Draw Me Close -- Kelly Carpenter

 

He was feeling overwhelmed, and was ready to chuck all that he was doing if that would allow himself to return to a closer place with God. “Draw Me Close”, Kelly Carpenter prayed one Sunday in his Kirkland, Washington home (northeast of Seattle, see the map here that highlights King County, in which Kirkland lies) in January 1994. Ironically, Kelly was involved with a worship and music ministry at the church that he and his wife loved, but that circumstance did not necessarily guarantee his spirit was in tune with the One he was trying to serve. Kelly had known for many years that music was his purpose, particularly since he had rededicated himself to Christianity over a decade earlier. So, what could possibly be wrong with an apparent calling that had him on a trajectory that he had been seeking for some time? Was his position just too much, too soon? Whose purpose was Kelly really serving in January 1994?

 

Perhaps it was a growing sense of unease that had been gnawing at Kelly Carpenter over the previous 18 months, as he breathed in exasperation one Sunday in January 1994. If his job had been strictly the music that he had wanted to write and perform, Kelly might have felt differently. But, organizing and directing all of the various parts of the worship ministry at a church of several hundred people was beginning to wear on him. How was he supposed to be a pastor to people? Kelly was leaning on his wife (Merrilyn) for help, but he still felt like an obsession with accomplishing all that was on the ministry’s plate was becoming too normal. Had this same phenomenon contributed to the previous minister’s departure? Kelly wondered if he was actually going to fail at this, as he also lamented a noticeable gap growing wider between God and himself. The shine had worn off of the enthusiasm he had once felt for serving in the kingdom, and he wanted to recapture that. He says that one line in the lyrics he composed – in just 20 or 30 minutes, with no changes made later – conveyed the heart of the matter. He’d ‘lay it all down…to be (His, God’s) friend again’. The only person he was interested in pleasing, in that moment sitting at his piano keyboard, was the Lord. Yeh, he was a pastor, but he realized that his connection to God was paramount. He was like a psalmist who had been cut to the heart, like one who was longing for water in a desert. Kelly’s ancient songwriting ancestor, David, had made similar entreaties to God – ‘As the deer pants for …water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1) Or, how about when David cried out to God because he acknowledged how far he’d strayed from Him – ‘Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.’ (Psalm 51:12) Kelly’s opening lyrics-song title sounded a lot like a contemporary David, longing to be in God’s embrace once more.

 

Kelly’s testimony says something pretty key for all of us fallible creatures, including ministers/pastors, whom unknowing church members sometimes place on pedestals. We can all get too caught up in our human endeavors, even ones in a church. It’s supposed to be all about Him, isn’t it? If what someone or some circumstance wants from me seems like too much for me to handle, what happens? STRESS, in big capital letters that can cast shadows too tall and darken my spirit. Yes, some things need to get done, and I need to be intentional about working diligently in what He’s given me to do. And if I have found His work energizes and helps fulfill my life, I can enjoy His life flowing through me as His tool. But, even ones chosen by God need help, especially in long-term efforts. Remember how Moses’ father-in-law Jethro advised him once (Exodus 18:13-26)? Get some help, share the load, and you’ll serve God and the people more effectively. God gives in many ways, including putting Merrilyn close to Kelly Carpenter to help him share the load. And, He also gave Kelly a sensation that something was still amiss, and a song that drew him back to his Maker and Sustainer. Does Kelly’s message speak to you, you stressed-out worker, today?        

 

 

See the story of the song in the books Celebrate Jesus: The Stories Behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs, by Phil Christensen and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2003; and, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, by Lindsay Terry, Thomas Nelson publishers, 2008 

 

See the story of the song shared here also: Song Story:

 

See the story here also: Draw Me Close Meeting Place

 

See the composer-author perform the song here: Kelly Carpenter sings "Draw Me Close"

 

See information on the image here: File:Map of Washington highlighting King County.svg - Wikimedia Commons….the owner of the image has issued the following statement: 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.

Give Me Jesus -- Anonymous

 

Was this songwriter or singing group fed up with the world? We don’t even really need to know who this original songwriter or group was, do we? A person crying out from the depths of one’s soul that he/she just wants Jesus and what He offers – just “Give Me Jesus”, is the honest exclamation – could be just about anyone on this planet who’s ever had a really rotten, miserable day. Or, maybe it’s more than a single day; what if someone’s whole life is grim, day after day? That indeed could have led to this old spiritual song’s gestation and birth (See here the original “Give Me Jesus” music and lyrics, which were published in the Evangelical Harp in 1845, by Jacob Knapp.) Perhaps it was someone’s adversary, even a momentary one, whose retort to this person was a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude. In reply, he or she says ‘OK, I will just leave it, and you and this crummy old world can just have each other’.  You and I long for a better place, and a person-to-person relationship that cannot fail. What better person is there to have than Jesus?

 

This old song emanates from early-to-mid 19^th Century America, possibly via a fusion of multiple sources. Most often, one might see in published versions that the song has a notation that indicates it has an African-American spiritual origin. But, since it was first published by a Baptist minister in New York (Jacob Knapp, 1845), and four years later by Methodists (in 1849), it’s southern slave origin may not be genuine. And yet, the song’s alternate title -- “And I Heard the Mourner Say” – does suggest that the writer was desperately forlorn, or certainly identified with people in this emotional state. We could also say that the writer/s were reading scripture, particularly the episode in which Jesus rebukes the audacious Peter (Matthew 16:26) for trying to upbraid Him for telling the Apostles that He – God – would eventually be killed, and then resurrected. It’s a serious admonition that Jesus delivers on this occasion, telling Peter that he’s in league with evil, worldly forces (‘Get behind me, Satan!, v. 23) in his attitude. ‘Don’t give up your own soul, in order to have the world’; instead, ‘choose me’, Jesus implores Peter and the others. And so, in the lyrics of the song, a person’s choice of Jesus is not temporary or for only a portion of one’s world. The choice begins ‘in the morning when I rise’; overarches the times ‘when I am alone’ or have a ‘dark midnight’ experience; and then finds its culmination ‘when I come to die’. All of these life experiences have common themes for anyone who’s ever lived.

 

We all arise in the morning and think about the day that is directly ahead; we all seek companions for the journey, but perhaps find loneliness all too often; and we all must acknowledge our mortality, the inevitability of physical demise. Such thoughts can overwhelm and drag down one’s spirit. What’s the use? One might begin to sound a bit like the Ecclesiastical preacher’s first few words -- “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But, there is a tonic, this anonymous songwriter responds – Give yourself Jesus. Choose Him.  So, ready for what’s next? Have Jesus in your corner, and that can transform how you regard the day’s shortcomings.

 

Read about the song here: Give Me Jesus - Wikipedia

 

See here for text and music for the song: Give Me Jesus | Hymnary.org

 

Information on the image of the song page: File:Give Me Jesus music and lyrics which were published in the Evangelical Harp in 1845.png - Wikimedia Commons…This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.

Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed -- Keith and Kristyn Getty, Ed Cash

 

It’s a celebration, best used as the opening of a worship service. That’s how Keith Getty describes “Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed” that he and his wife Kristyn, and Ed Cash co-wrote in 2012, as a nod to their church fellowship’s historical roots and a reaffirmation of what matters most to such a group of believers. The title words of the song encapsulate what for centuries has been a traditional declaration and response by Christians each time they gather, but especially on the annual Easter Sunday, oftentimes captured in pictures or recreations of the event (see the Resurrection image here -- Icon of the Resurrection [depicting Christ having destroyed the gates of Hades and removing Adam and Eve from the grave. Christ is flanked by saints, and Satan is depicted as an old man bound and chained].) You may call it the Pascal greeting, or maybe the Easter Acclamation, but no matter how you identify it, this salutation is packed with meaning and an implicit acknowledgement: the Messiah’s rising supersedes all other events in one’s life. It’s just gotta be accompanied by an exclamation mark, or even multiple ones, since the phrase is actually two assertions…!!

 

Irish natives Keith, Kristyn, and their American collaborator Ed have taken straight from some 20 centuries of history the most important aspect of Christ’s life: his triumph over death. They had probably heard it themselves any number of times that they had gathered on Easter, and not unlike others, had decided that the magnitude of what they were celebrating could not be confined to that one special day of the year. Indeed, as they opened their bibles, they no doubt noticed that the events of that first Resurrection Day were not confined to just one of the books of the bible, but recorded in all four accounts of His revival. Particularly in the three accounts known as the synoptics (Matthew 2:6-7; Mark 16:6; and Luke 24:6), the first half of the song’s title phrase is told to unsuspecting women as the arrive at the tomb to tend to the dead man’s body. Shocked and amazed are perhaps too tame to describe what they must have felt when they heard this stunning news from angels that were there to greet them. The response phrase may originate with what two disciples heard from the 11 remaining Apostles when they returned to Jerusalem (Luke 24:34), following their own startling encounter with this risen Lord. None of us 21^st Century disciples have the advantage of eyeballing what those 1^st Century people did, obviously. But, we believe that day’s events have become the fulcrum of human history, and there’s just no way to overstate its impact, nor diminish our response. Calendars have been rewritten and countless lives have been upended ever since that day. Keith, Kristyn, and Ed have chosen ‘He’s alive!’ as their most potent phrase in the song, just one of many that recount what Christ accomplished for all time. It’s what can happen for all of us.

 

Try on some of these words and phrases that the three songwriters employ to re-tell the story: ‘…borne our sin through sacrifice’, and ‘conquer…sting of death’ (v.1); ‘joy awakes’…’dawning light’ (v.2); ‘doubt and darkness’ (until) ‘saw Him…hearts believed’ (v.3); ‘once bound by fear, now bold..’, and ‘life everlasting’ (v.4); and ‘power raised him…from the grave’, and ‘frees our hearts’ (v.5). The story does have its grim facts, but these are countered by the elation that thrills anyone who dreads the grave. So, a few ‘Hallelujahs!’ populate the lyrics, along with a reminder at the song’s end that Jesus hasn’t gone heavenward to merely sit and watch us, to be ‘glorified’ in a solitary way, but that ‘heaven’s gates are opened wide’. He’s done what only He could do, so you and I can join Him there. It makes you want to jump and shout. Indeed, He’s Risen, and He awaits us!  

  

 

 

See here for brief information on the phrase’s orgin: Where does the saying “He is risen; He is risen, indeed” come from? | GotQuestions.org  and here also: 'He Is Risen Indeed' - Meaning and Easter Origin (crosswalk.com)

 

Read about the song’s title history/meaning here: Paschal greeting - Wikipedia

 

Hear/see brief song story here at 2:00-2:17 of the video link: Bing Videos (Hymns for the Christian Life video)

See here for information about the Resurrection image: File:Resurrection (24).jpg - Wikimedia Commons  …Re: the copyright status of the image, the following statement accompanies it: 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. (Image date is 11 December 2009)