68 - Crack Open Scrolls of Ancient Dreams

This is another artist recommended to me by my amazing, intelligent, lovely, funny, sarcastic, dry framing/lawyerish friend, Jess.  She's introduced me to quite a few artists over the past few years.  And several of them have made their way into this series.

It was around this time last year...I think, that I first heard of this band.  And this particular song.  I don't remember where we were going, but we go in her vehicle and she wanted to share them.  And I really liked it.  Great sound, great lyrics.  Very good music.

Song 68
        "Let There Be" from Gungor's Ghosts Upon the Earth

This song just starts of with a quite calm intro.  It slowly builds to amazing crescendo.  The vocals sing in beautiful poetry about Creation.  There is an ethereal glory to these lyrics and sounds.  The building and developing of the song rises and intensifies gradually over the song.

Regardless of what you believe or don't believe...this song is captivating.  It's not so much a normal song as a scene or rhythm to life.  The whole build up leads to one almost quite word.  There is description of darkness, and angels, and scrolls.  But the word that triggers the explosion of sound is the rise of repeated refrains of, Let there be...let there be...let there be..............let there be...light

The music erupts like a star being birthed in darkness.

It gives me chills.  Right now...goose bumps all over.  It's chilling and electrifying.  And as I've said early in this series, Autumn feels like the conception of Spring, and the beginning of all the new and life to come.  What better representation of that that light breaking forth for the first time.

Let there be....


grace, peace + hope-Jesse

21 - It's So Hot Inside My Soul

A different flavor today.  I don't remember where I first heard this song.  I just know it felt like it was a blade right through my heart.

It still feels that way.

It's a small simple song, but has deep currents and emotions.

Song 21/Day 21
        "Hold Me Jesus" off of the album Songs by  Rich Mullins.

There is a large part of me that feels this could have come right from my own heart.  Not claiming that I'm as talented or gifted as the late Rich Mullins, but he doesn't over complicate the sentiment and intent of this song.

It ties me to Autumn for a few reasons.  The first being the line, "cause I'm shaking like a leaf."  There is a vulnerability in that line, and it echos the season.

I'm particularly fond of and struck by these words:

Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight you for somethingI don't really wantThan to take what you give that I need

The rest is just the music itself.  It just has this sound that brings me to a large opening under huge tress in a wood.  The sky is fading to twilight, and there is a strong chill in the air.  I want to fall on me knees in the middle of this clearing, under the boughs above.  To just slough off all the wrongs and guilt.  To let it just melt away, and feel the arms of Jesus wrap around me in the embrace of creation.

That's what this song does for me.

Hold Me Jesus from Rich Mullins on the album, Songs.

Enjoy!

-Jesse

Seedless, Part I

It was a typical Monday morning.  Wake up, get ready for work, rush out the door without breakfast.  But I did grab some fruit out of the fridge.  Fruits are incredible.  From apples to grapes, cantaloupes to tomatoes*, fruits just plain and simply rock.

(*Botanically speaking a tomato is a fruit, the US Supreme Court can go sit on an egg.)

During my break I retrieve my branch of grapes and orange and begin consuming them.  It's going really well until I realize they are seedless.  Which normally would have made me very happy.  But I suppose something is changing in my opinion on the matter.

At a house gathering in Harrisburg (PA) last night we read through the Creation account in Genesis.  Then we watched Rob Bell's video Everything Is Spiritual.  Couple that with recent readings of the Gospels and I came to a conclusion.

There is something wrong with seedless fruit.

Look at what Genesis says:  (Chapter 1)

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 

Yeah.

God made plants and trees with intent of bearing fruit with seed.  Now, I'm no botanist, but if my memory serves correct, seeds are how plants reproduce.  With out apple seeds folklore legend Johnny Appleseed wouldn't have a last name or story.  I know there are ways to grow some plants by grafting and all that stuff.  But that is essentially cloning (and I'm not jumping into that today.)

The fact is that plants are supposed to grow fruit that bear seed.

I've decided that I don't like seedless fruit.  I won't be wasteful with what I already have.  But I'm not going to intentionally purchase seedless fruit any more.

Some might say to me, "Dude, you're being way uptight about this."  And maybe I am.  But there is another side to this seedless thing that bothers me.  Something that is at the heart of this revolution.

And that will have to wait for tomorrow.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear