nothing new under the sun...

When I was a kid I used to listen to records... actual records. You know, big black discs with grooves in them. My parents had a ton and I listened to them all. My dad had Beatles' records, my mom had the Lettermen, Simon and Garfunkel, and Motown, my older sister had Michael Jackson... Rachael and I had Disney records featuring a very young Molly Ringwald singing "This is My Country", I kid you not. Anyway, I remember listening to those records and just being mesmerized by the bigness of the sound and the art work on the covers and the smell of the vinyl.

Of course, you know the story: records gave way briefly to 8-tracks but ultimately to cassettes, and then to CDs, and now to digital music. Now, let's be honest I love digital music... the ease of it, the compact size and portability, but records still hold a place in my heart. I'm one of those kind of guys who likely has two iPods and two record players just in case... Recently, I have gotten back into vinyl (for the second time) and all those early memories of my parents' and sisters' vinyl came rushing back, and even the nostalgia of my very own Fisher Price record player sits with me as I listen to new and old music on LPs. Personally, I think a resurgence in the actual production and distribution of vinyl could really boost the sagging music industry, but that's not my point... My point here is that what was old can be made new again.

God's mission throughout history has been to restore, to redeem, to make new... Genesis 3 - Man and woman mess up, and God has the right to destroy them right there, but instead while he punishes them he still shows them grace, he clothes them, and then promises a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15 who would "crush the head" of the serpent. And in Revelation 21 we see all this come to fruition...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:1-5a

There are a lot times when I feel too broken to do any good. Too obsolete to matter. I feel that my past, or even my present aren't good enough to be of any use to God, or his people, but then I remember that God is in the business of redeeming lost things. He is in the business of taking weak and ugly things and making them beautiful and strong - so that they may shine in the light of his glory.

I know some of you out there feel too messed up to matter, but thankfully for all of us God does not see us that way. Through Jesus Christ, the Great Redeemer, our past does not have to decide our future and our worth does not have to be measured by the sum of our actions. Let God bring you back to life and fully rely on Him.

Oh btw, if you are interested in getting vinyl locally check out these shops (if you have other suggestions, put it in the comments)... Park Ave CDs (Winter Park, FL) and Rock n' Roll Heaven (Orlando, FL)

finding the balance in the middle of transition...

As of now I have been a seminary grad for a little more than three weeks, and the very thing that I was warned would happen is happening: there is this lingering discontent as I have set the hard rigors of studying aside and stepped into a full-time ministerial role. Now, don't get me wrong I love my church and I love the role that I am in. I do not miss the hour and a half drive to and from school, nor do I miss the pressure of three or four papers being due at once.

Of course, I am setting some personal study goals for myself... to read books I haven't had time for, or to reread books I used in seminary to gain more insight and clarity... but let's be honest it isn't the same. The "have to" is not there and sometimes that is the most intriguing motivation. The blessing for me is that as the Director of Discipleship continued studies are part of my job to some extent, but even that motivation is different.

It reminds me so much of how the disciples changed in the early church. Peter, for example, went from constantly sticking his foot in his mouth to preaching to thousands in only a few short weeks. The church itself went from a band of pseudo-outcasts plagued with dissension and self-doubt to a strong body of believers who held everything in common and supported each other. What was the difference? Well, obviously Christ's gift of the Holy Spirit was the driving force behind the apostles' work - but I also think the Spirit used the motivation of necessity to give them a push. Now, I maybe wrong, but the apostles had spent three years with Christ but in his resurrection they realized that if the gospel was to be preached they would have to do it. I cannot imagine what that mental, emotional, and spiritual transition must have been like, but it makes sense that they would need the Holy Spirit in the face of their mission.

As I am seeking to find the balance between personal study and practical ministry, I am asking God for his Holy Spirit to tell me when and where and how much. That is the prayer we all need to pray, because without him all our efforts will be for naught.

be prepared to be surprised...

One of my favorite musicians of late has been Sondre Lerche... don't worry I had trouble pronouncing that name too. Anyway, he has written a couple of great songs including "Two-Way Monologue" and "Say it All" but one of my favorites is from the soundtrack for Dan in Real Life (a really good movie by the way) called "To Be Surprised". So, I was listening to that song and thinking how little we tend to be prepared to be surprised. I mean, yes, we buy insurance so we are prepared to be surprised in case of a natural disaster, we put on seat belts to be prepared to be surprised by an on-coming car... but what about the good things?

In some ways, it seems like an oxymoron, preparing indicates that we know something is coming, and to know something is coming is to NOT be surprised. So, what does it mean?

Coming at this from a Christian standpoint, we should always be prepared to be surprised by what God is trying to do in our lives. James talks about those who ask from God, yet aren't prepared for him to answer - in this case he is talking specifically about wisdom...

5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6

Jesus specifically talks about asking for needs according to his will...

22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-25

Too often it goes like this: we pray, we don't believe, and we don't receive. So of course prayer doesn't work. Of course, then, you are not really praying.

Now, I am not saying that God gives us a blank check to pray for anything and everything I want and if I am just ready to receive it then it will be. That's not what Jesus is saying, and that is not what James is saying. Preparation to be surprised by God means we must ask for things that will honor him and glorify him. Sometimes that means we glory in the good things he offers us... life, health, good jobs, plenty of food, etc. Other times he gets glory by sustaining us through the bad times. Jesus himself asked in the Garden that the cup of God's wrath might not be poured out on him, "But not my will, but your will be done..." Jesus said. God's glory was made great in Christ suffering... and then his resurrection.

You see, for us, sometimes we ask for things and God says, "Yes" other times God says, "No or Later". But the surprise comes in what God does with what he does and does not give us. Sometimes we get what we want and are surprised by the abundance. And other times we suffer and then are surprised at how we become better, stronger, wiser, and yes, happier people.

Being prepared to be surprised means leaning into God's wisdom and grace no matter what the circumstances.