Journal Title

[callistahogan]

Since I can't think of anything else to write about and since I think I need to do an entry that isn't quite as controversial as my other two have been, I've decided to explain my journal title and subtitles. "Dare You to Move" is one of the most popular songs by Switchfoot, and Leave a Legacy is from Nichole Nordeman's song "Legacy." I suppose I'll explain why I named them what I did in this post.

First, here are the lyrics to "Dare You to Move":

Dare You to Move - Switchfoot:

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next
What happens next

[Chorus]
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

[Chorus]
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare your to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before

Now, to me, this song is pretty self-explanatory. It pretty much explains my Christian life, really. In the first verse, it's all about our birth, and Jesus (or God, depending on how you refer to Him) is welcoming us to Earth, to the planet. Obviously, every human is here, and they're all waiting for what we're about to do, whether we're going to come to Him or whether we are going to reject Him. And it's all about becoming a Christian, and Jesus daring you to move, to become on fire for Him. He wants us to witness, to show everybody how amazing He is, the hope He gives humanity. In the second verse, though, that's what I can relate to the most--it's all about becoming a Christian, being on fire for Him, and having people constantly criticize you, saying you have a "blind faith," saying that what you believe is bull, and about how people constantly resist Him, making you sometimes feel as if it's not worth it to hold on, to become a Christian. And yet... we still move, and we're still on fire for Him.

And being on fire for Him gives us contentment. It makes us happy more than pretty much anything else we know, giving us a chance to witness to the people we care about, to defend our beliefs, and to know that He will always be there for us, no matter what.

So... yeah. That's what I think that song means--at least that's what it means to me. "Dare You to Move" perfectly, completely, describes what my Christian life is like at the moment, and it never fails to inspire me whenever I listen to it. That's why it's my journal name--it reminds me exactly why I am doing what I am doing, exactly how much satisfaction I get from being on fire for Him.

Obviously, that brings me to my subtitle--Leave a Legacy. This is inspired by the song "Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman. The lyrics are as follows:

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all the who's who and so-and-so's that used to be the best
At such and such... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels all right to see your name in lights
We all need an "Atta boy" or "Atta girl"
But in the end i'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

Chorus:
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where most and rust, thieves and such will soon destroy

Chorus:
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Not well-traveled, not well-read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well done" good and faithful one

Chorus:
I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Again, this song seems quite self-explanatory, doesn't it? Like the first verse says, you have to be sure you don't care too terribly much what other people think of you. If they like you, that's great. If they don't, and think your views are off the wall, then that's all right too. Material things, like fame and a nice picture on the wall, don't matter much. It might feel good for a few minutes, but there are more important things, like love, friendship, care, kindness, and yes, God. In the end, these things on Earth won't matter that much and besides, getting known for your stuff isn't necessarily a great way to "leave a legacy," like the song says, is it?

The chorus perfectly explains my feelings. I want to leave a legacy--I don't want to be like any other person who goes through life saying she's a Christian but not living it. I want to leave a legacy. I want people to remember me, but not necessarily because I got a few books published. I want them to remember me because of my love, for my devotion to Jesus Christ. I want them to see something different in me, see that I do honestly care about everyone, and I do care about leading people to Christ. I want them to see something in me, like I said. I want them to see me bless Your name, not even caring if some people don't agree. I want to be on fire for you. I want to have what my youth group name is--I want to have a fire within.

And this song helps inspire me. It helps me grow motivated. It makes me want to leave a legacy, to not be known for the things I do, or the books I have published, but to be known for my faith in Jesus Christ, in my blessing of His name. Those things, the glorification of His name will last, but not the material things.

So... now you know why my journal name is what it is. These two songs help inspire me. They inspire me to become the Christian I want to be, the Christian God wants me to be, but more than that--they inspire me to be the person I want to be, as cheesy and corny as that sounds. These songs never fail to make me realize exactly what Jesus did for us, and exactly what I am fighting for (and not just in a spiritual way either).

Comments

[alexseanchai]

You say both songs are self-explanatory, but I think you're the only person on the planet who'd read explicitly Christian themes into either one.

[callistahogan.livejournal.com]

I disagree. Switchfoot is a Christian band and Nichole Nordeman is a Christian singer. I am sure that the reasons for writing those songs are Christian-related, if not for exactly the same exact reason why I listen to them.

And in every version of the lyrics for Legacy, "you" is capitalized, which typically refers to Jesus.

[alexseanchai]

News to me in both instances. And in any case I'm of the opinion that if it doesn't mention God or Jesus, it's not Christian $GenreMusic, it's just $GenreMusic that happens to be done by an artist who also does Christian $GenreMusic.

[callistahogan.livejournal.com]

Then most of the contemporary Christian songs lately aren't Christian to you, then.

But anyway. That's why music is so interesting--we can all interpret them in different ways. I interpret Switchfoot's song in a Christian way, just as I interpret Nordeman's song in a Christian manner, yet I understand that you do not. All subject to our own opinions, after all.