Jonathan LeMaster-Smith

December 5th’s song is “Even Jesus God the Blues” by Gabe Lee. I’ve been trying to catch Gabe Lee performing, but I’ve only seen him once. He sings some painfully beautiful songs, and this is one of the best.

Easter morning, Tennessee
she come draggin round the bend,
hooked on OP40, barely alive
She come heartbroke and looking for a ride

Cuz All she’d ever known, was the dark side of the road
The call of the wild, rockin roll
Cursin the turnpike she started to sing
make me an angel lord, fly me away

The realities of addiction, pain, isolation, blended with the discomfort of talking about it leads to fear, judgment, and a lack of awareness. These are things we need to talk about. These are things that faith pushes us toward. These are things we need to act on. Yet, as the chorus lets us know, these kind of conversations lead to “Spookin’ the God fearing folks in the pews.”