It’s Not Time

Upon devoting some thought to the sins that beset us, I’ve reached an epiphany.  Often times, it isn’t utter “sinfulness” or “depravity” that causes man to become tangled in the same snares time and time again.  Yes, we have a flesh nature that we war against every single day.  Yes, it plays a part in our vices.  I guess what I’m really saying is our besetting sins aren’t usually just “sin for sin’s sake”.

No.  The reasoning we use is much more subtle than that.  Something much more forgiving in a moment of passion.  We want good things.  We want a healthy sex life.  We want healthy bodies.  We want to enjoy life.

We.  Can.  Not.  Wait.

We want to have healthy bodies (not to mention the aesthetic benefits thereof), but working out and eating right takes a lot of time and dedication.  So we get surgeries and supplements, and focus on the immediate goal of looking healthy; reaping all the benefits without plowing, sowing, watering, fertilizing, and waiting for the time of harvest.

Or perhaps we react the opposite way – we get tired of the toil of eating healthy.  We enjoy the bounty of God’s earth in our foods, but we want too much of it, and we want it too quickly.

We want healthy sex lives, but waiting for marriage is so hard.  Or even in a marriage, we want a good sex life with our spouse, but it hasn’t developed into the frequency that we’d prefer.  So we settle for pornography, or for an affair outside our marriage.

I think these items illustrate the point pretty clearly.  I am reminded of Acts 1, after Jesus has risen from the grave.  The disciples are asking Him, “Is now the time that you will restore the kingdom of Israel?”

And Jesus says something very important:

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” [italics mine]

The Father has fixed times and seasons by his own authority.  Think about that for just a second.

What’s funny here is the disciples were already guilty of the same impatience we experience today.  We all want heaven – perfection – right now. And we’ve seen people in the early church use violence, of all things, to try to advance the kingdom.  It is an act of impatience.  We are so focused on the problems we experience (like an oppressive Roman regime), and on just eradicating those problems altogether, that we lose our awareness of the Holy Spirit’s present power to guide, convict, save, and fulfill.

There’s something to say for being fully present. Living in the Spirit right now.

Don’t lust after what God hasn’t given you.  Wait.  I heard one person put it this way: “Trade in your lightning bolt for a carrot.”  The kingdom, after all, is like a man who planted a seed in the ground.  It’s not like a plastic surgery or a microwave.

It’s not time.

Grace and Peace.    -jc

And then you die.

You live some sort of a life.

… And then you die.

I’ve been stricken (yet again) by this ultra-simple, basic – and yet profound and compelling fact.  You will live a life, and then you will die.  This has loads of implications, doesn’t it?

What kind of life are you living right now?  Here’s a “for instance”…

If you saw a homeless man that needed shoes, would you offer the pair on your feet?  Moreover, would you acquaint yourself with this man?  If the answer is “no”, it may be worth it to ask the question, “why not?”

Because honestly, shoes are an expense – but they aren’t a major expense (not necessarily, anyway).  It would cost you an uncomfortable walk to your car, and an average price of about $40 to replace your kicks.  So you’d lose about 20 minutes of comfort, an hour or so of convenience, and $40.

If this isn’t a sacrifice you’d be willing to make for another human being in need of shoes, then it may be time to evaluate your life a bit.

Because one day, you’ll die.  And you and God will have a chat about your life.

Life is too short to live in normalcy.  Be ridiculous.  Do things that don’t make sense, for the welfare of your fellow man.  Oh, how brightly God shines in the margins!

Grace and Peace.  -jc

Loss

It is everywhere right now.

And yet, really, it always has been.

I must say, however, it feels a little more personal to me now, as it has hit close to home with my friends getting divorces, losing their loved ones, their jobs, their health.  One has to wonder, “Why now?  Why all this at once?”

I don’t know.  All I know is God’s people need to be honest.  Now is not the time to throw a bible verse at a problem, and let its effects glance off our lives as if they are not real and devastating.  We must be honest with God – look into Psalms or Lamentations for examples – and honest with each other…

Which brings me to an interesting point.  No one can know you are hurting if you don’t let them know.  There is something to be said for confessing your sins to one another, and for sharing in fellowship and community.  Do not let your relationships be shallow and vain.  The welfare of your life may hang in the balance (as I have seen recently).

Just a quick word.  Grace and Peace.    -jc

Really?

I’ve been diving into this atheism vs. theism debate again as of late. This time I’ve had some real personal success. It bears mentioning that you hardly ever enter into this debate and change another person’s mind. That doesn’t happen over night.  And this definitely was not the case in my endeavors.

But you know, it’s really pushed me into further introspection and study of the world, the way it works, and my Almighty God.

One thing really struck me, though. There are people out there who have the pure audacity to say, “There is no God.”

This baffles me… and not because I can’t see it any other way. I’m very familiar with the atheistic worldview. I have several friends who have taken that route, and I’ve debated with them these issues time and time again. I’ve entered the mindset and tried to see the logic.

There is some. Sure there is. As a matter of fact, that’s all atheism is – a pure reliance on logic, and logic alone. If it is not logical, then it is not possible. It is delusional. (that’s the viewpoint)

But there are problems here. Logic is ever evolving. Logic in and of itself really has to precede human perception, because as humans observe the universe and it’s laws, it is only when we discover the cause of what we do not understand that we can claim it is a logical development.

In other words, discovery brings understanding to what was before a mystery (no kidding, right?). Discovery allows our logic to expand.

But the question is, will it ever end?  Do we truly think we are ever going to fully grasp or understand the erratic behavior of so many subatomic particles?  Is there any way to know how some can “bleed” from one dimension into the next, or go from point A to point B without traveling the distance in between?

This is all micro-level stuff.  What about macro-level?  Our universe is currently expanding, and at a blinding speed.

Question:  expanding into what?  What “space” or other dimensional construct exists that can contain such an expansion?  From a scientific viewpoint, there are theories.

But there will always and forever be theories.  Postulations, efforts to understand what is currently a mystery.  There is a wall out there, the likes of which we cannot scale.  Whether that wall is our current state of rationale and research, or whether it is literally the outer wall of a cosmic container in the hands of God – that is the question modern science has to ask.

We are free to draw our own conclusions.  Atheists will say the former, and theists most likely the latter.

The audacity comes when an individual who knows naught of what lies beyond (as none of us do) claims, “there is no God.”  That is folly – stating as fact what can only now be called a theory.

This is when I ask, “Really?”

We, the theists?  If we have truly reviewed the evidence, we can honestly say that our review has led us to a belief in God.  We believe that before everything, outside and inside of everything, and after everything-

Is God.

Is this such a bad thing?

http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/ifyoucanreadthis.htm

Grace and Peace.  -jc

Which “Hell” is Worse?

When you follow ancient teachings – like those of the Judaic lineage, or like the teachings of Jesus – you find out just how much discussion has gone on…  and for just how long.  You find out your questions are never anything unique from those that your forefathers have already asked.  It’s an honor, really.  It also sets a much safer stage for deep study and…  well, questioning.

The question that’s been on my mind most lately is about Hell.

I have some legitimate questions about its nature, and about what kind of “hell” the bible is talking about in the scriptures.  Interestingly enough, the first time any other word than “Sheol” is used to describe hell (Sheol being an actual geographic location – a cave with an evil reputation, to be exact) is in the New Testament.

So until the gospels, hell – or what we currently think of when we hear the word – was something people could point out.  They could walk to it.  You didn’t want to go there, because pagan rituals were performed on the cave’s surface in honor of gods other than the one True God, Yahweh…  and those rituals were disgusting.  Evil.  Folks even believed that evil spirits came in and out of the cave.

So we have Old Testament authors talking about being delivered from Sheol and its “power”.

What does that mean?  Are the authors legitimizing the cave as a “Netherworld” of sorts, or are they speaking more of – brace yourselves – human evils?

There’s a reason I ask that question.  I think it’s safe to say there is a hell across the pond called “Darfur”.  There’s another called “The Redlight District”, and another called “Uganda”.  Another in the ganglands of the cities surrounding us.

Another here.

And another there.

Could it be that the church has focused so much on the eternal destiny of mankind that it has overlooked humanity’s earthly plight?

But here’s the good part…  Heaven is also here.  And there.  This little blog could have easily been called “Which Heaven is Better?”, but it just didn’t quite have the same jarring ring to it that probably grabbed your attention, and brought you here to share your thoughts.  Headlines are everything, right?

Heaven.  Is.  Here.  Under the lordship of Christ, we are seated in the heavenlies.  Right now.  The kingdom of God is at hand.

So now we have a legitimate reason for our emphatic activism:  to give ‘em heaven.  Go to the hells of the world, and take them by storm with all of heaven’s glory and mercy behind you.  We can’t be overwhelmed by the present suffering of the world.  We need to be overwhelmed by Christ’s love, which drives us to bring others into it.  This story ends in victory.  God will see to it.  So what are you afraid of?

Give ‘em heaven.    -jc

For Thee

I’ve written another song that we’ll be using in our worship this coming Sunday.   It’s called “For Thee”.  There’s a really basic melody to it, and the lyrics are really simple.   It’s kind of like a mix between a folk song and a pop song.  Here are the lyrics:

Holy Spirit, Light from Heaven
Settle down on me
Liken me to trees near water
Bearing fruit for thee

All I am and all I’ll be
Is evermore for thee
All I am and all I’ll be
Is evermore for thee

Dearest Father, slow to anger
Love which knows no bounds
Man awakes each passing morning and
Your mercy’s all around

All I am and all I’ll be
Is evermore for thee
All I am and all I’ll be
Is evermore for thee

It’s just a sweet, simple tune.  Thanks for stopping by and giving it a read.

Grace and Peace.  -jc

Modern Worship Guitar Lessons?

I want to take a poll:

If you wanted to play guitar in a church worship band, but were constantly frustrated by “not getting it quite right” – you know, not quite nailing the tone, or the delay, or whatever…

Would you be interested in subscribing to an online video archive, with in-depth, song specific tutorial videos on how to get it “right”?  Do you think it would help your playing?

Please comment below. I’d be interested to see the results.

-jc

Practical Preaching

 

Isaiah 61     1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,         because the LORD has anointed me          to preach good news to the poor.         He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,         to proclaim freedom for the captives         and release from darkness for the prisoners,  2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor         and the day of vengeance of our God,         to comfort all who mourn,  3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—         to bestow on them a crown of beauty         instead of ashes,         the oil of gladness         instead of mourning,         and a garment of praise         instead of a spirit of despair.         They will be called oaks of righteousness,         a planting of the LORD         for the display of his splendor.  4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins         and restore the places long devastated;         they will renew the ruined cities         that have been devastated for generations.

~

We all know there is some serious truth in most cliches, right?  

But man, do I hate ‘em.  I’m not going to lie – they give me that icky, corny feeling.  Like there is a lack of intelligence that caused an individual to recycle old, tired “jargon”, if you will.  Like it’s the brain’s most lazy track or rut of “association” (i.e. “this immediately reminds me of that”; and rusty old cliches are vomited quickly from the mouth).

Therefore, I typically try to stay away from cliches.  And unfortunately, I think it’s robbing me a little bit.  Yeah.  My fear of sappiness can definitely keep me from learning some important lessons.  

Let’s take this one, for example:  “Practice what you preach.”

It’s interesting…  I was at Passion City Church this past Sunday night at the Tabernacle (http://www.passioncitychurch.com), and Louie Giglio – the pastor – brought up the scripture I placed at the top of this post.  His main assertion that he drew for the audience was about bringing God’s love to “the broken-hearted”, “the captive”, and “all who mourn”.  And he made it clear that the application was “practical”…  not just idealism.

So I started thinking about this word “preach”.  It makes what I find to be a very interesting appearance in the very first part of the very first verse of the passage (as it does in many translations):  “to preach good news to the poor”.

If I walk by a poor man and tell him, “I’ll be praying for you – God is good”, does he believe me?  It may be “good news”, but he probably won’t buy it.  So are my words preaching to that man – to “the poor” that God’s affection surrounds in the bible?  Again, I’m thinking no.

But if I sit with him a while and talk with him, find out if he’s hungry, meet that very immediate need, and then see what other needs I can meet for him, surrounding him with my affections…  then is he more likely to believe me when I tell him, “God is good”?  Yeah – that’s “good news”.  So my words weren’t really  preaching…  at least by themselves.

But my actions are.  I’d venture to say they can nearly stand alone as “preaching the gospel”.

To me, the word “preach” is losing more and more of it’s vocal meaning, and gaining tons of significance in the area of “practice”.  I don’t think “practicing” and “preaching” are two separate things.  I think it’s fair to say they are the same.

Now, am I going to just do all kinds of wonderful things for people and never tell them that it’s the love of Christ that compels me to do so?  Are you nuts?!

But let’s just say I didn’t ever say a word.  Who’s more likely to find hope?  The man I “wordlessly” treat with love and care as human being, or the man to whom I toss a few words about the bible?

Hmmm.

 

Grace and Peace.  -jc

Inspiration

I have something I just need to blurt out real quick.  Ready?

…

…

…  I’M FEELIN’ SOME INSPIRATION ! ! !

As an artist, this is something you can’t really plan.  You can’t arrange your schedule around inspiration – you just have to roll with it when it hits.  And for me, it hits hard.

This may be true of inspiration in other venues besides art, so maybe my simple little words will find you well today.  I tend to think of it as our Father in heaven leaning down and quietly sharing some new secrets and truths with us.  So, I’m gonna listen!

I’ll post the results…  if in fact there are any.  I’m thinking it’s going to be another song.

Grace and Peace, Friends.   -jc

The Month of Dismember… er, December.

I have disappeared. There have been a handful of people who have seen me… And I’m not sure I had my best foot forward even in those few instances.

I promised something of substance when the December dust cloud settled (and yes – this month is now affectionately known as “Dismember” in my odd little world). So without further ado, I give you…

Substance!

I reunited with my firstborn son last week.  Has he been gone?  No.  Have I been out of town?  No.

But it sure has felt like one of those scenarios was true.

I looked at him as he ate his nuggets.  And I couldn’t stop looking.  Truly, his youth and innocence flooded me all at once.  I found so much joy in his little profile, as his 4 year old jawbone moved up and down in amateur cycles.  There was no hint of self-doubt or of an effort to look cool on his part.  A little food on his chin.  Distant stares, as he daydreamed.  His childhood intrigued and overwhelmed me, in the most wonderful way.

I explained to him that I’ve loved him his whole life.  That all I could do as I looked upon his tiny frame when he entered the world – all I could do was cry in the most profound joy I’ve ever experienced on earth.  That his life and health and happiness meant so much to me.

I am a major weeper, I must say.  But what do you expect?  I’m an artistic personality, and I deeply love my son (and we haven’t even talked about my other little boy – or my wife, for that matter!).

I think my mom described it best, and it was in one word.  When I tried – through blubbering sobs and incoherent, inadequate verbage – to describe my love for this child a week or so after he was born, this is how she described the love a parent has for a child.

Fierce.

And that is precisely what it is.  It is written into the code of humanity.  The cement bonds that are instantly formed between two strangers – one parent, the other child – just do not relent.  They are primitive in the most animalistic and instinctual way, and yet utterly complex – even divine.  Only a human being created by the Father above could experience both instinct and divinity in their fullest dimensions.  And boy, do we.

So fellow bloggers and blog readers, here’s to God’s grace; that in parenthood, we are exposed to another transfinite dimension of God’s love for us.

And as always, I weep.

Grace and Peace.  -jc