Furr~ Blitzen Trapper

I love these lyrics:

Yeah, when I was only 17,
I could hear the angels whispering
So I droned into the words and wandered aimlessly about
Until I heard my mother shouting through the fog
It turned out to be the howling of a dog
Or a wolf to be exact, the sound sent shivers down my back
But I was drawn into the pack and before long
They allowed me to join in and sing their song
So from the cliffs and highest hill, yeah
We would gladly get our fill
Howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn
And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong
For my flesh had turned to fur, yeah
And my thoughts, they surely were
Turned to instinct and obedience to God.

You can wear your fur
like a river on fire
But you better be sure
if you're makin' God a liar
I'm a rattlesnake, Babe,
I'm like fuel on fire
So if you're gonna' get made,
Don't be afraid of what you've learned

On the day that I turned 23,
I was curled up underneath a dogwood tree
When suddenly a girl with skin the color of a pearl
She wandered aimlessly, but she didn't seem to see

She was listenin' for the angels just like me
So I stood and looked about
I brushed the leaves off of my snout
And then I heard my mother shouting through the trees
You should have seen that girl go shaky at the knees
So I took her by the arm
We settled down upon a farm
And raised our children up as gently as you please.

And now my fur has turned to skin
And I've been quickly ushered in
To a world that I confess I do not know
But I still dream of running careless through the snow
An' through the howlin' winds that blow,
Across the ancient distant flow,
It fill our bodies up like water till we know.

You can wear your fur
Like a river on fire
But you better be sure
If you're makin' God a liar
I'm a rattlesnake, Babe,
I'm like fuel on fire
So if you're gonna' get made,
Don't be afraid of what you've learned

This song intrigues me, the idea of being a foreigner to the world, that some outside force enticed you into a different, wild, carefree state of being, even better the image of listening to the voices that no one else can hear.  I love how in the end he finds a girl that's like him, listening for the angels. Such a cool song, it gives me this ping in my soul, I love it!

Spirit and Truth

November 16, 2010:

 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 

John 4:23

When I read this all I can do is fall to my knees and say out loud…  “Lord show me” I feel as if I might understand this verse, in some senses I may have worshipped in this way, but how do I know that my interpretation is actually what spirit and truth is in reference to worship? Anyhow what strikes me, are the actual words standing each on their own. Truth is such a powerful word; this word both inspires me and strikes guilt in my heart. 

The Truth as a descriptive word for the Word of God is such an awe inspiring picture to me, it is the Truth, in it’s entirety, the Truth is a gateway to life, the way it’s supposed to be, how we can understand it in such a way as to tap into the absolute fullness of it, as much as we can now and in it’s entirety in the light of eternity.  I feel like most Christians think it is mainly eternity where we can experience this fullness, but I believe whole heartedly that the bible contains the key to getting the maximum potential out of this life as well, to squeeze every last drop of juice out of the orange so to speak.  Anyhow that is the first line of thought that Truth brings me to and that is how I think we can worship with Truth through finding the fullness of life in Christ through his Truth in which he has revealed himself, because he is Truth as he is the Word.

I know that I am not always a truthful person and the lies that taint my heart make me feel guilty and in this way the word truth is both inspiring and guilt inducing. At the same time I also know that the power of Christ and the Truth are doing a work in me, this cruddy layer of sin has already been blasted from my heart, but continues to build up residue at times, which Christ continues to wash away with the acidic Truth. I take comfort in this constant cleaning although it is at times painful.

Now moving on to the word Spirit. Notice that it is capitalized in the actual verse, I chose to capitalize Truth when referring to it as the Word of God, but Spirit was already capitalized.  I believe this to be significant; while spirit could refer to the mind and the heart, the essence of who we are, Spirit refers to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.  This couples nicely with Truth to give me yet another awe inspiring thought, that there is such continuity in the plan and image of God that we are given, that we can observe and worship the connection between the Spirit and Truth. I have experienced worship almost involuntarily when I look at the Word of God with a clear mind and a clean heart (although this is at times difficult). The piercing truth that comes from it is almost like a cupid’s arrow, when it hits me it incites an intense joy, a hunger, and a passion. Although I am terrible at embodying the full potential that is contained in the Truth, I cannot help but hunger for that fullness, to chase after it no matter how many times I fall flat on my face. The fact that I can always get back up inspires me to keep trying to understand and embody that Truth. The perfect plan of God and the reflection of his Son that I can see even when the human part of me wants to go the other way, to sin, is inspiring.  Even though sometimes I do fall away, it’s still there. The light at the end of the tunnel gives me such hope as I cling to my map and I hope to one day finish my journey with success. I believe that perhaps this could be the Spirit; it must be since I would for sure fall away without it.  Perhaps we could not have the Spirit without the Truth and we could not consume the Word or Truth without the Spirit. These are just some thoughts from my feeble mind, it’s completely possible that I look at this all wrong, but to me this revelation is very encouraging, enrapturing and enabling which for me also equals worship.

The King of Forever

From rags to riches I’ve been raised

Only by the will of a mighty King

Taken from my toil and raised to grace

The filthy cloth that once chaffed my shoulders

Has now been replaced

With the linens of a priest

I have been invited to stay at his court

To feast on his bread and his wine

Forever

In my King I can have absolute faith

For by him I know

That the man he has made

Will not ever be unmade

They will call him forever the Great Creator

The man who made true men

Out of mere peasants and fools

Like myself

His court is filled with peace and joy

A great spirit bursts from the hearth

The warmth and light fills his hall

Burning with an eternal flame

That fuels the hearts of his subjects

And contagiously consumes

His entire kingdom

Forever