Saturn - Sleeping at Last

While working this morning my ears awoke to the lyrics of this powerful song! From NoiseTrade, I downloaded the score produced for the Charity Water 10 year anniversary video, "The Spring". I have listened through this instrumental album multiple times but for some reason this morning this powerful arrangement caught my attention. After being draw into the middle of these lyrics I took the time to understand the context of creation. This song describes the voice of a person about to expel their last breath passing along these words about existence.

How rare and beautiful it is to even exist

How often do walk through life without being alive, void of presence, preoccupied by worries of tomorrow, blind to our own existence. Being aware in this moment seems to be the most difficult aspect of life! I have found that my instinct is to run, run away from discomfort and my failures, run from the her and now, reaching for some alternate reality, because God knowns' once I receive what I desire I will still not be present! How will living change if we are deeply connected with the beauty of our existence and that of our brother? What aspects of life are restricting this realization; plugging our ears with the wax of our finite understanding of existence, and captivating our eyes with visions of alternate realities not currently in existence. What does it look like to live with our hearts open to the rare beauty of existence?

You taught me the courage of stars before you left.

How light carries on endlessly, even after death.

With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite.

How rare and beautiful it is to even exist.

I couldn’t help but ask

For you to say it all again.

I tried to write it down

But I could never find a pen.

I’d give anything to hear

You say it one more time,

That the universe was made

Just to be seen by my eyes.

With shortness of breath, I’ll explain the infinite

How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist.

Rise Again - Needtobreathe

I have been reading a book about the arts and Christians role in creating culture. Steve Turner, the author, asserts a major critique that modern Christian art does not speak about real life. The art created does not sound genuine or have any ties to real life that people outside the faith can connect with. While reading the book I listened through this album and I think that this song does a great job of breaking the mold. The members of Needtobreathe are all outspoken followers of Jesus but very little of the art that they produce mentions Jesus or Christianity at all. Instead they craft creative music, written from places of pain and joy. "Rise Again" steps through pain that occurs in life as we see relationships stretched and torn. The bitterness of broken hearts and friendships is then contrasted with the truth that we will get up from this pain and rise again. "I can see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong", the joy that comes after the

Twenty-Four - Jess Ray

Lately I have been listening to lots of music and podcasts while working and biking to work. I was feeling a need for some new music so I turned to NoiseTrade to check out some new artists. My favorite thus far is Jess Ray because of the honest lyrics, tastefully simple musicality and overall enjoyable listening environment. While on my flight back to Atlanta I was struck by this song at first because of the drums that propel this song behind the walking guitar. If I were to add drums to a track like this it would have been done in a very similar manner. Once I got past the drums I was awe struck by the simple power of these lyrics, take a read below and follow the link to her blog to listen. To me it was not written for an outward expression of hope or encouragement but rather as a inward proclamation to the soul. As the psalmist often choose to sing, this song speaks inward in a call to stand up and be reminded of truth all to often forgotten. As I gear up for the star

Alleluia - Jesus Culture with Martin Smith

Once again worship last night was Glorious! Had a great day just chilling with my SDP folks from last summer, went up the river and just talked about the past season of life and where the Lord is leading us into. Exciting and scary stuff but it was great to be back with some awesome people who speak some potent truth. Last night during worship was one of many firsts... For the first time in a long time I actually stood while I sang, for the first time in a long time I was singing from a place of Joy, for the first time in a long time I did not care how I worshiped my Lord I just worshiped. Well its not like these things have not happened ever in my life, but I just felt so much peace during worship. So I decided to throw the song that we just repeated for a long while up here, mainly cause I did not know the name so I was looking it up and now I am pumped, gotta buy this album! All the angels cry out, Holy is the Lord God All the earth replies, Holy are You Thi

Letters from Lilongwe

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