Music is a huge part of my life. Actually, that’s an understatement. Music helps define my life. My mother says I danced in utero. I learned to read music by following my father’s finger under the staffs in the hymnbook (while standing on the pew next to him.) I play piano and guitar, I’ve sung in an organized choir or band of some sort since I was 5, and I recently discovered that I identify places by the types of music they produce. For example, during my first Sunday service my pastor, Lesley, stood me up in front of the entire congregation to welcome me and ask me a few questions. Of course people wanted to know where I was from. Tennessee. They wanted to know a bit about Tennessee. Well, Tennessee is a very long state and I live in the far east corner. West Tennessee is Memphis, very blues-y, Elvis, R&B and river music. Middle Tennessee is Nashville, the country music capitol of the world. East Tennessee is Appalachia, bluegrass, fiddles, mandolins, with a very heavy Scotch-Irish influence. So apparently, the great state of Tennessee can be defined by its music. And so can so many other things.
Among the 1,325 songs on my iTunes (that’s 3 and a half days worth of music, and no it’s not excessive) are many songs that help me define God. God is outside of any human definition, but music helps me get close. So here are some excerpts from some of my favorite songs. I’m aware that taking some of these out of context is a bit dangerous, and some lines might even be confusing, but these are a collection of lines and phrases that help me see my faith. Some are obvious and some are not, but they all speak to me somehow. Since I define my life, my world and my faith by my music, I just wanted to give you a glimpse. (And keep in mind: these are only the songs that have words. So far, Belfast hasn’t been able to be ‘lyricized.’)
To think that someone could look at that vista and think God needs a neon sign.--David LaMotte, Butler Street God bless the children of Abraham. God bless the Romans who reign.
God bless the peacemakers and warriors,
Who each think the other insane.
--David LaMotte, Peter Late one night there in my bed, Asking God for daily bread,
I asked God what God would want instead.
This is what God said,…
I want love to win the day
I want hope to be felt by everyone in every way
I want cooperation plus between the peoples of this earth,
‘Cause no one’s got it all right, no not one.
And I want dreams to goad you on, to take you down the road you’re on
And I want all to know I love them come what may.
And I want all to know I love them come what may.
That’s what I want.
You are our home, our jaunt, our life, our Lord, our leisure;
More than some bearded old dude enthroned upon a cloud
You’re in the shared, the solitude, you’re in both lone and loud, ‘cause
You are all in all, you are God above,
You are life itself, you are perfect love.
--Bryan Field McFarland, You Are
(Some quick shameless advertising for my friend, musician and activist, Bryan. Please check out his latest project '...until all are fed' in conjunction with the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Great music, great cause, glory be! Thanks! Okay, back to reading.)
Why are we waiting on someone else to tell us how it should be?
I've already found it and God didn’t tell me to waste these dreams.
--Everyday Sunday, Let’s Go Back
It takes no time to fall in love, but it takes you years to know what love is.
--Jason Mraz, Life is Wonderful
Oh no, gracious even God, bloodied on the cross your sins are washed enough.
A mother’s cry, ‘Is hate so deep? Must my baby’s bones this hungry fire feed?’
--Dave Matthew’s Band, The Last Stop
O gaze of love so melt my pride that I may in your house but kneel,
And in my brokenness, to cry, spring worship unto Thee.
--Jars of Clay, Hymn
I’m sorry for the person I became.
I’m sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I’m ready to be sure I never become that way again,
‘Cause who I am hates who I’ve been,
Who I am hates who I've been.
--Reliant K, Who I Am Hates Who I've Been
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments, oh dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee?
In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife?
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
--Jonathan Larson, Seasons of Love from the musical RENT
Hey, I’ll be gone today, but I’ll be back on around the way;
Seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know
But I know this one thing, that I love you.
I read my Bible every now and then,
And I believe the Lord hears me when I pray to him.
But the man on the radio says that ain’t enough,
Says I need to give up everything I love...
Now I believe in every word that Jesus said,
But he never said a man should have an empty bed,
And he never said drinkin’ was a hell-worthy sin.
So I think I’ll turn off the radio and just trust him.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven
Holy is your name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
Give us this day our bread,’
Then came the hardest part, the one that troubled every heart
Those haunting words of mystery that long have followed after me:
‘Forgive us. As we forgive
Forgive us. As we forgive
Forgive us. As we forgive each other.’
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