Random things, daily life, and things I like. (It may sound boring, but trust me, it isn't.) I'm a Cronicles of Narnia FANATIC!!!!! (Big fan of Narniaweb as well.) I also like to write my own storys. As of yet I have not posted my stories, for fear of them being stolen. I post some graphics but please head over to Cauldron Pool and see all my graphics (or most of them). Just because my e-mail is listed doesn't mean you can e-mail me, I ain't gonna answer. Or look at e-mail from people I don't know. And also, because I'd rather not reveal my birthdate it's set to say I'm 86, but I'm honestly not that old yet! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:36:00 -0600 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:36:00 -0600 Bite-Sized NewsBoys #22 Song: Beautiful Sound Album: Love Liberty Disco Understand, of course, that what I am writing is not completely my ideas of the song or the 'boyz idea of the meanings of them. A little of both. Just a reminder to keep that in mind at all times. When I hear Beautiful Sound I go "Ahh! Love this song!" along with several other actions, like my mind brings up a picture of a eighteen year old (who is probably the young version of Peter Furler) who has grown up around Christians and been to church and he's heard the Bible's stories a hundred times and yet he doesn't really know much of anything and doesn't really care. So, for him, God isn't exactly a Savior or his God but more like a giant person who floats around in the clouds atop churches and only comes out on Sundays. Except when this kid feels guilty about something and then God steps out of the clouds and pounces on him and is like a scolding schoolteacher with a ruler. He knows about God and kind of believes He's real but things don't go beyond that. But in this first verse of a song he is at eighteen years of age (which is interesting 'cause I thought Peter went through this when he was seventeen, but whatever) and he's sitting in his room (which, according to my imagination, is dark and has a bed, a desk, and a old-fashion lamp and flashes and is hazy like a old movie) reading his Bible late at night. He turns the page, can't turn the lights out yet, still wants to read. Every word and every line carries to his soul, the dark letters on the page sing so loud, where did he go wrong not to hear God's song? The second half, sadly, doesn't make a great deal of sense to me. I'll try breaking it down. That usually makes things earlier. "Eighteen years/I guess it was alright" must be... "I suppose it wasn't so bad, some people don't get to You before they're sixty." "I let you do the thinking/I'd just bide my time" must be... "But even if it did take eighteen years You were in control those eighteen years. Watching me. You do the thinking and You be the God, I'll just stand here and be Your servant." Love how songwriters pack a ton into a single line or two. "Father to son/Sunday hand me down"... This is where I get lost. Sunday hand me down?! Was he part of charity? But I'm going to assume it is something like... "Father, thank you for that. Being there for those eighteen years where I didn't care, and working on me all those Sundays that I'd sat in church counting the people and the pews and considering my own fingernails, handing down wisdom and grace and working on my heart." Or something like that. And then the last line would be to the effect of "But how could I be so stupid?! You were there and I wasn't hearing a thing. Where did I go wrong not to hear your sound?!" Yep, it's rather like a prayer. And then the second verse which goes a few years (or a great many years) later. This kid isn't a kid any more. He's older and he reads his Bible every day and is a active Christian. As he reads his Bible he realizes that the more he knows about God the more he knows that there is a whole lot more to know and he'll be chasing God, just like God chased him. God filled his cup and the man lifts it up for more. Bite-Sized NewsBoys #23 Song: Love Liberty Disco Album: Love Liberty Disco Bring in the disco balls! The party's starting. I always thought this song was pretty obvious but since the people on YouTube can't seem to get it I'd better explain. "All our fears are turning 'round Fall down and meet your maker Where our true selves will be found Calling out to every lonely soul." It's a song about "Happy People" and a "Family that moves as one" which is quintessentially the Body of Christ and the Church. That's basically it. We're a whole bunch of Happy People and it's one big party. (Reminds me of a certain commercial they play(ed) on the radio.) Alot of people hear this song and seem to be of the opinion that "OMG!! This song is so evil!! Disco!! *gaspfaintdie*" Because there was alot of bad, evil, and unpleasant things going on in the sixties and around the disco music era and industry. Yadda, yadda, yadda. That's just nuts, okay? Music should not be judged by its genre. There is something bad in every genre. That's like saying, "I'm not going to wear clothes or eat anymore because non-Christian's and sinner's eat and wear clothes too. Criminals and other evil people wear clothes and eat food and that just makes eating and wearing clothes evil!! We're supposed to be in the world but not of it! *shockshockshock*" It just seems slightly stupid to me. If you don't like disco and prefer pop. That's cool. If you don't like metal and prefer techno. That's cool. If you prefer Bach over Mozart. That's cool too. I have a really hard time believing a certain genre is evil but this has nothing to do with the song so I'd better shut up. Bite-Sized NewsBoys #24 Song: Forever Man Album: Love Liberty Disco Some of my favorite Newsboys lyrics are in this song. "And the longer I live, The stronger I feel A creator put us here. And the day will come Gravity will run And we'll meet you in the air. Where face-to-face we will wonder As the mysteries come undone. And at the end of all our travels We find our journey's just begun." Very poetic. Very poetic. Love it. The song is pretty simple. So the first verse is a man saying is there a reason for all this and why I'm here. The chorus says, yes, there is! The second verse says, when life's brevity (shortness of duration) ends, with the love of mercy carry me to You. The chorus again, a repeat. Good news for the modern man: this isn't the whole of it. Pre-bridge/Second Chorus/somethingelse is asking, let us not forget we are in the last days and that Heaven is near. And, lastly, the bridge (my favorite part!) says, "That day's coming and when it comes gravity will run and we'll meet You in the air where face to face we will wonder as the mysteries come undone 'cause here I stand, it's who I am, her I stand: a forever man." A man who is going to Heaven is a "Forever Man" incase you didn't catch it. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/630689/ Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:36:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/630689/ Bite-Sized NewsBoys eXtra #7 Song: Joy Album: Shine: The Hits Just about my favorite Newsboys song ever. Peter wrote it during one of the saddest times in his life. A time that by the world's standards should be one of the happiest times. Because, you see, Peter had it. Had it all: money, fame, great house, good car, gold records, all that but he wasn't at all happy. He'd told himself for years "this will make me happy" so he went and strove for that and it didn't make him happy so he decided "I need that too, the two combined will make me happy" he said that many times and finally he had everything and there was nothing to go strive after, nothing to distract himself from the fact that he really wasn't happy. He was now --quite frankly-- backed into a corner and had no were else to go, no were to run if you know what I mean so he went to God and that's were he found happiness. That's were the joy is: with God, and it's a joy that's unspeakable so I'm shutting up now. Bite-Sized NewsBoys eXtra #8 Song: Praises Album: Shine: The Hits "Tears have fallen, water beads, Wipe the flour with my regrets." Love that lyric. The song is pretty simple: because God is amazing and worthy of praise and been so good to me I will sing his praises and sing forever. Bite-Sized NewsBoys eXtra #9 Song: Who? Album: Shine: The Hits See earlier post. It feels like I wrote that a century ago...but that was only about a year ago. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/622373/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:17:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/622373/ Bite-Sized NewsBoys #19 Song: The Fad of the Land Album: Thrive "I'm a marinade of what's hot this summer..." who is? Peter. Peter Furler, and he admits it. He's a guy who is always running after the newest trend and fad. The newest car, the newest phone, the newest CD, the newest book...yadayadaya. He's one who chases after and keeps up with just about any trend (except clothing and hairstyles, mostly). At the time he wrote this song he relized that his little dodads he'd collected for himself either sucked away all his time and appreciation for themselves or else didn't make him happy. So he got rid of them. His cellphone and fax machine, TV and all that. The song basically informs us that all things (except God) should be in moderation. Bite-Sized NewsBoys #20 Song: John Woo Album: Thrive I've tried over and over to explain this song to my sister and she still doesn't get it. Hopefully that means she's dense and my attempting to explain it to you isn't in vain. To those of you who don't know who John Woo is (and any who do correct any of the misremembered facts): John Woo was a orphan in China who was sponsored by a organization like Compassion International. Over the years he overcame a great many obsticals and became a Christian, moved to Hollywood, and is now a movie director. The verses of the song tell the story of a band (presumably the 'boyz themselves) in a limo hangin' out, punching each other in the arm, or staring out the window, whatever. They're driven around on this hot summer day when a bee flies through the open window and (ironically) the limo's driver is allergic to the bee's sting. The passenger's relized this and start swatting at it which only makes the bee mad (or scared as the case may be) even the Band's bodyguard can't seem to kill the bee and everyone in the limo fears for their life because if the bee stings the driver his throat will start swelling and if not treated almost immediately he'll die from suffocation. (Why they didn't just pullover is a mystery to me.) But one thing you do not want is someone passed out driving you around, right? An acsident is inevitable. The last part of the song tells us that their is actually a moral to or meaning behind this song (we also know the 'boyz need new library cards). So what's this meaning? I'm not even sure the 'boyz are sure what it is but I think it kind of tells us that God is in control. A little thing like a bee can throw someone's life into jepordy and send everything haywire well at the same time large things like being a orphan from China can be overcome and you can become the movie director you've always wanted to be. God directed the bee into the limo window and directed John Woo to his career whatever the details of that were. There's probably a book about him somewhere... For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. -- Jeremiah 29:11 Bite-Sized NewsBoys #21 Song: Lord (I Don't Know) Album: Thrive Thomas Merton. He was a Catholic writer who died several years ago, in '68 at the age of fifty-three. His father was a Kiwi painter, if anyone's interested but that's not what we're here to talk about ( if you really want to know about him see Wikipedia) what we care about is one of his writings. I have no idea how many books he's written but he wrote a poem/prayer once and this song is based on that prayer. . I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. -- Proverbs 3:5-6 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/610816/ Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:09:01 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/krisjacob/610816/