I’ve posted about the resurgence of artistry and theology in “Christian” music before but I’m increasingly in awe of the fact that there is a movement, most notably in hip hop. Yes, hip hop. That surprised me at first, but it actually makes perfect sense. In the opposite corners of the pacific northwest and the southeast we have collectives like humble beast and Reach Records/116 Clique which are more theologically rich than most preachers’ sermons, let alone most songwriters.

This LIVE video is from a new album I’ve been wearing out…

Beautiful Eulogy (artist)
“Beautiful Eulogy” (track)
Satellite Kite (album… and also the name of another track)

Go get the whole album.

A small dose of humility to couple with our bold faith. Be confident in God. Be humble in understanding.

*This cartoon was shared by a local professor on his Facebook page.

This speaks for itself…. There is something powerful about music. It connects on a deep level and brings us to life in ways nothing else can. How are we using the power of music to connect and stir people to life?

“The Jacket”

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, tgiving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

Gotta love Bubba Watson. Fellow Bulldog. More significantly, fellow brother in Christ. This guy can’t stop talking about His Savior (insert Masters cliché here). I read a great article on BillyGraham.org about his faith. I won’t recap it here – click the link and read it. The main thing that struck me, was how he is seeking to be true to his personality and his platform to share the gospel with anyone and everyone he can. He’s a twitter evangelist and he jumped at the opportunity, tearfully, to remind the world that Sunday was bigger than golf and green jackets – it was the celebration of our risen Lord. My favorite tweet was this: Most important things in my life- 1. God 2. Wife 3. Family 4. Helping others 5. Golf

That’s a man with his priorities in line. How does your list look? Where are your priorities…. not just what do you say are your priorities, but what does your lifestyle reveal to be your priorities?

Bubba also realized that he had to get his own attitude and emotional outbursts in check if he was going to be successful in his career or his witness. Gut-check.

And what about your platform? How are you using your gifts to glorify God? What is your circle of influence and the ripples of your testimony?

Follow @BubbaWatson (Christian, Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer. Owner of General Lee 1.) or just check out his twitter feed and personal website.

Here’s a new song off of John Mark McMillan’s latest album Economy. We first heard this song at Vinyl, a small bar in Atlanta… although some guy in the audience turned the chorus into the song that never ends at the set’s close… That over-zealous fan almost ruined this song for me, to be honest. But it’s a great one for reflection this week, in keeping with last year. Check out his own blog (here) for a friend’s theological unpacking of the song’s lyrics.

I love what John says: “At the end of the day, I’m a songwriter who dabbles in theology. I don’t sing about Jesus because I want to spread a message. I don’t sing about Jesus because it’s the Christian thing to do. If I sing about Jesus, it’s for one simple reason, and that’s because I believe he’s worth singing about. While it’s never been my intention to communicate theology through my music, my heart’s fascination with certain subjects have carved out a good bit of space for it in my songs over the years.”

Here are last year’s videos and blog posts:
Maundy Thursday – How He Loves
Good Friday – Death in His Grave
Saturday – Closer
Easter Sunday – Skeleton Bones

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 1:20-31 ESV)

We’re all fools. None of us have it all figured out – not even the beautiful mystery of the cross. We can’t wrap our finite minds around an infinite God. This week, as we remember the final days of Jesus’ walking this planet that He created (See John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16). Be in awe. Be overwhelmed. Allow the foolishness of the cross and this gospel to overwhelm you. Let it drop you to your knees where the only response is worship of the Holy One.

But when I watched this short clip of Josh Garrels’ IN:5 interview, I just sat here thinking… yes.. Yes… YES… I can imagine being any random person Josh encounters as he skates through Portland, pops in and out of small coffee shops with his guitar, or as he plays with his kids and the neighbors…

He speaks in a way that draws you in. He chooses his words carefully. Speaks conversationally but confidently. There is an eagerness and healthy fear in his eyes that makes you want to know what it is he’s talking about.

I’ve been on this thought again for a while, and I’m not at all suggesting that sound theology isn’t important, BUT what I do believe is that if we truly believe and are following Christ and being changed by Him, then we’ll have more than theological formulas to sell someone or cliché Christianese… Granted, Josh is a poet and songwriter, so he has a way with words. But can we share, in our own words (and a barely containable enthusiasm in our body language) what we say is the single most important thing in our lives?

Josh Garrels IN:5 // Believe from IN:5 on Vimeo.

Eric Metaxas wrote some of my girls’ favorite books and thick biographies on Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer. (You can easily find his best-selling works here on Amazon) Here he gets bold, funny, and honest about the difference true prayer, true faith, and true relationship with Jesus makes… it changes everything about your life, the way you see others, and the action you must take in response to the Amazing Grace that has transformed you. (30 minutes well spent) Whether he’s speaking to the President, writing VeggieTales rhymes, or New York Times best selling Biographies, this guy is “not ashamed of the gospel.” What an incredible influence through his God-given gifts, talents, and platform. Grateful for his obedience.

I was excited to finally receive a late Christmas gift in the mail… Listener’s Wooden Heart album on vinyl + digital download… (if you like these videos, pick up a copy of this album). I admit, I wasn’t on board when I first heard this guy years ago on a rickety wooden stage on a field beside a lake. My friend and I were first introduced to Listener at PAPA Fest (People Against Poverty and Apathy) but his style has matured significantly since that first encounter. (And I’m in a different place too.)

His unique “Talk Music” is best described as Hardcore Spoken Word Poetry backed by sparse Indie Rock. He’s not hip-hop (He used to be). What used to stress me out is suddenly restful. This album just clicked one day near the end of 2011… There is an incredible empathy as Dan Smith confesses and relates stories in a brutally honest and emotional style that is like nothing else you will ever hear. There is a grace and hope that is as unexpected as the Christ he follows. After finally dialing into where he was coming from, I felt not only encouraged personally, but motivated in community. (be sure to check out Building Better Bridges and House On Fire and Seatbelt Hands… Save Up Your Hopes Friends is an urgent reminder of the truth in The Book of Revelation) The album is below to stream in its entirety. Skip around. Listen through. Just do yourself a favor and give it a chance.

[post from my wife, Amanda, reflecting upon her recent trip to India]

Christmas feels a little different for me this year. Before now, I don’t think I fully appreciated Jesus humbling Himself and becoming poor. Last Christmas, I hadn’t really witnessed poverty. God graciously allowed me to see something that changed me forever.

I’m a stay-at-home mom of three little girls. My day usually goes something like this: wake up, get some one-on-one time with God in the Word, get the kids up, feed them and get them off to school, do some housework, start thinking about dinner, pick kids up from school, prepare dinner, get kids to bed, spend some time with my husband, and, lastly, put myself to bed. All simple things, making my world seem rather small.

Up until a few weeks ago, when my world got a whole lot bigger. I had the opportunity to go, almost literally, to the opposite side of the world. I traveled to East India with some pretty amazing people as part of a Compassion International trip. Much was done in the way of preparing: shots were received, checks were written, a 10 page “survival guide” drafted and printed out for my dear husband as he braved life with the Shenanigans (our girls 5, 3, and 2) and then we were boarding a plane for almost a day and half of travel to finally land in Kolkata.

So, it’s obviously very different from my small town in Alabama (or the Atlanta suburb I grew up in ☺). The smell of burning trash, the inability to see the actual sky because of the smog, the garbage everywhere, the horns constantly honking as cars, rickshaws, bicyclists, pedestrians, dogs, and cows all share the same un-laned streets. People selling all types of meat (usually surrounded by swarms of flies), fruits, and wares all over the place. People making their homes out of a lean-to positioned on the sidewalk.

But, honestly, I expected these things. I knew India, and especially Kolkata, was one of the most impoverished places in the world. So, I had an idea of what comes with that. But, I found something unexpected during much of my trip. And it became clear to me what that “something” was during one of the home visits.

During home visits, we traveled with Compassion representatives to the homes of participants in the project – either a mom that was part of the Child Survival Program or a student that was part of the Child Development Sponsorship Program. The first day, walking over a stagnant stream and a mountain of trash, we visited the home of Tumpa. She has a toddler and is a participant in the CSP. We were all sitting there, along with many of her curious neighbors, in her tiny home, trying to make conversation. Tumpa had come to trust in Christ through her participation in the Compassion project and He was so evident in the Hope in her eyes and the smile on her face.

So, I asked a simple question, “Tumpa, can you describe for us your typical day?” Sam, our East India Compassion office rep. translated the question into Bengali and then relayed the answer back to us in English, “she wakes up, reads her bible, feeds her baby and other family members, sees her husband off to work, does some housework, and then starts thinking about what she’s going to cook for dinner.” And that’s when God showed me the sameness that became the common thread for me throughout this trip. Tumpa’s daily routine was strikingly similar to mine. God has the same love for her as He does for me. The difference is in the things we have no control over – the part of the world and the circumstances we were born in.

Before I went to India I knew that Christ commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. I knew that He commanded us to take care of the poor. But, God used a stay-at-home mom in Kolkata to show this stay-at-home mom from Birmingham what it means to love my neighbor and take care of the poor. God made it very easy for me to see my neighbor as myself. And it’s pretty impossible to ignore yourself.

I’ll admit, the needs seem so vast and overwhelming. The temptation to be paralyzed by that thought is very real. But, I’m reminded of a quote that I read while visiting the home of Mother Teresa, just a short walk from the place we stayed in Kolkata… “We can do no great things,
only small things with great love.”

And this is where I find an avenue to do a small thing – to love my neighbor and take care of the poor – Compassion. I went into this trip with great respect for Compassion, but that respect was strengthened even more when I saw the integrity of their ministry and the selflessness of the staff for the purpose of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. We were able to see the holistic approach taken by Compassion in action during our time in East India. Something that was very profound to me was that several of the staff members at the projects had grown up as participants in the Compassion project and were now serving as teachers. They’re the real deal. Read more here www.compassion.com. And ask me about it. I would love to share more of what God taught me in India.

We also learned that India is a rather under-served area – there were around 300 applicants for the Leadership Development Program last year, but only funding for 80. There are lots of children who need sponsors – sponsors to not only help provide resources, but to love them and maintain a relationship with them. I did not realize until this trip just how much those kids love their sponsors. They all asked us to pray for their sponsors. They all wanted their sponsors to come visit them. And they cherished their letters from their sponsors.

So, this Christmas is different. I got a tiny glimpse into someone else’s world. And I’m praying that God would be glorified in the small things that I can do because of His great love.