I’ve added a link to Derek Webb’s website. Derek did chapel a week ago and I was very impressed with the young man. He was in Caedmon’s Call and I love God of Wonder, so that was a plus. His recent album She Shall and Must Go Free is excellent and challenging.

So here’s the deal. I usually don’t go to chapel. I just don’t have enough time in my life since I’m working full-time and going to seminary full-time, I have to study sometime. Margaret Becker was going to be at chapel and I used to have a CD of hers so I thought this time I’d go. I needed to worship and I thought this might be a chance. Well, Becker was there the day before and instead it was this young, shaved-headed, tattooed, guitar-playing kid I’d never heard of. Okay, I was there so I thought I’d see what the Lord had in mind so I stuck around. Glad I did.

Derek is deep. He loves Reformed Theology and the Church! You don’t see those two thing going together very often. Too often you have what I call the “Mike Horton Syndrome” where you love Reformed Theology and are very suspicious of the rest of the Body of Christ. I even started drifting down that path at one point. Well Derek sang some good songs, played the guitar excellently and preached to me the message I needed to hear. He talked about feeling uncomfortable in church but sticking with it any way. He said that he thought we should hate about every third song we sing on Sunday. The reason is that there is someone else who loves that song and is blessed to be singing it, so sacrifice your preference for the other believers in the body. He railed against having a traditional and contemporary service, against having age-specific worship and Sunday School and he did it for all the right reasons. The 20 year olds need to hear what the 50 year olds have to say. The 40-somethings need to see things from the 20-somethings’ perspective. We need the differences to build each other up.

What his talk did for me was to affirm that I was doing a good thing in sticking with a church I wasn’t entirely comfortable with and to fight against the flesh in order to worship every Sunday.

Here’s a snip of some of Derek’s lyrics that really hit me:
The Church
‘Cause I haven’t come for only you
But for my people to pursue
You cannot care for me with no regard for her
If you love me you will love the church

Lover
I found thieves and salesmen living in my father’s house
I know how they got in there and I know how to get ’em out
I’m turning this place over from floor to balcony
And then just like these doves and sheep oh you will be set free

I strongly recommend the CD.