Timothy Brindle - A Letter to My Friend Lyrics

This is a letter to my friend
Dear Shai Linne
Though I said it when we met, now I send it with a pen
Our friendship to me is more precious than a gem
So let me mention and begin
With what a blessing you have been
7 weeks after I had come to the King
What a wonderful thing, you lovingly took me under your wing
Stressing: "What does God's Revelation say?"
And ain't it fitting that we met on Reformation Day
2001, we were two rowdy ones,
Studied Truth about the Son, weighing 2,000 tons
You discipled me - through all the chapters of Romans
On how Christ appeased the Father's wrath through Atonement
Justification, sanctification, learning precious words
In every verse, and helped me get connected to a Church
I was baptized then soon I ate communion
You were my best friend, my roommate and groomsman
Both redeemed from the underground rhyme scene,
Now with our minds clean we devised rhyme schemes
To shine Christ's light brighter than high beams
To the eyes of the blind we provided them Visine
Regeneration was the major theme,
Of my first album, you helped shape the Great Awakening
2003, not many fans know,
You left Rock Soul to join me and Josh (Wann) on Lamp Mode
We did hundreds of concerts together
We'd rejoice with one voice cuz God's Word's our treasure
Through the Gospel truths, rooted in the Reformation
The Lord used you greatly in my soul's restoration
But not once in our 20 years of ministry
Was there an issue of racism or of bigotry
A New Reformation should be based on ethnicity?
Well, I'm here to say publicly that I disagree

Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend
By Grace for the truth, I'll contend
Because unity is only based on truth in the end
Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend
To give the Spirit of truth to defend
So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen

2020, I shared with you more poignantly
I was grieved by your article, "George Floyd and Me"
You interpreted his death based on appearances,
Seen through the lens of the past and shared experience
Was it based on race? Your the first to state your case
But it's to your disgrace & shame when you make your claim in haste
That's 18:13 and 17 from Proverbs
Not sure that this is justice that's based on God's Word
As I began to refute Critical Race Theory,
You'd text me how you disagreed, but still loved me dearly
But if you disagreed with CRT's destruction
It shows you must sympathize with some of their assumptions
Then a couple weeks before the release of your book
You requested to include me, but I was grieved when I looked
Many parts are not honest, you're bearing false witness
"please remove my name, I can't be involved in this
I wondered if my thought lines were all mine and not kind then
Then Voddie called you out for the same things in Fault Lines
This confirmed that I wasn't nasty, uncompassionate
And that my concerns - actually were accurate
"Shai, please edit it before publishing" (No)
You claimed my concerns were cuz I'm Republican
I spoke as your best friend, and not as your yes men,
But with great honestness, you're binding saint's consciences
So bottom line, bro, your book, I can't recommend it
We closed in prayer, I hugged you, but you were quite offended
Your response didn't show Christ's humility
In fact you said that perhaps I was showing white fragility
Matter fact, this ain't a battle rap
But a plea to stop asserting that your white brothers have a cataract
Please join me in repenting from wokeness
Together let's make the preaching of Christ our focus

Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend
By Grace for the truth, I'll contend
Because unity is only based on truth in the end
Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend
To give the Spirit of truth to defend
So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen

You wrote many gospel truths in "New Reformation"
But didn't expose wokeness as a huge desecration
Is it pastoral to write on ethnic unity,
But not refute CRT that's infecting our community?
Before getting to the bright themes of the Gospel
The first half gives the sense that white people are hostile
Is it a fact that's right that you made a great sacrifice
To worship our Master Christ in Churches that are white?
Actually, "white" Christians have bended over backwards
Facts, sir, you been adored by Reformed Pastors!
And Shai- not all your books' words are valid
Like how you racialized the occurrence of Curtis Allen
When some complained that he rapped at John Piper's church
To infer that this was racism is quite berserk
Cuz Mad Black Churches didn't want rap, either
Remember G. Craige Lewis, who's a Black preacher
Most of your examples of Ethnic sins
Are how Whites are against Blacks and oppressing them
My close friend hear me, Bro, sincerely
Most concerning (tho) is your "Low End Theory" (Chapter 6)
(Which says) that since Reformed folks were mostly socially elite
When it came to injustice, they're more prone to this deceit
They didn't notice there's a need - or they'd deceitfully ignore
Because they lacked the insight of the low-end people who are poor
But what about all the Calvinistic Abolitionists?
Perhaps this is a class-gnosticism that you're giving us
But were they more prone to nasty sins
Than rival tribes kidnapping and selling other Africans?
Your Low end theory is not a biblical equation
Drop the straw man that I speak political persuasions
Claim we follow secular conservatives
But ain't it secular liberals from whom you're learning this?
Our real concern is what does the Word say
It's either Light or Darkness - there is no 3rd way
The Low End Theory reeks of intersectionality
And you ain't the only one to suffer partiality
Years back we're invited to a college in Kentucky
To minister the gospel, then they called me abruptly
"Sorry, we'll go with Shai: the Soli Deo Gloria fella
(Why?) we prefer a person of color"
The blessing that you've been to the body is bountiful
But as a shepherd of souls, you must be held accountable
A little bit of leaven it leavens the whole lump
You got some vestiges of leaven left from the old stump
Wokeness? You're too gospel to embrace it fully
But some old man ways remain, I state it boldly
I believe the Lord's sanctifying grace will make us holy
Then together - we'll both behold the Lord's face in glory

Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend
By Grace for the truth, I'll contend
Because unity is only based on truth in the end
Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend
To give the Spirit of truth to defend
So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen