Tag: Casting Crowns

Wounds in Heaven?

10 comments

Today I’d like to talk about one of the songs from a recent album of my favourite contemporary Christian band, Casting Crowns. The song is entitled “Wedding Day” and describes the wedding feast of Heaven when Christ’s Bride, the Church, is finally presented to the Him:

Towards the end of the song there’s a lyric which speaks of the scarred hands of Christ wiping away every tear:

When the hand that bears the only scars and heaven touch her face
And the last tears she’ll ever cried are finally wiped away
And the clouds roll back as He takes her hand and walks her through the gates
Forever we will reign

Read more

Jesus, Friend Of Sinners

Leave a comment

My favourite band, Casting Crowns, just released a video of a song from their new album “Come to the Well”. The song is called “Jesus, Friend Of Sinners”:

This is definitely one of my favourite songs from their most recent album Come To The Well. It has a few lyrics which I find devastating:

Jesus, friend of sinners, …we cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing…

A plank-eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided…

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers…

…and finally…

Nobody knows what we’re for, only what we’re against, when we judge the wounded…

It is this last line which I find the most powerful. Before hearing this song I had never really thought that when I judged someone, I was judging someone injured. We’re all wounded, of course, both by the Fall and our own personal histories.

Until I heard these words I had never really considered that when someone does something which disappoints or hurts me, it might be due to a wound which that person had previously sustained, so rather than judging and condemning that person, I should instead see him as someone in need of healing.

Over the past few months I have, on occasions, remembered this song and the resolution it inspired: Be More Gentle With People. When I have done this, and managed to set aside my indigence and anger, and tried to “look for the wound”, the results have been quite surprising. I have found my heart softened and the reservoirs of compassion and patience which I had long thought empty, refilled.

Now, if only I could remember this resolution a bit more often…

1795645_10153063681658879_2929648303583886376_n

Courageous

3 comments

At the end of this month, the movie “Courageous” is going to be released…

I was fortunate enough to be invited to see a preview screening of this film a while back and thought it was superb. The essential focus of the movie is Fatherhood and, more broadly, masculinity. The tagline of the film is from the book of Joshua:

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” – Joshua 24:15

This film is coming from the same group of people who brought us the movie “Fireproof” and includes some of the same actors. I actually think that Courageous is a more polished film than Fireproof, which I felt was, at times, slightly clunky and a little bit cheesy. Courageous has a few moments that made me wince, but they were generally few and far between.

One of the actors was at the screening I attended and he said that they hoped that Courageous would do for Fatherhood what Fireproof did for marriage. I think it certainly does hit its mark in this respect and I left the movie theatre feeling inspired. I’ve organized a group “man trip” to the cinema shortly after it goes on general release and I hope that those coming will be likewise inspired.

Oh yes, one other thing. The title soundtrack comes from the greatest band in the world, Casting Crowns…

Voice of truth

One comment

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is of Peter walking on water with Jesus. In preparation of that, here is the song “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns:

Oh, what I would do to have the king of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in onto the crashing waves,
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is, and he’s holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again “Boy, you’ll never win, you’ll never win…”

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!” and the Voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

1 2 3 4