Don’t Miss Your Life
The perfect Father’s Day song. Don’t Miss Your Life (Phil Vassar and Charlie Black – Listen to it at http://www.philvassar.com/) On a plane to the west coast Laptop on my tray Papers spread across my seat A big deadline to make An older man next to me said, “Sorry to intrude Thirty years ago, my busy…
Continue readingLearning From Artists
My friend, Andrew, is blogging once again and invited some interaction with his thoughts about Christian music. You can find his thought-provoking, original, blog here. His blog got me thinking about some of my opinions about what gets labeled “Christian” music. There is plenty of good worship music out there that can be used to praise…
Continue readingThe Face of Christ
My friend, Mike Charko, and I wrote a song about seeing Jesus on the train. It is a poetic, imaginative piece that suggests that we should seek to love others around us as Jesus would love them. Mike found an interesting blog about someone else who imagined an encounter with “Jesus” on a train. Check…
Continue readingGrand Optimist
Okay, I will confess, I am obsessed with a song. I have listened to it dozens of times in the last few days. Ever since I saw it performed on the Juno Awards I have been obsessed with Dallas Green’s song, “The Grand Optimist.” Dallas Green who performs as “City and Colour” won the songwriter…
Continue readingWayne Kirkpatrick
A few years ago I was headed out on a long road trip and grabbed several CDs from my collection as “music for the road.” Yes, it was CDs at the time. I had not yet made the leap to an iPod that allows one to take almost all of their musical collection along for…
Continue readingSkyscraper Soul
I had a surreal experience tonight. I had just finished a day of work and I was waiting on Maureen as she was walking home from her job. I was sitting in our condo on the 14th floor of a 27 storey skyscraper watching the sun go down and the people bustling home from work.…
Continue readingMortality
I was listening to some of Michael W. Smith’s music today and heard “Live and Learn” from the I 2 (Eye) album. The beginning of this song quotes the last stanza of the William Knox poem, “Mortality.” In an attempt to make the entire poem more accessible I present it to you today. Mortality (aka…
Continue readingProblem With the World
“The Problem” Written by Marc Martel and Jason Germain Copyright 2008 Centricity Music Publishing/Germain and Martel Publishing/ASCAP There’s got to be some reason for all this misery A secret evil corporation somewhere overseas They’re pulling strings, arranging things It’s a conspiracy Or what about the ones who shape the course of history What if we…
Continue readingThe Fiddling Wood
I came upon this powerful poem a few days ago. Take the time to read it slowly. It is a master-piece. The Fiddling Wood by Stephen Vincent Benet Gods, what a black, fierce day! The clouds were iron, Wrenched to strange, rugged shapes; the red sun winked Over the rough crest of the hairy wood…
Continue readingCaught in the Middle
Poets are often better at expressing concepts of the heart. The music group “Casting Crowns” has a song called “Somewhere In The Middle.” Here are the lyrics. Somewhere between the hot and the coldSomewhere between the new and the oldSomewhere between who I am and who I used to beSomewhere in the middle, You’ll find…
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