Goodness of God -- Jenn Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Ben Fielding, Brian Johnson

God is good. Have you ever heard someone say that? And yet, even Jesus – God in the flesh – had a reply to that compliment which must have befuddled those with whom he traveled and spoke (see Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19). Jenn Johnson had a reason to say out loud something about the “Goodness of God” though, because a new life was in her arms, and in a most unexpected way since she hadn’t even been pregnant nor really considering having another child. But, adopting a new baby boy was an awesome thing, and has been for so many parents over the decades since its beginning in America in the latter part of the 19^th Century (see Sister Irene and children at New York Foundling orphanage in this picture; Sister Irene is among the pioneers of modern adoption, establishing a system to board out children rather than institutionalize them.) And, it wasn’t an accident that the song spoke to the four men – her husband Brian, and Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, and Ed Cash -- who helped Jenn finish off what she started writing in a car one day.

 

Adoption by many people can be a long process, with lots of anxiety and uncertainty, but for Jenn and Brian, it was like a miracle that proceeded so smoothly. The birth mother even related to the Johnsons so well, that she appeared at the hearing that finalized the process, one that had begun when this woman hand-picked this Christian songwriting couple to be her baby’s parents and even met them at the hospital on the day of the baby’s delivery. Even a judge of several decades who presided at the court said he’d never seen anything like it. That’s how it must be when God’s intimately involved, one might conclude. That must have been on Jenn’s mind too, when one day on the way to a doctor’s appointment, she spontaneously began to sing a song about God’s goodness, as she reflected back on her life and had a feeling that God’s faithfulness had shone through to her. Her newest child (they named him Ryder Moses) was the latest sign of His goodness, and this thought helped her produce 50-60% of the song about God’s goodness on the spot in an otherwise routine car trip to see a doctor. In talking with Ben and Jason a short time later in Redding, California, they remembered feeling that Jenn’s efforts had already produced a winner, and that little remained to do in its creation. One thing that stood out to them was that her words were so universally true, that they felt like the story she was relating through the already-completed lyrics was also theirs. Ed also contributed with some thoughts that became the song’s bridge section, saying that while the message of the song was one he hadn’t heard before, he felt that it had been around for some time. And so, he thought that that was something he wanted to communicate -- that God is relentless in running after us, meeting us in all the pain and struggle of life, even if His presence sometimes might not be very discernible. Amazingly, Ed says his anxiety at flying on a plane would depart from him whenever he listened to the song in flight.

 

Thank God for adoption! None but One is His unique (some bible translations say ‘begotten’) Son, so for me to be part of His family, I have to agree to be His adopted son. That idea was really special for someone like the apostle Paul (see Romans 8:15,23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5), for though of Jewish birth, he considered himself to have been the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:15-16), and deservedly far from being included in God’s family. And so, when he talked to Gentiles whom he often encountered, that same message flowed to them from him, an adopted son in God’s kingdom. It is indeed special to be chosen by Him. What is the alternative to being adopted? Sister Irene must have seen and grimaced so many times at the circumstances that ensued when a baby was rejected by everyone, leaving it without a home and loving parents. God doesn’t operate an orphanage, and He sure doesn’t want to reject you and me (2 Peter 3:9). In His image-making generosity, He’s already visualized you on a path toward, and living space inside His home, and even provided a special brother and a Spirit to make sure you find the way there. The other operative factors really are the choices that you and I make.

 

Watch/hear the song story here: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/goodness-of-god-bethel/

 

See it here also: https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/adoption-miracle-worship-song

 

See information on the photo here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children_at_New_York_Foundling_cph.3a23917.jpg … This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer… {{PD-US}} – US work that is in the public domain in the US for an unspecified reason, but presumably because it was published in the US before 1931. …found inside this article -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption

 

As For Me -- Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Pat Barrett, and Joshua

 

Control and Choice. That in a very succinct way describes what Pat Barrett, Jason Ingram, and Chris Tomlin were discussing one day in 2020. Their joint thinking process led one of them to recall something he’d read, and as they all talked about the episode when Joshua challenged the people (Joshua 24:14-15) (see the map-graphic here that shows Shechem, where Joshua issued what some might say was a dare), a song emerged that used this ancient leader’s own words “As For Me”. Pat especially thought a lot about what Joshua’s words meant, and what effects that should have for his family and himself. It is rather incongruous, seemingly, that the Almighty God, the Creator and Guide and Protector, the One who brought the people through the wilderness, would then prompt Joshua to say that the people had to right to choose, that they did possess some control. What would a people or an individual do with that? Why would God take a risk on people who could turn away? Take one more look at Him before you do.

 

Perhaps that was what Pat Barrett and his two musical collaborators did, and what they saw that Joshua also modeled some 3,300 years ago as he told the people to exercise their memories and then choose. He told them all about their ancestors’ days since the time of Abraham, right up until that moment, so they were thinking about all that God had meant to them jointly in their history. So how could they say anything else but ‘Yes, we will follow Him!’. Joshua told them ‘As for me…’, and the people essentially responded, ‘we too…we’re with you’. Pat said in an interview 33 centuries later what all the choice for God has meant for him, in a similar way that really echoes what those Israelites must have considered as well. Pat said it’s really stunning to understand that you and I have a say in how our lives proceed, but that this kind of control certainly doesn’t extend to everything we see and touch. No one can make you serve God, Pat remembered, and so lots of people do not, unfortunately. And, to underscore this point, the world turned and seemed very chaotic in 2020, and Pat recalled a feeling of helplessness was very present. And yet, we can all make a contribution, even if each of us thinks of himself as insignificant and really incapacitated when it comes to everything around us. But, when it comes to one’s own family and what goes on inside your home’s four walls, you can make choices about what values will prevail in that space. Pat (and his wife, Megan?) decided that that was a principle to guide their family, and he says that the song’s bridge helped remind him that choosing God should permeate ‘…every room, [and be on] every wall, and door’, so to speak. A Christian’s lifestyle doesn’t have to be ‘flashy’, he said, but one’s own family can decide how to be around others, including those who might enter their home; so, being ‘present’, and ‘gracious’, ‘generous’, ‘hospitable’, holding to the ‘truth’, and ‘forgiving’ others, and also capable of having the ‘hard conversations’…in short, being all of the things that are ‘Godly and good’, as Pat put it, is someone making the decision to exercise control and make a choice in one’s own life.

 

‘As for me’ means seeing who He is and has been for you, and making the choice to stay with Him. Pat ended the interview by saying that ‘as for me’ has been a daily selection, and a way that spurs him to reflect each day about whom he’s serving. Be honest with yourself, Pat said. Have there been other gods elbowing their way into my space, coaxing me to look in their direction? In Pat’s life, he’s had to watch out for popularity (as a performer), but also fear. Do those have control, and steer one’s course? You can be a pastor’s/minister’s/elder’s kid, and have Joshua’s words at Shechem on your lips, but does that itself become a risk, something that becomes too familiar? Pat hinted that that was something he’d thought about too (since he was a pastor’s kid). Does my Creator see me essentially as a part of my family’s lineage – as many of Joshua’s day, and later also, might have thought? I – me, myself, and I -- make my way with Him, or I don’t. No one else can do it for me. Jesus opened the door, certainly. Will you walk through it?  

 

See/hear the song story here (at 3:05 – 11:22) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWT5StJU2XU

 

See information on the map image here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechem and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechem#/media/File:Nablus_and_Balata_in_the_Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.11_(cropped).jpg …This file is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.

The Greatness of Our God -- Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan, Stuart David Garrard

 

‘I AM.’ (Exodus 3:14; John 4:26; John 8:58) How often did He need to say this? The God Moses met, and the One who talked with a Samaritan woman at a water hole, and then debated with some skeptical Jews, did not only mouth this claim. He lived it, so that no one would be able to doubt “The Greatness of Our God”, except those who were too stubborn and prideful to admit what was obvious. That’s what Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan, and Stuart David Garrard were also echoing for worshippers at the Hillsong Convention Center in Australia (see it pictured here) in the 2009 period. Jason’s conversation with a performing artist (Natalie Grant) at the time underscored some takeaways for her, too, though her initial reaction to the song suggested she was dubious about its novelty. But, just consider the matchless nature of Him, the Creator and Sustainer. Is it really overkill to sing about His renown one more time, with a different set of words and new music that these three composers developed? It’s also safe to say that eternity will never grow old because of Him, and the wonder of discovering every facet of Him.  

 

‘The Greatness of Our God’ was undoubtedly something intrinsic to the experience of people who actually met Him face-to-face in the person of Jesus. Watch well-done video depictions of His life that try to show the biblically-recorded episodes of someone who was healed. It was new and breathtaking every time; it never became rote or casual to see Him show His power. Perhaps that might be part of the inspiration, though they don’t necessarily say so, which moved Jason, Reuben and Stuart to compose their words and music. The people He healed were downtrodden and fearful before His touch revolutionized their existence; and when He raised Lazarus, that was His way of demonstrating that He even controls life itself, that He overcomes even death. Is there any greater anxiety for mortals? Natalie Grant’s recollection of a conversation with Jason Ingram about this song, which he convinced her to record, suggests that this basic human weakness – anxiety – and how God makes us overcomers was what she appreciated about the song’s message. Paul’s courageous proclamation in his letter to the Romans highlighted that for Natalie -- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39) That pretty well sums up just how great Paul thought Jesus was, and is. They are potent words, and Jason, Reuben, and Stuart crafted some of their own effective lyrics, especially in the song’s chorus that say the ‘sky (cannot) contain’, and human ‘doubt (cannot) restrain’ His greatness. He’s got it all in His hands. We just need ‘eyes to see’ (v.1), and ‘grace to see’ (v.2) Him for who He is. These three songwriters are also humble enough to write in their own lyrics that a ‘song (cannot) convey’ Him adequately. That humility runs through the song, prompting each of us to embrace that for everyday life. Pretty good message to remember – He’s unquenchably great, and I’m not. I don’t need to be, because He already is.

 

Have fear? How about a pride problem? If you have had that first trait, perhaps that has also, in a way, cured you of that second characteristic, an arrogance that has previously deceived you into thinking you had life under control. Meet God. He’s the one that can take you to a place where there’s no anxiety. And, any pride that you might have had can be instead moved onto boasting about knowing the God who’s really in control (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17; Galatians 6:14). He’s the One who has it all worked out. You see, you can trust Him because He’s the Creator – the sky above us is His handiwork, after all – so if He can do that, do you think He’s capable of taking care of life too? Try on the poetry set to music that Jason, Reuben, and Stuart have given us as a reminder of our smallness, and yet our access to His greatness. It’s never ever too much to sing about one more time.

  

See some comments from an artist who recorded the song after discussing it with one of the writers: Behind The Song: Interview About "Greatness Of Our God" | PraiseCharts

 

Read about the album on which the song appears: A Beautiful Exchange - Wikipedia (indicates the album recorded in 2009, so song composed sometime that year?)

 

See Hillsong Convention Centre image information here: File:Hillsong Convention Centre.jpg - Wikimedia Commons.  This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Tatie2189. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: Tatie2189 grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

King of Kings -- Brooke and Scott Ligertwood, Jason Ingram

 

These three were in Nashville (see the map of Tennessee and highlight of Davidson County where Nashville resides) to collaborate and think about the “King of Kings”, though their thoughts began separately. The Ligertwoods, Scott and Brooke, had some ideas about how to tell the story of scripture, and then when they heard Jason Ingram’s melody as the three got together later, that’s when things really flowed. That’s the short version. How would one person or a group of three people really expect to share completely the full spectrum of God-in-the-flesh’s story, without leaving out something? The song might never end! That was perhaps the conclusion they too reached, but still the effort to direct the attention of hearers toward the spiritual foundation upon which believers stand was worth the time they spent. It was not a collection of ‘feelings’, but instead truths that underpin beliefs that spurred Scott, Brooke, and Jason forward.    

 

One doesn’t have to read too far in one’s bible to really find inspiration for what the Ligertwoods and Jason Ingram would write in 2018/2019. Apparently, two of the scriptures that motivated them were about how Jesus is to be exalted – Revelation 19:16 and Philippians 2:9-11. A great place to begin, as it turned out, but the Ligertwoods also had thoughts about packing even more scriptures into verses, as part of an objective to explore and tell the story of the gospel. The three of them thought about Genesis clear through to Revelation, and were ‘unpacking’ quite a bit as they talked about what in scripture creates belief. Jason’s melody and a bridge section of the song stuck immediately, and as they sorted through the Word, Brooke’s mind and spontaneity kicked in with lots more for the verses. The wanted to sing scripture and use the song as an opportunity to teach why Christians can believe, to even impart some theological truths. Some that eventually emerged (after about a year of working and re-working notes and words) were some things that they found exciting, things that somehow often get glossed over. That Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matt. 5:17); that Mary’s virgin pregnancy with the God-Son was not a surprise, but another foretold prophecy (see Isaiah 7:4; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:21-23); that many dead arose when Jesus died (see Matt. 27:50-53); and that the church was born through the work of the Holy Spirit enabling men in a miraculous way (Acts 2) were all energizing to these three 21^st Century songwriters. They firmly believed that this same Spirit is active today, and that we who believe are part of this ongoing story. It’s a song that should never be completed, if you think of yourself as an heir of Christ, as someone who wants to connect yourself to Him and what He means to human beings.

 

The words that Scott, Brooke, and Jason wrote are meant to draw you and me in. Now this gospel truth of old Shall not kneel, shall not faint…If you think history, including bigger-than-life heroes of heart-stirring episodes – maybe an Abraham Lincoln-like person – is what motivates you onward, then what about the one upon whom our calendar (at least the Gregorian one) pivots? He is the Truth, the One who rose so that you and I need not kneel or faint as we think about our graves. Death is certain, so it seems to make sense to connect myself with Him toward whom so much evidence points as the Conqueror of the grave. Don’t believe because it gives you solace, a crutch to lean upon and salve your fear of life’s end. Believe because there’s too much history – irrefutable and enduring, some 20 centuries after the facts -- for you and me to ignore this life, this King of Kings. Be like Lee Strobel (author of the The Case for Christ and so many other books that investigate the credibility of Christianity) and Josh McDowell (author of More Than a Carpenter, and like Strobel, so many other books to help us see Christ’s truth-bearing nature), both of whom started their journeys as skeptics, intending to disprove Christ, and instead found His truth the most compelling, and worthy of belief. Read some, investigate, and see what takes more faith – to believe or disregard it. As Brooke has said, the gospel story is not a ‘relic’, but something that ‘demands’ our attention. See if you agree that it’s ‘reality’, as she and so many others have said. Or, are  you too wedded to mere feelings, or to things in this world that will decay?      

 

 

Hear/see the song story here: (begin at 4:15 thru 9:20, and 12:20 thru 12:33) Behind The Song: Hillsong Worship Shares The Heart Behind Their Song “King Of Kings” | Freeccm.com

 

Read some brief information about the song here: King of Kings (Hillsong song) - Wikipedia

 

See information on the map-image of Davidson County (where Nashville is) here, including the public domain status of the graphic: File:Map of Tennessee highlighting Davidson County.svg - Wikimedia Commons . The following statement is associated with the graphic re: its public domain status: I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.