The Law of Love

 The problem with basing public policy on public opinion is that the public changes its mind- sometimes with good reason and sometimes seemingly on a whim. This is why we need standards common to all that do not change- without that, we slide into chaos where everyone does what's right in their own eyes. (Judges 17:6 and 21:25) However, we have one Top 10 list that never changes and is not subjective but objective and is for all people- The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) God has set His standards and He never changes. (Malachi 4:6) But The Law calls for absolute perfection. (Leviticus 11:45) None of us can attain that. (Proverbs 20:9, Psalms 14:3) Thankfully, Jesus did that for us. (Matthew 5:17, Hebrews 4:14-15, Hebrews 10:10-23) Because Jesus met all the requirements of God's Law and died as the ultimate righteous sacrifice for our sins, we can go free while He pays the toll. Earthly comparisons pale in explaining, but it's like Jesus paid our bail so that we could get out of prison. Better still, it's like we were on death row and Jesus volunteered to take our place in the electric chair. And ever The Good Samaritan, Jesus did for those who considered Him as an enemy and who had no way of paying Him back- but Jesus doesn't want even our useless attempts. He wants our freely offered love. He died on the cross and rose again and now The Law that was our schoolmaster and showed us our need for Christ is no longer necessary because we are now under grace. (Galatians 3) And in this new covenant with Christ by faith, we receive His Holy Spirit when we ask Him in. And He Himself guides us into all Truth and to the good that we should do. (Romans 8:5-11) And His Word in The Bible guides us too. And now we desire to do right out of love and gratitude to Jesus. And as imitators of God, we walk in Love and grow up every way into Christ. (Ephesians 4:15-16 and 5:1-2) 

As Colossians 3:1-17 tell us, we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. And we seek to do everything in the Name of The Lord Jesus. And now following Jesus is all we need to do. As Romans 12:8-14 says, Love is the fulfilling of The Law. As Jesus told us, the summary of The Law is this: Love The Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:34-40) As Ephesians 4:15 reminds us, speak The Truth in Love. As Jesus tells us in John 14:6, He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to The Father but by Him. (Any other leads to Hell; only Jesus leads to Heaven). 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. John 10:30-33 and many others affirm that Jesus is God. Thus, we must speak Jesus in Jesus/(Love) and have the same relationship Jesus had with His Father and be as Jesus to our neighbor. That's the only policy that changes all the public- Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of The Law and the embodiment of Love. :-)

       For those who seek to establish standards of "good" and "evil" and "right" and "wrong" outside of the authority of Christ- (and who deny the existence of any god and any moral standards upheld over all that apply to all)- this is the dilemma. God has taken care of this by setting firm moral standards that don't change. And best of all- He has kept all these standards perfectly Himself. When we recognize that we can never do this and we look to Jesus for our righteousness, we get His perfection imputed to us- and therein we ride into Heaven on His coattails.

A Word of Advice for New Students

(Note: This is the original draft of an article I wrote for my high school magazine as an alumnus, after being asked to give some advice to incoming freshmen. I hope it might be helpful advice for any young students reading this now.)

“Everything is meaningless.”  That’s how King Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes 1:1.  “Nothing is sound.” That’s how Switchfoot puts it on their album of the same name.  (Man, that’s kind of a downer note to start this off on.)  I know, but it’s a necessary one.  Don’t worry; it gets better.

Welcome to Pelion High School, home of the mighty Panthers! I hope you’re ready to have four of the best years of your life! My years at Pelion High School were certainly some of the best times of my life. (There’s that nice, cheery intro!) So here you are at the threshold of a bright academic future and you’re ready to go forth and I sound like I’m giving a commencement speech.  Okay, so you’re ready to go to school with your big brother and no longer with your little sister.  But you want to make a name for yourself too.  You want to have a cool group of friends and know where you belong.  Or maybe you just want to get through with a diploma intact!

So now you’re ready for all the dirt, right?  What’re the rumors on all those tough teachers?  (I hear dem English teachers be pretty rough.) Who are the cool people to hang out with?  Where do I sit at lunch?  What’s actually in the stuff they serve you?  What’s the best way to mask some big gas in class?  (I recommend the loud cough method. It’s served me well.)  Which bathroom stalls should I avoid?  How do you open the lockers?  (Got me on that one.)  What’s the best pick-up line to use? (I see we’re taking chemistry together.  It’s meant to be. You’re my density.)  How do I sit through 90 minute classes?  (Be glad you’re not in college yet.)  What’s the best excuse for not doing my homework?  What’s the best way to get out of school for a day?  (You fake a …oh, like I really need to tell you this.)  And most importantly of all:  When are the holidays?

There’re so many things to consider in high school.  And there’s a lot about it to enjoy.  There are lots of great people you can meet and become good friends with.  There are tons of great clubs and sporting teams to be involved with.  And believe it or not, the teachers actually do work their hardest to make their classes fun as well as educational.  And don’t panic now, but apparently you don’t get recess in high school.  (I know- I was quite shocked myself.  This is why you’ve got to make those 27 minutes of lunch last as long as you can.)  But overall the only one who can determine what you’ll get out of high school and what you’ll make of it is you.  So make up your mind now to have a good time and to enjoy it and to be the best you can be in everything.

Take advantage of the school sponsored things you can be a part of.  Get to be a part of the many great clubs at school like the Key Club, Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, Spanish Club, etc.  And you can always start your own club.  These clubs give you something to be part of with people who share your interests and together you can have great fun together working towards something you believe in.  And of course, it looks great on college applications and resumes!

And don’t forget about school sports.  Be a sport and go out for the team.  If you want to be cool like me, you can run Cross Country and Track and Field and get cut from the basketball team after one day of practice.  Or maybe you’d rather play golf or baseball.  Even if you don’t play a sport, (though again, it is good on college applications and resumes), be sure to go support your school teams at their games.  Whether the Panthers are playing as the reigning champs or the underdogs, be there to cheer them on anyway.  Not only does this give you time to socialize with friends outside of the classroom, it’s also great for taking dates to (not that I have any experience there) and it makes you feel a part of things.  This is your school and you should take pride in it.  

Now I know you’re probably worried about the workload of high school and keeping up with everything, but the best thing to do about that is to take it all in stride.  Don’t get overwhelmed with the work, but manage it sensibly from the start by planning it all out on your calendar.  Find good friends that will help encourage you and that you can work with on school assignments.  And I’ve heard an apple for the teacher never hurts!  (Of course, if it’s getting towards the end of May, you may want to just go in for the boxes of chocolate instead!)

Now, would someone like to summarize for the class what the article is saying?  (The ones sleeping in the back row better wake up or it’ll be four laps around the track after school.)  The main point is to make the most out of the four years (or five as the case may be) of high school (let’s make it four) that you have ahead of you.  Get involved with your school’s sports and clubs and as the Beach Boys sang, “be true to your school”.  And when it comes to choosing friends, choose those who will really like you for yourself, not for what you have or pretend to be.  And here’s a good hint.  Make friends with the weirdos.  Many times you’ll find that the weirdos can turn out to be your truest and best and most loyal friends.  Most of all, be yourself and accept others as they are.  Follow the Golden Rule. (“Silence is golden”?)  Well, that’s one for the classroom, but mainly do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  You avoid so much junk that way.

In the end, when you think about everything happening right now, this is your life.  Are you who you want to be?  Only you can determine what it’s going to be like and what you’re going to make of your life.  And high school is a crucial part of that.  Remember that everything is meaningless; nothing is sound and nothing gold can stay.  So don’t live your life just for now, but keep the long term future in mind.  Take the time to think about what’s most important in your life and decide to live each day keeping your goals intact.  Is a good career the priority?  Is it a good wife and family?  Are you looking to make tons of money? (Don’t go into journalism!)  Where does God figure into things?  Does God figure into your life?  All of these are valid concerns that you’ll structure your life around.  Choose this day who you will serve.  Make the most of every day.  Carpe diem!  And have fun!  And because the Panthers rule and I’m proud to be an American, I have to end with this, if you can imagine a deep, enthusiastic roar at this point.  God bless America and go Panthers!

  Copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/9/2006

Christ in a Nutshell (song)

(Note: I'm pulling a few more classics out of the archive. My last post referenced the lines I used in this parody so it only seemed fitting to post this next. I've included my original introduction from 2009 below. Since I had two others that seemed in a similar category of lyric-tweaking that already seemed to be such a good fit to talk about The Lord, I will post those other two soon too.)


    I've been wanting to share a few more parodies I've written recently and they most all deal with some things that have been coming up in church lately actually. And they're all really favorite songs of mine, some of which just struck me as being such a good song already that it would only take a bit of tweaking to bring about a really great song talking about The Lord. So I plunged in to it and God helped me bring the ideas into fruition.
    Here's a song that wraps things up nicely and just states really what Christ is about and what our life is about in Him. I loved the second verse so much and it worked so well that I left it mostly intact. Take some time and a sip out of your 70's-style Coke bottle and enjoy. ;-)

"Christ in a Nutshell" (parody of "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/09)
(John 3:3, 3:16, 10:10, 14:6, Romans 8:1-2, 10:9, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Peter 3:9)

If I could state Christ in a nutshell,
The first thing that He'd like to do
Is to save every name for eternity- He just can't wait
Just to spend it with you!

Since Christ can make change last forever
His Word conveys this is for you
Get saved and today
Christ will never condemn
Romans
8 explains- 1 and 2

(Chorus)
But you never seem to think about Christ
You do the things you want to do
But you'll find out
I've looked around enough to know
The only One I want to know is Christ, yes!

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty except for the memory
Of how they were surpassed by You!

(Repeat Chorus)
and fade....

.............................................................................

Re: Gifted

       Have you ever had that experience, usually at Christmas, where you get a present that you honestly don't want? And then the gift winds up being given to someone else who promptly gives it to someone else. (Stereotypically, this item tends to be a fruitcake. ;-) Humorously, this is also a common feeling for a lot of Christian singles regarding what 1 Corinthians 7 refers to as "the gift of singleness". In relation to an earlier post I put regarding the topic of singleness, I wanted to offer this follow-up piece that is a reaction to a discussion with fellow Christian friends and singles who differ on how we regard singleness.
      To begin with, Genesis certainly teaches, through the example of God's own observation that it wasn't good for Adam to be alone (thus the creation of Eve), the general principle that humans are not meant to be alone. And marriage is one avenue for fulfilling that need- but it's not the only one and it shouldn't be the primary one. Ultimately, we should find completeness not in a spouse, but in Christ. That's our first and foremost relationship and that one informs and shapes all our other relationships. We also can find togetherness in community with the body of believers- our brothers and sisters in Christ in the church. And of course we also have our blood families as well and friends. The Eros (romantic) aspect of love is the one that we usually hear about and it generally overshadows the Philia (friendship) part of love. (Along with storge [familial] and agape [selfless; charity] For a good explanation of these ancient Greco-Christian terms, I highly recommend "The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis. Of course, I also highly recommend everything else he wrote. :-))  
"To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it". - Lewis in "The Four Loves"
        There are two points others have raised about how to regard singleness that I would disagree with though, at least to some degree. While I can understand where some others are coming from who would argue this view, I'm not sure I would term "singleness" as a consequence of living in a fallen world. In a sense that could be true as the relationship we were meant to have with God is broken and we are cut off from that without the intervention of Jesus. Because of His death and Resurrection and our faith in Him, we can have a renewed relationship with God in the here and now and we will experience that fully as God originally intended at the Wedding Supper of The Lamb in Heaven, as described in Revelation 21-22. However, I would have to staunchly disagree with a notion that singleness is part of the curse of sin in the fall. I believe that would go against Christ's words in Matthew 19, where He says there are to whom being a eunuch is given and some make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. I can't see part of the curse of sin jibing with doing something for the kingdom of Heaven.

                I know for singles we don't really like hearing the oft-repeated phrase that "singleness is a gift". I know it sure doesn't feel like one many times. (See this for proof. :-) http://babylonbee.com/news/local-woman-looking-return-gift-singleness/) To go back to my earlier analogy about Christmas gifts, sometimes it feels like that Christmas gift you've been waiting all year to get- and then in the midst of opening presents, you get that traditional gift of underwear. (At least as a kid, this was a tradition at my house. lol :-)) It's one of those things you never really appreciate much as a kid, but at least as you get older you can say, "Thank you" more and acknowledge that it is a necessary thing and it is still a gift, even if it's not really the fun gift you wanted. (When you get old enough to be on your own, you get really thankful for practical gifts like that because you find out how much stuff costs!)

         If I may, I wanted to offer my take on 1 Corinthians 7:7. When I read the verse in the larger context of the chapter, it reads to me that Paul is describing how some have the gift of marriage and some have the gift of singleness. If we acknowledge that God The Father makes some to be fit for marriage and some for singleness, then this would fit well with James 1:17 that tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from The Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

        Even if we don't particularly desire to be single and don't really see it as much of a gift (like the aforementioned underwear at Christmas gift), we can appreciate it more as we get older sometimes [Both physically and spiritually in The Lord]. And we have to trust God with all of our lives and if that's where He has us for now, we can trust that He has a good plan in mind, even if we don't understand it. (Acts 17:26, Psalms 138 [especially verse 8]) We might also consider it like how some are gifted with different talents- whether it's drawing or singing (two of which I don't feel too gifted on- lol ;-) Not that it stops me from doing either one)- but both are good gifts regardless.

         This all may sound like cold comfort, but I do believe God has a good plan in mind for everyone and He has a purpose for all of us- and that includes our marital status. For me, I've never really been super worried about the whole dating and marriage thing until well into my late 20s or so- and it was around then that I started seeing (seemingly) all my siblings and cousins and friends getting married and so it felt like I should be doing likewise soon enough. But I had to come to a point where I told God that if He wants me to get married- cool. If He doesn't want me to get married- cool. I'm good either way. I still would like to get married if God leads me to the right woman, but I'll be alright if it doesn't happen too. God uses all of His people for His glory and we can bring glory to Him through both our singleness and our marriage- whichever status He brings us to in His time. And I do think there are advantages and drawbacks to both, as the rest of 1 Corinthians 7 outlines. (And don't get me wrong, because marriage is indeed awesome! Plenty of Bible verses attest to that- Proverbs 18:22, Ephesians 5, Proverbs 5:18, Proverbs 12:4, Proverbs 19:14, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and others.) But marriage is temporary (Mark 12:18-27) and it's not going to solve all your problems and make your life totally happy all the time. There is the idolatry of marriage there we do need to be careful of falling into as well.

        In the end, we must accept whatever lot God has for us and learn to be content in all circumstances, as Philippians 4:10-20 counsels. (We can do [i.e. endure] all things through Christ who strengthens us. - as verse 13 famously says. Thus, let's do this!) And in all things, whether in word or deed, we must do it all for God's glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31) Of course, we can pray and ask God for a spouse and trust that He may choose to give us that heart's desire. (ala Psalms 37:1-4, as we continue to delight in Him first and trust whatever He gives us.) And whether it happens or not, as Jesus consoles us, for everyone who's left house, land, brothers, sisters, father, mother and even wife/husband and children- for His sake and for The Gospel's sake- (see Matthew 19 and Mark 10 in the KJV), they will receive a hundredfold now in this time-with persecutions- and in the age to come eternal life.

          If you have the time, you may enjoy checking out this sermon from David Platt on this topic. It's very powerful and well worth the watch- He speaks a lot of great points on the topic of marriage and singleness (focusing on singleness, by the way). I found it very helpful and encouraging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVq0mwhu2gQ

          Whatever your marital status may be, I hope you will be encouraged to continue to seek God's glory above all in singleness or marriage and that God would grant you strength to endure the hardships that come with both and the peace to enjoy the benefits that come with both as well. 

Jesus, Be Louder to me than the World

       It's been said a couple of different ways. Preacher Roe said, "Some days you eat the bear; some days the bear eats you." John Denver had a beautiful song that said, "Some days are diamond- some days are stone." Some days I want to cry out with the Psalmist- "O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom You remember no more, for they are cut off from Your hand." (Psalms 88:1-5) "The darkness is my only friend." (Psalms 88:18) - Hello, darkness- my old friend- I've come to talk with you again......
          But like Paul and Simon said by the Holy Spirit- "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. .....My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 1:21 and 23-24 and 3:7-10) "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)
          Sometimes I just want to tell all the cares of my personal life- all the demands clawing from all sides- all the chaos and craziness of life- whether it's on a personal and family level or for friends- or stretching nationally and worldwide....Sometimes I just want to tell it all to shut up for a while! Sometimes I just want to block out all the noise and just be still and know that The Lord is God. (Psalms 46:10)
            I just need to hear You, Jesus, tell the winds and waves, "Peace! Be still!" And whether He tells the storm to calm down or He tells me, His child, to calm down- either way, I know He's with me and I ride uncomfortable but safe in His hands. (John 10:29)
           And at those times- and all times- and the times I am not I want to be doing it more- I just want to say again with the Psalmist- "I love The Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the Name of The Lord; 'O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!' Gracious is The Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, He saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for The Lord has dealt bountifully with you." (Psalms 116:1-7)
           Yes, soul- return to your rest in the tender arms of Jesus, who promises rest for the weary soul. (Matthew 11:28-30) I love how the rest of Psalms 116 goes on to say that God has delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. I'm gonna walk with The Lord in the land of the living. Yep- all men are liars, but God is true always. His steadfast love endures forever! And He loves me like crazy and with an eternal love! :-) (Jeremiah 31:3) Even though I don't know why He does- I know He does and I know He's always true. And I thank Him for it! I love you too, Lord- help me to love You more! And for the times I can't face this world any more, grant me Your peace that passes all understanding. May I always know Your peace upon me- that You alone give; not as the world gives- Your peace that no one can take away! Keep my mind stayed upon You, Jehovah- and keep me in Your perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3 and John 14.....)
          Lord, I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules at all times. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways. My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope in Your word. My eyes long for Your promise; I ask, 'When will You comfort me?' I remember Your Name in the night, O Lord, and keep Your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept Your precepts. The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep Your words. I entreat Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to Your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep Your commandments.Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments. My eyes long for Your salvation and for the fulfillment of Your righteous promise. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.
(all taken from Psalms 119)
           I don't particularly want to die any time soon, and there are a lot of things I'd still like to do in life before that day- or before the day when Christ comes again.....but even though I still have trepidation at times about both those times with the fear of the unknown and all those old fears about salvation and how God can love and even save a messed-up individual like me- I still have faith that calms all my fears and says that I am His and He is mine and I just trust that Jesus will do what He said He will do. And there are some days that I am truly just so longing for my Home in Heaven. There are some days that I am just feeling SO done with life- (to clarify not in a suicidal way)- just in a way that feels like I am so weary of dealing with so many things on and on again and again- and sometimes I just want a change from it all and a release. Sometimes I feel like chilling with Asaph and Habakkuk and Job, crying out- What's the deal, God? How come the wicked get to prosper, but I feel like I try to live for You and get the shaft instead? But One greater than Shaft is here and He binds up the brokenhearted. And He's suffered more than words can say and knows all about pain, betrayal and heartache. And thus, I trust again and leave things to Him. And some days I just long for His kingdom of light and love to come and redeem this old earth, while I wait up on the roof for Him. I know He will come soon in His time (whatever day that might be- and I don't know when it is- if in my lifetime or not)- but one day He will fulfill that promise. Even so, come Lord Jesus! And until that day or the day of my death- help me to be faithful every moment as You lead me on.
          And I love how Psalms 116:7 says that The Lord has dealt bountifully with you, my soul. Or to put it another way- Thank The Lord because He's been doubly good to you. He's blessed me with physical life and spiritual life through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection. I thank and praise Him for that. I thank and praise Him for all the many other blessings He's given me. And I thank Him for all the hard things He's let me go through that makes me cling all the harder to Him. For all the things that pain me and open my eyes and ears with His megaphone to a deaf world that tells me that He is the only sure thing to hold on to above all else. [Kinda like C.S. Lewis said. ;-)] Where can I go but to The Lord? (as a classic song says- not to mention John 6:68. Jesus alone has the words of eternal life!) God is my portion and the strength of my heart forever! (Psalms 73) Whom I have in Heaven but You, Jesus? And what better could I hope to find down here on Earth? I could search the most distant reaches of this world but I'd just be wasting my time- I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find You're my one thing! (And the pure in heart shall see God.) .....(both Psalms 73 and lyrics from Rich Mullins' "My One Thing" :-))
         And here's another great Rich Mullins song- one that Amy Grant actually recorded and made famous, but one that he wrote. Here's a clip of him actually performing it himself.
Even when I'm not feeling the best about everything, no matter how my life is looking and no matter how bad things may be looking in the world, I just want to say to all the negative forces in the world- I'm going to praise The Lord anyway! Thank You, Lord Jesus! Let everything that hath breath praise The Lord! He is always doubly good to me.

Vanity Tabled

"All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9)

What are you living life for? Is it worth dying for?

"For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)

Unless you're Enoch or Elijah, everyone dies.

"And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

What's the point of life if it's all vanity- it's all meaningless? Everything is meaningless!

"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26)

Ah- there's the rub. The only enjoyment in life comes from God.
And there's only One Way to know God.

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) - And that Name is Jesus Christ.

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Knowing and following Jesus is the only Way to truly have life- life abundant and life eternal.

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8)

"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

The Meaning of Life

"We want more than this world's got to offer....we want more than this world's got to offer... we want more than the wars of our fathers...And everything inside screams for second life.......We were meant to live for so much more...have we lost ourselves?"- "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot

"You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense." - Rick Warren

As Rick Warren talks about in his best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life", we and all those philosophers that have come before us and the ones here now often can't find the purpose for our lives because we start at the wrong place. As human beings we have a natural tendency to focus in ourselves and so we look to defining life and its purpose in terms of how it affects our own lives particularly. But that's the wrong approach. As Rev. Warren's book states in the first line- "It's not about you."
           Now that's just an affront to our self-centered fragile egos. It takes some real humbling on our parts to remember that there are many things in the world so much bigger than ourselves and everything does not revolve around us. We are but dust blowing in the wind, as Kansas said. But though we started out as dust, God makes something more of us through Jesus. And here we get to the purpose and meaning of life when we change the focus to the One bigger than us- bigger than everything else in the world. Life starts with God Himself- because He is Life. In fact, as Jesus said in John 14:6, He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to the Father except through Him.
       After spending most all the time and money in the world on women, wine and song, King Solomon concluded that all of life is vanity! " 'Everything is meaningless,' says The Teacher." (see Ecclesiastes 1:1) What a bleak outlook on life! But read the whole book- that is exactly what life is like without God. It's all meaningless without God. Without God, it's nothing but a set amount of time to kill before time kills us. The kicker is there at the end of the book. "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
        Okay then- so if we start this quest for the meaning of life by looking outward to God instead of inward, where does that take us? Well, here are some Bible verses that speak to this point. God Himself tells us plainly our position in the universe and our purpose. While the Psalmist marvels that God should think of us at all- "What is man that You are mindful of us?" (see Psalms 8). Yet God made us "a little lower than the angels." (again, see Psalms 8). And since Genesis 1:26 tells us that God made us, male and female, in His image- we have an infinite booster shot's worth of self-worth right there! Of course, our worth is not in us- it's in Jesus. It's because we are made in His image that we are infinitely important and valuable. And God loves us with an eternal love because we are His creation. (Jeremiah 31:3)
          And why were we created? What are we here on earth for? What are we? When are we? Where are we? Who are we? Why are we? Well, we need look no further than God. And He says that He created all things- and they were all created "for His pleasure". (Revelation 4:11) That's it right there. We were created to bring God pleasure. Unfortunately, too often we have brought Him nothing but heartache and grief, as Genesis 6:5-8 attests. Fortunately, that's where Jesus comes in- both figuratively and literally. Though we were created to bring God pleasure- and nothing brings Him more pleasure than our willing obedience to Him and worship of Him- we chose instead our own pleasure and chose to sin against God. And the wages of sin is death- and not just physical death. There is also the spiritual death we dwell in outside of Christ- and the eternal second death in Hell. However, after Adam and Eve's sin brought corruption to the whole earth and tainted the human race's bloodline with a sin nature, God still had a plan in mind to put right what once went wrong. And much like Dr. Sam Beckett quite literally in some ways becomes one with the person he Leaps into (on "Quantum Leap"), God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. And Jesus paid the price for us and made the sacrifice of His own life for all the sins of the world. And because He lives again, we have forgiveness from God and a restored relationship, all free for the asking. Romans 10:9 says if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. And we can know we have an eternity with Him in Heaven instead. Praise God for His love! (see Philippians 2:1-11)
          When we are in a right relationship with our Creator, everything falls into place. As we seek more and more to obey God and be more like Christ, we come to fulfill one of God's other purposes for our lives. We are created for His pleasure and one of the ways God gets the most pleasure is when we worship Him as He rightfully deserves and thus bring Him glory. He formed and made us for His glory. (see Isaiah 43:7). And the crazy cool thing is this- when we live in right relationship with God and seek to bring Him glory, we also find ourselves most fulfilled and find purpose in our lives. In becoming more like Christ, we become more ourselves than ever before, as C.S. Lewis once noted. Of course, there is a good reason for this. This is how God designed us to be- this is His original intent. He is a relational God and He desires us all to have a relationship with Him. And only in that relationship with Jesus can we truly find the fulfillment and purpose and meaning we are looking for in life. It just doesn't work any other way. Try to save your life- you'll lose it. Try to get ahead and win in life- ultimately, you'll fail and lose. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? If you want to know peace, fulfillment, purpose and meaning in life- they only come in following Jesus. Forget the pursuit of the temporal and rather pursue the eternal. Not only is the eternal all that will last- it's all that really matters in the end. The eternal not only rewards our permanent dwelling in Heaven with Christ- it enriches our time allotted in the land of our sojourn.
          We are here for a reason. God has a purpose in mind for each one of us. He loves us with an eternal love and He has placed eternity in our hearts. To live for His glory and bring Him pleasure is built into our DNA- but it's only realized when we make the choice to follow His call and accept Christ as Savior through faith in His death and Resurrection as payment for all our sins and then live in union with Him- the way that He designed all along. To reject Him and His love is truly a living hell on earth that extends for eternity. To accept Him and His love is pure ecstasy- pure rapture for a captured heart that eternally dwells in His presence in His heavenly realms. He is the meaning of Life-He's The Way of enlightenment and understanding and wisdom- He is The Truth- there is no other. We either live with anathema or we can join an anthem of the everlasting Hallelujah chorus! Praise God for His love. :-)
           So the call goes out to us all- forget about our own lives and pursuits- deny them all; yes, deny our very selves- take up our own cross and follow Jesus. It's a daily process and thankfully, one that He prearranges and ordains and maintains all the while working through our surrendered will and being. (See Matthew 6:24-28).God is faithful- even when we're not. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). And what is His command? Love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength- and love thy neighbor as thyself. And speak The Truth in Love. (See Matthew 22:34-40 and Ephesians 4:15). Love undergirds everything. So keep walking in fellowship with Jesus and live a life of purpose on purpose- just as He purposed it all along. That's The Way He planned it. There is no other way to truly live. This is The Life! And that's The Truth. :-)

Relient K- "Collapsible Lung" album review

Relient K- “Collapsible Lung” review

        Let me say a few things to preface this deal. I LOVE Relient K! I have been a fan of this band since its first major label album in 2000 and I still am. I have seen them in concert a couple of times and I’d LOVE to go see them play again. I LOVE all the albums and this one is certainly no exception. In short, I LOVE this album. This is an incredibly honest view of society today, of love and values and perhaps also a reflection of the spiritual journey the lead singer’s been through lately. As a rule, Matt Thiessen has most always written songs based on his own experiences and I would say that may well be what the songs on this album represent.
         In keeping with the last album released, no lyrics are included with the actual CD release. (Bummer- but oh well.) For those who don’t have the benefit of having the physical CD release, let me note a few things that may be of help to know. I know that the band apparently got a lot of outside help on this album in co-writing songs and such. I don’t know how much lyrics were brought in from outside writers or not, but here’s the breakdown according to the CD.
“Don’t Blink” by Matthew Hoopes and Matthew Thiessen
“Boomerang” by Matthew Thiessen, Evan Bogart and Ari Levine
“Lost Boy” by Matthew Thiessen, Greg Wattenberg, Matt Musto, Derek Fuhrman
“If I Could Take You Home” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Fernando Garribay
“Can’t Complain” by Matthew Thiessen, Brian Lee and Emily Wright
“Gloria” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Tim Pagnotta and Ari Levine
“PTL” by Matthew Thiessen, Caleb Owens and Matt Musto
“Disaster” by Matthew Thiessen
“When You Were My Baby” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes and Caleb Owens
“Sweeter” by Matthew Thiessen and Caleb Owens
“Collapsible Lung” by Matthew Thiessen and Matthew Hoopes

Once again, the band has a joint statement of thanks printed.
“We would like to thank God for the opportunity to make music. We would also like to sincerely thank our friends, families & loved ones, as well as every person involved in the making of this record.”

They still clearly thank God for all He has done and they clearly acknowledge His presence and working in the songs as well. Let me also say this- Relient K is still just a band and they’re just musicians trying to live their lives for Christ. And they sometimes fail as we all do. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! So I don’t know all the details of all their lives and I don’t stand in judgment on them. I’m not going to try to speculate on what may or may not have been or is going on in their lives. I’m just going to try to look for clues in the song lyrics and see what each may be driving at- I could be wrong in my interpretation of course- and I certainly could be reading too much into things- but here are the things I pick up from the “Collapsible Lung” album. (I think it may be easiest to post the lyrics for each song for the purposes of analysis, so that is what I will do with this.)

“Don’t Blink” – I like that this is the first song on the album. I think it kicks things off well and perhaps is a throwback to where we left things at the end of the “Forget and Not Slow Down” album. I view this song as a statement of resolve; a song that makes a declarative statement- to forget and not slow down- but at the same time- don’t blink because you might miss life along the way. I think it’s perhaps also reflective of the singer’s plan to get back to where he was in following God before and trust that His forgiveness and grace will carry him forward once again.
       The lyrics are telling-

“Don't know where to go from here
My thoughts are tangled twisted fears
Been waiting a while now on the dawn
Seems like the sun may never come

I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again

You're the only Person who reminds me
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me

Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?

Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new

Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had

Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me
You're the only person who reminds me

Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?

Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
Oh oh oh oh
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?

Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new

Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”

-In the first two paragraphs, it is reminiscent to me of Psalms 23 –
 “I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again”
- “Yea though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff- they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
Now, I could be off, but I really think this song (and album) is reflecting on the singer’s attempts to find meaning, peace and security in human relationships (particularly romantic boyfriend/girlfriend relationships)- and finding that even the best of human relationships fails. I think this is a song where he’s coming back to God and finding the incredibly true and hopeful realization that- after everyone else fails and abandons me- “You’re the only Person who reminds me Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new -Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me.” And of course, Jesus is Love. And He is beautiful and true and new. He’s the only One who can really give us true love and true life. Then we have an exhortation to hold on and not blink- but rather enjoy life because “The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away- may The Name of The Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) “In another life, who knows what we’d become?” –I think this line could work either way- possibly a reference to the new eternal life we’ll have with Jesus in Heaven, but also a reference to another life path where we walk with Jesus at the forefront of our relationship- and we could have a much better relationship with Him there in the center.
“Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had

Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”

 

-Love these lines! I think this is where we see the singer’s resolve to “take the righteous path” – the one that leads to life instead of the broad one that leads to death. (See Matthew 7.) And he hopes and prays it will lead him back to all the happiness he had. And because of 1 John 1:9, we know that God is always willing to forgive us and take us back when we truly come to Him in repentance and confess our sins to Him- I think the close relationship with God is “the happiness” the singer had and taking “the righteous path” will definitely lead him back to it. I love that he is also casting off falsehood- including every kiss that wasn’t love and every word that stretched the truth. None of these women that he had shallow relationships with truly loved him- but the God who loved the whole world so much that He gave us Jesus to die on the cross and rise again to pay for our sins- still loves him dearly- and He’s the only One who truly loves him the most.
        So I see this song as a hopeful declaration of resolve- a song of trust in Jesus. :-)

“Boomerang”-  Now from this part of the album forward- this is where many people seem to have so many questions about the intent and meaning of the songs. However, I don’t hear anything sexually explicit or objectionable for that reason in these songs. And here is a key other thing I don’t hear in any of these songs- I don’t hear any of them advocating any of the things we know are wrong in these songs. If anything, they should serve as cautionary tales- just like when we read about King David and his adultery with Bathsheba, which led to his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. (1 Kings 11) In fact, I would say one of the overriding themes of this album is, “Don’t make the same mistakes that I did- learn from what happened to me and make the right choices.” Look through this whole album and notice how many times the singer indicates that what he was doing was wrong and that he shouldn’t have been doing it (and neither should you.)   With that in mind, let’s look at the rest of the songs.

“Hey, I try to run away
But everywhere I turn, I turn around
And you're right back in my face
And everything you say
I can't get away from you
I just can't escape

Cause you're at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts

We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

Hey, already on the way
End up at your place when I should be driving home
Girl what was I thinking
Girl what was I drinking
Trying to tell myself that it can't be wrong

You were at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts

We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again

We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again”

-I think the chorus is the main kicker on this one. When you’re “riding on a boomerang” and your love “is like a rubber band” always snapping back- that’s not a good picture of love. Love is true and faithful. (See 1 Corinthians 13). It always perseveres and never fails.
But let’s be honest- her good looks are alluring. Her perfume- her clothes- everything about her. She’s hanging at the singer’s favorite hang-out with his friends. But then the singer says, “End up at your place when I should be driving home. Girl, what was I thinking? What was I drinking? – Trying to tell myself it can’t be wrong.”
He knows he shouldn’t be doing it- but yet he finds himself drawn in anyway (since “he can’t escape”.) And so he’s giving in- but he’s aware of the situation enough to know that it’s wrong and know that their love that keeps snapping back and forth is not a picture of real love.
(One last caveat on this, since it comes up again and is a sticking point for many Christians- yes, I wish he wasn’t drinking too-in general, I don’t think it’s a good idea. However, Jesus drank wine with His disciples- in fact, his first miracle recorded was turning water into wine. I choose to be a teetotaler myself- but I can’t judge anyone who chooses to imbibe. The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong to drink alcohol- in fact, it even seems to encourage it in some places. (Proverbs 30 and 1 Timothy 5:23) However, The Bible does says that getting drunk is a sin- Ephesians 5:18.) So drink if you choose to do so- but don’t be a bad example or stumbling block for Christian brothers or unbelievers. And if you don’t believe in drinking- don’t judge those who choose to do so because of their freedom in Christ!) And again- he never advocates drinking in any case- but at least he’s honest enough to say this is the state he was at in the song- and from the context of the songs, he was probably using drinking to help heal the hurt in his heart- again, a hurt that only the Holy Ghost can heal.

“Lost Boy”-

Wow! The title alone evokes metaphorical references. And yes- I certainly have to mention Jesus’ parable of The Prodigal Son in Luke 15. (Remember that this parable comes after Christ’s parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin- and thus, this parable is also sometimes referred to as “The Lost Son”.) I think this is yet another startingly honest admittance- the singer was lost, having strayed off the narrow path. And he needed the Shepherd of our souls to pull him back to the righteous path.

“You had a baby you were seventeen years old
I was on the road trying to make it my home
You had a man but he wasn't no good to ya
I was with women I didn't know

Foot loose, Fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time

Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray

And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around

Sweet country baby you were singing at the airport
Raking in tips with the heel of your boot
I must have passed you by a hundred times
Before cupid saw it fit to let me dance with you

Foot loose, fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time

Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray

And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy

Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray

And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy

Before you came around
Before you came around
Before you came around

-Notice again that the singer freely admits he was “with women he didn’t know”. And though perhaps he thought this girl was the one and maybe he truly thought she was the right one, I get the feeling that he was left with disappointment once again. Of course, I also get the feeling that the chorus repeated the last time could be read as a statement to God- a statement of our lostness before He came around and found us. That’s a vulnerable statement to make- but a necessary one in our road to recovery and restoration and reconciliation with God.

“If I Could Take You Home”
-Here we have a song where the singer recounts yet another disappoint in relationships. And it seems like he’s saying though she’s his Katherine, he’ll be her Petruchio and tame her. After all, “if he could take you home”- then things would be different. Perhaps he could try to “be all that she needs”- but is she really all that he needs?


“I hear the words that you're telling me
Taking about all this tragedy
You've got everything
When you're close to me

You're all around
You're surrounding me
Intoxicated by the air you breathe
You've got everything
With me
Oh oh

Like broken pieces of a shattered dream
Or like a movie with a missing scene
You'd like you believe
I'm nothing special

But if I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need

The trail of broken hearts you left behind
Should send me running girl
But I don't mind
It's not up to me
Where you sleep
oh oh

But you're so good at making casualties
Inflicting pain rather casually
It's easy to see
You'd do it to me
Oh oh

Like broken pieces of a shattered dream
Or like a movie with a missing scene
You'd like to believe
I'm nothing special

But if I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need

If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
You think I'm nothing special
But if I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)

Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh

If I could take you home
If I could take it slow(Oh whoa oh)
If I could let you know
If I could make you see
That I'll be all that you need (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh

You think I'm nothing special
But If I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need

If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take it slow (Oh whoa oh)
If I could let you know (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
You think I'm nothing special
But If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
I'll be all that you need (Oh whoa oh)”

 

-I think it’s worth noting that the singer acknowledges that it’s “not up to him where she sleeps”. He even admits that she “inflicts pain so casually” and “leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her”. And on top of that- “she thinks he’s nothing special”. So why is he so wanting to take her home again? The false bravado and swagger here belies to me both a bit of naivete and some optimism that somehow he can be the one to make it work. Another song that seems destined to end in failure.

“Can’t Complain”

-Now this one is particularly interesting to me. On the surface, it seems to be conveying a Biblical message- and I would definitely agree with that part. “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14) “Don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Jesus in Matthew 6). “Teach us to number the days aright, Lord.” (see Psalms 90:12)
There are a lot of other verses I could mention as well. This is a good, Biblical message in general in itself. However, maybe there’s something deeper past the surface…


“Looking at the cop in the rear view mirror
Probably should have stopped but the crosswalk was clear
I'll just imagine it's a ticket to a Broadway show

Looking at the clouds and they seem kinda funny
Probably gonna rain but my outlook is sunny
I'll just imagine that I'm laying out in Mexico

Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days

But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste

Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday

And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain

Waiting on a never ending train at the crossing
Paying it no mind cause you just keep talking
We'll just imagine it's the good old days and take it slow

Spending Christmas Eve on the floor of the airport
Dying to get back to the people that I care for
Smiling just dreaming about my puppy in my bed back home

Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days

But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste

Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday

And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days

If you can't say nothing good
Don't say nothing
If you stop to think you could come up with something
That makes you feel so good when times are rough it's ok

I can't complain
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
Don't let it go to waste

Now I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste

Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday

And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain”

-Well, in general it sounds like an optimistic tune to me and I like that. However, it could also be a tone of noncommital acceptance- something that says that things in life are going to just happen- and we can’t do anything about them- so we should just accept things with a shrug and a smile and move on. This amounts to a lackadaisical attitude to me and I don’t think that’s right. Don’t just accept that life has to be the way it is, full of personal failures and relationship disappointments. Jesus can put all of those relationships right! Don’t turn to apathy- turn to Him!
(Also, this song unfortunately uses a word I don’t like to use in that capacity and I’m sure you know which I mean. I wish they hadn’t but I know a number of people don’t find it to be such a bad word- and certainly not nearly on the level of a curse word. I’m not saying that it is- but I am saying that I wish they had used a word like “stink” instead- which conveys the same meaning without possible sexual connotations- of course, perhaps it’s appropriate for this album, in that case.)

“Gloria”
-Relient K showcases its trademark wit in this song. And what a great sense of irony! The word “gloria” itself is used in the title of two classic Christian songs- hymns of praise. (“Gloria in Excelsis Deo” [i.e. Glory to God in the highest] and “Gloria Patri”. [“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”] And this Gloria isn’t living up to her name in giving God glory with the way she lives her life, particularly in this relationship.

I never know whatcha
You're keeping me in the dark
You've got your fast moves and
You've got your one two's and
I could never let down my guard

You say you can never do better than me
Aye gloria what's come over ya
Why don't you teach me how to

Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love

Telling lies, swatting kisses like their flies
Doing everything I can to survive
Keep me in the cold, raking me over the coals
You either freeze me or burn me alive

Cause You say you can never do better than me
Aye gloria, I'm kinda sore would ya
Why don't you keep me up

Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love

I guess it's love, flower petals everywhere
I guess it's love, runnin' fingers through your hair
I guess it's love when you tell me what to wear
I guess it's love when you're goin' through my phone
I guess it's love when I can't go out alone
I guess it's love when you got me feelin' low
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to

Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love”

 

-I think the key to understanding this song is knowing that it’s meant to be sarcastic.

Gloria is “telling lies” and “keeping him in the dark”. Yet “she’s his drug”. So it must be love when she’s controlling and not trusting (going through his phone) and keeping him feeling low. The song at that point is really an antithesis of the picture of love God paints in 1 Corinthians 13.
This song showcases yet another relationship that is definitely not real love.

“PTL”

-Again we have a song title that seems to evoke Christian imagery. “PTL” is a fairly common abbreviation in many Christian denominations for “Praise The Lord”. I kinda wonder if both this and the last song title are meant to be ironic.

“There was a time when I was scared of nothing
Nothing can touch you if you don't look back
I walked away from every good thing that I had

By the time I met you it was 12 past midnight
Told you I'd be the best you never had
You said "Are you serious?"
I said like a heart attack

But it was far too late before I figured it out.
I never meant to be your, I never meant to be your
One night, one mistake.

I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am

I never called you like I know I should of
Thought I could save you for a rainy day
I bet the sun was shining when I let you slip away

But it was far too late before I figured it out
I bet the sun was shining, I never meant to be your
One night, one mistake

I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am

I never meant to be your part-time lover (part-time lover)
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya (Guess I'm the fool that ya)

I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am

I never meant to be your fool
I never meant to be your fool
I walked away from every good thing that I had”

- We can clearly see some of Matt Thiessen’s classic wordplay lyrics in the chorus here. “I never meant to be your part-time lover- Then again I’ve never been a full-time man”….
And then the singer goes on to admit that he guesses “he’s the fool that she thinks he is.” He “never meant to be her one night, one mistake.” And it hurts when he realizes that the relationship is not what he thought it was- it isn’t the committed full time thing he wants, especially when he “sees her with another”. And once again, he notes that he “walked away from every good thing that he had.”
But as David sought the restoration of his relationship with The Lord in Psalms 51 (and received it)- the singer can still walk back to his good relationship with The Lord as well- and of course, “every good thing” and “every perfect gift” comes from above- from The Lord. (as James 1:17 tells us.)

 

 

“Disaster”
-Okay, I don’t know how much more clear the theme can be made than in this title. The singer clearly says that his relationship with this girl “has disaster written all over it.” It’s a very honest confession here in this song.

 

“I was spending all my time falling in love
Should’ve known better, but it's so much fun when I'm with you
And there’s a missing person poster hanging up at the bar
Cause I, I've got a girl
I think we're in love
But oh for how long
It's got disaster written all over
So don't nobody show her
Our horoscope headline- disaster
Written all over it

Oh you didn't no no you didn't
Did you pull out the wires make a man out of me

I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
Oh disaster

Baby, you look so sexy so what do I do when
We get home from church and the baby
Is in her room sleeping or watching a movie
You get closer to me
Oh this has disaster written all over it

I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time

Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster.

Won't you pull out the wires make a man out of me

I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
It could be disaster if I don't even try
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time

Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster

-So even though the singer and this girl are still going to church, they’re coming home to a baby that may have been born out of wedlock. (That part isn’t exactly clear.) What is clear is that the singer says that the whole thing is a disaster. He’s trying to “avert it by reacting a bit faster”. That way, he can “avert disaster one day at a time”. Interestingly, he says he “spent all his time falling in love”. And once he found this girl, now “there’s a missing person poster hanging up at the bar”. So he goes from drowning his sorrows in beer to drowning his sorrows in a relationship with this girl- and he comes to the conclusion that it’s a disaster. When he’s “trying to figure out if life’s worth living without her” and “hopes he never has to”- I wonder if this line might also be reflective of trying to live life without God- and the answer is that nothing really satisfies without God. In fact, life without God is just a disaster. (see Psalms 32).

“When You Were My Baby”

-We have here a song of lament, where the singer sadly recalls how good things were “when she was his baby”- when he had a good relationship with this girl and everything felt right. I think this song is simply a song of lament for the good relationship he had when things were right with him and his girl and his God.

“I still remember what happened
Yeah, I know right where I was
The sky was looking overcast
On the outskirts of love

That's when you said keep on driving
Although the sun's gonna set
You said you had to see how far we could take this
Yeah, how far we could get

When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was mine

I woke up this morning
Aching for you
Roll over, try to sleep it off
Till late afternoon
They say that it's better
If you love and lost
Maybe if I stay away from you
I'd be better off now

When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was

Spinning around us
Trouble never found us
Wish I had it now
But the whole wide world
It never beams bright and
Never feels as right and
It's killing me tonight just thinking

When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby the world

When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
It never seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was”

- I notice that “the whole wide world never beams bright and never feels as right”- when she is no longer the singer’s baby. Back then, “nothing seemed to faze him”, but now he’s having to face life without her. And again, we have a reminder of the emptiness of basing all your happiness and joy on a romantic relationship with a girl. Only God truly satisfies. (Psalms 42).

 

“Sweeter”
-This song really says it pretty well and plainly. The singer sings about this girl that is sweeter than sugar but still leaves a sour taste in your mouth. The problem is- the singer can’t see “the trouble he’s in” with this girl. And once again, we are reminded that a wrong relationship will just bring us heartache in the end.

 

“She looks good in your clothes
Climbing up the staircase
Back to bed you go again
Even when her eyes are closed
Can't keep from staring
Oh, the trouble you got in

She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind

She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she will leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down

Wonder if she knows
That I know where she goes
When she says she's with her friends
Yeah, everything grows old
Can't try to stop it
All comes to a bitter end
But I don't pay no mind

She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down

She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind

She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down”

-I think it’s interesting that the singer says “she’s an apparition fogging up my vision”. (Particularly since he makes a specific reference to The Holy Ghost in the following song- perhaps this is a comparison of the girl to another spirit- but here representing an evil spirit, rather than The Holy Spirit. I don’t mean to demonize the girl here, but just to make the comparison regarding the unBiblical relationship.) “Don’t allow her to sour- just spit her out. Believe me, she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth- Can’t drink enough to wash her down.” Here we have a clear warning from the singer to stay away from such women and such relationships that don’t conform to the rules for sexuality that God set down in His Word. (Again, the drinking issue comes up here, but to be fair- that doesn’t have to refer to alcohol. Even if it does, it’s still true- you can’t drink enough alcohol to wash her down- or to remedy the heart situation.) The phrasing saying “she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth” also brings to mind this truth from The Bible- “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17)


“Collapsible Lung”

-Here we have the conclusion of the matter. This last track on the album echoes the resolve of the first track (“Don’t Blink”). It’s a song of confession asking for God to extend His grace once more again. It’s an acknowledgement of how much we all need God and how nothing else really satisfies without Him.

“Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time won't slow down

I'm getting by with my collapsible lung
And it's a good time 100% of the time
And I'm like a ladder with a missing rung
And it's a slow climb headed back to the sky
And I'm feelin' backwards when I'm trying the most
And I hope haven't heard the last words from The Holy Ghost
Cause I think that I'm supposed to be
Well on my way by now

I'll do the twist with my replaceable hips
And turn you right round
Then dip you down to the ground
And now I wanna grow old and rub your tired limbs
And take it easy
Until we wither away
Until we wither away

Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time can't slow down

To take a breath and then take it in
To think of places I'll go I haven't been
To pour my heart into everything I've found
Time won't slow down

Feelin' backwards
And I hope haven't heard the last words
No, no, no
Cause I think that I'm supposed to be
Well on my way-eh-eh!
Eh eh!
Wooo'
To pour my heart into everything I found

Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time won't slow down

To take a breath and then take it in
To think of places I'll go I haven't been”

 

-“Between the miles of open road”, the singer “stumbled into the great unknown” and “found that time won’t slow down”. Along the way, he “lost sight of what might matter the most”. I think this is a confession of how he fell away from God- from Who really matters the most. He’s “getting by with his collapsible lung”- an acknowledgement of the frailty of human beings. (Psalms 8). And though “it’s a slow climb back to the sky”- back to God- he keeps pressing on, even though he’s “feeling backwards when he’s trying the most”- and he “hopes he hasn’t heard the last words from The Holy Ghost”. He concludes that he “thinks he’s supposed to be well on his way by now.” When he mentions the part about “doing the twist with his replaceable hips”, I think he’s now talking about the image of a relationship he really wants to have- a lifelong commitment of marriage- to have the woman beside him who is his wife, who he can “grow old with and rub her tired limbs”- "until we wither away". (Until death do us part.). He wants “to pour his heart into everything he’s found”, “to take a breath and then take it in” and “to think of places he’ll go he hasn’t been”. I think this works on both the physical level as far as relationships here on Earth go, but also on the spiritual level- to the places he’ll go in his walk with Christ. That’s what really matters the most in both the first place and end place.
- Here then is the crux of the entire album, I think. ”Vanity! Vanity! Everything is vanity! Says the Preacher.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). Everything is meaningless- without God. “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. ¹⁴ For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
This whole album is like a musical version of Ecclesiastes in so many ways for me. In the end, the singer is still holding to his faith in God and realizes that the only real satisfaction comes from obeying God and following Him. And I love the honesty of the musical journey that takes us to that point to realize that. Amen! Only Jesus satisfies. :-)

“That’s My Jam”

-And for the deep spiritual meaning of this song…….um, I don’t think there is any. It’s just plain fun! :-)
(Proverbs 12:25, 17:22)

 

“Turn up the record cause the song's just begun
I'm smashing pumpkins like it's November 1
Wish britney'd hit me one more time on the phone
So tired of counting crows with Mr. Jones
My sister hazel knows that it's all for you
Am I a blur or do you sing my song 2?

Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam

Jane's addicted and Alice is in chains
U2 like to move me in mysterious ways
We're chasing waterfalls and wonder-walls
My jewel, you were meant for me so save my soul
Add seven Mary three plus 98 degrees
Eve 6 times 311, that's you and me

Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam

This blessed union of collective souls
Is the only world we know
This heart-shaped candle box burns for you alone
You outta know

Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh feelin' so sublime
Ooh ooh ooh ooh boy ii man
Ooh ooh ooh my pearl jam

Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh take my hand
Ooh ooh ooh baby, you're my jam”