Music

If you've been around here long enough, you may remember the music-collector days, circa 2010-2013. However, five years of college and six of unemployment put a real damper on the whole 'buying obscure music from out-of-country' thing.

Now, for the first time in a very long time, I have both a relatively stable job and am not paying tens of thousands of dollars every couple months in tuition fees. You have no idea the financial freedom I have. I am working minimum wage, but I have more 'disposable income' now than I have EVER had in my entire life. I'm still not well-off by most people's standards, but I feel like I'm living a life of luxury. I can buy cheap muffins regularly now instead of only buying them on special occasions. There is a massive weight off my shoulders that I have not felt since before I left for college. Lecrae's sentiment that 'being broke made me rich' is spot-on.

Anyway, all this to say that now that I actually have a couple extra pennies to spare at the end of the month, I took advantage of a few Boxing week sales from a couple of music dealers who specialise in my obscure genre of choice. One such dealer was Girder Music, and one such deal I took advantage of was the Halo/Scott Springer remastered 4-CD pack. I've had my eye on both Halo albums (particularly Heaven Calling) for years now -- since before college, but there was always an album I wanted more... then, of course, there was that college-induced financial drought.

I didn't realise at the time I bought that CD pack that the purchase included full downloads of all four albums, so even though the CDs only shipped today, I get to listen to them at my leisure, starting now.

Due to all the aformentioned circumstances, I haven't been able to buy and enjoy any of these really rare albums for a long time now. And just sitting and listening to these included downloads from this obscure early-'90s band that nobody's ever heard of was such a powerful experience that it made me tear up.

This was the music of a time in my life when anything was possible, my mental health was at an all-time high, I was surrounded by talented, creative, fiery people (who were not yet dead), and my creativity was at its absolute zenith. Even the mere act of sitting and listening to music without thinking about how I should be working on an assignment instead was almost foreign to me. For just a few moments, I've been able to grasp hold of a thin thread of what my life used to be and relish that safe, secure, on-top-of-the-world feeling that I used to have without even realising it.

Hopefully I can do a more in-depth review of the albums once they arrive, but until then I just wanted to chronicle how much I loved simply listening to the music of my younger years after such a long drought.

Day Twenty - National Choreography Month

So after doing pretty much nothing for the entire second week, I went on a huge tear and choreographed three dances in two days. Two of them I covered in the previous post (Day 18), but then I started and finished another tap solo: Lecrae's Chase That. (This is what I meant when I said it was totally feasible for me to catch up on a three-days-per-piece timeline in the space of several days.)

Out of all the projects I had planned for this month, this one probably scared me the most (with the possible exception of Rattle Me, Shake Me), just because of the sheer volume of content in the song. Of course, being a rap song, it's packed with words, but that also means it's packed with rhythm and it covers a LOT of ground lyrically. Rap, as an art form, is adept at blending metaphors and imagery, using pivot words to take you from one mental image to another (this is also what I love about the songwriting of Steve Taylor), which kind of stretches your brain -- as it's supposed to. But it's also tricky for a choreographer like me who likes to match the mood of the movement to the mood of the lyrics. The music, being a canned beat (as is traditional with rap), isn't much help mood-wise either -- it's more or less the same loop for the entire song.

(Incidentally, this is why I'm not as into rap as I could be -- I love the style of lyric-writing, but it always kills me a little bit how uncreative the musical arrangements tend to be. Lecrae has been known to use violins -- Chase That is one such track, in fact -- and seriously that makes a huge difference, but as far as I know, he's the only one seriously experimenting in musical terms. That said, I realise that the main point in rap is the lyrical prowess and it would be difficult to keep a great arrangement from overshadowing the lyrics. It'll be really interesting to see how the genre develops and matures over the next twenty years or so as future rappers build on the work of artists like Lecrae.)

Anyway... the dance: Actually, I've done so much choreography in the past three days that I'm not too clear on which one this was. But out of all the musical climaxes I've tried to choreograph in various disciplines over the past four years or so, this was one of the ones I think I actually managed to capture in motion. I'm actually very proud of myself, particularly as tap isn't my first dance language. I'm noticing, too, that I'm getting better at this pacing thing -- not overusing things as much and thereby killing the climax when I use the overdone genius idea yet again (after putting it in every chorus).

This piece was intentionally a solo. Although my relationship with God is not great right now, this has always been my goal in my art -- to glorify God. And even though I've spent the last two days (in particular; the past year in general) mostly lashing out in fury that God isn't listening to me, there's a tiny part of me that still wants to give God the glory in my art. There's still a little piece that wants to chase His glory and not mine, and the chorus of this song is kind of an adopted mission statement (the story in the verses, obviously, bears little resemblance to my own story).

Music Day - Background

I always forget about this song until I listen to the album (which isn't very often because I tend to forget it exists -- too busy listening to Daniel Amos). But this is a really beautiful song. The stage imagery resonates with me in so many different ways. It's like if you were to take a different angle on Crumbächer's Understudy, strip away all the '80s orchestration and the harmonies, slow it down about ten times, and throw in a (conceptual) touch of their Royal Command Performance.

Title: Background (feat. Andy Mineo)

Artist: Lecrae

Album: Rehab

Year: 2010

Label: Reach Records

iTunes here; YouTube here.

In related news: Tedashii (Lecrae's labelmate) just announced today that a new album is on the way. I'm really interested for this one... Tedashii has gone through a lot (including the death of a child) since his last album came out in 2011. I get the feeling this album will be the Knowledge & Innocence of rap.

Your Obscure Music Digest

Well, since there's a lull in DA and White Heart stuff, I am now featuring stuff from The Choir. Observe.

From the list linked above, I've only heard four songs -- Beautiful Scandalous Night (and that was only in part), Between Bare Trees, Midnight Sun, and That Melancholy Ghost. They're all lovely; however, those of you who know me as a rocker will be surprised -- these tracks (at least those four) are slow and the instrumentation is sparse. If it wasn't for the writing, I probably wouldn't listen to them at all.

The link is included on the page linked above, but if you're too lazy to read through it, here's the link directly to their Kickstarter campaign to make a new studio album and a live album. They've already met their funding goal, but you have until the end of the month to join in.


Metalheads, take note: Bloodgood and Stryper have both got new albums going out in a few weeks (November first and fifth, respectively). Word on the street (that is, Facebook and random album reviews) says the Stryper one is worthy of the Stryper banner... haven't heard too much about the Bloodgood one yet.

Watch the official video for Stryper's No Hell To Pay here. Watch the official video for Bloodgood's Lamb Of God here.


Also, after announcing a Kickstarter campaign that was supposed to launch last week, PFR is unexpectedly calling it quits. For good? Who knows -- this is PFR. They've quit and reappeared at least twice. But it's safe to say they're out of commission for a few more years at least. They have asked for prayer for the guys -- no more information has been given.


Lecrae's dropping a mixtape, Church Clothes 2, on 7 November. The last one was released on Datpiff, so I assume CC2 will be the same. (For those of you keeping score, that's three new albums in the first week of NaNoWriMo. Can you say 'jackpot?')


Also, this. This is awesome on so many levels. I love the DA/Choir/TST/etc. fanbase so, so much, and this is a great example of why. Name me another fanbase that will even think of something like this, never mind actually give it a shot.

Music Day

I can't add much to this song. This pretty much nails it. It's White Heart's Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Christian from the perspective of the 'heathen' -- some might call it a stroke of genius, but it's really quite a logical standpoint (in fact, it's long overdue if you ask me). While White Heart took on the subject from the perspective of another member of the church (which could easily be taken as hypocritical, especially if Rick hadn't delivered the vocal with such concern), these guys put themselves on the outside looking in. As a result, the song hits closer to home than anything White Heart could have done, and yes, it is much harsher. But with the North American church in such a disgusting state of nearly-comatose apathy, only the harshest realities can possibly wake us now.

Thanks guys. You'll get a lot of flack for this one, but we need to hear this more than we know.

Title: Dear Mr Christian (feat. Dee-1 and Lecrae)
Artist: Derek Minor
Year: 2013
Label: Reach Records
iTunes here; YouTube here. (I don't recommend watching the video on an iDevice or in a moving vehicle -- the visual concept is great and the camera work is as smooth as possible, but even watching it on a stationary computer I got rather dizzy.)

Music Day (Part Two)

This past Tuesday, my friend from dance team texted me and asked if I would be willing to be a co-choreograph/perform a trio to this song.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything earth-shattering. The friend who texted me has a music collection so diverse and eclectic I've given up trying to define it, but the other person in the trio seems to be very much into the current-CCM... stuff. I can't really blame her -- after all, that's all there is unless you're willing to invest some serious time into tracking down some of the older Christian stuff, and before that you have to know it even exists... somewhere.

So I looked the song up on YouTube, bracing myself for a CCM-radio-friendly, mushy-gushy, sappy thing laden with Christian-bookstore clichés. (Seriously, with a title like Arise My Love, what else could it possibly be except a bland song of plastic-happy fake 'encouragement' to all the depressed/suicidal teenage girls out there?)

I did not get a mushy-gushy, sappy thing laden with Christian bookstore clichés.

What I got was this:
Title: Arise My Love
Artist: Newsong
Album: Say Yes
Year: 1987
Label: Word Records
iTunes here; YouTube here (apologies for the crappy sound quality... it sounds way better from iTunes, but you'll get the general idea).

What really sold me on this song was the fact that it includes actual theological concepts. Nothing heavy, mind you, but enough to prove that these guys know what they're talking about -- they're not just cashing in on the 'clean music' cow. They know what actually happened on that cross. They don't take you through it step-by-step in the song (for that, look up Lecrae's fantastic song Truth), but they probably could explain it if you asked them.

It's still not completely earth-shattering -- it's definitely radio-friendly, meaning it's not real musically creative -- but it's pretty, with a nice musical progression, and the sheer passion in the vocal makes up for the potential blandness of the soundtrack. Timeless? Not likely. But a great soundtrack for Easter weekend.

Music Day

Lately I've been loving this song. It's another song I remember from childhood, but in the past two weeks or so it's captivated me, both musically and lyrically. (Seriously, this guy is the lyrical and theological precursor to Lecrae.)

This is also a rare occasion where you'll hear an electric guitar solo in a Michael Card song. And it's a pretty good one too.

Title: Scandalon

Artist: Michael Card

Album: Scandalon

Year: 1985

Label: Sparrow Records

iTunes here; YouTube here.

To some He is a barrier
To others He's the way
For all should know the scandal of believing

Today it seems the Scandalon offends no one at all

The image we present can be stepped over

Could it be that we are like the others long ago

Will we ever learn that all who come must stumble?

Music Day

Yes I know, I missed Music Day. I had it all planned out too... but last night when I was supposed to write it I felt like crap, so it's a day late. (Incidentally, did you know that it's possible to experience salt withdrawal? Apparently it is. Methinks I should re-evaluate my eating habits.)

So I finally gave up on the bookstore and ordered the new Lecrae album from his website. The CD is still on its way, but I purchased the package that includes a free MP3 download (it was the same price as the CD-only and it was killing me that I hadn't heard it yet).

Let me get this out there right now -- this is a phenomenal album. Musically, it's on par with anything else out there. Very creative. It's obvious they put a lot of time and effort into it -- very refreshing, especially when you think about every other genre covered by 'Christian' artists (the same cookie-cutter acoustic guitar chords for thirteen songs in a row, anyone?). Seriously, though. Good stuff.

It should probably come as no surprise that Gravity (the track) is one of my favourites -- it's got kind of a retro video-game vibe (or maybe it's just me).

Free From It All hit me pretty deep. It reminds me of me, just it's not huge crowds that love me as long as I'm perfect... it's those who should love me unconditionally. It's frightening, in a way. And this song captures it so well.

Fakin' always makes me think of this one Calvin and Hobbes strip -- where Calvin asks his mom for money to buy a devil-worshipping, suicide-advocating heavy metal album, and his mom says, "Calvin, the only reason these bands haven't killed themselves in ritual self-sacrifice proves that they're just in it for the money like everyone else." (I hope that quote isn't copyright infringement.)

I personally find the tracks Violence and Mayday kind of annoying, but I think those are a little bit too modern for my ears. If you're into the current secular sound, these will probably really appeal to you. (Confe$$ions probably would fall into that category as well.)

And Buttons? Gah. Most adorable song ever. Mrs Lecrae is a very lucky woman.

I like the intro to I Know. It's... cute, almost (I realise I just alienated all the serious rap fans out there). Actually, I really like the music throughout the whole thing, especially the sound effects like you hear at the end. Lecrae's really feeling the rhythm here.

Lucky Ones. This one almost became today's featured song. Just listen to it. It's a beautiful song.

And now, for today's 'official' song...

Title: Falling Down
Artist: Lecrae
Album: Gravity
Year: 2012
Label: Reach Records
iTunes here; YouTube here.

Trip Lee is definitely on his game here. I like his part in this. Also, I like the part in the hook where Lecrae (finally) comes in -- I see the sky falling... and ain't no way to stop it...

Actually, it almost sounds like kind of a downer song (it's more of a warning than anything else -- reminds me of 2 Corinthians 5:20), but it's so catchy.

Tap Shoes

Today I bought my first ever-pair of tap shoes.

Let me say that again -- TAP SHOES! :-D

Ninety-four dollars (ninety-eight with sales tax) (for comparison, my pointe shoes are $80 per pair), but they're TAP SHOES!

And now, all that choreography; all those brilliant ideas I've had -- dances to songs like His Heart Was Always In It, Invitation, Let The Children Play, Bye Bye Babylon, More Sold Out (and that's just the White Heart)... Save Your Life, Ready Or Not, Somebody's Gonna Praise His Name, Walk Away From Love, Don't Waste Your Life, the 2010 remake of Angel Of Light, I Want To Be A Clone, New Earth, everything -- all that is now within my reach!

The ultimate goal? Independence Day by White Heart. That will take SO much work and practice, but it will be SO worth it.

Classes start on Monday...

TAP SHOES! *squeals*

(I am such a dance nerd.)

A Daydream

Lately I've been entertaining this idea -- kind of a daydream, but not really because at this point I'm not set on making it a reality (though it's appealing enough to be the basis of my Script Frenzy 2013 project).

But there are some times where I do want to make it a reality.

And it's this -- to own (or have a share in) a Christian record shop that carries all the good Christian rock, the 80's and the 90's, plus probably some of the newer stuff. A sort of buy-sell-trade place, since not a lot of the 80's stuff is in print anymore. And then I can not only have access to any of the albums I might like, I could make money off it too. There's a decent fanbase for this stuff if you know where to find it.

Not only that, but I could also get real creative and add a café and a stage. Like a real stage, without a massive grand piano sitting on it (it annoys me how Christian bookstores invite people to 'come play on our stage'... and then you're limited to only piano because that's all the space there is on the stage and you can't move the thing because it's invariably on a platform).

Yes. That would be lovely.

Oh, also, I could actually get albums the day they drop, too. That alone could be worth the cost of renting a space and paying employees and stocking the place.

Your suspicions are correct... this is indeed a thinly veiled rant.

The daydream is real (it has roots in April 2012), but the sarcasm is new.

See, Lecrae's crazy-ridiculous-intense-phenomal-highly-anticipated album Gravity released this past Tuesday, the fourth. On Thursday I went to the local Christian bookstore to buy it.

Not only was it not there, it wasn't even on their list of new releases this week. And I know it released in Canada because I previewed it on iTunes Canada early (really early) Tuesday morning. We asked the girl at the counter and she had no idea why it wasn't anywhere.

Now, what really bothers me is the fact that tobyMac's (also highly anticipated) album Eye On It, released the week before. And the music section in this particular venue is absolutely drunk on it. You can't blink without seeing another Eye On It cover somewhere. Okay, so maybe I really really really can't stand tobyMac to begin with, but even so, that's ridiculous.

So if you see Gravity for sale in central Alberta, let me know. I've had cash set aside for that album for weeks.

What Would I Have Missed?

June 30.

It was two years ago today that I nearly lost my life in a car accident.

I didn't know the date at the time (I'm often lucky just to know what month it is). But since that week it's been etched into my mind. Hardly a day goes by where the memory of June 30, 2010 doesn't nudge at my consciousness.

I feel, in a way, that I've been given a 'bonus life,' like in a video game. Especially in the first year after the accident, I would hear the name of the date and my first thought would be, 'the day I died,' in the same casual way I associate certain dates with friends' birthdays. It took conscious thought to remember that I hadn't died (actually I hadn't even been seriously injured).

It was such a catalyst. Before the accident, I was depressed, numb to everything, at times suicidal -- in fact, just that Sunday I had been poking out of habit at the idea of suicide again, in the wake of some especially cutting words directed at me by a member of the youth group, whom I had previously considered a friend.

But on June 30, laying in that hospital bed, completely immobilised as I waited for them to take x-rays, thinking about the events of an hour before and what could have been -- suddenly I realised I wanted to live. I've not been suicidal since.

As I lay there I wondered, what if I had died? What would I have left?

That set me into a completely different mindset. If it was not yet my time to die, then what was I supposed to do with my life until it was?

Starting 1 July 2010, I pursued the answer to that question like a madwoman. It's become a bit of an addiction, that question... What am I supposed to do with my life? This year? This week? Today? This moment?

My searching and praying pointed to my passion for dance, but that's too long for this post. It also pushed me deeper into encouraging other people and other things as well.

Today, though, on the two-year anniversary, I started thinking -- what would I have missed? What have I experienced since that day that I wouldn't have if I been five inches further into the intersection at the time of impact?

I would never have seen my little brother (six months old at the time), learn how to walk and I would now be missing watching his vocabulary increase at a daily rate.

I would have missed two years of dance by now (going on three).

All those dances in my head, those pieces of choreography I kept reviewing over and over in my mind so to keep them fresh until I knew how to write them down -- those would have been gone. Sing Your Freedom, You Are The One, King Of Kings, Apathy Alert, The Gift, Them -- those would never have been composed or written down (now that I think about it, I didn't even know any of those songs at the time).

The novels Reuben, Rebecca's World, Chasm, Hidden Beauty, and Kidnapped would never have been written, even in rough draft form.

I would never have gotten to own this MacBook.

I would never have been introduced to Lecrae, classicchristian247.com, or (gasp!) White Heart. (No wonder I was depressed -- the White Heart content in my brain was low.)

In a similar vein, I would never have gotten to witness the release of John Schlitt's The Greater Cause (just ordered my copy today!).

I would never have been able to graduate.

I would never have gotten to experience for myself the peace and joy the Holy Spirit gives (another story for another post).

I would have missed last night's beautiful sunset.

I would have missed out on a good thousand or so fantastic songs (I found something I wrote just weeks before the accident saying I had 493 songs in my iTunes library. I'm currently pushing 2,000 and probably have another 500 tracks in my iTunes wish list -- never mind the stuff that isn't on the iTunes Store).

I would have missed my friends' wedding a few weeks ago.

There are so many others. Every moment is one I might never have seen. Every breath is one I might never have taken but for the grace of God in providing that five-inch space on 30 June 2010.

As someone who has been given a second chance, listen to me: Don't waste your life. When I woke up that morning, I would never have guessed it could have been my last.

National Choreography Month - Day 10

So after blasting through King Of Kings in less than 72 hours, I have now pretty much stalled out on Apathy Alert.

It's not even a lack of inspiration -- I have plenty of ideas. But my brain has been spinning for the past few days. Part of it might be backlash from choreographing nearly two minutes' worth for eight dancers in three days, but most of it is me trying to adjust to my dad being home all day every day (he accidentally amputated a couple of fingers and is now off work for two weeks) and my sheer excitement over both John Schlitt and Lecrae dropping projects within two days of each other.

Hopefully yesterday will put me on track though.

I don't remember if I mentioned this (and if I did, it might have been in a post that never ended up getting published), but NaChoreoMo is actually a joint venture -- it was invented by my dance friend and I (after discovering on 26 January that January has already been declared National Choreography Month. We weren't about to wait that long for it to come round again so we made our own).

I hadn't seen her in nearly a year. However, long story short she was at my ballet class yesterday to touch up on her technique due to an upcoming audition. I had an extra hour after class and she arranged to stay the extra hour with me, specifically so we could compare choreography notes.

First of all, she's a total overachiever. She showed me a list of songs she intends to choreograph to this month. It was somewhere around six when she first pulled it out. By the time she put the notebook away it had gone up to about nine. Sure, they're all solos and duets, but still... it makes my list of three look positively apathetic.

Second, she's so passionate about the craft that it wears off on me even through the epitome of soulless communication (Facebook). To see her in person again and talk choreography is like a shot of espresso to the creative (and happy) mind.

Third, as of yesterday she's now choreographing a Highland dance solo and a contemporary solo for me. (The contemporary one should be interesting. I've been training in classical ballet since I was six years old.) If that isn't inspirational, I don't know what is. Perhaps it means more to me because I seemed completely 'off' in class yesterday and totally not worthy of one solo, let alone two. It seems to have given me a bit of a kick in the backside.

I haven't added to my workload (because with my brain in this frazzled state it would be insanity to attempt to force anything more out of it), but if I finish Apathy Alert and my third planned song in a timely fashion, I've long had a song in mind that would make a good solo for her. If I have time once these two are done, I might try to throw that together too.


P.S. -- No word on a White Heart reunion yet.

The Week Of Great Musical Excitement

Can I make one more John Schlitt post? (I'm not his publicity agent, honest. Though wouldn't it be epic if I was...)

Seriously, though. This interview. Funniest. Thing. Ever. I wish I could put this on my iPod.

(Link as posted by the John Schlitt Facebook page.)

Coming later this week... the ever-nerdy Kate on Lecrae's mixtape! (And possibly another John Schlitt post -- me reviewing the new album... stay tuned...)

I don't think I've ever before witnessed the release of a new album by a band/artist I love (mostly because the bands I love have a nasty habit of fading away before I discover their epicness)... and this week I get two of them!

All we need is a White Heart reunion and my week will be complete.

Missing Out...

John Schlitt's new album comes out this Tuesday. Lecrae's dropping a 'mixtape' on 10 May. And Michael W. Smith is here in concert on Saturday (at forty freaking dollars per ticket. Seriously? I saw the Newsboys for like ten bucks at the same venue two years ago).

SUCH an epic week in eclectic music -- and I have no money. I'm already missing the Pethead Convention in Indianapolis (because it's in Indianapolis and I'm... well... not).

And even if I did have money, I'd have to put it to college.

Sigh...

Let's Get Upset -- A Playlist (AKA Belated Music Day)

Over the past few weeks I've put together a little 'Rally for Parental Rights/General Freedom In This Country' pump-up playlist. For your enjoyment, I've posted the details below.

(Note that it's not really in any kind of order because the list got kind of big kind of fast and I didn't want to mess around with that much copying and pasting right now. Also, all links go to YouTube.)


Let's Get Upset
DeGarmo & Key, 1989 Power Discs (The Pledge)
Let's get upset
And turn this country upside down
Let's get upset
With Jesus' help we'll turn this land around...

Get On Your Knees And Fight Like A Man
Petra, 1987 Star Song Records (This Means War!)
Get on your knees
And fight like a man
He'll put up strongholds if you just believe He can
Your enemy
Will tuck his tail and flee
Get on your knees
And fight
Like a man

This Means War!
Petra, 1987 Star Song Records (This Means War!)
This means war
And the battle's still raging
War
And now both sides are waiting
The Victor is sure
And the victory's secure

Apathy Alert
DeGarmo & Key, 1985 Power Discs (Commander Sozo & The Charge Of The Light Brigade)
My heart goes searching for a place to hide
I hear a voice of warning down inside
Apathy alert
I hear the voice inside shouting to my heart
Apathy alert
It's time to do what's right
It's time for me to do my part

Stand In The Gap
Petra, 1988 Star Song Records (On Fire!)
Stand in the gap
Coming boldly to His throne of grace
Stand in the gap
He will hear you when you seek His face
Put your weapon to its use
And believe it will produce
Stand in the gap
Until all hell
Until all hell breaks loose

Angel Of Light
Petra, 1981 Star Song Records (Never Say Die)
Angel of light
You're telling me wrong is right
But you only bring darkness to my soul

Don't Let Your Heart Be Hardened
Petra, 1987 Star Song Records (This Means War!)
Don't let your heart be hardened
Don't let your love grow cold

Pray For Rain
PFR, 1992 Vireo Records (Pray For Rain)
I pray for rain to come
And wash away what has made me numb...

Great Expectations
Steven Curtis Chapman, 1999 Sparrow Records (Speechless)
Lord we come
With great expectations

Who Owns You
White Heart, 1992 Star Song Records (Tales Of Wonder)
Tell me you owns you baby
Tell me you owns you now
Tell me who owns the key
To your captive heart
Tell me who owns you baby
Tell me do you even know...

Armed And Dangerous
Petra, 1991 Star Song Records (Beyond Belief)
Armed and dangerous
God's enemies will scatter
Armed and dangerous
We'll see the darkness shatter...

Underground
Petra, 1991 Star Song Records (Beyond Belief)
Persecution only makes us grow
They've got my number it's no surprise
I'm here and wearing no disguise
...
I won't go underground
I won't turn and flee
I won't bow the knee
And I'm not ashamed of the cross I claim

I Am On The Rock
Petra, 1991 Star Song Records (Beyond Belief)
I shall not be moved
Cause I am on the Rock

Greater Is He
Peter Furler (feat. Phil Joel and Bill Furler), 2011 Sparrow Records (On Fire)
Greater is He that is in us
Then he that's in this world

Lost The Plot
Newsboys, 1996 Star Song Records (Take Me To Your Leader)

I'm Not Ashamed
Newsboys, 1992 Star Song Records (Not Ashamed)
I'm not ashamed to speak the name
Of Jesus Christ

Stay Strong
Newsboys, 2003 Sparrow Records (Greatest Hits)
Stay strong you are not lost
Come on fix your eyes ahead
Our Father's dawn will light our day

God Is Not A Secret
Newsboys, 1996 Star Song Records (Take Me To Your Leader)

Freedom Battle
Michael W. Smith, 2000 Reunion Records (Freedom)

How Long?
Michael Card, 1990 Sparrow Records (The Way Of Wisdom)

Wake The Dead
John Schlitt, 1995 Word Records (Shake)
There's too much to do to just walk away...

Free The Fire In Me
The Imperials, 1988 Myrrh Records (Free The Fire)
Like a torch that's passed for eternity...

Causin' A Commotion
Greg Sczebel, 2009 Soultone Records (Love & The Lack Thereof)

Activate
DeGarmo & Key, 1985 Power Discs (Commander Sozo & The Charge Of The Light Brigade)
Who's gonna show the world that more excellent way
Who'll be black and white
When everyone wants to be grey
Who's gonna go and tell them that Jesus still lives
Who's gonna go and tell them that He will forgive
Fill my heart
With strength from above
Lord take away all of my apathy
And give me the courage to love

If God Is For Us (Who Can Be Against Us?)
DeGarmo & Key, 1989 Power Discs (The Pledge)

D.O.A.
Connie Scott, 1985 Image 7 Records (Spirit Mover)
Satan may be strong
But our Lord is stronger still
So put His armour on
And take up His sword and shield...

Slow Fade
Casting Crowns, 2007 (The Altar And The Door)
It's a slow fade
When black and white have turned to grey
And thoughts invade
Choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade

Bye Bye Babylon
White Heart, 1989 Sparrow Records (Freedom)
Now people study me
I'm a part of history
Oh did we leave them another Babylon...
If God is not your strength and song
It's goodbye
Babylon

Revival In The Land
Carman, 1989 Benson Records (Revival In The Land)

Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Avalon, 1997 Sparrow Records (A Maze Of Grace)

If My People Pray
Avalon, 1999 Sparrow Records (In A Different Light)
If My people pray
Reach for Me with hearts
That are broken
I will not forget what I've spoken
Come and seek My face...

WAR
John Piper, 2007 Desiring God Ministries (1031sermonjams.com)

Make War
Tedashii (feat. Flame), 2010 Reach Records (Identity Crisis)

Truth
Lecrae, 2008 Reach Records (Rebel)
If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie?
Is it still true?

Rebel
Lecrae, 2008 Reach Records (Rebel)

Whole World
Petra, 1986 Star Song Records (Back To The Street)
And He's still got the whole world in His hands
Tonight
And only He knows where the sparrow lands
Tonight
And nothing in this world can stop His plans
Tonight...

Shakin The House
Petra, 1986 Star Song Records (Back To The Street)
Everything that can be shaken will be shaken from within
Better have your house in order when the shaking begins...

No Weapon Formed Against Us
Petra, 1989 Word Records (Petra Praise... The Rock Cries Out)
No weapon formed against us shall prosper
All those who rise up against us shall fall
I will not fear what the devil may bring me
I am a servant of God
Yeah
I am a servant of God

Bema Seat
Petra, 1983 Star Song Records (Not Of This World)

Pied Piper
Petra, 1983 Star Song Records (Not Of This World)
Pied piper
Wanting them all to follow you
Knowing not where you lead them to
But all the time you're leading them astray...
(This one's for you, Minister Lukaszuk.)

Them
PFR, 1996 Vireo Records (Them)
And the band marches on and on and on without slowing
And the leader leads them on and on and on without knowing
Never looking back to see the mess that they have left behind
...
It's all too clear the wealths of violence and sexual perversion
Offer more than just some innocent psychological diversion...

Tumblin' Down
David Meece, 1985 Myrrh Records (7)

Over You
David Meece, 1993 Star Song Records (Once In A Lifetime)
There's nothing there's no one there's no other lord over You

Run
David Meece, 2002 Aluminum Records (There I Go Again)
Run
Oh run
Through the mouth of death to the Risen One
Oh run

Dancing With The Enemy
David Meece, 2002 Aluminum Records (There I Go Again)

Raise These Arms
David Meece, 2002 Aluminum Records (There I Go Again)
Now it's time we stop pretending
Time we get up on our feet and say
Hey hey...
I will raise these arms
In the field and in the vineyard
With the servants of the Lord

How Long Will Be Too Long?
Michael W. Smith, 1990 Word Records (Go West Young Man)
How long
Will we drink from the chalice of indifference?

Raging Of The Moon
White Heart, 1992 Star Song Records (Tales Of Wonder)
Thank God the world's been saved
Marx is in his grave
The hammer and sickle lay broken on the ground
If we're through with history
Then why this misery
...
Oh we must awaken...

Vendetta
White Heart, 1992 Star Song Records (Tales Of Wonder)
Vendetta against
The raging world
Vendetta against
The lies we've heard
Vendetta led by love not hate
It's the only way
The pattern breaks

More Sold Out
White Heart, 1987 Sparrow Records (Emergency Broadcast)
Are they working harder at what we think is wrong
Than we are at what we know is right
Sold out
They might be sold out to sin
Sold out
Better take a look inside, what do you see
Are you and me
More sold out to Him?

Excuse Me, Forgive Me
White Heart, 1993 Star Song Records (Highlands)
Excuse me forgive me
I'm certain that you do see
...
It's one or the other
No they're not together

Power Tools
White Heart, 1989 Sparrow Records (Freedom)
You gotta open your eyes
You better know who's making all the rules
Is he a man of God
Or just a baby with some power tools?

Go Down Nineveh
White Heart, 1982 Home Sweet Home Records (White Heart)

Heroes
White Heart, 1985 Home Sweet Home Records (Hotline)
Who's gonna stand up

Keep Fighting The Fight
White Heart, 1985 Home Sweet Home Records (Hotline)

Counsel Of The Holy
Petra, 1988 Star Song Records (On Fire!)

The Flame Passes On
White Heart, 1993 Star Song Records (Highlands)

No Other Hope
David Meece, 2002 Aluminum Records (There I Go Again)
There is no other hope but You
(No one else to cry to now)
No other thing that we can do but turn to You
There is no other trust and truth
(No one else can help us now)
There is
No other hope but You

To The Glory Of God
David Meece, 1989 Star Song Records (Learning To Trust)
To the glory of God
Next time I fly it will be
To the glory of God
I want my whole life to be
To the glory of God

The Unknown Soldier
David Meece, 1985 Myrrh Records (7)

The Battle Belongs To The Lord
Petra, 1989 Word Records (Petra Praise... The Rock Cries Out)

Salvation Belongs To Our God
Petra, 1989 Word Records (Petra Praise... The Rock Cries Out)

Godpleaser
Petra, 1983 Star Song Records (Not Of This World)
Don't want to be a man-pleaser
I want to be a Godpleaser
I just want to do the things that please the Father's heart...


People of Canada, we are not yet living in a censored country. Make the most of that freedom while you still can so that it stays that way.

Music Day

This song, for me, like time traveling to 2008, to the Bible study I was in at the time with our youth group -- all twelve or so of us crammed in the youth pastor's cosy living room eating his wife's baking, fresh from the oven, playing with the cat and the eight-month-old's toys. There resides many of my favourite memories, even though more than half the original members are abroad at school, the very youngest members of the study are all now in their final year of high school and the youth pastor himself has since spent a year as a head pastor at another church and is currently back in seminary.

I had never heard this song, nor even knew of the artist, back then, but the connection remains because the title of this song is the title of the book we studied.

That book grabbed me by the shoulders and woke me up. And I do believe I'll be forever grateful for it. So it was little wonder I thoroughly enjoyed the song which (I'm fairly certain) is inspired by that book...

Title: Don't Waste Your Life
Artist: Lecrae
Album: Rebel
Year: 2008
Label: Reach Records
iTunes here; YouTube here (official video) and here (full song).

I don't listen to any so-called 'secular' rap at all, but I've heard many people say this guy is on par with the biggest names out there in rap right now (I won't even try to name them because I have no idea who they are), and this, by far, is his best performance to date (according to me). (Actually this is his best album to date according to me.)

See your money, your singleness, marriage, talents, your time
They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is divine...

Music Day

This man is probably one of the most controversial artists in the history of Christian music. And for once, it wasn't because there was a beat to his material (as was the case with artists like Petra and Larry Norman).

Listen to the lyrics of today's song and I think it'll be self-evident (especially if you've ever been a part of a church congregation that was more concerned about tradition and appearances than Jesus). Stereotypical church pew-warmers do not take kindly to biting satire such as this. Think of Lecrae with way more sarcasm.

I think something I read on the back of a greatest-hits album sums up this artist's recordings pretty well... '...his music either offended people or woke them up.'

You know, as I type that I realise that pretty much describes the Gospel in general. It'll either offend you or wake you up. Who are we as artists to dumb it down to the point where it's not only entirely inoffensive, it's a complete waste of time whether you're a Christian or not? To omit any part of the Gospel is to change it. If it's changed, it's no longer the Gospel but some rule-direction religion merely based on it. In a matter of eternal life and death of millions of people, this is not something to skim over.

Ah, but I'm going off on a tangent again. Here's the song:

Title: I Want To Be A Clone

Artist: Steve Taylor

Album: I Want To Be A Clone

Year: 1983

Label: Sparrow Records

iTunes here; YouTube here.
(Just a warning if you love the song so much you click over to the live version in the YouTube sidebar: there is an almost illegal amount of eighties hair in that clip.)

Does the name look familiar? That's because Steve Taylor is the man who helped the Newsboys rise to fame nearly twenty years ago now (has it really been that long? I feel old now...). He's written scores of songs with Peter Furler for the band and for Peter Furler's solo album (released last summer). I'm pretty sure he produced the Newsboys for much of the '90s, though don't quote me on that.

They told me that I'd fall away unless I follow what they say

"Who needs the Bible anyway?"

Thanksgiving - A Challenge

This morning I was late for my ballet class, and in a desperate way.
Or so I thought.
When I arrived, I found that the previous class had gone late -- a rare occurrence. Therefore I was still technically not late as my class hadn't begun yet.
As I was speed-changing into my practice clothes, it dawned on me that that was God's undeserved grace right there. I didn't deserve this kind of break; it was my fault I'd left my house late in the first place. Why He saw fit to give me that extra few minutes I don't know, and perhaps I never will. But the fact is He gave it to me.
Not long ago, I heard a speaker talking about the perfect holiness and good goodness of God. He talked about how people always say, "Well, if God is so good, why does He let bad stuff happen?"
The speaker said that is entirely the wrong perspective. We as humans are pure evil without Jesus purifying us. The question instead is 'Why should God let anything good happen at all in this world? We sure as heck don't deserve it.'
God gives us a beautiful sunset every night. Why should He allow us to see such beauty? We don't deserve it.
God gives us food and clean water. Why should He allow us even enough to survive, never mind give us excess amounts of it? We don't deserve it.
God gives us the air to breathe and the chest to breathe it. Why should He not only let us live, but Himself be intimately involved in our moment-to-moment survival? We don't deserve it.
God gives us (especially in Canada) warm clothes and blankets on our beds. Why should He allow us to be warm and comfortable? We don't deserve it.
The list goes on.
And this morning an idea struck me. Why not keep track of every instance of God's grace that I see every day, for a period of time? Like the 'counting blessings' thing, but rather than just focusing for ten minutes on a couple of big things (house; bed; food; clothes), let's focus more on the little things. Like the times my laziness should get me into trouble, but it doesn't. Like the fact that God could have withdrawn His hand from around my heart and let it stop two paragraphs ago but He didn't. Like the fact that He hasn't allowed the motor to fall out of my rattletrap vehicle yet even though it probably should have two years ago.
And then I thought, heck, (Canadian) Thanksgiving is right around the corner; this coming Monday to be exact. Perfect.
The thought continued... I should get a bunch of people involved in this.


So I'm going to go out on a proverbial limb here and present a challenge for both you and me.
Throughout the day, as things happen (or don't) by God's grace, write them down (or use the voice recording app on your iPhone, whatever). We'll do this for... let's say two weeks, starting Sunday morning, the ninth of October. At the end of the two weeks (the twenty-second), look back over the lists. If you (and I) want to continue after that, great; but if not, hopefully we all have a greater appreciation of just how much God does for us in our day-to-day lives. If you want to do a blog post detailing every instance you saw or just what you learned from the experience, that would be interesting as well... you can link to it either here in the comments on this post or hopefully I will be publishing another post as sort of a follow-up after two weeks and you can link to it there. I would love to see what God shows you. Note that it's not a requirement that you post about it, but you might enjoy thinking over it all again.
I have to say I'm really looking forward to this. I'm also curious to know who's going to try this along with me... feel free to comment!

(If you're reading this several weeks, months, or even years from now, try it for yourself. Set aside two or three weeks and give it a shot. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.)

P.S. -- Bonus points if you caught both of the Lecrae references in this post.

Music Day

(I remembered...)

This week I narrowed it down to Connie Scott or Lecrae. Connie Scott is definitely older material, but I've been featuring her a lot lately.
So I'm going to go with Lecrae this week.

I first heard Lecrae on a (now off the air) hip hop show late one night on the local Christian station. I found the song I'd heard (Far Away) on the iTunes Store and bought it.
It wasn't too bad -- in fact, it's gotten me through quite a few tough moments since then. However, I didn't buy any of the other albums. Since I knew almost nothing of Christian hip hop or rap, I was a little reluctant to invest the money into a album that I may or may not like.
Then came my birthday.
My grandmother takes all her grandchildren aged twelve or older shopping for their birthdays. This year, we made a stop at the local Christian bookstore to check out what remained of their narrow selection of music.
It was actually quite a good day for that place -- at one point I had nine CDs in my hand. But I could only afford one, and after extensive consideration, I finally decided on the Rebel album.
Now I'm a bit of a theology nerd -- something instilled in me by a former associate pastor at our church. So when I listened to the CD that night, I was thrilled out of my mind to hear good theological arguments and witty lyrics set to modern music pouring out of my speakers.
Deciding on a favourite to feature here today is even more difficult than usual (this is one of those 'seriously, get the whole album' posts), but I'll close my eyes and link to just this one song:

Title: Truth
Artist: Lecrae
Album: Rebel
Year: 2008
Label: Reach Records
iTunes here, YouTube here.

Unstuck! (Or The Novel, Day Sixteen)

I've finally figured it out!
After sixteen days of fighting and just barely staying only one day behind my word count, a whole new vein has opened up. I can't wait to start it (don't worry, I've written it down so I won't forget).
The problem here was that I wanted to focus almost exclusively on Rudy, but since he's stuck in his circumstances there isn't much for him to do. To get through Week Two, I simply got his friends high and had them play a four-person game of Mafia (one of players on the phone).
If you're not familiar with Mafia, it's kind of a role-playing game where you kill each other off in your imaginary little town, but it requires a group of at least eight to work well. Also, the killing is done by pointing and nonverbal signals while everyone else's eyes are closed -- having one of the players on the phone lets everyone know who's being killed by whom, meaning your game pretty much lasts one round instead of a dozen or so.

Anyway, I've discovered that while Rudy is the pivotal character -- all the action in the book is as a direct result of who he was and what happened to him -- the book is more about Preston than anyone else (at least right now).
I knew Clayton and Preston's reactions would be a big part of the book but I can't let Clayton recover too easily (after all, he was Rudy's best friend) and I was planning on Preston being the rock through the whole situation. My problem though was that I was trying to keep Preston too neutral about the whole thing... a little shocked maybe, but not much more than that.
But something like this would rock his world. It would take his faith and turn it on its head. It would bring him to question everything he's strived for.

So as of today I'm introducing a new character -- Preston's friend Jon. I think Jon is going to be more of the 'rock' character than Preston, since he's fairly removed from the whole situation... his only connection is Preston, who himself wasn't directly involved. (Also, Jon's a Lecrae fan... music in the story tends to help it along, I've found.)

My statistics so far (note that I haven't written anything today yet):
Goal for Day Sixteen: 25,806
Word count so far: 24,007
I'm not out of this contest yet!