The Oracle

Ok, so The Matrix Reloaded isn't specifically music (although there is a lot of cool music in it), but the movie is on my iPod, so talking about it counts in this blog.

There's an interesting scene where Neo is talking to the Oracle in the park. They bring up an interesting spiritual concept. The Oracle offers Neo a piece of candy, and the following ensues:

Oracle: "Candy?"
Neo: "Do you already know if I'm going to take it?"
Oracle: "Wouldn't be much of an Oracle if I didn't."
Neo: "But if you already know, how can I make a choice?"
Oracle: "Because you didn't come here to make the choice. You've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it.... I thought you'd have figured that out by now."

This same discussion can be heard when people talk about God. If God already knows what's going to happen, then how is it we have free will and choice? Isn't everything already pre-destined?

The problem with this discussion is that people argue it from a human standpoint, totally mis-understanding God. I'm not saying I totally understand God, but I think I kind of get this weird space-time continuum thing.

You see, God is not constrained by space and time, like we are. He is outside of space, time and the laws of physics. One way it was explained to me that helped me to understand it is, imagine that history is drawn on a timeline, from the beginning to the end on a whiteboard. Sorta like this image, imagine the line in the middle represents all of history, from beginning to end: Now, imagine that instead of the borders that you see around that line, there are no borders, and the surface the line is drawn on goes for eternity in all directions. Since you are not bound by the line or the surface it is on, you are able to look at that entire line at once. You can even look only at specific sections of that line if you want. If this was a 3-dimentional example, you could even rotate the line and look at it from other angles and see the back side.

That, in simple terms, is how God is compared to what we call space and time. He is outside of it, therefore He can see all of it at once. He knows what's going to happen. His foreknowledge of events does not eliminate the fact that we still make choices. He simply is able to see the whole thing at the same time.

No Line On The Horizon, No CD At Wal-Mart

Well, today's the big day.

Wal-Mart sucks.

I stopped by there on my way in to work this morning to get the new U2 CD, No Line On The Horizon. They didn't have it out yet. :(

I'll be going to Best Buy at lunch. Maybe they'll have it.

Once I've listened to it a bit, I will post something here!

Headphones....

Since I've been at my new job, I've had to use headphones to listen to music.

I hate wearing headphones.

However, I have noticed that when using headphones, I hear things I haven't heard before. Usually it's some small sound or background accent, but it's amazing how that little sound adds so much to a song.

That or you notice more sound separation... what I mean by that is sounds on either the left or right side or moving back and forth. Some songs that are great examples of this:

• Here's Comes The Sun - The Beatles
• Whole Lotta Love - Led Zepplin
• Walking Blind - Foolish Things

I wish I had a GOOD pair of headphones.

"Life is hell, but it's beautiful..."

I was watching a video on Mat Kearney's site, and during it he says, "Life is hell, but it's beautiful...".

I couldn't agree more. Life really is hell sometimes. Pain, sickness, war, death, divorce, bills, democrats. They all suck.

A former co-worker of mine is dying of cancer. She's only about 35 or so. I was told just before Christmas that she only had a few days at most to live, and her goal was to live past Christmas and have one last Christmas with her husband and 2 young kids before she dies. She may be dead by now, I don't know yet.

Cancer really sucks. It took my best friend and his death caused his wife to fall hard. She seemed fine for about a year after he died, but then her cousin got her involved in drugs and other things and she basically abandoned her son and is pretty much just a mess.

Another friend of mine died just a couple of weeks ago. Though he and his wife were separated, she still took it really hard. On top of that, I'm concerned about her daughter and the choices she seems to be making.

The stock market has been topsy-turvy for a long time and many people are losing their jobs (I lost mine in October, but was blessed in that I got another one quickly).

We're about to get a new president. I've been concerned about the direction our country has been going for a while, and now I fear it will only get worse.

In this unreliable world, there's only One who you can rely on.

Undeniable - Mat Kearney
It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
in an unreliable world You Shine like a star
it’s unforgettable now that we've come this far
it’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable

February 5th, friday morning, purple dawn,
broke a yawn, as I stepped through the fog, like I stepped to a song
a moment like a poem, you wish you could hold it
I shut my eyes like it’s frozen, it’s gone when I open
it slipped passed the clouds right there where it lingered
like your band and a girl could slip through your fingers
my feet hit the ground like a beat for the lonely
on a path beaten down by the crowds in the morning
if only I could touch past the phony
if only they where there now to hold me
as the questions keep droning

You’re the only one who stuck it out last night
the only other one who caught the other line
You’re the only one when this world collides
the One that I can’t deny

It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
in an unreliable world You Shine like a star
it’s unforgettable now that we've come this far
it’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable

it’s my last year here
my first class moved to portable ‘a’
under construction since summer
and it’s cold today
I can see my breath, and what’s left of the west parking lot
and all the spaces that we fought
and it all seems forgotten, left in the bottom
in the past piles of rubble, in puddles of rain water
that hurt last night when I left like that
when I won’t come back
speaking my peace to the past

I can’t help but wonder, who's this wind at my back

a whisper to walk on, come on from all that

You’re the only one who stuck it out last night
the only other one who caught the other line
You’re the only one when this world collides
the One that I can’t deny

It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
in an unreliable world You Shine like a star
it’s unforgettable now that we've come this far
it’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable

how am I gonna take it away in this winter wind
You found me on a summer breeze
how am I gonna run away when the autumn breaks
now that You found me in the spring
come on and sing it out

It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
in an unreliable world You Shine like a star
it’s unforgettable now that we've come this far
it’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable

Music Builds

Went to the Music Builds tour last night with the boys.

Red

Jars of Clay

RR & TFB - Robert Randolph and the Family Band (WHO??)

Switchfoot

Third Day

In that order. They apparently had Red perform before the actual start time, so we missed it. They ended their set as we were walking in. So I have no comment on them.

Jars of Clay, as always, was fabulous. These guys are just amazing. They did some of my favorites, like Love Song For A Saviour, and also some new stuff from their upcoming new CD. They simply rocked.

Now wait a sec. They put a major band like Jars of Clay before an unknown group like RR & TFB?? What the heck are they thinking?

RR & TFB was interesting. It was kind of a jazzy-fusion sound. But the thing is, it all sounded the same. To me, it sounded like a single 30-minute song.  The music was basically the same, and all they sang was "Good time, good time, we're having a good time" or something like that. Now, the music was definately catchy and quality for it's style, but it's not my style.

Then came Switchfoot. They have definately gotten better since I first saw them several years ago. They have a really top-notch performance. They did a bunch of the classics, like Meant to Live and Dare You To Move, as well as stuff off of their newer albums. It was really a great set.

Then came Third Day. They lead their set with Rich Mullins' Creed. Wow. I think even Rich would have been impressed. They sang Rockstar. I'm sure they sang other songs too, but at this point both the boys were complaining about wanting to go home and being tired, and I got tired of hearing it so we left. I'm sure it was a great concert. Probably more like a worship service with songs like God Of Wonders. I wonder.

Linkin Park

Well, this band isn't in my iPod rotation. In fact, I don't own a single song of theirs. I came across this song while flipping radio stations. Of course, the DJ didn't say who the band was or what the song name was, so I Googled the first few words of the chorus and found out it was Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park.

Wait a minute. I like something by Linkin Park? Me?

Yep. Did some iTunes research (song/video previews) and I found out that I like several of their songs.

Problem: Most of their songs are labeled 'Explicit' on iTunes. Ok, I'm not surprised. I've had a negative opinion of LP since they first came on the scene, mainly due to stereotyping. The kind of people I saw that had LP t-shirts and stickers on their cars, etc, told me that they were a band that I would not care for. So I never checked them out.

Till now.

I gotta say, this song and a couple of others that I sampled on iTunes are brilliant, musically. Now, the songs I checked out on iTunes were all marked Clean, FYI.

When I heard this song (and Numb) on the radio, I was like, Wow, who is that?? Not only did I think the music was brilliant, but I heard something in the vocals and the lyrics that really reached out to me. It was a yearning for meaning, purpose and acceptance.

I looked at the lyrics of several of their songs, and saw a common theme. These guys are desperate. How bout this, from the song Given Up:

I've given up...
I'm sick of living
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all away
I'm suffocating!
Tell me what the #$%^ is wrong with me?

Throughout their songs, they sing of anger, of pain, of desperation, of wanting/needing something more than what they have. From what they sing, you'd think they have awful lives not worth living. Kind of crazy looking in from the outside. These guys have what so many think they want. They have fame, fortune, stardom. Its not enough. Not fulfilling. But they're hanging on, hoping somehow, somewhere, someday, someONE will help them find themselves and their purpose for living. SomeONE that will accept them and love them unconditionally. I know the feeling. I think we all do.

What are these guys missing? To me, it's obvious. They are looking inside themselves for the answer when what they need is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, all else is meaningless. I hope they find Him. Can you imagine the amazing music they could create if they did it to glorify God?

Somewhere I Belong - Linkin Park

When this began
I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me
I was confused
And I let it all out to find that I'm
Not the only person with these things in mind
Inside of me
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
Nothing to lose
Just stuck / Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own

I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
[Erase all the pain 'til it's gone]

I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
I was confused looking everywhere only to find that it's
Not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
So what am I what do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the
Way everyone is looking at me
Nothing to lose
Nothing to gain

Hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
The fault is my own
I will never know
Myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel
Anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be
Anything 'til I break away from me
And I will break away
I'll find myself today

I want to heal
I want to feel like
I'm somewhere I belong

Numb - Linkin Park

I'm tired of being what you want me to be Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface I don't know what you're expecting of me Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow Every step that I take is another mistake to you Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware By becoming this all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you Can't you see that you're smothering me? Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control 'Cause everything that you thought I would be Has fallen apart right in front of you Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow Every step that I take is another mistake to you Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow And every second I waste is more than I can take! I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware By becoming this all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you And I know I may end up failing too But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware By becoming this all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you I've become so numb, I can't feel you there I'm tired of being what you want me to be I've become so numb, I can't feel you there I'm tired of being what you want me to be

Rascal Flatts

Now, ordinarily you would not find me listening to country music. I've been forced to listen for the past 10+ years due to Denise liking it.

I will admit, however, that every now and then there's a pretty good country song. I've become somewhat acclimated. I no longer twitch when I hear that twang that's so prevalent in country music.

I'm sure I had heard a Rascal Flatts song prior to this, but what made me stand up and take note of them was their song, "My Wish". What a cool song. If I could sing, I would sing that song to each of my kids. It made me think that these guys must be Christians. I even liked the song so much that I bought the CD. YES, I bought a country CD for ME, not Denise. Will wonders never cease?

After I got the CD, I read the liner notes. Those notes can tell you a LOT about an artist. Especially the 'Thank You' section. Since these guys thank their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I think it's probably a good bet that they are Christians.

This post is not about that song, by the way. It's about another song on the album called "He Ain't The Leavin' Kind".

I saw a commercial the other day for some CD where country artists are singing gospel songs, and this song was included. I said, "Huh? How's that a gospel song?" Once again I have victimized myself by not paying attention to the lyrics. You hear the chorus of "He ain't the leavin' kind, He'd never walk away" and you kinda think, "Oh, that's nice, they're singing about a faithful husband or something like that." While that would definitely be a honorable thing to sing about, what they are actually singing about is much more important.

They're talking about that, despite people's best efforts to get rid of God, He won't leave us. No matter how unfaithful we are to Him, He will always remain faithful to us. Romans 3:3-4 says, "3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all!"

This is something I think we need to cling to in these times. With economic uncertainty and this crazy election and the possibility of a man like Barak Obama being our president, we need to remember that despite people's efforts to kick God out of this country, God will not leave us. He ain't the leavin' kind.


He Ain't The Leavin' Kind - Rascal Flatts

They tried their best to drag him out
Of a courthouse down in Montgomery
And now they wanna kick him out of school
And take him off our money
They can take those words off of paper and stone
But he ain’t gone, no

Chorus
He ain’t the leavin’ kind
He’d never walk away
Even from those who don’t believe
And wanna leave him behind
He ain’t the leavin’ kind

She stayed mad at him for a lot of years
For takin’ her husband
Started losin’ her faith
And thinkin’ that her life meant nothin’
But when she looks at those kids she raised all by herself
She knows she had some help, yeah she knows

No matter what you do
No matter where you go
He’s always right there with you

Even from those who don’t believe
And wanna leave him behind

He ain’t the leavin’ kind
No, no
He ain’t the leavin’, he ain’t the leavin’ kind
He ain’t the leavin’ kind
He ain’t the leavin’ kind