Not Alright

As any reader of this blog might already believe (see posts like No sad songs allowed, Well-Ended Stories That Don't End Well, "Preaching Ecclesiastes and Throwing Away the Key",
and of course"The Lord Be With You...Even When He’s Not");and as any
church who weaves a bit of Pink Floyd into the "worship set" knows..

it is refreshing and encouraging to sometimes spin and pray tunes that are not...well, refreshing or encouraging,

But are honest about what Ethel called our inevitable "occasional atheism,"
and what the Psalmist called life.

Contemporary Christian music seems to be convinced that everything's always alright.

Well, I know Romans 8:28 as well as the next preacher, but a larger section of Scripture (Psalms, Escclesiastes etc) is downright honest..

..and flirts with the feeling..if not the reality...that at least until the Kingdom fully comes, everything is not yet altogether alright.

Richard Foster used to tweak the title "I'M ON, YOU'RE OK" to "I'M NOT OK, YOU'RE NOT OK..BUT THAT'S OK!"

Two songs with the shocking but healing lyric "I'm not alright" come to mind. Can we sing them 'in church'?
They might prove themselves redemptive and refreshing.

THE BURNING DOWN
by King's X

Where are you tonight
I don't seem to know you
No I'm not all right
Where are you tonight
And my heart is nearly gone
There's not much left to offer
If I could somehow know
I could stop the burning down

Where are you tonight
Are you even really out there
I won't put up a fight
Where are you tonight
And the world keeps spinning round
A vicious cycle turning (vicious cycle turning)
Some of them know love
Some of us know the burning down

"I'M NOT ALRIGHT"
BY SANCTUS REAL


If weakness is a wound
That no one wants to speak of
Then “cool” is just how far we have to fall
I am not immune
I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall
Can I lose my need to impress?
If you want the truth, I need to confess

I’m not alright
I’m broken inside, broken inside
And all I go through
It leads me to you, it leads me to you

Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I’m open wide
With nothing left to cling to
Only you are there to lead me on
Cause honestly, I’m not that strong

I’m not alright
I’m broken inside, broken inside
And all I go through
It leads me to you, it leads me to you

And I move, and I move, and I move...closer to you
And I move, and I move, and I move...closer to you
And I move, and I move, and I move...closer to you
And I move, and I move, and I move...

I’m not alright
I’m broken inside, broken inside
broken inside, broken inside
And all I go through
Leads me to you, leads me to you

I’m not alright, I’m not alright, I’m not alright...that’s why I need you
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