Determining The Rhythm, Chord and Melody

Rules. I suppose we should start with some rules. I don't foresee the need for any protocol when it comes to discussion by you the readers; mainly because I don't foresee receiving very much traffic to this little square of electronic realty, but also because the few who for whatever reason navigate to these ramblings and then decide to spend the time reading them will likely have trouble finding anything worth commenting on in the first place. No, the rules are for me for the sake of the readers.

1. This is not meant to be an attempt at lyrical exegesis; I don't presume to know the intentions of the theologians. In fact, many of the songs explored here may be written by artists who do not even profess a faith in Jesus. And yet despite their religious professions (or lack thereof), their artistic expressions have in some way aided in my ongoing quest for spiritual depth and maturity through deepening hermeneutics, casting new light on various subtleties and nuances, and/or beautification via simplification. All that to say that I don't want to put words in the mouths of the theologians (artists) that they never intended to be there. I don't want to make them say something they're not trying to say. Instead, I simply want to share how their lyrical expression has impacted my spiritual thinking, and hopefully somewhere in the process offer readers a chance to be impacted in similar ways.

2. Given that we've established that this is not an attempt at lyrical exegesis, I don't want my expositions to become a line by line and word by word interpretation of the songs. I want to simply highlight certain points that have been especially substantive for me personally while leaving opportunities for the readers to both pick up on points that I haven't highlighted and reinterpret points I am making. Let the songs speak to you where you are.

3. The greatest of these is Love. I will inevitably bring 90-95% of these expositions back to the topic of love. Without love we are bankrupt, so many of these ramblings will be based on or at least influenced by this topic. Get used to it.

4. If you have something to say, please say it. I truly believe one of the best ways we can grow is by continuously engaging in open dialogue with others. I need your input.