The Mission

Justice Train

Justice Train is more than a song. It’s a movement for you and me to join: by purchasing my music you do more than get a CD. You also stand shoulder-to shoulder with local organizations in our communities who are ‘doing the right thing’ – and are standing for good. Out of the Mire Music (Phil’s label) is committed to donating 20% of all album sales to support local organizations which counter injustice by doing the hard work of helping the needy poor, defenseless, weak and broken.

See where the train has been! Get on board!

* To date over $2500 has gone to worthy charities! (Names/locations of local organizations/charities that have been supported by Justice Train will be recorded soon.)

Do you represent an organization or church?
If you have a desire to support an organization or charity in your neighborhood, Out of the Mire Music can partner with you.  20% of the funds earned through CD sales on your event will go specifically to the group we mutually agree to support.

Background

One day not too long ago my wife Karen and I learned about a tragedy nearby our home wherein a young girl and her brother were physically and emotionally devastated by an evil man. I won’t go into details but readers can connect the dots because even if you didn’t hear of the event I’m referring to you know of others like it. Of course I was sickened to the core when I found out about these poor kids, and heard myself saying “someone should do something about this.”

Wanting to study again what God has to say about justice, I went back to the Bible. I was reminded that justice and vengeance are not the same thing. God says in the book of Romans that vengeance belongs to His realm; Justice, on the other hand, is a realm into which God invites our active participation. Justice is standing for good, defending the innocent, the poor, the weak, the needy; it’s doing the right thing.

I’m pretty Canadian I guess; I’m not naturally pushy, political, or issues-driven. I don’t consider myself much of an activist. But even personality types like mine aren’t off the hook with Bible verses that say pure and faultless religion is looking after orphans and widows in their distress, and not getting sucked into depravity (James 1:27). Clearly, God’s heart is for the weak and the broken, and he wants me and you to be a redemptive presence in the lives of the hurting. So I wrote the song Justice Train to have something that would stick in my head, and get me off my chair to engage the brokenness around me.
This lesson remained in my mind as I continued to write the rest of the songs for my last album, and one day I became convinced that it wouldn’t be good enough to just sing about justice.  There are people out there every day who are not content to sit idly back and watch our culture slide into apathetic dormancy.  These people are (intentionally or not) aligning themselves with the Father heart of God to assist the poor and defenceless – and I need to join them.

And so Out of the Mire Music is committed to forwarding 20% of all proceeds from album sales to a variety of local community charities and organizations which stand against the tide of wrong. Money will be funnelled to people who are doing the right thing – to help them keep doing the right thing.  Let’s get on the Justice Train, and see where it goes!

- Phil