Ruth to Boaz: "Call me, maybe?"

Dear Miss Carly Rae Jepsen:

Thank you for recording Call Me Maybe.

It's catchy, and I like it.

And I have a question about it. Were the lyrics inspired by the biblical book of Ruth?

You may not be aware of this, but you've done a masterful job putting the words and actions of Ruth, as recorded in chapter 3 verses 7-9, in modern language. Read it for yourself if you like. Every time I do, I hear Ruth saying: "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me, maybe?"

so, thanks for that.

Music Videos

When there's snow outside, such as there is in Kelowna today, it isn't all that difficult to think pleasantly of Christmas coming. It's seems to be coming fast, as if to say: "Ready or not, here I come." It is, after all, December 1st today.

This Friday is our Church's kickoff to the holiday season with our children presenting a Charlie Brown Christmas. Then Monday night is our youth Christmas dinner. Six days later our Church is having a Christmas dinner and before you know it Christmas eve is less than a week away.

It's a lot of Christmas celebration packed into a few days. If one isn't properly prepared they might be more of a Lucy and Less of a Linus.*

To help you prepare I thought I'd share with you a new Christmas music video from our friends** Coldplay. This video have everything: fireworks, violin playing Elvis', and a piano that plays itself.



Also, you may wish to head over to http://www.starbucks.com/share#/the-killers. and watch the music video there as five cents is donated for every play. Why not? The video is not only holiday themed, yo swell with anticipation in the last few seconds, and it's directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynamite. That's what you call, win, win, win.

Enjoy

* Lucy, you might say, is kind of the Grinch in a pre-heart transformation sort of way, of A Charlie Brown Christmas, where as Linus is the Grinch in a post heart transformation sense. If you're still confused by this reference you should watch the film or join us Friday night at 6pm.

** Friend is used here in a very loose way. I have never met the fellows who make up Cold Play and have therefore not befriended them. They seem like friendly folks but there is no relationship between them and I, or even between them and someone I know. I am thus unable to even consider vicarious friendship with the members of this band.

DCB Music Video

I was delighted to watch this music video this week




*Spoiler Alert* it is recommended that you watch the above video before reading the following:

I have some questions about this video. Now, I'm quite certain that no one from David Crowder Band will ever be reading this, but I'm posing them here because I fantasize that they will.

Dear DCB:

First, thank you.

Thank you for the delightful whimsy. Thank you for taking me back to a time when life was good: when sitting, putting pegs into a lamp that would damage my retinas, was an afternoon well spent.

Thank you for demonstrating that low tech can be high tech.

And thank you for reminding me how much I suck at Lite-Brite.

But why?

I get the Lite-Brite. That is not my issue.

Why do you insist on playing with my emotions?

Why did you do that to me?  Why did you cause me to fall in love with the characters, with this relationship? Why did I root them on as their love grew? Why did I cheer when they got married?

And why did I feel crushed when the green line goes flat?

Why did I empathize so much with a character created only from Lite-Brite pegs?

Why did you use a symbol of innocence, a child's toy, to remind me of pain of this world?

Why?

I'll probably never be able to look at Lite-Brite the same way again.

Jesus is my DJ

You know something I love? I love it when a good song is playing while I’m getting ready in the morning. The best songs are the ones that make me want to dance. This is no easy feat. It’s pretty tough to be motivated to shake what you’ve got when it’s 6am and you haven’t had your coffee yet.

This morning was one of those blessed mornings. I had far more energy then usual, despite trouble sleeping, because good tunes were blasting through the house. This made everything fun. Brushing my teeth was fun. Ironing my shirt was fun. Shaving was fun. Annoying my wife by having lots of energy was fun.

The vibe continued into the car where the radio was on. I heard a song on the radio this morning that I haven’t heard before. (I’m a bit surprised by this since the song has been out for a while.) I enjoyed the song quite a bit, and it‘s been stuck in my head all morning. It’s not the best song ever, but three reasons help one make an argument that it’s good:

1. It was upbeat and fun
2. It made me dance in my seat unashamed of what other drivers thought of me
3. It made me think.

However, it was a radio edit, and the original contains foul language. This surprised me. I somehow missed the objectionable lyrics. This is the funny thing about radio. If you’re like me and a bit innocently clueless, you can think that a song says something it doesn’t. What do you mean James Blunt wasn’t actually “flying high”?

What’s got me writing about this song is the lyrics of the chorus: “If God is a dj then life is a dance floor.”

Really?

Is God a dj?

Is He up in Heaven standing at some turn tables?

No, not really. While that mental image makes me smile I don’t think it’s an accurate picture of God.

Well, then what’s the point? End of discussion right? It’s just a silly pop song about nothing.

Maybe not.

I love the consequential language of the song. I’m convinced we don’t consider consequences enough -- especially when it comes to God. If God is, or acts a certain way, consequences follow. As the song says, if God is a do then life is a dance floor. God is ________ and ________ is a result.

How often do we get it backwards and infer attributes of God based on what we observe?

We see hurt and think God is a god who hurts. Or we see injustice and think that God can’t be just to allow it.

We forget that God is who He is.

And He was before the world existed.

Unfortunately the world is the way it is, partly, because there are other forces playing out. Sin changed how things happen in this world. Now we don’t only see good at work, but we see evil also. We can’t go backwards in this. We need to start with the truths of God, and then look to see them on display in the world.

God doesn’t so much react to the world as the world reacts to God.

And what are the truths of God? What do we know to be true of Him?

God is good.

God is just.

God is love.

God is patient.

God is kind.

God cares about people.

God knows us.

God delights in His creation.

And there are many more truths.

What then, are the consequences, or results, of these truths? How do each of these characteristics of God play out?

If God is good then what?

I encourage you to spend some time thinking about the truths of God and what that means for our world. I’ll be doing that as I dance to the tunes my dj is playing: as awkward and as clumsy a dancer as I am I’m sure He will be pleased.

Rain

A great song was playing on my stereo as I drove home last night from my parents. It was a David Crowder Band song with the following lyrics:

Rain down your love on us
Rain down your love
And rain down your grace
And cover me
Rain down your love on us
Rain down your love
And rain down your peace

It’s a beautiful song and I think many of us would want that to happen. I have often sung, prayed, and pleaded for God to rain down love, and grace, and peace. That would be so amazing. Last night when the song came on I was merrily singing along.

Right until a vehicle forced me onto the shoulder of the road.

For some reason, this other driver thought the center of the road was the best place for his vehicle. We came very close to exchanging some paint. My response probably wasn’t as holy as it should have been. My thoughts, and possibly my words, while not all that bad and menacing, fell into the category Jesus would call “bad.” They were words of unlove, or not love. Jesus said: “Anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” And, “anyone who says ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” I’m pretty sure I called this guy a fool, or worse.

And then I went back to singing:

And rain down your love on us
Rain down your love
And rain down your grace…

It was about that time the Holy Spirit stopped me with, “Are you listening to yourself?”

Suddenly, pressed upon my heart was the understanding that God desires this too, and that I have a part to play in this desired rain falling on the earth. Perhaps, God’s love and grace and peace are to be spread around and dumped on others by Christians like myself. I mean, if every one of us were as loving as we ought to be, the whole world would be flooded with love. Perhaps God’s love, and grace, and peace would be seen raining down all around if I wouldn’t be preventing that with a heart that’s quicker to hate then love.

Maybe I need to stop expecting God to send down what he’s longing for us to pour out.

And maybe I’m not the only one.

May we be the love and the grace and the peace that God has rained down.