The Community and its Workers

So I talked to Chase, who is the awesome person that gave me a chance in his studio back when I recorded that first demo to take to HM with me, and he's going to get me back in to record the entire album that I'd like to get pressed by mid-month. I know I've said this two million times over the last eight months (holy crap I can't believe it's been that long), but it's actually going to happen. I got a couple tour offers (which I'm excited about) for July and on, and I want to have something to take out with me. 

I realize a spoken word CD shouldn't be as complicated as I'm making it, and it will probably be a lot less than what I've talked it up to be for me, but I'm excited about it. So there it is. Expect some new recordings and posted dates to be up around the middle/end of next month. I'm excited to finally get out on the road with some people. We'll see how the rest of people that don't live in my hometown respond. 

The church that I'm in love with in ABQ - City on a Hill - is going to become a satellite campus for Mark Driscol's Mars Hill officially in July. It's kind of a bittersweet thing, because I love the pastor here, but in all honesty, I fell in love with Driscol's pastoral abilities last year and have been listening to him ever since. But I'm finally getting plugged in there, which is something that I've wanted to do for years (literally, unfortunately), but haven't because I've been following my girlfriend around to other churches that she's more interested in. Not to say that's a bad thing, the Lord can work through whatever means necessary to speak into our lives, and I don't believe it's about the place anyway, and I think that making a mutual church a part of our relationship is more important than which church it is. However, I've felt the Lord pulling my heart towards City on a Hill since I've lived here, and I'm very excited to finally call it home. 

The other day Bruscas (the pastor now) did this teaching on how God will hold me responsible for what I do (and don't do, for that matter). And in what I do, I may very find myself screwing up everything, but God is sovereign in those imperfections, and he has the ability to transcend all decisions and - essentially - make all things good for those that love him. And if I allow him, God will heal me. Here's a couple things that I pulled out of that:

Don't let your hearing become dull, don't let your heart become calloused. And let the question, "AM I RECONCILED TO GOD?" be a question that keeps me awake at night. 

I thought this was an interesting point to make, because I just listened to this teaching by Driscol that was about Proverbs and the heart, and how all things flow from the heart, and how simple it is to let my heart become calloused, which causes an outflow of sin that is a direct result of my insufficiencies, and unable to be blamed on anyone else. 

And that is interesting, because both of these teachings were about community. Driscol said that "there is a direct result between the condition of the human heart, the living of the human life, and the forming of human cultures." And we want our culture to reflect the kingdom of God among us. And how do we know that the kingdom of God is among us? Bruscas said the picture the Bible paints of this community is one composed of rightness among us. Of loving and treating each other in right relationship, which will result in joy. 

And all of this reminded me of a book called Sex God by a dude name Rob Bell, and he said simply:

"With every decision that we make, we are either inviting heaven or hell to earth."

And somehow that line has always stuck with me and I've always thought that was beautiful, because it's so simple, and it seams like such a wonderful, understandable concept in light of where we are to be in relation with our hearts, relationships and communities. 

I don't know if any of that makes sense at all, or if I just rambled on for a very long time, but somewhere in my head I think that these things came together in some sort of way that flicked the switch on a light-bulb that I've forgotten about, and I'm excited and thankful to Jesus for that. 

There is work to be done. 

I am a worker,

and God has gifted me with the responsibility

of working as unto him.

And the harvest is great, 

but the workers are fighting.

But I want to participate 

in the advancement of the kingdom of God.