I'm going to attempt to keep this short, because it's really too big a subject for me to dive into in one solo post, but perhaps this one will turn into an intro of sorts and I can return to the subject at a later date and go more in depth.
But there is a battle going on, and it reaches into many, many facets of our lives. Heaven and hell are vying for men's souls, and the war infiltrates every medium of communication, and even art, that we have. One area in particular that's been highlighted for me in recent years, is music.
Again, I am doing my best to keep this brief tonight, as this is something I've been thinking and praying about for quite a while now, so there's a lot I want to say, but now's not the time for all of it. I don't know how many people underestimate the power of music in our lives, but there shouldn't be any who can. At least here in America, where we have such a wide variety of music available right at our fingertips (or headphones), music is one thing that impacts us in ways many other means of communication can't. Words are powerful, don't miss that. But music has a way of aiding words' message, or even speaking on its own apart from words, that hits our hearts.
And I believe there is a battle going on in the arena of music. I'll be honest and say that although I have a very wide range of the types of musical style that I like--from instrumental to hip-hop to pop and folk and so forth--what I choose and prefer to listen to is generally within the ranges of "Christian" music. I put it in quotes because I've got a bit of an opinion on the labeling--because not everything that labels itself as "Christian" lines up at all with what Scripture or even Christ Himself says. I've grown up listening to largely contemporary "Christian" music, including more than a few songs that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone now but that at the time were instrumental in getting my heart where it needed to be for God to work in it. The beauty I find in that is that we serve a God who is bigger than doctrinal flaws in lyrics and human flaws in general, and who is more than able to speak through the broken vessels that we all are.
When I first began to be aware that not all "Christian" music was entirely wholesome or entirely in-line with actual Christianity, the zealous hard-line prophet within me wanted to denounce any artist who had even one song or one line in a song I didn't agree with. I allowed myself to become focused upon the flaws and grieved over issues that, while not unimportant, never should have been my central focus. I became very judgmental about music. And it was in the midst of that judgmental season, where I was ready to completely give up on any artist whose doctrine seemed shallow or unfounded, that God nudged me and questioned my line of thinking.
These were my brothers and sisters in Christ that I was denouncing, acting as if one flaw or lack of understanding or a "correct" stance in my eyes, was enough to mean there was no hope that anything good could come from them from then on. All around me, I was seeing artists I had once respected falling short and failing to keep either their music or their lives in line with the teachings of Scripture. And I was giving up on them, left and right, clinging to the few who had yet to let me down.
But in the midst of my ranting and my disappointment, God posed a very pointed question to my soul: "So what are you doing about it?" As one of His followers, was I called to abandon my brothers and sisters taking on the spiritual battle (knowingly or not) in the arena of music? Or was I rather called to desire for them to be drawn closer to Him and made stronger by Him? Was I called to focus upon their flaws and say that because of this or that they couldn't possibly be used by Him?
I reeled back in shock as He reminded me of several songs and artists that had deeply impacted me only a few short years before, even if some of them had since lost my loyalty or respect. In the moments I needed to hear that particular message, it was there, and God used even flawed and imperfect lyrics and, yes, even trite music styles, to bring my heart to its knees and bring me to a place of surrender where I not only realized my need of Him, but His willingness to be the answer to that need.
Perhaps I'm rambling by now, but what is on my heart tonight to say is this: I have realized I am called to cheer for my brothers and sisters in Christ, to lift them in prayer whether I agree with everything they say or do or not. Can I endorse or applaud artists who hit the mark, whose lives and music are so evidently shining with the Light of the Gospel and the testimony of lives transformed by grace? Absolutely. But I no longer feel at liberty to put down those I don't admire as much or write them off the moment I hear something in their lyrics that grieves me. That's not what I'm called to. I'm called to forgive, and to hope and even expect the best for them. I'm called to pray rather than ignore, to look not to man but to God to accomplish His purposes in us and to draw all our hearts--musician and listener alike--closer to His.
More to come at some point regarding some more specific testimonies of how God's been driving this into me, but for now, hear me on this:
There is a battle going on.
We do not wrestle with flesh and blood.
The victory is in the hand of the Lord.
He's never lost a battle yet.
There are greater things ahead on the music scene than any we've seen yet.
Our God is on the move.
RAK KHAZAK. Be strong.
Showing posts with label American church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American church. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Pray Bigger.
God's been bringing something to my attention lately. It's something He's shown me before, only this time He's being even more specific...
He's been showing me I've once again fallen into a habit of looking at the people in the world around me, and focusing on the need rather than the Answer to that need. I've been feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of what needs to change in so many hearts and lives, if my generation is truly going to see any true, noticeable advancement of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
When I started college last Fall, before long I started feeling sort of like Elijah in 1 Kings 19 when he cried out to God saying he was the last of those that followed the LORD in Israel. It wasn't quite that extreme, I knew, because I have been blessed with many brothers and sisters in different parts of the country and the world who are passionately and wholeheartedly pursuing and living for Christ. But at college, I started feeling sort of like part of a dying breed, like I was one of the only people whose heart was broken over certain things I was seeing around me. But just as He did to Elijah, God spoke to me and reminded me of His great power. He told Elijah He still had seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed their knees to Baal, and in much the same way He reminded me of something He gave me a glimpse of a vision for several years ago. He wants to move mightily in my generation. He plans to. Even now, He is raising up saints and soldiers who will surrender their lives to Him and give themselves to advance His Kingdom and glory in this earth. Funny how I can forget that sometimes.
That season of broken-heartedness during my first semester was followed by one of worshipful, deeper discoveries of who God is and how infinitely big He is, how almighty and awesome. This is the God who has pulled off the impossible again and again throughout human history. Is anything too hard for Him?
Yet somehow, as humans we have this tendency at times to let our focus shift from our great God to all the mountains around us that must be moved. We forget Who must move those mountains, and begin to feel very small and incapable, to realize the utter impossibility of the task. But even though God could just pick up those mountains and toss them into the sea with less effort than it takes you or I to blink, He has chosen to work through the people He calls His own, through a very unique tool known as faith. Remember? Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to tell a mountain to move, and it would be moved. Is that a result of our faith--or of the One in whom our faith is placed?
Lately I've been struck by the sheer magnitude of the things that need to be overcome in my city, in America, in the world, and in the Church. I don't know why, but for some reason I've just never realized either the number of people involved or the level of delusion that has overcome so many. And once again, I started to feel like it's pretty impossible to hope for much to change for the better in this world we live in.
But then, God started reminding me of some things again... He brought up some specific memories of times He's very clearly spoken to me, or just filled me with hope and expectancy for things that, apart from Him, truly are impossible. And He aimed a rather pointed question/charge at my heart. He convicted me of not praying big enough. Of limiting my requests to the One who alone is the very Source of all power and grace. Of somehow thinking I could only pray for the small things, or that the small things were big enough.
Several years ago, God challenged me to dream bigger. It came after all my plans for my future had crumbled into dust, and for some time I had been utterly clueless as to what I wanted to be when I grew up, what I was going to do with my life. I had given up the goals I had set for myself for so long, and without them I literally had no clue what my life would look like after high school and college. Before God turned my world upside down, my dreams (in hindsight) were pretty mediocre and dull. I wanted to be a veterinarian, which I might've enjoyed to some extent, and have a husband, kids, pets, a house, etc. All the usual stuff. My idea for my future was puny, insignificant, and hollow. It was successful, perhaps, in the eyes of the world, but it lacked a driving purpose other than doing what I wanted to do in working with animals. I had let that dream go, but didn't know what to replace it with.
And that's when God told me to dream bigger. He challenged me to aim for a life filled with purpose--the very purpose I was created for, to glorify Him. Slowly, He started highlighting some areas He had gifted and called me in--most of them things I had only begun to discover after the old vision had been given up. I still had no clue what it was going to look like; I just knew some of what it would involve.
Now, revisiting that memory and others, God's been asking me if I'm willing to really trust Him to do all the things I have asked Him for--particularly in regards to my city and my generation. And if I focus on the mountains of impossibility, my heart quails and wants to shy away from ever praying the bold prayers I know my King is asking of me. But that's not where my gaze should be.
In the words of Han Solo, "Never tell me the odds!" I don't care how impossible it seems to think that God could grip the hearts of an entire generation and change them, move on those hearts in such a way that the world cannot deny He is living and moving and having His being in them. He has given me a commission to pray for that, and I can much sooner bear the thought of asking Him for something this big, than the thought of holding back, of not trusting Him, and of someday realizing that the reason something didn't happen was because nobody had the guts to pray for it. "You have not, because you ask not" (James 4:2b).
"Lord, let us be a generation that seeks,
Seeks Your face, oh God of Jacob." -Kutless
May we come to the place of faith that C.T. Studd so poignantly described: "We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man." I'm not claiming that I've reached a point of utter confidence as to what God intends to do in my generation just yet--but I know I need to fight for it. I know I need to pray for greater faith, and to recklessly trust Him to do what only He can. I don't know what it will look like; but I know He is able. And when it comes down to it, that's all I really need to know.
My Hope Is in You.
He's been showing me I've once again fallen into a habit of looking at the people in the world around me, and focusing on the need rather than the Answer to that need. I've been feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of what needs to change in so many hearts and lives, if my generation is truly going to see any true, noticeable advancement of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
When I started college last Fall, before long I started feeling sort of like Elijah in 1 Kings 19 when he cried out to God saying he was the last of those that followed the LORD in Israel. It wasn't quite that extreme, I knew, because I have been blessed with many brothers and sisters in different parts of the country and the world who are passionately and wholeheartedly pursuing and living for Christ. But at college, I started feeling sort of like part of a dying breed, like I was one of the only people whose heart was broken over certain things I was seeing around me. But just as He did to Elijah, God spoke to me and reminded me of His great power. He told Elijah He still had seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed their knees to Baal, and in much the same way He reminded me of something He gave me a glimpse of a vision for several years ago. He wants to move mightily in my generation. He plans to. Even now, He is raising up saints and soldiers who will surrender their lives to Him and give themselves to advance His Kingdom and glory in this earth. Funny how I can forget that sometimes.
That season of broken-heartedness during my first semester was followed by one of worshipful, deeper discoveries of who God is and how infinitely big He is, how almighty and awesome. This is the God who has pulled off the impossible again and again throughout human history. Is anything too hard for Him?
Yet somehow, as humans we have this tendency at times to let our focus shift from our great God to all the mountains around us that must be moved. We forget Who must move those mountains, and begin to feel very small and incapable, to realize the utter impossibility of the task. But even though God could just pick up those mountains and toss them into the sea with less effort than it takes you or I to blink, He has chosen to work through the people He calls His own, through a very unique tool known as faith. Remember? Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to tell a mountain to move, and it would be moved. Is that a result of our faith--or of the One in whom our faith is placed?
Lately I've been struck by the sheer magnitude of the things that need to be overcome in my city, in America, in the world, and in the Church. I don't know why, but for some reason I've just never realized either the number of people involved or the level of delusion that has overcome so many. And once again, I started to feel like it's pretty impossible to hope for much to change for the better in this world we live in.
But then, God started reminding me of some things again... He brought up some specific memories of times He's very clearly spoken to me, or just filled me with hope and expectancy for things that, apart from Him, truly are impossible. And He aimed a rather pointed question/charge at my heart. He convicted me of not praying big enough. Of limiting my requests to the One who alone is the very Source of all power and grace. Of somehow thinking I could only pray for the small things, or that the small things were big enough.
Several years ago, God challenged me to dream bigger. It came after all my plans for my future had crumbled into dust, and for some time I had been utterly clueless as to what I wanted to be when I grew up, what I was going to do with my life. I had given up the goals I had set for myself for so long, and without them I literally had no clue what my life would look like after high school and college. Before God turned my world upside down, my dreams (in hindsight) were pretty mediocre and dull. I wanted to be a veterinarian, which I might've enjoyed to some extent, and have a husband, kids, pets, a house, etc. All the usual stuff. My idea for my future was puny, insignificant, and hollow. It was successful, perhaps, in the eyes of the world, but it lacked a driving purpose other than doing what I wanted to do in working with animals. I had let that dream go, but didn't know what to replace it with.
And that's when God told me to dream bigger. He challenged me to aim for a life filled with purpose--the very purpose I was created for, to glorify Him. Slowly, He started highlighting some areas He had gifted and called me in--most of them things I had only begun to discover after the old vision had been given up. I still had no clue what it was going to look like; I just knew some of what it would involve.
Now, revisiting that memory and others, God's been asking me if I'm willing to really trust Him to do all the things I have asked Him for--particularly in regards to my city and my generation. And if I focus on the mountains of impossibility, my heart quails and wants to shy away from ever praying the bold prayers I know my King is asking of me. But that's not where my gaze should be.
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?"
-Jeremiah 32:27
"What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"
-Romans 8:31
"Lord, let us be a generation that seeks,
Seeks Your face, oh God of Jacob." -Kutless
May we come to the place of faith that C.T. Studd so poignantly described: "We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man." I'm not claiming that I've reached a point of utter confidence as to what God intends to do in my generation just yet--but I know I need to fight for it. I know I need to pray for greater faith, and to recklessly trust Him to do what only He can. I don't know what it will look like; but I know He is able. And when it comes down to it, that's all I really need to know.
My Hope Is in You.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wanna Hear a Cool Story?
This is going to be a bit long, but I wanted to give as much of the full story as possible.
Almost a year ago (has it really been that long?), I wrote a blog post about Memphis and the love and calling God has given me for my hometown. For at least five years now, God has been planting and growing desires in my heart regarding Memphis; He's given me a deep, unwavering love for the people of my city and a passionate longing to have them see and know God as He is, to surrender to Him, and to be forever changed by the power of the Gospel. At some point along the way, I started thinking about the inner city, and found myself growing more and more eager to go there and share the Gospel with the people who live there.
Almost a year ago (has it really been that long?), I wrote a blog post about Memphis and the love and calling God has given me for my hometown. For at least five years now, God has been planting and growing desires in my heart regarding Memphis; He's given me a deep, unwavering love for the people of my city and a passionate longing to have them see and know God as He is, to surrender to Him, and to be forever changed by the power of the Gospel. At some point along the way, I started thinking about the inner city, and found myself growing more and more eager to go there and share the Gospel with the people who live there.
You see, when I was growing up, Memphis saw a huge movement (literally) of Christians. The problem was, they were moving out of the neighborhoods where gangs, drugs, and crime were becoming more prevalent, and into safer parts of town. They had good intentions; the main reason I've heard from some of these families was that they moved to protect their kids. That is a very real responsibility of parenthood, and I am not trying to point fingers or make a blanket-judgment on everyone who did this. My family moved too, and I do not and never have held it against my parents. They did what they felt was best, and looking back I believe it actually was the right choice for our family, especially because of the results it has had for my brothers. That being said, I'm not trying to condemn all the Christians in Memphis who now live in the suburbs and other "safe" areas of town. I cannot make some kind of blanket statement that it's wrong--especially when I just said that, for my family at least, it probably was the right choice.
However, this relocation had dramatic and harmful effects on those left behind. As the Christians moved out, these communities were left vulnerable and open to attack, and Satan took full advantage of that. Crime rates skyrocketed; drug use and gang violence became more and more prevalent; rape, murder, break-ins, arrests, and other reports started to become more and more commonplace in our local news stations' nightly reports. Memphis, we abandoned our own turf to this. The government didn't give up (at least not fully) on these parts of town: Money was poured into projects and school problems, and the police presence was upped to fight crime. But those things are not the ultimate answer; they cannot change crime and sin at the root; only the Gospel can. But during this time, nearly everyone who could, left.
However, this relocation had dramatic and harmful effects on those left behind. As the Christians moved out, these communities were left vulnerable and open to attack, and Satan took full advantage of that. Crime rates skyrocketed; drug use and gang violence became more and more prevalent; rape, murder, break-ins, arrests, and other reports started to become more and more commonplace in our local news stations' nightly reports. Memphis, we abandoned our own turf to this. The government didn't give up (at least not fully) on these parts of town: Money was poured into projects and school problems, and the police presence was upped to fight crime. But those things are not the ultimate answer; they cannot change crime and sin at the root; only the Gospel can. But during this time, nearly everyone who could, left.
Even while I was growing up in the suburbs, a passion for the inner city started growing in my heart. And somewhere along the way, I started praying. It's funny how, so many times, you start praying for God to do something without asking to be any part of it, and over time He changes your heart and you find yourself asking Him to send you. That's exactly what happened. But there was a problem, it seemed: I didn't live anywhere near the inner city, and honestly had hardly ever been close to it. Now what?
So I kept praying and asking God to show me what to do and to open the doors to whatever it was He had in store for me. Ironically, in the fall of 2009, I felt like He was telling me to go to this discipleship program that was just starting up the following summer--in Colorado. (This also wrecked my plans of going straight into college the fall after graduating high school, and I'm so glad it did!) As He is so faithful to do, God made it clear this was where He wanted me, and so the last few days of May 2010 found me saying a painful goodbye to the city I loved so dearly (and everyone in the city, including family and lifelong friends).
But God knew exactly what He was doing, even when I didn't have a clue. During my two semesters at Ellerslie, He did more in me than I could have ever anticipated or imagined. And when He sent me home to Memphis that December, I was ready to fight like never before for my city to know Christ. For I had learned how to fight--God had opened my eyes to what I had only just barely, once glimpsed before Ellerslie--how much of a battle ground prayer is, and how able our God is of working mightily through lives surrendered to His will. I still had no clear direction in regards to the inner city, but my prayers for Memphis had become more fervent, and I was more confident that they were not in vain--that God fully intends to redeem my city for His Kingdom.
A few months later, He provided me a job where I was paid to love on kiddos three days a week, and through that trained me in relying on His strength when my own was spent, relying on Him alone to give me grace to press on beyond my own abilities and be fully poured out for the children I worked with. There were so many times while I worked there that I knew I was worn out and needed to take a break and stop playing, but also knew that my calling right then was to stay engaged, to keep playing with and loving on these kids. And in those times of weakness, as I mentally cried out to God, "It has to be your strength, because I don't have any," again and again I saw Him come through. (Yes, this has something to do with where I'm going--trust me.)
One morning as I was listening to music on the way to work. My mp3 player was on shuffle, and a Lecrae song called "Beautiful Feet" came on. The song tells the stories of two men who grew up in the hood and ended up getting saved and going back to their neighborhoods to preach the Gospel. I'm sure I had heard this song before, but it hadn't hit home until that morning as I listened to the challenge Lecrae presents through it, calling on those whom God has called to the 'Hood to go there with the good news. He addresses those of us who haven't necessarily grown up in that environment, but who are called to go there and be His beautiful feet by bringing the Gospel. That morning, one line from this song leapt out at me and gripped me. I'm not sure if I'd ever caught it before, but if I had it hadn't sunk in that it was addressed to me. The line was this: "But who would minister in the sinister part of town? I pray if Jesus is calling you, you would be found." It cut me to the heart. In that moment, God whispered to my soul something to the effect of, "I have called you, and you know it. Will you answer the call?"
I didn't know what specifically He was asking of me, but I knew I needed to surrender again to His plans and His timing, even when I had no idea what they would look like. What I did have some clarity on was that He was asking me to be open to whatever timing God would present, and that I couldn't box it off in my mind that there was no way I could do anything in inner-city Memphis until I was out of college, etc. The other thing I felt Him clearly asking of me was to talk with my parents and share this with them, to ask them ahead of time to let me go wherever God led me, whenever He presented the opportunity. Mom and Dad already knew my heart for Memphis and the sense of calling I had for my city, but I felt that God needed to prepare them to be willing to let me risk potential danger for the sake of following our King. And He did prepare them for that; He used our conversations to make all three of us willing to allow God to lead me wherever and whenever He would into the heart of Memphis.
One Saturday evening not too long after that (this was in summer 2011), I had some time on my hands and felt the need to just spend time with God. I took my guitar with me to a nearby park and spent some time in worship and then in prayer, and when the sun started to set I packed up and headed to Starbucks, where I planned to find a nice little nook and sit with my Bible and a journal and soak up some more time alone with Jesus. On the way, I spontaneously changed my mind about which location I was going to, because I realized there was one closer that would probably be less populated on a night like this (this was pure conjecture, because I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've been to any Starbucks in the Memphis area).
As I pulled into the parking lot of this coffee shop that had not been in my original agenda, I thought things were still going basically according to plan. And they were, it just wasn't my plan! As I got in line behind two college-age girls, my sparkling raspberry soda in hand (yes, I knew I was in a coffee joint), I overheard them talking to the cashier. Some comment had made it obvious they didn't live in Memphis, so he asked what brought them here. When one of them replied that they were summer missionaries with a ministry in inner-city Memphis, my pulse quickened and my ears perked up. I paid for my soda, and then did something completely uncharacteristic for me: I walked up to complete strangers and introduced myself. Not only that, I explained that I had heard their conversation with the cashier and if they had a minute to tell me more about this ministry they were working with.
As it turned out, they were there with a whole group of summer missionaries and staff from Street Reach, which at that time I had never even heard of. Not only was the whole team there, but the director, Jason Cox, was there too. I was introduced to the rest of the group, and I explained to them basically what I've just been laying out here (though I gave them a shorter version)--how God has been giving me a passion for Memphis, specifically the inner city. And they told me about more of what they do.
Street Reach is a ministry based at Brinkley Heights Baptist Church--in inner-city Memphis! It started as the result of this small, impoverished church body, who about twenty years ago began praying that, if God would send the resources and reinforcements, they would work to take back their community for the Kingdom of God. Street Reach is what has come out of that prayer. While active in the community year-round, Street Reach runs Backyard Bible Clubs throughout the summer each year, with youth groups and college students coming in one-week shifts throughout to help facilitate these and also serve the community in other ways like nursing home visits, maintenance, lawn mowing, etcetera.
As you can probably imagine (especially if you know me very well), as I listened to all this I was getting more and more excited. I could already see that it had not been coincidence that I ran into these people or heard about this, and while I didn't know yet what might come of it, I knew God was up to something here. Before I left, Jason Cox (the director) gave me his card and told me to feel free to email him sometime if I ever wanted to drop by and see what they did first-hand, or if I was interested in being a part of Street Reach in the future.
I went home enthusiastic and ready to dive headfirst through this door God was clearly opening before me, but as it turned out, He was only showing me a glimpse; it wasn't time yet. I emailed Jason a few weeks later and asked about being able to come volunteer and help out, but I never heard back from him. For a while, this was puzzling to me, but God knew exactly what He was doing. He had other things lined up.
So last fall found me headed to college in Mississippi, once again saying an agonizing goodbye to my city for a season, and unsure of when God would ever open the door for me to go work in Memphis' inner city. But as I said, He had a plan (as always!). About a month later, my sister and I found the church in Jackson (Wesley Chapel) that was to become our home while we're at college. The youth group there, which we also got involved working with, is largely inner-city kids, plus some homeschoolers (it makes for an awesome combination, believe me--love our youth!!). Also at college, I've gotten involved with apartment ministries through the BSU (Baptist Student Union), and this semester my English class has been doing service-learning by helping tutor kids at a nearby apartment complex. Through all of these, and through college life in general, God has not only provided more experience working with kids from different backgrounds, but He has also been training me in how to be more fully poured out and to rely upon Him to lead me and give me words to speak when I tell them about Him, among other things. (Ever notice it's kind of hard to summarize everything God is working in your life?)
Ready? Here's where things start getting really exciting. On January 20, 2012, I received an email from Jason, the director of Street Reach, saying that they had some senior-staff positions open for this summer. He attached the application for it in case I was interested. I was stunned at first, for multiple reasons. One, I had never heard back from him when I'd emailed before, and I thought they had probably forgotten about ever meeting me--but he specifically mentioned that in the email. Two, I had assumed I was going back to my old job (childcare) for the summer, and that that was where God wanted me; now here was an opportunity to instead spend my summer in the very part of town He had been burdening me for for so long. I was a bit overwhelmed, to say the least.
Not wanting to repeat history and jump the gun on this, I spent a lot of time praying before I responded. I did email back with a few questions, and in that way found out that it would be a full-time commitment from the end of May all the way to the end of July, and then that it was actually a paying position, which I had not expected. In fact, as I had been praying before I found that out, I was asking God to be clear with me because I knew He could provide for me if He wanted me to do this instead of working elsewhere to earn money towards college. One by one, the doors started to swing open...from my parents being not only okay with, but excited about the opportunity...to God giving me the go-ahead to start on the application...to one of my employers at my old job being so enthusiastic that she was not only willing to not have me work there for the sake of this, but was also willing to provide a reference for me for the Street Reach application...to confirmations on nearly every side... In a lot of ways, what God has done these past few months is simply too awesome to put into words.
(This is the part where everything starts to tie together.) During Spring Break, I went in for my interview for the position at Street Reach. It was one of the most amazing, worshipful experiences of my life! It was then, as they explained in greater detail what this summer will look like and asked me questions, I suddenly became aware of so many of God's fingerprints in setting all of this up. It was then that I saw all the ways He has prepared me, from my family background and upbringing, to the youth group I grew up in, to the church we're at now in Memphis, to various experiences through the years, to Ellerslie and all that happened there, to the church and youth group my sister and I are plugged into in Jackson, to apartment ministries and tutoring here in Mississippi...everything God has been building in me for just about my entire life, He is going to utilize--and deepen--this summer as I work with Street Reach (yes, I got the job!).
After years and years of being readied for this, without knowing it, at long last I am heading into the place God has been laying on my heart for years. It's humbling to see this coming to pass and to realize the depth of the calling I have been given--to be fully spent and poured out in service to my King by serving in the heart of my city and fighting alongside Him to rescue those that most would overlook.
I know God has great plans for this city, this nation, this world, and this generation. He's called us to be a part of that, but it starts in the here and now. Memphis will not change unless the hearts of the people in this city change. America will not be changed unless the people in it surrender themselves to the Lord and allow Him to change them. This world and this generation will see no lasting good, until the individuals who make up this world and our generation call upon the only One who is good. Humans have tried for centuries to solve the world's problems. We've spent lifetimes of hours and millions of dollars in research, programs, methodologies, and so on, trying to make the world a better place, and all the while it has only gotten worse. The problem lies at the heart: sinful human nature. And there is only one Cure: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who through His life, death, and resurrection defeated the powers of sin and death and purchased not only redemption and forgiveness, but also our inheritance: the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1). It is only by the power of Christ in us that we can live for Him and be His hands and His feet to this dying world.
It is only through Him that I can have any true or lasting effect on my city. But where He calls, He equips. He may be sending this girl who has thus far lived a pretty sheltered life, largely in the suburbs, to live in a neighborhood with a completely different culture than what I've grown up in, but His plans don't look like the ones we humans would come up with. I am indescribably excited to embark on this new assignment just over a month from now, and to see all that God does then, in the meantime, and after. I have a feeling this will not be my only opportunity to serve and fight on the front lines for my city.
But God's Kingdom is advanced through prayer. I have already put years of prayer into this, but that doesn't end now that the opportunity is here. If anything, it must increase. Will you join me in praying for our great God to have His way--now, this summer, and beyond--in Memphis, in your city, in our nations, in this world, and in our generation? Rise up, men and women of the Lord Most High, and fight like never before for our King and His glory! Rak Khazak!!
So I kept praying and asking God to show me what to do and to open the doors to whatever it was He had in store for me. Ironically, in the fall of 2009, I felt like He was telling me to go to this discipleship program that was just starting up the following summer--in Colorado. (This also wrecked my plans of going straight into college the fall after graduating high school, and I'm so glad it did!) As He is so faithful to do, God made it clear this was where He wanted me, and so the last few days of May 2010 found me saying a painful goodbye to the city I loved so dearly (and everyone in the city, including family and lifelong friends).
But God knew exactly what He was doing, even when I didn't have a clue. During my two semesters at Ellerslie, He did more in me than I could have ever anticipated or imagined. And when He sent me home to Memphis that December, I was ready to fight like never before for my city to know Christ. For I had learned how to fight--God had opened my eyes to what I had only just barely, once glimpsed before Ellerslie--how much of a battle ground prayer is, and how able our God is of working mightily through lives surrendered to His will. I still had no clear direction in regards to the inner city, but my prayers for Memphis had become more fervent, and I was more confident that they were not in vain--that God fully intends to redeem my city for His Kingdom.
A few months later, He provided me a job where I was paid to love on kiddos three days a week, and through that trained me in relying on His strength when my own was spent, relying on Him alone to give me grace to press on beyond my own abilities and be fully poured out for the children I worked with. There were so many times while I worked there that I knew I was worn out and needed to take a break and stop playing, but also knew that my calling right then was to stay engaged, to keep playing with and loving on these kids. And in those times of weakness, as I mentally cried out to God, "It has to be your strength, because I don't have any," again and again I saw Him come through. (Yes, this has something to do with where I'm going--trust me.)
One morning as I was listening to music on the way to work. My mp3 player was on shuffle, and a Lecrae song called "Beautiful Feet" came on. The song tells the stories of two men who grew up in the hood and ended up getting saved and going back to their neighborhoods to preach the Gospel. I'm sure I had heard this song before, but it hadn't hit home until that morning as I listened to the challenge Lecrae presents through it, calling on those whom God has called to the 'Hood to go there with the good news. He addresses those of us who haven't necessarily grown up in that environment, but who are called to go there and be His beautiful feet by bringing the Gospel. That morning, one line from this song leapt out at me and gripped me. I'm not sure if I'd ever caught it before, but if I had it hadn't sunk in that it was addressed to me. The line was this: "But who would minister in the sinister part of town? I pray if Jesus is calling you, you would be found." It cut me to the heart. In that moment, God whispered to my soul something to the effect of, "I have called you, and you know it. Will you answer the call?"
I didn't know what specifically He was asking of me, but I knew I needed to surrender again to His plans and His timing, even when I had no idea what they would look like. What I did have some clarity on was that He was asking me to be open to whatever timing God would present, and that I couldn't box it off in my mind that there was no way I could do anything in inner-city Memphis until I was out of college, etc. The other thing I felt Him clearly asking of me was to talk with my parents and share this with them, to ask them ahead of time to let me go wherever God led me, whenever He presented the opportunity. Mom and Dad already knew my heart for Memphis and the sense of calling I had for my city, but I felt that God needed to prepare them to be willing to let me risk potential danger for the sake of following our King. And He did prepare them for that; He used our conversations to make all three of us willing to allow God to lead me wherever and whenever He would into the heart of Memphis.
One Saturday evening not too long after that (this was in summer 2011), I had some time on my hands and felt the need to just spend time with God. I took my guitar with me to a nearby park and spent some time in worship and then in prayer, and when the sun started to set I packed up and headed to Starbucks, where I planned to find a nice little nook and sit with my Bible and a journal and soak up some more time alone with Jesus. On the way, I spontaneously changed my mind about which location I was going to, because I realized there was one closer that would probably be less populated on a night like this (this was pure conjecture, because I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've been to any Starbucks in the Memphis area).
As I pulled into the parking lot of this coffee shop that had not been in my original agenda, I thought things were still going basically according to plan. And they were, it just wasn't my plan! As I got in line behind two college-age girls, my sparkling raspberry soda in hand (yes, I knew I was in a coffee joint), I overheard them talking to the cashier. Some comment had made it obvious they didn't live in Memphis, so he asked what brought them here. When one of them replied that they were summer missionaries with a ministry in inner-city Memphis, my pulse quickened and my ears perked up. I paid for my soda, and then did something completely uncharacteristic for me: I walked up to complete strangers and introduced myself. Not only that, I explained that I had heard their conversation with the cashier and if they had a minute to tell me more about this ministry they were working with.
As it turned out, they were there with a whole group of summer missionaries and staff from Street Reach, which at that time I had never even heard of. Not only was the whole team there, but the director, Jason Cox, was there too. I was introduced to the rest of the group, and I explained to them basically what I've just been laying out here (though I gave them a shorter version)--how God has been giving me a passion for Memphis, specifically the inner city. And they told me about more of what they do.
Street Reach is a ministry based at Brinkley Heights Baptist Church--in inner-city Memphis! It started as the result of this small, impoverished church body, who about twenty years ago began praying that, if God would send the resources and reinforcements, they would work to take back their community for the Kingdom of God. Street Reach is what has come out of that prayer. While active in the community year-round, Street Reach runs Backyard Bible Clubs throughout the summer each year, with youth groups and college students coming in one-week shifts throughout to help facilitate these and also serve the community in other ways like nursing home visits, maintenance, lawn mowing, etcetera.
As you can probably imagine (especially if you know me very well), as I listened to all this I was getting more and more excited. I could already see that it had not been coincidence that I ran into these people or heard about this, and while I didn't know yet what might come of it, I knew God was up to something here. Before I left, Jason Cox (the director) gave me his card and told me to feel free to email him sometime if I ever wanted to drop by and see what they did first-hand, or if I was interested in being a part of Street Reach in the future.
I went home enthusiastic and ready to dive headfirst through this door God was clearly opening before me, but as it turned out, He was only showing me a glimpse; it wasn't time yet. I emailed Jason a few weeks later and asked about being able to come volunteer and help out, but I never heard back from him. For a while, this was puzzling to me, but God knew exactly what He was doing. He had other things lined up.
So last fall found me headed to college in Mississippi, once again saying an agonizing goodbye to my city for a season, and unsure of when God would ever open the door for me to go work in Memphis' inner city. But as I said, He had a plan (as always!). About a month later, my sister and I found the church in Jackson (Wesley Chapel) that was to become our home while we're at college. The youth group there, which we also got involved working with, is largely inner-city kids, plus some homeschoolers (it makes for an awesome combination, believe me--love our youth!!). Also at college, I've gotten involved with apartment ministries through the BSU (Baptist Student Union), and this semester my English class has been doing service-learning by helping tutor kids at a nearby apartment complex. Through all of these, and through college life in general, God has not only provided more experience working with kids from different backgrounds, but He has also been training me in how to be more fully poured out and to rely upon Him to lead me and give me words to speak when I tell them about Him, among other things. (Ever notice it's kind of hard to summarize everything God is working in your life?)
Ready? Here's where things start getting really exciting. On January 20, 2012, I received an email from Jason, the director of Street Reach, saying that they had some senior-staff positions open for this summer. He attached the application for it in case I was interested. I was stunned at first, for multiple reasons. One, I had never heard back from him when I'd emailed before, and I thought they had probably forgotten about ever meeting me--but he specifically mentioned that in the email. Two, I had assumed I was going back to my old job (childcare) for the summer, and that that was where God wanted me; now here was an opportunity to instead spend my summer in the very part of town He had been burdening me for for so long. I was a bit overwhelmed, to say the least.
Not wanting to repeat history and jump the gun on this, I spent a lot of time praying before I responded. I did email back with a few questions, and in that way found out that it would be a full-time commitment from the end of May all the way to the end of July, and then that it was actually a paying position, which I had not expected. In fact, as I had been praying before I found that out, I was asking God to be clear with me because I knew He could provide for me if He wanted me to do this instead of working elsewhere to earn money towards college. One by one, the doors started to swing open...from my parents being not only okay with, but excited about the opportunity...to God giving me the go-ahead to start on the application...to one of my employers at my old job being so enthusiastic that she was not only willing to not have me work there for the sake of this, but was also willing to provide a reference for me for the Street Reach application...to confirmations on nearly every side... In a lot of ways, what God has done these past few months is simply too awesome to put into words.
(This is the part where everything starts to tie together.) During Spring Break, I went in for my interview for the position at Street Reach. It was one of the most amazing, worshipful experiences of my life! It was then, as they explained in greater detail what this summer will look like and asked me questions, I suddenly became aware of so many of God's fingerprints in setting all of this up. It was then that I saw all the ways He has prepared me, from my family background and upbringing, to the youth group I grew up in, to the church we're at now in Memphis, to various experiences through the years, to Ellerslie and all that happened there, to the church and youth group my sister and I are plugged into in Jackson, to apartment ministries and tutoring here in Mississippi...everything God has been building in me for just about my entire life, He is going to utilize--and deepen--this summer as I work with Street Reach (yes, I got the job!).
After years and years of being readied for this, without knowing it, at long last I am heading into the place God has been laying on my heart for years. It's humbling to see this coming to pass and to realize the depth of the calling I have been given--to be fully spent and poured out in service to my King by serving in the heart of my city and fighting alongside Him to rescue those that most would overlook.
I know God has great plans for this city, this nation, this world, and this generation. He's called us to be a part of that, but it starts in the here and now. Memphis will not change unless the hearts of the people in this city change. America will not be changed unless the people in it surrender themselves to the Lord and allow Him to change them. This world and this generation will see no lasting good, until the individuals who make up this world and our generation call upon the only One who is good. Humans have tried for centuries to solve the world's problems. We've spent lifetimes of hours and millions of dollars in research, programs, methodologies, and so on, trying to make the world a better place, and all the while it has only gotten worse. The problem lies at the heart: sinful human nature. And there is only one Cure: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who through His life, death, and resurrection defeated the powers of sin and death and purchased not only redemption and forgiveness, but also our inheritance: the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1). It is only by the power of Christ in us that we can live for Him and be His hands and His feet to this dying world.
It is only through Him that I can have any true or lasting effect on my city. But where He calls, He equips. He may be sending this girl who has thus far lived a pretty sheltered life, largely in the suburbs, to live in a neighborhood with a completely different culture than what I've grown up in, but His plans don't look like the ones we humans would come up with. I am indescribably excited to embark on this new assignment just over a month from now, and to see all that God does then, in the meantime, and after. I have a feeling this will not be my only opportunity to serve and fight on the front lines for my city.
But God's Kingdom is advanced through prayer. I have already put years of prayer into this, but that doesn't end now that the opportunity is here. If anything, it must increase. Will you join me in praying for our great God to have His way--now, this summer, and beyond--in Memphis, in your city, in our nations, in this world, and in our generation? Rise up, men and women of the Lord Most High, and fight like never before for our King and His glory! Rak Khazak!!
"And I will be known in the eyes of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the LORD."
-Ezekiel 38:23b
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Burnout?
There are many things (probably more than I could think of to list) that I have been taught and nurtured in growing up in regards to the Christian life. But there are also a few things that were either taught or just generally accepted, which at some point I began to realize have no biblical basis, or else have just been a little twisted by our Americanized-Christian culture. I will say that these are few and far between when it comes to the instruction I received growing up, but recently one in particular has been coming up that I just feel the need to go ahead and say something about. Burnout.
This is the idea that, as Christians, we need to be careful to not do too much, because if we do we end up with too much on our plate, we'll fizzle out and wind up with no energy, no strength, nothing to offer. It makes sense, if you think about it logically. Overexert, and you wind up useless and weaker than you started.
But there's a problem with this line of thinking. As Christians, we are called to not lean on our own strength, our own ability, but to fully and only rely on Jesus Christ. His strength is made perfectly evident in our weakness, because He's the strong one--not us. Our God is not weak or incapable.
Do you see it? It's teaching the same thing the New Testament does: that our strength must come from God, or we won't have any worth mentioning. The "burnout" principle has some truth to it. If we set out in our own strength to do what we think God's called us to, in our power, we will wind up miserable failures at it all. There won't be fruit, and instead the life will be sucked out of us who are trying, in our own strength, to do something good for God. That's the problem. First, it has to really be what He's called you to. God doesn't just give us strength and say, "Now go find a way to use it!" He has a purposeful, specific plan for each of us in advancing His Kingdom. Not all are called to be overseas missionaries. Not all are called to be teachers or pastors or even parents. But each one of us has a unique calling, and when God calls, He equips. It is only by His strength that we can accomplish His work; that's why the Gospel's so important. God Himself has done what we could not do, and through His death has given us Life--a.k.a. Himself. "I am the way, the truth and the life..." ring any bells?
God didn't give us a job, sit back, and say, "Good luck with that." He filled us with the only thing that can accomplish His will--Him. He is the everlasting God. He doesn't faint or grow weary; we do. He never fails; we do.
So now we come to the side of burnout that's not biblically sound: the idea that we can be doing "too much" for God. It's true that when we do life on our own terms and in our own strength, we will run out of energy, motivation, and ability to carry it all out. But it's not true that when we are doing what we were created for and relying on Christ to do what we can't on our own, we will meet with burnout. Study the New Testament. Who is Lord of the Sabbath? Who is to be our rest, our strength, our savior, the Head of the Body, the foundation upon which everything rests? Jesus. As long as our gaze is on Him, He will equip us for every good work that He has for us to do.
Do we ever see Paul decide he's done enough and he can take it easy now? On the contrary, he gets stoned and dragged out to the trash heap, then revives and gets right back up and strolls straight back into town to keep preaching. In addition to preaching and ministering everywhere he goes, he makes tents and sells them for a living, finds time to write to the churches in other cities, and never ceases praying for the believers everywhere. Sounds like a pretty good description of work that, if done day in and day out over the course of years, is a recipe for wearing you out quickly.
So what?
Have we been promised a life of ease and comfort, to do the minimal amount of work, stamp God's name on it, and say we've made our contribution and can hang out at the status quo? I don't think I've ever read a single verse in the entire Bible that even hints at that. If there are any, feel free to point them out to me. But I'm pretty sure we were promised trials, persecution, hardship, and slander, and for our flesh, a daily, bloody death on a cross. Crosses aren't comfortable. And Jesus hadn't died on one yet when He commanded us to daily take up our cross and follow Him. But He has died, and He has risen. And He has called us to follow Him, to preach His Gospel to the ends of the earth, to make disciples, to glorify Him in all things. He's called us to a life we can't live without Him.
We do not go alone into this world, bearing the good news. We go filled with and clothed in Him (check out Ephesians). The hope of glory is Christ in you. So should we settle for anything less? Should we keep trying to do things our own way, in our own strength, when we've been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be spent and poured out for the glory of our King?
This is the idea that, as Christians, we need to be careful to not do too much, because if we do we end up with too much on our plate, we'll fizzle out and wind up with no energy, no strength, nothing to offer. It makes sense, if you think about it logically. Overexert, and you wind up useless and weaker than you started.
But there's a problem with this line of thinking. As Christians, we are called to not lean on our own strength, our own ability, but to fully and only rely on Jesus Christ. His strength is made perfectly evident in our weakness, because He's the strong one--not us. Our God is not weak or incapable.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and grow weary, and young men shall utterly fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:28-31This is one of those feel-good passages so many of us have heard so many times, even memorized for Bible class or Sunday school. But sometimes with verses like these, we allow them to lose their potency for us because we don't really listen to what they're saying, they're so familiar to us. So go back and read it again, really read it--listen to what it's saying.
Do you see it? It's teaching the same thing the New Testament does: that our strength must come from God, or we won't have any worth mentioning. The "burnout" principle has some truth to it. If we set out in our own strength to do what we think God's called us to, in our power, we will wind up miserable failures at it all. There won't be fruit, and instead the life will be sucked out of us who are trying, in our own strength, to do something good for God. That's the problem. First, it has to really be what He's called you to. God doesn't just give us strength and say, "Now go find a way to use it!" He has a purposeful, specific plan for each of us in advancing His Kingdom. Not all are called to be overseas missionaries. Not all are called to be teachers or pastors or even parents. But each one of us has a unique calling, and when God calls, He equips. It is only by His strength that we can accomplish His work; that's why the Gospel's so important. God Himself has done what we could not do, and through His death has given us Life--a.k.a. Himself. "I am the way, the truth and the life..." ring any bells?
God didn't give us a job, sit back, and say, "Good luck with that." He filled us with the only thing that can accomplish His will--Him. He is the everlasting God. He doesn't faint or grow weary; we do. He never fails; we do.
So now we come to the side of burnout that's not biblically sound: the idea that we can be doing "too much" for God. It's true that when we do life on our own terms and in our own strength, we will run out of energy, motivation, and ability to carry it all out. But it's not true that when we are doing what we were created for and relying on Christ to do what we can't on our own, we will meet with burnout. Study the New Testament. Who is Lord of the Sabbath? Who is to be our rest, our strength, our savior, the Head of the Body, the foundation upon which everything rests? Jesus. As long as our gaze is on Him, He will equip us for every good work that He has for us to do.
Do we ever see Paul decide he's done enough and he can take it easy now? On the contrary, he gets stoned and dragged out to the trash heap, then revives and gets right back up and strolls straight back into town to keep preaching. In addition to preaching and ministering everywhere he goes, he makes tents and sells them for a living, finds time to write to the churches in other cities, and never ceases praying for the believers everywhere. Sounds like a pretty good description of work that, if done day in and day out over the course of years, is a recipe for wearing you out quickly.
So what?
Have we been promised a life of ease and comfort, to do the minimal amount of work, stamp God's name on it, and say we've made our contribution and can hang out at the status quo? I don't think I've ever read a single verse in the entire Bible that even hints at that. If there are any, feel free to point them out to me. But I'm pretty sure we were promised trials, persecution, hardship, and slander, and for our flesh, a daily, bloody death on a cross. Crosses aren't comfortable. And Jesus hadn't died on one yet when He commanded us to daily take up our cross and follow Him. But He has died, and He has risen. And He has called us to follow Him, to preach His Gospel to the ends of the earth, to make disciples, to glorify Him in all things. He's called us to a life we can't live without Him.
We do not go alone into this world, bearing the good news. We go filled with and clothed in Him (check out Ephesians). The hope of glory is Christ in you. So should we settle for anything less? Should we keep trying to do things our own way, in our own strength, when we've been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be spent and poured out for the glory of our King?
"The hour of God is struck! War is at hand! In God's holy name, let us arise and build! The God of heaven, He will fight for us, and we for Him. We will not build on the sand but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ. And the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us. Should such men as we fear? Before the whole world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby world, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting in our God than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position, the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight." -C.T. Studd
Thursday, August 11, 2011
A Black-and-White Issue
What I am about to write is possibly one of the boldest and most politically incorrect things I've ever taken a public stance on. But that can't stop me from writing it. A conviction and righteous indignation that has been stirring within me for years, well over half my nineteen-year-old life, has finally risen to the surface so strongly that I simply can't keep my mouth shut or my fingers from typing. If I try, I'll explode; it's no use. So, here goes.
On my wall is a poster I made, which holds a whole list of things I am praying about for my city. It's nothing fancy. The top reads "Fighting for Memphis" and below that the lists are separated into two columns: "Fighting For..." and "Fighting Against." It's not a comprehensive list, either. I've run out of room on my single sheet of poster board, and one of these days I'll get another one to go beneath to continue the list. But the very first topic on the right-hand column (things I'm fighting against), is racism.
Yep, I said it. Racism.
I've lived in Memphis all my life, with the exception of the six months I was at Ellerslie in Colorado. Hence, I've grown up in the heart of the Mid-South. And I can tell you, racism is very much alive today, and has been all my life and even before. Anyone who's lived here in Memphis knows it, even if they wouldn't admit it. And I'm willing to bet, based both on conversations I've had with friends who've grown up even up North, and on my knowledge of human nature and the lies that have been passed down for so long, that it's alive and well in other places too.
Before I go any further, there is something I need to say. I am living proof that someone can grow up in an area where racism is as prevalent as it is in Memphis, and not be racist themselves. I'm not trying to sound arrogant or prideful, but it's true. I've heard people say things like "You can't convince me that when you look at me you don't notice I'm black." Well, to a level, that's true, but let me tell you something. When I meet someone for the first time, of course I notice what color their skin is. Just like I notice what color their hair and eyes are. And in the same way that I don't, when I meet someone with red hair, immediately imagine some boundary between us because "My hair's brown and hers is red--what if we can't relate to eachother?" Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? Same goes for blondes--some of the brightest, smartest people I know are blonde (so cut the jokes). And same goes for Asians--one of my closest friends in the world is Asian. And the same goes for African Americans. My youngest brother is black, and so is my "big bro" (family friend whom we've sort of adopted, but not legally or anything).
Let's get something straight here. There is one race that exists, and only one that has ever existed--the human race. It doesn't matter what color anyone's hair or eyes or skin tone are; we all came from Adam and Eve. Racism. Break it down, and the word literally means a belief in the existence of races. And this idea that has so penetrated and plagued our prideful, sinful, self-righteous minds for hundreds of years--this idea that there is more than one race--is a lie straight from Hell. If you don't believe me, look at its fruit. Ever seen racism produce good fruit? Love? Joy? Peace? Patience? Goodness? Kindness? I sure haven't. I've seen it cause strife, division, hatred, murder, deceit, and pride--and none of those are at all praiseworthy.
I am sick and tired of watching this lie eat away at my city and my fellow man. I've grown up and somehow escaped its poison, but in that I find myself in the minority. And that's sad. What's even more sad is that this lie is so prevalent in the Church. Know that I'm not throwing a general slur out there and saying that every church body is controlled by racism. But at the same time I know we're not free of it completely in the American church. And that has to change. I'm not holding you to my opinion, but to the Word of God:
Before I was born, but not so long ago in our nation's history, there was a great movement that took place and fought for human rights and equality. We know it as the Civil Rights Movement. But I'm here to tell you, while that movement was largely victorious, it was only going after a symptom, and not the root of the real issue. The issue is not discrimination, it is not "racism" in the sense of treating people differently because of the color of their skin or because of their upbringing. The issue lies within our own hearts, in our idiotic pride that would dare say, "I am more important or more special or of more worth than someone else because of _____." And here I must plead guilty, for I cannot pretend that I have never acted out the lie that I and my own interests and "rights" are greater or more important than those of anyone else. I have. I have selfishly looked out for my own interests and not the interests of others. I have treated others--even and perhaps especially my own parents and family members--like they were less important than me. The lie we are so prone to believe deep down, that it's all about me and the world all revolves around me, stems from the exact same place that the lie of racism does. And it's sin. There is no other name for it, for it goes directly against what God has mandated.
So, America, let's repent of our sin. Let's confess before the God Who already knows, and ask Him by His grace to change our hearts and make them like His. This is something only He can do. No matter how many movements we have, Jesus is the only One who can change our hearts. I've grown up free, by the grace of God, from racism, shielded in part by my parents' solid belief in the Bible and their lack of racism. But I know my God, and I know there is no sin too great for Him to overcome. You want victory? Side with Him, and trust Him for it. He's able, and He's faithful.
I don't know how many people will read this. And to a large extent, I don't care. That's in God's hands, and if He wants to have just a few people read it and be stirred, whether to repentance or to prayer, or both--it's fine with me. And though my flesh shrinks from the idea of a huge number of people (especially people who don't know me) reading all this, my spirit is altogether willing to allow that to be the case, if God so chooses.
That is all.
On my wall is a poster I made, which holds a whole list of things I am praying about for my city. It's nothing fancy. The top reads "Fighting for Memphis" and below that the lists are separated into two columns: "Fighting For..." and "Fighting Against." It's not a comprehensive list, either. I've run out of room on my single sheet of poster board, and one of these days I'll get another one to go beneath to continue the list. But the very first topic on the right-hand column (things I'm fighting against), is racism.
Yep, I said it. Racism.
I've lived in Memphis all my life, with the exception of the six months I was at Ellerslie in Colorado. Hence, I've grown up in the heart of the Mid-South. And I can tell you, racism is very much alive today, and has been all my life and even before. Anyone who's lived here in Memphis knows it, even if they wouldn't admit it. And I'm willing to bet, based both on conversations I've had with friends who've grown up even up North, and on my knowledge of human nature and the lies that have been passed down for so long, that it's alive and well in other places too.
Before I go any further, there is something I need to say. I am living proof that someone can grow up in an area where racism is as prevalent as it is in Memphis, and not be racist themselves. I'm not trying to sound arrogant or prideful, but it's true. I've heard people say things like "You can't convince me that when you look at me you don't notice I'm black." Well, to a level, that's true, but let me tell you something. When I meet someone for the first time, of course I notice what color their skin is. Just like I notice what color their hair and eyes are. And in the same way that I don't, when I meet someone with red hair, immediately imagine some boundary between us because "My hair's brown and hers is red--what if we can't relate to eachother?" Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? Same goes for blondes--some of the brightest, smartest people I know are blonde (so cut the jokes). And same goes for Asians--one of my closest friends in the world is Asian. And the same goes for African Americans. My youngest brother is black, and so is my "big bro" (family friend whom we've sort of adopted, but not legally or anything).
Let's get something straight here. There is one race that exists, and only one that has ever existed--the human race. It doesn't matter what color anyone's hair or eyes or skin tone are; we all came from Adam and Eve. Racism. Break it down, and the word literally means a belief in the existence of races. And this idea that has so penetrated and plagued our prideful, sinful, self-righteous minds for hundreds of years--this idea that there is more than one race--is a lie straight from Hell. If you don't believe me, look at its fruit. Ever seen racism produce good fruit? Love? Joy? Peace? Patience? Goodness? Kindness? I sure haven't. I've seen it cause strife, division, hatred, murder, deceit, and pride--and none of those are at all praiseworthy.
I am sick and tired of watching this lie eat away at my city and my fellow man. I've grown up and somehow escaped its poison, but in that I find myself in the minority. And that's sad. What's even more sad is that this lie is so prevalent in the Church. Know that I'm not throwing a general slur out there and saying that every church body is controlled by racism. But at the same time I know we're not free of it completely in the American church. And that has to change. I'm not holding you to my opinion, but to the Word of God:
"...ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: wherein there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." -Colossians 3:9-11By all means, let us throw off the bonds that hinder us, stare down the lies that try to destroy from the inside out, and confront those lies with the Truth.
Before I was born, but not so long ago in our nation's history, there was a great movement that took place and fought for human rights and equality. We know it as the Civil Rights Movement. But I'm here to tell you, while that movement was largely victorious, it was only going after a symptom, and not the root of the real issue. The issue is not discrimination, it is not "racism" in the sense of treating people differently because of the color of their skin or because of their upbringing. The issue lies within our own hearts, in our idiotic pride that would dare say, "I am more important or more special or of more worth than someone else because of _____." And here I must plead guilty, for I cannot pretend that I have never acted out the lie that I and my own interests and "rights" are greater or more important than those of anyone else. I have. I have selfishly looked out for my own interests and not the interests of others. I have treated others--even and perhaps especially my own parents and family members--like they were less important than me. The lie we are so prone to believe deep down, that it's all about me and the world all revolves around me, stems from the exact same place that the lie of racism does. And it's sin. There is no other name for it, for it goes directly against what God has mandated.
So, America, let's repent of our sin. Let's confess before the God Who already knows, and ask Him by His grace to change our hearts and make them like His. This is something only He can do. No matter how many movements we have, Jesus is the only One who can change our hearts. I've grown up free, by the grace of God, from racism, shielded in part by my parents' solid belief in the Bible and their lack of racism. But I know my God, and I know there is no sin too great for Him to overcome. You want victory? Side with Him, and trust Him for it. He's able, and He's faithful.
I don't know how many people will read this. And to a large extent, I don't care. That's in God's hands, and if He wants to have just a few people read it and be stirred, whether to repentance or to prayer, or both--it's fine with me. And though my flesh shrinks from the idea of a huge number of people (especially people who don't know me) reading all this, my spirit is altogether willing to allow that to be the case, if God so chooses.
That is all.
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