Legendary and beloved Midlands melodic rockers Magnum return with a new album Escape From The Shadow Garden. Guitarist, producer and sole song writer in the Magnum machine Tony Clarkin is one of the most prolific songwriters out there. Shortly after the release of their last album On The Thirteenth Day he was hard at work creating the follow up before heading into Mad Hat Studios in Wolverhampton. The post millennium Magnum albums have had one recurring element to them, a dark overtone in the music and herein lays the most dramatic difference in this latest opus in comparison to its predecessors – that dark overtone is gone. Escape From The Shadow Garden has a far lighter ambience to it and although Clarkin always writes songs which will appease his fan base those nods to the bands past is not always as obvious as they are with this lighter tone. Escape is very much modern Magnum but the nods to the past are far more visible which should leave long standing fans with big smiles on their faces as many of these songs will transport you back in time. This is probably the most accessible and instantly enjoyable album Magnum has done in a long time. Since the bands reformation I’ve felt every album is better than the last almost as if Clarkin is purposefully (and successfully!) one up-ing himself. It’s great to see a strong songwriter still producing so much quality music so frequently and not resting on laurels or falling into a rut.‘Falling For The Big Plan’ is catchy as hell with emotive vocals from Catley. Who says Magnum can’t do commercial anymore?!
When no one knows you
You can be just who you are
There's nothing to get through
You don't have to see very far
They won't track you down
And you won't get caught in the middle
Some other grey town
That you just don't need
Nobody here can feel your pain
Nobody here will take the strain
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
Her ship has been sailing
She's missed it over the years
How long she's been waiting
To follow some crazy idea
And she's going to go
Whatever it takes to deliver
'Cause she'll always know
In what to believe
Nobody here can feel your pain
Nobody here will take the strain
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
Falling for the big plan
That's decided by your teacher
And you're falling for the tin man
Who survives the double feature
And you're falling
Oh, you're falling
Yeah, you're falling, yeah, yeah
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things won't be the same
This song "Falling for the big plan" is about a runaway girl heading for the border, on the run from people who are dangerous. She has already tried to change her name and he life is in chaos. Alternatively it's a song about a woman who has been talked into being a drug mule. Heading for the border, she's been waiting so long to follow some crazy idea, and now she is going through with it, things will never be the same. Perhaps she has been waiting for a moment to better herself. Perhaps she rally has no choice in the matter. Perhaps it's her own attempt to be free. Whatever is the real reason behind the meaning of the lyrics, one thing is for sure she is on the run and it looks like she will be in a forced exile. The certainty is that some how she is living to the plans of others, or living to the plans of her own making, while all the time longing to be free. The song is called "falling for the big plan" that should give us a clue. The devotional passage this morning is taken from Jeremiah 29 and speaks of the plans of God. It's more than just a safety plan though, it's God's plan to bring us to a living relationship with himself, It's God's plan to release from exile and captivity and he does that supremely through Jesus.
Wow! Could there be a better verse for anyone to grab hold of and apply to their life than this verse? There is a lot of comfort in knowing that God has a plan for my life, that He is concerned about my welfare, and that He doesn’t want me to be destroyed. God wants to give me a future and a hope. While all of these principles are true, the reality is that this verse doesn’t support those claims. Well, it doesn’t support those specific claims for us.
You can be just who you are
There's nothing to get through
You don't have to see very far
They won't track you down
And you won't get caught in the middle
Some other grey town
That you just don't need
Nobody here can feel your pain
Nobody here will take the strain
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
Her ship has been sailing
She's missed it over the years
How long she's been waiting
To follow some crazy idea
And she's going to go
Whatever it takes to deliver
'Cause she'll always know
In what to believe
Nobody here can feel your pain
Nobody here will take the strain
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
Falling for the big plan
That's decided by your teacher
And you're falling for the tin man
Who survives the double feature
And you're falling
Oh, you're falling
Yeah, you're falling, yeah, yeah
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things will never be the same
It's the dead of night
Crossed with holy water
Full moon shining in her eyes
With no appetite
Heading for the border
Black dress like somebody died
Can't see which road to take
Somehow make it or break
Tried to change her name
Life in such disorder
And things won't be the same
Jeremiah 29:11 has been one of the most misused verses in all of Scripture. When you do an internet search for verses used out of context this verse will almost always make the top ten list. Most people want to take this verse and use it to support a theology that teaches prosperity and safety in the Christian life. The problem with that thought pattern is God never promised us prosperity, and He definitely did not promise us safety! The Christian life is not a life of promised prosperity and safety; it is a life of taking up our cross and following Jesus daily.
To understand the meaning of this verse you must look at it in its context. When you read verses 1-4 you will see at least four specific references to whom this letter was written. The context is the prophet Jeremiah writing a letter to the exiles that are in Babylon. In verse 4 Jeremiah states specifically that this letter was written to the exiles that were deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. As Jeremiah speaks to the people on behalf of God, there were several things that God wanted the exiles to know. One was that He was the one who sent them there. They were not there by mistake or coincidence, they were there because God had sent them there. Second, He wanted them to know that they would be there for a while. He told them to build houses, plant gardens and have families. Third, He wanted them to seek work for the prosperity of Babylon. Even to the point of praying for Babylon. Fourth, He warned them about listening to messages that said they would be delivered soon. God said that those who would speak in such a way were not from Him.
So in the midst of His message to the exiles, He wants to make sure that they knew He had their back. Yes you are in a tough situation, yes you are living among your enemies, yes I have asked you to settle down, to establish homes and to even pray for your enemies; but in all of that I have plans for you. I have not forgotten you. I am not sitting back and watching you be overtaken by your enemies, I have a plan! And my plan for you is for your welfare and your hope. The plan was that they would be allowed to go back to Jerusalem and eventually rebuild the walls, the temple, and prepare for the coming Messiah. God’s plan for their welfare, future and hope was found in Jesus.
All of that to say, does God have a plan for my life? Is God concerned about my welfare? Does God want me to have a future and a hope? Yes He does, and His name is Jesus! this is God's big plan. I have personally fallen for the big plan of God for my life. I've accepted that in my heart I'm an exile from the plan of God, I'm someone who had run for many years, run from responsibility, run from the truth and certainly run from who I was. All that changed when I knew that I could not run, dodge or hide any more. I was confronted with the truth that God had got more in store for me than I could comprehend. I came to faith and the rest, they say is history. I had fallen for the big plan! It's been that way for over 30 years now and I have not looked back.
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