step up to the mic...

Change is Hard - Who's in Control?

We as people like our routines. We like the status quo. We like predictability in our lives, or "order" as we like to see it, so that we feel in control. When things go as we expect them to, life is good. We feel like we are doing our job as long as we are on top of things.

However, when things start to transition, and the unexpected (and thus unwanted) happens, we begin to panic. The feeling of losing control gives us nightmares. Not knowing what to expect causes our hair to stand on end as we anticipate the potentially harmful or fearful circumstances ahead. Our sense of control moves into a season of doubt, and at times, a sense of failure as we fall short of our self-imposed expectations.

As I take a step back from these types of situations, and ask myself "why would God allow these times in my life," the quiet whisper comes back "to remind you of Who is in control". Whenever we are on cruise control in our lives, we feel like we've got it all figured out. We subtly ask Jesus for the wheel back as we slip ourselves back into the driver's seat. These times of feeling out of control as change sets in can be a good reminder that our spiritual navigation system needs to be rebooted or have the firmware updated.

The realization that our God, who has our best interests in mind more than anyone else, is in control, and is moving us toward being more complete in Him, should reestablish order in our lives. Sometimes, not knowing where we're headed, but knowing that it's going to be a great ride, is a wonderful thing!

As a kid, my dad would drive us down to Tennessee to see family at least once a year. I slept very soundly in the car on the way, knowing that my dad was in control of the situation, he loved me, and would get me there safely. How much more will our Heavenly Father take care of us?

I need these times to remind me Who is in control, and that I need to let go and enjoy the ride.

The Arrogance of Paul

Romans 1:10-15 had always puzzled me a little bit. I looked at Paul's words as being a bit arrogant. Why did he feel he has to get his hands into Rome's business? He didn't really know anyone there. He just hadn't ministered there, and therefore, his name wasn't really on the "credits" for the faith displayed by the Roman church. Is that what Paul was all about? Who gets the credit for establishing and affirming each church? How many "souls" do we get credit for? Are they just notches in the belt to Paul?

Then I started thinking about Paul's character. It wasn't really his nature to be proud...boasting only in his weaknesses. There must be something else there.

In digging deeper, I find that Paul must have simply been concerned about the condition of Christ's church! His desire was that the GLOBAL church reflect the cause of Christ clearly, and without blemish. He desired to affirm churches so that they represented God to the fullest, and he affirmed believers so that they would correctly embolden the Church!

Paul, an apostle, called by God, delivering grace and peace to God's global Church, so that ALL may present the gospel clearly, as they should. That is a great goal, and one that I think the Church has forgotten, as we seek only to edify our local body.

Family Time - Together with love

It's difficult to stress enough the importance of time with family. Looking at who I am now, and how I got to be the person that I am today, is so largely due to the time spent with my parents, sister, and extended family, that their influence is undeniable. Watching my children interact with my sister's kids, and with my parents, and the rest of the family, I can see how each conversation, game played, movie watched, dinner eaten together, builds into the character of who they will become.

How important, then, are the times that we spend together? How carefully should we guard the things to which they are exposed? I find it difficult to gage the delicate balance between how much of the world they should see so as to not be completely blind-sided by it when they encounter it without my protection, and how much to shield them from it when at all possible. That is true not just when hanging out with family, but in the school, with their friends, at the movies, at the pool, and really anywhere life takes us together.

It is a great satisfaction to see them using the manners, intellect, thought processing, and wisdom we teach at home when they are in these situations. Obviously, they are not perfect, but neither are we. They still have much to learn, but my wife and I are still learning lessons every day as well. This is part of life. And God has seen fit to trust us with these two little souls for a time, and to teach us how to be good stewards of this time. As they learn to become Godly adults, we learn more and more to be Godly parents.

During the process, we make mistakes and learn about mercy. We discover triumphs, and learn about grace. Through it all, we learn about, experience, give and take...love. For every quarrel, there is a hug, and for every pout, there is a pucker, and at the end of the day, we are together - with love.

The message or the music

I happen to love music.

I think it is one of the greatest gifts given to us by God. It can be used to break through barriers that no mere words could ever transcend. Just like mathematics, love, and chocolate, it is a universal language. I hold it in very high regard, and it is interwoven into the very fabric of my life. As I think on it further, it could very well be the dominant COLOR in the fabric of my life.

I happen to be a Christian.

My salvation IS the greatest gift given to me by God. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has broken through a barrier that NOTHING else in the universe could have transcended. Jesus defies mathematics with his unbalanced mercy and grace, out-loving even the most hopeless of romantics, universally speaking peace through every act of His being. I do not hold His regard whatsoever. God Himself holds Him at His right hand. He does not color the fabric of my life...He IS the fabric. I strive to put on grace and peace every day.

I happen to serve as a music minister at our local church.

Being a pastor's kid (PK), I have been deeply involved in several different churches in my 33 years. I find it interesting that it is often the MUSIC in a given church that causes more controversy than the MESSAGE presented on any given Sunday. To be certain, the MESSAGE given from the pulpit, and, in fact given from God, assuming the pastor is following the leading of the Spirit, is MUCH more important than the songs played and/or sung before or after. And yet, some in the church cannot even concentrate on the message, having been so offended at the music they just heard. And that, even though the WORDS of the songs were taken directly from the very Scriptures as the message being spoken.

There are many that do not consider any music other than hymns to be sacred enough for Sunday morning worship. I wonder if they know that most of those songs were originally old DRINKING songs from various cultures with only the words being changed. I assume there were those who were offended when these drinking songs were first introduced into the local churches, and had a hard time concentrating on the message thereafter. Or possibly found themselves singing the ORIGINAL words during church, and were too afraid someone might have noticed!

My point with all these thoughts tonight are to hope that people can focus on the PURPOSE of the music in church. We don't sing songs we like in church in order to have a good time. We don't listen to the music on Sunday morning in order to be entertained. In fact, the service on a Sunday morning is not even intended for us! It is a WORSHIP service. For those of us who are redeemed, it is a time to celebrate Christ and to honor him, publicly, with our voices. The music is not for our ears, but offered as an offering to our Savior, inasmuch as our money is an offering as well. The time spent in worship is a sacrifice to our God, just as is our time spent in the Word. We equip ourselves in hearing the Word, not so we can simply attain more knowledge, but so that we can live better lives for Christ! Everything about Sunday morning Worship service is to be directed UPward. It has nothing to do with our personal preference, contemporary or traditional, drum-n-bass or piano, guitars or acappella.

The very first question asked by the board of Elders when I went before them to be accepted or denied was "what STYLE of music do you intend to bring?" My answer was simply that it was my goal that people not even notice whether we were singing a hymn or a chorus, contemporary or traditional, 18th century or 21st century. As long as our hearts are focused on honoring God, the style doesn't matter. As long as our praise is UPward, we'll be concerned with whether or not HE is enjoying the music. As long as the message in the music matches the message from the Word, God will be honored.

I have a feeling that, since He gave it to us...God happens to love music too. :)

Back to the Basics

For starters, I'd like to recognize that we have come back to the basics. As usual though, we Americans do it much BIGGER the 2nd time around. 

I'm speaking of the return to the "blog" format. In the infant stages of the World Wide Web (i.e. before Al Gore got his ingenious hands on the thing) the "internet" was nothing more than the bulletin board system of the early 80s. All one could do was post some text out there somewhere for others to read, and on which they could comment. 

And now here we are. Nearly 30 years later, we are doing the exact same thing. The difference now is the scale of which we post, and the scope of our audience. More people are posting than ever, and are posting on more topics, with more text, adding pictures, links, tweets, movies, and all sorts of other things. 

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that more people are listening. More opinions are being expressed, but not many people care, because everyone's got one. Not only does everyone have an opinion, it is their opinion that they are RIGHT about all their opinions...or at least that no one else has the right to disagree with them. That might hurt their feelings or go against the age of tolerance in which we now live.

I hope to put forward some things during the course of this literary trod that might cause some to stumble and take notice of the truth on which they just tripped. Hopefully, this will not be full of mere opinions, but full of the things that matter, built upon the Foundation of the universe. Not to offend those who may posses a different opinion, but at least to cause them to think of their views in light of real Truth.

It is my hope that I will have the courage to state what is based upon truth, but to do so with an element of grace only given by One higher than I. With that in mind, I step up to the mic...

grace and peace

nate mccartney