Plans

So I don't normally write stuff based on song lyrics, but a CD has particularly struck me on this trip so I thought I'd share.

After hearing the sermon at Pantano about reaching lost people, I set out to find the song "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". I went to Bookmans the day I left and was looking for the song. Turns out I didn't even have the right artist. I happened to pick up the CD Plans by Death Cab for Cutie just because I was browsing random CDs I remembered from college. There the song was. I guess it's not by Modest Mouse after all.

I don't think the CD has a particularly Christian influence, but God is teaching me so much about Him through it.

Marching Bands of Manhattan - The message is about worry. It can drip in through a pin-hole. You can get comfortable with the sound and not fix it. All of a sudden you are in a rut and it drowns love. I know I do that. It reminded me how important it is to maintain your filter even at the smallest level, because all of a sudden you can be so far gone that you can't pull your way out. No making excuses... no "I'll just do it this once" or "a little bit".

I Will Follow You Into The Dark – This reminded me of having a best friend and sticking by them, just as God sticks with you in the good times and bad. It is so comforting to have a church family who I feel would follow me into the dark and fight with me and I am so blessed.

What Sarah Said – This song is actually really sad but so beautiful at the same time. It details the tension of a hospital waiting room and the slow process of losing someone you love. Watching someone love die is impossible but also shows the deep relationship with that person, and I couldn't help but think of what God went through watching his own son die. Really, is anything else that big of a deal when He endured that?

Brothers on a Hotel Bed – This song made me reflect on my relationship with God. I can be so easy to grow apart from him and feel distant, even when you are right next to Him. It's possible to become someone you don't even recognize if this relationship is missing. I definitely don't want to look in the mirror and wonder what happened. Time to press in even harder.

Every song really paints such an intense scene that I immediately felt a part of, which rarely happens with music for me. This CD is somewhat of a beautiful disaster. It's catchy and well orchestrated, but the content can be deep and disturbing. Its honesty and vulnerability definitely make it work checking out and reflecting upon. Maybe God wasn't their intention at all, but hey… He'll use anything to get the point across.