Scott Freeman

It’s definitely in my top 10. The video is cheesy and doesn’t match the lyrics at all. But 27 years later it still sounds fresh to me. Based on a true story.

–Sometime in the next week this humble blog should hit 100,000 on the ole stat-counter. To properly celebrate this august occasion I am offering a special promotion. The individual who is that lucky number will win a copy of either Lee Camp’s Mere Discipleship or Jimmy Dorrell’s Trolls and Truth. Good luck to you and thanks for being a part of my blog world.

–I have taken some hits in the last few weeks for my nonviolent/pacifist leanings. I am preparing a series of posts that will deal with the objections to what I feel is the best way for the church to behave. I will begin by looking at some biblical arguments often proposed to discredit non-violence: war in the OT, Jesus in the temple, etc. I’m hoping for a reasoned discourse that takes into account all of the initial reactions against peace. I look forward to discussing it with you. Any thoughts before I launch into it?

–My church fantasy football team needs help. I own Shawn Alexander and Terrell Owens. It’s been a tough week. I also own Larry Fitzgerald. I was sweating the threat of Matt Leinart being handed the ball. That would have been a trifecta of bad news.

–Anybody ever taken the GMAT? I’m taking it next week and getting paid to do it. Any pointers or things to look out for. I’m expected to fail the test but it would be cool if I didn’t.

–What’s the right way to “do” church?

–And finally, this guy is everything I hate about politics: mean-spirited, ad-hominem and hyperbolic attacks on others. Check out the dreadful ads. “Jesse Helms is back, and this time he’s black.”

I love history. From time to time I will go to the library and pick out a retelling of some historical event. I have a very simple method to separating good historical works from bad ones:

If I’m able to read it with the possibility that the outcome might be different, it’s good.

In other words, although I know how the story ends, I still read it as if it hadn’t happened.

One of the best examples of that was my reading of Taylor Branch’s masterful Civil Rights saga: America in the King Years. In the final installment of the three part series, At Canaan’s Edge, I knew that when Martin Luther King, Jr. went to Memphis that second time that he would be assassinated. But as I read the book I couldn’t help but hope against hope that the ending was different:
–That MLK used a different hotel,
–That James Earl Ray missed,
–Or he did not go out on the balcony of the Lorraine hotel.
Although I knew the outcome I still read as if the ending could still turn out differently.
That, to me, is the mark of a great historical work.
I’m currently reading Douglas Brinkley’s detailed account of Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath, The Great Deluge. Again, I’m reading believing that the ending might somehow change: that the hurricane will veer further off course, that the levees will hold, that the government will be prepared.
That is the mark of a great historical work.

That’s the impression I get when reading the gospel of Luke. Luke the physician is a master chronicler. He writes with the air and authority of the great historians.
Luke flows with context, content and climate. In Luke we see the Kingdom come to life through the Messiah of God. We see the hope of redemption for the outcast and downtrodden.
We see the Christ walking amongst the people pointing the way to Calvary.

What separates Luke from Mark is the insertion of a travelogue between His Galilean ministry and the Passion. In 9:51 when we read “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” the reader can sense a dramatic shift in the movement of the book.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. In Mark that trip takes one verse. In Luke, it takes 10 chapters, a full third of the book. This travelogue is rife with the sayings of Jesus, but we are continually reminded that He is on His way to Jerusalem.
I couldn’t help reading this segment with the idea that it might be different: that there could be another way. That He wouldn’t have to die. That He would take His time to get to Jerusalem.
And I couldn’t help thinking what I would have done. He set His mind to go to Jerusalem knowing full well that He would die there.
I’m pretty selfish. It’s not an attractive quality but I know it’s still there. What would I have done if I had known that going to Jerusalem was a death sentence?
Here are some possibilities:
–I would have found a reason not to go;
–I would have dawdled in every city I entered;
–I would have started a smear campaign against my potential executioners to turn the tide of public opinion decidedly my way.

But that is not what Jesus did. He didn’t dawdle. He didn’t delay. He didn’t denigrate.
Instead, this is what He did:
–He warned. He told of the coming kingdom and warned the religious, the Pharisees and the legalists that love of money, dismissal of the poor and neglecting the forgotten was anathema to the way of God. His warnings were not for those outside of the halls of faith but for those of us who live as if we all have it figured out.
–He taught. He showed the the way to pray, the way to treat others, the importance of living Kingdom lives.
–He healed. The kingdom was announced through the miraculous power of the Son of God: The blind can see, the lame can walk, the prisoner set free.
–He forgave. Even the most blindly religious could find peace and hope. By laying down the chores, by giving, by being childlike, they too experience the fullness of the Kingdom.

Christ in Luke is determined, committed and persistent in fulfilling His mission. He lived His life on the margins where the people were. By setting His sights on Jerusalem He plotted a course that wound its way through the highways and byways where the lost, downtrodden and neglected were pushed to the side.
On that way He provided a message of healing and forgiveness, teaching the Kingdom purposes of loved and generosity of spirit. In that is great warning for those of us who have reduced Kingdom living to a list of rules, habits, disciplines and purposes. It’s not a list of rules but the road we travel that matters.
Ultimately the road He calls us to travel is the same one He did winding through the hearts and lives of people.
All the way to Calvary.
That is Christ in Luke.

Before I begin let me lay down my ground rules for this list:
1. This is my list, therefore it’s highly subjective. So, you won’t see The Beatles on this list. They have the number 1 spot on my “most overrated bands ever” list.
2. Longevity matters. As much as I might like Keane and The Killers, they don’t qualify. Nor does Guns & Roses. These bands endured.
3. This is ROCK bands. So you won’t see The Eagles on this list. Don’t tell me they rock. They don’t. A little bit of guitar in “Already Gone” doesn’t change that fact.
4. Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments. Give me your own list.

Here they are:

10. Queen–There was only one Freddy Mercury. His tenor provided a distinct sound that is unparalled in rock history. Skip over the kitschiness of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and try on “Tie Your Mother Down” or “Under Pressure.”

9. Pink Floyd–Transcendently psychedelic, these rockers have a library of cuts that defy musical genres. Scathing social commentary (“Money”), mournful dirges (“Wish You Were Here”) and trippy lyrics (“The Wall”) combined to provide one of the most influential acts in rock history. Say what you want but the experimentation of music would not be as advanced if not for these pioneers. Check out the social justice epic “On the Turning Away.”

8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band–Bruce, the solo artist, has never come close to the musical tour de force that comes when he has collaborated with his long-time mates. Our need to isolate the frontman as the heart and soul of a band does a great disservice to the virtuosity of Clarence Clemons, Little Steven, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and others. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” is one of the greatest albums ever put on vinyl.

7. The Pretenders–This band deserves special merit for laying to rest the myth that a woman cannot front a rock band. It is sexism in the highest order to just single out the Pretenders as a female-led quartet. They stand as giants in the annals of rock because they are great band. Chrissie Hynde is one of rock’s most dynamic voices. Check out “Stop Your Sobbing” or “Hymn to Her.”

6. Metallica–More than anyone else, this group brought Heavy Metal to the mainstream. I’m somewhat critical of some later career moves they have made but the material they released through “The Black Album” is pure thrash at it’s finest. Check out “Ride the Lightning” especially the beautiful brilliance of “Fade to Black.”

5. Led Zepplin–I’m as tired of “Stairway to Heaven” as the next guy. But I defy you to find a better first six albums, up through Physical Graffiti, than their initial run. With Bonzo on the drums, a mean bass player in John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page’s landmark guitar licks and Robert Plants distinctive range this band was one of the first true supergroups. Check out “Houses of the Holy.”

4. The Who–Sure, they won’t stay retired. But that’s not a bad thing. No band has as many pure rock and roll anthems as do The Who. Daltrey and Townsend weathered the loss of a seminal drummer in Keith Moon and still kept churning out the rawk. I challenge you to find greater arena rock than “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again” or “Who Are You.”

3. Ramones–Greatest.Punk.Band.Ever. If a song lasts three minutes then there’s too much filler. The Ramones were my favorite band between the ages of 18–25. The tragic part is that 75 percent of them died shortly after they broke up. There will never be another band that was so easily able to produce such readily likeable punk classics.

2. The Rolling Stones–They are, without a doubt, the grandfathers of rock and roll. Still going strong after 40+ years they are continually churning out quality music. During their heyday from the mid-60s to mid-80s they released more timeless tunes than anyone else. 44 years later Exile on Main Street is still fresh.

1. U2–They rose to prominence as I was coming of age. I’ve grown up with them and still find hope, meaning and redemption in all of their music ranging from Boy to Atomic Bomb. They have done more than release music, they have changed minds, influenced followers, revolutionized the world and shaken the ideas of what a band can do. Bono is the greatest frontman of all time of the greatest band of all time. But they are more than a band, right?

Thoughts?

In just a few minutes I will shut down my office and head home.

To work.

And keep the kids.

Last week we shelled out a truck-load of money so we could open our back door. Couple that with Tracy’s work schedule precluding her from picking up Chloe from school and the fact that it’s a 20 minute drive for me to our side of town, I have to spend some time with a home office.
So this past weekend, I bought a new desktop for the house and set it up so I can split my time between my home and the church.

Here are the pros of my situation:
–Saving about 500 a month in childcare
–Saving on gas (2.12 a gallon here, though)
–Eat lunch at home more
–More time with my little ones
–Less time commuting
–Developing a more flexible work schedule (I’m doing 6 days a week anyway)
–Being able to pay for the 9,000 dollar back door quicker

Cons:
–It’s going to be hard to get work done while keeping an eye on two toddlers
–Our three year old cries. A lot.
–Stress of not getting work done in a timely manner
–Not being at the church as much during the day

What I will have to do is focus more on the less “in-depth” aspects of my work while I’m at home and leave the more complex exegesis for my church hours. I’ll also try to get my running in while I have the kids by dropping them at the YMCA child care.
Here is where you come in. I’m not the best in the world at organization, productivity or time management.
Any of you work at home? How do you prioritize your work week? Any productivity pointers or thoughts that you have?
Help a fella out here.

The gospel of Mark teaches us that Jesus was human. What does Jesus teach us about being human? Click the link and find out.

http://sfreeman.podOmatic.com/entry/2006-09-24T14_07_13-07_00

It seems my top 10 list of greatest CCM songs struck a chord with some people (67 comments and counting). I find this interesting on several levels:

–Most of those who commented indicated a level of dissatisfaction with Christian Music
–There was an acknowledgment of a time when the quality was better than the present day (although I believe CCM has always been years behind mainstream music when it comes to quality)
–There was an overwhelming desire for more CCM that challenges, confronts and struggles rather than simply praises.

Am I right in these assessments? If so, what is needed to infuse CCM with the relevance that it needs to be viable in the music world? Can a separate genre of Christian music be relevant?
Or will it always remain a niche style appealing only to the converted?

I came across this on Shaun Groves’ blog today:

From Andrew Beaujon’s Body Piercing Saved My Life. Is this true?

Worship tunes tend to evince an adolescent theology, one that just can’t get over how darn cool it is that Jesus sacrificed himself for the world. “Our God is an awesome God.” “Oh Lord, you are glorious.” “How can it be/That you, a king, would die for me?” Moreover, it’s self-centered in a way that reflect evangelicalism’s near-obsession with having a personal relationship with Christ. It’s me Jesus died for. I just gotta praise the Lord.

Not for nothing is “Amazing Grace,” which marvels at the author’s salvation, one of the few traditional hymns to be regularly included in modern worship services. Absent is any hint of community found in hymns such as “The Church Is [sic] One Foundation” — the Jesus of worship music is a mentor, a buddy, a friend whose message is easily distilled to a single command: praise me. Not “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner.” Simply thank him for his gift to you (and make sure to display copyright information at the bottom of the screen so royalties can be disbursed).

What are your thoughts about the shape/state of Christian music? Does anyone else find themselves somewhat underwhelmed with the one-dimensional state of current worship music? What does the industry need?
I don’t want to be Steve Camp here and I know it’s a broad net I’m casting but I’m interested in this discussion.

One of my favorite movies as a child was “The Poseidon Adventure.” I watched repeatedly the story of this disparate group of people as they struggle to make their way up and out of a capsized ship.
At a 2 hour running time you were able to get a great handle on the individual characters and how they contributed to the group, each bring specific strengths (and weaknesses). The interplay between Gene Hackman’s man of faith and Ernest Borgnine’s grizzled and cynical cop was the highlight of the character development. Also contributing to the dynamic was a stellar cast featuring such cinematic heavyweights as Red Buttons, Shelly Winters, Roddy McDowall and Jack Albertson.
And that song. There’s got to be a morning after, right?
Earlier this year Hollywood gave us a remake. Poseidon was to be a fresh take on the nautical classic.
Was it? That’s debatable. What was noticeable was that it was about 30 minutes shorter than the original. When you cut a movie like that usually the first thing to go is character development.
So, in the new version what you have is a whole lot of action and a whole lot less about the individual characters. Not necessarily a bad thing but you have to pay a lot closer attention to ascertain who these people truly are. Dialogue takes a back seat to movement.
That’s the feeling I get when I read Mark right after reading Matthew.
The first gospel is chock full of character development. Matthew is showing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. This Promised One holds forth repeatedly in lengthy discourses.
Mark dispenses with all of that stuff. It’s all about the action for him.
Obviously his audience is a lot different than Matthew’s. Mark is writing to Gentiles. Most likely believers in Rome. It was less important to posit Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. It was not essential for the Messianic proof of Matthew to be spelled out in Mark.
Following Matthew and its rich detail can render Mark a little disappointing. It can seem disjointed, brusque and a little bit choppy.
Initially I found myself a little bit irritated that it moved so quickly, devoid of any great discourse or elaboration of its themes. Like Poseidon, I wanted to know more about those relationships and the greater truths that were contained within.
But as I read and re-read I began to fall in love with its subtlety, with its minimalistic brilliance.
For Christ in Mark is more like me than in the other gospels: He’s human.
Here, what we see clearly, is that Jesus, although God was fully man.
He slept, he ate, he walked, talked and laughed.
Jesus is not captured in Mark in grand speeches or controversial encounters. Instead He is captured with a not-so-subtle sigh, a sympathetic glace.
He is rendered as playful with children.
As compassionate to the plights of others.
It is in what is not said in Mark where we truly see Jesus. It’s through reading between the lines, taking into account what He did.
It’s the action that matters–but the actions reveal the character underneath.
Character development is a great thing but what truly counts is what we do, how we live.
How we treat others.
That is what develops our character.
That is what Mark has to teach us.
Jesus exemplified His character through a tender touch, a loving look and a gentle embrace.
He touched.
He loved.
He lived.
You don’t need a lot of words to do that.

I’ve been somewhat critical of the commodification of Christian music. But I cannot deny the impact that many artists and songs have had on my life.
I began to think earlier this week about which songs would rank as my top 10 of all time. As I began to hone the list I decided to stick with CCM songs and stay away from the field of praise/worship songs. These songs are probably not ones that you sing on Sunday morning. I also decided to limit it to one song per artist. If I didn’t it would probably be 6-7 Rich Mullins tunes and a couple of others.
Also, they had to have stood the test of time for me. If they grate on my nerves now, they don’t make the list–sorry, “Awesome God.”

10. Thank You–Ray Boltz: This is a sappy song, sure. But I can’t think of a Christian song that had a greater initial impact on me than this one. 15+ years later I still well up when he sings that line “Now, I know up in Heaven you’re not supposed to cry but I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes.” What we do on this earth matters. Boltz catches that beautifully here.

9. Two Sets of Jones–Big Tent Revival: Randy Williams, the guitar player, was a good friend of mine in high school. But that’s not the reason this song makes the list. It’s the strongest lyric BTR ever put out and does what a great story-song does: leaves an indelible picture in your head. I see this song in my head every time I hear a certain parable now.

8. He Came, He Saw, He Conquered–Petra: If you are a fan of Christian Rock at all, then you owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Petra. They are the pioneers of the field. This is nowhere near their best tune but it is the one that taught a relatively uptight 19 year old that Christians can rock to lyrics that extol God.

7. Secret Ambition–Michael W. Smith: I went through an intense, and necessary, period of questioning my faith between the ages of 19-21. When I emerged on the other side relatively unscathed this song was waiting for me. I’ll never forget a somewhat bizarre journey to Nashville with two good friends to catch a glimpse of Amy Grant. This song was listened to repeatedly on that trip. I still wasn’t sure why Jesus would die for me but I was sure glad he did.

6. The Robe–Wes King: When you leave behind a world of legalism, songs that capture the awesome grace of God become earth-movers. This song’s stirring lyrics continually remind me that it doesn’t matter what I look like, or where I’ve been. To Him, I am always loved.

5. Wedding Dress–Derek Webb: Webb is a gadfly and contemporary prophet in the world of Christian music. This song was too much for many Christian retailers. But we have played the whore too often. This tune, on his debut solo disk, was a sure sign that his music would shake the Christian community. And it’s still his strongest song.

4. Untouched by Human Hands–Wayne Watson: 18 years after first hearing this song, I still wrestle with the implications of it. Watson challenges us to dirty ourselves through our willingness to be “touched” by the least of these. This song, and much of Watson’s early work, serves as an appropriate forerunner to more socially conscious Christian artists today, such as Derek Webb.

3. Hold Me, Jesus–Rich Mullins: No Christian artist has had a greater impact on me than Mullins. He lived outside of the commerce of Christian music and made art that was unflinching and uncompromising in its honesty. No song captures that as vividly as this song of doubt, uncertainty and, ultimately, surrender.

2. Hands in the Air–The Waiting: Another timeless song of surrender, this tune acknowledges our propensity to fight against God, to resist what He calls us to do and be. How hard it really is to say “Have thine own way.” I mourn the passing of this band, whose self-titled album is one of the greatest in Christian music history.

1. Worlds Apart–Jars of Clay: I have a strong affinity for songs of weakness and struggle. We have this false notion that ministers are further along on the road to having it all together. I’m not. I am frail and fallen. I struggle with the chasm between what I live and proclaim. I’m a hypocrite proclaiming the mercy of God. I tremble at the notion that God can use even this jar of clay to do His good work. No song captures that struggle like this one:

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
Battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain,
And wash my feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
My sin-soaked heart – make it yours
Take my world all apart,
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can’t deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and blow away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
Steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart
Take my world apart
And I pray, and I pray, and I pray
Take my world apart
Worlds apart

What about you? What are your thoughts on these tunes? What songs would make your list?