Weekend With Jeff Crabtree: My experiences and thoughts October 11, 2009

This morning I am up early and ready to process and journal about what happened in my life yesterday. It was BIG!

Saturday morning (October 10th) Our C3 Church in Asheville had an event called Worship Express. Our worship leader Steve Deal and his family hosted the event at their home. Jeff Crabtree who is the Minister of Creative Arts at C3 Oxford Falls in Sydney was the guest speaker for the day. He brought up really interesting points about how important creativity, music in particular, is in the church. He talked about how the arts bring people together and how one tool of control that some governments have had over people is to take their music away. He made the point that music and art have been taken out of churches even in America to a large degree. He urged us musicians and artists to use the gifts that God has placed in us, because when we are doing our art and sharing it with the church and world, we are fighting the battle for the hearts of people. Jeff said that we will win the war NOT by fighting the cultural wars, because we are losing that battle. He said that in our country, we win when an American heart is transformed. And he said we will win by each of us doing what God has called us to create. This is such a powerful message! I’ve never heard anyone speak about music and art and the church like that.

For the past several years I have believed that God has been calling artists to do a new thing in the church. I truly believe that artists alive today in the church are hearing God tell us to rise up, unify together, perfect our crafts and build a strong, powerful bridge across the gap between church and social culture. To hear someone in church voice what I have already felt was HUGE for me. I know that we are here “for such a time as this.” This is BIG, PEOPLE!

So, at the end of the day sessions, Jeff said he wanted to pray for those of us who are in big life transitions right now. So, I stepped forward to acknowledge that I am in that category. I had previously introduced myself to Jeff at the end of the first session, and asked him what he thought about visual art being used in worship today. He said he’d talk to me more at our lunch break, and he did say a bit. So I had the opportunity to tell him that I was an artist at that time.

When Jeff got to me at prayer time he held my hands up and said that I just “need to get to it!” He said, “PAINT!” He said that I need to stop asking so many questions and not worry about what people think, and that I need to paint freely in the Name of Jesus. He said that I would feel many emotions as I painted, and it was okay because God had wired me that way. He stopped for a second and looked right at me and said, “You know what? No one has ever commissioned you to do your art, have they? You poor thing! That’s what it is. Well I will!” At this point I was sobbing. I mean, that’s what Jeff does in our church movement — he teaches and commissions people to practice their art in the C3 churches… so this was a huge honor for me. I didn’t even have to go to the C3 School of Arts in Australia to get his blessing! WHOA. So, he asked everyone to pray together over me, and he basically gave me permission to paint and prayed for my gift of art.

This was powerful because it WAS a huge issue for me… I HAD been waiting for someone to give me permission to paint. I had been hesitating because I felt the church wasn’t quite sure what to do with me. That’s my perception anyway. I did constantly worry about what people thought of me. I knew I had a gift that God wanted to use in the church, and I knew it included Asheville, but I guess I just needed someone in leadership to confirm it for me. This is a huge relief for me!

In the evening, Jeff Crabtree, Steve Deal, and some of the C3 musicians from Asheville and Atlanta played in Pritchard Park, which is a well-known outdoor location in Asheville for local musicians to play. More than just a fun event, Jeff pretty much proved everything that he had said in the day sessions by playing music where the community could come and hang out and learn about C3 and see us desiring to interact with culture. It was amazing!! Our church gave out free CDs of the worship music, and we all mingled and danced and had a great time. At the end of the night, I heard comments from people in the community such as, “Thank you for being a church that really does care.” “What time did you say your service meets?” “Wow! Your band has a great sound! Do you have any more CDs???” “This was fun!”

I see how this form of outreach is a FAR CRY from what I saw from Christians protesting at the U2 concert last week. One guy there quietly held up a small sign that said, “NO BONO. SATAN INCARNATE!” Yeah, how many hearts were transformed by THAT sign. Not to mention he alienated those of us Christians who LIKE U2. Hahahaha!

Music and art really ARE a huge part of what defines cultures, and I have to agree with Jeff Crabtree that by doing our art, and showing interest in the arts of different cultures and seeking to share our arts with the world, we WILL be able to reach out and see people’s hearts be transformed. We MUST be approachable. We MUST be interested in people. We MUST break down walls in order to build a bridge. I believe that CREATIVITY is the bridge. I will fight until my death to make sure creativity is put back in schools, and churches, and communities.

How will I do that? I will PAINT!

Sow into service November 24, 2008

I’ve been trying to write this blog for about a week, but couldn’t seem to focus enough to get it down. So, I’m determined to make it happen now….

The revelation that I’ve been working through lately is all about service. I have learned to appreciate and value the act of service for the past few years, but I haven’t really given it as much thought as I have recently. Why is service so valuable? What power is created when one person serves God and other people? 

“A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” – Galatians 6:7-10

From this passage, I find a curiously magical blessing: sowing into the Spirit of God unlocks eternal life. When we persevere in doing good deeds, we plant seeds that we can harvest later. When we serve others, we are pleasing the Spirit! How beautiful is this?! Service precedes abundance and creates a garden of life. 

I have come to embrace the bigness of the word “ALL” in scripture. Here, the command is to do good to ALL people as we have opportunity. I know I am guilty of seeing dozens of opportunities to bless and serve people throughout any given day, and more often than not, I feel like I have the right to pick and choose which opportunities I feel like taking. But, this passage urges me to do good to ALL. If I see a need that I am able to sow into, I am asked to do so. 

It has been made aware to me that service is healing for both the server and the one(s) being served. As I serve a person, I reap joy and peace and blessing just as the person I am helping does. Service causes the people on either side to get out of their circumstances and look up and out. We look up to the God who provides what is needed to accomplish the service, and we look out beyond ourselves to others around us.

If we are looking inward at our circumstances and issues for too long, we only have a very small frame of reference. I believe this is a major cause for depression, anxiety and fear. The Bible urges us to keep our gaze on Christ. Why is that? Because He is bigger than our circumstances. When we take our eyes off of ourselves, we see a bigger picture. We see a God who is Sovereign, a God who loves, a God who is the Source of all we need. We see people who are in need, people who are hurting, people who need love. And we realize that God is able to meet the needs of His people. And, then we become empassioned to be a vehicle for the Spirit of God to help those around us. 

I encourage you today to take your eyes off of yourself and look up at God, and then out to the world around you. Who needs a touch of God today? How can you be the tangible heart of God for those people? A hug, an errand, a word of hope, a task completed, a ride, a promise lived out, a random act of love…. these are all seeds that will create a harvest of abundant life if you commit to endurance.

Remember the words we all long to hear when our life on earth is finished: 
“Well done, my good and faithful servant.” 

Serve well! Serve now! And here you will find your peace and joy and abundance.

Prepare the way September 7, 2008

I have struggled all of my life to come to the place of this revelation. I’ve heard this talked about, but never seemed to understand it. Finally I am just about there. I would like to take you with me! 

• “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” :: Exodus 23:20 ::

• “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” :: Psalm 50:23 ::

• “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” :: Psalm 85:12-13 ::

• “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” :: Isaiah 40:3-4 ::

• “Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’” :: “Isaiah 62:10-11 ::

• “‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty.” :: Malachi 3:1 ::

• “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet:’I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way a voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”‘ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: ‘After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” :: Mark 1:1-11 ::

So, my problem has been the battle between my emotions and my soul. Worship? I don’t feel like it; I feel down. Take a walk? I don’t want to. Read my Bible? I would rather watch a movie. Go out with friends? Not today, I feel anxious. Get up in the morning on time? I don’t feel like it; I am sleepy.

But my soul longs for worship. My body is weakening from lack of healthful living and my soul needs my body to be healthy so I can accomplish Kingdom work. My soul longs for the Words of the Living God. My soul wants to be with other people. My soul is excited to get another day started.

So… what can I do?

Prepare the way for the Lord.

I can come to church and put on an attitude of thankfulness and awe. I can choose to raise my hands in the air during worship songs or just lift my head towards the heavens while I sing. I can bow my head in a position of humbleness and gratitude. I can fix my eyes on Jesus. I can call up a friend to go walking; put on my workout clothes and drive to the mall. I can pick up my Bible and open it; say a prayer to the Spirit of God as I open the book. I can organize my home and belongings the night before; and set my alarm to wake up 15 minutes earlier the next day.

WHY? Why do all of that?

To prepare the way for the Lord.

At the moment I arrive in the church, I still may not feel wonderful. As a matter of fact, while I am singing and lifting my arms I may feel like there is no benefit. BUT THERE IS A BENEFIT. Just because I am not FEELING it in the natural yet does not mean nothing is happening!!!! I fix my mind, body, and spirit on what is unseen. I have faith in God, my Mighty Savior, and I hope for what is to come.

See, the Old Testament is filled with scriptures about preparing the way for the Lord. People made sacrifices, they asked God to come. They postured themselves in order to receive the Messiah. They wanted the blessings of God, so they went after them in the natural. And in the case of the Messiah, He finally came. The New Testament shows us that after a long time of wondering and hoping and believing, God sent John the Baptist to announce his arrival. And Jesus came to the earth to fulfill that message. All of those that recognized Him received the blessing of salvation. And the rest of the New Testament is pretty quiet after that as far as the major theme of “prepare the way” goes. We have Jesus now. But there is plenty of encouragement and urging and advising in the New Testament for preparing daily for the blessings of God. We have Jesus, but now we must posture ourselves and position ourselves in a place to be able to take hold of all He has for us. He gives freely, but we must ask and go to Him.

You may not FEEL like there is any benefit to the preparations you are doing. But, take heart, wait on God and watch Him work! It may be 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 years. But you will soon be living in His blessings because of your faithfulness and obedience.

Prepare the way for the Lord.

What can you do today to prepare the way to receive the promises of God?

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” ::Micah 7:7::

Be aware of discouraged people August 8, 2008

Today I had the privilege of bringing some sunshine into a person’s life. I am writing this blog not to boast about what I did, because it had very little to do with me. I want to write this in hopes that you, too, will open your eyes to those around you and to ask the Holy Spirit to help put it on your heart to help encourage people who seem down, even if it seems like a small matter.

The truth is, we may never know how badly someone is hurting, and this is precisely what the lady at a Duluth Publix bakery counter reminded me today.

Earlier today a co-worker who works in the classroom next to mine walked down the hallway and she was in tears. I didn’t get the whole story, but I think another co-worker must have spoken some hurtful words to her. My co-worker had stayed a few minutes later to cover my shift yesterday when I had a horrible migraine headache and had to go home early. So, I felt like she needed to know she was appreciated.

The devil does a lot of nasty work in the hearts of us who feel rejected and unappreciated. He must not be allowed to win in that pursuit. We, as disciples of Christ should have super-sensitive vision to spot those people who are down and in need of a positive word or deed. Dare I say it would be almost a sin for us to pass by one of these people? That is a bold statement, but I won’t shy away from it.

Remember the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10? Here is a refresher:
——–
30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36″Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
——

I don’t know about you, but “Go and do likewise” sounds like a command to me.

Back to the story about my co-worker:

So, I decided to go to Publix and get my co-worker a little treat to cheer her up. I had originally had the idea to get her a doughnut and have the bakery ice it with icing of her favorite color (pink) and put sprinkles on it. But, when I got to the counter I noticed a big chocolate chip cookie, and I asked the lady if she could ice it with pink icing, but she didn’t have any pink available. So, I told the lady that a co-worker was feeling down and I wanted to cheer her up. The lady commended me for my decision and suggested that perhaps she could draw a smiley face with icing on the cookie and then top it with sprinkles. I told her that was a great idea, so as she was working on the smiley face design she commented about how we never know what could set a person on the edge, and that there aren’t enough of us helping them. I agreed.

I thought back to a message I heard a Christian leader speaking about a few years ago. He spoke about a man who was working in some type of a business office and had planned on committing suicide that night. He had it all planned out — the music he would play, the way he would harm himself, the last meal he would eat. But, no one would have known it because he didn’t appear to be overly depressed. I’m embarrased to admit I don’t remember exactly what happened, but a co-worker for some reason had asked the man if he would have dinner with him or something, and the man shared with him that night that he had planned on killing himself. So, obviously this co-worker had saved his life!.

I may have botched some of the details of that story, but the message is clear… don’t overlook people when you feel led to help them in some way, whether or not they appear depressed. We just cannot know what it would take to send someone spiraling downwards. One word, one deed could literally be the difference between life and death for someone.

I don’t mean to send this blog into melodramatic territory. Far from it. It could actually be the most fun, joyful, happy thing to reach out to a hurting person. Their world could be darkness, but we bring the Light and Life to those who are in our world.

My co-worker was surprised and thankful to receive the decorated cookie. I may never know just exactly what God did in her heart today, but I hope the cookie and word of encouragement from me (by God’s guidance) was enough to make the negative word spoken over her fade into the background.

Who is down in your world? Remember, a word can change everything. And silence can speak louder than anything. So, speak up, step up and make someone’s day a little (or a lot) brighter!