Coming home(s)!

So....

I`m super excited to be coming home(s)!!! (Fayetteville and Hattiesburg here I come!)

Yesterday was filled with friends and food; perfect life right?

Today will be filled with a little more of the same.

To Mac and Chelsea... you HAVE to check out my new shirt.  It has braile!  Sweet.

Also... You might notice that I´ve made a few changes to my blog.  Some people have been asking to have me email them updates.  Well, now you can sign up to get them emailed to you if you want! (Look for the link to the right.)  You can also follow other ways if you like.

Spiritual Warfare in Concert

I believe Worship is the most effective form of spiritual warfare.  What follows is the capstone piece of our program notes for tomorrow's concert.  I'm praying that those who attend the concert will be changed by what the words and music they hear.  Will you pray with me?

~

In Joshua chapter 6, we watch the army of Israel preceded by the Ark of God, which itself is preceded by 7 priests blowing 7 trumpets.  In this case worship IS the warfare and is leading the very symbol of the manifest presence of God.  As you know, the Israelites are instructed to remain completely silent as they march around the city once each day for 6 days.  On the 7th day they march around 7 times in complete silence with tension constantly building until finally the trumpets blow and they let out a terrifying shout.  I believe this was an energetic shout of praise to the Lord!

Also take for example King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah who faced impossible odds against the combined forces of Moab and Ammon.  Instead of wallowing in fear, King Jehoshaphat placed his faith in the Lord of Hosts and encouraged his army to do the same. Then the Bible says that:

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

So why all this talk about spiritual warfare before a song asking for peace?  Truly, the words “Dona Nobis Pacem” are Latin for “Grant us Peace.”  However peace is also mentioned in one of the greatest passages on spiritual warfare written by Paul to the Ephesians.  In discussing the “full armor of God” Paul says,

Stand firm then [...] with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The Gospel that gives us peace with God is the firm footing which allows us to fight spiritually.  It is what allows us to praise Him and abandon our own self interests and desires and instead to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” knowing that He truly desires what is best for us.

Let me encourage you tonight to ask God for that peace which comes from His Son.  As we sing the words “Dona Nobis Pacem” would you say them in your heart with us? And I also invite you to sing or hum along out loud if you know the song.  God will provide you with that peace through His Son Who loves you more than any other person who has ever lived, ever could.

Spiritual Warfare

I'm stoked that over the last couple of posts my blog now has more than 2000 page-views.  Hip hip...

Thanks to all who have been lifting me up in prayer, especially this past week.  I've been praying specifically for the things I mentioned at the bottom of the last post, which in a phrase is "open doors."  It's a bit long to explain again.  Nevertheless, one of the things that I don't remember mentioning before but which has been on my mind is this: I've been wondering how what I do could really be useful to God.  And I mean in a spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6 type of way.  I want to be actively fighting the good fight and not simply sauntering the spiritual saunter.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Anna's story of how she was drawn into her ministry field and started Light Force International.  It's a riveting story.  But the end result was I was left feeling more than inadequate.  I felt like all my dreams and hopes were hopelessly small.  Like if I got everything I wanted and was able to serve God to the absolute fullness of all my dreams... I would not be making much of a difference.  It was incredibly humbling.  And a little confusing.  I wondered if maybe God was using this as another stepping stone.  Maybe He was simply getting me to a place where I was willing to give up working with choirs.  And... I am willing to do that, even more now than before.

However...

This morning I had the wonderful opportunity to worship at a small, lower class Christian school here in San Jose.  I went there with one of Josh's teams.  During the worship, God reminded me of something that Anna said that I have believed for some time but never really contemplated.  She said that in her opinion,

"Worship is the best form of spiritual warfare."

Wow.

And I think I'll end with that. :)

Missions Update

Since my last few blog posts have been mainly exhortations about prayer and fighting, maybe some are wondering how things are going.  I think it may be time for an update, and since I'm on a missions trip, we'll call it a missions update.

Perhaps the most exciting of all is the concert that's coming up on the 29th at 6pm here at Unanime in Zapote.*  Good news and bad: the concert will cost 3,000 Colones, which makes it both relatively expensive, AND the first concert I've ever conducted with a ticket price.  Not bad, all told.

For experienced choristers in the US (and for those here in CR) I should be honest and tell you that this is a beginning choir.  We've spent a great deal of time working on things like choral blend, basic (and I mean BASIC) sight reading, holding your own part against others, dynamics, energy, and other basic musicality.  I am proud of how far they've come, especially with only 5 practices thus far and only 2 more before our dress rehearsal.  The line up is as follows.  Some of my previous singers might recognize a few songs...

• "When Jesus Wept" by William Billings
• 4 Canons by Mozart
• "Viva la Musica"
• "Dona Nobis Pacem"
• "Alleluia"
• "Rosen fra Fyn" (with other words)
• "Eres Tú Jesús, Dios Mío" by J.S. Bach
• This is "Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habe" (otherwise known as Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring in English) from Bach's Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
• ¡Oh Rostro Ensangrentado! by J.S. Bach
• This is a Spanish translation of "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" (otherwise known as O Sacred Head, Now Wounded in English) as harmonized by Bach in his St. Matthew's Passion.

I've already had plenty of opportunity to tie the actual meanings of the words to the faith which most of us in the Choir share.  This is one of the main reasons I came, and I'm grateful that God has given me this opportunity.  Even though there are other important (and more mundane) things that require my attention, this is what I'm most excited about.

Not all of the "other things" are pedantic.  Some are also enjoyable.  I've had a chance to work alongside the missions teams with children in lower class neighborhoods.  I've enjoyed getting to know Josh and April and better understand their ministry here.  Hopefully some of these ideas will even be useful to Chris when I return to USM.  I've grown closer to God through the expanded time He has given me to draw closer to Him in prayer, Bible study, memorization, meditation, and worship.  And I've also had a chance to get MUCH better with Spanish, although I need so much more practice and training.  I praise God for all of it.

Less than 2 weeks left!!!

~

* Unanime is the name of the Evangelical church where the World Alive Music offices are located, and Zapote is the name for a specific neighborhood in San Jose.  Here are some directions if any of my state-side friends would like to come (or if you'd just like to see a satellite photo of the church).

~ ~ ~

Prayer request:
If you are available, would you pray with me daily from Monday the 22nd to Friday the 26th? I'm praying that God will remove any and all barriers between me and His call on my life to serve Him on the mission field.  Some of these barriers include:

• Personal barriers
• pray for spiritual readiness
• emotional readiness
• Administrative barriers
• red-tape removed
• favor with my spiritual authorities
• knowledge and wisdom on their part to know where I should be
• a willing, submissive, and obedient heart on my part
• Financial barriers
• selling my house in TN
• raising the monthly budget that will be set for me
• Any other barrier you or I think of.
• And... those barriers that I won't see until they come up (or don't come up).

Thanks so much for all your help!

What I needed today...

This was just what I needed this morning; maybe you'll agree. It came by way of Mikey's Funnies (a favorite of mine).

By Michael Halleen

"Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building." (Ezra 4:4)

An old story says that the Devil once held a sale of all the tools of his trade. Everything was displayed—keen-edged daggers of jealousy, sledge-hammers of anger, manacles of greed, arrows of covetousness and spears of deception—all available at bargain prices. Nearby was a table holding the more subtle weapons of vanity, fear, envy and pride.

 

But in a place of honor, framed and set apart from all the others, was a small wedge, marked and dented from frequent use. The name on this wedge was Discouragement, and its price was higher by far than any other tool being sold. Asked the reason for this surprising difference, the Devil explained, "It's because this is the tool I use when all the others fail. Let me get that little wedge into a person's consciousness and it opens the way for everything else! It's provided more opportunities for me than any other!"

The people of Judah, freed from exile in Babylon late in the 6th Century B.C., returned to their land to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its great Temple. But those who had been living in the land during the interim were not happy with the new arrangement and did whatever they could to discourage the rebuilding. Official letters of accusation, appeals, threats, intimidation, sabotage of the work in progress—and more—all served to slow down the work and even brought it to a complete halt for some sixteen years.

The wedge of discouragement is still as effective a weapon as any the Enemy has in his arsenal. There are shields, however, that offer protection:

~ Patience. God's delays are not necessarily God's denials.
~ Responsibility. Don't blame your lack of progress on others. We are where we are through our choices alone.
~ Courage. Be willing to do what you fear.
~ Wisdom. Be open to reconsidering your goals and revising your plans.
~ A quiet heart. Be at peace. Put the burden down and rest until your heart is still.
~ Faithfulness. Look up. Hold simply to God and to the journey God has set you on.

For the people of Judah 26 centuries ago, the shields held. Work resumed, and the city and its Temple were rebuilt. Strong leadership prevailed. Persistence won the day. Goals were reached, victories won. The wedge of discouragement can slow — but need not stop — the progress of the people of God.

-----------------

You can contact Mike at mhalleen@mediacombb.net. Also check out Mike's book "You Are Rich: Discovering Faith in Everyday Moments":
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597523437/mikeysfunnies-20

Copyright 2008 Dr. Michael A. Halleen. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

today'sTHOT============================

Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

Hey you!

"The Lord is with you when you are with him.

If you seek him, he will be found by you,

but if you forsake him, he will forsake you."

2 Chrn 15:2

"When I called, they did not listen;

so when they called, I would not listen,"

says the LordAlmighty.

Zech 7:13

As a prisoner for the Lord, then,

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Ephesians 4:1

Our Choice ("Prayer" part 3)

So... these previous two posts (see parts 1 and 2) beg the seemingly audacious and yet honest question:

"Why ask God for something if it's already His will?"

First let me defend the question as being valid.  We've already laid out that God has more than enough power to get what He wants.  If something is in His will why should I pray for it to happen?  Won't it happen whether or not I pray?  I think the answer to this is both yes and no.

God is ultimately in control (sovereign), but there are many things in which He desires to interact with us.  This is both in positive vs. negative ways as well as creative (morally neutral ways).

Good vs. Evil
As strange as it seems, God's ultimate will is that we would have ours.  Huh?  Really.  Even more than God wants His own choices to govern your life, God wants you to have your way.  That sound's too strange to be orthodox, but it's really not.  C. S. Lewis says it this way:

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "They will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it.  Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.  No one that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.  Those who seek find.  Those who knock it is opened.

So, although it sounds strange, God wants or wills more that you would have your way then that He force His own "opinions" about morality on you.  (I use this term only because some in our culture and even in our churches are completely deceived into thinking that morality is simply a collection of personal opinions.) God's perfect will is only done in our lives when our will lines up with His.  He has chosen to limit Himself to only getting His way when I get mine.  So in a way, yes, I believe that God's will won't happen in our lives unless we show through prayer that our will is lined up with His.

Creative Choice
So many times as Christians we act as if our only choices in life are moral ones.  It's like every single decision is a choice between right and wrong.  That doesn't make any sense, and it's just plain not true.


To prove my point, look at the first job ever recorded in the Bible. Adam was asked by God to name the animals.  Simple little story, almost silly in nature (nature... get it? ;).  But it's evidence that God invites us to join Him in creation.  Of course we're not creating something out of literal nothingness, but we are nevertheless invited to join His Creative work through writing, making music, cooking, making silly puns, or even forming our own sentences when we speak.  There's no getting out of it by saying, "I'm not a creative person." We are all obliged to participate in some way or another.

So what does that have to do with prayer?  Well, take another look at Elijah.  As James points out:

"Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

Was it God's Will to keep the rain from the earth?  The short answer is yes.  But I think there is a more interesting answer than that.  I believe it was God's will (or choice) to teach Ahab and the people of Israel a lesson, but that it was Elijah's choice (or will) to teach that lesson through a drought. God allowed Elijah to pick the way the lesson was conveyed

Conclusion
There are many other examples I could point too, but I'm going to take the easy (and shorter) way out and simply say that the Scriptures make it abundantly clear that God wants to have personal interactions with us.  He wants us to bring our needs to Him and He wants to meet those needs. And to be sure... there are many ways besides God that we can meet our own needs (or at least try to), but God wants us to come to Him.

Allow me to make one more illustration.  Growing up, my parents provided for my needs.  My mom knew that I would require food about three times a day and that once a week or so, I would probably need my clothes washed.  But if I never asked her to do those things and instead just expected those things of her, wouldn't that be ungrateful and borderline offensive?  Even though they are things that she would gladly do for me, to expect them without asking or even being grateful post facto seems so... wrong.

How much more so with God!  If I should be thankful to my Mother for meeting my needs, shouldn't I be more thankful to God?  And if my mother should have the right to hope I will ask things of her that she already knows I need, shouldn't God have that right in my life even more?   Yes.  And how joyful the experience is when we participate with Him in accomplishing His will through our own creative effort!

Christian-ese ("Prayer" part 2)

~ continued from "Prayer" part 1 ~

Sorry... I have no amazing conclusion to today's previous post.  This is simply something I've begun to realize more and more lately.  I'm beginning to realize that all these amazing promises we so often hold onto (like the ones discussed in the last post) come with a HUGE caveat.  It's something that we frequently look over--if not completely ignore.  These promises only hold true if we are in God's will.

That neat little phrase we tag onto the end of every prayer in Christendom... you know the one that helps us know the prayer is over and that signifies to all the daydreamers that they should come back to earth now.  It actually means something.  "In Jesus' name" should mean that what we're asking for is actually in the will of God.  I would go a step further and say that if what we're praying for is not in God's will.... then in reality we're using His name in vain.  I would dare say this is a much more sad and even hurtful thing to God then the two phrases Christians most often get upset about in popular culture: the careless use of the phrase "Oh my God" in a movie, or even the phrase GD (although even I'm not going to say that one).

Since that's an incredible claim, let me back it up.  When I was growing up, I began to realize I had a lot of power over my younger siblings when I said "because Mom [or Dad] said so."  Some of you already see where I'm going with this.  Greg and Stacey were pretty smart though and eventually realized that I wasn't always telling the truth.  I could embellish this story, but I think I've made my point.

Many of us have lost the power of our prayer for the simple reason that we are lying when we pray.  We are vainly using the name of the Risen Christ.  We are boldly declaring to spiritual brothers and sisters, to God and Satan that what we are asking of God is actually His will.  The sad reality is that we haven't spent the time to find out what God's specific will is.  We haven't sought His face.  We are lying and we couldn't care less.  We are lying during our prayer!

Truth be told, old habits die hard and I still use this phrase regularly.  Much to my own chagrin.  But, I have committed to God to change.  Not necessarily to stop saying it, but rather to mean it when I do and to not say it if I'm praying for something which I'm not sure God wants.  And I think this is very important.

Why is it important?  It's important because I want my prayers to be powerful like Jesus', or like Elijah's who James points out "was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years."  I want my prayers to be "powerful and effective," rather than limp and lifeless.  I want God to be impressed with my prayers in the same way a parent might be impressed with how quickly their child is learning.

~ to be continued ~

Not Fair ("Prayer" part 1)

I was just reading this morning about the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in the boat during the storm. This is the one in Mark where Jesus is actually in the boat sleeping. They wait and wait, not wanting to disturb him, presumably thinking they are experienced boatmen and can handle the situation. Finally realizing the seriousness and deadliness of their predicament, they wake him up. And what do they get in return? A scolding: "Why were you afraid? Do you STILL have no faith?"

Honestly... this seemed very unfair. I've read this more than a few times and I'm still caught off guard by it. What exactly did they do wrong? I had to go back and scan the 6 short verses to figure it out.

Should they not have tried to handle the situation? No. They were trained sailors; surely Jesus wasn't expecting them to ignore the training they had. In a way, wasn't that training provided by Him? Yes.

Should they not have woken Him? Maybe Jesus gets grumpy when he first wakes up. Ha! That's a funny thought--albeit completely irrational. No, they went to the right source, the One who could fix the problem.

I think the problem may have been in the way they came to Him... and that's a little hard for me to understand. They came scared. They woke him up as a last resort (even though I believe it was good for them to apply the boat training they have), and when they did they were afraid for their lives, wondering whether or not Jesus could take care of this.

So... I'm still a bit confused. It's a sin to be afraid? Maybe... I'm not sure. What if the fear is simply evidence of a lack of faith?

In Philippians 4 Paul says: "Rejoice in the Lord always! And again I say rejoice!" We don't usually rejoice when we're afraid for our lives... or when we're afraid about anything.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near." What does this have to do with it? I'm not sure, I just didn't want to cut out the verse simply because it didn't fit. Maybe they weren't gentle when they woke Him up. :)


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition--with thanksgiving--bring your requests to God." My guess is they didn't wake Him up with thanksgiving, but instead were extremely anxious. And that anxiousness probably came because they didn't really believe He could--or would--fix the situation. (We'll come back to the "would" later). Already at this point, only 4 chapters into the book of Mark, they had heard multiple demons testifying to the fact that He is "the Son of God." They had seen miracles and signs and wonders and anything else you can imagine. They had plenty of proof. Furthermore, Jesus had said "Let us go over to the other side." They knew that's what He wanted. Shouldn't the Son of God get what He wants? Much beyond that, shouldn't He be ABLE to get what He wants? Surely He has the power to do so.

"And the peace of God--which transcends all understanding!--will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!" I think this is simply the evidence that happens after the obedience/faith. Just like Bonhoeffer says, "Only the believing obey, and only the obedient believe." Obedience and faith are really one in the same you can't have either without the other. The peace comes because we believe that God is going to take care of it. We aren't afraid because we know that He's still in charge. We have done what we are supposed to do: we have brought our request to Him. We've already sought His guidance and know that we're doing what He wants. So again... shouldn't the King of the Universe be able to get what He wants? Like Paul says in Romans:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Could I substitute the word "will" for the word "love" in that last sentence without being a heretic? I think so. Just like nothing can separate us from God's Love... of course nothing can separate us from His will. The God of the universe gets what He wants.


So... now we come back to the question which was never stated but which is--if we are honest--the one way our situation usually differs dramatically from that of the disciples in the boat. It is the REAL problem even though we rarely think it is. This foundational question is,

"Do we really know the will of God for our life?"

Sadly, I think that in many ways we don't. We know the general principles laid out in scripture, but we have never spent the extravagant amount of time on Jesus to sit and hear from Him what He specifically wants from us. We talk about a personal relationship... but we often haven't truly made it personal. Can we claim that it's personal if we only ever apply scripture in the same way that it's applied to everyone else? If Jesus only ever talks to me in the same way that He talks to every other Christian at my church and if He only says the same things to me as to them... exactly what about that is personal? That sounds very much like a form letter to me. Where's the personal part???

I truly believe that God is willing, or much more rather eager to lavish that on us. But it's not something that happens quickly. It takes time. Intimacy isn't an in and out type of thing, quickly happening and then done, ready for the next part of life. In a truly deep relationship, intimacy IS the very relationship itself. The relationship is contained in the closeness, the whispered words, even the time spent even simply looking into each other. And that does not happen quickly. But WOW is it worth it! Every second spent on that closeness with Him will not be regretted.

~ to be continued ~

First rehearsal!

If you haven't already, you should check out the video of the choir at our first practice.

I'm excited.  We had around 70-80 for our first practice and Randdy says we actually have close to 100 signed up.

It's a good choir.  I was worried that they would be beyond me, but I feel we are well matched.  They are a little green and truth be told, so am I.  We are working on some easier rounds and such.  It was a good choice since many of them don't read music and a lot of our learning is by rote.  On the other hand, I do encourage them to look at the music and I explained the very basics of music reading to them (when the ball goes up, the pitch should follow it, etc.).

~

The amazing high of this 2 hour rehearsal was preceded by another emotional moment in my life: a straightforward, sincere, and introspective discussion with John, the missionary with many hats who is involved with administration at the national Bible college.  I was extremely honored because he spent a little time before our meeting reading my blog.  Seriously!  It made me feel like I was really worth his time.  I'm humbled.

Speaking of which, as a side note, I learned last night at the rehearsal I have gained at least one Tica (Costa Rican) reader.  Bewteen her and John I can now say my blog has international readership! ;)

But, back to the conversation.  The talk with John seemed to point in the direction of me working as an MA with him (or Josh) and Randdy.  This would lead to possibly helping them firm up the "specialty" they've been working on.  The Bible college offers specialties instead of Costa Rican accredited degrees (even though they ARE accredited by the A/G).  Furthermore, from what I understand John and Randdy are looking at combining World Alive Music with the Bible college so that both are more credible.

This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for--for the last 7 years!--and have only really passively dreamed about because I didn't see it being a real possibility.  Not because with God all things are almost possible (of COURSE that's not true!), but rather because I understand that something like this would take many people to work on and it's not something ANYONE does alone.  It requires administration that's already primed for the idea, and a school of music that is run with excellence.  I have no talent in teaching piano, guitar, voice, etc. at the college level.  My gifting are in Choir and a little in administration (which at the moment is little more than a raw, untrained, un-honed skill).  Truly this is what I've been hoping for.

I know that this won't be easy.  Although I haven't experienced the difficulty of the work necessary to truly start a choir program at the college level, thanks to my wealth of friends in Jasper, TN I have experienced the difficulties of beginning a choir program.  God has prepared me for this.  He has trained me.  But to use teacher terminology, I still have much formative assessment ahead of me.  Think "on the job training" because I believe that's what God's in the business of doing.  He trains you while you work.  You're never fully prepared for a job... that would mean you could do it on your own.  Wouldn't that rob Him of the miracle of accomplishment?  I think so.

~

PS-

Why MA and not fully appointed Missionary?  I'm not entirely sure, but the short answer is "because it's complicated."  I'll know more as I walk through this, but it seems MA is the natural next step unless I was already a credentialed minister with the A/G.