My Life, In Music: Undercover, Boys & Girls (When Faith Heroes Fall)

 

Lately I have been mourning a few “fallen” heroes of my youth. Last weekend I learned that a couple of the Christian musicians that I really looked up to have either publicly come out as gay (Ric Alba, Down the Line magazine May, 2010), or have openly renounced their faith in Christ (Joey “Ojo” Taylor, DTL magazine July, 2010).

Like a well placed sucker punch, the reality of human brokenness took my breath away. After all, who likes to be blindsided by the failings of their heroes? It was an un-welcome reminder of my own sinfulness. My first reaction was to lash out at those who had dared to come down off their assigned pedestals. So I ended up getting into a heated online “discussion” with Ric (Undercover, Altar Boys, DAS). I know that I was wrong to react that way, but It’s hard to face the reality that not everyone believes the same as you do, especially when they had a part in shaping your faith and career direction.

One night I couldn’t stop thinking about Ric and Ojo. Having once believed in the absolute authority of the Bible, both of them now seem to have rejected that view. I was losing sleep trying to wrap my mind around the “why” of their rejection. I grabbed my iPod and started listening to Undercover’s 3rd album Boys and Girls. I don’t know, maybe it was some desperate attempt to connect with, and be comforted by the younger, “safer” evangelistic version of Ojo. But as I lay in my bed clinging to each word, and absorbing each note, God began to speak through Joey’s lyrics.

 

Babies climbed up on His knee, He said “Let them come to Me.”
Little ones believe–Boys & Girls can see
The man said, “Take them all away, I’ve got important things to do today,
But little ones believe, Boys & Girls can see,

And I could see the world turn around
If I could live my life-like that,
If we could live our lives like–Boys & Girls

Big men reach for the stars, spend time on toys and cars
Politics and war and money from the poor
But the Kingdom belongs to a little child
And I don’t wonder why
Cuz little ones believe Boys & Girls can see
God came down and died for kids like you and me

As the song “Boys and Girls” washed over me, the irony of the situation was glaring. My fallen hero had forgotten the simple truth contained in the song that he had penned!

(Matt. 18:1-4)  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

So what do we know about the basic nature of children? They’re Innocent, trusting, literal, humble, needy, and willing to give love unconditionally. And unless we can come to Jesus with a penitent heart and these childlike characteristics, we will not be counted as one of God’s children, nor will we be welcome His Kingdom.

Look, I understand that the Gospel  doesn’t jive with our modern sensibilities. I get that, I really do. But I have no explanation as to why God chose the period of time that He did for Jesus to intersect human history. I know it’s hard to swallow, but I can’t tell you why He decided to speak through fallible men and the written word of the Bible. I am also at a complete loss as to why He wants the screwed up “whore” that is the “Church” to be the vessel in which Kingdom living is modeled.

Even the Apostle Paul had a clue as to how crazy the Gospel message seemed, when he wrote this to the Corinthians,” The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction…”  ( I Corinthians 1:18 )

I will not deny that to truly surrender to Jesus one must partake in a “willing suspension of disbelief.” Understandably, really smart people find that absolutely offensive. But this is what Jesus requires of mankind. And If we can just get out of our own way, put aside all the human arguments based on “our reason” and “our logic”,  the Father is waiting with open arms. And if we are brave enough to take a risky leap of faith, that is contrary to all that our common sense is screaming, He promises to catch us, and to never let go.

 (John 10:28) “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,”

So as I finish sweeping up the last bits of my broken pedestals, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for those pieces of innocence lost. Both of which are stark reminders of the need to keep my eyes on Jesus, and not so much on man.

Whether or not Ric and Ojo come back to the faith they once sang of I can’t say, but I’ll pray for them, hoping that God will somehow use their own songs as a reminder of who He is. I wish both men well, but I will leave them with this humble suggestion. Be careful with what you say, and where you say it. Even though you may no longer believe the things you once did, you affected the faith of many people. And whether you like it or not, you still do.

(Matthew 18:6) But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

 Have you had any faith heroes, or mentors in your life, have they fallen away? How did you deal with the disappointment?

My Life In Music: Walmart Jesus/Charlie Peacock, “One Man Gets Around”

[A couple from Anderson South Carolina says that the face of Jesus appeared on their Walmart receipt. Upon reading this story, my first thought was. “Why did they have to be from South Carolina?”

Seriously though, the country already thinks those of us down hey-uh in South Cackalacky are a bunch of loony rednecks. We definitely do not need to be presenting them with evidence that it’s true! I mean look at the receipt in this picture, how is that Jesus? Somebody help me here, because I’m not seeing it. You could make a better case for it looking like Abraham Lincoln, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, or maybe even Charles Manson! But I’m sorry, the last person I’m thinkin’ is Jesus.

Look, I’m sure that this couple means well, ( I have recently found out that the woman is a student at my alma mater North Greenville University!), they are even quoted in the story as feeling “blessed” by this receipt, and so now they just want to share the “blessing” with others. But I fail to see how a Walmart receipt that supposedly bears the Image of Christ on it could be considered a blessing. Maybe I’m just too cynical, but what is it that drives us to look for the divine everywhere, but where it can be found?

I think a lyric from the song “One Man Gets Around” (Click here to buy ) gives us a little insight on this question.

“…You can’t pick up a newspaper, without
reading a story of somebody somewhere.
Saying they caught sight of Elvis, or witnessed a tear fall,
from the eye, of a statuette of the Virgin Mary…
…Forget about dignity, you could get a spot on MTV
If you only knew, how bad, people want to get a look at you
The multitudes are waiting, waiting on pins and needles
For the one more famous than the Beatles…”

To me, the line that speaks the loudest is this one, “…If you only knew, how bad, people wanna get a look at you…” Humanity is desperate for a glimpse of the divine. We can’t help it. It’s part of our DNA, it’s how we were made. Wether we believe in God or not, all of us have an innate desire to seek out, or discover something bigger than ourselves.

The problem that arises, is in where we go looking to fulfill that nagging hunger for the supernatural. Material wealth, power, popularity, sex and yes, Walmart receipts. It’s possible that all of these things could provide a sense of satisfaction, or even euphoria. And for a few brief moments they may even cause that nagging hunger to subside. But eventually it’s back again, and most times, stronger than before.

So where do we go, where can we find satisfaction and relief from that nagging within? The answer is simple, but most people don’t want to hear it. I John 5:20 says this, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” In other words, the fulfillment of our desire for the supernatural can be found in the person of Jesus Christ!

The good news is you don’t have to go looking for Him on receipts, statuettes, or in the case of one Glee TV episode, a grilled “cheeseus” sandwich. He can be found in His Word (the Bible), His Works (Creation), and on the face of every needy person that shares the planet (Matthew 25:35-40). In fact, if you want to see an image of Jesus up close, take a look in the mirror.(Genesis 1:27)

So if you really want to witness miracles and experience the supernatural, than in the words of Jim Carey from the movie Bruce Almighty, “Be the Miracle.” If each one of us can realize this in our own lives, I don’t know if we’ll “Save money.” But you can bet we’ll all “Live better.”

The BackSpin Zone

Check out our podcasts chocked full of the classic Christian hits we’ve spun so far and the cool musicians we’ve talked to. Click the link and save target as to download podcast.

Episode #2 Rebecca Saint James http://thebillmooreblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/bsr2.mp3

Episode #3 Scott Hunter lead vox Poor Old Lu http://thebillmooreblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bsr3-full-show.mp3

Episode #4 Barry Blaz founder, Code of Ethics http://thebillmooreblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bsr4.mp3

Episode #5 Mike Stand, lead vox of the iconic Christian punk band, the Altar Boys http://thebillmooreblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bsr5.mp3

BackSpinRadio Episode #4 Featuring Barry Blaz/Code of Ethics

BSR episode #4 features an incredible interview with Barry Blaz, founder of Code of Ethics. Barry talks about his near death accident, and COE’s new record Beautiful Thing. BSR #4 also brings classic hits from DC Talk, Plumb, Geoff Moore & the Distance, Mark Farner and more!

 
http://thebillmooreblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/bsr4.mp3

 

Barry Blaz/Code of Ethics Singer Faces Death And Lives to Sing About It

On Saturday morning, May 1, 2004, Barry Blaze was riding his motorcycle home from a family gathering. His wife Cynthia was in the van ahead of him. A storm was approaching and Barry hoped he could beat it home. A bridge lay straight ahead.   

Cynthia sets the scene. “It just had started to sprinkle a little bit, and we were just kinda driving around home and right before we get onto this bridge it had started to really, really rain really hard and we were like, ‘This isn’t good you know. Barry shouldn’t be driving in this.’ But at that point we were already onto the bridge. It’s just a two lane road. There’s no real spot to stop and so my dad had pulled off after the bridge, and we were kinda praying that Barry didn’t get on the bridge.

Cynthia and her parents were praying and looked back to see if he made it across the bridge. “We turned back around the bridge and we went back and that’s when we saw a whole bunch of cars stopped. And we knew…”

The force of the wind and rain and the water on the road had sent Barry head first into the concrete barrier. “It was very bad,” Cynthia says. “His helmet was cracked in the front and all the way. The stuffing was coming out of it and his ears were bleeding.”

Paramedics rushed Barry to the closest trauma hospital where doctors gave him no chance of survival. Dr. James Green, a Neruo-otologist, tended to Barry. “He was really affected by severe head trauma. He had two detached retinas which meant that the nerves of his eyes had actually pulled away from the globe which takes a severe injury and in addition he had injuries to both ears which is an unusual situation and he was suffering from hearing loss and was not expected to survive.”

Barry remained in a coma as doctors did a CAT scan to check for skull fractures. They found none, but Barry was still unconscious.

Cynthia turned to prayer. “I was waiting in the waiting room and I called my sister-in-law and she just prayed with me. It was the best thing. What I needed at that moment.”

Barry made it through the night, much to the doctor’s amazement, but woke up the next day, and realized he was blind, and partially deaf.  

Cynthia: You know it was difficult at times but I always knew, but he’s here. And I was just glad to have him for another day.

As Barry became more alert, he spent a lot of time praying. “I had this incredible sensation of the Holy Spirit coming over me and telling me everything was gonna be ok. And that God was with me and that He was now writing a new chapter in my life.”

Cynthia: “I knew that his senses would be different and I would be needing to take care of him for awhile. But God had given me a peace that it was gonna be ok.”

When Barry was discharged from the hospital he had to learn how to walk and balance himself again. Specialists performed multiple surgeries to repair his retinas and his inner ears. “I was looking in – trying to look in the mirror and I couldn’t see myself and I remember being so frightened and feeling vulnerable that I began shaking. In an instant my whole life had been almost taken away from me. And I had the most amount of fear and insecurity that was imaginable.”

Barry wondered about his career as a worship leader and a musician, and how he would support his family. “I just cried out to God and I said you know, ‘God if you will give me enough hearing back so that I can just hear pitch; if I can just hear that and sing to You again that would allow my heart to rejoice so much and that’s all I want.’ So God started to restore that from that day forward.”

Barry’s recovery was long and challenging. Cynthia remembers crossing the first big milestone.
“I remember the first day that he heard the coffee pot. It was just like some small little thing. But that meant a lot.”

Eventually, Barry was able to see clearly and can actually hear well enough with a hearing aid to return to the music career he loves. Dr. Green, his primary physician will tell you Barry Blaze is a walking miracle. “It really is miraculous the way he’s recovered from the severe head trauma. In my mind, God is the one that gets the credit for what happened.”

With limited hearing, Barry penned a new collection of songs for His Code of Ethics band. “The most significant moment for me in this whole healing process was the ability again to start recording. So as God gave those things back to me, it was just huge for me.

Through the whole ordeal, Barry has come to realize that no matter how difficult the struggle he faces, God is always there to strengthen him. “What all of this has taught me definitely faith and trust in knowing that God is there. And He’s with me and he’s gonna take my hand through the hardest times. And though I’m gonna have a lot of fear sometimes, I will know He is with me. And I’m held tight in His victorious right hand.”