Blue Mountains

Back in October, Brandon Heath released his new album entitled "Blue Mountain." A friend of mine had been talking about this album for weeks before it's release, and when I checked it out, I found that it is AMAZING!!In interviews, Brandon Heath said that the inspiration for this album theme/name was a quote from C.S. Lewis. A letter from Lewis contained the following sentiment, "The only 'ordinary' homes [families, people] seem to be the ones we don't know much about, just as the only blue mountains are those 10 miles away." The point Lewis was trying to make is that from afar, mountains look blue but in reality, mountains are green and brown. Similarly, other people tend to look perfect and put together from far away, but once you get to know them, you find that everyone has their issues and struggles just like you do.Heath's album set out to create some characters and tell their stories, and therefore, remove the idea that people are perfect and don't struggle. His songs talk about a number of unique people. Some of my favorite songs are "Diamond," "Dyin' Day," and "Love Does." Although these are probably my top three songs, all the songs on here are fantastic!These songs have been stuck in my head all week as I've been in Aurora, CO with a fantastic view of the Rocky Mountains, which do in fact look blue from far away. When I first saw the mountains as I was flying into Denver, I gained a much clearer understanding of the C.S. Lewis quote and Brandon Heath's music.As Christians, we are called to love people and share the love of Christ with them. We can only do this if we ignore the "blue mountain" appearance and try to really know the people around us because only once we know people can we truly minister to them and allow others to minister to us.Even though the view changes the closer you get, people doesn't lose their beauty. Instead, the nearness allows us to see a different kind of beauty that brings about a greater understanding of God and a deeper love for one another.