Jeremiah's complaint

Sometimes the prophecy books of the Old Testament can be tough going. It can be hard to fully understand what (and who) the prophets were addressing as they wrote. And there is some pretty rough language there, too.

But what I always appreciate about the writer of the Psalms, the prophets or Job, is when they really speak their mind to God. Like this:

"You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?"(Jeremiah 12:1)

These men were honest. They were asking the questions that are still being asked today. "God, where's the justice? Why do you allow this?"

But along with that is the certainty that God can take their questions. He's open to our doubts and our questions. We can say whatever we need to say to Him. He's big enough for that too.

Poetry & faith

Found a very cool quote on a favorite blog. I think it has something to say on the matter of faith in God, too.

"Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite.... The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits."

G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Therefore I have hope ...

Ever have one of those days (weeks, months, years) when everything just seems to be wrong? I think it happens to almost everybody at sometime. Life can be pretty overwhelming some days.

But then I was reminded of something very simple but very important when I read this:

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

Lamentations 3:21-26 NIV

Christianish (a book review)

I don't normally review two books this close together but I couldn't wait on this one.

I began reading Christianish: What If We're Not Really Following Jesus at All? and was amazed. Mark Steele tackles (like many others) a look at the forms of religion that we often pass off as "being Christian." There can be a lot of concessions we make - often with good intentions, but with the net result of portraying the Christian life as less than it should be. But what Steele manages, where many often fail, is to ask the hard questions without setting himself outside the problem. He admits that "... the chance that everything we each believe about Jesus is 100 percent accurate is not very likely" but still takes a frank look at some of the ways we handle the beliefs we hold. His examples are down-to-earth, accurate, surprising and sometimes hilarious. And they serve very well to illustrate the middle ground that we often try to hold even though we may be on the wrong road entirely. Rather than just a pointed finger, Steele offers the switch to create some of those "light bulb" moments that can be life changing. It's an invitation to "ditch the ish" and be part of an exciting Christ-centered adventure.

Christianish is destined to become a well-worn favorite on my bookshelf and I highly recommend it for yours.


Review copy provided by The B&B Media Group

Make Love, Make War (a book review)

Brian Doerksen has written a variety of well-known contemporary worship songs and in Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship, he gives a “behind-the-scenes” look at 12 of the songs he has written or co-written over his music writing career.

As this book opens, it reminded me of a cross between a literature class and a personal memoir. Passages like

“Musically the chorus was anchored around the root note and chord to signify that the trisagion is at the center of it all. I then experimented until I found that the right melodic anchor for the action words of the verse was the F note – the fifth degree of scale”

may be informative but in no way drew me into the book's context of worship. The line-by-line analysis of word choices, while interesting, were also difficult because I was not familiar with all of the songs he includes. (Perhaps an accompanying CD would have been a helpful option.) It isn’t until later chapters that he transitions to the stories behind some of the songs, and through them begins to really reveal his heart about the role of worship in different aspects of church life and personal spiritual growth in a compelling manner.

Songwriters and worship leaders will find certain aspects of this book more applicable than others. The songwriting tips at the end of each chapter, or his reference to certain song formats that are not explained for the lay person will no doubt carry more impact for musicians. However, Doerksen still manages to touch on some of the key components of worship that apply to all, and may serve as a personal challenge to reconsider the role of worship in a Christ-like life.


Review copy provided by The B&B Media Group.

The Butterfly Circus (a Doorpost Film Project)

I cannot begin to explain how deeply this touched me. The film is 20 minutes and I encourage you to take time to watch it. What a message of hope and a reminder of the unique design God has given each of us.