Category: reflections

Observations of a traveling musician (v. 2)

A few months back a friend and I spent an evening with singer/songwriter Allen Levi.

Now as a disclaimer, that might sound like it was me and him just hanging out – and that’s not entirely true – but in the intimate venue it felt like it was just Allen, me and a few friends.

Allen pointed out that as a singer/songwriter his main job is to notice things. I thought that was a good job summary.

As an editor/columnist/storyteller, I think that’s my main job as well.

I was listening to Allen’s music this week and thought I’d share some of the observations I remembered from an evening with Allen Levi.

People are big. Houses are small.

I think we’ve all seen drawings done by younger children.

People are rarely drawn proportional, but nine-times-out-of-ten, they’re all smiling as big as they can.

They may have eight fingers on one hand and two on the other.

They may be as skinny as a blade of grass, with a giant pumpkin for a head.

They may have no clothes or feet, but the people in drawings by children, don’t seem to mind.

They’re a part of a great big happy universe, where judging and laughing at others does not exist.

Allen told the story of a four-year-old friend of his who loved drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.

Her drawings were a wonderful representation of how she viewed the world.

Levi noticed that in all of her drawings, Olivia would always draw the people big and the houses small.

These giant people that Olivia saw would never be able to fit into their tiny houses, but that wasn’t important to Olivia.

She put the importance upon the people.

And scripture tells us that that’s exactly what Christ did as well.

He didn’t care what house you lived in, what position you held, whether you were a leper, a blind man, or a He-man. You were important in His eyes.

I have several friends working in Russia right now with orphans. My sister just returned from working with orphans in China.

As they send back their pictures and as I look at Kara’s picture book, I see what’s really important to them.

While if I went, I might take tons of pictures of big, fancy, ornate buildings, their pictures are full of smiling, happy children.

Their homes don’t matter, the clothes on their back don’t matter. They’re all “precious in His sight.”

People are big. Houses are small.

Southern Living vs. Southerners living

If we were to take two houses, you might find a stark contrast in their make up.

The house at 610 might be the picture of beauty and class.

While the house at 612 might be cluttered with bikes in the yard, mud on the floor and a wet dog chasing kids over the couch.

610 has a ghost of a man, with a wife and two kids who are never seen.

612 is a family of five who love each other and those around them.

610 never has company, they’re too busy with their job, school and soccer games.

612 never minds the interruptions of “happy lightening,” when people stop by unexpected, just to enjoy the company of friends.

It’s never really known if the people at 610 are home or gone.

The house looks the same; no one outdoors, no bright welcoming lights on and no invitations to the neighbors to visit.

You can always tell if the family at 612 is home, there kids are playing in the yard with the neighbors, the barbecue grill is smoking, there is laughter and music in the air, and an unwritten “Welcome” sign always hangs in the yard.

610 was pictured on a post card and a part of Southern Living magazine.

612 is the picture of where real southerners live.

Which house are you?

Are you concerned with the appearance of perfection, or the appearance of a friend?

The moon is round

As we left the gathering that Friday night, we looked up in the sky to see that the moon was about the shape of a football.

Some days, the moon is full and bright in its glory.

Other days, it’s a sliver of silver that fell to the floor from a carpenter’s bench.

And some days it doesn’t matter what shape the moon is, because the clouds are so thick you’ll never be able to see it.

But in all of its seasons, in all of its changes, the moon is round.

The very same moon is round in America, Asia, China, Russia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

The moon is round on your day of birth.

The moon is round on the day you find your first love.

The moon is round on the day you get your first kiss.

The moon is round on graduation day.

The moon is round on the day you get your first promotion.

The moon is round on your wedding day.

The moon is round when your first child is born.

And the moon is still round when you discover you have cancer.

The moon is round when you company closes down.

The moon is round when your parents pass away.

The moon is round when your child is hurt in a car accident.

The moon is round when your sister dies suddenly at the age of 24.

The moon is round when your spouse passes away.

And the moon is round when you pass away.

In all of its changes and in all of its appearances, we know – the moon is still round.

“The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

If the moon is faithful to be round, isn’t its Creator the ever more faithful?

There are many more things I learned that Friday night from a storyteller, a songwriter and a singer who took the time to notice — and chose not to hold it all inside, like the house at 610.

What will you notice this week from the Creator?

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.”

Prayer request

Tim, Kara, Kathryn, Jonathan, Amy & Matt

My sister, Kara, will be returning from China tomorrow. She has been working with orphans in communist China since the 21st. I’m not sure what time she leaves, but she’ll return to DFW at 11 p.m. Please pray for her safety and the safety of those around her.

Also, my other sister, Kathryn is still working hard in Russia. Please pray for her continued success and blessing as she ministers to orphans in St. Petersburg.