For You: In Memory of D-Day

“For you” is a song written by Canadian Country star, Paul Brandt, and Steven Jon Rosen for the soundtrack of the 2002 movie “We Were Soldiers”. It was sung as a duet by the legendary Johnny Cash and Dave Matthews. I find it a very appropriate song to reflect on as we remember the blood shed and lives given for our liberty 75 years ago...

"Into the Jaws of Death" taken on the morning of June 6th, 1944 by Robert F. Sargent

“For You” is a lyrically deep and rich song with the theme of selfless sacrifice for others. It tells the tale of the brave soldier who gives his life for the many but ultimately it is clear that it reflects Brandt’s own personal faith in Jesus Christ as the one who gave the ultimate sacrifice for all. It also quotes a portion of the famous 23rd Psalm. 

Cash lends his rich and weathered voice to the ballad along with his own personal faith in Jesus and Dave Matthews’ haunting vocals cap it all off. It has always been one of my very favourite songs and apparently one of the co-writer’s as well. In a 2015 interview, Paul Brandt was asked about the highlight of his career. He says: 

“Hard to pick just one for me, there have been so many fun times.  While I love performing, I think I’m a songwriter at heart.  I was asked to write a song for a music project which promoted the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” by Mel Gibson.  I wrote a song called “For You” with a great collaborator and friend of mine named Steve Rosen.  We turned the song in at the deadline, and not only were we were selected for the project, our song was recorded by Dave Matthews, and Johnny Cash. My grandmother was still alive when that happened, and she was a great encouragement and supporter of mine.  She used to mail order Johnny Cash music to the house so she could learn to play the guitar when she was younger, and was a huge fan of his. When she found out Johnny Cash had sung something I’d had a hand in writing… let’s just say that took her excitement with my career to a whole new level.”

https://canadianbeats.ca/2015/05/05/2-in-1-interview-dean-brody-paul-brandt/

As we reflect on the 75th anniversary of D-Day and on other heroic sacrifices throughout history let us soak in these lyrics and have a listen to the song below. As Jesus himself said: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 

We have all personally received the blessings and freedom that came from that mighty sacrifice 75 years ago, may we also receive the blessings and freedom that come from the mightiest sacrifice over 2000 years ago. After all, it was for you...

For You

I will drink the cup,

The poison overflowing.

I will lift you up,

Watch over where you're going.

The first one in,

The last one gone,

I'll be the rock to stand upon,

For you,

For you.

My spirit aches,

And I can't stop this river flowing.

In fear I take

Each laboured breath I draw in, knowing

That this could be my life,

My final hour.

But faith and hope and love

Give me the power,

For you,

For you.

Interlude:

Yea, though I walk through the valley

Of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

You are with me.

I'll be your salvation,

Though the storm's surrounding.

There are no conditions,

Lay my body down.

In the wake abandon, willing sacrifice.

I'll walk through the canyon,

Bring the shadows light.

For you,

For you.

I will drink the cup,

The poison overflowing.

I will lift you up,

Watch over where you're going.

The first one in,

The last one gone,

I'll be the rock to stand upon.

The first one in,

The last one gone,

I'll be the rock to stand upon

For you

For you

For you

For you

For you

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  Jesus (from the Gospel of John chapter 3)

Its Not About Me (Thank God!): Reflections on Music, Sports and Other Types of Fame.

We’ve been living in an age when famous people often thank God as they receive an award or some such thing and then continue to go off on a narcissistic rant or lead a train wreck lifestyle. They may say the Name of Jesus Christ but all too often live completely indifferent to His teachings and commands. To be fair, lots of not famous people do this too.

To purposely misquote Kanye West, the real question should be, “Do I walk with Jesus?”

So in an age like this its refreshing to hear Grammy award winner, Mandisa, explain why she didn’t attend the Grammys.  

“I can’t tell you how little I enjoy people scrutinizing what I am wearing and how I look. I’ve been on the receiving end of such mean comments coming from the other side of the anonymity the world-wide web provides. I can usually handle it, but recent events have left me feeling insecure about such things these days … I wish I could tell you it doesn’t hurt my feelings. Honestly, it does. I’m still learning to believe the truth about me….

(Also) …both times I have gone to the Grammys I have witnessed performances I wish I could erase from my memory, and yes, I fast forwarded through several performances this year; but my reason is not because of them, it’s because of me.  I have been struggling with being in the world, not of it lately. I have fallen prey to the alluring pull of flesh, pride, and selfish desires quite a bit recently.

“Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s love living within them. All the things the world can offer to you—the allure of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of superiority—do not come from the Father…” 1 John 2:15-16a (The Voice)

I knew that submerging myself into an environment that celebrates those things was risky for me at this time. I am taking steps to renew my mind to become the Heavenly Father-centered, completely satisfied with Jesus, and Holy Spirit-led woman I felt I was a few months ago, but I’m feeling a bit like an infant learning to walk again on shaky legs. Perhaps being alone with Him as my name was announced was protecting myself from where my flesh would have tried to drag me had I been up on that stage.”

I think I would like to attain to her example. I think I need to.

In an age like this I was skeptical when a pastor from Seattle all of a sudden became a mentor to Justin Bieber. Was he just trying to sneak into the limelight?  Then I found out the real story. Justin’s mother, Pattie Mallette ( a committed Christian) made a personal phone call to Pastor Judah Smith 3 years ago. In this article from the Christian Post, Smith explains:

"His mom called me....and he was having a concert in Everett (Washington)," Smith shared on Fox and Friends in February of this year. "Lo and behold he had heard me preach when he was younger in Toronto. I guess I used to put him to sleep. His mom said she'd play my tapes and he'd fall asleep."

You may still scoff and ask why Bieber is still living such a disastrous lifestyle. As a former youth pastor (well, youth leader anyways), I can tell you we often, agonizingly, watch while the young people in our charge make bad decision after bad decision.

But God is a God of patience and grace and unconditional love and I imagine that Pastor Judah is seeking to emulate those characteristics with Justin.

In an age like this its refreshing to hear athletes like recently crowned Super Bowl champions Russell Wilson and Kam Chancellor genuinely give the glory to God. Not just lip service but hands-and-feet service. They walk the walk even when the spotlight is off them. Although far from perfect , they are authentic and sincere – they are real.  Dr. Karl Payne, chaplain to the Seattle Seahawks for 20 years sums it up nicely:

“They understand the eternal perspective has to trump things of time. Three-point-four is an average NFL career.  The walk with Christ is going to last a lot longer than the other. When the tinsel and confetti are done its just me and Jesus. The price of your soul was the death of the Lord Jesus. if the price is the same then the value is the same. They’re locked on that. They understand that in the context of winning and losing. I am valuable because I belong to Christ. End of story.”

So what is really refreshing in an age like this – and in any age of history – is to see folks ( me and you included) realize that its quite simply not about music or sports or fame or power or money. We realize, in fact, that it is not about “me” at all. It is so joyously liberating to realize that, contrary to all that the world heaves on us spiritually, mentally and emotionally, our salvation  and our value and worth do not come from within but from above.

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whomfn the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

Grasping for Expression

Not sure that this falls into any official category of writing... perhaps a song or spoken word. At any rate I didn't want to change it from the way it is.

You may recognize the last portion from Counting Crow's "Anna Begins"

Grasping For Expression

I remember filling up and falling down to my knees

When Your love anew came over me

Gasping for air and grasping for expression

Long after I was born again

Desperate, frustrated and trying to earn it

Inadvertently, I almost spurned it

Till Your love cascaded over me

And finally…through me

Like bathing in a lightfall

Step down from golden throne through stars?

To take on flesh and pain .. be marred?

To feel the sting of broken nature

I cannot but worship this humble posture

Not just forgive but love your enemies?

Pray for the religious, rebellious murderer?

Touch the leper, comfort the prostitute

And even forgive the one who prostituted her?

You would heal  Malchus’ ear

So that he could hear

You say, “Permit even this”

How deep, how wide, how long, how high

Is this love?  Four dimensions –

A hint,  perhaps,  that it is beyond comprehension

And beyond condition – but not beyond the malnutrition

Of our starved and thirsty heart.

It takes both a father and a mother’s heart

To fully express how kind “Thou art”

To take back a wayward child

Though proud, rebellious  and wild

Not even a lecture to hear?

No.

Just an embrace… .and a tear.

What love is this?

This time when kindness falls like rain

It washes me away.

And He begins to change my mind.

His kindness bangs a gong,

 Its moving me along

And Oh Lord,

I’m so ready for this sort of thing

What the Bible Says about Religion

Sometimes I think the biggest stumbling block to a person seeking God – is religion.

Let me try and explain what I mean.

First of all what I do not mean – this is not about an excuse to not go to a healthy church, practice a life of integrity or hold to sound Theology.

But as God said to Samuel when he was choosing the next King of Israel  ( 1 Samuel 16:7) -

“For the LORD does not see as man sees;  for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

What may surprise you is that the word “religion” is rarely used in the Bible – but when it is the Greek word used is :  

thrēskeia

It means:

1) religious worship

a) esp. external, that which consists of ceremonies

1) religious discipline, religion

(Note: The word rendered “Worshipping”    in Col 2:18 is the same Greek word - see the passage below for context)

From Vine’s Greek Dictionary:

Religion  thrēskeia:

signifies "religion" in its external aspect (akin to threskos, see below), "religious worship," especially the ceremonial service of "religion;" it is used of the "religion" of the Jews, Act 26:5; of the "worshiping" of angels, Col 2:18, which they themselves repudiate (Rev 22:8, 9); "there was an officious parade of humility in selecting these lower beings as intercessors rather than appealing directly to the Throne of Grace" (Lightfoot);

in Jam 1:26, 27 the writer purposely uses the word to set in contrast that which is unreal and deceptive, and the "pure religion" which consists in visiting "the fatherless and widows in their affliction," and in keeping oneself "unspotted from the world." He is "not herein affirming . . . these offices to be the sum total, nor yet the great essentials, of true religion, but declares them to be the body, the threskeia, of which godliness, or the love of God, is the informing soul" (Trench).

The 2 key words here are:

External

Ceremonial

Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with something being external or ceremonial – but if it is has not first penetrated the heart – if it is empty of pure love motivation, humility, integrity and sincerity ( not to mention some rationality) then it is of no value and you’re missing the point ( see 1 Corinthians 13 etc) .

Note what the Bible says about true religion:

Jam 1:26 If anyone among you  thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 

Jam 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world

The 3 things pointed out?

Bridling one’s tongue – or controlling it. No hateful speech, gossip etc..

Visiting orphans and widows in their trouble

Keeping oneself unspotted from the world  - pure, holy, just… a clean life.

Another variation of the Greek word is ethelothrēskia translated as “self-imposed religion”

1) voluntary, arbitrary worship

a) worship which one prescribes and devises for himself, contrary to the contents and nature of faith which ought to be directed to Christ

b) said of the misdirected zeal and the practice of ascetics

The former and latter Greek words are both found in the following text:

Col 2:16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival 

or a new moon or sabbaths, 

Col 2:17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 

Col 2:18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not  seen, 

vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 

Col 2:19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 

Col 2:20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- 

Col 2:21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 

Col 2:22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 

Col 2:23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of 

no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Now we acknowledge the English definition of religion contains elements of Christianity -

Webster’s:

Definition of RELIGION

1

a : the state of a religious religion>b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural(2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2

: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3

archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

4

: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

However - though the English Dictionary meaning of Religion may describe parts and forms of Christianity – the real thing  - the substance of it - is so much more than that. 

Unfortunately  the term “Christianity” can cover many things and there have been gross misuses of the name. 

I’ve met many people who have seen some of the history of religion, including nominal “Christianity” (not sincere or understood – only outward) , or have grown up in a household of hypocrisy and rules only – and have been hurt or turned off.

I ask these people to just  look at Jesus Himself – read about Him, read what He has said and how He acted…. ( you know – Matthew, Mark , Luke and John.. and the rest of the New Testament)

True Christianity is about a relationship ( with Jesus Christ) not religion.

That is not just a cliché statement – it is real and true, a summation of what you will discover upon a reading the Bible.

This “True”, “Relational” Christianity -

 is not binding, but rather freeing.

It is not the closing of the mind, but the opening of it.

It is not superstition but well thought out, well placed , experienced faith.

Although it can be beyond our reasoning ( as one would expect God to be), it is by no means Unreasonable.

As one put it:

“Religion is man reaching out to God. The Gospel is God reaching out to man.”

What is the Gospel?    Enter John 3:16 … and 17

Jhn 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Jhn 3:17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

And as the picture says:   Jesus is my Saviour – not my religion.

Now, if I may , let me suggest that you consider finding a Bible, wiping off the dust, opening it to somewhere like the Gospel of John – and read about Jesus for a while.

Forget the system for a while – discover the Person.

Napoleon's Theology

After getting over the idea that he was god, Napoleon had the following revelation as quoted from Ravi Zacharias in his book "Jesus among other gods".....

Napoleon expressed the following thoughts while he was exiled on the rock of St. Helena. 

There, the conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on the measure of his accomplishments. He called Count Montholon to his side and asked him, "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?" The count declined to respond. Napoleon countered:

" Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him. . . . I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man; none else is like Him: Jesus Christ was more than a man. . . . I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me . . . but to do this is was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, of my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them, I lightened up the flame of self-devotion in their hearts. . . . Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, experience that remarkable, supernatural love toward Him. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man's creative powers. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame; time can neither exhaust its strength nor put a limit to its range. This is it, which strikes me most; I have often thought of it. This it is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ. "

taken from the book  "Jesus among other gods"

Worldliness ( and its definition)

"The Biblical idea of the believer's separation from the World ( i.e. Society, Pop Culture etc in the negative sense*) is not to be isolated from it but rather to be insulated from it by the Holy Spirit and our pursuit of personal holiness."

Adapted from William MacDonald

(Please see below for further definition of the term "world" as used in the Bible and Koine Greek)

Jhn 17:13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 

Jhn 17:14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

Jhn 17:15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 

Jhn 17:16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

Jhn 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 

Jhn 17:18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Jhn 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jhn 17:20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will 

 believe in Me through their word;

Jhn 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.    

---------------------------------

Further definition of the term "world" as used in the Bible and Koine Greek

Personal note:  I do not think it is wrong to use an appropriate "Pop Culture" reference in order to illustrate a Biblical point - Paul, himself, does this in his Mars Hill address when he quotes a famous poet off the day (Acts 17:28) 

*  Strong's:  Kosmos

1) an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government

2) ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1 Pet. 3:3

3) the world, the universe

4) the circle of the earth, the earth

5) the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family

  As in:  Jhn 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Negatively:

6) the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ

7) world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly

a) the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ

As in John 17 (above) and 

Jam 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 

Also note: 

There are several different words in the original New Testament  that are translated in the common version by this one English word, WORLD; the two principal ones are æon  and kosmos. Though both of these words are usually rendered world, yet they are really very distinct, and different in their meaning, and ought to have been rendered respectively age and world. 

 

Worldliness ¹

Definition: The quality of being worldly; a predominant passion for obtaining the good things of this life; covetousness; addictedness to gain and temporal enjoyments; worldly-mindedness. 

http://ardictionary.com/Worldliness/3885