Showbread’s newest album is something I’ve come to enjoy. Lots of thoughts in the lyrics that I subscribe too. Like these.
Jesus deliver us from our selfishness
Its roots are twisting up into our hearts
Worst of all there seems to be no cure for this
I fear my God that I may come apart
The Jesus that we’re shouting in our neighbor’s face
Looks nothing like the Jesus that You are
Jesus deliver us from our flags and oaths
The things that we believe will set us free
The fabric, country, system, or a man and his land
I’m afraid these things get no respect from me
Jesus deliver us from our raging pride
The things that we say we do in Your name
With all our vengeance, votes, and picket signs and guns
We put the love You came to bring to shame
Heavy is this soul that I’ve been carrying
So I’m forever giving up my sword
Take from me this weight that I could never bear
And I will follow You forevermore
New rule; If you’re a Christian who supports killing your enemies and torture, you have to come up with a new name for yourself.
Last week, as I was explaining why I didn’t feel at all guilty about Osama’s targeted assassination, I made some jokes about Christian hypocrisy and since then strangers have been coming up to me and forcing me to have the same conversation. So let me explain two things. One, I’m not Matthew McConaughey. He surfs a long board. And two, capping thine enemy is not exactly what Jesus would do. It’s what Suge Knight would do.
For almost 2,000 years, Christians have been lawyering the Bible to try and figure out how “love thy neighbor” can mean “hate thy neighbor” and how “turn the other cheek” can mean “screw you I’m buying space lasers.” Martin Luther King gets to call himself a Christian because he actually practiced loving his enemies. And Gandhi was so fucking Christian he was Hindu.
But if you rejoice in revenge, torture and war – hey, that’s why they call it the weekend – you cannot say you’re a follower of the guy who explicitly said, “love your enemies” and “do good to those who hate you.” The next line isn’t “and if that doesn’t work, send a titanium fanged dog to rip his nuts off.” Jesus lays on that hippie stuff pretty thick. He has lines like, “do not repay evil with evil,” and “do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you.” Really. It’s in that book you hold up when you scream at gay people. And not to put too fine a point on it, but nonviolence was kind of Jesus’ trademark. Kind of his big thing. To not follow that part of it is like joining Greenpeace and hating whales.
There’s interpreting, and then there’s just ignoring. It’s just ignoring if you’re for torture – as are more evangelical Christians than any other religion. You’re supposed to look at that figure of Christ on the cross and think, “how could a man suffer like that and forgive?” Not, “Romans are pussies, he still has his eyes.” If you go to a baptism and hold the baby under until he starts talking, you’re missing the message.
Like, apparently, our president, who says he gets scripture on his Blackberry first thing every morning, but who said on 60 Minutes that anyone who would question that Bin Laden didn’t deserve an assassination should, “have their head examined.” Hey Fox News! You missed a big headline; Obama thinks Jesus is nuts! To which I say, “hallelujah,” because my favorite new government program is surprising violent religious zealots in the middle of the night and shooting them in the face. Sorry Head Start, you’re number 2 now.
But I can say that because I’m a non-Christian. Just like most Christians. Christians, I know, I’m sorry, I know you hate this and you want to square this circle, but you can’t. I’m not even judging you, I’m just saying logically if you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do, you’re not a Christian – you’re just auditing. You’re not Christ’s followers, you’re just fans. And if you believe the Earth was given to you to kick ass on while gloating, you’re not really a Christian – you’re a Texan
Endless days and long hard journeys
Mending hearts forever yearning
Healing blind men by His touch
Knowing that He cares so much
Teaching us to love eachother as we love ourselves
Laying down our lives for someone else
Suffering the world’s rejection
Sacrifice and resurrection
In this world we live in there are no guarantees
But there’s one thing I’m sure of
He died and rose for me
His love has surely stood the test of time
Even when we fall
He loves us through it all
His gentle guiding hand keeps understanding
He knows the tears we cry
He knows our hearts may lie
For us again, He would die
That’s what love is
He came and gave His life so we would know
He is what love is
Now we know what love is
John Elefante’s song with the same title as this post. Listen here.
Sad day today, as I learned that one of the members of Tekla Knös has passed away. As they have been a big influence on me when it comes to my anarchistic tendencies I thought it fitting to post the lyrics to their song Anti-state, which is the most straightforward one on the subject. Listen here: spotify-link.
The government imposes laws
The government wages wars
The government will tell you to kill
The government will try to control your will
So why do you think it’s strange that I’m anti-state?
It’s in the character of power to oppress
It’s in the character of power to corrupt
It’s in the character of power to condemn
It’s in the character of power to be unjust
So why does it annoy you that I’m anti-state?
My only King is my God
He taught me that the greatest law is love
He taught me never to hate, never to kill.
To always love and always forgive
In the Kingdom of God there will be no police
There will be no armed forces and no civil courts
There will be no presidents or houses of parliament
Everyone will be equal and free and everyone will live in peace
More lyrics that are really good. Its simple and direct appeal hits me everytime. Audio Adrenaline with Go and be. Spotify link here.
You’re like a letter that’s never mailed
You’re like a hammer without a nail
You’ve been standing in this place for far too long
You come to the table and you get fed
Then you hide it inside your head
So why not open up and start to run
You’re like a winner without a prize
Like a bird without a sky
You’re not into the race until you run
So run with your life and you will find
All the things that you leave behind
Don’t mean that much when everything’s brand new
Go and be
Nothing less than you
Cause you begin in Him
He’ll show you what you need to know
To go and be
Every single day
Who you are in Him
One who loves as Jesus loves
Been listening alot to Matisyahu recently. Found out about him through listening to P.O.D. They did a song together on the Testify record. Anyways, been pestering my friends about him awhile now, and thought I’d share his awesome music on my blog aswell.
A Hasidic jew that blasts out reggae like the best of them. Can it get any better? I doubt it. Here are the lyrics, as it can be rather difficult to follow his fast mouth.
You’re all that I have and You’re all that I need
Each and every day I pray to get to know You please
Wanna be close to You, yes I’m so hungry
You’re like water for my soul when it gets thirsty
Without You there’s no me, You’re the air that I breathe
Sometimes the world is dark and I just can’t see
With these demons surround all around to bring me down to negativity
But I believe, yes I believe, I said I believe
I’ll stand on my own two feet, won’t be brought down on one knee
I’ll fight with all of my might and get these demons to flee
Hashem’s rays fire blaze burn bright and I believe
Out of darkness comes light, twilight unto the heights
Crown Heights burning up all through the twilight
Said, thank you to my God, now I finally got it right
I’ll fight with all of my heart, and all of my soul, and all of my might
Striping away the layers and reveal your soul
You gotta to give yourself up and then you become whole
You’re a slave to yourself and you don’t even know
You want to live the fast life but your brain moves slow
If you’re trying to stay high, you’re bound to stay low
You want God but you can’t deflate your ego
You’re already there, then there’s nowhere to go
Your cup’s already full, then it’s bound to overflow
If you’re drowning in the waters and you can’t stay afloat
Ask Hashem for mercy, he’ll throw you a rope
You’re looking for help from God, say he couldn’t be found
Searching up to the sky, looking beneath the ground
Like a king without his crown you keep falling down
You really want to live but can’t get rid of your frown
You’re trying to reach unto the heights and wound bound down on the ground
Given up your pride then you heard a sound
Out of night comes day, out of day comes light
Nullified to the One like sunlight in a ray
Making room for His love and a fire gone blaze
What’s this feeling?
My love will rip a hole in the ceiling
I give myself to You from the essence of my being
I sing to my God, songs of love and healing
I want Moshiach now, it’s time we start revealing
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and told all his friends. Together they pitched in to construct a great building in honour of the treasure. A building which they visited once a week and celebrated what a beautiful treasure that laid hidden in the field. A few times in his life the man visited the field again, to sneak a peak at the treasure, but other than that, it hadn’t changed his life much at all.
It’s New Years Eve and I’m full of empty promises,
I half pretend to keep this time, just like last year.
The band is loud and I’m wandering the shadows,
wishing I was never here. I persevere.
A crowded room, these whitewashed tombs,
they raise their glasses high, they kiss the past goodbye.
This New Years Eve, I’m waiting for tomorrow.
My heart is on my sleeve,
and yes I still believe, this New Years Eve,
will turn out better than before,
I’m holding on, still holding out,
until they close the door, on me.
It’s New Years Eve and I feel my insecurities,
are haunting me like ghosts, this sinking quicksand.
And then with thunderous praise and lofty adoration,
a second passes by, yet nothing changes.
I hate my skin, this grave I’m standing in.
Another change of years, and I wish I wasn’t here.
A year goes by and I’m staring at my watch again,
and I dig deep this time,
for something greater than I’ve ever been,
life to ancient wineskins.
And I was blind but now I see.
This New Years Eve, something must change me inside,
I’m crooked and misguided, and tired of being tired.
This New Years Eve, I’m waiting for tomorrow.
My heart is on my sleeve, and yes I still believe, in You.
Five Iron Frenzy’s New Years anthem. Listen to it on spotify here.
I have had one song for my season-greetings the last few years, and since I like it that way, I will have one this year too. This years Christmas song is one which speaks clearly about the reason I celebrate Christmas. Namely the mystery that is the incarnation. God becoming human. As John puts it.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. – John 1:1-2,14
That is why. Mark Lowry puts it this way in his song.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.
With it, I wish you all a nice Christmas. Here it is, performed by Kutless.
I think we greatly exaggerate our importance, and yet, at the same time underestimate our worth.
I think the problem is that we think what we do carries such weight, and that our worth is based on what we accomplish. Why else would we think the whole world falls apart when we fail, and feel so worthless when our world falls apart?
Simply put, we are all equally insignificant. We are of no importance. We are dust in the wind. All we do will crumble to the ground. All our strivings will become dust. Everything we do is a chasing after the wind.
But this dust that we are, is worth so much to God that He would sacrifice Himself for us. Hence, our worth is infinite, because He loves us.
Where the title for today comes from should be easy to figure out.