I have been absolutely inundated by this song today. Now that may sound like a harsh or even negative comment, but that is not its intent. Today at church I sang this song in a 3 different services a total of 5 times! Outside of church I listened to this song at least another 10 times....I am listening to it over and over as I write now. I can't stop.
The song was written by Bluetree, a band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. There is an amazing story about this song and where, when, why, and how it was written, but that isn't what I wanted to write about. If you want to know about this you can read about it here in one of their MySpace blogs.
The song speaks of God's promises for the city, the community, the church, the body, and finally the individual. The last one is the one the hit me the most. He is the God, King, and Lord of me.
Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
How awesome are the promises of God! This is a pretty powerful promise. I started to ask myself if I felt that it applied to me. After all, like I said earlier, I feel like the song speaks just as powerfully to the individual as it does to the community. So do I accept it? Do I believe it to be true?
When I look at where I am now (what I struggle with, what I do, what I know, where I am going) I often find myself with such a feeling of inadequacy. Now I know that this is good because I am inadequate. But I feel it to be such a stumbling block for me. While I understand the importance of humility and understanding that I am nothing and God is everything, I also believe the enemy uses this emotional state to maim, restrain, and hinder my growth.
God is speaking his promise through this band and this song. This promise is for me. I am inadequate alone, but because of His regenerating grace, because of His love and sacrifice, because of my adoption I am no longer inadequate.
Greater things are still to be done here...in me.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
In search of a voice...
Despite what you may believe I didn't create this blog for no reason. It was created as an outlet for my internal thoughts. A way to communicate to both myself and others. A means for refining beliefs, strengthening positions, and defining truth. That is the vision.
Now you may believe that up to this point it has been under-utilized. I probably won't argue with you (although that is totally within my nature) because it would be a waste of my efforts and both of our time. You base your belief solely on the external because that is all you are privy to. Internally, however, progress is being made. Thoughts are being processed. Ideas are being penned. Beliefs are being sharpened.
This idea of external vs internal indicators is a common thing in my life. The amount of external activity pales compared to the internal threshing.
I was talking with my roommate and he made a comment that likened him to Aaron and me to Moses (I totally came out on top there). Now I am not going to allow this analogy to be taken anywhere other than the idea of voice. Moses said that he didn't have the voice. He wasn't willing to find the voice. Hence Aaron.
Now this doesn't mean I believe I lack an external voice because I don't. Like everything else I am only seeking to refine it. To strengthen it. To increase its efficiency. It has been a slow process. I have, until now, been unable to find the voice. To define it.
The struggle has largely been induced by one factor: the audience. Who am I writing to? Why? How do I address them...you? What content is applicable and/or relevant? Tonight, lying in bed, I came to a couple of realizations: (1)My vision was to further understand my internal conflicts; to strengthen my beliefs, convictions, positions, and ideals; to refine the ability to externally communicate the internal. These are the reasons why. (2)My initial audience has already been determined. The handful (and that is generous) of people that are even aware of its existence has taken care of that. This led me to think about the future audience and the idea that (3)my voice will determine it. I am not trying to write for them. I am to write to them. They will come...much like Shoeless Joe Jackson and his Black Socks.
So, these few paragraphs, pitiful and obvious as they may be, are the beginnings of externalizing the internal conflicts.
I'll end this beginning with a quote from a man whose encouragement has helped me weather many storms and continue to look forward. In the words of Mario himself, "Here we go!"
-Curtis
Now you may believe that up to this point it has been under-utilized. I probably won't argue with you (although that is totally within my nature) because it would be a waste of my efforts and both of our time. You base your belief solely on the external because that is all you are privy to. Internally, however, progress is being made. Thoughts are being processed. Ideas are being penned. Beliefs are being sharpened.
This idea of external vs internal indicators is a common thing in my life. The amount of external activity pales compared to the internal threshing.
I was talking with my roommate and he made a comment that likened him to Aaron and me to Moses (I totally came out on top there). Now I am not going to allow this analogy to be taken anywhere other than the idea of voice. Moses said that he didn't have the voice. He wasn't willing to find the voice. Hence Aaron.
Now this doesn't mean I believe I lack an external voice because I don't. Like everything else I am only seeking to refine it. To strengthen it. To increase its efficiency. It has been a slow process. I have, until now, been unable to find the voice. To define it.
The struggle has largely been induced by one factor: the audience. Who am I writing to? Why? How do I address them...you? What content is applicable and/or relevant? Tonight, lying in bed, I came to a couple of realizations: (1)My vision was to further understand my internal conflicts; to strengthen my beliefs, convictions, positions, and ideals; to refine the ability to externally communicate the internal. These are the reasons why. (2)My initial audience has already been determined. The handful (and that is generous) of people that are even aware of its existence has taken care of that. This led me to think about the future audience and the idea that (3)my voice will determine it. I am not trying to write for them. I am to write to them. They will come...much like Shoeless Joe Jackson and his Black Socks.
So, these few paragraphs, pitiful and obvious as they may be, are the beginnings of externalizing the internal conflicts.
I'll end this beginning with a quote from a man whose encouragement has helped me weather many storms and continue to look forward. In the words of Mario himself, "Here we go!"
-Curtis
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