Real Christian discussion

Here we are ((:

»»INTRO:

Hey, sorry for being super late this week. I kept changing my song. It ended up working perfectly though because a new song came out and as soon as I heard it, I knew I needed to do it. The lyrics are so.. Well, you'll see. Anyway, that was a day or 2 ago, so I guess I still could've gotten to work on this so it wouldn't be so late, but to honest, I didn't have the energy. But that's a whole 'nother story. Point is, I'm awake now and ready to dig in to these lyrics, so let's get to it.

SONG: Run to you - Lacey Sturm

[This link is set to bring you straight to this particular song, even though the entire link would usually bring you to the whole album. Just click the link above and listen from there on because it'll start right at the beginning of this song and end at the end of it all since it also just so happens to be the last song on the album.]

»»BACKGROUND:

Lacey Sturm is the former lead singer of Flyleaf. She left a few years ago and now is married (her husband is a guitarist for her new band) with two sons. After leaving Flyleaf, she joined Evangelist Billy Graham's foundation where she created songs that were more "Christian" than those created while she was in Flyleaf, even though Christian themes can be found in Flyleaf songs as well. Lacey Sturm used to be a devote atheist and planned to kill herself just hours before turning to God and she's been sharing her testimony ever since. Her new album, Life Screams, was officially released on February 12, 2016. This song is one of them.

»»LYRICS:

"You tell me I'm the one holding you back 
And something about how far we're off track 
Well all I hear is your heart beat loud and strong 
And I just want to wrap you in my arms 

But I'll let you go, if that's what you want 
But I hope you know, my love won't stop 
You say it's not true and you call me a fool
But call out my name, I'll run to you 

I know you, I know your eyes so well 
And I know you're not sure of yourself
Something made you restless years ago 
Til' you forgot that I'm part of your soul 

But I'll let you go, if that's what you want 
But I hope you know, my love won't stop 
You say it's not true and you call me a fool 
But call out my name, I'll run to you

I've always believed in you 
You used to believe in me too
Remember the day that you turned away?
It killed me to lose you 
(It killed me to lose you)
It killed me to lose you 

But I'll let you go, if that's what you want 
But I hope you know, my love won't stop 
You say it's not true and you call me a fool 
But call out my name, I'll run to you

I'll run to you
I'll run to you, I'll run to you
I've always believed in you 
I'll run to you, I'll run to you
And 'cause I love you, I'll let you go 
I'll let you go
If that's what you want 
But I hope you know my love won't stop"

»»MEANING:

Alright so it's always important to establish who the "you" and "I" 's are in any song in order to fully understand what the message is within the lyrics. In this case, "I" represents God and "you" represents a former believer that has lost their way. This is evidenced throughout the song in a tone that bears the pain of the heartbreaking rejection.

In the first verse, there is a clear disagreement between God and this former believer here. The person is mad at the fact that they aren't enjoying their life, so they blame God and say that it's His fault because He is holding them back. Now, I don't know about you, but if someone accused me of something that wasn't necessarily bad but they made it appear bad, I'd be angry. God isn't like that though. It says, "Well all I hear is your heart beat loud and strong 
And I just want to wrap you in my arms". So this person is complaining, but God's like 'look, I created you. I want to help you. I am for you. I'm not against you.'
(Points to anyone who can tell me what song I just referenced ;P )

It also says in the second verse that He knows this person is unsure of themselves because something happened which led them to turn away from God. But if you look at that last line carefully, "Til' you forgot that I'm part of your soul", indicating that you can't escape God. The person may have turned away, but God is still there. In every person ever created, there is the desire to know their Creator, kind of like Pinocchio. But what happens in Pinocchio? He wants to be a real boy and turns away from his father by trusting the bad guy. Yet as seen in the Prodigal Son, the Father will always take His children back.

In the bridge, God is reminding the person that they used to believe in Him and asks if they "remember the day that [they] turned away?" He goes on to say this deep line: "It killed me to lose you". So then why did God let the person leave? People are always asking why God lets bad things happen. When bad things happen, a lot of the time, people get upset with God and some even leave Him, but as said earlier and will be seen now in the chorus, He doesn't leave.

I left the chorus for last because is so deep, reading:
"But I'll let you go, if that's what you want 
But I hope you know, my love won't stop 
You say it's not true and you call me a fool 
But call out my name, I'll run to you"
God is always there and won't ever stop loving, but we have the freedom of choice. If we don't want God, He isn't going to force anyone to want Him because that wouldn't be genuine. Each person must decide for themselves what it is they want. This person in the song used to believe, but has left God. He let's them go because that's what they chose, but reminds them that He won't stop loving them, even while they don't believe and curse Him. What kind of love is that? And notice how He says that as soon as they decide to come back, He'll be there. He doesn't say 'okay, wait a few days and maybe I'll take you back' or 'well I'll be there, Unless I'm on lunch break. Then you're gonna have to wait'. He doesn't say, 'I'll walk to you' but "I'll run to you". That is God's love and grace. No matter what happens, all you have to do is go home and He'll meet you before you even make it through the door.

That is so amazing and true.Real inspirational song!I love it already.Thanks!

Yea it's great :)

Awww. Cait!?? That was A-mazing!!!! Wow! If that could be graded it'd be an A+ (can I have a higher grade please?) Every time!?! I loved that!! It was as I was reading a story book!!!!

Was that line pointing to a Tenth Avenue North song? It sounded so familaliar... But I couldn't remember *sad face*

This was my favorite part- "also says in the second verse that He knows this person is unsure of themselves because something happened which led them to turn away from God. But if you look at that last line carefully, "Til' you forgot that I'm part of your soul", indicating that you can't escape God. ""

That was so beautiful!!! Amen!! What I always tell people!! When you run from God, as many do, you lose a part of yourself, cause He will never leave!! I love that so much <3

Now i know why you had to wait for this *cheers and handclaps*

Now I must go listen to that song ((;
Great, great job girl!!!!

:D

Oh. Wow. I'm that crazy person who forgot the schedule :/ Here it is ((;

First Week of February: Cait
Second Week of February: Sara
Third Week of February: Me
Fourth Week of February: Tamara


#QuickSave :P

Mary Kate wrote: "Awww. Cait!?? That was A-mazing!!!! Wow! If that could be graded it'd be an A+ (can I have a higher grade please?) Every time!?! I loved that!! It was as I was reading a story book!!!!

Was that li..."

:) Glad you liked it. Definitely check out the song.
And the reference was to Drops in the Ocean by Hawk Nelson where it says, "I am for you. I'm not against you."

It looks like I missed my turn. Sorry about that, I had some eye problems and couldn't get on due to some really bad eye strain and light sensitivity....

Feel free to do it anways if you want to! We would all love to read it even if it's not technically your turn!! :D

I'll be praying for the complete healing of your eyes!

Ok, I might be able to do it today or tomorrow. Thanks Tamara, prayers are always appreciated! I've been doing better today, and it seems like I'm almost healed.

That's awesome!! I hope that they won't bother you anymore.

Thanks!

Sorry for being so late on this guys.... Anyway here's my song, you guys did great on yours by the way!!! Thank you so much for letting me go real quick before you Tamara!

So its called You're All I Need by Bethany Dillon, its not a well known song, (or at least I don't think it is) but it helped me through some hard times in the past.

Verse 1
When the day is done
And there's no one else around
While I'm lying here in bed
You're in my heart, You're in my head

so here she talks about how we can be all alone, but that the Lord is with us!

Verse 2
You're all I need, You're all I need
There are a million voices calling out my name
But You're the one I want to hear
So make the others disappear

Here she talks about how He is all we need, and even though there are many voices calling out to us (which could be people, distractions, issues, anything that calls for our attention) we truly want to just hear the Lord's voice. In the last line she's asking for those voices to disappear.

Chorus
You are all I need when I'm surrounded
You are all I need if I'm by myself
You fill me when I'm empty
There is nothing else, You're all I need

Here she talks about how the Lord is all we need when we're in crowds surrounded by people or when we're by ourselves!

Verse 3
When the morning comes
And Your mercy is renewed
There's a fire in my bones
I'm not afraid to go alone
You're all I need , You're all I need

Here she talks about how the Lord's mercy in the morning gives new strength and how she's not afraid to go alone through the days trials. Though we fear things it's good to know that the Lord is with us every step of the way!

Verse 4
The sun on my face
I hear You whisper loud
You're still the God that opens seas
Every flower, even me
You're all I need, You're all I need
Here she talks about how powerful the Lord is and how glorious He is and how again, he is all we need, no matter what's going on in our lives.

I'm drawn to everything that You do
Nothing compares with You

at the end of the song, this is what she sings, and it's powerful to know that nothing compares to the Lord!!!

Here's a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl_82...

This week I chose a song written by Tenth Avenue North, it’s called “We Won’t Numb the Pain/Fire” and I think it has a very important message for our generation. When I first heard the lyrics to this song I was immediately convicted in my personal life, it has so many truths that need to be told but can be hard to accept sometimes. I heard this song at a Tenth Avenue North concert last fall, they sang a bunch of songs from their album that hadn’t been released yet and this is one that I really loved.

I’m changing it up this time and skipping the band bio. I hope no one minds. ;) First, let’s take a look at the lyrics:

“We Won’t Numb the Pain/Fire” by Tenth Avenue North

We're taking paths of least resistance
And never feel our soul's persistence
Turn on the radio
We don't wanna know
Keep on running in cruise control

We were never meant to live like this
So much has happened and too easy to miss, yeah
Cheap thrills, social media pills, use sex like a drug and we can't keep still

Distracted, distracted
Keep ourselves so distracted
We want more

(Chorus):
We won't numb the pain
Hands reaching to the sky
Hearts ready for the fire
Eyes open till we die

We won't numb the pain
Slow down inside your life
Stand still against the tide
Keep fighting for the silence
We won't numb the pain

I talk influence and being strategic
But all I'm feeling is narcissistic
Use recognition, but the adrenaline won't stop long enough to hear this conviction
We were never meant to move like this

Stand up for anything and be dismissed
We don't want it real, we keep it trivial
Objectify it gives a greater feel

(Chorus)

We want the cure, not a medication
We're gonna deal with it now
We want the cure, not a medication
We're gonna deal with it now


Gonna feel my,
Gonna feel my,
Gonna feel my heart now

Let me get a taste of your sweetness
Give me one glimpse of your lovely light
Lord, be my joy and treasure
My delight

Let me have a sense of your presence
May I trust your mercy all my life
I just wanna be a fire burning in the night

Fire, fire, fire, fire
Fire in my heart, fire in my soul
May the fire of your love burn away control
Satisfy my heart, cause I don't wanna steal
Or give in to my lust just to feel
Fire, fire, fire, fire

Let’s take a closer look at the first verses, these really struck me with their honesty:
We're taking paths of least resistance
And never feel our soul's persistence
Turn on the radio
We don't wanna know
Keep on running in cruise control
We were never meant to live like this
So much has happened and too easy to miss, yeah
Cheap thrills, social media pills, use sex like a drug and we can't keep still
Distracted, distracted
Keep ourselves so distracted
We want more
This verse is talking about the distractions of everyday life. We all know what that’s like, we go to start our school and get sidetracked by social media, even goodreads sometimes. ;) The song says that “we’re taking paths of least resistance” and I believe that is one of the most honest things I’ve heard in regard to this topic. The blatant truth is that we’re lazy and we want to make things as easy and uncomplicated as we can, but that’s not the way we were meant to live as the song goes on to say. Satan is using things like this to keep us distracted from the things that really matter.

The chorus goes like this:
We won't numb the pain
Hands reaching to the sky
Hearts ready for the fire
Eyes open till we die
We won't numb the pain
Slow down inside your life
Stand still against the tide
Keep fighting for the silence
We won't numb the pain
I love this! It’s taking from the previous verses and stating that we are resolved to live the way we’re supposed to, or in their words “we won’t numb the pain”. We’re going to stand against the tide of distractions and keep our hearts on fire and our eyes open, we’re going to slow down and listen, and invest our lives in what’s really important. This is such an inspiring chorus for the song.

The next few verses follow up with this:
I talk influence and being strategic
But all I'm feeling is narcissistic
Use recognition, but the adrenaline won't stop long enough to hear this conviction
We were never meant to move like this
Stand up for anything and be dismissed
We don't want it real, we keep it trivial
Objectify it gives a greater feel
This is basically saying that we tend to pretend that we’re standing strong and fighting against the tide by talking with influence or strategy, but really we’re just objectifying and keeping things trivial. Our actions don’t fit our words and that makes us hypocrites. What you want to do has to come from God not yourself, otherwise it’s a futile endeavor and you will never succeed.

The song goes on to do another chorus and then the next verses are the bridge:
We want the cure, not a medication
We're gonna deal with it now
We want the cure, not a medication
We're gonna deal with it now
Gonna feel my,
Gonna feel my,
Gonna feel my heart now
Let me get a taste of your sweetness
Give me one glimpse of your lovely light
Lord, be my joy and treasure
My delight
This is following up the chorus with another resolve, that we’re going to deal with our weaknesses and look for the CURE, not just the medication. The end of this section turns our attention back to God because we can’t find the cure without looking to Christ, He is the only one who can heal us completely. The song helps us remember to continue looking to the Lord for our joy, we can’t find it in ourselves.

The song ends triumphantly when it says:
Let me have a sense of your presence
May I trust your mercy all my life
I just wanna be a fire burning in the night
Fire, fire, fire, fire
Fire in my heart, fire in my soul
May the fire of your love burn away control
Satisfy my heart, cause I don't wanna steal
Or give in to my lust just to feel
Fire, fire, fire, fire
This is so beautiful, and I can’t say what they just said there any better. We have to remember to put our trust in God and live for Him, or as the song say be a “fire burning in the night”. Give up your control to God and let His love burn through you to satisfy your heart and take away any distractions from Him. Feel his presence and his mercy in your life! Don’t numb the pain!!!

This is a great song Tamara! I think we can all get distracted in life one way or another. I'm working towards eliminating distractions in my life, which isn't always easy!

I agree! It's so hard to focus on the bigger picture when you're surrounded with distractions. I applaud you for starting to eliminate those, that's something I've been working on for years and has been particularly hard the past couple of months, that's why I chose this song. :)

Yes, it sure is hard to look at the bigger picture. Thanks, I'm slowly working on it. Watching YouTube has been my personal distraction, and for a while I used it to cope with things (which wasn't good). I used to watch 10 videos a day at least! I'm working on cutting down, and now watch 3-5 a day.... video games are another story lol. Keep working at it! You've already taken a good step by working at it! It's cool you picked this song, I've never heard it before!

Aww, thank you! And that's so great to hear, keep up the good work!! :) I like to choose songs that most people haven't heard, that way I can introduce them to the song as I'm looking deeper into the lyrics. :)

Ohmyfish you picked <3 <3 <3