Taking the Hill

The Lord has a sense of humor and it rarely escapes the scope of his purpose.

For every summer there is a winter, fall and spring. For every economic boom, there is a recession. For every dark night, there's a bright day. None of these things are amusing in themselves, but when we consider our own response to the natural ebb and flow of the tides of life, the irony of our situations floats to the top like water on oil.

I was faced with this revelation this past week. I was considering the past few major events of my own life (more likely the negative ones that I chose to dwell on) and I decided that I was tired of dealing with the weight of life as a follower of Christ. I didn't want to give up my Christianity, just trade in some rough times for good ones.

I figured that wouldn't happen, so I made what I assumed was a much more acceptable request (the key in negotiation is to start high). I told a friend that if I could, I would give up all the hills if I could get rid of the valleys. Notwithstanding my own desires, I was intensely and actively unaware of God's purpose in the valleys. My friend suggested that to find peace, one has to understand that whatever your circumstance, God has to be in control in order for you to take joy in a situation.

How often do we as God's children attempt to bypass the toughest trials in life to achieve personal comfort at the expense of divine purpose? I think often we merely don't consider the results of the things we ask God for. What if Jesus' cup had passed in the Garden of Gethsemane?

What we fail to realize is that our valleys prepare us for the mountains ahead. There is a purpose and a plan in our pain. God's power is made evident in our weakness, because then he is made strong. How much less impressive would the story of David and Goliath have been if David had been the giant? Or the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego if the furnace was called the "Slightly Warm" furnace?

We all say we want to see the miracles, but we have to be honest with ourselves. How much wind and rain can we take in order to walk on the waves?

The fact is; in this life, in this world, we are going go through things. It's up to us to make the decision to take joy in our trials. The Bible says that in the world there will be tribulations, but be to be of great cheer, because our God has overcome this world.

I believe that we can stand up in the midst of our struggles, and understand that though we are surrounded by our troubles, we are not distressed. Though we are perplexed, we are not in despair. Though we are persecuted, we are not forsaken, and though we are cast down, we are not destroyed.

If there's only you, God and a million problems, you've got them surrounded.

2^nd Corinth. 12:9-10

And he said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore, I take pleasure in the infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Good Christian Fame

I woke up before the sun yesterday to complete some writing I hadn't done the night before. I watched the sun slice through the off-white blinds of my dorm room and as I alternated between staring at my laptop typing sentences in furious spurts and mulling over the morning headlines on CNN. It was all very routine, but I did enjoy it. After my normal thirty minute washing-up, tooth brushing, hair primping frenzy, I sprang out of my door and hopped toward the shuttle van for campus. I made small talk with the driver as I normally did before slipping into the back of the van. As I sat running through the organized chaos of my morning, day, and life, I noticed a familiar voice on the radio.

Listening hard over the whines and wheezes of the bus, I quickly identified the deliberate bass tones I had heard. It was the voice of Bishop Thomas Weeks. Bishop Weeks (for the uninformed) is a minister and the ex-husband of the "Prophetess" Juanita Bynum. (I don't mean any disrespect I just don't know how official any of these rankings are.) This particular morning, Bishop Weeks was a guest on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and he had much to talk about. In this particular episode of their on-going saga, Bishop Weeks spoke about his settlement, the plans for the release of his tell all book, and his impending reality TV show about the search for his next wife. As I listened to the Bishop speak, I thought about the very public dispute between him and his wife. Juanita Bynum had declared herself "the new face of domestic violence". The media did their job and soon enough there were specials, forums, debates and all other forms of news coverage.

As an advocate of anyone's personal right to privacy, and a staunch supporter of personal freedoms, I hate to be the voice of reason, but a question comes to mind. What's the point? Or I suppose "goal" is a better word. It's not fame, at least for Bynum, because she's been a best seller for years, and leads a multi-million dollar ministry that has taken her all over the world. Not so much for the Bishop, but he too is successful in his own right. So my question remains, what does either have to gain from their circus divorce and the resulting media tempest?

I'm not sure who gains what, but the bottom line is that in the end, we as Christians are the losers. There was a time when we lived private and dignified lives. The public once held ministers and church leaders in high respect. No one thought they were perfect, we just believed that there was something sacred about the authority and the task that these men and women were doing. But in the day of the "mega church", it seems we've moved further from the sanctified and closer to the secular. It's undeniable that there have been changes. Today, the pulpit is used for everything from merchandising to campaigning. Personal moralities aside, I wonder how far reaching the changes will be when it's all said and done.

D. L. Moody, the esteemed bible scholar and teacher once said, that "of 100 people 1 will read the Bible, and 99 will read the Christian." I'm not saying we should cover things up. As Christians, we owe it to ourselves, our faith and our God to ask ourselves: what story are we telling?

Music and angels

 

I have never considered the possibility of angels, but I don't find it too farfetched. This is to say, that I don't find the idea of them far off. When we consider them, at least in Christian theological canon, we have the idea of these ethereal creatures that stand ready to obey God. To do battle with all manner of demons and spirits. Invisible, imperceptible, all but impossible. We can't see them, but we want to. We can't create, but we can dream. So we do. We write them in books, paint them on canvas, shoot them on film, and sing about them in our songs. We express our desire to touch the intangible through our art. I believe that art, music, dance, theatre, film… expression… has a capacity to articulate ideas and thoughts beyond our human range of communication.

It was a rough summer. A lot of relationships changed; a lot of them ended. Not for nothing, I wrote a lot more, and heard a lot more music.

Recently, I began a new year at Hampton University. My last year as an undergraduate student. In some ways the first time I feel like I've understood anything even remotely beyond my own meager existence. Ironically, the understanding has come with more questions than answers. I have wondered about everything from friends and family to relationships, women, and especially Christianity. It has been a trying time, these past four years, for me at least. But despite my own tendency to forget the good and dwell on the negative, I have to say that above all things, I have been taken care of. When I would remember the bad times, I couldn't help but think of the good.

I reached a point where I understood that there is something in us so inherently divine, that when we can tap into that strength, that faith, we can move the mountains in our lives.

Not that I am a particularly brilliant man, though I do like to think that way on occasion, but I think that when we open our eyes and try to see beyond our current situations and circumstances, we allow God the room to inspire us, to heal us, and to strengthen us. For me, that came through my own personal angels, and music. I can't fully explain it, because I believe that part of your spiritual experience can only be conceptualized within yourself. But, I believe that I have come to a cathartic moment. I am hearing with new ears, and I believe that my understanding of how God can connect with us has widened.

This will shock some of those who know me, but it's true. I don't profess to know it all, or even that my own ideas are correct. They just work for me, for now. In a sense, this post is more for me than anyone else. I just wanted to express my appreciation for the angels and the music that God has provided me. They've made my world a more beautiful, lyrical, place.