The Horse and His Boy

In 2010 a band known as A Horse and His Boy released an EP entitled Trilogy. From that recording is a haunting song called “Kramer’s Wall.” Jackson Harper (formerly Seth Harper) calls himself a “scrappy Narnian” and thus identifies himself with a genre of literature and music that sees light and darkness, and right and wrong in a world of chaos and apathy. His images are highly influenced by C.S. Lewis’ writings and particularly the book that bears almost the same name as the band. He is a talented singer-songwriter from whom I hope we hear much more. I offer you the lyrics from “Kramer’s Wall” followed by my impressions from the song.

Kramer’s Wall

(Listen while you read)

In the land of apathy

There’s a pretty girl who waits for me

I was standing there when she looked down

From Kramer’s Wall at the edge of town

I stayed ‘til all the rest were gone

And my pretty girl she stood alone

She wouldn’t leave, I asked her why

This my friends, was her reply

She said, shadows fly away from me

They cannot face the light you see

But if they come I’ll fight them all

So, I’m standing here on Kramer’s Wall 

What injustice had decreed

This lonely life she had to lead

I pitied her but didn’t stay

And the road I followed passed away

From that day on I had no rest

And my heart kept burning in my chest

I couldn’t stand my fatal choice

For every night I heard her voice

She said, if you are who I hope you are

You can never run too far

I will never let you fall

I’m watching you from Kramer’s Wall

I realized I would rather be

In chains with her than alone and free

She had shown the kind of love

The greatest ones had been made of

Her haunting words inside my head

Revived the heart I thought was dead

So, I took the higher call

And stood with her on Kramer’s Wall

I said, everything may come undone

The sky may fall and bring the sun

You and I are standing tall

Here on top of Kramer’s Wall

Nothing breaks a lover’s soul

Nothing makes the young grow old

Except the time that kills us all

But there is no time on Kramer’s Wall

I will never let you fall

I will stand with you on Kramer’s Wall

Music and lyrics by Seth Harper

Produced by Andrew Osenga

All rights reserved

At first glance/listen, it sounds like a simple “boy meets girl, boy ignores girl, boy can’t get girl out of his mind, boy goes back to girl, and boy pledges his love to the girl for life.” Simple enough, right? But, at second glance, there is more to this song. The girl is the real hero of the song and she is resolute in her stance against darkness. We get the impression that all of Hell could come against this woman and she would stand upon a crumbling wall until the last vestige of light was extinguished! Yet the darkness would never overcome, and the light would never be extinguished because of this valiant woman. 

The man in this song cannot escape the beauty and justice of this woman and the more he tries to walk his own path, the more she haunts and burns his heart. While others around them are lost in apathy, indecision, immorality, injustice, and indifference, the woman stands alone and draws others into her pursuit of justice and light. The man is drawn in and stands with her and then sees her for her beauty and grace. He pledges his love and the two of them now stand resolute against the apathy of the land. The two stand timelessly like Greek gods in perfect union and perfect defence, there on top of Kramer’s Wall.

Miracle Girl

In my family, I have developed a tradition. With the arrival of each grandchild, I write a song. Whitney arrived nearly five months ago in November. So, I am a little behind on getting her song written. Her parents, Lauren and Dean, have been very patient. So, I give you "Miracle Girl."

Miracle Girl

A miracle even before she was born

Coming into their life, it soon was clear

She would be one who would change their world

Always keep growing, and lead us from here

Miracle Girl making a believer of me

Every time I greet you, new miracles I see

Telling the world that you believe

Miracles will happen when God is near

Light in her eyes, as this little one grew

Her face had a charm that welcomed you

More than the trait of eyes of blue

You knew that this was a Godly hue

Miracle Girl making a believer of me

Every time I greet you, new miracles I see

Telling the world that you believe

Miracles will happen when He is near

Her life won’t be easy, time takes a toll

There will be moments, of scoffs from the crowd

The Spirit inside gives her strength to stay whole

Determined to keep living her faith out loud

Hey, Miracle Girl, you’re a wonder to see

And you are bringing miracles to be

Follow her, and you will soon believe

Supernatural things are easy to see

As the years wear on and life takes its course

Her face will always stay tuned to the light

She’ll take each moment for better, for worse

Leading many to change wrongs to right

Miracle Girl making a believer of me

Every time I meet you, new miracles I see

Telling the world that you believe

Miracles always happen when He is near

Raise a Hallelujah

I have been very intrigued by a song recently recorded by Bethel Music. Bethel Music is the music publishing and recording arm of the Redding, California, Bethel Church. The church is large and has a theological stance that leans heavily toward expecting healing miracles. They are a non-denominational charismatic church.

The song that has caught my attention is called “Raise a Hallelujah” and was written by Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser, Molly Skaggs, and Jake Stevens. (One name of note in that list is Molly Skaggs, the daughter of famous Bluegrass artist Ricky Skaggs.) Jonathan David Helser found inspiration for the song in a dark time that resulted in a healing miracle. Helser and his wife are worship leaders at the church and work alongside Joel Taylor, CEO of the Bethel Music worship ministry. Joel’s two-year-old son Jaxon became grievously ill when he contracted a dangerous E. coli infection. Jaxon’s sister, Addie, also became ill but not to the same dangerous degree.

At one point, Joel Taylor called David Helser deeply concerned that Jaxon might die in the hospital. Helser remembers the pain and fear of this moment and then the song began to form. Right there in that quiet moment he began to “raise a hallelujah” and the song began to form in his heart. The song speaks of praising God in the midst of great darkness, fear, and many enemies. Word was sent out and the whole Bethel Church community began praying for Jaxon.  Jaxon recovered and walked out of the hospital a healthy two-year-old. Was this truly a God miracle or a medical miracle? We cannot be sure because God always leaves room for us to believe and room for us to doubt. By all that I have read, I would say that God healed this little boy and inspired the song to proclaim his love for his people.

This type of miracle can raise many questions and can inspire our hearts. In my own life these types of questions have led me to begin writing a book about the supernatural and God’s miraculous interventions in life. Pray with me that we might come to have an even better understanding of God’s work in our natural and supernatural world. The lyrics of the song follow.

Raise a Hallelujah

(listen as you read along)

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies

I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief

I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody

I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm

Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar

Up from the ashes, hope will arise

Death is defeated, the King is alive!

I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me

I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee

I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery

I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm

Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar

Up from the ashes, hope will arise

Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)

Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)

Sing a little louder (Sing a little louder)

Let's sing a little louder (Let's sing a little louder)

Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)

Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)

Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)

Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)

Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)

Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)

Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)

Let's sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)

Sing a little louder!!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm

Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar

Up from the ashes, hope will arise

Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Oh, I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm

Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar

Up from the ashes, hope will arise

Death is defeated, the King is alive!

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah!

Just begin to raise your own hallelujah

I can't do it for you

There's a song written on your heart only you can sing

And when you sing enemies flee

When you sing prison walls come falling down

When you sing heaven invades the earth

So just begin to lift up your hallelujah

Raise it like a banner

Raise it like a flag

Raise it in the middle of the storm

Let it rise, let it rise

Like a symphony to the King

Everything to You, Jesus

We raise it all

Sing a little louder!

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah

I raise a hallelujah (In the presence of my enemies)

I raise a hallelujah (Louder than the unbelief)

I raise a hallelujah (My weapon is a melody)

I raise a hallelujah (Heaven comes to fight for me)

Songwriters: Jonathan David Helser / Melissa Helser / Molly Skaggs / Jake Stevens

Raise a Hallelujah lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

The Land that Inspired Narnia

I am in the land that inspired Narnia: Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, UK. It is a picturesque place with vines growing over every surface of some of the houses, a quiet stream with a stone bridge running through the middle, and I can almost imagine a Faun with an umbrella coming up to ask me in to tea. But, alas, we are in The Church Bistro having tea and scones. It is a 1920s Methodist church building which was converted to a bistro and bar about three years ago. (This Bistro used to be a cute Cathedral – to parody a Steve Taylor song.) Although, it is not as interesting as a Faun’s cave, it is a beautiful bistro with delicious scones, clotted cream, and wonderful tea. The Irish (like the English and Scots) certainly know how to brew a pot of tea.

Yesterday, we stayed in Kilkeel, a beautiful fishing village which is just inside the border of Northern Ireland, a 20-minute ferry ride from Carlingford. Kilkeel is the place where my paternal grandfather, Thomas (Tommy) Shields lived until he was 14 and set out to live in Canada. I went for a run along the beach as the sun came up over the sea and I felt like I was reliving the opening scene of Chariots of Fire. What a glorious morning it was.

C.S. Lewis was inspired by the Mourne Mountains around Kilkeel and Rostrevor. I find myself imagining what he would have written if he had ever seen the Rocky Mountains near Calgary, Alberta. It is here, near the coast of Ireland, a little south of Belfast that he dreamed up the idea of Narnia, a land where it was always winter and never Christmas, until Aslan is on the move. It must have been a particularly cold winter when he came through this region. We are here in mid-October on a 17-degree Celsius afternoon and the humidity and sunshine feel wonderful. I am working on a book as we vacation, and the Literary Society of Rostrevor has many inspiring poetic quotes posted around the town and so I am feeling suitably inspired to write and think and dream. Ireland has always inspired poets and writers and sent them off to inspire the rest of the world. Who knows what will get written in this wonderful country? 

Imagination and Logic

Bethany Sollereder, Ph.D., is a fellow graduate of Regent College and a Christian who has spent much time exploring the relationships between Science and Faith. She has written a helpful paper entitled, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,” in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.[1] It is a philosophical and theological paper that is technical enough that I will not try to analyze it here in this post. Her logic and conclusions speak for themselves and the paper is a valuable read for anyone who would like to explore these topics more deeply than is often done in this blog.

What I will note here in this space is the interaction between logic and imagination. Sollereder and I met once when I was at Regent working on the Comprehensive Exam for my Master of Arts degree. I was wrestling with the question of the historicity of Adam, and my supervisor, Ross Hastings, Ph.D. had suggested that I should interact with Bethany Sollereder on this topic. I found her to be an exceptionally brilliant and logical mind and knew that she would make significant contributions in the literature regarding Faith and Science, and Theodicy (a technical term for the theological study of why we have evil in a world created by a good God). In the paper to which I am referring today, Sollereder is not only extremely logical but also, at points, imaginative, creative, and poetic. One sentence in particular caused me to pause and think carefully: “In describing divine action, then, our compassionate imagination—rather than our logic—may be the more reliable guide.”

Here is an especially logical young mind arguing for the inclusion of a “compassionate imagination” in the technical fields of theology, philosophy, and theodicy. For a person like me who writes poetry, creative novels,[2] songs, science papers, and religious journal articles, this statement by Sollereder was an encouragement of the highest degree. It would seem to me that she is calling for an application of all aspects of the mind. For such interesting and difficult subjects as the relationships between science and faith, we must apply every aspect of our mental faculties. We do not simply use logic in one conversation and poetry in another. We use both to help us understand the intricacies of the universe in which we live. Indeed, the very consciousness with which we think, is capable of a variety of methods for coming at difficult topics. Sometimes, imagination and poetry are the only ways to adequately explain a concept and they may open other avenues of thought leading to a greater logical understanding. 

In her paper, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,” Sollereder uses creative thought experiments and metaphors of life to logically explain possible explanations for the workings of God and our universe. The logic is exemplary, but her logic would not stand as well if it were not for the helpful images that bolster the logic. Perhaps this makes even more sense when we read Sollereder’s bio which states that she “enjoys hiking, horseback riding, [and] reading novels (particularly those of “the Inklings”).” This paper encourages me to continue to use creativity, logic, poetry, and metaphor to explore the universe and the explanations which help us live in this amazing place in which we find ourselves. May the spirit of writers such as Lewis, Tolkien, and MacDonald (some of the writers known as The Inklings) live on in the works of Sollereder and others.

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[1]Sollereder, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,”Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith68, no. 2 (2016): 99-110, http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2016/PSCF6-16Sollereder.pdf

[2]See the novel, The Great Beyond for an example of how I have dealt with complex questions of life and death, punishment and reward in a metaphoric fiction. https://amzn.to/2HUGeF5 or, in the USA, https://amzn.to/2ro8Lb2.

Thy will be done

There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."
- “The Great Divorce” (1945) 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

 A friend of mine is in the hospital right now and is undergoing chemo-therapy and a bone marrow transplant to rescue him from cancer. In the midst of it, they did an MRI of his brain and discovered a tumour outside of the brain but inside of the head. You might ask, “Why would one person have to go through so much?” Of course my friend and his wife will ask questions such as this, but I also see them exemplifying a life of hope in the midst of great difficulties. Despite what they are going through, they are trusting God to lead them through it. They do not know where this journey will lead but they know that God will go with them in it. This afternoon we read part of Psalm 139 together and prayed. Psalm 139:13-18 says,

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

God knows all about our bodies. He knows how all of the blood vessels in our body are connected. He knows about blood/brain barriers. He knows how many hairs are on our heads or, in my friend’s case, how many hairs are not on his head right now. He made us and He cares for us. He knows how many days we have on this earth. Both God and we know that the number of days we have on this earth are indeed finite. Yet, we pray that my friend has many more sweet days of life with his wife here on this earth. Regardless of how many days we have on this earth, may we all seek to live those days with God. In all that we do, may we agree with the psalmist, and say God, “you are still with me.”