God Of This City

On Sunday morning, I was singing along to the song "God Of This City" by Chris Tomlin. This song is so powerful, and it urged me to think about how it applies to my life. Usually, I just use a part of the song, but this whole song is relevant to my discussion. The song goes like this:

Verse 1:
You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are

Bridge:
For there is no one like our God
There is no one like you God

Chorus 1:
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

Verse 2:
You're the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You're the King above all kings
You are

You're the strength in our weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You are

Bridge: repeat

Chorus 2:
For greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
When glory shines from hearts alive
With praise for you and love for you
In this city

Chorus 1: repeat

This song has really provoked me to think about how the words of it are true in my own life. The first part that really makes me stop and think is the line that says "You're the hope to the hopeless, You're the peace to the restless." I just attended a meeting on Sunday dealing with a mission trip to Mexico I'm going on over Spring Break. As we were talking about the work we are going to be doing down there, this song came to mind. As ambassadors for God, we are going to Mexico to be hope to the people who have no hope. We are also going to be "the love to the broken" and "the joy in the sadness" to the people who live there. As lights for God, we will show them how to love as Jesus loved and walk as Jesus walked.
It is amazing to think about the burden of this task. It's not even a burden as much as it is a responsibility. We are called by God to share the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. This mission trip is an amazing opportunity to answer His call, and I am so excited about it! =D

Sissy's Song

On Friday, I was driving to school an hour late (no I'm not a class skipper), and the voice of Alan Jackson started to play over the radio waves. Immediately, I thought about my Aunt Sue. This song was played to a slideshow of pictures at her funeral this past year. It made me think about mortality and what might happen after we go from this world. The chorus especially caught my attention:

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and paths where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me

My thoughts flashed back to the funeral service held in honor of my aunt. She had battled cancer for years, so her passing was not a surprise. It was more of a relief knowing that her suffering was now over. The words of this song comforted me when I first heard them. The atmosphere of the funeral home was somber; I felt like there was nowhere for joy to take place. But this song made a place for it. It reinforced my beliefs that she was going to Heaven. The imagery in this chorus allowed me to envision her flying up to Heaven and reuniting with her loved ones that went before her. This also gave me hope that my family and I will see her there someday too. To Alan Jackson: thank you for writing something people can relate to and believe in.

You Belong With Me

Friday on my way to school, I was listening to my least favorite singer of all time, Taylor Swift. Her voice greeted me as I prepared for the last day of the school week. Her song in no way brightened my day, but it was the only song on the radio at that moment.
"You Belong With Me" is a song about Taylor Swift being jealous of this guy's girlfriend. She describes the other girl as "wearing high heels, short skirts, being cheer captain." Obviously she has some resentment against this girl, and she may not even know her. She is basing her accusations solely on what she has perceived of this girl's outward appearance. The basis of her hatred is jealousy no doubt. She wants this guy to like her instead of his "superficial" girlfriend. At the end of each chorus, she sings the phrase "Why can't you see you belong with me? You belong with me." I don't know about you, but this sounds like Taylor Swift has a creeping problem on this guy. She is obsessed with having him as her boyfriend and has written this song to let him know about it.
An obsession to this degree does not seem healthy in my opinion. Taylor may need to take a step back and examine her motives here. She may think her endeavor of writing this song is romantic, but it is quite the contrary. To the guy for whom this song was written: run the other way. To Taylor Swift: give up the creeper image, because it's not attractive.