Cynicism, american idol and the kingdom of heaven
For years, my primary audition song was Les Miserables’ ”I Dreamed a Dream” – so when my friend Galen posted a YouTube link about it on Facebook, I clicked the link without even thinking. As a woman turning 40 this week, it was a special gift. But the bigger impact to me was the comment said by one of the judges, Amanda Holden. It stopped me in my tracks. She said:
“…everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were being very cynical and I think that’s the biggest wake-up call ever. And I just want to say it was a complete privilege to listen to that.”
Acts 13 (referring back to Habakkuk and Isaiah) says, “Look you scoffers, be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your days, a work you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.” Now, clearly, this isn’t a reference to American Idol or any particular person’s chance to shine. But it does speak of a fatal human condition; the hardening of the heart.
Even those of us who have been redeemed can suffer from this, I know I do. When I saw Susan Boyle walk out on stage, I didn’t have the desire to condescendingly whistle at her, like someone was doing in the audience that night…I didn’t have the desire to laugh at her. No, I wanted her to be good. In fact, I wanted her to be inspirational… but I didn’t believe she would be. Why???
Why are we so afraid to believe that something magical and wonderful might actually happen? At least for myself, I’ve come to understand it is the fear of disappointment. If I put my hopes in something, I fear the crush of loss IF it doesn’t to fulfillment. I fear the death of loved ones, the betrayal of friends, the failure of business endeavors… you name it and I probably fear it.
And this is why, in my opinion, God gave us the arts. Because once in a while, we’ll see someone shine. We’ll be surprised. We’ll see them climb a lovely scale. We’ll feel moved by a melody or a line delivery or just the purity of a voice… and we’ll know. We’ll know that heaven is possible.
We’ll know there’s more than this life, with its heartbreak and loss and failures. We’ll nurture the tiny little mustard seed of hope in us all. And the growing of that faith feels so good to our souls… enjoy.
(click it twice. you’ll leave the blog)
From the dead…
If you aren’t familiar with Igniter Media, you should spend some time surfing their site. They may be best known for their animated track of “Its Friday, But Sunday’s Comin” but my all-time favorite is their animated track of “Jesus Paid It All” – especially the section at about three minutes in where there is a transition from skulls to doves. 
If you want to see the demo (and get the best view of the animation) then go here. If you want to see it live, go here to see it performed by Frontline, a ministry at McLean Bible Church.
“Praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead…Jesus.”
Penn and a lesson on proselytizing
Penn (of Penn & Teller fame) has never been shy about being an atheist and his comments about religion have often alarmed me but if this video doesn’t encourage you…
“I’m sane, I’m not crazy.”
That rocks.
Have you heard of the Lost Boys of Sudan?
I had not heard of them until my friend’s recent visit. My friend works for Aid Sudan, an incredible ministry to the Sudanese.
After spending time with him this past weekend, I came across an interesting You Tube video. I cannot vouch for the entire documentary, but the information in this first clip appears to be true.
We were honored to have a Lost Boy in our home and based on what Maker (pronounced Ma-kehr) told us, the facts are all true. War, lions, extreme privation, no parents, no home – just running. Some boys as young as 4 years old…
Maker - was Lost Boy, now missionary.
Now imagine the set of circumstances that would bring some of these young men to become educated (Maker has a medical license) and equipped to return to Sudan as a Christian missionaries.
Have you heard of the Lost Boys of Sudan? If not, I encourage you to become familiar with the subject and support Aid Sudan’s Moses Project. Your life will be better for it.
Lighthouse & Storm
A friend recently sent me a video clip (from Kim Komando’s column) of French lighthouses. I watched the clip with such a profound sense of awareness… almost like I had just stumbled across a video of myself.
This week was a terrible anniversary and has added move waves to my usually turbulent soul. There always seems to be so much to do, so many needs to attend, so many plates to keep spinning. I thank God for my husband, who loves me and deals with me in such patience and wisdom.
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure…For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm… for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall…”
He (Lord of Hosts) will swallow up death forever… will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken…It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:1-9
Superheroes Walk Among Us
People fascinate me. Sometimes too much.
At our former church, there was a man who’d loudly and frequently shout “Amen”, though he pronounced it more like “A-MANN.” He was terribly distracting. I’d get lost in thought asking myself questions. Did he mean to be so obnoxious? Was he just hard of hearing??? Every so often, he’d even throw off our pastor.
The church had a goodly number of amenners (this blogger included) and the practice wasn’t distracting when anyone else did it. Most kept it within the realm where the amens were not such a distraction (like running around with praise flags). The guy was louder and more frequent than anyone, and often inspired to shout at very odd times… it was almost as if he was in a different time zone or parallel universe…?
After a while, it occurred to us that his expletives weren’t affirmations at all. They were more like weapons. They gave the worship service a battlefield atmosphere, like artillery fire, and we became more focused on him than the sermon, an obvious problem. Then one day, a realization came.
His shouts sounded like weapons BECAUSE THEY WERE! This was a game changer for us. We named him A-Man and began to envision the unseen battles taking place – battles where A-Man defended us with spiritual words and the sheer power of his voice… we became thankful for his hard work and dedication. With grateful hearts, our focus returned to the message.
When we joined the music ministry, we found the choir loft was a great observation post for watching the fray. We also noticed that A-Man wasn’t alone; he was aided by a small team of sidekicks whom a friend later named “The Strange Rangers.” (This small group of folks would stand in a crowded worship service and spin around with their arms extended above their heads, like helicopter blades. Those nearby would often have to duck.) More than one superhero was among us, defending us from unseen evil! Their ingenious disguises made them difficult to identify and appreciate, but those with astute observation skills could see that there was much more going on than met the eye.
A new pastor came to our church and we were told that A-Man was asked to stop or leave. (I suppose the new pastor didn’t realize that spiritual crime fighting can sometimes get messy… and loud.) We heard that A-Man had moved on, his work perhaps unappreciated but not forgotten. We, too, had pulled up roots and replanted at a new church.
We attend a truly wonderful contemporary service but go to “big church” when the services are combined.
To our amazement, a superhero was there! This time, the sonic weapon of choice was “Glory!”, but again the tell-tale variation: he pronounced it more like “GLOW-RY!” Was it a different superhero? Or was it the exiled A-Man, operating under a fresh identity, like when Dick Grayson became Nightwing? The traditional service is apparently infested with much mischief, but not as dire as before, as we saw no sign of the Rangers. For that matter, we haven’t made visual contact with Glowry yet either, but my husband drew this artist’s conception of him:
Walking among us
We smiled and nodded knowingly to each other.
Their work is never done…
I Married a Doctrinal Pit Bull
My husband is a doctrinal pit bull, as Mars Hill’s Mark Driscoll uses the phrase. That’s bad because he bares fangs when someone tortures scripture. That’s good because he does love his neighbor and is always ready to give a defense for the hope within him. His pit bull passion has encouraged many friends (especially lately, it has been wild!) to “dude up” and get into God’s word.
Loving the Lord with your heart, soul and mind has been a topic of daily discussion with us for over a year. Mark Noll’s The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind says “the scandal of the evangelical mind is that there’s not much of an evangelical mind…” This statement grieves and challenges me because I suspect it is true. It seems to me that the Church has been very busy in serving, singing, community work… but it has also gotten intellectually lazy.
There must be a balance between heart and mind, between compassion for the lost and passion for righteousness, between speaking in love and speaking the truth.
Only time in service, prayer, worship and the Word will give us this balance. Call it obedience training for the doctrinal pitbull in all of us.
His Kingdom
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Father of Everlasting, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
Isaiah 9 (mostly ESV)
HIS KINGDOM WILL NEVER END…
My salvation was a usurpation. The day he took the scepter from me, it was the most loving overthrow in the history of coups. His kingdom began on earth as a zygote in a young woman’s womb. He reigned from within that womb, just as much God as baby. Today He reigns in our hearts but I frequently try to take back the throne. My flesh would wrench that scepter out His nail scarred hands, but praise God, I cannot. His promises are sure and His kingdom will never end. Everything is subject to Him.
This means the success of His endeavors aren’t dependent on me. My brow doesn’t have to be weary from the burden of a crown. This also means that I cannot screw this up. No matter how hard I may try to dethrone the King, I will not succeed. I can’t corrupt the incorruptible. I can’t defile the undefileable.
And this assurance – the sure glorification of the the Father, the promise that His kingdom will never end, gives peace to the angry rebel, gives humility to the bitter skeptic, gives joy to the one oppressed in fear – and it strengthens the weary warrior to continue in the good fight.
This season, I will remember His birth but more importantly, I will rejoice in His everlasting kingdom. Merry Christmas.
Ownership (cont.)
A second excerpt from the Ownership chapter of the Leadership Prayers book by Richard Kriegbaum.
“We are always lacking something, our dreams always mocking our reality, our vision always dancing around our poverty… with never enough time for all the good that could be done, only just enough for Your priorities, if I get them right. ”
I do pray that God will show me the priorities I’ve been given time to accomplish and help me to remain focused on them in the midst of so many distraction.
Ownership
Leaders are stewards of God’s purposes and resources in human lives and history. Too easily we act as if we were the owners. Too easily we try to play God. We do not work miracles for God. He does them for us.
“Do no be afraid!… For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
2 Chronicles 20:15
This chapter of the prayer book really hit home. Just a few phrases:
These are not my people. I chose them and organize their efforts, but they do not belong to me. You entrusted them to my leadership…. They deserve more and somtimes expect more of me that I can give them. What they really need is enormous. If I take their needs and hopes and fears on myself personally, I will be crushed instantly. They are Yours.
Identity Prayer
I was recently given a book of leadership prayers. This little handbook is amazing! It really spoke to me at a key moment and continues to bless me.
Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriegbaum
Intro to first prayer: “I lead as an expression of who I am, yet I must always be more than the leadership role I play. People may see me in terms of the visible leadership role which God has entrusted to me, but God knows who I really am. My integrity as a person – and as a leader – depends on seeing myself and what I do as God sees them.”
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I Samuel 16:7, NIV
First prayer: “God, this leadership role that I play from time to time, this character I assume, is a gift from you. You know I am not essentially the head of all this. I am merely your child, trying to become like you and do what you want.
Playing ‘leader’ for a while is a great role in this real-life drama of The Good King vs. The Evil Prince. But unless you work a miracle, I will not play the role well, and the people I care about so much will suffer.
I know how the story goes: The Evil Price tries to deceive, disrupt, and destroy anything good I might do. I know that in the long run truth wins, and at the very end good triumphs. I even know which ideas and values are supposed to control each character, including mine. But I also know that I have to write the script as I go and help other people play their parts. And I have to coordinate our script with all the other scripts in other parts of your kingdom. It is beyond me, but if you will whisper the cues, I will improvise.
Unless your Spirit informs and encourages me, I will not know how to play my part. I will stand foolishly silent on the stage, not knowing what I can do or even what I truly like to do. Worst of all, I will not know what I cannot do. Unless you intervene, I will blow my lines and miss my cues and confuse all the others. Help me sense my spiritual gifts so I will attempt only what you especially enable me to do and lead only where you are at work.
Do no let this leadership role consume me. Do not let me think that I have become my character. Remind my spirit who I really am so that when I go home I will not keep acting like the CEO. Guide me to do what is best for my family and for my own health.
Please help me keep it all straight. Leadership is extremely important, and I want intensely to do it right, but sometimes I forget where the role ends and I start. So I want your Spirit to remind me, however and whenever you have to…
It’s not really me, God. It’s just what I do.” Amen
