Made To Worship

     There is just something so special about worship and the words chosen within it. The imagery used in most of these songs are so profound, that it amazes me that in almost every church, there are multiple people who just simply don't realize the words they are singing on Sundays. Granted, there are a few of these songs that have a limited audience, but the words behind them are so beautiful and impactful! Now this post could be inspired through my girlfriend having a job that requires her to sing songs everyday, but I think that the majority of it is just a glaring mark that God has been speaking heavily to me through worship recently. 

     Now let me explore some of these lyrics within worship songs. The first one up, Hillsong - Like An Avalanche. The main chorus sings a line, "Caught up in grace like an avalanche." Have you ever been caught in an avalanche before? Chances are no, unless you're some adventurer who is currently sidelined by taking an arrow to the knee. But the chances are high that you've seen footage of what one looks like or a movie's attempt to show a hero caught in one. It's completely overwhelming! And yet most people can sign through such a line without giving it a second thought, completely unaware that you just sang a lyric that is meant to bring you to your knees. Now recently, two churches of mine have talked about grace this weekend, covering a great deal of what grace is, versus what is not. Now when you get a chance to sit down and fully put yourself within a mindset that God has sending an avalanche of grace your way… You should be brought to some form of change right then and there. God's grace isn't cheap and comes with a great price tag, yet He freely gives it to you in the form of an avalanche! Think about that one a few times over. 

     The second song lyric I'm completely amazed at is John Mark McMillan - "How He Loves." This song has such crazy imagery within it that it's nearly impossible for me to pick just one line from it. So here are two to discuss from it. "Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy." Wow… Hurricanes have such an incredible force behind them, bringing forth a deluge of rain and wind. Most of these lyrics shoot from the idea that God's mercy given to us is far greater than what we deserved, and they're not wrong! Our position with God should be nothing less than a permanent separation from God in a life of torment and despair. (Just speaking one lie is worthy enough for God to pass this judgement upon us!) Yet through all of this, God showed us mercy! We should be bent over in a humbling posture permanently due to this idea upon our mind, and even more so upon our lips singing it! But this song isn't done yet! "So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss." Have you ever been kissed by a two year old, or tried to kiss one? If you haven't, allow for me to let you in on a hint, they're sloppy. But much more than sloppy, they're filled with unconditional love! This lyric fits perfectly within the song title, "How He Loves."! It's amazing to hear and sing within worship, and it does just what the follow up line is, "My heart turns violently inside of my chest." This line is just so impactful that I can't help but smile as I sing it, knowing that my Saviour loves me so much! 

     And time for the final song to cover. (In this blog at least.) Hillsong - Oceans. "Your grace abounds in deepest waters." That line right there seems to maybe sum up why I have these songs so heavily upon my heart. God's grace seems to be drowning and overwhelming only once the waters rise so high that I can't do anything. My life right now has much turmoil and uncertainty within it right now, along with a great sense that the walls are coming down. Yet through all of this, I seem to put my full rest within His grace and mercy. These are some songs that have been holding my hope through these past 3 years, which have been full of nothing short of disappointments, failures, let downs, and just an overall turmoil within my life. While nothing has cleared up for me yet, nor do I see a horizon yet, I am confident that God will rescue me, and lead me to shore where I can anchor and plant and grow. But until then, I will continue to use Him and His grace and mercy as my anchor through these rough times. I encourage for you to reach out to Him during these rough times and follow the chorus lyrics within Hillsong's "Take Heart", "Take heart,  let His love lead us through the night. Hold onto hope, and take courage again." God will come through for you!

The Human side of church is showing

     Well, to begin with, this post may come across as mean or evil towards the Church, but it's not. It's bringing up the small tiny factors of the church that drive only a few insane. And with such information in your hand, I say this from a perspective of someone trying to get into a church to work, and finding many things that I am unhappy with. So this more or less is my rant against the church without getting fully upset with the Church. So below is my rant to vent and get things off my chest.

     The Double Standard: This has been something that is driving me really insane for a while now. In almost every church I go to, they talk about getting people to volunteer and help out in ministries. The pastors talk about God qualifying the called, and not calling the qualified. This is all good, and the support in the bible is very strong for this. (Paul, Timothy, Peter, and many more.) The problem where this becomes the double standard is in the hiring process. When a church is looking for someone to fill a position that they have, this reasoning goes out the door instantly. I have been apart of far too many interviews that have come back without a job because I am not "Qualified" for their job position. This has become a big issue for me, as most of the reasoning behind me not being qualified is completely human in nature and leave God and the Holy Spirit out of the equation. In fact, most hiring processes leave the Holy Spirit out of it as the church goes looking for someone to be qualified for a position that they setup, rather then letting God bring them the right person. Yes, the hiring staff end up relying upon God to help them fill the position, but the position is fully looked at through human eyes, human standards, and human wants. It brings up a point that I actually hated when pastors used the saying, "Today's church would never hire the Apostle Paul." At first, I thought that such an idea was ludicrous. How could someone say that? But then the more I got involved within churches and their interviewing processes, the more I came to the full conclusion that such a statement is far too accurate.

     This goes for a full interview processes as well. I've struggled to compile my resume together for churches, as I've altered it close to a thousand times by now. It's hard to boast about myself being someone who prefers to go unnoticed. But when a church wants you to... Or rather, wants you to do so until you're hired. That whole "Boast and show off to us, but you need to cut that out once you're hired, or else you'll be fired." mentality is something that is very prevalent within most churches. It's hard to cater a resume fit for each church not fully knowing what exactly their stance is on every small specific detail on life. It's become a trap game for most youth pastors. A church is either looking for someone completely fresh without any experience, or they want someone who has 5 years with a large church/youth ministry. (The later is far more prevalent than the first.) With standards like that, people like me are left in the middle. 3 years experience with churches, and they won't count the side extra stuff that I've done around the other 3 years. I am slowly being convinced that with some of the standards churches have, I must throw myself out of the running, or throw myself into full debt just to meet their standards. (At which point I no longer am a good steward over what God gave me.) What are some of these standards? Well, I lack a wife, as I am too old to still be single. I don't have enough paid experience with a church, or I just simply don't have enough. My track record of being heavily involved with one church for over three years, then going from place to place in the secular world doesn't look good to them. (That last one is the whole reason why I've stuck around at a crappy job that I hate and isn't good for me spiritually for so long.) And all of this really stems from the church using human standards to hiring people, rather than God's.

     The last thing I will rant about is interviews in general. Without coming across as completely messed up, If your church is in California, and you have two applicants, one in California, one in Maryland, don't expect for the one in California to volunteer in your church before being hired without having the same standards for the one in Maryland. I'm sorry to say it, that thinking is very human and is without a doubt a double standard. (I've been hit with this one multiple times.) And truth be told, it doesn't make me want to jump in, but rather, withdraw my application.

     Overall, I've actually only been apart of two interviews of my thousands that made me want to be apart of the church, or walked away without the job feeling good about it. There is a right and wrong way to handle the hiring processes within churches. Sadly, only about 2% of churches are doing it right. Within your process, you need to have your candidate convince you that they could fit well with your church. The second part is equally as important. You need to convince the candidate that they could thrive under you. That second part is left out far too often. You're a church, not a business. You need to show your church side within interviews. You also need to make sure that you are not stepping in front of God during these processes. If it's a God hiring, they candidate should stick around for 5 years at the earliest. If they don't, you stepped in and took over God's role during the hiring processes.

90 Days of Christmas: Day 76, The Traditions Of Old

     There comes a point when people simply don't engage within the Christmas festivities, and that alone is a reason why some people struggle to get into the Christmas spirit. Have you ever thought about what exactly makes the Christmas season? Now a days it seems to be very different then the ones we hear about within the classic songs that are played on the radio. Burl Ives, Andy Williams, and Johnny Mathis all sing about things of Christmas, but they all seem somewhat distant. In the song A Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives sings about saying hello to friends you know and everyone you meet. Yes, we say hello to our friends when we see them walking to streets or within a store. But do you just randomly say hello to some random stranger? Maybe a simple smile and head nod? Or perhaps better yet, has someone ever done so to you? I believe that saying hello to random strangers and wishing them a Merry Christmas is something that could easily brighten their day! How many hang up mistletoe, or offer up a cup of cheer to others? Now mistletoe is used as a fancy decoration, or a center piece, almost like a poinsettia. Now the actual history of the mistletoe is very interesting to say the least, as it was used in Christmas as a symbol of the evergreen within a house, never to touch the ground, and well as holding ties into a belief of divine love and fertility, hence the whole kissing under it was born. As for a cup of cheer (Tea), was a way of saying to sit back and relax. Now a days, a cup of cheer could be eggnog, coffee, tea, or anything else that may be relaxing at Christmas.

     Now Andy Williams sings about a few more old time traditions of Christmas, some of which seem a bit off. Scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of the Christmas' long ago is the line he uses. Now this is a very old tradition, one of which started back in the old Victorian times. When you would get a group of people together around a fire on Christmas eve, they would tell ghost stories. It was in fact a tradition that sparked Charles Dickens to write A Christmas Carol. In fact, there were plenty of books like A Christmas Carol that were written for the purpose of telling them on Christmas Eve. We also have a song by Johnny Mathis, We Need a Little Christmas, where he more or less sings about decking the halls. Decking the halls is just simply decorating your house for Christmas. He explains in the song why he needs to decorate early, and get things going. All of things that he explains is a good way to help raise your Christmas spirit. 

    So all of this is to say that you should go and give these songs a listen to this week, as well as to find your very own traditions for this up coming Christmas season! 

90 Days Of Christmas: Day 83, Enjoying The Ambience

     With Christmas comes a certain ambience that is very relaxing. I mean, have you ever spent one night during the Christmas season to just sit with candle lights, Christmas lights, and a soft Christmas track playing softly in the background as you sip of coffee/eggnog/tea? To me, that is one of the best moments of the Christmas season! It's a single moment that you give yourself to just sit and enjoy the little things of Christmas. There's no rush to buy things, bake things, run around with a bunch of shoppers. It's just you, relaxing and enjoying ambience. Nothing beats the small amount of time you have. 

    Now I have heard some people don't like the snow, or the pure fact that Christmas comes with winter, which brings permanent darkness. (That whole go to work in the dark, go home in it as well factor...) I don't buy it. what makes the ambience even better is the snow. It covers the ground creating a blanket of white, igniting a small nightlight if you will for the darkness. Have you ever noticed that before? Snow is a pretty sight to see! In the daylight under the sun, or a night under the moon, you are given a special treat of beauty that you don't get to see everyday. (Unless you live in Antarctica...) It's a sight and wonder of God's beauty. A reflection of His promise to make us clean. It comes with the very promise of Jesus. While not everyone gets that White Christmas, it's no wonder why people want it to be associated with Christmas. Snow and the darkness is the very symbol of Jesus to us. The soft glow of snow in the dark is like the hope that Jesus brings us. Even when you're cold in the darkness of your life, God sent His Son to provide us with a soft hope and light towards Him. 

    Now all of that was to simply say that snow is a key part of the ambience of Christmas. Now as all of my posts leave you, with songs to reflect upon and help get you into the mood of Christmas. Here are the tracks you should listen to to help bolster your own Christmas Spirit. Rosie Thomas - Snow Day, August Burns Red - Sleddin' Hill, and a two pack combo, both by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. First Snow and The Wisdom Of Snow.

90 Days of Christmas: Day 86, Joy

         I've been considering recently the idea behind my joy for Christmas. I always have it when September hits, and it stays with me until January. I can't really explain it, as I know for a fact that I would have this joy without presents, snow, cookies, meals, and everything else that went along with the Christmas Season. When it comes down to it, I choose to be joyful. I mean, I could simply claim that it's because of the birth of Jesus, but that doesn't really mean much for joy. You see in scripture versus about joy, or how the joy of the Lord will be our strength, and so on. But if it was that simple, we would always be at peace. But we're not. We choose to ignore to peace that He brings, as well as His joy. So as much as it is Jesus the reason for my joy, it's not.

      Christmas is a choice. Your joy and excitement is something that you choose over something that just happens to come your way. Now I'm not saying saying all of your days will be good days upon choosing to be joyful over Christmas, but you will find that you can handle the joy-killers a whole lot better when you make an effort to be joyful for Christmas.

     But a good question to ask is how one stays joyful, or helps enforce their choice to be joyful! I find a few ways ways that may or may not help. Music is a big part of Christmas. There are plenty of songs that I could easily recommend for you to give a listen to to help you jump start your joy. Elton John - Step Into Christmas is a good starting point. It's upbeat, positive, and may put a little more into your joy about Christmas. Phil Wickham - Christmas Time is another, as it helps paint a good picture of Christmas. Brandi Carlile - The Heartache Can Wait is a great one for those who just feel down in the dumps around Christmas time. There is also Faith Hill - Where Are You Christmas for those whom just need a good vent song. Leigh Nash - Maybe This Christmas is a song of mine that I absolutely love when I feel down in the dumps and apprehensive about my future. And the final one is Relient K - I Celebrate The Day, as it puts Christmas as a whole into full perspective!

    Either way, I think that by someone giving those short list of songs a listen could easily find themselves in a better joyful mood about Christmas! So go and listen to the six songs I suggested, and you might start feeling a hope of joy rise up within you!

90 Days of Christmas: Day 90, Let Go

Okay, so with so many people recently letting me know that they feel disenchanted with Christmas, or that they somehow lost the spirit and magic of the season, I feel like it's my sole duty to know jump start this blog to keep the spirit of Christmas alive within those who may have lost it. Now as a side note, I also know that my ability to maintain this daily will be hard, so it's going to be sporadic in posts.

     So as I begin, I'm starting off with a simple one, let go! Too many times as we get older, we tend to focus upon the stress that comes with Christmas, and the chaotic lifestyle that wraps itself around this time. As we grow older, life does tend to hand us more stress in our daily lives, and  with the coming of Christmas, this does increase. And sometimes I hear that its easier to let go of this stress when you have kids, which gives more reasons to get into the spirit. But anyone who has kids, or works with them can most likely tell you that stress is almost doubled when kids are apart of your Christmas life. (More money spent, more baking, more work all around.) But I will give some credit here to kids. When you have them or work with them, they do help you get into the Christmas spirit easier through a sheer fact of their own excitement of it! Kids are not without stress, and while it's no where near your level, but to them, it's the entire world has been dumped upon them! Think back to how you thought when you were their age, getting ready for a test before Christmas break could have been the most terrifying and stressful thing you've have ever encountered in your short life!

     So now that we've cleared that up just a bit, we need to come to a point of understanding that the spirit of Christmas isn't bound to your stress levels, or your circumstances. It's bound within you! It comes down to what you you choose to let take center stage during this time. So choose to let go of the stress that comes with Christmas and instead focus upon the simple nature of what Christmas really is.

    I am going to try to leave a different song for you to seek out and listen to at the end of each post. A song a day to help you get closer into the mood. This week for day 90, Loreena McKennitt - The Bells of Christmas. Search it up and give it a listen.

You, God, and someone else

I have recently been considering the whole "Holy Anger" and what it means to us as Christians. The more I have sat down and pondered upon it, and gave some research into it, i have found that we have a tendency to use the term incorrectly. I have been placed in situations over the past few years where I have to seek after Godly advice. The problem with this is the very fact that I have to turn to someone who could end up being placed in a situation themselves. To leave out names, my most recent adventure left me in a spot of feeling that God had indeed nothing to give me. I felt it was time to move on. And the more i dove into the word and spent time in God's presence, I felt it was confirmed. The problem was, when I openly announced this, I was then greeted by what was labeled as "Holy Anger."

The situation left a big tear in a decent relationship, and almost certainly left me to ponder over a single question. "Did God lead me into a place where He would abandon me?" The anger I faced left me feeling like I was a failure and made the biggest mistake of my life. However, as I look back on it, I have since come to the conclusion that I was not abandoned, and even more so, that I did not encounter Holy Anger, but rather just anger. Why would I say that? Because the anger I saw during that time was not backed by any scripture.

Your emotions tie into the way you see things. It's human nature, and one that is hard to climb over. When you feel anger in a situation, your advice that you give in that situation ends up being nothing more than poison. Too many times we get into these mentalities that if we simply use scripture, it will over-speak our emotions. That's never the case. Emotions carry with them a great current within ourselves and it does end up overflowing out of our mouths. The anger I faced did so much damage that it left me in a position of wondering if God lead me down the wrong paths. Essentially I began to question my very faith if it was real. The person who spoke to me never meant for their words to come across that way, but they did just the same. We need to keep that in our minds as we speak to each other. Scripture doesn't cover our emotions, but rather amplify their damage. Had I been told that they were just angry with me, and they not attempted to speak into my life with scripture, their words and outcome may have been greatly different.

In conclusion, we need to understand that our emotions can be damaging to someone else and we need to keep them in check.