Music That Makes You Cooler

In this edition of Music Spotlight, I'm going to highlight a few bands/artists you should know about. And if you don't know about them, then here's your chance. Either way, you're gonna feel cooler after knowing them & listening to their music. Hit up the playlist on the right.

1. The Rocket Summer - by far one of the most talented musicians out there. As frontman of The Rocket Summer, Bryce Avary records EVERY instrument on every album & truly puts on one of the best concerts I've ever witnessed. And not only is he an incredible musician, but also an incredible writer. His lyrics are so passionate & spiritually charged, you can't help but find yourself in the lyrics & find yourself in worship. Check out The Rocket Summer website @ http://www.therocketsummer.com/

2. Danyew - this is a recent find for me & an artist that seems to be on the rise. Being a huge Phil Wickham fan, this guys falls right in line. He has incredible vocals, worshipful lyrics, & a music style that you don't hear elsewhere. This will surely be a name known across the circuit soon, so check him out first @ http://www.myspace.com/danyew

3. Chris August - this is a fun one for me. Chris was an awesome guy I looked up to growing up in church/youth together, & it has been really fun to see him grow as a musician. He has a very soulful sound, & addresses a lot of the issues we face as Christians in this world: love, change, being real & yet worship the Lord in the midst of it all. Solid artist to check out @ http://www.myspace.com/chrisaugustmusic

JV

Standards

Our life is full of standards. Standards that have either been set for us by someone else, or standards we have set for ourselves. Those standards may be high, low, attainable or even out of reach. Either way, standards should be set to challenge us. To give us a goal. To make us push to the limit & give our best.

In light of standards, we know that God set some pretty high standards in creation. And to take a deeper look at these, let's take a look at some of the extreme standards set in place for Earth:

1. Composition of the Earth's atmosphere: the fact that there is enough oxygen to sustain ALL life
2. Water: the fact there is enough water to sustain ALL life
3. Distance from the sun: the fact that if we were any closer or further away, we would either burn alive or freeze to death
4. Rotation: circular gravitational pull is necessary - any other shaped rotation would cause us to freeze to death or burn alive
5. Placement of planet: the Earth is encompassed within the rotations of Jupiter & Saturn - these planets protect the Earth from outside dangers by absorbing & taking the hits

All of these extreme standards, and more, are certainly set in place for the Earth to show us the fingerprint of our creator. His fingerprint is also on the human body. Let's take a look at just one extreme standard the Lord has set for our human body:

• Laminin - the protein in our body that holds all things together. Without Laminin, we would certainly not survive. Laminin holds all of our cells together & holds all of our tissue in place & intact. It literally holds our body together. Now, the most important thing about a protein is it's shape. If it doesn't have it's designated shape, it will not function. Without it's designed shape, it will not do its job. So Laminin must have & keep its shape to do its job & hold all things together. 

Now let's take a look at Philippians 3:12-16. What Paul is talking about here is pressing on. Pressing on & pursuing the standard of Christ. And Paul emphasizes how he has not already reached the standard, but because he has not reached it, it is exactly why he is pressing on to live up to it. And here's the deal with the standard of Christ: once you become a Christian, you now have a new standard. The standard of Christ. And you can't escape it. You can't claim to follow Christ & then live to another standard. Being a Christian REQUIRES the standard of Christ. It requires to live your life FOR Him & LIKE Him. 

So back to Laminin. The protein that holds all things together. Remember the most important part of a protein? Shape. Take a look below at the shape of Laminin. Unbelievable. And the really cool part about Laminin, it's shape & the standard of Christ? Colossians 1:17 tells us that in Christ, "all things hold together." 

So what standard are you living up to? What standard are you basing your life upon? The standard of the world? Your friends? Or the standard of Christ? The standard of the Cross?

JV

The TRUTH

In a society filled with multiple forms of truth, it is sometimes hard to know what exactly truth is. Our world tells us what is true for you is great, but what is true for someone else is also just as great. A very philosophical view of truth as being simply relative. And completely wrong.

After Jesus was handed over to Pilate in John 18, Pilate asked Jesus the essential question to life: "what is truth?" Pilate, much like ourselves, was searching for truth. Searching for answers. And Jesus had been speaking nothing but truth the entire time. In John 14:6 Jesus tells us He "is the way, the TRUTH, and the life." Jesus IS truth.

However, sometimes the world challenges that belief. How do we know? How do we know what we believe? Well, it starts with the Bible. For Jesus to be truth, then the Bible must be truth first. Check out these facts on the Bible:

• Written over 1,500 year span without any of its writers knowing their writings were going to be a part of one book
• Written by more than 40 people from all walks of life (kings, military leaders, peasants, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, musicians, shepherds, etc)
• Written in many different places (wilderness, dungeons, while traveling, while in exile, etc)
• Written on 3 different continents (Asia, Africa, Europe)
• Written in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)
• Written in a variety of literary styles (prophecy, historical narrative, song, poetry, parables, biography, autobiography, law, allegory, etc)

All of these elements come together & prove to not only be historically accurate, but also archaeologically accurate. There has never been a historical or archaeological discovery that has refuted the Bible. It is completely inerrant, and through an amazing set of circumstances above, completely TRUE. The Bible is truth. 

And if the Bible is truth, then we know Jesus IS the truth. In a world looking & searching for the answers to truth, JESUS IS. 

Finally, take a look at Psalm 22. This was written over 1,000 years before Jesus' crucifixion, and what we learn from it can teach us the greatest truth: Jesus was mocked, beaten, bled & died for you. TRUTH. He was crucified, laid in a tomb to die for you. TRUTH. He rose again & gives you new eternal life. TRUTH. He’s coming back so be ready. TRUTH. 

Jesus IS truth. Jesus IS the answer. Be free, forgiven & redeemed. TRUTH. 

JV