Goodbye Yesterday -- Grace Binion, Joshua Holiday, Mitch Wong, Steven Furtick

 

You can tell of whom they were thinking when they penned the words. Grace Binion, Joshua Holiday, Mitch Wong, and Steven Furtick were undoubtedly thinking of new converts, and that comes through clearly when the lyrics they wrote for “Goodbye Yesterday” are sung or heard. Such a group would be doing and feeling more than just sighing with relief  (‘Whew, I’m saved’), but rather jumping for joy, they thought. The transformation that takes place is more than a feeling and a memory; it’s a new life. These members of the Charlotte-based Elevation Rhythm band (see the seal of Charlotte here) take their name and the praise that they help propagate seriously. Elevate has to mean more than standing and singing, because when the depth of someone’s former condition is known, and the certainty of God’s salvation is appreciated, how can the response be anything but what these four 21^st Century composers brought to the table for others to consume and to further themselves with utter delight? One can imagine that that will be magnified exponentially in the new morning to come.   

 

Nate Diaz tells this much in an interview about ‘Goodbye Yesterday: The song has a connection to an old hymn I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (see the blog entry for 4/2/2016), which was the basis for some of the lyrics, and which was on Steven Furtick’s lips pretty spontaneously as the bridge portion of the song. Nate says the song is pretty ‘blunt’ and the bridge lyrics that they sing -- ‘I have decided’ and ‘no turning back’ -- are meant for people who are eager and full of zeal to proclaim their allegiance to Him out loud, who are very unashamed of their devotion. Nate said it was really energizing to see young people singing this with fervor, because the age in which we live is filled with temptation to entertain them, instead of trying to get them to truly follow God. The environment sounds kind of like what you might observe among a group of fanatical sports fans, whose team just won the championship right in front of their collective eyes. It wouldn’t be a surprise if these fans also sang an anthem song at such an event, and that’s how Josh Holiday describes ‘Goodbye…’, as an anthem to celebrate salvation. There’s no hesitation in such a gathering, when people know their hope and expectation is based on a guarantee from the One who made humans and wants them to join Him in the Forever place. Perhaps that was part of the thinking – that it is a celebration of what’s already been won – when this group of musicians decided upon a name for the album, Victory Lap, which contains the song ‘Goodbye…’ that they produced in 2024. ‘New day’, ‘born again’, and ‘resurrection in my veins’ join the song’s title words and the bridge section to reinforce what the new creation experiences when the old dead-end ways are traded for what He offers.

 

And so, the song has an energy, which is not really a shocker. It’s one that the participant just cannot really feel unless he’s on his feet, ready to move even just a little bit. If someone says ‘party’, that would be part of the thrill too, to realize that you are on the winning side and that the door to this gala has been opened for you to step inside and feel the clap on your back and the embrace of everyone you see. There’s an event at a church that this blogger has volunteered to join next month, just to see this kind of sensation. It’s called Night to Shine. Utter joy. That’s what awaits us who believe, and it’s not reserved for just a mild-mannered sort of satisfaction that you might feel after receiving a congratulatory handshake at some routine event, perhaps when you are promoted, one that’s filled with a few pieces of cake and some punch, an event that concludes after 45 minutes. No, as the Elevation Rhythm band reminds us in ‘Goodbye…’, this party goes on ‘again, and again, and again, and again’, as many times as He has  rescued me from a hole-in-the-ground ending. ‘Dancin’ on the grave…’ in this case is OK, because it’s not someone else’s demise about which I sing. It’s the one where I’ve buried my old past. You can choose -- either the hole in the ground, or the party above ground.  

 

Read some brief comments about the song here: https://www.klove.com/music/blog/new-music/elevation-rhythm-s-goodbye-yesterday-sets-the-tone-for-a-new-day-9498

 

Hear some more about the song’s development here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOoRoChETJ3/

 

Read a brief bio on the group Elevation Rhythm here: https://www.klove.com/music/artists/elevation-rhythm

 

See information about the seal of Charlotte here: File:New seal of Charlotte, North Carolina.svg - Wikimedia Commons…This file is in the public domain because official item legally exempt from copyright in its country of origin. The image can be found in this document:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte,_North_Carolina

You Alone Can Rescue -- Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin

 

Matt Redman’s few words to explain why he wrote “You Alone Can Rescue” include one very significant word, one which anyone who’s ever lived needs to accept in order to live forever with the Maker of all life. Salvation. Countless books, videos, songs, and works of art (like the one shown here, Allegory of Salvation, by 16^th Century artist Wolf Huber) throughout history have attempted to describe the import of this transaction. In trying to define it, none have really been equal to the task, for this one-word deal was something over which even the Lord Himself agonized, when He considered what was necessary to accomplish this. To say it was a stress-inducing time for Jesus (see Luke 22:43-44) would be a gross understatement. No one had ever done what He was about to do, and its value is underscored in that He did this for all time (Hebrews 10:11-14). What other one-time deals have purchased so much?

 

Could it be that co-writers Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin were thinking in the same vein when they first penned and polished their thoughts about salvation (shortly before, or in 2008)? It’s such a ‘churchy’ word, this salvation that is only rarely spoken outside of a religious context. In an interview, Matt says he and Jonas were looking for something fresh, an up-to-date way to thank God with a new salvation song. Was part of this freshening objective accomplished by replacing this seminal word with another – rescue? Alternatively, they could have said redemption, escape, recovery, or deliverance (all synonyms for salvation, according to this Word document’s query function), but rescue seemed to fit what they were trying to say. Rescue implies that someone has been in danger, and that a trusted entity has reversed the situation for the imperiled. Escape likewise implies that a dangerous condition has been reversed, but not necessarily through someone else’s action. Matt and Jonas could have said redemption, deliverance, or recovery, but rescue is more pithy (fewer syllables). Just how dangerous was my condition, and why was Jesus’ intervention so necessary? I had something like a disease, apparently, for which I needed ‘heal(ing)’; it was accompanied by a ‘shame’ with a deep-sea-like depth (v.1). The song’s title words say ‘You (God) alone’ has the answer, my ‘rescue’ within His grasp, because only He can dispense the ‘grace’ that goes deep enough to find me; I’m in a ‘grave’ leading to ‘death’, otherwise (refrain). He bridges a ‘great divide’ by way of His great ‘love’; I’m desperate, because this separation threatens to keep me ‘far away’ (v.2). Matt concludes his few thoughts by saying he and Jonas thought of ‘You Alone…’ as a simple song, with a bridge section that says one thing, the only thing that I, as a fallible human, can do in that moment when I’m saved: ‘Lift up…(my) eyes’, to see the ‘Giver of Life’. Will any words be adequate at that moment in Eternity, when my rescue is finally completed?   

 

There’s one other significant word in this song by Matt and Jonas: Alone. That was the one that perhaps troubled Jesus’ spirit so much in the garden, that He had to do this by Himself; even His closest earthly friends could not stay awake to help Him in this dark moment (Matthew 26:38-45). He was to be left ‘forsaken’, even by His Father (Matthew 27:46, quoting Psalm 22:1) while His body was about to expire. What’s that like, to be God, and yet be alone? He must not much like it, for He made you and me in His very image (Genesis 1:27), and then noted that it wasn’t right for man to be alone either (Gen. 2:18-23). If I’m like Him, then He and I are alike in our mutual desire for companionship. He alone rescued, so neither He nor I need be so lonesome anymore.          

 

 

Matt Redman - You Alone Can Rescue - Popular Christian Videos (godtube.com) (comments on song at 1:17 – 1:22)

 

Read about the principal songwriter here: Matt Redman - Wikipedia

 

Read about the other songwriter here: Jonas Myrin - Wikipedia

 

The album on which the song appears: We Shall Not Be Shaken - Wikipedia

 

See here for information on the artwork about Salvation: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allegory_of_Salvation_by_Wolf_Huber_(cca_1543).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 100 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.

Salvation Belongs to Our God -- Adrian Howard and Pat Turner

A song whose composers saw a vision – that’s what you might guess had happened when “Salvation Belongs to Our God” was written in 1985. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that these 20th Century composers - Adrian Howard and Pat Turner - were merely repeating a vision that they read from an inspired writer’s hand from two thousand years ago. But, wait a minute, for that might not be quite right either. That inspired guy, John, was actually repeating what he heard others saying in a vision of the future - Eternity - while he was on Patmos Island. The song title echoes what the beloved Apostle recorded that the multitude of saved souls sang in his vision (Revelation 7:10); and other words in the song are the response of the angels to the scene (Revelation 7:12). So, there’s actually many, many, even countless authors of this song.

We don’t know the circumstances that Adrian Howard and Pat Turner were experiencing as they put notes to the words in the song, but we can imagine what must have been some of their thoughts. They were pondering what heaven would be like, since the words they chose were undoubtedly those of Revelation. The second verse suggests Howard and Turner were declaring their allegiance to Him, and their intention to join loved ones already on the other side. When you read the prophetic words therein, what’s goin’ on with you? Has someone important to you passed on, crossing over the spiritual Jordan River? Or, is your own mortality becoming all too real? It can be a lonely episode, preparing to meet Him. If we can trust what we know of John’s experience, he too was alone when he heard this song, and was probably approaching his reward.

Musta been a jolt, don’t you think, to see and hear what John sensed? It’s hard to imagine or picture (though some have attempted – see the picture above). The multitude of people and legions of angels reassure me that the other side will be anything but lonely, however. Maybe that’s an essential part of the song – telling me that I’m not alone. This salvation He owns, He shares. Knowing the song’s background tells me that the saved can be certain of this fact. And, it’s also true for us mortals who voice the song's words here. So, when you hear these words of John now, think of yourself as one of the army of the saved, or perhaps among the angelic choir. It’s called ‘church’, the warm-up for the real thing.

Come Into the Holy of Holies – John Sellers

John Sellers wouldn’t be surprised if you think about what it’s like to be in a Temple (see the picture of a Temple room) when you listen to or sing the song “Come Into the Holy of Holies” that he wrote in 1984. He might also approve if you think about your commitment as a believer in ways you haven’t considered before. Both of these themes helped trigger his creativity as he wrote the song. Like another composer decades before himself, an experience in an army also played a part in Sellers’ makeup and the development of the song he wanted to express as a turn in his faith. Like George Bennard (composer of “The Old Rugged Cross” – see this blog’s March 7, 2009 post, or click here http://songscoops.blogspot.com/search/label/Bennard) decades earlier, John Sellers’ early Christian experience was with the Salvation Army. He learned the basics of music there, while his parents were officers in the organization. Later in life, Sellers found he wanted to experience more, and he discovered a church that worshipped more energetically than he had experienced before. A personal connection with the Lord was also a stirring idea to which Sellers was introduced at the same time. His creativity in music was stimulated, while he was concurrently studying about the ancient temple practices versus what Jesus’ death did – ripping the temple veil. Soon, the words to “Come Into the Holy of Holies” were spawned. The revolution in the human-to-God relationship had jumped off the pages of Sellers’ bible, and onto the musical score he wrote. When was the last revolution in your life? No, not the rebellious kind, not one that made you abandon wisdom and good sense. But one in which you knew viscerally that something was missing, and you needed a new beginning. John Sellers felt this, and it led eventually to his writing this song with a revolutionary invitation. Maybe the old rules and methods have become ends, rather than means, blurring the true objective. What if you disregarded time-worn, accepted, stale standards, and threw caution to the winds? Be sure, someone or group nearby would surely sound the alarm - - you’ve certainly lost your mind! Can you imagine if someone had walked into Jerusalem in 33 A.D. and said ‘Hey, let’s just walk into the Holy of Holies, whaddya say’? Someone did. But, the way He took down the veil hiding that room was most unsettling. His method doesn’t allow the easy, safe turnaround. If I decide to link myself to His example, I accept this fact, this potentially hazardous duty. Has God’s seminal act that ‘Good Friday’ touched me the way it did John Sellers? If it does, I join Him for the adventure, the ride of a lifetime. It leads me places I wouldn’t otherwise go…including heaven. The source for John Sellers “Come Into the Holy of Holies” song story is the book “Celebrate Jesus: The Stories Behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs”, by Phil Christensen and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2003. Also see “The Complete Book of Hymns-Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. ,2006.

Had It Not Been – Debbie Dorman

“If the LORD had not been on our side…” (Psalm 124)

Debbie Dorman learned something from some street kids at a youth retreat in 1991. (See her website link below.) She saw in them the Lord’s word come to life, when they related how they had been rescued by Him – from certain death to a spiritual life. Being from tough neighborhoods, many of today’s inner-city kids are probably not strangers to seeing someone, maybe even themselves or some of their friends, in handcuffs. Physical danger for these kids is perhaps not new, much as it hadn’t been for the Psalmist David who fled from enemies and friends, and even family members at times. But Dorman says Psalm 124 was brand new when she thought about what those children had said, and it spawned the song “Had It Not Been”.

From her home in Austin, Texas, Dorman ministers to the Hope Chapel, producing music on an album that promotes the same theme as the church - hope. The songs, like the one based on Psalm 124, are evidently inspired by real-life events within the lives of the church’s members. What events in yours or my life might inspire songs, making hope not just a concept but a reality? King David, if indeed he did author Psalm 124, knew physical danger – from his predecessor Saul, from the Philistines, and from Absalom, his own son. Spiritual danger also leapt at him from his own idleness and the resulting sin with Bathsheba. Alternatively, many scholars believe that Psalm 124 may have come from the hand of a writer experiencing the return from exile, long after King David. Those Israelites would have had reason to sing about ‘escaping from the snare’ too. Come forward two or three millennia, and think about the street kids Dorman met. While physical danger – from gangs and drugs – are obvious in the ‘hood’s blighted culture, its inhabitants also face boredom and poverty, an insidious combination. What ones do you and I face?

I had to think about this one, frankly. My physical life has never been threatened by someone else, and I’ve never even encountered a violent criminal act in my presence, as I recall. So, has God been shielding me with a hedge, ala Job, as Satan once challenged the Lord? I was a farm kid from Ohio, so physical danger for me was working around lots of machinery and large animals as a teenager and coming away with few scars, despite driving a tractor with bad brakes and getting a hand caught in a machine when I was 18. I’ve also been in three car accidents in the last 20 years, two of which either totaled or nearly totaled the car I was in, yet I walked away from these unharmed. From these I surmise that God must have been on my side, although someone else might say I was just lucky. Airplane trips for me have also been relatively uneventful. A routine fact of 20th and 21st Century life, you say? Yes, but I still pray for His protection every time I’m on the jet screaming down the airstrip. I also see His hand in my inner life too. Where would I be without His body, and the many friends I can depend on to keep me pointed heavenward? I could think of my personal physical and spiritual fortunes as just that – fortunes, without a source. It’s really a question of who gets the credit. Who gets it in your life – luck or God?

See Debbie Dorman’s site at : http://www.debdorman.com/songs-of-hope/had-it-not-been-psalm-124/