Be Thou My Vision

Posted April 16th, 2008 by Jen in music, religion
12 Comments »

Do you have a favorite hymn? Linnet’s Nest asked this question, and shared hers. Thank you, Linnet, that was beautiful. I think Linnet should do a podcast sometime so we can all hear the lovely British accent that I know she has.

My favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision. I love the gentleness of the song, woven throughout with a call for God’s constant presence and guiding hand in our lives. This is a traditional Irish hymn, and hands down the best recording I’ve ever heard is performed by Van Morrison. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this on YouTube, so I’ve presented here Fernando Oretega’s version. While it is still moving, the man is clearly not Irish, as Van Morrison is, and somehow I just like to hear an Irish man sing a traditional Irish song. You can find Van Morrison’s Be Thou My Vision on his CD Hymns to the Silence. When we homechurch, we always play Van’s version and sing with him - my kids love it, we love it, and I’ll bet you would be moved.

But here is Fernando Ortega with Be Thou My Vision:

Tags: Be Thou My Vision, Christian music, Fernando Ortega, hymns, Van Morrison

Is this a Christian song or a coffee commercial?

Posted March 12th, 2008 by Jen in music, religion
4 Comments »

This is a poignant song by some very talented ladies, but darn it, I mistake it for a Folger’s commercial every time.

I thought it was just me. But I confessed to my husband this evening that Point of Grace was sounding like an old coffee jingle, like…, “Folgers,” he finished my sentence. It’s the first lines that get me - one of Folger’s commercials starts with “Every day I wake up,” and Point of Grace (How You Live) says “Wake up to the sunlight.” That wake up part, with the same sort of rhythm and feel, and suddenly I’m grabbing for that second cup.

Technorati Tags: coffee, commercial, Folger’s Coffee, How You Live, Point of Grace, Folger’s coffee commercial, Christian music, TV jingle

In the Spirit of Rich Mullins

Posted September 18th, 2007 by Jen in music, religion
14 Comments »

September 19, 2007 marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of Rich Mullins. As you can see, the only other music review I’ve done is on Mullins, in my first month of blogging. You can read more about his life there, and how I first met his music.

People remember where they were during monumental events. Like when JFK or MLK were shot. I wasn’t born yet for those events, but I do remember exactly where I was when I heard Rich Mullins had died. He was already my favorite musician. I was standing in my classroom full of 3rd graders at Bailey Hill Elementary in Eugene, and my husband was just arriving to pick me up at the end of the day. These were the times of our tiny duplex and one car. It was a Monday, and the news had just come over the Christian radio that over the weekend, Rich Mullins was killed in an automobile accident.

He and I were both shaken and saddened. It was eerie to think that Rich had sung “When I leave I want to go out like Elijah.”

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I’m begging
For one last favor from You
Here’s my heart take it where You will
………
But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
Well, It’ll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won’t break my heart to say goodbye

With this ten year anniversary upon us, it’s good to give honor and remembrance to a man I think of as a poet, a prophet, and a friend. When my husband hears a really great worship leader, he’ll say, “He has the spirit of Rich Mullins.” There have been very few he’s said that about, because it’s a rare quality. How to capture the essence of that spirit in words is difficult. It’s a humility-authenticity-passion-straight out of the heart of God kind of quality.

To carry on the “Spirit of Rich Mullins,” we can practice authentic worship and heart-felt serving. He was the kind of guy to stay up all night to talk to a friend in need. The kind of guy to not just talk about caring for the orphan and the widow, but actually doing it. The person who could easily have gathered worldly riches for himself but gave it all away. What an amazing example of Love.

Rich Mullins

Posted February 25th, 2007 by Jen in music
4 Comments »

My favorite musician; if you haven’t listened to this man, definitely find him. Deeply poetic and thought provoking, Rich Mullins’ music is a spiritual experience. You can feel in every note that he is fully focused on Jesus and absolutely authentic.

Most know “Awesome God,” which is a lot like (I think) “Sing Your Praise to the Lord,” which he wrote for Amy Grant before we ever heard Mullins sing it. I saw Rich in concert in Eugene, Oregon, in about 1992. He came on stage in his bare feet and t-shirt and jeans, and walked right out into the audience to be near us. I think he was altogether uncomfortable with being up front and everyone else being out there.

Rich didn’t quite fit into the traditional Christian music industry. He did some pretty non-mainstream things like take a vow of poverty and spent the last part of his life on an Indian Reservation teaching music to the children.

I was first introduced to Rich’s music by a college roommate, Julie. One evening, Julie put this tape in the player (I had no CDs then), and got out two cups for us to play with. She taught me the “cup game” to “Screendoor” - It’s about as useless as/A screen door on a submarine /Faith without works baby /It just ain’t happenin’/…which, by the way, is also a great song and a great musical rendition of the heart of James (the apostle).

Julie, where are you? Somewhere in Texas. Those were some *very* fun days, and I even remember you writing a fan letter to Rich. :-)

Forgot to mention, but some readers may not have heard of Rich Mulllins, so wouldn’t know that he died in a tragic car accident in 1997. So you won’t find any current music… If you don’t have any of his music, I’d begin with “A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band.” Be prepared to spend a lot of time thinking about the complex metaphors and listening to some unusual and beautiful instrumentation. And then read “A Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning, from which book Rich borrowed the name of his band. But don’t read it if you don’t want your life to be changed, as Michael W. Smith says in the foreword.

The Color Green, from A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band

And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter’s shop
And every house must have it’s builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise

And the wrens have returned and they’re nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again
And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I’m amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise