Caroling, Caroling

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I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time. Not since college. Maybe even high school. I went caroling, complete with printed sheets of lyrics and everything. Just like it was back in the late 1900s.

It’s been that long.

Back in the day, we’d all gather together and carpool from place to place with our arsenal of festive seasonal classics. I’m sure we were joyful and triumphant in our attempts to pull off the carols and jingles. We probably came closer to making a joyful noise than anything else. I couldn’t tell if the guy next to me was trying to harmonize or was just really off-key, but it didn’t really matter in the end. A good time was had by all.

Tonight, we started off visiting the house of a deacon who very recently had been fighting for his life. It was heartwarming to see him standing in the doorway, a sort of miracle in itself, with his wife wiping away tears of gratitude as we sang loudly and zestily (if not always in tune or in the same key).

Then we headed over to my pastor’s parent’s to do more yuletide crooning. They’ve both had health issues and have had a rough 2022, but they were both pleased and grateful to see us gathered in their front yard, singing about those herald angels.

The last stop was the next-door neighbor who was a founding member of Brentwood Baptist Church along with her late husband. She lost him around this time last year, and I’m sure she was thankful for the company. Christmas is a beautiful time, but sometimes I forget that it’s not the easiest season if you’re missing a loved one.

I snapped a picture of this forlorn little reindeer in one of the yards. Hopefully, someone got a good snapshot of all of us singing in different keys and sometimes different verses at the same time. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir we were not.

But I’d do it all again tomorrow night if I could. In fact, I hope this caroling thing becomes another tradition that I can look forward to through the spring, summer and fall.

The Most Reluctant Convert

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I did something that I rarely do these days — I went to an actual movie in an actual movie theater. It’s been a while.

Normally, I like to wait for it to hit streaming services because few films are worth paying the current price of movie tickets. But in this case, I made an exception. I wanted to support a faith-based film from a group that I’ve grown to respect as I’ve gotten to know about them, the Fellowship for Performing Arts, led by one Max McLean.

The film is centered around the story of C. S. Lewis’ 10-year journey from atheism to Christianity. Without giving away too much, the narrative device they use to tell the story is unique and compelling. I feel like Mr. McLean masterfully portrayed the title character and the filming locations gave the production a note of authenticity.

But what captivated me most was the way the movie used Lewis’ own words. I believe a lot of the narrative came directly from his autobiography Surprised by Joy. For once, it’s a faith-based film that actually succeeds at being a good film first, and without being preachy or didactic.

It will make you want to dive deep into the writings of C. S. Lewis, both apologetic and fiction, as well as possibly leading you to check out some of writers who inspired him such as George MacDonald and G. K. Chesterton. I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants a quality movie about the nuances of faith and intellect.

Do Thou for Me

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“Do Thou for me, O God the Lord,
Do Thou for me.
I need not toil to find the word
That carefully
Unfolds my prayer and offers it,
My God, to Thee.

It is enough that Thou wilt do,
And wilt not tire,
Wilt lead by cloud, all the night through
By light of fire,
Till Thou has perfected in me
Thy heart’s desire.

For my beloved I will not fear,
Love knows to do
For him, for her, from year to year,
As hitherto.
Whom my heart cherishes are dear
To Thy heart too.

O blessèd be the love that bears
The burden now,
The love that frames our very prayers,
Well knowing how
To coin our gold.  O God the Lord,
Do Thou, Do Thou” (Amy Carmichael).

There are times when we simply don’t know how to pray for a circumstance or a loved one. Try as we may, the words will not come.

I think even then God hears the groans and sighs of our petitions and knows what they mean. He hears the deepest desires of our hearts and knows best how to grant them.

Even when we have words, they aren’t always the best ones. Sometimes, we ask without such a limited point of view. Sometimes we ask selfishly. Sometimes we have too small a view of God and ask too little.

In Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Father Tim Kavanaugh always has his go-to prayer, or “the prayer that never fails,” as he calls it. The prayer goes “Thy will be done.”

You can never go wrong with leaving the matter in God’s hands.

More of God’s Will

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“Whatever You may do, I will thank You.
I am ready for all; I accept all.
Let only Your will be done in me…
And I’ll ask for nothing else, my Lord.“

That’s another good prayer for when you have nothing else to bring to God. I know sometimes I don’t know what to ask for. I don’t know the best way to pray for other people. Sometimes, I can barely string together a sentence in prayer. But God knows.

I wish I knew who first prayed this. I’d like to give proper credit. But it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that the best prayer that honors the heart of God most is to pray to God for God’s will to be done without any kind of conditions or provisions.

Lord, may Your will be done. Period.

Not My Will

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“And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire—
See in my quiet places, wishes thronging—
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire” (Amy Carmichael).

I’m revisiting Shadow of the Almighty, the story of Jim Elliot. This time it’s the audiobook read by Elisabeth. My first impression is that sometimes I think Christianity in the early part of the 20th century seems quite a bit different than today’s version of it. For one thing, people talked a whole lot more about taking up crosses and laying doen lives for the sake of the gospel.

I wonder if all the prosperity and freedom of our present culture hasn’t made for a soft Church. You can go back and read that the Church grew the most when it was persecuted the most. A famous early Christian leader said that the blood of the martyrs watered the seed of the Church, and that’s why it grew the way it did.

But also, there’s something to be said for surrender. It’s one thing to pray “Thy will be done” glibly as part of the Lord’s prayer and not really mean it or think through what you’re praying. But as Elisabeth Elliot famously said, when you pray God’s will be done, you’re also praying that your own will be undone if necessary.

If you want to go beyond comfortable cultural Christianity, you’d do well to read the biographies of the faithful of old, especially missionaries like Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Darlene Deibler Rose. They did more than talk of sacrifice. They did it. They gave up everything that was comfortable and familiar and took the gospel into places it had not been before.

The scary part of praying God’s will is that you don’t know where God will lead you, but the best part is that God will go with you, whether it’s to the other end of the world or across the street. It’s the prayer that never ever fails.

Refined

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“One day we took the children to see a goldsmith refine gold after the ancient manner of the East. He was sitting beside his little charcoal fire. (‘He shall sit as a refiner’; the gold- or silversmith never leaves his crucible once it is on the fire.) In the red glow lay a common curved roof tile; another tile covered it like a lid. This was the crucible. In it was the medicine made of salt, tamarind fruit and burnt brick dust, and imbedded in it was the gold. The medicine does its appointed work on the gold, ‘then the fire eats it,’ and the goldsmith lifts the gold out with a pair of tongs, lets it cool, rubs it between his fingers, and if not satisfied puts it back again in fresh medicine. This time he blows the fire hotter than it was before, and each time he puts the gold into the crucible, the heat of the fire is increased; ‘it could not bear it so hot at first, but it can bear it now; what would have destroyed it then helps it now.’ ‘How do you know when the gold is purified?’ we asked him, and he answered, ‘When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible] then it is pure’ (Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord).

I love the idea that gold is considered pure when the refiner can see his reflection in it. The same goes for me. When my Maker can see His reflection in me, that’s when I know that I have been refined and made pure.

Lord, refine us so that we will faithfully reflect Your image wherever we go. No matter how long it takes or how hot it gets, keep us in the fire until we are purified from anything that hinders Your image in us. Amen.

God’s Will for You

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I think sometimes we overthink God’s will. We make it into some mystical kind of futuristic endeavor where we can never really be certain of what God wants from us. This passage from 1 Thessalonians spells it out in black and white.

  1. Be joyful.
  2. Pray continually.
  3. Give thanks whatever happens.

Not overly complicated, but not necessarily easy. It takes intentionality and discipline to have a constant mindset of prayer and thanksgiving. We naturally default to complaining and anxiety. Or at least I do.

But God’s will is the opposite. God isn’t trying to get us to follow rules for the sake of following rules. His way is the way that leads to joy. His way is the way that leads to real life and real prospering (as in the kind that can’t be measured in dollars and cents).

As always, I point out that God doesn’t say for us to give thanks for everything. We’re not masochists who are happy when our loved ones suffer and die or when crises strike. We give thanks in everything because God is able to work in everything and turn it from bad to good. Case in point: Joseph from the Old Testament.

So that’s it. I’m not saying that this passage is a list of what to follow that guarantees instant victory. But this is an attitude and a mindset to adopt that leads to us better perceiving and obeying the whole will of God in all matters. It’s always a good place to start.

No Danger of Forgetting

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That’s a timely reminder for us as we prepare to enter into the Lord’s Day tomorrow. May we remember we are deeply loved as we worship and adore the One who counts the stars and calls each and every one by name. May tomorrow be the day that the gospel goes forth and many come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. May tomorrow be the day that many will publicly declare their faith and symbolize it through baptism. Speak, Lord, for Your people are listening!

The Real Test

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“The test of sanctification is not our talk about holiness and singing pious hymns; but, what are we like where no one sees us? with those who know us best?” 9Oswald Chambers, Disciples Indeed)

It’s one thing to raise your hands in worship on Sunday, but it’s quite another to raise your hand when God calls you to a difficult assignment or to love an unlovable person. It’s one thing when you know all the Sunday School answers, but quite another when you have to show integrity when no one else is watching.

It’s one thing for you to be super spiritual in a church setting, but then quite another to treat well those who see you and know you best on a daily basis.

The one way to find out how pious and spiritual you really are is to see what you are like in the dark when no one else can see you. I imagine most of us probably aren’t as holy as we’d like others to think we are.

But in that case, remember this. You’ll never outsin the grace of God, and when God sees you, He doesn’t see your sin but your Savior’s perfect righteousness.

Sweaty Season

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I just saw the forecast for the next few days. The high for tomorrow is 96, followed by 97 on Saturday and 98 on Sunday. To quote the famous theologian Paris Hilton, “That’s hot.”

In Tennessee, we have more than four seasons. I believe this season is called the Front Porch of Hell where you step outside and immediately feel like you’ve stepped into an oven — or with the high humidity, into a sauna.

I’m not a huge fan of super hot weather, especially when it’s humid. My sweat glands go into overdrive, so I’m sure the people around me don’t appreciate summer as long as they can stil smell me.

But I keep reminding myself that all this steamy weather will help me to appreciate the cooler temperatures of fall. I will cherish those pumpkin spice beverages. I will once again be ready in my heart for spooky season.

At this point, I’ll take a day or two with low humidity and a good breeze. Just sayin’.

Singing in Every Season

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“I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11, The Message).

If you stop and think about it, you have way more reasons to sing from a heart of gratitude than to complain. Just like it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, it takes more effort to see the glass as half empty. Especially when you’re God’s child.

If you’ve truly been born again, how can you not help from singing? How can you not help but be thankful? How can you not see that the blessings far outweigh the bad, more so when you consider the future that awaits every saint.

Besides, there are so many commands and admonitions to sing and to praise all through out the Bible. Note that it does not say that you have to have an operatic voice to sing praises. You don’t even have to be able to carry a tune in a bucket. The Bible says to make a joyful noise, even if you sound like an orchestra of scorched cats and dogs.

Even if singing is absolutely not your thing, you can still express thanksgiving and gratitude toward God in any number of ways. I do think it helps to express your thanks out loud in some way, even if it’s only you in the room. But whatever you do, make sure you err on the side of joy rather than gloom.

God Never Hurries

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“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves” (A.W. Tozer).

It’s a good reminder that God is never in a hurry, even though we are. It seems like all the voice of anxiety ever says is, “Hurry! Hurry! It must be now or never!”

But that’s not the way God works, thankfully. I’ve learned that being in a hurry leaves everything either half done or poorly done. Almost no great works of art or deeds of history came from being in a hurry.

God is never in a hurry because God isn’t bound by time. He sees it all from beginning to end, from start to finish. He sees what we finite humans can’t, so maybe hurry comes from being short-sighted and short-minded.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to take a deep breath and trust God. Relax and pray. Stop for a moment and remember that He is God. Psalm 46:10 says to cease striving — stop trying to earn what God has already provided in His grace or to work for what God gives freely.

I’m not saying that no one should ever be busy, but there’s a difference, isn’t there? Busyness doesn’t have to mean hurried or flustered or out of control.

Lord, help us to be still and know that You are never in a hurry. Your timing is still perfect, and Your ways are still best. Help us learn to wait on Your will and not rush frantically after what only You can provide. Amen.

We Need to be Needy

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“The disciples are needy in every way. They are simply ‘poor’ (Luke 6:20). They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong. But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them. For his sake they have lost all that. When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich. Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

We need to be needy. I think American Christianity has made it to where the idea of a life of faith is one where you gradually become more and more self-sufficient, where God is great in theory but you get to where you can handle just about anything on your own.

Then I look at those ragtag disciples of Jesus. I remember how the religious leaders who tried to shut them up recognized two things right away about these men: 1) they were unlearned and ignorant about a lot of things, probably uncouth and uncivilized, and 2) they had been with Jesus.

That was what being a disciple meant back then. Your whole life revolved around your rabbi. You ate when he ate, slept when he slept, moved when he moved. You learned to quote the rabbi in all matters of conversation. You eventually got to where you spoke and acted just like your rabbi.

We’ve made discipleship into head knowledge where having a head full of Bible facts means that you’re mature. But then why are so many older believers still acting like spiritual infants and still ignorant when it comes to what they believe and how to live it out? Why do so many Christians not look very much like their Christ?

The key is obedience. We don’t need new information as much as we need to live what we’ve already learned and obey what we already know. We need to get back to being children when it comes to faith (as opposed to being childish) and be willing to look foolish and needy in the sight of others so they can see how much we rely on Jesus for everything.

Lord, help us to be wise and childlike, willing to appear ignorant in the eyes of the world but identified as those who have been around Jesus a whole lot. Amen.