ok, how many times have you heard that one? it has to be the number one response that people give when they're feeling convicted over their lifestyle choices.
they say things like, "hey, it's my life, i'm not hurting anyone, and if i want to do this, it's only affecting me." yeah. right.
have you ever read the book of jonah? if not, you should check it out. you see, God wanted jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. jonah didn't like them. (if you read it, you'll see that he ran from God's call because he knew that God would be merciful to them if they repented, and he wanted them to be destroyed)
so jonah ran from God's call. he boarded a ship destined for (what they believed at the time) the end of the earth. while off to sea, they found themselves in a furious storm that threatened to sink the ship. they unloaded the cargo into the sea. they all cried out to their god's. they woke jonah up and told him to ask God for help. that's when they found out that jonah was the cause for the storm.
they asked what could be done and jonah said "throw me off the ship". they wouldn't do it at first. they tried and tried to row the boat to shore but at last gave up and threw him into the sea.
now, let me ask you something. did jonah's disobedience to God only affect him? no. it affected not only jonah, but everyone around him. AND the people who were waiting for the cargo that had to be thrown overboard. AND the people of Nineveh.
NOW, let me ask you something else. who does your disobedience affect? sure, it affects you. but it also affects everyone around you. things that you shouldn't be involved in affect all of those involved. people that you may never know or meet can be affected because you "just checked it out". not to mention those whose lives could have been changed if you had only been obedient to God's voice.
i realize that we all suffer from O.D.D. (obedience deficit disorder) at times. and need a good shot of spiritual ritalin to get us back in line. well, here it is. if our disobedience can have such a negative affect on everyone around us, then that means in turn that our OBEDIENCE must also have a positive affect on those around us.
when jonah finally got out of the fishes belly, he ran to Nineveh and preached the revival of a lifetime and the entire city got saved!!!!! wow. just imagine that. because of one man's obedience, and ENTIRE city was saved!
so hey, after all, it's your life. now, what are you going to do with it?
much love
theoldmusicbox
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
theology from the backseat of a mini-van
wow. i can't believe it. on wednesday, my son turned 10 years old. double digits!!!
anyway, this year we decided to give my son a choice. he could either have a party like usual, or, he could do something cool with a friend. he decided to do something cool with a friend.
have you ever just listened to the conversations that your children have? i'm not talking about eavesdropping. i mean just listened while they talk to someone their own age. i got to do that this weekend.
my son desperately wanted to go to the dayton art institute to see the roman world exhibit. so for his birthday, we took him and a friend to see it. when we picked up his friend, also a 9 year old boy, we were listening to the radio. k-love. the song "so long self" by mercyme was playing. the 2 boys then went into a 10 minute discussion on what the song was actually about. i must say, as a parent, i was very happy to listen to the conversation. i didn't know the boys family very well. he was on my son's soccer team. but it was so cool to find that this was the type of kid my son choose to be friends with.
anyway, after about 10 minutes the boys decided that the song was about choosing to be a christian and telling satan that he wasn't allowed in your life anymore. i decided not to join the conversation. i wanted to hear how they would come to their decision. it was humorous in some spots, and almost tear-jerking in others, to hear how they came to their conclusions.
i don't think i spoke more than once or twice all the way to the museum. i was too wrapped up in listening.
many times, we worry about the future. we wonder how much to shelter our children. we struggle between the fine line of protecting them from the world and hiding them from it. the truth of the matter is this. one day, my son will have to choose for himself. he will have to decide between the world and eternity. good vs evil. God vs satan. and i won't be there to take him by the hand. i have to trust that i've done the job entrusted to me. that i've taught him to make those decisions on his own. man. that scares me. but the truth is, at some point, we have to give them the chance to make choices.
i like to ask my son about my lessons on sunday morning. sometimes, it's really funny to hear what he gets from my teaching. and it never fails, he always adds something that i didn't think of. i told him i'm going to have to run things by him before i give them. before long, i think he's going to be asking me what i think of his ideas for sermons.
wouldn't that be cool
much love
theoldmusicbox
anyway, this year we decided to give my son a choice. he could either have a party like usual, or, he could do something cool with a friend. he decided to do something cool with a friend.
have you ever just listened to the conversations that your children have? i'm not talking about eavesdropping. i mean just listened while they talk to someone their own age. i got to do that this weekend.
my son desperately wanted to go to the dayton art institute to see the roman world exhibit. so for his birthday, we took him and a friend to see it. when we picked up his friend, also a 9 year old boy, we were listening to the radio. k-love. the song "so long self" by mercyme was playing. the 2 boys then went into a 10 minute discussion on what the song was actually about. i must say, as a parent, i was very happy to listen to the conversation. i didn't know the boys family very well. he was on my son's soccer team. but it was so cool to find that this was the type of kid my son choose to be friends with.
anyway, after about 10 minutes the boys decided that the song was about choosing to be a christian and telling satan that he wasn't allowed in your life anymore. i decided not to join the conversation. i wanted to hear how they would come to their decision. it was humorous in some spots, and almost tear-jerking in others, to hear how they came to their conclusions.
i don't think i spoke more than once or twice all the way to the museum. i was too wrapped up in listening.
many times, we worry about the future. we wonder how much to shelter our children. we struggle between the fine line of protecting them from the world and hiding them from it. the truth of the matter is this. one day, my son will have to choose for himself. he will have to decide between the world and eternity. good vs evil. God vs satan. and i won't be there to take him by the hand. i have to trust that i've done the job entrusted to me. that i've taught him to make those decisions on his own. man. that scares me. but the truth is, at some point, we have to give them the chance to make choices.
i like to ask my son about my lessons on sunday morning. sometimes, it's really funny to hear what he gets from my teaching. and it never fails, he always adds something that i didn't think of. i told him i'm going to have to run things by him before i give them. before long, i think he's going to be asking me what i think of his ideas for sermons.
wouldn't that be cool
much love
theoldmusicbox
Friday, January 4, 2008
where is God?
ok, here's the deal. if you've read my stuff lately, you kinda know some of the things i've been dealing with. since i asked the questions "why" last week, i felt like i needed to continue on that vein this week. if nothing else, just to show everyone that i am, in fact, ok.
where is God?
how many times have you been asked that question? how many times have you asked it yourself?
the truth of the matter is, that we all have those moments. you know the ones. when we have borne all that we feel like we can bear. when we have finally come to the end of ourself. when we finally cry out, "dear God!!!! can you hear me????? are you there?? are you listening??
even one of my favorite bible heroes had that feeling. elijah the prophet hid in a cave, scared and trembling because he feared men. then elisha the prophet, after elijah was taken in the chariot of fire. he felt abandoned. in 2nd kings chapter 2. he took the mantel of elijah and hit the waters and said "where is the God of elijah?"
isn't it amazing. after everything that elijah and elisha had witnessed. raising of dead children. fire from heaven. among other things. they doubted the very presence of God in their lives at times. did that make them any less of a man of God? no. it made them human.
i am trying to put a video up here. i don't know if it will work, or if it is just a link. if it doesn't work, go to youtube and search for joshua bell, it will be the first one that comes up. check it out. then finish reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw
the violinist is joshua bell. he is the 1 violinist in the country, possibly the world. the violin he is playing was made in the early 1700's. it is worth over 3.5 million dollars. the cheap seats to his concert sell for $100. after the subway he played a sold out concert.
in the subway, he was barely noticed at all. he played for 45 minutes and people thought that he was a street player and in 45 minutes people placed less than $35 in his violin case! this man usually receives $1000 a minute to perform. and almost all of the people in the subway that day didn't even notice him.
it is just like that with God. we have something truly amazing right within our grasp. right here where we are. trying desperately to reach out to us. and what do we do? we turn away. act like we don't see. don't hear. why? because we know that if we look, if we notice, it may just cost us something. the people that noticed mr. bell recieved a concert that would have cost several hundred dollars. for spare change they had in their pockets. and received a few moments of beautiful music.
but if we would just open our eyes to the amazing God who is in our reach, it may cost us our lives, but it will win us eternity.
just remember, when you feel like God is nowhere to be found, He may just be right in front of your eyes. desperately trying to get your attention.
much love
theoldmusicbox
where is God?
how many times have you been asked that question? how many times have you asked it yourself?
the truth of the matter is, that we all have those moments. you know the ones. when we have borne all that we feel like we can bear. when we have finally come to the end of ourself. when we finally cry out, "dear God!!!! can you hear me????? are you there?? are you listening??
even one of my favorite bible heroes had that feeling. elijah the prophet hid in a cave, scared and trembling because he feared men. then elisha the prophet, after elijah was taken in the chariot of fire. he felt abandoned. in 2nd kings chapter 2. he took the mantel of elijah and hit the waters and said "where is the God of elijah?"
isn't it amazing. after everything that elijah and elisha had witnessed. raising of dead children. fire from heaven. among other things. they doubted the very presence of God in their lives at times. did that make them any less of a man of God? no. it made them human.
i am trying to put a video up here. i don't know if it will work, or if it is just a link. if it doesn't work, go to youtube and search for joshua bell, it will be the first one that comes up. check it out. then finish reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw
the violinist is joshua bell. he is the 1 violinist in the country, possibly the world. the violin he is playing was made in the early 1700's. it is worth over 3.5 million dollars. the cheap seats to his concert sell for $100. after the subway he played a sold out concert.
in the subway, he was barely noticed at all. he played for 45 minutes and people thought that he was a street player and in 45 minutes people placed less than $35 in his violin case! this man usually receives $1000 a minute to perform. and almost all of the people in the subway that day didn't even notice him.
it is just like that with God. we have something truly amazing right within our grasp. right here where we are. trying desperately to reach out to us. and what do we do? we turn away. act like we don't see. don't hear. why? because we know that if we look, if we notice, it may just cost us something. the people that noticed mr. bell recieved a concert that would have cost several hundred dollars. for spare change they had in their pockets. and received a few moments of beautiful music.
but if we would just open our eyes to the amazing God who is in our reach, it may cost us our lives, but it will win us eternity.
just remember, when you feel like God is nowhere to be found, He may just be right in front of your eyes. desperately trying to get your attention.
much love
theoldmusicbox
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