Category: Music - IRONSTRIKES

Bono on Grace and how it is different from Karma

6/22/2015

“It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma…

You see, at the centre of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics – in physical laws – every action is met by an equal or opposite one. Its clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it.

And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “As you reap, so will you sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.

That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep s***. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.

The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled….its not our own good works that get through the gates of heaven…

If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. All I do is get up on the Cross of the Ego; the bad hangover, the bad review. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s*** and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was he just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.”

This post was written by Jon Kuhrt. You can find the original post here:
http://resistanceandrenewal.net/2014/01/26/bono-on-the-difference-between-grace-and-karma/

The sin of being good

8/25/2014

I’m a church kid. I admit it. Let all Petra listening, Michael W. Smith dressing, Amy Grant secular crossover questioning 40-somethings stand up and be counted! I’m not ashamed.

OK, maybe I’m a little ashamed (mostly of the Petra Praise phenomenon, but alas).

I was a good kid. I had a sensitive heart. I didn’t like to disappoint my parents, my teachers, my youth pastors, and most of all…God. And so I embraced the quintessential good kid persona. I went to church, abstained from sex, didn’t swear, never drank alcohol, avoided rated R movies, parties on the weekends, and hanging Metallica posters on my wall.

And I don’t regret any of it. In fact, if I had it to do over again I would attempt to play all my cards exactly the same way. Being good solves a whole lot of problems, rest assured.

But it doesn’t make you righteous.

And that’s where I fear many of us (myself included) often stumble. We’ve defined sin and righteousness as behaviors, actions, and outward tangibles we can measure and see.

Going to a rated R movie = Sin
Going to a church youth group = Righteousness
Partying on the weekend = Sin
Avoiding cuss words = Righteousness

(The list could go endlessly on).

And that’s no small mistake. Why? You may have some difficulty believing this, but our desire to be rebellious pleasure seekers and our discipline to be squeaky-clean rule-followers actually originate in the same place…

…our insatiable desire to be our own savior.

Yeah, I know. It was a hard one for me to swallow, too. But sin isn’t rooted in our actions, it’s rooted in where we find our identity. In whom we place our trust.

It’s easy to see the sin in pleasure-seeking and self-obsession. It’s harder to convince yourself it’s just as present in your line-towing and self-righteousness. But be honest, our motivation in “being good” originates in our insatiable longing to secure our identity in our works. We want to be in control. We want to prove we’re “better than them.” We want to save ourselves.

If I obey, God will approve of me.
If I follow the rules, God will do what I want Him to do.
If I do good, God will do good things to me.

I am the source, my actions are the trigger, and God responds to me. I find my identity in my work for Him instead of His work for me. I begin to trust in my “goodness” and not His.

And that, my friends, is sin. The sin of “being good.”

So what am I suggesting? Should we throw out our attempts to be good right along with those old CCM CD’s? Of course not (some of those albums will be collector’s items soon). Being good is good. It’s wise. I highly recommend it.

But it’s not righteousness. That can only come from one place, and it’s not you. The Gospel is for “good people,” too.

This post was written by Rev Erik Cooper. For the original post, go to: http://beyondtherisk.com/2014/08/20/the-sin-of-being-good/

Do people still sing in church?

8/4/2014

Looking around the church last Sunday I noticed that the majority weren’t singing. And most of those who were singing barely moved their lips. The only voices I actually heard were those on stage with microphones.

That’s been the case for years now–in churches large and small. What used to be congregational singing has become congregational staring.

Even when the chipper “worship leader” in contemporary churches bounds on stage and predictably beckons everyone to “stand and worship,” the people compliantly obey the stand command, but then they turn into mute mannequins.

What’s behind this phenomenon? What happened to the bygone sounds of sanctuaries overflowing with fervent, harmonizing voices from the pews, singing out with a passion that could be heard down the street? I suspect it’s a number of unfortunate factors.

Spectator set-up. Increasingly, the church has constructed the worship service as a spectator event. Everyone expects the people on stage to perform while the pew-sitters fulfill the expectation of any good audience–file in, be still, be quiet, don’t question, don’t contribute (except to the offering plate), and watch the spotlighted musicians deliver their well-rehearsed concerts.

Professionalism. It seems it’s paramount for church music to be more professional than participatory. The people in the pews know they pale in comparison to the loud voices at the microphones. Quality is worshipped. So the worshippers balk at defiling the quality with their crude crooning. It’s better to just fake it with a little lip syncing.

Blare. The musicians’ volume is cranked up so high that congregants can’t hear their own voices, or the voices of those around them, even if they would sing. So they don’t sing. What would it add? The overwhelming, amplified sound blares from big speakers, obliterating any chance for the sound of robust congregational singing.

Music choice. Sometimes people refrain from singing because the songs are unfamiliar, hard to sing, or just cheesy. Sometimes worship leaders choose a song that may thematically tie into the day’s sermon topic, but it’s unsingable. Sometimes worship leaders choose lame songs written by their favorite songwriters–themselves.

I admit. I’ve joined the majority. I’ve stopped singing. I’m not happy about it. I know I should overcome these barriers and just praise the Lord with my very unprofessional vocalizations. But I long for an environment that evokes my real heartfelt vocal participation.

This post was written by Thom Schultz. For the original post, go to: http://holysoup.com/2014/05/21/why-they-dont-sing-on-sunday-anymore/

In Every Need

4/25/2014

I look to Thee in every need,
And never look in vain.
I feel thy strong and tender love
And all is well again.
The thought of thee is mightier far
Than sin and pain and sorrow are,
Than sin and pain and sorrow are, my Lord.

Discouraged in the work of life,
Disheartened by its load.
Shamed by its failures and its fears
I sink beside the road.
But let me only think of Thee
And then new heart springs up in me,
And then new heart springs up in me, my Lord.

There is an eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night,
There is an ear that never shuts
When sink the beams of light.
There is an arm that never tires
When human strength gives way,
There is a love that never fails
When earthly loves decay.
But there's a power which man can wield
When mortal aid is vain.

That eye, that arm, that loves to reach
The listening ear to gain.
That power is prayer which soars on high,
Through Jesus to the throne,
Which moves the Hand which moves the world
To bring salvation down, bring salvation down.

This song was written by Phil Keaggy adapted from the hymn, I Look to Thee In Every Need by Samuel Longfellow.
To hear the song, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_84e-D4LOQ

When we all get to heaven

3/1/2014

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

This hymn, When We All Get to Heaven, was written by Eliza Hewitt

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

"Here comes those eyes" - a love song

2/14/2014

Here come those eyes
There goes my ability to breathe
Those legs are walking her to me

Well, tell me I ain't dreaming

Here comes that smile
I can't even move, can't even blink
'Cause I don't want to miss a thing
And I'm not even fooling
When I say the boys are drooling
And the girls are all staring her down

My knees go weak
And my heart starts to pound

It happens every time
She saunters into the room
It all blurs and it all starts to zoom
And then my head starts spinning

She gets a few feet away
And suddenly we're both in slow motion
Like we're alone in the deep blue ocean
I know it's just a feeling
But it might as well be real
Because I think I might be fixin' to drown

My knees go weak
And my heart starts to pound

She takes my hand
I don't know what to say
She understands anyway

And here come those eyes
'Can she see what I'm thinkin' of?'
If this is what they call love
I can't believe I'm in it

Thanking heaven every minute
I'm the luckiest boy in this town
My knees go weak and my heart stops
And I can't catch my breath

I think I better sit down
Because my knees go weak
And my heart starts to pound

This song was written & performed by Chris Rice. Go here to hear the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVbFnXSeIa4

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Emotional Worship

1/29/2014

On a recent Sunday at church, right on the front row, stood a happy-dancer.

She could barely contain her joy during the music. Singing at the top of her lungs, jumping, dancing and occasionally yelling, “Thank you Jeeeeee-sus!”

Her raw exuberance stood out in our congregation. We’re not sticks-in-the-mud, but neither are we holy rollers. Yes, we sing enthusiastically, but most of us restrict our bodily praise to the occasional raised hand.

Not the happy dancer. She whirled, twirled, hopped on one foot, and even shed a tear or two. She whooped, swooned and smiled at the ceiling.

In recent years, many Christians have come to associate emotion with true worship. The more sentiment we feel toward God, and the more emotion we outwardly display, the more we’ve worshipped, so the thinking goes.

This puts men in a tough spot.

If we judge worshippers by the amount of emotion they manifest, we’ve set up a situation where women will win and men will lose.

Picture yourself walking down the street. You see a woman on the sidewalk dissolved in tears. You think to yourself, “Poor thing. I wonder what’s wrong?”

Now imagine you see a man on the sidewalk weeping uncontrollably. You think to yourself, “What’s his problem? Buck it up!”

Society teaches men from a young age not to show emotion in public. Big boys don’t cry. And if they do, we punish them for it.

I’m not saying this is right – but it’s the way things are.

So, to truly worship as it’s defined today a man must defy social convention. He must violate the man-code. A woman faces no similar social sanction.

This brings up a host of questions for you, dear readers:

The happy-dancer was the most emotional and vigorous worshipper at my church. Does this mean her worship was the most pleasing to God?
Is worship primarily a state of the heart, or a state of the mind?
Is emotion essential to worship? Can one truly worship God without emotion or sentiment?
How important is it to feel God during worship? To “let go?” Is that warm feeling what pleases God?
Is it possible to offer corporate praise God apart from music? If so, how might this be done?
Many people experience intense emotion and euphoria when they sing worship songs. Is that because of God, or are they just reacting to the music?

Now, before you tear me to bits, let me make something clear: I’m not against emotion in worship. I’m just asking if it’s essential. If one does not feel emotion, has one truly worshipped?

This post was written by David Murrow. For the original post go to: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/afewgrownmen/2014/01/is-emotion-essential-to-worship/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

I can't wait to see you, Jesus, face to face

1/18/2014

Chasing down hot air balloons on Sunday morning
In pace with a familiar tune I reach for nothing less but
something more
All the day and the wind is at my back most of the way.

Holding conversation with a friend I know is near
Great anticipation fills my soul, it fills my heart, it fills the air
All the day and the wind is at my back ..

Oh, I can't wait to see you, Jesus, face to face
Nothing in this world can take Your place
All the pride of man laid low and all his works of gold
Nothing can compare with what You are
Let everything else go.
Let it all go.

And the wind is at my back ..

Oh, I can't wait to see you Jesus, face to face
Nothing in this world can take Your place
All the pride of man laid low and all his works of gold
Nothing can compare with what You are
Let everything else go.

Let it all go
Let everything else go.

These are the lyrics to the song, Let Everything Else Go by Phil Keaggy
To hear this song, go to: http://vimeo.com/68046057

Don't leave this page without hearing this song. It will quickly become a favorite of yours too!

Switchfoot doesn't sing "Christian" songs

12/13/2013

Lead singer Jon Foreman was asked if Switchfoot is a “Christian” band. His response is worth pondering.

“To be honest, this question grieves me because I feel that it represents a much bigger issue than simply a couple SF tunes. In true Socratic form, let me ask you a few questions: Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach’s sonata’s Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset? There is a schism between the sacred and the secular in all of our modern minds.

The view that a pastor is more ‘Christian’ than a girls volleyball coach is flawed and heretical. The stance that a worship leader is more spiritual than a janitor is condescending and flawed. These different callings and purposes further demonstrate God’s sovereignty.

Many songs are worthy of being written. Switchfoot will write some, Keith Green, Bach, and perhaps yourself have written others. Some of these songs are about redemption, others about the sunrise, others about nothing in particular: written for the simple joy of music.

None of these songs has been born again, and to that end there is no such thing as Christian music. No. Christ didn’t come and die for my songs, he came for me. Yes. My songs are a part of my life. But judging from scripture I can only conclude that our God is much more interested in how I treat the poor and the broken and the hungry than the personal pronouns I use when I sing. I am a believer. Many of these songs talk about this belief. An obligation to say this or do that does not sound like the glorious freedom that Christ died to afford me.

I do have an obligation, however, a debt that cannot be settled by my lyrical decisions. My life will be judged by my obedience, not my ability to confine my lyrics to this box or that.

We all have a different calling; Switchfoot is trying to be obedient to who we are called to be. We’re not trying to be Audio A or U2 or POD or Bach: we’re trying to be Switchfoot. You see, a song that has the words: ‘Jesus Christ’ is no more or less ‘Christian’ than an instrumental piece. (I’ve heard lots of people say Jesus Christ and they weren’t talking about their redeemer.) You see, Jesus didn’t die for any of my tunes. So there is no hierarchy of life or songs or occupation only obedience. We have a call to take up our cross and follow. We can be sure that these roads will be different for all of us. Just as you have one body and every part has a different function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each of us belongs to all the others. Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.”

Foreman mentions the Christian "box" that many people want to stay in, and put others in. I agree with Foreman that this box is particularly limiting when it comes to art. So go out and create something - something beautiful, something wonderful - and do it to the glory of God.

This post was written by Dave Browning. For the original post, go to: http://deliberatesimplicity.blogspot.com/2013/12/band.html

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

What would it be like?

11/9/2013

I keep thinking about a world that's different
than what I'm seeing everyday
I keep waiting for a new tomorrow
when all the pain's gonna fade away

I want to know if it's even possible
the river's crossable
to the other side
where we live a better life

What would it be like
if we learned to love each other
and what would it be like if we lived like we believe
that everybody matters
'cuz we're all here together
and we all need each other
to make it through this life
What would it be like?
What would it be like?

No tears from a worried mother
and No cry from a hungry child
No fear of a runaway father
leaving the broken family behind
And everything wasn't all about money
and chasin' the money
No we're losin our minds
Is it really worth our time?

What would it be like
if we learned to love each other
and what would it be like if we lived like we believe
that everybody matters
'cuz we're all here together
and we all need each other
to make it through this life
What would it be like
if we turned our eyes to Jesus?
And if we let his love pour through us?
And if we let his life just lead us?
That's the only way we will ever see the world start to change

What would it be like?

What would it be like
if we learned to love each other
and what would it be like if we lived like we believe
that everybody matters
and we're all here together
and we all need each other
to make it through this life
What would it be like...
What would it be like...
What would it be like...
What would it be like...?

This is a terrific song by Salvador off their album Aware. For the youtube video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR73WcxzdP0

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.