Love Wins

Ramin’s church, Roots, has merged with two other churches here in Boulder and are temporarily being called The Collective. Brad Riley, one of his co-pastors now, initiated and started iEmpathize. They are combating child sex trafficking, and have partnered with Love146 to that end. Sunday night iEmpathize hosted a benefit concert for Love146 entitled Love Wins. Ten Shekel Shirt played and did most of the songs off their new album, Jubilee. I highly recommend the album, and I think it is the most important album you will buy this year.

The lead singer, Lamont, founded Love146 about four years ago, and much of the album reflects his experiences with the organization. My favorite song is Daylight. I resonate with the progression of engaging in worshipful song, but sensing that there is more to life, and a deep desire to engage in the most important things. Here are the lyrics:

I feel your presence Lord
Like the daylight upon me
I give you my best praise
In the safety of this place
But there’s so much more

My hands are lifted high
I sing of love so deep and wide
I search for timeless truth
With words say I love You
But there’s so much more

Who will answer to the cries
Of the oppressed and the terrified
Who will stand up for the weak
The helpless and the suffering

I won’t turn a blind eye, walk the other side
While slaves make our shoes
And our wedding rings too
While children are bought, their innocence sold
How long will we wait for You to take us away

Until we see You, You wait for us too
In the broken and poor, in the sick and abused
We long for your move. Well, You long for ours too
There’s no other plan that You’ve introduced
We’ve got to come through
We’ve got to come through
There is so much more we all have to do

Ten years ago the cries of worship leaders around the country to worship songwriters was that we need more songs about mission, about being sent into the world to live a life of love. I believe that the next ten years will reveal the need for songs about justice. In that sense, Ten Shekel Shirt is pioneering the way with their latest album.

I got to sit down with Lamont later that night and chat. He recommended a book I just bought, The Dangerous Act of Worship. He had some advice about choosing board members. We talked about Call and Response, Justin Dillon‘s movie. We talked about Amos 5 and Rom 12 in the Message. I felt very encouraged and inspired, which is probably the second half of the purpose of this trip.

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