Speaking to one another in song…

If you haven’t had opportunity to listen to Casting Crown’s newest CD, The Altar and the Door, let me encourage you to do so, because in my opinion it is probably their best offering to date.   

Today, I simply want to wet your appetite by sharing some of the great lines contained in a few of the songs from this CD.    Below are a few of my favorite lines, some challenge me, others encourage me, but all speak to me.

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 suit

What 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 needs

What 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 free

Slow Fade:

Be careful little eyes what you see
It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
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, it’s a slow fadeBe careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astrayThe Word is Alive:

Looking out from His throne, the Father of light and of men
Chose to make Himself known and show us the way back to Him
Speaking wisdom and truth into the hearts of peasants and kings
He began to unveil the Word that would change the course of all things With eyes wide open, all would seeThe Word is alive
And it cuts like a sword through the darkness
With a message of life to the hopeless and afraid
Breathing life into all who believe
The Word is alive
And the world and its glories will fade
But His truth, it will not pass away
It remains yesterday and forever the same
The Word is aliveSimple strokes on a page
Eternity’s secrets revealed, carried on from age to age
It speaks Truth to us even still
And as the rain falls from Heaven, feeds the earth before it returns
Lord, let Your Word fall on us and bring forth the fruit You deserve

The Altar and the Door

Lord, this time I’ll make it right, here at the altar I lay my life
Your kingdom come but my will was done, my heart is broken as I… Cry, like so many times before
But my eyes are dry before I leave the floor, oh Lord
I try but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I will not lose my follow through
Between the altar and the doorSomewhere in the Middle:

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You’re making me
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing wavesSomewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find meLord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle

Do any of these phrases speak to you?   If so, what are they saying?

I am baaaacccckkkk….

As you have noticed, I have absent from the blog world for past few months.   My reasons behind such encompass both physical and spiritual aspects of my life.

Physically, I have had the most interesting experience of my lifetime.   Due to symptoms typical of sinus issues that I have had in the past, I didn’t think anything unusual when I woke up one morning with a sore throat.   Time revealed, however, that I was not experiencing typical sinus infection issues as the lymph nodes under my chin began to swell, increasing to the size of a very large grape, perhaps larger.   Needless to say, this was quite worrisome, especially since my mother died six weeks after I was born, from what the death certificate listed as lymphoma.   Long story short, after several blood tests, a CT scan, fine needle and surgical biopsies, as well as weeks of worrying, the doctors informed me that I was battling a bacterial infection commonly known as cat-scratch fever, or cat-scratch disease.   Yes, as you might expect, I received it from a cat scratch and still have the scar to prove it, as well as the doctor bills.   We are continuing to monitor my health to ensure the diagnosis was correct and complete.

Spiritually, I have been seeking to present my life as a living sacrifice, to renew my mind and be transformed into the person that God wants me to be.   The frustration, as the words of a Casting Crowns song states, is that I find myself stuck in the middle, somewhere between who I am and who God wants me to be, and feel as though I have a deep water faith but am stuck in the shallow end of the pool.   I imagine these feelings are typical for those of us who are seeking to possess the mind of Christ, who desire to rid themselves of conformity, whether of things in the world, or of things in religion.  Yet, learning to surrender is difficult, because letting go is scary.  

During the past couple months I have spent time reflecting on things discussed here at this blog, things pertaining to freedom in Christ.   I have spent time discussing grace, faith, traditions and such on various sites, seeking to better understand my thoughts and direction.   Perhaps the struggles I experience will always be a part of my life, as I have learned that tradition is a comfortable chair, one not easily relinguished.

Anyways, in my mind and heart I am back and ready to participate in the blog world once again.   I hope you will continue to read and comment on the things I present.    I do appreciate all of you who have been regulars.   Thanks.