Top 20 Christian albums--#12 and #11

#12) Chris Tomlin--The Noise We Make



Say what you will, this guy knows how to write a worship song. From the upbeat opening of "Forever" to his arrangement of Isaac Watts' most wonderful "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross", to the quiet "This is Our God", another artist whose lyrics really do overshadow the music.

Songs:

1) The Noise We Make
2) Forever
3) Kindness
4) America
5) The Wonderful Cross
6) Captured
7) Be Glorified
8) Happy Song
9) Need You Now
10) This Is Our God


#11) Todd Agnew--Reflection of Something



If you've never heard worship songs sung in a blues-rock style before, then you need to give this a listen. This CD opens with a confession that we are totally undeserving of God's love ("Something Beautiful"), and finishes with a broadside against American Christianity (especially the heretical "prosperity gospel") called "My Jesus."

Songs:

1) Something Beautiful
2) New Name
3) Blood On My Hands
4) Unchanging One
5) Isaiah 6
6) Mercy In Me
7) The Wonder Of It All
8) In The Middle Of Me
9) Always There
10) Where Were You
11) Fullness Found
12) My Jesus

"Shepherd, Your sheep are lost"

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Shepherd, your sheep are weary
Cold and tired, battered and bruised and torn
Shepherd, your sheep are hungry
We got what we want but we still need something more

Chorus:
We need to hear your voice
Whatever You might say
We just need to hear your voice
Show us the way

Shepherd, your sheep are lost
We chased our wants that we thought were needs
Now we can’t get home
Shepherd, your sheep are longing
We ate and we ran, we played and we danced, but we’re empty

--From Shepherd by Todd Agnew

I love this song. In fact, there aren't many songs from Todd Agnew I don't like. This one is one of my favorites from anybody. But as I thought about Shepherd this morning, something dawned on me. In this day and age, many of God's sheep aren't "weary", or "hungry", or "longing." Many of God's "sheep" are full, and comfortable. They've followed the Shepherd to the green pastures and the still waters. But rather than take just a moment to be refreshed, revived, and nourished, they've decided to remain there.

Many of these "sheep" have eaten and drunk so much that they don't feel the need to follow the Shepherd along the paths of righteousness. "That's a rough and rocky path, filled with dangers. I might have to give up something. No, I think I'll just stay here and continued to be filled. I don't need to pour myself out. That's just something I don't feel led to do." (Isn't that the excuse we always give when we don't want to go where God is trying to push us? We say we "don't feel led." It makes us sound spiritual to others while assuaging our own guilt.) We don't want to teach Sunday School to the children, because their snacks aren't as good as the Krispy Kremes and Starbucks in our own little "small group study."

If you are a sheep--if you have begged God to forgive your sins, and turned your back on yourself, and crucified your own fleshly desires on the cross of Christ--where are you today? Are you lazing around the green pastures and still waters, content to stay there and never move? Or do you find your joy in traversing the path trodden by the saints who came before you? Those saints "of whom the world was not worthy?" (Hebrews 11:38)? The path that follows in the footsteps of our dear Savior? The path that is not always filled with the scent of flowers and the calls of songbirds--but the one that is rocky, and difficult, and narrow, and leads to a narrow gate.

Are you hungry? Are you longing? Or are you comfortable?

Todd Agnew--"My Jesus"

Found me a new toy on my computer last week. Windows Movie Maker. I fiddled around and made me my very first music video.

I've always had an idea to do one for this song, and to compare those who walk in his steps (those who serve the poor and homeless, and those who are in chains for His name) against the heretics and blasphemers of the "prosperity gospel" crowd (Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, $$$Creflo "chasing the almighty Dollar"$$$, etc.)

As the song says, "which one do you want to be?"



Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Why do you look so much like the world?

'Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land?
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand?

'Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow?
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side?
Or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part?
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

'Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

'Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
And I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus! I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus! I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means
To be like You Jesus
'Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like You Jesus
I want to be like my Jesus

--Todd Agnew, "My Jesus"

Sadly, this song describes many churches today. If you don't wear a suit and tie, or if you aren't wearing the "proper" clothing, they'd rather not have you in their midst. They have an image to keep up, you know. Wouldn't want anyone thinking they're dining with sinners and tax collectors, now. What was it James said about that?