Setting Goals

The time of year is fast approaching when about 45% of Americans suddenly find the resolve to lose weight (I give it two weeks max). To others, it is simply known as New Year's Day. While it never has been about losing weight, I too have made resolutions and found myself midway through January trying to recall what they were and why I thought they were a good idea in the first place. However, in the course of living 2010 I have had some very real success in achieving goals I set in the latter part of the year. I owe a lot of that success to a very close friend of mine, and he too has had success with his goals which I would like to think has something to do with our conversations. Recently, he submitted to me some new goals for 2011, and I was inspired to do likewise. At present, I have only a couple, but I still have three days to make more decisions. Here is what I have come up with:

I am going to read The Chronicles of Narnia. For the first time, ever. I know, I know, I know...how could I have lived this long and never read them? I'm not too sure, but that streak ends here. To add some balance to my reading list, I am going to read a book I have been wanting to read in between each Narnia book. For example, after The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, I am going to read In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson, and then read Prince Caspian. I'm excited.

Also, I received a very intriguing book for my birthday called Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. To be perfectly honest, my prayer life is atrocious. It is nearly an offense to even use the term "prayer life." One major goal for 2011 is to fix that, or, ask God to help me fix that. Common Prayer is a devotional as well as a collection of prayers an liturgy. I intend to read it daily and seek maturity in faith and as a believer through daily prayer and meditation.

Merry Christmas to everyone; I hope it was beautiful. Say farewell to 2010 responsibly and in style, and I'll see you on the other side.

Wisdom

During the sermon this morning, I read Proverbs 12. Understand that I heard most of the sermon on Genesis 17 (one of my favorite parts in the life of Abraham), but I did have some supplemental material that drew my interest. Why chapter twelve? Well, I had a teacher in high school who used to start off our class reading the chapter of Proverbs that corresponded to the day of the month. He suggested that as a great way to learn them and internalize the wisdom they contained, especially since the number of chapters nicely fit in with our monthly calendar system. So the urge to do just that welled up in me during the service.

As I read each couplet, I tried to take my time "chewing" on it and let it's wisdom flavor dance on the taste buds of my brain. Themes of wisdom, prudence, the righteous vs. the wicked, and language showed up the most. While I read about the just plans of the righteous juxtaposed with wicked advice (v. 5), or the righteous caring for the needs of their animals (v. 10), or fools being quick to show their displeasure at a comment (v. 16), something occurred to me for what I believe to be the very first time. I came to the realization that wisdom has less to do with the mind than one might expect. We are quick to associate wisdom with brain-knowledge, yet it is the heart where wisdom gets its depth. The author doesn't suggest that the wise are such because of their GPA or logical reasoning abilities. Instead, there is considerable evidence that wisdom is cultivated by a compassionate heart. I might go so far as to say that wisdom is the product of a healthy mature balance of head-knowledge and heart-knowledge. The verse that drove that point home for me was v. 18:

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords

but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

How could words bring healing? Only by the resonance of compassion and love within the heart, that makes its way to the throat, where it is packaged in perfect language that rolls off the tongue as Truth.

Being wise is not just discernment or critical thinking. Wisdom is not data and factoids. It is brokenness and healing. It is head and heart. It is the surrender of our own frail frameworks for the eternal sound strength of the Word.

Christmas for a Cause, pt. 2

The Christmas for a Cause event was a great success last night. There were a lot of great musicians and singers, as well as a couple of highly inspirational speakers. The one and only Trevor did a great job putting things together and showing off his fancy lights. Here are a couple pics:

My friend Brandon and his wife Leslie doing a beautiful version of "What Child is This?"

The awesomeness that is Trevor:

And me with the sweet Christmas decorations:

My previous post explained the background to the song and gave you the lyrics, and so now you can hear it since it has already had its world premiere. But last night wasn't just about singing and being with friends. Christmas for a Cause is really a great organization and because of everyone who came last night, they are helping to make sure that kids in Watauga county have food to eat. I hope this song helps you remember what Christmas is all about, and that you could consider how you could serve or give to your communities to help someone's Christmas be as joyful as yours.

Special thanks to M. Rhoades for pointing me towards SoundCloud. You rock.

Emmanuel by Michael Kuehn

Christmas for a Cause

Tonight is going to be awesome. Of course, every time I go up to Boone it is an absolutely amazing time, but I have an extra good feeling about tonight. I'll be sharing the stage with some super talented people in an effort to raise money for Christmas for a Cause, a wonderful organization that has helped thousands and thousands of people. So tonight we will gather and sing Christmas songs, have coffee and hot chocolate, and share the joy of the season as a community. As part of this, I was asked to write an original Christmas song. While at first everything I wrote came out cheesy, the writing process ultimately took me on a journey to discover what about Christmas really captures my heart and soul. Here is a little background on the song's inspiration and the lyrics.

At the bookstore where I work, we have little circular signs that sit atop the typical genre signs (the ones that tell you "Fiction" or "Psychology"). On the circles there is a snowflake design and a single word that is intended to make you think of Christmas. The words are things such as "Joy" and "Inspire" and "Give." While at work one day, it occurred to me that for a large percentage of the population, those words are nothing more than abstract ideas. They are linked to an emotional response, and somehow that is synonymous with the Spirit of Christmas. But those words mean so much more. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our King; the Incarnation. God is love. God is joy. God is inspiration. God is peace. God is giving. The list goes on and on. With the birth of Jesus, God incarnate, these abstract ideas became incarnate as well. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of all the sentiments we hear this time of year. When that concept clicked with me, I knew that was what my song had to be about. The verses deal with the struggle we have as modern Americans to keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas despite all the hoopla and media. The chorus reflects the reality of the Incarnation, both God and His attributes. Then there is a single line repeated several times that reminds us of one of my favorite names for God: Emmanuel, meaning "God is with us." The child, our Savior, has come to dwell with us, to "tabernacle" with us. Let us rejoice. Here are the lyrics for my first ever attempt at a Christmas song, "Emmanuel."

The sights and the sounds

The lights and the crowds

It must be Christmas again

All this good cheer

Talk of a new year

What is this Christmas again?

It's more than just gifts, it's the gift of a King

The Savior was born and changed everything

Joy has a face now

And mercy a name

There's love in His lungs

And grace in His veins

Lift up your voices on this Christmas morn

For unto us a child is born

It's easy to let

Yourself just forget

Why this is Christmas at all

The Lord has come

In the flesh, as a Son

From the throne to a cattle stall

It's more than good cheer, it's all of our praise

Our Redeemer has come to love, to free, to save

Joy has a face now

And mercy a name

There's love in His lungs

And grace in His veins

Lift up your voices on this Christmas morn

For unto us a child is born

Emmanuel, God with us

Emmanuel, God with us

Joy has a face now

And mercy a name

There's love in His lungs

And grace in His veins

Lift up your voices on this Christmas morn

For unto us a child is born

Creative Constipation

Ever feel like you have a lot of great ideas, but are fearful that they will never come to fruition? Sometimes I wish there was a company that specialized in idea refining. All they would need is a building, some smart people, and a few white boards. Then a person could walk in, spill their guts about a certain idea they've had floating around in their heads, then the specialist would tell them how good their idea is. If it stunk, they would say, "Sorry bud, probably not worth the time and effort, come back next week with something better." Or if it was brilliant: "Wow. That has a lot of great potential. Let's draw up some preliminary steps we can take to get the ball rolling. First, let's define......" That would help out a lot, because everything sounds like the next best thing when it's in my head. I think of it, I develop it, I judge it, I anticipate stellar responses, I then become ridiculously famous. But as soon as the idea slips past my lips and someone else hears it, that's a whole different ball game. The good news however, is that peer review and collaboration leads to much better ideas. There are a lot of great projects out there ready to be launched. Still, even if I found out my idea was great and would be successful, there's no guarantee that I would have the discipline, energy, or smarts to follow through. Sigh.

Reclaiming the Diversity of Spiritual Practice

Recently, there was an article posted by Dr. Albert Mohler on his blog that discussed Christian participation in the practice of yoga. He cites Stefanie Syman's book The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America as being a "masterpiece of cultural history," and uses it as support for his comments on the issue. Mohler seems primarily concerned with educating Christians on the origins of yoga, which he then states is completely incompatible with Christianity. His stance on the issue is made most clear in this quote: "When Christians practice yoga, they must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga." Mohler fears syncretism and warns against a "'post-Christian, spiritually polyglot' reality."

Not long after its original posting, the Associate Press picked up on the post, and wrote an article that found its way onto the Yahoo news feed, as well as the front page of Greensboro's own News & Record. That article shed a little more light on Mohler's thoughts by highlighting a criticism and Mohler's response: "Mohler said many people have written him to say they're simple doing exercises and forgoing yoga's eastern mysticism and meditation. 'My response to that would be simple and straightforward: You're just no doing yoga,' Mohler said." In addition, Mohler himself wrote a second blog responding to the major publicity.

Let's pause there a second. My first objection at the time I first read the AP article, was what is the issue? At first it seemed to be any and all things yoga and Christians associating with it, but then the last bit about exercise made it seem like it was okay if people didn't fully participate in yoga. So are they just to call it something else? Is this all just an exercise in categorical titles? The tone in his blog posts told me otherwise. The posts are accusational, presumptuous, and condescending. While I originally intended to write this entire post rebutting his points, I find that John Mark Reynolds does a superb job in his article, found here. (Thanks to Randy for sending me that link.) Instead, I wish to highlight something that is lurking beneath the surface.

Our world today favors energetic, outgoing, technologically savvy people. In a globalized economy, business happens fast and it is constant, and so businessmen and businesswomen must be swift and consistently attentive to their jobs. Those who lag behind are beat out by their competitors. The church favors the same sorts of people. It likes the people who engage in small groups, youth groups, Sunday school, mercy ministry, children's ministry, picnics, Bible study, church meetings, etc., etc., etc. There is a major problem with this, and I would argue especially in the conservative Christian community. Believers are encouraged to go to church and the programs it offers, read the Bible, pray, and keep a journal. At least those are the four things I was told to do for my spiritual life, and I have a hunch that many of you have had similar experiences. Other practices (i.e., meditation, walking labyrinths, creation care activities, yoga, chanting, etc.) are often associated with liberal Christianity. Let's face it, liberal Christianity has adopted buzzwords like "progressive," "ecumenical," and "forward-thinking," and the rest of the world agrees. Why? I believe it is because the people are allowed to be themselves and to explore a spiritually diverse world.

In the October 2010 issue of Psychology Today, Dr. Laurie Helgoe reports that 50% of Americans are introverts. 50%!!! Why doesn't our culture reflect that statistic? Why doesn't our church culture reflect that statistic? Instead, we are asked to go out, get plugged in, get connected, meet more people, do more things, do do do, go go go. The truth is, there is so much more in a spiritual life than that. Jesus Himself is recorded as having withdrawn from the masses on plenty of occasions. There is a real need for solitude, silence, meditation, reflection. Why wasn't my good friend who loves to just ponder told about the guided meditations that are out there? Why wasn't he told about the desert fathers and mothers of the Christian faith? Why wasn't my girlfriend who loves animals and nature told about St. Francis of Assisi and his sermons to the birds? Why wasn't she encouraged to see that as connecting with God and the living Word of Creation? Why wasn't I told about the musical traditions of our rich Christian history? Why were we asked to join a 300 member strong youth group instead? Right now, the far left of Christianity are welcoming these things with open arms, and perhaps too loosely, leaning towards syncretism. But on the other side, people like Dr. Albert Mohler are publicly criticizing a large Christian demographic and drawing lines in the sand. Who feels loved by that? His comment of, "These people get bent out of shape fast" (emphasis mine) really caught my attention. These people? That is instant "us and them" talk. In the AP article: "I'm really surprised by the depth of the commitment to yoga found on the part of many who identify as Christians." Who identify as Christians?!?! I can think of an infinite number of BETTER ways to approach this issue.

But this is only one example of who conservative Christian churches, leaders, and other communities are failing believers all across America and even the world. We have got to reclaim this rich myriad of spiritual practice. It can be done Biblically, theologically, and for the spreading of the Gospel. We have to be willing to engage culture in a way that is accepting, open, and loving without compromising the integrity of Scripture and doctrine. There are millions of people searching, yearning for a personal spiritual life, and the sad part is that many are already in church every Sunday. We cannot force people into spiritual activity that blatantly conflicts with their personality. God desires to know us, not as a human race, but as individuals. Mohler is right on one thing: spiritual practice should never become the end in itself, we should always be focused on Jesus. But I believe there is a lot of freedom in how that relationship develops and is sustained.

This is my stand. I will not allow comments like this to permeate the airwaves, printing press, and cyberspace and alienate millions of believers. Please join with me in reclaiming the lost spiritual practices that can help bring the other half of America into deeper relationship with Christ. Help me reach those who dread being called on in a Bible study. Help me reach those who aren't fueled by social gatherings. There is a place for every single type of person in the Kingdom, so let's stop closing doors and start opening conversation. I don't know exactly how it will look, but it's starting now. Who better than me and you? What better time than now?

Thank you Al Mohler for the inspiration you have given me. I know this probably isn't what you intended, but the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Make friends. Make music.

We all know that daily schedules are filled to the brim and then some. But occasionally, there are a few spare moments the find their way into our hectic routines. In those moments, I get ecstatic and then almost instantly frustrated because I realize at that moment that I have the opportunity to do any of the things I have been telling myself I wanted to get to all week, and ultimately end up feeling too tired to do them. It's a moment of "Yes! I can finally take a moment and ____." Followed by, "All I really want to do is sleep," or even worse, "There's too many things I want to do to choose from, so I won't do any." Perhaps I should keep a Top Ten list handy. That way I can go right to number one even when I am in an exhausted stupor and too tired to think straight.

Atop that list would probably be this new idea for a band that I have. It's been brewing for quite some time, and I have put the idea out there to only a few people, so I wanted to give a quick overview to those out there in cyberspace. So here goes...

In my music library (which I am proud to say is quite diverse and over 500 strong), I have found that there are only a few artists who produce beautiful, captivating music, while utilizing advanced music theory. A lot of artists are either four chords but catchy, or complex and so far into left field it can give you a headache. But there are some who live comfortably in the middle of the venn diagram and provide us music nerds with something intricate and theoretically rich, while taking your mind, heart, and soul on melodic journeys that get you humming and tapping your feet. My idea for a band is centered around being that type of group. I want to explore time signatures, harmonies, modes, keys, etc., and weave it into a popular, accessible sound. The lyrics would have to be poetic and have redemptive eternal qualities in order to make it a well-rounded engaging experience. I would also like it to be very flexible in terms of how it could be heard. It would have to be large enough to manage complex harmonies and such, but small enough to be a local band side project. I was thinking mainly an acoustic sound, maybe one electric guitar and electric bass. The big thing would be that instead of a drum kit, it would have a multi-person percussion section. By using hand drums, chimes, tambourines, hand claps, and pretty much any other rhythm oriented thing, it would be a completely different sound than what we're used to in pop music, and would also be easy to build up and scale down depending on the venue. The only other part I have considered is that I want it to be very real and honest. Not a lot of effects, electronics, samples, or anything...just people, music, and rhythm. I want it to have a very "earthy" or "raw feel to it. The solo CDs I have put out reflect that concept as well. I already have some songs written, just need some friends now.

At any rate, that's what has been going on inside my brain these last few weeks. I'm compiling a list of influences in the meantime. Perhaps one day...until then...happy listening. And do yourself a favor, go buy The Fire Theft and let it wash over you like a gentle tide on a warm spring evening. Goodnight.

Where Fishes Go

Like most bands, Live has received their fair share of acclaim and criticism. But part of conversation surrounding their music has to do with their use of Christian themes. While I won't give you a full report on their theology or even my opinions, I will encourage you to take a quick glance at the lyrics below to their song "Where Fishes Go" off the album The Distance to Here.

"He opened up my mouth, looked down my throat

Told me I was thirsty

He said, I been, I been, I been

Been in this water all my life

Never took the time to breathe...

Watcha doin' in this darkness baby,

When you know that love will set you free?

Will you stay in the sea forever,

Drownin' there for all eternity?

Watcha doin' in this darkness baby,

Livin' down where the sun don't shine?

Come on out into the light of love

Don't spend another day livin' in the sea"

Recently, God looked down my throat and told me I was thirsty. Anyone else been living in "the sea" for too long?

...and takes away.

The sky seemed to start falling down this week. There were a couple rough days of work, I got pretty sick, had to bail on the Praise Festival this weekend, and worst of all we had to say goodbye to one of our dogs on Thursday.

Echo was one of the sweetest, gentlest, and loving dogs I have ever known. Her warmth will be dearly missed while sitting on the couch, and her mad dashes for the refrigerator for "water biscuits" will always be loud and clear in our hearts. We love you, princess.

While it has been a very taxing week both emotionally and physically, it has also been a time to reset and evaluate. More thoughts on that to come.

He gives and takes away, He gives and takes away.

A Triumphant Return

It seems that I have left this blog unattended for way, way too long. Things have been a little crazy lately (quick pause for a collective "you're telling me"), and so I have been lazy getting to writing. But with the change in seasons approaching - leaves about to change colors, the cooling of the air - I am going to try and make a change as well. I won't make any promises, but I will do my best to be on here with at least a weekly post and a post of lyrics/poetry. But this isn't just about me.

For quite some time I have had a desire and an increasingly clearer vision of how to take writing, music, art, and conversation and integrate them into a fluid friendship. When I play a concert, or sell a CD, my hope is that people will be inspired to think and share those thoughts. And hopefully that in turn would bring them to a friend, writing a blog, poetry, music, art, etc. I would love to be part of those conversations, but the most important thing is simply that they happen. If all we do as Christians, and especially as creative Christians, is go to a concert, art gallery, or poetry reading and see that as the end, then there is something wrong. That should be a jumping off point, a diving board that we thrust ourselves off of into the giant refreshing waters of conversation, creativity, and discipleship. We are called to share burdens, to pray for one another, to break bread together. My prayer is that if I put energy into making CD's, writing blogs, playing concerts, and writing poetry and books (in the fairly distant future...) that someone will connect with one, and then be opened up to all the others. Not only that, but feel the freedom and eager invitation to join in the fun. So please, share poetry in a post, share your own blogs, plug your own music and concerts, direct us to your photography pages, and any and everything else, because your expression is important, and we need to hear it.

I also wanted to be sure and thank all of the wonderful people who were at the "Star in His Crown 2010 Talent Search" in Boone, NC last weekend. It was truly an honor to share the stage with so many talented musicians. I got the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and I sincerely hope to see all of you again. Check out the music of Relentless Flood, Forever Yours, Marshall Daniels, and Dreaming in Color as soon as you get the chance (sorry I don't have links for all of them). I have the privilege of sharing the prize of playing at the 2011 High Country Praise Festival with Marshall Daniels and his awesome band.

I will be on again later in the week to update you about what's going on this weekend, but for now just check out the information to the right of your screen about the updated shows list. I will also be updating my MySpace page with new music for your listening pleasure. I hope this finds you well.

Peace.

Thirst

The Hands that made the Earth

Can surely break this heart

The Blood that fills this cup

Can make me thirst again