He hit so many great points on so many levels I just had to leave it with you:
4/19/08 Corona, CA
I met with Skip Williams a few days before Friday’s experiment. Skip is the Recovery leader at Crossroads Church in Corona. “my hope is to bring my new songs of redemption to the main congregation at church… to present why we all need recovery on a daily basis” I told him.
I handed him a rough draft of a new layout of songs with scriptures and definitions of why these songs resonate with recovery. Everyone is struggling with something always! And here’s a chance to present new insights to those who feel that recovery is only for mainlining drug users and alcoholics. We all have a “drug of choice” I believe. The thing we run to before running to God. Even preachers and teachers are broken somewhere.. be it pride or arrogance.. or control.. or personal validation. That’s where dependencies meet denial. And the behaviors are sure to follow!
The simple draft opens with the song Chains come in every shape and size…and a scripture from Psalms… “the suffering you sent was good for me… they caused me to consider your principles. But then it includes dialog between myself and the local leader of recovery or ministry.
It’s followed by a song I did for the first time yesterday “Only For Good”… which is tied to the scripture in Jeremiah 29:11 .. with commentary about where God’s Children were when he spoke of his plans… captivity!. And God determined that it was in their best interest to stay there for over 70 years!.... hence… God lets you experience the consequences of your own free will to show you why you should follow his principles.
The set continues with dialog and scripture for an hour presentation… it also included “You Keep Me Coming Back”… “I love you with my life”…” I love you so” and “I’m still dancing”… and last night it went over very well. The Lyrics were on the screens on stage too with some nice imagery. Everyone seemed drawn in, in a new way to what was actually being presented. Yea it still needs some work and there are so many other songs I’d love to present as well… but this was an acknowledgement that I need to change the way I present my songs… away from just being “as good as heathen music”… or “ showing how ‘professional we can bring things”…
I’m learning still that the scripture lasts forever and songs mostly fade away replaced by new songs from new people. I’ve made a choice away from entertaining people only and letting them pick up the subtlety of my spirituality on their own. I’ve made a choice to acknowledging that people are hungry for a little more than a good jam session and a couple of smiles about broader truth. That’s all great but it is mostly the case with those who are simply looking to “escape”… The club scene will never get who I am perhaps because I cannot be about “escaping”…I know now that is why Christian music is rarely received no matter how good it is… if there is an embracing of the truth its gonna come with a little pain in the realization that there is something not quite right with any of us separate from a true relationship to God.
O.k. so there’s that… Bryan D





















