The Next Great Praise & Worship Hit

(Please note, sarcasm to follow)

Dancing in Love

Dancing across your alabaster waves
Singing the melody of my heart
Rolling around the fields of your grace
Swimming the river of your sea

Chorus: Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance

Gazing across your effervescent wonder
Looking at your spectacular love
Climbing the mountain of your joy
Your peacefulness enthralls my heart

(Chorus)

Skipping across the rainbow of light
Towards the thrill that is a pot of gold
Drinking your wine of intoxicating mercy
Resting in the arms of your love

(Chorus)

(Dancing in Love, M & M, 2009)

Now, compare the above "song" (and I use that term loosely) with the following:

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
’Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He, ’tis He!’
Tis the long expected prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
Proofs I see sufficient of it:
’Tis a true and faithful Word.

Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress:
Many hands were raised to wound Him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed!
See Who bears the awful load!
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man, and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost.
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
Christ the Name of which we boast.
Lamb of God for sinners wounded!
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built.

(Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted - Words by Thomas Kelly, 1804)


Have you ever noticed how songs that are sung, or rather presented, in church, er, worship, services today seem to not have a lot of depth in them? Heck, in fact sometimes they seem like they could be a better fit for a love song to a boyfriend/girlfriend? Just insert his/her name where he or him is and you'll see what I mean. In fact, I was joking around with DH a few weeks ago and started singing I Give You My Heart to him:

I give you my heart
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Oh, have your way in me

Can someone please tell me where the substance in this song is and how it pertains to God/Jesus/Holy Spirit? Is this what our "worship" services have sunk to? Can we not have any songs that have deep, theological meanings? As DH once said, I think I may have to toss my cookies someday.

Now, mind you, there's nothing wrong with songs about a relationship with God. However, to balance that out, we should be explanining WHY to have that relationship and HOW to get that relationship. Why are so many preachers and worship leaders/music ministers today so afraid to use "big" or "taboo" words like justification, sanctification, propitiation, substitutionary atonement, imputed righteousness, and hypostatic union, and, most importantly, the S word? Don't know that one...stay tuned, I'll reveal it later...

Nope, I'll go ahead and reveal it now, so I hope you're sitting down...it's Sin.

Haven't Gotten Rid of Me Yet

Not that anyone is trying to...at least, not that I know of, anyway! I haven't blogged much lately - why, I'm not sure. If you ask DH he'll tell you I have a lot to say about a lot of things, but I can't seem to put them down on paper - or computer, as it may be. I wish I had some deep, philosophical, theological, meaty topic to expound on, but nothing's coming to mind at the moment; give it time, however, and it probably will.

DH & I got an XBox 360 & bought Guitar Hero World Tour. This game has taught me at least one thing - my goal in life better not be to be a guitar player. I am not the most coordinated person in the world, but I did used to play the flute & have sung in a few choirs in my day, so I can't use the excuse that I have no musical inclinations. I'm just not cut out to be the next Eddie Van Halen. DH, however...no, he's not either, but he has an entertaining time trying (keep an eye out on You Tube...just kidding, Mark. I love you!)

6 months we've lived in our house now...I love that saying - OUR house! It's not another individual's house, or a property management company's house, it's our house! That does make a lot of difference into how you take care of it, I've noticed. I didn't think it would, but it does. I'm almost to the point where I look forward to getting up on Saturday morning & do my share of the housework - notice I said ALMOST! :-)