Focus
Jun 16, 2008 Music, Spirituality, me
Have you ever been in a situation where you lost your focus? I don’t mean on a superficial level, but on a spiritual level. Maybe you found yourself in a situation that you knew was not right, but it still sort of seemed right because you were blinded by it. You had lost your focus on what is true, and all of a sudden you see yourself in a dark place and can’t seem to find a way out.
I’ve been there before, and there is a song that comforted me and helped me come out of that. I was in a pretty rough place, and it was getting harder and harder to see and hear God. I was reminded of this cool analogy about the moon.
You see, sometimes at night, the sky can get cloudy to the point where the clouds cover the moon. We know that the moon is there, we just can’t see it at the time.
God is a lot like that. When we mke the wrong decisions that send us down the wrong path, it can be a little hard to see God at times. The thing to remember is that he is still there, and in fact never moved.
But back to the song I mentioned. This song was written from the perspective of a broken person who is at the end of his rope and desperately needs to feel God. I hope if you listen to it, it can comfort you and remind you that sometimes in life, all we need is for God to come into focus and fill our empty hearts again.
(press the little “play” button next to the title)
How suddenly we move from life to death
In a moment move from full to nothing left
Unshakeable faith how quickly turns to fear
Went from holding you close to wishing You were here
What I cannot do is give it all to You
It’s taking over me
Will this sorrow ever leave?
No one but You can understand what I’m feeling inside
Right now I can barely breathe let me know You’re here tonight
Lately I’ve been letting go of hope
Caught between life and love what I want and what I know
Give this broken heart a reason why
and fill it with the strength to say goodbye
Cause it’s so hard to do to give this all to You
Pour down on me like rain and fill this hollow heart again
No one but You can understand what I’m feeling tonight
Lord right now I can barely see through the tears that fall from my eyes
It’s so hard to see You please come into focus
I don’t even know if I can find the strength to make it one more day
So pour down on me like rain and fill this hollow heart again
No one but You can understand what I’m feeling tonight
Here I come running back to the arms You’ve left open wide
Just when I need You
You come into focus
You let me see Your face
Know You’re here in this place and kiss these tears away
Focus (by Casting Pearls) - Amazon mp3 link
Tags: casting pearls, focus, God, hope, religion, sin, strength
Are Most Wars the Result of Religious Belief?
Mar 30, 2008 Current Events, Spirituality
People can be pretty passionate about their religious beliefs. So, it is not surprising that at least a few famous wars have resulted from disagreements about religion. However, is it true what Sam Harris says that our tendency to slaughter each other “generally have their roots in religion?”
I’m not a fan of religion (part 1)
Jan 27, 2008 Spirituality, Thoughts
I don’t mean Christianity.
What I am referring to in the title is the empty religious things we do for no reason whatsoever besides the fact that a long time ago, someone sat down and decided we should do them. And also maybe to hide ourselves. Some examples:
1. In church today, we had to “stand for the reading of God’s Word”. I am all for giving respect where respect is due, but does that mean that when I am at home reading Scripture, that I should stand all the time? Why on Sunday in church and not any other time?
2. It has been said in my church that if you are in a leadership position at the church, then you need to make sure you dress up on Sunday. For that matter, a lot of people think they have to dress up on Sunday just to go to church. Why is that? When God sees me, he sees a naked, sinful man. That is how he sees all of us since that is our nature. “Dressing up” for God seems so superficial since he sees through our feeble attempts to look nice. Would wearing pajamas or flip-flops be offensive to Him? It’s closer to how I really look.
3. I sometimes feel like people I see on Sundays in church are there to check the “God thing” off of the list. Everyone smiles, no one has any problems. Life is perfect with the 2.5 kids,white picket fence, and the safe neighborhood. The reality is that many families or individuals have a great deal of problems they struggle with constantly, but we, and I do include myself here at times, do our best to hide our sin and struggles.
I think Casting Crowns said it best:
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so smallCause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belongSo I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see themAre we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masqueradeIs there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stageThe performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
Religion is what causes an unbelieving world to be just that. They see us as acting “religious” and perfect, only to blatantly go against it later on. I guess what I am getting at here is that a lot of us try to hide behind religion and religious things a lot so we don’t have to confront the very sin that we are living in. What would happen if we invited Jesus in to break through the superficiality of our lives? Would it set us free? I think so.
Relationship, not religion. That’s what I say.
Tags: , christianity, church, rant, religion, Spirituality, Thoughts
And They’ll Know We are Christians By Our…?
Nov 14, 2007 Spirituality
I just read an article on Fox News that really has me sad and disappointed. First off, the article:
—
Baptist Convention Expels North Carolina Church for Welcoming Gays
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Delegates to the Baptist State Convention have voted overwhelmingly to expel a Charlotte church for welcoming gays and lesbians without trying to change them.Myers Park Baptist Church became the first to be kicked out under rules passed at last year’s meeting. Those rules say any Baptist church that affirmed or endorsed homosexual behavior would be considered not to be cooperating with the convention.
The vote by the nearly 3,000 delegates came after two of the church’s leaders called on them to open their hearts to homosexuals who want to worship with them and to respect local autonomy in interpreting the Bible.
But convention president Allan Blume told the meeting that the Bible calls on believers to turn away from sin. He also suggested that Myers Park Baptist was mostly interested in seeking publicity for its views, not in trying to work within the Baptist State Convention.
Source: Fox News
—-
What bothers me here is how Blume says that the Bible calls us to turn from sin. Yes, that is correct, but at the same time, we ALL have sin that we either struggle with or have become so accustomed to that we forget it is sin. With that line of thought, the church should be turning everyone away. What about the alcoholic? The divorcee?
I guess that as a Christian, I am tired of Christianity that is so harsh in judging others for not being absolutely perfect. That is what is making the church less and less relevant to the world as days go by, and we need to turn it around. We need to be preaching a Gospel of love that says that no matter what, there is nothing that “w
ill be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
Tags: christianity, church, faith, opinion, religion
Well, at least Will Smith isn’t a Scientologist…
Dec 5, 2006 Uncategorized
from Star Pulse:
Will Smith Turned Down Tom Cruise’s Invite To Be a Scientologist
Will Smith has turned his back on pal Tom Cruise’s efforts to convert him to Scientology because he doesn’t want to upset his late grandmother. Smith admits he has spoken with Cruise about the church the actor is a fervent campaigner for, but he could never follow writer and thinker L. Ron Hubbard’s belief system.
He says, “I’ve talked to Tom about it - (there’s) lots of incredible, wonderful concepts (but, my wife) Jada (Pinkett Smith) and I don’t necessarily believe in organized religion. I was raised in a Baptist household and my grandmother would get up out of her casket (if I became a Scientologist).”
The Smiths were among the special guests at Cruise and Katie Holmes’ Scientology wedding ceremony in Italy last month.”
Tags: religion
