“The Bible does not give us a predictable cause-effect world in which we can plan our careers and secure our futures. It is not a dream world in which everything works out according to our adolescent expectations—there is pain and poverty and abuse at which we cry out in indignation, “You can’t let this happen!” For most of us it takes years and years and years to exchange our dream world for this real world of grace and mercy, sacrifice and love, freedom and joy—the God-saved world.” — Eugent Peterson, from the Introduction to the Message
The modern church has written a lot of these massive anthem songs. You know the ones—stadium-shouters, Christian versions of “We will rock you.” They use words like glorious and majestic, words that I have no idea the meaning of. I’ve long avoided them, but they follow me around and I think I’m finally ready to be friends.
We’re doing one this week at church. As I listened to the recording my mind’s critic took the song to task: it’s too big, too long, too anthemic, too… much. Then my mind’s conscious (not to be confused with the Holy Spirit) fires back with its rebuttal: the song is good, people worship with it, stop being so critical. And so the battle rages between what I’m thinking and feeling and what I want to be thinking and feeling.
There’s one way to end this kind of nonsense, and it’s not more mind-chatter. Like Solomon, when he settled the dispute between the two women claiming the same baby, it is action that reveals the truth.
So as the song played I picked up my guitar and started strumming, started singing. Something happened inside me. Light came in through my hands and mouth and dispelled the darkness in my mind. Words in the song took on new meaning and feeling. Springs of tears bubbled up out of the desert of disconnectedness.
It’s hard to criticize what you’re participating in.
My experience is what Brennan Manning in Abba’s Child calls the “triumph of doing over being.” It’s true that who we are is more important than what we do. But it is our action, our proclamation, that makes alive in us the truth of who we are in Christ.
“Why are you downcast,” David told his soul (and you can bet he told it out loud), “hope in God, for I shall again praise him.”
“Of what value is learning that does not turn to love?” — Anthony of Padua
“To love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: ‘You are beautiful, you are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself.’” — Jean Vanier, Founder of L’Arche communities
Whenever I slip back in the mindset of trying to be original—write an original melody, create an unique design—I am reminded that all I need to do is retell what is classic and true.
Flour + Water, the best new restaurant in San Francisco, isn’t new at all:
The cuisine of flour + water has literally been done for hundreds of years in Italy—we are not re-inventing it but just trying to pay tribute to what we believe is the world’s purest style of cooking.
A post about this wouldn’t be complete without a classic C.S. Lewis quote:
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”
“I have to see to it that I fall in love with somebody or something every day, even if it’s only a tree or the wonderful turquoise sky over New Mexico. When I don’t love, the negative voices immediately get the upper hand.” — Richard Rohr
“Niceness and kindness are not the same thing. One can be kind without being nice or nice without being kind.”
What if instead of holding secret sins in our hearts we held secret wins: good deeds and God-encounters about which no soul but our own knows.
Sin held inside is a wildfire, ruthlessly ravaging our soul and our body. It should be confessed immediately to God and verbally to a trusted friend-priest (in Christ we are all priests) who will proclaim those words of freedom and health that every heart longs to hear: “In the name of Jesus, you are forgiven”.
But goodness held inside is a fire in its place. It brings warmth and light and heat to body and soul. Good secrets between friends breed intimacy. After Jesus reveals His glory to Peter, James, and John He tells them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until…” There may come a time to tell of our special moment with God or a good deed we’ve done in Jesus Name, but we must wait for the word from the Master to do so. Until then we can, like Mary, “ponder these things in our hearts.”
Freedom looks like this.
Thank you, Father, for today, a new day, a clean slate. This day keep me rooted and grounded in your love, that I may not fly off into thought and activity that would cause pain. Give me the mind of Christ, full of humility and confidence. Keep me from passivity that comes from fear of others opinions. In its place grant me a strong and gentle kindness that speaks forth truth in a way that brings life.
It is your ways that make my heart unheavy. Show me your ways. Tune my heart now in this quiet moment to hear your voice amidst the noise. Give me the courage to act on the things you say, courage that comes from seeing the joy that is set before me.
Grant me focus on today’s work, freedom from distraction, and perseverance in difficulties. May I be aware of Your voice in websites, in meetings, in books, in every conversation.
Bring someone into my path today that I may encourage in Your name. May that attitude of encouragement start at home toward my family.