In this entry, we're going to explore the only song on my Top CCM Songs of the 1980s list that reminds me of the movie Hot Rod.
I'll come back to that.
Steve Camp has a storied reputation in the annals of Christian music. Many hailed him as a prophet for the modern age, and every decade seemed to have had one -- the 1970s had Keith Green, the 1990s had Rich Mullins, and the 2000s had . . . well, nobody, really.
Steve's gritty vocal delivery lent an urgency to the subject matter of which he sang. His songs covered everything from social justice and the lack of the Church to act, to encouragement in one's faith, to admitting the difficulties of walking through life as a believer while being bombarded with the things of this world.
Some of his stuff was hard to listen to, because not all of it was stuff that made you feel good. What many consider to be his finest album, Justice, is full of songs that point a holy finger at what we as Christians allow ourselves to tolerate. With song titles like "Do You Feel Their Pain?", "Playing Marbles With Diamonds", and "Hell is Burning While the Church Sleeps", you'd be hard pressed to find someone suggesting a spin of Justice at their small group's next meeting. Yet it stands out as one of his finest works for precisely that reason.
Go back a few years earlier, and you'll find a record with songs that leaned inward, at the individual spiritual condition, After God's Own Heart. During the time this record was being released, I would listen to the radio while doing my homework, a task that my parents bemoaned and tried to get me to stop doing. In fact, many of the songs on this countdown I heard countless times while doing math problems or building sentence diagrams. One day, a song came on the radio that made me stop and take notice, and from the first keyboard lines, I knew I needed to listen to this one.
"Whatever You Ask" was the cry of a hungry heart, a man willing to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. Everything about this song feels like it's just yearning to give God the best he can muster. But the song also reveals a heart filled with vulnerability, one that reveals his shortcomings and the difficulties of making God a priority.
I think so much, it steals away
The will to make the time to serve or pray
And there are days I don't take up my cross
And follow You
I think the one thing that makes this song stick to my ribs, even over 30 years after having heard it the first time, is the authenticity of the songwriter. I believe all of us have felt this way at some point in our walk with God, no matter how long we've been following Him. When it comes to being consistent, we've all fallen short, no matter how badly we want to be faithful and true to what God asks of us.
Lord, whatever you ask, I want to obey You
To let my life beat with a servant's heart
Every time I listen to this song, I'm reminded of God's goodness to me. Not only does He understand my weaknesses and shortcomings, He also knows my heart. Even if I make mistakes, His heart will always be towards me.
I'm also reminded of this scene from the movie Hot Rod:
As much as I hate to poke fun at a song that parallels my yearning to know God better, the 2nd chorus of the song introduces Steve's H-heavy accent in the word "whatever". Go ahead, listen to it again. Once you hear it, you'll never un-hear it.
All that silliness aside, this song still stands out as one of the most important CCM songs of the 1980s.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #19
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #18
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #17
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #16
There Is No Box.
Zach
 |
| Cool beans. |
I'll come back to that.
Steve Camp has a storied reputation in the annals of Christian music. Many hailed him as a prophet for the modern age, and every decade seemed to have had one -- the 1970s had Keith Green, the 1990s had Rich Mullins, and the 2000s had . . . well, nobody, really.
Steve's gritty vocal delivery lent an urgency to the subject matter of which he sang. His songs covered everything from social justice and the lack of the Church to act, to encouragement in one's faith, to admitting the difficulties of walking through life as a believer while being bombarded with the things of this world.
Some of his stuff was hard to listen to, because not all of it was stuff that made you feel good. What many consider to be his finest album, Justice, is full of songs that point a holy finger at what we as Christians allow ourselves to tolerate. With song titles like "Do You Feel Their Pain?", "Playing Marbles With Diamonds", and "Hell is Burning While the Church Sleeps", you'd be hard pressed to find someone suggesting a spin of Justice at their small group's next meeting. Yet it stands out as one of his finest works for precisely that reason.
Go back a few years earlier, and you'll find a record with songs that leaned inward, at the individual spiritual condition, After God's Own Heart. During the time this record was being released, I would listen to the radio while doing my homework, a task that my parents bemoaned and tried to get me to stop doing. In fact, many of the songs on this countdown I heard countless times while doing math problems or building sentence diagrams. One day, a song came on the radio that made me stop and take notice, and from the first keyboard lines, I knew I needed to listen to this one.
"Whatever You Ask" was the cry of a hungry heart, a man willing to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. Everything about this song feels like it's just yearning to give God the best he can muster. But the song also reveals a heart filled with vulnerability, one that reveals his shortcomings and the difficulties of making God a priority.
I think so much, it steals away
The will to make the time to serve or pray
And there are days I don't take up my cross
And follow You
I think the one thing that makes this song stick to my ribs, even over 30 years after having heard it the first time, is the authenticity of the songwriter. I believe all of us have felt this way at some point in our walk with God, no matter how long we've been following Him. When it comes to being consistent, we've all fallen short, no matter how badly we want to be faithful and true to what God asks of us.
Lord, whatever you ask, I want to obey You
To let my life beat with a servant's heart
Every time I listen to this song, I'm reminded of God's goodness to me. Not only does He understand my weaknesses and shortcomings, He also knows my heart. Even if I make mistakes, His heart will always be towards me.
I'm also reminded of this scene from the movie Hot Rod:
As much as I hate to poke fun at a song that parallels my yearning to know God better, the 2nd chorus of the song introduces Steve's H-heavy accent in the word "whatever". Go ahead, listen to it again. Once you hear it, you'll never un-hear it.
All that silliness aside, this song still stands out as one of the most important CCM songs of the 1980s.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #19
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #18
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #17
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #16
There Is No Box.
Zach
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