Entries tagged with “Marcos Witt” from FaithBasedBlog.com

Marcos Witt wins another Grammy. Pretty cool that the Latin Grammys were in Houston when he won it.

Work and catching up on sleep still beckoned over the weekend, so I had to catch this online. But it definitely looks like the Spanish service rocked out. The song below is "Tu Harás" from Marcos Witt's latest release - Sobrenatural. It looks like you can get the individual songs or entire release off of iTunes. No immediate luck for those of us who refuse to join the cult of Apple. In the meantime, enjoy the video. There's even some nice guitar work by Robert Prado to savor. I'll give ya fifty guesses why I picked this song out to highlight.

If you've never been to a Spanish service, tomorrow might be a good excuse to make it. The whole service is apparently devoted to praise & worship by Marcos Witt & band. I'm pretty sure that a working knowledge of Spanish isn't entirely necessary for this. With some luck, I'll be there for this.

The good news: picked up the new Chris Tomlin CD a few days early and already loving some of the new tunes.

The bad news: no recording of Saturday to clip from. Clayton Ring got some nice attention by Marcos that I'd love to see him repeat on Sunday even though he said he wouldn't (here's hoping he was just joking).

Back to the good news: Yeah, another great Clayton Ring performance of a great Chris Tomlin song.

Even more good news: Marcos preaching. Yeah, we had a blast. You've probably got an idea of what to look forward to in the way of Sunday Video now.

UPDATE: Well, here's what happens when it's a lovely holiday weekend. I sleep in a bit too much (first Sunday service) and hit snooze for a little more (second service). The result? No video of Clayton's performance of "God of This City." It's a shame, too. Clayton was awesome.

One of the drawbacks that I'll confess that I sometimes feel with Lakewood services is the lack of spontaneity. Everything is scheduled down to the second, it seems. There's lots of good that derive from that, but just as a matter of personal taste, I think there's also something to be said for the occasional audible being called.

This past weekend was just the thing for those of us looking for spontaneity, especially on Saturday night as things ran over schedule several minutes. We basically just had our own private celebration with about 40,000 or so of our closest friends and extended church family. Originally, Marcos was scheduled to preach since Joel was a bit off his normal schedule with the trial. But we just kept singing and singing all weekend long. It was lovely.

Through about the first 90% of Saturday night, I just thought why not just give the video routine a break for this week. Much of the night was such that I'm sure anyone would take something out of context even though Joel made it a point all weekend long that this was not just some celebration that "we won, someone else lost." It was a celebration of God and his faithfulness in times of (pardon the pun) trials.

Then Marcos sang. At some early point in this song, I knew I had to show this off. For starters, we simply don't get enough of Marcos singing in English. But more importantly, it sums up the whole weekend in a way that I think and hope could withstand any contextual misinterpretation.

There wasn't a downloadable version of the song anywhere, but there was a video made of this song in its original version (by Marcos). Who am I to pass up gems like this?

One item that happened to catch my eye at the bookstore:

Of course, I understand just enough Spanish to make my way through a Taco Cabana menu. But I'm tempted to pick this CD up just since it covers one of those rare genres of 80s music that totally passed me by back in the day. Check the link above for a few MP3 clips. Marcos played a clip of this in one of his sermons to good enough effect that I feel compelled to have a copy of this as a keepsake.

If you'd rather wait for something newer by Marcos, you won't have to wait long. New tunage out in May.

I've got a weekend that's kicking my tail, but one thing to look forward to is Marcos Witt's pre-Christmas service this weekend. Here's a few links to recall last year's festivities with Marcos. It'll be interesting to see how - not if, but how - he outdoes himself this time.

Also worth noting on the upcoming calendar, Phil Munsey is scheduled to be a guest speaker on January 2nd. Munsey just finished an 8-part series on Joel's book over at his church. Wonder if that has anything to do with his appearance in a few weeks. In any event, the series is a great overview of the book, diving into it in a way that adds some richness to the book.

And in the spirit of crass commercialization during the Christmas season, why not at least plug something that looks like a lot of fun:

The lineup hits Reliant Arena on January 26th. I'm planning on it, myself. All the supporting bands are new to me, but I don't need much of an excuse to check out Stellar Kart.

Wild hunch that you won't get this in Sunday's service. In the midst of watching Marcos deliver yet another powerful sermon, I had no shortage of options to show off various aspects that mere words fail to do justice. But as he closes out his message in true Marcos Witt fashion (ie - in song), I couldn't resist this moment to let shine. So watch as Marcos gives a music lesson to all of us.

There's more to show off on Monday. Consider this just a head start.

Despite what I notice to be some ounce of blogging going on here the past week, I've been so bogged down that it really doesn't feel like I've done much of that this past week. I mean, here it is the end of the week and most of what I've posted is words from someone else ... be it Eugene Peterson, Donna Summer, or Cindy Cruse Ratcliff (how's that for a combo?).

I think part of what's eating away at me is that I've not had enough of a music fix. And since I blog, I claim it as my right to force my taste in music down the throats of my loyal, caring readership. Today's choice is a recently YouTubed tune of Marcos Witt: "Poema de Salvación." As you can guess, it's all in Spanish, but if you run it a few times over, you'll get the jist of it just fine.

Sing it, Marcos ...

ADD-ON: Just realized one possibility for feeling like there's been a lack of blogging. Maybe it's envy over the 14-part series of posts over at Jesus Creed that has me feeling like I'm falling behind a bit. Who knows ... look for a final Peterson outtake over the weekend. Also, I hear one of my favorite redhead singers is taking the stage at Lakewood this weekend. My predictable sense of awe and amazement (and impassioned demands for a record contract) will naturally follow on Monday.

Since Marcos cracked wise on the weekend being Hispanic Week at Lakewood, I thought I'd share something that most of us non-Spanish-speaking folk don't get too much of a glance at. See if this doesn't strike you as familiar:

Right off the bat, I've got to hand it to our all-star ushers at Lakewood. I manage to get a few fellow travellers wanting to sit with me after Compass Class went a little over on time. I'm thinking this means I'll end up with less-than-stellar seating both due to needing three seats and little time left before service starts. I notice a familiar usher who's waving me up before I inform him how many seats I need - or so I thought. I was really thinking he just assumed I needed a onesie, but he was really putting all three of us on the second row, dead center. I immediately apologized to my friends for not having enough pull to get one row further up.

So, that aside, I've got two clips that sorta accent one another. The first (over at the left) is an excerpt of Marcos' sermon. The premise of the sermon was twofold: that we need to have a cause and that there's no greater cause than Jesus Christ. Coincidentally, if you want another tangent on this point, Gary Haugen was a guest speaker at Joel Hunter's Northland Church (Week 34: "Unfamiliar Passions of God") the week before and gives another great message along this line.

It struck me as a bit odd listening to this sermon from Marcos. Odd, because it was rather affirming of what I've been through over a long course of time. It wasn't the type of sermon that I found myself listening to taking away anything new, so to speak. But that's just me. And that's not to suggest that the sermon wasn't useful for me - far from it. I have at least a small collection of causes that are interwoven and have taken up about the bulk of the past decade. And touching on that N.T. Wright quote I pulled out earlier, I keep meditating on that last sentence in particular: The substance and structure of the different aspects of our world need to be interrogated in the light of the unique achievement of Jesus.

In other words: let everything you do expand the kingdom in some way. Make the kingdom a little more enjoyable while you're at it. If you don't see how what you do does that, keep looking. I don't claim to have my own life sorted out all that neatly in this regard ... but it's been something that's a constant work in progress. And it should be for all of us.

Since it's Labor Day, I thought I'd just combine the Monday Video and YouTube Tuesday posts into this one for the day. It didn't hurt that I found myself mentally adding the song below as a soundtrack to Marcos' sermon. It confounds me as to how this song is relatively obscure as far as Stryper tunes go. Obviously, it's got a great message: Keep the fire burning ... move on ... hold on ... never let go. A little headbanging toward the end of the tune doesn't hurt, either.

Stryper: Keep the Fire Burning
[Verse 1]
We've been through a lot together
We've seen what some will never see, you and me
Prayer after prayer's been answered
We can't go on without belief, can't you see?

[Chorus]
We just gotta be strong
Keep the fire burning
Gotta move on, keep our hearts from turning
Gotta hold on, onto what you're learning now
And never let go

[Verse 2]
Nothing can stop us now
We're growing stronger every day in every way
Spreading the word together
It doesn't matter what they say, no way!

[Chorus]
We just gotta be strong
Keep the fire burning
Gotta move on, keep our hearts from turning
Gotta hold on, onto what you're learning now
And never let go

A few links of reference from Marcos' sermon this weekend ...
» Larry Walters (aka "Lawnchair Larry")

Various petitions & movements mentioned ...
» I Hate Mimes
» Mariah Carey Doll
» Bring Back OJ's Cereal
» Slower Traffic Keep Right
» Heinz Ketchup Unification

I'm ok with the anti-mime group ... I think they've got a point. Is there anything more annoying to run into on the avenue as I shop for my baguettes? Apologies to those readers related - however remotely - to Marcel Marceau.

I couldn't resist commenting on this small bit of Marcos' sermon from Saturday (and today if you're reading this in time):

In short, no ... I don't have anything else to do. Well, almost. I still manage to make it to work on time, get to church a few times a week and maintain some minor semblance of a social life.

And in fairness, this little, tiny clip doesn't do justice to the humor Marcos wrapped this point in. But somewhere in the midst of a wonderful sermon, I just feel compelled to offer a counterpoint that suggests that not all blogging is created equal. And I'm sure Marcos gets that. Believe me, I've seen my share of blogs that make me think some people need to really take the art of finding a new hobby much more seriously. I'm sure my reaction was something close to Marcos' point in the video.

I've charted my own course with this blog at the outset. The mission has gotten a few minor alterations, but the purpose remains well within the calling that Marcos preached about last night.

As it happens, I was a little proud of myself when I saw how well the video I wanted to post this past Tuesday dovetailed with Pastor Joel's message. I might have a semi-decent second act when I post something tomorrow. What with it being a holiday and all, I figure I'll combine the Video Monday/YouTube Tuesday concept a bit. Trust me, it'll be good.

UPDATE: This may come as a surprise to Marcos' anti-blog 'crusade' (kidding!).

A nice little update from Joel & Victoria with a video clip taken before their final stop in Birmingham. I decided to leave this clip mixed in with Marcos Witt kicking off the sermon on Sunday. I've said it once, I'll say it again ... words don't do the man justice. Just watch for yourself and you'll see what I mean:

Just to commemorate the unique day, why not blog?

I'd have loved to comment more about Marcos' sermon on Wednesday, but when I got back home, I discovered something unique. It seems the recording I'd gotten of the webcast had all the video, but none of the sound. Weird.

But I did find it interesting that Marcos' own musical history shared something I'd witnessed elsewhere. Namely, that of critics of his music. In Marcos' case, there's t he comic irony of him having his hair too long on his first album. The only slightly more serious concerns about the music being too fast as well as the drums & bass being too heavy remind me of the criticisms I once heard of another form of Christian music that came onto the scene in the 80s.

Christian heavy metal, of course, had a rich diversity of critics. If it wasn't the hairstyles (too feminine), or the volume level (much, much too loud), there were even wilder tangents to tackle. I found the oddest from Jimmy Swaggart (pre-fall from grace). Swaggart, to those who will recall, was/is actually a talented musician, and is related to Jerry Lee Lewis & Mickey Gilley. While Swaggart touched on a wide array of criticisms of the band Stryper, in particular, the one criticism that I was most astounded to hear was that the use of minor chords and scales reflected a particularly satanic influence. That's it ... the use of minor scales. Who knew that even if the most well-intentioned musician (according to Swaggart) missed a note, he'd have hell to pay for it? Feel free to check out the Wikipedia entry on Stryper for more on the Swaggart critiques.

And just to make sure it doesn't go unstated, there's a "new" Stryper CD out today. "The Roxx Regime Demos" is a collection of demo recordings the band recorded to get a record deal back in the early 80s (under their original name of Roxx Regime). The band has long used the "777" symbol as sort of a beatdown on the more satanic "666." It would have been unfortunate to see the date 7-7-7 pass without a Stryper album of some sort.

Needless to say, my own favored genre of Christian music took a few poundings from many of the same type of critics that Marcos seems to have experienced. Small world, I suppose.

We're once again blessed to have Marcos filling in for the touring Joel Osteen this weekend. With a little luck, the sound will return to the webcast. I'm tempted to pick up a CD of Wednesday's sermon and synch it up with the video. If nothing else, it'd make a good experiment on my part.

Marcos also plugged another treat coming up on the calendar: Israel Houghton preaching next weekend. Mark your calendars now for that one. No idea what to expect, but I doubt Israel will disappoint. The Wednesday inbetween then and now will have another night of praise & worship with Steve & DaDra. Those nights are always one's worth looking forward to.

For now, though, 7-7-07 sounds like a great day to head to church ... which is exactly what I think I'll do.