It seems that now one of the other CDs on the 5 disc player (quite a luxury) is skipping. It is a good praise and worship album, but it skips. It looks like I might have to recommend something else. I would love to see more a diversity of music played at LifeWay, especially in a neighborhood where people only listen to one kind of music. Perhaps I'll go with a more CCM artist.
I think Unspoken would be good. Their CD was for 5 dollars recently. I finally listened to them. I was impressed. They have a rock sound with a touch of southern and soul.
Apparently I didn't care for them before this. The song above, "Who You Are" is the only one I had heard. I didn't care for the song's lyrics even though it is catchy. It almost seems like an invitation for people to do what they want because they can never fall too far so fast...
But then, the other songs on this album are very good. This is the other song that's big now:
"Lift my Heart up." It is exactly what people should sing to Jesus. We should be in total surrender to his will and not force him to perform some miracle.
I liked "Real Thing" the best:
In a world where so many influences tell you the best way to self-actualization and to pray for your family, this band reminds us that Jesus is the Real Thing. This is an age where people are not satisfied with God's revelation in the Bible and turn to charlatans such as "Sarah Calling." The Bible is the Real Thing and we must have confidence in it as all the information we need.
So, I reconsider the first song, "Who You Are." What didn't I like about this? In the context of the rest of the album it is a good encouragement to believers who keep messing up and really mourn over their sin. It's a good reminder that Jesus's sacrifice was complete and that he won't let go of his children.
H is for Hannah Hurnard's Hinds Feet on High Places
Once I read Pilgrim's Progress as it was a free series on AIG. It was great and I need to read it again and study more deeply. I don't remember a lot of it, but it's such a watershed book for the Reformed Protestants. But anyway, last year at Refuge Pregnancy Center, I was having a slow day and had nothing to read. I'd already read all the brochures (actually that's not true either). I decided to look at the books available for the Bridges to Life women. One of them was Hinds Feet on High Places. Keith Green was inspired to write "Trials Turned to Gold" after reading it. Jars of Clay dedicated their whole second album to it with the name of the lead character, Much-Afraid.
I decided that I would finally read it. I'm still not sure what I think. The main woman, Much Afraid, really does make me nervous. Her faith starts out so weak and she's so afraid of Craven Fear, this mean boy who wants to marry her. She's crippled in her feet, and her relatives, the Fearings, always drag her down emotionally. Finally, the Good Shepherd comes and lets her start on a journey to the high places.
There are many good things. Much Afraid has two friends called Sorrow and Suffering who go with her on the trip. She also goes through deserts and scary places. Each time, she picks up a new token to remind her of what she had learned. And also, the Shepherd made her drive a thorn into hear heart called Love. It's painful, but it's what makes life worth-while. At the end, she finally outruns Craven Fear and her relatives and make it to the high places and receives a new name. What baffles me, is she decides to go back home to tell the others.
Then at some point, I read a Spurgeon sermon that mentions Much Afraid and Craven Fear. Hinds Feet was written about 100 years after Spurgeon lived. I assume he was talking about Pilgrim's Progress and I had forgotten so much of it that I was taken by surprise. I'm ashamed. I need to find a way to read it and possibly even share it with Tim. Also, Derek Thomas wrote a book about it, so that may be the next book that I get myself for Christmas. Apparently, there is a second part to Pilgrim's Progress that concerns Christian's wife and children. How come I never knew? I don't know when I'll start reading it again, but I must soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment