May I Call You Father? -- Reid Lancaster

It was 1974, and Reid Lancaster felt some deep regret in his Christian faith that he wanted to express. And, that’s about all we know for certain. He is otherwise anonymous, but nevertheless his words strike a chord in “May I Call You Father” that has at one time or another reverberated within the psyche of all true believers. It has the same remorseful character as the ancient King David’s Psalm 51, yet in a more condensed way. Was Reid in fact reading how David felt when he scrawled out his own few lines of lament? It’s a universal emotional state that exhibits itself across all cultures, where we could see someone prostrate himself to demonstrate the feeling is genuine (known as Dogeza in Japan, shown here). It was an era during which Reid, and others he may have known, could have been trying to address misbehavior. Does such an era ever really pass away?

Reid Lancaster wrote “May I Call You Father” during the early 1970s when the Jesus Movement was spreading in the United States and elsewhere in western culture, suggesting this phenomenon played a part in the composer’s musical effort. It was countercultural, as a response to mainstream churches and the broader traditional political landscape in America. So, was Lancaster trying to apologize for a broad spectrum of offenders – Vietnam warmongers and Watergate collaborators, to name just a few prominent ones? How about the staid, conservative, and even corrupt churches that Jesus freaks deplored? Perhaps, instead, Reid felt something was amiss more personally, since he uses the pronouns ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘my’ throughout his two verses. He also mentions ‘I’m young…’ (v.2), suggesting he was indeed among that generation that wanted to turn from the orthodox approach to religion and pursue an alternative, something simpler yet stirring.  Whatever the reason, Reid’s sentiment is singularly focused as a consequence of what was gnawing at him. He evidently felt a gap between himself and his God had opened, and his only concern was to close this wound. David’s lament, in contrast, includes pledges of spreading God’s reputation to others (Ps. 51:13) and a hope that He will bless all the land David inhabits and rules (v.18). Had Reid’s wrongdoing been confined to himself and God? If it was, he shows he was willing to be vulnerable in sharing that he was guilty of transgression, and we can imagine that he probably had shared with others the circumstances that inspired this poem-song. David and Reid are alike in this respect – willing to pay the price, exposure.

Expose. It doesn’t have a nice, peaceful ring as a verb, nor as a noun when an accent is placed over the last ‘e’. Some people have actually sued others because of this word. ‘How dare you write that unauthorized book!’ Or, ‘You are a snake to publish those pictures of me!’ ‘Libel’ and ‘Slander’ – perhaps two of the most-used words in our legal system. Reid certainly might have had these legal tools at his disposal, but his poem tells us he probably didn’t haul someone into court about his uncovered sin. He didn’t try to make excuses for what he did. Instead, mea culpa -- through my fault – was his argument. Reid had figured out that that was where he needed to be in God’s courtroom.  

The background of the movement from which the composer may have come: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_movement

Open Our Eyes Lord -- Robert Cull

Somebody not knowing what this guy was experiencing emotionally at the time in 1976 might have assumed he was in a paradise-like place internally, just by looking at his physical surroundings in Hawaii (see the state’s seal here).  But Bob Cull hadn’t become so transfixed by the beautiful scenery in the Aloha state that he ignored what was happening as he tried to reach a group of youngsters. Maybe you’ve had that moment, when the crowd behaved as if you were giving the briefing right after lunch, and the topic was something rather blasé. ‘Dare to be dull’…that’s what they’re whispering, or at least their body language is giving you that vibe. You cannot exactly lob a stick of dynamite into someone’s lap to remedy this situation. You can guess what Bob Cull’s alternative solution was as you consider the title of the song lyric by this 27-year-old Jesus ‘hippie’ – “Open Our Eyes Lord”.

Robert Cull was part of the Jesus Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and that phenomenon ultimately travelled thousands of miles with him along for the journey. As one of the newfound Christians of that era in California, Cull and others in that crucible of faith development wanted their beliefs and practices to be simple and focused. Jesus, in a word, was it. This simple message of God’s grace through the Son resonated with them, and with many others who’d felt discarded by their generation’s older adults. They were, in fact, a consequence of an unpopular war (Vietnam) and a national political scandal (Watergate) that embittered them and their peers. They needed and searched for something they could trust. You can picture Bob, and probably his wife Joy whom he met at Costa Mesa’s Calvary Chapel, strumming on a guitar, humming and singing the uncomplicated tunes of that era, and letting Jesus soak into their beings. Bob and Joy could have remained in California, but they found themselves in Hawaii in 1976, where they took their version of the Jesus Movement. Bob was talking to young people at a Christian school, evidently trying to motivate them with the same message of Jesus’ influence that had touched his own life not too many years before then. But, he says the kids were unresponsive, and he was at a loss. It must have been a jolt for this Jesus hippie to feel their rejection of a God who had captured his spirit as a young person. Was there already an unbridgeable generation gap between them and himself? What was he to do?  That’s when Bob prayed, and “’Open Our Eyes Lord” emerged. Cull had decided that only the God who’d reached inside his being years before could connect with the group to whom he spoke. Nothing intricate was needed, just eyes and ears that He could open.  

Cull’s story suggests that he was in a classroom the first time that he pleaded with God for vision. Maybe other times, it was around a nighttime campfire, looking into the darkness. Did the song’s first singers in fact find something revelatory among shadows where before they’d seen nothing? Perhaps that’s the key that Bob discovered – ask God to let you see (or hear) something you have in fact been staring at, but have not yet noticed. If you see Him at least once, maybe you’ll take a chance and look at other things and see Him there too. Try out those new eyes.     

See more information on the song discussed above also in The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006. 

See a very brief biography of composer here: http://christianmusicarchive.com/artist/bob-cull

 

See link here to examine the movement of which this composer was a part:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_music

We Have Come Into His House -- Bruce Ballinger

His name was Bruce Ballinger, and he must have been emotionally affected one day when he was 31 years old to write something, to suggest to others how they might change a habit. Perhaps this habit had grown old, and Bruce wanted to rekindle some feelings that he remembered had more fervor at one time. In fact, he succeeded. His son, Leigh, gives us insight into what his dad was doing and where he was, so enjoy hearing some personal reflections from Bruce’s offspring about “We Have Come Into His House” (perhaps thinking of a house not unlike the one shown here).

It was 1976, and Bruce Ballinger wrote a pretty simple little tune for something that lots of believers love to do -- worship. Leigh Ballinger, Bruce’s son, writes the following about this period, in March 2105:  My father wrote the song while in the position of Music Minister at a church in Toronto Ontario, Canada -- Kennedy Road Tabernacle. KRT was our home church till 1980. My dad was a man after the presence of God, He wrote the song during a time that the church was going through what you would call…Revival. He said to me that he sat at the piano and just started to play it. The words were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, and have had the incredible impact on those who sing it. The song has traveled across the world…to Russia, and to underground churches in China…

Revival. That speaks volumes about how and why “We Have Come...” resonated in places like Russia and China, where people experienced a refocus after decades of desolation. Worshippers in those distant places, like Ballinger, were identifying with a time of shared uplift. The mid-1970’s was the period of the “Jesus movement”, so perhaps Ballinger’s words and music fit into that era’s character too, a time when searchers of God walked away from conventional methods of worship. They wanted something more than mere vocalizations of belief. Hippies, communes, and house churches invaded Christianity, as some older folks might have termed it at the time. Bruce and his family’s experience in Toronto indicates the revival found in the “Jesus movement” wasn’t just an American phenomenon, but had spread across the Canadian border. Won’t it be something when there’s a time when the revival doesn’t stop or wane? Leigh shares these final thoughts about his dad and the song he composed:

There are so many more stories, from underground churches in China with his song in their worship books to amazing people like Benny Hinn using his music. In the end my dad was just a lover of God’s presence. On October 24, 2004 my father entered the presence of God for the last time and has never left that place. As I do miss him every day, I know that he is now in the presence of the King, rejoicing, singing and worshiping like never before.

Thanks Leigh Ballinger for sharing this fresh scoop information!

Following site indicates composer was born in 1945:

http://www.hymnary.org/person/Ballinger_B?tab=texts

See this link for history on ‘Jesus movement’: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_movement

See the composer's obituary here: http://www.fundyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary.php?id=18426

Have You Seen Jesus My Lord? – John Fischer

He was a founder. Of what, you say? Someone might say he found Jesus Christ, and helped others do the same. He was 23 years old, had been out of college for just a year, and was probably still feeling the effects of his experience on the American west coast as a young adult. Studying for ministry was probably also still fresh, along with the influence of his mentor.  These probably impacted his life for many years, in fact. What made John Fischer write a song with a question mark? “Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?” The way he asks the question in the song initially seems rhetorical…’of course’, you want to answer. But, notice how he shifts gears midway through his composition, and see if he’s not asking you to look at yourself, too.

John Fischer went to college (Wheaton) in Illinois before he went to the west coast for mentorship in Christian ministry at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California in the late 1960s. You can imagine what the times were like, if you’ve ever heard of the 1960’s. Vietnam, Peace Movement, Jesus Freaks…all familiar ground for John Fischer, especially since he was a college student during that time. His mentor at the church in Palo Alto was Ray Stedman, a friend and adviser to many like John Fischer, with a reputation as a gentle, humble, and generous spirit. And, there was the central California coast, with its Pacific Ocean-front view. Can you picture the sunsets? All these factors no doubt contributed to John Fischer’s thoughts in 1970, as he composed his song with a question mark.  He hasn’t recorded if a particular incident or multiple circumstances compelled him to write the song, but its words give us clues. He was struck by His creation, the ocean he experienced and the magnificent California sky at dusk that he observed.  Could anyone deny the reality of deity when taking in such marvels, Fischer asks. The Jesus movement’s simple message also comes out in Fischer’s music. See Him, horizontally and vertically. The ‘get Jesus’ proposition with a folk rock beat cannot be ignored. It’s a love message straight out of the ‘make-peace-not-war’ times, with a divine streak in it. 

What’s common to you and me? John Fischer saw four things, all of ‘em free. There’s no cover charge for the ocean and the sunset, not for the others I have around me, nor for what He’s done for me.  John Fischer’s simple questions ask my elemental acknowledgement of the obvious. Nothing else is asked of me…it’s an evangelism that’s not pushy. He doesn’t even really tell me to worship Him, just see Him. Admit He’s there. Then, let my conscience take me in the logical direction. Is that so hard?  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fischer_%28Christian_musician%29

http://www.fischtank.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Stedman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_music

Jesus Is Lord – Jerry Sinclair?

The next time you’re in Lawton Oklahoma, or Calais or Caribou, Maine, or Orange County, California, you might consider the story of Jerry Sinclair and how he wrote a song that was published in 1972. The song as originally penned was known as “Alleluia”, a word often used throughout the Psalms when worshippers are exhorted to ‘praise the Lord’. A plain, easily understood imperative, it’s one that a Psalmist uses probably because its message is so uncomplicated. Jerry Sinclair travelled across the continent, and midway between the two coasts, or perhaps on one of the coasts, he wrote this tune, an anchor for him and other ‘Jesus People’ in the 1970s. 

If it’s surprising for you to discover this song’s composer, you’re not alone. Most songbooks mention words like ‘traditonal’ or perhaps ‘American folk melody’ in the composition portion of the byline.  (Pam Stephenson, or many other names might also be credited with the arrangement, depending on the version being used.) Other hymn researchers I have encountered enlighten us further, telling us that in fact Jerry Sinclair wrote the original notes and words while in Lawton, Oklahoma on a street ministry campaign. Others say he actually wrote it at the end of his journey from his hometown in Calais, Maine to southern California. Yet another source – Barbara Quinn (see one of the song’s comments below) – indicates he wrote the song in the early 1960s while in Caribou, Maine.  Sinclair, and many others with him, were on fire for Jesus, and wrote simply to give themselves and their hearers a pure, basic message, unpolluted by a culture from which it sprang. Another ‘Jesus freak’ who comes to mind is Linda Stassen (“Sing Hallelujah to the Lord”, see entry for February 21, 2009). Like Stassen’s song, Sinclair’s “Alleluia” became popular abroad in many nations. 

Perhaps others around in the world have sung it around the campfire, as I have.  No flashlights are necessary to see the words or the music in the twilight shadows or in the pitch black. It’s so simple, the chords and words flow naturally, like walking up and down stair steps. As another researcher has pointed out, there are only four different melodic notes and just three harmonic chords to think about in the song. Perhaps that’s why so many lovers of this tune have invented different four-syllable phrases to make up the various verses that have evolved over time (up to 10? different verses in just a few sources consulted). When you love something, and are drawn to it, there’s a natural desire to have the experience grow and flourish. That’s how we might feel around the fire on a brisk night. Just look into the only light around, and let its presence and warmth remind you of Him. Maybe those words were even spoken as the song flowed at camp some evening in your memory. It would be interesting to hear what Jerry Sinclair thought about when he heard the song…but we don’t have to imagine really, because he wrote it down for us. If I sang all the verses that were ever composed for this song, perhaps they’d best be summed up this way. Jesus and Alleluia for all that He’s done and will do for me.    

  

See the following website for the story of the song “Jesus Is Lord”, which is often called “Alleluia”: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/565476/. Also see The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs byWilliam J. and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers , Inc. ,2006.