Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Satire: A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.

Just in case you haven't found this out yet, the article below is a satire...it took me a few days to figure this out, but it isn't real.

What is sad, however, is that it isn't far from the truth! Although the events described in the article did not happen, are they so far removed from the truth that they couldn't? No, it wouldn't be a satire if there wasn't some bit of human vice being attacked. Although the events were not true, the heart of the article is not far from the truth.

So, as you get a good chuckle (as I did) from this satire, let us not forget to examine our hearts. Who are we worshipping? Let us all press on to worship the One who created us to worship Him!

Enjoy more satire at the Holy Observer

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Worship Festival "Sucks"

The worship scene in Seattle may be losing momentum. According to attendees of last week's Bowels of Praise '04, many worship enthusiasts "just weren't into it." Said Ryan Conklin, 17, "I don't know, man. Like, there's usually a lot of crying going on if the worship is good. But people were just standing around, listening to the worship. I can't get into the worship if other people aren't into it."

For Heather Melton, the worship needs some new life. "We need our Nirvana, you know? Like, Delirious is old school. And 'Heart of Worship' is just a played out song, man. The worship doesn't pump me up like it used to." Garrett Ross, 24, has been following the worship circuit around the country for the last couple of years. "When it started - it was pure, man. The worshippers today don't have a clue. I was at Bowels '99 when the worship exploded, man. Now, the worship has sold out to corporate America, with big budget worship albums and stuff.. The worship sucks these days, man."

Worship promoter Bill "Hands Lifter" Kyle says such trends are cyclical. "The worship industry is fickle. You just have to ride out these downturns in the quality of the worship until a hot new worship band comes along and kicks everyone in the rear-end. I saw it in the late 90's, and I'm sure we'll see it again. Good worship writing and playing will always rise to the top. Until then, we'll just have to put up with the worship we have now."

Article taken from The Holy Observer

Ughhhhh!!!! What is worship about anyway? I'm so tired of worship being looked at as some genre of music...or the next thing. Worship is eternal because it is directed to an eternal God. If worship sucks, it is because people's hearts suck!

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

AM 5:22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

AM 5:23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

AM 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

AM 5:25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

AM 5:26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,
the star of your god--
which you made for yourselves.


We aren't too removed from Israel. We have become idol worshippers. Our idol has become the worship of worship itself.

May the Lord purify our hearts and give us a hunger to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Lord give us the heart of the writer of Psalm 137, so that we would be able to say this with him,

PS 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

PS 137:2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,

PS 137:3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

PS 137:4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?

PS 137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.

PS 137:6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.


If we forget why we are singing, may our tongues cling to the roof of our mouths!

Saturday, June 05, 2004

We just got back from taking Caleb to get some blood drawn. He is a bit jaundiced, so they needed to check his bilirubin (ok...that is enough medical jargon). While they were drawing his blood I was standing above him, rubbing his head for comfort (I'm not sure if it was more for my comfort or his). As soon as they pricked his foot, he began to cry...ok scream. I could have stopped them from hurting him. I had the power to stop all of it, but I knew that he needed to hurt. So, instead of stopping them from hurting him, I needed to be with him...comforting, soothing, listening, watching, holding. He needed to hurt.

"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand." (Is. 53:10)

The Father had the power to end the pain of His Son, but He knew that the Son needed to hurt. In fact it was His will to crush Him. The Father caused the Son to suffer on our behalf, knowing that it would eventually draw us to Him.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:8-9).

At times it will be the Father's will to put us in painful positions. He does have the power to end our pain, and eventhough, we cry out to Him to end it, He doesn't. This is extremely difficult for us to understand. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. It is during these times that He is standing above us...comforting, soothing, listening, watching, holding.

Sometimes, we just gotta hurt.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Today as I was holding my son (I just love seeing that in print), he was grabbing my finger. What an incredible feeling it was to have my son who is completely dependent upon me to provide for him holding on to my finger. My fingers seemed to be ten times larger than his.

He has such small hands. My hands are bigger than his...I can do for him what he cannot do for or by himself.

My Father's hands are bigger than mine. He can do for me and through me what I could never do by myself. If I could only hold onto His finger!

It is such a privilege to be a father. What a picture of our heavenly relationship!

"what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?" (Ps. 8:4)