Acceptance

This poem really stirred me. The author writes transparently about feeling low, but also the Christian's call to come out of the valley. Communicated with such compelling and vivid imagery. I highly recommend taking a read if you are feeling low.

For Knox

Sparkling brown eyes full of mischief and life.

You flash your tiny teeth and try to show off.

You are thick like a brick.

There is strength in your arm and determination in your eye.

Will you grow up to be a man of courage?

You fall asleep in my arms,

The most precious of treasures.

Rosy red lips beg to be kissed.

Dark eyelashes fan your silky soft cheek.

You sleep so soundly, securely;

My gentle warrior.

Will you grow up to a world rank with violence?

Will you do the right thing or the easy thing?

Your little voice says, "Mama."

My heart melts.

You race to meet me,

Your soft arms encircle me.

How I wish I could protect you forever,

But you will take flight,

And I will trust in God.

Bifrost Arts

Come O Spirit! An Anthology of Hymns and Spiritual Songs is a beautiful compilation CD put out by Bifrost Arts. According to their MySpace profile, Bifrost is "a sacred music non-profit that exists to enrich the church and engage the world with beauty and truth."

The info I've found about them online is a little patchy at best. It seems like they are trying to provide music that encourages congregational singing in the church. This really appeals to me. The quality of their music is very high, and it seems that good lyrics are a priority. They include many old hymns with new arrangements, but also some new songs.

On a side note, the Kyrie on this album is beautiful, but a little too Roman Catholic for me. I'm a big advocate of church music being in the vernacular so that everyone can understand what they are saying. But apart from this, I love the album. I think the sign of a good album is when it gets better the more you listen to it. And this one does.

The Christmas album is a little darker then your average, but gorgeous in it's own way. Christianity Today says of it, "Think Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas with the life-changing message of peace on earth, goodwill to men." My Kids don't like it as much as I do. When I was listening to Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, my two year old said, "Mommy, I'm scared!"

I bought my albums on itunes for $9.99 each, but it looks like you can also order them from Amazon.

They have started a blog here, and some interesting reviews here and here.

Yoga: Five Ways of Salvation in Hinduism

I found Vishal Mangalwadi's article here fascinating and enlightening. I have the feeling that most of us in the West have no idea what this trendy new phenomenon is all about. The yoga crowd seems to be beautiful, sophisticated or just really cool. Buzz words like "holistic" and "spiritual" fly around. Christians are divided about whether they should or shouldn't do it. And from what I've heard, most people think yoga's purpose is physical flexibility and stress release.

I appreciated Mangalwadi's perspective on yoga. Although now approaching from a Christian worldview, he has first hand knowledge of the topic. A native of India, he was at one time initiated into Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's brand of Japa yoga (known as TM) in Maharishi's own living room.

Mangalwadi expounds on the global appeal and the religious worldview of yoga, and even the techniques used to alter conscience. (He even explains how to see the 'divine light' through the 'third eye' by gentle manipulation of the eyeball...in case you care to try.)

The problem with yoga according to Mangalwadi is not the exercises themselves, but the philosophy behind them:

Someone may ask, ‘What is wrong with artificially altering consciousness?’ By itself there is nothing wrong with an altered state of consciousness. Sleepwalking, hypnosis, hallucination, even madness are all ‘altered’ states of consciousness. There is nothing wrong with them in a moral sense, even if some of them are deemed undesirable states of consciousness. The problem is philosophical. Is your altered state of consciousness God? If it is not, then does it matter if you consider your own altered state of consciousness God? Is it harmless to call yourself the President of your nation if in fact you are not the President? If your inner self is not God then when you look within could you be looking for God in the wrong place? Is it right to call something spiritual which is in fact physical or psychological? Does it matter if you are mistaken in your beliefs? Well, does it matter if you go on the longest and the most important journey of your life with a map drawn by a person who mistook East for West or North for South?

I was very interested to read his thoughts and observations about the effects of monism. Especially because of his firsthand view of it's effects in India. I sometimes feel that we romanticize things that are foreign and slightly mysterious to us. And yet, this does not help us assess the worth of a worldview. Mangalwadi explains:

The monistic idea that the human self is the same as the divine self and that everything is one, makes our individuality illusory, thereby destroying the very foundation for affirming the unique value of every individual. It should not surprise us that the Indian philosophical tradition, in spite of all its brilliance, could not produce a culture that recognized human rights and the intrinsic worth of the individual. Nor could yogic monism give to Indian society a framework for moral absolutes, a strong sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. Yogic exercises indeed gave flexibility to our bodies but unfortunately the yogic philosophy gave too much flexibility to our morals – making us one of the most corrupt nations in the world.

Mangalwadi's answer for these problems is biblical. He believes that our problem is moral, not physical or metaphysical.

God is holy – morally pure. We are sinful, not merely ignorant. We have done what we know to be wrong and failed to do what we know to be right. A holy God must judge and punish our sin. God and sin cannot co-exist anymore than light and darkness. Our need is not altered consciousness, but transformed hearts, for the heart is the real core of our being and our character...Our central problem, according to the Bible is that we are sinners. We need a divine Savior who will forgive our sins and transform our hearts – the core of our being.

I found this article informative and sort of a fun read. It also made me appreciate the worldview that has shaped our country and the benefits we enjoy because of it.

NOTE: In case you're interested to hear more from this fascinating man, he is coming to Calgary to speak at our conference Jan. 29 and 30. You can find more info here and here.

Longing to Be Blogging

With the busyness of life and fatigue and babies, I've totally dropped the ball. I am often thinking of things that I would like to write about. Hopefully soon.

Silent Night

I recently discovered this Christmas album by Red Mountain Music. I think it will be a new family favorite for us. It's lovely. You can get two free songs from the album on Justin Taylor's blog here.

More Hope for Miserable Christians: The Romantic Bookeeper

Nothing will make you miserable faster then seeing other Christians do less and receive more. And by that I mean, that you see others doing less for the kingdom of God and yet their life seems better than yours. They may have a better marriage, a better house, better friends or simply more enjoyment in life. They may have had a spiritual experience that you have not, or seem closer to God and they may just seem happier.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this issue in his book Spiritual Depression: It's Causes and Cure. I was helped by the chapter on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matt. 20).

The first laborers in the vineyard bargain with the master for their payment, but later when they receive their payment in full, they feel that the master has treated them unjustly because others were rewarded in a greater way then they were.

According to Lloyd-Jones the cure for this type of depression is realizing that things work differently in the New Creation. (2 Cor. 5:17) If we are in Christ, we can no longer act as if the old rules of this world apply.

We must say to ourselves every day of our lives: 'Now I am a Christian, and because I am a Christian I am in the Kingdom of God and all my thinking has got to be different. Everything here is different. I must not bring with me those old ideas, those old moods and concepts of thought.' (p.129)

So how do things work in the Kingdom of God? First of all, says Lloyd-Jones,

Do not think in terms of bargains or rights in the Kingdom of God. That is absolutely fatal. There is nothing so wrong as the spirit which argues that because I do this, or because I have done that, I have a right to expect something else in return. (p. 129)

It doesn't matter how spiritual our actions are. We cannot strong arm God into doing what we want. Even if we stay up all night praying for revival, we cannot make one happen. Only God can bring revival. If we are faithful in our spiritual disciplines, we do not have a right to joy and contentment. If we do good to others, we do not deserve to have a beautiful life.

The key according to Lloyd-Jones is realizing that "Everything is of grace in the Christian life from the very beginning to the very end." (p. 130) Not only that, but you are actually robbing yourself if you try to bargain with God. It is never a good idea to do something for God so that He will do something for you. "If you do, you will get only your bargain; but if you leave it to his grace, you will probably get more than you ever thought of." (p.130) (cf. Matt. 6)

I especially loved his next new creation principle:

Do not keep a record or an account of your work...keep your eye on Him and His glory, on His love and His honour and the extension of His Kingdom.

Lloyd-Jones points us to Matt. 6, "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,...And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

There is no need to waste time keeping the accounts, He is keeping them. And what wonderful accounts they are. May I say it with reverence, there is nothing I know of that is so romantic as God's method of accountancy. Be prepared for surprises in this kingdom. You never know what is going to happen. The last shall be first. What a complete reversal of our materialistic outlook, the last first, the first last, everything upside down. The whole world is turned upside down by grace...His book-keeping is the most romantic thing I know of in the whole world.

I am beginning to realize that it is all of grace in the Christian life--not just my entry into it--but also the middle and the end. And this realization brings a delightful joy and contentment.