A Lot Of Thinking

Good Morning-

I have been quite busy as of late, and as is the case with busyness, I let this blog go unkept for too long.

I have been working on a lot of music lately. It seems that some of the things I have been writing have been pulling on things within me that at first glance were only surface deep. As life goes, it is easy to pass over seasons of our lives and not really acknowledge certain aspects of our feelings.

Now let me clarify, I think that feelings are sometimes overrated. Feelings can lead you to make a decision that, if logic were applied, is no benefit at all. I tend to be quite pragmatic. In my mind responsibility always comes first. Feelings can be temporal and directly related to a moment or emotion in that moment. In my mind feelings should only be the shading within the picture outlined by my overall goals and responsibilities. If I only allow feelings to dictate the outline, the vista of my life will constantly be changing to the feelings of that moment. That's a lot of erasing!

Back to feelings. The Lord has been very good to me. I am grateful that it would almost seem that He protects me in moments of overwhelming emotion. He causes me to not have irrational reactions but allows me to move forward. It would seem that I can then look back and fully deal with said situations, but removed from the initial feels of reaction.

I have been looking back at some of the things that have happen to me in the last few years. This is why music is so therapeutic for me. As I write I can re-examine how things have touched me and made me who I am.

In some ways this is why I love sad songs. Anyone can quickly pen out and describe the initial feeling of puppy love. That is probably why love songs are a dime a dozen. A sad song is a reflection of deep intrinsic thought. Even the language of love songs seem over used. To me this certainly causes the meaning of these words and feelings behind them to be neutered.

It could be for this reason that I do not identify very well with most Christian music. Maybe it's the language? When I read the lyrics to most Christian music, worship included, it feels like words. Not heart. It seems that there is no blood in it. No life.

Anyone can have a high time with Jesus and write a chorus that says "You are awesome,
I love You so much, I will praise You because You are worthy."

Now, hear my heart here. He is worthy. He is awesome. We love Him. But to me God is not looking for another Hallmark card from the Church. Something that has already been said a thousand times over and we did not have to give any thought or investment to write. In many ways we pick a card off of the shelf and sign our name to it and call it a song.

He wants our expression to be drawn from a place that has touched us, impacted us in some way. Our language. Our heart poured out. Which is sometimes quite messy.

"Feelings, nothing more than feelings".

-J

Beautiful Feet

The Bible calls the feet of those that deliver the message of God's heart beautiful. This is an interesting thought to me.

Many things are said of feet within the scriptures. However, this scripture has always meant something special to me. This does not speak simply of the appearance of our feet. The definition of the word beautiful in the Hebrew is " to be at home". This word is only used three times in the entire scripture.

Isaiah 52 states that our feet are beautiful "upon the mountain" when they mobilizing on behalf of the message of the Father. This does not simply mean that we live on the top of the mountain. I recently returned back from a ministry trip to France. The locations where we were invited to speak were amazing. The incredible landscape and handy-work of God overwhelms me at times. On several occasions we journeyed to a gathering place that was strategically placed atop a mountain. It was necessary as we journeyed to gather together to climb the steep terrain.

This is the picture of this passage. We do not live on top of the mountain. Our feet are to be "at home" as we navigate the difficult terrain necessary to deliver the message of the Lord. We are at home here. It is easy to feel at home on top of the mountain. Our joyful place of function is to be found in the process of doing whatever necessary to fulfill the will of our Father. This is what He calls beautiful.

Publish Peace. Isaiah 52:7

-J

Ryan adams , if i am a stranger (Acoustic)

This song has chased me all week. Can't get it out of my head. I just thought I would share it.

Influence #4- Dave Matthews Band

What can I say about the Dave Matthews Band. This band shaped the way I view music in so many ways. The intensity, the passion, and the ferocity with which they play is compelling.

This band taught me that you can be hard and not have to be heavy. Your sound can hit someone in the chest and not have to have screaming guitars and death metal pedals. Seeing them live is one of the greatest musical experiences that i can recall. This band does spontaneous music and vocals better than anyone I have ever seen, in or out of the church. They also taught me to never get in a hurry with music. Sometime you have to let it marinate.

In my opinion Dave is one of the best songwriters in many years. His lyrics are some of the best I can recount. Before These Crowded Streets is in my opinion one of the best album i will ever own.



Dave Matthews Band- Don't Drink The Water

Influence #3- Bruce Springsteen

It's is no wonder they call him "The Boss". Everything from Thunder Road to Secret Garden, I love it! I love that he can say exactly what's on his heart; share something so personal and exposed and still be a "tough guy" from Jersey. That is amazing!

I love his passion for music and well...passion! Even if you do not agree with his expressed views you should appreciate his passion towards what he believes in.



Bruce Springsteen- Born To run

Influence # 2

John Mark McMillan-

What can I say about this guy. He writes worship music that does something in me. He says the things that I feel. In my opinion the best worship songwriter i've heard since Prosch.

Sound. I love his raw sounds. His guitar player James Duke is probably in my top 5 of favorite guitarists out there right now.

Lyrics. I can't say enough. He writes lyrics that touch you and leave room for your personal expression. I love that his lyrics draw a picture, but don't color everything in for you. That leaves room for the listener to feel part of the song as they listen.

His blog says that John Mark writes songs for God and humans to listen to. Interesting.



John Mark McMillan- Ten Thousand

Influence

I have been thinking some lately about my influences, musically speaking. Not, "who do i try to sound or write like". But rather who has helped shape the way I think about music and creating a song. I will try to make the list as concise as possible.

Ryan Adams-

Ryan Adams is an amazing artist. From guitar tone to lyrical expression his music has certainly had a large effect on me. This song is one of my favorites.



Ryan Adams and The Cardinals - "Everybody Knows"