I bought a CD...

...two actually. That may not sound like a big deal, but I don't buy a lot of music these days. In college I spent every penny I had on music, but not anymore. I did come across this CD by a guy named Derek Webb. He was formerly with Caedmon's Call. The CD is called "She must and shall go free." It's a CD written about the church. I like his style of music (acoustic with a contemporary bluegrass feel) but the lyrics have really impacted me. He writes in the liner notes,

"After ten years in a Christian band, backstage in the music industry and in the hallways of church buildings across America, my attention as a songwriter has turned to a fresh affection for the Church. It seems we know too little of who She is, how She should dress, or what She was made for. I have found that Scripture is provocative when it comes to these issues and so these songs are not for the faint of heart. ...She is both wretched and radiant...For the believer, truth is freedom, even truth that is hard to hear. May these sounds stir all of us to see, as if for the first time, that we have (still) a great need for a Savior, and a great Savior for our need."

Derek has a prophetic voice, but it's laced with honesty and humility. And underlying it all is a love for Jesus and His church. As you may have gathered from my previous postings, I am becoming more convinced of the central nature of honesty in our spiritual growth. We have to realize that the evil is not out there, but it is in us. The line that separates good from bad runs through the center of my heart. And only as I offer that weakness to Jesus can it be transformed. Maybe that's why Derek's lyric from his song called "Wedding Dress" hit so close to home. I share it with you as a window into my own heart, and as a longing for the day when I'll be the Bride that Jesus can make me to be.

Wedding Dress (words and music by derek webb)
Real Audio Sample Clip

if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i'll ever need
or is there more i'm looking for

and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want

(chorus)
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i'm a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you

so could you love this bastard child
though i don't trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood

(chorus)

because money cannot buy
a husband's jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife

A big thank you to Derek, for his prophetic voice, for his transparency, for the love for Jesus he evokes in my heart as he sings.