RUSTEDfaith ROOTed-God

Last Thursday, my wife and I enjoyed a date together by going to the world's larget music festival, Summerfest, which is held annually in Milwaukee. We went to see specifically one of my favorite bands, Rusted Root, from my home city of Pittsburgh. They're a fusion band of bluegrass-rock, African rhythms, and more. There's no other show in the world like them.

As weird as this may sound, Rusted Root is very formative of my spirituality. They're not a Christian band by any stretch, but the music and lyrics move my soul. I'd love to see a church with a worship experience like the transcendence of getting caught up in the Root's groove. So with that in mind, as I jot this post down quickly between two family vacations, I leave you with a meditation on God, faith, life, suffering, society, humanity, and salvation. What follows are all Rusted Root lyrics from various songs. May you see glimpses of God's reign in the mundane.

See the bloody faces lifted to the sky
Do you want to run to a future left behind?
I remember asking why, there lies aggression.
Separation where there should be love
Power plays while the people die
Let it rain and protect us from this cruel sun
Open up your eyes, and let the child learn

Blind before my head turned to the ones I love,
Blind to the ones I love,
I will lift my head up to the ones I love,
We’ll shine with the ones we love,
This blind disease has hurt so many times before
Lovers & friends, My hurt is gone,
Been hoping to find my way,
Hands of light will come, To uncrystalize our fear,
Cause in faith I do believe

Invoke the light to shelter you
‘Cause everybody wants a piece of you.
It's the dyin' man, what she said.
Yesterday I was lost and you kicked me some food
Boy it was nice to be here with you.
Yesterday lost in a crowd
Yesterday lost in a crowd,
I was lost, lost, now I'm found.

Help us, Jesus
This has already gone too far

I get so nervous when the spirits hide
I can't wait until that bright light shines, yeah
Never did run, never did hide,
Waitin' to see your bright light shine.
We'll wait ‘til the mornin' comes,
We'll laugh as the sun.
Bright and loud, ha, ha, ha!

when I find my way to heaven,
I will walk it down to earth,
I will tie my shoes to heaven,
well I will walk it down to earth

Ah, back to the earth, I screamed
And no one listened to me
Back to the earth
I lived and they all follow
Come on, come on, see my world, my world.
Come on, come on, see my world, my world

Well I would like to hold my little hand
How we will run, we will
How we will crawl
Send me on my way!