I just wanted to write a little something about an album I just on iTunes. It's been out for over a year, but hey I'm a little behind the times.
It's Andrew Peterson's "Resurrection Letters, Volume 2." To answer the first, obvious question, this is from the liner notes: "These songs are bound together by the theme of resurrection in our lives and in the world around us. It wasn't until we were recording the album that I knew I wanted to tell a bigger story, and that this would be part two. Part one is Christ's resurrection, which made a way for ours; it was the turning point in the Great Story. I'm currently working on the songs that will comprise Resurrection Letters, Vol I." -A.P.
Now that that's out of the way, I will try to express how this poet has touched my life through this album. The beauty of his myriad poetic and musical tools is surpassed only by the message they convey. The message I've received so far from this album is this: "For better or worse, God is Love. What's more, he wants you to experience His love. Yes, you. No really, you!"
From the first lines ("Come broken and weary / Come battered and bruised / My Jesus makes all things new.") to the Celtic end of the album there is a humble acceptance of all who'd claim the love of God.
His clever rhyming schemes and his use of the natural percussive rhythm of the lyrics combine to bring a smile to my face. It's clear that these works were carefully and purposefully crafted.
My current favorite track is "Rocket" - but I'll probably over-play it and eventually pick a new favorite. Fortunately, there are plenty of gems from which to choose. Possible usurpers would be "Hosanna", "Love is a Good Thing" or "All You'll Ever Need."
I don't know what the motivation behind "Hosanna" was, but I'd like to speculate. The song sounds like something you'll hear in every contemporary Baptist church every Sunday morning: a happy-clappy, up-tempo praise song. The difference is in the verses' lyrics: "I have lied to everyone who trusts me. I have tried to fall when I could stand. I have only loved the ones who loved me. Hosanna!" The verses confess a lifestyle of sin and the chorus announces the triumph. Brilliant!
Please listen to "Love is a Good Thing." Even with the limited versions of love that I have experienced in my life, I found it throat-lumpingly true and beautiful.
This post is becoming too long, so I'll just leave you with the last line of "All You'll Ever Need": "The blood of Jesus, it is like the widow's oil: when it's all you have it's all you'll ever need."
Andrew, thank you for this album.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Community
Yesterday was honestly one of the best Sunday's I've had at Otter Creek in a while (I guess since Dr. Camp's last sermon). I thought Philip Duncan did a GREAT job - like, really good - at song selection and just helping to mold the service. I couldn't even sing all of "Blessed Be Your Name" because I was so choked up. The thing that got me the most was seeing Doug Sanders sing those words on the front row with his glasses off and his eyes closed. And then seeing that guy (I can't remember his name, but he's a doctor that sits front-and-center every Sunday) limp over to put his hands on Doug. Sheesh, I'm even tearing up just thinking about it right now.
Josh's message was terrific. And Danielle's testimony was incredibly powerful too.
The message made me think of this past week's episode of Community - have you been watching that show?
There is a scene between a middle-aged African-American lady (Shirley) and a late-20s blonde white girl (Britta: the pervasive love-interest character). Shirley had been doing crazy stuff all episode - she was way too passionate about Joel McHale's character doing something she perceived as offensive - though in the universe of the ethics of that show, it was completely within bounds. Turns out that she was just projecting her anger about what was going on in her life.
Shirley: "My ex-husband came by this morning and he asked for his ring back. It was his mother's and he wants to give it to his new girlfriend."
Britta: "Shirley, that sucks."
Shirley: [Talks about her feelings on the issue for a bit]
Britta: "I totally get that."
Shirley: "I feel better now."
Britta: "Let's go check on Annie."
The scene I'm talking about starts a little after the 13 minute mark. (It may get taken down at some point - if so, sorry)
This formula gets screwed up from the start SO often. In stead of saying "Shirley, that sucks," the response is often, "You're better off without him!" or "It's time to move on - let's find you a man!" or some other form of "Stop feeling sad!"
As we saw yesterday at Otter Creek, sad feelings are valid. In stead of, "It was God's Will" or something like that, it seemed like Danielle would've appreciated a "Danielle, that sucks" mixed in there. It seems like even in trying to "comfort" someone in grief, the confidante still tries to turn the attention on themselves sometimes - wanting to be remembered as the one who gave the great advice or something like that in stead of letting Shirley/Danielle just talk through the crap that they're feeling. Like most things in life, real issue that are messy probably won't get wrapped up as quickly or neatly as the TV conversation mentioned above, but it's a good framework for starting to walk with someone through their suffering.
What's more, the final piece of the "Community" equation was "Let's go check on Annie." Annie was another character who was upset about something (comparatively trivial). Perhaps an important step in overcoming grief in her own life, Shirley needed to then go "check on" another member of their community.
Britta completely exemplifies a Christian example in this scene.
I'm not even going to apologize for using this cheesy cultural reference. There.
"One another" hits:
John 13:34 - "'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'"
Romans 12:10 - "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Romans 15:7 - "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
Ephesians 4:2 - "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Peter 3:8 - "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."
Josh's message was terrific. And Danielle's testimony was incredibly powerful too.
The message made me think of this past week's episode of Community - have you been watching that show?
There is a scene between a middle-aged African-American lady (Shirley) and a late-20s blonde white girl (Britta: the pervasive love-interest character). Shirley had been doing crazy stuff all episode - she was way too passionate about Joel McHale's character doing something she perceived as offensive - though in the universe of the ethics of that show, it was completely within bounds. Turns out that she was just projecting her anger about what was going on in her life.
Shirley: "My ex-husband came by this morning and he asked for his ring back. It was his mother's and he wants to give it to his new girlfriend."
Britta: "Shirley, that sucks."
Shirley: [Talks about her feelings on the issue for a bit]
Britta: "I totally get that."
Shirley: "I feel better now."
Britta: "Let's go check on Annie."
The scene I'm talking about starts a little after the 13 minute mark. (It may get taken down at some point - if so, sorry)
This formula gets screwed up from the start SO often. In stead of saying "Shirley, that sucks," the response is often, "You're better off without him!" or "It's time to move on - let's find you a man!" or some other form of "Stop feeling sad!"
As we saw yesterday at Otter Creek, sad feelings are valid. In stead of, "It was God's Will" or something like that, it seemed like Danielle would've appreciated a "Danielle, that sucks" mixed in there. It seems like even in trying to "comfort" someone in grief, the confidante still tries to turn the attention on themselves sometimes - wanting to be remembered as the one who gave the great advice or something like that in stead of letting Shirley/Danielle just talk through the crap that they're feeling. Like most things in life, real issue that are messy probably won't get wrapped up as quickly or neatly as the TV conversation mentioned above, but it's a good framework for starting to walk with someone through their suffering.
What's more, the final piece of the "Community" equation was "Let's go check on Annie." Annie was another character who was upset about something (comparatively trivial). Perhaps an important step in overcoming grief in her own life, Shirley needed to then go "check on" another member of their community.
Britta completely exemplifies a Christian example in this scene.
I'm not even going to apologize for using this cheesy cultural reference. There.
"One another" hits:
John 13:34 - "'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'"
Romans 12:10 - "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Romans 15:7 - "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
Ephesians 4:2 - "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Peter 3:8 - "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."
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