Sounding brass and clanging cymbals- what a chaotic sound mix that brings to my mind! It reminds me of many voices talking at once, no, actually screaming at once in different languages at ultra high volume levels. It becomes a myriad of random noise that grinds, scrapes, and finally disrupts the natural beauty of my own inner peace and quiet. It's kind of like extra long human finger nails being pulled or dragged across a blackboard. Do they still use blackboards?
In symphonic music, there are times when it is purposeful to write chaos into the musical score to achieve a certain dramatic effect. The noise can create tension or a specific mood before a contrast of softer notes are carefully spilled out into the orchestration. This technique tends to keep me interested in the performance as I eagerly await a crescendo or interlude. Contrast through high notes and low notes coupled through counter point is both stimulating and interesting to the score. It can penetrate my mind, even to the depths of my soul. But how does chaos relate to the concept of love and of loving others? Paul penned those mighty words which are often hurried over and just plain over used at wedding ceremonies. Its kinda funny but when we glibly use these verses from 1 Corinthians chapter 13 we are actually becoming sounding brass and clanging cymbals.
Last week, in an act of desperation, I emailed a complete stranger, who happens to be a successful author, in an attempt to find my way out of the pit I have been living in for some time. Let me insist that my spiritual darkness was very dark indeed. If your interested as to the depth of the pit I found myself sprawled out in and have the time you will need to start at the beginning of my blog in 2010 and read your way forward to today. I really didn't expect to get an answer from this man at all. I was broken, desperate and wondered if I was even repairable. I was at the end of my spiritual rope. The very next morning there was a reply in my inbox. It was like a faint 2 bulb LED flashlight had just been switched on. I could feel a sparkle of hope rise from my toes upward through my chest coming to rest in my heart. It was refreshing.
As I opened the email there in black and white was my reply and what turned out to be a possible way out of my spiritual isolation . The words read " Dean, today would be a good day to call me..." and then a cell number. The last words of that email I will treasure forever..."Praying for you". I believe my heart leaped or skipped a beat or something. From the area code it looked like an east coast number so I waited till it was lunch time on the east coast and nervously made the call.
The voice on the other end of my connection had a kind and soft, warm and caring quality to it. I did not feel I was about to get the Spanish Inquisition but rather the voice seemed familiar and reassuring to me the way I would imagine Jesus to sound if He used an I Phone. A connection had been made as the voice listened to me and then assured me I was not alone in my predicament. Although on the day before that was the exact feeling that had overwhelmed me, a feeling that I was truly alone. I thank God that this man had the time, no, that he took the time, trusted God to make a connection with a complete desperate stranger.
This is exactly what love looks like. Its not chaotic but rather it is perfect and will last forever in eternity. Love is a way of life. Its the way we choose to treat others around us. It's the fuel that powers our journey that we take every waking moment of our lives. Relationships take time and effort, they will cost you something in the here and now. Relationships can only happen when one or more people are present and engaged in each other or involved. Its the reason we were created in the first place. God desires a relationship with us. Remember the words of Jesus "When two or more are gathered together in my name, I am in your midst".
Hit the pause button a sec. I cant hardly believe what just happened. My telephone just rang as I was finishing writing those last few lines in the above paragraph. The voice on the other end was from a woman I know from the last church I was a pastor at. She asked me if I had the time to meet with and council her and her boyfriend who were on the last leg of thier five and a half year relationship. Read the last line of the above paragraph again. How crazy is that? Just look at the timing, completely unreal to me. God is so much bigger then I can imagine. I tend to want to drop Him up into a gift wrapped box, and set on my organized, dusty shelf. Why do I do that? God you are so good!
I said I would meet them tomorrow at a local Starbucks. What a perfect bow to tie on this blog today. God has spoken and made the point for me. It's all about Jesus, showing others Jesus and all the relationships that germanate and grow through His unbelievable love and timing.
In symphonic music, there are times when it is purposeful to write chaos into the musical score to achieve a certain dramatic effect. The noise can create tension or a specific mood before a contrast of softer notes are carefully spilled out into the orchestration. This technique tends to keep me interested in the performance as I eagerly await a crescendo or interlude. Contrast through high notes and low notes coupled through counter point is both stimulating and interesting to the score. It can penetrate my mind, even to the depths of my soul. But how does chaos relate to the concept of love and of loving others? Paul penned those mighty words which are often hurried over and just plain over used at wedding ceremonies. Its kinda funny but when we glibly use these verses from 1 Corinthians chapter 13 we are actually becoming sounding brass and clanging cymbals.
Last week, in an act of desperation, I emailed a complete stranger, who happens to be a successful author, in an attempt to find my way out of the pit I have been living in for some time. Let me insist that my spiritual darkness was very dark indeed. If your interested as to the depth of the pit I found myself sprawled out in and have the time you will need to start at the beginning of my blog in 2010 and read your way forward to today. I really didn't expect to get an answer from this man at all. I was broken, desperate and wondered if I was even repairable. I was at the end of my spiritual rope. The very next morning there was a reply in my inbox. It was like a faint 2 bulb LED flashlight had just been switched on. I could feel a sparkle of hope rise from my toes upward through my chest coming to rest in my heart. It was refreshing.
As I opened the email there in black and white was my reply and what turned out to be a possible way out of my spiritual isolation . The words read " Dean, today would be a good day to call me..." and then a cell number. The last words of that email I will treasure forever..."Praying for you". I believe my heart leaped or skipped a beat or something. From the area code it looked like an east coast number so I waited till it was lunch time on the east coast and nervously made the call.
The voice on the other end of my connection had a kind and soft, warm and caring quality to it. I did not feel I was about to get the Spanish Inquisition but rather the voice seemed familiar and reassuring to me the way I would imagine Jesus to sound if He used an I Phone. A connection had been made as the voice listened to me and then assured me I was not alone in my predicament. Although on the day before that was the exact feeling that had overwhelmed me, a feeling that I was truly alone. I thank God that this man had the time, no, that he took the time, trusted God to make a connection with a complete desperate stranger.
This is exactly what love looks like. Its not chaotic but rather it is perfect and will last forever in eternity. Love is a way of life. Its the way we choose to treat others around us. It's the fuel that powers our journey that we take every waking moment of our lives. Relationships take time and effort, they will cost you something in the here and now. Relationships can only happen when one or more people are present and engaged in each other or involved. Its the reason we were created in the first place. God desires a relationship with us. Remember the words of Jesus "When two or more are gathered together in my name, I am in your midst".
Hit the pause button a sec. I cant hardly believe what just happened. My telephone just rang as I was finishing writing those last few lines in the above paragraph. The voice on the other end was from a woman I know from the last church I was a pastor at. She asked me if I had the time to meet with and council her and her boyfriend who were on the last leg of thier five and a half year relationship. Read the last line of the above paragraph again. How crazy is that? Just look at the timing, completely unreal to me. God is so much bigger then I can imagine. I tend to want to drop Him up into a gift wrapped box, and set on my organized, dusty shelf. Why do I do that? God you are so good!
I said I would meet them tomorrow at a local Starbucks. What a perfect bow to tie on this blog today. God has spoken and made the point for me. It's all about Jesus, showing others Jesus and all the relationships that germanate and grow through His unbelievable love and timing.
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