Vater, unser Vater

"Bist zu uns vie ein Vater, der sein Kind nie vergisst.
Der trotz all seiner Größe immer ansprechbar ist.

Deine Herrschaft soll kommen. Das, was Du willst, geschehen.
Auf der Erde, im Himmel sollen alle es sehen.

Vater, unser Vater, alle Ehre Deinem Namen.
Vater, unser Vater, bis ans Ende der Zeiten. Amen.

Gib uns das, was wir brauchen, gib uns heute unser Brot.
Und vergib uns den Aufstand gegen Dich und Dein Gebot.

Lehre uns zu vergeben, so wie Du uns vergibst.
Lass uns treu zu Dir stehen, so wie Du immer liebst.

Vater, unser Vater, alle Ehre Deinem Namen.
Vater, unser Vater, bis ans Ende der Zeiten. Amen.

Nimm Gedanken des Zweifels und der Anfechtung fort.
Mach uns frei von dem Bösen durch Dein mächtiges Wort.

Deine Macht hat kein Ende, wir vertrauen darauf.
Bist ein herrlicher Herrscher, und Dein Reich hört nie auf."

Cristoph Zehendner

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the Mount; I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

This my glad commemoration
That 'til now I've safely come;
And I hope, by They good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God.
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Oh, to grace, how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above."

John Wyeth

It Is Well with My Soul

"When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea-billows roll
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well (it is well)
It is well (it is well)
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though the devil will ruin, though trials may come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul.

... It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!

... It is well, it is well with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
And the clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is will with my soul.

... It is well, it is well with my soul."

Horation Spafford (traditional words)

Review (and commentary): 'In This Together' by Apoptygma Berzerk

I saw a music video a few months ago that really hit me hard. It was so dramatic and disturbing... yet so perfect. Put it together with the lyrics, and the irony is brilliant.

The song is "In This Together", and is by Apoptygma Berzerk *, a band I've discovered while here in Germany and have grown rather fond of. The fact that they toured with Spahn Ranch * (think: Athan Maroulis *) at one point is an added bonus. The industrial rock/ electronica genre is one I've never explored, so this has been interesting.

Stephan Groth *, the lead singer, is the mastermind behind the band, and the prominent character on the video.

[Aside: in the video, he, um, wears eyeliner. What is it about guys in eyeliner that's so darn irresistable? And he holds the microphone like Constantine does... and stares into the camera.]

The situation in the video is a bank robbery... of course, everything is suspenseful to the extreme, especially when Groth begins trying to communicate with one of the women, but can only use his eyes. The focus quickly becomes their intense and dramatic non-verbal communication. They discover a button which will trigger the alarm... and when Groth gives the key, the woman gently taps it with her high-heeled shoe.

Ok, quick break to give the chorus lyrics. "Don't you see... we're in this together... you and me... one on one forever." The entire first scene is about them working together in an impossible situation and understanding one another without using words. As the chaos envelopes them, they're somehow able to maintain level-headedness and do something about the situation.

"And in your troubled eyes I see someone who carried me somehow... don't you see, it's you and me against the world."

Just as the woman sets off the alarm, a thug swings around, aims his semi-automatic at her, and pulls the trigger. Groth jumps up, throws himself between her and the bullet, and collapses onto the ground. Sacrifice. Finality. The music becomes softer. Is this the end?

Of course, the next scene is him in his bedroom, taking off his bullet-proof vest and opening the suitcase of money, which he somehow managed to get from the burglars (though I don't remember how).

"...like footprints in the sand, you've been behind me all along..."

The woman enters the room, and you now feel this overwhelming relief, that the two are together again. That the two are indeed one on one forever, against the world. But it's not over... the woman pulls out a gun, looks him in the eyes, aims it at his forehead, and pulls the trigger. There's a flash of light, and the scene changes.

The irony is disturbing... but it paints a vividly clear picture of how love often feels (is?). Just because you share with someone and even sacrifice for them doesn't mean they won't turn around and stab you in the back when it's least expected. Sure, this is a negative view, but sometimes a negative view is temporarily necessary to avoid pain and confusion.

Which brings us to the unsolveable question... is the pain worth it? Is the pain at the end worth the joy? Is the downpour worth a few sunny days? Should you choose the peaks and valleys of love, or simply stay grounded on a nice, stable, predictable flatland?

*shrugs her shoulders*

Anyway. It's a fabulous song. And the piano player is quite talented as well, though I couldn't tell if he wore eyeliner.

And, the links once more, in case you're interested...
Apoptygma Berzerk Homepage
Spahn Ranch Homepage
Athan Maroulis' Homepage
Stephan Groth on Wikipedia