Blessings, Phil

THE GATE OF THE YEAR
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’
And he replied, ‘Go into the darkness
and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light
And safer than a known way!’
So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.
So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention.” 

Minnie Louise Haskins, written 1908.  Quoted by King George in his Christmas Message, 1939, read at his funeral, and ultimately engraved above his tomb (and that of the queen).

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I was trying to get my guitar back into its stand when a fellow named Pastor Ron approached me anxiously.

“Phil,” he was saying, “I can finally put it into words.”  I looked at him blankly.

“I can explain it now,” he continued.  “The problem I have with contemporary worship.  I figured it out while you were playing.”

As a worship leader, this isn’t the response I generally hope for.
I wasn’t surprised, though.  This was a pastor’s retreat, and some of these men were  hostile toward newer worship styles.  I’d accepted an invitation to lead their worship in hopes of providing them a positive experience; our little team had woven several favorite old hymns and a few well-known worship songs into what I thought was a very nice tapestry of praise.
Apparently, it hadn’t worked for Pastor Ron.
The clipboard in his left hand had tally marks next to the words: “I,” “my” “me” and “mine.”
“I couldn’t believe the sheer number of personal pronouns in those songs,” he explained, “so I started counting them.  One chorus alone of that Vineyard thing used the word ‘I’ six times!”

“Okay,” I responded slowly, “let me get this straight:  During worship, you were sitting with a clipboard counting personal pronouns?”
“That’s right,” he said.  “It’s evidence that you’ve embraced a man-centered Gospel.  Our ministries need to return to the God-centered truths of the great hymns.”
Ron was a well-trained, spiritual guy, and I was familiar with his ministry.  A bi-vocational pastor, he worked hard to support his church, but it was dying a little more each week.  I desperately desired to see that little dry place become a fountain of Living Water.
Behind all the bluster, he did, too.

I was looking at Pastor Ron, but inside I was looking to Jesus.  I prayed quickly, and it went something like this: “Lord – please fill my mouth with wisdom.  Give me the answer that will touch Pastor Ron’s heart.”
In faith, I exhaled and started moving my lips.
“Ron, you’re right,” I heard myself say calmly.  “Today’s praise song writers have picked up some really bad habits.”
I had his attention, but both of us were wondering where I was going with this.

“To be fair, though,” I went on, “today’s psalmists have picked up those bad habits from the only Biblical role model they have.  King David had to write his songs without the help of our good theologians.”
It was Pastor Ron’s turn to look bewildered and I plowed ahead.
“Take Psalm 18, for example,” I continued.  Reciting that beautiful passage from a submerged memory, I emphasized the appropriate words:

I love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.

“In only three verses, the Psalmist used 14 personal pronouns,” I said. ”As long as song writers keep depending on Biblical role models, they’ll continue to make the same mistakes as King David.”
I had nothing more to say, and the two of us stood over my guitar in an awkward silence that seemed to go on for about a week.

Pastor Ron finally broke the hush.
“That’s a pretty good answer,” he said simply, and the silence returned as we both recognized God’s presence in the moment.   God had used His Own Word to speak truth to both of us.  As it turned out, Ron and I went on to become friends; he supported renewal and encouraged me in many ways.

That day, though, I drove home in wonder, pondering a mystery: God allows – actually calls – us to attach our personal pronouns to His greatness.  It doesn’t diminish His glory one little bit when I declare Him as my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God…
…and the One in whom I take refuge.

In fact, I believe that’s when He’s most glorified.

Phil Christensen 2011
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NOW AVAILABLE IN HD (HotDog)

Buddy the Wonder Dog – Cool Water (click here)

Martin Luther King (click here) Weighs in on Serving 

Here’s a You Tube Link to the 9 minute video shown at Mom’s Life Celebration Service!

Enjoy these blazing lines from Martin Luther’s Commentary on the Book of Romans…

“Faith is not that human illusion and dream that some people think it is. When they hear and talk a lot about faith and yet see that no moral improvement and no good works result from it, they fall into error and say, “Faith is not enough. You must do works if you want to be virtuous and get to heaven.” The result is that, when they hear the Gospel, they stumble and make for themselves with their own powers a concept in their hearts which says, “I believe.” This concept they hold to be true faith. But since it is a human fabrication and thought and not an experience of the heart, it accomplishes nothing, and there follows no improvement.

Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God (cf.  John 1). It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith!  It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good.  Faith doesn’t ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them.  It is always active.  Whoever doesn’t do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn’t know what faith or good works are.  Even so, he chatters on with a great many words about faith and good works.

Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God’s grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it.  This kind of trust in and knowledge of God’s grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith.  Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace.  It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire. Therefore be on guard against your own false ideas and against the chatterers who think they are clever enough to make judgements about faith and good works but who are in reality the biggest fools.  Ask God to work faith in you; otherwise you will remain eternally without faith, no matter what you try to do or fabricate.”

Those thoughts in mind, I present Pastor Phil’s “First, Break all the Rules 3-Hour-Ribs.” 

Try these three easy steps:
1) While you pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, cut the thawed ribs into singles (like wings).
2) Arrange those singles - on their sides – in an oven-safe baking dish.   Sprinkle with (your choice of) seasonings, and bake them, uncovered, for one hour.
3) After flipping them, cover with (your choice of) BBQ sauce.  Bake another two hours at about 350.

Transfer the finished ribs to a fresh platter for presentation, add a fresh layer of BBQ sauce, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Blessings, Phil