The narrow gate 2
July 1998 / Issue 2
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Contents: Letter From Shauna, Our Groovy Mailbag, Web Sites Reviewed by Shauna Skye: (Bang Your Head? Unsigned Christian Musicians Showcase, Email Zines at Low Bandwidth), Music Review by Brian R. Hischier (Joy For You "Anchored in Faith"), Book Review by Robin Blackman ("Lighting Mary's House" by Lori Mitchell), Artsy Article by Brian R. Hischier ("Please Don't Burn The Effigy"), Ads (including "Reviewers Wanted"), All That Official Info, Mailings, Ad Rates, Subscribe/Unsubscribe, Our Church, Want To Know God? etc...
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LETTER FROM SHAUNA
Hello, and welcome to the second issue of TNG. Both Brian and I were very busy this month. Brian, his fiancÈ Lisa, and a few artist friends went to Cornerstone Festival. They arrived a few days early at the campsite, and nearly visited Oz when a tornado hit. Fortunately, they got to safety before it did, and only their tents were blown away.
As for me, my Dad went to be with Jesus June 27th. I never thought I'd be able to handle losing one of my parents, but God has has been good to me, giving me a peace about it. In the last two years my Dad (who was only 53) had gotten extremely ill with a rare disease called Scleroderma. He was in terrible shape physically, and I know he is much happier with God now. I praise God for being good to me, for comforting me, and for drawing my Dad to Him before he died.
Through all this, I have continued to work on my book. Much of it is autobiographical, relating how God saved me from the occult and a possible ill spent youth. It deals heavily with the supernatural, so I would appreciate prayers that God would give me wisdom, that I would write only what He wants me to write. Also, prayers of protection would be nice too, since our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, etc.
You know the drill.
Anyway, Brian and I hope you enjoy this second issue. Your prayers and letters are appreciated. We're both very excited to be doing this publication.
Blessing to all!
--Shauna Skye
P.S. Please take note of our NEW snail mail address. If you want to send us things to review you may write us at:
THE NARROW GATE
1819 North Center St. Suite 3 E
Crest Hill, IL. 60435.
If you sent something to our old address, don't worry about it. Right now it will get to us just fine. I'll be moving in the near future, so we're just phasing out that old address.
Our Groovy Mailbag
Dear Shauna,
The Narrow Gate ezine looks very interesting. You are putting a lot of effort and heart into it - both of which are sure signs of success. Of course prayer helps. :-)
Just wanted to wish you God's blessings! I've enclosed my own (FREE) weekly mailing called Parenting Thoughts.... Enjoy it, you are not added to the list so if you want to keep receiving it you must reply and type "subscribe Parenting Thoughts" in the subject line.
Ron.
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Ron, thanks for the encouragement! If anyone reading this is interested in "Parenting Thoughts" newsletter, email REHuxley@aol.com for more info. :)
#All letter we receive will be considered for our mailbag unless requested otherwise.#
Web Sites
Reviewed by Shauna Skye
BANG YOUR HEAD?
http://members.home.net/smoore98/
Remember all those Christian Heavy Metal bands from the 1980's? Scott Moore, an old zine buddy of mine, has a page on the Net now, and it's about (you guessed it) 1980's Christian metal. He has a few interesting things posted, one being an interview with Roger Martinez of Vengeance Rising before he turned "atheist". (?) I was not aware that Roger was no longer a Christian, but I did not listen to Vengeance Rising much or keep up with news on them. However, it saddens me to hear about Roger, even if the news is ancient. I appreciated the ministry this band once had. Way back when, God allowed me to minister to a Satanist who liked listening to death metal bands like Slayer. When he became a Christian, I gave him Vengeance Rising, and he threw away the music he had that praised Satan.
Though Christian Metal is out of date now, I remember when a lot kids were reached because of them. Many became Christians at the concerts, and some (like me) found churches and fellowship through them. My Pastor Lary Dean, as well as two other members of my church, Scottie Blackman and Steve Robinson, used to be in the group Trytan signed to R.E.X. Records. They were older than me (I was just a young punk in the 80's) but I was blown away at the idea of Christians playing music with distortion on the guitar. I had been raised in a church where rock music was considered evil, so I had to suffer through southern gospel. I even had to hide my rock albums when the Pastor visited. But as it happened, Trytan had a church address on the back of their album, which I later made my home church. Lary Dean was a worship leader then, and I had no idea that he and the two long haired guys from Trytan would eventually become my Pastor and elders years later. I love my church very much, and I probably wouldn't be there now had it not been for God using Christian metal. Yes, I laugh at how cheesy some of that music seems now, but hey, God used it then! And it's a part of Christian music history, so I think a site dedicated to it is more than appropriate.
If YOU have interviews with any 80's Christian Metal bands, signed or unsigned, Scott would appreciate a copy for documentation purposes. And if by chance you WERE in a 1980's Christian metal band, he may be interested in doing an interview with you. Email him at cmoore98@home.com
Now throw away those spandex pants, for Pete's sake!
UNSIGNED CHRISTIAN MUSICIAN SHOWCASE....
http://www.ucmshowcase.com/index.html
This site is terrific! It has a HUGE database of unsigned Christian musicians listed by state. I spent a long time perusing it. It is extremely well organised, and contains tons of helpful links, a free classified section for Musicians seeking bands/Bands seeking musicians, etc. If you're a Christian musician, get yourself listed here for free, and check out the other cool links which include places to gig, recording studios, sites to advertise on, publications to get and more. I give this one a definite thumbs up. Go there!
EMAIL ZINES at Low Bandwidth
http://www.disobey.com/low/
This is not a Christian site, but it contains a database of email zines. If you publish an email zine or newsletter, go and get it listed for free. This is a relatively new site, and the webmaster would love to have more zines to list. He has it all well organised, easy to get around with not a lot of graphics to slow things down. That's great for people like me who are on old computers. Low Bandwidth not only lists zine info, but contains archives and reviews of them. The first issue of The Narrow Gate has been archived, and has not been reviewed yet. Any takers? You can post your own review of it at this site. When Low Bandwidth gets rolling, it is sure to be one of the best reference sources of its kind.
Music Review
JOY FOR YOU "Anchored in Faith"
Reviewed by Brian R. Hischier
What is behind a great piece of music? The common age-old question, never to really be answered in a way satisfactory to everyone: but what is behind a great piece of music? Passion, certainly. But there has to be more. Joy For You has without a doubt a definite love for their Saviour, a love that fairly bleeds out of the songs; and that love is the thing that keeps them from being tinkling cymbals.
A folk band from Canada consisting of two women, a man, a guitar and some keyboards, they are a strictly acoustical trip, twangin' away joyfully (no false advertising there) about the love of Jesus and the joy that comes gushing from it. On this nicely packaged, 12-track CD called "Anchored in Faith" there are no masks to be worn, no images to hide behind, no make-up to gloss over that blemish resting peacefully upon their nose. They are pure and they are simple and they are definitely joyful; but to be perfectly honest, amidst all there unpretensions, a couple things nag me. First, their lyrics occasionally just plain freaked me out. (Semantical note: "freaked" as in "weirded" as in "oh, man, did they just say that?") To clarify the question: they are not controversial lyrics, they're just plain strange. Not always, but sometimes. They're honest, they're joyful, but strange. "How strange are they, Brian?" How, oh how do I say this without seeming wrong? Here, I'll let them say it for me:
Imagine Jesus wearin' a suit,
Drivin' a car on a long commute
With a briefcase and a cellular phone,
he's never very far from home
I saw Jesus bop on by,
My heart leaped and I jumped for joy-
I saw Jesus, I saw Jesus, I saw Jesus,
I saw Jesus, I saw Jesus.
Imagine Jesus dirty and muddy,
Playin' with his little buddy,
Buildin' castles up to the sky,
Askin' questions startin' with "why?"
I know what these lyrics mean, but, oh God? Were they meant to make me laugh? Silly little rhymes and goofy little metaphors turn my mind from the things they're praising. Oh no, I've done it again. How necessary is high quality to any ministry? When do we cross the line and start shunning wondrous ministries in favor of the elite? I'm not sure; I'm just not sure anymore. One thing I do know for sure, though, is that the Lord moves and acts according to His will, and by gum I know he works through this band. How do I know? The love. Plain and simple once again: the love. That's what keeps them from being tinkling cymbals. So they have some strange, silly lyrics. So their melodies are incredibly simple. So they sound a bit like a cross between a Vineyard sampler and Peter, Paul and Mary. So they make laugh. So what? Through it all they simply wish joy for you, and in love, that's what they give. Two women, a man, a guitar and some keyboards: simple songs, simple messages with an evangelical attitude. I like that. Should you buy this album? Ask first what your reasons are for listening to music, then decide. If that's not an issue, know this: they are a folk band who play good, if repetitive, folk music; they are competent musicians; they are a folk band with some silly lyrics, easy rhymes, and also a few good lyrics. But above all, they love Jesus, and they make no effort to hide that, praise God. Joy for You "Anchored in Faith": false expectations cloud all good judgement and turn into idols those things which were never meant to be worshipped. These three people don't want to be worshipped as idols in a folk band, they want to spread the love of God.
Joy for You may be contacted by e-mail at cork@uniserve.com; by regular mail at 2287 Cascade Street, Abbotsford, B.C., Canada V2T 3G2; or by phone at 604.859.9846.
Book Review
Note: The author of the following book informed me that her book is being used as a tool to help hurting people, particular women, with the healing process. I gave it to Robin Blackman, one of the leaders in my church to read. The following is her review:--Skye
LIGHTING MARY'S HOUSE by Lori Mitchell
Reviewed by Robin Blackman
"Lighting Mary's House" was more than just a book to read for pleasure. Truly it touches the issues many of us face. Lori Mitchell presented "Mary" in a way that we can all relate to. Right from the beginning we are drawn into the life of this young woman. Lori Mitchell uses incredible wisdom in not disclosing too much information about Mary's life to keep it relevant to our own. Yet the details about who Mary is, is just enough to keep your interest to the point of not wanting to put the book down.
If there was anything about the book that didn't appeal to me, it was the process of healing. Realistically, we don't always just confess and "poof" we are healed. And although the epilogue makes it clear that this book presents only the beginning of healing, it could have been made less fairy tale like and more realistic in its presentation of the time and pain involved in healing. This however, would not discourage my use of this book for discipleship purposes. I would advise anyone who reads or recommends it to be sure to inform them so that they do not become misguided in how God would choose to heal them.
Books are $8.00 each plus shipping and handling fees. For complete price listings or more information email Mmitch6711@aol.com. You may also snail mail Lighting Heart Ministries, P.O. Box 63163, Colorado, 80962. Fax: 719-265-8574
Artsy Article
PLEASE DON'T BURN THE EFFIGY
by Brian R. Hischier
I sat with a friend of mine looking at the Grand Canyon in March, wiggling our toes over the edge, keeping a wary eye out for toe-sucking scorpions. With a pensive gaze, we gathered the breathtaking sights before us. "Could be better," my friend told me. I agreed. "Yeah, if only the contrast from canyon wall to canyon wall was greater, we'd be able to see more detail." "There's too much air getting in our way and blocking the view." I commented that I preferred looking at it on Kodak True Color enhanced photographs. As my friend was pulling out a couple of his Kodak custom made postcards of the very spot we were looking at, my girlfriend stomped up behind us, mumbled something nasty about insensitive men, and pushed us off the ledge. As we fell, I reflected that the fall would reveal how sensitive I really was and silently agreed with the great philosopher who once said that you never really know someone until you've married them.
But I learned my lesson from that painful plummet, and have since been regarding nature in a new light. No more could I criticise the ladybug for having too few spots or the leopard for having too many; gone were the days of looking at a flower and wondering if the shade of red could have been a touch more vibrant; alas, I began to see no fault in the fabulous tapestry of randomised art in the bountiful world around me-all was perfect, for its Creator was perfect.
But back at the Art Museum, things were different. I saw artists trying their darndest to capture vividly the whims of Mother Nature on the canvas unbound. But their limits peeked through and they became sadistic taxidermists, their paintings having sightless marble eyes that gazed dumbly in one direction. Not even the masters with all their proficiency could bring life to what already lived. For all their lessons in composition, for all their studies in color and contrast, for all their effort, they simply could not match the awesome spontaneity of God's grand creation. But, then, were they supposed to? Once again, I had to open my eyes.
I looked at the works of Maxfield Parrish, with his soaring sunsets and glistening mountains, the girls in his paintings enraptured with the beauty around them and forced into deep introspection. I looked at the flora in Monet's garden, his paint strokes reminding one of dew in the morning, calming, and serene. Even Duhrer's technical drawings had a blatant honesty that in its own way brought a strange scientific joy to its subject. And I knew that nature in art was a wonderful thing.
For like all humans, artists feel deeply about things, and they passionately express those feelings. All people are drawn to nature in varying degrees, whether it's the all or nothing gung-ho attitude of the woodsman, camping out in his pup tent under three feet of snow, or the little girl with the flowing hair picking dandelions for her teacher. Nature, that beautiful gift of the Artist still known as God, breeds deep emotions in everyone, and the artist tries to capture the essence of the feelings in conjunction with the giver of those feelings. And so they create.
As the painter gazes intensely at the mountainscape before him, he sees colors and contrasts, textures and patterns that he will add to the forthcoming painting. As he leans up against a tree and breathes the cool, fresh air, he thinks about his subject. He lets his mind wander a bit, straying from the mountain to the valley below, leaving the objects to look at the essence. And what he finds is his thoughts turning towards eternity, his mind racing to infinity. He may not actually alight on any thoughts about God, but for many, it is unavoidable.
And so he paints, hoping to express his feelings about nature, his thoughts about God, and his emotional responses to the things around. He paints, to help impress on us the glory of the seen, the presence of the unseen. He prays that when there are no mountains nearby, no trees near your window, that you will see his painting, reflect a moment and be moved; so that, upon returning to reality, you will have no other option but to be mumbling to yourself and to the one above, "How great Thou art, how great Thou art."
ADS
MUSIC REVIEWERS WANTED: If you're interested in doing music reviews for TNG email me a bit about yourself, a sample of your writing (pasted into the body of the email), and your top five favorite music styles in order of preference. Example: 1) Alternative 2) Classical 3) Country etc. No pay involved, but reviewers may keep whatever music they review, and have the option of a 50 word classified. (Classifieds must be approved by us first.) Reviewers must be willing to have a snail mail address listed, so artists may send material directly to them. Email to ShaunaSkye@aol.com.
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Female Vocalist in 20's available to join Christian modern rock/alternative/electronic band in the Chicago/Joliet area. I am a soprano with a high tone, and am also quite decent on rhythm guitar. Email: ShaunaSkye@aol.com
*See below for current ad rates.*
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All That Official Info
The Narrow Gate is a monthly email pub geared to Christian musicians, writers, artists, etc., as well as those who love music, literature, art, etc. In addition to email, TNG may also be found on the web: http://members.aol.com/shaunaskye/index.html
To subscribe to The Narrow Gate email ShaunaSkye@aol.com and put SUBSCRIBE TNG in the subject. To unsubscribe put UNSUBSCRIBE TNG in the subject. *We are not on a Listerv, so mistakes occasionally happen. If you're receiving more than one copy of this, or getting this by mistake, write me and I'll fix things.
ADVERTISERS NOTE: We Have lowered our Ad Rates to $.03 a subscriber! If you a buy an ad between July 15 through August 15 it will cost only $7.50 per 50 words, 10 cents each additional word. (Your email address, and URL are not counted as words.) Ads will also be posted on our site for one month. Make checks out to Shauna Skye.
#All letter we receive will be considered for our mailbag unless requested otherwise.#
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EDITOR/PUBLISHER: Shauna Skye (ShaunaSkye@aol.com)
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Brian R. Hischier (bran_aischer@juno.com)
THE NARROW GATE: 1819 North Center St. Suite 3 E,
Crest Hill, IL.60435 (Note: This is a NEW address.)
WANT TO KNOW GOD?
If there's anyone reading this who is interested in knowing God, but is not sure how to go about it, feel free to write us. We want to tell you the good news. You don't have to live in fear and condemnation any more! God gave his Son Jesus to take the punishment we deserve, and he's willing to give eternal life to all who ask, no matter what kind of sins we've committed. Jesus came to save us sinners, and we do not have to be "religious" to accept him as our savior. God even loves murderers. There is no sin too great for him to forgive. He will turn no one away.
A good resource for Bible questions is at Bible Talks online.
BIBLE TALKS HOME PAGE; http://metanet.net/bibletalks/
TOPICS PAGE: http://metanet.net/bibletalks/topics.htm
EMAIL: bibletalks@metanet.net
If you'd like to talk to Brian or I, you may email us at the addresses listed above. Blessings! :)
