Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth.

That's what all the Christmas carols say, right? Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. We know the story of the baby boy in the manger, cozy in the stable with Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and the donkeys and the angels singing a lullaby. It certainly seems peaceful.

We look at our own world today and wonder, "Can there be peace? Is it possible for us to even have a moment of serenity?"

[As I write this blog post, I'm listening to this song and I think it goes well with this post]

I don't follow the news super closely, but I see all the headlines on Facebook and I know what's going on. Over the past year, we've heard all about terrorists, natural disasters, mass shootings, suicides, presidential debates, murders, thefts, same-sex marriage, human trafficking, abortion leaks, even #TheDress. I don't know about you, but none of those things make me feel "peaceful". At all.

There are days when I have to shut it down. I just can't take any more articles, headlines, videos, or hashtags. I get overwhelmed by everything I can choose from to be afraid of. And trust me, I know how powerful fear can be.

But really, if you think about it, that quiet nativity scene was far from peaceful. Mary and Joseph rushed into Bethlehem and find out there's nowhere to stay (like when you walk into a packed movie theater and there are only enough seats in the front row...but much worse). Now I've never been nine months pregnant, but even with modern comforts I can't imagine that traveling is comfortable. And Mary was riding a donkey. Think of it as the original Christmas Eve traffic.

Beyond the immediate circumstances, Mary and Joseph were surrounded by the pagan, harsh, immoral culture the Romans had brought along with Roman rule. Within a few years of Jesus's birth, Herod had all the boys under two years old in Bethlehem executed. Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt.

Does any of that remind you of the peace the angels sang about to the shepherds? And honestly, does it sound much better than the chaos of our time?

During those times when panic and paranoia threaten to be overwhelming, I have to sit down and have a talk with myself. I have to remind myself that God is on the throne. It may sound trite and cliche, but there is so much comfort--and yes, even peace--in knowing that. Horrible things have been happening ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. If I had been on Facebook during any of those times (for example, the Civil War, WWII, 9/11) I think I would have been absolutely terrified.

But look: we're here. For better or for worse, the world spins on. I recognize that a lot of tragedy has happened, and I know some of you have felt that tragedy within your own household. But did fear do anything to help?

God brought us through. We call them the "good old days" because it is in hindsight and we know that everything works out in the end.

But what if we could trust that God has secured the ending even when we're in the middle of the chaos? I think that that is what faith is about...and that faith gives peace.

I certainly don't hold the secrets to peace. And maybe I'm just really oblivious to everything going on around us. Do the presidential debates (both sides) scare me for the future of the country? Yes. Am I afraid that those who hate Christ will take power and persecute me? Sure. But I have zero control over what is going to happen, and I have to take a deep breath and realize that I don't have to be afraid. God is, indeed, bigger than our greatest fears.

You see, peace does not happen when everyone stops fighting each other. It's when you stop fighting God for control and let Him orchestrate His grand story. It's when you trust God to work out the end while you live out His calling on your own life.

Merry Christmas! 

What My Calculus Professor Taught Me About God

This school semester has been characterized by my struggles with calculus and my calculus professor's struggle to teach us well. I will admit that it is probably the most challenging course I've ever attempted, and I've spent most of my semester trying to stay afloat.

But as the semester comes to an end, I had a moment to look back and reflect on how I got to where I am.

Whenever he introduced a new concept, our professor would always teach us the long, hard way. Those who had been in calculus before remembered a shortcut, but he refused to teach it to us until we had mastered (and been tested on) the long way. I could never figure out what exactly we were going to do with the second derivative or definite integrals, but he was teaching so I was trying to learn.

So I agonized for hours over these tedious problems, afraid that I would never be prepared for the imminent test. I didn't think I could learn the concept in time to test on it.

But by the test review and quiz day, somehow I had a grasp on the material, enough to pass the quiz and the test. When we revisited the same concept later in a much more complex context, it was almost second nature to me. And when we learned the shortcut, I appreciated it so much more because I understood what it was doing.

I think that, to an extent, God does the same thing with us. We have no idea what is up ahead, only that there is hard stuff right in front of us. It looks incredibly difficult, and we barely have enough resources to tackle it.

But, once we finally crest the hill, we find another obstacle, even bigger than the first. In despair we complain about all the uphill work, but we push onward. When we're finally on top of that hill, we look back and realize that, if we hadn't worked hard to climb the first slope, we would have been too inexperienced to climb the second incline.

Then we recognize that God brought us through the first obstacle, which was so hard at the time but now looks easy, so that we would learn to trust Him when we reach an even bigger one.

*This is not at all to compare my calculus professor to God. I wouldn't do that.

But I want to draw an analogy: My professor, although it often didn't seem like it at the time, had a plan to guide us through Calculus I. He might give us a hint as to what was coming up, but most of the time, all we knew was that there was a test coming up and we had to be ready. And he never showed us the shortcut until we had mastered the hard way.

Same with God. He has a plan that we can't see, and He only shows us enough for us to take our next step; and sometimes not even then. He doesn't give us an easy way out because that won't grow us. But He tells us enough that we'll be prepared for the test.

The biggest difference, however (besides the fact that God is God and my professor is not) is that God walks with us through the trials. He promises us that He will not allow us to be tested more than we can handle:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10.13)

 So, not unlike my calculus professor, God has the entire "syllabus" planned out, but He's only going to take us through it one day at a time.

God's Answering Machine

...in Jesus name, Amen.

So, you've just prayed for something. Maybe a simple request, like healing for a cold or "traveling mercies" over Thanksgiving vacation or for help finding your phone. Maybe it's a huge request, like healing for cancer or for refugees fleeing from Syria and Paris or for wisdom for your life plan.

But you end your prayer and wait. "They" say that prayer is a conversation, and you've just done your part of the talking. "Your turn," you tell God. And you wait. And you wait.

By the time life's busyness sweeps you away from waiting, you've decided that you must have caught God's answering machine. So you leave a message. "Hey, just get back to me whenever you get a chance. You know how to get in touch with me. You're God, after all."

Having done all you can, you move on. I mean, you don't really move on, because your request is still pending and you still need an answer. But once you've tried prayer, it's time to go on to Plan B.

If Plans B, C, D, and E fail, then maybe you try again. "Maybe God's done taking care of the orphans in Africa and keeping the planets spinning so I can ask Him again," you might think. "He'll be ready and able to answer me."

But to your dismay, you catch voicemail again. Maybe you don't even make it to "Amen" before you realize you're talking to yourself. So you resolve to try Plan F.

Over time, maybe you forgot that you prayed for healing for the cold you finally got over. Maybe you find your phone in your pocket and get on to work. Maybe a door opened for you to move forward in your career. And life goes on.

"God, why haven't you answered my prayer?" you ask the next time you pray. "I know that your answer isn't always 'yes', but I need at least some response!"

I totally did not expect to find a cartoon depicting the premise of this entire post!

One day, you sit down and reflect on what's happened in the past few weeks, months, or even years. And you realize...

...You asked for healing from a cold. A few days later, you recovered and got on with your life, and you forgot to thank God for healing you.

...You asked for help finding your phone. A few minutes later, you found it in an obvious place and rushed to work and forgot to thank God for revealing it to you.

...You asked for wisdom, and looking back, you can see that God guided you away from a path that was bad for you and gave you the very best.

And you realize that your prayers were never voicemail left on God's answering machine. You finally discover that He's been watching and protecting and guiding you all along. Every yes and every no has led you to this moment.

And you understand that, no matter how distant or busy He seems, no matter how terrible your circumstances appear, no matter how daunting your request, God is answering.

You just have to slow down long enough to see that it is God's hand working for your good in your life.

Take some time to reflect on your own answered prayers and thank God for His great faithfulness.

Team Playing

So unity in Christ has been on my mind a lot lately, for a variety of reasons. I've talked about love for fellow Christians in a previous post, how important it is that the world can "know us by our love." But in my devotional recently, I was struck by a different angle. I was reading Ephesians 4 in The Message version (don't judge! It's good to switch things up a little because some verses stick out more with different wording) and I stopped short to think about it.


Throughout the chapter, Paul had been encouraging the Ephesians to mature in their faith, to have endurance, and then we get to verses 4-6.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

This really made me think, because we usually think of Christianity as a road, and we occasionally acknowledge that other Christians are also on the road. But what struck me was that we are all on the SAME road, in the SAME direction, so we should stick together. Life is often portrayed as a race, but it's not supposed to be. A race means competition, and competition means trying to be better than someone else, and that sometimes means putting others down to put yourself ahead.

I kept reading as Paul elaborates on that, saying that we all have different callings within our same direction, that we must grow up in our faith, and that we must put away all the old worldly ways.

Verse 25 made me stop.

What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

"We're all connected to each other." This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul talks about the church being one body, how one part is no better than any other. Maybe it was just coming from the context I was in, but it hit me in a new way.

Most of you are familiar with team sports such as football, basketball, even Ultimate Frisbee. Whether or not you have ever played on a team, I'm confident that you know that it is a bad thing if one of your team members gets hurt, so you would never intentionally injure one of your teammates.

But imagine a team, with the same goal and same purpose and same strong enemy, that is constantly divided! One of the stronger, "star" players knocks over a weak teammate and breaks the ankle of another strong teammate so he can get the glory. Or a well-respected athlete spreads rumors about another teammate so that no one plays to her. Wouldn't you think that team was insane? After all, who would hurt one of their own when a strong and unified enemy stood ready to destroy the whole team?

Yet we as Christians tear each other down every day!

Why do we do this? Ultimately, of course, it comes down to the fact that we are all sinners. But I think a big part of the problem is that we feel like we have something to prove. I don't know who we're trying to prove it to (ourselves? others? God?) but we act like we have it all together, with just enough visible flaws for us to appear spiritual.

But our actions show that we are, in fact, no better than the world. We gossip. We spread rumors. We form our little cliques and shut everyone else out. We tear people down. We ignore each other. We get mad at each other and worst of all we let our anger get in the way of our worship.

If our disunity (read: insanity) as Christians can break my heart, imagine how it breaks God's heart! Brothers and sisters, we can't go on like this! There is too much at stake for us to fracture our relationships over petty disagreements and frustrations. The enemy stands ready to take any foothold.

It's time to start treating each other as God intended: with love and respect as teammates in the cosmic battle for our souls.

One Year of God's Faithfulness.

Wow.

Today marks exactly one year since my first blog post came out. Talk about "Not By Sight"...I definitely couldn't have seen that I would have written a blog post every two weeks for a YEAR. Can I just say how faithful God is?

There have definitely been a lot of ups and downs, times when I could write five awesome posts in a day and times when I couldn't write two coherent sentences, times when I felt like I was on top of the whole Christian lifestyle and times when I was barely hanging on. In my personal life, I know it has been like a roller coaster with some free fall in the mix. (I hate roller coasters so some of this past year has been especially rough.)

I know this is a bit of a cliche verse, but Lamentations 3.22-23 is so rich:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 

Besides giving me inspiration for blog posts and the skill with words to write them, God has showed up in big and small ways this past year. He has brought people into my life when I felt alone. He has brought songs to my attention to encourage me. He has guided me through my high school graduation and into my freshman year at college. He has never abandoned me when I cried out to Him for help. Just a few weeks ago, I was struggling with a speech, gave up and told God, "If you don't help me, it's not gonna happen." If I didn't have that speech finished by dinner-time, then the sky's not blue.

What I'm saying is that, even though a lot of times we may feel like our prayers are just messages on God's answering machine, if we take the time to look back and trace God's hand, we will undoubtedly see it. His hand is in all things, certainly, but we can't comprehend all things so it is better to see how He has worked in your life.

I guess this post would be better around New Year's, but I think any time is a good time to reflect. Although living in the now and looking toward the future is important, we have to remember how we got to where we are so that we have the strength to go on. If God got you through a time of loneliness last year, then when loneliness strikes again, you can know that He will get you though again.

As I celebrate a year of God's faithfulness, I encourage you to look back and do the same. Whatever painful things may have happened to you this past year, I know you won't regret it, because God is in all of it. Every minute of every day, God walked with you. And He is still with you.

Representatives of God

So in  my last post I talked about the third commandment and how we should be careful of the words we use and the thoughts we think. But I think there is more to the third commandment than just words and thoughts. I mean, yeah, we need to avoid using our God's name in an irreverent way. Absolutely.

But think about this: whose name is in the word Christian? Christ, right? As in, the Son of God?

How do we misuse "Christian" though?

Glad you asked.

Let's break it down. The word "Christian" means "little Christ." So we are a representative of Jesus, right? So when you tell someone that you are a Christian but don't act like Christ, isn't that a false representation? Isn't that as bad as misusing God's name?

When I think about being God's representative to a watching world, I am both overwhelmed and honored. After all, if people are looking at me to see what Christianity is all about, then I need to be on my game 24/7/365, right? So that's overwhelming for sure. Short of God's strength and grace, it would be impossible. But it is also an honor. God could reveal Himself to whomever He chose however He wants. But He chose to use me to share His gospel, and I think that is one of the most exciting and inspiring things we can grasp.

We could go on forever about how to live as representatives of Christ, because there is so much that Jesus is that we can never be. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We have the responsibility and privilege of being a representative of God, and we should be eagerly representing Him wherever we go. I think if we got that straight we would be a lot closer to actually representing Him than if we just tried to follow a list of rules.

I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I don't want to use thirty paragraphs to explain what I can say in three. You are the light of the world. Shine bright.

Letter of the Language Law

I will have to admit that entering a public college after having been homeschooled my entire life and been almost exclusively in Christian circles was quite a shock to me on many levels. I could talk about the differences and challenges all day, but there is one aspect in particular that I want to address.

You see, while movies containing a lot of what is classified as "inappropriate language" are rated R, nobody rated or censored the guys chatting before calculus. No "convenient" sound effect goes off when one of my classmates uses vulgarity. There are no asterisks to bleep out real life.

So that made me think...what really constitutes bad language? What makes one word okay to use and another, with perhaps just one or two different letters, so much worse? And then there are words that were once used in everyday conversation and now have an entirely worse meaning. And of course, there are people who misuse God's name all the time, without even thinking about it.

 

And that isn't even getting into euphemistic language, which is basically changing a couple letters so that it's technically a different word and then using it for the exact same purpose.

We are all pretty familiar with the third commandment (Exodus 20:7 ESV)

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Basically: don't say God's name unless you are actually talking about or to God. Pretty simple.

Right?

Well, there are several euphemistic ways of saying God's name. Are those okay, since they don't consist of the exact same letters and sounds? What about some of the others? What about the replacements (maybe instead of the "g" in "OMG" standing for "God", letting it stand for "guacamole" or something)? What if, instead of using **** to insult someone, I just call them more socially acceptable words? And wait, aren't there hand signals that say some of the same things, except without letters and sounds?

If your head isn't spinning, maybe it's because you've already been thinking about this. I've been going back and forth on it for a while: on one hand, maybe we should just restrict all of our language to what would be allowed in a G-rated movie; on the other, maybe it's just all sounds and as long as whoever we're around doesn't care, we can use it.

Is there an answer?

I wasn't sure for a while. But the other day, this verse showed up on one of my daily Bible verse apps (as a side note, daily Bible verse apps are great and usually free).

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)

 It was one of those times where I had a bunch of questions that I didn't know how to ask and then God gave me the answer key and it all clicked. (Understanding it, as opposed to implementing it, is easy though...but we'll get to that later.)

Let's break it down. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths..." (The ESV says "corrupting talk", but I think that "unwholesome" gets the point a little closer to home.) If we stop here, it's easy to go about our day trying not to use words on some arbitrary list. "I'm not using unwholesome talk!" you could argue.

But let me ask this: Let's say that "a*b*c" is a "bad word" to say that someone is brainless, ignorant, unintelligent, etc. The word a*b*c is never heard in G and PG rated movies and is hinted at in PG-13. You are walking down the sidewalk and someone is on their phone and bumps into you, knocking your drink all over your printed presentation and your outfit. You could call them a*b*c and a couple people around you will cringe. Or you could loudly berate the person, calling them ignorant, brainless, and unintelligent, maybe even throwing in a "censored" version of the word, like x*y*z.

Here's the question: No matter what word you use, will the effect on the clumsy person be essentially the same? Won't he stand up from the accident feeling just as terrible, angry, and ignorant in both scenarios?

The point is that it is less about the word than the meaning. Words have to have meaning or a society doesn't work. (I already covered this some in The Solid Word) If you want to convey a message that someone is ignorant, overweight, or displeasing in some way, you can do that in many ways that would not get censored out for a PG-13 audience. So it's less about "can you?" and more about "should you?"

Before I wrap up, let's cover the rest of the verse. "...but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

As with most commandments God gives us there is a negative element (Don't say bad things) and a positive element (instead, build others up with your words). And, as usual, it is way harder to obey the positive facet than just the negative.

I mean, I could go a while without tearing someone down verbally, and maybe even keep my thoughts from insulting them silently. But for every word that comes out of my mouth (or my fingers) to be helpful and beneficial...every word...is that even possible?

Only with a lot, and I mean a LOT, of prayer. And the Holy Spirit. And even then, it still won't be perfect until Heaven.

But don't get discouraged. You can start where you are. Maybe make it a point to say one encouraging thing every day, or to stop yourself when you are tempted to speak poorly to or of another person. It doesn't have to change in a day. Just don't stay where you are.

Prayer Life in War Room

How's your prayer life? Would you say it is hot? Cold? Somewhere in between?

I imagine that most of us would admit that it isn't as hot as it could be but that it's not nonexistent. Some of us might confess that prayer time comes primarily right before eating and maybe during a bad headache or preceding a test we may not have studied well for.

Last weekend I had the privilege to see the new movie War Room and I was impressed by the power of prayer depicted in the movie. This is not a movie review, although I highly recommend that you watch it at some point, even if you wait until Netflix has it. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything. But I wanted to talk about prayer.

In the movie, the main character is asked whether her prayer life is hot or cold. She replies that it's somewhere in the middle. She is then served a cup of lukewarm coffee to prove the point that it is better to be hot or to be cold.

We often tell ourselves that we are better than being lukewarm, but I think we get comfortable in our salvation and think, "I'll pray tomorrow. Today's going pretty well. I don't really need anything."

First of all, prayer is not for when we need something. It is to be an ongoing conversation with God.

Second, you will always need prayer. Whether you are fighting temptation or struggling through a storm or simply trying to do God's will, you will never find a time in which prayer is not appropriate.

Another point I drew from the movie was that, when you're praying for someone, it's really hard to see them as the enemy. The focus is turned from your fellow creation to the Enemy of our souls. When you take the battle to the right enemy, chances of victory will increase.

Prayer also allows us to turn our problems over to God; in return, we receive peace.

Maybe the biggest thing I walked away with was the realization that, although the movie inspired me to clean out my closet and make myself a "war room", I was going to go home, go to bed, get up, do life, and go back to bed, all without even saying "Hi" to God. And to be honest, I have live up to my expectation.

But I want that to change. I want to learn to fight in prayer, to be a prayer warrior. But to do that I'm going to need divine help.

I hope that your prayer life is vibrant, but if you feel like it's lacking, I encourage you to see War Room. I know: there are plenty of "cheesy Christian" scenes (but what is a Christian movie without some bad acting?). But I think it is worth the watch.

Let's get our prayer life heated back up...starting by actually praying.

The Good, the Bad, and the Busy

With the school year begun in earnest, I have discovered just how little time I have. I spend a good portion of every day at my university, come home, finish homework, and try to eat and sleep between social and church activities. It seems like every day someone has hatched a plan to study together or go out to eat or go mini-golfing or have a movie night. And let's face it, those are the things that get me through a week of calculus: I look forward to them and have a reward for surviving another few days.

On top of school and social events and church functions, I have things to do around the house, need to get some exercise in, and especially have quiet time. Unfortunately, by the time I am home and have checked social media thoroughly and pretended to do homework while on YouTube (admit it, you've done it too), I don't have much time for God.

Oops.

But honestly, it isn't really because I don't have much time after everything else...it's because I don't make much time before everything else.

I know I've talked about this before (Idolatry of Origami) but it's so important that I want to talk about it again.

And before I get into it, I just want to say that I am not pointing fingers or preaching at you. I am reprimanding myself for the time I spend on social media and with friends and even at church.

"Even at church"? Yes. I think that being at church and serving there is a great thing, certainly something God wants us to have. But I think that a lot of people (unconsciously) think that, if they go to church and serve God and worship with the Body, they will have gotten all their "God-time" for the week. I love church and volunteer/mission work, but if that is all I do...well, I've missed the point.

Imagine that you have a friend and you spend a lot of time at their house, looking at scrapbooks and baking their favorite meals and cleaning their house and doing favors for those they love. Imagine further that, although you do a lot of great things for them, you never actually sit down and get to know them. You could tell another friend all about them and how to be friends with them. But you don't actually know them.

God doesn't disapprove of our going to church or of our service to Him. Those are good and even necessary things to grow in your Christian walk. But God said,

To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12.33 NIV)

Of course, we don't actually set cows on fire and offer them to God on an altar, but we give of our precious time and resources when we attend and serve at church. And I'm not saying that God doesn't appreciate those things. But He calls us to love Him and love one another, and that is more important than anything. Everything.

So if loving God and others is our highest calling, why are we spending so much time on Instagram and Netflix? I sometimes think that the many blessings we have in a developed nation like America are really more of a distraction than a blessing, when it comes down to it. They keep us busy. I heard a quote (and it has been attributed to several different people so I'm not sure who actually said it) that sums this up:

"If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy."

I read C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters and it was so eye-opening, because one of the tactics that Uncle Screwtape advises his nephew Wormwood to use to keep his subject from gaining salvation was to distract him, to keep him too busy to consider what he had learned.

None of the things that we do during the day that keep us busy are inherently sinful. (I say this generally...obviously if you do spend your time in an activity that is inherently sinful, then you will need to work that out with God. I am talking about social media, socializing, and general busyness.) But they become sinful when we allow them to intrude on our time with God. For example, if reading this blog distracts you from your devotional time, then you can stop reading it. I would much rather you hear God's words than mine.

Again, this is just as much to myself (if not more) as it is to you. Frankly, the first thing I do when I wake up is not to have a moment with God. I usually check Instagram. And blogging about it makes it feel so wrong, and I want to resolve to stop. But I know that, when I wake up tomorrow morning, more likely than not, I will be halfway down my feed before I realize that I am going to be late for school, and I will be halfway to school before I remember that I haven't had much water to drink this morning, and I will be halfway through my day before it hits me that I haven't given God a moment's thought.

And He deserves so much more. I mean, He deserves more than I could ever possibly give, even if I dedicated my entire life to worshipping Him. But He deserves more than a table blessing and a half-absent prayer request.

So let's give Him the time and the praise and the love He deserves.

Week of Worship: Heart of Worship

 

I decided to end this Week of Worship by bringing us back to the Heart of Worship.

 
This song has been around for quite a while, but its meaning still holds true. We have a tendency to complicate things that God made simple. Worship is one of those things. We believe that we need fancy PowerPoint slides and at least three different kinds of guitars... or we believe that hymnal four-part harmony is the language of heaven. The problem is that, whenever we decide how God is to be worshiped, it ceases to be worship as God intended.

A "Heart of Worship" is a state of being in which we are always worshiping, in which worship is all about God, the only One worthy of praise.

Let's stop trying too hard and just worship God as He has created us to.

 

Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me! This has been a great time for me to really dig into worship songs and what worship really means! I encourage you, if you haven't already, to add a comment about your favorite worship song(s) and maybe a little about what worship of the Holy God means to you!

Week of Worship: He Knows My Name

I don't know how it is in your conversations, but I find myself and my friends trying to "out-complain" each other. Who got the least sleep? Who had the most homework? Who was stuck at school longest through the week? Who has the worst phone? Who has the most difficult shoe size to find?

I never really think about how absurd it is, but it is. It's like reverse bragging; instead of praise we fish for sympathy.

Of course, old-fashioned bragging is still in play. "Not to brag, but..." does not work to keep your listeners from taking your statement as a boast. I am just as guilty of this, trying to bring glory to myself by showing off or trying to slip in a statement about one of my qualities.

But why do we do this? So we can be the center of attention? So everyone can know our name? Why? Get your fifteen minutes of fame and then on to the next. What does that gain you?

If all the people in the world except One don't know your name, then you are known by everyone who matters.

 

You know how, when you were little, if you could tell a joke or do some trick that made your dad laugh, it was like no one else's opinion mattered? Like if you could impress him, then you were a million dollars? Well, there is a Father who loves you more than any earthly father possibly can and He made you perfect. And if He approves, then you need seek no other praise.

Admittedly, most of us have, at some point, dreamed of being famous in some capacity, whether as a celebrity, musician, athlete, scientist, billionaire, or some combination (the more money, the better). But even if the whole world sees our name in lights and we are not a child of the King, then we will have nothing at the end of the day. 

Francesca Battistelli released a song not long ago called "He Knows My Name." And it reminds us that, even if no one on earth knows our name, we are famous to our Father. And if our desire to be recognized is fulfilled there, then we can focus on the true star of the show: Jesus. When we get out of the way, the world can see Him. When we stop trying to soak up all the attention, we allow others to turn their attention to Jesus.

I know on a personal level, it's easy for me to get down when the pageviews for this blog are low and no one comments. I sometimes have to stop myself and ask, "Who am I doing this for? If I'm doing it for God, then why does a number even matter? And if I'm doing it for anyone but God, why am I doing it at all?" I have to remember that, if God sees what I write and is pleased that I am writing for Him, then nothing else matters.

So, instead of bragging on ourselves to elevate ourselves, let's allow ourselves to fall away from center stage and boast on our God, how amazing He is, how much He's done for us!

Listen, fall back to the supporting role, and comment your favorite worship song!

Week of Worship: We Believe

Not to get political on our 5th day of Week of Worship, but let's face it: the world is not getting more friendly and accepting of Christianity. I live in the Bible belt and I don't face a lot of opposition in my small (and mostly Christian) circles, but I know that this is not the case for many if not most people. And with a bunch of you moving off to college this year, knowing what you believe has never been more important.

If you aren't super strong on your apologetics and defense of your faith, that's okay...but you do need to be able to give an answer to everyone who asks (1 Peter 3.15). But how can you defend what you believe if you don't even know what you believe?

 

Enter Newsboys' We Believe. Like the Apostle's Creed, it is a brief summary of the major points of Christianity that everyone who is truly a Christian holds to be true. I love how the song affirms again and again the reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, the crucifixion, resurrection, and the gift of new life.

This song accompanied the recent film Do You Believe? which I found thought-provoking. Do you believe? Do you truly believe in the cross of Christ? If so, then sing along with Newsboys, because this song is a statement of your faith. And if not, then there's no better time to change that than now.

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He's comin' back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back again!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud our God we'll say
We believe, we believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the veil!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back,
He's comin' back again!
He's comin' back again!
We believe!
We believe!

Week of Worship: Rising & Blessed Be Your Name

The other day, as I was driving to school, at about 7:30 (yes, I have 8AM classes; no, it's not fun), it was just past sunrise. Most of the sky was covered in clouds, but there was one spot, just below where the sun was, where the clouds were ripped just a little. Golden rays of sunlight shone out in glory. It almost made my heart stop for a moment, the kind of moment when you think, "Wow! This is how I imagine it when Jesus comes back!" It was breathtaking, but sadly traffic kept moving and so did I.

Through the whole landscape though, I never actually saw the sun or the sunrise. I knew that it had to be beautiful based on the sliver I could see. But I couldn't see the beauty; I had to trust that it was there, hidden behind the clouds.

Actually though, I think that, maybe the darkness of the clouds, covering everything but the sun's rays spilling out through the rift, was what made the scene so beautiful. The contrast: night and day, dark and light.

So the clouds made the scene more beautiful, and I could enjoy that beauty of contrast as I trusted that the true, pure beauty was hidden just through the obscuring clouds.

The sunrise passed and became blue sky which in turn became night, but the glory of heaven, obscured from our view by mortality and sin, will never wane. If we can just endure, keep trusting that the beauty is just through the clouds, we will at last see it.

It is a hard perspective to maintain, though, and frankly I rarely consider the eternal when making day-to-day choices. But it is especially difficult to keep the goal of heaven in view when we're going through storms.

Last year, I was introduced to Rising, by Paul Baloche. I love the harmonies of the song right away, and I love the message that, from the rising of the sun until the sun goes down, we must praise the name of the Lord. I thought the song fitting to the sunrise analogy. Because sometimes the sky is cloudy, and sometimes it storms, and then it's not as easy to praise God. And sometimes it's sunny and bright and clear and we forget to praise God. Hear this call to worship, let the name of the Lord be praised!

If you need another reason to bless the Lord, check out Matt Redman's Blessed Be Your Name. The message declares that, in the good, in the bad, in the plenty, in the scarce, in the sun, in the storms, God is in control and is to be blessed. Even when our souls are weary from the fight, we bless the name of the Lord. Even when things are going great and we don't think we need Him, we bless the name of the Lord. Even when we can't see the sunrise, we bless the name of the Lord.

This song is a bit of a classic by now, but it's just as good now as it has always been. Blessed be the name of the Lord who gives blessings we don't deserve and takes away when it's for our good.

Listen to the song and drop your favorite worship song in the comments!

Week of Worship: Come As You Are

Life is good, right? That's what everything tries to tell us.

But sometimes it's not. Sometimes we get weary carrying heavy burdens of shame. Sometimes we wear ourselves out trying to be perfect or trying to compromise. Sometimes we try to reach God by our own means and sometimes we feel too ashamed of our failings to even cry out to Him.

In the Old Testament, God gave His people a lot of rules to follow. If you have ever read through Exodus or Leviticus, you have an idea of how many rules. The Law was everything for the Israelites. And it was a heavy burden, made heavier by the rules the Pharisees imposed on themselves.

But Jesus came and changed everything.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Crowder's song Come As You Are is God's dialogue to us, assuring us that, no matter our burdens or shame, we can come to Jesus, who will give us rest. However, although we are to come as we are, we are not to stay. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). If an encounter with Jesus does not change you, then you may want to search your heart for why. But know that, if you will simply come, God will take your burdens and shame and give you peace and rest. Nothing on earth can be so hurtful that Heaven can't heal.

Listen to this amazing song and then let me know what your favorite worship songs are in the comments.

**Bonus!!!!**
As I was writing this post, I remembered another song of a very different style but with the same message: that no matter what we try, if we search for rest in this world, we will find only burdens; but if we seek relief at the throne of God, our heavy burdens and heavy hearts will find rest.

Check it out! It's a little different, but it's pretty catchy. Extra credit if you can rock the rap!

Week of Worship: Good Good Father

Thanks for checking back for day 2 of Week of Worship! I'm excited to share with you today's song. If you've kept up with worship music at all recently, you've probably heard it. But I want to share it anyway because it is so powerful.

I would like to pick a few lines from the song and highlight those, but basically every word is powerful and meaningful, so here goes.

Oh, I've heard a thousand stories //Of what they think You're like.

But I've heard the tender whisper //Of love in the dead of night.

And You tell me that You're pleased //And that I'm never alone.

So we talk about God and His love and His character a lot, right? But until you truly experience His love, you'll never understand, even if you hear "a thousand stories." Even a million stories can't describe the love that a holy God expresses for His sinful people--for you!--promising them that they'll never be alone.

 

 Oh, and I've seen many searching //For answers far and wide.

But I know we're all searching //For answers only You provide.

Because You know just what we need // Before we even say a word.

Can I just say "Wow!" That God knows what I need before I even know what I need...and that He answers it! Beyond that, He is the answer we're all searching for, whether or not we know where to look.

You're a good, good Father. // It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are.

And I'm loved by You. // It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am.     

No matter what your relationship is with your earthly father, God is our Father and He loves us. He is not just a Father, but He is a good, good Father. He is so much more than that, however, and His identity surpasses any human label. But for us...we are loved by Him and that is all we ever need to be. When I am down, feeling alone or lacking confidence, this song reminds me that I am loved and that is enough.

 Because You are perfect in all of Your ways to us!

Everything God has planned for us is perfect. That means complete. Whole. Flawless. It may seem hard and it may feel like God is against you or that He isn't fair or that He simply doesn't care. But the truth is this: His ways are higher than our ways, and though we cannot see them, they are perfect.

Oh, it's love so undeniable,//I can hardly speak.

Peace so unexplainable, //I can hardly think.

As You call me deeper still // into love, love, love ...   

 

We can go as deep as we want into God's gifts of love and peace and never reach the limit and still be overwhelmed by it all. If you are going through a time that is not peaceful or that hurts you deeply, dwell on this: God's love and peace is deeper still than your troubles, and it is enough.

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. You may want to put it on repeat and let the comfort sink it. Then share your thoughts and your favorite worship song in the comments and tune in tomorrow for another song!

 

Good Good Father

Oh, I've heard a thousand stories

Of what they think You're like.

But I've heard the tender whisper

Of love in the dead of night.

And You tell me that You're pleased

And that I'm never alone.

You're a good, good Father.

It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are.

And I'm loved by You.

It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am.     

 Oh, and I've seen many searching 

For answers far and wide.

But I know we're all searching

For answers only You provide.

Because You know just what we need

Before we even say a word.

(Repeat Chorus 2x) 

Because You are perfect in all of Your ways!

You are perfect in all of Your ways!

You are perfect in all of Your ways to us! (2x)

Oh, it's love so undeniable,

I can hardly speak.

Peace so unexplainable,

I can hardly think.

As You call me deeper still,

As You call me deeper still,

As You call me deeper still,

into love, love, love ...    

(Repeat Chorus 2x)