[I just noticed that over a month ago, on June 13, I suggested that I would write a post on Neon Steeple. Rather than make myself out to be a liar, I'm going to use some time in the backseat of my parents' car here to write this post. I set out to discuss the album and ended up bringing an interesting discussion about worship music I frequently ponder. Enjoy!]
For a very long while the David Crowder*Band was my absolute favorite worship band. I love them very much, and their music will always hold a special place in my heart. (They've only been beat out by Rend Collective!) My favorite thing about the DC*B was that, on top of writing true and worshipful songs, they were musically interesting. In other words, their incredibly variable rock-to-techno-to-bluegrass sound would be worth listening to if it was NOT worship music. Unfortunately, that's not the case for most worship bands out there. Pretty often, the fact that a song is a worship song is used as an excuse for its instrumental (and even vocal) parts to be quite boring.
Blogger's note: It's hard to say whether the "problem" described in my previous two sentences is a bad thing. On the one hand, songs intended for congregational singing need to be easy to learn and sing. Simplicity itself is often a virtue, giving congregations a chance to affirm simple yet amazing truths. On the other hand, the worship music industry is inundated with songs that are boring or uninteresting musically.
What are worship artists to do? Write songs that are easy for bands to learn and congregations to sing, but be criticized by not being worth listening to? Or write songs with musical excellence that can't be brought into a congregational setting easily? Obviously, each artist will approach their craft differently, and many probably don't think of their music in these terms. In the best case scenario, bands prove that these two ideals are not exclusive, producing songs that are interesting to listen to AND to use with congregations.
I think the David Crowder*Band produced songs that were very interesting to listen to but often difficult to bring into a service. Artists like Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman tend to produce songs that are (in varying degrees) instrumentally bland,* but very effective and easy for use in services. I guess that as a worship artist, one has to sit down and decide what role exactly your songs will play. I don't think Chris Tomlin's band is unskilled, I think they consciously play simpler instrumental parts to make the song easier to learn and sing.**
Another blogger's note: All of the above is a discussion that applies to "worship artists," by which I mean the people that write and record worship songs, NOT the ground-level worship band playing at a given church. Each band (with the proper licensing) has the ability to choose exactly which songs to play, giving the worship leader great control over the lyrical and musical complexity of the music. Recreating recordings is boring, people! Simpler songs can easily be made more musically interesting, and vice versa. Every band and every congregation are different. I think enough worship artists produce enough music all along the simple-complex spectrum for each band to find exactly what it needs.
NOW, to what I originally wrote this post for: Neon Steeple! (I know, quite a diversion there. Good talk!) On my first listen through the album, I was unhappy that no songs on the album were going to make their way into my worship sets. Some may, with some work, but for now most of the songs are farther down the complexity spectrum than I usually attempt. This initial disappointment was completely forgotten after I had listened through a couple more times. The truth is, the album is very enjoyable to listen to. I like it for many of the same reasons I liked his work with the DC*B. It may not be easy to sing along to or play, but MAN it is fun to listen to. As I may have mentioned before, the album is a combination of bluegrass and techno- if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what does! If you'd like to get a feel for the album, here's my favorite song to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQk7RQg5p3k&feature=youtu.be
Let me know what you think! About the song, album, and complexity in worship music. Until next time, cheers!
*I actually regularly listen to Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman, despite the frequent blandness of the instrumental parts and the simplicity of vocal melodies. This is mostly because I am a huge fan of worship music and usually think with congregational singing in mind; true, enjoyable, and worshipful lyrics ARE enough for me (and many others) to buy and listen to music. Writing songs with congregations in mind is not necessarily a terrible business model, and does not necessarily mean the death of the industry.
**Unfortunately, NO Chris Tomlin song is easy to sing (for guys). He has the vocal chords of some sort of Siren. David Crowder, Matt Redman, Kristian Stanfill, and really most male worship artists are also culprits. [To any worship bands reading this: it IS ok to lower songs from their original key! Please do. Even if you can sing it, your congregation probably can't! I don't think there's a hard and fast rule, but when I lead worship I rarely sing any higher than D.]
Final blogger's note: Being the huge Rend Collective fan that I am, I thought it worth mentioning where they seem to fit in this continuum. They are definitely very far to the simple, congregation-minded end. Their songs have very simple chord progressions, simple lyrics, and simple melodies. Besides wanting to write songs for congregations, simple worship is their "thing" (they wrote a song about it). However, their very simple songs are backed up by very energetic and interesting instrumental parts (very Mumford-y folksy sound) making them VERY enjoyable to listen to (for me, at least)!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Babusha
[I just returned from a fantastic mission trip to Jamaica. Some posts about that are coming soon. There's too much material to share in one blog post, so once I figure out how I'd like to organize them I'll post a couple. Today, I'm posting about more recent history.]
My grandmother on my mom's side passed away this week, while I was in Jamaica. After returning to the States on Friday night, I departed with my family early yesterday morning to attend her funeral in Indiana. We had a beautiful service at the funeral home, a procession to the gravesite, and a graveside service. Afterwards, we all ate lunch together and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and memories. I got to see plenty of family, including all of my cousins on my mom's side, some of whom I have not had the joy of seeing for quite a while. All in all it was a great time to spend with family honoring my grandmother and enjoying each other.
My grandmother was always "Babusha" (Ukranian for "grandma") to Silas and myself. Maria was born in Brazil and moved to Argentina at 16, where she met my grandfather Peter Slobodian, from whom I received my middle name. Together they were powerful warriors for the faith, blessed by a fruitful worldwide ministry including church planting, radio ministry into the Soviet Union, and the founding of Baptist International Evangelistic Ministries (BIEM), currently continuing its work under the direction of mom's brother Sam, our host yesterday. A much more in-depth telling of their life and ministry can be found in the book "Giving God the Glory," my grandfather's posthumous biography.
Since my grandfather Peter (or "Dedushio") passed away 9 years ago, Babusha had been living with my aunt Ann (mom's sister) and uncle Rick in Gladstone, Missouri. We have been richly blessed with many opportunities to go and see them since then; we got to see plenty of grandma before she left us. She was very loving and generous, the very embodiment of motherly and grandmotherly affection.
I am very sorry to have seen her go, but I am overjoyed that she is now receiving the rich reward that such a "good and faithful servant" has been promised. I will always love Maria and Peter very much, I am incredibly blessed to call them my grandparents, and I am beyond proud of the rich heritage they have given me.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
My grandmother on my mom's side passed away this week, while I was in Jamaica. After returning to the States on Friday night, I departed with my family early yesterday morning to attend her funeral in Indiana. We had a beautiful service at the funeral home, a procession to the gravesite, and a graveside service. Afterwards, we all ate lunch together and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and memories. I got to see plenty of family, including all of my cousins on my mom's side, some of whom I have not had the joy of seeing for quite a while. All in all it was a great time to spend with family honoring my grandmother and enjoying each other.
My grandmother was always "Babusha" (Ukranian for "grandma") to Silas and myself. Maria was born in Brazil and moved to Argentina at 16, where she met my grandfather Peter Slobodian, from whom I received my middle name. Together they were powerful warriors for the faith, blessed by a fruitful worldwide ministry including church planting, radio ministry into the Soviet Union, and the founding of Baptist International Evangelistic Ministries (BIEM), currently continuing its work under the direction of mom's brother Sam, our host yesterday. A much more in-depth telling of their life and ministry can be found in the book "Giving God the Glory," my grandfather's posthumous biography.
Since my grandfather Peter (or "Dedushio") passed away 9 years ago, Babusha had been living with my aunt Ann (mom's sister) and uncle Rick in Gladstone, Missouri. We have been richly blessed with many opportunities to go and see them since then; we got to see plenty of grandma before she left us. She was very loving and generous, the very embodiment of motherly and grandmotherly affection.
I am very sorry to have seen her go, but I am overjoyed that she is now receiving the rich reward that such a "good and faithful servant" has been promised. I will always love Maria and Peter very much, I am incredibly blessed to call them my grandparents, and I am beyond proud of the rich heritage they have given me.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Orientation
Catching a few minutes to blog while I am hindered from leaving my house by a large tree recently felled across my driveway. Speaking of tree felling, let's talk about Summer Orientation!
So I left with my buddy Brad Ryer the transfer student after church last Sunday for a relatively uneventful 4-hour car ride to a hotel in beautiful Gas City, Indiana, very near to the equally beautiful Upland, Indiana. Now when I say "relatively uneventful," I don't mean it wasn't fun. There was plenty of radio scanning and spontaneous singing and dancing from the passenger seat (that's me). Actually there were two events: once we took a wrong turn (fixed it right quick!), and once we got McDonald's.
Taylor Orientation was an all-day Monday deal, so you may wonder, "why did you leave Sunday afternoon, Roscoe? So early?" You are right to wonder such things. You see, buddy Brad Ryer the transfer student had placement tests to take Sunday night, so I was left to hang out in the beautiful Gas City's beautiful hotel room by myself all evening. So, naturally, I jammed. A never-failing technique to entertain or otherwise occupy myself.
Anyway, after a night's sleep Brad and I found ourselves at our future home, Taylor University, and proceeded to take Orientation by storm. I had a great time, getting to see my ridiculously large and well-situated dorm room (git jealous!), get my course schedule for first semester all set up, and (my favorite) meeting a whole bunch of my future classmates. I love the people that attend Taylor and the environment they create. I am beyond excited to live there!
Besides it being an awesome time, I don't know if I have any particularly amusing stories to tell. Brad repeatedly failed to perform our pre-orchestrated handshake in public. I met quite a few people who will surely participate in jam sessions. I got out of Medical Anthropology!
Great time, great place, great people. I had a lot of fun.
And that's what I did this week!
So I left with my buddy Brad Ryer the transfer student after church last Sunday for a relatively uneventful 4-hour car ride to a hotel in beautiful Gas City, Indiana, very near to the equally beautiful Upland, Indiana. Now when I say "relatively uneventful," I don't mean it wasn't fun. There was plenty of radio scanning and spontaneous singing and dancing from the passenger seat (that's me). Actually there were two events: once we took a wrong turn (fixed it right quick!), and once we got McDonald's.
Taylor Orientation was an all-day Monday deal, so you may wonder, "why did you leave Sunday afternoon, Roscoe? So early?" You are right to wonder such things. You see, buddy Brad Ryer the transfer student had placement tests to take Sunday night, so I was left to hang out in the beautiful Gas City's beautiful hotel room by myself all evening. So, naturally, I jammed. A never-failing technique to entertain or otherwise occupy myself.
Anyway, after a night's sleep Brad and I found ourselves at our future home, Taylor University, and proceeded to take Orientation by storm. I had a great time, getting to see my ridiculously large and well-situated dorm room (git jealous!), get my course schedule for first semester all set up, and (my favorite) meeting a whole bunch of my future classmates. I love the people that attend Taylor and the environment they create. I am beyond excited to live there!
Besides it being an awesome time, I don't know if I have any particularly amusing stories to tell. Brad repeatedly failed to perform our pre-orchestrated handshake in public. I met quite a few people who will surely participate in jam sessions. I got out of Medical Anthropology!
Great time, great place, great people. I had a lot of fun.
And that's what I did this week!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
My First Experiences at the B.K. Lounge
So tomorrow I'm at my future home, Taylor University, for summer orientation. Right now, I'm sitting in a hotel room by myself for the rest of the night. I thought, "if there was EVER a time to get around to blog posting, it's now." So here I am!
So one month ago I got my first regular job, at Burger King. It was a great relief to finally get called for an interview after applying both online and in person to almost every business in my area. I had (inaccurately and pridefully, yes) thought that I'd be quite a prospect for all of these businesses to which I applied, being an Eagle Scout and all, but fast food restaurants and the like don't really care about that. I learned this when my interview at BK essentially went, "you can work this week? Good."
My first week or so was training, or as it is at my BK, "be told how to do stuff and be made to do it." It didn't take long for me to become a mostly-functional employee, by the time I got my first paycheck (120 dollars- BIG bucks!) I felt that I was a pretty productive worker there.
I have since learned quite a lot about the fast food industry, namely, what it is like to be behind the counter when people behave in certain ways. I personally have always tried my hardest to be as polite and conversational as possible to anyone behind any counter that I interact with. It really surprises me that so many people still don't. Speaking as the *incredibly* experienced fast food worker that I am, please give whoever's behind that counter a break! The voice at the other end of the drive-thru speaker is a person, too! Especially as Christians, we have a special responsibility to brighten everyone's day we can, from either side of the fast food counter.
Really my experience hasn't been all that bad, most people are pleasant, and I get paid anyway. As my dad always says, if it wasn't in some way unpleasant, they wouldn't have to pay you to do it! The job is even fun at times. I always try to be cheerful and brighten the customers' days, and sometimes I am clearly successful in such endeavors and I have a grand old time.
Anyway. I'm excited to see Taylor tomorrow and meet many of my classmates. Soon enough I'll blog about how Orientation went!
So one month ago I got my first regular job, at Burger King. It was a great relief to finally get called for an interview after applying both online and in person to almost every business in my area. I had (inaccurately and pridefully, yes) thought that I'd be quite a prospect for all of these businesses to which I applied, being an Eagle Scout and all, but fast food restaurants and the like don't really care about that. I learned this when my interview at BK essentially went, "you can work this week? Good."
My first week or so was training, or as it is at my BK, "be told how to do stuff and be made to do it." It didn't take long for me to become a mostly-functional employee, by the time I got my first paycheck (120 dollars- BIG bucks!) I felt that I was a pretty productive worker there.
I have since learned quite a lot about the fast food industry, namely, what it is like to be behind the counter when people behave in certain ways. I personally have always tried my hardest to be as polite and conversational as possible to anyone behind any counter that I interact with. It really surprises me that so many people still don't. Speaking as the *incredibly* experienced fast food worker that I am, please give whoever's behind that counter a break! The voice at the other end of the drive-thru speaker is a person, too! Especially as Christians, we have a special responsibility to brighten everyone's day we can, from either side of the fast food counter.
Really my experience hasn't been all that bad, most people are pleasant, and I get paid anyway. As my dad always says, if it wasn't in some way unpleasant, they wouldn't have to pay you to do it! The job is even fun at times. I always try to be cheerful and brighten the customers' days, and sometimes I am clearly successful in such endeavors and I have a grand old time.
Anyway. I'm excited to see Taylor tomorrow and meet many of my classmates. Soon enough I'll blog about how Orientation went!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Regular Posting Approaches!
A time when I regularly post on this blog is approaching! Originally intended to chronicle my college experience (but created early), this blog should see more action in the coming months, eventually settling into some regularity. In the meantime, I've been quite busy recently (why I haven't posted much), but all of this business has given me plenty to write about tonight!
I graduated high school two weeks ago! I'm obviously very glad. This whole year in school was gruelingly difficult, it is very energizing to no longer be caught in the loop of labor school became in its last weeks. Come the actual moment when I said goodbye to them, I noticed that I'll miss some of my high school friends than I thought I would. Huh. Thankfully I still have a few months to spend with all of my CRAVE friends, the thought of leaving them is truly heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, those few months will not be completely carefree, as just before my graduation I got a job. I'll be working at Burger King 5 or 6 days a week, unfortunately not allowing for as much free time as I may have imagined, but helping me out a lot with college funding and whatnot. Work itself has been a pretty interesting experience and will probably yield a post of its own at some point.
In between the time I spend working, I've been getting super excited about going to Taylor next year! I've got music theory placement tests to study up for, summer orientation to attend next weekend, and plenty of packing to do. I have a lot more excitement bundled up inside of me for next year than I could ever write.
Also, in the "what's new?" department, I've been taking voice lessons for about a month now. Although I have had a passion for worship music for more than four years now, at least three of those were spent with no attempt to be vocally disciplined at all and I ended up singing habitually quite badly. As I paid more and more attention to singing over the past year or two, it became clear that I would benefit from some formal training. This summer I'll be whipping these vocal cords into shape! Lessons are going great so far.
Thanks for checking in and reading, everyone!
I'll have plenty more to write on in the coming weeks, whenever I get the time. A few "Roscoe's blog-worthy" events have occurred, not the least of which being THE RELEASE OF DAVID CROWDER'S SOLO ALBUM.... He-llo! Neon Steeple in the house! You can bet I'll talk about it soon enough.
Peace!
I graduated high school two weeks ago! I'm obviously very glad. This whole year in school was gruelingly difficult, it is very energizing to no longer be caught in the loop of labor school became in its last weeks. Come the actual moment when I said goodbye to them, I noticed that I'll miss some of my high school friends than I thought I would. Huh. Thankfully I still have a few months to spend with all of my CRAVE friends, the thought of leaving them is truly heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, those few months will not be completely carefree, as just before my graduation I got a job. I'll be working at Burger King 5 or 6 days a week, unfortunately not allowing for as much free time as I may have imagined, but helping me out a lot with college funding and whatnot. Work itself has been a pretty interesting experience and will probably yield a post of its own at some point.
In between the time I spend working, I've been getting super excited about going to Taylor next year! I've got music theory placement tests to study up for, summer orientation to attend next weekend, and plenty of packing to do. I have a lot more excitement bundled up inside of me for next year than I could ever write.
Also, in the "what's new?" department, I've been taking voice lessons for about a month now. Although I have had a passion for worship music for more than four years now, at least three of those were spent with no attempt to be vocally disciplined at all and I ended up singing habitually quite badly. As I paid more and more attention to singing over the past year or two, it became clear that I would benefit from some formal training. This summer I'll be whipping these vocal cords into shape! Lessons are going great so far.
Thanks for checking in and reading, everyone!
I'll have plenty more to write on in the coming weeks, whenever I get the time. A few "Roscoe's blog-worthy" events have occurred, not the least of which being THE RELEASE OF DAVID CROWDER'S SOLO ALBUM.... He-llo! Neon Steeple in the house! You can bet I'll talk about it soon enough.
Peace!
Monday, May 12, 2014
Why I Love All Sons & Daughters
Here's a post about a duo that is rapidly becoming one of my favorite worship bands.
All Sons & Daughters is mostly made up by David Leonard and Leslie Jordan. When they record and tour, they have more players around them (including, often the guys from "Delirious?"), but the heart and soul of the "band" is just this duo.
The All Sons & Daughters sound is very broken-down, stripped-back, and acoustic, most prominently featuring Leonard's piano and Jordan's acoustic guitar. They both sing, coloring almost every note of their songs with beautiful harmonies. They avoid having too many bells and whistles, but still display musical proficiency and complexity. Their harmony-rich vocals alone are a real aural treat.
What I love most about them, besides the very acoustic sound, is probably their songwriting. This pair has written some really great songs- some you may have heard, especially if you've been hearing us, include "Brokenness Aside" and "God With Us". Brokenness Aside is a very clear confession of our sinful, fallen state, while at the same time celebrating God's tendency to take fallen things like us and make them beautiful. God With Us, co-written with the ever fantastic Jason Ingram, takes the often-sung idea of Emmanuel, "God with us", one step further by celebrating God's presence in the very room where the song is sung, if two or more are gathered.
This duo sees all of the hurt and pain of life as an unavoidable part of worship. Only by starting by recognizing our complete depravity can we truly appreciate what God's relationship with us means. They never seek to beat around the bush or pretend like life isn't hard- it is, and they see beauty in that. We praise God for taking us out of the pain we were in and for sustaining us through the pain we are in.
Checking these guys out is definitely worth your time, especially if you're a fan of the acoustic sound and the search for simplicity I love Rend Collective so much for. They just released a new album, self-titled, but if you only buy one album of theirs I would recommend their 2013 "LIVE" album, as it is essentially a "best-of" filled with some really great tunes. Look them up, and enjoy!
I am a sinner, if it's not one thing it's another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a savior and You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful, beautiful
-"Brokenness Aside"
All Sons & Daughters is mostly made up by David Leonard and Leslie Jordan. When they record and tour, they have more players around them (including, often the guys from "Delirious?"), but the heart and soul of the "band" is just this duo.
The All Sons & Daughters sound is very broken-down, stripped-back, and acoustic, most prominently featuring Leonard's piano and Jordan's acoustic guitar. They both sing, coloring almost every note of their songs with beautiful harmonies. They avoid having too many bells and whistles, but still display musical proficiency and complexity. Their harmony-rich vocals alone are a real aural treat.
What I love most about them, besides the very acoustic sound, is probably their songwriting. This pair has written some really great songs- some you may have heard, especially if you've been hearing us, include "Brokenness Aside" and "God With Us". Brokenness Aside is a very clear confession of our sinful, fallen state, while at the same time celebrating God's tendency to take fallen things like us and make them beautiful. God With Us, co-written with the ever fantastic Jason Ingram, takes the often-sung idea of Emmanuel, "God with us", one step further by celebrating God's presence in the very room where the song is sung, if two or more are gathered.
This duo sees all of the hurt and pain of life as an unavoidable part of worship. Only by starting by recognizing our complete depravity can we truly appreciate what God's relationship with us means. They never seek to beat around the bush or pretend like life isn't hard- it is, and they see beauty in that. We praise God for taking us out of the pain we were in and for sustaining us through the pain we are in.
Checking these guys out is definitely worth your time, especially if you're a fan of the acoustic sound and the search for simplicity I love Rend Collective so much for. They just released a new album, self-titled, but if you only buy one album of theirs I would recommend their 2013 "LIVE" album, as it is essentially a "best-of" filled with some really great tunes. Look them up, and enjoy!
I am a sinner, if it's not one thing it's another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a savior and You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful, beautiful
-"Brokenness Aside"
Friday, April 18, 2014
Good Friday AND Easter
Hey everyone!
As you may or may not have noticed, I took a break from posting here for about three weeks. Basically, life got in the way- I've been pretty busy. My original purpose for creating this blog was to chronicle my college experience, so I'm not going to feel compelled to post with any sort of rigidity until then.
Speaking of my college experience, I am PUMPED for the fall! Taylor University is going to be a fantastic place for me to spend the next four years of my life. I could not possibly type out the words to communicate to you all how excited I am. WOO!
In other news: Holy Thursday? Holy Saturday? Easter Monday? Are these real? Apparently, yes, according to various different calendars I have seen recently. It's great that we get to extend our Easter celebrations a little with more days off school or more services at various churches, but do we really need to give them new names? I guess so.
Anyway, I'm writing this on Good Friday, after coming from my church's service. By the time you are reading this, it is no longer Good Friday (apparently it's "Holy Saturday!"), so writing about Good Friday itself would be a little mistimed. Thankfully, we've got Easter coming up- surely we can blog about that!
I actually really like the relationship between Good Friday and Easter. You could say the same thing about the relationship between Christ's death and his resurrection (what those two holidays celebrate, respectively). I like how they are both equally important- one doesn't have the necessary magnitude without the other. If Christ had just come and died, then it would have been clear that he was, in fact, not God. Thankfully, Good Friday isn't the end of the story, and Christ asserts his victory over death with his resurrection. In the words of the poet Propaganda, he "payed a check with his life... and at the resurrection we all cheered because that means the check cleared!" Jesus ascending back into heaven would have proven his Godhood, but if he did so without first paying the price for our sins, it wouldn't be of any use to us. The events celebrated by Easter and Good Friday are two parts of the same glorious event.
As it is, Jesus came and died in exactly the most perfect way possible. Nothing was left to chance. Infinite God becoming fallen man and taking on all of our punishment, the central event in all of history, there is nothing so beautiful in the whole world. From our perspective, at times, it just doesn't make sense- WHY would such a powerful and perfect being take such a punishment for ME, so unworthy?
God's love doesn't make sense to us. Really, why do we think it should? We can't comprehend it. The cross and what it means are something we will never be able to fully wrap our minds around. "GOD LOVES YOU" is the craziest sentence you have ever heard! THAT is wonderful! THAT is the kind of good news that gets us singing or dancing! THAT is the love we celebrate over this weekend.
Have a wonderful Easter everyone, enjoy the grace fallout. I'll talk to you later.
Oh, that rugged cross my salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out hallelujah
Praise and honor unto Thee
-"Man of Sorrows" Hillsong LIVE
As you may or may not have noticed, I took a break from posting here for about three weeks. Basically, life got in the way- I've been pretty busy. My original purpose for creating this blog was to chronicle my college experience, so I'm not going to feel compelled to post with any sort of rigidity until then.
Speaking of my college experience, I am PUMPED for the fall! Taylor University is going to be a fantastic place for me to spend the next four years of my life. I could not possibly type out the words to communicate to you all how excited I am. WOO!
In other news: Holy Thursday? Holy Saturday? Easter Monday? Are these real? Apparently, yes, according to various different calendars I have seen recently. It's great that we get to extend our Easter celebrations a little with more days off school or more services at various churches, but do we really need to give them new names? I guess so.
Anyway, I'm writing this on Good Friday, after coming from my church's service. By the time you are reading this, it is no longer Good Friday (apparently it's "Holy Saturday!"), so writing about Good Friday itself would be a little mistimed. Thankfully, we've got Easter coming up- surely we can blog about that!
I actually really like the relationship between Good Friday and Easter. You could say the same thing about the relationship between Christ's death and his resurrection (what those two holidays celebrate, respectively). I like how they are both equally important- one doesn't have the necessary magnitude without the other. If Christ had just come and died, then it would have been clear that he was, in fact, not God. Thankfully, Good Friday isn't the end of the story, and Christ asserts his victory over death with his resurrection. In the words of the poet Propaganda, he "payed a check with his life... and at the resurrection we all cheered because that means the check cleared!" Jesus ascending back into heaven would have proven his Godhood, but if he did so without first paying the price for our sins, it wouldn't be of any use to us. The events celebrated by Easter and Good Friday are two parts of the same glorious event.
As it is, Jesus came and died in exactly the most perfect way possible. Nothing was left to chance. Infinite God becoming fallen man and taking on all of our punishment, the central event in all of history, there is nothing so beautiful in the whole world. From our perspective, at times, it just doesn't make sense- WHY would such a powerful and perfect being take such a punishment for ME, so unworthy?
God's love doesn't make sense to us. Really, why do we think it should? We can't comprehend it. The cross and what it means are something we will never be able to fully wrap our minds around. "GOD LOVES YOU" is the craziest sentence you have ever heard! THAT is wonderful! THAT is the kind of good news that gets us singing or dancing! THAT is the love we celebrate over this weekend.
Have a wonderful Easter everyone, enjoy the grace fallout. I'll talk to you later.
Oh, that rugged cross my salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out hallelujah
Praise and honor unto Thee
-"Man of Sorrows" Hillsong LIVE
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