Song #13 Cassie by Flyleaf

I'm using this song in remembrance of April 20, 1998, the day of the Columbine High School shooting. Tomorrow marks the 13 year anniversary.

First, a couple of notes behind the event and the song. They do not affect the message of the song, but are important to know. One, the song is about Cassie Bernall(the live version also talks about Rachel Scott). The early claims were that Cassie was asked by one of the shooters if she believed in God and upon saying, "Yes," she was killed. The story behind Rachel was that after being shot one of the gunmen grabbed her hair, asked her if she still believed in God and then when she said, "You know I do," fired the fatal shot. The facts are that neither of these exchanges happened. On girl in the library with Cassie was asked if she believed in God, Valeen Schnurr. She had said, "Oh, God" and one of the boys asked her if she believed in God. She replied with a yes then no then yes again. She was injured but survived the massacre.

So why cover a song that's about an exchange that didn't happen? Well because the exchange did happen, just not with the person/people attributed to it. For the purposes of the Flyleaf song, the identity of the person does not change the message. Think for a minute. What would you be willing to die for? Family? Friends? Your country? God? We have probably heard at some point that what we would be willing to die for says a lot about us. Let me put it another way. What is so important to you that you would not be able to live without it?

Let me go back to things I'd be willing to die for. Things that come to mind immediately include my country and my family. Those are the very first ones that come to me. If someone threatened my family I would have no problems with defending them to the death if necessary. I also have a passion for my country, even if I don't always agree with the direction or politics of it, so much so that I am willing if asked to go and fight and die for my country and her freedoms.

Wait. I didn't say God in there. That's my point actually. Saying, "God" or "Jesus" is the expected answer. I think most of us would be quick to say it when someone asks, but for at least most of us it's probably not the first thing that we think of. When I really dig deep into it, I question whether I would have said, "Yes" if someone were to point a gun at me and ask if I believed in God. But then I think about it more. If I'm willing to sacrifice myself for my family or for my country, two things that will not last for eternity(or at least my immediate family I am certain I would see again) why would I not be willing to affirm my belief in God?

Thankfully most, if any, of us will never face that situation. We are however faced with another, sometimes harder question of our belief in God. Will you live for Him? If you answered yes to dying for Him then will you live for Him? You might say, "But I am, aren't I?" Are you? Living for God isn't just about going to church or small group or whatever ministry. It's not about your actions so much as about your heart. You don't have to do a lot to live for God. You can do so with your normal everyday actions. You go to school, work, home, out with friends, etc. All of these can be ways in which you live for God.  Try your best, be honest, serve others when presented with it, stand up for what you believe in. There are so many ways.

I went longer than I hoped, so I'm going to end with this:

Do you believe in God? Then live that way.

Cassie by Flyleaf

Cassie
by Flyleaf
The question asked in order
To save her life or take it
The answer no to avoid death
The answer yes would make it

Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
Say yes to pull the trigger
Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger

All heads are bowed in silence
To remember her last sentence
She answered him knowing what would happen
Her last words still hanging in the air
In the air

Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
Say yes to pull the trigger
Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger

How many will die
I will die
I, I will say yes

Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
Say yes to pull the trigger
Do you believe in God
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger
Do you believe in God
Do you believe in God
Do you believe in God
And I will pull the trigger 

Song #12 My Own Prison by Creed

Click Here to hear the song and watch the music video.

Even when I started this blog I didn't expect to use anything by Creed. They're one of those bands that people always deny liking even though someone had to like the for them to get as popular as they did. This song came out around '97 or '98 (can't remember exactly when it came out and don't feel like looking it up).

There are a lot of disagreements as to the actual meaning of this song. It seems the majority of people think(and there is plenty of evidence to support this) that Scott wrote this song the day after OD'ing, and that the line "Should've been dead on a Sunday morning banging my head" came from this. That's supported by knowledge that he was addicted to drugs and it's possible that he's talking about his escape from drug addiction. However, I'm not going to talk about this song with that meaning because I think it can be expanded to cover many more views, but two things seem to be clear no matter what interpretation of this song you take: We created our prisons and only Christ can rescue us through the cross.

Picking this song was easy. Choosing when to do it was tough. Somehow with Easter coming up soon(and knowing that I already have planned the song for next week) I chose to use it this week. Some of you might be thinking, "Wait with Easter coming up? This isn't an Easter type song." That depends on what you think of for an Easter song. Sure I could have picked a song that's all light-hearted and fluff, but coming up to Easter I don't think about fluff. Maybe Easter Sunday I do, but the weeks leading up to it? No way.

Why? Well let's think back. Easter is the day Jesus rose from the grave. It's the day he legitimately conquered death by being resurrected. But what of the days preceding it? This Sunday we'll celebrate Palm Sunday when Jesus went into Jerusalem on a donkey and people laid palm leaves before him. But what was going on in his mind at this time? I can't speak for what exactly was going on in his mind, but I can venture a guess given what we know from the Bible. He already knew that he was going to die soon. He also knew that the very people who were laying down their cloaks and palm leaves were the same people who would be shouting for him to be crucified. It probably wasn't a time of celebration for him. It was most likely solemn and bitter. Fast forward and we meet up in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is praying fervently.
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." [43] An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. [44] And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:42-44


I read that he was asking if there was another way besides his death. But he didn't stop there. He still acknowledged and submitted saying, "Not my will, but yours be done." He was still willing to do it no matter what. Shortly thereafter we read that he was in so much pain and anguish that he was sweating blood (hematidrosis may occur when people suffer extreme levels of stress). At one point a crowd approaches, lead by Judas who completes his betrayal and Jesus is arrested. Fast forward through the trial and we find Jesus having been beaten and mocked. Pilate finds no fault in Jesus and give the people a choice: he can release Jesus or Barabbas. They shouted for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified. We know the rest of the story here that he was beaten further and forced to carry his cross to where he would die. He was nailed to it and lifted up to die.

Some notes about crucifixion:
It has been said that crucifixion was not a Roman invention, but the Romans perfected it. They took a barbaric way of torturing and killing a person and created the most heinous way of doing it. It was meant to be a warning to others to not commit the same crime as it was a slow, extraordinarily painful death. Excruciating (literally translated as "out of the cross") came from how bad it was.  Death often came out of either blood loss, suffocation, dehydration, etc. It could take anywhere from a few hours to several days for someone to die, all the while being in absolute agony.

What does all this have to do with My Own Prison? Well one interpretation of the song is that Scott wrote it about our sinful nature and that Christ's death and resurrection is the only way out. We build our prisons every second of every day. We sin so many times that we can't even keep count. The prisons we've created ourselves are impenetrable. There are no ways of escaping on our own, and we do it to ourselves.

"I hear a thunder in the distance/ See a vision of a cross/ I feel the pain that was given/ On that sad day of loss/ A lion roars in the darkness/ Only he holds the key/ A light to free me from my burden/ and grant me life eternally"

That is a beautiful verse in my opinion. A couple of years ago I changed the name that I use for my freelance work from ZP Productions to Fallen Media. It happened around Easter as I had a project due for a web design class. I was trying to come up with the symbol I wanted to use at the time. Seeing as how I was working mostly with Christian bands and with churches I wanted something that made that clear. While just messing around with different logos, I drew a cross. Over time I developed it into having sharp edges and then decided I liked the design enough at least for the project. But I had to think of colors to use. That was one of the harder decisions of the design actually because I wanted something truly meaningful but not to look stupid. I tried light colors, but they didn't look right. I tried black and white and liked it for awhile. It was with that simple design that I determined how they would transition within the cross. I started with your typical gradient of white on top to black on bottom. Then I started thinking about it and came up with this thought: During the crucifixion we were made clean(white) because Christ took on our sin(black). Only by going to the bottom of the cross and looking up at our sin now placed on him are we made clean. So I switched the colors. I was the only one who knew the actual reason why white was on the bottom and black on top. Everyone else just thought it was a design thing, but to me it had a deeper meaning. Shortly after the project I changed the colors to black and red but kept the black on top. One thing that I also did was to add a very slight edge of white to the bottom of the cross because of that initial decision with the black and white.

So from that decision I'm going to challenge you until Easter Sunday spend some time just really thinking about the cross. Don't just sit back and think of it as the symbol of Christianity. It's so much more than that. There's a reason why the symbol for Christianity has a history as an instrument of death; it was through a death and the subsequent resurrection that we are free from our prisons. Do not pass over the cross during this Easter holiday.

Week #12 My Own Prison by Creed

My Own Prison
by Creed


A court is in session, a verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin
The walls are cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Screams fill the room
Alone I drop and kneel
Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn

(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally

Should have been dead
On a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time

(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

[Guitar break]

I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison
I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison

(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

Should've been dead on a Sunday morning
banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time

Song #11 Hero by Skillet

For those fans of the album Awake, this week covers "Hero." I'm not a huge fan of Awake, but I am a fan of this particular song. I think I love this song so much partially because John didn't write it himself, Korey helped. Seems that songs she's involved in just end up so much better lyrically than songs that John writes alone.

There's a video out there where a part of it has John talking about this song. He talks about how he wrote the song for his kids. He was looking around at all of the people that kids look up to today: athletes, musicians, actors; and thinking that these are not good role models. At one point John says, "I don't want my daughter caring about being fourteen and on a diet regimen of 900 Calories a day and Diet Coke and cigarettes so she can fit in at school and not cut herself 'cause she hates the way she looks. It just really got to me, and that's when I thought, "I wanna write a song called 'Hero'" and again make it vague enough that it can be about all kinds of different things."

I think that's exactly what happened with this song. A non-Christian can listen to this song and interpret as being about any heroes in their own lives or about their ability to be a hero. A Christian can listen to it and really get that the hero is Jesus who truly saves us from this world. Lines like "Who's gonna fight for  what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe?" make it pretty clear to me who the hero is in the song.

Even more than that, we can all be heroes in our own way. If we follow what the Bible teaches and stand up for what's right rather than always going with what others are doing we can encourage others to take a stand with us and hopefully make an impact.

Where can we do this? Well a good place to start is with friends. If your friends are doing things that you know are wrong and invite you to join in, just politely turn them down. I have a couple of roommates who like to drink a lot. First of all, everyone in the apartment is of legal drinking age, so it's not a crime for us to drink, but I prefer not to drink very often (and never more than one drink) knowing that when I was in middle and high school I drank with friends and at times to excess. Knowing this, I prefer to leave the apartment or stay in my bedroom when they have drinking parties rather than tempt myself with the possibility of getting drunk even though it has been years since I last did. At first my roommates gave me a hard time about it, but eventually they stopped and respected my decision and even started working it out with their friends to have their drinking parties elsewhere.

Another good place is at school. Especially if you go to a non-Christian college or high school it can be hard to stand up for what's right. I recently was in a class where a discussion starting about equal employment opportunity laws headed towards the morality of homosexuality as well as the question about is it choice or ruled by genetics. When the discussion started to turn and every student that was speaking up was saying things like homosexuality is perfectly fine because it's all genetic my heart started to ache. I spent about 10min listening to these people and just praying that someone would speak up. Well of course I got what I asked for in the answer of "You do it." Scared to be the first one to speak up about this topic, I of course continued on with, "Can't anyone else do it? Why me? I don't even know what to say." 5more minutes of this and the words started popping into my head. When one person made a particular argument, I know a response and shot my hand in the air. After finishing my argument and sitting back down, more hands shot up. Some were of course refuting my position, but most of them were backing it up. By listening to the discussion, you would have thought that in a class of 90 only 5 or 6 students thought homosexuality to be a sin. The professor did the Kindergarten eyes closed hands up survey to see what people thought and said it was more like a 60-40 split with 60% saying nothing's wrong with it and 40% saying it's morally wrong. I just can't help but wonder if more of the Christians in that room(I know they were there) had stood up and said something. Why were we all afraid?

I'm not going to pretend and tell you that I do the right thing all the time. That's far from the truth. Those are isolated incidents that have happened this year, but I screw it up all the time. For instance, I have a friend that I know is offended by graphic, violent movies with a lot of language. Personally I don't mind them so long as the movie overall is redeeming and has a good message. I had been proposing to some friends to watch one of my favorite movies, American History X. A disclaimer here: This movie is extremely graphic and contains a lot of harsh language as well as racial slurs and sexual scenes. It is rated "R" so my official stance is that if you are not old enough and/or find any of the above mentioned content offensive to not watch. I did not intend for us to watch the movie when there were a bunch of people there nor when this particular friend was there. I did want her to watch it eventually as it's a story about redemption, but I did not want to pressure her into watching it before she was ready. Well some of my friends decided that Taco Night when there were 10 of us hanging out would be the perfect time to watch the movie. I didn't stand up and tell them to stop and pick something else, and she ended up getting up halfway through the first scene and spent the remainder of the movie doing dishes. Since then we've talked about it, and decided that the two of us will watch it sometime at my place. I'm not pushing it because I know it can be a shocker the first time. But if I had been doing the right thing and knowing that she's a very passive person who doesn't like a lot of the same things the rest of us like and can't handle as much as we can, I would have suggested another movie.

I could go on for a lot longer on this topic, but this is already long enough. The point is, that if Christ is our hero then we should live following His example. We should be heroes for people by living our lives the way Christ lived and by doing the right thing when it seems no one else is. We need to stand up for the weak and do what's right no matter what.

Just a quote from John Cooper about the song "Hero"
"This song is the platform over which the whole record [Awake] was written. Basically every day seems to get weirder, darker and scarier with thousands of people losing their homes and hurting over a wide variety of reasons. You see so much negativity on the news, especially this sense of violence that's getting really crazy. With all this going on, it's easy to feel on the edge, but no matter how dark it gets, there's always hope in a new day and staying positive is the first step. And when you boil it all down, Christ is the one who gives us a reason to live and He's our "Hero" who's fighting for all of this oppression and injustice." - John Cooper (Skillet)






Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, pastor, or music expert. I am just a college student who likes music and is interpreting the songs I know to the best of my ability.

Week #11 Hero by Skillet

Hero
by Skillet


I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
(Fallin' off the edge today)

I am just a man
Not superhuman
(I'm not superhuman)
Someone save me from the hate

It's just another war
Just another family torn
(Falling from my faith today)
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
[Chorus:]
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero (save me now)
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me (just in time)

I've gotta fight today
To live another day
Speakin' my mind today
(My voice will be heard today)

I've gotta make a stand
But I am just a man
(I'm not superhuman)
My voice will be heard today

It's just another war
Just another family torn
(My voice will be heard today)
It's just another kill
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves
[Chorus]

I need a hero to save my life
I need a hero just in time
Save me just in time
Save me just in time

Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
(And we're not ready to die)

Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me

I'm gonna fight for what's right
Today I'm speaking my mind
And if it kills me tonight
(I will be ready to die)

A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
[Chorus]

I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive

I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I need a hero
I need a hero

A hero's gonna save me just in time