Holiday

Steve McVey's "Sailing in Agape - Day Eleven" video (see below), in which he talked about the "permanent vacation," or "rest," that we have in Christ, reminded me of a great song from Tony Vincent called "Holiday."



Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has worked himself to death, trying to prove himself to God, trying to work his way to heaven and trying to earn God's love, trying to be perfect and trying to justify himself before God. You may be there right now, or you may have been there and it may not be hard at all to put yourself in those shoes again.

Then... finally the truth comes and "memories of my hollow days are scattered on a sea of grace." You finally realize that "what I thought was righteousness was nothing less than blind ambition." When Jesus came, "every day became a holiday."

The rest of the lyrics to the song are wonderful and can be found here and you can listen to a snippet of the song (and other T.V. songs) here.

Tony Vincent in Jesus Christ Superstar

I almost forgot that the other day I said I'd be posting some more stuff from one of my all-time favorite artists, Tony Vincent. Below are some videos from his Jesus Christ Superstar appearances.

Side note: COME ON! As if you really think I think these portrayals of the life of Jesus, and those around Him, are accurate! (Although, there's no doubt some truth can be gleaned from all this). This is more of a pop culture thing for me. After moving back to the States from England in 1981 (at the age of 12), I discovered the original (1973) double-album Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack in my parents' possession (I think it belonged to my brother, who is 11 years older than me) and I began listening to it and I really, really, really (that third "really" is for you, Alvin ;)) liked the music. Then in the mid 90's I was introduced to the music of Tony Vincent via Christian Radio. In 2000, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice remade Jesus Christ Superstar, with Tony playing a small part (Simon Zealotes) and I was hooked on this new version as well.

In the past I've kept myself familiar with Tony's career, but I've forgotten the chronological order of Tony's appearances in the following performances. I know that he appeared in the aforementioned video remake of Superstar and he also appeared on stage in New York, London and Las Vegas in various performances of Superstar (playing Judas Iscariot) as well as We Will Rock You, a rock opera based upon the music of Queen (also starring members of Queen). I'll most likely post some of those performances as well.

Here are some of Tony Vincent's Jesus Christ Superstar performances (in no particular order, since again, I can't remember the order!). I absolutely don't mean to offend anyone with these videos. Again, this is not a matter of true Christian doctrine for me. It's simply a matter of pop culture, and I know that some of you are very familiar with JCS.

Superstar


Gethsemane / Superstar (54th Annual Tony Awards)


Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem


Bonus JC Superstar video having nothing to do with Tony Vincent. :) This is Rik Mayall's performance as King Herod. I first encountered Rik when he played the part of Vivian on Brit comedy (BBC2) The Young Ones, which I watched back in the early 80's on MTV.


Bonus #2. Too Much Heaven on their Minds. Judas doubts the whole Messiah thing.

Tony Vincent - Out of My Hands

There are many reasons why the self-titled CD from Tony Vincent (1995) is my favorite album of all time. The following song is one of the reasons. The other nine songs on the album are the other reasons. :) Over the next few days I'll be posting some other things from T.V. I've followed his career from his days as a CCM artist up to the present.

Out of My Hands Video (embedding disabled)

Lyrics - check it out!

Be a Man

A good summary of the "Vast Sea of Grace" series can also be found in this song from Tony Vincent, especially in the chorus. (I gave the details for sampling and purchasing the CD last time). I honestly cry tears of desperation and hope for people I know sometimes when I hear this song. Sometimes the tears are for myself, as I continue to grow in grace. By the way, if you're a woman it goes without saying that this is for you too. :)

Tony Vincent - Be a Man

His daddy told him when he was five
Real men don't cry
The whole world sold him this pack of lies
Real men don't cry
So his tender heart turns colder
As the days turn into years
He's erasing all the traces of his tears

He wants to be a man
He wants to be strong
But it's hard to know exactly what to do
‘cause he can't be the man
He's meant to be
'till he can be a man
Who finds himself in you

He's building walls and they're ten feet high
Real men don't cry
As deep within him his spirit dies
Real men don't cry
Oh, embrace him, Man of Sorrows
Show him what a man can be
'till there's nothing left to prove and he is free

He wants to be a man
He wants to be strong
But it's hard to know exactly what to do
'cause he can't be the man
He's meant to be
'till he can be a man
Who finds himself in you


--------------------------------------------------
Entire "Vast Sea of Grace" Series:
Prelude: Just follow the Word, right?
The Vast Sea of Grace: Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4
Summaries: So close but yet so far -- Far Cry -- >Be a Man<

Far Cry

All of this talk during the past few days about love, obedience, etc has reminded me of a song from Tony Vincent. Matthew's (Daelon), in his comments in "The Vast Sea of Grace - Part 4," brought up a part of the famous "love chapter" of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. I won't copy the whole chapter here, but it's always worth a read. A summary of it would be, "I could do all kinds of great and wonderful things, but I'm nothing without love."

An even better summary comes from the lyrics of a song from Tony Vincent's self-titled CD from the mid 90's. This CD is a MUST HAVE for anyone who appreciates the grace of God. It's available in the store at tonyvincent.com, and song samples can be heard here. (Underneath where it says "select an album," click "more..." and then click where it says "Tony Vincent." Start with "Out of My Hands" and see if you don't want to hear more)!

Tony Vincent - Far Cry

I could speak with the tongues of angels
I could speak with the tongues of men
I could whisper the language of heaven
Like a chiming of bells in the wind

But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love

I could open the doors of a mystery
Turn all the shadows to light
Keep faith when the odds are against me
Believe when I'm losing my sight

But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
It's a far, far cry from love

All my passion, my tears, and my blood
Sacrifice will never be enough
If I don't have a heart of love
I am nothing more
Than hollow fading words
Nothing without love

I could open my arms to the hungry
Fight to keep flesh on their bones
Surrender my body for burning
Lay down everything that I own

But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
It's a far, far cry from love
It's a far cry from love


--------------------------------------------------
Entire "Vast Sea of Grace" Series:
Prelude: Just follow the Word, right?
The Vast Sea of Grace: Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4
Summaries: So close but yet so far -- >Far Cry< -- Be a Man