Saturday Redemption Song “Rest Your Head”
If you don’t know Autumn in Repair yet, check them out. I liked hearing the story behind this song and part of the song.
Doubting and Hope: Thomas and Jesus
Over the next 8 days, I’ll be traveling with my family through many of the lands where early Christians lived, suffered, and died for their beliefs: Rome, Athens, Ephesus, among them. I’m scheduling some posts on faith and hope for while I’m gone. Please keep checking back for new posts, or why not use this time to subscribe, here or on Facebook?
For today, from an oratorio on Easter written by N.T. Wright, author of Surprised by Hope.
Thomas, like a good historian wants to see and touch…Thomas begins with doubt:
The sea is too deep
The heaven’s too high
I cannot swim
I cannot fly;
I must stay here
I must stay here
Here where I know
How I can know
Here where I know
What I can know.
Jesus then reappears and invites Thomas to see and touch. Suddenly the new, giddying possibility appears before him:
The sea has parted. Pharaoh’s hosts –
Despair, and doubt, and fear, and pride –
No longer frighten us. We must
Cross over to the other side.
The heaven bows down. With wounded hands
Our exiled God, our Lord of shame
Before us, living, breathing, stands;
The Word is near, and calls our name.
New knowing for the doubting mind,
New seeing out of blindness grows;
New trusting may the sceptic find
New hope through that which faith now knows.
Learning to Live Free
"My Growing Home" Elisabeth Irwin's blog
Today, I’m delighted to share a story with you from Elisabeth Irwin, blogger at www.mygrowinghome.com Elisabeth graciously agreed to share her story with us as a “living story” of “Learning God’s Story of Grace.” My heart connected instantly with this amazing story of God’s grace; I look forward to seeing how it impacts you.
Yesterday, I was struck by a portion of a verse in Revelation. John, speaking about Jesus, says that he “has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.” (Rev. 1:6). It struck me in a particular way because I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how God made me, and, to be honest, struggling with the fact that he made me different than a lot of the people that I adore and admire.
Recently a dear friend of mine, whom I’ve always had lots in common with, told me that she is pregnant again and has decided to homeschool her children. A wonderful decision with absolutely no implications for me, right? Of course, if I had more faith in God’s unique leading for my life, but in reality, as I thought about her news, my stomach sunk and I started to doubt: “Am I doing the best I can for my children? Is it a bad thing that I’m not ready to have more children yet? Am I lacking in love, or being selfish by giving myself time off with preschool?” It seems ridiculous when I write it out like this, but its a fairly frequent pattern in my heart, this comparing, doubting, fearing.
In striking contrast to my inner turmoil, the Bible says that I am God’s work, designed for a purpose, and living out a unique story that He is writing. My story is personal, and different from the one that He is writing for my friend and her family, which means that I (together with my husband) am accountable to Him alone, not left to decide my own fate in comparison with every person who comes along.
But what is my story? For one thing, I am creative. As a child, I found great joy in drawing, writing, and making things–and then sharing them with others. I was vulnerable, and, in a child-like way, at peace with myself. Around Jr. High, that harmony broke down. I became self-conscious and preoccupied with the need to perform exceptionally, lest I be destroyed by the disapproval of others. I buried my artistic endeavors under pursuits that I sensed were more valuable, like academics and social life. By college, having missed the training and accolades of art classes, I felt that I had lost that part of myself.
But the gospel has changed my story. Because Jesus irrevocably demonstrated my value by his death on the cross, I don’t need to be juried or praised or found faultless to have worth. His righteousness is mine! Moreover, He is at work in my heart, etching the implications of his sacrifice into my soul and slowly liberating me from my idolatry of others’ opinions. And that means not only that I can let my creative spirit out of its cage, but that I can try, fail miserably, and keep going! I can let others see me (loads of others, in fact–you can find my musings at www.mygrowinghome.com) and remain standing because Jesus has covered my shame with his blood.
Looking at my life as a story-in-progress, I can see that my love for things creative is an intentional part of God’s design for me, intended to be resurrected from the rumble of fear and restored for His glory. This means that both acknowledging it and making room in my life to live it out is not only a good thing, but that it could just be be an act of worship.
So where does that leave me as I wince with the pain of comparison and self-doubt? The gift of the cross is freedom: I am free to be the woman that God made me, AND to rejoice with my friend, who is living out unique purposes that God authored for her before the beginning of time. Our gracious Father is crafting a glorious symphony–a kingdom–out of wild diversity.
I pray that one day I will fully embrace this freedom to be completely me. Although for now, my weak and weary heart still clings to comparison and fear, I have hope that Jesus is slowly changing me, and I am thankful.
7 L’s of Sharing the Hope of Christ
To wrap it all up, there are four core stories we must LEARN, LIVE, AND LOVE if we are going to bear the true story of Christ to the world: God’s story of grace, Bible women’s stories, Your story of grace, and the world’s women’s stories. To finish this blog version, consider these 7 “L’s” of sharing Christ:
Who Is Lady Gaga, and What Message Does She Speak?
Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga
“My sense is that most women today often unconsciously long for the kind of life that God wishes to give them.”Rose-Marie Miller, From Fear to Freedom
We have two more blogs on bearing Christ to the world’s women. Today, I’ll share with you what I learned about Lady Gaga by doing a little internet research and listening in to a 60 Minutes Interview.
Her real name is Stefani Germanotta, and she is a self-described master of the art of fame. She openly admits to manipulating people and using her vast array of costumes to create mystique and to deflect attention from her ‘self.’ She is a ‘creation all her own.’ Quote: “I was able to leave a massive amount of insecurities behind me..by leaving that name…”
A good student and classically trained pianist who never felt that she fit in, she sees herself as a woman with a message of good news – an ‘uplifting mantra of self-empowerment and self-acceptance.’ In her newest single (“Born this Way”), she encourages listeners to come out of hiding: “Don’t hide yourself in regret/Just love yourself and you’re set…” (Ironically, in that same song, she uses words for different people groups that are considered racist by those groups…see http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctentertainment/2011/04/lady-gagas-inclusion-problems-1.html for more on that.)
In the 60 Minutes interview, she sat on the steps of her former apartment building and wept, apparently in awe and humility, at where she’s been and where she is now. The interview closes with these words:
“In the end, what Lady Gaga says she cares about most is her music. The clothes and the costumes, even the controversies, are all just a part of her artistry, part of the performance her life has become.” Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/10/60minutes/main7337078.shtml#ixzz1QPIsSY18
- As you read about Lady Gaga, what similarities do you see between her message and the message of the gospel?
- What, if anything, do you or people you know, have in common with Lady Gaga?
- Where do you see the reality of her sin nature expressed? (What idolatry do you see?)
- What parts of her life do you think would be very hard?
- With this information, imagine a conversation you might have with a Lady Gaga fan about the gospel.
Listening to Lady Gaga’s Story
Stefani Germonatta
Continuing the essential question of how do we bear Christ to the world’s women, to women who don’t believe, to women who may be very different to us, we come to the fourth essential story we must learn: the story of the very women who need to know the hope of Christ.
This is where Stefani Germanatta came in. I recognized a revulsion in my heart when she appeared on American Idol, and I began to think about it. I figured there was pride and contempt lurking in my response and thought God might want to see that become a heart for the hurting. So I acted on my own ‘preaching’ and began to listen to her story.
What I learned was fascinating, and though it did not convince me to love her lyrics or laud her stylistic endeavors, it did reveal we have more in common than I ever would have believed.
Tomorrow I’ll share with you what I learned about Stefani Germanatta, but let me end today with one caveat. Because I fear this blog will send people googling Gaga videos, let me tell you my conclusion about why I experience deep distaste for her lyrics and especially her visual performances (I like the “poppy” sound of her songs and would dance in my kitchen to them if I couldn’t hear the lyrics.) My sense is that the Lady demeans women and invites violence against them. The stories she acts out make women objects and darkens their sexuality (which is not how God created us.) I know many, including her 36 million fans don’t see it that way, and I’d be glad to hear your thoughts.
That being said, all the more reason to listen to Stefani Germanatta and hear her story and try to understand what we have in common and see what powerful news the gospel has to bring in this conversation.
“Take every story a person tells and be more curious about it than they are themselves.” Dan Allender
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From Recovery to Restoration
The Waiting Room devotional
