An Album I’m Really Enjoying: All Sons and Daughters (Live)

I’ve been really digging the live version of this song: 

Actually I can’t seem to stop hitting repeat on the entire live album.

Knowing the Creep’s Name…Two Years Later

Our sermon this morning was on Romans 8:12-17. Tonight in our Life Groups we will talk even more about the beauty of adoption. All of this reminded me of something amazing the Lord was doing in my life a couple years ago.

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Driving to class this morning I was rocking out to 100.5 Gen-X (Hopefully, it’s okay that I listen to secular music on my way to seminary).  One of my favorite songs from my teenage years came on, Creep by Radiohead:

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so very special

Chorus:

But I 'm a creep
I 'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts
I want to have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so very special
I wish I was special

CHORUS

She's running out again
She's running out
She run, run, run run
Run

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so very special
I wish I was special

CHORUS

In the original version of this song the word “very” is replaced by the F-bomb.  This is an angry song about a young man that has a crush on a girl but he really does not feel like he is good enough for her.  At the end of the day he wishes that he was special like her.  “I want you to notice when I’m not around” is perhaps the most telling lyric.  This young man feels insignificant and unnoticed.  He would sacrifice his own identity just to be someone that would be liked. 

This song is the cry of my generation.  At least it is the cry of my own heart.  Growing up I always felt this way.  Maybe it was the necessary result of being a short kid with big ears and glasses.  Maybe it has deeper familial issues at the core.  I feel this song.  Check that, I felt this song. 

Actually my wife and I had a conversation about this last night.  Since my identity is being rocked to the core right now—rewind about 6 months and you will see why—we have these conversations often. 

For most of my life I have had a deep desire to be noticed.  Not necessarily in a “look at me, I’m the center of attention” type of way.  More so in a, “Hi, Mike I’m glad that you exist” type of way.  For years I killed parts of me that were “unacceptable”.  I became whatever people wanted me to be.  “Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want”.

Thankfully, God is healing me.  Last night I wept after reflecting upon a different song.  It’s a song that has grabbed my attention before.  But last night I realized why it ministers to me so much:

I hope that this ministers to you.  I pray that the way the Lord is comforting me will be a comfort to you.  It’s my prayer that as the Lord continues to heal my brokenness that he may also use it. 

If you read through this and cannot relate then that’s awesome.  Please allow me to give you a ministry tip.  You don’t heal a “creep” by convincing him you think he’s special.  You heal a “creep” by letting him know that the One who lifts up the sun, hangs the stars, and holds the universe lovingly knows the number of his hairs.  That heals brokenness. 

Originally posted here.

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Two years later I’m continuing to uncover even more about myself. And I’m finding that in every spot where there is brokenness the Lord is pushing through with His holiness and redemption.

All of this because I’m his adopted son. He won’t leave me reflecting my fallen identity. He won’t stop until I’m truly living in my new name.

Hump Day Humor: When Goats Take Over Pop Songs

This wins the internet:

And this:

 

They're even take over 80's Rock:

“Between Here & Lost” Great New Album

I loved Korn. Then I came to know Jesus. I liked Korn quite a bit less.

Brian “Head” Welch was in Korn. Then he came to know Jesus. He’s no longer in Korn.

But he does still rock. His new band Love & Death recently released a full-length album entitled Between Here and Lost. Here are a couple of their songs:

This is a cover of Devo’s Whip It!

As you can see, these dudes are still pretty dark and rock pretty hard. But I’m digging it. I don’t know much about Brian’s theology yet so I’m not recommending this as great theological music. I’m recommending this as good metal.

You can buy their new album here.

A Breakup Letter to @Rhapsody

Dear Rhapsody,

This isn’t working anymore.

I’d love to give you the classic line that “it’s not you, it’s me”. But I cannot. It is you. We were together back in 2008 when you were still known as Miss Yahoo. It was a difficult transition but we stuck together.

I have always loved that whenever I want something you can quickly deliver. Your fees are not exorbitant. Especially, since you stuck it to iTunes and allow me to download whatever I want and listen to it on my iPod or iPad without an internet connection. I still love you for this. But that’s it…

I’m leaving you for Pandora.

She is smarter. When I tell her that I don’t like a song she doesn’t continue to play it. You do. I don’t know how many times that I’ve told you I don’t like T.D. Jakes’ theology or his Marvin Gaye-esque love ballads. I don’t like anything that even sounds like country music. I don’t like cheesy Christian music. I like folkish music like Mumford and Sons but this doesn’t mean I dig Judy Collins. Pandora gets that. You don’t.

We fought for years trying to establish a decent “My Rhapsody Channel”. I’ve come to believe that you just do not understand me like Pandora does. Add to this your recent problems with buffering and lag and I have had all that I can handle. I’m no longer paying you to fill my office with crappy music.

We’re breaking up. I’ll miss parts of you but I’ll be happy to never have to listen to T.D. Jakes romancing me again.

Cutting ties,

Mike Leake

The Best Country Music of 2012

I have compiled a list of the best country music of 2012. Here is my list of must listen to songs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Did you really expect to find something here? C’mon you know that “country music” isn’t really music.

Go buy you some LeCrae or Shane & Shane or Jimmy Needham or Underoath and listen to real music.

Review of The Medicated Meatballs New Album

I have seldom enjoyed reading reviews of albums. They make little sense to me. I believe that all the authors do is find a book with a boat-load of adverbs, pick a few objects in their office, try to tie together as many genre’s as possible, and then start to writing their review using as many weird and lengthy adjectives as they possibly can.

I though that it might be a little fun to write my own music review. If you can understand anything I have said kudos. The whole thing is mostly nonsense. And there is no band called The Medicated Meatballs—at least not yet, that I know of. Hopefully you will enjoy my made up song titles and find a bit of humor in this.

After you read this I have one question. Does this not sound like a typical hip music review?

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The Medicated Meatballs enjoyed an epic run in the early 80’s (Button Hole, Cheetah Forceps, and Frankenstein’s Heartworm) that notoriously gave voice to the era’s disdain for the dance-under-the-moonlight funk charade. Their valiant yet humble renderings of the melancholy earth-sounds endeared an entire generation of adoring fans. But things changed for the Seattle-based quartet when rival grunge bands exploded onto the scene.

For over a decade The Medicated Meatballs struggled to sell out even the echo-laden halls of hotels in the slums. Throughout the 90’s the flailing quartet flirted with their sound; even diving into renegade techno lullabies with their early 90’s Pandas with Dysentery offering. With this project the groups pedantic meanderings all but ostracized their entire fan base. By the turn of the millennium the band--now only playing county fairs in rural Alaska—decided to take a break.

After taking almost a decade off from music a rejuvenated Meatballs launched a 48 city reunion tour which spawned their newest album: Gravy Boat Shoelace. Their present undertaking is a welcome return to the bands sublime approach. Early fans will be pleased with their homecoming to the eclectic sounds of gypsy-dance-skiffle.

With their more pop-oriented tracks (like Simon and Garfield) the band launches their plunge into the icy-cool waters of over-dramatized circus ballads. Their ear-melting mockery of all things Reagan in Iraq You Ran will likely endear them to the posh elite but will do nothing to gain them traction in the ever-increasingly-popular world of the moody folk brigade.

Their most adventurous track, Androgynous Mule-Shark, assumes a smooth yet rocky pose with brief reminiscence of the angrier tracks of Rage Against the Machine. Many will be confused by their foray into breezy metal, but rest assured none are more confused than their new lead guitarist Harvey—who every time he drives towards a steady beat meanders into a weird improvisation of a rickety chainsaw.

The Medicated Meatballs had hoped that this album would give a pulse to their fans of the 80’s and attract a new generation of Meatheads. There’s plenty to love on Gravy Boat Shoelace, but there is also plenty to make the casual listener’s stomach to churn. This is their best album since Frankenstein’s Heartworm but still not enough to take them out of dimly lit and poorly populated night clubs.

What Is An Ebenezer and Do I Need to Raise One?

I remember sitting (or probably standing) in church and singing all the verses of Come Thou Fount for the first time. The song was pretty jazzy and the words seemed pretty profound. I was starting to get into the song. Then it happened…

“Here I raise my Ebenezer…”

Wait, what? I could not focus on the rest of the song because the only Ebenezer that I was familiar with was the crotchety old duck from Mickey Mouse’s Christmas Carol. Why did the worship leader just encourage us to raise a crotchety old duck? And what does that have to do with Jesus? What in the world is an Ebenezer?

After reading through all of the words my solution at the time was to think that perhaps the word Ebenezer meant “complaint”. So the dude who wrote the song is raising a complaint. That complaint, I figured, was that his heart kept wandering. So in this song he is raising a complaint (kind of like a holy dissatisfaction) to the Lord.

Sounded plausible, but unfortunately quite wrong.

What is an Ebenezer?

The term Ebenezer comes from the Hebrew which means “stone of help”. So, back in the day (like in the 1700’s when Richard Robinson wrote the hymn) the term was used to speak of a marker that you set up to remind you of God’s great faithfulness in times past. John Newton used it similarly when he speaks of the mature believer reflecting on his life…

“while he reviews the Ebenezers he has set up all along the road, he sees, in almost an equal number, the monuments of his own perverse returns…”

“Raising an Ebenezer” means that upon this place the author is setting his monumental stone. What is that place? What is that fount? It is Christ. He is saying that he is setting up his “stone of help” on the fixed work of Jesus Christ. Though his heart is prone to wander he knows that he has a surety in what has already been accomplished by Christ.

As a side note it is probably not an accident that Charles Dickens chose the name Ebenezer for Mr. Scrooge. Mark Roberts makes a compelling case that the character is “to remind us of things we ought not forget, lest we end up like Jacob Marley and the other spirits who walked the earth in sorrow, dragging the heavy chains they forged in life.”

Should You Raise One?

Though it sounds like something that might accompany a sneeze or call to mind a “bah humbug”, it is a great practice to raise an Ebenezer. An Ebenezer is actually the opposite of a “bah humbug", it is a permanent reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness.

I’m not necessarily talking about driving a stake in the ground outside your grandpa’s barn as a reminder of the day you trusted in Jesus. And then every time you doubt the veracity of your faith you go back to that stake and remember that you prayed a prayer. Though that might hold a little value I believe we ought to “drive our stake” in the same place that Robert Robinson did, in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

I have many Ebenezer’s in my life of the Lord’s faithfulness to me. I have many stories that remind me that the Lord is real and that He is active in my life. But none are as sure and as certain as the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is here that men like John Bunyan would raise their Ebenezer.

One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he lacks my righteousness, for that was in front of him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, “The same yesterday, today, and forever.” . . .Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed.

Christ is our Ebenezer.

A Band You Need to Know

I am always looking for good music.  If you like good music then you need to be exposed to a band from my home state of Missouri called The Corners. 

One of the members, Jeremy, was a young man that I had the opportunity to get to know well when I was a youth pastor in Missouri.  Jeremy loves Jesus and he’s a talented musician.  He’s dedicated his life to using his musical gifts to proclaim the excellencies of Christ.  His band, The Corners, are releasing their first studio album and I’ll be happy to get a copy. 

Check out the band:

You can also support these guys by going to their Kickstarter campaign page. If for some reason thad video doesn't play on your computer then go here: The Corners

Until Your Heart and Soul Are Stirred and Rocked and Broken

That lyric from Jimmy Needham’s song Clear the Stage is really wreaking havoc on me today.  Check out the song:

Soak up the lyrics:

 

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze

If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols

Jerk the pews & all the decorations, too 

Until the congregations few, then have revival
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends 

Until you're broken for your sins, you can't be social

Then seek the Lord & wait for what He has in store 

And know that great is your reward so just be hopeful


'Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong;
worship is more than a song


Take a break from all the plans that you have made 

And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open
Then read the Word and put to test the things you've heard 

Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken


'Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song


We must not worship something that's not even worth it

Clear the stage, make some space for the One who deserves it

'Cause I can sing all I want to

Yes, I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong

And you can sing all you want to

Yes, you can, you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song
Worship is more than a song
Worship is more than a song

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols

Buy the album.

Fear Without a Voice

A song I am really loving right now is “Stay” by Jimmy Needham.  My favorite lyric is “to the place where my fears have no voice at all”.  I think we all long for that day when our often shouting fears, doubts, etc. are stricken with perpetual laryngitis and the only voice we hear is the whisper of the Lord. 
Beautiful song, take a listen:



You can buy Needham's new album for only $9.99 or "Stay" for only .99

Two Songs I’m Digging Right Now

I discovered both of these songs last week and I can’t get them out of my head. 

Of Monsters and Men “Little Talks”

The Lumineers “Ho Hey”

You can purchase The Lumineers album for only $7.99 or the single Ho Hey for only .99

You can also purchase Of Monsters and Men’s “My Head is An Animal” album for only $5.99 or the single Little Talks for only .99

The Gospel for Winter Winds

One of my favorite bands is Mumford & Sons.  Their lyrics are phenomenal.  Earlier today as I was enjoying me some Mumford & Sons this lyric started rattling around my brain and filling it with a healthy dose of pain. 

The lyric is from their song Winter Winds:

Oh the shame that sent me off from the God that I once loved
Was the same that sent me into your arms
Oh and pestilence is won when you are lost and I am gone
And no hope, no hope will overcome

I will not pretend to know the specific interpretation of this song.  For all I know Mr. Mumford and his kids could have been talking about the pain of switching from Kellog’s Corn Flakes to the generic brand.  Art is funny that way.  Yet, I do believe that this lyric spotlights something I have witnessed numerous times.  Namely, that shame drives people away from the Lord into the waiting arms of shameful lovers. 

When we sin feelings of guilt and shame come with it.  And though it’s not politically correct to admit this, we ought to feel guilt and shame when we exchange life for death.  Guilt and a sense of shame always comes with forsaking the Creator.  It’s as natural as a trip to a Chinese restaurant being followed by a date with Charmin. 

Our Shameful Response to Shame

Yet what we tend to do with our shame is similar to what Mumford suggests in this lyric: rather than running to God shame makes us run away from Him into the arms of another.  I have witnessed this countless times in the lives of those I’m discipling and even in my own heart.  There is something about shame and guilt that makes us think that unless these abominable qualities are alleviated then the Holy One will never accept us. 

Oddly enough this way of thinking is partially true.  Without atonement your shame becomes you.  That is what you do when you sin.  You exchange glory for shame.  And unless you are cleansed then it becomes your identity. 

As a result of this we run.  We hide.  We mask.  We deafen.  We pursue comfort in the accepting and approving arms of others, who like us bear the mark of shame.  The same shame that makes us run from God leads us into the arms of another. 

Yet it never satisfies.  The fellow shamed cannot heal your shame.  And so the shame, guilt, and emptiness begins to pile up.  “No hope will overcome…” 

Or so it seems. 

Jesus Christ has bore our shame.  He was shamed so that we wouldn’t have to be.  He bore the curse and endured the guilt and shame that should have been ours.  He was crucified in shame outside the city so that we could dance in freedom and joy inside the walls of glory. 

The gospel invites us to come empty. Shameful. Naked. Despised. Broken.  Abused. Foolish. Drunken. Forsaken. Guilty. 

And in Christ we find fullness.  Freedom. Covering. Honor. Glory. Healing. Life. Wholeness. Joy. Love. Grace. Peace. Holiness. Cleanliness. Forgiveness. Hope.

When you find yourself covered in shame don’t run.  Don’t mask it.  Don’t pretend it isn’t there.  Don’t try to find release or freedom or healing at any other fountain.  Turn to Christ and hope. 

And this hope will not disappoint.  Yes, this hope can overcome…

Metal Worship?!?!?

I’m dusting this one off and spicing it up a little.

Should there be rap and metal music in a church service?  Is there a style of music that is inherently evil or worldly?

Awhile back I had a discussion with a group of brothers about the place of rap and metal music in church.  Initially their comment was that there are some forms of music that are simply too pagan in origin and are not redeemable; like rap, metal, and other uncomfortable forms of music.

For full disclosure you need to know that I have a few former students that I love deeply that are in a metal band.  So, I may be a little biased.  But I do not believe my love for these guys clouds my judgment in this matter. 

My Answer

God has created us with a ton of diversity, and he is redeeming people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and language.  People of different cultures have different forms of music.  What may seem evil to one culture is the common expression of another culture.  Deep drum beats are typical in African culture—but to someone in the Deep South it signifies gangsta rap.

My take is that certain expressions can be very helpful within a worship setting.  Rap tends to make you feel like it’s subject is amazing.  The beats confirm the awesomeness of the subject being rapped about.  There is some Christian music that seems to use this to display how amazing they are for being Christians.  Kind of like a “eat that world…see Christians are amazing”.  But other rappers like Flame, Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, etc. use this genre to say that Jesus is absolutely amazing.  It’s a form of worship.

Now think about metal music.  Metal music (especially screamo) is a good genre for displaying angst, struggle, and explosions.  It can be used to say I’m in pain.  It can be used to buck the authorities.  It can be used to curse God.  It can be used to generate an unholy expression for anger.  But it can also be a cry out to God that says, “I’m in pain God”.  It can be used to say to God “I hate this sin”.  It can be used by God to passionately express dedication.  It can be used to musically symbolize a violent casting off of the world.  It can be used to worship.

Therefore, lets embrace all styles of music provided that everything within the song (music and lyrics) are centered around exalting God and His beautiful Gospel.

A Little Kickback

One argument that can be made against using rap and metal music in a corporate worship service is that the words are often not intelligible to the vast majority of people there.  That is not a hurdle that is too high to overcome but it is one that must be considered.  Perhaps those that sing metal or rap music can be certain to provide words to their music. 

Another argument is that many people may not be able to really sing along with rap or metal music.  Fair enough.  I tend to agree.  Yet, how much different is this to choir specials or solos?  (If given the right argument I could maybe be persuaded against these). 

Lastly, you could argue that some people may have been delivered out of a rap music culture or a metal culture and they associate that music with paganism.  Though one may be tempted to say, “get over it”, that is not a biblically faithful response.  One is left to wonder how similar an argument like this might be to Paul in 1 Corinthians 8-10.  So, while there is nothing inherently wrong with rap or metal music it may be a stumbling block to some.  Of course country music is a massive stumbling block for me—mostly because I associate it with beer-drinkin’ racists that sing about loving America and a watered-down Jesus in the same sentence as having an affair.  Nonetheless, this may be an argument against having rap or metal music in a worship service.

What say you?

If It Wasn’t For You

One of my favorite artists is Jimmy Needham.  He is a very gifted writer and musician that is also very gospel-centered and Christ-exalting.  Rarely do I hear a Jimmy Needham song that doesn’t make me stop, think, and worship. 

This is one of my favorites:

This song is from his album Nightlights.  His newest album Clear the Stage is great as well, as is Not Without Love. 

People You Have Probably Never Heard Of But Should: Paul Gerhardt

Paul Gerhardt was born in 1607 in Germany.  He enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in 1628 and graduated in 1642.  Though his schooling was to make him a pastor he was not immediately placed into a pastorate.  The Thirty Years War caused a great amount of tumult and difficulty during this time.  Finally in 1651 he was appointed as the new Probst at Mittenwalde.  (Ask me where Mittenwalde is, and I’ll point you to Wikipedia).  Here he was married and had children.  He also began writing hymns. 

In 1657 he and his family moved to Berlin.  Here in Berlin there was a heated debate between the Reformed church and the Lutheran church.  Gerhardt himself was Lutheran and a model voice in the debates of his time.  Though during his life he was probably most remembered as a pastor and for his work in these counsels to try to bring unity, it is his hymn writing that has struck a chord with me.

Why You Should Know Him:

Very little is left of Gerhardt’s sermons and we know next to nothing of his posterity.  Yet, the Lord has seen fit to preserve many hymns of Gerhardt.  I am sure that if given the time and the research there would be a few things that I would disagree with Gerhardt on.  (His somewhat sissy looking mustache is one of them).  But these hymns are rich.  They bear the mark of “A theologian experienced in the sieve of Satan”. 

Gerhardt’s hymns show a man that is well acquainted with sorrow and yet a man that has drawn from the deep well of Jesus.  He is at times broken and confused but ever trusting in the redemption to be brought to him.  His trust in Christ makes Gerhardt somebody worthy of reading. 

Sample:

A couple of days ago I posted Give to the Winds Thy Fears.  (That song has been remade by Jars of Clay and is available for your viewing at the end of this post. 

Here are a few stanzas from various poems that I found refreshing:

From Say With What Salutations?

From Why Without, Then, Art Thou Staying?

From Christian Devotion to God’s Will:

Further Reading:

There is a compilation of many of his hymns available for free at Google. 
Also available is a lengthy biography on Gerhardt and his influential hymn writing.
There have been a few more biographies written on Gerhardt, but the two free links above will suffice for a helpful introduction to Gerhardt. 

This is from Jars of Clay:

Give to the Winds Thy Fears

I am finding great comfort in this hymn by Paul Gerhardt:

Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope and be undismayed.
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou His time; so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.

Still heavy is thy heart?
Still sinks thy spirit down?
Cast off the world, let fear depart
Bid every care begone.

What though Thou rulest not;
Yet heaven, and earth, and hell
Proclaim, God sitteth on the throne,
And ruleth all things well.

And whatsoe’er Thou will’st,
Thou dost, O King of kings;
What Thine unerring wisdom chose,
Thy power to being brings.

Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
So shalt thou, wondering, own that way,
How wise, how strong this hand.

Far, far above thy thought,
His counsel shall appear,
When fully He the work hath wrought,
That caused thy needless fear.

Thou seest our weakness, Lord;
Our hearts are known to Thee;
O lift Thou up the sinking hand,
Confirm the feeble knee!

Let us in life, in death,
Thy steadfast truth declare,
And publish with our latest breath
Thy love and guardian care.

A Song I’m Really Digging Right Now

From David Crowder Band, Enjoy!:

Stay Away From Jesus

I’m really digging Matt Papa right now.  This song is especially convicting and honestly quite helpful:

My favorite line is probably, “The words he speaks are meant to set you free…” 

I love that!  The words that Christ speaks to us—even those that are really hard to follow—are meant to give us freedom.  His gospel and His commands are not another hoop for us to jump through—they are freedom.  Freedom, that He has already purchased for us. 

People You’ve Maybe Never Heard Of But Should: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was born in July of 1674 in Southampton, England.  His father, Isaac, was imprisoned at the time of his birth for his being a deacon of a dissenting church.  Because of their non-conformity Watts was never able to attend the prolific Oxford or Cambridge but instead attended the Dissenting Academy of Stoke Newington.

After his education Watts took up a pastorate of a large independent chapel in London.  John Owen had previously ministered in the church Watts now pastored.  During this season of his life his intense study and dedication to the pastorate led him to have frequent attacks of illness.  Within his first couple years Watts had to have a co-pastor (Samuel Price) assist him in his duties.  Though often ill—and often having misgivings about taking a salary—Isaac Watts’ congregation refused to break their connection. 

Watts finally succumbed to illness in 1748 dying in Stoke Newington at the house of the beloved Sir Thomas Abney family.

Why You Should Know Him:

Even if you do not know Watts you have more than likely read some of his hymns.  He was one of the most popular writers of his day for his hymns.  But he also was very popular for his catechism and his Scripture History—these were standard works for years.  Even his books on philosophy were often used as textbooks.  Watts, however, is most known today for his hymn writing. 

Watts broke the mold of the day by introducing new poetry and new songs and hymns of spiritual worship.  Previously churches would only sing hymns or other poetry found in the Scriptures.  Watts’ use of extra-biblical poetry opened up the door for the hymns and songs we now sing in our churches. 

Some of Watts’ more famous hymns include:

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed
Joy to the world
This is the Day the Lord Has Made

These are only four of over 500 hymns that Watts composed.  You can read all of these hymns here.  Watts’ poetry and hymn writing is very rich, God-centered, drenched in the gospel, and Christ-focused.  It is worth noting that John Newton was very much influenced by the hymns of Watts.  His mother would sing them to a young Newton and many believe that these seeds of truth were instrumental in Newton’s later conversion.  Certainly, it influenced Newton’s own hymn writing. 

Samples:

I gave you this last week but it fits here as well.  This is classic Watts:

Hast thou not seen, impatient boy!
Hast thou not read the solemn truth,
That gray experience writes for giddy youth
On every mortal joy?

Pleasure must be dash’d with pain:
And yet with heedless haste,
The thirsty boy repeats the taste,
Nor hearkens to despair, but tries the bowl again.
The rills of pleasure never run sincere,
    (Earth has no unpolluted spring)
From the curs’d soil some dangerous taint they bear;
So roses grow on thorns, and honey wears a sting

In vain we seek a Heaven below the sky;
The world has false, but flattering, charms;
Its distant joys show big in our esteem,
But lessen still as they draw near the eye;
    In our embrace the visions die,
    And when we grasp the airy forms
         We lose the pleasing dream.

Earth with her scenes of gay delight,
Is but a landscape rudely drawn,
With glaring colors, and false light;
Distance commends it to the sight,
    For fools gaze upon;
But bring the nauseous daubing night
Course and confus’d the hideous figures lie,
Dissolve the pleasure, and offend the eye.

Look up, my soul, pant toward th’ eternal hills;
    Those Heavens are fairer than they seem;
There pleasures all sincere glide on in crystal rills,
    There not a dreg of guilt defiles,
         Nor grief disturbs the stream.
     That Cannan knows no noxious thing,
     No cursed soil, no tainted spring,
Nor roses grow on throns, nor honey wears a sting.
(Isaac Watts, Earth and Heaven)

Further Study:

Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts’ biography

A search for Isaac Watts on Google Books will give you a few very helpful books for free.  Some by Watts and a few biographies from others.

Watts was more than just a hymn writer he was also a physician of the soul.  Check out his counsel to those going through spiritual ups and downs.