Israel=Egypt?

I just started reading Rob Bell's book 'Jesus Wants to Save Christians.' Chapter 1 talks about the cry of the oppressed. God is the God of the oppressed. Even after He kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden and everything descended into chaos, He responded to the Israelite's 'cry' when they were in Egypt. Egypt was a place of slavery, a place where they were forced to build things using bricks, and they were treated in an inhumane way. God delivers them from that using a man named Moses, and then He takes them to Sinai, where God finally breaks His silence. Here He meets with His people and gives them the 10 Commandments. The commandments were given so that they could have a way to remember who they are and the God that saved them from their slavery. The first commandment is that they should have no other gods. If they did, they would forget about the God who brought them out of Egypt, the God who heard their cry. The rest give them instructions on how to live and treat others in a humane way, something that they were not used to while living Egypt. God wanted them to be the opposite of Egypt.

Fast forward a few years to the reign Solomon. We see Solomon amassing a huge amount of wealth and building military bases, palaces, and even a temple for God. But how did he build all of these things? He used slaves! The slaves had become the oppressors. Those who God rescued were now doing the very things to others that God had rescued them from! But it didn't stop there. Solomon married many women, and they lead his heart astray, and he began to worship other gods. That was rule #1! This puts God in an awkward position, He told them not to, but here they are doing it anyway! He warned them not to even charge interest to their neighbors, or He would 'hear their cry,' and they are making slaves of people! Israel had become just like Egypt. The people who had been saved from Egypt moved up north and created a kingdom just like the one they had been saved from!

So throughout the rest of the Old Testament, God is trying to warn them that they need to get it together through the prophets, but they won't listen. Eventually God has enough and as He always does, He hears the cry of the oppressed. He sends the Babylonians in and destroys everything that Israel had built and carries them into exile. They began as slaves, then they tried to be masters instead of taking care of the poor like they were told to do, and so they ended up as slaves once more. Its weird how much Israel and Egypt have in common!

Enjoy the Journey

Why do we care?

Do you ever wonder why we have this need, this desire, this longing to be someone, to create something, to make a difference? No other species has this desire. My dog is laying at might feet right now, and I'm pretty sure she isn't thinking about what her personal destiny is (she's probably wondering when I'm going to tell her she can go get the rawhide bone that is on the other side of the living room). This is something that is unique to humans. We have a desire to make the world better. Even those of us who don't believe in God feel the need to be humane. Whenever a tragedy strikes, humankind rushes in to the rescue. Why is that? If the world is truly evolutionary, we should be motivated by a survival of the fittest mentality, but we are just not. We know that there is just something not quite right about living like that. Without God there really is not justification for it, but none the less we feel compelled to care about other people. Why do we care about other people? Because we are created in the image of God, we have within us the need to believe that this world can be better, and that we can help. Gandhi was the one who said that we should become the change we seek, and I completely agree.

Enjoy the Journey

Hope is Born

Who would have thought sitting out on a hillside
Watching the sheep by night
We'd be surrounded by thousands of angels
Your glory shining so bright
And who would have thought that a baby's cry
Would change this whole world and give us new life
And now that I know, all that's within me sings

You are the One we've been waiting for
You are the Lord of all lords
You are the One we've been waiting for
And tonight is the night hope is born

Who would of thought that three kings from afar
Would leave their land and their home
To travel by night and follow a star
In search of a King of their own
And who would have thought that the King of all kings
Would be born in Bethlehem cause you see
We all know nothing good comes from there

You are the One we've been waiting for
You are the Lord of all lords
You are the One we've been waiting for
And tonight is the night hope is born

Who would have thought that this King would grow up
And find Himself nailed to a tree
And what held Him there? Not the cross or the nails
But His love for you and for me
And who would have thought that three days would go by
He'd rise from the grave turning death onto life
And all creation joins in as we sing

You are the One we've been waiting for
You are the Lord of all lords
You are the One we've been waiting for
And tonight is the night hope is born

Searching for Significance

One of the basic needs of humanity is significance. We spend our whole lives trying to do something meaningful, something that will be remembered, something that will make an impact. Many times we start off looking for success, and sometimes we even get it. But when that leaves us empty we start looking for significance. And that need in and of itself can be an argument for God. If there weren't a God, then everything truly would be meaningless, just like Solomon talks about in Ecclesiastes. Take God out of the picture and as Erwin McManus says in his book 'Soul Cravings' "...all your future holds for you is a splat and then its over." So where does the desire for significance come from? I would argue God. You may not be able to 'prove God in a tube' but take Him out of the equation and you can feel it in your gut.

Enjoy the Journey

Prayer- of God and Gandalf

I've been thinking alot about prayer lately. When you pray, do you pray like you are talking to a person? Because until recently I don't think I did. I found myself saying the phrase 'God I pray that...' alot during all of my prayers. I don't know I guess I thought maybe God forgot I was talking to Him or that I was even praying at all! Its amazing that when you really start to picture that you are talking to a person when you pray, your prayer life changes instantly. I was talking with the middle school boys a couple of weeks ago about this and we were talking about how annoying it would be to have someone say your name at the beginning of every sentence while they were talking to you? How long could you listen before you wanted to slap them!? I know God has way more patience than me, but it hit me that maybe God gets annoyed when I talk to Him! Maybe I'm completely off base here, but I don't talk like that when I talk to anyone else... except God. So I've really been working on actually talking to God conversationally in prayer, and it has revolutionized my prayer life.

So picturing someone helps, but what do you picture? Revelation 4 gives a pretty amazing picture of God sitting on the throne. He is a gigantic jeweled man with all kinds of crazy looking creatures flying around and yelling worship to Him at the top of their lungs, with lightning and thunder all around. Now there is a picture for you. When I was teaching the Kindergarten chapel we were talking about creation, and how God made everything out of nothing, He just spoke things into existence. One of the kids raised their hands and said, "Is God a wizard?" It was all I could do to contain my laughter, but then I started to think about it and it is amazing how a kid can pull a concept like that together so easily and just accept it. I'm not saying that God and Gandalf have anything in common, but it helped this child understand that God is not like us at all. To Him God is magical, powerful, and mysterious, and in that sense he nailed it. And I have to admit that a couple of times when I've prayed over the past week, I've pictured myself talking to an old man with a cool staff and a white robe :)



Enjoy the Journey

Ancient Worship Leaders

One of the best things we can do as artists (or just as people) is learn from those who have come before us. As artists we have plenty of people to learn from. One group of people would be the Levites. I like to say that the Levites were kind of like the roadies of the Old Testament. They were in charge of music, but also of moving the tabernacle, set-up, tear down, maintenance, the whole bit. They worked along side the priests. If the priest was the Senior Minister, the Levites were the Worship Leaders. The things about the Levites was that they were unified. They are the ones who stood together when the rest of the Israelites were still trying to decide who they were going to worship...God or the golden calf that Aaron made. As artists in the church we are the best example of unity a congregation will see on any given Sunday. Think about it, everyone else does their job by themselves (most of the time). The preacher preaches alone, the teachers teach alone, but the worship team has to play together or it won't work!

Another thing about the Levites that we learn from scripture is that they were given to the priests by God as 'gifts.' The relationship between the artists and the preacher is so important. If it isn't the most important relationship in the church, its in the top 5. If the artists and senior minister don't get along, it is easy to see. Then the rest of the people have to pick sides, and worshiping God takes a back seat to the feud between the artists and the preacher! Can you honestly say that you are a 'gift' to your senior minister? That doesn't mean that you will always agree and everything will always be great, but it does mean that you don't bring your junk with you into worship. Issues should be resolved one on one, and no one else should ever know about it. You are on the same team, worshiping the same God, and after all, isn't that what is about to start with?

Enjoy the Journey

Relational Skills for Artists

Relational skills often go undeveloped in artists because we focus so much on our art we neglect everything else. The problem with that is you can be the greatest artist in the world, but if you are a jerk, no one will want to work with you! Artist need to be able to initiate meaningful conversation. Meaningful conversation goes beyond, 'how bout this weather?' and into things like 'are you happy?' Taking relationships beyond surface level is key. We also need to listen attentively. As an artist and a guy, this one is sometimes hard for me. Listening means more than just sitting there facing in the other person's direction. Don't let your mind wander to other things! James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak, not the other way around. Artists have the potential to be great listeners. So much of our art draws on emotion, we can often perceive exactly what emotions others are trying to express.

Artists need to develop the skill of blessing others verbally. How ironic is it that artists, who are sensitive by nature, can be some of the most insensitive people in the world!? Sensitivity is no good if it is always directed inward, then it is nothing more than selfishness! When giving affirmation to others, be as specific as possible. 'Good job,' just doesn't cut it. Another thing we need to do is listen to how we come across. There are things that need to be said, and there are ways that they need to be said. Our minister (Mike McGinnis) puts in nicely when he says, 'I could say to my wife, 'Jennie, your face makes time stand still.' or I could say, 'Jennie, your face could stop a clock!' They are the same, yet will get very different reactions! We see the same thing in the Old Testament when Joseph is trying to tell his brothers about a dream he had. He told them about a dream in which everyone else's sheaf of grain bowed to his. His brother's quickly caught on to the fact that he was saying he would rule over all of them. They resented him so much they sold him into slavery! Be careful with your words. Proverbs 12:18 says, 'Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.'

Follow through with your responsibilities! I don't know why, but sometimes artists get the idea that because they are artists, they are excused from acting like responsible adults. If you are an artist (or if you are not), BE ON TIME! Artists are notorious for being late. And to put it bluntly, it is inconsiderate and rude. The message is that your time is more important than everyone else's. If you are forgetful, write things down, its just not that hard! Artists are also known for being bad with money. If you don't take care of your family, the scripture says you have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever! Get your finances in line and stop being irresponsible! Stay away from debt. Money is also the number one cause of divorce in North America. So artists, if you want a happy marriage, you better get your act together! Money won't make a happy marriage, but doing things God's way will, and He says you need to be able to take care of your family.

Enjoy the Journey

All I Want is You (new song)

A love that's never ending
And the kindness in Your eyes
Speaks more than words could ever say
Hold me in your arms while my soul cries

Your love will never fade away
You walk beside me all the way
And all I want is You, all I want is You
By Your wounds You set me free
You opened my eyes now I see
That all I want is You, all I want is You

Only You can satisfy
This emptiness in me
So now I offer You my life
I lay it all down at Your feet


Your love will never fade away
You walk beside me all the way
And all I want is You, all I want is You
By Your wounds You set me free
You opened my eyes now I see
That all I want is You, all I want is You

And when I hit the bottom
You are there to pick me up
And I know
That Your grace is more than enough...for me


Your love will never fade away
You walk beside me all the way
And all I want is You, all I want is You
By Your wounds You set me free
You opened my eyes now I see
That all I want is You, all I want is You

Keeping Your Passion Alive

There is something about a passionate person. They seem more alive than everyone else. You want to be near them in the hopes that some of that passion will rub off on you and make your life more meaningful. I think that is exactly how Christ intended us to live our lives. In John 10:10 Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." In order to really be passionate about something, it has to consume your life. Several times in Scripture we are told to love God with everything that we have, our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I think that is everyone's goal, but there are some things that get in the way.

Routine is one of those things. If you are always doing the same thing the same way eventually the excitement dies down and you end up just going through the motions. Other things that kill our passion are pressures, distractions, and perfectionism. Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to deal with those things? If you find a way to get around those things, please let me know...

In order to find your passion, ask yourself a series of questions (1 rule, the answer can't be 'pay off the house' or 'get out of debt'):
If you could do anything with your life, what would it be?
What would you do with a millions dollars?

The answers to these questions will more than likely tell you what your passion is. By focusing on that thing you will find life to be much more exciting. For me that passion is music. I have been fortunate enough to be able to channel that passion through my job. But I realize that the quickest way to lose passion for what I do is to settle for superficiality in my life. I have to keep stretching myself continually, or that passion will fade. In ministry, its easy to get so caught up with the busyness of church that we don't have intimate time with God. This is where our passion for ministry starts to fade. It fades because we forget the reason we got into ministry in the first place...God! The key to maintaining passion in your ministry is to maintain an intimate relationship with God, without it all the pressures and distractions begin to take hold, and the passion begins to fade.

Enjoy the Journey

The Spiritual Disciplines of the Artist

My ministry is a direct result of my relationship with Christ. The theme verse for my ministry is John 15:5 (also the name of this blog): "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." With that in mind it is hard to get too prideful. The realization that I can't do anything without help really keeps my ego in check. It is only then that God blesses ministry. When ministry stops being about you and begins to be about Him.

When I fail to remember this, I run the risk of beginning to do ministry without God. Yes, you can play 'Christian' music without God. Think about it, one of the most popular songs during Christmas time is the 'Hallelujah Chorus,' but does the average person listening to that song think about God while it is being sung? Sadly I would think not. Most of the time we focus on the singers, and for those of us music nerds, maybe the conductor, but rarely God. Without being intimately connected to Him, we can very easily do the same thing in our ministries!

So how do you do that? The answer is both simple and hard. Spend time daily with God! This can be difficult to do, especially for artists because we get bored easily. We all have a little bit of ADD in us, and we are easily distracted with things that are 'more important.' The cure to this is to do different things with God everyday! The time you spend with God doesn't have to look exactly the same everyday. There is no formula! As artists, we should be just as creative in the time we spend with God as we are in the time we spend with other people. If you did the exact same thing with your friends every time you hung out, eventually that would get boring too! Stay connected to God, and your art and ministry will be blessed. Remember, without Him, you can't do anything!

Enjoy the Journey

The Artist and Sin

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This we know, but the daily battle against sin should be just that, a battle. It is not something that we should just resign ourselves to, it is something we should fight! Do we expect everyone involved in our ministry to be sin free? Of course not! But we do expect everyone to be actively trying to live lives worthy of Jesus Christ. Having a strong moral fiber is a sign of character.

A great way to counter sin is to counter quickly. I love this quote by William Gurnall: "Christian, this is imperative for you to realize: When wicked or unclean thoughts first force their way into your mind, you have not yet sinned. This is the work of the Devil. But if you so much as offer them a chair and begin polite conversation with them, you have become his accomplice. In only a short time you will give these thoughts sanctuary in your heart. Your resolve- not to yield to a temptation you are already entertaining- is no match for Satan and the longings of the the flesh."

In other words, put those thoughts out of your head as quickly as they enter! Being tempted is not a sin, but don't test your resolve by entertaining thoughts you know to be sinful! The two keys to battling temptation are knowing scripture and countering quickly. This is the model that Jesus used when He was tempted, and it would do us well to remember this as artists.

Enjoy the Journey

Leading Artists

Being a leader of artists requires that you fulfill two rolls at once. Being an artist requires that you be a feeler, while being a leader requires that you be a thinker, and balancing the two can be extremely difficult. As an leader/artist, make sure that your gift does not get neglected. God gifted you as an artist and you need to really work hard at continually improving. This is the easy part to let slide because there are alot of administrative things that need to be done. Make sure that you are a full time artist. At the same time we can not neglect the paperwork that needs to be done either, we must be full time leaders. This can be a daunting task, there just are not enough hours in the day! That is why we must not be too proud to involve others in key areas of our ministry. Its ok to give others things to do, delegation is a sign of a good leader! Without delegation, you will burn out very quickly, and then in spite of all your talent, you will be benefiting no one. Giving others ownership in your ministry will increase loyalty and improve morale as well as give you some much needed down time! Being a leader doesn't mean doing whatever you want with your ministry, it means doing whatever God wants with His!

Artists are a different breed. There are some leadership styles that just don't work with them:
The Demanding CEO- 'its my way or the highway'
The Overbearing Coach- 'no pain, no gain'
The Overly Protective Patron- spoils artist because they are 'so misunderstood'
The Silent Type- gives no feedback or direction

Artists need to be encouraged, but they also need to be challenged to get better constantly. Like anything else, when you stop growing in your art, the quality doesn't stay the same, it diminishes! A true leader of artists is one who can celebrate with them and help build a solid team of artists where the focus is, where it should be, on God.

Enjoy the Journey