Faithful -- Randy Gill

He laid it right out there in September 2012 – it’d been a tough time, financially. He needed to exercise his ‘faith’, and believe that he would be uplifted by mingling and worshipping with others. That was the bottom line for Randy Gill as he wrote about being “Faithful” in light of the year – probably really longer than that – that had been challenging him and others. If you’ve ever been in a trough, listen to what Randy and his friends did to lift each other out of that miry position.

It had been going on for perhaps three years, Randy suggests, when he thought about the “Faithful” topic that he and the Zoe group were bringing together in 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. Finances had been stretched for these people, since the economy had sunk and some belt-tightening was necessary, even wise, for them. (Isn’t it interesting that a dollar [shown here] might be a sign of wealth, but it still says ‘In God We trust’ on it, right?) 

After all, much of the world was grappling with down stock markets, outta-sight mortgage payments, and lost jobs too, so why should we be exempt? Part of what may have seemed like a luxury – conference get-togethers with other like-minded Christians, their spiritual siblings -- had consequently been choked off temporarily to keep ministries operating at minimum capacity. But, they were kinda feeling like skeletons, without the muscles and organs of an otherwise healthy, vibrant body. Is a conference a luxury, or is it lifeblood? That was the question Randy seemed to have asked and answered for himself, when he encouraged others to be in Atlanta in 2012 – ‘come because it had been a rough time’ he said. Trust in Him, experience Him among us who believe, because He can overpower all of our struggles. He’s among His people who gather because they revere Him, no matter what. He surrounds us, like a protecting mountain range (Psalm 125). And, “Faithful” wasn’t just a stray thought, a single song that Randy wrote. That was the 2012 conference’s theme, and it’s embossed on the Zoe album, too. A reflection of His constancy.   

Zoe means ‘life’ in Greek, and perhaps that’s the basic ingredient, the DNA of those who are eager to assemble, to be a ‘one another’ church. Life is more than just existing. It’s more than just the skeleton, the thing we use at Halloween to send a chilling message – this is what something looks like when it’s dead. Zoe sings its “Faithful” message in plain English, telling us what life looks like. It’s us, who are motivated by God’s truths, His mercy and justice that we’ve found in His message – the Bible – that He’s preserved for us, and that we take to others who feel beaten down, rejected, and otherwise hopeless. What’s the faith-life say when it runs into a struggle, a disease that wastes you away to little more than a skeleton, perhaps like in the last few years? Maybe the last few years reminded Gill that the tough part is the persistence, the being faithful, suggested by the phrase ‘let us be faithful, faithful, faithful…’ that Randy employs repeatedly in his composition. Randy doesn’t wrap the faithful message in a lot of fancy paper. You and I know how faith should answer. It keeps answering.        

See the blog entry for Sep. 12, 2102 at this link for the composer’s comments on the song’s background: http://zoegroup.org/