Lord willing, today is the last day of deadline for the Sep/Oct issue. Ordinarily (in the past, I guess), this would be one day late, but now that the files are sent electronically via the internet, Monday is the delivery day anyway, so I have until midday today to get all the files over.
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if He rescued Lot, a rightous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) -- if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed -- an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey -- a beast without speech -- who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness."
While this could be misconstrued as "hate speech," it is indeed God's Word ( from 2 Peter 2:4-16). Does this mean there is a hell? A judgment? What should God's people do about this?
These are not the questions of a philosopher...
These are the questions of a tired editor after a few late nights editing/deadlining a magazine. Other pertinent questions are: What day is it? Where am I? What's going on?
I've got to go to Fed Ex today to overnight the proofs for the next issue to the printer. Did I mention that this issue is going to be great? Did I also mention that it'll include a sampler CD? Did I mention that the great John J. Thompson is putting together the second installment of the HM Magazine Podcast?
What? You say...you haven't heard the first installment of the HM Magazine Podcast? Go check it out! Podcasts are like a radio show in mp3 format that you can listen to on your computer (and take on your portable device if you so choose). The HM podcast is professionally done -- with full length songs. Not just a bunch of talking.
God bless you!
I've gotta hand it to Rand and Kelly -- they've really dug in, chipped in, and delivered some great work, creativity (both writing and graphic design) for this issue. It's been some late nights and a lot of work, but this issue is shaping up to be a great one. I can't wait for everyone to read some of these stories. I'll tell you more when it's about to hit (just remind me, okay?).
Received 5 CDs last night at the PO Box. From the Legacy/Columbia Records label, I got 5 remastered re-issued Journey albums. I prefer the first one with Steve Perry (Infinity) to all the others, but it was a real treat to get Infinity, Evolution, Departure, Escape, and Greatest Hits. Fun.
I'm still listening to music to rate for this new issue. Some that come in with high ratings include: Starflyer 59, Showbread, The Devil Wears Prada, and Drop Dead, Gorgeous.
My oldest daughter just left with my parents for a two-week visit to their place in Florida. I hope she has a blast. We're going to miss her. Both my daughters were set up with AIM accounts, so now I get IM's from them during the day. They're so cute.
"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body..."
the words of Saint Peter, who was killed upside-down.
P.S. Jesus taught love, and He also affirmed every Word about the Father in the Scriptures (Old Testament), which means there's also a list of 7 things that get God really mad. Hmmm. Real emotions...God? I believe so. It helps me frame my reference of the James 4:4 discourse (read it @ friends of the world vs. friends of God) when I hold up the concept that our ambivalence towards God, our rejection of Him, or our apathy towards Him -- that's like "flipping him the bird." It's like tell him to (bleep) off. I believe God can handle that, and He probably doesn't flip out like some of us would if we heard that kind of language being directed towards the Creator of the universe; but I think it paints a realistic picture of love vs. hate vs. apathy. No choice is a choice. So, all that to say this: God is a person. He'll treat you as equally as the richest people on earth (maybe even better), and we owe it to Him to fall in love with Him. He is irresistable ... if we only consider Him and believe (cling to, trust in, rely on) Him.
P.S.S. For someone who "falls away" from God or abandons the faith... If Calvinists are right (and they don't conclude that "this brother was never saved in the first place," which smells like an easy cop-out to me), then this person might still go to Heaven when they die. Won't they feel dumb (for maybe a split second), as they realize how wrong they were (that there IS a loving God...He DOES exist and can be KNOWN)!?!
(this is a good one for deadline)
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a Great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all themore as you see the Day approaching."
Amen.
Here's hoping I can finish laying out the Album Reviews (spent all day yesterday on it) and the rest of the mag.
:?)
Listening to "That's Where Jesus Is" by The Lost Dogs.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."
Is it possible to be a blind Christian and forget that you've been cleansed from your past sins? Is it possible to be effective and productive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Deadline is 2 days, 6 hours, 44 minutes, and 27 seconds away. I feel like I'm at least that far from being done. Yikes!
Hey fellas, have you heard the news?
You know, that Annie's back in town?
It won't take long, just watch and see
How the fellas lay the money down
The style is new, but the face the same,
As it was so long ago,
But from her eyes a different smile
from that of one who knows...
It's funny how human nature doesn't change much over time.
It's always fascinating to read history and see how people dealt with events and put yourselves in their shoes. In chapter 30 of Rees Howells, Intercessor, there is the story of God's leading the people at this school of ministry to seek God for all the nations, that He would send out workers into the harvest. Hitler started moving in Europe in 1936, and this threat of European war became a hinderance to the spreading of the Gospel, so they began to pray against Hitler, that God would "bend" him. They prayed and fasted and prayed some more and saw an amazing answer to prayer. The leaders of Great Britain called for a day of prayer. It was September of 1938 and Hitler was poised to attack England while they were still unprepared for war. His plan was October. But some advisors talked him into signing the Munich pact and war was averted. We know what happened later, but this was a huge event, where Hitler chose not to obey his "inner voice" (which few would argue that it was not an evil spirit or Satan himself) and instead followed the counsel of others around him. Usually he defied their counsel and was proved right by following his voice. This really seemed like an answer to prayer -- an invisible warfare waged by prayers. Amazing.
What was also amazing was how resolutely the people at Howells' school surrendered themselves like bond servants to the Lord. They knew full well what the costs were in surrendering like this, but they did it nonetheless.
Deadline is in 4 days, 8 hours, 30 minutes, and 12 seconds. After some work on Saturday, I finally feel like we might make this deadline. I got the mewithoutYou story done and hope to finish the last-minute Leigh Nash story this morning. Then it's the Buckcherry Says article to put the finishing touches on; and then most of my writing is done. I've yet to finish the DVD and gadget reviews in the "Play" section, and I have to write the Heaven's Metal page and the brand new "Classic Moments" history page, and a few album reviews. And then it's all laying out articles.
Chapter 29 of Rees Howells, Intercessor tells of some national prayer results that his organization was part of. In 1928 the Church of England was considering a New Book of Common Prayer. Howells felt inspired by the Lord to get involved via prayer. They shut down classes at the school and prayed about it collectively. The House of Commons vetoed the matter after it passed the Parliament. Another event was in 1936, when King Edward VIII was going to marry an American divorcee.
They prayed and felt the Lord's will revealed as Edward to abdicate his throne, which he did a few days later. It's fascinating to think of a nation like England being in an uproar about this moral question/dilemma. It's funny to consider (sad, too) how such a matter would be viewed today.
I finally saw the documentary called Frisbee -- The Life And Death Of A Hippie Preacher. It's a fascinating documentary that tells two stories. The "main" story, which is how this seminal, charismatic man was used of God to help further the Jesus Movement and the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard church denominations/franchises/whatever and then when he died of AIDS in 1993 he has since been written out of those church's history books. This main story gets over-shadowed by massive footage and interviews that chronicle the mighty move of God's Spirit across the land in the late 60s and early 70s.
This film was scheduled to run at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in July, and I can see the appeal from the gay community. Anytime some is "martyred" for a cause, it's a boost and inspiration for the "cause." The problem with that theory (and I would have loved to have been in the audience at the screenings) is that the majority of the "story" of the film is about Jesus, His reality, and the revival that happened here back then. I can't imagine anyone watching this movie not being touched by the reality of God's grace, the simplicity of the Gospel, and the yearning to know God. Heck, I can see people getting saved watching this movie. So, it would be very interesting to see people with an agenda sit through all of this to get to their conclusion.
It's pretty sad how this sticky situation was handled. For one, this guy left Calvary Chapel over a disagreement involving ministry methods. Frisbee was much more into the miracles of and by the Holy Spirit, while Calvary Chapel kind of makes their Sunday gatherings less intimidating, less threatening, and less "spectacular" in the miraculous sense (which has been shown to be a distraction and freak sideshow in other cases); choosing to instead give a place for these manifestations on the Wednesday night or "afterglow" type meetings. For a leader/servant moving in these gifts, this could be very disconcerting, and so these two (Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee) parted ways. Stuff like that happens (see Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15), so it's sad but not an abomination or anything. So, acknowledging someone's chief role in the "early days" after such a falling out becomes ackward right there.
It gets tricky when it is discovered that this guy "struggled" with homosexuality. There are conflicting reports from interviews with friends who had no idea. It's not entirely clear how he got the disease, but apprantly he did sleep with some men, etc. The spokesperson(s) at Calvary Chapel and Vineyard probably could have made a more diplomatic statement or come forward with a balanced announcement concerning this whole thing, and maybe once this documentary releases on DVD they'll be forced to. We'll see.
I have a bold idea/statement/prediction to make:
The next great awakening and revival just might come from the homosexual community. Like the hippies of the late 60s, these people are seen as "too far gone" and "hopeless" members of society. We'd just as soon forget they exist instead of acknowledge them or (gasp) love them.
I can imagine waves of homosexuals realizing that they can relate to Jesus, because he was treated like dirt by religious people. Once they can appeal to that, maybe then they'll open their eyes to the fact that Jesus can relate to them. As a servant, He identified with the human race and all its depravity. He's the God and hero of the downcast and rejected. He's been there and He suffered and died to redeem such people (sinners -- all of us).
I assume (maybe wrongly) that the whole erotic/sexual sin part of the homosexual lifestyle won't need to be addressed. People know deep down inside what is right and wrong. Flamboyant, debaucherous and wanton behavior is pretty simple to classify as "sin" and "wrong." When encountering a holy and loving God, the darkness becomes apparent and people can abandon that behavior in light of God's light and empowered by His Spirit.
I'm not sure, though, how to handle to appeal to "loving" and being a "partner" of the same sex. God knows about love. And we can love people in a holy way, as brother to brother or sister to sister -- and this can be pure and without physical, erotic sexual behavior. The statement Jesus made comes to mind: He basically says, "Check this out, IF you can handle it -- some people are eunichs by birth; some by accident; but some are eunichs for the kingdom." These were people who gave up their sexuality and the practice of sexual relationships for the kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that it can be done. I do not understand the attraction for the same sex (and I guess that confirms that I'm a heterosexual male), but if I am to believe people that tell me that they really are attracted to the same sex and not the opposite sex, then I would conclude that their calling is to be a eunich for the kingdom.
I'm not sure that'll go over with a converted homosexual who's been "married" to a "partner" for x-number of years, and I'm not too sure that the Bible gives us grounds to allow/sanction/bless same sex marriages. That could be the crux or point where agreement cannot be made. Who knows?
It would be exciting to see another revival and great awakening. I can't think of a more disenfranchised people group out there that could use the presence of God in their lives.
Anyway, those are some thoughts I had after watching this documentary.
I forgot to report how I was feeling today.
Yesterday, my back started to hurt again.
I got a good night's rest and I switched chairs at work, and I went jogging today for the second day in a row...and so far it's not giving me that sharp pain. I think part of the reason is the shape of my arms on top of my desk typing away at the keyboard pulls at just the wrong place on my back to aggravate this. I don't know.
Last night (at the home fellowship I attend as part of my church) we had the children spend worship time with us, instead of the usual "upstairs with the other kids until the end" routine. At first the kids were kind of restless and whatnot. Then after a few songs I looked over at my youngest daughter and she was worshipping with gusto -- her eyes closed, her hands raised in adoration, and singing with emotional and passionate facial gestures. It was awesome to see that, I tell ya!
I wonder how God views our worship. He doesn't need us, but He wants us. Our worship isn't mandatory, but freely given. I bet it pleases Him quite a bit when we worship Him.
There's 8 days, 3 hours, 49 minutes and 5 seconds left of deadline. Lots to do: transcribing the mewithoutYou interview; transcribing the Buckcherry says interview; reviewing six signed albums; writing blurbs on a dozen independent "Pick of the Litter" bands; laying out all the articles and features; printing proofs; and proofreading it all. Not to mention chasing down two to three awol stories; as well as getting photos for several of the features, scanning album and dvd covers... There's lots to do.
It's not true -- anyone believing in an invisible God that sent His only Son to earth 2,000 years ago has his/her own challenges to face -- but sometimes it seems harder to believe in a modern day miracle-working God than it would another denomination or strain (one that believed that God kind of stayed distant and didn't do miracles with His Spirit through us humans)... I can't quite get my hands around the "company line," though, that says: "God stopped performing miracles (like tongues, healing, raising from the dead, casting out demons) once we had a complete Bible. The miracles that Jesus and His apostles did were only serving the purpose of validating the identity and authority of Jesus. Once that was established, these other things passed away." I can't quite buy that the culmination of God's work was to deliver us His Word. The Bible is an amazing book with incredible authority, accuracy, and power, but it doesn't tell us that its very existence is the grand scheme of God. The bigger picture of His kingdom and the redemption of mankind seems to take that prominent spot.
But I can't claim to know a lot about divine healing. When I got home late last night/morning, I was aggravated over my stabbing/aching back. Almost out of equal parts frustration and desperation, I spoke healing words to my back in the Name and authority of Jesus. I didn't sense a zap of heat or power being applied to my back, but I believed that God could heal me. Since I've been up this morning, I haven't felt that stab of pain. I'm not sure what's happened or if my muscles are just rejuvinated for the time being; and I don't know if I have to keep from doubting or what. This whole "believe and not doubt" thing is kind of weird. The pain I've had just sitting at my computer, though, has been enough to make me not care how I look to a world of reason and "what you see is what you get."
We'll see. I'll write here how I'm feeling tomorrow.
One thing I do know is that I am thankful to God for His many provisions and blessings.
It is encouraging to read about Rees Howells being led by the Lord to add buildings to the ministry they had. Often I hear about buildings and money and the church and part of me gets turned off. Not sure why that is. I can blame televangelists for mis-using money; but I could also blame myself for selfishness and greed when it comes to finances. Seeing Howells give away 25% of any gifts he received for the mission is a powerful testimony about God's desire for us to be givers. It's funny how He rewards that.
Whew!
Do I feel tired!
There's only 11 days, 4 hours, 50 minutes and 40 seconds left of deadline.
Yowza! That's not much time to finish the Sep/Oct issue.
I can't believe how much work needs to get done...and then there's those emails in my inbox...yikes!
My inbox at the office desktop is 1198 emails (plus 3166 in the Junk Email folder) and then 1182 in my notebook's inbox (plus 2177 in its Junk Email folder). I don't even want to start going through those, golly gee willakers.
There's also a bird's next in our satellite dish outside (internet connection). I assume this lil' mother is harmless to our signals, as she must be sitting on some eggs).
This deadline will be challenging, for sure, as the work is stacked up and the time is short, but at least I've got help. It's a work of faith to accomplish something like this, keeping my eyes on the goal as I chip away at the multiple tasks ahead of us. It's not necessarily spiritual, but it's a good parallel to worshipping and "fellowshipping" with an invisible God. We don't always see progress or spiritual growth with our eyes, and sometimes spiritual "disciplines" (like prayer and Bible study) seem cold, dry, and stale; but they yield results -- they really do. Sometimes it's just maintenance (like the physical exercise of "staying in shape"), and other times it's growth oriented.
It'll be good to be on the other side of these next 11 days, but a good night's rest tonight will add some nice perspective on these things, too.
I am in the Payless Car Rental parking lot. It's 3:30 am on Saturday morning. I'm in Minneapolis, MN and trying to make a 6:50 am flight. The Payless rental place doesn't open until 6 am. I hope that they arrive early or at least on time and that I can hop on a shuttle and get to the airport before 6:20 am, as if you arrive at the airport and check in at any time after 30 minutes prior to your flight, they won't check you in.
What a bummer! I could leave my keys in the drop box and walk with my luggage the estimated 3 miles to the airport, but I do not really know if it is just 3 miles or more. So, I'm kind of stuck. Here's hoping I can make this flight! Being on stand-by is just horrible.
:?)
At least I could jump on a wireless network here and find info about the flight, etc. If I ever wished a flight to be 10-15 minutes late, it'd be this one!
The last two days (Wed, July 5 and Thur, July 6) have been wonderful. The HM Magazine Stage was a revolving lineup on Wednesday, with Inked in Blood and Disciple leaving the Wednesday lineup (Inked in Blood had a good tour opportunity come up and they cancelled; and Disciple wanted to move to the empty Saturday midnight slot instead of play pposite Underoath. So, we moved Bloodlined Calligraphy to the Inked in Blood slot at 7pm and added The Dog & Pony Show and Lo-Ruhamah to the 9 and 10 pm slots. But the changes were not finished... I got a note that Bloodlined Calligraphy couldn't get their van started and would have to forego the trip and cancell. So I tapped The Gentleman Homicide to play that 7pm slot. They did well. Alove For Enemies played a great show, which included a massive dogpile near the end that was just ridiculously high. TDAPS were aggressive and hard. Lo-Ruhamah took a while to get going into their Scandinavian style Black Metal, but soon were on. After seeing 3 songs I hitched a ride to the mainstage (which sported an amazing heavy lineup of The Chariot, As Cities Burn, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, and Underoath -- how's that for a killer lineup?). Usually, some of the CCM artists that bring in crowds play the mainstage, while the heavier acts play mostly the encore or underground stages, and maybe one token night on mainstage with P.O.D. Reaching the natural "bowl" that sits opposite the stage was a sight to behold, as the crowd wrapped around the hill and all the flat land to the stage, which was accented by a huge video screen. Underoath was fired up and running all over the stage, keeping the video editor busy switching from Chris Dudley's hair-waving headbanging, Spencer Chamberlain's antics all over the stage, and Aaron Gillespie's vocal contributions, just to name a few. On the way back the HM Magazine/Encore 1 Stage was packed for Demon Hunter. They absolutely killed, with a powerful sonic and visual show. It was like mixing Queensryche, Pantera, and Marilyn Manson together for a sonice assault. You could see a guy with a steer's skull in the audience, and people singing along and throwing their hands in the air from the front to the back. Afterwards, I retired, but not before sticking my head in the Gallery Stage to hear a few 77s songs.
Yesterday I started my first seminar talk, which went well. I stayed for a few minutes afterwards to hear Chad Johnson, who went on afterwards with his life story. He's a great guy and a valuable treasure (one of many) working in this industry.
One more change would be had in the HM Magazine Stage lineup on this night as well, as Brandtson cancelled their show. A Sonny Sandoval look-alike named Jayden, from the band Noetic, had asked me if they could play if there were any cancellations, and when someone approached me in the Exhibit Hall to tell me about Brandtson, Jayden was walking by just at that moment. So I asked him if he wanted to play and they filled the slot like that. Man Alive from Israel played first, and they sounded really good. Very melodic and accessible, yet full of punk atttitude and energy. Noetic played next and even sounded like P.O.D. in places, with creative and tribal like drumming and a sometimes nu metal vocal approach. The night was to suddenly change toward the atmospheric next, as Bernard set up and played with a video screen accompanying their awesome music. I had a chance to interview Aaron Weiss for our mewithoutYou story for the next issue, so I had to miss the bulk of Bernard's set. Afterwards was Mute Math, and just like their sold-out tours this past year, the tent was packed with anticipation. This band is not much of a secret anymore. People know they're great live.
Mute Math was great, indeed. They completely slayed the audience. For their last song, an encore that the audience demanded (and there wasn't enough time for, but we did anyway) called "Control," they switched instruments. The bassist was swinging a club on a vertically mounted and mic'd kick drum, a drum stool was upside-down on top of the piano, which was being played with drum sticks, and the guitar played was controlling feedback by holding his effects pedal board like a guitar, "playing" it by adjusting pedals. It was unbelievable. It was so electric and everyone was pretty amazed. I asked Zao guitarist Scott Mellinger what he thought, and he said, "This is the best band I've seen in a long time." John Thompson got up on stage to plug the HM Magazine Podcast at the end and instead shouted gleefully, "Let's thank HM Magazine for sponsoring what was THE BEST CONCERT in Cornerstone history! Mute Math RULES!!!" That about capsulated the feeling at the time. It was just one amazing show.
I popped back to our campsite to say goodnight to my girls, and on the way there I stuck my head in the Rock For Life tent, where Blessed By A Broken Heart were climaxing a hot set with some sort of pyramid style pile-up on stage. It was crazy. Not exactly a dogpile, but almost a choreographed cheerleader type pyramid, but spontaneous and moving. So fun.
About an hour later Zao took the stage and it was another legendary performance to a packed-over-the-sides crowd. Watching their drummer from behind stage was a treat to behold. This guy was fun to watch. What a workout all those guys go through with their intensity on stage. After they finished, Cornerstone became for me like Austin, Texas on any given night. The thing about the "live music capital of the world" is that you can see a show in the entertainment district or "corridor" of 6th Street and watch one band, club hop over to another place and see another band, and so on and so on, all night long. After Zao was done, I checked out a little Cool Hand Luke, who were played great. Then I heard some Head Noise, which were so loud and awesome. They are such a great punk rock band. Then I stepped over to the Sanctuary Tent and saw Stevie & The Saints jam the blues for a good long time. It's a shame there weren't a thousand people to drink up Stevie Olson's great tone and blues playing. They had it going on. I was really feeling like I was in Austin, cuz blues is such a staple there. With no more energy I went home for the night to crash.
Last night at Cornerstone's "Tooth & Nail Day" was fun.
Project 86 killed with an amazing set. They were on and the crowd was singing along and feeding the band with more energy, which made for a great atmosphere.
Showbread were crazy and energetic. Kind of a garage rock version of Family Force 5 (though it would be better to say that the other way around), with lots of audience interaction and pacing the stage as if to bridle the energy that was flowing.
Dead Poetic was tight playing bits from their new Vices album and material from New Medicines.
mewithoutYou was "on" as well, with dynamics swinging from Aaron Weiss on the accordian to acoustic guitar to his wildly swinging behind the microphone singing. The crowd was definitely in their hip pocket for every song.
I went to see Hawk Nelson, because my two young girls love the band. It was such a treat to see them enjoying the show.
To start my day off, I want to think about something in the Word...
In Mark 14 we continue on with an account of the "Last Supper." When the disciples asked Him about preparations, Jesus told two of them to go into the city, where "a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." All this was found just as He said. Another remarkable miracle in the life of Jesus...
Jesus took a cup of wine and gave thanks and offered it to the disciples, saying, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
This act, which we celebrate as "communion" is a HUGE, huge deal. This covenant washed away or paid for our sins. The blood He shed is represented by that cup. When we celebrate that ritual, we renew or pledge our part in that covenant (the receiving the benefits part of the equation). It's an amazing act to celebrate.
Saw Children 18:3 rock the house today at 12:30. Also saw new band Inhale/Exhale, which were excellent. Am looking forward to seeing Project 86, mewithoutYou, Dead Poetic, and Showbread. My girls are both staying up way past their bedtime to watch Hawk Nelson tonight.
The weather's great, people are here, the sound systems are cranking. It's all a good fest, so far.
Praise God that the Space Shuttle Discovery had a successful liftoff today.
I like to think globally and act locally. The body of Christ is larger than my local church, my city, my state, and my country. The world is the Lord's and all the fullness thereof. I see beyond our borders with as much love and understanding that God makes me capable of (which comes from a limitless supply). Nevertheless, I agree with Bono that America is a great country and a great idea. I am blessed to be from this country and am thankful to be one of its citizens. Happy Independance Day!
Jesus was in Bethany just two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He was reclining at the table in the home of a man known as "Simon the Leper," which is interesting in itself. While reclining, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfurme, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. Some of those present freaked out and exclaimed how much of a waste of money that was. How it could have "been sold and the money given to the poor."
Jesus spoke up and said:
"Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (which includes blogs, now, too)
It's funny that she was apparently the only one who "got" what Jesus had been saying over and over again about His upcoming death. Or perhaps she just felt "led" to do this and somehow played a role in these incredible events without knowing why. Either way, she did something so beautiful to our Savior. How much would you give to be able to anoint His head and, in a physical way, worship and adore Him? I wish I could!
It's very relaxing to be at Cornerstone a day before anything starts. We've set up our merch booth, our camp, and we're ready. The cool band Psalters played on the worship stage by the beach. And though it started slow, with chants of the Lord's Prayer, it built up and it's jamming right now. They've taken on this topic and vibe and passion of refugees and immersed themselves in it to identify with it, as we are refugees -- all of us -- and it is a place where we can serve (the displaced and less fortunate of those around us).
Lots of instruments, dancers, participants, lots of Middle Eastern atonal accents, and a pulsating groove that's infectious. We are only a few hundred feet away from the stage where we camp, so my whole family is going to sleep with their tunes supplicating their ears. We don't know it, but our horizons are being expanded musically while we drift off to sleep.
What a cool way to pre-start the fest. Tomorrow is Tooth & Nail Day, and it'll be full of great and condensed/concise sets. I can't wait to see Children 18:3 torch the stage at 12:30 in the afternoon, as well as tons of others.
This guy is one of the good guys. He's normal. He's got a past. He's real. He's in love with people. He loves God and seems to take his faith seriously. He's done what each of us can do everyday -- take God seriously and do something about Him (and for Him by doing something for others).
I just finished watching a video of him (that was on itunes -- by the way, EVERYone needs to use iTunes. Make it a "favorite" in your browser. It's one company and one piece of software that integrates with the internet, your computer, and your portable devices. It's part of the future, and you just need to get familiar with it. Eventually, you'll be using something like it and familiar with it -- isn't now a good time?). Anyway, it was a recent NBC News interview with Brian Robertson (I might have destroyed his name) -- a 35 minute special filmed in Africa.
People are valuable. Think of your own life ending. Imagine if you were beat up and left for dead, and you saw people walking past you on the sidewalk, not bothering to stop and help; or you went and begged at someone's house -- someone who could help you and keep you from death. You would be passionate. You'd be desperate. If we value our own life, it shouldn't take too much brainwork to realize that everyone is special. EVERYone is valuable. We cannot afford to ignore people in need.
And the simple part is helping out is not always some huge thing. Sometimes it's very simple. And sometimes you get the blessing of making people happy. Sometimes you get the blessing of knowing that you've made God happy. Get your mind around that -- making God happy. That's some cool stuff. And there's something about love, too. Giving it away somehow touches it and applies its touch to us.
I'm glad to have U2's music. It touches me deeply. I'm glad that Bono is a good guy. I'm glad that he's good in a genuine way. Like a piece of classic leather, there's scratches, scars, and stains. But those give it character, and you wouldn't change the character for anything in the world.
I have every U2 album and I've seen the band many times live. But after this special tonight, if I was to meet him, I'd probably tear up, look him in the eye and just tell him, "Keep it up. What you're doing is so good." He's just a man, and there's many better, but he's doing something about inequality and I admire that. He inspires me.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Derek Webb is a modern day Keith Green. When I listen to his music, I feel compelled to worship and draw closer to God, as I'm being challenged to be more like Jesus. He steps on toes and he shines the light of Scripture on the real life around us (ignoring the homeless, loving our enemies, being fake and without substance). The guy rocks.
And I'm still praising God for the wireless network at Cornerstone Festival. I'm out here in the middle of Bushnell, Illinois, on an old pig farm, and I have a high speed connection to the internet! How cool is that?
My church back at home (Calvary Austin) is likely going through Mark 13 this weekend. It's an interesting passage where Jesus describes "signs of the End of the Age." His disciples point out the beautiful architecture around the temple and Jesus goes off, describing how no stone will be left unturned. They'll be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and whatnot. "These are the beginning of birth pains."
He tells us (His disciples) to be on our guard. He states that the Gospel will be preached to all nations. (This is close to being fulfilled, as missions agencies reach out to "unreached" people groups) He says that no man, not even He, knows the hour upon which He will come. Some of what He described (the abomination of desolation) could have said to have been fulfilled when Rome fell and Nero was in the temple; but the return of Christ on the clouds in the air, where His angels will gather the elect from the "ends of the earth" has surely not happened yet.
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back -- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
Even though I have lived through the late 70s and all its worldwide political turmoil, and the early 80s (and all its "promise" or "signs" that His return was just around the corner), I still must keep watch.
So, I'm here at Cornerstone Festival. We broke the 19 hour trip from Austin into two days. We've arrived, set up our trailer, gone into town to pick up supplies, unloaded, hooked up water, and all that...and I'm lying down. Tired and exhausted. Seems my back has started bothering me for about five or six days now. We had a mishap earlier today that could've stranded us for at least a day -- our plug for the trailer brakes had come undone and was dragging behind us, unbenownsts to us...until a friendly guy at a gas pump told me it was dangling, after I asked him to watch me so I didn't knock into any of the pumps as I drove away from them. It dragged long enough to wear two of the seven pins/connections of the 7-way brake plug. It was Sunday and everything was pretty much closed. I was praying about it and hoping for a quick resolution, but preparing for a day-long overnight stay in Cuba, Missouri, awaiting some RV repair places to open for business and repair service. One place we found only worked on big rigs, but once I found out the name of the plug we needed replacing, I walked back into the garage and asked a different mechanic, and he said he could fix it. He even drove the company truck to another parts place to get a replacement plug. I am so thankful (and grateful to God) that we were able to fix that and keep on going. And while it was out (for who knows how long), we were without brakes in the hills of Missouri. It's an amazing thing that an accident didn't happen from that (the weight of the trailer pushing our vehicle). Anyway, to get back to my story, it's been a long day and I'm tired.
As I lay here, I decide to check if there's any wireless networks around and ... viola! There is! Lord willing, I'll post a blog each day I'm here.
Thank God for allowing us to grow spiritually with mishaps and unexpected problems; and praise God also for the little victories.
I have uploaded the outlines for my 3 talks at this next week's Cornerstone Festival -- The Prairie School of Writing.
Hope you enjoy!