What We Say and Sing

I had a recollection recently of a lesson I learned during a junior high Sunday school class. I remember our teacher, Gary, talking about one of the songs we would sing during the service. The song's lyrics talked about "going to the ends of the earth." He made the statement that he did not sing those lyrics because at that point in his life he wasn't willing to go to any possible place on the earth. He felt he shouldn't sing the words if he didn't not truly mean them. He did not want to be flippant with his words, especially before the Lord. As a youth I was struck by the honesty in the statement, and the more I have thought about it the more I agree. We need to be careful what words/statements come from our mouths.

I am reminded of Jephthah's words to the Lord in Judges 11:29-40 (paying particular attention to v. 30, 34-35). Jephthah vows to the Lord that if He gives over the Ammonites into his hand that when he returns home from battle he will give to the Lord as an offering whatever comes out to meet him. As it so happens it is his only daughter that comes out to meet him and Jephthah becomes distressed because he knows he can not break his vow to the Lord.

James 1:19 is often quoted to remind us to be quick to listen, but to be slow to speak and to become angry. Usually it seems we use this verse in the context of our relation to other people. We should listen to people, rather than be quick to give our opinion, our take about a situation. We should be careful not just to spout off at somebody because we may say things we would want to take back or that could be hurtful. But often I don't think we apply this verse to our relationship with the Lord, especially when it comes to the songs we sing and corporate worship.

We often will just sing the songs during a service, but give no thought to what we are actually saying. There are two problems this can bring about. First in songs that are talking about the glory and greatest of the Lord, what Christ has done for us, and the characteristics of Him, if we do not think about the words we are saying we can be just mouthing words without having a sincere heart that wants to give glory and praise to our Heavenly Father. We are just singing empty words as if we are speaking to a wall, rather than to the Lord. Secondly, in songs that talk about what we want to do for the Lord, we can end up speaking words that we don't mean and telling the Lord to send me here or do this in my life, etc... We can end up just speaking lies to the Lord because we don't want to do this or that for the Him, and we are like hypocrites because we have no intention of allowing the Lord to work in our lives to bring about a change of heart or have the faith to follow the path he is walking before us. This also makes me think that the songs we sing in corporate worship should be geared more toward to giving praise, glory, and honor to the Lord and about what He has done for us, as opposed what we are doing for him. I think it would help keep us thinking about how truly amazing and great the Lord is and hopefully keep us thinking about the words we are speaking.

Where Amazing Happens

The NBA has a series of excellent commercials entitled. "Where amazing happens." Here are a select few for your viewing pleasure.

Green Shirt Memo

There must have been a memo floating around the office that it was green shirt Monday, because it seemed that half the office (including yours truly) was wearing a green shirt today. I don't know if it was the feelings of spring in the air or people thought that St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every 27th of April, but it made me chuckle when I would see two or three green shirters walk by.

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The Indians came up short on Saturday to the Twins, which put a damper on what otherwise was a great night for baseball. Nice weather. Kerry Wood Bobblehead giveaway. Although, I got a funny text today from my friend, Josh, who went to the game with me. He told me he brought his bobblehead to work, but when he removed it from the box it was missing an arm. He said he was going to return it to the team shop and demand a first release Grady Sizemore surfin' bobblehead. Let's see if he can make it happen.

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Record of attended Indians games: 0-1

2009 MLB Games attended: 1 to date

Bobbleheads received this year: 1 to date (1 last game)

Feel that breeze

So I've decided I need to buy a hammock for such beautiful days as today. I just want to be swaying back and forth in the cool breeze soaking in all of God's wonderful creation.


Memories enter my psyche and they bite me
and once the leave my head its what I write see
when the cage bird sings it hums a memory
I sample my thoughts under an oak tree.

Mystic are the ways of the southern life
puffing back the past with a blast on a corn pipe
easin' through the trees like the breeze in the August light
the sun kissed my life and made my mind bright.

Our eyes are open wide but never seem to see
that knowledge is the air if you care truth needs to breathe
I mouth the words but never write life's melody
time is better spent in my mental Mississippi.

~ yoknapatawpha (a mental Mississippi) from the album ERACE

Wonder

"Faith is the inborn capacity to see God behind everything, the wonder that keeps you an eternal child. What is your faith to you--a wonderful thing or a bandbox thing? Satisfaction is too often the peace of death; wonder is the very essence of life. Beware always of losing the wonder, and the first thing that stops wonder is religious conviction. Whenever you give a trite testimony, the wonder is gone. The evidence of salvation or sanctification is that the sense of wonder is developing."

~ Oswald Chambers

An Untitled Prayer

Let your glory shine
Like the bright morning star
Let your glory show
Like the light of dawn breaking the day
Like a nation returning to you

~ Originally written 15 March 2009

Day Baseball

It was a treat to have the Indians play three day games this past week. Work always seems to go by faster when I can listen to the Tribe. Whether its listening to the game or skipping out on work/school to attend, day baseball just seems to lift my spirits. The sun always seems to be shining, the grass is greener, the air is fresher, and the crack of the bat more crisp and clear. Day games really seem to pull the simple joys from a past era into the present and reminds us how to enjoy life a little more, to be like the kids peeking just to get a glimpse of their baseball heroes. To live with a sense of wonder, amazement, and creativity. To return home and rekindle a past love of rawhide meeting leather as we play a game of catch with a friend, a child, a grandpa, or dad.


We no longer live in a time where day games are a norm. No, we now live in a time of bright lights and fireworks, yet that may make the few day games we do get to see all the more enjoyable.

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Recommended Reading: A Great and Glorious Game: The Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti