Tag: music

Podcast Episode: The Transformative Power of Music: Healing Through Frequency

Podcast Episode: The Transformative Power of Music: Healing Through Frequency

Pip: There is a particular kind of rabbit hole that starts with live music on a street corner and ends at the fall of Lucifer — and somehow the journey makes complete sense.

Mara: That is exactly the territory cj maps out in this episode’s post, moving from the healing properties of musical frequency through scripture, ancient cosmology, and the question of what we let shape us from the inside out.

Pip: Let’s start with the music itself — and what it actually does to a person.

The Transformative Power of Music: Healing Through Frequency

Mara: The central tension here is deceptively simple: music is powerful, and that power cuts both ways — it heals, it seduces, it shapes the listener whether they intend it or not.

Pip: The post anchors that claim in a quote from composer Jacob Collier, framed around a teaching session in Australia: “As a teacher, as a performer, as a parent, you are only as powerful as you make other people feel.”

Mara: And the post immediately connects that to the golden rule — loving your neighbor as yourself. The upshot is that music is not just aesthetic; it is relational, and its power is measured in what it does to the person receiving it.

Pip: Which is where frequency enters the conversation — and it gets specific. Researchers at MIT and the National Institute of Health have published on how particular frequencies influence the mind and body, and the post points readers there without overclaiming what it can explain on its own.

Mara: The scriptural grounding runs deep. First Samuel 16 describes David playing the harp before King Saul: “And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play. Then Saul would find relief and feel better, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.” That is a clinical description wrapped in ancient language.

Pip: Three thousand years before the NIH study, someone noticed that sound moved a man’s inner state — and wrote it down.

Mara: The post also interrogates the popular image of angels singing at the nativity. Luke 2:13 uses the Greek word legō — meaning to say or speak — not to sing. The post raises this not to diminish music but to sharpen the focus on frequency and spoken word as equally potent carriers.

Pip: Then comes the Lucifer thread — Ezekiel 28 describes timbrels and pipes prepared in him on the day of his creation, which is where the theory of heaven’s fallen choir director originates. It’s speculative, the post says so plainly, but the implication lands: if music could draw a third of the angels into rebellion, it deserves more than casual listening habits.

Mara: The post closes personally — soft jazz at work as “serenity music in the midst of chaos,” and a prayer drawn from Psalm 40: that Adonai would put a new song in the mouth, one not borrowed from the world’s playlist.

Pip: What stays with me is the image of Jacob Collier conducting an audience that didn’t know they were about to become an orchestra — no script, just presence and gesture.

Mara: That is the post’s real argument: frequency shapes us whether we consent or not, so the question worth asking is whose song we are actually carrying.

Pip: And for that we have to make sure that we are filtering the frequencies we allow ourselves to hear.

Mara: Precisely, this post has so much to offer its worth reading in its entirety at thewayoftherabbi.com until next time.

The Transformative Power of Music: Healing Through Frequency

The Transformative Power of Music: Healing Through Frequency

Most people who know me, know that I love music. Once, I was out to dinner and the conversation was on music. I was asked, “What about you?” I responded, “I just like live music.” To clarify, it is music of all sorts. It could be a guy on the corner playing a one string guitar, I would stop and listen. If someone is doing what they love and making music to entertain others, I appreciate it. I appreciate them and I show it by stopping and listening and if they are asking I give them money.

I recently stumbled upon a young composer named Jacob Collier . . . a brilliant musical mind, almost too brilliant, really. I was watching one of his teaching sessions from Australia and this quote from him hit me. So, I thought I would pass it on here with a note. He said, “As a teacher, as a performer, as a parent, you are only as powerful as you make other people feel.” It reminded me of the golden rule. “Do unto others what you would have them do to you.” Or “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These principles are what make a person successful. Life is about relationships, be relational, be intentional, love always, forgive often.

I don’t know about power or making people feel powerful, but forgiven, loved, hopeful, encouraged. These are right and good. Music, is a powerful influencer. Frequencies, are known to heal and harm. Now I don’t know enough about it to tell you anything specific or matter-a-fact. But, different frequencies have been used scientifically to influence the mind and body. Researchers at MIT and the National Institute of Health have articles on the subject if the idea intrigues you beyond what I have to say here.

As well, people have been influenced by the music they listen to throughout time. Young David, would play the harp before King Saul when he was being tormented and it would sooth his spirit. 1 Samuel 16:22-23 – “Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, ‘Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.’ And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play. Then Saul would find relief and feel better, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.”

Some believe that music is a form of spell casting, or that it can be used in such away. Jacob Collier, mentioned above said that when he was a kid he would watch his mother conduct the orchestra and that it looked like she was casting a spell. He was referring to her hand gestures and the way her body moved as she conducted. He described it as ‘mesmerizing’. Music is a powerful tool.

It is often depicted as a choir of angels appearing to the shepherds in the field to tell them that Yahoshua (Jesus) was born. The actual reference in Luke 2:13-14 says: “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!‘” The word ‘lego’ being translated here as ‘saying‘ according to Strongs G3004 means exactly that, ‘say, speak, call, tell’. It is the same word legō that is used in Revelation 4:8 which tells of the angels around the Throne of God. “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai Elohim Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

There are plenty of musicians who incorporate the spoken word into musical rhythms. So I don’t say this to detract from the idea of music but perhaps to more focus on the frequency than how the words of a melody are presented. One thing that fascinated me about Jacob Collier is his ability to create melody with the voices of people who had no idea he was going to do such a thing. At a jazz festival, he got the audience involved with just their voices, no knowledge before hand, no script, he just simply gave them the example. He gave out different parts to sections of the audience and then by simply gesturing to them he created a melodic sound so captivating the people were left in awe. That is the power of music, melody, and frequency.

It is said that Satan, aka Lucifer, was the choir director or orchestra conductor in heaven before his fall. Whether or not this true there isn’t definitive proof. However, in Ezekiel 28 there is perhaps a hint. A hint great enough to create the theory. Ezekiel is directed by Elohim to write a lament for the king of Tyre. Ezekiel 28:11-15 says:

“Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what Yahweh Elohim says: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, the workmanship of your timbrels and of your pipes were prepared in you in the day that you were created, prepared on the day of your creation. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways—until wickedness was found in you.”

Timbrels: Translated from a Hebrew word (toph) typically meaning a hand drum, tambourine, or percussive instrument.
Pipes: Translated from a less clear Hebrew word (neqeb) that some scholars and historic translations interpret as flutes, wind instruments, or hollow cavities meant for sound.

Understanding now both the beauty Lucifer is described with and the potential ability to conduct music, one can see how great the potential for pride there was. Look at the music industry today, the pride, and the superficial emphasis on beauty. There are very few ‘ugly’ frontmen in the music industry. Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I am not saying they don’t exist but they are far and few between. Forest Frank, not too long ago ruffled a few feathers when he refused to attend an award show and receive an award for his music. Essentially saying, he didn’t want the credit for his music but rather that the glory should go to God alone. Needless to say that was not a popular opinion amongst his peers.

Music is powerful, it is seducing in its appeal, it draws the heart and the mind. If the theory of Satan/Lucifer is true and he was the director/conductor of music we can certainly see how it was possible to draw a third of the angels with him. A third is not a small number. If someone is polling at 33% they are considered a threat in politics. There had to be some sort of influence being wielded about to garner 33% allegiance from his fellow angels. Strong enough to cause them to join his rebellion. Imagine that if you will and then consider what influence music has over you.

As I stated in the beginning, I love music. I enjoy listening to live music. I will go out of my way to support musicians. Especially, if I know them and if their music lightens my mood. I often play soft jazz in the background at work. I call it my serenity music in the midst of chaos. I certainly notice when it isn’t playing and there is a higher level of stress in the work place. So perhaps I am simply writing to myself, to caution myself to the power of music, to its influential powers, and hypnotic potential. As they say, ‘garbage in, garbage out.’

So, I am constantly asking Adonai to fill me with His melody. To place His song in my heart and mind and lips. As the Psalmist says 48:1-5:

I waited patiently for Adonai;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in Adonai.

4 How blessed is the man who has made Adonai his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Adonai my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

May our hearts cry, be that Adonai Elohim fill us with His song, His music, His lyric, His melody, His frequency, that we would not be influenced by the worlds music but by His alone. May we seek to love our neighbors, to do for others what we would have them do for us. To seek first the Kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness. To live out the example set out for us in Messiah. Above all, to love Elohim with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Singing unto Him all the praise and honor due His Name.

You are loved,
cj

Are We Encouraging Weak-Willed Christianity?

Are We Encouraging Weak-Willed Christianity?

Warning: This post is going to sound very judgmental, cynical or snarky, it is not my intention. i don’t know how to ask the questions without them sounding so. Or perhaps it’s just me. i came across a post recently that touted 45,000 person attendance at a crusade. Impressively 5,500 came forward for the altar call. In a later post the idea of a fresh spiritual awakening may be occurring. They mentioned other points for why they believe this way. Notably, two of the current top ten secular songs in the nation are Christian. One of which is a collaborative effort between the current top Christian artist and a very popular secular artist. Which in my opinion takes some of the mystique away from its popularity. It’s not a terrible song, certainly not as heretical as some of the Christian songs out there have become. Heretical might be too strong a word, maybe lyrically challenged is better. Still are these signs of a true spiritual awakening?

Of the 5,500 who responded to the altar call at the crusade, the attendees were panned by the film crew. Many didn’t look like first-timers. Now, i admit this is a judgment call but as you look at them this was a familiar occurrence. Many wearing the attire of a nominal Christian, with religious symbolism adorning their bodies. Was this their yearly trek to Mecca or Jerusalem? Did they go there to pay their respects? Were they seeking forgiveness for the past years’ failings? Perhaps the altar call had feeders to initiate participation. This setup encouraged those hesitant participants. They might have been waiting for someone else in their area to ‘go first’? i am not suggesting here that altar calls are bad or unnecessary or even unproductive. i simply want to see genuinely passionate people. Who seek to truly repent of their way of life and seek to walk with Yahoshua.

Before i continue let me express this thought. i understand struggle. Sin isn’t foreign to me as Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim.” i even understand the idea Paul writes so passionately about in Romans 7:15-20. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. But the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it. But it is sin living in me that does it.”

The question i have is this, have we as a church fostered a pattern of weak willed Christianity? And have we done so based on poor interpretation of Scripture, and lazy reading. In Romans 6:12 Paul writes: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body. Do not let it make you obey its passions.” Later in chapter 7:7 he writes: “What then shall we say? That the Torah is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the Torah, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Torah had not said, ‘You shall not covet.‘” We have become too dependent on Chapter and Verse, and Sectional headlines. For example in Romans, in the ESV, Chapter 7 has a heading, “Released from the Law.” If you read that then read the passage where will your mind go? It is like those suggestive recordings where the line you read is what you hear the recording say. If you read it another way then you will hear what you read. I don’t understand how that works exactly but it is by the power of suggestion.

Remove chapter and verse, remove headlines and what will you read Paul saying? Sin is bad. The law (Torah) tells us what sin is. It should be avoided at all costs. The struggle is real. Thank Elohim through Messiah Yahoshua for revealing to us and granting us His grace and mercy. We should do our best at keeping the Torah. Perhaps if we were intellectually honest with ourselves and with Scripture, we wouldn’t be in such a state. The interpretation affects the Church, the Nation and the World.

How do we get to a real faith awakening. An awakening in which the Ekklesia, and those desiring to join themselves to it, want to be obedient. Desiring what the Word of Elohim says, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” How do we recognize genuine heart change? We know through Scripture that seed lands on many different types of ground. Let’s look at the Parable of the Sower from Luke 8:4-8. “A large crowd had gathered. They came from town after town. Yahoshua saw the crowd and told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was stepped on, and the birds flying around ate it up. Some fell on rock; and after it sprouted, it dried up from lack of moisture. Some fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. But some fell into rich soil, and grew, and produced a hundred times as much as had been sown.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!”

In this parable what is the manageable aspects? First, we can’t know the ground of someone’s life so like the sower, we plant seed everywhere. We water everywhere. We seek the good everywhere. Second, if we are the seed that finds the rocky ground, we must adjust our surroundings. If we find weeds, it is crucial to change our environment. “If you love Me, obey Me.” Yahoshua said. We must express the importance of following the Way. Only then is importance placed on shielding oneself from the world. Am i thankful for an Elohim who forgives? Who looks at the heart of repentance and judges them based on the actions of Yahoshua? Yes, one million times YES! However, this does not excuse me to then continue in sin. Even Paul writes, “So then, are we to say, ‘Let’s keep on sinning, so that there can be more grace’? Heaven forbid! How can we, who have died to sin, still live in it?”

Let me be clear, i am not against Christian music, nor am i against evangelistic crusades. What I am questioning is, at what compromise are we doing these things? At what expense do we undertake these actions under the guise of Christianity and inclusion? If we are unwilling to preach the whole of the gospel. Of which Paul himself teaches in Romans. Yet it is hid under the faulty headlines like, “Released from the Law.” If we began to teach the importance of Torah. Along side the amazing gift of grace, would we see the hundredfold increase Yahoshua said of the good soil? If we called those who responded to the message out of worldly living. Would we see them flourish rather than whither? This is the Way of the Rabbi.

When Yahoshua ate with sinners he didn’t join in their sin, he called them to repentance. He said, what you are doing is wrong, here is a better way. A way that leads to life. On a popular national Christian radio show a DJ said, “Jesus partied with sinners.” This error wrapped in some truth, like pigs in a blanket. Yes, he was ridiculed by the religious leaders for socializing with sinners. However, He didn’t condone their sin. He pointed them to a more excellent way. We, as scripture says, are to mingle with sinners. We are all sinners. However, we do not condone or excuse sin. When we leave Scripture open ended, we don’t tell the whole truth of Elohim’s Word. We are helping no one, least of all, ourselves.

The world is going to hate us. Why? Because we condone their practices? We say nothing of their high places? We party with them? No, it is the opposite. They are going to hate us because we set ourselves apart. We do this morally, and for lack of a better word, religiously. Not to say we are better than them but to say, the Elohim we serve is a better WAY. We say if it isn’t of Elohim, we don’t want it. If Elohim condemns it, we don’t want it. Yahoshua said, “Your sins are forgiven, now go and sin no more.” He said, “Follow Me.” He said, “The things that you have seen Me do, even greater things you will do. When I go to the Father.” Don’t you desire a more excellent way? Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Messiah.” In other words we are to Imitate Messiah. This is the Way of the Rabbi.

What should one do then? Seek Yahoshua. Read Scripture from the beginning to the end as ONE body of work. Understand that as gentile believers we are grafted into the people of Elohim and with that perspective read the Word. Find a Torah friendly Ekklesia that teaches that our foundation and root is Torah even as followers of Yahoshua. Who was the WORD made flesh. Desire a better way, the Way. Yahoshua said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me.”

Remember: Sin is bad. The law (Torah) tells us what sin is. It should be avoided at all costs. The struggle is real. Thank Elohim through Messiah Yahoshua for revealing to us and granting us His grace and mercy. We should do our best at keeping the Torah.

This is the Way of the Rabbi,
You are loved,
cj

Visiting Memory Lane

“Coffee Latte” by Nolan Issac/ CC0 1.0

**This blog was originally posted on December 6, 2011, at 3:15 pm Alaska Time as part of my “Coffee? Yes, Please!” Blog. Since i can’t sit in a coffee shop at the moment with the nation’s response to the covid19 virus, i thought i would get all retro and nostalgic, with this blast from the past, memory lane, post! i hope you enjoy a look at my coffee shop life.**

i think it’s funny how anytime i want to go someplace downtown i will say, “Hi Galaxy” (that’s my phone). She reply’s, “At your service cj,” i laugh every time. i will then say, “Navigate to ____________” and she will proceed to give me directions and they usually always go like this, “continue down dewberry and turn right onto 88th, stay on 88th and continue onto Northwood, turn right onto Raspberry and take the Minnesota North on-ramp. Turn right onto Todor, turn left onto C st. It’s at this point in the trip that it changes, today i turned right onto Benson.  i like to think about our “navigation” to heaven. There are a few steps that are for everyone, and it never changes; however, there is a point in the journey that it becomes very individual as each person’s personal relationship is different. Of course, the destination is the same, but for some our journey may cross other bridges and go down other roads as we each struggle with different issues and God works in us in His timing and as long as we continue to listen to the GPS (God’s Providing Spirit).

If i make a wrong turn on my journey, my phone says, “recalculating,” and then from that point gets me back on track, if i follow its instruction. Sometimes i have made such a wrong turn that it simply says, “Turn around when possible.” God is that way too, sometimes i mess up, and from that point, He simply recalculates (in away), taking my errors into account and redirects me redeeming the error for His glory. Other times He simply says, “Turn around,” which is code for “repent,” which means to turn from sin, literally to turn around from the error of my ways.

i walked into Cafe Felix this afternoon and was greeted at the door by statues, Hindu, Buddhist, and others, each one staring at me.  i caught myself staring back, and then from behind the counter, the clerk said, “Can i help you?” i wondered if he could, was I in the wrong place? i thought. Catching my thoughts, i saw from the corner the cafe part of this establishment. i said, “Nope, i see it now, thank you, though,” and with a smile, i turned into Cafe Felix.

i walked up to the counter, the barista greeting me with a warm smile asked if she could help me (i must really have looked lost).  i asked for a menu, ordered an americano and a grilled cheese, the sandwich came with feta, cheddar, tomato, and bacon, and was super yummy! Served with tortilla chips and salsa…tortilla chips seem to be the chip of choice for Cafes in Anchorage. The coffee was exceptional, an organic Brazilian blend, smooth and not bitter in the least bit with an earthy flavor.  The room is arranged like a thrift store exploded with different tables and chairs and table cloths. In the center of the room, four chairs around a gas wood stove and in the corner a small stage for open mic night or like events.

The internet was down, so i tried yet another feature of my galaxy phone, wifi hotspot. Excellent! As i sat and watched people come and go, there is a large verity of clientele, but i had a feeling that they each shared a common understanding of where they were as opposed to me. Still a bit confused, was it the eclectic blend of music playing? Literally from Bluegrass, Country, Frank Sinatra, Top 40, and Christmas music…what? My ears didn’t know what to think. Or was my confusion the result of the potpourri explosion that occurred? Or incense or maybe the scented candles? Either way, the smells mixed with coffee and grilled cheese confused me, i am sure. As the place cleared out and i really began to think i was reminded of my GPS.

God’s Providing Spirit. This place, as i thought about it, would be an excellent location for a coffee with Jesus meeting. As i prepare to launch several options during the week, this place has won (at least for the moment) a spot on the circuit. I don’t think it was an accident that i found this place but rather on purpose. When Paul saw the many altars in Athens, he didn’t run away, he went into the heart of it and proclaimed the Truth. Everyone’s journey must start with, believing Jesus died for them, ask for forgiveness, accepting the gift of salvation, repenting of their sin and begin to walk in a manner that is pleasing to God. Jesus said,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you. And surely i am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So why not take the message into the heart of a place that has many altars to other gods? Yes, i think i will.

**For those wondering, Cafe Felix received 4 out of 5 coffee mugs. ☕️☕️☕️☕️

I Don’t Wanna Go (Part 5 of 5)

I Don’t Wanna Go (Part 5 of 5)

The final verse of the song by Chris Renzema is, for me, the most powerful. (If you haven’t yet you can find a link to the song at the bottom of Part 1) Here is the lyric:

Like Jesus in the garden
Will you take this cup from me
Like Jesus in the garden
You don’t call where you won’t lead
I wanna love like you love
I wanna bleed like you bleed

The struggle is real, my friends. i love how Chris writes this first part, “Like Jesus in the garden, Will you take this cup from me.” It is based on Jesus’ request recorded this way in the Gospel of Luke 22:

“41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.”

The anguish in those words is unmistakable. Yet Jesus’ resolve is in the very next part of verse 42, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.” It isn’t about our will; it is, however, completely about the Will of the Father. And like Jesus in the garden, the Father won’t lead us where He doesn’t’ first call us. His love for us is genuine, and therefore, our love must mirror His.

“I wanna love like you love,  I wanna bleed like you bleed.” What breaks the heart of the Lord should also break our hearts. What stirs the Lord to move must also stir us to action! Are you living a life that loves like that and bleeds like that? i desire to live in this way, i hope that you do too!

Seek the Lord, and boldly declare, “i don’t wanna go if you’re not going with me!” And “i wanna go where You go and stay where You stay!” i want to be where You are Lord, lead me, and i will follow.

You are loved,

cj

I DON’T WANNA GO (PART 2 OF 5)

I DON’T WANNA GO (PART 2 OF 5)

Ever feel like the Lord led you into a dead-end or just making you wander around in a desert? i remember when i was half-heartedly in ministry. i was 20 something, married, one kid, at the time. i was working retail, and taking each step, i felt the Lord directing, to advance my career. We attended a little church where we were active with the ministry. i worked with the teens and worked full time in retail. i said yes Lord! i will serve You! However, i was only half-way in the pool.

When i was eight years old, ok probably more like 12, but i don’t actually remember, i had a paper route. i so loved being a paperboy. At the end of my route was a sweet lady who invited me and my friends to use her pool at the beginning of summer. Well, on the first hot day we didn’t hesitate! We headed over and into the backyard, then into the pool. That was a huge mistake! The pool was so cold we could barely move! i am convinced that had we stayed in the water any longer, we would all have died of hypothermia. None of us went in more than waste deep. We were too cold. Even though after getting out, the lady jumped in and did a few laps. We were just too chicken and afraid. We didn’t trust the lady and we didn’t trust the thermometer.

As we continue our look at the song by Chris Renzema (see part one for a link to the song) i want us to ponder the second verse.

Like Israel on the shore,                                                                                                           All I see is crashing waves,                                                                                                   Like Israel on the shore,                                                                                                           Through the wild you make a way,                                                                                            I will go where You go,                                                                                                                 I will stay where you stay

i love this lyric. When the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt it is easy to see why the people worried when they reached the edge of the Red Sea. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 so we, of course, know the whole story, and we even think, “after all, God did they were still afraid.” (See Exodus 14) However, i imagine our response might actually be similar to that of the Israelites, unfortunately. After the Lord parts the sea and they begin their desert journey we see the Lord never left them. They were instructed to “stay” where the Lord’s presence rested and “go” when the Lord’s presence lifted. They were told to follow the Lord as He presented Himself in their midst as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Even still it was a struggle for them, a constant struggle.

Why then do we think it will be any different for us? There will come times of struggle when we don’t fully understand the Lords leading. If you find yourself wandering in a desert or at what seems to be a dead-end, i can assure you it isn’t because the Lord has failed you or somehow given up on you. The question in those moments becomes, “are we still trusting in Him?” And as this verse ends, we must be willing to declare and follow-through, “I will go where You go, I will stay where You stay.” i had to make a decision as a young servant of the Lord, husband, and father, to step all in and immerse myself into ministry. The road has led to many places. Some appeared as dead-ends, others as a desert, yet all served a purpose as i have grown in faith and wisdom. my prayer for you is this, if you find yourself at a dead-end, or in an endless desert, that you will declare; “I will go where You go, I will stay where You stay.”

You are loved,

cj

To Write a Symphony

To Write a Symphony

Johann Sebastian Bach – 1685-1750 – Known as one of the greatest composers of all time drew much of his influence from classic hymns of his day using them to write Cantatas for the Lutheran Church as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. His work, of course, far more reaching than this still drew from his religious roots. As in the case of many great musicians and composers, his work was never truly finished, as displayed in his latter days, he spent most of his time coping, transcribing, expanding or programming music in an older polyphonic style until his death. Great work is never truly finished; there is always room for the master to tweak and expand.

Our life is much like a symphony that the Lord is writing. Each life is unique, gifted, and beautiful in its own way and never truly finished until the day one hears, “well done, good and faithful servant.” For many of us putting on the new self is a one time deal and then we are just marking time. We sit impatiently waiting in the quiet ticking of a hand-less clock, for the Lord’s return. We were not created to sit stagnant in time waiting; rather, we were created for such a time as this! Each day when we wake up, the day is half over. “There was evening, and there was morning . . .” This is how time is recorded in Scripture; Sunset marks the beginning of a new day. While the world sleeps, God is busy laying out His will for us. He has been setting things up and now in the middle of the day asks us to join Him. Our lives are His masterpiece. Until we cross over to the other side, we are a work in progress of the Thomaskantor.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[a] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11

So, stop thinking you are perfect or that you need to be perfect. Stop thinking there is nothing you can do or there isn’t anything to do. Stop thinking you are useless, or washed up, or worn out.  And start asking the Lord, what are You up to today, Lord? What work do you have for me to do, inwardly and outwardly?

You are loved,

cj