Nick Hall's Winter Jam Message

This past Friday marked the return of the Winter Jam tour to the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.  This is a yearly concert that travels starting in January and goes through March, doing concerts every Thursday through Sunday all over the country.  The cost is $10 per person, paid at the door, and all seats are first come, first served.  There are usually around 10 performers/groups slated at each location and the audience is given 5-5 ½ hours of entertainment during the evening. 

This has become a yearly outing for my family, this year including my six-year-old daughter as well.  It’s not very often that you can get that much value for the price.  Our family loves the music and really enjoys the variety of artists that are included, which often allows us to see acts that we’ve never seen before.

Every year one of the added elements is a special guest speaker who talks during some of the stage changeovers. This year Nick Hall was the speaker, and he made a huge point.  So, instead of repeating all that he said, I thought I’d suggest you go to this video and watch it yourself on YouTube.  I really think it’s worth watching, even if you have been to Winter Jam this year and heard the message.  This really does affect all of us, and it can be applied to all of our lives.

I hope you enjoy the message and learn from it just as I did at the concert (10 minutes – and the video is NOT from the Cleveland show, but it’s one of the best sound and video wise I could find on YouTube.):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UXt_Pu9Rs

Parody

Ok, I have to be honest here…I have always been a big fan of Weird Al Yankovic.  I have always enjoyed his songs and his strange way of looking at life.  I even enjoyed his movie UHF. 

The reason I mention Weird Al today is because I have always thought that Christian music needed a “Weird Al” like person making parodies of popular songs and turning them into Christian songs.  You could really have a lot of fun with it if you ask me, and frankly this might be a great youth group event idea.  (Attention Michael Bochman!)  You could do something like the following:

Popular Song                             Made into this Christian song

“Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys = “Christian on Fire”

“Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars = “Enter the Gates of Heaven”

“Daylight” by Maroon 5 = “Your Light”

“Don’t Stop the Party” by Pitbull = “You are the Party”

And I think you get the idea. 

Now why would someone want to do this?  I am a firm believer that you have to reach people where they are in their lives.  In this instance we’re talking about music, and these are popular songs that people are listening to every day.  What if they heard a familiar beat, and before they knew it the message had changed?  Now they are hearing God’s word instead of the normal song, and they didn't turn it off.  Now a door is opened for that person to really hear the gospel.

I’m not saying that we’re all going to be able to do this, but today I am advocating that we go reach people where they are in their lives .  The day of just inviting everyone you know to church and expecting the church to do the evangelism is over.  I’m not saying that the church can’t help with that process, but frankly I think God wants us all more involved than that.  He wants us to invite everyone we see to be a part of our life.  If they become a part of our life then they’ll see what God is doing and become curious.  If they want to learn more then you can invite them to church and really show them what God wants to do in their lives. 

So, you may not be able to make parody music but you can still reach people for God.  You just have to be willing to let people see Him in you.

Where I Belong

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, then you know one thing about me:  Music is how I really connect with God.  There are points in my life where a certain song really gets me in tune with God and allows Him to speak into my life in ways that no words on a page could ever do. 

Well, recently another song has been reaching me in that way.  I had my first real encounter with this song at Winter Jam in Columbus when the band Building 429 sang it along with 20,000 other people in attendance.  The song:  "Where I Belong". 

What hit me the most is the chorus of this song.  The fact that all 20,000+ people in attendance were singing this all at the same time was just huge to me.  I felt His presence at that moment.  Just read the words here:

All I know is I'm not home yet 
This is not where I belong 
Take this world and give me Jesus 
This is not where I belong

Up to that moment, I don’t think I’d ever thought of my life here on Earth in that.  Since I became a believer in Christ I’ve known that the world wasn’t my home.  But the way this was sung along with an arena full of people really took it to another level.  This world is just a stopping place on our journey to Heaven.  The fact that this isn’t my home makes it easy to give up.   I’m willing to give up everything I have for Jesus.  Are you?

Watch and listen to the song on YouTube.  The words are there on this version so you can get the full effect of the song….well, as full as it gets without being in a room full of other believers singing this out with all their hearts, minds, and souls along with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOtsB4O1p3o

Be Careful What You Ask/Pray For

The other night I was on Youtube checking out a few live concert clips from some of my favorite bands. It got me to thinking about how much the people in those groups must have really wanted to play their instruments or sing in front of people. I thought about the journey they must have taken to get there, all the work they had put in, etc. Then I started to wonder how many of the people I was watching were bored. I mean, how much fun can it be to play the same songs, in the same order night after night at concert after concert? Do they still enjoy what they are doing? Is the dream that they achieved all that they thought it would be?

The reason I bring this up is because I think very often we as Christians pray for something, not totally prepared for the results. We do the Prayer of Jabez study and pray for God to enlarge our territories and then have no idea what to do when He give us what we asked to have. We then get overwhelmed, and instead of using that opportunity to further grow with Christ we instead shrink back to something that we never wanted to be. Instead of going out there and being bold for Christ some go back to what they were before they had a relationship with Him.

Today I want to encourage you to prepare for what you ask or pray to have. Just like the bands that I’ve discussed above, I’m sure that there is joy in getting what you are asking to have. God wants to keep you advancing in the Kingdom and for the Kingdom. You should pray expecting to get what you have asked for! If you are going to get it, God knows that you can handle it. Yet, too often our human minds get the best of us and tell us we can’t handle it! Know that He is ready to expand your territory. Know that He wants to answer your prayers. Now you need to be careful what you ask for, and be prepared to take what you’re given and run with it for Him! Those bands I was watching are leading worship for millions of believers all the time. Talk about running with what God has provided! Now it’s your turn. Go out and pray, expecting God to answer those prayers….Oftentimes He’s just waiting for you to ask!