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MP3 christopher m. padgett - Wonder (joyful desperation)
11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, GOSPEL: Contemporary Gospel
Details:
Chris Padgett:
A Missionary of Music and Message
During May 2004, Pope John Paul II took recourse to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin so that the Eucharist would be at the center of missionary activity. His prayer request for the month was: "So that, through the maternal intercession of Most Holy Mary, Catholics will consider the Eucharist as the heart and soul of the missionary activity." The Eucharist and the mission to evangelize are inseparable, John Paul II said in his Message for the 78th World Mission Sunday, recently published by the Holy See. The Pontiff emphasized that the Church needs a constant relationship with the Eucharist to carry out its missionary mandate.
One Catholic musician that has taken this to heart is Chris Padgett. Known for being the lead singer of the band Scarecrow & Tinmen, Padgett has adopted a missionary stance in talking to youth. While performing with Scarecrow, Padgett often took the occasion to speak to his audience. When an opportunity for a keynote speaker came up, an interview, or just ministry during events, it was natural for Padgett to take it on just to be able to share God''s message. Padgett explains, "When I began doing ministry on my own as more of a full-time venture, it wasn''t hard to do. There were a few talks on my heart and I found the Lord began opening doors for me to share these things. With almost all talks I do a little music. I find the mix of music and message helps to bring home the major themes I am conveying, as well as providing a space that enables kids to encounter God. I love it! As for a specific moment in which I knew speaking would be key for me, it was more of a process, a blooming into who I am. It has been very natural; the logical next step. I think too, after doing so many keynotes I really enjoy having the hour or more to develop key ideas and themes. This was huge. It enabled me to go a lot deeper with kids than I could within a Scarecrow & Tinmen concert."
Padgett says that he loved doing the music concerts, but addressing key themes, struggles, and ideas was not as possible with the time constraints and medium of presentation. He realized a need for evangelizing and went out on his own as a speaker. Out of these talks came Padgett''s first solo CD called Follow, introducing the music he used in the talks. Next was a CD that showed his love for the Eucharist called Golden. Padgett says that daily Mass is one of the keys that help keep him focused for his ministry. "As much as possible we as a family try to go to Mass every day," says Padgett. "When we are in sync here then all is well. We also try to pray the Rosary and
Divine Mercy Chaplet every day, as well."
Chris Padgett''s newest CD is called Wonder. The title track was inspired by a friend named Gabrielle who, after a conference, told Padgett she felt his walk with the Lord could be best described as "Joyful Desperation." "This certainly rang true within me," Padgett says. "I have always had a sense of being driven in my journey with Christ. I have a longing and somewhat desperation when it comes to following Him. I am grateful, overwhelmed, yet with a sense of desperation, pursuing and striving," Padgett continues. "The other day I realized there were a couple of very ''small'' things I had done which had big repercussions. This was so striking to me that I was overwhelmed with awe and gratitude that He had used me and my small gestures. He doesn''t have to use me, but I am so glad that He does."
On Wonder there is a praise song called "So Amazing" that Padgett says is a simple prayer that is great for drawing kids and adults into a reflective reminder of how much God has done for us. Padgett calls this his song of gratitude. "I do love the song I wrote for my wife," says Padgett about the song "Dreams Come True." It was a tune I wrote a while ago. I brought an unfinished version of it home for my wife to listen to and it touched her deeply. I wrote that song while on the road a lot with the band. Everywhere I looked and wherever I was it just made me wish she and the family were with me."
Wonder also has a new version of the Scarecrow & Tinmen song "You Are My Son." Padgett explains, "It was written as a reminder to me that God was a Father to me and there for me, even though I struggled a lot with the divorce of my parents. I think in the eight or nine years of the band''s existence there hasn''t been a show or hardly one where we haven''t played that tune. There is something about the Father''s heart for us that IS a message we can''t hear enough."
Interesting is the fact that Padgett''s love song for the Eucharist, "Come Unto Me", was written before he was married, while attending a "Baptist" college. "I wasn''t Catholic of course but for some reason I put very Eucharistic messages within it lyrically. I remember at one point in the beginning of the band''s existence we talked about using that song, but I was asked by one of the members to change the lyrics "Come eat my flesh, Come drink my blood" "to come unto me." I said I wouldn''t and so we never produced the tune or played it. After converting, it wasn''t applicable to where we were as a band, but since I have been primarily on my own for some time now, that song really came back to me and compliments the CD Golden. As Catholics we believe Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament; body, blood, soul and divinity. This is Jesus giving Himself for us. I want to grow in Him. Early in my conversion experience I read a book called, ''Eucharistic Miracles''. This book was powerful for me because I realized how real Christ was in the Sacrament of Sacraments. It challenged me to NOT take this for granted. When I was in Rome for World Youth Day during the Jubilee year, I went to Mass at St. Peter''s Basilica. I remember going up to receive our Lord and as I knelt, there before me were the huge black marble statues of saints. It was like they were staring at me, reminding and urging me to take very seriously this faith I had recently become a part of (Easter of ''99 I entered the Church)."
Padgett talks about defending the name of Jesus in the song, "Friend Like That." He feels that Cardinal Arize and the US Bishops are defending Jesus by their recent letter to "Pro -Abortion Catholic" politicians. "I remember in my conversion process having to wait for the opportunity to receive Christ in the Eucharist. It was a longing in me; almost like waiting for the birth of a child. It was so fulfilling to finally be able to receive our Lord. I don''t know why anyone wants to take this for granted. I don''t know why anyone would want to go against Church teaching. I converted into Catholicism not so I could argue and create my own perspective and understanding on the Eucharist, or any other Catholic teaching. That is what I was able to do within my Protestant heritage. I found the authority Christ gave the Catholic Church for the preservation of faith and morals to be liberating. This is applicable here because the Bishops are our fathers within this faith. They are responsible for the integrity of who we are as the Body of Christ. To have disregard for their authority, the teaching authority of the Magisterium, in its agreement with Scripture and Sacred Tradition, is to create oneself as final authority in matters of faith and morals." Padgett continues, "I personally think Catholicism and ''Pro-abortion'' is an oxymoron. It seems one is not complimentary with the other. I am expecting child number seven the end of November. Pro-Life is not a ''concept'' in our home, it is a reality. I find it awkward and ridiculous that someone would want to so identify themselves with Christ in receiving Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is a reception of true Life, yet would still hold to a choice which intentionally ends a life."
Padgett''s love for the Mass is so deep that his next working project is a collection of worship music that will be called "The Encounter." So what is next after that? "I would love to do a Christmas album, and honestly have enough music to do a half dozen projects or more right away. I just don''t have the budget. I am actually on break a bit from music because I have done so many things this last year and a half. I have been working on several books, one which came out recently has been doing pretty well. I would love to do more keynote speaking and ministry events," Padgett says. "Evangelization must begin at home with the family, and within the parish. We ALL need to take steps into a deeper love for and to our God. We ALL need to quit settling for the second best, the mediocrity, and challenging one another is imperative. We ALL are part of one family through baptism, anointed and enabled by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses and testify through the outpouring of the Spirit upon us at confirmation. We ALL, whether in the Body of Christ or out, need to hear and respond to this Good News!"
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You can email Chris Padgett directly at Cmeinozz@https://www.tradebit.com or reach him by phone at 941-704-3394.
Interviewed by Jeff Burson & Doug Archer for Catholic Music Network. Used with permission.
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