There are songs that affect you for the rest of your life. You hear them once and randomly years later you start singing lines that you barely knew you remembered. It's only happened to me a couple of times. One was a beautiful song by artist Kendall Payne Closer to Myself. I searched the internet for hours and even days and couldn't find it until I started singing it again and immediately googled it.
I've learned to listen when a song or something gets stuck in my head. What was playing in my head tonight was strangely erie when coming home to an empty house.
I Wish We'd All Been Ready by Dc Talk, the song is older than most of the kids in my youth group. In that day we were sure that it was going to be soon, I mean with all that was going on in the world, how could it not. Nearly 20 years later and we are still standing here. I can tell you the joke among many youth groups at the time was keeping the lights on and everyone disappearing into the other room, waiting for the unsuspecting person to come back and find them gone. It was the thing to do, and even though the person who came in knew it was a joke, it made everyone think. Back to their chairs they went to sit through service, but what had they done? The thought of being the only one left when everyone else was gone was enough to fear some youth into salvation.
The song isn't about fear, it's not about trying to scare people into getting saved. The song is about the reality of what could and what will happen. There are many people in the world who say that they are nice people, that they believe in God and because of that they will get into heaven. What's going to happen when they don't? The world is full of nice people, the world is full of mean people, it really depends on which day you happen to catch them. I'm a nice person, but would I be a nice person if I didn't have my faith? I still have my bad days, days when everything is going down and I'm ready to throw in the towel and just cuss someone out. (I haven't)
This song is moving and many times it was played youth would come forward and raise their hands to ask Jesus in their heart. The words and the mood hit them just right so they decided to come forward. It's more than just a mood, what happens when you leave? What happens when the days are hard and you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel? It's so much more than a feeling, it's faith. What are we living for if not faith?
I was questioned about my faith the other night and my first instinct is to say, it just is. The Bible, God's word is true, because it is. While I hold steadfastly to my faith, others see it as only that, only a faith but not fact. I could sit and argue for hours about why, and speak of theology and studies that line up with the Bible. History that is not only written in the Bible but backed up by history books and archeology. These men in the Bible existed, they lived on earth just as we do. They didn't all meet Jesus in person, for some all they had was faith. Faith that this man who did something that no other man had ever done was enough. Faith that even though they were persecuted their lives meant something. The fact is 2000 years ago Jesus died on the cross for my sins. The fact is the Bible was given to men by God. The fact is I don't have to live my life in guilt in shame because Jesus took it for me.
I've learned to listen when a song or something gets stuck in my head. What was playing in my head tonight was strangely erie when coming home to an empty house.
I Wish We'd All Been Ready by Dc Talk, the song is older than most of the kids in my youth group. In that day we were sure that it was going to be soon, I mean with all that was going on in the world, how could it not. Nearly 20 years later and we are still standing here. I can tell you the joke among many youth groups at the time was keeping the lights on and everyone disappearing into the other room, waiting for the unsuspecting person to come back and find them gone. It was the thing to do, and even though the person who came in knew it was a joke, it made everyone think. Back to their chairs they went to sit through service, but what had they done? The thought of being the only one left when everyone else was gone was enough to fear some youth into salvation.
The song isn't about fear, it's not about trying to scare people into getting saved. The song is about the reality of what could and what will happen. There are many people in the world who say that they are nice people, that they believe in God and because of that they will get into heaven. What's going to happen when they don't? The world is full of nice people, the world is full of mean people, it really depends on which day you happen to catch them. I'm a nice person, but would I be a nice person if I didn't have my faith? I still have my bad days, days when everything is going down and I'm ready to throw in the towel and just cuss someone out. (I haven't)
This song is moving and many times it was played youth would come forward and raise their hands to ask Jesus in their heart. The words and the mood hit them just right so they decided to come forward. It's more than just a mood, what happens when you leave? What happens when the days are hard and you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel? It's so much more than a feeling, it's faith. What are we living for if not faith?
I was questioned about my faith the other night and my first instinct is to say, it just is. The Bible, God's word is true, because it is. While I hold steadfastly to my faith, others see it as only that, only a faith but not fact. I could sit and argue for hours about why, and speak of theology and studies that line up with the Bible. History that is not only written in the Bible but backed up by history books and archeology. These men in the Bible existed, they lived on earth just as we do. They didn't all meet Jesus in person, for some all they had was faith. Faith that this man who did something that no other man had ever done was enough. Faith that even though they were persecuted their lives meant something. The fact is 2000 years ago Jesus died on the cross for my sins. The fact is the Bible was given to men by God. The fact is I don't have to live my life in guilt in shame because Jesus took it for me.
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