Tonight I had what I consider one of the best musical experiences in my life. I saw Over the Rhine at the Texas Union Theatre with my wife and two great friends. If you haven’t heard of Over the Rhine, I commend them to you for a variety of reasons – whether you be a Christian or not. Just on the level of pure musicianship, the band was incredible. Linford can play an incredible jazz/blues/country/rock piano and he hit just about every style imaginable tonight. Karin’s voice is a beautiful mix of a little Lucinda Williams and a lot more clarity – amazing to listen to as she brings emotion and meaning to every song she sings.
They sang two songs that my fellow Christian brethren should find incredibly moving. One song that I highly recommend is called “The Trumpet Child” that explores the return of Christ using non-traditional and highly poetic language that literally brought tears to my eyes… beautiful rendition that caused my heart to scream “Maranatha!” The other song is called “New Redemption Song” that speaks volumes – again, a song I commend to all of my Christian brothers and sisters.
Now, with that short paragraph and description, you’d think I went to what would be considered a Christian concert… but it wasn’t – at least not in the traditional sense. While those two songs obviously display strong Christian influence, the beauty of the concert was how real and raw everything was. There were songs about pain that were very real with a few that dropped the occassional, yet appropriate, expletive. There were songs about love and joy as well, but none using what I would consider a distinctly Christian nomenclature.
This was an incredibly encouraging evening where I believe I saw a band that hit a cultural high point in my life by showing the use of cultural language and musical influence that showed more of Christ to the world than the typical “Worship Concert” could ever attempt to accomplish. It was raw, it was real, it was moving, and, yes, it was inspiring. Hats off to Over the Rhine for an incredible night… can’t wait to see them again.
Hopefully, you see in these writings a man who is staying The Course and pursuing The Path amidst the pitfalls and selfish ways of being a son of Adam. I pray earnestly that my writing would encourage some of you by showing you that this journey - though arduous and sometimes tragic - is a journey of great satisfaction. A satisfaction greater than our greatest imaginings. The trials and refining fire of tribulation are to be recognized as a small shadow of the suffering of our Savior so that we can rejoice, as Peter and the disciples did, to be counted worthy to suffer for the sake of the Name.