Category: faith

Christian music

A friend forward this to me…

It was sent to KLTY FM in Dallas after an exchange between two DJ’s this morning on the radio.

KLTY – this morning, around 8am, the pair of DJ’s had a very disturbing exchange. After playing the remake of “Pride (in the name of love)” by Delirious?, originally written by U2, one DJ asked, “Was that U2?” to which the other responded, “No, that was Delirious?. We only play the good stuff, we don’t play no trash.” This particular DJ then repeated similar statements.
Now, first of all, my memory is not perfect so I do not consider these direct quotes – but I do consider them the direct “gist” of the statements. Second, the DJ’s names’ are not important, but YOURS is, and so is our Lord’s. Regardless of who said this, it is deeply concerning for me as both a Christian and one who appreciates the tremendous impact that U2 has made for the Kingdom of God. Allowing this slander (literally) on the air poses KLTY as self-righteous, and Christians as war-mongers of culture. This adulterates the image of our Lord. Third, if by chance they were “just joking,” then I would encourage such antics off the air, not on the air.
To make a statement like this, on the air, betrays a tragic misunderstanding of U2, specifically, and good music, in general. U2 have made tremendous contributions to the church, and it serves us well to encourage them, and to welcome them to Dallas when they play on Oct 29. They are our brothers, not the enemy.
This is grievous, and sadly irresponsible.
Please, please…let us watch our words carefully.

I still find it interesting when people decide what’s Christian music and what’s not by the person singing it.
U2 received no recognition after their All That You Can’t Leave Behind Album — until a “Christian” band decided to record it (on the same album that Delirious?’s Pride version was recorded on). Once they recorded it, U2 was nominated at the Dove awards for song writer of the year.
And Los Lonely Boys received no recognition for their song Heaven until Salvador recorded a version of it, and now its on Christian stations everywhere.
It’s all so goofy.

This week’s column: Prayer in Schools

Ok — everyone take a deep breath. We’re about to touch on another very fun topic — prayer in schools.
I’ve been reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle.
While reading about prayer, which most of the book is about, a section struck me straight to the heart.
“What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?
“Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk about having prayer in public schools? We don’t have even that much prayer in many churches! Out of humility, you would think we would keep quiet on that particular subject until we practice what we preach in our own congregations.
“I am sure the Roman emperors didn’t have prayer to God in their schools. But then, the early Christians didn’t seem to care what Caligula or Claudius or Nero did. How could any emperor stop God? How, in fact, could the demons of hell make headway when God’s people prayed and called upon his name? Impossible!
“In the New Testament we don’t see Peter or John wringing their hands and saying, “Oh, what are we going to do? Caligula’s bisexual… he wants to appoint his horse to the Roman Senate… what a terrible model of leadership! How are we going to respond to this outrage?”
The lesson continues, but I’ll let you get your own copy of the book and read it for yourselves.
I’ve never been a fan of prayer in schools — not because I’m not a fan of prayer or don’t believe in it. I just don’t think it belongs in schools.
If Christians are allowed to have prayer in school, so are Islamics, Buddhists, and Wiccans.
Personally I don’t want a Wiccan teacher telling my future children how to pray.
They will learn to pray at home, and it won’t be up to a principal or teacher to tell them when they can or can’t pray.
They’ll know, just like I did growing up, that when you feel the need to pray – do it.
Don’t wait on a teacher or principal to give you permission or set aside a time to do so.

eveningstar@hot.rr.com

JESUS Podcast

Belén luminoso

Jesus has His own podcast now.

The Jesus movie is now available to be downloaded to your computer or iPod or Mp3 player. How cool is that?

That’s great thinking on the part of Campus Crusade.

I’ve really enjoyed my copy of The Message on Mp3. It’s a great picker upper anytime I need it.

Set Apart

The Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. – Gal 5:22-23

In the third century, St. Cyprian wrote to a friend named Donatus:

This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden… But if I climbed some great mountain and looked out… you know very well what I would see; brigands on the high road, pirates on the seas, in the amphitheaters men murdered to please the applauding crowds…
Yet in the midst of it, I have found a quiet and holy people… They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians…

What a compliment! A quiet and holy people

Quiet… Not obnoxious. Not boastful. Not demanding. Just quiet…

Holy… Set apart. Pure. Decent. Honest. Wholesome…

Maybe we could all take a lesson from third century Christians. Instead of standing up and demanding our ways be met, protesting every little thing we don’t like, maybe we should take a Christlike attitude towards politics and the like.

Instead of yelling at the lost, why don’t we calm down and show them how we were once found.

(HT The Inspirational Study Bible – Max Lucado)

Piecemeal lives

This past weekend I had the joy of seeing the Body of Christ truly in action.

Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong direction, but this weekend I found it, in a cowboy church in Crosby, Texas.

A body of believers who believed in something far greater than themselves.

A body of believers who realized that their small, sometimes menial tasks were just as important as everyone elses.

It didn’t matter if they were sweeping floors, pouring tea or pushing a button on a sound board — they were there to serve, and they never questioned how important their role was.

They were there to help a bunch of crazy wrestlers put on a couple shows to share the Gospel. And whatever that took — they were going to help put on the best show ever.

I can’t think of anything they could have done better. Well, other than maybe give earplugs to my roommates to help drown out my snoring (Sorry about that.)

NOTE FROM CHRIS: You should have heard it — oh wait you probably did. What meteorologists thought was an approaching thunderstorm was actually Blundell snoring. By the way, Breathe Rights — worthless.

Scripture reminds us that we’re all an important part of the body, no matter how menial or piecemeal our lives may seem.

“By means of His one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which He has the final say in everything.”

As a ring announcer for the CWF sometimes it’s easy to think, “My job is not really that important. I just talk. Anyone can do that. The wrestlers have the really important jobs.” Or, “You know I’m really the important one here. Without me, no one gets welcomed to the ring. I think I’ll just say whatever I want and introduce people as I see fit.”

But whether other people can or can’t do my job, it’s my job and it’s what I’ve been asked to do. And while I may want to try and steal the limelight, if I’m not working as a member of the team, nothing will get completed — and I’m sure I’d get a number of vicious chops in the process.

But what if my sound guy gets bored with being a sound guy? What if he wants to be in the ring getting beat down and tossed around like a bag of potatoes?

Suddenly we don’t have sound or entrance music and our ministry becomes a bunch of guys with sore throats from trying to yell over the crowd.

What if a cook in the kitchen decides she wants to prepare Indian cuisine instead of steak and potatoes?

While the rest of her team is baking potatoes and grilling steak, she comes along and starts throwing curry and asafoetida or hing all over everything.

The otherwise wonderful, simple meal is suddenly ruined.

The Apostle Paul writes, “If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell?”

Each person has their own place. And each place is valued just like the rest — no matter where you are or what you do.

“But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.”

No matter how independent you think you are or how unimportant you are — you have value and no one else can take your place.

As we wrapped up our second show in Crosby Sunday night I began talking with a church member who had been working the parking lot detail earlier that evening.

He told me he was proud to be able to play such a “little part” in something much greater than all of this.

As we talked, I remembered times that I’ve been stuck in parking lots with poor direction and communication.

I’ve sat in parking lots for hours as people try to direct traffic back on to the roads.

What seemed menial and trivial to him was a blessing to everyone who attended one of our shows.

No matter what part you might have, where ever you might be, you’ve been placed there for a reason and without each person in place — the show (or dinner, or ball game, or office, or church service) would never be the same.

Strive for excellence. Work as if everything you do depends solely on you — because when it all comes down to it — it does.

“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part… If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.”