Start Date + Films

This is a trailer for a film that opens in UK cinemas tonight - I heard about it on Monday night at the Artisan London network prayer meeting. The producer and some of the production team are part of this network and it was really awesome to come together to pray about the work that they have done and pray for the films success. They did of course emphasise that this is for God's glory and not for their own - they are such a humble team just eager to use their gifts as acts of worship to God. 

Sweet!

Quotation time

LB - "The thing with Catherine Evans is that sometimes she puts words into sentences that just shouldn't be said together. But its ok because she's Catherine Evans."

Start date +Spinning

Sometimes in the office we do important work. Other times we don't.

'The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt.' Bono

Start Date + 37 days - Music...

God has really been speaking to me through secular music at the moment: Both challenging what I listen to and also the division I put between the spiritual and secular. So often I'll listen to Christian artists and leave myself more open to God yet in doing this I'm confining God to a box. I rarely put my thoughts into words outside of my journal but these are some ideas on a song I've been playing a lot recently. I've tried to get it as coherent as possible but I'm not entirely there yet...

Dashboard Confessional - Get me Right

I made my slow way home
Limping on broken bones
Out of the thickest pine
Across the county lines
On to your wooden stairs
I know you can repair
I know you've seen the light
I know you'll get me right

Right
Right
Right

I own a sinners heart
I know the rain falls hard
I know the currency
I know the things you'll need
I hope he hears my prayers
I see you cut your hair
I know the saving type
I know you'll get me right

Right
Right
Right

But, Jesus I've fallen
I don't mind the rain if
I meet my maker
I'll meet my maker clean

But, Jesus the truth is
I've struggled so hard to believe
I'll meet my maker
I'll need my maker

To cure of my doubting blood
And drain me of the sins I love
And take from me my disbelief
I know it should come easily
But it remains inside of me
It battles and devours me
It cuddles up the side of me
And whispers it convinces me I'm

Right

This song is a pretty challenging vocalisation of the mental, and sometimes physical struggle between sin and grace. The lyricist, Chris Carrabba is not overtly Christian but clearly has an understanding of grace and faith.

He puts into words better than I could, an honest confession of the hopelessness at attempting to achieve salvation alone. 

In his opening verse I'd suggest that Carrabba is referring to the cross of Jesus in his lyrics:

"your wooden stairs". 

He knows that only Jesus can repair him, and as the stairway to heaven His cross bridges the chasm between us and God.

“You shall see greater things than that, I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:51 (referring to Jacob's Ladder in Genesis 28:12-17, that as the Son of Man, Jesus is the ladder between heaven and earth, an opening of communication and communion with God)

Carrabba also knows that this relationship doesn't come cheap. His lyrics recognise 'the currency', the price paid for this, as the life and blood of Christ and that these are the only things that will allow him "To meet his Maker clean"  

The passion of his words and the drive of the music has echos of Paul's struggle in his letter to the Romans:

 Romans 7 'I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²²For in my inner being I delight in God's law; ²³but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

And don't we all struggle with this? Grace is so MASSIVE, it is overwhelming and we just don't deserve it. But the truth is Grace is a gift given for free, it is up to us to receive it.

 

Over the summer I was a small group leader at a Christian camp and we were studying Romans 8;reflecting on how we relate to Paul's struggle with sin and grace. For a number of the girls in the group they found God's grace too big to handle and almost too big to accept, condemning themselves despite God granting them freedom. After the session I sought advice from my Pastor on how to handle their questions and his answer surprised me. He said that it didn't matter if they 'felt' saved, or if they 'felt' good enough for grace. The fact is none of us are good enough, 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23). But that doesn't stop it also being a fact that we ARE saved. Grace DOES cover us and saying that it doesn't says that Jesus death isn't enough for us. 

Would we really ask Jesus to do more than die for our sins?

Dashboard Confessional - Get Me Right Lyrics @ LyricsTime.com

Start Date + Intercession

Part of life here on the base is Monday morning Intercession. All the staff and students come together for one hour of specific prayer for a country, ministry or topic. This morning's session was led by the School of Documentary Film Making and began with a section from a film they had made to raise awareness of infanticide among indigenous tribes in Brazil. 

Enjoy might not be the right word, but I am passionate about intercession.

Ezekiel 22:30 talks of God's desire for reconciliation in the earth and how '[He] looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before [Him] in the gap on behalf of the land' 

Sometimes, particularly first thing on a Monday morning, I might not feel passion for praying for people or a country I don't know but i need to remind myself that GOD is passionate about his people. He knows those he created and desires to move amongst the, bringing justice and mercy. 

Below is the film shown this morning. Some of its content is quite harrowing and I challenge myself to not be apathetic or hard-hearted to it. This morning I joked that I wish I prayed like an African, loud and with real emotion, the Lord clearly hear because tears promptly came to my eyes, confronting my British reserve and self-protection.

Reassuringly though I know that when God will breaks my heart for what breaks His, His power also heals it.

'Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees' – Lamentations 3:48-50

QUEBRANDO O SILÊNCIO from André on Vimeo.

Start Date + Music

These are some Christian guys who form a Glasgow-based band. Sigur Ros or Explosions In the Sky-esque music treated as worship. Pretty awesome music that I like a lot!