Start Right Here

The next entry for my Blog is Start Right Here, which was written by Bernie Herms, Mark John Hall, Matthew Joseph West, and Seth David Mosley.  The song was first released October 26, 2018.  A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Start Right Here

We want our coffee in the lobby
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a Rockstar preacher
Who won’t wake us from our dreams
We want out blessings in our pocket
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our cities
Would we even cross the street?

Huh but we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

I’m like the brother of the prodigal
Who turned his nose and puffed his chest
He didn’t run off like his brother
But his soul was just as dead
What if the church on Sunday
Was still the church on Monday too?
What if we came down from our towers
And walked a mile in someone’s shoes?

Hmm ’cause we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land but it starts right here
We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

As I prepare to produce my Blog entries, I take the time to listen to multiple songs and then select the one that really touches my heart at that particular time.  As I listened to this song a few times, it helped me to better understand the real mission that each of us has in front of us.  We are probably all creatures of habit and we really don’t want to change unless forced to do so, this perspective can be good or bad.  Think of some of the habits you have implemented in your life, note that I say implemented not just random things you do every day that perhaps you used to do differently.  The writer lists of few of these, some may apply to you and some may not.  You may ask, what is wrong with a regular routine or habit?  The writer is not condemning habits, the writer is calling out the negative impact of certain habits.

Some of our habits are harmless and are perfectly ok, but some of our habits can take us farther away from God and his mission for us.  We are always willing to change if it doesn’t impact us too much since most of us don’t like a lot of change in our lives.    One of these habits is how we personally define the role of the church in our lives and how our habits impact the mission we were given from God through his word.  Many churches today have live broadcasts or recorded broadcasts, so we can enjoy the message of the pastor without getting out of our pajamas, leaving the house, or worrying about our next cup of coffee.    We may be listening to an awesome speaker who speaks about the joys of the Christian life and what the ultimate future holds for us, a promise of eternal life.  Perhaps the preacher doesn’t focus on our responsibilities as a Christian, so we count on him to do his job and get the people outside of the church into the building so that they ultimately accept Jesus as their personal savior.  The preacher’s message probably helps us grow as Christians every time we hear the message and we want the unsaved to hear that same message.  This all sounds great doesn’t it?  We don’t have to do anything but enjoy our Christianity from the comfort of our recliners.  Before I continue, note that I am not criticizing the broadcast of messages from the church.  There are many reasons for some not physically going to church including being out of town, working, not physically able, etc.  The issue that the song raises is, what about all of the people in the world who do not know Christ and are completely unaware of the possibility of eternal life.  Many of these people have perhaps never set foot in a church and never seen a broadcast from the church.  It all comes down to the mindset that it is all about us as opposed to sharing the blessings that Christ has given to us.  Who is out there telling people the good message of eternal live that only Jesus can give?  Is it really the responsibility that falls only upon the preacher and missionaries?

Jesus did indeed die on the cross so that everyone in the world could have the opportunity for eternal life.  He depends on his followers to tell the world what he did for all people, his message to his followers is found in the book of Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   This directive applies to everyone who has accepted Christ as their personal savior.  It is up to the Christians to share this message everywhere they go.  The writers pose the question as to whether or not the followers of Jesus today are even willing to cross the street to help someone and deliver his message.  Do we try to spread Christianity merely from our pockets or do we actually support Christ with our presence, our words, and our actions.  Can we do any of the above if our Christianity only lives in our family rooms or our churches?

I truly believe that most of us are Sunday Christians, I believe this to be the direct message coming out of this song.  As we go to church or watch church on our TVs, we do absorb the message being presented, we do grow in our love for Christ, and we do pray for others to become part of the body of Christ.  We leave Church with good intentions, but these all dissipate before we even get back into our comfy recliners or sofas in our homes.  The writers then ask a question we probably don’t want to hear, what if the church was still a church on Monday?  I would take it a little farther and ask, what if the church was still a church seven days a week?   In theory, everyone in the church is like minded when it comes to the teachings of Christ and his directives for all of us.  The issue is that so many of us, probably too many, ignore the directives once we get away from the building.  Christianity is not a building and that is where many of us fail in our Christian lives.  We should be fed the word of God when in the church and we should be delivering the word and helping others when we leave the church.  If someone is sick, do we only pray for them once?  Do we only visit them once?  Do we only take them meals once?  If our friends and family need something, we will be there as often as we need to be and provide whatever is needed.  If we truly want to follow what Christ commanded, our mission of spreading his word is never complete.  As someone once said, “you are the only Jesus some will ever see”, keep this in mind as you start every day.

We all need to attend church if able, but we all need to remember that the church is not really all about the building or the preacher, it is all about the people who make up the church.   Christ gave us our mission long ago, have you taken up this mission and become part of the real church?  If not, now is the time and outside of the building is the place.  If you are not ready to start right now on the mission you were given, when will you start?  If your answer is that you have not started, take some time right now and ask yourself what is holding you back from the one mission your savior asked of you.  Take the first step right here and right now.

Click to hear Casting Crowns sing Start Right Here

Me on Your Mind

The next entry for my Blog is Me on Your Mind, which was written by Matthew West, Jeff Pardo, and Anne Wilson.  It was first released February 18, 2022.  A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.


I’ve read the words in red
How You leave the 99
To find the one missing
Feels like that was written
With me on Your mind

And the prodigal son who ran, leaving his home behind
The part where the father came running to meet him
Did You say that with me on Your mind?

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
Who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Just knowing You’re mindful of me
Just knowing You call me Your child
It’s flooding my soul with unspeakable hope
Thank You, Lord, that it’s me on Your mind

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
Who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
There was me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, oh (Hallelujah)
Thank You, Jesus (Hallelujah)
Lord, it was me on Your mind

I’ve read the words in red of a heavenly home on high
You’re preparing a place where the sorrow’s erased
And when I stand before You, I’ll find
All along, it was me on Your mind

Who am I that the King of the world
Would give one single thought about my broken heart?
And who am I that the God of all grace
Wipes the tears from my face and says, “Come as you are”?
You paid the price, You took the cross
You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
With me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

Woah (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was me on Your mind

I believe we all have times in our life when we feel all alone and we often get down and out and feeling sorry for ourselves.  Unfortunately, many people have this feeling way too many times and they lead very sad lives.  Maybe our friends and our families try to encourage us, but they really don’t understand.  The words of encouragement and friendly hugs and prayers may be there, but your heart is still hurting and sad.  Some people, such as our Christian friends, may encourage us to read our bibles and read about the promises of God in hopes that it brings us out of our depression.  Have you ever been in this situation before?  If so; didn’t you feel completely hopeless?  It seems even more distressing when you are in a group of people and everything in life seems perfect with them.

The writers of the song refer to the text in the bible that is written in red.  These red letters are words that came from Jesus, the son of the almighty God.  Not every bible has these letters, but the red-letter editions always put the words of Jesus in red.  There is a story in the bible that Jesus shared in the book of Matthew 18:12-14, which tells us just how much Jesus loves us and views each of us as his children.  “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”   We are the lost sheep until we acknowledge Jesus as our savior and God as our father.  No matter how far we wander away from God, he will be there with us.  Yes, the 99 sheep are still as important to him as they have always been, but for that moment in time; he is focused on getting us into the flock and becoming part of his eternal family.  When I reflect on the scripture above, it does seem as if I was the lost sheep Jesus came after and the red letters I had been reading were referring to me.  It is so important to know that none of us are ever alone and we can never hide from the eyes of God.

The writers of the song also tell us about a family member who ran away from home with the dreams of getting everything he wanted in life.  His father gave him his share of the inheritance and he went and squandered it all within a short time.  This parable is found in the book of Luke 15:11-22, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.   None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes every single day.  We say things we don’t mean and do things we don’t really mean to do.  God loves me when I hold him close to my heart and God still loves me when I wander away.  So maybe this story fits all of us in some way.

The chorus of the song is so powerful as it describes how the king of this entire world with its billions of people, still loves me and watches out for me every single day.  Why am I so special that he wipes the tears from my eyes, heals the hurts in my heart, and loves me unconditionally?   It is because each of us are his children and no matter how bad we act, he loves us unconditionally.  He allowed his only son to suffer a brutal death on the cross, so that we could spend eternity with him.  He wants us to come to him as we are and find comfort in his love.  I don’t know if I will ever be able to comprehend the depth of God’s love, but I do know he always has me on his mind and in his heart.  One day I will join him in the heavenly home he has prepared just for me and he has a special home for everyone who accepts him as their father and Jesus as their savior.  The day Jesus died, you and I were on his mind.

Click to Hear Matthew West Sing Me on Your Mind