I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. (Psalms 69:30 ESV)
What are you thankful for today?
Todd
5 thoughts on “Thanksgiving”
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I am thankful for someone to be thankful to. His name is Immanuel–God with us!
I’m thankful for God and His unending love and grace, for family, for our church and small group. I recently had surgery on my shoulder and I am thankful for good doctors and for all the friends who brought us food. I’m thankful to be so blessed!
Todd, I caught your question while travelling back from our family Thanksgiving celebration yesterday. And I’ve thought about it a little since then. There’s no way I could sit down and type up everything I’m thankful for, because God has blessed me in so many ways, and if I started to make a list I know I’d forget things.
Suffice it to say that what I’m most thankful for is that God has always been so patient with me, He stayed in the periphery of my life and wooed me (stood at the door of my life and knocked) until I was finally ready to surrender to Him. He’s never been harsh with me, although He does know how to be firm (I can bestubborn), and He’s never ever given up on me. Everything good in my life stems from this reality, so this is my answer to your question.
God bless you friend! You are on that list of
things I’m thankful for too.
Tess
Thus commences the previously promised dissertation on Agnew’s most recent album release, “How to Be Loved” which is more affectionately known as: H2BL
Todd, right here in the beginning I’d like to apologize, because I don’t possess the ability to fully express my appreciation for this record.
I’ve used the descriptive “masterful” when describing Agnew’s work before, so I should probably endeavor to come up with a different one for this album, but masterful fits. The music is beautifully composed, and the songs flow easily from one to another. The theme holds true to the end, ”how to be loved”, and it goes further to connect being loved by God to sharing God’s love with others. These concepts are fundamentally connected, so this is a natural progression. Todd handles it well.
On the vocals: I’ve always loved Agnew’s voice, and it’s easy to see how his vocals have progressed from his earliest works, like the Blue CD, Breath of God, and One Thousand Songs, but wait, most readers won’t know those independent records. So I’ll move forward a bit and reference the record that brought his music to the
big stage of contemporary Christian music, Grace Like Rain. As good as this first labeled record is, the vocals in H2BL far surpass this earlier work. There’s a richness and smoothness that his earlier music only showed hints of, okay, it does live in “The Martyr’s Song”. Yes, there’s still the power and grit that has branded Agnew’s work throughout his professional career, but the maturity
in his vocals now is truly splendid.
That’s the best I can do in describing the vocals considering the
limitations that come from being a musical layman.
On BGVs: It is odd to listen to an Agnew record without Joy or Candace. Just thought I’d add that.
The contents part of the songs, or the lyrics for those of you who are more musically inclined, are gentler as well. I’d always thought that if God were to bring
a good woman into Todd’s life, she would smooth off some of those rough edges,
and it looks as though I may have been right. God used those rough edges for a time, but He’ll use the smoother Agnew just as effectively, only in a different way.
The One You Want
This song speaks to a
journey Todd seems to have been travelling for some time. The song tells of the
struggles of a Christian who never quite sees himself as God sees him, or as
others see him. This journey is fraught with missteps and stumbles, as all of our journeys are. This is a love song, and it’s beautiful. What we sometimes fail to realize is that we don’t have to be lovely, because God is. What becomes “good” and “lovely” in us exists because of the love our
Savior already has for us.
Why would God choose us? Why would He want us? Even more
amazing is the question, or the truth, that God desires to live in and with
us. He longs for intimate relationship with His chosen ones. He loves us, and
He always will. “I’m really the one you want”. If we could even for a moment
grasp how monumental that truth is, we would probably spend our lives reveling
in the wonder and awe of it. This is one of my favorites on the record.
Love Your Neighbor
Jesus instructs us to love our neighbors in the Sermon on the Mount, and in saying that it is the second greatest commandment. Since this song is based specifically on a biblical mandate, I’ve had to consider it from a theological perspective. What is the biblical response to the man holding a sign looking for a handout?
How would Jesus like us to respond to the person who’s hurt us deeply,
even if she hasn’t repented? Todd doesn’t actually answer these questions in the song, he allows the listener to explore the concept.
“You want me to be a reflection of You, and You are love”, so what does it mean to love our neighbor? How do we discern what love for others looks like? We must look to Love itself to learn the answer to that one. Todd asks the listener to look
inside at our motives and our excuses, and he encourages us to look to Jesus to
find the answer.
Wait; is that some brass in this song? Whatever it is, it sounds good and it adds an interesting dimension to the music.
God
Undefeatable
This is the first song from the record I heard, because it was played on the radio before the record was available. It provided a taste of what was to come on release day.
“Behold the King who conquered and overcame our sin, behold our glorious victor, whose mercy knows no end”. Okay, I could quote these lyrics in their entirety, but if you want that, just listen to the record. Almighty, Omnipotent, All Powerful,
Undefeatable. Our Jesus will never fail or stumble, and He holds out His mighty hand to us. Wow!
I love this song!! It’s a glorious anthem! Todd allows us to experience a taste of the power of his vocals in this one, which is nice. Praise songs are my favorites, and
this one is definitely a praise song. “To waken us to life, You came”. Yes He did. He sought us out, and He still seeks us. This is such a humbling truth. This song more than any other on this record draws me to the feet of Jesus it’s beautiful.
Letting Go
This is another of my favorites on this record. My spirit soars as I listen to this one. “All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give”. Isn’t this the secret to a life with the Christ? We’re invited into a relationship with Him. We’re invited to let go of every earthly care and shackle and live in Him. Scripture calls us to die to ourselves (let go of our lives) and give it all to Jesus. We’re invited to taste and see (I know, that’s a different song) and know beyond all doubt that the world holds
nothing that even comes close to a life in Jesus.
This is one of those songs that I have to ask God to make real for me when I sing along with it, otherwise I could be guilty of singing lies. “When I let go of my life, You give me Yours”, what greater gift could there be? This song also has the sweetest BGVs, which nicely complement the power Agnew brings.
There’s Coming a Day
This one might be my favorite, although why I feel compelled to compare one song to another is a bit of a mystery. Each one stands alone quite nicely. Musically this one is rich, everything flows together well, and the lulls and crescendos take my soul along for the journey.
There’s so much hope in this song, and it’s a hope rooted in the source of all true hope.
The first line is fabulous! Will the clouds always be this gray, and will I live my life in shadows? Never being who God wants me to be. Maybe we all have days like this,
days when it seems like we’re stuck in the mud and the slough of despond takes
hold of us. But there is hope. Oh yes, there is.
There’s coming a day when faith will be made sight…. It doesn’t matter what challenges or trials we face or what our circumstances look like. What matters is that we give it all to Jesus. Then we are gifted with a tiny glimpse of the glory we’ll experience when that day comes.
It’s hard to change, or maybe it’s impossible to change, without God doing the changing within us, when we allow it. That coming day is far more amazing than our finite minds can comprehend, of this I’m sure.
Marked change of tempo brings the next song:
Loved
This one is a little more “fun”, but the truth is definitely there. God is “teaching me how to be loved”. We can’t just love other people, that’s not how real relationships
work. We have to get close enough for the love to flow both directions. And that can be terrifying for those who’ve learned somewhere along the way that people aren’t safe, and that getting too close can mean great pain.
This is true, people will hurt us, even the finest of people, but we still need to love them, and allow them to love us in return. When we find our ultimate safety and security in our relationship with Jesus, all of our other relationships become richer. The love is always worth the occasional pain.
The safest love we can experience is the love God has for us, because this is perfect love. He will teach us how to love and how to be loved…if we let Him. Loving others and being loved by others helps us to know ourselves better, to know our loved ones better, and to know God better. This one is a win-win-win.
Give What’s in Your Hand
This song arrives with a good dose of conviction, or maybe it should if it doesn’t. How do we respond to those who are truly in need? How should we respond? How do we know the extent of what we should give? And who should we be giving to?
Many times the people of God desire to do “great” things for Him. We want to do things that will make a “big” difference in the world. When we come to realize that we may not be able to do what we think of as “great” things to make that “big” difference, we can become discouraged and turn away from the needy. But God alone defines “great”, and we must trust Him to use us and our gifts.
Believers must remember that we aren’t responsible for what goes on in the world, or for the impact our actions make. We’re responsible for our obedience and our surrender. God will do what He determines through our actions, and our actions must begin by following those biblical mandates to share with those in need, from what we have at hand.
The key to this is to abide in Jesus and allow Him to change our hearts. When His love and truth lives in us, and when we’re fully surrendered to Him, our actions will reflect His heart, and we will give to those in need. It won’t feel like a sacrifice, and God will bless it.
Man, I feel like I’ve gone all wordy on this one.
Don’t You Think
This song is lovely, and it speaks to our longing for more than this life has to offer. Paul wrote in his first letter to the church in Corinth:
“If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Cor 15:19 ESV
This verse has always been a little confusing to me considering how much of a huge impact a life in Jesus has on our earthy lives. Yet it probably speaks to the persecution those in the early church experienced.
This song reminds us to have an eternal perspective; it reminds us that God rescues his children from a life of hopeless wandering and an eternity separated from Him. It reminds us to live so that others may see Him.
Yes, there is so much more to this life than the world tells us.
House of Boxes
This is another fun one, and it’s understandable that it’s a favorite in Todd’s family.
God is faithful, and when we wait on Him, He brings about the good things He’s promised. Sometimes those good things occur during our time on earth, and sometimes we’ll receive them when this earthy life comes to a close.
Todd, I’m so thankful for what this song represents to you and how your life has been blessed through family.
I sense a double entendre in the lyrics here. “Wherever you are is where I finally belong. I’m already home”. These words have implications to your/our life in Christ, but it also speaks to that earthy union found in godly union through marriage.
“And the two shall become one”
You are Good
Life is hard, but God is good. It may be through suffering more than anything else that we are able to taste and see that God is good. “More precious than silver, sweeter than wine”, “righteous and merciful just and kind”.
When we get a glimpse of who God really is and what He’s done for us through Jesus’ sacrifice, our hearts have no choice but to swell with gratitude and love. We love Him because He first loved us.
This is a lovely song, sweet and melodic, and it speaks to a lovely and sweet truth: God is good.
Your Great Name
The vertical songs are always my favorites, and this one is vertical, which means that it addressed God Himself, rather than being a song sung about Him. This one seems like an anthem (at least to my unschooled ear), where the listening heart is carried along for an adventurous ride.
This is a good one to end the record on, and since this record has no hidden track (at least my copy doesn’t), it is the finale.
His name is great! This song reminds us of who Jesus is, what He’s done, what His position is, and what He’s worthy of. These are things His children must never forget.
Lord Jesus, give us hearts that receive your Spirit, minds filled with your truth, ears to hear your voice, and lives that are a pure reflection of you. *Amen
Todd, I love this record! I have no idea how many times I’ve listened to it, but it’s good that I have it in digital format, otherwise I’d have worn out the CD by now.
My sincere apologies for being so tardy. Thank you for sharing your songs, and may God continue to bless you and yours.
Tess
Tess, I have been looking very hard for Todd’s older work like you mentioned in this post. In particular The Blue CD and One Thousand Songs. I know they are rare. I have a copy of a song titled By Your Blood by Todd and it is my all time favorite and inspires me to worship every time I hear it.. Can you give me any information on how to locate any of the CDs you mentioned? I have the Breath of God..Wonderful CD! I sure appreciate any help you can give!!