1-2 Punch to the gut from God

Because there aren't really any radio stations that I like or can stand for long periods of time, I normally listen to audiobooks while driving and then music when I'm working or just hanging out. Yesterday morning, on the drive from Bridgeport to Oak Forest, I had a couple old songs from when I was in youth group that I couldn't get out of my head. Therefore, I put my book on hold for a trip.

So I took in again two old Steve Camp songs that were formative for me the summer I began following Jesus. I've heard these two songs probably over 100x's in my life, but yesterday on the way to church they were a 1-2 punch from God. These two songs set the tone for my early walk with Jesus, and now 20 years later - I have to ask myself: am I living as they demand?

"Living Dangerously in the Hands of God" - LISTEN
How easily Jesus is forgotten amid the comfort of my life
How the flames become a flicker, and faith a brilliant disguise
Our Sundays become a holiday, they're an empty exercise
And the cost of real devotion seems so foreign to my life

Chorus:
Oh, to gladly risk it all, oh to be faithful to His call
Abandoned to grace yet anchored in His love
Living dangerously in the hands of God

Our Lord He is a hiding place, His hold is strong and sure
Though the storms may rage around Him in His love I stand secure
So let me live like I believe it, and though my faith is prone to fail
Though I cower under trial, by His grace I shall prevail

CHORUS

Spoken: There's safety in complacency,
but God is calling us out of our comfort zone
into a life of complete surrender to the cross.
To live dangerously as not to live recklessly but righteously.
And it is because of God's radical grace for us
that we can risk living a life of radical obedience for Him.

You've got to walk on for the Lord He walks with us
You've got to walk on though it costs you everything
You've got to pray on

Spoken: For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro
throughout the earth, that He may strongly support
those whose hearts are completely His.

CHORUS
...Living dangerously
Are you living dangerously
Oh we ought to be living dangerously in the hands of God


"Whatever You Ask" - LISTEN
Lord I see the things You ask of me
Faithfulness, holiness and purity
I love Your truth, I long to show it to the world for You
So Lord I need Your help to understand
The other person that I sometimes am
I never want to live a day that I can't say to You

Chorus:
Lord, whatever You ask I want to obey You
To let my life beat with a servant's heart
Lord whatever You ask I know
that You can give me wisdom and courage
To equal the task, whatever You ask

I think so much, it steals away
The will to make the time to serve and pray
And there are days I don't take up Your cross and follow You
But I have learned that I can talk with You
You know everything that I am going through
If I just ask I find that You're right there
Providing me with the strength I need
...To equal the task
Give me courage to equal the task
Lord whatever You ask

Pray for the violence to stop in Little Village!

My friend Matt DeMateo works with New Life's location in Little Village, a Chicago neighborhood with high gang activity. The violence in Little Village has been out of control these last 6 weeks. Matt sent out the below call for prayer this morning. Please read it over and then join in with the prayer effort for Little Village:

As I was praying for the neighborhood, I was thinking over the last 6 weeks or so and Little Village has had an epidemic of violence like none I've seen since I've been here the last 8.5 years. There have been a variety of shootings/stabbings. We really need to be praying for the neighborhood and the guys. A few of the guys have been connected to the program. One of our youth from GED was shot a few weeks ago, and then another was stabbed 8X yesterday. The violence is becoming ridiculous and we need to be stepping up and praying!

Here are some of the details of the last 6 weeks. Please join me in praying for outreach in Little Village and for peace on the streets.

Total Shootings - 12+, Total Deaths due to Violence - 8 or More:
(Some dates below are linked to news articles)

• August 21st - Man Shot at 28th/Karlov
• August 30th - Man killed in alley (26th/Kildare)
• August 31st - Youth shot at 24th and Trumbull
• September 4th - Teen girl shot at 30th/Kolin
• September 6th - Man shot at 28th/Keeler
• September 7th - Man killed in stabbing at 28th/Christiana
• September 12th - Youth killed at 30th and Harding
• September 24th - Two killed in Little Village Fire (Foul Play Suspected)
• September 25th - Youth shot at 26th/Ridgeway (Youth that is part of the ULS GED Program shot)
• September 25th - Man killed at 24th/California
• September 27th - Youth killed at 25th/Springfield
• September 30th - Police shoot man at 21st and Homan that pointed a gun at them
• October 5th - Man found beaten to death at 31st and Kedzie
• October 7th - Youth in ULS Program stabbed 8X
• October 7th - Multiple shootings at 24th and Drake and on Springfield

Please keep Little Village in your prayers!

Things You Don't Say To Your Wife

Haven't blogged in awhile, so I'll lamely add an entry by sharing this hilarious video. If you need to laugh today, this will definitely deliver:

Galileo

This afternoon the fam & I went to Chicago's Adler Planetarium so that Baylee could see planets and stars. Definitely not the most kid friendly of the Chicago museums, but apparently they are taking steps to remedy that. We had fun nonetheless. Our few hours there pretty much consisted of letting Baylee lead us around the exhibits, meaning that we read none of the placecards but pushed every available button. Yes, we laughed a lot.

As we went through the telescope exhibit, this quote from Galileo stopped me:


If you can't read it in the picture: "The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the Universe to do."

It struck me because of how purely he is explaining Romans 1:20:
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Think about it: isn't what Galileo says about the Sun also true about God?

What I can observe about the Sun in creation is a reflection of its Creator.

All of the universe depending on Him - and yet he still can care about me, can still care about you.

Don't feel lost in the largeness of the cosmos and scheme of things. We are not so small or insignificant that He does not see us nor know what we're going through. The stars don't keep Him so busy that He can't also be consistently present with each of us, guiding and carrying us through the things we're dealing with.

Yep...thanks for the quote Mr. Galileo

How do you come back from your daughter dying?

Though there aren't a ton of Christians artists/bands that I really like, Steven Curtis Chapman has indeed always been a favorite. I honestly can't think of one of his projects that I'd consider a "bad album." Sure, there might be a song, or at the most two songs on a CD that I don't care for (Ex: Dancing with the Dinosaurs), but normally 8 out of 10 songs are great. Of those, 2-3 are usually amazing to a caliber that other artists can't compete or compare (Ex: Speechless, Magnificent Obsession). He's consistently a quality artist, consistently an incredible and fresh song writer.

And then his adopted daughter was killed in a freak car accident.

Along with everyone else who knows who he is, I was completely shocked by the news (article). Being Baylee's dad, my heart broke for him. Broke! I remember holding Baylee tight that night and praying, "Be with him Jesus. My heart feels his pain, but at the same time I can't imagine it. I don't want to."

How can he come back from that?
How can he keep singing and performing?

And if he does keep going, what's the first single going to be? It's not like he can just ignore the tragedy. At the same time, I'd selfishly think, "don't let him sugarcoat it."

Well, SSC's new song is out. It's called "Heaven is the Face." And as always, as should have been expected...it is amazing!!! And it is so for two reasons.

It's amazing because it's the same quality music and song writing I've always expected and received from Steve Curtis Chapman. The rhythmic guitar playing, the melody, the lyrics - pure and total SSC - as always.

It's also amazing because he put his heart out there. He didn't sugarcoat it at all. Instead he's honestly and genuinely shared part of what he's experiencing with us in a 3min, 46 sec song.

Here's the tune, followed by a video of his comments about it. I encourage you to give it a listen, maybe it can be an encouragement to you or someone you know.