If you're looking for new tunes, may I humbly suggest the new Melissa Etheridge. Play it loud, on a good stereo, in a place where you aren't embarrassed to dance and sing along.
Lordy, is it fine stuff--so good it brings tears to my eyes. It's deep and profound, but not preachy and it's more than just the intense passion of her early stuff-- the passion is still there, but it's tempered and wise, not adolescent.
Did you love Prince's performance as much as I did? The FAMU Band was brilliant and the way Prince weaved songs together was masterful.
Or was that just me?
The rendition of "Let's Go Crazy" was edgy and then he melded a genius take on "Proud Mary" onto "Baby I'm a Star." But the best part of the night was his funky take on the Foo Fighters' "The Best of You." And then worked right into Purple Rain.
I detest modern worship music. (I could have said "I have a hard time with modern worship music" but that wouldn't be an accurate statement--I hate the stuff.)
Partially it's because I'm a traditionalist and I'm uncomfortable with electric guitars and drums and light shows in church. But mostly, it's because of the inanity of the lyrics and what my mom calls the no-brainer melodies (easier to sing along with, I realize, but awfully predictable).
Consider the song that opens Alexandra Pelosi's latest documentary "Friend of God."
The song is 4:37 long. The lyrics are:
Who am I that You are mindful of me
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me
How You love me it's amazing
(Chorus)
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend
God Almighty, Lord of Glory
You have called me friend
(Repeat Chorus)
He calls me friend
He calls me friend...
Lord, I liftYour name on high
Lord, I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high
1. Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne:
Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Thru all eternity.2. Crown Him the Lord of love:
Behold His hands and side--
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his wond'ring eye
At mysteries so bright.3. Crown Him the Lord of life:
4. Crown Him the Lord of heav'n:
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
Who rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And live that death may die.
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit thru Him giv'n
From yonder glorious throne.
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, thru endless days
Adored and magnified.
Lyrics that inspire both the soul and the mind. There is imagery and direct reference to scripture; there is praise and a reverence for an omniscient God. There is no ME. There is God and His creation and His victory over death.
Certainly there is good contemporary Christian music and there are horrible old hymns (my Dad's favorite is "In the Garden" and I can't sing it without busting out in hysterical laughter), but overall, contemporary worship music is a reflection of what is wrong with the evangelical movement in America: dumbed down, emotional, lacking in substance, and focused on the wrong priorities.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth has awarded Paul Hewitt an honorary knighthood. You can still just call him Bono.
(He will not be awarded with the title of "Sir" because he is not a British national--he's Irish).
Bono was recognized for his service to the music industry and his humanitarian work. Tony Blair congratulated and thanked him:
"I want personally to thank you for the invaluable role you played in the run-up to the Gleneagles G8 summit. Without your personal contribution, we could not have achieved the results we did.Bono's the guy who really knows What Jesus Would Do--he's not wasting time trying to discriminate. He's not getting caught up legislating morality. He's bringing aid and comfort to the poorest and most destitute on our earth and he refuses to allow the Christianists to paint him into a box.
"So thank you and I look forward to continuing to work together to maintain momentum on Africa, and ensure leaders around the world meet the promises they have made."
I have this hunger in me--everywhere I look, I see evidence of a Creator. But I don't see it in religion, which has cut my people in two. I don't see Jesus Christ as being part of a religion. Religion to me is almost like when God leaves and people devise a set of rules to fill the space.
--Bono
With the sunset at 4:05 pm, we always are looking for ways to pass the time. This should be good for two nights of watching and then week of trying to recreate it. With recuperation time from injuries, this could stretch into a month of fun.
