Dear Friends and Family,
This is for ours and your grandchildren, who are faced with life choices and divine opportunities, and yet, sometimes, in some ways, they (and we) are fearful of stepping out and working hard enough to go after and embrace that opportunity... because they could fail, or because they fear the hard work that it will require.
WHERE I COME FROM
There are times when, as much as I appreciate my Christian upbringing and the Church, I recognize that I’ve lived a sheltered life. For the most part, that’s a good thing, a necessary thing, a salvation thing.
But as Lew Wallace writes in Ben Hur, in the voice of Miriam, mother of the titular character Judah Ben Hur, Jews have no artists, poets, or warriors like the Romans. But they have something better, the artist of creation, God, as exemplified in the art and craftsmanship of Bezalel and Aoholiab (Wallace’s spelling) from Exodus 31 ff who created Israel’s temple and all its gold statuary, elaborate ornaments.
I wasn’t Jewish, but growing up in Evangelicalism (that bordered the separatist of Christian Fundamentalism), there was a distinct aversion to many forms of artistic expression. The conservative Christian fellowships I grew up in might be brave enough to frame an image of Warmer Sallman’s Head of Christ, but if a real piece of art found its way into the building, there was a passionate impulse by the leaders to plaster the words of a Bible verse across the work in an effort to make it sacred, or ensure the art found its way to a waste bin, or was painted over with pale green wall paint (all true stories, see my memoir, Growing Up Christian). I always found this offensive. My favorite Psalm, which grandson Michael and Rachel asked me to read during their wedding three weeks ago, declares:
The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they reveal knowledge.They have no speech, they use no words,no sound is heard from them.Yer their voice goes out into all the world,their words to the ends of the world.—Ps 91:1–4
God does not plaster the words of Scripture across the heavens or the bark of trees. Although a study of astronomy from the perspective of the Bible reveals that the signs of the zodiac were known to Job (38:31-32), David (above), and Moses (Genesis 1:14). And there is Mel Morris's 25-part series, The Bible in the Heavens and the Gospel in the Stars, which explains with clarity how the zodiac signs depict the coming of Christ and the Gospel. (e.g. Virgo—Virgin Birth, Libra—Price of Redemption, Scorpius—Conflict between the Messiah and Satan, Leo—the Tribe of Judah and Christ's victorious return).
God does not need pat sermons or sweet devotionals to get the truth out. He often proclaims what is good, true, and beautiful in ways that are so obvious we miss them, or we take for granted, and sometimes we find them offensive. (c.f. Angel Quest)
The latest example, in my experience, is "Lose Yourself," the Eminem rap that was the theme song of his 2002 semi-autobiographical Detroit movie “8 Mile,” and which won an Oscar in 2003 for Best Song. The song ranked in the charts for decades and was a 20+ platinum record (a platinum record is 1 million units sold).
Last night (May 22, 2026), I felt the heavy ping of being sheltered when I came across a video on YouTube of opera singer, Maria Fiselier, covering “Lose Yourself” on a Dutch TV show...rap as opera is an ironic hook). I listened to it several times but then only caught a smidgen of the lyrics. Later I found them (below). “Lose Yourself” is an inspirational recording for anyone afraid to step out and embrace an opportunity—articulated in the song’s refrain:
You better lose yourself in the musicThe moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go!)You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
In the movie (8 Mile) the story and the rap are both about rap contests in Detroit’s inner city. But broadly, they are metaphors for every obstacle and opportunity in life. There is much to learn here about working hard to embrace opportunities without fear. The heavy rhythmic beat in the song reinforces the importance of perseverance. You better lose yourself in the music of life...that is, persevere.
Here is Maria Fiselier’s cover of "Lose Yourself (clearer lyrics but not cleaner.)
Here is Eminem's official video for the movie with subtitles.
Eighteen years after "Lose Yourself" won an Oscar, Eminem performed “Lose Yourself” live at the 2020 Oscars. Here’s the link. His segment begins at 2:53.
