I am teaching "A Heart that Hopes in God" in the spring, and looking forward to it. The lessons will be focused on the Psalms, but there is so much more in Scripture that helps us remember to keep our hope in God, and we will be looking at some of those too. I was reading some thoughts from Henry Nowen today on the spiritual discipline of quietness before God and he said:

"In solitude we come to know the Spirit who has already been given to us. the pains and struggles we enc outer in our solitude thus become the way to hope, because our hope is not based on something that will happen after our sufferings are over, but on the real presence of God's healing Spirit in the midst of these sufferings."

What wisdom and comfort!

Lord, help me to always hope in you, no matter what things look like around me.

Radical or Comfortable.......

I recently read a book by Brian "Head" Welsh, the former lead guitarist for Korn. I didn't really know of Korn, but wanted to hear how God had drawn this man to Himself. I do love to here God's creative means of doing this.

At 13, Brian was a "rocker" and an insecure young man, not popular and quite lost. A boy in his school befriended him and they hung out together. He liked this guy and his family and it didn't bother him that they talked so much about Christ. The kids mom laid out salvation to him one day and he couldn't get it out of his mind. That night he tried doing his normal stuff, but God was dealing with him. He prayed to Christ, but told no one and went on with his life.

He became the successful rock star he had always wanted to be, and was empty and miserable. The first part of the book shows the depravity of his life and lifestyle, I scanned that part and saw a miserable young man who wanted more and had a sensitive heart. I'm sure no one that listened to his music would be aware of that.
God kept bringing Christians into his life and he was seeking, but resisting, until the day he heard his precious, innocent, 5 year old daughter sing-songing the vulgar words to one of his songs. He new then that he couldn't continue to raise her in that lifestyle.

He began seeking in earnest and finally surrendered to Christ. He pretty quickly quit Korn, even though he had been encouraged by a Christian mentor to maybe stay with them and try to get them to sing more positive songs. I found this interesting, and a bit typical. It sounds good, but it is a compromise. We Western Christians seem good at compromising. He wanted to do something radical that he felt God was leading him to do and was encouraged to consider less.

I wonder if that is why we do not see much of God's power in our churches in the West. Are we compromising or are we willing to be radical? We are quite comfortable here and I've seen many Believer's make choices based on what will allow them to maintain their comfortable lifestyle, not what God might want. I've heard Believers criticise others for choosing to do something that seems foolish and unwise. And I've seen the criticisers continue on in their comfortable faith, while the radical foolish ones go on to see God do some radical amazing things.We don't see much of that in the church today, maybe that's because we are just to comfortable.

Getting back to Mr. Welsh. He now speaks in tongues, he has friends who tell him things that are ahead for him, and they come true, God has used dreams to speak to him. He also reads and studies scripture and it was scripture, Phil 4:13, that gave him the final victory over drugs. He has wrestled through discouragement and Believing God when he doesn't "feel" His presence. He has been willing to give up all for God and and I am thankful for that. He is young in the faith and has much growth ahead of him, but I pray that in his growth he never grows out of his willingness to radically follow Christ.

Am I too comfortable? What will I be willing to give up? Lord, I want to be radically committed to You, not comfortably committed to You.