This may very well be a very poorly written blog. I just woke up and haven't had coffee in a few days so please bear with me.
I grew up in church. I grew up singing hymns each sunday morning. I have to be honest, I really hated hymns. In fact, I still detest singing worship songs in a monotone droll simply because everyone else around me is doing so. I have a video that best describes my feelings toward this.
Tangent - Worship should be joyous or intimate; meaningful and purposeful. Wouldn't you agree?
Anyway….I detested church hymns. I detested songs like "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Stand up for Jesus". In fact, I still really don't like most of them due to their evident lack of cacoethes whilst being sung. But to say today that I don't like hymns would be a statement infinitesimal in passionate comparison to my making the same statement a year ago. I now attribute my then disposition towards hymns to 1. The said lack of passion behind their being sung and 2. My never grasping the full message conveyed in the lyrics.
That being said…..I've been visiting a new church on Tuesday's for the past couple weeks.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2239895265&ref=mf
http://www.theporchdallas.com/
I must say, I haven't felt so impacted by any one church in a very long time. Each message that I've heard has really hit home with respect to my own life and situations. This week however, I was pretty blown away by the truth of the message so……. I feel that I must blog about it.
The last few messages have revolved around a study about the Abundant Life that only Christ has to offer. It's been really, I guess you could say, eye/ear opening hearing a message that I've often heard but in a new and more relative fashion which caters to my own age group and current situation. This week JP talked about sources of temptation - that is distractions from the abundant life we have been given. It seems so often that we trade in a life of complete abundance in Him for the temporary pleasures of this world. JP specifically related the message to the city of Dallas. Dallas is a big city filled with many more temptations than that of a small town. Big cities are simply stated, the Devil's playground. Dallas is a hard city to live in and not be negatively impacted by the "lures" of the world. These revelations, though I really already knew them, really broke me. I can look back on my life a few years ago and see the evident differences in my spiritual walk, personal life, and relationships. I attribute the "goodness" of those years to the fact that I was continually striving, while making mistakes, towards the abundant life that I KNEW He had to offer.
I KNOW now that I steadily allowed the city and a lack of spiritual involvement to draw me further away from the abundant life rather than continuing to seek after it. I KNOW now because I've been forced to see. I KNOW now because I've been forced to really reflect. I've felt so ashamed lately about the way I've allowed my life to unfold these last few years. I will say that I have grown substantially in my understanding and interpretation of those things spiritual. I attribute this learning to my being forced to delve deeper into the meaning of scripture by my school and my absence from a very dogmatic area. It detest dogma. I believe Paul did as well.
Anyway, JP drew a particular analogy this past Tuesday that I wanted to share. Let's see if I can get it right.
A pastor was walking down the street and noticed a young boy carrying a birdcage. The boy casually skipped along swinging the cage from side to side with a rather devious smile apparent. Inside the cage were three small birds, frightened and shaking.
The concerned pastor approached the young boy and questioned, "Son, what are you going to do with those birds?"
With a sinister grin the boy replied, "I'm gonna have so much fun with these birds. First I'm gonna pluck out all their feathers. Then I'm gonna tie them together and watch them try to fly away. Then I'm gonna make them fight. It's gonna be so much fun."
The pastor questioned, "Well, then what are you going to do with them?"
The boy replied. "Well, I've got a cat. I'm gonna feed them to my cat. It's going to be soooo much fun."
The pastor looked at the boy and then to the cage and pulled out his wallet. He said, "How much?"
"How much for what?", replied the boy.
"How much for those birds?"
The boy, confused and taken aback, replied, "Sir, why would you ever want these birds. Look. They're just stupid field birds. There's a whole field of them right around the corner. All you need to catch them is a net. You could head on over there right now and get as many as you want."
The pastor replied, "No. How much for THOSE birds?"
The boy still very much so confused replied, "Ten dollars?"
The pastor: "Done" and he handed the boy the money and set out to release the birds.
In the same way…..
Unbeknownst to us, Satan has many of us locked away in a cage. He meets Jesus on the road. Jesus asks Satan, "What are you going to do with those Dallas 20-somethings?"
Satan replied, "Oh, it's going to be so much fun. I'm going to get them drunk. I'm going to make them sleep with each other. I'm doing to get some of them pregnant. I'm going to give some of them diseases. I'm going to make them fight. I'm going to make them do things they regret. I'm going to tear their lives apart. I'm going to make them think that there is no point of return"
Jesus: "Well, then what are you going to do with them?"
Satan: "I'm gonna throw them away. I'm gonna empty my cage and get some new ones after these have been all used up."
Jesus says, "How much for those?"
Satan taken aback and confused says. "Why would you ever want these? There's a whole city filled with kids and young adults for you to pick from. These don't even love you. Just look at how they live their lives. They constantly party and drink and do drugs and lie. They don't go to church. They take your name in vain. They don't care about you."
Jesus says, "No. How much for THOSE?"
Satan says, "Your pain. Your tears. Your blood and Your LIFE"
Jesus: "Done."
I've got to tell you, that analogy really hit me hard. Even now as I'm typing it, I'm feeling the impact that it still has on my own life.
Back to hymns.
Immediately after JP got done speaking, the band began to play "Jesus Paid It All" - such an old hymn that I never really took the time to fully comprehend it's meaning. I don't feel like there's much of anything I can say that could ever fully convey the true meaning of the analogy I just gave or the meaning behind this song, so I'd just like to post a video with the lyrics and hope you guys are impacted by it's message in the same way that I have been - still am being. Please take some time from your busy day to really watch and comprehend the great and true meaning behind these lyrics and this song. Turn it up and free yourself from any distractions. Put down your cell phones. Turn off the television. Only then, will you be able to feel the full impact of this song and this message.
Jesus Paid It All
Sorry I got so "spiritual" there. It's just something that's really been on my heart for the past few days. I felt I needed to share it with you guys. I hope that you can too be impacted by the power of words and song in the same way that I have been.
On a separate note:
I finished recording a new song a few days ago. If you didn't know, my band, Dewinter, recently broke up and soooo I've been seeking new ways of writing and expressing myself through song. Hopefully I've have a new project up and running soon. This is the first of many songs I'll be releasing. I hope you guys like it. Don't judge too harshly because it's in no way finished, but I wanted to go ahead and give everyone a sneak peak into my new direction. Enjoy.
Dragan Alexander - Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds
by: Dragan Alexander (aka. Bo Michael King)
Once we were young and green
filled with fire and dreams
and heaven's rays shined down
on our home town.
We chased the lights and sounds
and tossed aside our crowns.
We traded gold for rust
and love for lust.
I don't want to be a martyr.
I don't claim to be a saint.
I'm not fit to be a soldier
or a well respected name.
I don't want to be a preacher.
I don't want to be a guide.
I'm not fit to be a teacher
though I've tried.
We tried to live and hide
our crooked schemes and lies
but heaven's rays grew dim
with each new sin.
We held our heads so high
so we could see July.
We played the church and priest.
We couldn't reach.
I don't want to be a martyr.
I don't claim to be a saint.
I'm not fit to be a soldier
or a well respected name.
I don't want to be a preacher.
I don't want to be a guide.
I'm not fit to be a teacher
though I've tried.
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