Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
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03.09.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
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03.03.24New Single: '74 Solo Smashes
03.01.24A Serious Problem We're Trying to Address
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02.22.24Wayne Is Retiring, What's Next for Him and Us?
02.22.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
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02.19.24New Single: Billy & The Beach
02.16.24Influential Albums: 1374-1380
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02.16.24Remembering ApX Friend Paul "Doc" Nigh (1956-2024)
02.16.24Clues for 2024 Single #4
02.10.24Influential Albums: 1367-1373
02.10.24Fans Making Plans to Attend Our Big Show September 1
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02.10.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.06.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.06.24New Single: '74 & '83
02.03.24ApX Lead Singer/Lyricist Shares His Testimony 36 Years Later
02.03.24Influential Albums: 1360-1366
02.03.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.03.24Latest CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
02.02.24Clues for 2024 Single #3
01.29.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.26.24Influential Albums: 1353-1359
01.26.24How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
01.26.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
01.26.24Flashback: J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
01.26.24J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2024
01.26.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.24.24Checking in With ApX Alum Drummer Fred Behanna
01.22.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.22.24New Single: '70s #1 Hits That Remade '60s Top 10 Hits
01.19.24Influential Albums: 1346-1352
01.19.24Encouraging Message from Longtime Fan in Oklahoma
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01.15.24This Week's News Bulletin
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01.12.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.12.24Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
01.12.24New Testament Reading Started Wednesday
01.11.24New Worship Songs Available from ApX Alum Bill Rieger
01.08.24New Single: '81 & '83
01.08.24New CD BOGO Ends Sunday
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01.05.24Clues for 2024 Single #1
01.05.24Influential Albums: 1332-1338
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01.05.24This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.29.23Influential Albums: 1325-1331
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12.26.23New Single: 1974 & 2008
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12.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.23.23ApologetiX Updated Christmas Playlist
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12.18.23New Samson CD Mailed to Fans, New Orders Sent as They Come In
12.16.23Influential Albums: 1311-1317
12.16.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
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12.11.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.11.23New Single: '83 & '84
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12.07.23New ApX Apparel and More: Order Soon for Christmas
12.07.23Influential Albums: 1304-1310
12.07.23Just Reword CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
12.07.23Clues for 2023 Single #25
12.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.02.23Influential Albums: 1297-1303
12.02.23This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.02.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.02.23New Shirts & Other ApX Merch Coming Soon
12.02.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
11.28.23This Week's News Bulletin
11.28.23New Christmas Single: All '80s
11.24.23Influential Albums: 1290-1296

The Stories Behind the Songs on Single #18
Wed., Sep. 28. 2022 11:42pm EDT

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

Here are the stories behind the songs on our 18th single of 2022:

A FEW WHO HAVE SKILL

I got the idea for this parody on June 4, 2022, but didn't expect to be doing anything with it anytime soon, if ever. I had just read the passages about Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 31 and 35-38 a few weeks earlier as part of my daily Bible readings.

Of course, I'd perused that portion of Scripture many times before, but when reading it in recent years, I've thought about the way God uniquely equips His people to carry out specific tasks He has prepared for them. That carries over from the Old Testament to the New Testament, as we read in Paul's description of the Church as the Body of Christ in First Corinthians 12-14.

From a creative standpoint, I get to see it happen all the time with the team of musicians, singers, and artists who work on our parodies, singles, and CDs. The LORD gave Moses the vision and instructions for the tabernacle and its furnishings, but Moses needed highly skilled craftsmen led by the Spirit of God to actually make it all a reality.

Although we're not doing anything nearly as important, when God gives me an idea for a song, He also provides the right team to bring it to fruition. In the case of this song, the "few who have skill" were Rich Mannion (keyboards and electronic-drum programming), Wayne Bartley (guitars, engineering, and mixing), and George Elliott on bass.

All four of us have an appreciation for the music and talents of Duran Duran, although I bet that I'm the only one of us who actually bought the "A View to a Kill" single on 45 back when it was a hit!

HEAVEN'S GONNA LIFT YOU UP

As I mentioned in my journal entry for "You've Got to Write Stuff," I took my wife, Lisa, to see New Kids on the Block when they came to Pittsburgh on July 19, 2022, and one of their opening acts was Rick Astley.

Our son, T.J., is 11 (the same age his mother was when "Never Gonna Give You Up" hit #1) and he loves to "Rickroll" people. If you don't know what that is, "Better Go and Look It Up." Lisa even called T.J. from the concert with a video chat when Rick did that song. It's funny, because by the time we released this parody, just a little over two months later, T.J.'s voice had changed to a deeper tone that sounds a lot more like Rick's.

I got the idea for "Heaven's Gonna Lift You Up" on August 3, 2022, although I first suggested it as a possibility to Rich and Jimmy in March 2021.

One of the key passages that inspired this parody was Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

We alluded to those verses previously in our parody "Want It Dead or Alive," but that song is sober reminder that everyone will be compelled to acknowledge Christ as Lord and King someday, no matter where they wind up spending eternity, whereas this song is meant to worship Christ and to encourage those of us who are already acknowledging Him now on earth.