***ABOUT BURIED TALENTS***
Buried Talents Band came about after a message from my pastor Tim concerning the parable of the Talents.
He said that the talent mentioned did not have to be money, it could be ANYTHING that God has asked you to invest. He said the wicked servant refused to invest the talent that God gave him, and just buried it away.
God told me - 'That's YOU - YOU are the wicked servant, you've buried away the songwriting talent I gave you.'
(NO, He didn't speak audibly, it was just a VERY strong impression.)
So I surrendered to His leading in that area, and He started giving me songs for Him. About one a week since September 2006 (as of this writing, anyway, April 2007)
That adds up to about 5 CDs worth of music so far. Well, ok, so it's a little MORE than 1 a week.
***PAINTED ON SMILES***
Well, I'm a little slow on the recording end, but the album you see here is the 'first install' on getting that investment put to good use.
The Title Track (and consequently the Album Name) was written for a couple in our church going through very rough and dark waters. They are really an example of the pandemic in our church of hiding our pain and suffering behind a painted on smile. God calls us to 'bear ye one another's burdens' but if we don't share those burdens with others in the church, how can they help us carry this load?
We hide behind a wall of smiles vast oceans of pain and hurt, frustration and fears. And there are those in the church that would wound us further if they knew, or gossip about it. Still, there are genuine friends in the church that would help if they knew. This song is a call for us to put the mask down.
Child of Promise was written years ago, but nothing was ever done with it. The message is clear - a parallel between Isaac, the Child Promised to Abraham to make a nation without number, and Jesus, the Child Promised through Abraham to make a nation without condemnation.
A Reward - Well, this should speak for itself - it's my 'first response' to God convicting me about the talent buried away. Here's my message to YOU - if you have talent, use it for His glory. There's a great reward waiting for us!
He's Everything - Sentenced to Die, helpless in our sin. Jesus gave absolutely everything for us.
Every Idle Word - Ever said something and immediately wished your tongue was cut out? Hey, I've been there. You might call this a besetting sin. I love to talk. And I've cut others down too. And yet, I read that we will give an account for Every Idle Word. So it's my prayer that my idle words will be filled with praise. (And I guess that would make them no longer idle, eh?)
Hide and Seek - I enjoyed singing this with my brother Joe. The message is a unique one, but true. When we sin God hides from us. But He promises that if we seek Him like buried treasure, if we seek Him early, He WILL be found.
The Two Thieves - Written during a sermon. Others thought I was taking copious notes. I'm so bad. But God got a hold of me in this passage in Luke. I could see the entire scene so vividly, the angry crowd, the arrogant thief, the thief who eventually believed. And it's so very true - It doesn't matter WHAT you've done, He won't turn you away - won't you open up your heart to Him today?
More Than Enough - Written for my wonderful wife. As you can tell. No, that's not her singing on the album, it's my Sister-in-Law Sheila. With a voice like Nicole C Mullen. My wife wouldn't sing it with me, though she has a good voice, she's shy.
Arizona Wind - Written for my sister Anna. She has always loved Arizona, wants to move back there someday.
His Royal Word - Well this one was written about 10 years ago. I never did anything with it, but played it at a sister-in-law’s wedding (not Sheila’s). It’s a description of how Jesus has called us to be servants for Him, and to tell the world the good news. How He’s coming back to get His family.
Prophet, Priest, and King – This is a unique way of looking at the 3 kings, the ‘Magi’, who came to visit Jesus, bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Yes, I know there’s no biblical reference that names them as Balthasar, Gaspar, and Melchior. That’s principally tradition, and the bible doesn’t state that there were 3, or that they were kings per se.
But it is quite true that they brought these 3 gifts, and they were indicative of Jesus’ roles as our King (gold), Priest (frankincense), and Prophet (myrrh). Myrrh to indicate that this prophet would die to set us free, as Isaiah 53 states so beautifully: ‘For He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.’
It’s my prayer that this music will uplift you, challenge you, and motivate you to dig up YOUR Buried Talents and invest them for Him!
:-)
- Chris
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