Creed

 

Neither Rich Mullins nor I grew up in a church tradition that placed any emphasis on the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' Creed...or Apollo Creed, for that matter.

We did, however, grow up in churches that place plenty of emphasis on the Bible and on living as united as possible on "the essentials of the faith." And really, what better condensation of truth is there to uphold than one that has Scriptural foundations (see the series I posted on the Nicene Creed and its Scripture references) and has been revered since 325 AD?

I believe in God the Father

Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth

And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit

Born of the virgin Mary

Suffered under Pontius Pilate

He was crucified and dead and buried

And I believe what I believe

is what makes me what I am

I did not make it, no it is making me

It is the very truth of God

and not the invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered

was crucified, buried, and dead

He descended into hell and on the third day, rose again

He ascended into Heaven

where He sits at God's mighty right hand

I believe that He's returning

To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men

And I believe what I believe

is what makes me what I am

I did not make it, no it is making me

It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it, I believe it

I believe in God the Father

Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth

And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord

I believe in the Holy Spirit

One Holy Church

The communion of Saints

The forgiveness of sin

I believe in the resurrection

I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe

is what makes me what I am

I did not make it, no it is making me

I did not make it, no it is making me

I said I did not make it, no it is making me

It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it, I believe it

1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.
1993 - Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing

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Truth is...First Corinthians 15:1-6 says it well. "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time."

Hold Me, Jesus...Again

 

Having been a huge fan of Rich Mullins for decades and having already referred to him and his songs many times while producing the Truth Is... blog for over 11 years (at this point), it was inevitable that this moment would arrive.

The moment to which I refer is that, in the course of reviewing and revering Rich's album, A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band, I find that I have already written about the next song, "Hold Me, Jesus."

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Truth is...I can't do the song any more justice than to ask you to read the original post from March 2016: https://deweytruth.blogspot.com/2016/03/hold-me-jesus.html

The Color Green

 

The third song in the liturgy section of Rich Mullins' A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band is a song of praise filled with allusions to the glories of nature.

And the moon is a sliver of silver

Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop

And every house must have it's builder

And I awoke in the house of God

Where the windows are mornings and evenings

Stretched from the sun

Across the sky north to south

And on my way to early meeting

I heard the rocks crying out

I heard the rocks crying out

Be praised for all Your tenderness

by these works of Your hands

Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless

and bring to life Your land

Look down upon this winter wheat

and be glad that You have made

Blue for the sky and the color green

that fills these fields with praise

And the wrens have returned and they're nesting

In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been

And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again

And the streams are all swollen with winter

Winter unfrozen and free to run away now

And I'm amazed when I remember

Who it was that built this house

And with the rocks I cry out

Be praised for all Your tenderness

by these works of Your hands

Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless

and bring to life Your land

Look down upon this winter wheat

and be glad that You have made

Blue for the sky and the color green

that fills these fields with praise

1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.

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Truth is..."And the moon was a sliver of silver" is one of my favorite lines in all of music. and then "Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop / And every house must have its builder / And I awoke in the house of God" immediately draws our attention to the Creator rather than the Creation.

Brilliant.

52:10

 

Titled simply "52:10", the second song on Rich Mullins' A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band serves as a call to worship for the "liturgy" section of the project.

It is Isaiah 52:10 set to a haunting and compelling melody and it calls our attention to Yahweh's awesomeness in a more organic way than the earlier, more well-known song, "Awesome God".

The Lord has bared His Holy arm

The Lord has bared His Holy arm

In the sight of all the nations

And all the ends of the earth shall see

The Lord's salvation

The Lord has bared His Holy arm

His Holy arm

1992 - BMG Songs, Inc.

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Truth is...There is comfort in the thought of Yahweh rolling up his sleeves. Psalm 77:15 praises him when it says "With your mighty arm you redeemed your people."

"Hear" in America

 

The words and music of Rich Mullins are no strangers to readers of Truth Is.... Don't believe me? Just click THIS LINK and be taken to all the posts that reference this Indiana boy who became an international singer of songs about Jesus and the experience of following him.

For many, Rich's 7th solo album, A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band, was the pinnacle of his career. With October 26, 2023 having been the 30th anniversary of its release, it is high time for a song-by-song meditation.

The album opens with introductory remarks and remembrances anchored in nature and nurture as "Here in America" reminds Rich...and us...that the Father's love is majestic and powerful and life-giving.

Saints and children we have gathered here
to hear the sacred story

And I'm glad to bring it to you
with my best rhyming and rhythm

'Cause I know the thirsty listen
and down to the waters come

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

And if you listen to my songs
I hope you hear the water falling

I hope you feel the oceans crashing
on the coast of north New England

I wish I could be there just to see them,
two summers past I was

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

And if I were a painter
I do not know which I'd paint

The calling of the ancient stars
or assembling of the saints

And there's so much beauty around us
for just two eyes to see

But everywhere I go I'm looking

And once I went to Appalachia
for my father he was born there

And I saw the mountains waking
with the innocence of children

And my soul is still there with them
wrapped in the songs they brought

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

And I've seen by the highways
on a million exit ramps

Those two-legged memorials
to the laws of happenstance

Waiting for four-wheeled messiahs
to take them home again

But I am home anywhere if You are where I am

And if you listen to my songs
I hope you hear the water falling

I hope you feel the oceans crashing
on the coast of north New England

I wish I could be there just to see them,
two summers past I was

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

1992 - BMG Songs, Inc.

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Truth is...If you read my blogs, I hope you hear the Spirit calling. I hope you feel God's love come crashing through your walls of deep resistance. I wish I could be there just to see it like in years of youth ministry past. And the Holy King of Israel loves us here in America...and around the world.

Calvin & Hobbes: What's Good for the Goose...

 

Bill Waterson's beloved comic, Calvin & Hobbes, had a Sunday strip that pointed out the flaw in some people's definition of right and wrong.

It begins with Calvin making a declaration and following it up with a string of cliches to support his worldview.

Hobbes then puts Calvin's beliefs into practice.

Which leads to Calvin spilling the beans on the particular self-centeredness of his philosophy.

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Truth is...The way the world is, it's amazing we aren't ALL covered with mud.

How Do You Spell "Thanks"?

 

Time is a gift that only Yahweh can give. It bears witness to his patience.

Hope is the life force of a heart that is currently broken, but optimistic about the future.

Application of God's promises to the circumstances of my life wipes out all fear.

Nazareth was a backwater village that folks didn't ascribe much potential to, but it nurtured the world's savior. I may not hold a lot of promise in the eyes of some...and neither may you...but God can use even us to accomplish his will.

Knowledge of the love of God is an experiential thing, not an intellectual exercise. And it's something I can grow in!

Songs speak to the human soul in ways the spoken word cannot. I praise Yahweh FOR and WITH music.

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Truth is...The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. (Psalm 28:7)