Understanding Christianese-Lesson 2

"We don't sing what you aspire to, but what's actually going on"

Meet Todd and Angie Fadel, AKA  Agents of Future (a "jalopy gospel" band, which includes many others, see also their Facebook) , "worship leaders" at The Bridge, North Portland. 

Start with this  first video below ""What would it look like for pain and suffering to be worked out through the worship of God? We don't sing what you aspire to, but whats actually going on....Besides, someone will call us on it if there's any bullshit.":

Interview with Angie:


Documentary on the church:


Crossrythyms review:

"AGENTS OF FUTURE - SNEEK PEAKS AT MAGIC MOMENTS - 8/10 stars - The confidently named Agents Of Future from North Portland, USA, have been much talked about after their Greenbelt appearances - some loving their eccentric eclecticism, others detesting their rather shambolic stage presence. To be frank, their album here is bizarre - it's raw, unrestrained, messy, passionate and raucous garage rock blitzed with erratic melodies and screeching vocals harmonies. In fact the whole vocal department feels like a shout-along session the entire band decided to join in on - there's barely a moment where one voice is allowed to sing on its lonesome. However, while it's not pretty and polished, the vocal talent is glaringly present; the performance on "Perfect Love" can't be faulted for its beautiful emotional intensity. Note as well that while eclectic, the record manages to deliver the kind of memorable melodies you'd expect from a band like The Killers. The closing cut's rhythmic ending chant of "Heaven is sewn in my skin" is fantastically infectious while musical intelligent (in its own unintelligible way). The magnitude of chaos within 'Sneek Peeks At Magic Moments' guarantees it not be an all round people pleaser, and admittedly there are moments where the entropy exceeds the effective quota, but if you're the indie type fed up with cookie-cutter rock worship, give the disc a spin and you may be proclaiming it your gem of the year." - Martin Smith for CROSSRHYTHMS

Thank you isn't enough....

You can only say, "Thank you" in so many ways. I tried to look up how many ways to say thank you and well I got overwhelmed at the many language translations. I was so overwhelmed I did not even post all the language translations. I decided to stick with english, which says, "Thank you". :)

I have the opportunity to be apart of a church family for sometime now. I don't really care much for counting the days, months or years that I have been apart of this family. In some ways it's really not that important to me to "count the days", as opposed to developing relationship by investing in each other and seeing God move in our lives.

This church family has walked me through my twenties and let's just say, I don't think it was easy. I came out of experiences of brokenness, bondage and abandonment in my past. I had heard about living in freedom from my past and declaring victory in the end, but I had no taste of that. The desire to be free of my dysfunctional past was what I wanted to attain in my life. I knew that God had a plan and purpose for my life, but in order to know what that was or to even experience it, I needed to be free.

This family saw that desire on my heart and began to stand beside me, pray with me and walk me through the struggles of life. God used this very loving family to help understand what it takes to live a life of freedom, once I was healed from all the things in my past that plagued me. To live in freedom is to understand that the dysfunctions of the past do not define you. It's the fact that God sees you has His sons and daughters and loves you as His beloved ones. When God sees that you hurt from your past, God hurts too. God wants you to walk in wholeness with him. So, that the struggles of your past will no longer stop you from a future relationship with Him.

I feel very fortunate to have people in my life that God has used to bless me. Third Day Fresno, has been my church family and for that I am incredibly thankful. There are a few more, who may not be involved with Third Day, but have had an impact on my life the last couple years. So, to all of you, I want to reiterate what I said at the beginning of this blog and that is, "Thank you".