Last week I was scrolling through my facebook feed when I came across a headline that read “GO WEST YOUNG MAN” The article talked about Bruno Fornaroli moving to Perth Glory. But that’s beside the point, Go West Young Man, is a song by Michael W Smith, from the album Go West Young Man (1990).

The headline immediately made me think of Michael W Smith, and even though I asked if it was a deliberate reference to Michael W Smith, I haven’t received a reply.

I’m blazing a trail that leads to vice,
So easily enticed,
By darker means,
When out of the wilderness of choice,
I hear that one still voice,
Call to me…

Go west young man,
Go west young man,
When the evil go east,
Go west young man,
Go west young man,
Find a heart that’s golden.

Why must I wander like a cloud,
Following the crowd,
Well I don’t know,
But I’m asking for the will to fight,
To wear the crown of life,
And you say go…

I wasn’t a big fan of Michael W Smith, I liked his early years a bit, but this reference has made me re-listen and really delve into his early years. And I’ve really enjoyed it.

Go West Young Man – Michael W Smith

A few months ago a friend asked, “Do you think of Jesus coming back?” At the time my answer was no, but since then I’ve read and thought more about the second coming. This week, I was struck again by There Will Be A Day by Jeremy Camp from Speaking Louder Than Before (2008).

Many years ago I listened to this song and was encouraged, through my pain and tears it gave me hope of Heaven. But listening to it now it makes me think of a much bigger picture. The words there will be a day, make me think of The Day of the Lord, his second coming. It’ll be glorious. But it won’t just be for me, it’l be for everyone.

I try to hold onto this world with everything I have,
But I feel the weight of what it brings and the hurt that tries to grab,
The many trials that seem to never end his Word declares this truth,
That we will enter in this rest with wonders anew,
But I hold onto this hope and the promise that He brings,
That there will be a place with no more suffering.

There will be a day,
With no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears,
There will be a day,
When the burdens of this place will be no more,
We’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold onto you always

No more tears, no more pain and no more fears immediately makes me think of Revlation 21. That brings hope, but I can’t forget what comes before, the now. Until that day I’m called to work hard and carry out the mission God has given me.

I know the journey seems so long you feel you’re walking on your own,
But there has never been a step where you’ve walked out all alone,
Troubled soul don’t lose your heart cause joy and peace He brings,
And the beauty that’s in store outweighs the hurt of life’s sting.

I can’t wait until that day when the very one I’ve lived for always,
Will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced,
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery,
This is why, this is why I sing.

Jeremy Camp was the first artist I really liked when I first started radio. I remember researching him and finding out his middle name. Jeremy’s middle name is Thomas, the same as my co-host, so even now I can’t get out of the habit of saying Jeremy T Camp.

There Will Be A Day – Jeremy T Camp

I’m not entirely sure this week, I’ve been listening to Plumb’s latest album, Beautifully Broken (2018). There are so many great songs on it and I don’t really want to narrow it down to just one. But I will, and that one is Crazy About You. Another reason I’m not sure is because I know what I want to say but I’m not sure it relates to the song, but I’ll give it a go.

You screwed up, made mistakes, got dirty, from the messes you’ve made,
But I whisper, that’s okay, I love you, despite what you say.

Take another chance, take another chance on my love,
No matter what you’ve done right, no matter what you’ve done wrong.

You’ve, you’ve, been fighting so long,
You, you, belong in my arms.

When I look in your eyes, they’re magic, like the stars in the sky,
And I made them, just like I made you, and I’m so crazy, I’m so crazy about you.

Recently I’ve been drawn back to my first love. Through daily reading I’m seeing more and more the centrality of the gospel, the Good News of Christ Jesus. And though learning more about Christ, I’ve been learning more about God. He really is crazy.

Take another chance, take another chance on my love,
No matter what you’ve done right, no matter what you’ve done wrong,
I’ve always wanted you, I’ve always been after your heart,
So can I dance with you now, can we dance right where you are.

A last thing I should add, the video below isn’t the album version of the song that I’ve been listening to. But the reason I’ve used this clip is because you see the emotion behind the words, the longing, urgency and love.

Crazy About You – Plumb

I recently saw Bumblebee at the cinema and I bought the album of songs featured in the film. I love 80s music, and therefore love the album. My favourite track is Back to Life (80s Remix) by Hailee Steinfeld from Bumblebee (Motion Picture Soundtrack). Now I want 80s Remixes of every song.

Over the past week I’ve searched for 80s Christian music and here are my three favourite Christian 80’s albums.

Petra – Beat The System (1984)

I think Witch Hunt and Beat The System are classic 80s, even though the album doesn’t sound like the classic rock of Petra.

Amy Grant – Unguarded (1985)

Amy’s first foray into mainstream came with a classic 80s feel from tracks like Sharayah and Everywhere I Go.

David Meece – Count The Cost (1983)

This album surprised me, it’s not classic 80s throughout, but tracks like Pressing On and Today Is The Day surprised me with their 80s feel.

A year ago, before I started Wait! What? Worship. I listened to Broken Prayers by Riley Clemmons from her debut album Riley Clemmons (2018) constantly. Recently I’ve been reminded of it, and through my daily reading of Psalms, I hear new depth and truth in this song.

For ages I wouldn’t talk to God, I just didn’t know what to say or how to approach prayer. And the change from then to now hasn’t come from learning how to pray, it’s come from learning about the God I’m praying to.

I’ve been taught how to talk to you,
Hold it together, make the bad look better,
Say all the words that I’m supposed to,
Bow my head, say amen, yeah that’ll do,
Making every dead end look like heaven,
Like being okay’s the way to reach you,

But you’re not afraid of all the things I feel,
So why am I afraid of being real…

You want my tears,
Every messy word,
Every scar and every fear,
You want all I have,
With no holding back,
When I’m hurt,
At my worst,
You meet me there,
Cause you see the beauty,
In my broken prayers.

Our Father, the first line of the Lord’s Prayer. I’m talking to a father figure, a caring, gracious and loving one. I can talk about my struggles, my hopes and my fears, all the time knowing that He loves me, knows me and wants to be with me.

I must remember who I’m talking to when I pray. He is wise, powerful and has a knowledge far greater than mine. I trust Him to make sense of my midnight rambles, my cries of pain and the longings of my heart.

You don’t care if it ain’t poetry,
Cause all my edges, they’re a little rough,
But that’s all I got to bring.

Broken Prayers – Riley Clemmons

A few days after Christmas I heard a song on the radio. I didn’t know what it was, but the chorus stuck in my head throughout the day. When I got home I discovered that the song was Anchor by Birds of Tokyo from Anchor EP (2015). The reason it stuck in my head, was because it struck a chord with my inner turmoil on Christmas.

My Christmas was spent mainly at the dining room table. I received presents, laughed, and ate with my family. Many would say it was a good Christmas. But I didn’t like it. I wasn’t peaceful, inside I was full of questions, conflict and contemplation.

All I could think about were others. My family were enjoying themselves, we had plenty of food, the presents were plentiful, but we are lucky. What about everyone else on Christmas? There are so many that suffer, that go without and receive no presents. They were on my mind on Christmas Day. They have nothing, yet we ignore them.

It wasn’t just those who have nothing, but those who have lost someone. They were also weighing on my heart. And it’s because I know what they go through.

A few years ago, my dog of 13 years died two days before Christmas. That Christmas I didn’t eat, I didn’t celebrate, I didn’t do anything, I just sat on my bed and cried. For me Christmas is no longer a time of celebration, but a constant reminder of him. For many others it’s similar. Christmas is a time for family, however it’s often those family members not there who have the biggest impact.

Anchor doesn’t speak of my turmoil on Christmas, but the vocals are hauntingly beautiful, the lyrics remind me to reach out and the mellow music conveys my inner turmoil.

I never thought to hold you,
I never thought that you might need an anchor,
I never thought I’d lose you,
I never thought that you might need an anchor.

Christmas is very focused on us, but we need to reach out to others. Our friends who need some encouragement, elders who need some company, and strangers who need to be welcomed.

We don’t say, what we should say,
We get lost beyond the answer we find loneliness,
We pretend but in the end,
We get lost beyond the answer we find loneliness.

It only takes a kind word to reach out to someone in need this holiday season.

The last thing I need to mention is Christ. He is the reason for the season, but even in my own family I felt He was ignored as we got carried away with presents and food. Has the Christmas story lost its power? We’ve heard it so much but do we really understand how important it is, how it was planned before time, and is the evidence of a God that loves us all? It should leave us in awe! But do we really think about it?

Anchor – Birds of Tokyo

This weekend the message was on love, how God so loved the world that He gave. The speaker kept defining it as a radical love. And even before he finished I expected to hear Radical by Disciple from Attack (2014) at the end of the message. I was extremely disappointed when it wasn’t played. When we got into the car it was the first song I played and I am convinced it suited the message perfectly.

It’s easy to find one that will compromise,
But it’s not easy to find one that’s willing to stand,
The road to hell is wide,
But to heaven it’s a one way, one truth, one life,
That’s why we’re not ashamed of the name of Jesus,
And we don’t care if the whole world sees us,
From our chains he has set us free,
And I could never repay what has given to me

I’ve been radically loved,
I’ve been radically changed,
By his grace I have been radically saved,
And I’ll live my life no other way,
Til the day I die, with my heart, with my soul,
Til the day I die, I’ll be a radical,
With my blood, with my bones,
Til the day I die, I’ll be a radical,

It’s easy to find someone that’s willing to die,
But it’s not easy to find someone that’s willing to live,
I want to walk in his footsteps even if the world hates me,
Be ready to love and not afraid to forgive,
Never ashamed of the name of Jesus,
Yeah we want the whole world to see us,
See he’s alive burning in our hearts,
Power and mercy with outstretched arms.

Just so you know, Disciple is a heavy rock band and this song is far from easy listening. And I’ll admit a reason I wanted it played is because I was at my Grandmother’s church, where 40% of the congregation are over 60-years-old. “It sounds pretty radical,” is what my Grandmother said when I played it.

Not just my mouth, but let my hands speak the glory of God,
Not just my mouth, but let my hands speak the glory of God,
Not just my mouth, but let my hands speak the glory of God,
Not just my mouth, but let my hands speak the glory of God,

The bridge starts off fairly soft, with only an acoustic guitar, but it builds to screaming at the end.

It may not be to the older generations liking, but it fits the message of radical love perfectly.

Radical – Disciple

A few years ago I bought this album and could not stop listening to it. The album is Fightback Soundtrack (2014) by We Are Leo, and it still remains one of my favourites. It’s difficult to pinpoint my favourite track, but Captivated is definitely in my top three.

I heard about your love,
That you make new worlds from stardust,
I wondered if it could be true,
Then l looked up and finally saw you,

You’re redefining,
What love means to me,
And it’s perfect timing,
And now I’ll always be…

It’s important to remember just how big God is. When I think about how big things are it leaves me in awe.

Captivated,
By who you are,
Heaven reached down and captured my heart,
Fascinated,
Right from the start,
My whole world’s new since you captured my heart.

Four syllables, CAP-TI-VAT-ED. It’s the song in a word, summing up my awe and desire to know more.

Under the glowing stars,
You breathe into me and watch embers spark,
Now I’m safe inside your arms,
And I want to let you know how beautiful you are,

Captivated – We Are Leo

Normally I choose songs because of what they say, but today I’ve chosen a song because of what it does not say. I Have Decided from Brand New Day – EP (2018) by 7eventh Time Down majorly lacks substance, which is annoying because I really like 7eventh Time Down.

In a world that stands divided, I have decided,
In a world that stands divided, I have decided…

That’s it. That’s all of verse one and verse two. The same line repeated four times should not justify two verses. Fortunately the chorus has a little bit more depth.

With my hands and my feet, with my heart and my voice,
I will follow Jesus,
With my life and my song I have made this my choice,
I will follow Jesus.

Songs lacking depth annoy me, and in church today we sing songs that seriously lack depth all the time. They’re easy to sing, easy to remember and makes us feel good. But they make us reliant on a good melody rather than a deep knowledge of Christ, something I get from great hymns and deep heartfelt lyrics.

This song needs to answer the question, why? It’s great to follow Jesus, but if we don’t know why we follow Jesus we lack conviction and easily fall away. When I decided to follow Jesus I felt this amazing peace despite all my fears and worries. But that peace quickly faded. The reason I follow Jesus today is He perfectly fits in the world. The Old Testament points to Christ throughout, and the New Testament fulfils it.

In a world that stands divided, let the church stand united,
If you’re with me, let me hear you say, I have decided…

I Have Decided – 7eventh Time Down

On Monday Ada Hegerberg won the first ever women’s Ballon d’Or. Unfortunately the DJ didn’t choose the right words, or the right song. There are much better anthems for women out there, and this is what I think he should’ve played instead, Good To Be A Girl from Radiate (2013) by Tricia.

All my girls in the world, it’s time for a little chat,
All my girls make some noise, it’s time for us to talk back,
We can change the way you think, with an army dressed up all in pink,
And just in case you haven’t heard…

It’s good to be a girl whoa, it’s good to be a girl,
I can be wonder woman one day, a damsel in distress,
Fighting off the bad guys in heels and a dress,
There’s more to me than what it seems I am complex,
Yeah, It’s good to be a girl, it’s good to be a girl,
It’s good to be a girl, it’s good to be a girl.

The repetitive and combative chorus, combined with rocking music make this song a memorable anthem. When I heard what the DJ played I immediately thought of this song as a much better alternative for Ada.

So put on your makeup, cause we’re gonna change it up,
Impossible is not a dream, cause we can do anything,
The message coming from my lips is spelled out with red lipstick,
And just in case you haven’t heard…

There’s no mention of God in this song, and nothing in the lyrics to mark it as Christian, but at a worldwide event, like the Ballon D’or, I feel that makes it accessible for everyone. Meaning it can shine in front of the world.

One last thing, this is track five on Radiate, track six is called Daughter Of The King, and I don’t think there’s any coincidence it comes immediately after Good To Be A Girl.

Good To Be A Girl – Tricia

(And a little bonus, listen to Daughter Of The King afterwards.)