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Scandalous Once More

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I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”             John 16:33 NLT

Not long ago Vice President Pence faced protesters as he spoke at a “Christian” university then this week David Roark, communications director of the Village recently was uninvited from a graphic design conference. Of course these are just two well known examples that point out something lots of us have been sensing for quite a while. Christianity is once more thankfully and thoroughly scandalous! This not only should not come as a surprise to us who call ourselves followers of Jesus it should be an encouragement. Maybe after a generation of our struggles to become socially acceptable we ought to be glad that being shunned puts us a little closer to the master. Paul said that His preaching was considered pure foolishness to the important people of His day. All His press coverage was negative, but God was always near in to listen to his prayers. It is much better to be scandalous here and accepted in heaven than popular on earth but a sorrow to our Jesus.

The Eye of the Artist

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My stepfather was an artist and I often remember standing behind him watching in wonder as He worked. With just a few brush strokes He could create an astonishingly lifelike painting. When I asked him how he could be so precise Rudy explained that a realist paints neither what others think they see or what they hope to see but what truly stands before them.

In the same way the canvas of a life must be painted by the eyes of faith. A true faith is born not by our wishful thinking or someone else’s imagination, but in the moment we see Him who has seen us from the beginning. That is when His light can shine into our hearts and reveal to us the face of Jesus Christ.

Playing Their Song-Part 2

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For those of you who like me are trying your best to bring music into nursing home ministry here are a few practical suggestions that have helped in encouraging residents to sing. First, we need to remind ourselves that hearing and voice change over time. None of us still has the vocal range we had as a kid and that goes for our ear’s range as well. We naturally begin to lose the upper notes in our hearing and voice as we age. Lowering the keys we use for our songs will not only encourage our people to sing, it will also enable them to hear more of the lyrics.

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Practice still matters! Most of us expect that our worship team or in more traditional churches, our choir, will learn some new songs and practice regularly. In the same way we need to continue to avoid getting lazy and just singing the same songs on every visit. Though we do need to use some of the same songs regularly, it is good to change things up once in a while in an effort to touch people’s hearts for Jesus Christ. Consider spending a little time looking through the hymn books or listening to older praise and worship songs. Time spent looking for and then practicing new material is a great investment in the lives of those we are called to serve and it yields the dividend of their voices joining yours in praise. The rule I have used for myself with when picking songs is that the best ones to sing are the ones that we sing together…