Sharing Your Heart

I used to have a hard time with alternative expressions of faith and hope. I think part of it had to do with the churches I attended during my formative years, but I always had a hard time when the line between the Christian and secular art was blurred.

Now I see it as a vital part of the way people express their faith. It's not always perfect, sometimes it's quite messy, but it's also appropriate because that's the way we all live our lives. That's what I liked about the presentation in church this Sunday, and one of the reasons I thought it was neat to have it on a Sunday when we talked about heart.

Kanye West is a complicated person. I was first drawn to his music because he was a self-professed Christian in a profession — rapping — that is often far from matters of faith. Obviously West isn't a perfect person — and in some of his recent songs I have wondered if he's had a crisis of faith. But when I heard "Jesus Walks" today, it reminded me of what first drew me to him in the first place. There was an admirable honesty.

The close of the song always inspires me because it feels like an honest look into his struggles with faith in a secular world. He says:

They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus

That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes

But if I talk about God my record won't get played Huh?

Well let this take away from my spins

Which will probably take away from my ends

Then I hope this take away from my sins

And bring the day that I'm dreaming about

Next time I'm in the club everybody screaming out

(Jesus Walks)

God show me the way because the devil trying to break me down

(Jesus Walks)

The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now

(Jesus Walks)

And I don't thing there's nothing I can do now to right my wrongs

(Jesus walks with me... fades)

I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long

The other song, "Dead and Gone" by T.I., falls into that same category. It's rough, because T.I. had an upbringing and life challenges I can't relate to, but I admire the honest, soul-bearing quality of the song. And I think it's a good summation of how our life changes when we give ourselves over to God. The chorus goes:

No more stress now I'm straight

Now I get it now I take time to think

Before I make mistake just for my family stake

That part of me left yesterday

The heart of me is strong today

No regrets I'm blessed to say the old me dead and gone away

Oh hey, I've been travelin' on this road too long

Just tryin' to find my way back home

But the old me's dead and gone

Dead and gone

And oh hey, I've been travelin' on this road too long

Just tryin' to find my way back home

But the old me's dead and gone

Dead and gone

Neither song is what one might call a conventional "religious" song, but both speak to an honest human struggle when it comes to living our our faith in a secular world. Whether or not you appreciate the genre, agree with the style of musicianship, or appreciate the background of the artists, we all share the common human bond of expressing our faith in a confusing world. When we share our hearts with others, we touch on the connection we all have to the Vine.