MadMup.com

I realize I’m about 15 years late in making the following statement, but… I like dc Talk.

Expected responses to that statement include “Who?”, “Oh my word,” and eye rolls a-plenty. There will also be a few horrified looks and at least one or two bemused shakings of the head.

See, dc Talk was a Christian rap group. Near as I can tell, they had their heyday in the 90s, a time when I would have fallen into either the “horrified” or “bemused” reactions myself, depending on who was telling me about them. The words “Christian” and “rap” don’t belong together, right? I’m not going to get into a whole debate on that topic, as there’s no way to answer it satisfactorily for people on either side of the debate (so please don’t focus on this aspect of it in the comments!). Those who’ve been reading for a long time, though, will know I have an affinity for certain types of rap, and there have been a few people here and there who’ve seen me “perform” such things as “White & Nerdy,” “All About the Pentiums,” “Vice,” and “Nightmare on My Street.” I don’t get into “gangsta” even a little, and have no interest in cuss- and deragatory word-filled music.

But I’m getting off-topic. My point is that I’ve picked up a couple of dc Talk albums recently and have been enjoying them. In fact, the ringtone for my “Church people” caller group is the opening bars to “Jesus Freak,” which, incidentally, makes me giggle.

This weekend I found a used copy of “Free At Last,” their third album. And while titles like “word 2 the Father” and “Jesus is just alright” activate my Skeptic’s Eyebrow, I still find some good stuff here and there. For instance:

Pullin out my big black book
Cause when I need a word defined thats where I look
So I move to the L’s quick, fast, in a hurry
Threw on my specs, thought my vision was blurry
I looked again but to my dismay
It was black and white with no room for grey
Ya see, a big V stood beyond my word
And yo thats when it hit me, that luv is a verb

Say what you want about “Christian hip-hop,” but this is an important for anyone to remember, church-goer or not: “love” isn’t just a verb, it’s an action verb. If I love you (as a friend, family member, or whatever else), I’ll show you that I love you, I won’t just say it. That’s not just me doing things for you, that’s me reacting correctly to you, me wanting the best things for you across the board, and me making things less about “me” and more about you.

I’ve been back at church for a few months now after being “away” for a few years, and I’m finding that my perspective’s changed. I have the privilege of attending a church that stresses “real world Christianity,” and I’m learning that it’s what I do, not what I don’t do that makes the difference. And the thing that I need to do the most is love others.

Jesus said it this way: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34, NIV)

dc Talk says it this way:

Back in the day there was a Man
Who stepped out of heaven and He walked the land
He delivered to the people an eternal choice
With a heart full of luv and the truth in His voice
Gave up His life so that we may live
How much more luv could the Son of God give?
Here is the example that we oughtta be matchin
Cause luv is a word that requires some action

There’s pretty much only one response I can have to that:

Word.

I don’t know if this is the sort of thing a person ought to mention on their blog or not. I worry a lot about appropriateness, if you hadn’t noticed. I like for people to have a pleasant experience when they show up here, and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.

But this seems like kind of a big deal, so I thought I’d chance it.

I’m not even sure how to put this, so I guess… well, I guess I’ll just say it like this, separately spaced, centered, and bolded:

It’s taken me some time to come to this point, but I’m finally ready to announce it. Sure, it might not mean much to some of you – most of you, even – but for a select few, it might put a spring in your step, a gleam in your eye, or a flutter in your heart. To those select few I say this: contact me. My email address is in the upper-left corner, the comments section is open – I’ll even give you my phone number if you want. Just give me a holler.

We’ll have fun, I promise you. Oh, there’ll be rough times, but if we work through them, we’ll come out on the other side of them a better team, more prepared for the next challenges. But if you’re up for it, so am I. With enough work, maybe we’ll eventually be able to take a crack at something a little scary, very difficult, but ultimately rewarding: “Freebird” on Expert.

Considering I’m just now starting to try songs on Hard, it might take a while. But if you’re available to work on it, I am, too. So if you wanna play some Guitar Hero until your fingers fall off, give me a holler.

I’m totally available. For playing Guitar Hero.

My current song obsession is one I discovered watching Scrubs. I can’t recommend the show 100%, but it does some things very well. One thing it does well is balance comedy and tear-jerking drama almost perfectly, all within the same 22-minute episode. There are many episodes that have caused me to tear up, and they are invariably my favorite episodes.

Another thing Scrubs does well is use music to not only advance the plot but also capture a particular mood.

While I was sick last week I started Season One and ended up getting through all of it and Season Two. One of the characters in Season Two, Episode 13, “My Philosophy,” needed a transplant and prospects were grim. At one point J.D. (the main character) is talking to her about death and she says she hopes it’s like a big Broadway musical. As sometimes happens, things go bad and she doesn’t make it. At that point that show goes into “musical mode” and she and the cast sing this song:

Waiting for My Real Life to Begin

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I’ll keep checking the horizon
I’ll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down down down, on me

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don’t you understand
I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

My real life to begin

But don’t you understand
I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

On a clear day
I can see
See a very long way

While I think the music is beautiful, the staging of it on the show made it more poignant. You might not feel as attached to the characters, but seeing it might still help you see why it makes me tear up:

There’s something about that concept of “waiting for my real life to begin” that hits me. It’s the idea that all of the mistakes I’ve made up to this point were just practice and that the real deal is starting any minute now, so I’ll be able to start in on this plan I’ve got in mind.

I like the way the song makes me think. I’ve listened to it literally 20 times today. I’m sure I’ll burn out on it soon, but for now I’ll keep hitting replay.

I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin