To get your “MP-Free”, all you do is go to http://www.volummonster.com and then enter this code: SCOTTFREE4MAY (you’ll be asked for your email and zip). Please feel free to download the song and share the link and code with anyone you think would be moved by the song. Read on for the lyrics to “Mrs. Taylor.”

“MRS. TAYLOR”

She left him at the station / Small town Illinois
He’s 6-1 and 205 now / But he’ll always be her little boy
She knew this was his calling / She was strong as she could’ve been
She prayed for extra angels / To bring him home again

So if you raise your glass to freedom / And this land we hold so dear
If you don’t know what it’s like / Living every day in fear
If you raise your voice to city hall / ‘cause you’re free to speak your mind
And sing Amazing Grace on Sunday / With your family by your side
Remember Mrs. Taylor’s son / And pray he’s somewhere safe tonight

She carries a faded picture / From when he was only two
And remembers how she melted / When he said his first “I love you”
Some think he’s a hero / And some make picket signs
She just turns the TV down / And thinks of better times

[chorus]

They fired 21 guns on Tuesday / And laid a flag in the trembling hands
Of one more American mother / Who gave all a mother can

[chorus]

Remember Maggie Taylor
And pray that she finds peace … tonight

Words and music by Jason Collum and Paul Alan
© 2008 Jason Technology (ASCAP) and My Reality Music (SESAC)

Although I wasn’t really well acquainted with the man or his family, I was fascinated by how those who knew and loved him remembered his life and character.

Over and over, he was described as an upbeat, courageous guy. Someone who always saw the positive side of things. An optimist.

As he was lying in his hospital bed near the end, whenever anyone asked how he was doing his reply was always “it’s all good.” Evidently this had always been his catchphrase – “it’s all good” – and it was his way of expressing optimism and hopefulness.

As I sang “It Is Well With My Soul,” I thought about the stories his family and friends had just shared, and the words of the song felt suddenly fresh and significant:

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say … it’s all good.

Is that something that I can say – in good times or bad? “It is well with my soul” or “it’s all good”…? I have to admit it; I’m a whiner when faced with frustration or difficulty. It doesn’t take much adversity for me to start complaining.

So today I’m thinking about that funeral and wondering if I can start to say “it’s all good” a little more often.

There are worse catchphrases.

Julie: “Who’s ready for a muffin?”
Josiah: “I was born ready… except I wouldn’t have had teeth I guess.”

Joey is still at the age when he says really funny things with complete seriousness. Do your kids say things like this? Comments, please!

The problem is that we don’t have confidence in the actual Gospel message and we think we need to “nice it up” to make it palatable and attractive.

But let’s not forget: God’s Word tells us that the reason we need Jesus is basically this:

1. God is completely HOLY and perfectly JUST (or “fair”).
2. As a completely holy and just God, He is going to hold each of us accountable for our lives – and His perfection is the standard by which we will be measured.
3. He requires from each of us moral perfection and flawless obedience.

This is all GOOD NEWS for anybody who is completely perfect. These people don’t need Jesus. But for the rest of us … well, we have a problem. If God DEMANDS perfection, and I’m unable to be perfect, then I will face punishment from a Holy and Righteous God. Sounds like a set-up, doesn’t it?

Let’s just take a quick look at how the Bible “markets” becoming a follower of Christ:

1. ROMANS 3:23 “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” No one is excluded – we all blow it.
2. ROMANS 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, when we sin we “earn” a wage, and that wage is pretty unattractive. But God’s gift to us is forgiveness and eternal life.
3. ROMANS 5:8 “… God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
4. ROMANS 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”
5. ROMANS 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”

I need a savior. Jesus offers to be that savior. This is the marketing plan.

It was turning into one of those days when nothing could go right. It had started with some minor car trouble and a couple of frustrating phone calls followed by a long, pointless meeting. I had just taken a sip of coffee (noticing too late the bug floating in the mug) when the phone rang.

I hesitated. It had been nothing but bad news all morning, so maybe, I thought, it would be better to just let it go to voice mail. But I answered anyway, and it was my four-year-old, Emily. She was shouting into the phone and talking so fast that it took me a moment to figure out that she was saying: “Daddy! The baby smiled at me!” And this made my day.

It wasn’t just that baby Josiah had finally smiled – although, to be honest, he was three months old and it was getting to the point where his very survival might be threatened if he didn’t turn up the “cuteness” a bit. Any sleep-deprived parent of an infant knows what I mean.

No. The thing that made my day was this: something truly remarkable had happened in my little girl’s life (“The baby smiled! At me!”) and the first thing she wanted to do was call Daddy so she could tell me all about it. For the moment, at least, I forgot everything else and just enjoyed being “Dad.”

I have no doubt that it make God’s day when He hears from us. This is actually a little shocking if you give it any real thought. The Almighty God calls Himself our “Father”…? It may be hard to fathom, but the fact is that our Father takes great pleasure when you and I bring to Him our concerns, our joys, our fears – even our questions. Our prayers are like incense (Psalm 140:1-2) and our worship is truly a “sweet, sweet sound” in His ear.

It makes His day when He hears from you.

“Love Costs Every Thing” Trailer from CIY Move on Vimeo.

Now this happens occasionally where we live, but this time the stench was unbelievable. It was so bad I thought I was going to be sick. I jumped out of bed to close the window – but the window was already closed. It was almost like the skunk had already gotten into the house – it was that bad.

I don’t know much about skunks, but as incredibly foul as the smell was I wondered: do skunks travel in PACKS? Because this COULDN’T have been just ONE… This had to be the work of a SKUNK ARMY or something.

I think most of what I know about skunks comes from the movie “Bambi” – you remember that cute little skunk named Flower? I’m beginning to suspect that that movie was mostly fiction…

So, lying there in bed I started wondering: how can a skunk stand itself? Does it just get used to the smell? Or does it actually like it? Maybe for a skunk that smell is actually pleasant – like smelling roses or pine trees. We perceive the smell as Pure Evil Nastiness, while they perceive it as a beautiful aroma?

SEEMINGLY UNRELATED CONFESSION: A couple of weeks ago, I told a very small LIE.

I was talking to a complete stranger who asked me an extremely personal question. I could’ve just said “hey now, that’s pretty personal, dude…” but instead I gave him an answer to shut him up. I lied. And, I have to admit, that lie really didn’t bother me much.

So I was thinking about the fact that I didn’t seem to feel guilty about that lie and that raised the question: how seriously do I take sin?

We know that God can’t tolerate sin – that it is an “offense” to him. Maybe we should think of it this way: sin is a stench in the nostrils of God.

Yes, I just typed “nostrils of God…” But let’s think of it that way. Our sins are an OFFENSE. Like the smell of a skunk.

I think sometimes we imagine God looking down and saying “tsk tsk, naughty naughty, I wish you wouldn’t do that” – but we figure He’s not really bothered much by our little sins.

We need – no, I need to remember that it was because of my sins that Christ died. God doesn’t regard sin casually. God takes sin seriously – and has provided us a very costly way of forgiveness through Christ. My “little lie” didn’t hurt anybody, but my integrity takes a hit every time I’m willing to be less than honest.

After the skunk incident, I asked my kids to help me paraphrase Isaiah 1:18 (“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”) and they came up with: “Though your sins stink like a skunk, they shall be made to smell like roses (Josiah), made to smell like molten chocolate (Emily) and cookies baking (Josiah again).

Lord forgive us for our casual attitude about the things that offend You. Amen.

Click HERE, enter the code SCOTTFREE4FEB and download your free song! Let me know what you think…

The song was on my first solo CD “All I Know” but this version was from a couple years earlier when I was still with the band The Nobodys (the Christian band, not the punk band)… If you’re curious, check out this REVIEW from a British magazine (with song samples).

One of the fun/challenging/frustrating/joyful things about being an independent artist is that you wear many, many hats.  The challenge becomes making sure that the most important things get priority, and this is where I tend to stumble. I’m usually juggling a dozen things at once, and my family is often quietly waiting for me to set everything else down and give them my full attention.

My “hat list” (excluding my Worship Pastor hats):

• Booking agent (scheduling shows and church services)
• Marketing director (publicity, website management, social media, etc.)
• Songwriter (or, in my case, alleged songwriter, since I rarely make much time for this)
• Band leader (hiring/firing, travel agent, road manager)
• Radio promoter (actually, I hire people to do this, but I’m very hands-on because I’m a control freak)
• Record producer (didn’t record at all in 2011, but I plan to this year)
• Plus there’s family stuff (karate and dance and 4-H and chopping wood and home maintenance…)
• Etc. (there’s probably more but I’m out of time).

The truth is, most of us wear many hats. You might be a mom who also writes a blog and who works at a grocery store and breeds Labradors on the side … plus you teach Third Grade Sunday School and help out at church youth group on Wednesday nights.

So if I were the “New Year Resolution” type, mine would be to be even more purposeful about spending time with my family. How about you?