The 4400: Suffer the Children

In “Suffer the Children� (Episode 4 of Season 2), the title refers to the NTAC examination of a teacher who ‘brings out the best in her students’…literally. [One side strand is that Collier meets baby Isabelle again, who he believes previously examined him, judged him and found him wanting, and allows him to live—justifying for him that he is pure of heart. Anybody remember last week???] The other main strand involves Shawn, who goes into the low-income section of town and befriends some homeless youth.

Heather Tobey brings out the best in her students—she looks into their eyes, touches them, and they become masters of the arts. Hmm…Unfortunately, I believe that the light is in everyone and she is unable to find any good in her student, Greg Venner [thanks to the impact of his father, Frank.] If we are all created in God’s image, then there IS good in all of us. I found myself mystified that the creators of the show left us (and at 9:00 p.m. most teenagers are still up) with the understanding that these holy, powerful future people made use of a gift that couldn’t find good in some people! His problem wasn’t even his fault—he was overcoming the ‘sins of his father.’

Shawn ends up healing a drug addict and finds himself surrounded by the homeless who are ailing in various ways. He runs from the situation (Jordan had told him not to heal at all, because if you heal one you have to heal them all) saying that he can’t do it. It reminded me instantly of the times where Jesus healed by merely bumping into someone. What would have happened if Jesus would have run when families put their ill out on the streets?
I still think that Shawn is the “Christ-figure� in the 4400…even if Jordan has the initials J.C., has been found ‘pure of heart,’ and donates money, he still is a creep! So, the gifts continue to ripple the water…and we won’t know for TWO WEEKS what happens next! (We get no July 4th love from USA.)

—Overview
—About this Series and Cast

REVIEWS
—The 4400: Life, Interrupted (on blog)
— The 4400: As Fate Would Have It (on blog)
—The 4400: Suffer the Children (on blog) ok
—The 4400: The Weight of the World (on blog)
—The 4400: Voices Carry (on blog)
—The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call (on blog)
—The 4400: Season One (on blog)

Foo Fighters: In Your Honor

--HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

The latest from the Foo Fighters rocks out…half of the time. With the dual disc push of late, they provide a rocking first disc and a pseudo-acoustic second to make up the complete album, In Your Honor.

Humans have a desire to be known (as I mentioned in my review of Coldplay's X&Y), and Dave Grohl screams “ Mine is yours and yours is mine/There is no divide/In your honor, I would die tonight…I will sacrifice. For you to feel alive.� This anthem serves as a bond between lovers, best friends, and offers up more than just a bond, it offers sacrificial love (also a personal favorite of mine.) The closing line is “ Deliver me into the other side� and with that plus the sacrificial love, an understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection is hinted at in my estimation.

Questions rise up in “No Way Back,� as Grohl’s head is the only part of him left alive. “ I’m dying for truth/Make me/Believe,� he sings, abolishing left and right as well, so that he might only walk straight. Doubting prayer, Grohl seems saddened and hopeless, but he still seeks truth and outside help to understand. To another, he questions their situation, asking if another has taken their faith, in “Best of you,� but with the questions, he also provides the permission for them to survive their pain. Some of the songs that follow also seek freedom from pain/problems [“Hell,� “Free Me�].

In “End Over End,� Grohl seems to be presenting reincarnation, where he’s seen and done it all before. “ Maybe I feel too much…The good in everyone/The ties we’ve left undone/The heart that moves your blood/All the things that bring me right back here.� Where is Grohl? The Foo Fighters aren’t really letting on, but it seems that we could learn from our mistakes and not repeat the past.

“What If I Do?� presents Grohl awake at night and questioning the Lord for purpose, recognizing that he’d have to give everything up (sacrifice) to know the Other. In a challenge that sparks [no pun intended] of the three men thrown into the fire, he sings, “ It’s my turn, this soul wont burn/So throw me in the fire.� Healing that only the Other can provide is brought forth in “On the Mend,� as if Grohl makes a conscious choice to be healed but can’t do it without help. “Cold Day in the Sun� is old experience speaking to another’s hurt—rather than feeling sorry for oneself, Grohl wants the other to move past the brokenness of their heart to something better.

Finally, in “Miracle,� the Foo Fighters close out the album with an understanding that peace of mind and healing have come this time as a “ blessing in disguise.� Grohl sings, [I’ve] “ Got no vision/I’ve been blind/Searching everywhere/You’re right there in my sight.� A rock album and a mellowed, contemplative one….all for the price of one CD. And one that doesn’t short the listener for sound or for experiences that everyone can relate to at one time or another. Foo Fighters have pulled off a summertime blockbuster for the ear, and found healing in community with others. Listening in your car, I hope you feel alive as well.

--HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

Ben Lee: Awake is the new sleep

— HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

Ben Lee, who in interviews has said that he prefers an open spirituality to organized religion, released Awake is the new sleep, filled with quirky lyrics, spoken and sung words, and loads of questions about love, life and death. The lyrics and vernacular provide a conversational tone, in Lee’s sing-songish delivery, that is both simple in delivery and layered in meaning.

Beginning with “Whatever It Is,� Lee attempts to push or tempt the other into a new awareness of self that provides cause for ‘waking up.’ Sounding part self-help therapist and part-drug dealer, the song invokes the conversation that might have preceded Eve’s biting the first apple: “There are places you can go to/yeah they’ll tell you that you shouldnt/ but do it- whatever it is.� Possibly the same ‘voice’ and possibly not, the message Lee provides is that the listeners should “Gamble Everything For Love.� While other people might try to influence your reality, Lee argues that their expectations matter less than love.

Love comes through the community in “Begin,� where Lee admits that he has become a successful sinner but he also pushes for more as well. “im thinking about the city/its living proof people need to be together/im thinking about how I just wanna open up/and give and give and give,� Lee sings. He seems to be gaining his motivation from ‘above,’ as he credits the Other: “im thinking about my maker/and despite all this i know she wont give up on me.� Sin has a place in his worldview, but redemption does too.

“Catch My Disease� pushes back toward nothingness, as Lee expresses a desire to leave his thinking aside and focus on nothing—this might merely be a lovelorn thought by someone whose desired doesn’t feel the same. His confusion in love continues in “Ache For You� but he seems to have found some peace of mind in “Into the Dark.� Lee says that he’s feeling better “since i surrendered/you cant climb till/youre ready to fall� but it’s unclear whether that’s from fulfilled romantic love or divine inspiration.

In “No Right Angles,� Lee says the straight and narrow have been on his mind and in comparison/opposition, he has felt the Other surrounding him as he comes into grace. He momentarily swerves from the divine for more of his own romantic wants in “Get Gotten� but returns in “Close I’ve Come,� as he sings “one can only guess/what would happen if/i got all my questions answered.� Part of Lee’s belief system seems to include the need for the search and not having everything made clear. Information is part of the give and take in Lee’s spirituality.

Skipping over “The Debt Collectors� and “We’re All In This Together,� “Light� serves a ‘benediction’ of sorts to the album. Lee expresses a relationship where the Other is teaching him how to live: “you are the one who/brings the weather/you are a dream ive had forever/you know exactly what im wishing/youre gonna love me into submission.� Lee has presented a spirituality filled with exploration and love, and the need for the divine to invade everyday reality and make it a little more than human.

— HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

The Myriad: You Can't Trust A Ladder

— HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

The Myriad hits harder than Copeland but the fingerprints you see on their album, You Can’t Trust A Ladder, are Aaron Marsh’s. With the same angst but a bit more rock, the Myriad sorts through feelings of confusion and frustration, and a bit of hope thrown in for good measure.

In “Stretched Over,� the Myriad sees a malnourished (abused?) woman and is forced to recognize her existence, rather than going on with no impact or care for her. In “10,000 x 10,000,� freedom is offered up, and dreams may be lost forever, but heaven and its protective angels are close. Lead singer Jeremy Edwardson sings that “I’ve given all I have/and I’ve given my whole soul/I’m ready to go.� The commitment is absolute and it encompasses more than just a limited, time-based existence. The place to arrive into is unclear, but the out of is the negative situation that the singer finds himself in presently.

The world appears dark but the Myriad questions whether “we� will be the lights that shine in “The Last Time.� Edwardson questions, “Are we then dim souls, the songless ones, the faint?...in the hour of longing, we will spark a myriad of lights.� Hope does exist but so does temptation. In “Perfect Obligations,� there is a line that was crossed, and he requires the “white out grace to wash me clean please.� White-out only blots out the fault, it doesn’t take it away, but at least the problem is covered up. That appears to be what the Myriad seeks, as in “just one look you pardon away the nature inside of me.� Still, doubt and ‘curses’ seem to hold hope from completely taking root in the frustration of the band.
The Other is “forever� in “Godray,� and this allows the last three songs to carry a measure of hope. In “A New Language,� Edwardson sings, “I’ll find a pattern of hope in us/I’ll find a reason for holding on/I’ll find a pattern of hope and hold on.� The future might hold the hope the Myriad desires but it must be waited for (holding onto love), as “Nothing is Safe� and “We will be disappointed together� suggest. The Myriad are troubles by the sadness that they find around them and long to be taken out of the situation, but they know it’s not their time.

Emo rock and roll has a new member (one that came to its beginning at the turn of the century) and now is gaining moment. Hope for the future…isn’t that what we all want? I like their sound but I wish for the Myriad, just a little bit more.

— HJ Overview
— Music Review Index

Disciple: self-titled

Toning down the screams has not diminished the force or the pure rock and roll of Disciple’s latest album, a self-titled, passionate experience. Vocalist Kevin Young and drummer Tim Barrett joined up with guitarist Brad Noah in 1992, and added bassist Joey Fife ten years later. Now, the world-traveling rockers bring their latest studio recording out in the open with the same old rock but melodic vocals.

The sound of “The Wait is Over� rocked out in my car but the lyrical blend in “Stripped Away� presents the kind of faith that I can relate to in a positive way. “When it’s all stripped away,/Hidden underneath the day/I am simply someone/Searching for You to save me…a tainted angel.� There is no doubt that the divine is involved in the words of Disciple’s album but with a name like Disciple, how couldn’t it be?

“Into Black� shares a surety in union with the divine “You,� for better or worse, that results in the devotion to “Only You,� “Worth It all� and “Falling Over.� Opponents are warned to stop their criticism of Disciple’s faith and believe in “Rise up� and “Shine down� explains that the clarity was not always there/still does not always exist: “Destiny/Questioning the connection with some/Divinity/Is there something for me/I’m stretching out my faith.� Disiple’s pain (“Go ahead�) brings its words into focus and admiration for the sacrifice of God (“your cross� in “Beautiful�).

Devotion doesn’t resolve all anger though: in “Backstabber,� the other individual has hurt and betrayed Young, and he promises he will not make mistake again. This immediately leads him to realize that he has treated God the same way and that his actions have caused God pain.

In “All We Have Is Now,� Disciple expresses an experiential gospel: “Everyone of us is looking/In a place where peace wont find us there/Everyone of us is wanting/Something amazing that’s in between/The living and the dying/All we have is now/Give us some meaning while we live.� The message is for life now, not some out-of-focus look at the far future, and the rock and roll adds to the passion of the message. Disciple doesn’t know how the prayer will be answered, but that it will be answered and they will know then.

The final song is a “Tribute,� to those who serve to protect our comforts and community, and a prayer that those abroad will come home safe.

For those who like hard rock and distinguishable lyrics, Disciple’s latest album provides an anthem for divine-human interaction.

Blindside: self-titled

Sweden’s Blindside rock hard, and having regained the rights to their first album, they re-release it here in 2005. The self-titled album sounds a bit like P.O.D. with some edgier lyrics and sounds. The rock is worth listening to if that’s your thing, and the lyrics have a definitively religious flavor.

Starting with “Invert,� Christian Lindskog celebrates his existence in the Other who grows in him as he grows in the Other. A symbiotic relationship exists with this other—he names the Other ‘God’ and cries out for help, for water from the “everlasting spring.� After “Born� (watching someone pass on?), “Empty Box� becomes the third song that Blindside uses to discuss the “shell� that surrounds each soul, that protects but dampens the ability of others to see true self. Escaping the shell (almost Matrix-like) requires the help of someone else and Lindskog wants to provide that for the object of his song: “[You are] not the first/who lost track of the sun� but that person feels like they are the only one struggling.

In “Superman,� Blindside wants to be like a super hero but they recognize that they’re just playing at it. Compassion is the thing that Lindskog lacks, that he requires to be more like Superman—he wants to love others who offend him, who don’t understand him, but he can’t. He perceives himself as narrow-minded, and refuses to talk about his faith unless the other person asks. “Everybody believes in God but it seems like no one does in you,� Lindskog cries, “but I do/I’m not ashamed.� Blindside wants to live a life of purity and compassion but lacks the ability to express themselves in a manner that doesn’t turn others off.

“This shoulder� echoes the discussion of the charade mentioned in “Superman� and “Empty Box,� that gets threaded into the discussion of “One mind.� Still trying to fake it, Lindskog knows he needs the other and in “Liberty,� he tries to tell people he knows about his relationship with God. Here Blindside will turn some off—the judgment of actions that lead to heaven and hell seem laid out in Lindskog’s mind, and a ‘fire and brimstone’ warning is forthcoming. This judgment gets mellowed in “Daughter,� as the voice singing could pass for Jesus or just be the troubled dichotomy between two warring personalities of the same mind. The sinner and the saint can’t co-exist in Blindside’s song, but the truth is that most people are sinner-saints: at our worst, we’ll sink to the lowest lows but at our best, we’ll rise above it all.

Jesus definitively speaks in “Teddybear,� as the savior who came to heal. “You’ve called out my name/I heard you/You’re healed in crying,� Jesus sings, in sadness and laughter, but never as a stuffed animal designed to make the listener comfortable. “I ask you please don’t be fake/When you come before me/I know you don’t like when you don’t see me with your physical eyes/but I tell you what you think you see can be lies,� Blindside continues. Wow. That’s powerful stuff and worth unpacking. From Blindside’s vantage point, Jesus does walk with us, but He isn’t promising comfort (against the prosperity mold); He values sincerity and truth more than false piety; He understands our doubts; and He warns us against accepting false teachings.

Blindside’s rock and roll has lasted for ten years and counting, and their re-release has something to say about how their faith for the future. While their struggle with condemnation still exists, their depiction of Jesus, specifically in “Teddybear,� has some good critique for mainstream Protestant America.

The 4400: The Weight of the World

In “The Weight of the World,� The 4400 introduces us to Trent Applebaum (Robert Picardo), a unlucky telemarketer who finds himself ‘blessed’ with the gift of a metabolism-accelerating protein. By merely drinking after Applebaum, a mobster and his wife experience life-altering weight loss.

In the other strands of the episode, singer Chloe Granger (Noa Tishby) joins Collier after having read his book. Her entrance into the 4400 Center dismays Shawn and saddens Collier’s former flame and current assistant, Devon (Jody Thompson). Richard and Lilly hole up with a fellow 4400 member Eric (Glen Gould), and encounter David and Tara Kendrick (Colin Lawrence and Lucia Walters). Kyle attends a fraternity party and experiences black outs.

Called into investigate Applebaum, Tom and Diane discover that Applebaum hopes to sell his protein to the highest bidder, in the hopes of putting his daughter, Elise (Rhonda Dent), through college. As the millions begin to roll in, the terrible starvation that kicks in begins to take effect. Unfortunately, Elise wants to look thinner too—she is hardly overweight—and the compliments of others don’t matter.

Devon’s devotion to Collier crushes her, as he throws himself completely into his sexual relationship with Chloe; Richard enrages David Kendrick, who accuses him of having been an Uncle Tom, of having bowed and scraped his way into the cockpit in the 1950s; Kyle agrees to let his father help him but doesn’t reveal how he’s been feeling.

As usual, this episode explores how the returnees use their gifts, some for self-gain and others to benefit their communities. With the metabolism protein, Applebaum quickly turns to helping others superficially improve themselves—other outcomes are available. Wonderfully touching on image in multiple strands of the episode, self-image is relevant to Elise and her desire to look ‘good.’ It also becomes evident in David’s confrontation with Richard—what does it mean to really be black, to be strong, to be a man? Devon finds her self-worth in being desired by Collier and even admits to 'worshipping' him. And finally, the expectations of Shawn for Collier continue to fall: Collier doesn’t care about being altruistic, he’s only in it for himself, but Shawn still thinks he could represent himself better. What is our image? How do we decide what to do, act, or be like? Doesn’t it depend on where we came from, if we were created with design or by accident, with purpose or not?

The best part of this show (besides the constant search for how we’ll use our gifts) are the relationships between Richard and Lilly, Tom and Kyle, Diane and Maia, etc. How do we respond to tragedy, triumph, anger, and pain? What makes us work together and what drives us apart? The 4400 are ‘enhanced’ but they are still us. What would you do with your gift?

—Overview
—About this Series and Cast

REVIEWS
—The 4400: Life, Interrupted (on blog)
— The 4400: As Fate Would Have It (on blog)
—The 4400: Suffer the Children (on blog) ok
—The 4400: The Weight of the World (on blog)
—The 4400: Voices Carry (on blog)
—The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call (on blog)
—The 4400: Season One (on blog)

Donald Miller: Searching For God Knows What

Donald Miller’s Searching For God Knows What, spoke more intimately to me than his previous volume, Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christianity. A Baptist early on, Miller chronicles his separation from the church in Blue and his gradual return over time, with the help of his friends like Tony the Beat Poet and Pastor Rick. This follow-up continues with Miller’s biting humor and introspective critique of his own journey and what it means to be a follower of Christ in America today. For anyone who longs to know Christ more fully, or for someone interested in what a moderate Christian has to say about politics, faith and much more, the search begins with this book.

“Fine Wine: The Failure of Formulas� begins with a humorous episode detailing Miller’s discovery of the difference between fiction and non-fiction, but sets the premise for the rest of the book. Here, Miller writes that we don’t go through formulaic approaches to calling our friends, so why do we go through specific patterns to call on God? This is merely an example of Miller’s dissection of our ‘get rich, be prosperous’ gospel interpretation, with the realization by Miller that “the essence of God’s message to mankind…was an invitation, an invitation to know God� (14). Miller won’t be writing a sequel to The Prayer of Jabez anytime soon—he wants you to embrace the story, not pages of bullet points.

“Impostors� recounts the breakdown of Miller’s faith in the church, and in Santa (who doesn’t wash his hands after using the bathroom—you really must read that story!), with the help of Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs.’ The fear of God drives Miller back to God, and back to the Bible. His reading of the Bible, and his understanding of who wrote what books, is too literal for me, but he makes interesting arguments that some will accept. He picks up more steam in “Naked: Why Nudity is the Point,� when he establishes his second big point: before being separated from Eden and God, the human race derived their meaning/reference from God, but now, we seek our acceptance in others (70ff). Because we weren’t designed to find our acceptance in other imperfect human beings, our whole frame of reference is off and we’re constantly out of focus. I hadn’t looked at it quite that way before, but it makes sense to me—and it’s understandable why Jesus would’ve looked at everything differently than we did because His reference was/is still God.

Miller pulls on references from U2’s The Unforgettable Fire (you can’t go wrong with U2!), the conflict and effects of Chernobyl, Billy Graham, reality shows, and elementary school lunch. His humor is evident if you’re okay with a little sarcasm, a little self-deprecating humor, and a load of questions that can’t be answered immediately. In “Lifeboat Theory,� Miller again focuses on how we are out of focus, and personally, he reached into my life and blasted me for my aggressive, unchristian driving. More broadly, his ‘alien’ perspective showed how so much of what we do is based on our fear of being disrespected. This train of thought continued with a focus on “Jesus�—who would have sacrificed Himself out of the lifeboat and was disrespected quite fully! The difference between humans and Jesus (one of them) for Miller is that “He believed all people were equal� (123).

As he has throughout the first half of the book, Miller spends the second half pointing out how “The Gospel of Jesus� focuses on relationships, not formulas, loving not earning respect (152ff). “Morality� becomes a way that we imitate God, and show that we have the capability to love, not something we do so that we earn the respect of other humans or the praise of the divine (183). Miller has a way with words that breakdown the cloud we’ve put on Christianity, how we’ve made our faith a religion. There should clearly be a difference but we’ve mixed up the two!

With Miller’s search, he’s found a way to express his own story AND lay out an understanding of the gospel that Jesus meant for us to follow. He does lead the reader to what he means by ‘salvation’ but it’s not the standard presented by the ‘typical evangelical church.’ Miller has refreshingly breathed life into what many (certainly those burned by fire and brimstone preachers, judgmental classmates, or unexplainable rules and regulations) will find meaningful and compassionate. He is not without his own soapboxes, but he’s aware enough to take responsibility for them. With fairness and wit Miller dialogues with the reader, and in the end, the two travelers can continue the search together.

Keane: Hopes and Fears

Breakout artist Keane, with Tom Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley, and Richard Hughes, brings soulful searching with its Hopes and Fears. Their lyrics explore the need for belonging, with the desire to know where we’ll end up, and even more deeply, what the point is. I wouldn’t give a ringing recommendation to the depth of the lyrics but I have to admit that the questions are worth asking.

Starting off with “Somewhere Only We Know,� the band sings of their desire for the past, wondering how to get back to the previous location that held security and peace. While most of the songs contain elements of romance and human relationships, the presence of the eternal pushes for spiritual meaning as well. Is this previous location a past relationship or can we look back farther to Eden? Many firsts and lasts are mentioned by Keane, and the “Bend and Break� options implied by Chaplin seek to hold onto the past, regardless of how far the band looks back. He sings, “I don’t bend and break/I’ll meet you on the other side/I’ll meet you in the light.� The promise for the future is that the past will be remembered—in a future full of light.

“We Might As Well Be Strangers� implies that a break is occurring but the singer wants the past to be remembered. Once again, the break between a dating couple or the relationship that we have with God could be the subject of this song. Chaplin compares the situation to strangers in different towns or possibly even living on different worlds—the relationship components still exist but the divide is too great to be overcome. This separation remains in “Everybody’s Changing,� as the wandering of “Somewhere� continues; everyone is changing and he doesn’t understand. As with the moves in chess, Chaplin is “trying to make a move just to stay in the game.� He fears losing his identity but the other is “fading into the beautiful light� [heaven, death,???]

The voice in “Your Eyes Open� knows the pain of being disowned, put aside, possibly even betrayed. Chaplin sings, “Morning comes/And you don’t want to know me anymore…For a moment your eyes open and you know/All the things I ever wanted you to know.� In one of my favorite interpretations, I have to question whether or not Keane has taken on the voice of God. Granted, this could be a lover scorned, but having checked out Song of Solomon, the images of God/Israel or Christ/Church are often displayed as that of lovers. We often don’t last longer than it takes to get what we want from God, and then we want to push Him away—but that doesn’t stop us from knowing in our hearts how much God has done.

Switching voices, Chaplin is the self-centered one who pushes aside the needs of everyone else in “Can’t Stop Now.� “I can’t stop now/I’ve got troubles of my own/Because I’m short on time/I’m lonely and I’m too tired to talk,� he sings. How often do we present these (and many more) excuses for why we can’t help someone close to us or someone a world away? He says he would be true, but the world is turning and he’s missing things. I have to believe that signing this song means that Keane knows the irony of betraying others to serve oneself, and this song’s effects carry responsibility and consequences.

My last note comes from “Sunshine,� Keane asks, “Can anybody find their home?� If you’ll follow my rabbit hole to Eden, then the answer is no one can. The relationship between God and humanity, or between lovers warring, cannot be restored without grace from one side. I’ll bring in the voice of God again here, “I hold you in cupped hands/And shield you from a storm/Where only some dumb idiot would let you go/But if I’m one thing then that’s the only thing.� I like the humor that would be implied if this were God (okay, I’m stretching but HUMOR me), as He would be saying, ‘I’m NOT an idiot, so I know I won’t let you (and you, and you…) go because I can protect you from the storm.’ That’s a compassionate God to me. My thoughts on Keane are a stretch, I’ll grant you that, but exploring the lyrics still reminds me that God isn’t far away, no matter how much I might have pushed. And that drives away my hopes and fears.

Wallflowers: Rebel Sweetheart

Rebel, Sweetheart kicks off with the war all around in “Days of Wonder,� as the Wallflowers recognize the affects of their environment, regardless of how much they might like to ignore it. The optimism to rise above situations permeates the album, but the recognition of the negative environment remains, a dense fog through which hope must penetrate.

As “The Passenger� headed straight to oblivion, the Wallflowers sarcastically dismiss themselves of any fault, “Adam took the apple, I was not involved/I’m not responsible for how lost we are.� Jakob Dylan’s throaty vocals suggest that the band knows they’re part of the overall problem but are unsure how to be part of the solution. Still, in “The beautiful side of somewhere,� hope comes sparkling through: With the realization that “tomorrow is gonna make you cry/it’s gonna make you kneel,� he is “ready to wake up/there in the exodus/on the beautiful side of somewhere.� The present may be bitter but there still appears somewhere to wake up, safe and happy—but first come the tough blows that force a person to prayer.

Rebel, Sweetheart dives back into sad reflection and disillusionment in “Here he comes/confessions of a drunken marionette,� where having a guilty conscience means that you at least have one and “what you give is what you get/these days I worry about your debt.� The divine is mentioned in “We’re already there,� but not because hope has triumphed in any way. Still worse, “God says nothing back� and He is joined by time, love, and death—none of the big guns have anything to add to humanity’s pain other than ‘I told you so.’

I still found the last round of songs to be the optimistic ending to a contemplative journey through ups and downs, doubts and belief. In “From the bottom of my heart,� Dylan sings, “From the bottom of my heart/A battle will come/From the depths/Into the rays of the sun.� Granted, this heart is waging war against itself, but whose isn’t? If the darkness is all about, success must be found in the warmth of the sun—the Son of God, I’m forced to ask? There is sarcasm left, too, as “How far you come,� seems to be an anthem to the self-pitying. “It’s okay to believe that you’re not good enough/God is not angry, not blind, deaf or dumb/He knows how far you’ve come.� Bravo for mediocre? I agree with the assessment of God…but the tongue-in-cheek of Adam’s sole responsibility rings in again here.

As “All things new again� rises up at the end of the album, the cyclic rise and fall of human action, emotion, and journey ring out from Dylan’s mouth. “New heaven over a brand new sky/new breed of wonder on the vine/among the living/there is new promise in this night,� sings Dylan, possessing “a new will to honor all God’s creations.� Bitterness has been overcome, with a lesson for us all: the bigots need to lay down their bias, the greedy their desire for more, the careless their wastefulness, etc.—if all God’s creations will be truly honored. With the end of the old, the new begins, with new chances, opportunities, and journeys to make, all under the watchful eye of the Creator God.

Audioslave: Out of Exile

Having no background on Soundgarden or Rage Against the Machine, I talked my second Audioslave album in one week at the encouragement of a friend. With fresh thoughts from the self-titled album, I found Out of Exile to rock with purpose as well. Jumping to the title track, I found a man locked in secure solitude who was led by a woman out of his loneliness into wholeness. Saved from the darkness, his territory grows and he find that “the blessings on my table/multiply and divide.� Without discounting the opportunity for romantic love (it has its own saving elements), the wisdom element came to mind: locked in isolation, lonely, and depressed, we can be saved by community and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. God does move in mysterious ways!

The chorus of “Be yourself� exhorts the listener “to be yourself is all that you can do� because “someone finds salvation in everyone/another only pain.� The salvation from our isolation may look different for different people but that relationship with God results when we embrace who we are in God as individuals, not clones! Audioslave seems anti-religion, but pro-faith, and Chris Cornell continues to look for something that “Doesn’t remind me.� Putting aside the standard symbols (crosses, gospel music), he remembers “the things that I’ve loved, the things that I’ve lost/the things I’ve held sacred that I’ve dropped/I won’t lie no more you can bet/I don’t want to learn what I’ll need to forget.� This can be anti-creed, anti-legalism, anti-whatever, but there still seems to be more to love and faith in Audioslave’s growing body of work to make them anti-spiritual.

“Drown me slowly� exerts Cornell’s will, as he sings that he “can’t walk on water, yet won’t even try,� seeking out a better world by his actions on it. It’s a mixed bag—his own self-doubt is completely human, but how can you know you can’t walk if you’ve never tried? If we are called to do all the things Jesus did than we could, but who has? Our faith is weak, and Audioslave knows this, but that doesn’t let the listener off the hook—“leave a better world than you’ve found.�

A love song rises out of “Heaven’s dead,� the redeeming factor being that Cornell promises to take on anything that could hurt this other person/woman to take on the hurt himself. This devotion is also reflected in “Man or animal� and “Dandelion.� The salvation themes are more evident in “The Worm,� where Cornell imparts advice to someone with less experience, turning from the devil on one shoulder to finally embrace the advice of the angel on the other. Having been reborn, Cornell says that it is “never too late with my..halo.� This new life is expressed in “Yesterday or tomorrow,� where all things (man/machine, luck, fiction, religion) are subjugated to coming alive in ‘real’ living and loving.

The final words to Audioslave’s tale of salvation (at least this chapter) is “The curse.� Here, Cornell sings that he will never be a curse, even when the ‘other’ won’t respond in the same way, because he always has their best interest at heart. Even when struggling himself, he promises to provide his best for the other. Just as Christ died on the cross, Audioslave sees the worst moment taken on someone else’s behalf as benefiting them, in fact becoming their best moment. At the heart of Christianity, this notion resides, loving God and loving people, constantly providing that sacrificial love for others who cannot love themselves.

MXPX: Panic

Panic, the latest by MXPX, begins with the recognition of a need—that is, the need to get the word out. In “The Darkest Places,� Mike Herrera rocks out, “I’m shining the light on the dark places/You know and I know/We have to face this now…� With this declaration, the album steps off into the punk rock world that MXPX has inhabited for ten years and counting.

Advice flows forth from Herrera’s experience in “Young and depressed,� as those listening are urged to seek out the solutions within their situations, to follow their dreams through to the end, and to thrust aside the discontentment that comes from lusting after wealth and wrong relationships. The music is what keeps MXPX going through those depressing times as documented in “Heard that sound,� as they prove that their advice does not come from someone in a glass tower.

In “The story,� Herrera asks for a new head, a new soul, and a new heart, like the lion, the scarecrow, and the tin man, only this time it’s the punk version. “How will the story end? Where does the time go?� asks the band, “where’s my voice? Has it lost its way? As if we had a choice/Our character is measured in the words we say.� MXPX is more than just actions, it’s professed words matter too, and the band wants more. Their actions are under further review in “Kicking and screaming,� as Herrera recognizes whats been done wrong, and knows it won’t just go away.

Going to God provides the answer, as MXPX alludes to in “Grey skies turn blue�: “My mind can’t change my heart/there’s nothing I can do…will you be the way that I remember you?� Faith is more than mental, and our hearts grow cold to what God wants but He doesn’t ever turn away from us. That doesn’t stop us from questioning whether or not we’re worthy of God’s love, because our own insecurity speaks too loudly. “Emotional anarchist� speaks to our self-inflicted wounds but “Get me out� brings the band back to its focus on God: “I’m feeling around, alone in the dark/Can’t find the switch, all I need is a spark or a match/To find a way out, just a sliver of light/I’ll crawl and dig and I’ll fight and I’ll scratch and I’ll bite.� God provides the way to Himself, all we need is to accept the embrace by our own will.

“Waiting for the world to end� pushes the listener to recognize the importance of the present and not worry for the future. As “all creation will collide and then begin again,� MXPX provides hope for what the future holds without dwelling on that. We have opportunities, sings MXPX, we have time, we have voice—it’s up to us to use them all. And with fervor, they’ve communicated their message of upheaval and hope, but the finest part remains in their ability to be in the situation with the listener, not just an outside observer with all the answers.

Audioslave: self-titled

Audioslave’s self-titled album kicks off with “Cochise,� referring back to the nineteenth century Apache leader who led his people in resistance to the troops of the United States. The song urges the subject to resist temptation and giving up, to embrace life instead, to really be free…and this is the thrust of the entire album. Chris Cornell sings that “I am not a martyr/I am not a prophet/And I won’t preach to you/But here’s a caution/You better understand/that I won’t hold your hand.� This is no self-help album, but rather one filled with hope in friendship, community, and faith.

“Show me how to live� asks a priest to help the singer’s mind sleep (because religion is the opiate of the masses or because there, he can find true rest?) I’ll opt for the second because Cornell refers to the “nail in my hand/from my Creator�: simply put, the nails were put in Jesus’ hands, the Word by which the world was made! This Creator also took on the form of the creation, and Cornell warns that the Creator should be careful “before my role defines you.� Imperfect, and self-reflective, Audioslave isn’t sure that the Creator wants to be aligned with their problems because that might dirty His image.

Both “Gasoline� and “What you are� sing about leaving past mistakes, both inflicted by others and by self, behind, as someone looks back over past mistakes. The end takes center stage in “Like a stone,� as Cornell sings about a book full of death, with options for those who are good to rest, as each dies alone. The band hedges its bets with the promise to “pray to the gods and the angels/like a pagan to anyone/who will take me to heaven/a place I recall� at death. Still, peace appears to be found walking through the many rooms of the Other’s house—referring possibly to the rooms prepared by Jesus, promised to those who followed Him.

In “Set it off,� the leader of a group of people gets shot, but his followers are urged to follow through with the plan. Cornell sings “Jesus at the back door/Everything is all right…everything you don’t know/turns into a revelation.� Once again, the option is there for sarcasm, but those who have fallen are remembered (similar to U2’s Pride.) “Shadow on the sun� implies that the burdens/missions of others are worth holding onto because “to live without a soul/and nothing to be learned� makes life meaningless. Audioslave is anti-self pity but does not lack for compassion: we might die alone, but we live in community.

The prodigal son appears in “I am the highway,� as the singer travels the road alone, running away from what is behind him. There is a second ‘voice’ in the song though, one that says ‘I’ am not the rolling wheels but the road, not the carpet but the sky. Here, the Other says that he is more integral than the wanderer has understood before, but the truth will be made known. This knowledge escapes Audioslave in “Exploder,� until the bitter end, when to escape all of the problems he faces, he kills himself. The problems are evident to Cornell and his crew, but the solutions remain an arm’s length away.

In “Bring’em back alive,� Icarus flies too close to the sun as an example of the virus who lives in silence. Cornell sings, “And just like the heathens thinking/On our feet we believe in God/And with one step, two steps/Three feet toward the graveyard/On the high road to remembering/It seems that we forget.� Have we taken our religion to a too-personal level, where we face God standing up, rather than asking Him for help on our knees? Pride killed Icarus and threatens our relationships with God and others.

Fortunately, “Light my ways� returns the band to its knees in its hour of need. “And I’m willing to listen to your answers/And I’m not ashamed to tell you I need you today,� closes out the album. With the beginnings in rebellion and tough love, and the close in prayer-like request, Audioslave travels a road paved with destiny and welcomes any who choose the road to walk along with them. God fully extends Himself—Audioslave recognizing a moment for redemption, takes the road back.

Coldplay: X & Y

Coldplay’s latest, X & Y, searches for relationships that last and maybe more, but the blend of soulful insights and melodic rhythms are worth inspecting further. The album begins with “Square One,� as good a place as any to start. Chris Martin sings, “you’re in control, is there anywhere you want to go?� but quickly turns to “You just want somebody listening to what you say, it doesn’t matter who you are.� Here lies the dichotomy that Coldplay explores the whole way through: we make the decisions about our lives that have the greatest impact but we cannot survive in isolation—we need others.

Questions abound in “What if,� as the band desires the right words to say to make the relationship complete but lacks the surety to know that they’ll get it right. “White shadows� reflects back on childhood, as Martin sings that he used to be able to see the white shadows but the noise now gets in the way. “You’re part of the human race/All the stars and the outer space/Part of the system,� sings Martin, but that isn’t a glorified place, it’s one lost in a sea of faces, lacking individualism. The band wants to be able to hear and see the way it did in childhood, to know how to relate to others, but taking it a step further, to be able to believe what they once did before the ‘noise’ (skepticism, doubt?) drove away their belief.

The ‘voice’ of “Fix you� could be a human relating to another or could be God. The singer invites the listeners to come to safety when they’ve tried and failed, when they get what they want but not what they need, lose something that they can’t replace, etc. The ‘fixing’ in “Talk� is about communicating and the invitation comes from one who lacks the right words, but still wants to exchange thoughts and feelings with another. The brokenness drives the singer to dive into the ‘deep end’ in “X&Y,� where the other becomes his best friend, with complications: “I wanna love you but I don’t know if I can.� Is the other, God? We lack the words to communicate, to embrace what He says but we still desire Him. The hole that needs filled by God is too big for anything else—but like Coldplay, all of us lack the words to express our feelings toward Him and others.

“Speed of sound� embraces wide-eyed wonder: “Ideas that you’ll never find/Or the inventors could never design…The sign that I couldn’t read/Or the light that I couldn’t see/Some things you have to believe/But others are puzzles, puzzles to me.� How do the things we can’t understand get in the way of what we believe and drive us to further inspiration? Maybe the answer is that we can’t handle it all, so God gives the knowledge of what we can know, but the desires to expand and know more. Our wonder leads us closer to Him, because He provides us the option, and we choose to pursue Him.

Coldplay does know that it has “A message�: “My song is love/Love to the loveless.� Regardless of whether the love will be received or not, Martin won’t take back his profession of love because he’s “got to get that message home.� God’s message is love, through the death and resurrection of His one and only son, to people who wouldn’t know love otherwise. These others are represented in “Low,� where the recipient of the message still sees the world in black and white but lacks purpose. Martin sings that the opportunity is there for love to replace death but the other has to accept and receive it. That love could replace death appears possible at the end of time in “Til Kingdom Come,� as Martin promises to wait forever for love. We have assurance of that eternity in the sacrifice of God and it seems that love is something Coldplay would wait out eternity to receive.

Finally, “Swallowed in the sea� and “Crest of waves� struggle with a metaphysical understanding of being lost in the ocean versus secure on dry land. In the first, Martin questions what good it is to live “with nothing left to give/Forget but not forgive, not loving all you see.� In the second, he sings that he could be lost or saved, the outcome is still in doubt but that “nothing matters/except life and the love you make.� Coldplay doesn’t have the answers for how the outcome will play out but they’ve settled on love as the answer. There are no easy solutions for the problems we find ourselves in but with love as a guide, we’ll find our way.

The 4400: Voices Carry

In “ Voices Carry,� Episode 2 of The 4400 Season 2, Gary Navarro (Sharif Atkins) begins to hear voices….the voices of other peoples’ unspoken thoughts….as one of two main strands in this episode. His reactions to what he hears bring him to the attention of Tom and Diane (Gretsch and McKenzie), and their boss Nina Jarvis (Samantha Ferris). He admits to Tom that he originally was pleased by hearing the thoughts of the pitcher, knowing what he what balls would be thrown…and going 5-for-5 in one game. Now that Gary knows that he can’t control the voices, he is less interested in the gift and wants it to go away. The gift can’t be turned on and off—and that is true of our faith beliefs as well. They don’t just go away but we often would rather live our lives without playing by all the rules.

Meanwhile, Richard (Ali) believes that Isabelle has caused the deaths of the three men in the woods and grows more concerned. Lily (Allen) uses an open cash drawer to relive an unhelpful hotel manager of the money in his register…and Richard fears that they will be caught. Lily thinks that it is fair to take from others because they need the money and life is treating them unfairly but Richard disagrees. Soon, the police come to the hotel and Richard prepare himself to be arrested in place of Lily. They are not the police’s intended prisoners though, but the guilt continues to grow in Richard. What about the situation tears down Lily’s sense of right and wrong, but doesn’t provide the same effects in Richard? No one can live their lives always running—but some of their problems are self-inflicted.

Nina forces Tom to use Gary as a spy inside of Jordan Collier’s ( Campbell) 4400 complex. Soon, the medicine that the NTAC doctors provided Gary is taken away by the complex managers (who tell him the drugs only block his natural gifts and he’s been unfairly conditioned to think he needs them) and the voices grow out of control. When Gary goes to Jordan for help, he is meeting with a criminal, bargaining for the hostile takeover of an island nation off of Africa. The NTAC agents rush the building when Gary is threatened, blowing the operation. Nina refuses to fulfill their end of the agreement: rather than freeing Gary, he is going to be used in further spy operations. Tom’s protests are blown off by Nina, who tells him that he has committed all of the seven deadly sins—just like everybody else. The government is presented as less than ethical—but to some degree, the decisions made around the 4400 resemble Nazism, a police state, or worse.

Richard tears Lily and Isabelle away from a friendly child and his toy. He tells Lily that they can’t trust Isabelle not to react with her powers if she wants to keep the other child’s toy. Lily says that Isabelle has only acted out of love for them—Richard still doubts the positive spin Lily puts on it and is afflicted by temporary chest pains. As viewers, we can’t really pin down Isabelle’s good or bad, but the impact on others is less than positive. I was left wondering what might have been Jesus’ effect on people who hurt his mom and dad or brothers growing up. Isabelle has created food, blown out windows, ‘caused’ heart attacks, murder, and open cash register drawers. It’s one thing to question what impact we might have if we had 4400-style gifts, but who wants their infant striking someone down when they need some warm milk?

—Overview
—About this Series and Cast

REVIEWS
—The 4400: Life, Interrupted (on blog)
— The 4400: As Fate Would Have It (on blog)
—The 4400: Suffer the Children (on blog) ok
—The 4400: The Weight of the World (on blog)
—The 4400: Voices Carry (on blog)
—The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call (on blog)
—The 4400: Season One (on blog)

The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call

SPOILER ALERT: Watch the episodes first!
The second season of the 4400 (“ Wake Up Call�) on USA kick-started with the discovery of Lily, Richard and Isabelle in their rural hideaway by some religious fanatics. I identified Psalm 19:8-10, Proverbs 28:1 as well as these two from Revelations: “[and] a great star fell from heaven, and it fell…on the springs of waters� and “[The] murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone�(8:10, 21:8). Somewhere within the 4400 writing team lies a Biblical criticism but what can we glean from their inclusion of these verses? So far, who would put Lily (Allen) and Richard Tyler (Ali) in the category of murderers, sorcerers, or idolaters, yet here they are categorized as such? With further irony, the 4400 reappeared on earth after the passing of a ‘great star’ (the comet) and they reappeared by ‘springs of water.’ So whose side will the allusions finally fall?

For all accounts, better or worse, Jordan Collier (Campbell) (note his initials) pushes Shawn Farrell (Flueger) into healing, gaining money from the endeavors and gaining temporary respite from the growing effects of Collier’s previous encounter with Isabelle. Collier pushes ahead with a book that claims he can unlock the ‘special power’ of everyone…for a price. His claimed goal: to insure the future and save the planet. When the 4400 Center/foundation is called a cult, Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) remarks that ‘cult is what big religion calls little religion.’ Hmmm…so what defines the norm? Healing for money doesn’t seem entirely altruistic, and neither does unlocking my special powers…. [In random ‘spiritual’ inflection, Collier enters the room and Shawn says, “Speak of the devil� in one scene; in another early scene Shawn ‘calls God’s damnation on Collier.']

On other fronts, Tess Doerner (Glau), one of the 4400 returned to Abenson Psychiatric Hospital, begins effecting the construction of a device she says will allow the people from the future to communicate with her. As Baldwin struggles with his inability to follow through with his part in aiding the 4400 in their mission, he and Diane Skouris (Mckenzie) explore the effects that Doerner has on the rest of the patients, the staff of the hospital, and finally the NTAC staff themselves. The ripple effect motif continues as there IS an impact felt once the ‘communicating tower’ is completed.

Meanwhile, the three religious vigilantes aggressively chase Lily, Richard and Isabelle. Isabelle begins to exhibit the ability to create food and finally to impact the thoughts and actions of the people chasing her family…did I mention that Isabelle is a baby? Are theses actions forced by Isabelle or does she merely challenge the thoughts of the three men? We are not visual witnesses to the first death but the second two….are they the result of the older man’s rage and the younger man’s remorse? Or is Isabelle have some power over life and death, and does she use it for good or evil? If Isabelle does directly impact life and death and with her specific origins unknown, the further questioning is directed toward the wisdom of the people who abducted the 4400…in granting theses powers to an infant! [My further line of thought draws me towards questions about the power over life and death, etc. that Jesus Himself possessed that are undocumented in His early years.]

With the continuing impact of ripple effects both large and small, the ‘unlocking’ of special gifts, the question of mission/destiny and accepting responsibility, and finally, the ‘pre-cognizant’ recognition of future events, the 4400 shows that the show’s opportunities are wide-open. Good and evil do battle in everyday events, and each person is challenged to make a positive impact as best they can in each situation. Baldwin skeptically questions the ‘ball of light, the voice from the sky,’ and their ability to follow instructions…much like questions of everyday life for those of us not in the 4400.

REVIEWS
—The 4400: Life, Interrupted (on blog)
— The 4400: As Fate Would Have It (on blog)
—The 4400: Suffer the Children (on blog) ok
—The 4400: The Weight of the World (on blog)
—The 4400: Voices Carry (on blog)
—The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call (on blog)
—The 4400: Season One (on blog)

The 4400: Season One

In the first season of the The 4400 miniseries on USA, a group of 4400 who disappeared or apparently died mysteriously over the last 50 years, suddenly appear as a group. Their appearance causes havoc as the communities in which they re-enter are not completely receptive—Homeland Security also attempts to study the 4400 to determine where they went…and why they are back.

Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) and Diana Skouris (Jaqueline Mckenzie) are the two Homeland Security, specializing in National Threat Assessment Command, who are put on assignment. The catch: Tom’s son Kyle (Chad Faust) has been in a coma since Tom’s nephew, Shawn Ferrell (Patrick Flueger) disappeared, and Shawn has now returned as a member of the 4400.

As the two NTAC agents explore the circumstances, they discover that the 4400 have reappeared with powers beyond those of ‘ordinary’ humans. One man, Carl Morrissey (David Eigenberg) begins a one-man battle against crime in his town; another man returns to his serial killing (with a twist) twenty years after his disappearance; a small girl, Maia Rutledge (Conchita Campbell) shows signs of pre-cognizant behavior, i.e. the ability to predict the future; a twenty-something woman, Lily Moore (Laura Allen) senses danger like “Spidey sense� and is drawn to fellow 4400 member, Richard Tyler (Mahershallhashbaz Ali) igniting a interracial relationship.

Baldwin and Skouris race from conflict-to-conflict around these characters, while dealing with their own battles. Sean has the power to give and take life, estranging him from his brother, Danny (Kaj-Erik Eriksen), and drawing him closer to Danny’s girlfriend. Skouris grows closer to Maia and attempts to protect her from the persecution that the 4400 experience.

The first season accelerated to a climax as the work of Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell), works to unite the 4400 (he seems to make a good amount of money doing this…) and other forces lash out against them. Baldwin breaks Kyle out of containment after Shawn ends his comatose state and they race ahead of the other NTAC officers back to the place that Kyle first became comatose.

((SPOILER ALERT: Kyle is hit by a beam of light and speaks to Tom as the voice of the 4400’s “abductors.� The 4400 were taken by humans to the future for the purpose of saving humanity. Humans had warred and otherwise destroyed themselves and the 4400 were sent back to try to divert the destruction. Tom is told that he is supposed to help the 4400 complete their mission and then the ‘transmission’ is cut short as Kyle is shot by a NTAC officer. He is ‘healed’ but he no longer possesses the ability to speak for the future.))

Is there theological import in this science fiction? Throughout the series, Baldwin and Skouris find that the impacts of the returnees has a ripple effect. While the 4400 are not all positive (one is a serial killer!), but the actions that the 4400 take, using their newfound powers all have a positive effect. By the end of the first season, the answer to who took the 4400 is made clear as well as the why but will the 4400 accept this mission? Tom and Diane are obviously drawn into a compassionate response; Richard and Lily experience good and bad reactions to their mixed racial relationship; Jordan Collier shows himself to be a philanthropist and a jerk; Shawn has the power over life and death. How would you use the power to heal or tell the future? Would you use it for the benefit of the community or for the good of yourself?

REVIEWS
—The 4400: Life, Interrupted (on blog)
— The 4400: As Fate Would Have It (on blog)
—The 4400: Suffer the Children (on blog) ok
—The 4400: The Weight of the World (on blog)
—The 4400: Voices Carry (on blog)
—The 4400: Season 2, Wake Up Call (on blog)
—The 4400: Season One (on blog)