Monday, August 31, 2009

THE MUSIC THAT MOST INFLUENCED MY LIFE - PART 4







Okay, here are two more artists in this series on the music that has most influenced my life.

Resurrection Band
Rainbows End
Colours


Perhaps the first "Christian" hard rock album I ever owned was Rainbow's End by Resurrection Band. Glenn Kaiser is one of the best rock singers ever! I mean it! He also happens to be a gutsy pastor of Jesus People USA in Chicago, Illinois.

I have both of these albums as re-released CD's. I'm amazed by the quality of the songwriting, Glenn's "bluesy" and gritty vocals and the overall quality (almost 30 years later)!

Resurrection Band eventually evolved into Rez. They kept putting out awesome albums. For those of you who've never had a chance to catch their music, check out their double CD, Rez, Twenty Years Live. (You can listen to the entire CD on Lala.com one time free by following the link.) They cover most of the great songs in their catalogue and you'll get a chance to hear Glen Kaiser wail! Man, the dude can sing!

Check out the following cuts from Twenty Years Live on Lala.com: Military Man, Afrikaans, Colours, Paint A Picture, Love Comes Down, My Jesus Is All, Bargain (a cover of the old song by Pete Townsend).


Degarmo & Key
This Time Thru
Straight On
No Turning Back Life
D & K


Around 1978 or 79 I picked up This Time Thru by Degarmo & Key. It was a solid album. But the album that would hook me on Degarmo and Key was the next album, Straight On. I listened to the album over and over and over again and memorized practically every song on the album.

In 1982, Degarmo & Key came out with a double live album, No Turning Back. I had never heard a live rock album. (Rock music was "outlawed" in our home.) But I can remember cranking this album up and listening to over and over and over again.

The band was anchored by Dana Key on lead vocals and a "mean" blues oriented rock guitar, Eddie Degarmo on backing vocals and the legendary Hammond B3. He also played keys, but the Hammond B3... Oh, man... Don't get me started!!! As for a rhythm section, Tommy Cathey was solid on bass and Greg Morrow kicked it on the drums. What a band!

It was around 1982 that Degarmo & Key came to a little college out on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. You can bet, this was a must see event. A bunch of us made the trip to the small concert hall. Degarmo & Key took the stage and for the next 2 hours plus they rocked the house! I had never been to a rock concert! But this was a ROCK concert. Jesus was glorified! It was obvious they were passionate about the gospel. But the music and the performance was all out ROCK! Oh, man, what a concert.

While some of their later releases became a little less rock and a lot more "pop," the early Degarmo and Key albums set a great standard in Christian music. In fact, the No Turning Back Live CD in my book is still the best live Christian album ever released. There are extended jams on the album that are what great ROCK and ROLL is all about. Once again, you can listen to No Turning Back thru one time free on Lala.com. Still great music!

After a few "pop" oriented releases, in 1987 Degarmo & Key went back to their roots, with an all out Christian rock and roll album titled, D & K. Check out the first song, Out of the Danger Zone, if your head doesn't instantly begin to "head bang", you may want to check your pulse.

Song highlights from the Degarmo & Key catalogue include: Out of the Danger Zone, Long Distance Runner, Jericho, Emmanuel, Over and Over, Addey and more...


To be continued...

Sunday, August 30, 2009

THE MUSIC THAT MOST INFLUENCED MY LIFE - PART 3








The Art of Songwriting
Mark Heard
Stop The Dominoes, Victims of the Age, Dry Bones Dance, Second Hand, Satellite Sky
Ideola (aka Mark Heard), Tribal Opera

Somewhere around 1980 on another one of those awesome trips to Lanham’s Bible Bookshop in Chattanooga, TN I spotted an album by a guy named Mark Heard. The album was Appalachian Melody. I bought the album because it happened to be recorded on the same label as Randy Stonehill’s, The Sky Is Falling.

In some ways, the album sounded a little like James Taylor. It wasn’t earth shaking or mind blowing. Just solid. But it was solid enough to make me interested…

Highlights from the album include: On The Radio, Castaway, Jonah…

It would be Mark’s next album that would make me a lifelong Mark Heard fan. In 1981 Mark released the album Stop The Dominoes. I bought it on cassette… (Hey, at least it wasn’t an eight track…) My girl friend, who would later become my wife, flipped over this album!

It was brilliant! That's not hyperbole. Musically, it could hold it’s own with anything in the marketplace. On the production side, it still holds up 27 years later. Vocally, it was spot on. But the biggest deal about this album, for anyone who took the time to listen, you knew that a major songwriter was emerging on the scene. I devoured this album. Twenty seven years later, I still know most of the lyrics to these songs…

Check out the lyrics to I’m Crying Again

Chorus
Very quietly,
The world loses blood over night,
Without a fight
In the morning,
The sickness will hide in the light,
Out of sight…

Verse 3
Now and then the criminal in my skin lets out a sigh
He’d like to think he’s innocent, but he cannot tell a lie
Truth is like a knife
And I’m crying again…
And I’m crying again


These lyrics pierce… Every time I hear the lyrics to Verse 3, I get a lump in my throat, because I know that criminal is me… Heard's music frequently evoked a deep longing and ache for our redemption...

Sometimes he lyrics would pierce the commonly accepted "norms" of polite Christianity. Check out these lyrics from Stuck In The Middle

Verse 2
My brothers criticize me
Say I’m just too strange to believe
And the others just avoid me
Say my faith is so naïve
I’m too sacred for the sinners
And the saints wish I would leave


Chorus
I’m stuck here in the middle
Everything is in a jam
Stuck right in the middle
Doors on both sides seem to slam
No one seems to want me
Only God will take me like I am


Highlights from the album? Well, the whole thing is amazing! It continues to be one of my favorite albums of all time. An mp3 download of the album is available on iTunes.

A year later, Mark Heard would release another masterpiece: Victims of the Age. Once again, bolstered by incredible musicianship, great production and amazing songwriting, this album still stands up approximately 28 years later.

The first time I heard these lines, I was blown away by the poetry and beauty of Heard’s description of city life.

Verse 1
Asphalt ocean roars
At islands with the rubber wheels
City kid can’t keep an even kill
Neon world says, “Gotcha!”
Heart says, “No! No! No!
Don’t be swimming in the undertow…”


Chorus
Caught between these voices
The sirens and the sage
One too many choices
For the victims of the age


On the song, Faces In Cabs, Heard gave a voice to nameless people like you and me with lyrics like these:

Verse 1
Hypothetical mortal beings
Known only to themselves and God
Come and go, and play the cameo
They’re just the faces in cabs, oh yeah…


Or, if you want prophetic, just check out the lyrics to Everybody Loves A Holy War

Verse 1
Some say that God has approved of their mob
Esteeming their purposes alone
Choosing sides, with a definite pride
Taking their cause for His own


Chorus
Everybody loves a holy way
Draw the line and claim divine assistance
Slay the ones who show the most resistance
Everybody loves a holy war…


Verse 2
Many's the man with the iron hand 

Supposing his own thoughts to be Divine 

He will break any bond, 'cause the other man's always wrong 

It's a handy excuse for his crimes


There's not a weak song on the entire album. A tough album to locate, fortunately, the album can be downloaded for $8 on CC Entertainment. Best $8 bucks you’ll ever spend…

Heard would continue writing… In the mid 80’s he would release another brilliant project for What? Records under the identity of Ideola. The album was titled Tribal Opera. Heard’s musical approach on this project was radically different… He played every instrument on the album. He sampled loads of sounds and blended them into an amazing modern soundscape… Lyrically, the album was another masterpiece.

Heard went on to release additional albums like Dry Bones Dance, Second Hand and Satellite Sky.

Again, one of the things that set Mark apart from most writers, was that Heard regularly conveyed a heart felt passion and longing for redemption... In many songs you can hear the longing in his voice for God to make things right (Romans 8).

Heard always shared his questions, doubts, fears and pain honestly. He never shied away from the hard stuff. But beneath the questions, fears, doubts and pain was the hope that God was eventually going to set all this stuff right.

Heard’s music so influenced my life that at my Dad’s memorial my brother and wife sang what may be Heard’s greatest lyrical masterpiece: Treasures of the Broken Land.

Treasure of the Broken Land
I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds like it used to
I know you better than I knew you then
All I can say is, “I love you.”
I thought our days were commonplace
Thought they’d number in the millions
Now there’s only the aftertaste
Of circumstance that can’t pass this way again.

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth, give up your captive ones
Waiting winds of Gabriel
Blow soon upon these hollow bones…

I saw the city at its tortured worst
And you were outside the walls there
You were relieved of a lifelong thirst
I was dry at the fountain
I knew that you could see my shame
But you were eyeless and sparing
I awoke when you called my name
I felt the curtain tearing

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth, give up your captive ones
Waiting winds of Gabriel
Blow soon upon these hollow bones…

I can melt the clock hands down
But only in my memory
Nobody gets the second chance
To be the friend that they meant to be
I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I believe I will hear it again
God how I love you.


This song never fails to move me.

Tragically, Mark Heard passed away in 1992 at the age of forty. He experienced a mild heart attack while performing a set at Cornerstone Festival. He finished the set, went to the hospital and one week later had another massive heart attack.

Many say that Mark was a “poet to the poets.” He was honest, vulnerable and authentic. His music has been recorded by artists like Buddy and Julie Miller, Pierce Pettis, Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Kevin Max, Bruce Cockburn, Steve Taylor, Rich Mullins, Olivia Newton John and more. Many regard him as one of the greatest songwriter's ever...

Mark’s music is still in regular rotation on my iPod. He is without a doubt, my favorite songwriter of all time.

Until the next post in this series, you owe it to yourself to check out the terrific music of Mark Heard.

GAME ON: Final Words Before Taking The Field

Dear Birmingham - Part 7

“Visions are often lost among the many lights on the horizon of life. Important things are sacrificed for urgent things. What could be is often lost in the flurry of what is. What should be gets buried under what must be…

Regardless of the nature of your vision or visions, if you are not careful, you will get distracted. The daily grand of life is hard on visions. Life is now Bills are now. Crisis is now. Vision is later. It is easy to lose sight of the main thing, to sacrifice the best for the sake of the good. All of us run the risk of allowing secondary issues to rob us of the joy of seeing visions through to completion. Distractions can slowly kill a vision.”
~ Andy Stanley, Visioneering


Three Distractions That Can Take You Out of the Game:

Nehemiah 6:1-2a (NIV), When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it--though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono."

Nehemiah 6:2b-4 (NIV), But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”

Three Distractions:

1. DISTRACTION #1: Opportunities that are simply a diversion to get you “off mission.”


Dealing With “Opportunities” That Have The Potential To Throw You “Off Mission”:

• Exercise discernment.

• Stay focused on your mission.

• Practice the Christian discipline of learning to say, “No.”

Nehemiah 6:4 (NIV), Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.


2. DISTRACTION #2: Relentless criticism intended to disgrace and discredit you by destroying your reputation or wearing you down.

Nehemiah 6:5-7 (ESV), Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written: "It is REPORTED among the nations--and Geshem says it is true--that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these REPORTS you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: 'There is a king in Judah!' Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together."

Nehemiah 6:8-9 (NIV), I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." [But I prayed,] "Now strengthen my hands."


How to deal with your critics:

• Refute the lies (Verse 8) “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

• Expose your critic’s motives (Verse 9)“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get to weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

• Pray for strength “[But I prayed,] “Now strengthen my hands.”

• Stay faithful. Get the job done!

Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NIV), So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.


Nehemiah 6:10 (NIV), One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you--by night they are coming to kill you."


3. DISTRACTION 3: Deception and fear that come in moments when you are especially vulnerable and weak.

Nehemiah 6:11-13 (NIV), But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

Three Practical Principles for Overcoming Deception and Fear:

• Stay focused on your calling and mission.

Nehemiah 6:11-13 (NIV), But I said, "Should a man like me run away?"

• Practice discernment. Test everything by the Word of God.

• Turn up the heat. Pray like crazy.

Nehemiah 6:14 (NIV), Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.


A few thoughts about leadership:

• The more change a leader enacts, the more resistance the leader will experience.

• The longer you lead, the lonelier you usually become.



Example: Jesus (See Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46)

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV), Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:2-3 (MSG), Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Friday, August 28, 2009

LEGACY

One year ago today my Dad went home to be with Jesus.

I miss him... There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about him. Some days I still pick up the phone to call him...

By the way, that's not a cheap attempt at sympathy. Just the reality of how I feel.

Today I stood with my Mom and a couple of my brothers at the stone that marks Dad's grave. We thanked God for the life Dad lived and the legacy he left. He's the kind of guy who could actually quote the words of Paul without blushing.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

He could do more than quote that verse. He lived it.

But, as we stood at the head marker of Dad's grave, we also remembered the hope of the resurrection.

"...if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (1 Corinthians 15:19)

I miss Dad like crazy, but I know where he is and I'm convinced that one day we'll join him... Because we have something that is absolutely essential for life that is sometimes marked by pain and loss: the gift of HOPE.

I thank God for the hope of the resurrection.

I thank God for the life and legacy of my Dad. Part of that legacy beats in my chest. The belief that the best is yet to come. In the words of Mark Heard.

Every now and then I seem to dream these dreams
Where the mute ones speak and the deaf ones sing
Touching that miraculous circumstance
Where the blind ones see and the dry bones dance


One day we will live the reality of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. My Dad thoroughly believed that. Until that day, we HOPE.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT), Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Dad loved this verse. He also loved this verse.

Romans 8:18 (KJV), For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

This is the difference Jesus makes when the bottom falls out of life.

He gives hope. He gives assurance. He gives life. He gives a fresh perspective on pain and loss.

Oh, that's part of the legacy my Dad gave me...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

GET YOUR GAME ON!!!

This weekend will rock @ a2 Church. With the start of college football season just one week away, we want you to GET YOUR GAME ON! Check out the video below, and join us this Sunday, August 30 @ a2 Church at 9:45 am.

Worship will melt your face off. A message that cuold change your life. More fun than you should ever be allowed to have at church.

Don't miss this weekend @ a2. By the way, show your colors! That's right. Wear your favorite team's jersey or colors (college or pro.) It's time to GET YOUR GAME ON!

Game On! from Chris Goins on Vimeo.


www.a2church.org
205.447.5948

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

THE MUSIC THAT MOST INFLUENCED MY LIFE - PART 2





“Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.” ~ Emerson

Next up in this series of posts are three albums that continue to rock my world.

I grew up in East Tennessee and was raised on good old “Southern Gospel music.” Think: Happy Goodman Family, The Hinsons, etc. Great music, to be sure, but none of it rocked.

My parents were pretty “old school” at the time, and Dad and Mom didn’t allow “secular” music in our home… So, I my experiences with rock and roll were relegated to moments in my cousin Kenny’s truck when he would crank up something like Van Halen’s, “Runnin’ with the Devil.” And for about ten minutes we would feel really, really wild and rebellious, because we knew this was something our parents would never knowingly let us listen to at home…

All of a sudden, there was this new form of music, that had some kick and instead of singing about “Runnin’ with the Devil” they were talking about stuff that actually mattered… I was hooked!

I worked for my Dad most summers and would save whatever I made during the summer for a BIG TRIP to Chattanooga where I would get to venture into the bastion of Christian music in Chattanooga at the time – Lanham Bible Bookshop. I loved these trips to Chattanooga, and on one of those trips I walked out of the store with two albums that continue to blow me away… My cousin walked out with the third...

Here's the scoop on the next three most influential albums in my life.


Randy Stonehill, The Sky Is Falling

The cover of the album itself had me hooked… It was a “Christian” album but it looked like an actual “rock” album… Randy was on the front cover in a pair of jeans, long hair, t-shirt, etc. I had never heard Randy before, but thought, “Man, if the dude looks this cool, he’s got to be able to rock…”

Well, not only could the guy rock, he could write. This was one of the albums that would give me a glimpse of what great song writing looked like.

I ended up wearing the album out! Turns out the album is now a bona-fide classic in Contemporary Christian Music circles. CCM lists it as one of the most important CCM albums of all time. I agree.

Randy recently re-recorded and re-released some of the songs of this and his first album. The new CD is titled Paradise Sky. Kudos to Randy for making these songs accessible, but I don’t think the re-release could ever capture the magic I experienced when I listened to the original.

A few years ago I happened to find a CD version of the original album. I’ve listed to it scores of times, and it has really held up well after all these years. If you get a chance to purchase an mp3 album or CD of the original, do it! Highlights on the album include: One True Love, Bad Fruit, The Great American Cure, and Trouble Coming.

The album was originally released on Larry Norman’s Solid Rock label. It included song lyrics, liner notes, record sleeve... You know, heaven for real music aficionados.


Daniel Amos, Shotgun Angel and Horrendous Disc

My cousin, Dirk owned Shotgun Angel… He lived right across the street. We ended up wearing this record out… Daniel Amos was and continues to be led by song writer extraordinaire, Terry Taylor. I’m still amazed by how creative and extraordinary this album is…

A concept album, highlights include: Days and Nights, Praise Song, Lady Goodbye, He’s Gonna Do A Number On You, Better, Sail Me Away… Holy cow this album is good... Really good...

The songwriter is amazing. The production is terrific. Musician ship amazing,

After several record contact delays, Shotgun Angel was followed by Horrendous Disc which solidified Daniel Amos as one of my all time favorite bands. When I heard the opening guitar riff and opening lines of “I Love You #19,” I was hooked…

“Now, if I said it real pretty in a pretty rhyme
Does your get cloudy that’s a dirty crime
Does it do things any good to tell you
that I’m standing here because I LOVE YOU!”


This is still great music! Highlights from the album include: I Love You #19, I Believe In You, Man in the Moon, Horrendous Disc, (and the best song title ever about somebody headed for impending judgment but totally unaware), Near Sighted Girl with Approaching Tidal Wave

This is an awesome album. I can't say enough about it.

If you can find either of these albums available as mp3 downloads or available on CD, get them. They are still absolutely amazing.

By the way, Terry Taylor has went on to write for a variety of bands including Lost Dogs, Swirling Eddies, DA (another moniker for Daniel Amos). The guy has to be one of music’s best song writer’s ever. Notice I wrote, “music,” not “Christian music.” He’s one of the best song writers to ever write in any genre. Period.

Never content to settle for the status quo, some of Daniel Amos’s later albums ventured into very experimental musical terrain. While I appreciated the band’s desire to grow, these first two albums go down as their best ever for me.

If you can find them, enjoy.

Monday, August 24, 2009

THE MUSIC THAT MOST INFLUENCED MY LIFE - PART 1


Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.”

So, over the next several days I thought I would share some of the music that has most influenced my life – who I am, what I’ve become and where I’m going… I’m not saying that these are the absolute greatest albums ever released, only that this is the music that most influenced my life… This is the music that helped make me who I am…

And here’s to hundreds, maybe thousands of songs to come, that will continue to “whisper dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.”

Gary S Paxton
The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable, Different World of Gary S. Paxton


I've listed this album first, because it was the first contemporary Christian album I ever heard. My aunt Christine got it for me… She had heard Gary on PTL and thought of me… Up until this time, I didn’t even know that “contemporary Christian music” existed. This album totally changed my life.

The album was recorded in 1975 and still holds up pretty well… I’m not certain the album actually qualifies as contemporary… Gary defied classifications… All I know is that God used it to give me an incredible love of music…

Songs included: Different World, Love It Comes In All Colors, Jesus Keeps Taking Me Higher and Higher, Sophisticated Savages and more...

Gary followed this album up with More Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible Unbelievable Gary S. Paxton… I don't think humility was one of his strong suits...

This album was probably responsible for wearing out more needles on our turn-table than any other album in the Goins’ household. Me, my brother, my cousins, you name it, listened to this album over and over and over and over and over again…

Songs included: Evidence, I’m Hooked On A Good Thing, When The Meat Wagon Comes For You, There Goes A Cigar Smoking A Man, Nineveh Noose, Soul Control and more...

I loved these records... Take that back... I love these records. Some time ago I found re-releases of both albums in CD format... I loaded them onto my iPod and introduced my girls to Gary's music... The two older girls rolled their eyes... I don't think they get Gary's sense of humor. Camryn, on the other hand, my nine year old, absolutely flipped out! She loves it!

Here's to hoping Gary's music has the kind of influence on Cam that it had on me...

Tomorrow, we'll continue the list...

Sunday, August 23, 2009

When It's Time To Freak Out!

Here are the extended message notes from today's message at a2. You can download a podcast of the message by visiting our website at www.a2church.org or going to iTunes. (Type a2 Church into the iTunes Search Engine. It should bring up our podcast.)

I really feel passionate about the content of this message... It's pretty crucial stuff...

The builders were only approximately 26 days into the rebuilding project on the walls, when they experienced a challenge that could have derailed the entire project. According to Andy Stanley in his excellent book Visioneering, the problem was in the area of alignment.

In Nehemiah 5 we discover that sometimes the greatest threat to what God wants to do in a CITY or in a CHURCH doesn’t come from OUT “THERE"… It doesn’t come from the world… From people who hate God and who hate the church… Sometimes the greatest threat, the biggest roadblock and most significant push back you’ll experience in your pursuit of the VISION and DREAM God has for your life, will not come from OUTSIDE THE WALLS, but from INSIDE THE WALLS

Acts 20:29-30 (NIV), I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Stanley lists several traits that surface in team members or people in a church or organization who are "out of alignment."

• They’ll want to control, rather than serve…

• They’ll manipulate people and circumstances in order to further their own agenda…

• They aren’t willing to resolve their differences face to face… Instead, they carry on a campaign of subtle sabotage behind the scenes…

• They’re unwilling to believe the best about other team members… They’re always suspicious… They’re insecure about everyone, because they judge everybody else by the impure motives in their own heart…

• They view someone else’s failure as their success…



Alignment problems surfaced around the issue of money. The problem wasn't money, but the "love of money."


1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT), “For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil…”


A Couple of Thoughts About Money:

• Money is a revelation of your heart’s priorities (Matt. 6:21).

• Money can end up being a person’s functional god (Matt. 6:24).


Stewardship is the biblical concept that describes our management of the resources and assets God brings into our lives.
The word steward means “manager.”


Nehemiah 5:1 (ESV), Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.


Nehemiah 5:2-5 (NLT), They were saying, "We have such large families. We need more money just so we can buy the food we need to survive." 3 Others said, "We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine." 4 And others said, "We have already borrowed to the limit on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. 5 We belong to the same family, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others."


Recipe for a Financial Catastrophe:

• People were running out of food…

• Consumer debt was out of control.

• Run-away inflation.

• Taxes were ridiculously high.

• Unscrupulous wealthy people were ripping off their Jewish brothers and sisters.


Leviticus 25:35-43 (NLT), If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. 36 Do not demand an advance or charge interest on the money you lend them. Instead, show your fear of God by letting them live with you as your relatives. 37 Remember, do not charge your relatives interest on anything you lend them, whether money or food. 38 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 "If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to you, do not treat them as slaves. 40 Treat them instead as hired servants or as resident foreigners who live with you, and they will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time they and their children will no longer be obligated to you, and they will return to their clan and ancestral property. 42 The people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold as slaves. 43 Show your fear of God by treating them well; never exercise your power over them in a ruthless way.


Nehemiah 5:6 (ESV), I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, "You are exacting interest, each from his brother." And I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, "We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!" They were silent and could not find a word to say.
9 So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them."
12 Then they said, "We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say." And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. 13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.
"And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.



How Do We Deal With The Sin Within?
(See Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8, 10)

1. Conviction: The Holy Spirit brings the awareness that things are not right.

1 John 1:9 (ESV), If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2. Confession: We get real with ourselves and God about who we are and what we’ve done (1 John 1:9).

3. Repentance: We turn away from sin and self-will and surrender our lives to the purpose and plan of God.

4. Restitution: When possible, we demonstrate our decision to follow Jesus by making amends and setting things right (Nehemiah 5:12).

5. Worship: We respond to God’s grace with humility and gratitude.

Nehemiah 5:13c (ESV), And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

PLAY IT, KID! PLAY IT!

Okay, I don't know the kids name or age, but this is pretty phenomenal... Check it out. Let me know what you think.

NOT BY MIGHT, NOT BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT!!!

The city of Jerusalem had been in ruins for more than 125 years... Imagine New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and you get a glimpse of what the city was probably like... Absolute DEVASTATION.

After the first wave of exiles returned to Jerusalem, a guy by the name of Zerubbabel was given the assignment of rebuilding the temple. Let's just call him "Z." (He was probably in the city 14 years ahead of Nehemiah...)

The task must have seemed overwhelming. So God dispatched a prophet with another "Z" name - Zechariah, to encourage and challenge builder "Z" to "not tap out."

When "Z" and his team looked at their task, they felt dwarfed by the scope and size of the project. They felt weak, incompetent, anemic and discouraged. After all, they were basically nothing more than a rag tag group of unemployed exiles...

On top of that, they were regularly harassed by their trash talking enemies... People who lived in and around the city who didn't want to see God worshiped or the temple rebuilt in the city. Their goal was to demoralize "Z" and the builders before they ever got started.

The more "Z" and his team looked at their own abilities, capital and expertise, the more they were ready to "tap out," give up and go home. That's when Zechariah tapped "Z" on the shoulder and basically said, "Not so fast, my friend..."

Here's the message God gave Zechariah to give to Zerubbabel... Maybe this is a message God wants to give those of YOU who are looking at the scope and size of a project you're working on or some problems you're facing... Right now, you feel completely overwhelmed by the tasks looking you in the eye or the problems you're up against.

Here's God's word to "Z" and God's word to YOU.

Zechariah 4:6-10, So he said to me, "A message came to Zerubbabel from the Lord. He said, 'Your strength will not get my temple rebuilt. Your power will not do it either. Only the power of my Spirit will do it,' says the LORD who rules over all. 7 "So nothing can stop Zerubbabel from completing the temple. Even a mountain of problems will be smoothed out by him. When the temple is finished, he will put its most important stone in place. Then the people will shout, 'Grace, grace to it!'"

Zechariah 4:8-10 (NLT), Then another message came to me from the LORD: 9 "Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..."

I love this prophetic word... Zechariah basically says, "Z, don't worry about how small or insignificant you and your team feel... I'm going to see to it that you lay the first stone and you lay the last stone... It's not going to be because of your charisma, ability, attitude, insight, expertise, power, strength or ability, it's all going to happen because of MY SPIRIT working IN you and THROUGH you..."

My goal today? To lean on GOD'S SPIRIT and HIS STRENGTH. To not despise these small beginnings, but trust God to do what only He can do.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Dear Birmingham: Don't Back Down...

Here are the message notes from this past Sunday's message. I really felt passionate about delivering this message. It's about incessant criticism and opposition when in pursuit of a dream.

There are loads of people who will never be CRITICIZED for ANYTHING, because they don’t DO ANYTHING! Opposition isn’t necessary to keep them out of the game, because they’ve never gotten IN the game to begin with… But you can bank on this… If you’re passionate about pursuing the DREAM and VISION God has placed in your heart, somebody is going to OPPOSE you… Somebody is going to send you a nasty email… Somebody is going to write you anonymous letter… Somebody is going to SAY or DO something…

So, with that intro, here are the notes from Sunday's message. Don't forget, you can always check out the podcast by going here or typing a2 Church into the Search Engine on iTunes.

Dear Birmingham: Don't Back Down
DEAR BIRMINGHAM – Part 5

August 16, 2009 • Chris Goins


Overcoming Opposition:

1. Every great dream will be tested with opposition.


What are some of the motives that drive critics / opposition? 1

• Some critics are threatened by the success of another person or organization.

• Some critics are just jealous of the callings, gifts, talents, abilities, appearance, etc. of other people.

• Some critics have an agenda that is in conflict with the mission of God and God’s people.

• Some critics are traditionalists who hate change.

• Some critics just want to settle a score.

• Some critics are demonically inspired to oppose God, God’s people and God’s work.


Nehemiah 4:1-2 (ESV), Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?"


2. Ridicule and trash talk are two of the critic’s best friends.

What do these feeble Jews think they are doing?

In other words, "The builders are inferior..."

Will they restore it for themselves?

“Do they really think they can rebuild a wall that’s 15-20 feet tall, 3-4 feet wide and somewhere between 1 – 2.5 miles in circumference? Don’t they realize this wall has been in shambles for 141 years?”

Will they sacrifice?

“Do these fanatics or religious nut cases think they can build the wall just by PRAYING really, really hard? It’s going to take a whole lot more than prayer, fasting and worship to get the job done…”

Will they finish it in a single day?

“Don’t they realize the size and scope of this job? Do they realize how tough it’s going to get this job done?”

Will they revive the stone out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?

“Look at what they’ve got to work with… Look at where they found it… They got their material out of the city dump? Do they really think they can build a city with that?”

Nehemiah 4:3 (ESV), Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Yes, what they are building--if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!"


3. Prayer is always the believer’s initial response to critics.

Nehemiah 4:4-5 (NAS), Hear, O our God, how we are despised ! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.

Nehemiah 4:6 (ESV), So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.


4. Every breakthrough brings with it a new level of opposition.

Nehemiah 4:7-8 (ESV), But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.


5. When critics ramp up the opposition, it’s crucial that believers ramp up the prayer support and security precautions.

Nehemiah 4:9 (NIV), But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.


6. Dreams are in danger of being abandoned at the half way point in any project.

Nehemiah 4:6 (ESV), So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Nehemiah 4:10-12 (NIV), Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." 11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."


A Few Dream Killers:

• Fatigue or Exhaustion – “…the strength of the laborers is giving out…”

• Loss of Vision – “…there is so much rubble that we can’t rebuild the wall…”

• Relentless Criticism and Intimidation – “…Before they know it or see us, we’ll be right there among them and kill them and put an end to the work.” [And even] the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they’ll attack us…”


7. Before you give up on your dream and “tap out “on your destiny, remember everything that’s at stake.

Nehemiah 4:13-14 (NIV), Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."


8. A great dream requires more than hard work, it demands a fierce resolve. There is no progress without pain. Don’t back down!

Nehemiah 4:15-23 (NIV), When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!"
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day." 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.



Footnotes:

1. Special thanks to James Montgomery Boice and his excellent commentary on Nehemiah, along with Mark Driscoll's podcast on Nehemiah 4 for the exceptional insights into some of the things that motivate critics.

Friday, August 14, 2009

CRITCS THAT COUNT AND THOSE THAT DON'T

I've been thinking alot about critics this week... Not because I'm self loathing and love depression, but because I've been studying Nehemiah 4 and 6.

Talk about critics? Nehemiah had them. Here's the thing: EVERY LEADER has them! That's right EVERY LEADER. Even JESUS had them.

Unfortunately, there have been times when I've given the wrong critics way too much sway, power or influence over my life.

In a great blog, that providentially came at just the right time (just as I'm gearing up to teach on Nehemiah 4 and 6), Seth Godin makes the following statement:

"In our desire to please everyone, it's very easy to end up being invisible or mediocre."

Some critics count. But the truth is: MOST DON'T! Period. You'll waste a lot of time, energy, talent, creativity, love, joy and life trying to please everyone. Forget it! To use the words of Nehemiah, "[Your] doing a great work and can't come down..."

Check out Seth' post about critics that matter by clicking here. Check out a2's service this Sunday, August 16 at 9:45 and see how Nehemiah responded to some pretty fierce criticism. It's going to be fun! You can get directions by clicking here.

In the mean time, here's one of my favorite quotes when it comes to critics. Thanks, Teddy.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or whether the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; Who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; And who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

It is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight of life, knowing neither victory nor defeat."
~ Theodore Roosevelt

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Dear Birmingham: We're all in this together...

Here are the message notes from this past Sunday's message in a2's "Dear Birmingham" series.

If you've read the book of Nehemiah, you know that Nehemiah 3 is one of the most "tedious" chapters in the book... Lots of names... Several lists...

In fact, Nehemiah 3 contains a list of at least 38 individuals… That's 38 people who ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES and went to work on the wall… Not only that, but the chapter contains a list of 42 separate TEAMS spread out across 7 neighbors...

The chapter almost feels like reading a few pages out of the phone book. But if you know the backstory, you know that Nehemiah 3 is remarkable, because it describes a group of utterly ordinary people who were used by God to do something completely extraordinary.

Here's the outline:

We’re All In This Together
Dear Birmingham – Part 4

August 9, 2009 • Chris Goins

Nehemiah 3:1-8 (NLT), Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. 2 People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri.
3 The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz repaired the next section of wall. Beside him were Meshullam son of Berekiah and grandson of Meshezabel, and then Zadok son of Baana. 5 Next were the people from Tekoa, though their leaders refused to work with the construction supervisors.
6 The Old City Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. 7 Next to them were Melatiah from Gibeon, Jadon from Meronoth, people from Gibeon, and people from Mizpah, the headquarters of the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River. 8 Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. They left out a section of Jerusalem as they built the Broad Wall.


Four Thoughts About Coming Together To Make A Difference:

1. Real leaders always lead by example.

Nehemiah 3:1 (NLT), Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate.


2. The majority of people “bought in” to the dream.

Nehemiah 3:12 (NLT), Shallum son of Hallohesh and his daughters repaired the next section. He was the leader of the other half of the district of Jerusalem.


1 Samuel 22:2 (NIV), All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (MSG), So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.


3. The slackers were ignored.

Nehemiah 3:5 (NIV), The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work…

Esther 4:14 (ESV) (Mordecai’s Words to Esther),
"…if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"


4. The people who picked up a brick got the attention of God.

Matthew 10:42 (NIV), And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

Matthew 25:19-21 (NIV), “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”


Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV), Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

IF GOD IS REAL?

Sam Harris is an avid atheist who has written such best-selling books as The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.

As John Avant points out in his new book, If God Were Real, sometimes it seems that atheist like Harris understand the implications God’s existence better than believers do.

Here’s a quote from Sam Harris’s book, Letter to a Christian Nation.

"The Bible is either the word of God, or it isn’t. Either Jesus offers humanity the one, true path to salvation (John 14:6(, or he does not. We agree that to be a true Christian is to believe that all other fatihs are mistaken, and profoundly so. If Christianity is correct, and I persist in my unbelief, I should expect to suffer the torments of hell. Worse still, I have persuaded others, and many close to me, to reject the very idea of God. They too will languish in “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41). If the basic doctrine of Christianity is correct, I have misused my life in the worst conceivable way. I admit this without a single caveat."

Wow! And that’s from an atheist.

Here’s a question: Do I take God seriously? Really? Do I believe God is alive, active, vibrant and real? Not only that, do I not only believe it, but I do LIVE LIKE IT?

Check out John Avant’s new book, If God Were Real. By the way, Avant believes God is real and writes about how the reality of God ought to shake up and define the way we live.

Good stuff.

Monday, August 10, 2009

GREAT DAY!




Loved yesterday at a2! Our kids were in the service and the house was rockin'! Even with a countdown timer on the sermon, I believe we delivered an important word about what it takes to make a difference.

Technically, I beat the timer. But, after I finished the message, I just had to come back for a few additional comments, so ultimately me, Darrell and Kevin all ended up taking a pie in the face. The kids loved it. And the truth is, we loved it, too.

I love what God is doing at a2! We're on to something and I can't wait to see what the future looks like. Here are a few pics from yesterday's "pie in the face" finale. We'll post message notes a little later.

AIN'T NO PLACE LIKE B-HAM!

This is the third video in our Dear Birmingham series. It features Robin White in the lead role and was shot at the beautiful and historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

The video was shot and directed by Chris Mileski. Additional video work and photography by Ben Shanahan, Kevin Johnson and Brian Thomas.

Special thanks to Brian Thomas for getting us into Rickwood Field for the video shoot.

We love Birmingham and believe "the best is yet to come."

"Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in the city."

Dear Birmingham - Part 3 from Chris Goins on Vimeo.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

You Make Everything Glorious!

I love the music of David Crowder. I recently came across this video of Crowder and band performing at the 2008 Dove Awards. It's Crowder doing what he does best - making beautiful music. Here, he does it with a creative backdrop.

Enjoy.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Vision is Jesus

Today I quoted this piece by Peter Grieg of 24-7 Prayer International. Check out Peter's book, "The Vision and the Vow." Inspiring stuff.

So, here it is with some minor changes...

The Vision
Peter Grieg

So this guy comes up to me and says, “What’s the vision? What’s the big idea?”
 I open up my mouth and the words come out like this…



The vision?

The vision is Jesus:

obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.



The vision is an army…

You see bones?

I see an army.



And they are free from materialism—

They laugh at nine-to-five little prisons.

They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.

They wouldn’t even notice…

What is the vision? 

The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.

It makes children laugh and adults angry. 

It gave up the game of minimal integrity long ago to reach for the stars. 

It scorns the good and strains for the best. 

It is dangerously pure. 



Light flickers from every secret motive, from every conversation. 

It loves people away from their suicide leaps—their Satan games.

This is an army that would lay down its life for the cause. 

A million times a day, its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great “well done” of faithful sons and daughters. 


Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night.

They don’t need fame from names. 

Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: “COME ON!”

And this is the sound of the underground, the whisper of history in the making, foundations shaking, revolutionaries dreaming once again. 

Mystery is scheming in whispers, conspiracy is breathing…

This is the sound of the underground.



And the army is disciple(in)ed—

People who beat their bodies into submission. 

Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.

The tattoo on their back boasts “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”



Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. 

Winners.

Martyrs.

Who can stop them? 

Can hormones hold them back? 

Can failure succeed? 

Can fear scare them or death kill them? 



And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulfuric tears and great barrow loads of laughter! 



Waiting. 

Watching. 

24-7-365.



Whatever it takes they will give: 

Breaking the rules, 

Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide, 

Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs,

Laughing at labels, 

Fasting essentials. 

The advertisers cannot mold them. 

Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late-night parties before the cockerel cries. 



They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive on the inside.

On the outside? 

They hardly care! 

They wear clothes like costumes: to communicate and celebrate, but never to hide. 



Would they surrender their image or their popularity?

They would lay down their lives, swap seats with the man on death row, guilty as hell: a throne of an electric chair. 



With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as though it all depends on them. 



Their DNA chooses Jesus. 

He breathes out. 

They breathe in.

Their subconscious sings. 

They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. 



Their words make demons scream in shopping malls. 

Don’t you hear them coming? 


Herald the weirdoes!

Summon the losers and the freaks. 

Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes! 

They walk tall and trees applaud. 

Skyscrapers bow. 

Mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. 



Their prayers summon the Hound of Heaven and evoke the dream of Eden. 



And, this vision will be. 

It will come to pass. 

It will come easily. 

It will come soon. 



How do I know? 
Because, this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the spirit, the very dream of God. 



My tomorrow is His today.

My distant hope is His 3-D. 

And, my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking, great “AMEN!” from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ himself.



And He is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.