A Grain of Salt

First a verse, then a song.

Romans 7:17-18  “¹⁷Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. ¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Now the song.

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

I’m standing on a stage
Of fear and self-doubt
It’s a hollow play
But they’ll clap anyway

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You’re standing next to me
My mind holds the key

I’m living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head

I’m living in an age
Whose name I don’t know
Though the fear keeps me moving
Still my heart beats so slow

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You’re standing next to me
My mind holds the key
My body is a

My body is a cage
We take what we’re given
Just because you’ve forgotten
That don’t mean you’re forgiven

I’m living in an age
That screams my name at night
But when I get to the doorway
There’s no one in sight

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You’re standing next to me
My mind holds the key

Set my spirit free
Set my spirit free
Set my body free

Phew, that’s a long song. You may have noticed some similarities between the song and the verse. In that case, congratulations. The chorus of this song seems to me to be about one thing- our nature. We want to do good, we try our hardest to do good, but we constantly find ourselves failing. With no explanation, we look to God. The most amazing thing in the universe follows-he is willing to look past our nature.

However, the singer in this case doesn’t really understand. Instead of looking to God, and allowing him to bring us closer instead of doing it under our own power, he looks to his mind. He tries to come up with some sort of answer on his own, but there isn’t one and there never will be  one. God is the only way to himself.

Ha! Funny story. Can’t embed this week because the artist disabled it. Ha.

But here it is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch
Would you do it? (Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya)
If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich
Would you do it? (Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya)
If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back
Would you do it? (Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya)
If you could take all the love without giving any back
Would you do it? (Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, ya)

And so we cannot know ourselves
Or what we’d really do
With all your power
With all your power
With all your power
What would you do?

With all your power
With all your power
With all your power
What would you do?

If you could make your own money and then give it to everybody
Would you do it? (No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no)
If you knew all the answers and could give to the masses
Would you do it? (No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no)

Are you crazy?
It’s a very dangerous thing to do exactly what you want
Because you cannot know yourself, or what you’d really do

With all your power
With all your power
With all your power
What would you do?

This is another great example of a non-Christian song that can teach us something. At first, the lyrics seem quite clear. Everyone is inherently greedy, and given the opportunity, we would probably keep everything we have to ourselves. But as we saw in the case of Ananias and Sepphira, that  isn’t always the best idea. The best course of action is to understand what you are weak to, and work in those areas.

But there is, of course, another meaning. All of us like to complain. We love to say what we would do “if given half the opportunity”, but we really have no idea what we would do under such pressure. No offense to our President, but many of the things he said he would do in office have simply not happened- it’s impossible to tell what could happen to us, or what we would do if we had the power to change things.

Next time the video will be embedded.

Seriously.

“Suddenly, all your history’s ablaze
Try to breathe, as the world disintegrates
Just like autumn leaves, we’re in for change
Holding tenderly to what remains
And all your memories, are as precious as gold
And all the honey, and the fire which you’ve stole
Have you running through all your red-cheeked days
Shaking loose these souls, from their sacred hiding space

Hold your heart courageously
As we walk into this dark place
Stand steadfast erect and see
That love is the province of the brave

Pushed under this expanse of bursting stars
Let this burning brightly illuminate the where we are
In this hollow that’s lovers’ voices occupy
Let it follow that we let it free, let it fly

Breaking open the walls of this cage
Intoxicated, oh so amazed
Much like falcons tumbling from the heights at play
Conjoined, talons engaged

Hold these hearts courageously
As we walk into this dark place
Stand steadfast beside me and see
That love is the province of the brave.”

I love songs like this one, that show love in a pure way…. but that’s off topic. Like many other reviews, a few things stand out to me. The first part that needs closer examination is the entirety of the first verse. “Try to breathe, as the world disintegrates/Just like autumn leaves, we’re in for change/Holding tenderly to what remains…” Whether the band intended it or not, this is a very good description of a salvation experience. When we become saved, we enter a new world as the old one disintegrates around us. All that is left of ourselves should be held onto.

The last verse is just as powerful, describing the end of a Christian’s life. When we break free from our bodies, we are free to experience a joy that literally cannot be described. Strangely, a former teacher used the same falcon imagery in describing God’s love. So perhaps I’m biased, but I believe this band has painted a picture that many Christian bands struggle to.

This is the last time I have to do this, sorry.

Next week the video will be embedded, cross my heart.

Until then, we have a doozy this week.

Lie, lie to my face,
Tell me it ain’t no thing,
That’s what I wanna hear.
Take, a lie to the grave,
That’s what and old friend told me,
Look at what it did for him.

The truth hurts so bad, wouldn’t you say?
So why tell it?
If ignorance is bliss,
Then I’m in heaven now.

Run, you’ll never escape,
You see you go nowhere (so new you appear),
Broke, laid to waste,
Turn into sweet nothings,
That kiss you goodbye.

The truth hurts so bad, wouldn’t you say?
So why tell it?
If ignorance is bliss,
Then I’m in heaven now.

I keep doin’ it over and over again,
The never ending places I never been
No one is catching on or calling my bluff,
The devil made me, only we never met,
What you do is say it with a smile boy,
Makin’ us all forget,
What you do is say it with a smile boy,
Makin’ us all forget,
Makin’ us all forget,
Makin’ us all forget.

I do enjoy this song quite a bit. But the lyrics really tell a story that I’m sure most of us can ( sadly ) relate to. The first tale is told in the beginning half of the song. Many people (myself included) choose to be ignorant of things that would hurt them. This idea actually keeps many people away from Christianity- they fear the change that it brings, and choose to remain away from it. “Take, a lie to the grave, /That’s what and old friend told me, /Look at what it did for him.” Some would actually choose the ignorance that they value over the truth that could keep them alive. But those same people can’t stand to be bothered by anything- so why listen to that which makes them uncomfortable?

The second half tells another story. It seems like the singer is now the liar, and plans to keep up his deceit as long as he can. But the most important line comes near the end. “The devil made me, only we never met…” Many Christians like to use that line for an excuse, but the (decidedly un-Christian) singer likes to tell us that THIS EXCUSE DOES NOT WORK. Blaming the devil for everything gets old quickly. At some point, we have to take responsibility for what we do. The last lines deserve their own blog, when paired with another song… next week.

I’m getting tired of not being able to embed videos.

Like this one.

Well, anyway, here are the lyrics.

it’s been so long I’ve been out of my body with you
I feel alone, feel at home, feel like nothing is true
she took me to a place where my senses gave-way
turn it round, shut it down, what the people say
climbing up, killing time, let them give you some
take my hand and let it come, let it come, let it…

take it back when she knows that your doing it right
cuz everybody else knows what their taking tonight

but I just wanna play it right
we’re gonna get there tonight!

it’s been so far, I’ve been walking the line on my own
lift me up to the stars, we are coming home
I only had a chase, but were out of time
we are souls in the cold, physical design
set me free, set me out on the run
lift me up to the sun, to the sun, to the…

we are burning down, we are burning down
it’s the way that you fake it, I know it’s too late

but I just want to play it right
we’re gonna get there tonight!

I just want to take you down
we’re gonna get there tonight!

but I just want to play it right
we’re gonna get there tonight!

Songs like these can be hard to analyze for one simple reason- they really don’t say much. Notice I said songs LIKE this one; this song has a true meaning behind it. What it seems to be happening to me (taken with the video, of course.) Some may disagree, or think I’m being naive, but I believe this song is another message about drugs. It seems that the narrator is describing his girlfriend encouraging him to take drugs, and, not wanting to upset her, agrees. The hospital scene in the video reflects this- he did not make a wise choice.

Don’t just take this as a “drugs are bad” message– it goes further than that. Acceptance is not worth your life; peer pressure IS effective; and desire to fit in actually is a huge influence. And if you think this is another “drugs are bad message”, enjoy the song anyway.

If I wasn’t so lazy, I would have embedded this video.

Start out with listening to the song, then hop back here for an analysis.

“I do not exist,” we faithfully insist
sailing in our separate ships,
and in each tiny caravel -
tiring of trying, there’s a necessary dying
like the horseshoe crab in its proper season sheds its shell
such distance from our friends,
like a scratch across a lens,
made everything look wrong from anywhere we stood
and our paper blew away before we’d left the bay
so half-blind we wrote these songs on sheets of salty wood

you caught me making eyes at the other boatmen’s wives
and heard me laughing louder at the jokes told by their daughters
I’d set my course for land,
but you well understand
it takes a steady hand to navigate adulterous waters
the propeller’s spinning blades held acquaintance with the waves
as there’s mistakes I’ve made no rowing could outrun
the cloth low on the mast like to say Ive got no past
but I’m nonetheless the librarian and secretary’s son
with tarnish on my brass and mildew on my glass
I’d never want someone so crass as to want someone like me
but a few leagues off the shore, I bit a flashing lure
and I assure you, it was not what it expected it to be!
I still taste its kiss, that dull hook in my lip
is a memory as useless as a rod without a reel
to an anchor-ever-dropped-seasick-yet-still-docked captain spotted napping with his first mate at the wheel floating forgetfully along, with no need to be strong. we keep our confessions long and when we pray we keep it short
I drank a thimbleful of fire and I’m not ever going back

Oh, my G-d!

“I do not exist,” we faithfully insist
while watching sink the heavy ship of everything we knew
if ever you come near I’ll hold up high a mirror
Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you

I’ll start out with a quick look at some of the lyrics.

To start out with, I believe the general meaning of the song is quite obvious. The speaker is caught in an adulterous relationship that he cannot seem to escape. He tries his hardest to get away from his problem, (the propeller’s spinning blades held acquaintance with the waves, as there’s mistakes I’ve made no rowing could outrun) but can’t seem to be able to.  Even when he is leaving his situation, he falls into another sin (as shown by the section on the fishhook.) Even though it appears alluring, he is trapped by it. The only thing that frees him from his capture is the memory of God’s love (…thimbleful of fire…). Without the sin holding him down, the narrator is free to bask in God’s glory.

The last verse contains as much theological significance as the rest of the song in it’s entirety. “While watching sink the heavy ship of everything we knew,” I believe, symbolizes the author’s final commitment- getting rid of his former self entirely, and accepting God entirely. However, the one line that sticks out to me more than any other in this song is the last– “Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you.” It’s pretty self explanatory. Nothing we could ever do would be an adequate representation of the love God has for us, much less the enormity of the sacrifice of his son.

The rest of the song is chock-full of good nuggets- I just scratched the surface. Feel free to leave other impressions in the comments.

Well, I’ll be darned.

People are arguing again.

It seems that CBS approved an ad from Focus on the Family, a Christian organization, that seems to portray an anti-abortion slant, featuring Tim Tebow and his mother. She talks about her decision to ignore a doctor’s advice and carry tim to term, despite health risks. I personally have not seen the ad yet, and I’m not entirely sure anyone has. But many groups have decided that they do not like the message one bit.

“An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year — an event designed to bring Americans together,” Jehmu Greene, president of the Women’s Media Center, said in a statement.

Well. Although I can’t find  a direct quote, I can remember that I heard one woman from a similar organization call the commercial a “message of hate.” She said that it was wrong for the group to only present it’s point of view as the correct one. Well, I have a problem with that.

Everything presents an opinion. Watch any commercial. Do you hear “Buy our product, but the others are just as good?” No. Anyone with any message comes an opinion. It is ridiculous to believe that any one message can be banned for not supporting it’s detractors. Some may take another route, however, and claim that CBS’ decision to not air ads from the Church of Christ and PETA show obvious favoritism. Short answer- they recently changed there practices regarding ads. Long answer- THEY RECENTLY CHANGED THERE PRACTICES REGARDING ADS. There. I said it. Now everyone, shut up and watch the Super Bowl.

Well, ain’t this cool news.

It seems that our friends in Britain have declared a fatwa against Islamic extremism. For those who don’t know, a fatwa is essentially an official statement by an Islamic ulema, a kind of religious legal expert, that someone or some practice violates the law of the Koran. This specific case is probably surprising to many people, especially those who view Islam as a religion of violence.

The document, written by Dr Muhammed Tahir-ul-Qadri, a former minister of Pakistan and friend of Benazir Bhutto, declares suicide bombings and terrorism as “totally un-Islamic”. It is one of the most detailed and comprehensive documents of its kind to be published in Britain.

The fatwa, which was released in Pakistan last month, uses texts from the Koran and other Islamic writings to argue that attacks against innocent citizens are “absolutely against the teachings of Islam and that Islam does not permit such acts on any excuse, reason or pretext”.

What many people (Including many Christians!) seem to forget is that Islam is, to most of it’s followers, a religion of peace. But that news is hard to bare with the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Islamic extremists are seen as our one enemy. Truth be told, Islamic extremists are more than likely the most common, if not only enemy we face. But this fact has led to a horrible increase in anti-Muslim sentiments across the western world. What these leads to is- to put it bluntly, horrible cases of hypocracy.

Most Christians today seem to be getting uptight and generally paranoid about the government forces that they see as being “unfair”, “anti-religious”, or “prejudiced”. But how can we complain about our own treatment when we harbor such hatred against others? Have we forgotten the Golden Rule? Or maybe we just think it only applies when we are treated unfairly? Maybe what we need to remember is- fairness applies to everyone, and we are ORDERED to love everyone as we love ourselves. So instead of passing the blame for our misfortunes around, maybe when we begin treating others fairly we will get the blessings we want.

Very original.

Woah, nelly.

According to that purply-looking text up there, 87% of people in the United States believe that “sin”, which was defined as something “that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.” Of course, that’s good news, in a way. But what I think is more important are the actual statistics behind that one.

The top-rated sin ( Wow, never thought I would say that) is adultery, with 81% of people saying they believe that it is still a sin. Strangely enough, however,  only 45% believe that premarital sex is a sin. What seems to be the difference? Well, if you were to ask me, I would probably give two reasons. First, I would say that it has something to do with our society’s disregard for the consequences of sex in a relationship. There’s an excellent article in The Week (one of my favorite magazines)  about the state of relationships among young people today that I thought explained the problem well. Without getting into too much detail, I’ll just say that without a permanent relationship, sex does nothing but provide a connection that will be torn apart.

The other is selfishness. People as a whole (myself included) are inconsiderate. We only like to think about ourselves, and what benefits us in the here and now. It’s as simple as that- we want what feels good, we want it now, and as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone know, go right ahead. Too bad for us, I guess.

Last week, I did something I thought I would never do, but I guess I was speeding toward since I started this blog. I started at a USA Today article about a bishop (Nick Baines) that supposedly “slammed” Christmas carols in a recent book. Judging by the wording of the article, along with the title of the book (which was suspiciously missing it’s sub-title) Why Wish You a Merry Christmas, I assumed that he was another  one of the bunch of crazies that look to profit off Christmas by stirring up controversy, then fading into the background.

Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Almost immediately after the post, I got a message from the author, which you can read by scrolling down a little bit. I don’t feel like copy-pasting the whole thing again.

There, now that you’ve read it, you can understand why I was so embarrassed. With no other knowledge of the book than a news article, I attacked the author. Turns out, USA Today never contacted Nick– and left out what I consider to a very important piece of understanding the meaning of this book, the sub-title. What matters (and what doesn’t) in the festive season is actually a book that (after more research) I can say I recommend to any and everyone who can get their hands on it. And again, my apologies to Mr. Baines.