keeping an eye on the tree and the forest

Dave's Exegesis is my eclectic site of exegesis on pretty much everything I can think of, whether biblical studies, theology, music, movies, culture, food, drink, sports, or the internet.

Freedom Time

07.22.06

Everybody knows that they’re guilty
Everybody knows that they’ve lied
Everybody knows that they’re guilty
Resting on their conscience eating their inside
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
Time to get free, oh give yourselves up now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time

Yo, there’s a war in the mind, over territory
For the dominion
Who will dominate the opinion
Skisms and isms, keepin’ us in forms of religion
Conformin’ our vision
To the world churches decision
Trapped in a section
Submitted to committee election
Moral infection
Epedemic lies and deception
Insurrection
Of the highest possible order
Destortin’ our tape recorders
From here and like under water
Beyond the borders
Fond of sin and disorder
Bound by the strategy
It’s systematic deprivaty
Heavy as gravity
Head first in the cavity
Without a bottom
A fate worse than Sodom
What’s got ‘em
Drunk of the spirits
Truth comes, we can’t hear it
When you’ve been, programmed to fear it
I had a vision
I was fallin’ in indescision
Apollin’, callin’ religion
Some program on television
How can dominant wisdom
Be recognized in the system
Of Anti-Christ, the majority rules
Intelligent fools
PhD’s in illusion
Masters of mass confusion
Bachelors in past illusion
Now who you choosin’
The head or the tail
The bloodshed of male
Or confidance in the veil
Conferences of Yale
Discussin’ doctrines of Baal
Causin’ people to fail
Keepin’ the third in jail
His word has nailed
Everything to the tree
Severing all of me from all that I used to be
Formless and void
Totally paranoid
Enjoy darkness as the Lord
Keepin’ me from the sword
Blocked from mercy
Bitter than cerasee
Hungry and thirsty
For good meat we would eat
And still, dined at the table of deceit
How incomplete
From confrontation to retreat
We prolong the true enemies defeat
Destitute a necessity
Causin’ desperation to get the best of me
Punishment ’til there was nothing left of me
Realizin’ the unescapable death of me
No options in the valley of decision
The only doctrine, supernatural circumcision
Inwardly only water can purge the heart
From words, the fiery darts
Thrown by the workers of the arts
Iniquity, shapen in
There’s no escapin’ when
You’re whole philosophy is paper thin
In vanity
The wide road is insanity
Could it be all of humanity?
Picture that
Scripture that
The origin of man’s heart is black
How can we show up for
An invisible war
Preoccupied with a shadow, makin’ love with a whore
Achin’ in sores
Babylon, the great mystery
Mother of human history
System of social sorcery
Our present condition
Needs serious recognition
Where there’s no repentance there can be no remission
And that sentence, more serious than Vietnam
The atom bomb, and Saddam, and Minister Farakkhan
What’s goin’ on, what’s the priority to you
by what authority do we do
the majority hasn’t a clue
We majored in curses
Search the chapters, check the verses
Recapture the land
Remove the mark from off of our hands
So we can stand
In agreement with his command
Everything else is damned
Let them with ears understand
Everything else is damned, let them with ears understand

It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, I’ma be who I am
It’s freedom time, said it’s freedom time
Everybody knows that they’ve lied
Everybody knows that they’ve perpetrated inside
Everybody knows that they’re guilty, yes
Resting on their conscience eating their insides
Get free, be who you’re suppost to be
Freedom, said it’s freedom time now
Freedom, said it’s freedom time
Freedom, freedom time now

by Lauryn Hill

Sorry, I’m on a music kick lately. This song is from Lauryn Hill’s performance on MTV Unplugged from 2002 which is absolutely brilliant. Before I heard it, I only new her as the girl from The Fugees and that Nas video. However, I was blown away by her transformation from pop to folk, or more like gospel folk. She has gone from Hip Hop and flashy dancers to sitting on a stage by herself singing with just her guitar and letting the lyrics speak for themselves. I have never heard of a person of her caliber to call for repentance in their songs. In one of her interludes she comments, “I know a lot of the content of these songs is heavy…”, which is a severe understatement. It is quite obvious to anyone who has heard these songs that she has undergone a major spiritual adjustment of a divine nature. She is now a folk prophetess. Just take a look at the track listing of this double volume:

Disc One
1. Intro
2. Mr. Intentional
3. Adam Lives In Theory
4. Interlude 1
5. Oh Jerusalem
6. Interlude 2
7. Freedom Time
8. Interlude 3
9. I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)
10. Just Like Water
11. Interlude 4
12. Just Want You Around
13. I Gotta Find Peace Of Mind
Disc Two
1. Interlude 5
2. Mystery Of Iniquity
3. Interlude 6
4. I Get Out
5. Interlude 7
6. I Remember
7. So Much Things To Say
8. The Conquering Lion
9. Outro

Anyhow, she has been virtually unnoticed recently, so I thought I would mention her because what she is saying should not be overlooked or ignored. Take a listen at Amazon or LegalSounds.

I Heart Radiohead

06.30.06

Sorry I’ve been such a slacker this month! I’ve been meaning to post about Radiohead since Kalila and I went to their June 4th show at the Bank of America Pavillion in Boston, but haven’t found the right picture to accompany it till now. We had wanted to see Radiohead for the longest time and finally got our chance as they decided to do a short tour this summer before their new album comes out early next year. It is quite rare for a band to tour in order to test their new material rather than just tour after it is released. I have to say that this was probably the best live show that I’ve been to of any artist. I think what helped was the venue being the BOA Pavillion which is an outdoor tent that seats about 5,000 people and doesn’t really have a bad seat any where. We paid a $100 each ticket and would do it again for this band, no questions asked. The sound was crisp, clean, and intelligent. Their look was modern, simple, and complex. I am glad to finally say that I have seen them as they are one of the greatest bands of this age.

Set list:

01 There There
02 2+2=5
03 Lucky
04 15 Step
05 Arpeggi
06 Kid A
07 Dollars And Cents
08 The National Anthem
09 Nud
10 Videotape
11 Paranoid Android
12 Spooks
13 The Gloaming
14 House of Cards
15 Idioteque
16 Bangers ‘N Mash
17 How To Disappear Completely

Encore 1:

18 Airbag
19 Street Spirit
20 Bodysnatchers
21 Everything In Its Right Place

Encore 2

22. 4 Minute Warning
23. My Iron Lung
24. Karma Police

Here are a few good Radiohead sites:

radiohead.com (official)
radiohead.tv (official)
dead air space (official blog)
greenplastic.com (fan site)
radiohead at ease (fan site)

Look out for:

Thom Yorke’s new album, “The Eraser” see theeraser.net
The band’s new album

We Worship Worship

05.08.06

“If you go to church to get your needs met, then I would encourage you not to come to church.”

I took a listen to a talk Derek Web did at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in October 2003 entitled, “Music Style & the Sufficiency of Jesus“. He has some great insights through the lens of worship in the church that is transcultural. Good stuff.

Above All Else

05.04.06

Jesus, my passion in life is to know You
May all other goals bow down to
This journey of loving You more

Jesus, You’ve showered Your goodness on me
Given Your gifts so freely
But there’s one thing I’m longing for

Hear my heart’s cry
And my prayer for this life

Above all else
Above all else
Above all else
Give me Yourself

lyrics by Vicky Beeching
from UK Vineyard CD, Holy