I came across this on youtube. I've loved Sanctus Real for awhile now, and I love the song Lay Down My Guns from their most recently released album, We Need Eachother. This interview is with Matt Hammitt the lead sing on the subject of that song and then there is a video that is amazing...please watch it. Its intense. I hope it gives you hope in your life that we can find rest in GOD and also, I hope it moves you to pray for our soldiers and the leaders of this country. We are blessed to live here, even when its hard to remember that, its none the less true.
Interview with Matt Hammitt...
JFH (John): What's the story behind "Lay Down My Guns?"
Matt: There's this guy named Doug McKelvey who contributed some of the lyrics for "I'm Not Alright" on the last record and he was really the first cowrite we used with the band besides producers who had contributed stuff here and there. What he had basically done with that song, "I'm Not Alright," is he came in and had done such a good job with helping us edit the lyrics and taking them to the next level. So we had been looking to get stuff from him ever since, if it works. So instead of just cowriting, he'd send us some random lyrics. We actually weren't going to use any outside writers on this record, and then Doug sent over kind of a b-file of extra lyrics and he had a worship song that had the line, "Lay down your guns, lift up your hands." And I just liked that one line. We didn't use any of the other lyrics and I basically wrote a whole new concept on that one line, and then even changed that line a little bit. Because it immediately made me think of the war that's going on right now and what soldiers go through, and just thinking of these guys away from their families for so long... They basically live to defend themselves in our country. And how good does it feel when you can finally come home and set your guns down and be able to not be on your guard anymore. Just be able to have that release, y'know? And then it made me think of how that's life too. That, while we're on this earth, kind of like spiritually and emotionally, we have so many defenses up all of the time that we have to have because we have an enemy. What would it feel like? How good would it feel to get to heaven and lay down our guns and lift up our hands and learn to completely love again. It's really just a metaphor using the war in Iraq as a metaphor for our spiritual journey. I like that song a lot.
Lay Down My Guns
I'm Tired Of My Hands Getting In The Way
So I've heard of some different kinds of 'visions' God can give someone, the sort of 'open' ones where you basically feel like your in another place, or a snap shot. Like a picture that flashes, then I guess there are 'closed'. More of a thought placed in your mind...
During the After Party at my youth group a song called Teach Me How To Pray was playing by Jason Upton. One line says somehting a long the lines of "I'm tired of my hands getting in the way." God has been showing me how even though I KNOW God is able to do ANYTHING, I have issues with trying things in my own strength. Even though all the strength in the width of eternity and more is at my fingertips, sometimes I try things on my own...which ends up failing...so as that song was playing God gave me a sort of 'closed' vision you could say..
I was reaching at something, trying to move it. And as my hands would reach out for it I saw that Jesus, I just knew it was him, couldnt exactly see him, he reached out to grab the same object but stopped when he saw my hands in the way. He then came along side me, placed his hands on my shoulders and reached for my hands that he folded and placed infront of me then grabbed the object himself.
Then it was like I was trying to speak to someone and kept stumbling over my words and Jesus again walked up to me, placed his hands around his neck, reached out and placed his hands over mine and I was able to say whatever I had been trying to say.
Likewise, I saw myself walking on this seemingly smooth path but I kept falling. I would fall and get back up and keep going but then trip. I saw myself fall and this time I was having trouble getting up and Jesus came up and knelt down infront of me. he grabbed me by both shoulders and looked into my eyes then we stood up togehter. He then put his arm around my side and we walked on together.
The last snapshot I got was me sitting down writing in a notebook. I looked frustrated and worried he came up along side me and knelt down once more, he looked at what I was writing. I didnt even look at him I just kept writing in a fury. He placed his hand over a page of what I had written and tilted my chin up to look at his face. Again, I couldnt SEE his face...but I was looking at it. He then looked down at my hand gripping the pen. I followed his eyes and watched as he unfolded my hand and slipped the pen out of his hand.
Thats a lot of rambling kinda, but yeah. The last snapshot kinda hit me the most. I am by no means perfect, but as I try to live my life for God he is still pointing out the things that need work. My dependence on him needs to be heightened. I of course trust him for all things, but like I said, there are times I jump ahead without taking the needed time and deep prayer to hear God's voice clearly on an issue. So he is working on me to really pay attention when I go into something, to make sure and depend on him and not try and do things in my own strength....so not sure why I shared that. But I wanted to. So say a prayer for me in my endevour to purge the things in my life that are hindering my walk from going even DEEPER, cause there is so much more of God to discover!
"Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quitness and confidence is your strengh." - Isa. 30:15
Janice Marie Leo
I wrote this and then read it at Jan’s funeral, I tried to sum her up, which is impossible but these were some things that stood out in my mind..I’ll miss her, but she left an AMAZING legacy!
What can I say about Jan? I loved her as if she was an aunt. One of the things that stand out in my mind is when we took her classes at SHARE. From spending hours with her in the stuffy "rainbow" room to dissecting cow eyes she always had a smile on her face. I remember the lunch times we had at McDonalds on Tuesdays, when my mom, Sue Stuut and Jan would scold us teens about our unhealthy food. While Jan sat there, never without her Dr. Pepper. During classes she would often tell jokes and pause for our response with a smirk on her face. As we all stared back wide eyed in confusion, she would erupt into laughter but always make sure to assure us that she was laughing WITH us and not AT us.
She was an amazing teacher and she loved it so much. She said she wanted to prepare us for college homework, with the homework load she laid on us I think we’d be ready for going to Mars! Even with the amazing teacher she was its not the thing I loved most about her. Besides the fact that her being in my life brought Aliscia, one of my best friends to me, I admire her most for her love of Jesus.
Not only did she say she loved Jesus she lived it. It was impossible to come in contact with her and walk away doubting if she was sincere. She was constantly bringing up the hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. She would speak into my life often. Most times she would do so until I was annoyed. I was annoyed only because I knew that the point she was making was true and that I was in fault on my position in a situation. I can see her sitting in the rocking chair in my living room during one of the lady’s prayer times, she would get so excited when they talked about God and what he was doing. Her face would light up and she would begin to speak louder and louder as the other ladies joined in all talking at once.
When I look back Jan didn’t only leave a legacy of being a good school teacher. For me she left a dual part legacy. First and foremost she was a genuine example of living sacrificially and unashamedly for the love of her life- Jesus. Secondly she showed me things about God and His love in ways I hadn’t seen before. Ultimately I feel God called her to be a teacher, at least in my life. She was always praising God and praying for others, thinking about other people rather than herself. The last time I saw her, just last week she was praising God and praying for Dwight’s aching back. To see her praying for others while we were all lifting HER up in prayer was a humbling sight.
I would have to say that the last thing she taught me was to see that God is always good and deserves all our praise not just when we are on the mountains, but in the valleys as well.
Wound me friends..
Hey guys, I've been thinking, a whole lot, a phenomonon that happens more and more often now a days. Anyways, I want to clean out ANY trash in my life, even the ones that I am hiding in the corner...hoping no ones sees or that I forgot. So, friends, any of you that may read this, please help me.
I don't want pride, I dont want selfishness, or self-righteoussness to be anywhere in my life. I know that I have to choose everyday to not give into these desires of my flesh, I have to chose to think, smell and look like Jesus.
So i'm simply blogging to say that I want more than anything else to genuinely represent Christ and His love to everyone around me. As christians, we need to raise the standard for the church, be real and not put on a mask. So I'm asking you all to be my wounding friends. So please if you see anything in me tell me, I may not react in a receptive way, but I'll try. I want anything in me that grieves the heart of God, ANY OF THE THINGS I DONT REALIZE are there to go. So tell me, help keep me accountable. Call me out if you see me judging, or being self righteouss. Please! I know sometimes its easier for people out of the box to see things that I dont inside me or the way I act..
So thats it, thats all, I just am asking you to help me along, sharpon me, wound me.
Mutual joy in being pursued..
So first off we're all kicking into high gear with everything to do with the Dominican Republic this summer. Its busy but exciting! We started practicing dramas and are bringing in items for the auction, I sent out my letters..so its all in motion. If you guys could be praying for me and all the others going that would be greatly appreciated!
So secondly, I don't usually get the time...or make the time really.. to have that personal secret place with God every single day. I all to often let my busy scheduale get the best of me. But I MADE the time all but one day this week to spend about 45 mins or so alone with God. And its so crazy obvious how better my week goes. Its not like I go with out spending time in His Word I do that every day, but there is just that boost and encouragement and joy you get out of those alone times with Him. So that was great to have this past week. He actually at one point arranged it! I was at work and had covered another girl's shift earlier in the week so my boss came to be and said we needed to cut a few of my hour this week cause I can't work over 18..so I ended up going home early that day which gave me like an hour of extra time that I got to spend with God! Hes so funny! :)
So amidst my "Jesus Times" i've been meditating on Jeremiah 29:13 "If you look for me in earnest you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you, says the Lord." that is a crazy picture of how intimate God is. He is such a BIG God but he loves intimacy with us. So dwelling on that scripture....I read Psalm 23:6 "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life..." God's goodness PURSUES us. His unfailing love-which he IS love- pursues us. Not only does he want US to come after HIM with the promise of us FINDING him, but he pursues US! That is kinda hard to wrap your mind around...but what a precious thought it is!
So then came today, the church service was great. During worship Abbey Andrews (AMAZING GIRL AND SINGER- Go check her out on myspace) sang one of her songs. And as God would have it, as if it was tailored solely to me- the chorus breaks out into "You are not hiding, you show your face" and talked all about how he wants to tell us who he is himself and wants to unlock his riches to us and opens his heart to us and I just couldn't handle how personal it felt! It was like God was there confirming all the things my heart has been pondering this past week, it was just awesome. God is so amazing! He pursues us, as a girl that is always an amazing picture of God and a beautiful truth about his nature, he LOVES us so much! But he also likes it when we seek him, when we are abandoned to all other things and pursue him! A mutual enjoyment of being pursued.. :)
"My name is the Lord Almighty. And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely within my hand, I set all the stars in space and established the earth. I am the one who says to, 'You are mine!'" -Isaiah 51:16 Di you see the picture He paints? He says establishes how majestic and creative he is by saying how he is the creator of the stars and then says that he is the SAME God who says I am HIS! :)
