Being around church people can get kinda frustrating for me sometimes. Especially when you hear the same slogans over and over again but nobody really knows what they mean (or they don't hold water!). For me one of those sayings is 'it's a safe place'. So I had to ask myself the other day - what exactly does that mean?
Some people would say that a safe place is a place that is free of fear, or the risk of being injured. You know, the kind of place were people won't condem, or judge, or make you feel stupid. Essentially it is a place were nothing negative will happen to you. And so you feel safe, or protected in that environment.
As I thought about what makes something 'safe' I had to opt for a more expansive ideas of what makes something safe - I believe that a safe place is not merely a place void of conflict and injury, but that it is a place of committed truth.
Let me explain...
My marriage is a safe place. What makes it safe? Is it because I never hear harsh words? No! Is it because my feelings never get hurt? No! Is it because I never blow up at my wife and have successfully avoided ever sinning against her out of anger? Most definitely not!! So what makes it safe? What makes my marriage safe is not that it is void of conflict and hurt, but that it is surrounded by a commitment to love one another.
Without commitment you can not have true safety. If I don't know that you will remain in relationship with me I will never be safe to share my true feelings. It's because I know my wife is not leaving me the moment I hurt her, or let her down, that I feel safe enough to share with her my disappointments, my frustrations and even say things that may hurt her feelings. But here is the money - that openness doesn't absolve me from the responsibility of my actions! If I say hurtful words, or act out of anger or sin, then I am responsible for those actions. And if I love my wife, which I do, I will need to ask for forgiveness for my unloving actions. But that is what makes it safe! Knowing that I can openly share my thoughts and emotions (no matter how ugly that may get) and that our commitment to healing, loving and forgiving one another will overcome the debre left behind.
That commitment also allows me to share my brokenness, struggles and dreams. Knowing that no matter how they are initially received, that over time they have the opportunity to be understood, embraced and cared for.
So I would suggest that a 'safe' place is characterized by three things - honest committed love.
(As I re-read this I couldn't help but think of the parallel found in 'safe sex'. The market place and governmental structures tell us that safe sex is about protecting yourself - wearing a condom! But wisdom tells us that the safest sex is between one man and one woman in a committed love relationship. It is not protected, it is intimate, real and vulnerable. There is a huge distinction between the two, with the greatest being this - wearing a condom may protect you, but it will also ensure that you won't produce any life. And a truly safe place should produce life not guard against it!)
So here's to the pursuit of creating truly safe places for people to find life!!!
Cheers!
Sunday, 29 October 2006
Believing and Accepting
I heard a great message yesterday about the need to not only believe but to accept God's word for our lives. The story the preacher used was that of the man born blind. Jesus heals him on the Sabbath by spitting on the ground, making clay and then putting it on the mans eyes. Jesus then tells the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does what Jesus tells him and he is healed!
The point the preacher made was that this man not only believed that Jesus COULD heal him, but he accepted the way in which Jesus chose to heal him! He could have asked a bunch of 'why' questions - Why the mud? Why do I have to wash? Why in that pool? Can I wash in a different pool? Why did you have to use spit to make the mud? But instead he simply accepted the method of healing and did as Jesus said. He was willfully obedient.
I was thinking about willful obedience a while back and how it seems to look so much different then wrestling with God until we have been beated into submission. We just finally give up fighting! But how much different would our lives look, and God's joy be complete, if we accepted the words God speaks to us?
I have a 3 year old daughter who loves to eat treats. I don't mind giving her special treats but it usually comes with some requirements. Many times it requires that she eat her lunch first, or perhaps clean up her toys. What is the primary response I get from my daughter? I DON"T WANT TO! This can be followed up by a long temper tantrum, perhaps some time-outs and the entire time she keeps screaming 'why won't you give me my candy?'. I want to give her the treat. The truth is that I find great pleasure in giving her treats. The problem is that she is unwilling to do the simple thing I have asked her to do in order to receive the treat. Now before someone gets all bent out of shape on this let me say this - there are times when I simply give my daughter a treat without asking her to do anything. She asks, I give. But as a parent I know that she shouldn't have candy before she has eaten her meal. It's not in her, or my, best interest.
So as a father I often look to my heavenly Father for advice, for parralells or truths that apply to my situation. I believe this is the principle of acceptance at it's best.
I come to God and ask Him to transform my life - perhaps even ask for a miracle. In response He says to me, "I would love to do that, here's what I want you to do...". As a mature (or so I like to think) disciple of Jesus, what will be my response? Will I argue with Him about the method, or the requirement put before me, or will I accept the wisdom that comes with every thing God speaks?
God I want more joy in my life - Good! Repent of your sin!
God I want more peace in my life - Good! Forgive your wife!
God I want you to save the lost - Great! Call your neighbour and invite him over for supper!
I believe that if we would begin to accept the words God speaks to us, that we would see a dramatic outpouring of His power in our lives. We would transform faster, experience greater miracles and see multitudes come to know Jesus as their saviour.
But there was another part of the message that stood out for me. It was the fact that Jesus was asked to heal on the Sabbath. This was an 'out-of-the-ordinary' thing. Jesus was a Jew, and Jews rested on the Sabbath. But the man that wanted to be healed had asked Jesus to heal him on the sabbath. He had requested an extrordinary event to take place, and this is how Jesus responded - He healed the man in and extrordinary way!!
The point the preacher made was this - If you ask God to do something out of the ordinary in your life, the be prepared to DO something our of the ordinary to receive it!
The point the preacher made was that this man not only believed that Jesus COULD heal him, but he accepted the way in which Jesus chose to heal him! He could have asked a bunch of 'why' questions - Why the mud? Why do I have to wash? Why in that pool? Can I wash in a different pool? Why did you have to use spit to make the mud? But instead he simply accepted the method of healing and did as Jesus said. He was willfully obedient.
I was thinking about willful obedience a while back and how it seems to look so much different then wrestling with God until we have been beated into submission. We just finally give up fighting! But how much different would our lives look, and God's joy be complete, if we accepted the words God speaks to us?
I have a 3 year old daughter who loves to eat treats. I don't mind giving her special treats but it usually comes with some requirements. Many times it requires that she eat her lunch first, or perhaps clean up her toys. What is the primary response I get from my daughter? I DON"T WANT TO! This can be followed up by a long temper tantrum, perhaps some time-outs and the entire time she keeps screaming 'why won't you give me my candy?'. I want to give her the treat. The truth is that I find great pleasure in giving her treats. The problem is that she is unwilling to do the simple thing I have asked her to do in order to receive the treat. Now before someone gets all bent out of shape on this let me say this - there are times when I simply give my daughter a treat without asking her to do anything. She asks, I give. But as a parent I know that she shouldn't have candy before she has eaten her meal. It's not in her, or my, best interest.
So as a father I often look to my heavenly Father for advice, for parralells or truths that apply to my situation. I believe this is the principle of acceptance at it's best.
I come to God and ask Him to transform my life - perhaps even ask for a miracle. In response He says to me, "I would love to do that, here's what I want you to do...". As a mature (or so I like to think) disciple of Jesus, what will be my response? Will I argue with Him about the method, or the requirement put before me, or will I accept the wisdom that comes with every thing God speaks?
God I want more joy in my life - Good! Repent of your sin!
God I want more peace in my life - Good! Forgive your wife!
God I want you to save the lost - Great! Call your neighbour and invite him over for supper!
I believe that if we would begin to accept the words God speaks to us, that we would see a dramatic outpouring of His power in our lives. We would transform faster, experience greater miracles and see multitudes come to know Jesus as their saviour.
But there was another part of the message that stood out for me. It was the fact that Jesus was asked to heal on the Sabbath. This was an 'out-of-the-ordinary' thing. Jesus was a Jew, and Jews rested on the Sabbath. But the man that wanted to be healed had asked Jesus to heal him on the sabbath. He had requested an extrordinary event to take place, and this is how Jesus responded - He healed the man in and extrordinary way!!
The point the preacher made was this - If you ask God to do something out of the ordinary in your life, the be prepared to DO something our of the ordinary to receive it!
Body Dynamics - Sharing The Goods
We know that the church is the 'body' of Christ, but how many churches function the way a body functions? We have our individual visions, departments, ministries and seldom do we share our ideas, thoughts or resources with each other. We are essentially a bunch of discombobulated body parts trying to work on our own.
What would happen if the church began to work like a body? When the body eats food the stomach processes it and turns it into energy. That energy is shared with the muscles in order to move our limbs, run our heart and breath with our lungs. What would happen if the stomach kept all of the energy for itself? What if the heart started hording all of the blood! The lungs keeping the oxygen for themselves! You would die pretty quickly!!
I thought about this body dynamic the other day as I assessed our churches prophetic ministry. Every sunday morning we have 'perceivers' who gather together and share what the Holy Spirit has been speaking to them. There are often scriptures shared as well as pictures/images of things happening in our facility. It is an encouraging time for the 5 people who join our meeting. Here is were I miss the body dynamic - that prophetic insight is seldom shared with the congregation. Sure it is great for the pastoral team to go forth knowing what God has invited us into, but what about the people sitting in the chairs? How would their God encounter change if we shared with them the roadmap that the Holy Spirit had given us? Would they be more focused? More willing to follow? What if they came hearing the exact same thing from the Holy Spirit but thought that it was simply their imagination? Then to hear the pastor share what God had spoken would confirm that they too hear from God! They could then stand up and share that they had heard the same scripture on the way to church that morning!! Now the whole body has been encouraged by the Holy Spirit's leading - not just the 5 person prophetic team. How would that change our faith? How would that grow our expectancy!!
So seeing that we are the body I though I would start by sharing a thought!
What would happen if the church began to work like a body? When the body eats food the stomach processes it and turns it into energy. That energy is shared with the muscles in order to move our limbs, run our heart and breath with our lungs. What would happen if the stomach kept all of the energy for itself? What if the heart started hording all of the blood! The lungs keeping the oxygen for themselves! You would die pretty quickly!!
I thought about this body dynamic the other day as I assessed our churches prophetic ministry. Every sunday morning we have 'perceivers' who gather together and share what the Holy Spirit has been speaking to them. There are often scriptures shared as well as pictures/images of things happening in our facility. It is an encouraging time for the 5 people who join our meeting. Here is were I miss the body dynamic - that prophetic insight is seldom shared with the congregation. Sure it is great for the pastoral team to go forth knowing what God has invited us into, but what about the people sitting in the chairs? How would their God encounter change if we shared with them the roadmap that the Holy Spirit had given us? Would they be more focused? More willing to follow? What if they came hearing the exact same thing from the Holy Spirit but thought that it was simply their imagination? Then to hear the pastor share what God had spoken would confirm that they too hear from God! They could then stand up and share that they had heard the same scripture on the way to church that morning!! Now the whole body has been encouraged by the Holy Spirit's leading - not just the 5 person prophetic team. How would that change our faith? How would that grow our expectancy!!
So seeing that we are the body I though I would start by sharing a thought!
Divorce - More Than Marriage
We often hear people saying that "God hates divorce" and "what God has brought together let no man separate", and over the yeas the church has been very hard on people who have suffered a divorce. But what if Jesus wasn't merely referring to the marriage covenant? What about all of the other things God has brought together?
Love the Lord your God with all that you have, and love your neighbour as yourself? I know that I can't say I love God and hate my brother? But how can I say I have love for my brother if I have no relationship with the God of love who is the giver of all things? The two are inseparable!
What about Worship and Justice?
Faith and Works?
Hearing and Doing?
Forgiveness (Healing) and Confession?
Knowing Jesus (Intimacy) and Remembering the Poor (Invitation)?
Receiving and Giving?
Can I receive God's gifts but not His plan? Can I proclaim that 'all have sinned' and need the saving work of Jesus while concealing my sin for fear of losing my credibility? Can I experience intimacy with Jesus and deny the poor at my door? Can I experience revelation and forgo a response?
God has entrenched so many of His principles together and so often I try to encounter them in isolation. I try to bypass God's law, his divine unions and sneak in for a free one! The best I can relate it to is the man trying to experience a deep sexual relationship outside of a marriage covenant - it's just not going to happen! God has things bound together for a reason, to fulfill HIS plan (and obviously not ours!), and when we separate them they not only lose their beauty, they become activities that lead to death.
What was intended for our pleasure, for abundant life, has turned into something that will kill us! We have stepped out of God's design and remodeled it to suit our own liking. (Sounds a lot like the North American view of sex!)
What do you think?
Love the Lord your God with all that you have, and love your neighbour as yourself? I know that I can't say I love God and hate my brother? But how can I say I have love for my brother if I have no relationship with the God of love who is the giver of all things? The two are inseparable!
What about Worship and Justice?
Faith and Works?
Hearing and Doing?
Forgiveness (Healing) and Confession?
Knowing Jesus (Intimacy) and Remembering the Poor (Invitation)?
Receiving and Giving?
Can I receive God's gifts but not His plan? Can I proclaim that 'all have sinned' and need the saving work of Jesus while concealing my sin for fear of losing my credibility? Can I experience intimacy with Jesus and deny the poor at my door? Can I experience revelation and forgo a response?
God has entrenched so many of His principles together and so often I try to encounter them in isolation. I try to bypass God's law, his divine unions and sneak in for a free one! The best I can relate it to is the man trying to experience a deep sexual relationship outside of a marriage covenant - it's just not going to happen! God has things bound together for a reason, to fulfill HIS plan (and obviously not ours!), and when we separate them they not only lose their beauty, they become activities that lead to death.
What was intended for our pleasure, for abundant life, has turned into something that will kill us! We have stepped out of God's design and remodeled it to suit our own liking. (Sounds a lot like the North American view of sex!)
What do you think?
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Are You My Sugar Daddy?
Do you know anyone who is wealthy? Maybe it's a rich great uncle, or a successful business person in your community. Perhaps you know someone who cashed in on the internet boom of the late 90's or even better still, somebody who has won the lottery!
I think we all know somebody of wealth. We may not know them as well as we would probably like, but we know who they are (and we definitely know where they live!). And I think we have all sat around the kitchen table looking at our bank statement and wished someone of wealth would come by our house and give us $20,000! You know those moments when we start thinking things like - They have plenty of money to spare. Shoot, they probably spend that much in a week! Maybe I should call them and ask them for some money? If I knew them better I might ask but I don't so that would be inappropriate (not to mention unhealthy). And so we go on in our financial condition dreaming of being rescued!
Well I was thinking about some of the wealthy people I know today and how stupid I would feel asking them to bail me out, or simply improve my quality of living. I would NEVER ask them to do that for me! And then I was reminded of a conversation I had with Rhonda the other day.
Is that not exactly what I do when I constantly ask God to fix a problem, stop my kids from crying so I can sleep, give me peace, show me the way, heal my sickness, stop the pain! I am coming to the God of all wealth and asking Him for simple handouts. Now I know God delights in us, and He cares about these things too, but I would never treat my rich friends this way. So why do I treat God that way?
I mean, if you the President of the United States was your father would you go to him day after day and ask him to fix your problems? Would you ask him to pay off your in advised purchases so you don't have any debt? Maybe?! But I would hope that I would occassionaly ask him how the war on AIDS was going? Or if he could allocate some resources to the poor, or improving health care. I think that if I understood the magnitude of his position I would start asking him to do stuff bigger then fix my own problems!
So it has me thinking about the way I approach God. What do I ask for? Would I ask that of anyone else I know?
I guess it's something that I will have to learn how to do.
I think we all know somebody of wealth. We may not know them as well as we would probably like, but we know who they are (and we definitely know where they live!). And I think we have all sat around the kitchen table looking at our bank statement and wished someone of wealth would come by our house and give us $20,000! You know those moments when we start thinking things like - They have plenty of money to spare. Shoot, they probably spend that much in a week! Maybe I should call them and ask them for some money? If I knew them better I might ask but I don't so that would be inappropriate (not to mention unhealthy). And so we go on in our financial condition dreaming of being rescued!
Well I was thinking about some of the wealthy people I know today and how stupid I would feel asking them to bail me out, or simply improve my quality of living. I would NEVER ask them to do that for me! And then I was reminded of a conversation I had with Rhonda the other day.
Is that not exactly what I do when I constantly ask God to fix a problem, stop my kids from crying so I can sleep, give me peace, show me the way, heal my sickness, stop the pain! I am coming to the God of all wealth and asking Him for simple handouts. Now I know God delights in us, and He cares about these things too, but I would never treat my rich friends this way. So why do I treat God that way?
I mean, if you the President of the United States was your father would you go to him day after day and ask him to fix your problems? Would you ask him to pay off your in advised purchases so you don't have any debt? Maybe?! But I would hope that I would occassionaly ask him how the war on AIDS was going? Or if he could allocate some resources to the poor, or improving health care. I think that if I understood the magnitude of his position I would start asking him to do stuff bigger then fix my own problems!
So it has me thinking about the way I approach God. What do I ask for? Would I ask that of anyone else I know?
I guess it's something that I will have to learn how to do.
Monday, 18 September 2006
The Super Natural
Last week I had a conversation with a couple friends of mine about prayer and whether or not we could change God's mind/will by how we pray. It was a great conversation and it once again left me asking questions about God and the Holy Spirit's power for physical healing. Can we heal people? Is it our faith or the faith of the person asking for prayer? Do we have any say in the timing of when healing occurs or is it simply us responding to God's invitation/timing?
The next day I went to the UPS outlet and picked up a book I had ordered 2 months ago entitled "Healing Is A Choice". I immediately went home and started reading the preface (but I never got past the 3rd page!) and was struck by a simple observation made by the author. He was introducing the book by asking the question "Does God want to heal us?". A good question if you are going to write a book about healing! He started talking about God's ultimate timing and stuff like that but then he stated something I thought was very profound. What did he say?
He said we know God's desire is to heal us because our bodies heal themselves every day!
It's true!! If I get a cut on my finger there is a 99% chance that the cut will heal all by itself. When I get a virus my body kicks into high gear and begins to ward of the disease. Why? Because God created my body to do that! I'm created in His image. I was created to heal because it's the nature of God to heal things!
I sat back in my chair and thought to myself "why haven't I ever thought of that!". Why hasn't anyone ever pointed that out to me? God takes such a beating from the world who says He doesn't care or hear or do anything about our suffering and yet everyday we experience His immeasurable grace and power working in the tips of our fingers (and through the snot from our noses!). He IS a healing God! I have simply chosen to attribute it to the natural things instead of the supernatural creator of those things.
Does it answer all of my questions about healing? No! But it has been a great reminder that the God I serve and love has seen fit to take care of me on a moment-by-moment basis through a simple thing like my physical body!
The next day I went to the UPS outlet and picked up a book I had ordered 2 months ago entitled "Healing Is A Choice". I immediately went home and started reading the preface (but I never got past the 3rd page!) and was struck by a simple observation made by the author. He was introducing the book by asking the question "Does God want to heal us?". A good question if you are going to write a book about healing! He started talking about God's ultimate timing and stuff like that but then he stated something I thought was very profound. What did he say?
He said we know God's desire is to heal us because our bodies heal themselves every day!
It's true!! If I get a cut on my finger there is a 99% chance that the cut will heal all by itself. When I get a virus my body kicks into high gear and begins to ward of the disease. Why? Because God created my body to do that! I'm created in His image. I was created to heal because it's the nature of God to heal things!
I sat back in my chair and thought to myself "why haven't I ever thought of that!". Why hasn't anyone ever pointed that out to me? God takes such a beating from the world who says He doesn't care or hear or do anything about our suffering and yet everyday we experience His immeasurable grace and power working in the tips of our fingers (and through the snot from our noses!). He IS a healing God! I have simply chosen to attribute it to the natural things instead of the supernatural creator of those things.
Does it answer all of my questions about healing? No! But it has been a great reminder that the God I serve and love has seen fit to take care of me on a moment-by-moment basis through a simple thing like my physical body!
Friday, 15 September 2006
Think, Hope & Believe
If you think you can't, you won't
If you hope you might, you may
If you believe you can, you probably will
If you think they can't, they won't
If you hope they might, they may
If you believe they can, they probably will
If you hope you might, you may
If you believe you can, you probably will
If you think they can't, they won't
If you hope they might, they may
If you believe they can, they probably will
Tuesday, 12 September 2006
Leading For A Change
I believe the best thing a leader can do is overlook the limitations of their present reality and live as though their preferred future is already present!
What do I mean by that? Simply this: Instead of waiting around for your envoirnment to change, start functioning as though it already has changed and in doing so you will help establish the very envoirnment you desire.
What do I mean by that? Simply this: Instead of waiting around for your envoirnment to change, start functioning as though it already has changed and in doing so you will help establish the very envoirnment you desire.
Tuesday, 29 August 2006
The difference between You and They
They say I need to find myself,
You tell me to lose myself.
They encourage me to 'Be myself'
You say I should imitate You.
They are afraid of identity theft,
You require that I assume yours.
They tell me to believe only in myself,
You say I must only in believe You.
I think You and They should meet!
You tell me to lose myself.
They encourage me to 'Be myself'
You say I should imitate You.
They are afraid of identity theft,
You require that I assume yours.
They tell me to believe only in myself,
You say I must only in believe You.
I think You and They should meet!
What Is In God's House?
As a worship leader, pastor and musician I often encounter intersting view points on what worship is, how it should look (or sound) and what each person is comfortable doing or expressing as worship. Over the past week I have had a couple of people make the following statement to me, 'worship isn't just singing!', and it got me thinking.
My first thought was, 'where does this comment come from?'. I suppose this statement is common today because so many of our worship leaders are saying things like "worship is more than singing, it's your whole life!" (which I agree with whole heartedly!). In fact I have a friend who just wrote a book about worship as a lifestyle. But I think it is more than our worship leaders who are selling that message, I believe it is also because we live in an age of relative truth and extreme personal freedom. A world were the 'nobody can tell me what to do' attitude reigns supreme. I could even go as far as saying that it is a subversive ploy by the enemy to keep us from encountering the transcendent! But the truth is I don't know all the reasons behind the question, but I do understand one important thing - singing is a divinely ordained activity that can not go untouched!
I want to ask a simple question. What's in your house?
I believe you can tell a lot about a person by what's in their house (or apartment), or better yet, what's in your room? Generally speaking people surround themselves with things that they love. It may be dictated by the size of your home, or the amount of disposable income you have. But we all find ways of surrounding ourselves with the things that make us happy/comfortable. And so our home environment says a lot about what things give us pleasure!
The musician will have her piano or stereo.
The naturalist will have flowers (and probably lots of windows)
The thinker will have a library full of books.
The outdoorsman will have his bear skin rug and deer head
We all surround ourselves with things that inspire us, fill us and provide the most passion and joy.
So I have to ask myself the question, what has God surrounded himself with? After all, God created everything and can therefore surround himself with ANYTHING he could possibly want. What did he choose? What did God fill heaven with?
Well we don't know all the details of heaven, but one thing we do know is that there is lots of singing! In the book of Revelation we have an account of the four living creatures singing a new song (Rev 5:9), every living creature singing together (Rev 5:13), the 144,000 singing another new song (14:3), the seven angels sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (15:3).
(Interestingly enough, wee also know that God the Father rejoices over us with singing (Zeph 3:17) and that King David was a song writer/singer and God describes him as a 'man after my own heart'.)
Singing must be one of God's favourite things! Why else would he sing over us! Why else would he have all of creation sing to Him in heaven!! Unless you hold to a 'God punishes himself to get pleasure' theology, it would seem quite clear that God loves singing!
So why is it good when we sing together? Because it reflects our destiny. Because we are made in God's likeness and therefore are designed to love and do the things he loves. Because singing carries a divine characteristic of God that nothing else expresses (much like sex!). In singing we find a mysterious encounter with God's heart. We also find a vehicle in which every living thing can join in unity of heart, mind, soul and strength. Singing is one of the greatest universal languages and expressions of joy, passion and sorrow. Is there any wonder why stations with a musical format dominate our radios, MTV dominates our TV, and MP3 players and iTunes define our modern culture! We were made to sing!
How many of us have gone to a funeral and sang the deceased persons favourite song? I know I have and it is incredibly moving! (Try that with a bear skin rug or a vase of flowers!). We all have 'our songs', songs that say the things we wish we could say. Kids sing when they are happy. We love to sing in the shower, our cars and often in the foolishness of first love. It is the essence of joy expressed. It is freedom. It is passion. It is beauty. It is divine!
Are there other ways to express worship? Yes! But when it comes to touching the heart of God in corporate worship the sing along reigns supreme. Why? Becuase that's the way God designed it. The earthly is designed to reflect the heavenly.
So the next time you are on the verge of checking out of a worship service because you aren't the "singing type", ask yourself this question "What is in God's house?"
Happy singing!
My first thought was, 'where does this comment come from?'. I suppose this statement is common today because so many of our worship leaders are saying things like "worship is more than singing, it's your whole life!" (which I agree with whole heartedly!). In fact I have a friend who just wrote a book about worship as a lifestyle. But I think it is more than our worship leaders who are selling that message, I believe it is also because we live in an age of relative truth and extreme personal freedom. A world were the 'nobody can tell me what to do' attitude reigns supreme. I could even go as far as saying that it is a subversive ploy by the enemy to keep us from encountering the transcendent! But the truth is I don't know all the reasons behind the question, but I do understand one important thing - singing is a divinely ordained activity that can not go untouched!
I want to ask a simple question. What's in your house?
I believe you can tell a lot about a person by what's in their house (or apartment), or better yet, what's in your room? Generally speaking people surround themselves with things that they love. It may be dictated by the size of your home, or the amount of disposable income you have. But we all find ways of surrounding ourselves with the things that make us happy/comfortable. And so our home environment says a lot about what things give us pleasure!
The musician will have her piano or stereo.
The naturalist will have flowers (and probably lots of windows)
The thinker will have a library full of books.
The outdoorsman will have his bear skin rug and deer head
We all surround ourselves with things that inspire us, fill us and provide the most passion and joy.
So I have to ask myself the question, what has God surrounded himself with? After all, God created everything and can therefore surround himself with ANYTHING he could possibly want. What did he choose? What did God fill heaven with?
Well we don't know all the details of heaven, but one thing we do know is that there is lots of singing! In the book of Revelation we have an account of the four living creatures singing a new song (Rev 5:9), every living creature singing together (Rev 5:13), the 144,000 singing another new song (14:3), the seven angels sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (15:3).
(Interestingly enough, wee also know that God the Father rejoices over us with singing (Zeph 3:17) and that King David was a song writer/singer and God describes him as a 'man after my own heart'.)
Singing must be one of God's favourite things! Why else would he sing over us! Why else would he have all of creation sing to Him in heaven!! Unless you hold to a 'God punishes himself to get pleasure' theology, it would seem quite clear that God loves singing!
So why is it good when we sing together? Because it reflects our destiny. Because we are made in God's likeness and therefore are designed to love and do the things he loves. Because singing carries a divine characteristic of God that nothing else expresses (much like sex!). In singing we find a mysterious encounter with God's heart. We also find a vehicle in which every living thing can join in unity of heart, mind, soul and strength. Singing is one of the greatest universal languages and expressions of joy, passion and sorrow. Is there any wonder why stations with a musical format dominate our radios, MTV dominates our TV, and MP3 players and iTunes define our modern culture! We were made to sing!
How many of us have gone to a funeral and sang the deceased persons favourite song? I know I have and it is incredibly moving! (Try that with a bear skin rug or a vase of flowers!). We all have 'our songs', songs that say the things we wish we could say. Kids sing when they are happy. We love to sing in the shower, our cars and often in the foolishness of first love. It is the essence of joy expressed. It is freedom. It is passion. It is beauty. It is divine!
Are there other ways to express worship? Yes! But when it comes to touching the heart of God in corporate worship the sing along reigns supreme. Why? Becuase that's the way God designed it. The earthly is designed to reflect the heavenly.
So the next time you are on the verge of checking out of a worship service because you aren't the "singing type", ask yourself this question "What is in God's house?"
Happy singing!
Thursday, 24 August 2006
My Name is Jon, and I'm Not a Butterfly
I've never been to a 12-step program but I've lived long enough to know that they love you to begin your sharing by saying "Hi, I'm (insert name) and I'm an (insert struggle)". Why do they do this? I can only assume it is because they've learned that the best place to start is by confessing the truth - and usually the truth is that we are weak, broken people.
I know I'm broken. I know my wife is broken. And I have yet to have a friend who shares openly with me who has not turned out to be broken as well. I will even go as far as saying that you are broken! Do I know you? No, probably not that well. But I know that you are broken on some level.
My question is this - if we know we are broken, and everyone else around us knows that we are broken, why do we all try so hard to fake it? Add on top of that the fact that I am a follower of Jesus and it pretty much guarentees that I will be expected to have it together (or as they call it, be living 'victoriously'). Yet I consistently find that extremely unhelpful. When I tell people I have it together (even if I really do) they resent me for it. People seldom want to hear that you are finding your way when they are not. It's like a slap in the face! And so, as I've grown older, I've begun to share more out of my brokenness. The result has been that more people connect with what I'm sharing. So why am I blogging about this?
A few years ago I had a church leader (whom I respect very much) tell me that 'people don't want to hear about how you are struggling unless you have walked thru the struggle onto a place of victory!'. (Interestingly enough, this leader was inviting me to join their staff as worship director and I knew the moment I heard his 'encouragement' that I could never lead worship authenticly under such guidance.). My experience has been the exact opposite of this persons view. I find the more I share out of my weakness, the more people find common ground and encouragement from the fact that I'm still pressing into God in life/worship.
I'd be interested to know if this holds true for you?
I'm not simply saying that misery loves company, I'm posing the question - If in my brokennes I crawl into the light of God's love, and from that place declare my struggle to the world. Who will be drawn into the light with me? Will it not be other people with a similar brokenness? And is that in fact the place we all want to be! Our entire life is about drawing people out of the dark into the light of mercy.
So what is my thought? I guess it would be this:
To be a moth held captive by the light; I must first admit I'm not a butterfly.
I know I'm broken. I know my wife is broken. And I have yet to have a friend who shares openly with me who has not turned out to be broken as well. I will even go as far as saying that you are broken! Do I know you? No, probably not that well. But I know that you are broken on some level.
My question is this - if we know we are broken, and everyone else around us knows that we are broken, why do we all try so hard to fake it? Add on top of that the fact that I am a follower of Jesus and it pretty much guarentees that I will be expected to have it together (or as they call it, be living 'victoriously'). Yet I consistently find that extremely unhelpful. When I tell people I have it together (even if I really do) they resent me for it. People seldom want to hear that you are finding your way when they are not. It's like a slap in the face! And so, as I've grown older, I've begun to share more out of my brokenness. The result has been that more people connect with what I'm sharing. So why am I blogging about this?
A few years ago I had a church leader (whom I respect very much) tell me that 'people don't want to hear about how you are struggling unless you have walked thru the struggle onto a place of victory!'. (Interestingly enough, this leader was inviting me to join their staff as worship director and I knew the moment I heard his 'encouragement' that I could never lead worship authenticly under such guidance.). My experience has been the exact opposite of this persons view. I find the more I share out of my weakness, the more people find common ground and encouragement from the fact that I'm still pressing into God in life/worship.
I'd be interested to know if this holds true for you?
I'm not simply saying that misery loves company, I'm posing the question - If in my brokennes I crawl into the light of God's love, and from that place declare my struggle to the world. Who will be drawn into the light with me? Will it not be other people with a similar brokenness? And is that in fact the place we all want to be! Our entire life is about drawing people out of the dark into the light of mercy.
So what is my thought? I guess it would be this:
To be a moth held captive by the light; I must first admit I'm not a butterfly.
Tuesday, 18 July 2006
The Kind of Weak It's Been
I love to worship, and I love to lead people into worship. But so very often I find it is hard for people to direct their affections and responses towards our Creator and not the created.
We try and do our best for God, and so that people will worship God, but in the end all they can do is compliment you on a job well done. And how many times have you engaged in this conversation"
Well meaning person: "Oh you did such a great job tonight! You are so talented. I wish I could do what you do."
Me: "Thanks but really all glory goes to God! (Or something lame like that)."
Don't get me wrong, I do believe all glory should go to God! But how many of us spend our time trying to reveal God's glory only to have people focus on ours! (And let's face it, my glory is pretty shabby at the best of times). So it would seem that the more excellent we function out of our God given talents the harder it is to direct the attention away from ourselves.
My response to this has become praying that God would overwhelm us - fill the room with a tangible presence or cloud so that it would be undeniable as to who is really glorious. I just want people to see HIM!
So last week I read a book about spiritual gifts and it shed some light on my quest.
One of the standouts for me was the reminder that spiritual gifts are not present before we encounter the Spirit. That sounds elementary enough, but how often do I simply function out of my talents (which are also given by God)? The authors went on to site examples like David, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah. (Did you know that the prophet Amos was a sheep breader?!) All of these guys were overlooked, overshadowed or didn't make the grade. Take a look at the disciples! They had all been overlooked by other Rabbi's and were left to learn their father's trade before Jesus called them to put down their nets and follow him! In my opinion Peter was pretty much a flop until he encontered the Holy Spirit at Pentacost. Now I esteem him as one of the greatest men of faith ever!
So this morning I woke up and saw a book under my nightstand that made me laugh - "Now Discover Your Strengths". I've never actually read this book, but I work in an envoirnment that puts a lot of value in finding the right 'fit' for people (They call it finding your 'sweet spot') and I have the book because I did their online 'Strength Finder'. Now before anyone I work with gets all up in arms I have to say that the book/test does a great job of finding what you are naturally wired for. I am a visionary, entrepanureal, teacher, communicator according to their assessment - and for the most part I agree with them. What made me laugh is that God has been impressing on me the source of Peter's strength's and what the apostle Paul wrote in one of his letters...
"God's power is made perfect in weakness!"
Weakness you say?! Why weakness? Because when I am weak there is no doubt in anyone's mind who's power is at work! When I function out of my strengths it can become very unclear as to who should get the glory. But God says that "He will not give His glory to another".
So why I am rambling on about weakness, spiritual gifts and glory? Because twice this week God has asked me to choose weakness over strength.
On one occasion He asked me to invite a person into leadership that has proven she does not have the skill-set to do it. Why? I am quite certain it is because He knows that when she succeeds there will be no doubt in anyones mind that it was God at work. He will finally get ALL of the glory!
The other situation revolves around God asking me to set aside one of my greatest natural strengths so that I can walk full on into my complete weakness. (Remeber how I said I was a Visionary, Teacher, Communicator? I should also mention that I scored incredibly low on Compassion, Empathy and Mercy. (and when I say 'low' I mean REALLY LOW)). Why is God asking me to walk into my weakness? My only answer is this - He wants to finally get all of the glory!
So I'm left with this thought - If God's power is made perfect in my weakness, and that power is not displayed through natural talents but spiritual giftedness - why does the church spend so much energy doing "Gift Discernments" and "Placement Evaluations"?
Couldn't we simply get down on our knees and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into His work, believing that no matter were he leads us that He goes before us to ensure the success that work! And couldn't we also believe that any and every gift we will need will be provided at it's appropriate time. And that in the end we will be left with our hands raised giving glory to God for what HE has done - knowing full well that we could never have done what we just did by our own strength or merit.
Now that sounds like a great way of leading people into worship!
Maybe then the broken would come to us for healing.
Maybe then our church would function like the Acts church.
Maybe then we would fear the Lord and confess our sin.
Maybe then we would be pursectued.
Maybe then we would find the joy of our salvation
Maybe then the kingdom would come.
Maybe then we would worship!
Maybe then Jesus would return - for His bride has made herself ready!
We try and do our best for God, and so that people will worship God, but in the end all they can do is compliment you on a job well done. And how many times have you engaged in this conversation"
Well meaning person: "Oh you did such a great job tonight! You are so talented. I wish I could do what you do."
Me: "Thanks but really all glory goes to God! (Or something lame like that)."
Don't get me wrong, I do believe all glory should go to God! But how many of us spend our time trying to reveal God's glory only to have people focus on ours! (And let's face it, my glory is pretty shabby at the best of times). So it would seem that the more excellent we function out of our God given talents the harder it is to direct the attention away from ourselves.
My response to this has become praying that God would overwhelm us - fill the room with a tangible presence or cloud so that it would be undeniable as to who is really glorious. I just want people to see HIM!
So last week I read a book about spiritual gifts and it shed some light on my quest.
One of the standouts for me was the reminder that spiritual gifts are not present before we encounter the Spirit. That sounds elementary enough, but how often do I simply function out of my talents (which are also given by God)? The authors went on to site examples like David, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah. (Did you know that the prophet Amos was a sheep breader?!) All of these guys were overlooked, overshadowed or didn't make the grade. Take a look at the disciples! They had all been overlooked by other Rabbi's and were left to learn their father's trade before Jesus called them to put down their nets and follow him! In my opinion Peter was pretty much a flop until he encontered the Holy Spirit at Pentacost. Now I esteem him as one of the greatest men of faith ever!
So this morning I woke up and saw a book under my nightstand that made me laugh - "Now Discover Your Strengths". I've never actually read this book, but I work in an envoirnment that puts a lot of value in finding the right 'fit' for people (They call it finding your 'sweet spot') and I have the book because I did their online 'Strength Finder'. Now before anyone I work with gets all up in arms I have to say that the book/test does a great job of finding what you are naturally wired for. I am a visionary, entrepanureal, teacher, communicator according to their assessment - and for the most part I agree with them. What made me laugh is that God has been impressing on me the source of Peter's strength's and what the apostle Paul wrote in one of his letters...
"God's power is made perfect in weakness!"
Weakness you say?! Why weakness? Because when I am weak there is no doubt in anyone's mind who's power is at work! When I function out of my strengths it can become very unclear as to who should get the glory. But God says that "He will not give His glory to another".
So why I am rambling on about weakness, spiritual gifts and glory? Because twice this week God has asked me to choose weakness over strength.
On one occasion He asked me to invite a person into leadership that has proven she does not have the skill-set to do it. Why? I am quite certain it is because He knows that when she succeeds there will be no doubt in anyones mind that it was God at work. He will finally get ALL of the glory!
The other situation revolves around God asking me to set aside one of my greatest natural strengths so that I can walk full on into my complete weakness. (Remeber how I said I was a Visionary, Teacher, Communicator? I should also mention that I scored incredibly low on Compassion, Empathy and Mercy. (and when I say 'low' I mean REALLY LOW)). Why is God asking me to walk into my weakness? My only answer is this - He wants to finally get all of the glory!
So I'm left with this thought - If God's power is made perfect in my weakness, and that power is not displayed through natural talents but spiritual giftedness - why does the church spend so much energy doing "Gift Discernments" and "Placement Evaluations"?
Couldn't we simply get down on our knees and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into His work, believing that no matter were he leads us that He goes before us to ensure the success that work! And couldn't we also believe that any and every gift we will need will be provided at it's appropriate time. And that in the end we will be left with our hands raised giving glory to God for what HE has done - knowing full well that we could never have done what we just did by our own strength or merit.
Now that sounds like a great way of leading people into worship!
Maybe then the broken would come to us for healing.
Maybe then our church would function like the Acts church.
Maybe then we would fear the Lord and confess our sin.
Maybe then we would be pursectued.
Maybe then we would find the joy of our salvation
Maybe then the kingdom would come.
Maybe then we would worship!
Maybe then Jesus would return - for His bride has made herself ready!
Monday, 3 July 2006
The Secret Garden
When I was a kid I helped my dad work on the yard - mowing the grass, picking stones and tending to the garden. I never understood why he spent so much time making our yard look like a park until I got my own house and started to create my own park! Gardening is fun and I love the satisfaction of re-creating my own bit of Eden, but the other day I realized that my park had a secret garden!
Behind our shed there is a significant plot of dirt. I guess it could be used as a small garden but until now I have used it as a place for storing firewood and other unwanted building materials. Nobody really knows it's there so I don't spend a lot of time tending to that part of our yard. Occasionally I venture into this forgot land and trim back the weeds but for the most part I spend my time on the 'visible' gardens in our yard.
Well last month my secret garden decided that it needed a bigger plot of land and started creeping out from behind the shed into our orchard. We have apple trees on either side of our shed and much to my dismay they were no longer surrounded by black dirt! The weeds had overtaken them, creating their own ugly form of grass. A fews days later I tried trimming the hedge that borders our property but I couldn't get to the section behind the shed because small trees (otherwise known as weeds!) were blocking my way. My garden was getting out of control!
After thinking about how this happened I realized something about myself - I deal with my yard in the exact same way that I deal with my life. I like the benefits of having things together, so I work hard at daily keeping things in order. I mow the lawn (and my bad attitudes), I water the plants (feed my spirit), trim back unwanted growth (battle against the worlds way in pursuit of kingdom thinking) and make sure that I start on things that are most visible to myself and others.
My shed represents all of the things that I know are present but I'm too ashamed to let anyone see. However, God has been reminding my of the verse "Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed." If there is no confession we are left with a problem that will only continue to get bigger and bigger until it is out of control.
So last week after having this revelation I did two things - I shared a 'secret garden' with my wife and asked my heavenly Father to begind restoring me...and then I called my dad and asked him to spray the weeds behind my shed!
Behind our shed there is a significant plot of dirt. I guess it could be used as a small garden but until now I have used it as a place for storing firewood and other unwanted building materials. Nobody really knows it's there so I don't spend a lot of time tending to that part of our yard. Occasionally I venture into this forgot land and trim back the weeds but for the most part I spend my time on the 'visible' gardens in our yard.
Well last month my secret garden decided that it needed a bigger plot of land and started creeping out from behind the shed into our orchard. We have apple trees on either side of our shed and much to my dismay they were no longer surrounded by black dirt! The weeds had overtaken them, creating their own ugly form of grass. A fews days later I tried trimming the hedge that borders our property but I couldn't get to the section behind the shed because small trees (otherwise known as weeds!) were blocking my way. My garden was getting out of control!
After thinking about how this happened I realized something about myself - I deal with my yard in the exact same way that I deal with my life. I like the benefits of having things together, so I work hard at daily keeping things in order. I mow the lawn (and my bad attitudes), I water the plants (feed my spirit), trim back unwanted growth (battle against the worlds way in pursuit of kingdom thinking) and make sure that I start on things that are most visible to myself and others.
My shed represents all of the things that I know are present but I'm too ashamed to let anyone see. However, God has been reminding my of the verse "Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed." If there is no confession we are left with a problem that will only continue to get bigger and bigger until it is out of control.
So last week after having this revelation I did two things - I shared a 'secret garden' with my wife and asked my heavenly Father to begind restoring me...and then I called my dad and asked him to spray the weeds behind my shed!
Tuesday, 13 June 2006
A Mediocre Thought
Do you ever get frustrated by people who are just happy to 'show up'? I do! - This is a rant!
I remember watching the 2006 Winter Olympics and being embarrased to be a Canadian. Not because we didn't win our fair share of medals - but because of the attitude of our losing athletes. After an event was over the commentators would interview the athlete and ask the age old question - "How do you feel about your performance?". The althlete (who'd finished no better than 42nd) would typically respond with this answer - "I'm just happy to be here! It's been such a great experience!!". One after another the Canadians looked like a bunch of hacks who couldn't believe they were at the biggest sporting event in the world! Contrast that with the typical American who had just finished 2nd. What was their response? "I'm a bit disappointed with my performance today. I had really set my sights on Gold but I'll be back in again in 4 years ready to do better!"
So what exactly is that? Apathy? Laziness? A belief that we aren't destined for something great? Whatever it is I'm finding that it bothers me more and more.
Unfortunately I also see that 'participant' attitude prevailing in the local church. We've said the sinners prayer and now we're more than happy to get our participation ribbon. Who's training hard? Who's running to win? Paul says "So I press on to WIN the prize"!!
I think the following statement reflects how silly this attitude is: "I'm very proud of myself. I used to beat my wife 7 days a week and now I only beat her Monday through Thursday!"
That's not commendable - that's down right shameful.
I'm so tired of people who say things like "At least I'm not as messed up as that guy" or "We're a whole lot better at it than our parents were". SO WHAT! A 2 comparing themselves to a 1 has little to be proud of. When are we going to finally realize that God created us to be marvelous creatures!! Fully developed! Fully free! Fully alive!! Life upon life!!!
I think it's time for us to stop patting ourselves on the back for our past advancements and look at the future glory set before us (which is attainable!!).
I remember watching the 2006 Winter Olympics and being embarrased to be a Canadian. Not because we didn't win our fair share of medals - but because of the attitude of our losing athletes. After an event was over the commentators would interview the athlete and ask the age old question - "How do you feel about your performance?". The althlete (who'd finished no better than 42nd) would typically respond with this answer - "I'm just happy to be here! It's been such a great experience!!". One after another the Canadians looked like a bunch of hacks who couldn't believe they were at the biggest sporting event in the world! Contrast that with the typical American who had just finished 2nd. What was their response? "I'm a bit disappointed with my performance today. I had really set my sights on Gold but I'll be back in again in 4 years ready to do better!"
So what exactly is that? Apathy? Laziness? A belief that we aren't destined for something great? Whatever it is I'm finding that it bothers me more and more.
Unfortunately I also see that 'participant' attitude prevailing in the local church. We've said the sinners prayer and now we're more than happy to get our participation ribbon. Who's training hard? Who's running to win? Paul says "So I press on to WIN the prize"!!
I think the following statement reflects how silly this attitude is: "I'm very proud of myself. I used to beat my wife 7 days a week and now I only beat her Monday through Thursday!"
That's not commendable - that's down right shameful.
I'm so tired of people who say things like "At least I'm not as messed up as that guy" or "We're a whole lot better at it than our parents were". SO WHAT! A 2 comparing themselves to a 1 has little to be proud of. When are we going to finally realize that God created us to be marvelous creatures!! Fully developed! Fully free! Fully alive!! Life upon life!!!
I think it's time for us to stop patting ourselves on the back for our past advancements and look at the future glory set before us (which is attainable!!).
Sunday, 11 June 2006
Simple Thoughts On Brokenness
Jesus didn't simply die to take away my sins,
He continues to live for them.
I used to think the best way to "dine with the drunkard and dance with the leper and whore" was to live in the inner city - and then I moved to the suburbs!
My brokenness does not disqualify me from leading the church,
It seals my place at the front of the line.
He continues to live for them.
I used to think the best way to "dine with the drunkard and dance with the leper and whore" was to live in the inner city - and then I moved to the suburbs!
My brokenness does not disqualify me from leading the church,
It seals my place at the front of the line.
Wednesday, 17 May 2006
The Immaculate Conception
This is a continuation of my last post about spiritual fruit.
As a kid I remember thinking that if you kissed a girl in just the right spot you could create a baby! I was obviously too young and uninformed to know that babies are the result of a man and woman engaging in sexual intercourse, and now as an father of 3 kids it kinda makes me laugh at my silly notions of what it takes to create life. As adults we all know (or at least I hope we all know!) that if we hope to birth life it will require us to enage in a transcendant encounter with another human being. There is only one Immaculate Conception in all of human history - the birth of Jesus.
So I had to ask myself this question - "Do I believe that I can experience an Immaculate Conception in my spirit life?"
How can I expect to enjoy the birth of a new life in my spirit unless I have engaged in a transcendent encounter with Jesus? I know that the physical things we encounter everyday are a shadow, a copy, a picture of God's character - so why do I live as if virgin birth is a daily possibility? Can you imagine going to a fertility clinic and telling the doctor you have been trying to have a baby for the past 10 years and then telling her that you are still a virgin!!
The sad part is that I think I live the majority of my life this way. I long to have my life re-born. To live my new life in the power of God's spirit and in doing so produce the wonderous fruit of His Spirit - but I am unwilling to encounter Him in a committed, passionate, surrendered relationship. (Not to mention doing the 'work' it will take to get to that place). I daily rely on my belief that a virgin birth is possible within my spiritual life. I'm taking the fertility drugs. I am checking my temperature daily but I am a spiritual abstenant!
I suppose the church has assumed that as we mature into spiritual adults the whole 'procreation' concept would mysteriously emerge in our own understanding of birthing new life? But maybe it's time we started talking to people about the "Birds and the Bees" of the human spirit! Friendship with Jesus is not enough, I need to become a lover of God. After all we are referred to as the "Bride of Christ"!!
As I'm finishing this thought I can't help but think how much "new life" I would birth in my spirit if I was as eager to engage in a transcenent encounter with God as I am with my wife.
As a kid I remember thinking that if you kissed a girl in just the right spot you could create a baby! I was obviously too young and uninformed to know that babies are the result of a man and woman engaging in sexual intercourse, and now as an father of 3 kids it kinda makes me laugh at my silly notions of what it takes to create life. As adults we all know (or at least I hope we all know!) that if we hope to birth life it will require us to enage in a transcendant encounter with another human being. There is only one Immaculate Conception in all of human history - the birth of Jesus.
So I had to ask myself this question - "Do I believe that I can experience an Immaculate Conception in my spirit life?"
How can I expect to enjoy the birth of a new life in my spirit unless I have engaged in a transcendent encounter with Jesus? I know that the physical things we encounter everyday are a shadow, a copy, a picture of God's character - so why do I live as if virgin birth is a daily possibility? Can you imagine going to a fertility clinic and telling the doctor you have been trying to have a baby for the past 10 years and then telling her that you are still a virgin!!
The sad part is that I think I live the majority of my life this way. I long to have my life re-born. To live my new life in the power of God's spirit and in doing so produce the wonderous fruit of His Spirit - but I am unwilling to encounter Him in a committed, passionate, surrendered relationship. (Not to mention doing the 'work' it will take to get to that place). I daily rely on my belief that a virgin birth is possible within my spiritual life. I'm taking the fertility drugs. I am checking my temperature daily but I am a spiritual abstenant!
I suppose the church has assumed that as we mature into spiritual adults the whole 'procreation' concept would mysteriously emerge in our own understanding of birthing new life? But maybe it's time we started talking to people about the "Birds and the Bees" of the human spirit! Friendship with Jesus is not enough, I need to become a lover of God. After all we are referred to as the "Bride of Christ"!!
As I'm finishing this thought I can't help but think how much "new life" I would birth in my spirit if I was as eager to engage in a transcenent encounter with God as I am with my wife.
Tuesday, 16 May 2006
The Pursuit of Wholeness
I was challenged today while preparing a series on sexuality about my philosophy of resource materials.
We are about to embark on a teaching series that addresses sexual addiction and brokeness (among many other great topics relating to our sexuality!). Obviously we wanted to ensure that we didn't just lead people to a revelation of their brokeness without having plenty of resources available to help them as they pursued wholeness and God centred sexuality. But as we talked about how we would resource people I was challenged by what the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians about fruit that comes through living a spirit led life.
To summarize - Paul essentially states that fruit comes through a spirit led life. It can not be attained on it's own. It can not be purchased at a vendor. It is a by-product of a life lived surrendered to God's spirit. So what's my point?
Jesus said:
"Apart from me you can do nothing" John 15:5
"Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father" James 1:17
"No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6
"Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added" Matt 6:33
All things come out of me coming to Christ first. HE is my access to the Father. The Father is the giver of ALL things. So how can I attain anything good unless I first come through Jesus?
I can't become a better person by practicing patience, self-control, love, gentleness etc. That isn't fruit, it's a life that is mimicking fruit - it is plastic fruit! And I won't experience sexual healing by simply avoiding elicit sexual materials or situations. I will experience wholeness only by spending time in Jesus presence and then living out of the direction he gives me. A spirit led life of obedience.
Paul writes that if the law had any power to save us we would have no need for Jesus. I suppose it raised for me one simple question - "Do I truly believe that Jesus is enough?"
So my thought for the day is this: "Wholeness is not a strategy - It is a fruit"
We are about to embark on a teaching series that addresses sexual addiction and brokeness (among many other great topics relating to our sexuality!). Obviously we wanted to ensure that we didn't just lead people to a revelation of their brokeness without having plenty of resources available to help them as they pursued wholeness and God centred sexuality. But as we talked about how we would resource people I was challenged by what the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians about fruit that comes through living a spirit led life.
To summarize - Paul essentially states that fruit comes through a spirit led life. It can not be attained on it's own. It can not be purchased at a vendor. It is a by-product of a life lived surrendered to God's spirit. So what's my point?
Jesus said:
"Apart from me you can do nothing" John 15:5
"Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father" James 1:17
"No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6
"Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added" Matt 6:33
All things come out of me coming to Christ first. HE is my access to the Father. The Father is the giver of ALL things. So how can I attain anything good unless I first come through Jesus?
I can't become a better person by practicing patience, self-control, love, gentleness etc. That isn't fruit, it's a life that is mimicking fruit - it is plastic fruit! And I won't experience sexual healing by simply avoiding elicit sexual materials or situations. I will experience wholeness only by spending time in Jesus presence and then living out of the direction he gives me. A spirit led life of obedience.
Paul writes that if the law had any power to save us we would have no need for Jesus. I suppose it raised for me one simple question - "Do I truly believe that Jesus is enough?"
So my thought for the day is this: "Wholeness is not a strategy - It is a fruit"
Thursday, 4 May 2006
Music - Content or Context?
So what is it that makes a song great? You know that song that touches something deep in you and makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs. Is it the melody? The compelling lyrics? Perhaps it has something to do with the person who is singing! Maybe? But the other day I started to wonder if music was as more about the context in which we experience it?!
How many of us could put in an old CD and feel like we were transported back in time? You know, the kind of thing were people go "That's our song!" or "This album reminds me of the time...". We all have albums like that in our CD tower and we most definitely all have at least one those songs.
How about this classic statement - "The first couple of times I heard the album I didn't like it, but now it's one of my favourites!". (For me that album was Radiohead's 'OK Computer').
So what is it that makes those songs come alive? Did we suddenly get the song? Did we finally read the lyric sheet? Probably not - it was more than likely the fact that we lived a significant part of our lives while we were listening to these songs. For a brief time these songs became the soundtrack to our life. They played as we lived, and now whenever we hear those songs we are brought back to that moment in time to relive those experiences.
For me one of those songs is "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman.
I have on occasion the privelage of leading worship with a friend of mine who runs short term missions programs. Invariably he will come to me and say "Jon, do you know the song...?". Most of the time I will have heard of the song but a few years ago he came to me and said "Have you heard the song 'Blessed by Your Name'? We have to do it! It's totally awesome!!". I had not heard of it, and quite frankly had no interest in doing it at the time. My friend kept telling me how this song had gone over so well at the last program they had done, and that I really needed to hear it. I loved his enthusiasm for the song but at the time it had no meaning for me - it lacked context!
Fast forward a few weeks - I'm back at home with our 3 month old daughter listening to Matt Redmans album "Where Angels Fear to Tread". I had listened to 'Blessed by your name' a few times and the lyrics were starting to float around in my head. Then, within a matter of days, this song became a 'life' song. The kind of song that I will never hear the same again. What had changed? Two events had taken place while this acted as my daily soundtrack.
The first event was when we received the news that my wife's best friend had delivered a healthy baby girl. We had just had a baby and we could appreciate the joy that they were experiencing. The second event however was what catapulted this song into a different realm. That event was when we heard the news that another couple in our faith community had suffered the loss of their newborn baby. Needless to say it was quite a week and to top it all off I was scheduled to lead worship at the church we all attended that very week. Suddenly the lyrics of that song had found a brand new context, but not only for me, for our entire community of believers. That sunday we sang these words as we encountered God within the diversity of our lives - and it became the soundtrack for our encounter.
"You give and take away, You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, 'Blessed by your name'."
I believe that as a person who leads others in worship my new challenge is this - to not simply rely on the 'greatness' of a song, or my personal experience with that song to draw people into an encounter with the living God, but to do a better job of creating a context for which the song to take on meaning.
Creating a place were our songs become the soundtrack for each new God encounter and not simply a sing-along concert in his honour.
How many of us could put in an old CD and feel like we were transported back in time? You know, the kind of thing were people go "That's our song!" or "This album reminds me of the time...". We all have albums like that in our CD tower and we most definitely all have at least one those songs.
How about this classic statement - "The first couple of times I heard the album I didn't like it, but now it's one of my favourites!". (For me that album was Radiohead's 'OK Computer').
So what is it that makes those songs come alive? Did we suddenly get the song? Did we finally read the lyric sheet? Probably not - it was more than likely the fact that we lived a significant part of our lives while we were listening to these songs. For a brief time these songs became the soundtrack to our life. They played as we lived, and now whenever we hear those songs we are brought back to that moment in time to relive those experiences.
For me one of those songs is "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman.
I have on occasion the privelage of leading worship with a friend of mine who runs short term missions programs. Invariably he will come to me and say "Jon, do you know the song...?". Most of the time I will have heard of the song but a few years ago he came to me and said "Have you heard the song 'Blessed by Your Name'? We have to do it! It's totally awesome!!". I had not heard of it, and quite frankly had no interest in doing it at the time. My friend kept telling me how this song had gone over so well at the last program they had done, and that I really needed to hear it. I loved his enthusiasm for the song but at the time it had no meaning for me - it lacked context!
Fast forward a few weeks - I'm back at home with our 3 month old daughter listening to Matt Redmans album "Where Angels Fear to Tread". I had listened to 'Blessed by your name' a few times and the lyrics were starting to float around in my head. Then, within a matter of days, this song became a 'life' song. The kind of song that I will never hear the same again. What had changed? Two events had taken place while this acted as my daily soundtrack.
The first event was when we received the news that my wife's best friend had delivered a healthy baby girl. We had just had a baby and we could appreciate the joy that they were experiencing. The second event however was what catapulted this song into a different realm. That event was when we heard the news that another couple in our faith community had suffered the loss of their newborn baby. Needless to say it was quite a week and to top it all off I was scheduled to lead worship at the church we all attended that very week. Suddenly the lyrics of that song had found a brand new context, but not only for me, for our entire community of believers. That sunday we sang these words as we encountered God within the diversity of our lives - and it became the soundtrack for our encounter.
"You give and take away, You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, 'Blessed by your name'."
I believe that as a person who leads others in worship my new challenge is this - to not simply rely on the 'greatness' of a song, or my personal experience with that song to draw people into an encounter with the living God, but to do a better job of creating a context for which the song to take on meaning.
Creating a place were our songs become the soundtrack for each new God encounter and not simply a sing-along concert in his honour.
Tuesday, 18 April 2006
The One Thing I Asked
Have you ever tried to do something nice for someone and it blows up in your face? Well a few months ago Rhonda (my wife) was on her way home after visiting her parents for a few days. The house was a mess and I thought I would make her day by cleaning it up before she got home. Usually I would have spent my time finishing my latest renovation (because that is what I appreciate) but I really wanted to give her a great gift so I settled on doing the dishes. After all, nothing says "I love you" like doing the things your spouse appreciates.
Now what you need to know is that Rhonda loves it when I clean up the kitchen (more specifically - when I wash the dishes!) - and probably even more importantly - you need to know that just before she left for home she called and asked me if I could arrange a babysitter for the next evening? I of course said 'sure!'.
Fast forward a few hours - I'm frantically putting the finishing touches on our newly cleaned house when Rhonda walks in the door. At this point I'm thinking "boy is she gonna love this!" and so I go to the door to welcome her home. And then with one simple question disaster struck. Katrina had nothing on this moment. I mean if joy was a balloon - it was not only about to be deflated, it was about to burst into a million pieces never to be found again. What was the dreaded question...
"Did you remember to call the babysitter?"
I tried my best to say 'sorry' and explain that I had forgotten on the account of cleaning the house but it was no use. I was in the dog house. But what about the clean house? What about the fact that I did the dishes. I gave you the kind of gift you truly love and appreciate? Didn't I? Rhonda's only response was this - "But you didn't do the ONE THING I ASKED!!".
So I took my licks and purposed to eventually learn how to love my wife in the way she wanted to be loved.
Well a few weeks passed and I was contimplating the writings of the prophet Isaiah and the statement "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (Isaiah 66). What does obedience look like in worship and why is it better than sacrifice? And then it hit me!
DO THE ONE THING I ASK!
You can bring me your songs
You can give me your tithes and offerings
You can surrender your dreams to me
But if you don't do the one thing I ask your sacrifice is as worthless as pagan ritual.
My wife was reflecting the heart of God! Our marriage putting worship into a proper perspective! It's not about all of the good things I do - it's about listening and living out as a servant!
I was suddenly reminded of what Jesus taught when he said "I only do the things my father asks me to do". Jesus wasn't bringing a sacrifice - an 'acceptable' offering. He didn't ask the question 'What do I want to give God today to show him how much I love him?'. He understood that the way to bless his Father was to listen and then do what his Father asked. Simple obedience leading to perfect worship!
So today I'm on a new quest - To daily ask the question 'What do you want me to do today?' and then learn how to do the one thing He asks.
Now what you need to know is that Rhonda loves it when I clean up the kitchen (more specifically - when I wash the dishes!) - and probably even more importantly - you need to know that just before she left for home she called and asked me if I could arrange a babysitter for the next evening? I of course said 'sure!'.
Fast forward a few hours - I'm frantically putting the finishing touches on our newly cleaned house when Rhonda walks in the door. At this point I'm thinking "boy is she gonna love this!" and so I go to the door to welcome her home. And then with one simple question disaster struck. Katrina had nothing on this moment. I mean if joy was a balloon - it was not only about to be deflated, it was about to burst into a million pieces never to be found again. What was the dreaded question...
"Did you remember to call the babysitter?"
I tried my best to say 'sorry' and explain that I had forgotten on the account of cleaning the house but it was no use. I was in the dog house. But what about the clean house? What about the fact that I did the dishes. I gave you the kind of gift you truly love and appreciate? Didn't I? Rhonda's only response was this - "But you didn't do the ONE THING I ASKED!!".
So I took my licks and purposed to eventually learn how to love my wife in the way she wanted to be loved.
Well a few weeks passed and I was contimplating the writings of the prophet Isaiah and the statement "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (Isaiah 66). What does obedience look like in worship and why is it better than sacrifice? And then it hit me!
DO THE ONE THING I ASK!
You can bring me your songs
You can give me your tithes and offerings
You can surrender your dreams to me
But if you don't do the one thing I ask your sacrifice is as worthless as pagan ritual.
My wife was reflecting the heart of God! Our marriage putting worship into a proper perspective! It's not about all of the good things I do - it's about listening and living out as a servant!
I was suddenly reminded of what Jesus taught when he said "I only do the things my father asks me to do". Jesus wasn't bringing a sacrifice - an 'acceptable' offering. He didn't ask the question 'What do I want to give God today to show him how much I love him?'. He understood that the way to bless his Father was to listen and then do what his Father asked. Simple obedience leading to perfect worship!
So today I'm on a new quest - To daily ask the question 'What do you want me to do today?' and then learn how to do the one thing He asks.
Saturday, 8 April 2006
Free 4 All
For a long time we have felt like we needed to be more generous with our money. Every year we have friends and family members who bless us with money, gifts, food and many other wonderful things and we end up not knowing what to do with it all. To top that off both Rhonda and I have very good earning potential. So how can I begin to share my blessed life with those around me? Enter the garage sale!
To me the whole idea of a garage sale gives me ulsers! You spend hours trying to figure out what your junk is worth to you - only to spend two days sitting in a cold garage being ticked-off by the guy who thinks he should get it for half price that price, and in the end you donate it to the Salvation Army and get nothing for it (except for a big headache and running nose!). And for what reason? To make a few dollars off of things you didn't even what or use! Am I really that hard up for cash? No I'm not! So this year our family has decided to forgo the garage sale and we are hosting our very first Free 4 All.
What's a Free 4 All? It's really quite simple...
We are going to take everything in our house that we don't need, use or like and put it on display in our garage. Then, instead of nickel-and-diming our friends and neighbours to make a few bucks, we are having a garage sale where everything is FREE! No price tags. No barterring. No feeling cheated. Just a whole lot of fun giving away our stuff to any and everybody who can use it. And to make sure everyone can get in on the fun we are limiting the number of items people can take to 4 per person. Our hope is that people will choose only the things that they really want and leave the rest behind for other people to enjoy.
The tentative date for the Free 4 All is April 29, 2006 at 14 Willow Bay, Altona. So come on out and look through our stuff - we'd love to give you something!
Note: If you live in the area and are interesting in hosting your own Free 4 All on the same day, let us know and we'll be sure to send people your way!
To me the whole idea of a garage sale gives me ulsers! You spend hours trying to figure out what your junk is worth to you - only to spend two days sitting in a cold garage being ticked-off by the guy who thinks he should get it for half price that price, and in the end you donate it to the Salvation Army and get nothing for it (except for a big headache and running nose!). And for what reason? To make a few dollars off of things you didn't even what or use! Am I really that hard up for cash? No I'm not! So this year our family has decided to forgo the garage sale and we are hosting our very first Free 4 All.
What's a Free 4 All? It's really quite simple...
We are going to take everything in our house that we don't need, use or like and put it on display in our garage. Then, instead of nickel-and-diming our friends and neighbours to make a few bucks, we are having a garage sale where everything is FREE! No price tags. No barterring. No feeling cheated. Just a whole lot of fun giving away our stuff to any and everybody who can use it. And to make sure everyone can get in on the fun we are limiting the number of items people can take to 4 per person. Our hope is that people will choose only the things that they really want and leave the rest behind for other people to enjoy.
The tentative date for the Free 4 All is April 29, 2006 at 14 Willow Bay, Altona. So come on out and look through our stuff - we'd love to give you something!
Note: If you live in the area and are interesting in hosting your own Free 4 All on the same day, let us know and we'll be sure to send people your way!
Tuesday, 4 April 2006
Camping
My wife Rhonda and I have been married for 5 years and every spring we contemplate what our summer vaction will look like. Invariably she suggests that we go camping - and every year I try and pursuade her that we would be better off doing something else.
Why don't I like camping? I used to camp a lot as a kid with my family and always had an enjoyable time. In fact I have many fond memories of spending the summer at Blue Lake campground with our friends. Hiking. Swimming. Fishing. What changed? I suppose somewhere along the way I got very comfortable with my home, our big leather couch and the nearness of the odour free bathroom. I suppose you could say I got very 'soft'.
So last week I'm listening to a friend talk about the transfiguration, were Peter suggests they set up 3 tents and camp out in this amazing place! The next thing you know I'm thinking about the Jews and how they would celebrate the 'Festival of Tents' to remind them of the time they spent wondering in the dessert. Then, completely out of the blue, I hear God's quiet inner voice saying to me "I want to you start camping!". I actually laughed out loud. Are you serious? Why? The answer was simple - I need to consciously surrender my comforts and learn to live with less. Not to prove that I can, but so I can live more generously with the wealth that I have. Being content in every situation wether I have much or little.
I got home and told Rhonda about my decision to become a camper again. She laughed at me because no matter how many times she would have asked I would have baulked at the idea - but God askes me once and I'm like 'OK!'.
I'm not sure what big lesson I can learn from this, but I'm quite sure the next time Rhonda wants me to do something she will probably ask God to ask me first.
Why don't I like camping? I used to camp a lot as a kid with my family and always had an enjoyable time. In fact I have many fond memories of spending the summer at Blue Lake campground with our friends. Hiking. Swimming. Fishing. What changed? I suppose somewhere along the way I got very comfortable with my home, our big leather couch and the nearness of the odour free bathroom. I suppose you could say I got very 'soft'.
So last week I'm listening to a friend talk about the transfiguration, were Peter suggests they set up 3 tents and camp out in this amazing place! The next thing you know I'm thinking about the Jews and how they would celebrate the 'Festival of Tents' to remind them of the time they spent wondering in the dessert. Then, completely out of the blue, I hear God's quiet inner voice saying to me "I want to you start camping!". I actually laughed out loud. Are you serious? Why? The answer was simple - I need to consciously surrender my comforts and learn to live with less. Not to prove that I can, but so I can live more generously with the wealth that I have. Being content in every situation wether I have much or little.
I got home and told Rhonda about my decision to become a camper again. She laughed at me because no matter how many times she would have asked I would have baulked at the idea - but God askes me once and I'm like 'OK!'.
I'm not sure what big lesson I can learn from this, but I'm quite sure the next time Rhonda wants me to do something she will probably ask God to ask me first.
Friday, 17 March 2006
In the Beginning
After some prompting by my lovely wife I have decided to start posting my journal entries online. So, this is the beginning of my blog. I hope you find my thoughts both entertaining and inspiring.
Jon
Jon
8 Seconds
Last week my wife and I were waiting for our twins to be born. For me it couldn't come soon enough and I couldn't help but make the connection between waiting for these lives to be born and the longing I have to see God's kingdom be established on this earth. It seemed both of these would take an eternity to get here and with each day my anticipation (and frustration) grew.
Well our twins were finally born last Sunday and what a great joy! Now I am left longing for the arrival of the kingdom. We induced labour to bring our girls into this world - could I induce the arrival of the kingdom? And if so, how long would it take? As I thought about this I was reminded of something I heard a few years ago.
"The most important thing you will do today is 'choose'."
You will choose what to say
You will choose were to go
You will choose who to befriend
You will choose what things are important to you
You will choose how to spend your time
You will choose whether to speak life or death
And You will choose whom you serve
In short, everything we choose (or don't choose) to participate in has a direct and lasting affect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Creating the spiritual and physical envoirnment in which we live out our lives.
It is our choices that largely determine our future, our character and our impact on the world - and the majority of those choices will be made within the confines of our daily routines.
Take your classic encounter with a pan-handler. I see him. He sees me. I make an assumption as to his character and current situation. He asks me if I have spare change and before I even check my pockets I have determined if I will give him any money (and probably how much it will be). In a brief moment I have chosen whether to engage a fellow human, engage in his life, listen to his story and potentially meet his needs. I have chosen whether I will manifest the light of Jesus or hide my light under a basket.
I encounter countless situations just like this every day. Opportunites to reshape a broken world. Opportunities to be light into dark places. To speak words that heal, extend hands that comfort and administer the power of heaven on earth. Not by being some kind of spiritual giant who sees the future, walks on water or raises the dead - but by making simple choices that allow God's power to be manifest on the earth.
Choosing to love my wife
Choosing to love my neighbour
Choosing to return kindness instead of anger
Choosing to share my wealth
Choosing to listen instead of speak
Choosing to be Jesus
So how long will I have to wait to see God's kingdom come on the earth? About the same amount of time it takes for me to encounter that pan-handler...
8 Seconds!
Well our twins were finally born last Sunday and what a great joy! Now I am left longing for the arrival of the kingdom. We induced labour to bring our girls into this world - could I induce the arrival of the kingdom? And if so, how long would it take? As I thought about this I was reminded of something I heard a few years ago.
"The most important thing you will do today is 'choose'."
You will choose what to say
You will choose were to go
You will choose who to befriend
You will choose what things are important to you
You will choose how to spend your time
You will choose whether to speak life or death
And You will choose whom you serve
In short, everything we choose (or don't choose) to participate in has a direct and lasting affect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Creating the spiritual and physical envoirnment in which we live out our lives.
It is our choices that largely determine our future, our character and our impact on the world - and the majority of those choices will be made within the confines of our daily routines.
Take your classic encounter with a pan-handler. I see him. He sees me. I make an assumption as to his character and current situation. He asks me if I have spare change and before I even check my pockets I have determined if I will give him any money (and probably how much it will be). In a brief moment I have chosen whether to engage a fellow human, engage in his life, listen to his story and potentially meet his needs. I have chosen whether I will manifest the light of Jesus or hide my light under a basket.
I encounter countless situations just like this every day. Opportunites to reshape a broken world. Opportunities to be light into dark places. To speak words that heal, extend hands that comfort and administer the power of heaven on earth. Not by being some kind of spiritual giant who sees the future, walks on water or raises the dead - but by making simple choices that allow God's power to be manifest on the earth.
Choosing to love my wife
Choosing to love my neighbour
Choosing to return kindness instead of anger
Choosing to share my wealth
Choosing to listen instead of speak
Choosing to be Jesus
So how long will I have to wait to see God's kingdom come on the earth? About the same amount of time it takes for me to encounter that pan-handler...
8 Seconds!
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