Monday, July 28, 2008

Music Monday: Slow Fade

Have you ever read and seriously considered the lyrics to Casting Crown's song Slow Fade? I never had until I went to a Casting Crown's concert last November at a friend's invitation. Their hard-hitting, message-centered lyrics are more five minute sermons than contemporary Christian music. In August I have the opportunity to lead a short Sunday School series that will center on the lyrics of several powerful "Modern Psalms", starting with Slow Fade. If you're interested, I will be building the lesson notes on my personal wiki page here.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Music Monday: He's My King: Do You Know Him?

How do you describe the indescribable? Dr. S.M. (Shadrach Meshach) Lockridge puts a dent in it with his speech "He's My King: Do You Know Him?".



Read more about Dr. S.M. Lockridge here.

Music Monday - Clear the Stage

My good friend Kraig Smith passed along this song by Ross King titled Clear the Stage.



The lyrics are as follows:

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure that it takes to crush the idols.
Chuck the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregations few then have revival.
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
until you're broken for your sins you can't be social.
Then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store
and know that great is your reward and just be hopeful

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Take a break from all the plans that you made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.
Beg Him please to open up his mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.
Then read the word and put to test the things you've heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol.
Anything that I give all my love is an idol.
We must not worship something that's not even worth it.
Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.

Cause I can sing all I want to.
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song.

And you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Universalism would bring the end of Christian influence

Stumbled across a thought-provoking opinion piece by Tim Wildmon of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Don't ask how I find these... :)

An excerpt: But the Pew Forum survey found that "57 percent of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching. In all, 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation shared that view, and 68 percent said there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their own religion." "The survey shows religion in America is, indeed, 3,000 miles wide and only 3 inches deep," said D. Michael Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist of religion.