LIGHTS - Saviour

(Thanks to Mike for sharing the awesomeness that is Lights with me) So, where are you right now? And no, I don't mean your physical location...that would be slightly creepy of me. Are you on your knees, praying to the silence that the situation in will change somehow? All of us have the things that linger in the back of our head, calling us to them when we need something to rely in. We can deny that we're in pain to others, but we can inwardly be suffering through a great deal. Even if we feel like we can't share with those around us, we still need someone to talk to about our problems. And that's where our Saviour steps in.

He's the one that we can run to to break free from our chains, whatever they're holding us to. No matter how strong you are, sooner or later you'll need Him. But because He loves us so much, He won't force us to accept or love Him. Things will never change without you making the choice to run to Him.

However, the longer we stay rooted in our broken states, the harder it's going to be to break free and let go of the pain. When we don't give it to Him, the sin and brokenness turns to rust that makes it harder to move from where the pain took over. If we give it to Him, He'll stand us back up on our feet so we can keep going, even though we may often fall back down again. We can always rely on our Saviour to come for us, just like we'll always need His saving grace in our lives.

Casting Crowns - Until The Whole World Hears

Today, I attended a missiology (missions) conference in the Chicago area (I don't say in Chicago because it's not actually there, according to Joel...). The main emphasis of the sessions was 'missions in the city', but there were several other tracks throughout the day including 'diaspora missions', 'social justice', 'witchcraft accusations', and 'short-term missions'. There were some really interesting topics I got to hear today, but one of the most interesting ones was about pursuing 'Cruciformity' in missions. Rather than being focused on our own agendas, our own convenience, and our own culture, we should follow the example of Christ. He moved rather towards contextualization, God's calling, centrifugality (rather than centripetality- missions revolving around our own context), and a consciousness of God's divine purpose.

When we take the focus off ourselves and place it instead on those that we're trying to reach, we have a much greater impact, because we're allowing God to work through our weaknesses rather than having to take our strong, prideful personalities along for the ride. We have to follow in Christ's sacrificial, others-focused example in order to maximize the effect we can have in reaching others for His Kingdom.

Casting Crowns- What If His People Prayed

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Here's my challenge for today, albeit a short one. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I wonder how many Christians today actually depend on the power of prayer every day. How many people would rather turn to 'Ask Annie' or Oprah for answers than turn to the one who knows everything? One of the reasons our world is so broken is because we've lost the insight of the true vitality of our spiritual walk. Our nation is no longer a true Christian nation, even though there are still Christians here.

And that's because the Christians that are here fail to make any difference. Whether it's because we've become so separate from the rest of the world with our legalistic expectations and demands, or because we fail to be in the world altogether because of a fear of becoming too much like it, we're not 'rescuing the perishing' like we're commanded to. The power of answered prayer can change lives for His Kingdom, but we have to actually take it up as a weapon against the spritual forces we face (see Ephesians 6:12). It's not enough to sit back and watch the world go by. We need to be involved in it actively in order to see any change.

So, what will you do with the power you've been given? He'll answer you, no matter how desperate a situation you find yourself in. He's greater than any worldly wisdom you can get.

The Glorious Unseen - Heavy Hearted

This weekend, I went on a class trip called Refugee Weekend. I can't really talk much about it (we're literally not allowed to say anything about it), but basically we live the life of a refugee for two days. It's one of the most brutal things I've ever done, and I've done some pretty epic stuff. But it's totally life-changing, and if you ever take classes at Cedarville, this is one of the ones that you shouldn't miss.

Now that I've been back for a few days and I've had some time to reflect on my experience, I've been thinking about how much we take for granted, even the simplest things in life. Most of us don't really have any idea of what suffering is like in this world, but we complain about the little, inconsequential things far too much. Our lives are truly blessed compared to the billions of people that live in extreme poverty. Over half of the people in our world live on less than a few dollars a day, which for our lifestyles would be impossible to do.

But even when we're heavy hearted and we feel utterly worthless, God still loves us. When the world would despise us and reject us because we have absolutely nothing to contribute, God is there to pick us back up. Even though we may not see it all the time, He's always there sustaining us and holding on to us. He's always willing to take us back from our mistakes and the times when we curse Him for our circumstances. We just need to reach out to Him for the loves that destroys all other loves.

Five For Fighting - 100 Years

Life is made up of a bunch of little moments. Of course, they go by incredibly fast the further on we get in our lifetime. Ever notice how the time just seems to fly by? Out of so many things in this world, time is one that is a finite resource. You'll never get it back after you use it once. So what you do with it becomes incredibly important. Will you waste your time on living the 'good life'? Spend your days chasing after fruitless love? Or will you make a difference in the world somehow?

As life passes by, the choices we make and how we steward our time make all the difference. We can't afford to waste time dwelling on past failures or the bad things that happen to us. Every day is a new day made by God, and every day is a new chance to make an impact somewhere. It doesn't have to be life-changing, because even the little things of life are important in God's eyes.

Don't waste the limited time you've been given. Spend it wisely.

Wolves at the Gate- Heralds

Just a note, that some of you reading this probably won't like this style of music. It's definitely a bit more intense than some of the other songs I've posted. But I'm adding the full lyrics to this post so you can read along with the song if that helps any. These guys are all Cedarville alumni, and they just released a new EP (We Are the Ones...it's on iTunes). I got to go to the unveiling concert on campus, and they said there that all of their lyrics come straight from the Bible, which is pretty awesome.

The truth is that we're all heralds of Christ's power and love to those we interact with every day. We need to leave behind the things that we've grown attached to in this world and cry out for God's grace so that we can be lights to the dead souls around us. God has called all of us and sent us to serve, whether we're serving in our hometowns or across the globe. How we live can sometimes speak louder than what we can say.

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Check my pulse, am I still breathing?
Will You grasp my wrist and hold it dear to Your heart?
To see if I am beating for You and only You my Father

How we live and fight is who we are
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
"Who you are is all from Me"

I'm leaving behind the things of this world
"Follow me my son and let the dead bury their own"
So test me oh Lord, examine my soul
"Follow me my son for what you reap you will have sown"

Give light to my eyes to see Your glory divine and break through these skies
Hear me when I cry to see Your grace come down and purge these dead lives
"Have I not given you a spirit of power and love?"
I will live to fight for these dead lives
"Have I not given you a spirit of power and love?"
How we live and fight is who we are

And as You dwell inside my heart your burning a fire that's growing
So when I feel the warmth subside rekindle the embers that's burning

Check my pulse, am I still breathing?
Will You grasp my wrist and hold it dear to Your heart?
To see if I am beating for You

A herald I am
"A mirror to Me"
For sin is destroyed
"You've been set free"
How we live the fight is who we are
"Who you are is all from Me"
"You will suffer but my strength is enough"
Still send me
"Though You will suffer your strength is in Me"
Still send me

Disciple - After The World

I've talked a bit in the past about how the things we seek in this world can't hold a candle to even a moment with God. I've said that He is the one thing that we really should be searching for in life. But tonight I want to stop and point out that He seeks each of us out, and He loved us before the world was even formed, before we ever came to the world. He's always there, always has been, and always will be.

And unlike worldly love, His love for us will never fail. When the sun goes down, He's still there. When the bad times pass, He'll still be standing at our sides. Even if we blame Him for life's circumstances, He still loves us. He crossed the chasm between life and death for us. He's what we ultimately desire in life, when everything else fails to satisfy. And He'll be there for us, even after this earth has passed away and is no more.

TobyMac - Get Back Up

I was sitting in the student center today, waiting for an interview with a summer camp program, and this song was playing on a loop for a video on a presentation in the lobby. After hearing it a few times, I kept going back to the phrase "this is love calling", and I thought that it was an interesting thought for the day. When a baby first starts learning to walk, there will be many times that she falls down during the process. But if she were to give up on walking altogether, there would be no way to make progress in the rest of life.

We can see the same thing many times throughout life's learning experiences. Failure isn't acheived just because you fell one time. It's when you don't get back up again that you truly give in to failure. And no matter how hard you got knocked down, it's never too late to get back up and keep trying. This principle carries over into our Christian walk as well, not just physical events. Even though we fail sometimes and give in to the temptations we face, God will always give us a way to get back up and keep walking with Him. He calls to our broken and weary lives through His love. It's never too late.

Pillar - For The Love of The Game

What with the Super Bowl and all tonight, I figured tonight would be a good time to pull something like this song out. The Packers and the Steelers both played a great game, but the better team won tonight. I don't think that any one of those players out on the field would have been playing if they didn't love what they did. It's not an easy sport to play, because of the physical poundings that they take. And that's not to mention the mental and emotional stress that they deal with. Fans are hard to please, and they'll point fingers at anything that is 'unfair', including the players. Suffice it to say that they're in it for the love of the game.

And what about our lives as Christ-followers in this world? Why do we put up with the abuse, the false accusations, the hatred, the hurt and pain? Heaven is an amazing goal, one that all Christians can look forward to. But if we're only focused on our final destination, we'll get lost on the journey. We have to put aside the tribulations we face in order to let our light shine among those we encounter every day. And perhaps that means we need to love what we do, rather than just enduring it. Otherwise, we're not really being sincere about our faith. And that's enough to turn someone away from Christ. How many people have Christians with great intentions turned away people from Jesus because of insincerity?

David Crowder Band: Turkish Delight

We all have our temptations and distractions. For some people, it's the latest technology. Maybe it's taking a second too long on that glance at the attractive girl or guy walking by. The second that gets your head thinking thoughts it shouldn't. For Edward in the Chronicles of Narnia series, it was that turkish delight. Turkish delight is a jelly-like candy flavored with (but not always including) dates, pistachios, hazelnuts, or walnuts. It can be flavored with lemon, cinnamon, mint, and other things. You can pretty much get it whatever way suits you best, which is one reason why it's so dangerous.

Our own 'turkish delights' can make us do things that we never thought we'd do. Edward traded his family for more sweets, because his addiction took over his thoughts. We need to be able to control our desires, or they'll take over. They cause us to lose our testimony as Christians, and they lead us down paths that are ultimately very destructive. And it's often a slippery slope (mind the cliche), because once we've started, the addiction can only get stronger unless we get help from God. We need to turn our addictions over to Him and replace them with wholesome things. Perhaps it's just moderating what would otherwise be a good thing, or maybe we need to cut something out of our lives altogether. Regardless, we cannot allow it to remain. It's much the same as hate. If left unchecked, it corrupts every aspect of our lives until we can't do anything without being affected by its grip.

Brian Doerksen- Refiner's Fire

(Recommended by Mrs. Stapleton) Not many people don't like gold or silver. That's just a fact. But how many people would love that silver necklace if it was unpurified silver rather than the precious, refined silver that actually sells in the store? How much difference is there really? Maybe it's a little more than you might have thought...

It takes a lot of hard work and time in the furnace for silver to be ready to buy. It takes fire over 1200 degrees Celsius (2200 degrees Fahrenheit) to dredge the impurities out of the unrefined silver ore. And it's not just a 'one and done' process. The silver needs to go through the fire several times before all of the imperfections are cleansed. But it's definitely worth the time and effort it takes, because the difference is so visible.

It's the same thing with our lives. God takes our sinful, black lives and puts them through the refiner's fires in order to bring our faults and blemishes to the surface so they can be removed once acted upon. It may take many trials through the fire before we're 'perfected'. In fact, we will never reach that mark this side of eternity. But it's our goal to move closer to Jesus every day, so we need to keep up through the fiery trials.

Silver and gold are precious and very valuable. But Peter says (1 Peter 1:7), "...the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes..." Think of how great lengths we will sometimes go to get the pleasures of life. If our faith is more precious than even those, how far should we be willing to go?