There are certain songs that settle in your heart and stay there for a while, convicting and encouraging you. Jimmy Needham’s song “Clear the Stage” is one of them.
The chorus holds the premise–worship is more than singing. It’s a lifestyle, and it requires complete devotion:
You can sing all you want to
And still get it wrong;
worship is more than a song
The second verse comes along and draws me in even more:
Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open
Then read the Word and put to test the things you’ve heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken
Then comes the bridge of the song when Needham sings about a subject I don’t hear often in Christian music:
Any thing I put before my God is an idol
Any thing I want with all my heart is an idol
Any thing I can’t stop thinking of is an idol
Any thing that I give all my love is an idol
We might mock the idolatry of ancient days–how men carved the images they worshiped. But idols aren’t just tangible things. Most of the time they’re not so blatant.
An idol can be anything. Even a good thing that we cherish too much.
We must not worship something that’s not even worth it
Clear the stage, make some space for the One who deserves it
Hard words, Jimmy. But I need them. We all do.
What’s a worship song that’s spoken to you lately?
I’ve started another rough draft of my novel (the third one, to be exact). For the past two months I haven’t had the discipline and initiative to work on it consistently. I’ve only written about 10,000 words on this new draft, but I could have written so much more by now. There’s always something else to get done. I’m a high school senior, and as much as I want to write this book, school is still more important (at least that’s what I keep telling myself).
But blaming my busy schedule is a sorry excuse. In the seventeen years that I’ve spent on this earth, I’ve learned that if I want to have time for something, I usually find time for it. Most of my excuses are just excuses for laziness. And as a writer, laziness is my archenemy. It produces nothing. It benefits no one. It kills art.
So I pray a quick prayer before I sit down reluctantly to type out another chapter in the book. I pray for inspiration and help, because most of the time it just isn’t there. Even though I wholeheartedly want to write this book, most of the time I don’t feel like putting in the effort that it requires.
Which leads me to a big question:
Why am I writing this novel?
If I’m writing this novel because I feel like it, then I better stop right now. This book isn’t about me feeling fulfilled or accomplished. It’s not about seeing my name on the front cover (even though that will be amazing). It’s not about me; and sometimes that’s a hard thing for us writers to grasp. I’m writing for a higher cause–something beyond myself. There’s a voice in my head that tells me to keep writing. It tells me that this story has purpose, that it’s important somehow, and that it would be wrong for me to abandon the narrative.
That voice is hope.
Hope is my motivation, even when completing the novel seems almost impossible. Hope assures me that all these countless hours and crazy ideas and thousands of words will someday blossom into a novel, and that novel will in turn blossom the hearts of readers.
It’s this hope that propels us all into the future. We don’t all write novels, but we all face challenges. We all have to fight against laziness. We all have to push through the resistance in our heads telling us to quit.
We all need hope.
That hope comes from above, from our loving Father who gives us the courage to do great things. All we have to do is accept it, allow it to fill our hearts and minds, and let it guide us through the struggles. It’s not always easy. But it is simple.
It’s been a full year since I attended Summit, but it still comes to mind so often. It’s influenced my life more than I think I’ll ever know. This past year I probably wouldn’t have applied myself to studying as much as I did. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the friendships I made with fellow students and my inspiring group leader (who blogs over here). And I most definitely would not be as confident in my faith.
I believe that Summit has changed the course of my life. It’s hard to talk about something so dynamic, but the other day I tried to capture a bit of the Summit experience in this short bit of prose:
Summit
We go to bed early. We get up too soon. We crowd into breakout sessions and sit through two weeks of lectures. Why? Because we are young. Because we are searching. Because we want answers.
We fill our workbooks with notes and doodles. We form friendships. We pray together. Why? Because we love God. Because we love people. Because we love ideas.
We want to reach life’s summit. We want to face the tough questions. We want to change the world. Why? Because we’ve found a glimpse of truth. Because we’ve caught a spark of hope.
Summit isn’t a memory to us. It’s a monument. We will never forget it.
I know there are many that share my sentiments for Summit. The sheer joy of knowing that each summer hundreds of young people attend these conferences makes me feel hope for the future.
I’m a girl that loves variety, especially when it comes to music. If you scroll through my iPod you’ll find many different genres.
Folk. Christian. Pop. Alternative. Indie rock. Even a little worshipful rap music.
I like music that’s different (like this perfectly unusual love song).
I like artists that are different. Artists that share their music freely. Artists that sing truth. To me, good music means authentic sound and creative lyrics that are also clean and inspiring (i.e. Josh Garrels).
I’m going to refrain myself from acclaiming Josh Garrels’ music once again, and this time share another band with impressive artistry and message.
This sweet husband and wife duo don’t just sing love songs. They also sing about cultural problems, such as poverty and slavery, calling others to let go of their “neatly arranged lives” and reach out to a broken world that needs healing. They sing about mortality and faith. They sing about commitment and self-sacrifice. Their message isn’t an easy message, but it’s a message that needs to be sung.
We need good music–music that challenges us to be better people–that disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed.
We need artists like Jenny & Tyler.
We need different.
P.S. Jenny & Tyler stream all their music free on Bandcamp. They also have a free album for download on NoiseTrade (Check it out. It’s awesome).
This past weekend I was able to attend Revive 2014. It was an inspiring conference. The teachers, the fellowship, and the praise and worship–it was all fantastic.
I was able to spend time with friends I hadn’t seen in over a year, and to meet some new friends too.
Here’s a photo to testify:
I learned many things during that very long and yet far too short weekend. One thing in particular that I was reminded of during the conference is the importance of good friends.
Good friends aren’t just an optional part of our lives. They’re important.
We need good friends.
Good friends aren’t just the people we have fun with–cracking jokes, making memories, and being silly together. As wonderful as that aspect of friendship is, good friends reach far beyond the fun stuff.
Good friends don’t just see our happy profile pictures or read our latest posts.They don’t just dance with us in the sunshine. They stand with us in the storm too. It’s when the thunder rolls and the lighting strikes that they encourage us the most.
Good friends see the tears run down our cheeks. They see the bad hair days. They hug us when we need a hug, and listen to us even when we don’t make sense.
Good friends are the family that we get to choose. (I didn’t coin that quote, by the way.)
Thanks, Revive, for reminding me that we need friends. Good friends. Friends that can encourage us, and somehow we encourage them too.
****
If you’d like a peek at what Revive looks like, check out this year’s promo video. The footage is from the conference I attended two years ago in Jacksonville, FL. (Funny side note: I’m in the video near the end, but you can’t see my face.)
I’m not quitting, but I am planning on slowing down the pace a bit. As much as I want to be thankful, the 29 reasons a day rule gets a bit overwhelming at times. Take, for instance, when it’s past my “bedtime” (whenever that’s supposed to be), and I’ve yet to write down 29 things that I’m thankful for. That’s always rough.
But I’m still planning on writing down as many wonderful things each day as I can. It’s been a great adventure so far. I definitely don’t want to give up now.
As I shared in a previous post, I enjoy flipping through the journal already. It’s like a diary–a synopsis of the many random, amazing, and hilarious things of each day. I imagine it will get more comical to read (and probably embarrassing) as the years go by. (I didn’t really write that down, did I? *gasp*)
Actually, it’s not that embarrassing for me to read. But like any honest diary, it’s when others peer into it that our cheeks get rosy.
Yep. It’s for my eyes only, that is, unless I choose to share some of my thankfulness with others (which is always a good thing to do!).
So here’s a more recent peek into my half-completed thankfulness journal:
(Note: the brief commentary after each entry isn’t from my journal)
#4,300–Being in Jerusalem–I know…I’m spoiled rotten. It was truly a blessing to visit Israel once again. It is always a life-changing experience. I don’t know how anyone could visit that country and not be affected by it in some way. I haven’t written much about the trip, but perhaps I’ll share more in the future.
#4,721–American Ninja Warrior–We love watching this show as a family. The whole neighborhood has probably figured that out by now, since it gets pretty loud with the seven of us cheering.
#4,825–Josh Groban–This guy’s talent is amazing. I love how he combines classical and contemporary musical styles. Favorite song: Brave. It totally gets stuck in my head like crazy. Good thing I love it.
#4,876–Attacking Punching Bags–After a year and a half of Krav Maga, I finally discovered how fantastic it is to go ballistic on a punching bag. For the first time ever, I wished that the instructor hadn’t called, “Stop.” I was wailing my arms, fists, legs, knees–pretty much everything–at the lousy bag. It was invigorating. Note: I wasn’t even in a bad mood, so go figure!
And to break the halfway mark…
#5,024–The Rainbow Over Jacksonville–There are definitely benefits to rainy days. As we drove through town this past Monday, Dad and I saw a beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky. Dad said it was the coolest one he’d ever seen.
Now it’s your turn. What’s something you’re thankful for today?
The day was June 7. It was the Sabbath, and a group of believers from all over the world had gathered at one of the main parks in Jerusalem. Kids ran across the grass and played in the bubbling creek under the trees while the adults sat on blankets in the sun and discussed Scriptures and current events. My dad shared a teaching on the book of Ruth, and then one of the ladies suggested we read Psalm 96.
“I read it last night,” she explained, “It’s such a lovely psalm.”
I tried to remember it, but nothing came to mind.
One of the men began to read it:
(Note: יהוה is the name of God, commonly pronounced as Yahweh)
Sing to יהוה a new song, Sing to יהוה, all the earth! Sing to יהוה, bless His Name, Proclaim His deliverance from day to day. Declare His esteem among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
It began like so many other psalms, but from the beginning I was captivated by it.
For great is יהוה and greatly to be praised, He is to be feared above all mighty ones. For all the mighty ones of the peoples are matters of naught, But יהוה made the heavens. Excellency and splendour are before Him, Strength and comeliness are in His set-apart place.
Perhaps it was within Jerusalem that the psalmist first sang these words. Perhaps that’s what caused them to come alive to me.
Ascribe to יהוה, O clans of the peoples, Ascribe to יהוה esteem and strength. Ascribe to יהוה the esteem of His Name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Bow yourselves to יהוה,
In the splendour of set-apartness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among nations, “יהוה shall reign. The world also is established, immovable. He judges the peoples in straightness.”
I had memorized those verses years ago.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Let all the trees of the forest then shout for joy, At the presence of יהוה.
Creation itself was singing. I must join the chorus.
For He shall come, For He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.
The chapter stunned me. It’s a cliche, but at that moment I felt that the psalm had been written just for me. I had found my life motto. Psalm 96–it was the same number as the year I was born.
The psalm called me to sing for joy. It called me to ascribe the greatness of God. It called me to remember that justice conquers and truth still reigns.
I felt a tugging at my soul to be the singer that God called me to be. He had never explicitly told me “be a singer,” but he had been leading my heart in that direction for many years.
He was calling me to get over my stage fright, and sing praises in the company of others, not just myself.
But singing praises doesn’t just mean singing songs. It means living praises.
How we live is how we sing. Our lives are our greatest songs.
So let us embrace Psalm 96:
Sing to יהוה a new song,
Sing to יהוה, all the earth!
Sing to יהוה, bless His Name,
Proclaim His deliverance from day to day.
***
P.S. Thank you Elisefor prompting me to share this story.
But I was being prejudiced. Francesca’s style might not be what I prefer, but I know that many people love her music. And even if she is mainstream, a lot of her songs have a good message. So, I’m not bashing her entirely. In fact, my appreciation of her music went up a notch after hearing her song “Write Your Story” while shopping at the mall.
I didn’t recognize it as one of Francesca’s songs at the time, but I could tell that it was a love song written to God. (You just don’t call someone “maker of the stars,” no matter how great they are.)
The chorus caught my ear:
I’m an empty page I’m an open book Write Your story on my heart Come on and make Your mark
Author of my hope Maker of the stars Let me be Your work of art Won’t You write Your story on my heart
As someone who loves to write, the song resonated with me.
The empty page–that is what we are in God’s hands. He washes us of our sins and makes us pure. We are nothing without him.
The open book–that is our lives. We are stories. But we shouldn’t strive to write our stories on our own. We need God to write our stories. We need him to direct our lives.
The work of art–that is what we are in God’s eyes. We are crafted in his image. We are shaped by his hands. A work of art isn’t perfect, but it’s always being perfected.
What greater calling is there than to be God’s work of art? To offer ourselves as empty pages, and let the Author of Hope write His story on our hearts.
