and having a group perform it at a Christmas party for our campus ministry. The words are sheer poetry and the melody is a lilting, yet plaintive lullabye.

As usualy, Rice has his doctrine right and at the ready so ably that one hardly notices it: he speaks of the baby who's "been promised/ we've been waiting," as though he were one of the Jews who knew a Messiah was prophesied. He writes of the incarnation in both physical and spiritual terms: "fragile fingers sent to heal us/ tender brow prepared for thorns/ tiny heart whose blood will save us." To this tiny infant, he sings a prayer for salvation: "wrap our injured flesh around you/ breathe our air and walk our sod/ rob our sin and make us holy/ perfect son of God." There has only ever been one baby on whom such hopes could be hung. It is a wonder, still, to think that the Savior was once a baby. To me it shows that God must love babies.

I suppose it is because I have my own tiny baby now that the reality of the incarnation seems more wondrous to me this year. A baby changes one's perspective on life; mine has done more than that and simply rocked my world. It was a world that needed rocking, though, and I'm so glad she's here. So baby, welcome to our world. I pray you grow up loving your Savior who came as a baby for you, loving His Word, and all the bright and beautiful things He made, especially music and poetry.

This blog began a few years ago as a response to Handel's Messiah during a Christmas visit to my grandparents' home. At the time I felt like I needed to start writing/doing something new. Now that another joyful Christmas has rolled around, I sense that this blog will take a new turn and be more personal responses to songs. We'll see.

Happy New Year to anyone who reads this -

Kim



I suppose that it is

Christmas to Remember

I woke up this morning with Amy Grant's "Christmas to Remember" song in my head. It's all about the comfort and joy of the Christmas season, like twinkling lights, the smell of evergreens, Nat King Cole, fireplaces, snow and time with loved ones. That is all good stuff, and you know what? I'm glad someone wrote a song about it. Because we need people to remind us how to be happy, and we need to teach our children how to enjoy things. So what if this song is not about the deeper meaning of Christmas. All of the good stuff emanates from that and allows us to enjoy "the hopefulness this season brings." I for one am thankful for it!



Amy Grant Lyrics
A Christmas to Remember Lyrics

Be My Escape

Up early this morning because it's Election Day and wanted to vote early, I have a little time to write.

I've been thinking about this Relient K song a lot lately, and just wanted to comment on the sheer cleverness of these lyrics:

And I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity
And I’ve been locked inside that house
All the while You hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out
And that might be the death of me

There's a literary term for what the writers are doing with their words here, but basically it's a play on words, and it makes a point. He was "housing" all that doubt within himself, but by doing so, the doubt was "housing" him, and he was imprisoned by it.

There's a similar play on the dying/death term, which is equivocal; "it might be the death of me" could either indicate the fear of whatever lies beyond the familiar fears (better the devil you know), or it could indicate that some kind of metaphysical death must take place for him to escape the fears. Maybe both! I'm leaning toward the second because of the line, "I know to live you must give your life away."

Anyways, cool song.

"Be My Escape" is on Relient K's 2004 Capitol Records release, Mmmhmm.

You are God Alone

This song recorded by Phillips, Craig and Dean preaches the gospel to me, focusing on God's sovereignty. Some people argue that if anyone has power over you you are not free, and probably oppressed. That is true in the human realm where there are various little-k kings vying for power at the expense of others. On the other hand, beyond the theatre of human egos, there is God Himself, who does not need to compete with other kings; He is supreme. That's what this song recognizes, and what I have to recognize before I have much to be glad about.

On the other hand, I wish this song went a step further. It discusses God's might and immutability, and the futility of trying to be against Him. If you already know God's character - how He loves His creation, and provided the substitionary death of His son for the sins of His creatures, then you can be glad that He is on His throne. That the song is written in the context of such a worldview is probably true, but taken on its own, it tells me I should revere and awe, but not necessarily love God.


You are not a god created by human hands
You are not a god dependent on any mortal man
You are not a god in need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that's just the way it is

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You're the only God whose power none can contend
Youre the only God whose name and praise will never end
You're the only God
Who's worthy of everything we can give
You are God that's just the way it is

Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That's what You are

There are a couple of nice YouTube videos to this song, here's one.

How Then Shall We Sing?

I think that in heaven we'll hear many different types of songs with instrumental, acappella, and angel voices. We may even hear voices we're not used to hearing when "all the earth" sings His praises. I try to imagine flowers, bears, rocks and trees joining in our melodic worship and it is beyond my understanding but not beyond belief.

I think this because I believe Ephesians 5:19 teaches that on earth we should hear a variety of different types of songs, too. Paul instructs the Ephesian Christians to be "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." I think the three types of music listed there represent a variety of acceptable forms of musical worship.

Other writers have discussed what a good "Christian song" is to be. Most are good enough to say it isn't just a matter of a preference for a certain style. We have songs of such different styles, though, that sometimes they don't seem to mix in a single worship service. I'd like to suggest that the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 applies to worship services as well: there is a time and place for every event under heaven. Sometimes it is time for a somber tune, such as "Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus." Sometimes it is time for a contemporary tune that reflects pure wonder, such as "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. Sometimes it's time for an outright celebration, like "He Has Made Me Glad" (note that the happy song is actually based on a Psalm). Worship leaders need to be sensitive to the proper time for each type of song, not just the right occasion, but also the right moment inside a worship service, and provide appropriate transitions between them. Good transitions help the congregation understand the purpose behind each song.

Part of what we're concerned about in a church service is time - we have only, say 30 minutes to sing all of the songs we want, so we have to choose our songs and occasions carefully. Perhaps in heaven we will have much more freedom. There is a time and place for everything under heaven, but at some point in heavenly life there will be no more time. We'll be able to sing as many songs as we want, at the same time, for as long as we want, and I don't think we'll ever run out of new things to sing about or new ways to sing, listen, or play together, and that is something I really look forward to.

God Bless America

In the spirit of Independence Day, I decided to post about patriotic songs.

We sang "God Bless America" at church on Sunday, and I could hardly do it because I was so choked up. America is the land that I love, and I do pray that God would "stand beside her and guide her through the night" she is currently facing. I often wonder if there is hope. Even if there isn't, I still love America.

We recently took a drip up north to the Midwest and got to experience "America the Beautiful" again. The Chinese word for America means "beautiful land," and I think it's entirely appropriate. The mountains, the prairies, the oceans - it's all so beautiful and worth preserving. The verses of the hymn progress from America's physical beauty to the character of its founders and defenders. Each verse ends with a prayer or a hope.

Last thoughts are from the third verse, about fighting for what is good:

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America, America! May God thy gold refine!
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine.



Words by Katherine Lee Bates, music by Samuel A. Ward

Be Still

I am so impressed by new ideas, or new words for old ideas, that sometimes I'm a little prejudiced against good songs that sound like something I've heard before. Sometimes those seemingly mundane songs bear a powerful witness that turns out to be exactly what I needed to hear, and I am grateful that I can change my mind.

Such is the case with Storyside B:'s "Be Still." It bears witness to the simple, but profound truth that God is, and that sometimes He speaks when we listen. I'm grateful for the reminder, since I've recently been led to reflect that the Christian life is a lot about listening.

Here are the lyrics, and below, a theoretical point to ponder.


StorySide:B Lyrics
Be Still Lyrics

The editors of The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts(2007, Intervarsity) summarize an included essay by Bruce Benson in the following way. "God's call in creation precedes beauty, which therefore takes the character of response. As our response manifests divine beauty, it forwards the divine call to others, who then respond and call. And so forth. As a result, we cannot shrink art down to creativity or making, but must also see ... [as in jazz music] what characterizes art in general: repetition, not just innovation" (Treir, Husbands and Lundin 12). I may not grasp this fully, but one thing I think the authors mean is that there is artistic value in repeating what we've heard or seen before. It is a reference; a call for response. While there may be nothing new under the sun, there is always a new possible response - from a new person, in a new day - and I think sometimes a song calls for that in a way that is spiritually valuable.

Those are my thoughts. :)

Day By Day (the Hymn)

This is what you might call a devotional hymn, in that it is not exult in the majesty of God or weighty doctrine. Yet it carries a message that Christians need to hear in order to live in awe of the majesty of God and to apply doctrine to their lives.

Day by day, and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment
I've no cause for worry or for fear...

The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made...

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word...

I must admit: trust is the biggest battle I face in the Christian life. It all comes down to whether I believe the promises, or don't. The day-by-day steps of trust make a big difference to my overall spiritual trajectory. If I'm not believing that God is good, or, more specifically, that He is good to me, that doubt, especially if unperceived, can allow in a lot of other things like worry and strife, and those things ensnare me into sin.

I'm thankful for songs like this one that remind me of simple but profound truths. Not all truth is simple, and not all is profound; there are hymns that treat weighty matters like justification and sanctification which are both complex and profound. My point here is that if I don't have the simple things straight, I'll never be able to bear those weightier realities that provide a more substantive joy.

I was praying about what song to blog about this week and a friend mentioned this one. I've become familiar with it over the past year and now embrace it as part of my spiritual heritage and musical repertoire.

"Day By Day," Words by Caroline V. Sandell-Berg, Music by Oscar Ahnfelt. The lyrics printed here are half of each verse; for the full lyrics and melody, check it out on CyberHymnal.

O Great God

Was thinking about this song this morning, looked up the lyrics and found someone else blogging about this song, too. That's awesome; God works all things together for good, even national distribution of music.

We've been singing "O Great God" at church and it's gotten into my heart. Timmy's got the full lyrics at the link above; one verse in particular I wanted to note.

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

I was struck by how each of the first four lines mentions a different sense that was numbed or deadened before His Spirit gave the singer life. It is a confession that we are senseless until the Lord quickens us. I appreciate the artistry that conveyed this truth.