It's a Tear Jerker - "Dancing in the Mine Fields"

This is an amazing song. I'm thankful for my good friend JM (and my lovely wife) for pointing it out.

Doing Corporate Worship by Myself

It is popular these days to emphasize the musical element of corporate worship. Many call those who lead in music "worship leaders." And when we hear about "worship" at a church, we understand that to mean music. It is not uncommon for people to choose which church they will attend based on the quality of the "worship." It is also common to have a strong desire to personally feel and experience the music. This is experience is worship.

On the other hand there are those who cringe at the thought of calling the person who leads music the "worship leader." For this person worship is the sermon - the preached Word. He patiently endures the music as he awaits the time when the preacher stands and speaks. If he does enter the musical "experience" he does so for theological or (perhaps) critical reasons.

There is a great deal of truth to both sides. Singing songs is an important element in worship, and without the gospel proclaimed via the preached Word, it would be a stretch to call the gathering a worship service. In each argument, however, there is a vital piece usually missing. The first person could get the same experience with a good stereo system or concert; and the second from an iPod loaded with sermons. The critical element is the people of God who come together to worship with us.

The songs are not only for you and me individually, but for us corporately. The songs should never be evaluated solely based on what is personally preferred, but what is most corporately needed. The elders (who are the worship leaders) should encourage songs that best build the body as a whole. And when the body is edified because of this, everyone individually benefits.

Too often we miss out on the blessings of corporate encouragement in song, because we have our eyes closed, believing that singing is between me and God, rather than us and God. (Note: I'm not saying that closing one's eyes during worship is a bad thing; but when the eyes are closed the entire time, it may be corporately and individually unhelpful)

Similarly, the preaching is not only for you and me individually, but for us corporately. The preacher is under obligation to communicate biblical truth to a diverse audience. Some have doctorates and can hear, follow, and even memorize complex points. Others are more academically simple, and can only gather one or two concepts if communicated well. If the doctorate chose churches based solely on the worship in preaching, then he would eventually find himself in a seminary chapel. He would totally miss out on the necessary simplicity of other parts of the body of Christ.

Another person encouraged and edified by the sermon is often more beneficial to us than the sermon itself.

When we are on our deathbed; or, when we are in most need, the songs and the actual sermons will undoubtedly bring us peace of heart and rest. But it will be the others in the body, who have worshipped with us all those years, who have been edified by the songs and sermons we didn't find individually most excellent, who will feed us, pray with us, provide for us, and be with us in glory forever.

We never do worship by ourselves. Next time you are in church, take a look around and consider whether or not others are being fed, encouraged, and saved. Be excited and encouraged yourself by this wonderful experience. And as you hear the songs, prayers and preaching coming from the mouths, falling on the ears, and entering the hearts of others, worship the Lord who saved us.

When the Lord Hides Where Do We Turn?

Whatever the Psalmist's trouble (Psalm 77), it was such that his soul refused to be comforted (v.2). It was night and not day - dark and not light. Remembering God brought moaning rather than laughing, fainting rather than dancing (v.3). It was as if the Lord had forgotten his promises. The God who had always assured his people of his covenant presence was seemingly absent and nonexistent.

His present situation was bleak and was unlike the past when he was comforted, energized and encouraged by the presence of the Lord. This day of trouble could not be pacified and his pain could not be satisfied with any earthly thing. This person was staring the theological reality straight in the face, that the Lord is the only true satisfaction in life. If the Lord is either absent or nonexistent, the people of God might as well die. Their life is the most miserable in all the earth.

It is all to common to have experiential back-up plans. If the Lord is not positively stirring us, we have other places to turn. We have other comforts in this life. This is my testimony at least.

When I don't want to pray; when I feel empty, tired, and sick of evaluating every moment as if it had eternal significance; when I feel unaccepted by others, rejected, unworthy, and ontologically inferior because of my special, but wicked, vises; and when I just don't feel as if God is real, beneficial, or there; I immediately run to dozens of other saviors like my phone, work, coffee, sleep, Facebook, a friend's company, a book, my kids or even my wife.

If the Lord hides, I go elsewhere. I have very little patience for emptiness. I have little tolerance for someone else's will.

This moment in the Psalmists life is probably very similar, except he had no comforts at all. There were not dozens of saviors. There was only one or none; either the Lord or death; only the Light of the World or darkness. He did not run elsewhere, but waited. While he moaned, he meditated. And while he wept, he remembered.

I am not so sure I have the strength for this. The Lord is gracious to help me see my sickness and weakness in this area. I thought that once I kicked porn, I would be done with sin. But he has shown me more of my wickedness in my unwillingness to wait submissively and patiently for his bidding. I have loved him on my terms and not his own. Consequently I have "loved" others on my own selfish terms as well.

This sin is worse than lust. Selfishness gives birth to that which I thought most evil. I am noticing it in everything I do. I am therefore, at a place where all I know is to trust the passive righteousness of Christ while I pray for his power to work and rescue. I am sick of books. I am tired of lectures. I have been reduced to seeking the Lord alone, and he seems at the moment, silent.

This morning, however, I am encouraged to wait patiently for the Lord while I remember his marvelous works. If he has been faithful for thousands of years, and if his steadfast love has been witnessed by tens of thousands of believers, I trust that he will accomplish his good purposes for me. I trust, because of his Word, that while I am empty now, he will fill me. I trust that while my soul refuses to be comforted, and as he empowers me to loose my hands from all worldly comforts, he will visit me, save me, love me, redeem me, and one day glorify me.

And after I reread this post to check for errors, I noticed that he is not far at all. He has loved me behind me. He has embraced me from an angle I was not expecting. He has loved me on his terms. And for this I am grateful.

Practical Blurb on the Doctrine of Omnipotence

John Frame writes this about God's omnipotence: "All the controversy about omnipotence may distract us from the actual purposes of God in revealing his power to his people. God does not reveal his omnipotence merely so that we can engage in philosophical speculation on what he can or cannot do. As with all his revelation, God wants the doctrine of omnipotence to edify his people (2 Tim. 3:16-17)...God's power drives his people to worship. It also warns us against governing our lives by our own expectations of what is possible, leaving God out of the account."

As I work my way through the Old Testament, I am finding multiple imperatives for parents to continuously tell their children about the power of God in delivering them out of Egypt. If the Exodus event does not show us God's omnipotence (among many other things), I don't know what does. To live in light of the Exodus event one is sure to be asked questions.

Because of this attribute, the people of God were/are encouraged to live radically - to live differently than all other human beings. When a person believes in God who is all-powerful, his or her life is lived in such way that it begs questions like, How can you give that sacrificially? How can you live so honestly? Why do you not spend like everyone else? How can you rest in a time like this?

The biblical and experiential answer always follows that our God is powerful enough to part seas, bring and stop plagues, conquer armies, make old people and virgins have babies, create with just a word, save people like me, and raise the dead. It is not uncommon for God's command to lead his people into seemingly impossible situations. And when his people obey, they are continually reminded that he is not only powerful to do what is impossible for man, but he is faithful to bring about his good purposes through those historical situations.

Given this truth, we should always be reluctant to resist obedience because of our logical conclusions of what the future may hold for us if we do - conclusions like, "If I tell the truth, she will reject me." or, "If I obey God's call, my wife and children will be harmed." Given this truth, on the other hand, we should always be encouraged to worship, trust and, obey, no matter what the command. His grace is always sufficient and his power is always enough to bring about the redemption of his own.

It's Okay to Hate Felons...Right?

Discrimination is a bad word. The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people based on race, age or sex is a cultural no-no and will surely be met, even from relativists who profess no faith, by the severest of judgments. And rightly so. Discrimination is a bad word – it is sin. To treat any person unjustly is an affront to the Lord, whose image all men and women bear. Because we are all ontologically equal, it is wrong to believe, express and/or practice ontological superiority over another human being.

Unless, of course, they deserve it. 

Because discrimination against equals is unjust, we, as a society, must find some way to justly degrade those against whom we desire to discriminate. We must find a way to become “unequals.” And at the end of this process, we are allowed to be on top – they on bottom. This, biblically speaking, is sinful man’s top priority in life, to make a name for himself, everyone subject to him through personal superiority and domination.

This, Alexander argues, is a way our current racial caste system is being created. The mass incarceration of African Americans is the acceptable means by which this segment of our population becomes an object of discrimination. Criminals are “bad,” and deserve all the misfortune they experience. If a black man (or any man for that matter really) is going through tough times due to his label as a felon, we say things like, “He should have stayed off of those drugs.” Or, “That’s the bed he made…”

The author states it this way: “Criminals...are the one social group in America we have permission to hate. In “colorblind” America, criminals are the new whipping boys. They are entitled to no respect and little moral concern. Like the “coloreds” in the years following emancipation, criminals today are deemed a characterless and purposeless people, deserving of our collective scorn and contempt. When we say someone was “treated like a criminal,” what we mean to say is that he or she was treated as less than human, like a shameful creature.”

As it turns out, prison is the least of a convicts worries. The lifetime label he or she receives for being convicted of a crime throws the person “under the noses” of the rest of society. Not only are felons denied fundamental democratic rights like voting and serving on a jury, they are barred from being like the rest of us “good folk” who have our act together and “deserve” jobs, housing, and other civil liberties and privileges. In other words, felons who have served their time, haven’t really served their time. They will pay for the rest of their lives.

Ms. Alexander writes, “Once labeled a felon, the badge of inferiority remains with you for the rest of your life, relegating you to a permanent second-class status.”

This is a very complex issue, worthy of much prayer, consideration and repentance. Life for those who justly enter our criminal justice system is not as easy as serving their time and back to life as normal. For those of us who have not entered the system, we must not remain blind to such over simplistic illusions.

I have personally seen (not experienced) these things first hand. I work with dozens of African American men who have to “check the box” on every job application they turn in. These image bearers must constantly prove to society why they should be trusted, employed and given even a glimpse of a shot in life. These men must regularly place their hands on a police car, being subjected to random (and often arbitrary) searches as they are displayed in public as a person that everyone ought to look out for.

But if we are honest, should the authorities have the thoughts and intentions of our own hearts displayed before them, we too would be imprisoned and given the same hated title - felon. To discriminate against a felon is to deny the gospel. It is a direct insult to the Christ who sets prisoners free. 

(Note: This is a continuation of my review of Alexander's book The New Jim Crow)

Walking Off of the Edge

I'd love change to happen at a quiet table, with a good book, while in deep thought. I can't tell you how much I desire for my heart to follow the orders of my mind as I sit back in my chair and reflect on some profound quotation. It would be so nice if my life would fall perfectly in line with the waves of information that I shove into my head.

As it turns out, however, things don't quite work that way. While I would never discount or discontinue study, reflection, and learning, I am becoming more and more convinced that most significant life change comes from further experiential situations. A person may very well learn to trust a rope by studying, reading about and reflecting upon the nature and right use of a rope. But he will never cling to that rope until he leans over the edge of the cliff - until he rests his entire life upon the rope.

And this is the Christian call. This is Christ's call, is it not? We must love Christ fully and cling to him tightly as he calls us to step off of the "love-your-neighbor-as-yourself" cliff. Clinging to Christ saves us, but if we never step off of the edge in obedience, we soon find it easy to loosen our grip, or even set him down while we pay attention to other things. This may be a reason why Paul, in Romans, refers more to the second commandment than the first.

Sure, while we sit, we may discover things about the rope which are quite interesting and beautiful. We may tell people all about how strong it is and how it can hold a certain weight without breaking. But if we will not love others, we will never cling to Christ (our rope) completely. And if we do not cling to him completely, we will never change convincingly.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good education. But I am not convinced that our current methods of educating are the best. The more Christ breaks me apart, I am realizing that one biblical, experiential situation of love - especially when loving doesn't make "self-preserving" sense - is worth a few hundred books or blogs that I have read. I fear the demand for thousands of Christian books to flood our marketplace is due to the fact that we, as a church, simply refuse to change any other way.

That's why we're all so tired. And that could also be why many are tired of us. We're trying to change ourselves with education, rather than trusting in the Holy Spirit to change us as we walk by faith in love.

We are conveniently convinced that reading is more economic and obedient than loving. That change comes from reason more than revelation. And that revelation is best experienced in quiet places where we are most in control. I simply cannot believe this any more. Christ doesn't work this way. Following him demands entering situations where he alone is our survival, vitality and strength. When we follow him, our experience will simply not allow us to let him go. This is the essence of faith, experienced best in obedience.

All I am saying is the Christian life is so much more than Christian education (though Christian education is an important part of that life). All knowledge, without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit working in love, by faith alone, is nothing more than a pharisaic pacifier we use to make us feel good about our lack of true obedience to our Lord's commands. Again, I would like nothing more than to sit and learn in a classroom or coffee shop for the rest of my earthly life; but, according to the Scriptures, this would be less than clinging to Christ, and that is a price I am unwilling to pay. He is a treasure to valuable to let go.

Of Course I Don't Look Suspicious...I'm White

I have never once had a single concern for the Fourth Amendment. This section of the U.S. Constitution was put in place by our Founding Fathers to prevent arbitrary searches and seizures of civilians by authorities. I have never been "arbitrarily searched" nor have I ever had any of my property seized. At least some of the reason for this is that I am a white male.

After reading this next chapter of The New Jim Crow, I asked about ten of my African American friends if they had experienced such searches by the authorities. All but one had. Two of my closest friends were pulled over and thoroughly searched just the other day for "looking suspicious." The policeman claimed that they were looking down when he drove by.

If enough of these searches are conducted - and lawfully so given the Supreme Court ruling that the police are free to use minor traffic violations as a pretext to conduct drug investigations, even when there is no evidence of illegal drug activity - eventually drugs will be found. If these searches are conducted primarily on African Americans, mostly African Americans will be arrested. This, argues Alexander, is precisely the case in our nation today. One of the major problems with this is that African American drug use pales in comparison to White American drug use.

She sites a study conducted in 2000 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that white students use cocaine at seven times the rate of black students, use crack cocaine at eight times the rate of black students, and use heroin at seven times the rate of black students. Other studies have been conducted and nearly all of their findings indicate that the majority of illegal drug users and dealers nationwide are white.

But three-fourths of all people imprisoned for drug offenses have been black or Latino.

To make matters even worse, most of those convicted for possession are never afforded proper legal representation. Yes, they should receive it, but they just don't. Most cases never reach trial. Alexander, and others, blame the threat of strict penalties for this. A large percentage of those convicted are persuaded to plead guilty (for a much lesser sentence) rather than take the risk of being found guilty (and receiving a much worse sentence). The author provides ample statistics and examples to support her claims.

I must admit that my inclination is to let the case go to trial if I am innocent. But I must remember that "my kind" has, for the most part, always been afforded justice. There are many stories of innocent African Americans pleading guilty simply because they do not believe the court system will offer them justice. Given their history in America, I am now more understanding of their fear.

Again, this book is an eye-opener. I am still struggling with some of Alexander's statements and implications. But I am also convicted and alarmed by the injustices and unfortunate circumstances I have been blinded to for so long simply because of my race.