EASTER CAROLING, ANYBODY? AND FAVORITE RESURRECTION SONGS.

Young Martin Luther and Carolers Sing For Mrs. Cotta in Eisenach by Ferdinand Pauwels

I will never forget one suggestion made by Leah Libresco in her book Building The Benedict Option: A Guide To Gathering Two Or Three Together In His Name: Easter caroling.

Why not? After all, we go Christmas caroling. Why not Easter Caroling? 

Now, while there are many great Resurrection Day songs (more on those later), I can only think of three that I'd use for Easter caroling. But do we need a long list? After all, we'd only sing at the most two or three songs at each place.

Plus, when we sing at shut-ins and the like, wouldn't they not only enjoy hearing familiar songs but being reminded that Christ has conquered sin and death?

Reminder - the blog title mentions two parts. Often in a two subject blog, you do one and then the other. In this case, though, I'll combine the topics, and start with three songs that are favorites on the resurrection and that would be great for caroling:

• "Christ Arose" (aka "Low In The Grave He Lay"). Isn't that a triumphant song for the season?
• "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today." Excellent and theologically deep and sound lyrics by Charles Wesley, as you'd expect. I did hear someone mention, though, that John Wesley did not include this song in early Methodist Hymnals. 
• To the more contemporary, how about "The Easter Song," written by Annie Herring, originally recorded by the 2nd Chapter of Acts (which includes Annie), and recorded by several others like Keith Green, Glad, and Jess Ray.

Now, there are other great songs for that time of year that I would not consider material for caroling, but other great resurrection songs. Pardon me for putting them in random order.

• "Tell The Whole World" by Becky Ugartechea. My all time favorite song. Upbeat, and the ending is enough to get you excited to tell the world. Unfortunately, I don't know how to access it if you don't have the project: not on Spotify, not on YouTube, not anyplace either. :( 
• "Star Of The Morning" by Leon Patillo. Great, powerful keyboards, great singing. It's also been covered by Shirley Ceasar.
  
• "The Victor" by Jamie Owens-Collins. This classic has been covered by the Green brothers: Keith and Steve. 
• "He Lives" by Erick Nelson. Yes, this is a more obscure one, but definitely a great song on the resurrection.
• "Love Crucified Arose" by Michael Card.
• "The King Is Alive" by Function. And you thought Erick Nelson was obscure? But you can find it on Spotify.
• "The Holy City" by Mahalia Jackson (and probably others). A classic.
• "The Roar of Love"/"I Heard The Stars Sing Before" by 2nd Chapter of Acts. This pair, back to back on their "Roar of Love" album based on C.S.Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" refers to Aslan the Lion, but is the meaning different?
• "He Came, He Saw, He Conquered" by Petra. Energetic song with John Schlitt's exciting singing.
• "Graverobber" by Petra. This one is from the Greg Volx era, focusing not just on Christ's resurrection but ours as well.
• "What A Day" by Alisa Turner. A newer one.
• "Christ is Risen" by Mia Fieldes. Another newby. Check both her and Alisa out on Spotify.
• "Living Hope" by Phil Wickham; still another contemporary one, but I think it's better known. For example, we sang it this morning (Easter) at my church.
• "The Garden Tomb" by the Isaacs. Yep, it's time to get into Southern Gospel.
• "She Found Jesus Alive" by Carroll Roberson. This is a song I could never stay depressed listening to.
• "Last Night" by Karen Peck and New River. Very solid song.
• "Russian Easter Festival Overture" by Rimski-Korsokov. Okay, it's instrumental. Is it dealing with the Resurrection, or with festivals celebrated that time? After all, the composer was an Agnostic. But it makes me think of Christ's being raised. Very energetic, and I have a tradition of listening to it on Easter. I like it better than Mahler's Resurrection Symphony (I've never been able to get into Mahler.)

One last thought: Don't worry. I'm not going to suggest Good Friday caroling.

BOOK REVIEW: COLD THREAT (RYLAND & ST. CLAIR BOOK 2) BY NANCY MEHL

Can the recent arsons in small town Burlington be connected to the three Des Moines fires twenty years ago, where they caught the killer after the third house? Is the psycopath who almost killed River Ryland years ago and is currently stalking her going to achieve his goal? And was Ryland responsible for her co-worker and friend Tony St. Clair getting shot when Ryland was nearly drowned?

"Cold Threat," the second part of Nancy Mehl's Ryland & St. James series, turns up the heat in excitement, plot twists, nail-biting suspense, and excellent character development. You learn to love the main characters and Tony's family, as well as have a hard time figuring out what will happen next.

Yes, this is part two. Do you need to read part one first to enjoy the two books? Definitely. "Cold Pursuit" deals more with River's family, which is hinted at in the second though not a major part of this installment, and there's a few things that will make more sense in this book. when you read the books in order. Additionally, both books end with a cliff-hanger, connected with the person who almost killed the main characters before this series started!

I have enjoyed Nancy Mehl for years, and I highly recommend this to any suspense lover.

 

BOOK REVIEW - FIVE TRAITS OF A DISCIPLEMAKER, EDITED BY DOUG NUENKE (US PRESIDENT OF THE NAVIGATORS)

 Would you be interested in a short devotional where each installment is two short pages? Do you enjoy having the devotionals written by different authors so you have different perspectives? Are you motivated when the devotional includes two or three questions for you to think about? 

And how many want this book just because of the title and subject?

"Five Traits of a Disciplemaker," edited by US PreDoug Nuenke with a foreward by Jerry Bridges, author of "The Pursuit of Holiness" fits that description. This 30 day devotional is divided into five six-devotional segments, each written by a different author (including Gary Thomas, author of one of my favorite books "Sacred Pathways").

Some devotionals are those you read, and that you put down encouraged, but are not challenged to transfer it to day to day life. Not so here. Each one has two or three questions at the end to encourage you to put what's read into practice.

I appreciated this devotional, and I'm definitely going to be using it again.

SAINTS IN ACTS, APOSTATES IN REVELATION? REALLY? - "LET'S STOP BEING SO CRITICAL" (PART 6 OF 6)

The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky

Can you name the first European convert to Christianity? You say Lydia, the seller of purple from Thyatira? Very good.

Where else is Thyatira mentioned in Scripture? You say it sounds like one of the seven churches of Asia Christ gave letters to in Revelation? Again, correct answer. And you may remember that in that letter, Jesus condemns them for allowing an apostate woman called "Jezebel" in their midst.

Who is this "Jezebel?" Most don't consider that to be her real name. The leading views is the pastor's wife (based on the reading of some manuscripts) and an unknown false teacher. 

Yet some say that woman is Lydia, the first European convert, is that Jezebel. Any Biblical proof she fell away from the truth? Ab. So. Lute. Lee. None! 

I don't have to hide the identity of the minority who smear Lydia's reputation because I never have read that view - rather, I read another book that mentioned this theory and dismissed it.

However, there's another person mentioned in Acts that is associated with false teaching, even though it isn't clearly stated. That is Nicolas, one of the seven deacons, a proselyte from Antioch. Should we be leery of him? I see NO hints of that from the text.

But let's return to Revelation. In the letter to Ephesus, they're praised for hating the deeds of the Nicolatians, which Jesus hates. A few verses later, the church in Pergamum is condemned for allowing those who teach the doctrine of the Nicolatians, which Jesus hates.

What do we know for sure about the Nicolatians? Basically, nothing outside of these two mentions. They're not mentioned anyplace else in Scripture. There is no mention of that sect in any writings except commentaries of Revelation.

One question I have. Is this word supposed to be transliterated and treated as a proper noun? Or should it be translated and treated as a common noun? If you take the second view, you'd come up with "Controlling the People." If that is what Nicolatianism is, it should be condemned, though it is practiced both religiously and politically. 

But others - unfortunately a majority - assume that this was a Gnostic group formed by Nicolas. This is an ancient view, going back to the 2nd Century, and held by some of the Church Fathers. But is there Biblical proof that this Deacon went astray? Not a shred of evidence. Could it be named by somebody else named Nicolas? After all, later there was St. Nicolas - obviously not him, since he wasn't born yet, but still a sign others had that name? But no. They mimick the unprovable theory of the past and say this person had to be an apostate.

Does it make you mad when people jump to negative conclusions like this? It makes me mad. After all, we're commanded to love, and Paul says love thinks no evil (1 Corinthians 13:5). 

Why do we assume negative things when there are other options that are not negative? That's not Christian love. And we should be slow to make such assumptions of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
 

INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN BROWN AND KENNY POOVEY OF DEADSIN

 

DeadSin, left to right: Cameron Murrell (Guitar and vocals), Bryan Brown (Bass and Lead Vocals), and Kenny Poovey (Guitar and vocals). Photo by my friend Chad Fenner of Concert Fotos.

JR: Welcome to the blog. How did the band get started? Who all are the members, and how did you choose your name?

BB: We got started around May/June of 2020. It was myself (bass, Lead Vocals) Keagan (drums) and Cameron (guitars). We wanted our name to mean something or be a conversation starter. We took a couple verses that talk about being dead in sins and dead to sin and just really liked DeadSin as a whole. 

Since we began we’ve gone through a couple line up changes. Keagan has left the band, he was a founding member. We currently have Bryan (me) and Cameron and Kenny Poovey (guitar, vocals)

JR: Would you like to tell us about your latest project(s)? Especially about "Sovereign."

BB: Our latest release was a song called “Don’t You Know” which is pretty much a pop song which talks about how much we care about our loved ones and friends. I had been wanting to write a song about my sons for years and this was it. 

Our song “Sovereign” is a banger. Keagan wrote most of it and I wrote the lyrics. We made a music video for it producing it ourselves with some help. We are big believers in the sovereignty of God and that all things happen for a reason and that He is control of every single thing. The chorus is based off or Romans 8 and 9. God saves us. He is the author and finisher of our faith. 

JR: I would like to know the story of your 3 song EP "The Protest," including the awesome artwork.

BB: Our EP “The Protest” was our first release. We had a handful of songs but picked these 3 cause they had some variousness in styles. We tracked the music ourselves but then flew to Nashville and had Josiah Prince of Disciple track all the vocals and later mix it. Was a great experience and he was awesome to work with. We may go back there in the future. Each song was picked for a specific reason. “Wrath” was a groover and we wanted to talk about an attribute of God most do not, His justice and wrath against the wicked. Next was “Recreate” a personal song of my walk and fall and return to Jesus. Last was “Elevate” a very pop passive aggressive song about false teachers. The video actually got us kicked off a show once. The artwork was Keagan’s idea and we for the boys in The Protest who also do graphic work as Quiet strength design to make it. They’ve done "Vapor" as well, my favorite. 

JR: I love that each of the members mention their favorite Bible passage on the website. What is the church background of the band? What are your sources (in person, favorite musicians, mentoring preachers via books, radio, etc.)?

BB: I grew up in an Assemblies of God church. Around my late 20’s I discovered RC Sproul and it led me down the path to where I am today in Reformed theology. I attend a Presbyterian church, in the CREC. I’m a fan of pastors and apologists like Jeff Durbin, James White, Voddie Baucham, Doug Wilson. As an older man, I’ve got so many favorite bands and artists to name. I think we do a good job of mixing in old and new styles in our music. 

Kenny Poovey was raised Catholic as a child and chose in adult hood to follow the non-denominational Christian faith.  Still growing every day in faith and his walk with Jesus.  DeadSin is actually a big influence on his journey. 

KP: I enjoy listening to scripture via the audio book and YouVersion app and get a lot of his lessons and teachings of scripture from my church, The Quest, located in Royse City, TX as well as from the amazing R.C. Sproul along with fellowship with my friends such as Chad Fenner who is a prolific professional photographer but also a major influence on myself along with  Bryan Brown from DeadSin and Shelby Steineger from my church. 

My favorite Bible verse, which is not easy to choose as there are many that resonate is "Romans 8:38-39: Nothing can separate you from the unconditional love of God!"   This verse is special to me because I can seek comfort in the thought of unconditional Agape Love.  I love "love" and I feel it is important to not only Christian faith as God has shown the proof that unconditional love exists but also for me, it is an important concept for my marriage.  I feel God should be at the center of my marriage and that we are to love each other unconditionally.  It is also something that the world truly needs, which is the unconditional love we receive from God but also that as humans, we should be leading by example each and every day to love one another.

JR: What do you think is the greatest danger facing the church, and what is DeadSin's role in dealing with that danger?

KP: I think the greatest fear or danger for the church is when folks twist the narrative or meaning of the Bible at its teaching for their own personal gain or personal agenda.  I think DeadSin does a good job by facing this head on in our song, "Elevate".  DeadSin is committed to speaking the truth and shining the light on this sickening trend taking place in our churches. 

BB: Greatest danger is the lack of discernment and not knowing who God really is. We’ve made a God that conforms to who we want him to be more than reading and understanding what scripture has said. God is holy, holy, holy. We can’t comprehend that in our human minds. The theology in main stream American churches is very watered down and frankly weak. I also fear the church’s are full of false converts too. 

JR: Thank you for your time. What projects are you working on? How can we keep in contact with y'all (how's that for a little Texan?)?

Photo courtesy of Chad Fenner of Concert Fotos

BB: Thank you so much for doing this with us. We’ve had a brief lull in the band for a few really good reasons but we are still writing. Got a couple songs in the works and hope to drop something by summer. We are looking at this as DeadSin 2.0 with Kenny joining us. You can keep up with us on our webpage and on Facebook.  We are excited about the future and pray God uses us for His glory. God bless!

INTERVIEW WITH AMY AND SETH OLSEN OF THE BAND COUNTER

Counter, left to right: Travis Whisnant (bass), Michael Fox (lead guitar), Amy Olsen (vocals), Seth Olsen (rhythm guitars), and Eli Roscoe (drums).

Late winter/early spring is the time of year that I get acquainted with new-to-me bands. I have the honor of interviewing Amy and Seth Olsen (referred to as A&S in the interview) of the band Counter. 

JR: Welcome to the blog! How did the band get started, who's all in it, and why the name "Counter?"

A&S: Hi, Jeff - thanks for having us. The initial band concept started a few years back (around early 2020/2021) when Seth started messing around with some initial song ideas/demos. Initially, Seth was working on more worship songs for my church band that I play with once in a while - but soon realized he was driven more to write heavier songs - for people who may never come to church.

As far as the name - Counter's name means "go against" which comes across lyrically in our music as we highlight upbeat/positive themes through down tuned heavy riffs, pounding drums and soaring catchy vocals hooks that lyrically go against the hate and derision in today’s world. We believe in going into the darkest places and bringing light and hope to others. 

JR: Would you like to tell us about your latest single? 

A&S: Our latest track is titled "The Darkness." This song was produced by Ricky Rodriguez and initial song structure was a collaboration we did with Colt Crevar - the guitarist of the band Forever May Fall (Charlotte metal core band) who works with many bands in the region. This song has done really well on streaming - one of our most popular - we are really proud of how it all came together in the final mix. The song’s message is that no matter how dark of a place you either end up in (or try to put yourself in on purpose) you can never hide from the Light, that the shadows still shine because the Light is near so you are never alone, and when you open yourself to that Light and accept it, you can begin to move out of that dark place and towards where (and who) you were meant to be.

JR: Looking at your web-page, you got your start during the middle of COVID. What were the challenges of trying to get established in that era, and how did you see God use that situation?

A&S: Covid was an interesting time: good in some ways to start a band who really had no original music. Venues were pretty much shut down - so we really had time to work on music and try to develop the sound and style along with finding the right members and work on a set list. We are focused on playing original music in our sets, so sometimes that is a challenge as many places are still more into cover type bands that will play the “hits” of a certain style and genre.

We still have challenges in setting up shows, but we have worked to partner with other bands to play shows with them which makes a difference. We really enjoying making new connections both with bands and venues. We think God is still using us in many ways including helping us create powerful music that people enjoy and in reaching out to new audiences and new bands - we are happy to offer hope and a helping hand to anyone.

JR: What would you say is the vision of the band?

A&S: We would say the vision or the mission is really the great commission and reaching out to others with love and mercy and showing them the Way. We are very much aligned with The Whosoever’s movement (same as Lacey Sturm, P.O.D. [Sonny Sandoval], Life & Death [Brian Head Welch] etc.) in reaching out to those in need - let them know they matter and that the Lord wants to meet them where they are and make their lives better.

JR: How can we pray for Counter? And are there any praise reports?

A&S: We are hoping to put together a large music fundraiser event this summer with bands on a similar mission to us. Be praying that it can all come together as we would like so that we can meet unexpected people in an unexpected place with an unexpected message of hope and mercy, especially those suffering under strongholds of addiction. Also pray that this show is something not where we may want to play and perform, but rather it is something the Lord wants that can be used to reach those looking for answers  but in the wrong places. Praise reports for us really are that the Lord has put the right people in our path to form the band (and all on the same mission) - the band initially was just us. Especially since we are based in a small town - not typically where a hard rock band may typically start from.

JR: What's on the agenda as far as touring and recording? How can we keep up with what's going on with the band?

A&S: As far as keeping up with us - really easy to follow us on Facebook or Instagram (where we are active) along with our website, www.counter.rocks For 2024 - we are playing around 1 show per month which can be found on our Bandsintown page and for recording we are going into the studio soon to work on our next single which is already fully developed. We are more into releasing singles (versus albums or EPs) and hope to put out a few this year but don’t have an exact timetable on that - plus we are self funded - not on any label - so takes some time to put funds together. Thanks again for having us - be sure to follow us on our Main Link Page, Instagram and Spotify!!

JR: Thank you for your time. Are there any other final thoughts you’d like to share?

A&S: One of the main things is we want people to know this is all real: Christ is real and He has real plans for their lives; that is is not about Churchianity or keep up with others expectations, but rather a true connection with a Savior who loves them and only wants the best for each person's lives. He is the one that can break chains of addiction - both things like drugs & alcohol - as well as things like social media comparitiveness where people are continually judging themselves to others and becoming more despondent and divisive, chained down by a vanity cycle loop that is all imaginary.

BARNABAS - "LET'S STOP BEING SO CRITICAL" (PART 5 OF 6)

San Barnaba by Anonimo Lombardo

What? Am I saying that people are being critical of the "Son of Encouragement?" Are they opposed to people encouraging others?

Take a deep breath. No, it isn't about his being encouraging, though it does affect one's thinking of his encouragement. And I can think of only one person who mentioned this criticism, and I won't mention his name because it might take away deserved respect from that pastor.

The root issue is similar to Matthias. How many apostles are there? If one limits it to 12, then that would either be the eleven and Paul or the eleven and Matthias. No place would exist for Barnabas being an apostle, and that is the basis of the criticism. 

Remember when Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement on taking Mark for the second missionary journey, resulting in the two going different directions? I have always thought (and I have the impression that I'm in the majority) that both sides have a point. Also, looking ahead, Paul mentions Mark in one place as someone to receive and in another as being profitable for the ministry (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11). 

Nevertheless, the critic believes that Barnabas was wrong for not going along with Paul because Paul was an apostle and he wasn't. But even if that was true, didn't Barnabas' encouragement and loyalty help move Mark from being a cowardly liability when he left Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey to being valuable for the ministry? The critic doesn't give him any credit, instead saying that working with Peter was what what made the difference (most people consider the Gospel of Mark to be more accurately the Gospel of Peter as told to Mark). 

Back to the issue of apostleship: are there portions that include others as apostles other than the twelve and Paul? We dealt with Matthias and why he should be considered part of the Twelve last week. James the brother of Jesus is also referred to as an apostle by Paul in Galatians 1. And there are portions that state that Barnabas also was an apostle.

• Barnabas brought Paul into the fellowship of the Jerusalem Church (Acts 9:26-28).
• Barnabas was chosen by the apostles to see what was happening in Antioch (Acts 11:22); in contrast, they sent Peter and John to the earlier revival in Samaria (Acts 8:14-15).
• When it listed the five leaders in Antioch (Acts 13:1), Barnabas was first, and Saul (i.e. Paul) was fifth. Lists often are mentioned in order of importance. Likewise, when they went to Cyprus, they were referred to as "Barnabas and Saul," and when they left Cyprus, they were called "Paul and Barnabas."
• When Paul healed the lame man in Lystra, and the people tried to worship to them, Acts 14:14 says, "But when the apostles Paul and Barnabas..." This should by itself end the theory that Barnabas was not an apostle, but the critic responds by saying they're two different types of apostles, a concept that might have shown up in Fifth Timothy or some book following Revelation.
• In Galatians 2:1-10, Paul implies that Barnabas was on the same level. Similar in his defense of his apostleship, putting himself and Barnabas on the same level in not using privileges other Apostles used (1 Corinthinans 9:3-6).

True, history follows Paul after he and Barnabas parted ways. But keep in mind - Paul and Barnabas both agreed to go visit the believers from the first missionary trip. When Paul went to Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe with Silas, Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus. Yes, Barnabas' home country, but also the first place of work, including the salvation of the procounsul. I heard one person say that the result of Paul and Barnabas' division meant there were twice as many mission teams going out.