GOING DEEPER

     Stephanie Israelson's DEEPER STILL is somewhat of a departure from her pop/rock album LEAD ME THERE released two years earlier in 2007.  DEEPER STILL is decidedly a modern worship project, produced, mixed, and mastered by Andrew Horrocks in Kitchener, Ontario.
     Stephanie is the reigning Covenant Award Female Vocalist of the Year and one listen of this album reveals why.  The album kicks off with 'Reign in me', an upbeat song of surrender featuring good guitar work.  This is followed by a great, contemporary worship number 'Call on You' that evidences a fundamental confidence in God: "I will call and You will answer/You will be the light that shines upon my face/Your hand will guide me through the day." 'Mighty is Your Name' sounds celebratory and finds her in love with her God: "Mighty is Your Name above all others/I will celebrate You Lord/Mighty is Your Name/And I will praise and love You evermore."  'Alleluia', a radio single, is a ballad shining more light on why Stephanie is in love with God: "You are just and holy God and You see me through the blood/You have cleansed me from all sin and You overflow my cup."
     At least three songs look forward to the second coming of Christ, a theme too oft neglected in today's CCM.  'The Waiting' is a beautiful ballad acknowledging that we have to endure suffering before our Lord appears.  'Ageless One' pledges: "We will watch and pray awaiting Your return/Let us not grow faint/It's for You that we yearn." 'We Cry Out' has a more traditional feel to it to begin with, but then builds.  I could hear Crystal Lewis singing it.  It declares: "We're only here to tell the world about Your grace/Until the day You take us all away."
     The title track, 'Deeper Still' is a rocker that would have fit nicely on Stephanie's previous project.  Co-written with Andrew Horrocks and Naomi Knoll, it is about taking one's relationship with God to the next level: "Launch me out into the deep/Spirit take me/I will go deeper still in You/In You."  The only weak spot on the album is track seven 'I Will Tell'.  It is quite simplistic lyrically and seems better suited to a kid's praise project.
     All in all, this is a modern sounding record that I would recommend especially for 18-40 year olds.  It is clear that not only does Stephanie Israelson have a great voice, but she has a vibrant, loving relationship with her Heavenly Father as well.  I look forward to the next chapter in her recording career.  Thanks to David C. Cook Distribution Canada for carrying this release.

WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS

     With Christmas less than six weeks away the subject of this book, namely pain and suffering, is quite relevant today. Philip Yancey's WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS was first published in 1977 by Zondervan Publishing House. The copy I read was a revised and expanded edition put out in 1990.
     Yancey writes: "Many suffering people want to love God, but cannot see past their tears.  They feel hurt and betrayed. Sadly, the church often responds with more confusion than comfort." Some have rejected Christianity because pain and evil exist.  Some see pain as 'God's one mistake.'  I like the following quote: "I have never read a poem extolling the virtues of pain, nor seen a statue erected in its honor, nor heard a hymn dedicated to it."  Suffering calls into question our most basic beliefs about God. Nietzche said: "It is not so much the suffering as the senselessness of it that is unendurable."
     The author believes that pain is valuable in that it tells us something is wrong and thus, is a doorway to recovery.  Much suffering he believes, is a result of the fall of humankind. In the Bible, both God and Satan cause suffering.  In addition people in Scriptures have to endure painful consequences for their sinful actions.  There are times in Scripture though when people suffer and it is not because of something they have done.
     Yancey proposes that we need to focus less on why we suffer and more on our response to suffering.  James 1:2-4 makes it clear that we are to count it all joy when we face trials. You don't have to be joyful about what you are going through, but rather, be joyful about what it can bring about in your life-things such as perserverance, strength, and character.  Yancey writes: "Where is God when it hurts? He is in us-not in the things that hurt-helping to transform bad into good." We can have hope in the midst of our trials: "Hope means simply the belief that something good lies ahead.  It is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking, for these imply a denial of reality." Hope is more like courage than cheerfulness.
     Yancey says there is no avoiding pain and suffering in this world: "The cross of Christ may have assured the final outcome, but battles remain for us to fight."  Christ took on all our pain at the cross and we should take comfort in that: "The surgery of life hurts.  It helps me, though, to know that the surgeon Himself, the Wounded Surgeon, has felt every stab of pain and every sorrow." When Christ ascended into heaven after rising from the dead, He left us the Holy Spirit to comfort us. 
     On a practical note, Yancey makes a strong case that we are to bear each other's burdens. This is something the modern church needs to make a priority.  John Donne said: "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."  Yancey writes: "Today, if I had to answer the question 'Where is God when it Hurts?' in a single sentence, I would make that sentence another question: 'Where is the church when it Hurts?'  We form the front line of God's response to the suffering world."
     Christians can be encouraged by the fact that pain and suffering are temporary.  Yancey reminds us: "This is a groaning planet, and Christians expectantly await a world where every tear will be wiped away." We shouldn't be embarrassed to believe this.  Our bodies will be transformed to 'be like His glorious body.'  A secret to handling suffering is to nourish your spirit.  St. Teresa of Avila said "from heaven the most miserable earthly life will look like one bad night in an inconvenient hotel."
     In this book you will find an examination of the suffering people endured during the Holocaust, as well as the story of Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed in a diving accident when she was a teenager.  You will also learn how to redeem your pain.
     At Christmas, pain and suffering and loneliness come knocking ever the louder at one's door. Christians need to learn how to minister to those with physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs, rather than ignoring them or distancing themselves from them.  When Jesus walked upon this earth, He did not embrace pain with great joy. Rather, he healed many, and sought to relieve suffering.  This is the example we should follow.