The Story Behind...(Here I Am)

A lot of folks have been asking me about the meaning or story behind some of my songs. So, I thought I'd go through each of the songs on my new album, So Human, and give a little insight into my messed up head! Ha! At first, I thought I'd just go through the album, track by track, but instead I think I'll start with the song that gets the most questions--Here I Am. First off, let me say that it's always tricky to try to write a song from the perspective of Jesus. To presume that I could possibly speak for my Savior is a bit daunting. But I wanted to tell Christ's story--from His perspective. This song is really Jesus telling the story of His life. And it starts...in the womb. What must it have been like to go from being fully God, to being God in the form of a human baby? So the first lines, "what is this skin that covers me?" is Jesus examining this new flesh around His body. In the following verses, He talks about growing up as a child in a world of mortals. He mentions the miracles that He's performed. I admit, I threw in my own supposition in the second verse. I wondered how lonely our Savior must have felt. "Five thousand here, I'm still alone" He says, speaking of how different He must have felt. "Oh they gather how I feel, but not one asks how I feel--not ever." I wondered if anyone ever asked Jesus how difficult it was to be God on Earth. I don't recall any scripture that shows anyone displaying this kind of concern for Him. How terribly isolating that must have been! The chorus, "Here I am, I'm ready to be everything that you want me to be" means something different everytime. The first time, it's the baby Jesus talking to his earthly parents--Mary and Joseph. It's Him saying "Hey, I'm your baby. I'm your child. I'm ready to be all those things that parents want from their babies--the wonder, the excitement, the love, the reliance on you for my needs, etc." In the second chorus, Jesus is being arrested by the soldiers, to be taken off for execution. In this chorus, He's saying "You want me to be the scapegoat? I'll be that for you. Want me to bear the punishment that you so desperately want to give out? I'll do that for you." And in the final chorus, Jesus is on the cross, speaking to His Heavenly Father. "Here I am" He says, "I'm ready to be the fulfillment of your plan. I'm ready to take on the sins of this world for you, Father. I'll be what you need me to be." And finally, in the final verse, Jesus experiences something else for the first time. "What is this sin that covers me?" Here's a man that knew no sin, then suddenly found Himself covered in all the sins of humanity. Wow. I should also point out that the orchestration was done by a good friend of mine, John Doryk, with NightSky Sound Design. He's an amazing composer and added just the right touch to this song. So there you have it. That's the story/meaning behind Here I Am. Hope you understand it a little better...and enjoy it!

Carol Abuse

"It's the holiday season..." And you can't escape them...those holiday songs. At the mall...in the elevator...on the radio. I actually love Christmas songs--well, most of 'em anyway. There's the occasional droll tune that just makes my skin crawl, such as Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer or that monotone kid that sings I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. And then there's the cheesy, "we just tried too hard to make you cry" type songs like the Christmas Shoes drivel. But the ones that really get under my skin are the stupid commercial jingles that take holiday songs and change the words. "Happy Honda Days!" "Give a, give a, give a Garmin..." "On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...5 onion rings..." Are you serious?! Can we just leave the holiday songs alone please? Write a new jingle...or use a holiday song as-is...but trust me, you're version of Oh Christmas Tree using only the word "duh"...is not an improvement! My .02 worth anyway. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Of Escalators and Roller Coasters

Typically, I love the old hymns. But there's one I just flat out don't agree with. It goes "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before..." I find that to be a bunch of bull. You see, I think a lot of people get turned off to Christianity because that's the bill of goods they're often sold. Many well-meaning believers paint this picture of Christianity as an "escalator to God." We just keep moving up, in our spirituality, in our happiness, and each step is higher and more rewarding than the one before. When this doesn't happen for new believers, they get discouraged. They believe they've failed...or worse yet, they start to doubt God altogether. I don't know about you, but I've had some rough days in my life since accepting Christ. My spiritual journey is more like a roller coaster than an escalator. That's why I'm writing this new album I'm working on, So Human. It's a look at a real human journey. There are songs for those peak moments, when you feel like you could reach out and touch God...and there are songs representing the valleys where you feel like He couldn't hear you if you shouted at the top of your lungs (and I often do at those times.) It's sad, but you won't find much of that in Christian music today. Heck, it's rare that you even hear that kind of talk from the pulpit either. Artists who dare to write about such things quickly learn that radio isn't interested. "Happy, happy, joy joy" songs only! In real life, not every chapter has a happy ending. Every day isn't sweeter than the one before. There are days that are downright terrible...almost unbearable. Here's the deal, though: Although there are bad days, as believers we know how it all works out in the end. So you have to look at the whole book, instead of one chapter. Take for instance Adam and Eve. If you stop reading after chapter 3 of Genesis, you'd think: "Wow, God has cursed mankind for eternity." If you only read the first 3 chapters of Job, you'd think "What a cruel and unjust God. He completely abandoned a faithful servant." But you have to read the whole book to find out that God's plan is for peace after the suffering...for healing after the hurt. That's exactly what I'm trying to achieve with my music ministry. I want my music to be a real reflection of who I am...how I see God and relate to Him. So, So Human is a reflection of my spiritual journey. If you only listen to the first few songs, you might think God has left me parched, dying, broken. But continue through the album and you find the restoration that Christ offers. If someone tells you that their religion promises nothing but happiness and a fulfilling life with no sorrow, run away. Because that's not what God planned for us in this life. It IS what He has planned for us AFTER this life. But only if we commit to Him. Only if we say "I know there will be peaks and valleys but I will worship you anyway, because you are my Creator. You hold the master plan. You are my savior and it's only through you, Jesus, that I can taste eternity." When we all get to heaven (now that's a great hymn!), we should be worn out from this journey. It's a walk that requires participation, not standing idly as God moves us up the escalator. We must run, walk, climb, fall, scratch and claw to the end. That's the So Human journey. That's the whole story...not just a chapter. That's what my music is all about. For more information on Tim Glenn, go to www.timglennmusic.com tim glenn