Holier Than Thou - HOW GOD'S HOLINESS HELPS US TRUST HIM written by Jackie Hill Perry (Author of Gay Girl, Good God)
Chapter Seven p. 151-168
Holy How? : Behold, We Become
AS WE'VE EXPLORED, OUR becoming like Christ is called sanctification, or as many say, "transformation." To put
this in front of you again: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from one degree of glory to another: (2 Cor. 3:18, emphasis added). Switching languages for a second
exposes the fullness of the word and how it is used in another place. What do I mean? That in the original language,
transformation is the same as transfiguration. It is probable that in Paul's mind, he is connecting the transfiguration
of Christ with the transformation of Christians. The metamorphosis that Jesus underwent before the three disciples was
different from us in the sense of His transfiguring was His glory being unveiled. When His face "shone like the sun"
and His clothes became "white as light," it was the inner glory of Christ's nature shining through the embodied flesh that
concealed it (Matt. 17:2). As one commentary puts it, it is
not that he showed his Divine nature, or laid aside his human body; his bodily nature remained
in its entirety, but permeating it was an effulgence which indicated the Godhead. Perhaps it might
be said, as an old writer puts it, that the Transfiguration was less a new miracle than the temporary
cessation of an habitual miracle; for the veiling of his glory was the real marvel, the Divine restraint
which prohibited the illumination of his sacred humanity. [Joseph S. Exell, general ed., The Pulpit
Commentary, Matthew 17 (2019 Kindle edition).]
What the disciples beheld was the inner essence of God, the source of all divine light coming out, transforming
the visual appearance of Jesus. Just as, but different from, Moses who after being with God, the appearance of Moses'
face was changed, shining with a visible light. The difference is that the glory on Moses' face was a reflected glory.
With Jesus, the transfiguration displayed His inherent glory. [R. C. Sproul, Sermon: "Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-12)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzSSdijKz_l&t+1033s
So it is with any Christian who beholds the glory of the Lord; they are only able to reflect what they have actually
seen. Deeper than that, they are only able to be holy, a visible and discernible state of being, if they have been gifted
with a holy nature. We can only be what we really are, and if born anew, we have an inner glory shining forth from
the Spirit of the living God who is the agent of our very own transfiguration. Bright enough for the world to see. Real
enough to prove that to be a Christian is to be authentic and thus display the holiness becoming of a new creature.
It's important to state that although the Spirit is the one that causes us to see, regenerating our nature, converting
our souls, empowering us to walk as "children of light" (Eph. 5:8), there is yet and still an obligation on our part to
participate with the Spirit in the process of sanctification. That is to say that our growing in holiness is not passive in
any way. Philippians 2:12-13 speaks to the paradox that sanctification can be when it says, "Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Once
we are raised from the dead, it would be silly to assume that we can and should do nothing to grow in living as God does
just as it would be foolish to think that a planted seed can grow without the soil being watered. Beholding the Lord is
fundamentally active. The sun in all of its radiance, shines above us on most days, but it will only be seen by those who
decide to turn their faces up and look.
But where do we look? What can show us such glory that we might be changed by it? Where we look is simple,
accessible, and not hidden from us. It is the Holy Scriptures that put forth a constant picture of God, as He is to be
seen and understood. Inspired by the Holy Ghost, preserved by Him, and interpreted with His illuminative help too,
it is there, in the pages scattered with narratives, songs, poems, and letters, that we can behold Christ. He is the glory
in all of the above. The sacrificial system, the scapegoat, the blood-red doorpost, the tabernacle, and the holy place. He
is the rejected brother with His Father's robe. He is the one with slingshot in hand, the savior of a timid people. He is the
morning manna and evening light. He is Isaac and the ram, Jacob's ladder, and David's King. He is the serpent lifted up
and the God brought low. He is the law's source and fulfillment. He is the psalmist's delight and the epistle's explanation.
Someone might say that I've just take the familiar stories of Scripture and make them be other that what they are, but truly,
I'm only bearing witness to the Gospel of Luke where it says, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted
to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).
Where does Jesus go when trying to show His disciples the glory of who He is? How does He help them behold all He has
fulfilled from them? Scripture. We cannot behold Him as clearly in any other place than in the Word He has given to us, and as
it's read and believed, we are transformed. As Piper would put it:
This is how God designed the Scriptures to work for human transformation and for the glory of God:
the Scriptures reveal God's glory. this glory, God willing, is seen by those who read the Bible. This
seeing gives rise, by God's grace, to savoring God above all things--treasuring him, hoping in him,
feeling him as our greatest reward, tasting him as our all satisfying good. And this savoring transforms
our lives. [John Piper, Reading the Bible Supernaturally (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 141.]
By saying that we behold God in God's Word and are thus transformed by what we see, I am not implying that just seeing
is enough. There is and has always been a kind of deception among the religious that the mere reading of God's Word is
sufficient in and of itself to make its readers into godly people. That in the morning, when we open our leather-bound Bible
or swipe left and right to access an app, we are changed simply by reading. God knows I wish it were as simple as that, but
haven't we known (or been) those who can quote the Bible with ease while still managing to live like an embodied demon? Even
they--demons, that is--know what is biblically true about God. During Jesus' earthly ministry, demons were quicker to acknowledge
the validity of who Jesus was before humans did. Before begging to possess pigs, they called Him "Son of the Most High God"
(Mark 5:7). The demon that made his home in a man visiting the synagogue said to Jesus, " I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" (Luke 4:34). James sarcastically commended the fruitless "faith" of the recipients of his letter when he wrote, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!" (James 2:19). Which says to me that a demon may very well hear Deuteronomy 6:4 quoted from his favorite pulpit, which says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one," and with demonic fervor say "Amen."
How we interact with what Scripture tells us distinguishes us from demons only if and when we believe what it is that we see. Demons have shown themselves to know the right facts about Jesus, they rebel against what they know, revealing that their knowledge of God is superficial in that it may cause them to acknowledge Him but it doesn't lead them to glorify Him. Just as it was with the religious leaders in Jesus' day. They knew more than most and lived worse than them too. You'd think that being an "expert of the law" would lead to a particular holiness, birthed from all of that knowledge, but it only worked to teach them how to look holy without actually being so. They were "whitewashed tombs," a dead version of purity and light, with hearts similar to that of a cemetery, full of "dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity" (Matt. 23:27 NLT).
Beholding and Believing
When exposing their ignorance and hypocrisy, Jesus often reminded the Pharisees of their titles to show the inconsistency of
knowing so much and living so unrighteous. They dedicated their lives to the study of God's Word, searching them as if they'd find
eternal life in the very words themselves when, in fact, if they only believed what they knew, they'd know that eternal life was found
in Christ and Christ alone. To them, Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life;
and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40, emphasis added).
And why after searching the Scriptures did they refuse to come to this Jesus who Scripture bore witness to? It's because they
didn't believe what they read. "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his
writings, how will you believe my words?" (John 5:46-47, emphasis added). Beholding Christ, they did not become like Him
because they did not see nor believe what was already written about Him.
There is an incredible connection between beholding and believing and how these things precede becoming. Remember
when we talked about the folks who worship idols and how they look like whatever they look to? How they therefore become
just as lifeless as the gods they love? Did you notice how the psalmist describes the reason for this transformation? He says, "Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them" (Ps. 115:8, emphasis added). It is not as though they are simply putting their eyes toward the idols, like a man does an attractive face or a child does an unclaimed piece of candy. No. Their eyes are a metaphor for where they've placed their faith. They look because they believe. Lovers of idols do so because they trust that the created thing can provide, satisfy, help, protect, and so on. And even if such faith if futile, it is still faith, one that transforms see-ers into the image they believe most. Their misplaced faith informs their way of life because what we believe governs how we behave.
After feeding 5,000 people a good helping of bread and fish, Jesus told the returning crowd that He was the true food. That what they ate, though satisfying for now, would not last beyond the moment. Similar to the manna their ancestors knew would rot before they woke, just in time for another meal from heaven. This bread, just like theirs, would be gone before the next morning. Against the backdrop of their once-fed, now-empty stomachs, a parable of their sometimes-full, easily emptied souls, Jesus says that He is the bread of life. If the average listener were anything like the average Bible reader, Jesus' testimony about Himself would become nothing more than a good verse to quote, an encouraging caption to have, or a wonderful tattoo to live with, but what He said about Himself wasn't intended to just be heard or seen but to be believed because it's in the believing where the words are experienced.
Jesus tells them who He is and continues to describe what happens when His words about Himself are treated as true: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst: (John 6:35). "Whoever comes" is the same as "whoever believes." To paraphrase the Lord's words, He is saying, "Whoever believes in Me will never hunger and never thirst because they have come to Me and I have filled them."
Jesus doesn't want them or us to just have an intellectual relationship with the words themselves, but rather, that by believing, we'd bear fruit that's consistent with knowing the person who holds the title. Consider your most besetting sins and how they reveal the parts of you that are hungry or thirsty. There is a world of passions within us, waging war against our souls by tempting the eyes of our hearts to look to (trust in) everything else as a means to quench its thirst and quiet its growl. We are a needy folk, and this is nothing to be ashamed of because needlessness belongs to God and God alone. And if God has no needs, then God is completely sufficient in and of Himself, which is to say that He has endless resources that He will never need another to restore or preserve. If this is what it means for God to be bread--that He is truly able to satisfy in such a way that our hunger is replaced with fullness, our thirst quenched, too--then it is not enough to tell you to "stop sinning." Instead, I will say, "Behold Christ, He is the bread of life. Go to Him and be filled."
Believing and Becoming
How does believing that Jesus is the bread of life make the believing one holy? Continuing with the metaphor of food, bread
in particular is not a light thing to eat (if it's made rightly, of course). It's heavy, dense, glutenous, and easy to stretch. Give a family
bread and you have given them a food that will fill the belly quick. Once it's consumed, the stomach left with no room in it, the body
is satisfied to the point that it can see another piece of bread, or meal, or money, or sexual temptation, or opportunity for the ego,
and not confuse the want with need. To be satisfied is to be full. To be full is to mean that there is no more room for anything else.
So then, holiness begins to characterize those who trust Christ to fill them with Himself because all their needs, in body, mind, and
soul, are met in God, which sets them free from depending on anything else in heaven and earth to do the same.
The psalmist Asaph knew this to be true, which is why he said to God, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Ps. 73:25-26). It is not as if the psalmist had no other desires. He, like us, was an image-bearer, and the very image He was privileged to bear was that of God, who also has the capacity to feel. Being able to feel at all finds its origin in God Himself. So our affections are not foreign, nor are they fundamentally evil. They make us humans with the power to love and be loved, weep with those who weep, enjoy our lovers and our friends. But sin's mishandling of them is what drives us to do inhumane things. When sin is intertwined with our affections, it causes conflict, lust, envy, jealousy, sexual immorality, drunkenness, sorcery, fits of anger (Gal. 5:19-21). We sin because we feel like it, and we sin because we love it. No wonder we resist the call to holiness like a bad dream because we have too many desires competing for our whole heart.
What are we to do with such sins, or desires to sin? We must dethrone them first, by way of repentance, coming to terms with their incompetence and the impossibility of them being a worthwhile love, a heavy bread. When the Spirit regenerates our hungry soul, He doesn't leave it empty like the tomb Jesus left to itself. Instead, we are given a new heart, as we now know, and with it comes an affection for God that sits enthroned above all others. Thomas Chalmers famously put it this way when he wrote, "We have already affirmed how impossible it were for the heart, by any innate elasticity of its own, to cast the world away from it; and thus reduce itself to a wilderness. The heart is not so constituted; and the only way to dispossess it of an old affection, is by the expulsive power of a new one." [Thomas Chalmers, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020)] Our love of sin is rooted in our unbelief in God and our weak affections toward Him. By weak, I am referencing C.S. Lewis when he said, "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us." [C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: HarperCollins, 1949, 26.)] When God is believed to be bread, savior, sustainer, provider, comforter, Lord, King, and everything else He has revealed himself to be, the heart will say, "There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." Because it has found the person that has everything the heart needs. Desiring God above all things is the soil from which holiness is grown. We are already empowered to flee sin through the Spirit, and we will want to and choose to put to death what is earthly in us when we believe God is infinitely better than everything we are tempted to leave Him for.
Beholding God's glory in God's Word and believing all that it shows you transforms you into "that same image." This language of imaging God began in Genesis when the Godhead proclaimed, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). This theme is also present throughout the Epistles, in relation to looking like Christ, being holy as He is. Romans 8:29 says, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..." (emphasis added). The "old self" as Paul calls it in Colossians 3, refers to the person and behaviors that shaped who we were before the Spirit made us new. Prior to our regeneration, we were as evil as the night is long, but with being made alive, we are told and miraculously able to disrobe ourselves of that ancient way of life. Instead we are clothed by the "new self" which is "being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Col. 3:10, emphasis added). Beholding Christ motivates us to holiness by our observing the moral purity and transcendent beauty of Jesus, but through this vision, we are also taught the way of Jesus.
But that is not the way you learned Christ!--assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in
him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after
the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:20-24, emphasis added)
I would hope that we know what God looks like by now. If we don't, the world and the flesh will give us deficient ways to image Him, telling us that we can look like God and Satan at the same time. Worldliness is nothing less than the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1John 2:16); this being the very pulse of whatever context we call home, we must never take our cues from a dying thing on how to live. If we are unclear about "the truth" as told and revealed in Christ, the world will inevitably woo us back to itself. David Wells, explaining how convincing the world can be, says, "The world is that system of values whose source is human sinfulness and whose expression is cultural. It is that collective life which validates our personal sin. It is everything in society that makes sinful attitudes and practices look normal. [David Wells, God the Evangelist: How the Holy Spirit Works to
Bring Men and Women to Faith (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1987), 115.] But sin will never be normal. It is and will always be offensive to God. If we behold the world and its ways more than Christ, be not surprised when you look more like it than you do Jesus.
Looking to Christ, we know what God is like. Who and how He is--this is the end goal of our "becoming." Remember God, good in every way. Set apart from everything that there is, being in a class all by Himself, enthroned on high, He sits where the angels sing His praises. Let us recall and think on His holiness yet again: He is totally free to be who He is and He can never be who He is not. Nothing in heaven or on earth controls the sovereign God. This freedom is expressed in His creating us, in love. God didn't create because anything outside of Himself told Him to or convinced Him that He should. It wasn't out of need that He made the world, as if God was dependent on what He's made to be whole. No. He created the world and all that's in it because it pleased him to bring into being creatures that would share in the love He has always had for His Son through the love-bond of the Spirit. "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24, emphasis added). And "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them: (John 17:26, emphasis added). God is self-giving in that way, to make us so that we may know Him. God's love for us in Christ, as poured out by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5), has brought us into fellowship with Him and the Son; from there, we have come to behold the beauty of His holiness, and by beholding it, we become as lovely as He is.
Looking to Christ, we too are set apart from the world and the things it delights in. To God we belong, giving Him our bodies as a living sacrifice, our mouths as His ambassadors, our feet to bring His good news. Believing God to be the all-satisfying bread of life that He is, He fills us and frees us from being enslaved to everything and everybody. Being satisfied in God makes us totally "independent of our environment" since we are no longer needy of people or circumstances to make us happy or whole. [When I speak of being independent of environment, I do not mean we do not need external things like food or water or the community of faith; rather, I draw from R. A. Torrey in his book The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit (2013). On page 56, when exploring the filling of the Holy Spirit, Torrey says once a person receives the Spirit, He then fills us with a well of water that is forever springing up, "satisfying us from within" regardless of circumstances like " health or sickness, prosperity or adversity." Thus, we are "independent of our environment," no longer needy of it to make us happy. In other words, the Spirit of God satisfies to such a degree that we aren't dependent on our circumstance to do so.] As "people who are free" we are liberated to love as generously as God does, not repaying evil for evil but turning our cheek, while pursuing moral purity with all that we have. Clothed in the newness of Christ, we "put to death therefore what is earthly....sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5). And put on, as God's chosen ones, "holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another..." (Col. 3:12-13a). This heaven-empowered love toward God and our neighbors may set us at odds with the world around us, but even then, as God's peace is, ours is too--settled and safe. It is the world that Christ has overcome, and through Christ, we will overcome it too. Of the saints, He says, "The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne" (Rev. 3:21). And there, finally, after we have breathed our last, we will see why our dying is gain. Opening those eyes that were once blind, now seeing, He will finally appear, and do you know what well happen next? "We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2, emphasis added).
Beholding, we become; holy.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Holier Than Thou - HOW GOD'S HOLINESS HELPS US TRUST HIM written by Jackie Hill Perry (Author of Gay Girl, Good God)
Friday, August 21, 2026
Collective Soul - There's a Way
Collective Soul - There's a Way
There's a way to carry on
To push me out then place me back where I belong
There's a way to make anew
To resurrect the wishes that I wish for you
I'm going on and on
I'm going' for the norm
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way to recognize
All the pride that wraps around for my disguise
There's a way to talk me through
To open up the silence that belongs to you
I'm diggin' on and on
I'm diggin' for the norm
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way
To say what you say
Find some words that you can steal or borrow
Don't give it away
Save 'em up cause there's always tomorrow
Come on, come on
I'm going on and on
I'm diggin' for the norm
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way
To say what you say
There's a way
To say what you say.
Manchester Orchestra - I Can Barely Breathe
Manchester Orchestra - I Can Barely Breathe
When the dark flood came
We wrapped ourselves inside a dirty blanket
Citing different opinions
On whether we should move
When the houses came
They ate up everyone like they were fishes
Saying, "Come on, come on
It's the end of the world"
And then I saw your face
You're turnin' skin into a dirty secret
I watched the beauties, watched the fire
And the fire burn the beauty in their eyes
When I took the blame
We laid in ruins tryin' to quote your phrase
We're yelling, "Someone's got the answers
But I'd rather think there's nothing to be found"
If you knew I was dying would it change you?
If you knew I was dying would it change?
If you knew I was dying would it change you?
If you knew I was dying would it change anything?
So when you see me falling backwards
Down the wall that says, I'm still alive
Don't be cautious when I'm cautiously
Approachin' on the other side
Ya everybody has their reasons
That's the reason we're all gonna die
Because if seein' is believin'
Then believe that we have lost our eyes
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
I fly so high, don't touch me now
We all deserve
We all deserve something
The Goo Goo Dolls - Give a Little Bit (Supertramp cover) Live in Buffalo, NY 7-4-2004
The Goo Goo Dolls - Give a Little Bit
Oh, yeah
Alright
Here we go again
Hey hey, whoa no, da na, hey hey, yeah
Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share
So send a smile and show you care
(Alright)
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
See the man with the lonely eyes
Oh, take his hand, you'll be surprised
Oh, take it
Ah, yeah
Come along
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home
Oh, going home
Don't you need, don't you need to feel at home
Oh yeah, we gotta sing
Oh yeah, you gotta get a feeling
Oh, yeah, come along too
Whoo!
You can come along too, yeah
Come-a, come-a, come-a, come along
Cha, cha, cha oh, yeah
Oh, yeah, come along too
Yeah, come along too, yeah
Sing Betty Lou
Come along too
What a long ride
Come a long way
Oh, sing it tonight
Oh, yeah
Stuart Mackey - How to Stop Hating Yourself for Them
Link Here - Stop Hating Who You Had to Become to Survive | Healing, Self-Compassion & Recovery
I've spent a lot of time looking back at older versions of myself and thinking,
Why did I do that?
Why did I stay?
Why did I react like that?
Why didn't I know better?
But that's the strange thing about hindsight we judge who we were with information we only learned because we survived being them.
Of Monsters and Men - The End (acoustic in Paradise Valley)
Waking up just before the morning news
someone said the world is ending
something’s kinda falling from the sky
but that’s alright with me, such is gravity
everything around here must come down eventually
Come on darling, come on back to me somehow
Something shiny sticking from the mud
I guess it’s kinda funny how the world revolves around a dying sun
but it’s alright to be stuck in gravity
mamma put the kettle on, made coffee and then said
Come on darling, why’s your mind so far from me now
come on darling, come on back to me somehow
Sorry eyes, don’t be sad
turn around, don’t look down
Sorry eyes, sing it back
where’s your head, you better turn around
Sorry eyes, don’t be sad
it’s alright in the end
Sorry I…
Thursday, August 20, 2026
James Chapter Five
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh
as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud,
crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious
fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering
affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end
of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath:
but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, annointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained
not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him:
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death,
and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James Chapter Five - KJV
Weezer - We Might As Well Be Strangers -- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Weezer - We Might As Well Be Strangers
(lyrics from transcript)
-♪ Happy birthday, thanks for the Valium ♪ ♪ And thank you for the stack of dirty magazines ♪
♪ We lounged around, debated Nietzsche ♪ ♪ I was too obtuse to get how much I need you ♪
♪ Parasitic fishes, down in the sea, now we're history ♪
♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
♪ I was Nancy, you were vicious, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Now I'm not sure I even miss us, uh-huh ♪
♪ If I sang you a song ♪ ♪ Would you still sing along? ♪
♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
-♪ Every night's your birthday, got shows back-to-back ♪ ♪ Excuse to celebrate ♪ ♪ A brighter, lighter, a louder stack ♪
♪ Hand on the burner, cracking the skull ♪ ♪ Is it still hedonism if you're feeling miserable? ♪
♪ Don't want your songs to become the clues ♪ ♪ To why we lost you ♪
-♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
♪ I was Nancy, you were vicious, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Now I'm not sure I even miss us, uh-huh ♪
♪ If I sang you a song ♪ ♪ Would you still sing along? ♪
♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
s
[ Guitar solo ]
♪♪
-♪ You tried to phone me up ♪ ♪ I tried to write you once ♪
♪ But there was nothing to say ♪ ♪ So I threw the page away ♪
♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
-♪ I was Nancy, you were vicious, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Now I'm not sure I even miss us, uh-huh ♪
-♪ If I sang you a song ♪ ♪ Would you still sing along? ♪ ♪ Whoa-oh ♪
♪ We might as well be strangers, uh-huh ♪ ♪ Something came along and changed us, uh-huh ♪
TURNSTILE - MYSTERY
There's a gun to my head
Are you gonna get it right?
And I believe in holding on to life
But I'm afraid to
And it's been so long
Is all the mystery gone?
And it's been so long
All the mystery
All the mystery
There's a clock in my head
Is it wrong, is it right?
I know you're scared of running out of time
But I'm afraid too
And it's been so long
Is all the mystery gone?
And it's been so long
All the mystery
And it's been so long
Is all the mystery gone?
And it's been so long
All the mystery
The Revivalists - It Was A Sin (Live at Tipitina's)
The Revivalists - It Was A Sin
I believe it was a sin
Oh to do you in the way I did
I stole the gold and drank the gin
Then I ran off with your kin
If I can you know I will and if the stars align
I still get loaded on the things that I can't change
And I'm out here tonight so if you want to start a fight
We'll get loaded on the things that I can't change
I believe it was a sin do you in the way I did you in
I couldn't stop it coming from afar
I lost the keys to the getaway car
And every now and then I'm in this place
It's hell living when I need your face
Don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
I believe it was a sin
Oh to do you in the way I did
I took out more than I put in
I got fat while you stayed thin
But I came here tonight if you want to start a fight
We can get loaded on the things that I can't change
Yeah I'm out here all night so if you want to start a fight
We can get loaded on the things that I can't change
I believe it was a sin
To do you in the way I did you in
I couldn't stop it coming from afar
And lost the keys to the getaway car
Every now and then I'm in this place
It's hell living when I need your face
Don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
Don't hide don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
Don't hide don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
Don't hide don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
Don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
I believe it was a sin
To do you in the way I did you in
I couldn't stop it coming from afar
And lost the keys to the getaway car
Every now and then I'm in this place
It's hell living when I need your face
Don't hide don't hide don't hide from me
Don't hide don't hide your face
Don't hide
Don't hide
Don't hide
Yann Tiersen - Palestine (live from Ushant)
‘Palestine’ from Dust Lane (2010), performed on the Buchla Music Easel.
"Peace, love & hope from Ushant island” - Yann Tiersen.
Yann Tiersen - A Midsummer Evening (live on KEXP)
Yann Tiersen - A Midsummer Evening
I remember it was cold, as a winter morning
From all their edges on the islands, it was there, shining
From the north we saw, all the birds coming
Under a blood red sky, a midsummer evening
(My love)
Across the waters of the midland, everything was burning
(My love)
Together in the sand, we were watching
(My love)
Without a word to say, some of us were crying
(My love)
But as we saw the moon, we were all singing
Love, my love, we will keep our love
Be living here, in the middle of, the middle of the sea
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth
Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth
Oh, there's a river that winds on forever
I'm gonna see where it leads
Oh, there's a mountain that no man has mounted
I'm gonna stand on the peak
Out there's a land that time don't command
Wanna be the first to arrive
No time for ponderin' why I'm a-wanderin'
Not while we're both still alive
To the ends of the earth would you follow me?
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see
To the ends of the earth would you follow me?
If you won't I must say my goodbyes to thee
Oh, there's an island where all things are silent
I'm gonna whistle a tune
Oh, there's a desert that size can't be measured
I'm gonna count all the dunes
Out there's a world that calls for me, girl
Headin' out into the unknown
Wayfarin' strangers and all kinds of danger
Please don't say I'm going alone
To the ends of the earth would you follow me?
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see
To the ends of the earth would you follow me?
If you won't I must say my goodbyes to thee
I was a-ready to die for you, baby
Doesn't mean I'm ready to stay
What good is livin' a life you've been given
If all you do is stand in one place
I'm on a river that winds on forever
Follow 'til I get where I'm goin'
Maybe I'm headin' to die but I'm still gonna try
I guess I'm goin' alone
Ben Rector - Brand New
Ben Rector - Brand New
I feel like new sunglasses, like a brand new pair of jeans
I feel like taking chances, I feel a lot like seventeen
I feel like windows rolled down, new city, streets and cabs
I feel like anything can happen, laughing,
You take me right back, when we were kids
Never thought I'd feel like this
Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing
Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page
Like a one way trip on an aeroplane
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new
Brand new
I feel like a young John Cusack, like making big mistakes
I feel like for the first time in a long time I am not afraid
I feel like a kid, never thought it'd feel like this
Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing
Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page
Like a one way trip on an aeroplane
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new
Time will always try to make us old
You remind me what I used to know
Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing
Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page
Like a one way trip on an aeroplane
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new
Brand new, yeah, yeah, yeah
And I feel brand new
I feel brand new
I feel brand new
The Band Perry - Done
[Verse 1]
You've been wearing that crown and tearing me down
It's been a while since you've treated me right
You strung me along for far too long
'Cause I never gave up the fight
Until now
[Verse 2]
It's gonna hit you hard 'til you see stars
It’s gonna put you through a world of hurt
Oh, I don't believe in getting even
But giving what you deserve
Oh my, oh my, huh
[Bridge]
Mama always told me that I should play nice
She didn't know you when she gave me that advice
I'm through with you
You're one bridge I'd like to burn
Bottle up the ashes, smash the urn
I'm through with you, la dee da
[Chorus]
I don't wanna be your "just for fun"
Don't wanna be under your thumb
All I wanna be is done
Done
[Verse 3]
You crossed the line too many times
I'm gonna put you in your place
You play with dynamite, don't be surprised
When I blow up in your face
Oh my, oh my, huh
[Bridge]
Mama always told me that I should play nice
She didn't know you when she gave me that advice
I'm through with you
You're one bridge I'd like to burn
Bottle up the ashes, smash the urn
I'm through with you, la dee da
[Chorus]
I don't wanna part of your fun
Don't wanna be under your thumb
All I wanna be is done
[Interlude]
Done with your selfish ways
Done and all the games you play
I'm through with you and everything you say
[Bridge]
Mama always told me that I should play nice
She didn't know you when she gave me that advice
Mama always taught me that I should play nice
But she didn't know you when she gave me that advice
I'm through with you
You're one bridge I'd like to burn
Scatter the ashes, smash the urn
I'm through with you, la dee da
[Chorus]
I don't wanna be your "just for fun"
Don't wanna be under your thumb
All I wanna be is done
Done
[Outro]
Hey, hey, ooh
I wanna be done (So done)
So done (So done)
So done
Goo Goo Dolls - Name
Goo Goo Dolls - Name
And even though the moment passed me by
I still can't turn away
'Cause all the dreams you never thought you'd lose
Tossed along the way
Letters that you never meant to send
Get lost or thrown away
And now we're grown-up orphans
That never knew their names
We don't belong to no one
That's a shame
You could hide beside me
Maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name
Scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Did you lose yourself somewhere out there?
Did you get to be a star?
And don't it make you sad to know that life
Is more than who we are?
You grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
And reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name
I won't tell 'em your name
I won't tell 'em your name
I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are
Come back down
And I won't tell 'em your name
Alanis Morissette - You Learn
[Verse 1]
I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone
Yeah, oh
I recommend walkin' around naked in your living room
Yeah
[Pre-Chorus]
Swallow it down (What a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (Swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles
[Chorus]
You live, you learn
You love, you learn
You cry, you learn
You lose, you learn
You bleed, you learn
You scream, you learn
[Verse 2]
I recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone
I certainly do
I recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time
Feel free
[Pre-Chorus]
Throw it down (The caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (To the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears
Alanis Morissette
[Chorus]
You live, you learn
You love, you learn
You cry, you learn
You lose, you learn
You bleed, you learn
You scream, you learn
[Pre-Chorus]
Wear it out (The way a three-year-old would do)
Melt it down (You're gonna have to eventually anyway)
The fire trucks are comin' up around the bend
[Chorus]
You live, you learn
You love, you learn
You cry, you learn
You lose, you learn
You bleed, you learn
You scream, you learn
[Outro]
You grieve, you learn
You choke, you learn
You laugh, you learn
You choose, you learn
You pray, you learn
You ask, you learn
You live, you learn
James Chapter Four
1 FROM whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war
in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,
because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts,
ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother,
speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy
and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth
for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James Chapter Four - KJV
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
The Script - Grow Old With Grace (studio performance)
The Script - Grow Old With Grace
When her looks all go away
I hope I never hear her say
That she needs work
That she needs work
An when her skin all starts to crease
I pray she never says to me
That she needs work
That she needs work
They sell it on our TV screens
Their Botox and expensive creams
But we're all perfect just the way we are
No doctor’s hands could ever shape us
Better than the way God made us
I look at her and I don't see the flaws
She's the same girl that I adore...I hope I
Grow Old With Grace
Cos I love every line there on her face
And even when her mind it starts to fade
Yeah I’ll be there
And when she gets grey hair I know I won’t care
I’ll be sittin’ in my rocking chair as I
Grow Old With Grace
She looks at airbrushed magazines
I hope she doesn’t think that means
That she needs work
That she needs work
I hope she sees herself to be
As perfect as she is to me
She don’t need work
No she don’t need work
The papers show the Rich and Famous
Perfect teeth and plastic faces
But when they smile it doesn't touch their eyes
So I won’t stop ‘til I persuade her
She can’t improve on Mother Nature
She couldn’t hide her beauty if she tried
Maybe then she'll believe that I....I hope I
Grow Old With Grace
Cos I love every line there on her face
And even if her mind it starts to fade
Yeah I’ll be there
And when she gets grey hair I know I won’t care
I’ll be sittin’ in my rocking chair as I
Grow Old With Grace
The Killers - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (live PNC Bank Arts Center New Jersey 9/2/09 Day & Age tour)
The Killers - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
[Verse 1]
Baby, do you understand me now?
Sometimes I feel a little mad
But don't you know that no one alive
Can always be an angel?
When things go wrong I seem to be bad
[Chorus]
But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
[Verse 2]
Baby, sometimes I'm so carefree,
With a joy that's hard to hide
And sometimes, it seems that all I have do is worry
And then you're bound to see my other side
[Chorus]
I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
[Bridge]
If I seem edgy, I want you to know,
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems, and I get my share,
And that's one thing I'd never mean to do
'Cause I love you
[Verse 3]
Oh, oh, oh, baby, don't you know I'm human?
Have thoughts like any other one
Sometimes I find myself long regretting
Some foolish thing, some little simple thing I've done
[Chorus]
I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Yes, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
Winger - Headed For A Heartache
Winger - Headed For A Heartache
Yeah
Morning came and I was on my way
When you reminded me
I had too soon forgotten
It was you that set me free
Yeah, you were here when I came
You'll be here when I'm gone
So don't be waiting on love
'Cause I'll be waiting to ramble on
Headed for a heartbreak
Headed for a heartbreak
Darling, don't wait up for me
Tonight I won't be home
You've become a stranger
I just got to be alone
Don't need nobody on my side
To dull the blade I'm on
So don't be waiting on love
'Cause I'll be waiting to ramble on
Headed for a heartbreak
Headed for a heartbreak
Headed for a heartbreak
It's not a mistake
Don't you think I can feel the pain?
I walk away, to live again
Headed for a heartbreak
Headed for a heartbreak (Don't make me hurt you)
Headed for a heartbreak ('Cause I love you)
Headed for a heartbreak
Linkin Park - Friendly Fire
[Verse 1: Chester Bennington]
Tell me the words I've forgotten
What we were fighting for
Staring right into the darkness
Through an empty open door
[Pre-Chorus: Chester Bennington]
Can't put back what's been broken
Can't change the moment
We went too far
[Chorus: Chester Bennington]
We're pullin' apart for no reason
We're pullin' a trigger in a useless war
And if we come back and go into the black (Black)
What are we fighting for?
What are we fighting for?
[Verse 2: Chester Bennington, Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
I was supposed to protect you
No matter what's to come
But somehow forgot when they told me
"We hurt thе ones we love"
[Pre-Chorus: Chester Bennington]
Can't put back what's been brokеn
Can't change the moment
We went too far
[Chorus: Chester Bennington]
We're pullin' apart for no reason
We're pullin' a trigger in a useless war
And if we come back and go into the black
What are we fighting for?
What are we fighting—?
[Post-Chorus: Chester Bennington]
It's just friendly fire, fire
Fire, fire
[Bridge: Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
We're strangers in between the darkness
Diving underneath
I'll find you out on the horizon
We'll never be enemies
[Pre-Chorus: Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
Can't put back what's been broken
Can't change the moment
We went too far
[Chorus: Chester Bennington]
We're pullin' apart for no reason
We're pullin' a trigger in a useless war
And if we come back and go into the black
What are we fighting for?
What are we fighting—?
[Post-Chorus: Chester Bennington]
It's just friendly fire, fire
Fire, fire
[Outro: Chester Bennington]
Fire, fire
Fire, fire
Lea Maxey "Come To My Window" ( Melissa Etheridge cover)
Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon
I would dial the numbers
Just to listen to your breath
I would stand inside my hell
And hold the hand of death
You don't know how far I'd go
To ease this precious ache
You don't know how much I'd give
Or how much I can take
Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon
Keeping my eyes open
I cannot afford to sleep
Giving away promises
I know that I can't keep
Nothing fills the blackness
That has seeped into my chest
I need you in my blood
I am forsaking all the rest
Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Oh to reach you
Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon
I don't care what they think
I don't care what they say
What do they know about this
love anyway
Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon