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God’s Own Fool

Today I found a piece of paper tucked away with the lyrics to Michael Card’s wonderful song about how the world sees Jesus, as some crazy fool. If you can find a recording of this, it’s worth listening to. The opening phrase says it all for me. Growing up in the church it never occurred to me that the world finds him offensive. And why not? His perfectness shines light in the darkness of our lives and shows us just how evil our hearts can be. But, isn’t that the incredible paradox of the cross? What to the world was loss, was God’s victory!

Powerful words!

verse one
It seems I’ve imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all mankind
But if God’s holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind
For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon’s to blame
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

Chorus
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness thought we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God’s own fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well

verse two
So come lose your life for a carpenter’s son
For a madman who died for a dream
And you’ll have the faith His first followers had
And you’ll feel the weight of the beam
So surrender the hunger to say you must know
Have the courage to say “I believe”
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see



If you’ve never heard this before, watch this video on YouTube. Come be a fool as well!

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Beauty Will Rise – Steven Curtis Chapman

Album available November 3, 2009.

Pre-buy it here from Family Christian Stores.

SCC has been my favorite CCM musician over the last 17 years or so. In 1990 as a new artist that I had barely heard of, he came and did a concert at our high school, South Kitsap. Unfortunately the concert was cut short due to the fact that he was losing his voice. But, he stood on stage and did was I’ve seen him do so many time in later years and just spoke about his family, what he was going through and just life in general. He always seemed less of a performer and more of a “real” person.

In 1993 he did a live concert in Seattle and several of us went to the concert. We even saw a shot of ourselves as the camera panned the audience. Lots of fun being able to say, “I remember that shot!” In later years he did a mini-concert at Key Arena during a couples retreat.

I always love good music, but I especially like strong lyrical content and the benchmark for me has always been Keith Green, whose energy in his music is hard to surpass. Chapman, like many other artists took up that challenge to make his music meaningful. He always allowed much of his music to be influenced by his daily life. These songs have really touched me through the years.

Whether it is love songs like “I Will Be Here”, “Go There With You” or “11-6-64” that every time I hear them I think of my beautiful wife. There are the songs with powerful meaning of God’s promises like “Bring It On”, “All Things New”, “God Is God” and “This Day”. Or incredible worship songs that seem to come from Steven’s soul like “Moment Made for Worshiping”, “Not Home Yet” and “Yours”. Then there are the songs that tap into the deep pain that life seems to throw at us and which have made the tough times that the Chapman family has gone through recently more real, like “With Hope”, “When Love Takes You In”, “Still Called Today” and “His Strength is perfect”.

I am really looking forward to this new album from Steven. There is no one that touches the truth of the matter quite like SCC.

Steven’s website, http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

Steven’s blog, http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/

 

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My Heart Will Fly

I love this song by Mercy Me. Every time I hear it, it sends my spirit through the clouds. I love how it starts off methodically, purposefully, almost depressed and sad.

However, after the first chorus, the music rises to a crescendo and you feel that you have risen through the clouds and are now standing before the thrown of heaven. With each verse, the music continues to rise and rise, almost making you feel like you’re rising to heaven with it and putting behind you all the cares and worries of the world.

My Heart Will Fly

by Mercy Me

Why’d this has happened, I cannot explain
Why write the script with such heartache and pain
Could there not have been an easier way?
Watching life through this glass so faded, I cannot see
The bigger picture taking place
Oh, to understand one day

chorus

When I finally see you face to face
And my tears will fly away, away.
It won’t be long until we all go home with all things revealed
And on that day we’ll finally know
Oh, as we are fully known.

Repeat chorus

And  what appears as incomplete is still completely Yours
And one day we’ll see as we’ve been seen
And we’ll soar.

Repeat chorus


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God with Us

Easter and Christmas are about God walking amongst mere mortal humans, to show us the depth of his love and paying the debt of our sins.

When you think about it in terms like that, it is truly amazing that such a Holy and awesome God would even consider doing such a thing for those of us who have turned our backs on Him. He did not come to save the righteous (although they are in need of a savior as much as anyone else), but he came for the lost, the down trodden, those without any hope of pulling themselves up on their own will and power. Jesus came to give love to those who were unlovely, hope to those who were hopeless, faith to the unfaithful, peace for those who do not know peace and life to those who are dying.

We are now free because of His sacrifice, not because of anything that we have done ourselves. The greatest gift the world could ever know makes all that is in me cry out to glorify out savior. Without him we are nothing. In him we have everything.

How can I say “Thank you” to such a gift as this? What in this world can compare to what you have done? There is no way that any of us can repay such a sacrifice. Only by laying down my life before Him can I ever begin to show my gratitude.

Take my offering, oh Lord, and use it to your glory.

….Inspired by the song “God with us” by Mercy Me.

Who are we that You would be mindful of us
What do you see that’s worth looking our way?
We are free in ways that we never should be
Sweet release, from the grip of these chains

Like hinges straining from the weight
My heart no longer can keep from singing

All that is within me cries for You alone be glorified
Emmanuel, God with us
My heart sings a brand new song
The debt is paid, these chains are gone
Emmanuel, God with us

Lord You know, our hearts don’t deserve Your glory
Still You show a love we cannot afford
Like hinges straining from the weight
My heart no longer can keep from singing

Such a tiny offering, compared to Calvary
Nevertheless, we lay it at your feet