"MIRACULOUS MOVEMENTS" by Jerry Trousdale (published in 2012)
Chapter 9 "OF WHOM THE WORLD IS NOT WORTHY"
Learning from Heroes and Heroines of Faith
If any Muslim is going to follow Christ , he will suffer. I will advise him to depend on the Lord, not on men. I will tell him to pray
much. He has to be strong in his faith because eternal life is awaiting him. The lions are awaiting, but you must love them.
--A leader of pioneer teams among Muslims
THE MIRACLE AT THE IMAM'S HOUSE
In one community, an imam named Sa'id became a Christ follower and began sharing his new faith in the community. Neighboring
Muslims demanded that he abandon this new religion, but he refused. So the threats began.
Sa'id had heard that his life was at risk and began to pray about whether or not to abandon his home and escape to a safe
place. He finally decided to make preparations to leave. But the night before he planned to leave, a group of Muslims surrounded
his home and set fire to the thatched roof. The flames began to spread rapidly, and the noise of the animals staying near the house
alerted Sa'id to what was happening. Sa'id and his family were nearly trapped by the flames, but they narrowly escaped and rushed to rescue the animals near the house.
Sa'id looked up. Half of his roof was gone, and the rest of the house was being enveloped by the flames. He had seconds to get
a safe distance away from the burning house, but before he did, he remembered the stories of God rescuing His people from trouble,
so Sa'id prayed, "Holy God, I don't have anyone to come and help me now. So please help me!" Within seconds, the fire extinguished
itself, leaving only half of the roof destroyed and the house still standing. Amazed and in shock, Sa'id brought his family back inside
and spent the balance of the night there.
At first light, the neighbors saw the destruction and were sure that the family must have died in the fire. But Sa'id and his family
emerged unharmed, and the neighbors realized in amazement that, miraculously, the fire had stopped in the middle of the thatched
(and very flammable) roof. When Sa'id shared what had happened, how God had spared his family, animals, and home, the
community knew that the God of Sa'id was able to save them too. Many of the community became Christ followers after that, and
the persecution of Christians in the area stopped completely.
THEY GAVE SEVEN ANSWERS TO "WHY RISK YOUR LIFE?"
I had the privilege recently of meeting some courageous men whose lives were in danger for spreading the gospel in a particularly
volatile Muslim region. I knew from the first minutes with them that they would do whatever Jesus asked them to do. They were
all former imams, and they came to be Christ followers by questioning some of the things they read in the Qur'an. When they turned
to the Bible for more information, their lives changed forever. Later, when these men discovered the principles of Disciple Making
Movements, their own movement began to accelerate.
Today, you would see no sign that there is a single Christian in their people group, as the men have chosen to avoid drawing
attention to their faith in Christ in order to have more opportunities of safely sharing the gospel with Muslims in their community,
but thousands of underground Christ followers faithfully worship God there in secret meetings. These intrepid leaders have already
begun the process of taking the gospel of Jesus into different regions of the Islamic world that we would not think possible.
All of these men have been in prison at one time or another for following Jesus, some of them for long periods of time. Some of
their colleagues are still in prison after many years. Those who were with us on that day face high risks of being arrested every day,
yet they persist and are not discouraged.
We asked these men why they remain in that dangerous region, putting their lives at risk by continuing to frequent their
mosques to find new people of peace, facilitating hundreds of illegal, underground assemblies of Christians, when they could
easily move to a safer area and live openly for Christ. Here are their answers, in their own words:
We could leave the Muslim community and live comfortably amidst other Christians, but we would not be fulling the
Great Commission if we did that. By putting our lives at risk, we can reach out to our fellow Muslims. And this is an
unfinished task! There are more than two billion Muslims who need to hear the gospel. But more important, we have
a command from God. We know that we put our lives in danger, but we accept that. For the sake of obeying the command
of God, we pursue this vision.
Mankind is created in God's image, and we are very precious in God's eyes. The soul of one man is very precious to Him.
If by putting our lives in danger, we can rescue a soul made in His image, then it is worth that cost.
We have a unique love for these people, because we all came from them. It is we who can understand them, and we know
that Muslim people have a great unsatisfied hunger for salvation.
Every day their daily prayers open with, "Show us the right path," from the first chapter of the Qur'an. We are the answer
to that prayer! We want to be there to show them the right path.
Those people who accepted Christ before us lost everything. They changed their names, their dress, their tribes, their people,
and much more. And that is genuine suffering, being alienated from their own people and losing their own identities. Those
people are persecuted, not just for the cross of Christ, but also for changing their culture. God's word does not tell us
to do this, and we only bring suffering on ourselves and on others by doing something that God did not command.
In prison, we get a double blessing. First, we get to stand and tell others that we are followers of Isa, and we get to tell them
the truth of God's Word. Second, we see many leaders of violent Muslim groups in prison, and we get to share the gospel
the gospel with them. Then they get released and become committed leaders of Isa, sharing the gospel with people we couldn't
reach otherwise. So now many Muslim leaders are saying, "Keep them out of prison, because they just multiply there!"
THE BIBLE AND PERSECUTION
The Bible clearly teaches that persecution is an integral part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. In fact, the New Testament actually
addresses the subject of persecution more than it addresses the subject of love. Christians living in the West have been tremendously
blessed for centuries with the freedom to follow Christ without suffering any dramatic persecution or hardship, but that blessing
has perhaps come at a price. Persecution tends to refine and strengthen faith, and even create an environment of greater growth.
And, in many cases, Christians' responses to persecution can result in the salvation of others, often including the perpetrators.
Of course, no one wants to suffer. A healthy Christian does not go around looking for trouble, trying to get himself martyred.
However, it is not possible to describe the amazing willingness of those who have suffered grievously for the gospel to again and
again put themselves in situations where they suffer for the privilege of rescuing a few more Muslims from their despair to freedom
in Jesus.
We have documented story after story of firsthand experiences in such suffering: people who have lost homes, loved ones,
and personal freedom in exchange for souls. We have known many who have endured severe beatings and imprisonment for the sake
of the gospel, many more who accept the fact that their lives might end tomorrow. These men and women have learned to imitate
Christ, "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged
in your souls" (Hebrews 12:2-3).
In one case, we have seen a Christian leader in a country with less than one thousand known Christians tormented to the
point that he reverted to Islam and thus damaged the cause of the gospel greatly. But unlike that one tragic case, we observe
awe-inspiring courage of many thousands of new Christians enduring very difficult persecutions for the sake of their Lord. Believers
whom we interviewed have watched as their homes were burned to the ground by angry Muslim mobs. One leader's family had hands
severed, many had their spouses and children taken away, and others have been thrown in prison without a trial and left there for
many months or years.
In some very challenging Muslim areas of Africa, many Christ followers are martyred every year. And as this chapter was being
written, several new Christ followers who hosted a low-profile Disciple Making Movement training were tragically martyred after the
event. For our brothers and sisters, most of them former Muslims, who are taking the good news of God's love to more Islamic
communities, there is often an enormous sacrifice required for that privilege.
THE CHURCH THAT WAS SUDDENLY THERE
At about the time that Sa'id's story (with which we opened this chapter) was taking place, another Muslim community in that
same region discovered that four people among them were telling the stories of the Bible and speaking of Jesus. A leader of the
community had become a Christ follower, along with his family, and he had shared the gospel with another man, who in turn took the
gospel to his sons, who then went to another family, and soon there were many people sharing their faith in the town.
And that's when the local officials decided to stop this movement. The four men were arrested and forced to stand
in an area of the town center for ten days awaiting their public punishment for abandoning Islam. The homes of these men
were damaged and some were burned, and the men were forced to stand all day for many days in the sun. When the day of
punishment came, the whole town assembled. Some people had urged the local officials to have mercy on the accused, and
the leaders feared that there might be more people in the community who were secret Christ followers, so they said, "Today these
men will receive their judgment for leaving Islam. But if there are any of you who are also following Isa al Masih, then you should
let that be known and join their punishment. We will discover who you are, either way."
No one moved. A hush had fallen over the crowd, as people shifted uneasily on their feet, some impatient to get on with the
spectacle, others fearful and undecided. The seconds ticked away. . . then a hand was raised in the middle of the crowd. A collective
gasp was heard as an elderly man pushed his way to the front.
"I also am a follower of Isa al Masih!" he declared boldly.
The officials gnashed their teeth in fury, but before they could speak, a young man on the other side of the crowd raised his hand.
Then two women raised their hands, then a young married couple. And almost instantly, hands shot up throughout the crowd. The
leaders stood aghast: half the community were secret believers in Jesus Christ!
The officials stared at one another, not knowing what to do or say. One of the bolder officials finally put on a stern expression
and challenged the crowd: "Are all of you with these four?" He pointed to the doomed men.
"Yes!" was the unanimous chorus.
The leader looked around in consternation as half the village stepped forward, their hands sill raised. "How is this possible?"
he cried. He turned to his fellow leaders, hoping for guidance on what to do. "there have been no outsiders here to bring this about," he said.
"Well," answered one of his fellow leaders, "we cannot do anything now. . . can we?"
The perplexed officials separated the people and said to the Christians, "Since you have made your choice, you can no longer
attend the mosque. But no one will harm you. You can have your own mosque, and you are now free to practice your religion
in a mosque of Isa al Masih." And that is what the Christ followers call the place where they now openly worship God.
THE SHEIKH WHO ARGUED WITH JESUS
Jamil was an influential Muslim sheikh in an urban area of Africa. His specialty was working with teenage boys, teaching from
the Qur'an and training them in the countless daily rituals required by Islam. But he also taught them more practical things, such
as how to persecute the infidels who preach Christianity. He would frequently gather a select group of boys late at night, and they
would travel through the sections of the city where Christians lived, throwing rocks through their windows and vandalizing their homes.
"If you attack a Christian," he would tell the boys, "you will go straight to Allah when you die." And the next morning, he would
rejoin his teenaged followers and resume teaching them from the Muslim holy books
One day, Jamil was scheduled to meet a large group of men in the middle of the night in order to go burn down a Christian church.
That afternoon, he had been training teenagers in the ways of Islam at the mosque, and he decided to take a nap until it was time to
burn the church. But a deep sleep came over him, and with it came a dream.
In Jamil's dream, he saw a huge stone sitting by itself. As he watched, that stone began to change shape and grow taller, until
it took on the form of a man, a very handsome man who seemed to radiate light. This man was looking straight into Jamil's eyes as
though he could see his very soul.
"Do you know the Qur'an?" the man suddenly asked in a loud voice.
"Yes," said Jamil with some pride. "I know the Qur'an."
"Then answer me this: who is Isa?" the man demanded.
"Isa is a man."
"Can you show me where in the Qur'an it says that Isa is a man?"
Jamil dreamed that he began turning page after page in the Qur'an, but he could not find any passage saying that Isa is a man.
It seemed as though he searched for a long time, but somehow, as is common in dreams, none of the words made any sense. Then the glowing man spoke again.
"So. . . you think you know the Qur'an?"
"Yes," Jamil answered, but defensively this time. "Yes, I do know the Qur'an!"
"Then who is Mohammed? Is Mohammed the way, or no? Who is he?"
"Yes," Jamil cried, delighted at knowing such an easy question. "Our prophet is the way! We go to heaven by his teaching!"
"Then show me in the Qur'an where it say that Mohammed is the way."
"Yes, I can show you that," answered Jamil. But once again he searched in vain.
This dream went on for some time with Jamil's confusion regarding the Qur'an growing. Finally, Jamil awoke in the darkness.
He found a flashlight and began to read the Qur'an to see if what he had dreamed was true, and to his astonishment, all the verses
quoted by the man in the dream were accurate, even though he had no memory of reading them before. To shorten our story, God
led a disciple of Christ, a man who himself had once been a sheikh, into contact with Jamil, and this man explained the Scriptures
to him and led him to salvation.
But like Paul on the road to Damascus, Jamil's story didn't end with his salvation. The man who had persecuted Christians
for their faith, who had threatened the very lives of believers, began to understand the principle of suffering for one's obedience
to Christ. He had been a very influential sheikh in his Muslim community, and word spread quickly that he had become a Christian
follower. Wherever he went in his city, people recognized him as "the sheikh who betrayed Islam," and he found himself shunned
and avoided, if he was fortunate.
There were many times when Jamil went out in public and a group of angry Muslims would begin to follow him, waiting for an
opportunity to do violence. On more than one occasion, he had to flee for his life under a shower of rocks and broken bottles. Two
or three times, his family were awakened in terror to the sound of their windows being smashed. "But the more they persecuted me,"
he observed, "the stronger my faith grew in Christ."
As time passed, Jamil became convicted over the many teens whom he had led toward darkness when he'd been a sheikh, and he
began a ministry of preaching the gospel to those same young men. Over a period of a few short months, more than half of those
teenagers became Christ followers themselves. This alarmed the Muslim leaders in Jamil's city, and they began making announcements
in the mosque of five thousand people to harm or even kill Jamil for his "betrayal." "If you find this man," they would cry, "kill him! He
is misleading our women and children. Wherever you find him, destroy him!"
Late one night, Jamil stepped out of the home of another Christian where he'd been attending prayer meeting, and he stopped
short. There were many people--hundreds, as it turned out--milling about on the streets and in alleyways, waiting for him to come
out. He was very frightened, but he decided that it was better to make his way home than to go back inside, lest the mob burn down
the house and kill his fellow believers. So he prayed, "Lord, let your will be done in my life," and started walking toward home.
He did not get far. Another knot of angry men emerged in front of him, brandishing sticks and clubs and blocking his path.
Jamil immediately found himself surrounded, as his enemies began picking up rocks. There was a tense moment of silence, very
brief but long enough for Jamil to recognize a man that he'd known for many years. Their eyes met, and the other man looked
ashamed. Then the circle tightened as people got ready for the stoning.
"Wait!" someone shouted. It was an old friend of Jamil's, a man whom we will call Mohammed. "We do not need to kill him.
Why should we kill him? Let's just talk with him and tell him the truth about Allah. He is a good man inside; we can make him
come back to Islam!"
A murmur of dissent rippled through the crowd. A burly man facing Jamil could see the fear in his eyes. "No!" he shouted.
"This man deserves to die! He has betrayed Islam." Some of the people nearest him chorused in agreement, hefting their rocks and
encouraging the speaker. The crowd was becoming divided in its intentions, which only made the situation all the more volatile.
The burly man added one more incentive to violence. "We have been commanded by the imams to kill him! He will not return
home tonight alive!"
And with that last thought still on his lips the burly man threw his stone at Jamil with all his strength.
But Jamil ducked.
The stone flew over his head and struck someone full in the face on the other side of the circle. It was none other than Mohammed,
the very man who had urged for mercy for Jamil. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his forehead.
Instantly, the hostile circle surrounding Jamil divided itself into a second circle surrounding Jamil and another who knelt beside him:
Mohammed's brother Ali.
"What have you done?" Ali screamed at the crowd, leaping to his feet. "Instead of correcting this man [pointing at Jamil], you end
up attacking my family!" And he lunged forward, charging enraged at the man who threw the stone. Instantly, Jamil's persecutors
forgot about him and turned on one another. Pandemonium ensued, with men and women shoving, swinging, cursing, shouting,
trying to get away, and trying to strike out.
And in the confusion, Jamil fled. "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer," he later quoted, "My God, my strength,
in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. . . He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who
hated me, for they were too strong for me." (Psalm 18: 2, 17)
THE COURAGE OF MUSLIM-BACKGROUND BELIEVERS TODAY
The narratives in this chapter give evidence to a simple truth: new Muslim-background Christ followers in Africa are giving the
Christians of the world a standard of courage to strive for. Their acts of courage are so many, it was difficult to choose which stories
to share. In one region of Africa, extreme persecution of Christians is almost a daily affair. In recent years, more than fifty different
ministries adopted Disciple Making Movement principles and began to target that area, and today there are more than three hundred
new underground churches in that region. Tragically, some of these new Christians have lost their lives, but that has only served to
increase the determination of their brothers and sisters in Christ. These sorts of men and women are described by Scripture as those
"of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38).
When Muslims discover that God really loves them, no power in the world will stop them from sharing it with other Muslims.
I do not know any men and women of faith today who are more courageous than my former-Muslim brothers and sisters in Africa.
They are facing down persecution on a daily basis with a commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of seeing God
glorified among their brothers and sisters who are still in the mosque.
Monday, September 28, 2026
"MIRACULOUS MOVEMENTS" by Jerry Trousdale -- Chapter 9
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Smashing Pumpkins - In The Arms of Sleep (Acoustic) - Live in Concord VIP Experience
Smashing Pumpkins - In the Arms of Sleep
Sleep will not come to this tired body now
Peace will not come to this lonely heart
There are some things I'll live without
But I want you to know that I need you right now
I need you tonight
I steal a kiss from her sleeping shadow moves
And I'll always miss her wherever she goes
And I'll always need her more than she will ever need me
I need someone to ease my mind
But sometimes a someone is so hard to find
And I'll be anything to keep her here tonight
And I'll do anything to make it all alright
And I'll say anything to keep her here tonight
I want you to know, that I need you so
Sleep will not come to this tired body now
Peace will not come to this lonely heart
There are some things I'll live without
But I want you to know that I need you right now
Suffer my desire
Suffer my desire
Suffer my desire for you
Suffer my desire
Suffer my desire
Suffer my desire for you
For you
For you
José González - Stay Alive (live at the Royale) | 4.21.26 | Boston, MA
José González - Stay Alive
There's a rhythm in rush these days
Where the lights don't move and the colors don't fade
Leaves you empty with nothing but dreams
In a world gone shallow
In a world gone lean
Sometimes there's things a man cannot know
Gears won't turn and the leaves won't grow
There's no place to run and no gasoline
Engine won't turn
And the train won't leave
Engines won't turn and the train won't leave
I will stay with you tonight
Hold you close 'til the morning light
In the morning watch a new day rise
We'll do whatever just to stay alive
We'll do whatever just to stay alive
Well the way I feel is the way I write
It isn't like the thoughts of the man who lies
There is a truth and it's on our side
Dawn is coming
Open your eyes
Look into the sun as the new days rise
And I will wait for you tonight
You're here forever and you're by my side
I've been waiting all my life
To feel your heart as it's keeping time
We'll do whatever just to stay alive
Dawn is coming
Open your eyes
Dawn is coming
Open your eyes
Dawn is coming
Open your eyes
Dawn is coming
Open your eyes
Look into the sun as the new days rise
There's a rhythm in rush these days
Where the lights don't move and the colors don't fade
Leaves you empty with nothing but dreams
In a world gone shallow
In a world gone lean
But there is a truth and it's on our side
Dawn is coming open your eyes
Look into the sun as a new days rise
Candlebox - I Remember Everything
Candlebox - I Remember Everything
Follow the road
I'm gonna dance for you
Blurry-eyed
Another chance for you
Another town
My head hanging low
What did I say?
Where could you go?
Don't wanna know just who you are
Don't wanna know who's keeping score, are you?
Can't quit you or leave you alone
I don't wanna know
'Cause I already know
I remember everything
I remember everything
A flash of light
A so-called paradise
And if I could
I'd surely roll the dice
Losing my grip
Time, how it flies
Still standing still
And who pays the price?
Don't wanna know just who you are
Don't wanna know who's keeping score, are you?
I can't quit you or leave you alone
I don't wanna know
'Cause I already know
Exhaled the life
Please don't say goodbye
Feeling the love
Feeling alive
Don't wanna know just who you are
Don't wanna know who's keeping score, are you?
I can't quit you or leave you alone
I don't wanna know
'Cause I already know
I remember everything
I remember everything
I remember everything
I remember everything
I remember everything
André Rieu - Nearer My God to Thee
André Rieu - Nearer My God to Thee
1 Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
2 Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
yet in my dreams I'd be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
3 There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
angels to beckon me
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
4 Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
so by my woes to be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
5 Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Matt Maher - High Above It All
Matt Maher - High Above It All
He is the image of God
The first born of all of creation
Maker of heaven and earth
Ruler of every dominion
He is before everything
Author of life and salvation
He is the king of all kings
Every knee bow in confess his name
He reigns
He reigns
High above it all
He reigns
He reigns
High above it all
He is the head of the church
He's holding all things together
Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall
But the saints and the angels forever say
He reigns
He reigns
High above it all
He reigns
He reigns
High above it all
Sovereign and Holy
Worthy of all our praise
He reigns
He reigns
High above it all
High above it all
We will bless the name of Jesus
High above it all
He is Lord all times and seasons
High above it all
We will bless the name of Jesus
High above it all
With the heavens we will sing it
High above it all
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Green Day - We Are The Champions -- Live 8 in Berlin at Siegessäule - 2nd July, 2005
Green Day - We Are The Champions
I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls -
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all -
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise -
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race -
And I ain't gonna lose -
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -
Geoff Castellucci - HALLELUJAH (Low Bass Cover)
Geoff Castellucci - HALLELUJAH
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Leonard Cohen / Theresa Christina Calonge De Sa Mattos
Hallelujah lyrics © Sony/atv Songs Llc
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Breaking Benjamin - Angels Fall
Breaking Benjamin - Angels Fall
I try to face the fight within
But it's over
I'm ready for the riot to begin
And surrender
I walked the path that led me to the end
Remember
I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give
Forever
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Grey skies will chase the light away
No longer
I fought the fight now only dark remains
Forever
Divided I will stand
And I will let this end
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
The sun begins to rise
And wash away the sky
The turning of the tide
Don't leave it all behind
And I will never say goodbye
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Forever, forever
Switchfoot - Natural Causes (live)
When everything fell to pieces
I was looking to find a reason for the pain
And you said, “Everything has a season
Why does it have to have a meaning anyway?”
But I still can’t accept that we
Were meant to fall away
Fade away
All my days turn back to night
Dust to dust
But I don’t want our love to die
Of natural causes
Oh honey, we’ve spent all our lives
Bracing for one more quake on the fault-line
Oh lately, feels like I’ve gone blind
Waiting to hear your voice on the phone line
Fade away
Nothing that I trust survives
Dust to dust
But I don’t want our love die
Of natural causes
On and on the future’s calling
On and on the rain keeps falling
Of natural causes
And she said, “Everybody falls apart
Life is what we leave behind”
And she said, “Everybody falls apart
It’s just nature's laws”
Maybe only love survives
These natural causes
Fade away
Nothing that I hold is mine
From dust to dust
Love and only love survives
These natural causes
"Streams in the Desert" written by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman - a book of daily devotionals originally published in 1925
"Streams in the Desert" July 26th
"For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness." (Galatians 5:5, R.V.)
THERE are times when things look very dark to me--so dark that I have to wait even for hope. It is bad enough to wait in hope.
A long-deferred fulfillment carries its own pain, but to wait FOR hope, to see no glimmer of a prospect and yet refuse to despair;
to have nothing but night before the casement and yet to keep the casement open for possible stars; to have a vacant place in
my heart and yet to allow that place to be filled by no inferior presence--that is the grandest patience in the universe. It is Job
in the tempest; it is Abraham on the road to Moriah; it is Moses in the desert of Midian; it is the Son of man in the Garden
of Gethsemane.
There is no patience so hard as that which endures, "as seeing him who is invisible"; it is the waiting for hope.
Thou hast made waiting beautiful; thou has made patience divine. Thou hast taught us that the Father's will may
be received just because it is His will. Thou hast revealed to us that a soul may see nothing but sorrow in the cup and yet may
refuse to let it go, convinced that the eye of the Father sees further than its own.
Give me this Divine power of Thine, the power of Gethsemane. Give me the power to wait for hope itself, to look out
from the casement where there are no stars. Give me the power, when the very joy that was set before me is gone, to stand
unconquered amid the night, and say, "To the eye of my Father it is perhaps shining still." I shall reach the climax of
strength when I have learned to wait for hope. --George Matheson.
Strive to be one of those--so few--who walk the earth with ever-present consciousness--all mornings, middays, star-times--
that the unknown which men call Heaven is "close behind the visible scene of things."
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Alien Ant Farm - Gaslighter
Are you the enemy?
Whose side are you on?
You've been telling me lies all along
I'm finding every secret
I don't know who the hell you are
I think I found the enemy, yeah, yeah
Gaslighter, pull you under
Make you believe that there's no other
Fire, start a flamethrower
Why do you feel colder from the lies they told you?
I can't figure you out
What you try to convey
Just say what you mean
Mean what you say
I'm seeing every red flag
I don't know who the hell you are
I feel the flame inside of me, yeah, yeah
Gaslighter, pull you under
Make you believe that there's no other
Fire, start a flamethrower
Why do you feel colder from the lies they told you?
Light the fuse
Burn the liars
Hold them to it
Stoke the fire
Light the fuses
Burn the liars
Hold them to it
Stoke the fire
Gaslighter
Pull you under
Make you believe that there's no other
Fire, start a flamethrower
Why do you feel colder from the lies they told you?
Gaslighter, pull you under
Gaslighter, pull you under
The Killers - Just What I Needed (The Cars) @Madison Square Garden, New York 1/12/18
The Killers - Just What I Needed
[Verse 1]
I don't mind you comin' here
And wastin' all my time
'Cause when you're standin' oh, so near
I kinda lose my mind
It's not the perfume that you wear
It's not the ribbons in your hair
And I don't mind you comin' here
And wastin' all my time
[Verse 2]
I don't mind you hangin' out
And talkin' in your sleep
It doesn't matter where you've been
As long as it was deep, yeah
You always knew to wear it well, and
You look so fancy, I can tell
And I don't mind you hangin' out
And talkin' in your sleep
[Chorus]
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
[Verse 1]
I don't mind you comin' here
And wastin' all my time, time
'Cause when you're standin' oh, so near
I kinda lose my mind, yeah
It's not the perfume that you wear
It's not the ribbons in your hair
And I don't mind you comin' here
And wastin' all my time
[Chorus]
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed (Just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
Yeah, yeah, so bleed me
[Outro]
(You're just what I needed)
(You're just what I needed)
(You're just what I needed)
Yeah, yeah-yeah
Switchfoot - Shake the Dust
I walked through the cemetery twice today
Got the feeling that the dead had something to say:
“The earth makes roommates
Out of carbon based primates”
The grave was trying to communicate
Shake the dust, shake the dust
When the world you used to trust
Is in pieces all around you
It’s not what you thought it was
Shake the dust, shake the dust
When your empire starts to rust
Only love outlasts the living
'Til the dust makes you one of us
Germany shot my grandpa down
But he survived to love that same German town
The former soldiers that he met
With his American accent
He only talked to me about the common ground, he said:
Someday when I’m on my own deathbed
I’ll speak the words my own grandfather said
Shake the dust, shake the dust
When the world you used to trust
Is in pieces all around you
It’s not what you thought it was
Shake the dust, shake the dust
When your empire starts to rust
Only love outlasts the living
'Til the dust and rust will claim the rest of us
The Killers - Sister Golden Hair (America's Cover) with Gerry Beckley in Sydney
The Killers - Sister Golden Hair
Well, I tried to make it Sunday
But I got so damn depressed
That I set my sights on Monday
And I got myself undressed
I ain't ready for the altar
But I do agree there's times
When a woman sure can be a friend of mine
Well, I keep on thinkin' 'bout you
Sister golden hair surprise
And I just can't live without you
Can't you see it in my eyes?
I've been one poor correspondent
I've been too, too hard to find
But it doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind
Will you meet me in the middle?
Will you meet me in the air?
Will you love me just a little
Just enough to show you care
Well, I tried to fake it
I don't mind saying
I just can't make it
Well, I keep on thinkin' 'bout you
Sister golden hair surprise
And I just can't live without you
Can't you see it in my eyes?
I've been one poor correspondent
I've been too, too hard to find
But it doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind
Will you meet me in the middle?
Will you meet me in the air?
Will you love me just a little
Just enough to show you care
Well, I tried to fake it
I don't mind saying
I just can't make it
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Eddie Vedder - No More
[Verse 1]
I speak for a man who gave for this land
Took a bullet in the back for his pay
Spilled his blood in the dirt and the dust
And he's come back to say
That what he has seen is hard to believe
And it does no good to just pray
Oh, he asks of us to stand and we must
End this war today
[Chorus]
With his mind, he's saying, "No more!"
With his heart, he's saying, "No more!"
With his life, he's saying, "No more war!"
With his eyes, he's saying, "No more!"
With his body, he's saying, "No more!"
With his voice, he's saying, "No more war!
No more war!"
[Verse 2]
Yeah, nothing's too good for a veteran
Yeah, this is what they say
So nothing is what they will get
In this new American way
The lies that were told to get us to go
Were criminal let us be straight
Let's get to the point where our voices are heard
Behind the white house gates
[Chorus]
With our minds, we're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts, we're saying, "No more!"
With our lives, we're saying, "No more war!"
With our eyes, we're saying, "No more!"
With our bodies, we're saying, "No more!"
With our voices, we're saying, "No more war!
No more war!"
[Bridge]
No more innocents dying
No more terrorizing
No more eulogizing
No more
No more evangelizing
No more
No more presidents lying
No more war
[Chorus]
With our minds, we're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts, we're saying, "No more!
With our lives, we're saying, "No more war!
No more war!
No more war!
No more war!
No more war!
No more war!
No more war!"
Monday, September 21, 2026
Rocket Science - Burn in Hell
Rocket Science - Burn in Hell
I was dancing like a crazy man
The record played my favourite sound
Said, "Girl you're too damn cute"
She said, "I prefer a man in a Sunday suit"
You know, I like to burn in hell
Yeah, I've got my soul to sell
The car was hot but my mind was steady
The boat was hot but the night was heavy
I said, "Girl you make me feel so good"
And said "I'm just bad with the firey burn"
You know, I like to burn in hell
Ah yeah, I got my soul to sell
Burn in hell!
Wow!
Go!
I was feelin' like a stupid top
The people yellin' and they make me stop
The walls lowered and they quivered with bugs
Y'know the bad flew away when we made love
Yeah, I like to burn in hell
Yeah, I've got my soul to sell
Burn in hell!
Wow!
Go, go, go, wooow!
Burn in hell, burn in hell, burn in hell
Woow, look out!
Oh wow!
Coldplay - Clocks -- 20th Anniversary Show - Jimmy Kimmel Live
The lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead, singing
Come out of things unsaid
Shoot an apple off my head and a
Trouble that can't be named
A tiger's waiting to be tamed, singing
You are
You are
Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know, singing
Come out upon my seas
Cursed missed opportunities
Am I a part of the cure?
Or am I part of the disease? Singing
You are, you are, you are
You are, you are, you are
And nothing else compares
Oh nothing else compares
And nothing else compares
You are
You are
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Coldplay - WE PRAY ft. Little Simz & Elyanna - Glastonbury 2024
Coldplay - We Pray
(Whoa!)
And so We Pray
I pray that I don’t give up
Pray that I do my best
Pray that I can lift up
Pray my brother is blessed
Praying for enough
Pray Virgilio wins
Pray I-I-I
Judge nobody and forgive me my sins
I pray we make it
Pray my friend will pull through
Pray as I take it
Unto others I do
Praying on your love
We pray with every breath
Though I-I–I’m in the valley of the shadow of death
And so We Pray
For someone to come and show me the way
And so We Pray
For some shelter and some records to play
And so We Pray
We’ll be singing Baraye
Pray that we make it to the end of the day
And so We Pray
I know somewhere that heaven is waiting
And so We Pray
I know somewhere there’s something amazing
And so We Pray
I know somewhere we’ll feel no pain
Until we make it to the end of the day
I pray the love will
Shelter us from our fears
Oh I pray you trust to
Let me wipe off your tears
Confront all the pain that we felt inside
With all the cards we've been dealt in life
Pray I-I-I speak my truth and keep my sisters alive
So for the ones who parted seas
For the ones who’s following dreams
For the ones who knocked down doors
And allowed us to pass down keys
Pray that we speak with a tongue that is honest
And that we understand how to be modest
Pray when she looks at herself in the mirror
She sees a queen
She sees a goddess
And so We Pray
For someone to come and show me the way
And so We Pray
For some shelter and some records to play
And so We Pray
We’ll be singing Baraye
Pray that we make it to the end of the day
And so We Pray
I know somewhere that heaven is waiting
And so We Pray
I know somewhere there’s something amazing
And so We Pray
I know somewhere we’ll feel no pain
Until we make it to the end of the day
On my knees
I pray
As I sleep and wake
Cause inside my head is a frightening place
Keep a smiling face
Only by His grace
Cause love’s more than I can take
And so We Pray
For someone to come and show me the way
And so We Pray
For some shelter and some records to play
And so We Pray
We’ll be singing Baraye
‘til nobody’s in need
And everybody can say
La la la la la la la (la la)
La la la la la la la (la la la la)
La la la la la la la (sing it to me)
La la la la la
We Pray We Pray
I know somewhere that heaven is waiting (is waiting)
I know somewhere there’s something amazing (something amazing)
Until we feel no pain
We Pray
We Pray
We Pray
Live - Lightning Crashes (Live in St Louis MO 07-17-2025)
Live - Lightning Crashes
Lightning crashes
A new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door
Lightning crashes
An old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers
Belongs now, to the baby down the hall
Oh, now feel it coming back again
Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind
Forces pulling from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it
Lightning crashes
A new mother cries
This moment she's been waiting for
The angel opens her eyes
Pale blue colored iris presents the circle
And puts the glory out to hide, hide
Oh, now feel it comin' back again
Like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it
I can feel it
I can feel it coming back again
Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind
Forces pulling from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it
I can feel it coming back again
Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind
Forces pulling from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it
I can feel it coming back again
Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind
Forces pulling from the center of the Earth again
I can feel it
I can feel it
I can feel it
Eddie Vedder - Guaranteed -- Firenze Rocks Festival, Firenze, Italy 06.24.2017
On bended knee is no way to be free
Lifting up an empty cup, I ask silently
That all my destinations will accept the one that's me
So I can breathe
Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
Half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know
Got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul
And so it goes
Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Owning me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you
Everyone I come across in cages they bought
They think of me and my wandering but I'm never what they thought
Got my indignation but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive
Wind in my hair I feel part of everywhere
Underneath my being is a road that disappeared
Late at night I hear the trees they're singing with the dead
Overhead
Leave it to me as I find a way to be
Consider me a satellite forever orbiting
I know all the rules but the rules did not know me
Guaranteed.
Macklemore - HIND'S HALL - The Free Palestine Song (Sous-titres français)
Macklemore - HIND'S HALL - The Free Palestine Song
Woo
Yeah, the people, they won't leave
What is threatenin' about divesting and wantin' peace?
The problem isn't the protests, it's what they're protestin'
It goes against what our country is fundin' (Hey)
Block the barricade until Palestine is free (Hey)
Block the barricade until Palestine is free
When I was seven, I learned a lesson from Cube and Eazy-E
What was it again? Oh yeah, fuck the police (Woo)
Actors in badges protecting property
And a system that was designed by white supremacy (Brrt)
But the people are in the streets
You can pay off Meta, you can't pay off me
Politicians who serve by any means
AIPAC, CUFI, and all the companies
You see, we sell fear around the land of the free
But this generation here is about to cut the strings
You can ban TikTok, take us out the algorithm
But it's too late, we've seen the truth, we bear witness
Seen the rubble, the buildings, the mothers and the children
And all the men that you murdered and then we see how you spin it
Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance
Has always been about dollars and the color of your pigment, but
White supremacy is finally on blast
Screamin' "Free Palestine" 'til they're home at last (Woo)
We see the lies in them, claimin' it's antisemitic to be anti-Zionist
I've seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and ridin' in
Solidarity and screamin' "Free Palestine" with them
Organizin', unlearnin' and finally cuttin' ties with
A state that's gotta rely on an apartheid system to uphold an occupyin' violent
History been repeating for the last seventy-five
The Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied (Woo)
If students in tents posted on the lawn
Occupyin' the quad is really against the law
And a reason to call in the police and their squad
Where does genocide land in your definition, huh? (Hey; hey)
Destroyin' every college in Gaza and every mosque
Pushin' everyone into Rafah and droppin' bombs
The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all
And fuck no, I'm not voting for you in the fall (Woo)
Undecided, you can't twist the truth, the people out here united
Never be defeated when freedom's on the horizon
Yet the music industry's quiet, complicit in their platform of silence (Hey, woo)
What happened to the artist? What do you got to say?
If I was on a label, you could drop me today
I'd be fine with it 'cause the heart fed my page
I want a ceasefire, fuck a response from Drake (Woo)
What you willin' to risk? What you willin' to give?
What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?
If the West was pretendin' that you didn't exist
You'd want the world to stand up and the students finally did, let's get it (Woo)
Brrt
Woo
Julian Dorey Podcast --The Disturbing Story Tedx SILENCED | Harry Miller
Julian Dorey Podcast --The Disturbing Story Tedx SILENCED | Harry Miller
***TIMESTAMPS*** 0:00 - Harry Miller, Ohio State & Urban Meyer 2:16 - "College Football Is Like a Cult" 12:26 - Shoulder Injury in the National Championship 23:33 - First Suicidal Thought at Age Seven 34:10 - "Only a God Would Choose to Suffer" 48:49 - Coach Day, Psychiatry & Wanting to Write 58:35 - Tearing His PCL & "The Famous Letter" 1:08:39 - "I Am Not the Only One" 1:16:30 - Why He's GLAD He Missed Oxford 1:27:24 - Broke in New York, Jack Kerouac Mode 1:37:37 - The Loneliness Epidemic in Young Men 1:48:39 - Nietzsche, The Backrooms & Why Art Should Scare 2:08:31 - End Times, Singularity & Happiness 2:29:22 - Stripping the Ego, Fearing Death 2:39:32 - How an Old Lion Dies 2:45:18 - Harry's Work
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child of Mine
Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child of Mine
She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky (Sky)
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long I'd probably break down and cry
Whoa-oh-oh! Sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh-oh-oh! Sweet love of mine
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by
Whoa-oh-oh! Sweet child o' mine
Ooh, oh-oh-oh! Sweet love of mine
Oh yeah! Whoa-oh-oh-oh! Sweet child o' mine
Ooh-oh, oh, oh! Sweet love of mine
Whoa, oh-oh-oh! Sweet child o' mine, ooh yeah
Ooh! Sweet love of mine
Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Ooh, where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go now?
Where do we go? (Sweet child)
Ooh, where do we go now?
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay
Where do we go now? Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, wow
Where do we go?
Oh, where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Ooh, where do we go now?
Now, now, now, now, now, now, now
Sweet child, sweet child o' mine
Good Neighbours - Home -- Glastonbury 2025
It's a light relief from a bad habit
It's my mother's cookin' when I can't have it
It's the last train home from the day trippin'
It's the place I know when I start slippin'
Darling, won't you take me home?
Send me shivers somewhere I used to go
Wrap my name across your mouth
When I let my feelings down
Darling, won't you take me home?
Yeah, won't you take me
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Tell me, does your mother know? Oh
I still love you, head to toe, yeah
Like the back of my car on a sunny day
You're the song on the radio I never play
You're the words in my soul that I wanna say, yeah, I wanna say
So won't you make me stay?
Won't you take me home?
Send me shivers somewhere I used to go
Wrap my name across your mouth
When I let my feelings down
Darling, won't you take me home?
Yeah, won't you take me
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh