When You Come Back Down

You gotta leave me now
You've got to go alone
You gotta chase a dream
One that's all your own
Before it slips away

When you're flyin high
Take my heart along
I'll be the harmony
To every lonely song
That you'll learn to play

When you're soarin through the air
I'll be solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep lookin up
Awaiting your return
My greatest fear will be
That you will crash and burn
And I won't feel you fire

I'll be the other hand
That always holds the line
Connecting in between
Your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire

And I'll be on the other end
To hear you when you call
Angel you were born to fly
But if you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
Catch you when you fall

The memories the sunshine
Every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel let me help you with your wings

When you're soaring through the air
I'll be solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down

When you come back down...

Windmills

I spend too much time
Raiding windmills
We go side by side
Laugh until it's right

It's something that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
Take the darkest hour
Break it open
Water to repair
What we have broken

It's something that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
Maybe anyway the wind blows
It's all worth waiting for

Pull down the borders to lighten the load
Tell all the passengers we're goin home

I spend too much time seeking shelter
World without end
Couldn't hold her

iIt's somethin that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
Maybe anyway the wind blows
It's all worth waiting for

Anyway the wind blows

How do I Trust?

Lately, I have been bombarded with choices and decisions that will potentially effect my future. There are times when I am totally certain of something and then the next moment, that feeling goes away and I am back to stage 1 wondering what to do.
God's message in the Hebrew Bible is one of trust and full reliance on him. But in times like this, I see why Israel had so many problems trusting in the invisible God. There are times when God is silent, I feel at this point, that maybe he is. I have prayed earnestly that God would consume my mind and take these thoughts away and that he would hhandle this whole situation. But somehow, I come to a feeling that God is wanting me to stop hiding and get up and face this problem. But where does this lead me in my trust?
In II Kings, Asa is faced with an unimagineable problem. 1,000,000 Ethiopians are at his doorstep. Asa prays to God and says, "We rely on you..." and God delivers them from the impossible. But soon after, Judah is being threatened by neighboring Israel, and so who do you think Asa turns to? Not God, but try the King of Syria. God is furious with Asa, and rightfully so, considering that he just delivered him in probably the most miraculous victory in history. But am I so different from Asa? I have seen the rewards of reliance on God. But continually, I try to solve my own problems. Why? How is it that I can read those stories and not be changed to the core and find my trust in this God?

Psalm 22
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not dissappointed."

Lord of the...Song?

It has been just over a week since I left Kansas. It has not been the best experience either. I have been staying in a hotel while the construction people finish the apartment complex I am to move in to. So while staying in a Hotel, I have been making my way back to campus to work as a desk worker at a dorm. Let me tell you, there is nothing more boring than just sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours watching movies and occasionally seeing someone pass by. So I have tried entertaining myself in other ways:
I am taking Hebrew with my brother as the teacher. Not only is it one of the weirdest things in the world to have your brother as one of your college professors, but the work is also difficult! So as I sit here at the desk asking myself if the $6 an hour I am making sitting here doing nothing is worth it, my brother will call me periodically and ask me to tell him the Hebrew Alphabet. No, I don't know it yet, but I'm on my way!
The next area of entertainment I have is singing. I am known throughout the population of the Sophomore girls as "that one desk worker who sings all the time." Yes, I sit at my desk and sing along to the many tunes I have on my computer. The only thing that makes this week special is the fact that George Pendergrass, one of my heros and a former singer in Acappella, is staying about 10 feet away from me. I have been hoping he will hear my music and come in and sing with me!!
The other thing I have been thinking about is my worship team that I am heading up pretty soon. I have to come up with a new name for the chapel time and find some singers. I also have the task of making the group more ethnically diverse. This makes it harder because I have enough trouble finding people who can sing, now I have to be a little bit more specific. I get so excited about singing here because I think it is one of the strengths of ACU. When the Freshman class comes in a hears the singing for the first time, they are completely amazed! I love being a part of that. I can see why God would love to hear our praise. I think that singing is one of the times when people get focused on God the most. My generation responds to good music more than anything else. If there is a way to reach my age group in the gospel it is to have good music involved.
Singing is a way to show your emotion to God that is very ancient. Mariam sing and played the tambourine to God, David sang and danced and played the harp before God, the early church sang and played songs to God. Music is an ability given to us by the almighty to please him. May our worship always be pleasing to El Shaddai.

I Will Bring You Home

Michael Card has a powerful song in his collection called "I Will Bring You Home." Never had this song effected me so much as when I was able to visit the town of Greensburg here in Kansas. For those of you who don't know, Greensburg was hit by an F5 tornado just before the Summer started that had a base that was over 2 miles wide at one point. I drove through the town with Toby (my boss) and was able to see the horror of what all these people lost. As soon as I started driving through the streets I began singing this song in my head:

"Though you are homeless

Though you're alone

I will be your home.

Whatevers the matter

Whatevers been done,

I will be your home.

I will be your home

I will be your home

In this fearful fallen place,

I will be your home.

When time reaches fullness,

When I move my hand

I will bring you home

Home to your own place,

In a beautiful land

I will bring you home.

I will bring you home

I will bring you home

From this fearful fallen place,

I will bring you home

I will bring you home."

What an incredible God we have. We can ask ourselves for all time why bad things like this tragedy happen and spend our time blaming God for its happening. Or, we can see that God truly cares for us as a mother cares for her child and wishes to be our home. Even though our earthly homes may fall apart or blow away, our true home awaits us with open arms.

God Can't?

I have talked to some people about my views of the openness of God and his decision to enter in to our world to have a relationship with us and in so doing, gives up the ability to know the future. I have stated a true statement by my standards in saying that God knows all that can be known. If you wrap your mind around this truly, you will agree with me. So I have been accused of limiting God in my beliefs. I mean, saying that God cannot know something (even though that is not what I say) is a harracy isn't it? I have struggled with these accusations considering that there is one belief that seems very common among Christians that came about from misinterpretation. The belief that God cannot look upon sin or even be near it.


There is no passage in the Bible that ever states that God cannot be near sin. There is talk about a separation from God that is mended by the death of Jesus, but nowhere does it say anything about God having the inability to go near because we sin. The most common passage used to keep this notion alive is when Jesus cries out, "eloi, eloi lama sabacthani!" He asks why God has forsaken him so some people conclude that God turned his back on Jesus because he could not look at him anymore because he was carrying sin. Once again, it does not say this anywhere in the text.



Once looking at the big picture, one can see why Jesus would say this. It is an obvious quote from Psalm 22 (it even says it in the footnote). If you read Psalm 22, you will find such quotes as: "All who see me mock at me; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. They have pierced my hands and feet;"
I bleive that Jesus was quoting this Psalm on the cross. All the people there were good Jews. But they knew scriptures not by number or verse, but by the first line of the psalm. So Jesus does not say "Psalm 22!!" but says the first line so that they would run the lines I quoted earlier in their minds and realize the connection.

They say that I limit God, I think that this is a huge limitation on God! God certainly can look upon sin if he wants to. He can look at it all day if he wants! God did not turn his back on Jesus. Jesus says that statement to open the minds of the people there and make them think about what they have done. A more puzzling question about sin is that if God is the creator of all things, did he create evil? Did he create sin? If he didn't, then there is something in the world that man created that God had nothing to do with. Don't think too hard.

Will You Not Listen?

Last Sunday, I taught my first youth group class for the Summer. We are going through the book of 1 Samuel which is a blessing considering that I just took a course from one the greatest professers on 1 Sam, Dr. John Willis. Still, I felt a little uneasy about teaching this book to a bunch of kids who don't share my passion for just hearing and knowing the story and trying to find the deep meaning behind the writer. So I went on and taught my first lesson which was about listening.
To start, for all of you Bible guys, I left out the stuff about Eli because I will get to him next week. I went on to use the story of Samuel's birth and calling. The striking similarities between the opening story and the book of Judges is interesting. Many scholars, and I would agree, think that this is because the books Joshua through 2 Chronicles were written by the same person or same group of people. This would explain the types of similarities we find at the beginning of Samuel compared to the Judges. It seems that maybe the same situation will occur but then we hear of Hannah's faith and God grants her wish.
The main point I then moved to was Samuel's calling. This is a puzzling passage in the Bible to me because it tells us at the beginning of ch.3 that God had not spoken in a while nor did anyone have any visions. But later down in the chapter, it says that God came and stood in the same room as Samuel. I don't know what that means but if it is a literal statement, then this is a very remarkeable event. So God calls out Samuel's name and three times Samuel believes it is Eli but Eli soon discovers that this is infact the voice of the LORD. This is puzzling to me because, just like in the chapter's beginning, we today do not seem to have very many visions or speaches from God. I spoke with Randy Harris last semester who spends many days and even months at monastaries taking vows of silence to sit in prayer. I came to him with questions about people today who say that God spoke to them and he told me that after spending all that time with monks who dedicate their lives to prayer and silence, not one of them had ever had the experiences that I described. So how does God communicate with us? From some conversations with people, some would argue that he indeed does speak to people today just as he spoke to Samuel that night. But does he talk to every Christian that way?
The Hebrews writer says at the beginning of his sermon, "Long ago God spoke to our fathers at many times and in various ways through prophets, but today he has spoken to us through a son..." So it is obvious that God speaks through certain people just by going through the Old Testament. So if God does not speak to us as direct as some think, how are we suppose to listen to him? I see that one way God might communicate his will is by sight. We see what Jesus has done for us and do our best to follow what he says. Another way, which is accessible to us but not to all those who wrote it, is through his word. But the word is silent on some issues. So how do we listen to God?
I encouraged the kids in the group to find a time during the day to sit in silence and pray. I believe that God hears us when we pray and is mindful of what we want and need. But are we mindful of God and what he says and what he wants?

What Does the LORD require?

I was thinking last night about the patience of God. I honestly got to thinking, "Just how patient will God be with me or with any of us?" Does God have a limit to his letting things go? If I screw up doing the same thing I always do again does it matter to God? Is he more upset or the same or less upset? All of this began going through my mind and some how, probably in the midst of just being tired, I got to thinking of what God desires or asks of us as a people. What is God wanting out of us?
One of the most well-known, and overly used in my opinion, scriptures for the answer to this question is Micah 6:8 which reads:
"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk humbly with you God?"
While this scripture is true for all peoples, I can't help but look at this scripture in its context and feel like the author is speeking to a certain situation. Micah is preaching during the reigns of Hezekiah (also during Jotham and Ahaz's reign) and it seems he is most likely preaching to North Israel and to South Judah. I may be wrong on that but this is what it seems to me. If it is the case however, then it would make perfect sense for Micah to preach about justice and kindness and walking with God. Israel, and Judah in this period, have strayed every which way away from God and Micah is exhorting them to turn back to him. With all that said, I feel like this text can speak to us, but I also feel that it was meant for the North Israelites who were in constant turmoil and needed to turn back to the LORD.
So what does God require of us? Certainly this Micah passage answers some of what God requires but there must be more. I have but one explaination and it may not suffice. It seems to me that one major message of the Old Testament is reliance on God. The major disasters in the Hebrew section of the Bible are caused by lack of trust or belief in God. God does not need anyone to prove that he is there or to defend his actions. He can defend himself and show himeself in whatever way he wishes. He does not ever call Israel to defend his actions. He uses Israel to show his power so that all nations will know that he is God. So is that all he requires is reliance and belief?
James in the New Testament seems to argue that there is more. He argues that this reliance and this belief without any action on behalf of it is useless. God tests Abraham by telling to sacrifice Isaac and Abraham shows his reliance and belief by going all the way until God stopped him. David showed his reliance in fighting the Giant Goliath. Solomon showed his reliance when he asked for wisdom. So how do we show our reliance on God?
So what does the LORD require of you? To rely on him for your strength and security and to believe. Jesus the archegos of our faith in God had full belief and reliance on his God. Should we not learn from this example?

On Competition

Last night I had a terrible night. The Detroit Red Wings were one game away from elimination from the Stanley Cup Final and they were down by only one goal. They had 4 minutes to put in a goal with a two minute powerplay in the midst of that. They put forth one of the most valient efforts I had ever seen but it wasn't enough and they ended up loosing 4-3. So, after almost 7 years of not being able to get past round one of the playoffs, Detroit got as far as the conference finals. Nothing to be ashamed of by any means but better luck next year.
Needless to say that I was very upset last night and, mom and dad you will be mad, I threw myself a fit. But as I got upset and Jessie(my girlfriend) tried her best to calm me down, I started to think about why I should calm down. Of course, my parents taught me to control my temper, but I was a long way away from breaking anything or hurting anyone in my anger. But there is something good about getting upset about things like that, or a better way to say it is that there is something healthy about good competition, even for Christians.
The Greeks of the first century and before are the creators of the athletic trials and sports. The early Christian writers, trying to find a way to get there ideas about Christian living to others, used this metaphor of being an athlete. The Apostle Paul uses this method a few times but the writer most attributed for this in the New Testament is the author of Hebrews. In chapter 12 he really gets into this metaphor exhorting his audience to perseverance in the midst of many trials just like an athlete must endure many trials in order to gain victory. The thing that strikes me is that an athletic trial consists of competition so why is it wrong to look at competition as a sin for Christians? There are many who believe that it is wrong for Christians to be competitive and to get worked up in things like athletic events. But isn't this "competition" what we are called to? We are exhorted as well by the Hebrews' author to "run with perseverance the race that is set before us," so shouldn't we have something that keeps us going in that race? What do modern day athletes sometimes use as a boost of energy or confidence? It is the competitive nature that tells them that they are the best.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christians should have a competitive nature to the extent that we look at ourselves as being better than another Christian. I do believe however, that a competitive spirit can unlock some endurance when we face trials of many kinds. We should not compete for who will end up with more praise from Jesus in the end or for who knows the most and can preach the best or teach the best. But when we are running the race marked for us following Jesus the archegos and perfector of faith, we need to be in competition with ourselves to push us to the limits to follow the Nazarene. After all, what greater competition could there ever be?

Opener

Greetings!! This is my first post so it will be brief. I am now in Wichita Kansas involved in a youth ministry internship and boy am I not ready!! It is going to be an intense Summer! I know it is going to be an incredible adventure but I cannot help but be apprehensive. Yes this blog is named "The Fortress if Solitude." For those of you who know me well, you know that I love Superman and my office here at Northside church of christ is called this too. Hope you guys will enjoy this new blog. It is a new thing to me so I hope to be on top of things! Please do not hesitate to start some conversations here. That is what it's for!

Grace and Peace,

Jake