30 Day Song Challenge- Day Four

(Recap)
Day One- (Favorite song) 'Everything' by Lighthouse
Day Two- (Least favorite song) 'Baby' by Justin Bieber
Day Three- (Song that makes you happy) 'Amazing Grace(My Chains are Gone)' by Chris Tomlin

Today's challenge is 'a song that makes you sad', and I think that this a really good song that fits that theme. Just from the title, "In the End" to the piano intro, you get the feeling that this isn't going to be a happy-go-lucky song. And it's actually kind of depressing, when you think about it. It's a look back on life, and all of the regrets that we hold. Even though we can try as hard as we can under our own strength, nothing really matters when we do it alone. And try as they might, the world cannot explain this outside of God. Unfortunately, many people turn away from Him and reject His love.

(In the End- Linkin Park)

30 Day Song Challenge- Day Three

(Recap)
Day One- (Favorite song) 'Everything' by Lighthouse
Day Two- (Least favorite song) 'Baby' by Justin Bieber

Today's 'challenge' is "a song that makes you happy", and I can't think of many that make me happier than this one does. It's such a great reminder of the freedom that we have through the grace of God, something that we don't deserve and that we could never pay for with our pitiful humanity, or any work that we could do on earth. Paul says that all our righteous works are 'as filthy rags' in God's eyes. We can't earn our salvation, but rather it's a gift. And with it, our chains are truly gone and we've been set free from the sin that "so easily besets us."

('Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone' by Chris Tomlin)

30 Day Song Challenge- Day Two

No offense to people who actually like Justina...Justin...Bieber, but I really dislike almost everything about his singing. I can't necessarily say that I like this song less than any other of his, but it's probably the best example of his (terrible) work, so I picked this one. And Justin Bieber is just another one of the young stars on conveyor belt of terrible worldly influences. Just like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Miley Cyrus (etc), what started out as an innocent (as much as anybody can be 'innocent' after the fall) kid was turned into a media attraction. And all the negative influences of the world are thrown at these stars with so much more strength, because they're in the spotlight. This isn't to say that he's doomed to fail, but he's certainly in a position to become a bad influence for the future generation (beyond the tween swooning that already happens).

"What's a bieber?"

"I dunno...kinda sounds like a girl."

RECAP-
Day 1- 3/29/11 (Favorite song) 'Everything' by Lighthouse
Day 2- 3/30/11 (Least favorite song) 'Baby' by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris

30 Day Song Challenge- Day One

Hey everybody! I figured that, since I write about music anyway, this blog would be a great place for me to start the '30 day song challenge'. For those who don't know what this is, for thirty days, I'm going to post a different song that matches up with the criteria for that day. Here's the actual list, so you know what song matches up with what criteria, if you're actually following this through.

day 01 - your favorite song (3/29/11)
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Today's 'challenge' is my current favorite song. Being the music junkie that I am, I don't stick with a favorite song for very long. But this song grabs my heart every time I listen to it. I'm not sure that I've ever actually made it through the song without tearing up, because it's so moving, especially alongside the skit in the video I attached. I HIGHLY recommend you watch this if you haven't already...and even if you have, watch it again. Now. I'm seriously not writing any more, so if you want a theology moment, get started with that video.

Disciple - Worth the Pain

Hey everybody, I know it's been almost two weeks since the last time I blogged...the last few weeks have been insanely busy. Last week, I don't think I went a day without at least two meetings in the afternoon, not to mention an exam and a few projects. This week is pretty homework-heavy, with two more exams and two presentations to work on. But at the same time, I've gotten to do some pretty awesome stuff the last few days. Friday night and Saturday morning was what's called CedarMania, where junior high students come here to Cedarville for an all-nighter, stuffed with games and really cool messages. I got to be a group leader for a youth group of six kids, which was a whole lot of fun. This year's theme was 'Wanted', and it was basically about how, because of the fall, we're all outlaws from God's truth and His rules. But we're desperately wanted by Him all the same, more than anything we could possibly think of or desire. In a world where self-image is so important, it was a great message for us to hear.

After coming back from my break from writing, I thought that I'd continue my thought from before on the theme of pain. But let's take it another step from the last post. We know that the pain helps us, but the Bible tells us in several places that we are to count it as joy when we suffer. 1 Peter 4:16 says "If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." We can turn what is a bad, evil thing into something that praises God. The apostles did this in Acts 5 (v. 41): "Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." Even though they were imprisoned, beaten, and even killed, they counted their pain as a blessing. How many of us could do that today if this were to happen to us? Or would we reject the blessing of our pain and "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9)

In Second Corinthians 12:10, Paul tells us, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Even though he had to deal with intense persecution during his ministry, he endured it for Christ's sake. Through his weaknesses, he was able to be more effective than he could through his strengths alone. And we'll never be alone in our suffering, when we are in fellowship with other believers. Galatians 6:2 issues the command, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." We are called to be there for our brothers and sisters when they go through the trials of life. With the body of believers behind us, and with God always with us, we're never truly alone in our pain.

Our suffering is for a reason: the proclamation of His name and His Kingdom is worth our pain. Let's be the light in the world by thanking God for allowing us to suffer for His name.

Kutless - To Know That You're Alive

Hey everybody, thanks a bunch for praying for my spring break trip to Nashville this week! (or at least I hope you did...) It was a really good time of helping out people affected by the flood last May (it only got about 15 minutes of coverage nationwide, so you probably didn't hear much about it). The video I shared earlier in the week is a slideshow of pictures from right after the flood happened. Anyway, we got a ton of work done this week and it was totally worth the time spent.

Today, I wanted to blog about this song because there's a whole lot of suffering going on in the world around us. As you (should) know, Japan was hit with a massive earthquake and tsunami early yesterday morning (early afternoon for them). The death toll is expected to be in the thousands right now, and analysts say that the expenses for the damage could be in the billions. Millions are homeless and displaced because of a nuclear power plant's cooling system failure.

I personally know several people that are going through some hard times right now. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, a recent diagnosis of an illness, dealing with new medicines and their side effects, or a rough recovery from surgeries, they have a lot to deal with right now. Life can be a painful process often enough. But it's the pain in our lives that shows us that we can't do it on our own; rather, we need Christ there to help us manage life's difficulties. Like waking up from a dream, we need that 'pinch' to know that we're awake. It's never fun, but we need that pain to know that we're still alive. It's there for a reason.

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." -C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain

Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010

Hey everybody, I figured what with not updating the blog the last few days I'd give a quick update on what's up. This week, I'm going to be volunteering with Samaritan's Purse in Nashville (over Cedarville's spring break). I probably won't be updating my blog between now and the weekend, but I might have a few surprises here and there. Who knows?

I'd appreciate prayer for the families whose homes we're working on in the wake of the massive flooding last summer, both that we'd be able to get a ton of work done while we're here, and that we'd be a blessing to them as we share Jesus' love.

3 Doors Down - Citizen Soldier ft. The National Guard

(Dedicated to all those who haved served or are currently serving in the armed forces)

This song has a very obvious message, and a less-obvious, but spritually focused message if you look at it from a different light. And I don't want to detract at all from the original intent of this song, because I appreciate the sacrifices our brothers and sisters make to keep us safe every day, and they are all heroes. When people are in need, they'll be there. They stand on guard so that we can live our lives in safety.

The same, however, is true about our Christian family in many cases. We're all citizen soldiers, "holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair." We're always there both for our fellow believers, but for the lost and those in need. And the line "the strongest among you may not wear a crown" is incredibly true. There are so many people that put on a show of strength on the outside, but inside they are lost and needy. It is our duty as 'Christian soldiers' to stand up both for each other and our rights and for others who may be impoverished, homeless, hungry, naked, friendless, and without a Savior.