Here is a picture I had made at one of the Integrity Worship conferences in Ft. Worth with Lenny Leblanc. Lenny is a great song writer who lives in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. My brother Eddy served as the Campus minister at the University of North Alabama and would have Lenny over to lead worship periodically. Eddy said Lenny "the person" is the same guy as Lenny "the artist". I think that says a lot. I was re-reading Brennan Manning's book "Abba's Child". His second chapter is simply called "The Impostor", this section convicted me concerning how I treat others.
One lonely night in the Colorado Rockies, I heard this message: "Brennan, you bring your full presence and attention to certain members of the community but offer a diminished presence to others. Those who have stature, wealth, and charisma, those you find interesting or charming or pretty or famous command your undivided attention, but people you consider plain or dowdy, those of less rank performing menial tasks, the unsung and uncelebrated are not treated with the same regard. This is not a minor matter to me, Brennan. The way you are with others every day, regardless of their status, is the real test of faith." Brennan Manning "Abba's Child" pg 38
Two of my favorite songs he wrote are
1) "Above All"
In 1991, years after Paul and Lenny had become well-known Christian songwriters and worship leaders, Lenny invited Paul to his Alabama home to collaborate on a project. Paul sang Lenny an unfinished song that he had started. The lyric began, Above all powers, above all kings/Above all nations and all created things, and went on to extol more of God's greatness. It was powerful, but Paul wasn't happy with any of the choruses he had written for it. Early the next morning, Lenny slipped into his studio to play around with the tune. Instead of expanding on Paul's verses with more majestic phrases, God gave him a chorus that touched on the paradoxical nature of Christ's life: Crucified, and laid behind a stone/You lived to die, rejected and alone.
2) "There is none like You" - I couldn't find a story behind this song, I guess the lyrics speak for themselves.
There is none like You No one else can touch my heart like You do I could search for all eternity long And find there is none like You Your mercy flows like a river wide And healing comes from Your hands Suffering children are safe in Your arms There is none like You
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