Ragamuffin Page #10

wh y everything you touch

ends up--

Don't be afraid, son.

Wayne.

Wayne, boy.

[whispering]

You know I didn't mean it.

Son, if I'm not tough

on you, you're never

going to learn.

Come on.

You'll be all right?

[whispering]

Come on.

It's time, ragamuffin.

"Dear Wayne,

"it's a lot

like I told you.

"Being poor

ain't shameful

it's just inconvenient.

"I valued you."

(John)

It's just that

I didn't know you.

I didn't know how

I was supposed

to be affectionate.

I thought

that was soft.

I can see the strength

of steel, but I couldn't see

the power of tenderness,

or the courage it takes

to hold tenderness up

to a fire.

Anyway, I can '2' even remember

that you walked funny and had

scra wn y shoulders.

Did you?

Who the hell cares?

I'm here in the company

of several fathers

who occasioned pain

in their sons.

Abraham did it

to Isaac.

David to Absalom.

God Almighty himself even

did it to His boy, Jesus.

If you love him,

you'll surely hurt him.

It's just a fact

of life.

Passion, pain...

doesn't' have to wreck

your life unless

you make it'.

That's your choice.

Be brave

in your pain, son.

I don't say that

because you're not.

I'm proof that you

didn't run off from it.

But keep brave.

"I once wrote you

on October 21st, 1955.

"Richard made me a--

"a very proud man."

I'm up here in this cloud

of witnesses and you

can ask anything.

I brag about you

all the time...

until they're about

to kick me out.

I love you, boy.

Dad.

So, how do you feel,

little brother?

Free.

And what does

a free man do?

I want to be

on the reservation.

That's...that's where

I want to be.

I want to be

with those kids.

Then go.

I mean, you could do

a lot of good there.

I think they'll do

more good for me.

So, what's next,

Brennan?

Next, I want you to write

a letter from your abba father

God to you.

That I don't need to do.

Why?

I know what

that one would say.

It always

cracks me up and--

When people try

to impress God

because you don't have

to impress God.

He's already

knocked out by you.

[playing piano]

And Picasso said

something once that

I really liked.

He said,

he said that

good taste is

the enemy of great art.

And I think that's

really true because

good taste has everything

to do with being cultured

and being refined and...

if art has to do

with anything, it has

to do with being human.

I remember, when I was a kid,

I was a typical depressed

adolescent.

People would always

come up to me and say,

say, "Cheer up.

God loves you."

And I'd say, "Big deal.

God loves everybody.

"It don't make me special.

"It just proves that God

ain't got no taste."

And I don't think

that he does.

And thank God.

So, I think that

God takes the--

He takes the messiness

and the ugliness

in our lives,

and he makes

the most beautiful art

in the world out of it.

If you're half as cultured

and refined as most Christians

wish you were,

He would be useless

to Christianity.

But God

is a wild man.

And I hope that someday

you have the chance

to encounter Him.

But if you do,

let me warn you,

because you'd better

hold on for dear life.

Or let go for dear life

maybe is better.

J3 There's a wideness

In God's mercy J3

J I cannot' find

In my own

J He keeps

His fire burning J

J7 To melt this

Heart of stone J7

Keeps n7e aching

With a yearning

J Makes me glad

To have been caught' J

J In the reckless

Raging fury

That' they call

The love of God

Now I've seen

No band of angels

But' I've heard

The soldiers' songs

.U Love hangs over them

Like a banner

.U Love within them

Leads them on J

J To the battle

On the journey J

And it's never

Gonna stop

Ever widening

Their mercies

And the fury

Of His love

.67 Oh the love of God

And oh

The love of God

.57 The love of God

Joy and sorrow

Are this ocean

J In their every

Ebb and flow

Now the Lord

A door has opened

J That' all Hell

Could never close

Here /'/77 tested

And made worthy

Tossed about

And lifted up

J In the reckless

Raging fury

That' they call

The love of God

(Randy)

is there anything you'd like

to say to our listeners

before we sign off?

(Rich)

People are going

to judge you.

People are going

to condemn you.

You know, a matter

of fact, it seems

as though some people,

that's exactly what

they're looking for.

I would rather live

in the verge of falling

and let my security be found

in the all-sufficiency

of the grace of God

than to live in some kind

of pielislic illusion

of.--moral excellence.

[radio crackling]

I guess I'd say

go out and live

real good.

I promise

you'll get

beat up real bad.

But in a little while,

after you're dead,

you 'll be

rotted a way anyway.

It's not going to matter

if you have a few scars.

But it will matter

if you didn't live.

[piano playing]

Everybody

Each and all

J We're gonna die

Eventually

J It's no more

Or less our faults

J Than if is

Our destiny

J 80 now Lord

I come to you

Asking only

For Your grace

J You know what I've

Put' myself through

All those empty

Dreams I chased

And when my body

Lies in the ruins

Of the lies that

Nearly ruined me

J Will You pick up

The pieces that were

Pure and true

And breathe

Your Life into them

And set' them free

.UAnd when You start'

This world over again

From scratch

J Will You make me anew

Out' of the stuff

That' lasts

J Stuff that's purer

Than gold is .U

Clearer than glass

Could ever be J

.67 Can I be with You

.67 Can I be with You

And the Irish

have always

sort of traditionally

have been afraid of going

out to sea.

People go to Ireland

and they come back

and they have these really

beautiful big sweaters,

real big bulky,

and they've got

all kinds of stitches

and stuff in them.

Well, they started

doing that because each

of those different stitches

it's different charms

and prayers and stuff

that they would weave

into their husband's

sweaters.

And, uh, so, you know,

if it worked, then their

husbands would come back alive.

And if it didn't,

because fish don't

eat wool,

they could tell

who was who by what

sweater was on them.

[laughter]

I just think that's

a charming story.

[laughter]

It scares me when I talk

to you guys and you guys think

so highly of Christian music,

contemporary Christian

music especially, because

I know a lot of us

and we don't know jack

about anything.

[laughter]

Not that I don't want you

to buy our records.

[laughter]

Orcome

to our concerts,

I sure do.

But you should come

for entertainment.

If you really want

spiritual nourishment,

you should go to church.

[applause]

Those people

care about you.

You don't have

to buy a ticket.

We are not saved

because we're good.

We're good

because we're saved.

And never forget

what Jesus did for you.

Never take lightly

what it cost him.

And never assume

that if it cost him

his very life,

that it will

cost you yours.

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