Matt Papa "Your Kingdom Come" Album Review

Two things stand out in listening to Matt Papa's album "Your Kingdom Come." One, that he walks closely with God and two, that he knows and reads the Bible, a lot. The songs proclaim the attributes, mysteries, and praises of God as well as weaving Biblical truths throughout (ex:"Every Knee Will Bow"). The overarching musical style is guitar driven rock with a tasteful dose of piano in the mix.

Some bands or musicians use formulaic musical techniques but Papa has a plethora of interesting things going on musically (listen closely and you may hear a harpsichord on one song). The bulk of the album is filled with songs you can enjoy like a juicy steak, both flavorful and something to chew on.

One album theme is the missional call to go out to the world sharing Christ's love heard in: "Your Kingdom Come," "To the Least of These," and "Here am I, Send Me."

"Hallelujah, Our God Reigns" is a rocking declaration of God's holiness and attributes as if a rock band of angels got together and rocked the praises straight from Revelation. The radio single and one of my personal favorites on the album is "Open Hands" which shares of learning to live a surrendered and unselfish life with open hands so as to tell the world of how Jesus loves, died, and sets us free.

"God of Grace" celebrates God's provision for people in all sorts of life circumstances and His sacrifice and love for us as we are. The song "You Can Do Anything" is primarily in the pop punk genre but is the only song on the album in performed in this style. "Hymn in C" is a great declaration of Christ's love and sacrifice for us and the transformation that occurs because of a relationship with Him. "Alive" has a Christmas feel to it reminiscent of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."

Papa doesn't pull punches with songs such as "Where is the Difference" and the sardonic "Woe to You" that cut to the quick, calling out superficial Christianity, self serving religion, and materialism.

"Here It Comes" starts out with an army marching into the opening guitar riff that opens a straight up southern rock song including a gospel choir and finishes with a ripping guitar solo and wild celebration. "No One Else" expresses desire for God being primary and above all else with anthemic worship and praise as one might imagine the Psalmist David expressing his heart and soul's desire.

Papa uses a shouting singing style at the top of his vocal range in parts of a few songs. This can be overlooked though due to his joy and heart for God leaping through the lyrics.

If you see a photo of Matt, his appearance is a cross between Keith Green and David Crowder. :-)

Over the next few weeks, I plan to work through the many scriptures listed as sources for the songs. Some writers rely on christianese "praise phrases" in their songs but Papa goes straight to the source for inspiration with resulting theologically deep passages.

This is the best rock/worship albums I've heard in a while and it will be receiving serious play time in my listening endeavors.

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National Worship Leader Conference

This week I had the opportunity to attend the National Worship Leader Conference. It was held in Leawood, Kansas at Church of the Resurrection so was just a hop, skip, and a jump away for me. It was pretty incredible to get so many leaders (estimated 1,600) in the worship music area across the nation together. There were concerts by musicians such as David Crowder Band, Mac Powell, Laura Story, Aaron Shust, Paul Baloche, Matt Maher, Jeremy Riddle, and Christy Nockels. During the day there were also seminars touching on a variety of topics relevant to worship leaders. The days were long but it was very cool to spend time with so many worship leaders and the times of worship were amazing. The audience was ready to be set aflame with hearts in worship to God.

Prayer: Conversing With God

Sometimes prayer is perceived as needing to be a high and lofty exercise of religion with flowery language that one must be "trained" in or spend years going to seminary to learn. Rosalind Rinker helps to dispel this perception and shows how easy it can be to have a very real and active prayer life.

The subtitle "Conversing With God" describes the main focus and type of prayer that Ms. Rinker refers to. Prayer is simply a conversation with God and not some formal theological exercise. Just as one would speak with a friend or family member, they can also speak with God. Just as a person might talk about the day with a friend, let Him know what's going on, thank and praise Him for the incredible things He's done and for who He is, and seek His wisdom for their life.

She also helps show how to incorporate prayer throughout the day and not just at designated times. In some Bible studies, people spend more time talking about prayer requests than actually praying. Rinker helps show how to structure prayer time so that it naturally flows like a conversation with the Holy Spirit prompting people to pray as they are led and as things come to mind. By making it more of a conversation, you both talk with the people in the group and with Jesus who is there with you.

She also addresses the risk of praying to impress other people or gain their approval by manufacturing emotion, fervency, or eloquent speech. This completely misses the point of prayer which is communicating with God. If one wishes to be eloquent and have people praise him or her for their great public speaking abilities, they should seek out alternate venues rather than "showing off" during times of prayer.

The book incorporates scripture passages as well as real life examples to illustrate conversational prayer. It also has a short devotional section at the back of the book which can be used to learn this style of prayer and engaging with God one on one.

The book is written in an easy to understand format and can be read very quickly. I recommend reading a chapter at a time to allow time to meditate on the chapter topic. If you would like good tips on improving your prayer life and how to communicate with God in a down to earth manner, this book offers very practical and easy steps to implement.

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The Red Letters

There is love in the red letters
There is truth in the red letters
There is hope for the hopeless
Peace and forgiveness
There is life in the red letters
In the red letters

I really like the DC Talk song "Red Letters." (You can hear a bit in the player on the right) A few weeks back I spent some time reading exclusively the red letters from the Bible. For clarification's sake, many copies of the Bible display all passages where Jesus is speaking in red letters. It can make the flow slightly less smooth but is very neat to get in the mentality of the words of Christ.

One passage that I like comes from John 15:4-11 NASB "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

When we abide in Christ by reading and memorizing His words, it helps us to begin thinking more like Him and ultimately living a joy filled life. There is all kinds of good stuff in the red letters. Spend some time there next time you're in the Word.

Speechless

Speechless by Steven Curtis Chapman and Scotty Smith

I really enjoyed Speechless.In this book, Steven Curtis Chapman and his pastor Scotty Smith walk us through the disruptive grace of God. Each chapter starts with the lyrics to one of Chapman's songs which helps to set the tone for the discussion. Chapman and Smith then delve into how God has moved in their personal lives and take us through their personal stories. This also provides more background as to where the songs came from and why they were written. Being a long time fan of Chapman's music, I was interested to learn more about his journey from childhood, to budding musician, to well known Christian artist.

Many times people in the ministry feel they must put on an act and their happy smiley face as if all is well with the world. Ministers have many of the same hurts and hangups as the average person. Both Chapman and Smith are honest about the need to let down the hair and be real at times. God worked in their lives to take them in different directions than they may have imagined. By disrupting their pre-conceived lives, God poured His grace into them and allowed them to experience Him in deeper and more meaningful ways.

I read the book a chapter at a time rather than going straight through it. While the book is not so deep that multiple chapters at a time are too difficult to take in, I felt that reading it over a period of time allowed more of the message to sink in. This book is an excellent encouragement to anyone in being real with God, especially anyone in the ministry.

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Fireproof

This evening, I went to see the movie Fireproof. I was very impressed with the quality of both the technical components as well as the story. Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea did a very good job in the lead roles and Ken Bevel was very good in the main supporting role. The story was told in a very believable way. Even for people who are not married, it provides a challenge to seek after the things of God and His purposes for ones life.

The main character, Caleb, is the captain of fire department who is a hero to many in the community but has challenges at home with his wife. At the beginning he is selfish and has anger management issues. Their marriage is on the rocks and heading for divorce when Caleb's father challenges him to take a "Love Dare" in which for 40 days he does things to be kind to and love his wife. Over the course of the 40 day period, his heart begins to change towards his wife and through an encounter with God he becomes a follower of Christ and turns his marriage around.

There were some intense moments as well as some lighted hearted fun moments. You always know it's a well made scene when your heart gets beating real fast. Sure there were a few parts where a $50 million Hollywood production might could have beefed up the quality a little but for a $500,000 budget I thought Sherwood Pictures did an outstanding job. This movie will be such an encouragement to so many couples to hang in there when the going's tough. The theater I went to was pretty much packed and this is about 2 months after the original release. If you haven't seen Fireproof yet, be sure to go check it out for an entertaining and uplifting movie.

Heaven Has Blue Carpet

Heaven Has Blue Carpet by Sharon Niedzinski

If you've ever thought you couldn't do something because you were unqualified, Sharon Niedzinski provides a modern day example of chasing a dream despite having no qualifications. While she was in the middle of raising a family in the land of Michigan suburbia, she and her husband purchased a farm when their real estate agent from several years past called them up out of the blue one day with a farm for sale. She had dreamed of living on a farm and raising sheep when this opportunity presented itself.

They sold their home packed up the kids and moved out to the farm. Niedzinski then proceeded to order a flock of white sheep to "decorate" the hillside. Knowing virtually nothing about shepherding, she quickly began reading up in the library, magazines, and asking questions to anyone who would listen to her. Over a number of years, she became an accomplished shepherd but not without some very humorous moments and tough labor involved.

The book is really a metaphor of mankind as sheep as portrayed so frequently in the Bible. The Master shepherd teaches her many lessons through the behavior of her sheep and how many times we act so similarly to sheep. She got an up close understanding of the examples throughout the Bible referencing sheep. The book was well crafted to incorporate timely scripture passages as she learns various lessons during her journey as a shepherd.

Also, incorporated in the book were sheep metaphors. The Good Grain section discusses points to absorb related to God's promises. The Shearing Shed is where we learn through difficult circumstances or God's "shearing" of us. Chew On This provides insights or topics to think about and discuss.

The only slightly annoying thing I found was Niedzinksi referring to her husband as "Honey" throughout the book and never by his actual first name. The reader gets used to it after a while but can be a little grating at first.

This book would be good to read as either an individual or as a part of a Bible study. There are plenty of discussion topics and scriptures to study in gaining perspective on life and the Bible's view of mankind as sheep. The humorous elements as well as the various pieces of wisdom shared based on the author's years as a shepherd will be enjoyable to anyone wanting a better understanding of sheep and how their actions parallel our own.

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Wild Goose Chase

Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

In Batterson's follow up to In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day (see here for review), he continues to challenge readers to pursue God given callings and break free of mediocrity and the status quo. Wild Goose Chase goes into further detail on some of the "cages" that hold us back from pursuing God's call on our lives.

Be careful though, don't read this book if you just want a warm fuzzy pick me up. Batterson is not afraid to get up in your face and make you uncomfortable. This is exactly the type of challenge that many people need. Rather than sitting back and being "irresponsibly responsible" he encourages readers to pursue "responsible irresponsibility." In other words sometimes, the Holy Spirit, known to Celtic Christians as the wild goose, will prompt you to do something which seems illogical on the surface but when seeking after and pursuing Him, will take you on adventures and higher heights never imaginable from the comforts of the routine.

The book is filled with examples of people who seek after the wild goose and do dangerous things. Satan is afraid of dangerous Christians. He much prefers nice timid Christians who are afraid to break out of the mold and pursue challenges laid before them by God. Like a wild animal in its natural environment, Batterson encourages us to be wild and dangerous in the environment God has called us to.

Read this book then go out and be a mighty warrior, chasing where the wild goose leads.

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Air 1

I've recently discovered a new radio station called Air 1 the positive alternative. Here in the Kansas City area, it plays on 91.9 FM. The format is alternative Christian rock music. I really enjoy stations such as Calvary 88.5 and K-LOVE 97.3 but their style sometimes leaves out good music with an edgier sound. Air 1 plays popular bands like Mercy Me, Third Day, Newsboys, and the David Crowder Band that you hear on the other stations but they also have music by bands such as Switchfoot, Sanctus Real, Reliant K, Lifehouse, and Hawk Nelson. This really fills a hole and can be a great ministry tool for people who enjoy the edgy sound and slightly more rock oriented style. Be sure to let your rock star friends know about it. You can also listen online at air1.com.

Prayer and Breathing

Prayer should be like breathing to us, as frequent and constant and necessary as the next breath. In it we find our sustenance and strength, our life line to God. How awesome that the God and creator of the world desires intimate communication with us. As you breath, pray and draw life from the giver of it.

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things which you do not know." -Jeremiah 33:3.

Hindu Temple

Over the holidays, while visiting my family in Atlanta, we took a field trip to the Hindu temple known as BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in my home town of Lilburn, GA. This was my first experience being inside a Hindu temple and one word I would describe it with is intricate. It is the largest temple of it's kind outside of India according to Wikipedia. At 75 feet tall it also makes the structure the tallest in the city of Lilburn.

When entering, visitors are required to take their shoes off which I assume is out of respect for the place as well as generally a good housekeeping policy. After spending some time looking around I have a vague sense of what the BAPS demonination of Hinduism is about. Basically, a man named Bhagwan Swaminarayan started this denomination during the 1800s. There were several idols inside and figures of previous spiritual leaders known as gurus.



My sense was that it was a good works oriented faith and that you can either be "god" or eventually through reincarnation work your way towards a state of nirvana. While it seemed that those following the principles of the religion would be moral people, there was also a certain sense of emptiness to it from the standpoint that there is no ultimate authority who can give power to overcome sin like Jesus Christ. There also does not appear to be a relational aspect to it but rather one must of his or her own power come to a greater state of being and peace. In my experience the only times I have true peace and fullfillment is when I'm walking daily with Jesus through reading the Bible talking with him through prayer and worship whether that be singing, playing guitar, running, being outdoors or some other form of worship.

The Christmas Candle

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

This nice little novella by Lucado is a tale about a small community in Victorian rural England. Every 25 years just before Christmas an amazing event occurs where for several generations past an angel appears in a candlemaker's shop touches a candle which lights then is extinguished after briefly lighting up. The first candlemaker who encountered this was terrified and astonished but after giving the candle to a needy person and instructing her to pray when lighting the candle the woman's prayer for financial provision was miraculously answered. Other such miracles occurred every quarter century.

Due to a mix up when the angel visits in the year of the story, the candlemaker isn't sure which candle is "the one" and has to give out multiple candles to various people in need. The result is people engaging in prayer and consequently receiving God's blessing though they didn't actually receive the miracle candle. It is a good lesson for the community in remembering the ultimate source of power and not to worship the miracle candle.

As mentioned, this is a nice little story which can be read in one sitting and has a feeling to it similar to Lucado's children's story "You Are Special." It's definitely not heavy on biblical theology and can focus a bit much on the importance of the angel rather than Christ as the reason for the season but would be fun to read as a bed time story to a child.

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala

Cymbala's book more than anything is a call to prayer and earnest seeking of God. As a young man in the early 1970s he began pastoring the fledgling Brooklyn Tabernacle having had no formal training. Through his own brokenness and seeking God, he came to understand that God would bless the ministry and continue to bring people for them to minister to and introduce to Jesus if they would truly seek Him and not rely on their own devices or abilities.

As a result, the Tabernacle saw a great deal of growth and tremendous Christian ministry opportunities were opened to reach out to the people of Brooklyn and New York City as a whole. From the very beginning they made the cornerstone of their church the Tuesday evening prayer service during which they called to God and sought Him. Many extraordinary events occurred as a result and continue to happen today.

People who were once very closed towards Jesus come to true repentance and a real relationship with Him through this ministry. The Tuesday evening prayer ministry is so important that Cymbala will not accept speaking engagements if they keep him away from the prayer meeting more than one prayer meeting at in a row.
As a result of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and direct them through seeking Him in prayer, they see lots of really cool stuff that could in no way be scripted.

Prayer is also an integral part of their Grammy award winning choir ministry with the weekly rehearsal incorporating at least 30 minutes of prayer to the practice.

Far from being a feel good type of book, Cymbala challenges the reader and today's churches to truly come before God and passionately seek Him in prayer and study of the Bible. He mentions various trends and how some churches try to cater to popular culture and make things cool and hip and while those things aren't bad in and of themselves, he emphasizes that it is a mistake to promote these flashy programs and neglect the ministry of prayer. Contrastingly, he points to the early church "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer..." Acts 1:14 When believers and the church are in constant communion with God, He tends to work more actively and mightily.

I highly recommend this book as a reminder on the importance of prayer as well as a good high level overview of the history of the Brooklyn Tabernacle.

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Quiet Strength

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy

Dungy's memoir describes his life including personal elements, football, and faith. Leading the Colts to a Super Bowl victory during the 06-07 season was simply a stop along the path for him. He continuously emphasizes throughout the book that while he enjoys football tremendously that it is ultimately just a game. He gives credit to his siblings performing long term important roles such one who is a nurse in a correctional facility as well as one who is a perinatologist and helps women through pregnancies.

Dungy grew up playing football and basketball in various places throughout Michigan with 3 siblings and parents who were both educators. He went on to play football at the University of Minnesota where he attained great success. After graduating, he played several seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. During his time with the Steelers, he became the last player to both intercept a pass and throw an interception in a game when he came in as the 4th string backup quarterback, his normal position being defensive back.

After retirement, he began his coaching career first with the University of Minnesota then being called back to the NFL as a coach with the Steelers. He eventually became the defensive coordinator with the Steelers before moving on to the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive backs coach. Following his tenure with Kansas City, he moved on to a defensive coordinator position with the Minnesota Vikings before his first head coach job in 1996 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He truly built a team and community support while with Tampa Bay. They went from arguably one of the worst franchises in the NFL to a league leader during his time there. After his time with the Bucs ended, he went on to the Indianapolis Colts where he won his first Super Bowl.

Outside of football, Dungy is very involved with community organizations including
Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, the Boys and Girls Club, Prison Crusade Ministry, and Family First. He is very upfront and open about his faith and does not hide his walk with Christ. He has 5 children and encourages his players and coaches in spending time with their families as well.

During the 2005 season, one of his sons committed suicide and both the Tampa Bay and Indianapolis communities rallied around their family to really support and lift them up during this difficult time. Dungy's composure and decision to carry on coaching football following this tragedy was arrived at through prayer and his close walk with God.

All throughout the book he provides great examples of leadership, character, wisdom, and overall outlook on life. It's the type of book that could be used at the collegiate level for lessons on management and leading a team. I highly recommend Quiet Strength to the football fan as well as anyone interested in a great book about an all around quality guy.

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Also posted at Helium.com.

The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Written primarily while Bunyan was in prison for preaching outside of the Church of England during the late 1600s, this allegory marks the steps of a character named Christian through a journey to the Celestial City (Heaven). Disgusted by his life of carnality in his home town, Christian sets off on a journey prompted by talking with a man named Evangelist. He goes through a variety of struggles and eventually arrives at the cross where Christ takes his burden away.

He then continues on his journey and has to fight an apocalyptic dragon known as Apollyon who wants him to return to his former life then attempts to kill him. Christian uses the sword of the Spirit (aka the Bible) to combat the dragon and continues on his journey. He also goes through the valley of the shadow of death.

A friend that he meets along the way is named Faithful and travels with him a while until they reach the town of Vanity Fair. It is here where their steadfastness and commitment to their faith and striving for the Celestial City causes an uproar amongst the citizens of the city. Christian and Faithful are imprisoned and then Faithful is burned at the stake sending him on to the presence of Christ early.

Christian escapes and continues in his journey while picking up another companion named Hopeful. They encounter people such as Flatterer who leads them astray, the giant Despair, Atheist, and countless other such characters who's actions are described by their names.

Eventually, Christian and Hopeful arrive in the Celestial City and are welcomed in by the King. As I read this passage, it made me think of finishing a race in which the crowd is lining the passageway and cheering the runners on to the finish. It was a neat mental picture of coming home to Heaven having finished the race.

The book provides good insight as to both the Christian life as well as that of people in the world and the various struggles, encounters, and types of people one comes into contact with throughout life. At times, the book was heavy on philosophy and could have used a bit more action rather than long discourse. Though I believe I've seen children's versions of this story, this original version was certainly written for the advanced high school or college level student.

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Guitar at the Plaza

Last Friday evening, I went down to the Plaza and sang and played guitar on the sidewalk beside one of the fountains. I received $5.86 in tips. :-) Standing in one place for an hour you see lots of interesting people.

During college, I used to go downtown and play on the sidewalk as well. I used it as a ministry opportunity in talking with the homeless, drunk, as well as Christians and various other people. It was neat in that God would usually bring someone along during an evening that He allowed me to minister to in some way. During one semester I made about $140 which I gave to the Baptist Student Union's summer missions program. It was lots of fun!

The Testament

The Testament by John Grisham

When a wealthy billionaire dies and leaves a controversial will, it has his six known children in an uproar. These progeny are fairly useless members of society who were spoiled throughout their lives and would likely squander the fortune. The will indicates that the vast sum of his estate should go to a previously unknown child who happens to be a Christian missionary in the jungles of Brazil. The executor of the will dispatches one of his lawyers to find this heir. The lawyer goes through adventures flying in small planes, going down little known tributaries of rivers in Brazil, and interacting with native Indians there. He eventually finds her but she is uninterested in the inheritance having come to peace with living with the indigenous people there and sharing Jesus with them.

Grisham succeeds in making her a sympathetic character whom the reader might like to meet in real life. The lawyer goes through a process of re-evaluating priorities in life and healing from past addictions and mistakes. One would consider him to have become a born again Christian. This is evidenced in his change in attitude and interests in helping a neighbor pastor and talking with God as well as reconnecting with his broken family. I'll not give away the ending but recommend the book as good fiction in addition to being a good way to examine priorities in life.