Happy Monday, everyone!! :) And happy MLK Day! What a stinkin' stud. I pray that the Lord raises up more like him to continue setting examples of courage, integrity and faith.
So...Slight disappointment this morning, but nothing major. It was an AMAZING 34 degrees outside, and I couldn't use it! (*sigh*) Part of the January package includes snow-packed sidewalks that don't get cleared unless the warm weather melts them naturally. So, even though it was an unbelievably balmy morning, I had to hit the treadmill. There was just no place to run outside. Oh, well. No biggie! At least I was able to run at all! And it was a great, easy run.
Man, I love Monday runs. They're easy runs, PLUS I'm usually a little more stocked up on sleep from the weekend. That makes for fresh legs and energy! :) Today was no exception. The entire thing was just awesome! It felt so great!
haha! I did have one random thought this morning, though, as I was listening to my iPod. I'd recently invested in some new workout music, and one of the albums I'd purchased was a Christian group that sounded SO similar to the Black Eyed Peas. It really, musically, is pretty awesome! But--and here's the quirk--the lyrics are, um, a little...well, cheesy? cliche? Um, yes. All of the above.
Is anyone else kind of tired of the "shining down Your love from above" line from Christian artists? Is God a bank teller who puts His love in a plastic tube and sends it down to us to open when we pull up to His drive-through? This might be the biggest misconception and most incorrect word picture of the century.
God, in His very nature, is the DEFINITION of love. There's no love outside of Him if it's actual love. And, He perfects it in us if we let Him. Because He is always with us in the presence of His Holy Spirit, there's no need for Him to "shine down His love from above." Who stinkin' said that Heaven was in the stratosphere anyway? Is it on the 97th floor on the third star from the left? Where is this love shining down from?
We have such a limited view of God. It's sad. He's beyond our comprehension, and in an effort to put it in human terms, we size Him down into cliches. Why can't we just be okay with letting Him be bigger than we understand? He's not within our comprehension? I'd rather any Christian lyricist just spit out a phrase that says, "I don't get Your love, but I'm glad You love me," (or, something similar in a catchy rhyme) instead of dumbing Him down to fit into their iambic pentameter.
haha! Oh, well. At least the beat was good and the words were wholesome. It's just something I was thinking about. . . And that's what this training is all about. Today I learned a little more about God's love through time spent on the run. Thanks, Lord. :) Can't wait to see what You have tomorrow.
Ciao, friends!
-Jill
I don’t advocate lyrical laziness but “love” is a tough word to rhyme. Other than “above” there’s glove, shove, dove, and using “of” creatively. www.rhymezone.com The songwriter can cheat a little and use quasi rhymes like love/enough, love/tough but the rhymes for “love” are a bit limited.
ReplyDeleteIn a recent song I wrote, the 2nd verse has a couple lines that go:
“This gift of salvation from Heaven above
for all who receive and believe in His love”
Recording at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBGqOj-n7io
It could have been written:
This gift of salvation from the Father of all,
love come to heal and break down dark walls
But, that doesn’t quite flow as well with the rest of the song.
Not exactly, “love from above” but this is close. ;-)
1 Kings 8:23
“LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way."
Point well taken though. God is here and His love is present and far beyond what we can conceive of. Many times, song writers use “praise phrases” and don’t challenge themselves to break out of the stock lyrics.
“Heaven on the 97th floor on the third star from the left? Where is this love shining down from?” This sounds like a fun concept to develop for a song sometime. :)