A Miracle

Today’s featured song: Just As Much A Miracle by Intrusion from the 1982 album Life Messages.

Track 29 from Tape JM-31, Jesus music that was on the air in 1984, is another from Intrusion. This one I had previously gotten on The Larry Black Show (though on Tape JM-29, in 1983). This one has a much better message than the previous song, Travelin’ Shoes. The miracle of salvation, where God takes all the ways I fail, forgives me, and makes me one of his own, is one of the most amazing things that can happen to anyone any time. All it takes is for me to abandon my impossible efforts to control my own life, and give that control over to Jesus!

Jesus walked on the water
And He made the blind to see
He healed the sick and He raised the dead
But he did much more for me

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
I was just a broken man
With no place left to go
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

Jesus lived a perfect life
But He died for all our sin
He conquered death, and he lives today
In the hearts of His children

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
Well, I was just a broken man
With no place left to go, oh
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

I know He loves me
And He will never let me fall
And though it may not seem like much
That’s the greatest miracle of all!

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free

And it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free

Oh, well, it took just as much of a miracle
To make a new man out of me
It took just as much of a miracle
To set my spirit free
And I was just a broken man
With no place left to go, oh,
Till Jesus came and made a miracle of me

He made a miracle of me
Jesus came
And made a miracle of me

Tags: Intrusion

Today’s featured song: Travelin’ Shoes by Intrusion from the 1982 album Life Messages.

As I mentioned on an earlier post, my JM tapes were a mix of what I heard on the radio, and sometimes what I heard on vinyl LPs. The song for today is not only from a record, but it is from a record that I borrowed from a friend. I liked some of the tracks well enough to copy them onto this cassette, but not enough, apparently, to try to buy the album for myself. (At this time in 1984, my finances were extremely tight; though not a good excuse, it was my reason at the time.)

What is interesting about this album by the group Intrusion is that there is very little about it that has survived to be posted on the Internet. The only place where I found any useful info (rather than just copied and reposted stuff) was at Christian Music Archive (specifically, at this page), where I at least found an album cover. Sadly, there is not anything else available about this group available anywhere that I can find (a name like “Intrusion” is one for which it is hard to find many useful hits).

I liked what I heard on the album well enough that I put three tracks on this tape; the other two will be coming up shortly in this list. This particular track seems to be a song in the spiritual tradition. It may be an old song that was jazzed up for the CCM audience, or a song written in the spiritual style. There are other groups (Beam and Acapella) that have also recorded this song, which suggests that Intrusion and these other groups may have taken it from the same source. In any case, it is not very deep in Biblical meaning, but was a fun song to listen to.

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that sinner’s door
Said, O sinner are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that liar’s door
Said, O liar are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that gambler’s door
Said, O gambler are you ready to go?
He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes!
(Ain’t paid my dues)
Well, no, no, no, O Lordy, no, no, no
Because I ain’t got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, death come a knockin’ on that Christian’s door
Said, O Christian are you ready to go?
He said, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes!
(He paid my dues)
Well, yes, yes, yes, O Lordy, yes, yes, yes
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes

Who-whoa, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
(Swing down, sweet chariot, stoppin’ right on by)
Because I just got on my travellin’ shoes

Tags: Intrusion

Today’s featured song: What Have You Got? by Sweet Comfort Band from the 1982 album Cutting Edge.

Next on Tape JM-31 is track 26, from Sweet Comfort Band’s fifth album. I would pray that my life shows something different to others, so they can see Jesus in me, and desire to have that same thing in their lives!

This track is introduced by Larry Black, and followed by that wonderful Gary S. Paxton-produced theme.

I’m watching you from behind the scenes,
To see if what you say is what you mean
But you don’t know it cause I play it cool,
Now I don’t want to be nobody’s fool

I’m moving up you, know I’m droppin’ names,
I look the part, I’m playing all the games
But you don’t care to know what people think,
So could it be you’ve found the missing link?

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

I’m up to date, I mean I’ve got the look,
You take your style from a different book
I see your difference here like night and day,
Just tell me, how much do I have to pay

You’re everything that I would like to be,
You do it right as far as I can see
I guess you’re making me a jealous man,
So I’m asking for a helping hand

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got
What have you got that I haven’t got more of?

Is it luck, or is it fate,
Is it love for the human race
That makes you life so much better than mine
So tell me what it is

Buy CD on Amazon

Tags: Larry Black Show, Sweet Comfort Band, WOW

Today’s featured song: First Love by Joe English from the 1982 album Held Accountable.

Track 25 of Tape JM-31 brings us back to The Larry Black Show. It should be obvious from my page about this show (here) that I have a particular fondness for Larry Black. It was more than just hearing the music; it was hearing what Larry had to say about the song, and what he had to say about the secular music that he played on his show. I enjoyed the music on his show far more than listening to the same music when I did hear it on a Christian station that played that music. His intros to and followups on songs are some of my favorite parts of the music on my tapes. I also really liked his attitude about asking for donations to keep the show going. He didn’t give a long, drawn out plea about how money needs to come in because things are so bad, etc. He just said, here is a need if you want, and if you don’t like that, ignore what he said. Great way to state it!

This song is a reminder of the place that Jesus must have in our lives – FIRST place!

There’s a single most thing that’s certain
If ever a truth was true
Is that in spite of my many failures
My very first love is You

Lord, the world is filled with lies
They make the truth fade from view
But nothing in all creation
Will ever lessen my love for You

Havin’ Jesus for my first love
Makes the darkest day shine
He has filled me with His Spirit
And I’ll love Him until the end of time
And that’s a long time

There’s been a very long list of heartaches
From other loves long ago
But when I finally felt love from you, Lord
I let the new feeling grow

All the pain that hurts the heart
And makes the tears freely flow
Will never turn me from You, Lord
Or hurt the love that I’ve come to know

Havin’ Jesus for my first love
Makes the darkest day shine
He has filled me with His Spirit
And I’ll love Him until …

If ever there comes a dark time
When love is nowhere in view
I know that nothin’ in all creation
Will lessen my love for You

Havin’ Jesus for my first love (first love!)
Makes the darkest day shine
He has filled me with His Spirit (Spirit!)
And I’ll love Him until …

Now that’s a long time
Now that’s a long time

Havin’ Jesus for my first love
Makes the darkest day shine
He has filled me with His Spirit
And He’s mine for all time
He is, oh yeah

Havin’ Jesus for my first love
Makes the darkest day shine
He has filled me with His Spirit
And He’s mine for all time
He is, oh yeah

Tags: Joe English, Larry Black Show, WOW