Righteousness

Today’s featured song: We Are The Righteousness Of God by Chuck Girard from the 1983 album The Name Above All Names.

Chuck Girard was one of the founding members of the influential group Love Song, from the early days of Jesus music. By 1984, that group had long since disbanded, but Girard had continued to record solo albums. This album was notable for the title song, which Debby Boone released as a single that did well (and was featured on this blog here). Another track that I really like is And The Rain Came Down, which I’m surprised I have not previously featured on this blog (I will try to do this in the future).

This song is significant because it points out my privilege as a forgiven child of God, that I can be right before God – not because of anything that I have done, but because of what Jesus did for me.

As for Tape JM-31, this song brings us up to track 16, and at this point I am again recording from the weekly Larry Black Show on WOW in Omaha.

We are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
We are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us

I was a sinner saved by grace,
But I’m not a sinner anymore
I choose to live in righteousness
And to practice sin no more
I did not say I would not fall,
But when I do I’ll run to Him
For He is faithful and He’s just to forgive
You know He died for ALL our sins!

And I say now, we are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
We are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us

And now our hearts do not condemn us,
And we can stand before the throne
And we have confidence before our God
‘Cause we no longer have to stand alone
Now God no longer sees our sin,
He sees us fully reconciled
He sees us worthy to have fellowship with Him
He sees a brand new creature
He sees us undefiled!

And I say now, we are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
We are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us

And now we share in everything,
The very nature of the Son
We are partakers in the fullness of our God
And we know that when we pray it will be done
We live right now in Heaven’s realm,
We are no longer of the Earth
We are the children of the new creation
We’re joint-heirs with Jesus,
Partners in the second birth!

And I say now, we are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
We are the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in us
‘Cause Jesus lives in us

I am the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in me
‘Cause Jesus lives in me
I am the righteousness of God
‘Cause Jesus lives in me
‘Cause Jesus lives in me!

Purchase this track on iTunes!

Tags: Chuck Girard, Larry Black Show

Today’s featured song: actually, several songs from lots of places…

The music featured today will take a little bit of explanation.

Okay, rewind the clock back to my days of recording music from top 40 radio stations in the 1970s, and in particular, from WLS in Chicago. In its heyday, the Rock of Chicago was famous for many things, but one of them were station promotions in the early 1970s where snippets of several songs were played, starting with “WLS MusicRadio – with the most music!” and ending with “The most music! WLS, MusicRadio!” Here is an example:

The most famous of these was the WLS Montage, played on New Year’s Eve at midnight, giving a tour through rock music from 1955 through the current year. So, enjoying that style of presenting a lot of songs as I did, I would record snips of various Jesus music songs, and create my own montage. This particular one on Tape JM-31 features the following:

Sunday’s On The Way – Carman
Stand By The Power – The Imperials
More Power To Ya – Petra
He’ll Be There – Johnny Rivers
Here On The Rock – The Imperials
He Will Carry You – Scott Wesley Brown
Sound His Praise – The Imperials
Holiness – Don Francisco
Covenant Children – Phil Driscoll
Come Celebrate Jesus – Cynthia Clawson

Yeah, it is a little heavy on The Imperials. Maybe if a list of songs per year were available it would be possible make a montage like that massive WLS one!

Today’s featured song: Mountain Top by Chris Christian from his self-titled 1978 album.

This entry from Tape JM-31 includes tracks 13 and 14. It starts with a station identification featuring an excerpt from the the song The Army of the Lord by Harvest (from their 1984 album Send Us To The World) and a reading of 2 Timothy 2:3-4, transitioning into Amy Grant’s Thy Word. Then, it brings us into the real offering for today, an “oldie” by Chris Christian. It was from his second album, released in 1978; oddly, his next album in 1981 had the same title (his name), but was musically more mainstream and not as overtly Christian. (The earlier 1978 album is the same one that featured his song Great Great Joy, from which this blog got its name.)

What I like about this song is its simplicity, and the clear message. He likes to worship, but knows that there is more to the Christian life than to just sing and pray.

I love to sing and I love to pray
Worship the Lord most every day
I go to the temple and I want to stay
To hide from the hustle of the world and its ways

And I’d love to live on a mountain top
Fellowshipping with the Lord
I’d love to stand on a mountain top
‘Cause I love to feel my spirit soar

But I’ve got to come down from the mountain top
To the people in the valley below
Or they’ll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord

Now praising the Father is a good thing to do
Worship the Trinity in spirit and truth
But if we worshiped all of the time
There would be no one to lead the blind

But I’d still love to live on a mountain top
Fellowshipping with the Lord
I’d love to stand on a mountain top
‘Cause I love to feel my spirit soar

But I’ve got to come down from the mountain top
To the people in the valley below
Or they’ll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord

Now I am not saying that worship is wrong
But worship is more than just singin’ a song
It’s all that you say and everything that you do
It’s letting His Spirit live through you

But I’d love to live on a mountain top
Fellowshipping with the Lord
I’d love to stand on a mountain top
‘Cause I love to feel my spirit soar

But I’ve got to come down from the mountain top
To the people in the valley below
Or they’ll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord

Mountain Top – purchase MP3 on Amazon

Tags: Chris Christian, WHME

Today’s featured song: Temple To The Sky by Leon Patillo from the 1979 album Dance Children Dance.

Our “count up” (instead of a count-down) through the songs on JM-31 from 1984 now continues with track number 12,  from CCM radio as heard on WHME-FM. Although it’s a nice little tune, I’ll have to say that the lyric content for this song by Leon Patillo is a little thin. However this was his first Jesus music album, and the first of a string of many albums that he eventually released. Not every song has to have the word power of Don Francisco or Michael Card, and this is still an enjoyable tune.

I wanna build a temple to the sky
A mighty kingdom that never dies
With You on the throne, how can I go wrong?
When I’m reaching, climbing, running straight
For your heart

Many riches lay at my feet
But I thank you Lord for the wisdom to see
That silver and gold won’t save my very soul
Only trusting, loving, having faith in You

Many riches lay at my feet
But I thank you Lord for the wisdom to see
That silver and gold won’t save my very soul

Only trusting
Loving
Trusting, loving

Trusting
Loving
Trusting, loving

Trusting, loving, having faith
Oh, in You

I wanna build a temple to the sky
I wanna build a temple to the sky
I wanna build a temple to the sky
I wanna build a temple to the sky…

Temple To The Sky – download MP3 at Amazon

Tags: Leon Patillo, WHME