However, I can’t help but feel alarmed by the lyrics, music and even Josh himself. It seems like as the years passed he has adoped a more and more universalistic and mysic (read New Age) view of God, which greatly concerns me. I hope and pray that God might lead him into truth, faith, love, hope and understanding of who He really is. I personally am going to stay away from his music for a while to evaluate it further, and maybe I’ll shoot his Facebook page a message, maybe I’ll get a response.

(I never use blogger, so I’ll have to use this stupid Google account which I named and created when I was still an unbeliever, so pardon the name.)

The coincidence is rather interesting considering your critique of similar things in Josh's work. Might I mention, I found your post because I too found the lyrics and video for White Owl to be off-putting, and wanted to see if anyone shared my unease.

I find this passage to be difficult, when it comes to discernment: "for in what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you." How can one discern without being judgmental?

Let us pray and give thanks for the grace and mercy that has been freely given to all of us despite our falling short. Freely we have received, let us too freely give. Let us pray for all mankind, even our enemies as the Lord commands, and as sons of men, let us forgive sins in this life, as the Son of Man indeed has the authority to forgive sins on this earth.

I use the butterfly as symbolism to copy Yahweh's usage of it. The butterfly always starts out as a caterpillar where it eats and eats. It then goes into a cocoon state where the miracle of metamorphosis occurs and it comes out a butterfly. This is the same pattern followed by every man or woman who follows Christ. Before we become Christians we are slaves to the flesh. Afterwords we become a new creation in Christ. A butterfly is the same insect as a caterpillar but they are brand new. They eat different. They fly. They are in all ways new creatures.

To read about this transformation in detail, see the book The Remnant Bride. It is available to be freely read on the Book page of the Heart4God website.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,

Joseph

Thank you for taking the time to comment. The purpose of this blog post was not to focus on particular individuals. I am not seeking to pick on Josh Garrels, nor yourself. Rather, this post was written to encourage Christians to exercise spiritual discernment when listening to music and selecting what musicians they will follow. The principles shared were general. Josh Garrels was merely used as an example to demonstrate to those who profess to be disciples of Christ how they should test all things.

Although I appreciate the sentiment you are sharing when you write, "Don't read too much into the artwork. Or, at least, don't let the artwork effect your view of Josh," I am inclined to offer different counsel. Josh may have given you much artistic liberty in coming up with the design of the graphics, but he approved your work and this video is a centerpiece among all of his songs and videos.

Arian, many Christians do not seek to identify the source of the inspiration that comes to them. Satan masquerades as an angel of light. He is very capable of suggesting ideas to people. Those who are not careful to evaluate the source of their thoughts often assume the idea was their own, or they may even attribute the inspiration to the Holy Spirit when it was in fact an unclean spirit influencing them.

As I shared in this post, there is a strong theme of New Age spiritualism running through the lyrics and images for the White Owl video. You are suggesting that the video is just "about a boy being sent by his father on a journey to bring light to darkness." Yet both the lyrics and images have a Native American motif and are imbued with messages that are common in New Age religion. There is a difference between the story you and Josh collaborated on and the Parables of Christ. The Son of God never imbued His stories with occult symbolism, or the ideas and language of idolatrous religions. These elements are present in White Owl. Every Christian should test these things to identify whether any unclean spiritual influences were at work.

You have acknowledged your awareness of the danger of New Age and other dark practices creeping into the churches. I would encourage you to be very sensitive in identifying whether these things are creeping into your own work. It is true that God made white owls, but you and your husband have adopted owl designs which bear a striking resemblance to Native American and New Age designs. These are very distinctive, as the design of the Wiccan owl reveals in the article above.

When words are derived either wittingly, or unwittingly, from New Age and occult practices, we cannot simply claim them to be good and for God's glory. Yahweh has cautioned His people to make a distinction between the holy and the profane. We cannot adopt the profane and declare it holy. This is the great error of Roman Catholic syncretism. Syncretism is a practice Yahweh deems unacceptable. (See the teaching titled Syncretism.)

Syncretism

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

God bless!

These images of owl that type was its looked such like kind of a paradigm shift as known to "ancient alien cave" as it looked such form as demons, however, you can look up in Google's Image. And matter always, I am deaf and lives in SW Portland, but not able hear from Josh Garrels song, but can read his song writes… but I stand back as I can see in his own character as in fauns-style to me, and also in my spirit felt him too drys as cloud without rain.

And also I like to mention about on your three parts of subdivided into seven parts… but there the Great Commandment of Yahweh in OT, that you love Yahweh whole with our Heart, Soul and Might as in three parts, but in NT in Greek language as Yahshua told that you love God all with your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength? (OT= 3 plus NT= 4 = Seven!?!)

Body:
sensory
strength
breath life (as energy)

Are those make sound to you?

Bless you, Matthew