Project 86

Tomorrow morning is my last training ride before I leave next Thursday.  I figure a week of rest will do my legs some good.  I'll be riding to Mount Vernon and back.  You can do the math.  But as I realize that the trip of a lifetime has come quickly and in just eight days I will be putting my body to the test for the sake of millions of slaves who have to put their bodies to a more gruesome test daily, I am trying to gather as many materials as possible to reflect on in the coming weeks. 

It comes as no surprise to me or anyone that knows me well that a Project 86 song is the first thing that I'll reflect on with y'all.  Project 86 is a "hardcore" Christian band and, in my humble opinion, the greatest band of all time (or, at least, the greatest Christian band of all time).  From their music to their lyrics they are not your stereotypical Christian band.  Rather than having choruses like, "Jesus we praise your name," Project 86 is actually creative, artistic, and realistic with their lyrics.  When I start talking about P86 I generally continue on for hours, but I will cut myself short by telling a story.

My favorite story concerning P86 is, after a concert, a drug-addicted man approached Andrew Schwab, the lead singer, seeking help.  The man said that the music of P86 was just about the only thing keeping him going in life so he was hoping that Schwab might have some means of helping him.  After a conversation with the man, Schwab handed him a Bible saying that though he had tried many things, Schwab had come to see that only in the Bible can one find solace and hope and real love.  The man was taken aback because he had no idea that P86 is Christian.  You see, P86 does not outrightly label themselves as a Christian band because they are not like those other stereotypical Christian bands with fluffy lyrics and even fluffier lyrics that don't seem to have any relation to real life.  Instead of making the Christian faith seem separate from life Project 86 infuses everything they do with their faith without detracting from the artistic and realistic qualities that make up their music.  Though the man had no idea that P86 is Christian, he walked away with Schwab's Bible and with new hope.

Aside from trying to convince you all to listen to Project 86 and support their mission in this world, I bring them up because over the next few days I will be posting their songs along with a little reflection on how it relates to my ride and what it means to me at this point.  I've thought of doing this because the song that I post below has been particularly helpful to me in the recent weeks as I have struggled with my own faith and whether or not my life really matters, whether or not the little good that I'm doing with this bike ride actually matters.  I hope that you find the lyrics inspiring.  And I'll include a youtube address so that you can find the music to the song as well because I think the song itself is very powerful. 

"To Sand We Return"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exa68BnXz5A

Cowering man
A legion of no-ones call
Bet it all

Covenant kill
He points to the heavens
Bare with blank stares

Beckoning search in self for his answer
Reckoning, purge, the great fall, the cancer
Settlement comes in wages, now he is
Shattered, broke, and all alone

We've lost all our control
Our faces fall to the ground
We're powerless to Your voice
Surrender to the sound

What'll it take
To prove our decision's wrong
Will we fall?

Alone in ourselves
There's nothing but chaos, fear
End it here

'Til we concede to drink from the endless
The desert we find ourselves in is hopeless
'Til we submit and let go the control
We will always be alone

We've lost all our control
Our faces fall to the ground
And no longer feeling so
Shattered, broke and all alone

Who do I belong to?
Not earth.
Not world.
Not evil.
Not mortals.
Not wretches.
Not horrors.

Who do I belong to?
Unchanging.
Unbreaking.
Unfailing.
Creator.
Immortal.
Eternal.