So, I just came across this today and was quite intrigued. It's from May of this year, but it's completely new to me. Wright defends his opinion that the obscenely massive debt that Africa owes to Western countries and banks should be cancelled. Here are a few quotes from Wright to get you started. Read the entire thing HERE.
In the 1970s, for example, Western financial institutions loaned the best part of a billion dollars to Idi Amin of Uganda - a vicious psychopath and known to be such. By doing so, they not only saddled that impoverished country will a millstone of debt, but financed the dictator's reign of terror. These actions were both financially irresponsible and morally reprehensible. After Amin's fall, the debts were inflated by massive rates of compound interest (up to 20% p.a.!) resulting mainly from economic policies pursued by the developed world, not least as long-term results of the Bretton Woods agreement. At the same time, the bottom fell out of the market for Uganda's main exports.
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Here in North East England, Christian Aid received an unsolicited email from Dr Simon Challand, when he was working in southern Uganda with the Church Mission Society. He wrote that: "Debt relief means money stays in the country instead of pouring out to Europe and the US and there have been huge improvements in health and education...The Ministry of Health has just increased the grant to all the health centres by 85%... four years ago they got nothing. Many health centres are able to provide immunisation, growth monitoring, health education and antenatal care to remote rural areas...Everywhere you go you can see new classrooms going up to support the Universal Primary Education programme which gives every child 7 years of free schooling." [Uganda used its first tranche of debt relief to improve basic medical provision and to abolish fees for primary school.]
So, I've posted earlier entries on this blog regarding living life as Jesus would and called them "Gut Check." These were posts that dealt with things that I personally struggle with doing as a Christian. But, I don't know if I've ever really posted any opinion(s) that I have on the church, partially because I have some guilt with it and more so because I know several of you that read here are directly involved in church leadership. But, blog communities are supposed to be the most authentic, right? Well, here goes...
I came across an article yesterday morning that really confirmed a lot of things that I've been thinking about church since I moved to Arizona just over two years ago. The article was titled, "How Many Christians Does it Take to Unscrew the Church?" (you can read it by clicking on the title)
Let me say that my church history (if you will) would be that I came from a church with 100 attendees on Easter that had a very inward-focused congregation to a much larger church of ~1200 attendees that seemed totally outward/community-focused. It was definitely a big culture shock for me. What I found with this experience, along with many others since, is that I feel that what we're making "church" in our culture is a far cry from what Jesus designed it to be. Keith Giles gives his take on this in the article, and says that we have changed the model of church to an organizational one versus the organism model that God designed it to be. Here's a quote from Giles:
I know that Jesus had something amazing in mind when He designed His Church. It wasn't meant to be a burden to His people. He modelled and inspired a family of faith where everyone was gifted to serve and empowered to encourage and heal and edify and inspire the rest. Of course, the problem is that we have chosen to try it our own way and this is what we get - tired and empty and run down.
I'm feeling some stress lately and can't seem to shake it. There is some family stuff going on, change at work that Obama never would've promised, and the usual day-to-day ish that is life...anyone else?
And, as usual, I find comfort in the words of RSB. I've written the band before about this song, telling them that it does often find me driving in my car (see verse 1). The song is the title track from the album, Better Days. I think the lyrics are worth a look...
Better Days by Robbie Seay vs-1: First of all, thanks for listening to our song we hope this finds you driving in your car or wherever you are, breathe out and breathe again and know that life is hard but it's worth the breathing oh listen to me now, the love of loves is waiting for you just to say...
chorus: here come better days, here come better days better days in a better place i know
vs-2: secondly, i'm all messed up so royally and i stumbled my way here, but wait oh wait grace has found me and shaken up my soul and grace will follow wherever you go listen to me now, the grace of grace is calling for you just to say....
Awesome song, I think. I definitely find myself stumbling around in life, and the good news is that grace found me somewhere along the way and has followed me from place to place. I don't deserve that, but God is good. So today, be okay with being messed up. We all are. He loves us, and he calls us by names that we could never call ourselves. And he loves us without requirements. We don't have to have it all together. Isn't that good news? Scripture says that we should only worry about today, for tomorrow brings enough trouble of its own. What are we to do when it feels like three months of tomorrows show up at once? I think the answer is to listen to the grace of grace calling us, just to say.... it's worth the breathing.
I feel as if I've let you, and the four readers of you down lately. I've been extremely busy. All kinds of crazy things seem to be happening around me. Blog, I promise to spend more time with you. But, until then let me give a recap of things that are currently running around in my head....
- did Dallas really begin to turn it around with the return of Romo and Newman? - what the heck is church really? have we been so distorted by consumerism and pride that the basics of relational community have been forgotten? it feels that way to me... - after watching a PBS special, i am certain that the JFK assassination was some sort of consipracy - my mom moved to England, and i've buried a lot of feelings with that - i stinkin' love my wife - why are there so many changes happening at my work? - what do i do when i lead people in worship and some days not believe in the words i'm singing? - why is trying to love others like Jesus loved seem destined for failure? i mean, he knows how we are, right? - could Coca Cola possibly be any better? i don't think so... - why do i get really down sometimes for no reason?
With all the talk of Tina Fey's impersonation of Palin, I believe this gets lost in the shuffle. I dare anyone to try and mimic this with no flaws like this....you won't be able to do it. just kidding.
...then I have a question for you all. especially for Christians who were, directly or not, saying that it was "our job" as a believer to vote for McCain:
I feel very lucky to be living in these times. My generation has seen some pretty significant things: The Challenger explosion, the fall of the Berlin wall, Gulf Wars I and current, Sept. 11th and now the first African American President of the United States. And although flawed, I am very honored to have been a part of our democratic process.
For those who feel like your vote was wasted, don't...we are all part of something very special. Something that people give their very lives for on a daily basis.
I scheduled a post several hours ago for tomorrow, as I was really thinking that Obama was going to win this. Take a look at it in the morning, and really give it some thought.
my buddy Ty has a prayer on his blog that's worth reading. it's also inspired me to post a prayer here on what i'm now calling, the desolate blog of depression...i think it has a good ring to it.
anyways, singing old hymns in the church is a rich tradition that has stood the test of time. but, you don't see a lot of prayers (non-scripture) being used at all. that's what makes this one pretty unique. it's the prayer of St. Francis, a 13th century saint of Assisi. i want this to be my prayer every day...peep it:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Anyone ever said the statement, "it just wasn't in the cards"? I know I have. Or, how about "this is just the hand I've been dealt"? Again, check yes for me on that one.
Of course, the "cards" being mentioned are circumstances or environments in our lives. We try to work with the ones dealt to us, or the ones that we dealt ourselves. We come to accept these cards as being a situation or circumstance that we are meant to be in.
"What am I grateful for?" This is a question I try to ask myself when I feel like I've been dealt a bad hand. Most often I come up with a few things, and ultimately end with a prayer that can, on some days, be as sarcastic as it can be serious, and that's "God, thank you for at least waking me up today," or "thank you for where you have me."
That makes me think a little bit today, which is always a good thing. :) What about that statement, "thank you for where you have me"? Is that it? Just being grateful for the cards that were dealt? What are we to do with them? Are we just happy and thankful where we are, or are we to look deeper and see what God has in the deck?
It seems to be pretty fantastic. I'm trying to talk my wife into getting it. You know...pulling out all the stops. It's pretty hilarious when I think about the politics that go into "the sell." I got some good instructions in that tonight from the last presidential debate. I ran at least ten reasons of why I should get this laptop in my head within a span of about thirteen seconds, when in all actuality I have a perfectly functioning pc here at home. It's just not a Mac. So, the question is: Do we need it? Answer: No. Do I want it? Yes.
I posted this quote from U2's Bono in April 2007 on my old blog, and I thought I would revisit it today. It still blows me away when I read it.
It’s a mind blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between grace and karma… Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff… I’d be in big trouble if karma was going to finally be my judge… It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.
Grace is a radical thing. Unmerited favor. A gift that we don't deserve. I heard Louie Giglio say in a sermon that you'll know when you get grace, because when you get it, it will get you, and you won't be able to control yourself. I think Bono has a pretty good understanding of grace, judging by the words quoted above.
Is God's grace something we can truly wrap our minds around? I have a hard time with understanding it a lot of times, but I'm completely struck by it's power at the same time.
So, I'm not really feeling the whole "journeyphx" thing....it's not exactly the easiest phrase to remember when told that it's my blog address. Here's where all three or four of you come in. :-) Help me rename this blog! I've already tried to just do my first/last name and it's already taken. It doesn't have to be all deep or anything...just something that's to the point and easy to remember.
I look forward to seeing what y'all come up with. That is, if there are recommendations. Discussion is key here, folks.
I've been feeling some stress lately, and I know that a lot of my friends are as well. Current times are tough, and it seems like one thing after another takes us down the road of panic and fear faster and faster.
Fear is a big deal. Anxiety is a huge problem in our world. I'm pretty sure I've experienced some sort of panic attack in my life. Paul said that God did not create in us a spirit of fear; but one of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:7) So, how come we still have it? It must be that in this fallen world, we are prone and conditioned to fear first instead of seeking the kingdom of God. Jesus told us in the sermon on the mount, which would be the moment in history that he unveiled, if you will, what the kingdom of God looked like. We can pick it up in Matthew 6:25.....
25 "Therefore I tell you,do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Now, from what I've read, when something is repeated like this is in scripture, it's pretty important! Do you think Jesus may know our tendencies? I think he just might.....
The statistics are pretty staggering. Of all the worrying we do, it is broken down like this:
40% of worry is about future events that never happen 30% of worry is about past events that have already happened 12% of worry is about "petty" issues 10% of worry is about needless health concerns (which probably worsen health btw) 8% of worry is about legitimate concerns.
Of course, a worrisome person like me would say, "See, eight percent is real...". I think it paints a pretty good picture of how little control we have of anything in this world.
Look here at Paul again...he says this in Romans 8:35-39:
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, from what I'm reading here, we should not worry. It seems to be reiterated over and over again in scripture. Do a search of the Bible and see how many times the phrase "Fear Not" is said. *hint: it's a lot.*
Man, all I know is that it's hard to live this way instead of spending all of my days worrying about what's to come in life.
Does anyone else struggle with this? Should it not be a little easier to read these words and then rely on God to be himself in the midst of our worries, legitimate or (most often) not?
ran across this quote...pretty good description of simplicity and humility that we embrace when we start to understand this idea of worship.
It is only in the possession of God that I lose myself. As it is in the height and breadth and glory of the sunshine that the littleness of a speck of dust playing in the sunlight is seen, so humility is our being, in God’s presence, nothing but a speck dwelling in the sunlight of His love….how great is God! How small am I! Lost, swallowed up in Love’s immensity! God only there, not I. -Andrew Murray
...but not really. I'm too busy lately to blog about anything (not as if anyone reads), so here is something a bit light-hearted to encourage each and every one of you spiritually....again, not really. :-) I'm currently struggling through some things in my heart regarding the church and where I fit in all of it, along with the feeling of my identity to others being nothing other than music. For those who know me, you know what I'm talking 'bout. So, that being said, I bring to you: Beaker.
So, we're back in PHX on Sunday. We'll be catching another CRAZY early flight, which will be good for us, as we'll be back in the desert by lunch. Currently, neither April nor myself have been able to keep a meal in our stomachs for long...not sure if that's from the time change kicking our rears or what. Anyways, our current state can summed up below:
Lord, get us back safe and non-zombie... we'd greatly appreciate it.
I’d like to share a bit about an area of scripture that, in my realm of all things worship, gets a lot of coverage...it's Romans 12:1-2:
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:1-2 ESV)
...Pretty rich, eh? I could camp out in there for an eternity, considering what it means to offer my body as a sacrifice to God. And being transformed, renewing my mind, proving God’s good, acceptable and perfect will; these are amazing commands and promises for the believer. That’s what I want for my life for sure, folks... But wait a sec... Look at what follows:
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Rom 12:3-5 ESV)
You mean, once I have this sacrificed body, this transformed mind, knowing the will of God, I’m NOW supposed to be humble? I thought this was supposed to make me better than those other people! You mean I’m stuck here? What is that supposed to do for my self-image or self-confidence?
Paul goes on to describe how we use the gifts we have in the body of Christ. Each one does according to his gift: prophesying, teaching, exhorting, giving, aiding, being merciful, etc. This is the spiritual act of worship, the living sacrifice Paul is talking about. It happens in the body of Christ, the church.
Paul loves to talk about the living, breathing connection we have with one another as the body of Christ, as it's so obviously filled with love...peep this:
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Rom 12:9-13 ESV)
What a beautiful place the church is when this stuff happens! It has little to do with what music is being sung, how cool the sanctuary looks, the worship leader’s hair, or the pastor's dress and personality. Those who live out the fullness of this passage in authenticity are true worshipers. That's what I want to be, and that's what I want to be a part of. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm remotely close....
This is Iba, and he is 8 yrs. old. Him and I share the same birthday. I wrote him a few months back now, and was starting to get worried that he did not receive it. I drew him a picture of a football as a cartoon character, as he wrote me first saying that he loved sports.
Iba lives in Burkina Faso, which is a landlocked country in Northwest Africa. It was originally occupied by the French, and Iba's letters are translated from French to English to me....pretty cool. I have never met this young man, but I think he is just the coolest little guy. His entire family is Muslim. In fact, 50% the est. 15+million people of Burkina Faso are Muslim, with 10% being Christian. He told me in his last letter that he does not go to church yet, but at the center he goes to, they "sing, pray, listen to Bible stories and eat well." I thought it was funny when I read that his favorite song to sing is "David Killed Goliath With A Stone." I pray that God protects him and his family. He actually has both parents, along with three sisters and one brother. He sent me a couple of photos: one of himself and the other of his whole family. Seeing that little smile on his face made my day!
Compassion International works exclusively with local communities around the globe - specifically churches in villages and communities in 24 countries, rescuing close to 1 million children from poverty. Our #32 a month helps my specific child, Iba, in Burkina Faso to participate in programs that educate him, feed him and shares the story of the love and hope found in the gospels. And, for another $8 a month, Compassion's AIDS program helps educate Iba, as well as his family about AIDS and provides preventative information, and medical care, should him or his family need it. So, $40 a month does all of this. My wife, who gets a $3.50 coffee every morning. That adds up to $105/month...that gives a little perspective to us, don't ya think? I know that getting glimpses into this little boy's life has certainly derailed my selfish thoughts and priorities today.
I encourage you...if you've been thinking of sponsoring a child, but are feeling a bit overwhelmed with it or just not getting around to it...take the risk. Consider it. God has called us to something bigger than ourselves. Bigger than April's Starbucks, our iphones or my guitars. The Kingdom of God is safe place to learn and to eat to Iba - not music and golf for me. God is calling us all to be a part of seeing His kingdom coming to earth, just as it exists in heaven.
That prayer - that calling begins with the oppressed and the poor.
You can click the Compassion widget on the right hand side of this blog to sponsor a child today. I encourage you to consider.
My friends, Dave and JJ Heller have JJ's newest record available for free on the web. If you've not heard JJ, I believe you'll find her to be quite the find.
So, my wife and I have decided to try and get stronger. We found this WEBSITE, which details a six week program for doing 100 push-ups consecutively, which sounds impossible to me at this point. One takes an initial test first to determine what level to start the program. I managed 26 push-ups before stopping, and April managed 12. We both agreed that we could have possibly done 5 more, but we weren't trying to exhaust ourselves. We start the program tomorrow. If we're able to drop and do a hundred in a row after six weeks, we'll be really excited. Of course, you can stretch the program if you have setbacks. And the coolest part.....push-ups cost nothing. They work numerous muscles. We can do them in our apartment.....sounds good to me!
Anyone interested in joining us? Go to the site and do the initial test. Maybe we can keep each other accountable.
"Just because I’m leading and people are following doesn’t mean that I’m leading them in things that matter to God."
This made me think, as I talk about/listen to matters of leadership quite often. It seems, sometimes, that we measure a leader's success (in the context of church leadership) as their ability to lead, cast vision, and for people to be on board. What about things that matter to God? Do we factor that in as an integral part of our critique? I fear that I don't a lot of times.
What do y'all think? I know most of you guys/gals reading are involved in leadership in some form or fashion....
I've been thinking about listening to hymns a lot lately. A lot. There are scores of hymns that I've never even heard of, so a lot of these are so new to me and are falling on new ears, which, in turn, has allowed me to really listen to the lyrics of the songs. So often I find myself just going through the motions when hearing those old, familiar tunes. If I'm honest, I can easily remember several times when I've sang, "Amazing grace, how blah blah blah blah" in my head. It's sad, really. It's also sad that Christian music, although arguably thriving more than ever, is becoming pretty bland lyrically. I think even Tomlin and Crowder are getting a bit comfortable in knowing what the hits are, which is making it all sound the same. I think that's pretty unfortunate.
I still think hymns are still very important and necessary in our post-modern culture, because:
The church is not a passing trend or fad, it is something solid and rooted.
The church lives in the midst of history as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the reign of God. - Leslie Newbigin
The arts, stories, poetry, music all combine to sneak into the heart by the backdoor – something increasingly important for our ministry to the coming generations.
How will you reach this post-modern generation – a generation that cannot conceive of objective truth, cannot follow your linear arguments, cannot tolerate anything (including evangelism) that smacks of religious intolerance? - Kevin Ford
And finally, I think this quote captures what many people post-college age have experienced through a re-discovery of hymnody and the new-found freedom to express these words of passion and devotion in music that resonates with who they are in Christ. The discovery of being part of something monumentally bigger than themselves.
The challenge is to provide roots and wings – to bring young people into a sense of connectedness with the past that doesn’t rob them of their vision of the future. - Gerard Kelly
So, I think hymns are definitely needed in our culture. I'm excited about learning more and more about them, as well as doing some writing myself, using a more traditional hymn approach, possibly adding more modern expressions in refrains. We'll see how that goes.
I've been reading this passage over and over for a while now, and I believe it has become one of my favorite passages of scripture. It's a passage that's getting more acclaim in songs of worship as well, which I'm really excited about. I've been writing one myself around these verses. It's Hosea 6:1-3 (NIV translation)and it reads:
1 Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.
So, Phil Wickham will be releasing a live recording, "Singalong," on 8/8/08 in an effort to apparently upstage the start of the Olympic games. :-) If you've not listened to Phil, wake up and check him out....unbelievable. He has a sample on his blog from the live recording.
I haven't done a book review in a few years, so I'm feeling fairly nostalgic by doing this...
Whatever you're reading right now, put it down. Get yourself a copy of TrueFaced and make it the very next book you read. Dallas Willard says, "TrueFaced is one of the best books on practical theology I have ever seen."
TrueFaced, by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and John Lynch, addresses the most basic motives faced by every follower of Jesus: the distinction between our determination to please God or to trust Him. Thrall and Co. draw on the metaphor of two rooms in our pursuit of God at the end of two roads: pleasing God and trusting God. They both sound good, right?
The first, at the end of a well-traveled road (pleasing God), is the Room of Good Intentions, entered by turning the knob of Effort. This room is filled to capacity with tired, cynical, well-intended Christians sporting various masks, who are determined to work on their sin to achieve an intimate relationship with God. Excellence is used often to describe the intentions. These folks are sincerely determined to be godly. No one in this room is interested in hearing about your struggles, trials or failures. To be welcome here, one must hold their cards pretty close to their chest and give the appearance of sufficiency and that everything is fine. I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine, fine, fine all the time, time, time.
The second room lies at the end of life's path with the motive of Trusting God. The path to this room is definitely less worn than the other. In this room, inhabitants have embraced the concept of Living Out of Who God Says I Am. To enter the Room of Grace, one only needs turn the doorknob of Humility. In this room, people have cried out, "Alright, listen! I'm not fine! I haven't been fine for a long time. I feel guilty, lonely and depressed. I'm sad most of the time and I can't make my life work. And if any of you knew half of my daily thoughts, you'd want me out of your little club. So there, I'm doing not fine! Thanks for asking!" Instead of working on one's own sin to achieve intimacy with God, in this room, people stand with God, with their sin in front of them, working on it together with Him. I don't think it's a coincedence either when trusting God also pleases God....
The goal of TrueFaced is to help us discover the freedom that lies in allowing ourselves to be authentic before God and others, trusting them with who we really are. A prayer one might pray before entering the Room of Grace might go something like this: God, if anything good is to come out of this whole deal, you will have to do it. I can't. I'm so tired. Please God, you will have to give me the life I am dreaming of. I can't keep doing this anymore. I'm losing confidence that this life in you is even possible. Help me. You must make it happen or I am doomed.
We've all been part of a community, a church, or a small group where we've felt the pressure of presenting a strong, fine front. One where we don't have the freedom to share sin or failures; where we have to put on appearances and pretend we've got it all together. Sadly, I believe these groups are far more common than the alternative. The effect is subtle, but grossly counterproductive to introducing people to the Kingdom of God. For reasons too numerous to count, Christians have fallen prey to the lie that we must appear fine, strong, good and often, productive. We don't want people to know we're flawed. I think for me, my flaws and imperfections serve only to draw attention to the fact that I NEED a perfect father. Those that appear flawless, often draw perceptions that something's not entirely right, and make genuine, authentic connection near impossible.
One of the primary postures you must take when reading TrueFaced is to understand that this book is for you. Don't read it with others in mind. God can do precious little in establishing an intimate relationship with you if you're thinking of others while reading this book...
What a freeing thing to truly trust in a grace-giving God who declares me as his child without conditions. There's nothing I could have done to earn His love, not by works or performance. I've often found myself traveling down the road of wanting to please God with my performance. I must realize that I don't need to perform for Him to call me valuable. I serve Him because he has called me valuable, long before any "performance."
I'll have to say that it's not an easy walk, this road of trusting....I'd love to have company on it.
So, I'm starting to feel a little better. I'm still congested, and I definitely have an infection going on in the sinus region. Antibiotics? Nah. I'm taking my vitamins....seven of them to be exact!
Hey folks- going to be starting a blogger occurence, and I'm gonna call it wordle wednesdays. It just has a nice ring to it, eh? Anyways, if you haven't heard of wordle, go here....pretty sweet. I'll give a preview of what's to come. Here's my blog in a wordle. Click it to get a better view, and see if you can catch the random arranging of the phrase, "hopeful Christianity poop-humor." I love it.
So, how does a slightly sore throat disguised as allergies, turn into a all-out flu in my body? I am aching in places that I didn't even know I had. I can also feel my veins in my wrists fill up with pressure as if they're going to explode...never had that happen before. And, how come I lose my voice all the time when sick now that my occupation involves using it frequently?
But enough about me...how are all of you? I don't think I've talked to anyone via phone in over two weeks. I'm having withdrawal.
Does it mean: a) A person who does not attend a worship gathering so they are unfamiliar with how we do things on Sunday? b) A person who has been unaffected by the way that we, the church, live in their presence c) A person who has no concept of the foundations of Christianity d) All of the above e) None of the above
Just a thought. I'm pretty afraid of where the us & them mentality leads on a lot of different fronts. Maybe our concept of who the "we's" and the "they's" (in this case the "churched" and the "un-churched") are really effects how we see our role in the world and what it means to be the body of Christ and share the good news that is the gospel.
Please check out my San Diegan friend, Steve, and his Do What's Right campaign here. I love the idea of this, and am excited and hopeful that it really takes off. Check it out and comment back with your thoughts....we should get some conversation going around here. I feel as if I just post stories for reading enjoyment, which is fine. But, let's get some dialogue going here, people!
I come into the office this morning to start my day. Once I'm settled in, I reach in the corner of my office to pull out the office guitar, just in case I'm inspired or something to write (or, I just like to play). I slide the case out and what's behind it???? A stinkin' AZ bark scorpion, tail up and everything. This is the only scorpion here that's considered lethal to a person. And, It was literally about two inches from where I was reaching to get the guitar case! I currently have it trapped under a box lid, awaiting our grounds crew to come take care of it. We were told to always call them without doing anything ourselves, and to call the "emergency" messaging system for them. Well, their response time is now going on two hours, so I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to squash it. But, there's a part of me that thinks that maybe, just maybe, this thing could sting through my shoe....it's pretty big, folks. This pic is from the web, so you can rest assured that the hand of an idiot pictured is not that of mine. Actually, the one in the picture is about the same size as the one under my box lid. dangit.
On a better note, while moving my heavy desk out to capture the scorpion, I come across another animal behind it. Only this time, a friend and not a foe. It is a yellow-backed spiny lizard, and they are all over the place around here. You can get close enough to pick them up no problem, but they will scurry off and do push-ups at you to make themselves appear larger than they really are. Some of them are pretty big around here.
I wish I had my camera here today...all I have is my phone, and it does not zoom. So, pictures of what they look like from the web will have to do to illustrate my, now second, near heart-attack experience.
I wanted to give a nice little plug to my new friend's website. The organization is Findingbalance, and it was founded by Constance Rhodes (you can read about her and her story on the site). Findingbalance is an award-winning site created to offer countless avenues of help and advice for those who struggle with disordered eating, or for those who know someone who does. The site informs people on EDNOS, which stands for Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, along with many other aspects of disordered eating and body image. This is something that affects 3 out of 5 people in this country, both men and women. Enough of my rambling there....just check out the site and read her blog
Constance currently hails from Nashville, TN. She came out to my workplace to share her story, as well as offer encouragement for the staff, which is a monthly thing for us. I accompanied Andi with leading worship, and she did an amazing job. We played an original song of hers, and it was fun to sing on a song that was directly coming from the one who wrote it. There were several moments throughout all of the chapels (4 total in 2 days) during worship that were just very sweet and reverent. I think sometimes we get caught up in the performance of things beyond the required "performance" of playing/singing etc. that we can lose track of the One we worship in the first place. There were several pauses of silence, and they never felt uncomfortable.
I enjoyed listening to Constance's story (heard it four times and it never got old) and got a lot out of it for myself. Believing something other than the truth affects us all, whether it deals with eating and body image, self-esteem, our perceptions of value, etc. This life can take an amazing turn, however, once we understand and trust in who God already says we are.
We took a picture on the final day she was here, so I thought I'd share it with you all. It looks as if that tree is swallowing us...
I find myself struggling today with some things, especially related to worship leading. This is kind of a big deal to me, considering that part of my actual vocation is worship leading and being creative. I'm struggling with all of that today and am questioning many things about myself in the process like, "is this what I'm even supposed to be doing...both in my job and in the church?" I guess it's an identity crisis of sorts.
So, if you pray, I would ask for your prayers on this. Pray for wisdom and the ability to hear clearly what God says about me and not what I think about myself. Pray that I can trust if I do hear...
Have you ever said this? "I just can’t worship with that kind of music."
If you haven’t said it, I’m sure you’ve heard it, especially, if you are a worship leader. I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before. I know I’ve definitely thought it. I love a lot of the music of today. I especially love acoustic-driven music that is not polished, but that has a raw quality to it. So, when I have gone to tradtional worship services in the past, it’s been a challenge for me to worship God in that setting. If you’re thinking that I’m unspiritual because of this, you are very right to think it. I visited a traditional(in regards to worship music) church service a couple of years ago in Arizona when God opened my eyes to this. I was sitting there during the music and thinking about how I would do the song differently, and God basically slapped me in the face. I felt Him say to me, "Josh, worship me. If you can’t worship me with this music, don’t bother worshipping me with your music." I walked away from that a changed person and worship leader. I wonder about our current church now. I've not heard testimonies of people who have worshipped and connected with God for the first time, even though they don’t really prefer the music style that we bring. That's not saying that it hasn't happened...I just don't know for sure. If that is happening, then I would consider that aspect of our services as success. I mean, that is what it's all about. It’s not about the methods or styles in which we minister and praise. It’s about the Holy Spirit speaking to us and guiding us to the Father.
I feel that there is a danger that is gaining momentum in our Christian culture. I’m afraid that the younger generations could be/are being affected by this danger. The danger is conditional worship. It’s where worship only happens when the lights go off and the cool loops or videos play, or not until the big build after the bridge of the song. For the record, these things are not bad ideas at all. When used properly, there are so many things that can enhance the experience and touch the senses, but we need balance. We need to learn and disciple our churches to worship God no matter what the circumstances. We need to learn to worship God under a tone-deaf worship leader or an organ. We need to learn to worship God without music. And I'm not saying "we" here to be condescending at all. I am included in that word each time it's used for sure.
Paul said in Colossians 2:16 -
"So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ." (The Message)
To come to church and expect God to do something big corporately, is a growth in maturity in our worship. There are too many people that are coming inspecting, instead of expecting. I remember going to a student conference with my brother-in-law and his youth group where there were approx 10,000 students worshipping in a massive arena. That was amazing, but, for me, it wasn’t the best part of the weekend. The best part was going to a traditional worship service the next day and worshipping the same God with a different song. I mean, we went from Chris Tomlin and Switchfoot to hymn books, folks. That’s the best thing we could learn that weekend. That no matter what the conditions, no matter what the style, and no matter what the song, God is God outside of our preferences.
journeying....sometimes aimlessly it seems....but journeying nonetheless
i am husband to April, father of Russ (our wiener dog) and often a screw-up. i work at a christian treatment center in AZ for young men and women struggling with eating disorders. i oversee the chapel services there, and get the privilege to lead worship everyday there. i try to closely follow Jesus. usually, i end up straggling behind at a substantial distance, which of course makes me, well, normal...
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