So, I have decided to begin a series of sharing with each of you some of my most favorite songs… they may be recent favorites, all-time favorites, or even rotational favorites. I am doing this for a number of reasons… many of which are very personal, but I feel that I NEED to do this to help me better understand some things about myself. I will try to give you as much information about each song as I possibly can… or at least what it is about the song that has impacted me so greatly. When I feel like it, I will provide info on the artist/composer/singer as well as lyrics and, when available, a sound or video clip. Perhaps you will be exposed to some stuff with which you are unfamiliar… if not, you will gain some form of insight into the music that keeps me ticking. Without further ado…………

Sufjan Stevens (pronounced Soof-yahn) is an incredibly gifted and complex individual. I won’t waste time trying to give you my version of his bio… click his name and read it at his label Asthmatic Kitty. He will end up having several songs on my list, but since I was listening to “Abraham” this morning, I will speak of it. The song appears on the album, Seven Swans, released on the Sounds Familyre label. You can currently purchase the album on vinyl from the label, on CD elsewhere (like Amazon), or on iTunes (here is the link to the song).The song deals with the story in Genesis 22 of Abraham taking his son, Isaac, up Mount Moriah to sacrifice him because God asked him to do so. God sent an angel at the last minute just as Abraham was about to kill his ONLY SON and provided a ram instead to complete the sacrifice until the day when God would send His ONLY SON, Jesus, as the ultimate and final sacrifice.  This story is important for a number of reasons and I think Sufjan does a fairly good job of covering a good deal of them in a 2 1/2 minute song. Enjoy the video and words…

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Abraham.
Worth a righteous one.
Take upon the wood. Put it on your Son.
Leg of Lamb.
There is none to harm.
When the angel came you had raised your arm.

Abraham.
Put off on your son.
Take instead the ram until Jesus comes.