Don't want to live in this ghost city – FREE song and devotion

Here at All4God we like finding new Christian artists to recommend to you. And recently we came across a Norweign singer Hakon Kalvenes (he sings in English). And I thought you might like his music. And I know everyone likes getting something for free. So I thought why not get one of his songs as a free download. And he was up for that, so here for your mp3 collection is an All4God exclusive download of his song Ghost City (click the link to start downloading). And not only are we giving you one of his songs for free, but he has also written a devotion based off that song to share with you too, so why not download the song, and listen as you read through the following devotion by Hakon. And after that be sure to check out his Myspace for more info or the album on iTunes.

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“Donʼt Want to Live in this Ghost City”
Driving in the Rocky Mountains after attending a conference in Estes Park, Colorado, I had decided to keep off the highway to see more of the wild mountains. As I was reading the map, I found a town called “Ghost Town.”  Iʼve visited a ghost town before and thought I could check it out. If I followed the highway, it was about a four hour drive, but my GPS (I called her Abigail) and the map told me I could follow a dirt road over a mountain pass. That would save me a few hours.
I started ascending the mountain with my rental car, which was a pretty low sedan made for the highway. The roads were dirt roads, but they were fine. After a while I passed a sign saying: “4-wheel drive only.”  Remembering stories from Norway about lawsuits in the united states, dealing with cats in the microwave and people who need a “caution” sign for hot coffee, I figured they were probably just afraid of being sued.
I continued driving on the roads that had turned a bit rougher, but were still in good condition, especially compared to some roads back in Norway…!  After a while the condition of the road got worse;  it wasn’t just bumpy, but had large holes and cracks after the rain.  The only cars I met on the road were an occasional Jeep Wrangler. But my car was still doing its job as I made it to the top of the mountain pass and started to descend on the other side.  Abigail (the GPS) told me that I had a few miles left before I would meet the interstate, so my hope was rising.  As I was driving down the road I remember thinking, “I hope I never have to drive back up here.”  Believe me; the road was bad. (Have I mentioned that the road was bad?)
After a hard left turn, a river suddenly revealed itself! The road continued on the other side and for a brief moment I wanted to go for it, but figured the car insurance wouldnʼt appreciate me calling from the middle of a river…  My only option was to turn and drive back over the mountain pass, and I believe it was a miracle to finally get back to the interstate!
I never arrived at the ghost town.  I spent too much time in the mountains and dusk was arriving, so I had to continue west. Then it struck me: Why would I want to go to the ghost town anyway?  Thereʼs nothing to see there. Everything is dead! Dust everywhere—like a body without a soul. Just empty houses and…emptiness.  I spent a great amount of time trying to get to a place where there is no life.  Instead I could have spent my time in a city where there is life, laughter, children, adults, conversations, fellowship, love!
In the car on the way back to the interstate, God taught me something. In many ways we are living in ghost towns, ghost cities, ghost villages. There are so many people living life as if no one cares. They are pretending everything is fine, hoping their neighbors, friends, family, church, will buy the lies. Itʼs easy to put on a smile and laugh questions away. The harder part is to be honest about life when the world is expecting us to be successful, happy, attractive and look like everyone else. We end up putting great effort into fitting in, blending in—into getting a nice house in a city that is dead because there is no one who is living there. And when we get there, we are longing for something more. We are longing for life.
This is where Jesus enters the city.  He comes to show there is something more. There is hope. Jesus is the only one who can bring us back to life! Heʼs the only one who can give us peace in our hearts. Heʼs the only one who can give us strength to be who we were made to be—because Heʼs the only one who can show us who we are.
I want to be a man who is alive. I know that following Jesus isnʼt the easy way out, but the question isnʼt about the easy way out. The question is: Do you want to be alive?
-Hakon