How to not fall off

It has been a while since I heard the term used... but to “fall off” usually means to lose creative energy in your work, to lose your swagger, to lose the “intangible” quality in your work/art/music etc. It's usually accompanied by a loss of passion. Maybe that rapper that “fell off” is really just going through the motions, maintaining the status quo, happy with a big pay cheque at the end of the day. The band that “fell off” has no drive to create anything ground-breaking. Their last album sounds almost exactly like their last five.

As creative people, we should never lose that creative edge to what we do. Whatever we're involved with, we should always be pushing to get better, and striving to improve our game. And for many (if not most), this will involve pushing the envelope, experimenting, and trying new things. (This is one reason I have a lot of respect for Kanye West and his creative endeavours.) Stay close to the Spirit behind what got things started in the first place, and you'll be on your way...

But I want to talk about how not to “fall off” in a couple of other ways. Culturally, as well as ethically, it's easy to fall off, if we don't think (and talk) things through carefully. Some artists have started out with a blaze, and then “fallen off” by compromising the values that they started out with!

The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to avoid all extremes (Ecc 7:18) (chances are, you know a few Christians who can be a bit “extreme” right?) If you want to follow Christ, (and I hope that you do), then God has called you to relate to the world, connect with the people in it, and to be... what's the word? Ah yes... I suppose “relevant” sums it up. If you want to wear a back-pack while you perform, ok... cool. If you want to wear jeans that are baggy or skinny, or cut-off at the ankle... alrighty then. You can dress as cool/gangster/hip/white or nerdy as you want... if that's what you want to do. Nothing wrong with being “cool”. Or dressing “uncool”, if that's what's “cool”. You get the picture. Nothing wrong with knowing what the latest musical trends are, and letting that influence your sound. At the same time, you want your lifestyle to line up with the limitless freedom that your Lord puts on you. You are FREE to do what ever you want.... as much as it lines up with the commands to love the Lord your God, and to love your neighbour.

Kanye West is a great artist. At this stage of his career, he's on a level that not many people are on... but he is a walking contradiction. And contradictions in our life and our mind are not healthy. Those sorts of things – when left unresolved can lead to things like priests molesting kids in private. (Or artists rudely interupting award show speeches.)

I'm not trying to have a go at Kanye. I love the guy. When half of the world wanted him to die, forcing him to leave his country for a while, I was praying for him. I'd like to meet him while we're on earth, but if I don't get the pleasure, I'm looking forward to catching up in heaven.

As people that love God though, what should we do? What are our options? God wants us to be successful more than we do.... how can we glorify him with what we've got? Jesus really does walk with us. How can we follow Him carefully where he's going?

We've got to think carefully through some things.

Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? There are two ways you can fall off. You can fall to the left... but on the other hand, if you lean too far to the right... you've still fallen off!!

To fall to the left:

Form a holy-huddle, a clique that no one can easily move in or out of. Run from all forms of “culture” that are modern, because you don't want to get “stained” by the world. Don't listen to rap. Listen to baroque. Listen to classical. Pretty much, anything that's old. Or if you must be involved with anything that's mildly modern, make sure it's by Christians, for Christians, and nobody in the world can see or hear it, because we're not called to be “of the world”. Oh yeah. And don't be too creative , or push any boundaries. Let's not get too wacky! Just shamelessly copy what's around you, and put the Son of God's name in a coupla' times.

Ouch! That's one way to fall off.... And there is another way... If you lean too far in the other direction, it can be equally painful in the end! Here's how:

Try to be hip, cool, relevant, relatable to everybody in the world, and in the process, lose your moral compass. (Let's call that falling to the right.)

Yes it is true that if you are “in Christ”, He will never ever leave you, but it's still possible to “fall off” into compromise. This might give a short-term boost... but is it really worth it if we gain success, in exchange for the very core of who we really are?

Riding this bike can be... complicated.

But the good news is that God's on your side. If you let Him teach you how to ride your bike, He is faithful to guide you. And like any good Dad, while we're learning how to ride, when we fall off, He'll ALWAYS help us get back up again. Always.

So how do we not fall off?

1. Stay connected to God – He's the coolest guy, on the planet. He never compromises the core of who He is, (He can't lie for example!) He will ALWAYS meet you exactly where you're at. Talk to Him right now.

2. Stay connected to the right people. God will always bring people into your life who can help guide you and give you advice at the right time. There are people that have ridden where you're wanting to go. Find mentors. Find a good Pastor. My suggestion – find a good church where people will encourage you and support you on the journey. (And even help pick you up if you have fallen off.)

Who can you think of that has stayed “relevant” in their particular field, while still being true to who they are?

Want to succeed? One VERY important key.

Bonus blog!! You guys are lucky this month. In an attempt to stay “current”, I wanted to sneak this in today.

Kevin Durant, power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, was officially crowned MVP of the NBA today. I know this is basketball related, but it ties in to the blog topic in a number of ways. If you want to have influence in the world today, then listen for a message in the video below. Check Matthew 23:12 first if you have the time.

I want to encourage you to watch this video right through... watch just a couple of minutes, and unless you've got a strong focus on your “to do list”, I guarantee you'll end up watching all of it. It helped me procrastinate writing an assignment today!

Obviously Kevin's faith in God shines through in this speech, but the biggest thing that struck me is his humility. People of faith, and people of no faith, know him to be a genuinely humble guy. He's a grown into a hero in the NBA and among sports fans worldwide, but even more than that, he's a hero in his home-town. After a lot of hard work and a lot of disappointments, this is the first time he's been awarded the MVP – the most coveted individual award in basketball. Perhaps it's proof that those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Leaven in the hood, or well... 50 Cent's Youtube channel.

Following on from last month, I wanted to continue on the same theme, of “Roaring on the rooftops”, vs “Living like leaven”. If you didn't catch last months blog, I suggest you read it here first. I wanted to start off with a little video that features a hip hop artist called Trip Lee. Even if you're not big into hip hop, it's still worth watching... Trip Lee (definitely a Christ-follower) is interviewed by some dude who's running rapper 50 Cents Youtube channel, connecting the rapper with a whole new audience. Check out the 6 minute interview below.

Given his cultural context, I believe Trip handles this interview beautifully. He's not the only artist who's working to avoid the “Christian rapper” label, Lecrae is another one – he put it simply in an interview (on the same Youtubechannel) “If I'm a Christian rapper, then Lupe Fiasco's a Muslim rapper”. That's it – case closed right there. These artists, and many others, are connecting well with an audience that's wider than the Christian bubble. Even if you dislike hip hop music, there's a lesson in there for you if you're an artist, or if you're involved with the media in some way. Just because you're a disciple of Jesus, doesn't mean that you have to bring a message through everything you do. There's a lot more to the kingdom than transforming all that we do in our life into a gospel tract. Of course the gospel is important, and we should never deny what we believe - but if you know your calling is to bring music to a large audience, or if you know you've got a vision and a message that the world needs to hear, then there's nothing wrong with working not to be pigeon-holed.

“Roaring from the Rooftops” vs Living like Leaven

Many Christians, working in all areas of life, have wondered; what does it look like to be a witness these days? Do we need to be vocal about our beliefs at all times? Mark 16:15 says “preach the gospel to every creature”... does that mean that some aspect of the gospel has to occupy every conversation that we have? Matthew 10:27 says to “shout from the rooftops”. Do we need to take that literally every chance we get?

Christians creating art and working in various creative and media related industries have been thinking through questions like this for a very long time. Some with a degree of success, and others with somewhat less...

It's quite normal to wrestle with issues like this. In fact, a part of the beauty of our faith, is the paradoxes that it can present. We are supposed to “fear God”, and yet He is a God of overtly extravagant, over-the-top love? When they are explored properly and prayerfully, topics like these fit together like a hand in a glove. But you do need to explore the Word of God for yourself, (ask the Holy Spirit for help with this), and you need to continually seek God regarding how to apply it to your own situation.

An over-arching theme of the Bible, is summed up in Matthew 28:18-20, in what is often called the “Great Commission”.

Let's zero in on verse 19, which says

“Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations...”

This talks about our responsibility to positively transform the very fabric and culture of our society. How do we “disciple nations”? By teaching them how to live. How do we do this? Well, it starts by connecting with people, and being in their world. We are able to positively “disciple” people, only when we are in their world. And if we aren't in the world... many people will remain lost, and without hope.

Jesus used some great analogies in his teaching, and here - true to form - he sums up our calling in just one verse:

Matthew 13:33

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough.”

Yeast, or leaven as it is also called, in the Old Testament, represented sin*. There are plenty of places where we see this, and even Paul repeated the analogy a couple of times*. However, in this verse, Jesus flips the analogy on it's head. Just like earlier on when he told His followers, “You are the salt of the earth!”, here he's saying, “You are like leaven!” Our lives... the way we treat people, the way we interact, the way we love and raise our families, the way we live with integrity - it all subtly teaches others, showing that there is a better way to live. Oh, that we would see artists, entertainers and leaders, talk-show hosts and news-readers, people all over the media, become leaven in our world today! Oh, that we would read and absorb God's word to us, get to know Him, and have His love and presence permeating through us... That we would find community, and connection in the body of Christ, only to be “sent” out into the world, letting our lives be “leaven” in the communities around us!!!

I'm a believer in overtly preaching the gospel... But when and how often? If you're a rapper/singer/song-writer wanting to get your music “out there”, and you have the media asking you what you believe, should you take that as an opportunity to “witness” and share about Jesus? My answer to that is not necessarily! If you're in that situation, and you really felt to let it rip with the gospel... no worries.. I'll say “amen” when I watch your interview. But just remember that there were times when Jesus side-stepped big questions when he was in the spotlight. Why? Because the people asking him the questions were trying to pigeon-hole him. It clearly wasn't time for him to be “revealed” yet, and he would have lost some of his present influence prematurely. (See Matthew 21:23-27 for an example.)

I have a graphic-designer friend who is a fellow-follower of Jesus, and he shared with me a little while ago that he'd been working with a guy who's gay. His comment to me was that right now, “he probably doesn't want to know that I'm a Christian”. The best thing he can do is to work to the best of his ability, serve his needs, and show love and care for him. My friend loves to share about his faith and about Christ with people, and if the working relationship were to continue, I am sure he wouldn't rule that out in the future. When one-on-one with people, he has had, and will have many opportunities to share Jesus with people, and be like “leaven” in their lives.

Let's just imagine for a moment though, that he was interviewed publicly, to advertise his services as a graphic-designer. How should he respond if he is asked about his faith? Let's just say that the purpose of the interview is to create interest in his service, which would lead to individual client relationships. Is it relevant to bring up his faith and Christ in that context? You could argue that it's not. More than that, if he's labelled by his community as a “Christian graphic-designer”, would that be good or bad for his business? It would be bad for him, if he is wanting to connect with non-Christians. It would be detrimental to his ministry, if he's wanting to be “leaven”, and subtly influence non-believers through his work. Should my friend consider putting “Christian graphic-designer” on his business card? Don't get me started on that one...

Let me be clear, I am all for the bold proclamation of the gospel. We should all be ready to "give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (That's 1 Peter 3:15). And of course, the Apostle adds some important advice... "do this with gentleness and respect..."

For some of you, the conclusion is clear. Preaching at certain times, could limit our ability to be like “leaven” to those around us.

Be as “wise as serpents, and as innocent as doves”** (not the other way around).

And ultimately:
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Can you think of anyone, who is in the "spotlight" as such, that has a positive "leavening" effect on those around them as a follower of Christ?

Feel free to comment below.

*OT examples of leaven giving us a picture of sin: Exodus 12:14-20, Leviticus 10:12 NT: 1 Cor 5:6-8, Galatians 5:9

**Matthew 10:16

Does God want you to be successful?

I apologize in advance: This this post has nothing directly related to the New Year! It is simply reflects a passage of Scripture which caught my eye a while ago. I promise it'll be worth the read. Please post comments below, or email me back sometime, your feedback really is valued!

Let's get into it. What do you think of when you hear the word... success?

Fame? Fortune? Money? Ranking in a music, or any other type of chart? Don't worry, this is not a blog about what you should define success as, you already know enough about that.

This is a post to tell you that God wants you to be successful.

In fact, no matter where you are at in life right now, God has success planned for you.

Success is a Bible word... and even though it's slightly controversial in some religious circles to say this, God, in His Holy book of Scripture, has actually promised you success! Read Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 1, a whole bunch of Proverbs - in fact, pretty much the whole bible, and you'll see that God's plan for you is..... success. In fact, I could even exegete that God wants it for you more than you do.

It's obvious that it will look different for different people. We are all in different stages of life, and we all have different talents and abilities. Certainly, God's promises will also outwork differently for us, than to what he intended in Bible times. The original readers of Proverbs 16:3 probably weren't planning to record, promote and sell a DVD of a live dance performance! However, they can still be read and applied today.

Let's look at one particular promise, and think about what it could mean for us today - as a bunch of people CALLED to the creative arts and the media parts of society.

“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

(Genesis 12:2-3)

Basically, this is God speaking to Abraham (at the time called Abram).

Let's break this down. There's a prize for anyone who reads this right through!

1. "I will make you into a great nation"- an influential tribe.

God is talking to all that have a passion for Jesus, and a talent, or a gift relating to the arts or the media. He says He'll make us into great group of people.

Not without quirks and faults, but we will be great.

In what sense? Jesus put it quite bluntly: "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 20:26)

If we want to be great in God's kingdom, we need to be focused on how we can use our talents and abilities to serve others. Sure we might need someone to look at us while we're doing it, but our gifts are ultimately for other peoples benefit, not ours.

When we think of it this way, any temptation to compromise our beliefs or values is a no-brainer.

2. "and I will bless you"

Can you imagine what it feels like to be blessed by God?

Imagine having success, in your industry, from God. THAT is an amazing thought.

What if it became more than a thought?

3. "I will bless those who bless you"

You will have allies, to get where you need to go, and they will come from surprising places.

Non-believers will support you, because God said he'd bless those who bless you! 

Have you seen the new Hobbit movie? Remember when the Dwarves needed to cross the lake to escape the Orcs? Help came, just at the right time, from a very unlikely source. Destiny is on our side too...

There will be believers in your industry who form closer bonds of fellowship than ever before. Many believers have yet to know the real meaning of that word (Koinonia, in the Greek), but they will.

Of course you will have enemies to your cause, but Romans 8:31 says "If God is for us, who can be against us?" We're supposed to love our enemies, but anyone who curses us, will eventually be cursed... we'll be "all good" in the end.

4. "...And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

HOW COOL IS THAT???

Let's dream a little bit. Imagine having pop & movie stars that honour God in what they do, and generally sing and act in ways that you'd feel comfortable with your 4 year old listening in.

Imagine knowing that the top CEOs of the top media companies acted with a social conscience, and didn't say yes to promoting a music artist or video that uses woman as a masturbation device.

Imagine rappers that have something to say, movies that speak life and values into our culture, TV shows that educate and entertain instead of numb the minds of our kids.

Imagine YouTube ads that had high standards of what to allow, and what not to allow! (Yes I've been mentally scarred by some!!!)

Imagine having the latest mainstream, block-buster video games NOT contain glorified crime and violence, and porn. (Sorry, I know too many 13 year olds that have played GTA not to have a go at it.)

Imagine having godly people that love Jesus, that aren't "religious" or full of judgement or condemnation for other people in the industry, but are filled with love and compassion for everyone they meet, and ULTIMATELY for the society that they are called to influence... Imagine having THOSE sorts of people, succeed.

That's what I see for the future of the arts and entertainment industry. The movement is building right now, whether people like it or not.

Will you be a part of it?

One Side of the Coin

Just for a change, I thought I'd look at a few Scriptures that deal with a particular topic – and put them out there.

The Word of God is clear that we should be ready to share about Christ, communicate the gospel with people as we have an opportunity.

Mark 16:15 says “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” (NLT)

The gospel = good news!!!

Should we preach with our lives? Or share Christ with our words? Well... both!!

Peter, who spends time telling us that our lives should be a witness to non-believers* also says this to us:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience..” (1 Peter 3:15-16a)

There have been times, both at home and on mission trips overseas, where I've felt prompted to share random things to random people along spiritual lines, and it's fallen flat. Other times, I've shared about God/Jesus or spiritual matters, and it's had a great effect! On one occasion, I started a spiritual conversation with a person on the street based on a 'prompting', and later that afternoon I had the privilege of leading Him to Christ! I've also had times when I've felt like I should talk to someone about Christ or something to do with my faith, and I've done nothing. I've decided to let those memories inspire me to share with people next time.

But the bottom line is that Jesus commission to His disciples back then, is His commission to us today:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Matthew 28:18-20 is another passage that we'll explore in future blogs.

Until then, keep going hard... doing what it is God has called you to do!

*1 Peter 2:12, 15, 3:16

IT'S TIME TO GET BACK ON TRACK

So, it's been a while. But is that a reason not to start again? It's been a while since you've done that thing you meant to do... what thing you ask? You know, that thing! That habit, that practice schedule, that exercise or gym program, that thing, that idea that you should spend regular time with a family member... What ever that thing was for you, there's always a time to get back on track, and that time is now!

“But it's too late...”

It's never too late to pick up where you left off. A new habit can and will change your life! Never “despise the day of small beginnings”.

“I've tried it, but I just don't have the discipline...”

Discipline, like many characteristics, can be cultivated/developed. Sure we've all had our weak moments, but look ahead, don't get discouraged about what is behind you. Start somewhere right now.

“But I don't want to”

You do want to. You're the one that decided to do it back then. If there's even an inkling of a desire to do that thing, then water that desire right now. Fan the flame by acting on it. Why not close facebook on your computer, go and take a step to pick up that habit again...

As I write this, it's the start of a new “financial year”. What better excuse to get back into it? To train, to learn, to practise, to pray... what was the habit YOU were wanting to develop at the start of the year? Do it. :)

What inspired this as a topic? I'm glad you asked.

Yesterday, which happened to be Sunday, the 30^th June, I was driving from Toowoomba back to Brisbane. Before I left, I created a playlist on my phone, which included some podcasts and one of them really struck me. Out of all the podcasts I could have listened to, I chose one called “10 Ways to Generate More Blog-Traffic”. In hindsight, to me it seems weird that I picked that one.

As you will notice, I've had this blog site for several years now, and, (as you will also notice) my blog posts have not always been consistent. I haven't published one of my “monthly” blogs for over 2 years. I love writing, but I've never been that keen on the idea of trying to “generate” more blog-traffic, mainly because I don't like the idea of “self-promotion”, and have often thought that “the people that need to find me will find me”. Still, I listened through the entire podcast about how to "generate more blog-traffic", and one of the messages that came through loud and clear, was the importance of blogging CONSISTENTLY. (Just like that thing you need to do will need to be done consistently in the future.) You need good content (says Michael Hyatt), but it needs to be delivered regularly.

This made sense to me... and while driving, I began to plan to write a blog the next morning!

“BACK ON TRACK” were the first words that came to mind...

AS YOU get back on track... DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED.

I have had an S3 phone for a while now, which makes me an Android user. One thing I love about Android,  is the 'widgets' that you can use, and my FAVOURITE, hands-down, is the “verse of the day” display I have on my home-screen.

In the midst of all of my brains activity, my busyness, my lack of ability to sleep right now, and my discouragement at my lack of progress on so many fronts, the Bible app speaks right to me.

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

God bless, see you next month.