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Casting Crowns

 

I have been a fan of Casting Crowns since their debut album. There music has always been raw and rustic. Their music since the beginning has dealt the hypocrisy of religion and the happy reality of a relationship with Jesus Christ. I must confess that I have missed an album or two since their latest "Thrive" was released in 2014. I recently purchased the album and I must say it is platinum worthy! There are albums that have a few good songs, then there are those albums which in their entirety are brilliant! "Thrive" thrives because the messages in each track truly testify about what it means to be Christian. I shall examine my favorites.

Waiting For The Night To Fall
is the last song on the album. It tells the story of addiction which is personified as an Old Man waiting on the night to fall so he can take hold of you again. The song is raw and deals with how even though addiction cannot take our soul or shipwreck our salvation, it will take everything else. The message paired with the instrumentals, the piano at the beginning and the end deserves to be in dramatic movie.

Follow Me
is song from Jesus to his follower and the follower to Jesus. The followe talks about how they have "reached the end of myself," "did it their way," but now have "nothing left to give." To which Jesus responds, "follow me." It is a powerful song about when we reach the end of religion and striving to be holy and finally fall into the heart and hands of our Lord. Contained in this song is John 3:16 and many verses from the Gospels.

Love You With the Truth
this is a refreshing song that tells the two sides of God. One being love and the other justice. The lead singer tells us "I am gonna love you with the truth, for when we truly love we tell the truth and when tell the truth we truly love." This is a message that many Christians brothers and sisters need to listen to and take to heart. One part of the song says, "Yes God is love, but he is also Just." We forget that the Lord is merciful, but also is the Great Judge. We must remember that we can be peacemakers and prophets telling people the truth of God's character. Two other lines I love in this song are: "Its not about religion, earning God's forgiveness, its about your heart!" and "God is more than a religion, a stain glass fantasy.." See my blog post The Spirit of Religon vs The Spiritual Relationship.

Heroes
deals with the ordinary believers who are having to stand for their faith in the midst of great adversities. One particular story in the song tells of a young man who loves Jesus at his school and how he considers it his "mission field" and there he is made fun of, and yet he looks at his classmates with sorrow in his heart because he sees how empty and pointless their lives are.

All You've Ever Wanted
this is confronting song that reminds us that we must be careful to not become deceived. At one point the lead singer says, "I was chasing healing, when you made me well, I was fighting battles when you conquered hell." Too often we can get caught on the "treadmill of religion" as Pastor Eric says, where we run after good things, spiritual things, but they are not Jesus, they are just short of him.

House of Their Dreams
is a powerful wake up song about the state of families in this contemporary age. The chorus is profound which says, "Their trapped in their own world, in the wrong worlds, with their cell phones and their closed doors." So many are indeed trapped by the technology and the terrible choices each member of the family is making. The end of the song speaks of redemption and says, "Only you (Jesus) can save our families," and "on this rock (of Christ) we will build the house of our dreams."

Casting Crowns is Christ centered band and I hope that you check them out! I recommend getting "Thrive" (Tree Cover) first and then their debut album titled "Casting Crowns" (Crown in Water Cover). Then I recommend the album "Lifesong" (Man in Suite with Book Cover) and I recommend everyone, especially those who live in Israel and America to listen to the track "While You Were Sleeping."


 



I thought in closing that I should share some details about Casting Crowns. The entire band is made of pastors. Casting Crowns is the only Christian band to have toured in North Korea! Casting Crowns' name comes from the verse, "the twenty-four elders down before Him who sits upon the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast down their crowns and say, Worthy are you our Lord and our God, to receive glory, honor, and power; for you created all things and everything exists because of you the Creator!" -Revelation 4:10-11).

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