The Codation Station

Getting To The Root Of The Issue

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:15:47 -0400

Rejoice

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:58:23 -0400

It’s no secret that people have a tendency to overuse words. Even cliche has become a cliche. No matter the word or phrase, they face the danger of becoming trite and losing any impact to our ears.

Christian writers have talked about how words like grace and love have lost a lot of power and weight to our ears. Not surprising. In our attempts to get people to appreciate how powerful God has made these ideas to us, the repetition of these same words has sacrificed some of that power (especially when factoring in how we overuse the words outside of those contexts). One word in particular that I think has lost some of it’s power for us is rejoice.

I’m sure to most of us, the word sounds so formal and old-world. It’s not a word that typically rolls off our tongues unless we’re reading it from God’s word—unless you know someone who rotates it into their word-of-the-day calendar or something. So, what should we do when a word loses it’s meaning and significance? Remind ourselves of what it should mean to us.

The word itself means “to be glad”, but I knew the word better from the bible before ever looking it up in a dictionary. It is perhaps most recognizable from the passage in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (NKJV).

“We will rejoice.” Not “we should” or “we may”, but “we will.” ”What’s the difference,” you ask? The difference is how insistent that word is. Even if the word differs from version to version, the passage still insists that you must rejoice. But why? The best answer is to back up and see why the psalmist was so insistent.

The psalm itself deals mostly with praising God for the victories He has led His people to over the years, but none quite as astounding as the one that is promised to come:

“Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You
because You have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the capstone.
This came from the Lord;
it is wonderful in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:19-23)

If you dig around enough in the New Testament, you will recognize that bit in verse 22 about the capstone. The apostles mentioned it regularly, telling everyone that this stone was Jesus the Christ. In this passage, the psalmist recognizes (through some illumination) that this stone is the very source of his salvation—God’s answer to his pleas. The psalmist sees it as such and can only marvel at its wonder, concluding that God made that day of purchased salvation for all to look to and that we cannot help but to rejoice and be glad that God would do such a thing.

When I think about all of that, I can only think what rejoicing should mean to me and to us. It means that we are living a life with eyes opened to the work of salvation that God has prepared for us. It’s not a life that is characterized by dwelling on past sins or regression to the habits of the “old man” or a half-hearted acknowledgement that dims when we are left to our own devices. It means that rejoicing is a reaction that the heart was when it is truly changed into a more beautiful thing by the God who authors that change with the salvation He offers.

If I am to really rejoice, I need to live in such a way that celebrates what God has given me and not make it into some tawdry thing by mucking it up with my ideas of how it works. If I am to rejoice, I need to acknowledge that God has done it all and that I can only celebrate that he thought of me.

Let’s rejoice together that He established that day for you and I. And let’s rejoice that He has even better days established for us at the end of all things.

Project Update

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:01:08 -0400

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted a new blog, so I thought it would be nice to post an update on existing projects for you all!

First, I need to tell you about my band. I haven’t mentioned this particular project in a blog since my first post, but I have been working hard at making this project a reality—with some invaluable help from my band mates. Our name is Out of the Invisible and you can follow us on facebook. We’re working on recording some music for your listening pleasure—we are talking with someone about recording right now—so, while there may not be any music, our facebook is the best way to keep updated about shows and other fun things. But we’re well on our way to recording; we’re even getting some new gear to toy around with to put our own special mark on the songs.

I feel the vision for this band is the driving force. While we want to make music that will have some hand in changing lives, we also want to do what we can off stage to make a difference. This is not just because we want to spur people on to get involved in charitable outreaches. We want to make our faith real in the places that lyrics and melodies cannot. If you want to be a part of that or have some ideas for projects to get involved in around the community, let us know!

Second, the novella that I promised to have done by year’s end is going very slowly. I’ve been busy with work and ministry stuff, but I also have not been pushing my free time toward getting it done. So, for those of you who are anxious to see it, I make this promise: I will start working on it every day during my free time. It may only amount to a couple of minutes a day on some days, but I will not let a day go by without getting some work done on it.

This also applies to my blog. I love posting here, but I haven’t been thinking hard enough lately to come up with frequent posts. It may not be writing everyday, but at least working on and forming ideas. I suppose this leads me to a few significant thoughts to help wrap this post up: Anything worth doing requires sacrifice on your part. Don’t get distracted from the thing that makes you come alive. Chances are, those distractions are keeping you from doing what God wants you to do help change someone’s life.

Until next time,

Cody

The Barrier of Isolation

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:06 -0400

Recently, I started going through the classic television series, “The Twilight Zone,” on Netflix—one of my new favorite services. This show was pretty much ahead of its time and still has some very powerful moments that hit close to home for a lot of people. I was watching the first episode, “Where Is Everybody?”, when I experienced one of these moments.

A brief synopsis is that the main character finds himself wandering down a road with no memory of who he is and seeks to find some help from someone at a diner. However, he quickly discovers that diner is empty, despite the fact that the doors are open. He heads to a nearby town and makes a similar discovery—there is zero trace of any of the people that used to inhabit that town.

After a while, this takes a toll on the man, as he breaks down at a street crossing, pressing the WALK button repeatedly and shouting. A cut-away later, we find the man is actually being monitored in a little room by military officials and is pressing the panic button in the room. We learn that he is an astronaut who was kept in that room for days to see if he could stay sane while traveling in space—the town was an illusion his mind had created to help with the isolation.

The big take-away: We are not meant to live in isolation.

Even one of the officers in the show recognized this as he was talking with the reporters at the conclusion of the experiment: ”The barrier of loneliness—that’s the one thing we haven’t licked yet.”

I don’t believe that barrier is meant to be defeated. However, that hasn’t stopped people from trying. In the world we live in today, it seems to me that our isolation is not without irony: everyone’s on social networking sites, but barely speak to each other in person or even desire personal communication.

And maybe we can see (or feel) how this distance from real people is affecting us. It’s one of those things that’s hard to classify with words, but I think we can feel it in every awkward moment of discomfort we have when trying to talk with someone. Maybe that distance is the direct cause or maybe it isn’t. What I can say for sure is that even though we were designed for closeness and fellowship, we seem to want to test our limits in this area by driving a wedge between ourselves and others.

This is portrayed very potently in “The Twilight Zone,” but there are plenty of non-fiction examples to point to as well. It can be seen in our stand-offish attitudes, our shutting out those around us or other daily habits that are designed for seeking isolation. It’s very likely that these desires are bound up in the contradiction that is a person. A man can be created to love and crave relationship, but live a life that deprives himself of any opportunity for it (or at least of meaningful opportunities).

I want to take a second to point out that I’m talking about willful isolation that comes from a choice of bad-attitude. This isn’t to be confused with the occasional solitude that we should seek as Christians to get to communicate with God. Remember that Elijah withdrew from his tribulations and heard God’s voice away from everyone and that Jesus would spend frequent alone time communicating with God (see my blog titled, “Come Away and Be Still” for more on that.) If anything, that kind of solitude is so far from isolation, that it shouldn’t be confused with isolation. However, it should be said that even these moments of extreme solitude would progress back into connected fellowship with others.

We must be careful to look for that wedge of isolation that tries so hard to drive it’s way into our lives. We must challenge ourselves to see where we are being isolationists and where our solitude needs to give way to community. If you’re looking for it, can you see that wedge? What are you going to do about it?

Getting His House in Order

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:06 -0500

I’ve noticed that it’s very tempting for people to get wrapped up in their own problems. It doesn’t really matter what concerns them; if there’s some obstacle that needs to be overcome, the knee-jerk reaction of just about anybody is to focus on that problem and how they would go about solving it. Very rarely do they ever step back, breathe and look at what caused the problem or at other problems orbiting around the problem where their focus is.

And here’s some startling news: Christians are just as bad at this. Shocked? It’s not too surprising—we’re not perfect, remember? But the problem isn’t in making the mistake, rather in continuing to make the mistake and how it shows in our relationship with God and how we treat Him. God’s people have a tendency to continually become self-absorbed and forget just to whom they belong. If you take a look at the book of Haggai, you’ll see how true this is.

Starting at verse 2 of Haggai 1 (NIV):

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’”

³ Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

⁵ Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

Before I go on, let me back up a bit and give you some context.

Haggai’s ministry took place after the Jews had been released from captivity and sent back to Jerusalem—approximately twenty years after their captivity had ended (for those who are avid OT readers, this was decades before either Ezra or Nehemiah came to Jerusalem). In the twenty years since the first Jews were released from captivity, they hadn’t managed much in the way of rebuilding. Though they started rebuilding the temple early on, the work had been halted and would stay that way for about ten years.

Along comes Haggai, sent by God to speak to the leaders in Jerusalem. While the Jews had stopped working on the temple, they had evidently kept working on the city and on getting their homes back up. In other words, they had abandoned fixing up God’s house and worried about their own homes and God was not pleased with that.

Sometimes, it’s hard for us to appreciate a circumstance like this, but keep in mind that the temple was central to the Jews in their walk of faith. They knew it as their means of coming to God where he dwelt and bringing everything you had to him as an act of worship. While it may not have been the only method of worship or service open to the Jews, since God was there, it was the big unifying point in their lives.

So what message does God give Haggai? He basically says to the Jews, “You’re not getting a lot out of your work to rebuild your lives because you’ve ignored Me in the process.” Clearly, things had not been going well in the reconstruction since their decision to put the temple on hold. According to Haggai, any effort they made to rebuild and put their lives back in order proved unproductive—all because they decided to put God on the back-burner and worry about themselves first.

Have we moved away from this behavior? I don’t really think so. If anything, the choice is made worse by the tendency in America to insist on being self-made. I’m sure there are those who would disagree with my claim. They might say that this is some hold-out from our dusty, old religious days. However, I am not the one who is calling out this behavior—God is. That should give anyone plenty of reason to stop and think.

God called His people out for putting Him last. The God of Israel was becoming usurped again in the hearts of His people. It’s not very clear in the passage what usurped God, but it looks like concern for physical wants and needs—shelter, food, clothing, etc. I think that this is where we arrive at the scary part: we’re guilty of doing the exact same thing. We may not fess up to it in word, but our actions sure make it obvious. How are we guilty? We’re more concerned with how we can benefit from our actions instead of how we’re worshiping God; we’re more concerned with how to provide for ourselves instead of giving back to The One who provides for us. It’s choices like this—and they span more that just material concerns, by the way—that affect the direction and focus of our worship—ourselves or God—and affect just what kind of results we yield if we claim to be His children.

Jesus told a parable of a foolish man and a wise man—the story where the first man built his house on sand and the second man built his on a rock. The short of it: sand makes a lousy foundation. Anything built on sand is liable to fall apart as the sand shifts with the changing weather. This is not the case when you build on a foundation that is sturdy like a rock. The same is true of our life choices today. We can either build on the sand of things that are perceived as important now—the house, the perfect job, etc.—or on the rock that is God and His ways.

Often, these aren’t ways that best serve ourselves or bring us comfort or do whatever else it is that gets in the way of God’s house being built up in our lives. Those choices don’t seem to really help in the long run, anyway.

Carrying God's Name

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:52:06 -0500

Do you ever stop and ask yourself, “I wonder if the way I’m acting would make God proud”? I know that’s a heavy question for an introduction. You’re no doubt thinking about some of the times someone yelled at you because of this very issue—in the south, we say that someone’s “livin’ like the devil.” And I’m sure that most of those times involved someone—maybe that person or you—mishandling your particular indiscretion by getting overly angry and not pointing to scripture to handle or correct the situation. But even though you or someone may have handled accountability poorly, the question should still concern us. Why? Because it concerns God.

You don’t have to look far in the Bible to see evidence of this. After all, the ministry of the prophets in the Old Testament dealt mostly with Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Time and time again, God rebukes Israel for their being unfaithful. An example of these rebukes that really got my attention was one I found in the book of Ezekiel: “”’I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.”’” (Ezekiel 36:23, NIV)

Israel had turned away from God by their actions. It’s recorded that they had taken to worshiping idols of false gods, to say nothing of other actions that defiled their land in the eyes of God. It’s written that God punished them for their unfaithfulness, scattering them from Israel—in this case, into captivity in Babylon. However, it seems that Israel did not repent of their actions even in exile, because it’s said that they profaned the name of God wherever they went—so much so that even the Babylonians noticed the discrepancy.

This brings us back to verse 23. God was telling the Israelites that, despite their conduct, He would show Himself as holy to the nations. How? God promised restoration to them, as shown in verses 24-28 of the same chapter:

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

Nowhere in here do I see God saying that the Israelites earned their way back into the land He had given them. God makes that very clear in verse 32: “I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!” So why would God treat Israel with what seems like reward to us when He makes it very clear that their redemption is not for their benefit? The only answer I can come up with is God takes His holiness seriously. He is holy and our souls should be grieved if our actions taint that label in the eyes of those we are meant to disciple.

Sure, we feel bad, but in my experience, it only lasts until we can use God to salve our conscience without doing too much to change the behavior. This is something that we as humans have clearly been guilty of for centuries, since the Israelites had the same problem. Their city was destroyed by the Babylonians—something I’m sure grieved them—yet their conduct showed no clear signs of change. This is not a cycle meant for God’s people.

God makes it clear He doesn’t want us to brush off unfaithful conduct without any care for how it offends Him. He also makes it quite clear that He will show Himself as holy to all non-believers, even if we don’t live in a way that invites Him to work through us.

God takes His holiness seriously. We can’t keep acting through our lifestyles as if He doesn’t. We must live like the people who are supposed to declare His name as holy in all we do.

So here’s a question for you in closing:

How will you carry God’s name?

To Know Christ

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:06:40 -0400

“Why do we do what we do?”

This question was posed to our church’s praise team by our worship pastor, who’s been a good friend of mine for several years. Obviously, the answers to this question were varied, but I bet if you were to ask this question of others in the church, you’d get responses a lot like them: ”To give God the glory”, “Because the church really needed some help in this area”, “Because it’s fun”, “Because I have a gift in this area”—and so on. Of course, these answers don’t really seem to cut it after a while.

Sure these answers are grounded in good intentions, but they seem to be potentially one-sided, don’t they? It would be so easy for any of us to put a spin on our reasons to make us seem like a super Christian or something. I mean, some of those defenses seem beyond reproach, don’t they? The problem is that it’s too easy for us to use them as leverage so we can compare ourselves to those Christians who don’t do as much as we do.

What should be at the centers of our motives, then? My worship pastor friend offered these verses for our consideration:

“I want to know Christ and the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death. Then I have hope that I myself will be raised from the dead.”-Philippians 3:10-11 (NCV)

These words are so contrary to our normal motivations in the church these days. It sounds good to say we want to know Christ and the power of God, but to “share in His sufferings”? To “become like him in his death”? That sounds a little too uncomfortable.

But Paul understood the importance of that focus better than most. Earlier in his letter, he had told the church in Philippi that with his upbringing in the Jewish tradition he knew how easy it is to get wrapped up in what we do. “Those things were important to me, but now I think they are worth nothing because of Christ. Not only those things, but I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him, I have lost all those things, and now I know they are worthless trash. This allows me to have Christ and to belong to him. Now I am right with God, not because I followed the law, but because I believed in Christ. God uses my faith to make me right with him.” (Philippians 3:7-9)

Can we say the same about our relationship or are we still defining it based on how hard we worked to earn our righteousness? If the latter is true, than we’ve missed the point entirely. We bandy about phrases like, “Works without faith are dead,” but do we always act like they are?

It’s too easy for us to over-complicate our faith. Even now, I’m looking this over and anticipating any debates that may erupt from open points I’ve left. This is not to say that discussion wouldn’t be welcome, but as with doing church work, we can’t let it get in the way of our purpose. We have never been awarded salvation by our merit. Salvation only comes through our faith in the significance of what Jesus did for us. The work we do should follow that faith, but never precede it.

If our actions follow our belief in Christ’s sacrifice, then we will truly know Him because our motives aren’t misplaced. And if our faith in Christ is at the root of all we do, then the work and belief of our life will come full circle and are brought completely to God.

The Hi-Fi Corner: Top 10 Albums Series (conclusion)

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:05:05 -0400

Quiet Science “With/Without” (2009)-Sometimes, there are groups that become instant favorites of mine. With those bands, it’s very easy for me to accept the first thing I hear from them and become dedicated to them. But sometimes there are those bands that I just kick myself in the head for not getting into sooner. Quiet Science falls into the latter category.

That said, this debut full-length from them falls into the “recent favorites” category—since I really just bought it a couple of months ago—but I honestly don’t see any reason why this wouldn’t remain a top favorite for a long while.

“With/Without” has that kind of staying power because it gives a feeling of musical progression—like you’ve gone somewhere as you’ve listened to it. Once you really dive into it, you get the feeling that you’ve had an extremely ethereal listening experience. You can attribute that to the contrast of driving alternative rock stylings with atmospheric pop. The songs are written in such a way that all instruments work well off each other with each shift in the dynamic texture—true evidence of the chemistry in the band’s foundation.

What elements make this chemistry? A solid, rhythmic mix between the guitar, bass and drums with some textural lead lines from the guitar; the blend of the vocal tones from the front man, Nathan, and keyboardist, Daisy; lyrics that paint a broad brush of story telling with very clear imagery and emotional color; and probably my favorite part is the tasteful, yet diverse use of keyboards and effects that provide very unique accenting.

When I first got this CD, it was in rotation in my car for over a week and is still a heavy listen. I really look forward to any future releases from this group.

Switchfoot “Learning To Breathe” (2000)-When I first heard Switchfoot, it was in the days before they released “The Beautiful Letdown”, their breakthrough album. Since then, my feelings toward the band have sort of gone full circle. I’ve liked them, loved them and fell out of love with them. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I was even interested in listening to them again. “Hello Hurricane” reinvigorated my interest in a band that has been a part of my musical landscape for a long time.

So, why didn’t I choose “Hello Hurricane” if it’s that important to my journey with this group? Well, because it inspired me to dig up some older works that I had either never picked up for some reason or that got lost long ago. So when “Learning To Breathe” found its way into my collection and I popped into my car’s CD player, I felt a little fulfillment—especially when I heard all these songs I forgot about that I used to sing along with on the radio all the time.

This was my era of Switchfoot. It may have taken some more recent releases to remind of that emotional connection, but that doesn’t change the fact that I grew up with it. Musically, “LTB” has Jon Foreman’s signature songwriting style that is still very clear in newer albums. This is also true of the lyrics, which were (and still are) a little different from the lyrics of Switchfoot’s musical peers. It all blends together for a vibe of eager hopefulness, as if the band was looking forward to something they knew was around the corner. Wrap it up with two of the biggest sounding compositions at that point in their career, one of which is the ever-popular “I Dare You To Move”, and it’s no mystery why this CD is one of my favorites.

Five Iron Frenzy “The End Is Near” (2003)-This is easily one of my favorite bands, so it was very hard to choose a favorite from them. This band was one of the handfuls that got me through high school and made ska something of a perennial favorite genre of mine. Any one of their CDs could merit a spot in my top ten for one reason or another. But I chose their final studio release as my personal favorite overall.

The general “ska” sound (classified as third-wave ska) morphed a lot during FIF’s years of activity, so by the time they got to this CD they had successfully carved out their own unique little niche in the genre. All the usual elements are on this album that make a noteworthy addition to their discography—guitars, bass, drums, horns, etc.—and the lyrics are the usual eclectic mix of tongue-in-cheek humor to astoundingly cutting commentary to deeply personal, spiritual themes. What makes this album a standout favorite is the sense of a proper goodbye to the fans from the band.

Some of the songs have a real sense of looking back and giving closure to band and dedicated fan alike. This feeling is conveyed the strongest with the official last track, “On Distant Shores”, which closes out with the ending from “Every New Day”—arguably, the most loved song the band has ever written. These songs have helped the album to really stick with me, making this album a fitting end for a good band and a top favorite.

The Hi-Fi Corner: Top 10 Albums Series (part 3)

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:05:05 -0400

Children 18:3 “Children 18:3” (2008)-Punk’s a funny genre for me. There are some bands that have definitely stood out to me over the years, but they’re rarely the bands that most people talk about—with a noted exception for The Clash. What can I say? I like what I like. This band grabbed my attention so emphatically with their first album, that I can’t help but to list it as a favorite.

When I first heard this group, a trio of siblings from Minnesota, I was blown away by how big a sound they produced for a three piece. I’ve seen them live and I can say that there’s very little missing from that huge sound they lay down on record. Honestly, it’s really hard to just focus on one song over the other, because this first album is a non-stop trip down the road of punk rock that drives you straight into a wall of sound.

The drumming is fast and frantic, but with enough complexity to boggle the ears of the listener. The guitar playing is equally as driving and showing a diversity of rhythmic and lead stylings, balanced out by the solid, equally impressive bass lines. The vocals are a balance between straight singing and shouting/screaming, shared between David (the guitarist) and Lee Marie (the bassist). This strikes a unique balance that takes advantage of each voice’s tone and range, lending to an overall sweet setup for an album.

As far as songs go, they brandish a double-edge sword of gritty punk and huge, melodic choruses. The album’s opener, “All My Balloons”, proves this to be true to the listener’s ear. In just about two-and-a-half minutes, you realize your appetite for that huge sound has been whet! The lyrics are clever, thoughtful and as bold as the music; a fitting combination for an album as noteworthy as this one.

Jars of Clay “Jars of Clay” (1995)-This choice is arguably the most well known of my choices on the list so far. For good reason, seeing as this CD launched a band whose music would find fans in just about every conceivable audience—Christian and non-Christian. They’ve garnered quite a bit of respect as an “alternative rock” band over the years. Of course, they’re known by many for more than just good music, but that’s not what I’m going to talk about here. My focus is on this wonderful debut work that started it all.

This CD established the group’s penchant for musical experimentation and having diverse instrumentation (which, as you can tell by now, is something I always appreciate). First off, the album’s guitars are all acoustic, giving it a very earthy feel reminiscent of some of the popular folk music of the 1960s. Take some of the alternative rock stylings of the ‘90s and throw it in there and the music takes on a very unique life of its own, especially when you factor in the other musical flavors added in—piano, organ, violin, cello, programming loops, mandolin and recorder, to name a few. Not very many groups have blended together these diverse elements as well as Jars of Clay did in their debut.

The vocals are thick with strong, catchy melodies and just-as-strong harmonies. The lyrics are deeper than the usual fare for Christian musicians and this has been an area that the band has stayed the strongest in during their considerable career. That goes back to why this CD is one of my favorites: it established all that is familiar about this group to me and to others. Sure, they’ve changed their sound from album to album, but their spirit and their way of thinking has always shined through. And with such a collection of memorable songs, there’s no better starting point in any legacy.

To be continued…

The Hi-Fi Corner: Top 10 Albums Series (part 2)

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:41:01 -0400

Plumb “candycoatedwaterdrops” (1999)-When I migrated away from a lot of the music I grew up listening to—basically, whatever could be found on popular radio stations—I stayed in that hard-and-heavy place for a while, not caring too much about music with obvious “pop” influence. Once I got this album, though, my thoughts had changed.

Plumb’s songs have always had this watermark of “pop” influence, but still managed to maintain a unique style all their own—a rare feat in a day when a majority of female pop singers all pretty much do some version of the same thing. For Plumb, this album is no exception and is probably the best example of her diversity.

This album contains everything from heavy-vibed rockers to stripped-down, slow songs featuring keyboards and drums. Guitars go from sounding grungy to bright. Synthesizer loops and programming sequences are used often to give the album an occasional trance feel. The album even uses a string ensemble to give some songs a very grand feeling. Combine all that with Plumb’s smooth, yet powerful vocals and her diverse lyric writing—subjects including love, love lost, social and church commentary, healing and brokenness—and the result is an album that’s sure to offer something worthwhile to any listener.

Rich Mullins “A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band” (1993)-There has been no songwriter quite like Rich Mullins. He wrote songs that have turned into the church’s biggest worship standards (Awesome God sound familiar?). His song ideas have never been more realized than with this album.

The album is basically structured in two different halves: the Liturgy and the Legacy. The Liturgy section contains songs patterned after the traditional Liturgy of the Catholic Church; the Legacy section is where Rich sort of looks at how we hold onto those foundations in the way we live—as if looking for the beauty talked about in the Bible in the world that God has given us.

He manages this approach without being uber-denominational or hyper-patriotic, which I think is the big appeal. Ultimately the CD points back to God in just about every aspect of the CD, whether it’s obvious or not. If you want proof of that, the CD’s opener, “Here in America”, is proof of that as it sets up a reminiscent look to the wonder of God’s creation available to us in America and how it all connects to how much God loves us where we are. Of course, these lyrics are offered to us in Mullin’s trademark poetic flare, making them even more powerful.

Mullins’ poetic lyrics are supported by solid compositions that offer up a diverse flavor of folk music, borrowing from American and Celtic influences. The instrumentation on this album—including instruments like piano, guitar, drums, bass, dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, organ, mandolin and squeezebox—give this album a degree of texture that some folk albums aren’t capable of producing.

House of Heroes “The End Is Not The End” (2008)-Okay, that whole thing I said about avoiding obviously “pop-influenced” music until I got “candycoatedwaterdrops” isn’t entirely true. There were a small handful of bands that I still listened to who bore that influence—House of Heroes was one of them.

For a while, though, all I had to go on was their first, full-length CD. While it was a great debut, I think I let myself get bored them. It turns out that was a huge mistake, because in that time, they released “The End Is Not The End,” which has become not only a personal favorite of mine, but, arguably, the best CD they have released to date.

HoH continues in that tradition of bombastic rock, pioneered so well by Queen. However, the HoH formula tempers alternative-rock riffing—from a traditional four-piece band sound with occasional accents from other instruments or effects—with wonderful use of vocals and bgvs, and melodic hooks that would make the most prolific of “pop” songwriters turn their heads in amazement. Of course, this is all dynamically balanced between hard-driving riffs to song sections with a lighter touch, even going so far as to balance out the record with an acoustic ballad in the middle of everything. This musical combination is assured to keep the interest of any listener for the entire CD.

The music is supported by strong, provocative lyrics—as is the case when you’re looking at truly good releases. The lyrics are deep and often paint a very clear picture to help reinforce the message or story they are telling. They are mostly relating the importance of forgiveness, taking a stand as well as conveying feelings of loss and hope of restoration by using a war-time setting. I can only think of a handful of groups today that craft together lyrical and musical depth so masterfully. That’s why this album is one of my favorites.

To be continued…

The Hi-Fi Corner: Top 10 Albums Series

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:05:06 -0400

I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for the past few weeks. While it’s a departure from my topics of late, I think it’s a needed diversion. Part of my beliefs as a writer is that I’m only as good as the level of passion I have for my subject. Music has always been a big passion of mine. The more I explore it, the more I realize what an overall fan I am of it. So, I wanted to offer a list of about 10 albums (presented as a series) that are my favorites and offer some insights as to why they are my favorites. These are albums that are either current favorites or have played a big role in shaping who I am not only as an artist, but as a person who loves music. One warning as I kick this off: Hang on tight! We’ll be going all over the place.

Project 86’s “Truthless Heroes” (2002)-This was my introduction to this group; one of the first signposts in my life that indicated a drastic shift in what was my usual listening fair. As starting points go, this one was great.

The music is loud and forceful and hits you right in the face from the get-go. I don’t think there’s a single dull moment on the record. It strings together aggressive songs and artfully mixed spoken-word-style sections to create a unique listening experience. TH bears all the usual hallmarks I’ve come to love about this band: simple-yet-creative guitar riffs, driving bass and drums, a wonderful sense of progression and lyrics that can really cut to the heart—credited to lyricist Andrew Schwab’s unique writing style and unmistakable vocal stylings.

In this effort, the lyrics connect to offer to the listener a story of a man who pursues his every selfish desire and where that path ultimately leads. Schwab labels himself a question asker and the big question in this album—where does living like this lead us—is one that resonates to anyone who’s really listening. As Schwab writes in the album’s closer, “And all along here I was told / by fallen men in their charade / that we could find a hope inside / the safety of this empty place.” The honesty and the raw energy of this CD has made it one of my favorites.

Solia Tera’s “Diamonds, Dirt, Iron Pyrite, And A Pearl Of Great Prize” (2010)-Jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other, this particular release, though a relatively new one, is one that has captured me with its boldness.

It jumps right into things with a small intro section and the guys in the band sing/shouting in unison, kicking off the polyphonic jam that is now the rest of the experience. The sound, for anyone unfamiliar with the band, is a pleasing fusion of guitar, bass, drums, trombones, percussion and a whole bunch of other sounds you didn’t know could sound so great in a song—i.e. tearing paper, alarm clocks…you get the picture.

Then there’s the lyrics, which are just as unique in their presentation as in their meaning. They’re genuine, heartfelt, imaginative and pondering of all that God is and does for us. Consider this last line from one of the songs: “When you said, ‘Come and rest,’ I felt it leap inside; the part of me that was dead.” What helps the lyrics the most is that they aren’t just sang by the lead vocalist, but given the same polyphonic treatment the rest of the album gets—every member of the group lends his voice to help this album take flight.

All of these elements fuse together with so much joy that you remember why you love to listen to music in the first place. That’s why it’s one of my favorites.

To be continued…

Living In The Past

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:42:00 -0400

What comes to mind when you think of someone who’s stuck in the past? Probably someone who looks like they just stepped out of a time machine, right? Everything from the way they dress to the way they speak seems very much out of place. No doubt, if you thought long enough about this person, you’d probably wind up laughing yourself hoarse because of how absurd they seem to you (and let’s face it, we can all probably think of a particular person who fits that bill in our lives). The big question I’m getting at is this: What’s God’s response when He comes across someone who’s stuck in the past?

Now, I’m not talking about those people who seem like a walking relic of trends-gone-by. I’m talking about those people who pick up a tendency carried by many people. The tendency I’m talking about here is the one that causes us to hold on to the negative parts of our past—our flaws, grudges, regrets and other baggage from any number of experiences that we have lived through. You name it and I’d say it’s a safe bet there are a number of people who won’t let go of it. Pretty discouraging, isn’t it?

What’s even more discouraging is how the church, God’s people, have picked up that tendency as well. But why is it a problem for us? Because we don’t take the time to get to know God? Or is it a case of amnesia in regards to His word to us? Whatever the case, we seem to subconsciously want to hold on to those things that keep us from being completely free in God’s grace. Sometimes, we make excuses as to why we can’t get rid of something, giving too much credit to that thing and limiting God’s power over it. The evidence of that is clear: “You don’t know what it was like to grow up in my home”; “It’s just too hard to give it up”; “You don’t know what the last church I attended was like.” Sound familiar?

Consider what God says through Isaiah:

“The Lord says, ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” (Isaiah 43:18-19; NCV)

Staggering words when you consider that they came after a reprimand to God’s first chosen people, the Israelites. Even though they were constantly turning their backs on Him, God told the Israelites that He was offering them a way out of their situation, if they would only return to Him.

This doesn’t mean that we repeat the cycle by coming back to God like we have when we first came to Him. “’[Y]ou did not buy incense for me; you did not freely bring me fat from your sacrifices. Instead you have weighed me down with your many sins; you have made me tired of your many wrongs. I, I am the One who erases all your sins, for my sake; I will not remember your sins.’”

God has no desire to hold on to our sins—our grudges, our excuses, our painful memories—with us. He desires to erase them so that we can forget about them and take the road that he has laid out for us in the desert of our wandering. If we go contrary to that, than we not only sadden Him, but we keep ourselves from being able to take the way out He has given us. Why take that road when we are comfortably bemoaning our heavy baggage?

This is not to say that God doesn’t understand how bad our lives were before we turned to Him—how difficult it can be to embrace that healing. God is very much aware of our painfully heavy baggage. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is proof of that. I think that’s the ultimate application of those verses. God extends His grace to us in so many ways because He knows it is impossible for us to leave behind our lives of our own strength. That’s why He is the one providing a way out of our old lives that weigh us down with the baggage of our past. Left to ourselves, we would hang on to those things we were trying to leave behind.

So why stay stuck in our past when our Creator has made it evident that he wants us to move on with Him and forget about it? He has made a path for us. All that remains is for us to take it and we can move forward.

"An opinion is merely a preference in a continuum of options…A conviction, on the other hand,..."

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:58:00 -0400

“An opinion is merely a preference in a continuum of options…A conviction, on the other hand, is rooted in the conscience and cannot be changed without changing that which essentially defines the person. In a pluralistic culture, an opinion should not be given the same passion as the weight of a conviction. And every conviction held must be done so with the clear and required teaching of Scripture. Once these differences are made in a Christian’s mind then a very important logical consequence follows: Every conviction that is held should be undergirded by love.”

- Ravi Zacharias (from Deliver Us From Evil)

Finding Myself

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:56:00 -0400

Self-discovery is a big hang-up in American culture today. It has been, for at least the past couple of decades, a significant factor in our recent history. Of course, some would argue this desire to “find” one’s self goes back even farther than American history—that we just put a small twist on this timeless trap.

I’ve just started reading Ravi Zacharias’ “Deliver Us From Evil,” where he opens up by saying that man’s desire for personal fulfillment has put us under the consequences of that human-centered viewpoint.* I would say it this way: the longer we keep focused on our own reflections, the more suffering our soul endures.

What do I mean by that? Let me answer by saying that I’ve noticed this problem of self-focus and self-discovery a lot—both in the American culture and in the church. I’ve seen it hit close to home and everywhere else I look. This whole phenomenon really seems to grab hold of students just fresh out of school. That could just be my bias kicking in, of course. While we start navigating these rough seas as students, many are easily blown back there after coming back to calm seas—if, indeed, they ever leave that storm in the first place. However, that age group—high-school and college grads—have entered a whirlwind of transition. They might feel hung out to dry, not sure of what to do or what’s expected of them. They may wonder how they would identify themselves; they may feel disconnected from their souls—their very beings.

Left to our own devices, when we encounter feelings like that—regardless of what circumstance put us there—we usually would begin the search for our elusive selves. Left to our own devices, we would go on this dizzying route, forgetting how to find our way out of the jungles and valleys we needed to enter for a self-centered search.

But does this search really yield the desired result for us? The writer of Ecclesiastes equated similar pursuits of intellect and physical fulfillment as being like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17). I know that if we are in that mode of self-discovery, the last things we want to hear are words that seem so distant from our unique journey. But consider: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

There are themes that pop up in the Word God left for us. They’re so difficult to grasp, though, because we get so focused on what we believe is best for our idea of who we are. This idea often drives us blindly, causing us to build up our identity in a house of our making. We’re so focused on this idea that we forget that leaving God out of the plans—or not letting Him guide that process. We need the perspective of God’s love for us; otherwise we miss crucial steps that will make what we have built susceptible to winds of doubt and trouble.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for us to really learn and apply this to ourselves. Even with a passing understanding of how prominent God must be in our lives or our search for them, we often plow ahead without any real consideration for His heart in the matter. The evidence for what happens when we do is all around us: people grow numb from over-indulgence; people become so self-centered that they no longer have concern for friends or family—after all, they’re free to do what they want, right? If I have learned anything—and I’m backed up in this by the generations that penned the books of the bible—I’ve learned that our freedom should never push others aside—especially our Maker.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) You see this versed referenced a lot if you grew up in the church—I often use or think about it myself. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we need to be reminded of that point every once in a while.

Look around and you’ll see that the dusty words telling us those self-seeking ventures are vain attempts at building a structure with no strength to it ring true. It is my hope that all generations come to really embrace this truth and accept the house God is building for us.

*This is just a simple summary of some deep stuff. To do him justice, you should pick up “Deliver Us From Evil.”

Do Not Tap On The Glass--Part 1: Orientation

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:16:00 -0400

Author’s note: I wanted to take the time to set up this short story for you. This story is a science fiction tale, of sorts, where you get one opinion—the opinion of whoever is narrating. Think of this story as giving you one part of the dialogue at a time. Use your imagination to figure out what the response of the other character would be. Look for those opportunities at paragraph breaks, seemingly rhetorical questions or open-ended sentences. This story may become a series, depending on how you like it or how quick I keep up with it. Enjoy!

Do not tap on the glass.

I remember that being posted everywhere at the zoo I went to as a child. It was posted at every applicable exhibit—the reptile house, the aquarium, the gorilla enclosure—and repeated ad infinitum by every tour guide that worked for the zoo. Their proclamation always seemed to lack an authoritative tone to stress how important that rule was. After all, when you’ve got children who are obsessed with observation, the temptation can be overwhelming for them to tap on that glass surrounding the enclosed life they are viewing.

Maybe it was this childish desire that drove me into a career as a life researcher. Essentially, it’s every career that involves the examination of humans—psychologist, physician, anthropologist, photographer, etc.—with none of the direct involvement. As life researchers, we observe and influence, but cannot have direct contact with the thing being observed. However, life researchers also work between the biases of other doctors by influencing elements around the subject.

Of course, it is entirely rude to refer to my subject as a “thing” but in my line of work, being detached from the subject I’m observing is the goal. Thus, I refer to any given subject as a “thing” to aid in this detachment. But then, I haven’t made it this far in my career to take character judgments from someone who does not understand the work.

What are you missing? That crucial understanding of stimuli effects on the lives of the subjects. You need to learn how each indirect action on your part will affect each individual subject. Look at it from this perspective: drug research involves taking those subjects who exhibit certain symptoms and giving them a pill promised to alleviate or remove the problem. Some subjects, unbeknownst to them, are given a placebo—a sugar pill—and told it has the same power as the drug being tested. From there, you just gauge their reaction against other subjects based on what they received—the real pill or the placebo. If the real pill works, the problem is solved and the research concludes; if it doesn’t, it’s chalked up as a failure. However, if the placebo is shown to work on that unknowing subject, then a whole other variable is introduced into the equation—will.

As a life researcher, we deal in terms of wills rather than treatment. Various pokes and prods on the environment of the subject will generate a reaction. Whether that reaction is positive or negative can be determined as a result of that subject’s will—how it chooses to react all of the given stimuli in its life. With will, it either chooses to accept the effects it is experiencing as fate or chooses the belief that it can overcome them.

Yes, I know I said “it,” but let me get to my point. Actually, you would be a very good example of what I’m talking about. My replacing a personal pronoun with an object pronoun clearly troubles you.

I agree, you have every right to be troubled, but my point is that you are reacting to a certain stimuli much the same way our subjects would. Your reaction can be classified as a result of various experiences in which you have taught yourself the best way to react to such a moral dilemma.

That’s how the science of life research works: we chart out the myriad reactions and wills of our subjects as they go about their lives. From there, we record the results for posterity and for the reference of whoever would need the information.

Advertisers, mostly. Sometimes it’s politicians, service organizations, artists, religious organizations, that sort of thing. You’re missing the point, though. This work is of great value to our society and to humanity in general. Simply put, figuring out will removes one mystery from the equation of the human. The pokes and prods enable us to better classify the many groups of our subjects. Just like the scientific names of animals that are mounted on the plaques in the zoo, our observations yield information invaluable to classifying our subjects into a sort of cultural phylum, genis and species. However, our results could only be well obtained by tapping on the glass that is the fabric of their life. That’s where our strength lies as observers. We’re not afraid to see our subjects perturbed by the tapping they hear; the discovery of their car being keyed, their dog being run over, their being fired from their seemingly secure job or what have you.

I understand this is a lot to take in on your first day, but give it a few months and you’ll have adjusted to it all. Concern for our subjects is not something we can afford to have. Pragmatism and science demand more out of us than simple human concern. Leave that to the others that interact with our subjects. Their lot is to be a part of those culminated experiences—a variable in individual observations—and to help condition the responses of the subject to things that it is experiencing.

Just accept that it is not your role. You’ll drive yourself crazy otherwise.

If we don’t play our parts and learn as outsiders then what can we hope to gain as a result of all these episodes? Get too involved and you wreck the observation with all of our biases connected with the person.

Don’t ask a question like that. It really doesn’t help to get so paranoid in the line of work you were selected for.

Come Away and Be Still

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:52:00 -0400

This past weekend, I got to do something I don’t always get to do—or take the time to do. I went on a small excursion to one of the handful of nature trails in Jacksonville—the trails around Fort Caroline, to be precise. It was a hot day, so I packed a couple of tiny water bottles, some sunflower seeds, and my bible and journal.

However, this was not just a simple little jaunt for my amusement. The grander purpose behind my little holiday was to get away from my internet, video games, and thoughts and emotions hanging heavy around my house to try and spend some truly quiet time with God.

OK, so it wasn’t totally quiet. There were still about a dozen people—individuals and families—who insured that it didn’t stay quiet all the time, but it was quiet for the most part.

When I first got there, I spent some time admiring the riverfront view in front of the fort; checking out some dolphins swim by, their fins rolling in pairs down the river. After absorbing this scene and singing a praise song in prayer, I started walking the trail. When I got to the first bench on the trail, I sat down, got out my bible and started prayerfully reading through Psalms—searching for some that would lift up my deflated spirit. As I was reading psalm after psalm, I flipped through to Psalm 139 and wrote down these verses after reading it:

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

These verses actually became a point of prayer for me for about five to ten minutes. And as I think about it now, I wonder if my request could have been as sincere if I had stayed at home.

Of course, God does not say we must pray in a certain place in order to be heard, but He does require us to be still and know Him—and listen to Him speak to us. Can we do that successfully or intentionally if we are a stone’s throw away from all the stuff that usually gets in our way of listening?

Consider that Jesus often withdrew from the people to get some quiet time with his Father. Consider that Jacob’s most profound moment came when he was in the wilderness by himself, wrestling with God. Consider that while Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel’s wrath, he was ministered to by God in the desert when he was on the run. The important thing to note in Elijah’s case is that God spoke to Him in a quiet whisper after some impressive natural disasters—hurricane winds, an earthquake, and a great fire (1 Kings 19).

However, nature doesn’t always have such inspiring connotations. Just look at the instance when Moses was leading the stiff-necked Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years because they had no faith in God.

I don’t think the bad associations with nature we have should ruin what it was meant to be. It was meant to be a testament to God’s ability. All the natural landscapes were crafted by His hand to give one small piece of evidence of His glory and love. Like Paul says in Romans 1:20-21, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Our senses get flooded with messages from our culture around the clock. Everyday, there’s more manmade stuff that is capable of obscuring what view our eyes can see of God’s handiwork. As a result, our hearts are starved of the imagination needed to observe nature and praise the God that made it. Like Paul says, God’s handiwork is the best view of God’s glory we can get with our human eyes.

Jesus told the Pharisees that if the people should stop worshiping Him, that the very rocks would cry out in praise. A friend of mine shed a different light on this for me when he said, “Who’s to say they aren’t now?” They are a testament to God’s glory, right? By their very existence, these rocks—along with other bits of God’s creation—are like a verse of praise to God. How much truer would this be in a time where we are largely separated from God’s creation?

Sure, God’s wilderness comes in small glances around us, but it is not as close to us as it was in the times of Paul and Jesus. The center of our universe is currently focused on social media and new technologies. As a result, there are many who think that nature no longer has an inspiring role to play in our lives. The truth is it will always be the best visible reminder of our Creator. It will always be a refuge away from the din of secular life; a place set aside for us to be still and know Him.

Thanks for checking The Station.

-Cody

Changing Music Industry: Part 2-Where does the Church fit in?

Fri, 20 May 2011 12:18:00 -0400

With all the signs of ill health in the music industry, is it accurate to lump CCM in with the other patients? I’m not sure. As I have said, I don’t have what you’d call an industry perspective, so I’m forced to guess on this based on who I know and what I see and hear.

The big gist of Gibson’s article (which I linked for you in my previous post) is that while the “traditional” CCM market may be ailing, the new movers in the worship music community are the new standard in the industry. These communities (Hillsong, Passion, Jesus Culture, Gateway, etc.) are really impacting churches around the world. Not just in how many different congregations play their songs, but in the excitement they are generating about worship in a large portion of the church market. By focusing their creative efforts at worshiping God, they are rightfully successful in garnering such a support from the Christian market.

So, why am I still unsure if it seems these new guys have it all in the bag? I’m part of the generation that remembers the heyday of CCM. Sure it wasn’t always an enjoyable day, but it helped to temper my musical awareness a smidge—when I wasn’t listening to oldies stations or the current ( back then) pop stations. With knowledge of CCM as a kid would come knowledge Christian music I didn’t hear on the radio (Five Iron Frenzy, The Supertones, Skillet, Project 86, etc.) much at all. I grew up listening to artists like Steven Curtis Chapman, Rich Mullins and DC Talk; I know what CCM can mean to people. CCM (and its cousins) can be a safe haven for people who feel, through varied reasons, that they shouldn’t listen to non-Christian bands. And if something is a genuine stumbling block in that music for someone, is it wise to press an agenda against a music industry that is moderately helpful?

Yes, I know that the music is no replacement for an active prayer and bible study life. Yes, I know of the hypocrisy and over-commercialization of which the industry is capable. But we shouldn’t throw out the gold with the dross. Because for every conceivable dozen or so musicians created to be bland doppelgangers of a mainstream trend—if that’s an accurate number—there is at least one that gets through that mirrors the heart-honesty that helped to anchor the CCM industry (see Keith Green). I would think that having that little market—often exploited for making a quick buck—would serve as a home base and means of ministry to those artists. If that is eliminated to favor only the worship music groups, then they may lose an area where they are called to minister through their unique songs.

I know a handful of people who are still faithful to Christian radio stations as being their primary source of entertainment*. However, I know just as many who aren’t. Those people follow the worship music communities closer than the Christian bands. In fact, this brings me back to a point brought up by Gibson. With all the success some Christian artists have found in the mainstream (Switchfoot comes to mind), Christians have gone from being the main target to one of many. The result of this crossover creates Christians who are not ground in the typical Christian markets of their forefathers.

This all comes back around to the big question. Is CCM, as we know it, going the way of the dodo? Possibly, but don’t ask me when. I will say, much like Gibson has, that Christian music will always be around even if it means breaking away from the business model. I think of Christian musicians like Keith Green and Rich Mullins who were anchors in this trend of Christian music not part of church services. I also think of a quote from Rich Mullins: “The best Christian music is the music of the church.”

If you are desperate for Christian-themed entertainment, I am confident it will always be out there. But if you want good Christian music—music that best expresses our joy and new life—it is found at its clearest in those songs designed to rally the church around God. It is found in the hymns of the church and the new tradition of praise and worship music. That will be the foundation of all Christian music.

*Just a note on this “entertainment” thing. It’s not meant in any way to belittle the fact that one can glean some good theology out of CCM songs or whatnot, but it is just a song presented by a human. It’s packaged in a way meant to be entertaining, on some level. Worship music and hymns are meant to have God as the sole subject of the song, but even those are subject to being entertaining at times. Ultimately, this is all stuff that is supplemental to a healthy walk with God in prayer, bible study and living out His holiness.

Changing Music Industry: Part 1-Introduction

Fri, 13 May 2011 14:14:00 -0400

I just read an article by Dan Gibson on Relevant Magazine’s website that’s all about the forecast in the music industry for 2011 and beyond. Like Gibson, I’d like to point out that trying to nail down an exact outcome in this field can be tricky. The music industry is usually a barometer of the change that surrounds it. It moves with each technological change and each shift in the newest popular music. After all, an industry exists to make money, so it needs to be able to keep up with the largest market that would purchase its goods. So, given how much change can happen around the music industry, it can be difficult to figure out exactly how the music industry will respond to it.

This is an opinion of someone who isn’t—by any stretch of the imagination—a professional or in the industry, but it seems to me that the music industry likes status quo. The reason is most artists make more money when given time to develop and build a fan base. This makes sense. It takes time to break through the media wall and become an act on which consumers will actually want to spend money. The downside to this mindset, though, is that it becomes difficult to change plans or for new voices to break through. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right?

Do you remember the backlash around the Napster file sharing debacle? The anger there was due to music industry reps getting bent out of shape—understandably—because they weren’t able to make the money they were looking forward to because their traditional income was severely altered. It took them a while to respond to that change, but they’ve responded to it fairly well—I’ll spare a huge list, but just think of all the ways record companies and bands make new music available to you for distribution. Even with all that change, though, a lot of people still download their music for free or illegally.

Another factor in the changing musical landscape is a change in what sound or style is getting more attention. Purchase trends have caused dramatic shifts in what music style is, “better than the rest.” Style change trends are usually the result of an artist’s contribution in writing and the marketing of the right people in the industry—assuming we’re not talking about artists who are created by industry folks to adapt to a new market. It’s pretty much the reason why decades can be most well known by a genre or two of music. Popular in the ‘90s was Grunge and Alternative music. In the ‘80s, it was New Wave and Hair Metal. I could go on, but you get the point.

Of course, this leads to a reason why it’s so difficult to get an exact bead on the next phase of the music industry: musical preference. I’m sure some of you—when I was listing off the popular genres—were thinking, “That wasn’t what I listened to!”; “I don’t really like [insert genre].” Since so much territory has been covered in music—and since so much of that is available to us in so many ways today—I think it’s difficult to be able to come up with an exact prediction to the next big thing (but it will usually be a combination of different influences with just a small tweak of new flavor).

Big changes in the industry and in the tastes of potential fans can be very scary for musical artists to face. While a majority of artists wouldn’t care about how much money they make, they certainly wouldn’t want their efforts to bear them absolutely no fruit. The most discouraging thing to a musician is apathy from an audience for whom you are performing. While I think that the way most people digest music these days can allow for any degree of artistic satisfaction, I think it’s still important to figure out how to navigate through the ever-changing industry. This blog is really just an introduction for the next post. I read something in Gibson’s article that really interested me. The section title: “The Year CCM Disappears?” What do recent changes indicate for the CCM industry? Read Gibson’s article (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/music/features/25608-relevants-2011-music-guide) first, then I’ll share my own view on this.

Thanks for checking The Station. Godbless.

Cody

Why I love Murray Hill Theatre's Cafe shows

Wed, 11 May 2011 12:44:00 -0400

I’m hardly writing this from a completely biased position, seeing as I’ve played in a handful of Cafe shows already, but I wanted to share a little bit in why they are special to me. It’s helpful that I’m writing this after just playing one Friday.

For those who have never been to Murray Hill Theatre before, check out my post titled, “I’m Bored” for a little more in-depth look at it. I will say that MHT’s usual fair are main-stage concerts. They’ve had many acts come, large and small, to put on a performance designed for a large stage and good-sized crowds. The Cafe shows mark a little exploration for the MHT, because while the cafe has had performers play during main-stage concerts (between sets, of course), it hasn’t ever been used as a stand alone attraction.

I tip my hat to Flip Padilla (MHT’s promoter) who has decided to take this step. Why? Smaller performers, or those who would thrive better in a smaller setting, are given the chance to perform and grow as they do. These shows are a benefit to acoustic acts and those honest songwriters looking for an outlet to share their songs. The chill environment of the cafe is a great place for those artists and MHT is happy to make it available for them.

It can be pretty high-pressure to have to help bring in the number of people needed to really support a venue. Putting the focus on the Cafe stage for the night helps to make things a little less stressful for performer and manager alike. With the stress removed, music performance becomes fun for everyone. Plus, the smaller environment of the Cafe shows really helps to foster a sense of community among all who attend.

The music scene is sustained through support. MHT has offered more support to local acoustic artists by giving them a small stage more suited to their sound. For those who have played or attended a Cafe show, I’m sure this unique effort has not gone unappreciated. Speaking for myself, I cannot wait for the chance to check out another Cafe show—or to be a part of one.

Thanks for checking The Station. Godbless.

-Cody

well it is so wonderful to know another believer who actually believes in keeping God's laws. as Peter wrote, in 2 Peter 3, 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Mon, 09 May 2011 11:54:12 -0400

Amen.