This is so awesome for a Funk covers band from Hamilton to be beating out all those other “big” names in music. New Zealanders must still have some taste!
And people should definately buy the album it is awesome.
Last night I finished reading one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is called “Save Me From Myself” and is written by Brian Head Welch formerly of the band Korn. The book is an autobiography of his life from childhood, through his drug fuelled years with Korn and his coming to Christ and becoming a Christian. I won’t give too much away about the story as it is a book that any young person should read.
The one bit that really got me from a Christian perspective was towards the end of the book where Welch describes some songs he wrote after coming to Christ:
After I’d been writing for a bit, God gave me another song called “It’s Time To See Religion Die.” To me, this song has a few different meanings. For one, it’s a song that encourages people to get out of this whole “Sunday Christian” mentality and into the world so God can use them to change the world, to help people understand that God does not live in buildings made by men (Acts 7:48). We are God’s building, because he dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Upon reading this I grabbed my bible to check the verses mentioned in context. The full context of Acts 7:48 is from verse 48 through to verse 50, from the NIV:
However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?”
The full context of 1 Corinthians 3:16 extends into verse 17 as well:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
This commentary was something that I had always known but had forgotten about. It seems too often that we get caught up in thinking that God is at Church. When God is actually right with us, right now. And church is something made by man to come together as a body of believers to worship God. Church is not God and does not create God, but we can meet God at church, in exactly the same way we can on our owns anywhere else at any other time.
Welch then continues:
That’s not the only meaning to this song though. Also, this song is for all the people that have been hurt by religion. All of the man-made religion crap in this world has to die. Whenever it’s Christian man-made religion crap or some other man-made religion crap, it all has to die. It must grieve God’s heart when he sees Christians fighting about whose doctrine is right; he doesn’t see denominations, he sees one big glorious bride. When Christians argue about doctrinal issues, all he sees is carnal people acting like children. All that prideful, controlling religious crap is what drives young people away from churches, and it has to go. Much of the world’s population is under the age of eighteen, and we have to bring the love of Christ to them without all this controlling crap going on. Because, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
I found this point quite interesting as well. I think it is important to be able to freely and frankly discuss your differences of points of view on doctrine but many times church groups take it way too far (catholic vs protestant for instance). And it does put people off. If we put as much effort into working with young people as we did discussing the finer points of some minor piece of doctrine how many more people would we save?
You can buy the book on Mighty Ape
Okay, I can’t sleep.
And U2’s Kite is stuck in my head.
Some of the lyrics:
Something is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it meansWho’s to say where the wind will take you?
Who’s to say what it is will break you?
I don’t know which way the wind will blow
Who’s to know when the time has come around?
Don’t wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbyeIn summer, I can taste the salty sea
There’s a kite blowing out of control on a breeze
I wonder what’s gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to meI’m a man
I’m not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyesWho’s to say where the wind will take you?
Who’s to say what it is will break you?
I don’t know where the wind will blow
Who’s to know when the time has come around?
I don’t wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbyeDid I waste it?
Not so much I couldn’t taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement
I just stumbled across this video of Magnify performing at Parachute Festival earlier this year.
Parachute will be one of the things I miss about NZ the most when I move. The festival is awesome – I have been 6 out of the last 7 years.
Crowd as seen from the Mainstage
The reason why I stumbled upon the video was because I was looking for a clip of an older song, In Wonder:
Which of course the Newsboys remade, and around a month ago was played as the wake up music for one of the astronauts on the space station:
I got this tweet from Parachute Music a few minutes ago:
Download Derek Webb’s controversial new song What Matters More on www.derekwebb.com. INO Records wouldn’t release it. What do you think?
Not knowing any controversy around the song I went and downloaded it wondering what could be possibly so wrong with the song that a record label wouldn’t include it on a CD. Well listen to it yourself below and see what you notice and what you think.
At first I noticed the words “damn” and “shit” in the lyrics. Surely this was not enough to get it banned. It was a little unusual given that Derek Webb is a former member of Caedmon’s Call a popular Christian alternative rock/worship band however in the context of the song the words fit and are relevant. And lets face it we hear far worse things everyday and probably nearly all of us have music be it “Christian” or non-Christian that has far worse things said in it.
To try and get my head around the whole issue a little bit more I did a little bit of searching for the lyrics, news and blog posts on the song. It turns out the main controversy is not only around those two “swear” words but also around these lyrics in the second verse:
If I can tell what’s in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it’s about
It looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasin’ the wind while the pendulum swings‘Cause we can talk and debate until we’re blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he’s comin’ to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don’t give a shit
About 50,000 people who are dyin’ todayTell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?
Webb makes a direct statement saying that the church is more concerned about being straight and hating on people for being different then caring about people. In fact I believe Webb is bibically correct here Jesus speaking in Mark 12:29-31 clearly states:
Mar 12:29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: `Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
Mar 12:30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
Mar 12:31 The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Love not hate, care not judge. But this seems to have fallen on death ears in a lot of the Christian community and subsequently the song was censored off his album.
The thing I find most ironic about this entire situation is that I have so much music that critises the church and the way we act:
Delirious sing in “Our God Reigns”
40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage,
It’s a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace
If this is a human right then why aren’t we free?
The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree.100 million faces, staring at the sky,
Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by.
The devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug,
But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.Our God reigns, Our God reigns,
Forever your kingdom reigns.The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign,
For there is only one true God,
But we’ve lost the reins on this world,
Forgive us all, forgive us please,
As we fight for this broken world on our knees.
Casting Crowns sing in “What this world needs”
What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three ring circus society
What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that’s better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suitWhat this world needs is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That’s what this world needsWhat this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can’t see
God’s gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt
What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance
Blending in so well that people can’t see the difference
And it’s the difference that sets the world freeJesus is our Savior, that’s what this world needs
Father’s arms around you, that’s what this world needs
That’s what this world needs
So what is the difference this time, is it the mere mention of homosexuality that has everyone sticking their heads into the sand pretending they live on Mars and not Earth?
And interesting story is in the Herald this morning regarding the spending habits of those who download music illegially.
Illegal downloaders spend most on music: study
Brits who illegally download music from the internet also spend more money on music than anyone else, according to a new study.
The survey, published today, found that those who admit illegally downloading music spent an average of 77 pounds ( NZ$176) a year on music –33 pounds more than those who claim that they never download music dishonestly.
The findings suggest that plans by the Secretary of State for Business, Peter Mandelson, to crack down on illegal downloaders by threatening to cut their internet connections with a “three strikes and you’re out” rule could harm the music industry by punishing its core customers.
An estimated seven million UK users download files illegally every year. The record industry’s trade association, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), believes this copyright infringement will cost the industry 200m pound this year.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 16- to 50-year-olds with internet access, found that one in 10 people admit to downloading music illegally.
1 in 10 admitting it? I am sure the true figure would be well over 50% if not close to 75-80%.
However, music industry figures insist the figures offer a skewed picture. The poll suggested the Government’s plan to disconnect illegal downloaders if they ignore official warning letters could deter people from internet piracy, with 61 per cent of illegal downloaders surveyed admitting they would be put off downloading music illegally by the threat of having their internet service cut off for a month.
“The people who file-share are the ones who are interested in music,” said Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research. “They use file-sharing as a discovery mechanism. We have a generation of young people who don’t have any concept of music as a paid-for commodity,” he continued. “You need to have it at a price point you won’t notice.”
Exactly.
Personally I never file share music. Every single piece of music I have I have paid for – including 404 songs from iTunes.
However, that is not to say I have broken the copyright laws. By simply listening to a piece of music that you do not own through You Tube is technically downloading and is therefore illegial. And herein lies the challenge. How do you protect an artists copyright and ability to earn a profit from their work at the same time ensuring that work reaches a large enough market to spur enough interest in the work for people to purchase it?
I saw Michael Jackson’s This Is It film last night.
I believe it puts to rest any questions about the King of Pop’s creative talent or health issues. He still had it. While he was thin he was healthy enough to out dance and many of the younger back up dances and demand perfection on every beat and note of every song.
The film shows just how spectacular the concerts would have been. Combine Pink Floyd’s The Wall dramatic concerts with U2’s 60m LED Curtin from their Vertigo tour and that will give you an idea of just how much more than music concert This Is It would have been live.
This Is It runs for two hours and does not miss a beat it is so much more than just a film of a dress rehershal, we are fortunate that the practices were filmed on multiple days from multiple angles. All of this comes together fantastically, in addition to this a number of videos that would have been used on the LED screens during the concert are included as well as behind the scenes footage.
Even if you have just a passing interest in Michael Jackson this is a film to see. It was a pity that NZ audiences are so quiet, the film got a clap from about half the audience at the end, however, I am sure that in some places you would have people dancing in the isles.
It is always a good morning when you wake up dreaming and singing the Newsboys song How Great Is Your Faithfulness.
If I rise on wings of dawn
Or drift in seas of doubt
Even there Your strong right hand
Has never failed to guide me outGreat is Your faithfulness
To carry on with a sinner like me
Great is Your faithfulness
Turning shame into victory
Your grace has never let me be
Your mercy’s waited patiently
Oh, so great is Your faithfulness
To carry on with a sinner like meIf I hide in dark and shadows
Fearful of each day
Even there Your blinding light
Illuminates my pathwayGoodness never
Never fails
It never fails me
Which instantly made me think of the following verse in Romans 8 (NIV):
Rom 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
Rom 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Which is fantastic news to wake to in the morning.
I got called into work this morning to cover for someone who was ill.
The day went fast and well but it, of course, prevented me from doing the stuff I had planned.
Anyway tonight I am having fun just chilling out and relaxing on the couch watching the Skillet – Comatose Comes Alive DVD. Each time I watch the DVD I get something else out of it, mainly the power of the lyrics, songs you hear again and again but never quite grasp just how powerful the underlying lyrics are:
I lie here lifeless
In this cocoon
Shedding my skin cause
I’m ready to
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don’t believe that it’s gotta be this way
The worst is the waiting
In this womb I’m suffocatingFeel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen
I take you in
I’ve diedRebirthing now
I wanna live for love wanna live for you and me
Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow
Rebirthing now
I Wanna live my life wanna give you everything
Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow
Excerpt from Rebirthing, Skillet.
I saw angels fall down
at the glory of the Lord
and as I raise my hands I seeI saw angels fall down
at the glory of the Lord
and as I hit the ground I seeAnd I fall down
afraid and shaking here
And I fall down
perfectly safe in youI saw angels fall down
at the glory of the Lord
the hurt and the broken find rest hereI saw angels fall down
at the beauty of the Lord
and as I kneeled I cried to know Him
Angels Fall Down
Before the final song lead singer John Cooper gives a powerful message about the meaning of the word comatose to the band. I have transcribed the key parts of it here:
The word comatose means the state of being in a coma. And the reason we called the record that is because I have two small children and I am all of a sudden realising the things that my kids are going to go live and go through that I never dreamt of going through. Going to school through metal detectors, me sending my kids to school, in fear of another school shooting, wondering if it is going to happen, when it is going to happen. September 11 the most shocking thing that has happened in my life, wondering when and if another September 11 may happen, another sniper shooting, child abduction, senseless violence. And we called the record comatose because if we don’t wake up out of our commas and realise we are losing this world, we are losing a generation, then we are just going to lose. Everybody is going to lose, we are going to destroy each other, we are just going to burn each other up, and I want you to hear me because this is what I am most excited about with this message, this message is not exclusive to Christians. This is for atheists, agnostics, Christian, Muslims, Jewish people, and anybody in between. If we can all agree this world is getting worse and you all have roles to play to make it a worse place or a better place. All it is going to take is deciding we are going to care more about somebody else than we care about ourselves. And for all of us Christian people here, we have all been talking about changing this world. I say it is time we stop talking about it and just do it. If we actually believe that love is the answer, then we need to start loving people and see what God can do in our country, see what God can do it our world.
Got released yesterday in the states. Also Awake is number 2 for most brought album on billboard.com yeah!
I have come across these two live videos on youtube. The audio isn’t perfect but they are still awesome. I love monster.
Hero:
Monster:
In NZ the album is currently at Number 2 on NZ iTunes Rock charts. This is huge for a christian band. Buy the record it is awesome.
I haven’t posted a random song in ages. So here is one especially for Sunday. Warning this may upset those who do not like guitars in church
I came across the “new” version of Creator tonight… I say “new” because this is the third version that I have seen.
But first an old fav with a new approach:
And Creator Version Three:
There are also more randomness here: http://www.youtube.com/user/theladsband
But can The Lads please come home soon… NZ misses you…
