Saturday, January 31, 2009
An incredible piece of music
I'm sitting on the BMI flight from Cairo to London trying not to let the guy watching his screen in the seat next to me notice the tears that are creeping down my cheeks as I loose myself over and over again in a song. "Fly" by the Michael Gungor Band from the recording "Ancient Skies" just might be the best track I have heard for months. It is an exquisite song, full of soul, tenderness and compassion with a message of hope and encouragement;
"All this doubt, trying to work it out;
Could you lay it down for now?
It's good to think, but it's good to drink
From this living stream, so why...
Why don't you fly,
Free your mind to all this splendour? Why don't you fly to the arms that save?
You can come while your heart feels numb -
You can just lay down and rest.
Lift your eyes to the open skies,
We could come alive and fly!"
Michael's lead vocal sets the perfect tone of caring vulnerability, complemented by some serene harmonies, particularly in the second verse where you feel the arrangement lifting off the ground into an exuberant instrumental section that feels like it's just dancing in the air, showcasing some fabulous virtuoso instrumental work including one of the best acoustic guitar solos I can remember.
The coda is a huge operatic rock masterpiece influenced by Muse and TSO and just when you think the music can't get any bigger or more intense it ascends even higher only to break down into a beautifully fragile piano motif that reprises the opening themes of God's tender love, reaching out in desperate longing to connect with us.
Drying my cheeks on an airline napkin, I feel overwhelmed again by God's incredible loving heart, expressed through the voice of an artist longing for his friend to join him in the fulness of life that he lives in, and wishing that I also could experience those transcendent God moments more regularly.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Josh McDowell is preaching this morning
A great message on self image. God loves us therefore we must love ourselves. He holds us in high esteem therefore we need to hold ourselves in high esteem so that we can truly be the people he created us to be.
Amen!
This is how you say good morning in Arabic
These are my friends from Cafe Greco. Keep them coming boys - I'll be ready for some decent coffee by the time I get back from the USA. All they have there is Starbucks :-)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Behold, she lives
This is just so weird. My iMac died on Christmas day. I know, wonderful timing. What a nice Christmas gift from Apple. Being somewhat handy with computers I did everything possible to fix it short of pulling it apart and voiding the warranty. With nothing working I resorted to phoning Apple only to find that it was six weeks out of warranty, and that the only way they would even consider cutting me some slack would be if I could take it to an Apple store.
Go on, guess how many Apple stores there are in the whole of Egypt.
Ah, I said, but I am coming to America in February so I shall bring it with me. Fine, they said, we will check it over. Anyway, for the next two weeks I tried it over and over, but it remained black and lifeless.
I'm leaving for the USA tomorrow so I was about to pack the computer up to take with me. Hmmmm I thought, let's check it one more time. It would be awfully embarrasing to take half way round the world only for them to start it first go.
I'm glad I did.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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