Lyrics I Love
The month of May in Indianapolis is quite a time. Indy kicks it off with the famous Mini-Marathon the first weekend in May and then the real racing begins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, culminating with the greatest spectacle in sports: the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend.
I ran in the Mini-Marathon last year and just began training for this year’s race. As I started my first training runs, I opened up my Running 2023 playlist and as I ran my first few miles, the songs reminded me of what I was experiencing in life a year ago.
Do you do that with music? Does a particular playlist or album remind you of a specific experience or season of life?
Over the coming weeks, I’m going to share some lyrics that have stuck with me and been a source of light, comfort, or even guidance and wisdom. And in the midst of sharing these different songs and lyrics, I hope to hear from you. Truth is arrived at through community, right?
Years ago, this was the first song I heard from a band called NEEDTOBREATHE, and thought, “Whoa, I like this tune”. But then I started listening closely to the lyrics and over time, I’ve clung to the lyrics in the last part of the song:
On the outside
You're free to roam
On the outside
We’ve found a home
On the outside
There's more to see
On the outside
We choose to be
When Karrie and I started a church in Silver Spring, MD, we began encountering people who were searching for a different expression and community of Christian faith. Many of the people that became part of Restore Church had been wounded, rejected, or even abused by their former church community. As we began to lean into and figure out how to serve and care for these beautiful people, Karrie and I started experiencing rejection from people and churches that had supported and befriended us. It was such a strange paradox to care for others in pain, while also going through intense pain ourselves.
As we cared for the outsiders, we became outsiders.
My favorite part of the lyrics above, “On the outside, we’ve found a home.”
We are in this together and there are others like you.
For those of you who have doubts and despair…you’re not alone.
For those of you who are asking good, deep, hard questions about God, faith, and Christian community…you’re not alone.
For those of you who have left the dumpster fire of partisan politics intermixed with faith…you’re not alone.
For those of you who have been marginalized, rejected, or abused because you don’t fit within the box or people’s comfort zones…you’re not alone.
For those of you searching for a deeper, fresher, authentic faith minus the legalistic baggage…you’re not alone.
We are here with you.
On the outside.
Let’s embrace that wild wonder together, where we are free to roam, finding a new faith home together.