cb.blog

Author: Chip Bennett

  • REVIEW: Gratitude (Eli)

    gratitude

    Album Title: Gratitude – website
    Album Artist: Eli
    Release Date:2004, Independent (Cool Flame Shoes Music)

    Gratitude marks the first new studio release for Eli since leaving Forefront records. Eli has chosen to go the route of the independent artist, and this release suffers none for that decision. Gratitude retains Eli’s acoustic pop/coffeehouse sound, yet represents growth in sound, lyrics, and style. The album has no major deviations from previous releases, yet is different enough not to sound “cookie-cutter”.

    Eli’s songwriting has always been notable for his openness, honesty, and lack of inhibition from discussing real issues with which he has struggled. The songwriting on Gratitude retains this honesty, the lyrics have evolved much as has the life of the songwriter. Eli’s music still appeals to the everyday struggles of the common man trying to live a life of Christ. The change with Gratitude seems to be that, while the raw honesty remains, the edginess appears to have been smoothed somewhat.

    The first track, I Am Your Fire, is an appeal to those who would seek fulfillment everywhere but in God. The song opens with a gospel-esque keyboard riff, but transitions into Eli’s acoustic-guitar style. The second track, Strong, comes across almost as a response to the previous track – that strength is found in God. Heavier bass and layered electric/acoustic guitar introduce Hallelujah, which offers praise in the midst of the contradictory nature of our world.

    Hide and Seek juxtaposes faith in the innocence of a childhood game and the burdens of doubt and perseverance. Sing It Out challenges those who would allow their unique voice to be influenced or silenced by others. Norway/New Song is an anthem to making a choice to trust God despite our circumstances, in acknowledgement that His ways are higher than our own. One of the most painfully difficult questions Christians face is that of why bad things happen to good people, and the apparent lack of justice in the world. Only Heaven Knows honestly admits that some questions we cannot answer to our complete satisfaction, yet recognizes that the only truly Good One took the worst the world has to offer upon Himself.

    Perhaps the best two songs on the album follow. What We Don’t Talk About questions why we keep trying to deal with our struggles alone, rather than accept the help of those who love us and would reach out to us. A quasi-Mediterranean hook reminiscent of Burlap to Cashmere underlies Stuck In The Middle, a repudiation of a compromising attitude and a call to take a stand for right.

    The title track, Gratitude, includes some great lyrical composition: “I could have used a friend, I’m sure I used a few / The worst in every man will get the best of you…” The final track, I worship, is a Davidic-style psalm celebrating the faithfulness of God.

    Other reviews:
    Christianity Today
    Alpha Omega News

  • OYB: January 21

    Today´s reading:
    OT: Genesis 42:18-38, Genesis 43
    NT: Matthew 13:47-58, Matthew 14:1-12
    Ps: Psalm 18:16-36
    Pr: Proverbs 4:7-10

    Today´s notable verse:

    As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

    Psalm 18:30 (NIV)

    The One Year Bible Blog notes:

    Great verses today for us to meditate upon in Psalm 18 verses 25 through 27 – “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue those who are humble, but you humiliate the proud.” [ED: Psalm 18:25-27 (NLT)] I really love verse 28 – “LORD, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness.” Has Jesus brought light into your life? Does God light up your darkness?

    Without a doubt; I don’t know how I would wake up each morning and get out of bed without Jesus in my life. I don’t know how I would find motivation to give my best effort at work; I don’t know how I would find the love and compassion to give selflessly in any relationship. I certainly wouldn’t have survived my most recent relationship – during, or after – without Him. But, with Him in my life, what could possibly come against me, and yet prevail? I’ve already given up my life for Christ (ultimately, in the spiritual sense; but also daily, in the decisions I make, “dying to self” to try to live according to the will of the Father) so the very thing that the world at its worst could take from me – my life – is not my own, and even then, I have something even greater to look forward to.

    I’m not strong; I just try to humble myself enough to admit my weakness, and through it seek refuge in God – for it is my weakness that I am made strong.

  • OYB Blogroll

    I put together a blogroll for OYB bloggers. Here’s the output:

    Here’s the code:

    And, thanks to the From Knowledge to Wisdom blog, for putting together the original blogroll list!

  • Not In My Name

    With all due respect, Ms. Mitchell, you don’t speak for this Missourian:

    In opening arguments, one lawyer said the wording also conforms to the popular definition of human cloning held by voters.

    “Missourians do not believe that a few hundred cells are a cloned human being,” said Karen King Mitchell, Missouri’s chief deputy attorney general.

    The linked St. Louis Post-Dispatch article discusses today’s ruling on the wording of a proposed Missouri ballot initiative to allow embryonic stem cell research in the state. The initiative is being pushed by the ironically and hypocritically named Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. As will essentially every other proponent of embryonic stem cell (ESR) research, the coalition makes no attempt to differentiate between adult and embryonic stem cell research, nor to point out that ESR has thus far produced not one viable therapy or cure, nor to point out that, no matter how it is named, the result of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) – otherwise known as “therapeutic” cloning – is, in fact, an embryo. When SCNT is used with a human egg and human DNA, the result is a human embryo.

    The key issue with the ballot summary opposition, to me, is the following discrepancy:

    The measure would ensure that all stem cell research legal under federal law would remain legal in Missouri. It also states “that no person may clone or attempt to clone a human being.”

    Critics sued, saying the ballot title for the measure inaccurately states that it would ban human cloning. They say the measure would actually allow a controversial procedure call somatic cell nuclear transfer, which they equate with cloning.

    SCNT is not “equated” with cloning, it is cloning – even according to the coalition’s own FAQ:

    SCNT is sometimes called “therapeutic cloning” because it will use a patient’s own cell to make stem cells used for disease therapies.

    The coalition – much like most other ESC research proponents – goes to great lengths to attempt to differentiate between “therapeutic” and “reproductive” cloning and argue that only “reproductive” cloning is actually “cloning”.

    The bottom line is, no matter how much ESC research attempt to redefine the terms, the result of SCNT of a human egg and human DNA is a human embryo. Those ostensibly in support of “lifesaving” cures propose to research those (as yet unproven) cures at the expense of a human life – no matter how many, or how few, cells constitute that life.

  • Christian Carnival CV

    Forgot to post this Wednesday: Christian Carnival CV is up, hosted this week by Dunmoose the Ageless.

  • Just Testing

    Just testing WordPress 2.0 multiple-trackback funcationality… pay no attention to this post!

  • OYB: January 20

    Today´s reading:
    OT: Genesis 41:17-57, Genesis 42:1-17
    NT: Matthew 13:24-46
    Ps: Psalm 18:1-15
    Pr: Proverbs 4:1-6

    Today´s notable verse:

    The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

    Psalm 18:2 (NIV)

    What an amazing, beautiful, and powerful declaration of God at work in our lives! My Rock: my immovable and unchanging foundation, upon which everything else is built. My Fortress: my mighty protection from evil – and the Evil One – of this world that sets itself against me. My Deliverer: the One and Only capable of redeeming me from my own sinful nature, and restoring His relationship with me. Into where or whom else could I consider turning to take refuge? This verse is worthy of more meditation; if nothing else, my life the past several months has revealed the truth of these words in such a new and deeper understanding.

    Some notes on the parable of the wheat and the weeds: First, note the point at which Jesus says the wheat and weeds can be distinguished and separated – the harvest. It is at this point that the wheat has matured, and bows over under the weight of the wheat grains. The weeds, having no such heavy grain heads, remain upright. Thus, the wheat and weeds are distinguished. Perhaps this analogy represents a distinction between those who bow before the Father in humility, and those who continue to stand upright in their own arrogance and pride? Second, I love this imagery: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matthew 42:43a) Have you ever seen a wheat field shining in the reflection of the sun?

    wheat 
    Photograph by Pher Photography.

    What a beautiful image of the righteous reflecting the glory of the Father!

    The One Year Bible Blog asks:

    Comments from you & Question of the Day – Okay, back to all of my fretting above about if I was given all that Joseph was given by the Pharaoh in today’s readings… 🙂 What are your thoughts on this – if you were given all of these things, would it inflate your ego possibly? Would you possibly forget about God?

    I truly believe that God does not allow us more than we can handle – and I think that principle applies not only to hardship and temptation, but to blessing as well. Remember, Joseph received this blessing after remaining righteous and humble through his previous life experiences: being betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, being tempted day after day by the seduction of the wife of a powerful man, then being falsely accused by her after rejecting her advances, then spending years in prison for that false accusation. Joseph in humility and wisdom beyond years allowed God to work through all these circumstances, and developed an amazing relationship with Him. (Just think of the relationship Joseph must have had already early in his life, to have received such a blessing, not only of God revealing his future plans through dreams, but that God revealed a future of such glory to Joseph. This revelation alone would be more than most of us could handle without having to deal with major issues of pride.)

    No matter how much God chooses to prosper and bless us – and to be sure, to do so is His plan! – we can be sure of two things: one, the blessing will not be greater than our ability to give in to the temptation of pride, and two, that temptation will not be greater than our ability to overcome it humbly through God. As we demonstrate our faithfulness in remaining humble through small blessings, God will continue to bless us increasingly greater and greater. (A concept we will discuss when we reach the parable of the talents!)

  • One Year Bible Bloggers

    Thanks to the From Knowledge To Wisdom blog, who has collected a list of One Year Bible Bloggers. I’ve been thinking about adding an OYB blogroll. This list will help motivate me to do so!

  • OYB: January 19

    Today´s reading:
    OT: Genesis 39, Genesis 40, Genesis 41:1-16
    NT: Matthew 12:46-50, Matthew 13:1-23
    Ps: Psalm 17
    Pr: Proverbs 3:33-35

    Today´s notable verse:

    For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

    Matthew 12:50 (NIV)

    The One Year Bible Blog notes:

    Comments from you & Question of the Day – Based on my comments above related to our readings in Genesis about God blessing Potiphar for Joseph’s sake – I wonder – does God intervene and bless our work lives? I think he does. I’d love to get your opinions on this – do you pray about your work life regularly? Do you think God blesses your work life? And like Joseph, does God maybe bless those around you, even if they aren’t necessarily in relationship with God? And maybe does he do this for your sake?

    I think that God does bless us, so that we may bless others, and so that God may be glorified. When I seek to glorify God in my work – or in whatever I do – God blesses that work. I think God blesses us because He loves us, and wants to bless us, but the ultimate purpose of such blessing is, again, to reciprocate that blessing, and to glorify God.

  • OYB: January 18

    Today´s reading:
    OT: Genesis 37, Genesis 38
    NT: Matthew 12:22-45
    Ps: Psalm 16
    Pr: Proverbs 3:27-32

    Today´s notable verse:

    I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

    Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

    The One Year Bible Blog notes:

    My first question I had was whether Joseph should have shared these dreams with his family? And I asked this question because I wonder if sometimes we also maybe get an insight or what we believe to be a word from God – and if we should share these things with others? Or keep them between God and ourselves? I don’t have an easy answer on this one… If you have some thoughts on this, please post up in the “Comments” section below. The other thing that came to mind for me here is what role do dreams play for us today? Does God still communicate to people via dreams today?

    Hard to say, whether or not Joseph should have shared his dreams with his family. Most of the OT prophets were given visions, or a word, and then told to go tell someone; in most cases, the “going” involved several days’ (or months’, or years’) travel – time spent meditating on the Word given them. Perhaps Joseph should have done the same. On the other hand, Joseph was a boy at the time, and would not have had the wisdom of a more mature adult. If God gave him these dreams at this point in his life, then it is reasonable to assume that God would extend him grace to account for such lack of wisdom. Perhaps God’s plan would have worked out differently, had Joseph acted differently; regardless, God – who had fore-knowledge of the events about to transpire – used what happened to accomplish his will.

    I think that we do still hear from God today. God has not changed, so why would His means of communication change? However, circumstances have changed. The Word of the OT prophets was the literal Word of God. They spoke with the authority of the literal Word of God, at the risk of death. Today, we have the complete and written Word of God, in the form of the Bible. This Word is the standard by which we are to judge any Word from God that we hear, or that others hear. I believe that God established the five-fold ministry in the New Testament – Apostles, Prophets, Preachers, Teachers, and Evangelists – and that this five-fold ministry is still at work today. However, the prophetic ministry is under the authority and constraint of the established Word of God – that is, the Bible. Why should God not still speak to His people through visions and dreams? I see nothing scripturally that indicates that certain workings or forms of communication that were in place in NT times have ceased. Food for thought – what does this mean: “…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10 NIV)