Pam Thum was the only child of traveling evangelists Bruce and Ruth Thum, producers of the very popular and unique drama, Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames. The experience, which never kept them in the same place for more than a month, had both positive and negative effects on Pam.
Thum's parents were very dedicated Christians and carried Jesus into every aspect of their lives. They taught her a great deal about prayer and helped give her the assurance that Jesus was always with her. Still, Thum grew up in a very adult world and often felt quite lonely. She learned to depend on Jesus at a very early age and often made up little songs to sing to Him to help her not feel so lonely and scared. Jesus was one of the only constants in her life and she knew she never wanted to leave Him.
Pam's music career began when she was three years old and started singing on stage. As the years went on, Pam began to realize the effect music had on people and the hope that the words she sang often gave them. "I wanted them to feel the peace I did when I sang to God. I wanted them to feel as though Jesus were hugging them through my music."
And so it began. Pam Thum started writing songs when she was 16 and decided to pursue songwriting and performing as her own full time ministry. In 1987, Pam was offered a songwriting contract after her song "We Are An Army" was recorded by Trace Balin. She was offered a recording contract in 1992 and released her self titled debut album in 1993. The record was a huge success, with six of the songs making the top ten. She also received a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year.
Pam Thum's albums:
Pam Thum, 1993
Faithful, 1994
Feel the Healing, 1995
Believe, 1997
Thum's geatest influences have been her parents and her Aunt Myrtle. Aunt Myrtle was a bundle of energy and was always hugging someone, taking people to church, baking cookies, teaching Sunday School, or singing joyfully to the Lord. Thum's greatest desire in her music is to be like her Aunt Myrtle and to love others where they're at and point them to Jesus.
Perhaps one of the most surprising things that came out of Pam's immediate success was her popularity in South Africa. Shortly after the release of her first album, the readers of JOY Magazine, a Christian publication in South Africa, named her Best International Female Artist of 1993. On her first trip there, she was greeted by an enormous group of fans and a hotel room filled with flowers. Thum believes that God has given her a special platform in South Africa and she desires to use it for His glory.
Today, Pam is married to Stephen Marshall and together they have built Pam Thum Ministries, which is partnered with several other "world-changing" ministries. Her mission remains the same - to fearlessly share the Good News of Christ with the world and encourage others to do the same. "We have the greatest news for this world," says Pam, "and we've spent too many years acting as if we're in some kind of secret club. People are living and dying without Jesus -- hurt, hatred, sickness, and fear have ruled for too long. I just feel an urgency that we've got to shake off the apathy in our lives and get bold and direct about our faith."
There's a Future For This World
Pam Thum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a heart that's asking why
In the middle of the journey
Do we hear the children cry
We want a world of love and peace
We want sweet harmony
And this is what I say
There's a future for this world
There's a hope in you and me
That every boy and every girl
Would one day be safe and free
And there's a God that loves us all
This one thing we can believe
There's a future for this world
Keep the hope in you and me
There's a future for this world
We have learned of hate and sorrow
We know these things all too well
But I'm talkin' 'bout forgiveness
So listen as the children tell
We want a world of love and peace
We want sweet harmony
And this is what I say
This is what we say
There's a future for this world
There's a hope in you and me
That every boy and every girl
Would one day be safe and free
And there's a God that loves us all
This one thing we can believe
Oh, there's a future for this world
Keep the hope in you and me
There's a future for this world
We must humble to be proud
Uh-huh, you gotta be humble to be proud
We must be tender
Gotta be tender to be strong
We must be strong
And we must fight to surrender
Win the truth and say it loud
Say it loud
Oh...
There's a future for this world
There's a hope in you and me
That every boy and every girl
(All God's children)
Would one day be safe and free
And there's a God that loves us all
This one thing we can believe
There's a future for this world
Keep the hope in you and me
There's a future for this world
The lyrics of "There's a Future for This World" by Pam Thum speaks of the hope that humanity has for a better future. The opening lines, "There's a love we do not speak of, there's a heart that's asking why," is a line that talks about our unspoken yearning for a better world where love and peace abound. The second stanza invokes the image of children crying and calls to mind the hopelessness that we feel when we see the suffering of the children of the world.
The chorus of the song, "There's a future for this world, there's a hope in you and me," speaks of the future that we can collectively create if we continue to have hope and work towards it. The song also speaks of the need for forgiveness and the importance of living in harmony with one another. The lyrics remind us that there is a God that loves us all and that we can believe in this hope.
Overall, the song speaks of a world that can be redeemed if we continue to hope, love, and work towards it. The song's message is one of hope and resilience, encouraging us to continue working together to make the world a better place.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a love we do not speak of
There exists a love which is often ignored and not talked about
There's a heart that's asking why
There is a curious heart which is questioning the current state of our world
In the middle of the journey
Do we hear the children cry
Despite the progress we've made, we still have children suffering and in need
We want a world of love and peace
We want sweet harmony
And this is what I say
This is what we say
We desire a world where love and peace reign, where everyone is in harmony, and we should vocalize these wishes
There's a future for this world
There's a hope in you and me
That every boy and every girl
Would one day be safe and free
And there's a God that loves us all
This one thing we can believe
There's a future for this world
Keep the hope in you and me
There's a future for this world
We should have faith that the world can improve, and that every child can be safe and free. We can believe that God loves all of us, and this gives us hope
We have learned of hate and sorrow
We know these things all too well
But I'm talkin' 'bout forgiveness
So listen as the children tell
We have seen and experienced hate and sorrow, but we should focus on forgiveness. We should pay attention to what children say and learn from them.
We must humble to be proud
Uh-huh, you gotta be humble to be proud
We must be tender
Gotta be tender to be strong
We must be strong
And we must fight to surrender
Win the truth and say it loud
Say it loud
Oh...
We must have humility and let go of our ego to become proud. We also need to be gentle to be strong, and we should stand up for what is true
Contributed by Levi A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.