I’ll Be Back

I’ve had a couple of busy weeks with school and the new job. So for the 5 people that might check this blog with some frequence. I’ll start posting regularly after my finals are over. 5 more weeks and then I’m done with school!!!!!!

But while I’m gone…watch this amazing clip of the best university band in the USA

 

Enjoy a laugh today

This video was so popular, it even has its own song

Have a laugh and thank God that he created cats, just so we could enjoy this video…and this picture

Thanking God for the little things today

Screendoor Faith

Growing up in a household with two music majors, music has always been a huge part of my life. I originally started off with Barney and the other typical childhood music songs. That grew into a love for a 6 cassette tape story telling magic machine called “The Singing Bible.” I fell in love with this because on those cassettes (little rectangular things that had recording on them, that needed to be rewound after every time you listen to it…thats for all you young whipper snappers) was a story of kids my age singing about Bible stories. I found the tapes entertaining and it helped me learn a lot about the Bible.

Through all of this, there were a couple of artists that I grew up with that were almost constantly on in my house. I grew up listening to their music and through that time in my life, they have become some of my all-time favorite musical artists. Steven Curtis Chapman and Rich Mullins have had some of the biggest impacts on my life through music because of the way they were able to string together words with a cleaver catchy tune and rhyme. To this day, Rich Mullins is arguably one of the greatest song writers to ever put music to paper (examples here and here). His lyrics were at times so deep, you literally could sit and think for hours about what he meant by them. Not only is he deep lyrically, but he was extremely gifted musically. The first person to introduce me the hammer dulcimer, which I immediately fell in love with. (side note – after guitar and piano, hammer dulcimer would be the instrument I would love to learn how to play – if you want to teach me for free-emphasis on free-then please let me know)

One of those songs, for me, is called Screen Door. Here is an old video of one of Rich’s concerts, performing this song. Give it a listen/watch before reading the rest of this post. Also, this was the best video clip I could find, but there is about a half second audio lag, my apologies for that.

When I was old enough to hear things and comprehend them, I realized that this song, even though it was fun to listen to, had a pretty significant meaning to it. “Faith without works is like a song you can’t sing, it’s about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.” This of course comes straight from scripture. James 2:14;17 says “What good is it, my brothers, if a someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Since I am still young in my faith and still working out my salvation, this is something that I have wrestled with for quite some time. I always knew both were important, however I would read verses like Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I would read these verse and think, “well then faith is more important than works because I don’t want to lean on my works as a foundation for my relationship with Christ.” However, then I’d read in James and think, “I thought I had this thing figured out.” (which, by the way, I’ve learned is a foolish answer to anything concerning Christianity, we only have it all figured out when we’re in the embrace of Jesus)

So my point is this, I know that both are important and both are of equal importance to the Christian walk, but where do you find the happy medium? Where do you show your faith by your works without boasting? How do you stress the importance of works without conveying a message of stiff legalism? I think what James was trying to convey in his letter is that following this Christ requires something of us. It is not enough just to say we have faith, but in order to make our faith stronger we must mold our actions to Christ. I think that’s why in Romans 10:9 is an essential part to Christian faith. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It isn’t enough just to believe because belief can be a momentary thought that comes and goes as often as the sun rises and sets. Faith must be followed by action because it is through our action that we are setting ourselves apart from the world and showing to ourselves, showing to the world, and most importantly showing to Christ that we are desperate for him. He is what we want and need and we will transform every aspect of our lives to meet him where he wants us to be.

That is where the happy medium lies. At least, where I am right now, that is what I believe is being taught by the scripture and that is how you balance the importance on faith and the importance on works together in your life. Strengthening your faith by works because Christ is worth it, but understanding that we can’t lose our salvation because of works (but that’s another post for another day.)

So until next time – keep those screen doors off your submarines

Keep Living John 3:30

And enjoy another song from Rich Mullins, the greatest song writer this planet has ever seen, taken from us at too early of an age.