Song of the Week, “If I Don’t Have You,” by Love and the Outcome

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The lyrics to this song are what pierces my heart. They speak severly to the struggle of man making the choice to follow God or the world, and sometimes trying to find the middle ground of the two.

There is no middle ground.

God hates what the world loves. What humans see as wise, good, or worthy paints a completely different picture than what God sees as important.

We can’t serve both. We cannot be obsessed with worldly possessions and esteem while still devoting ourselves to God. We pray to God and ask for success and riches, but God has called us to greater. He has called us to seek him so that we may know his true will for our lives. He is not found in fortune or recognition, God is found in our humbleness, our servitude, and our generosity.

Remember the parable of the man who had obeyed all of God’s laws, but was unwilling to give up his riches to follow Him? We, in many ways are that man. We want to covet our earthly possessions while we wait for our heavenly reward. The thing is, in order to claim what God has for us in heaven, we must abandon the treasures of this world, even while we are yet in it.  We should be expecting our riches in heaven, not making preparations to make this earth our home.

Matthew 6:19-21 says :

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It’s easy to become distracted by the glittering treasures of this world. In the grand scheme of reality though, those things are worthless and will perish. Furthermore, they distract us from seeking God, from glorifying his goodness, and pursuing the lasting treasures that He has for us.

If there is anything in our lives that is hindering us from pursuing God whole heartedly, we need to take it to Him in prayer and ask him to remove those impurities.

My favorite line in this song is :

How can I say I love you to someone I don’t know?

We can’t fully love God if we don’t know Him. If we don’t crave to sit at his feet and learn more of who He is, how possibly then, can we mature in our love for the savior?

Song of the Week, “Just the Way You are” by Bruno Mars

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This song comes on my guilty pleasure Pandora station all the time and each time I belt it out like it isn’t my one hundredth time hearing it.

I think the lyrics are the sweetest ever. I love how they recognize the most insignificant characteristics about this woman and make them the focal point of why she is lovable.

Her laugh her laugh, she hates but I think it’s so sexy

It’s not necessarily the romantic aspect of this song that strikes me (Although, who wouldn’t want to be the woman of the man who wrote this song? Wait, does that mean I have a crush on Bruno Mars?) it’s more so the gift of someone being able to love another exactly for who they are. When we allow ourselves to love beyond the mess and stress that is in each individual, we also grant access for others to love us beyond who we are not. It’s a relief knowing that we can be loved for all of our annoying habits, weird laughs, bad hair days, muffin tops, over bites, indecisiveness, and the never ending list of idiosyncrasies that make us all unique.

It’s important that we gain confidence in our ability to make life easier for someone else just by being ourselves. I know it’s hard because we’re always trying to frame one another into expectations that were never meant for us.

Expose the part of yourself that is most uncomfortable. That’s the part of you that was created to be loved by your fellow humans.

Song of the Week, “Don’t Want to Live for Me,” by Moriah Peters

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If this song were a dress, it’d be a perfect fit! The lyrics are my life’s cry.

Another day come and gone
I do what I hate to do
A little right a little wrong, it’s true
Another choice another fall
I tell myself to stop
But on my own it’s a war and I’ve lost

It’s always comforting to feel understood. Knowing you’re not the only one failing at life can really make the difference. So horrible of me to say, but it’s true. By no means do I wish ill will on others, but it is validating to know that you’re not the only one tripping over that stump.

God knows our weaknesses. But He also knows our strengths. That’s the part we tend to forget. God knows us inside out, through and through. He won’t tempt us with anything past our ability to overcome through our reliance on Him.

 

Song of the Week, “What the World Needs Now,” by Jackie DeShannon

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Music can be like deja vu. I heard this song over the weekend after watching “Boss Baby,” for the second night in a row. Like second nature, the words came out. I didn’t remember where I’d heard the song, but there was a striking familiarity. It’s a pretty popular song, but somehow, not one I (consciously) hear very often.

There are quite a few renditions of this song. I went with Jackie’s recording because it’s the original, but I’m listening to Burt Bacharac’s version now and thinking maybe I made a mistake. But that’s beside the point.

I chose this song this week because it’s true. We need more love. We work so hard toward success and riches, but not nearly as committed to working toward loving one another. 

My favorite line of this song

What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

For everyone.

That means the people who don’t appear to be deserving of love, also need it. 

Song of the Week, “More than You Think I Am,” by Danny Gokey

 

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Rumor has it there’s a gavel in my hand
I’m only here to condemn
But let me tell you secrets you would’ve never known
I think of you as my best friend

I love love love this song because it brings to light the complexity of God. We all have our ideas of who we believe God is and what role he plays in our lives, but few of us have truly ventured to find him for ourselves.

This tune makes me want to dig deeper, work harder, and lean in closer to God. I want to get to know him unencumbered by my selfish wants and needs. I want him to be my best friend, my confidant, my everything.

Song of the Week: “Playing God” by Paramore

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Happy Viernes! It’s another rainy day in beautiful Newark, NJ. I woke up around nine this morning, was a little productive, then took a nap around 1 p.m. Now I’m trying to focus on this post while my roommate indulges on reality television. Really bad reality television might I add. I would never voluntarily watch this show, but I have to admit, a few cackles have escaped.

Well that’s been my day so far, what’ve you all been up to?

I picked “Playing God” for the song today because Paramore is back!!! They’re my favorite Pop- Rock group and they’ve finally come out of hiding! I love their new song! Their reemergence made me take a walk down memory lane with some of their classics. This one just happened to stick out!

Peace out,

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Celestial

Song of the Week: “Salt and Light,” by Lauren Daigle

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Today’s tune is not typically the song you want to blast as you’re speeding out of your work parking lot, but I think it’s appropriate. It’s a worship ballad that completely complements this week’s post on being Contagious.

I love this song because it speaks to our reliance on God. We depend completely on Him to guide our steps into becoming the salt and light of this Earth.

Song of the Week, “Million Years Ago”

 

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This song, because this album has a grip on my soul like no other. Guys, I love it! I don’t know why it took me so long to purchase Adele’s album, but ever since I got it last week, I’ve been listening non-stop!  Every single song is melodic gold. Lyrics, music to my soul. “Million Years Ago,” is my current repeat offender. It’s a ballad. I know, no surprise there. But it’s its own. It’s like a depressing stroll in Paris, which is basically an oxymoron that this song has made possible.

Song of the Week: “Love’s in Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder

Love’s in need of love today. Dont delay, send yours in right away.

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Do I even need to explain why? This is one of those songs that transcends past the differences and buries itself at the core of humanity’s emptiness. We need love. Desperately. We can no longer neglect our responsibility to soak this earth through and through with unconditional love. This weekend, as many of us observe Jesus’ sacrifice of love, let’s remember to to do our best to live by His example.

Till Monday,

Celestial

Song of the Week: “26 Years 17 Days,” by Lyfe Jennings

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We made it to another Friday!!

Any cool plans for the weekend?

You can start by checking out this song by Lyfe Jennings! I don’t remember when I first came across it, but I think it opens the door to a  conversation that desperately needs to be had between believers and non-believers.

The strongest point of this song is that there’s NOTHING we can’t come back from or that God’s grace isn’t sufficient enough for. Regardless of what mistakes we’ve made in our lives, we are never beyond God’s redemption. If we’re going to preach that God saves all, we can’t simultaneously promote that He saves some.

Let me know what you all think about this tune!

Have a good weekend!

Celestial