E = Mountaintop Community Church

I read this book once called Eden's Gate by Christopher A. Lane. The copy I have is copyrighted 1994, which is probably about when I read it. It was a pretty good book, but there is one conversation in it that I have remembered since first reading it. The discussion follows the question, "What's detailed about 'God did this, God did that. He made this, he made that'? The question is how did he make it? How did he 'create' something from nothing?" (This is kinda long, but bear with me, I think you'll find it interesting.)

    Ben smiled. "The point I was trying to bring up was simply that in the first chapter of Genesis, we find an amazingly detailed account of the process and methodology God employed when he created the world. If, in fact he did, " he added for Jennifer's benefit.
    "Detailed?" she snorted. "What's detailed about 'God did this, God did that. He made this, he made that'? The question is how did he make it? How did he 'create' something from nothing?"
    "Look at verse two," Ben said. "Notice the descriptive terms: 'formless, empty, dark.' In the beginning, the universe was void, an invisible vacuum. Then God set about creating the earth, utilizing his seemingly limitless supply of power and energy."
    "But we're not talking about a potter here," Jennifer objected. "There was no clay, no matter with which to work. Where did the matter come from? Did the world just appear out of thin air? Energy can't be converted to matter without…"
    "Einstein, " Treadwell interrupted.
    "Huh?"
    "E=MC²," he said. "That's about all I remember from physics. Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. At the speed of light, energy can be transformed into matter."
    "And God said, 'Let there be light,'" Ben read.
    "The plot thickens." Mark grinned triumphantly.
    "That's not talking about light," Jennifer argued. That just refers to the sun, the moon, the stars…"
    "No," Ben corrected. "They don't come until verse fourteen, long after God had created the sky, the dry land, the plants."
    "You're trying to tell me that for centuries, the Bible has held the key to E=MC²?"
    "Not only that…" Ben lifted an eyebrow, "but it explained the nature of light long before Albert came along."
    "This I gotta see," Treadwell put in, looking interested.
    "Job 38:19," Ben cited, turning to the passage. "'Where is the way where light dwells?'"
    "So?" Jennifer said.
    "So, Job is arguably the oldest book in the Bible," Ben explained. "Yet it presents us with a scientific truth that only has been realized in recent years. Light involves motion, travelling at 186,000 miles a second. It resides in a way, not a place."
Treadwell chuckled at that. "Well, I'll be."
    "In the first letter of John, we find another piece of the puzzle." Ben paged over to the New Testament. "'God is light,' John writes. 'In him there is no darkness at all.'"
    "Are you saying that God is a big pool of radiant energy?" Treadwell asked.
    "I don't know," Ben confessed. "John says 'God is light,' but nowhere do we find the statement that all light is God or that God is only light. Apparently, light or radiant energy is just one of God's many characteristics."
    "In another passage the Bible calls Jesus the light of the world," Mark added. "It says that 'through him all things were made."
    "Jesus was the creative energy, the 'light' in creation? Through him energy was transformed into matter?" Jennifer wondered aloud. "That's preposterous. How can a person be a force?"
    Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me. I don't understand it either. But the more I learn about God, the more hooked I am on discovering more about him."^*

While I'm no physicist or mathematician, this seems pretty logical to me. If light has an abode, as Job says, then light must be living. This is great stuff to use when discussing such matters with unbelievers! But that's not what I'm writing about here. ;)

What caused me to remember this was when I was at church tonight, I was writing a check to get the kids some VBS t-shirts. As I was writing out the 'Pay to the order of…' section, Mountaintop Community Church, I was thinking that I wished I could abbreviate it (ok, ok, I know. I'm lazy). MCC would be great, or even MC². Wait a sec. MC²? E=MC²!

One of the first things that struck me when attending my first ever service at Mountaintop Community church was the ENERGY! Lots of it! E=MC²! Energy = Mountaintop Community Church. Another thing was the ENTHUSIASM of the praise team and the congregation! E=MC²! Enthusiasm = Mountaintop Community Church.

Edgy = Mountaintop Community Church.
Edifying = Mountaintop Community Church.
Excellence = Mountaintop Community Church.
Evangelical = Mountaintop Community Church.

E=MC²! I'm sure there's many other 'E' words that describe Mountaintop Community Church, but I think you get my point. I love this church we've found.


^*Lane, Christopher A. ©1994 Eden's Gate

If E=MC2 then M=E/C²

Another legend passes....

I just found out that last night, Dana Key died from a ruptured blood clot. Dana was the guitar half of the legendary Christian Rock duo DeGarmo & Key. Their video for the song 666 was banned from MTV supposedly for having too much violence.

I think more likely cause they have the word 'Jesus' in it. By today's 'standards' this video is cheesey (though the song does carry a good message).

I haven't really listened to them much lately, mainly due to the fact that, despite having all of their albums, most of them are on vinyl! Looking back on their songs now, I can see that the messages of Christ's victory over Satan and His 2nd coming were very prevalent.

Here's a great article about them: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11632793/

While they had a lot of really good songs, this was always one of my favorites:

No More Goodbyes - DeGarmo & Key
Somewhere over the rainbow
Beyond the land of Oz
Beyond the reach of man
Beyond the stars

There's a silver palace
There are streets of gold
There's a place believers
Call their home

No more separation
No more tearful eyes
No more loneliness
No more goodbyes

Far from pain or hunger
far from vanity
Set upon a blazing crystal sea
There's a home for martyrs
Hero's everyone
Living in the presence of God's Son

No more separation
No more tearful eyes
No more loneliness
No more goodbyes

My Wish....for my kids

If I could sing, I'd sing this song to my kids.



My Wish - Rascal Flatts
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
(My wish for you)

This is my wish
(My wish for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you
(My wish for you)
May all your dreams stay big
(My wish for you)

More Power To Ya

A lot of times when I'm listening to my iPod, when an old song comes on, I might skip it and move on to the next song. Today, More Power To Ya by Petra came on and the first 2 lines of the song pretty much hit me where I've been for a long time. So I listened to it. A few times.

The next couple verses give me some hope. I'm hoping that I can do better at the verse further down, "Put on all His armour and fight the good fight". I'm really looking for that joy again!


More Power To Ya - Petra
You say you've been feeling weaker, weaker by the day
You say you can't make the joy of your salvation stay
But good things come to them that wait
Not to those who hesitate
So hurry up and wait upon the Lord

More power to ya
When you're standing on His word
When you're trusting with your whole heart in the message you have heard
More power to ya
When we're all in one accord
They that wait upon the Lord they shall renew
They shall renew their strength

Jesus promised His disciples He'd give strength to them
Jesus told them all to tarry in Jerusalem
When they were all in one accord
The power of His Spirit poured
And they began to turn the world around

More power to ya
When you're standing on His word
When you're trusting with your whole heart in the message you have heard
More power to ya
When we're all in one accord
They that wait upon the Lord they shall renew
They shall renew their strength

So Be strong in the Lord
And in the power of His might
Put on all His armour and fight the good fight,
In all of our weaknes He becomes so strong
And He gives us the power and the strength to carry on

More power to ya
When you're standing on His word
When you're trusting with your whole heart in the message you have heard
More power to ya
When we're all in one accord
They that wait upon the Lord they shall renew
They shall renew their strength

Blinded By The Light, Wrapped up like a....wait...no.....thats not it...

Ok you've all heard this song. It's immediately recognizable and is definitely a classic. But do you know anything about it? Heck, do you even know the RIGHT words? This is one of those songs where you think you know the words, but then you find out you don't. Most people think that the phrase that is repeated in the chorus is "Wrapped up like a ..." female cleansing product. Which doesn't make sense, but then does any of the lyrics of this song make any sense??

Made popular by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Who?  OH yeah, they also sang Do Wah Diddy Diddy...) but written by none other than The Boss - Bruce Springsteen, this song is adored by any classic rock fan.Quite frankly, MMEB's version of this song blows Springsteen's away (sorry, Boss).

Who hasn't played air guitar to this song? How many rock songs do you hear that have Chopsticks in the middle of it? Oh, and for the record, it's "revved up like a deuce." And what's up with that freaky album cover? The album was called The Roaring Silence and featured a weird ear that has a screaming mouth in the canal.

Some interesting information about the lyrics are listed here: Songfacts.

MMEB changed some of the lyrics. Those are listed here. Bruce's original lyrics can be found on his website.

By the way, this song hit #1 on Billboard in February, 1977.


Blinded By The Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Madman drummers bummers,
Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older,
I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin,
the calliope crashed to the ground

The calliope crashed to the ground

But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on sonny to somethin' strong,
play the song with the funky break"

And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride

Asked me if I needed a ride

But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight
She's gonna make it to the night
She's gonna make it through the night

But mama, that's where the fun is
But mama, that's where the fun is

Mama always told me not to look into the eye's of the sun
But mama, that's where the fun is

(Celebrated Chop Waltz interlude - Chopsticks.)
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Says, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in his funny bone,
that's where they expect it least"

And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner,
watching the young girls dance
And some fresh-sewn moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone, reminding him of romance

The calliope crashed to the ground

But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
(In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin, the calliope crashed to the ground)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(Now Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(And some bloodshot forget-me-not said daddy's within earshot save the buckshot, turn up the band)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light,
(Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes)
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night

Blinded by the light
(She said "I'll turn you on sonny to something strong")

She got down but she never got tight
She's gonna make it through the night

---

Here's a video of The Boss singing his song. I personally like MMEB's version better.

Toby Mac, and the Mac is back no slack

TobyMac's new CD dropped yesterday. I haven't had a chance to get it yet, but I previewed all the songs on iTunes, and they all sounded great. I'm hoping to get the CD this weekend, so we'll see what pops. In the meantime....

Check out the trippy new video from Tobymac:
(Sorry for the ad at the beginning. They gotta make some dough, ya know.)



Showstopper - TobyMac
Yeah, this is the day we came to get down,
We came to play the game in your town
You came to ride the highs of this junk
Baby, we came to guarantee the big crunk
So if you or your people ever wanna doubt
This showstoppin' party rockin'
Tell 'em all about this
Truth from the village of the diverse citizens
One stop one shot
Livin like a kid again
So turn off the lights
They've been waitin' all night
For the,

The showstopper
The jaw dropper
The big papa

We gonna get it, get it right
We gonna get it done

The showstopper
The jaw dropper
The big papa
We gonna get it right
We gonna get it done

Hope just broke right through the door
So why you gotta ask what I came here for
Man we 'bout to light the night with that flare
Job from the gun in the hand of the spare
With the kick so hard that you gotta be strong
It's so hottah
You can barely hold on
So rock me drop me
But you will never stop me
From takin' this show to a full room of monopoly

So turn off the lights
Pass me the mic
Bring on the lights,
You been waitin all night

For the
The show stopper
The jaw dropper
The big papa

We gonna get it, get it right
We gonna get it done

The showstopper
The jaw dropper
The big papa

We gonna get it right
We gonna get it we gonna get it done

It's automatic
Don't mind the static
(Hey)
We all fanatic (hey)
Jesus fanatic

It's automatic
Don't mind the static (hey)
Jesus fanatic (hey)
Jesus fanatic

Don't mind the static
It's automatic

The showstopper (stopper stopper...)
We gonna get it right (right)
We gonna get it good
The showstopper
The big papa

We gonna get it right
We gonna get it good

The show stopper
The big papa

We gonna get right
We gonna get it good

Showstopper
Jaw dropper
Big papa

We gonna get it right, we gonna get it get it good

Mark Labriola II

I am truly disappointed that Mark did not move on to the next round. Again, they only showed him briefly during the group competition. From what I heard, the song just didn't fit and the group dynamics just weren't there, not to mention the one girl that screwed up completely. I really think Mark should have moved on.