Yet another inner revolution (aka "Get out of the bedroom!")

A few months ago we visited Oak Pointe Church in Wixom or Novi (not sure which) two Sundays in a row. The first Sunday the pastor said it's not only important to know what your gifts ARE, but also what they are good FOR in relation to the kingdom of God. I had already begun musing on such things that morning prior to church, so it was a confirmation and a timely word for me. He also talked about how God doesn't want our words of praise if we're not living praiseworthy lives. In other words, don't tell me you love me when you're not acting like it.

That was a beginning of sorts of yet another inner revolution. I've been doing the worship leading thing for about 12 years now. It seemed like I kind of "had it down", but what I didn't realize was that I was stagnating as a musician and as an artist. I've been so busy in the spiritual bedroom telling God how much I love him that I rarely left to go show him how much in the great big scary world outside.

Alongside these thoughts has been the growing awareness that the gospel evangelicalism has been preaching for decades (if not longer) has a comparative donut hole to the entire donut. It's been a micro-focus on a single facet of the diamond, without celebrating and offering the WHOLE diamond to the world. We've been selling a spiritual fire insurance as though it's the main thing that was on Jesus' mind as he instructed thousands at a time. We've been wrong.

The gospel is much richer, much fuller, with much further-reaching here-and-now implications than merely getting into heaven and out of hell when you die. It is the good news that brings shalom to our selves, our homes, our communities, our world - if only we would believe it and do it. I'm finding the teachings of Jesus more and more compelling, practical, relevant, and different than I was led to believe in the religious institutions of my past. His methods would get him kicked out of most churches if his acquaintances didn't first. This is someone and something worth investing the rest of my life in. But that means change - what he called "dying to self".

I'm tired of merely helping people tell God they love him and then watch them go off and misrepresent what he's really about. I'm tired of the pride and power and posing that goes on in safe little moral church buildings. I'm compelled to follow a brave, humble, loving Jesus as he reaches out to those outside the synagogue, outside the church, outside safe, polite society.

Now that we have begun the next leg of this risky, scary journey, God has begun giving the voice, the message, the songs again. He's been leveraging the relationships developed over the last few years as the foundation for a new thing that he is doing through us. We want to connect, to love, to empathize with the real life problems out there, and hopefully gain the trust and opportunity to share how the way of Jesus applies to each and every problem we could face - but not in some arrogant, condescending, close-minded way. We want to foster understanding on both sides (unlike the screaming polemics you see on talking head political shows).

If you're the praying kind, please pray that God will use us in the lives of needy people to provide love, hope, direction, and support. Pray that the songs keep coming, and that they are helpful and excellent in quality. Thanks!