Music Is In The Clouds

It is my absolute favorite time of year and the weather today is perfect for me. It's November, cloudy, cool and breezy. I'm not sure why I love it so much. Most people I guess would consider it dark and gloomy, but to me there is a hidden beauty in the gray skies and soon-to-be bare trees. The somber autumn days make me think of Coffee Obsession and Cape Cod (I sit here and wonder what it must be like at Bourne Farm on a day like today). The coolness in the house (we haven't turned on the heat yet - trying to save the money) makes we want to grab a blanket, curl up on the couch and watch some football. Sadly, baseball is gone until spring, so football will have to suffice (go Pats).

After further consideration, I think the reason I love these cloudy days is that they make the sun that much brighter when it takes its turn. The blue sky is sharper and the sun is more brilliant. All of it reminds me what the Bible says about giving thanks in every circumstance and considering it joy when I go through various types of trials. I know that I will be stronger and closer to God when I come out the other side.

So... thank you God for the clouds. Thank you for cold wind. Thank you for the bare tree limbs. Thank you, most of all, for the light that I know is coming. The light of Christ in my heart. May that light ever shine.

We Lead By Example

A couple weeks ago we sent child #2 (John) off to Truett-McConnell College. The next week the eldest (Ashleigh) left for her final semester at Charleston Southern University. That means our baby (Jessica) is now, in her words, an "only child". She is loving life. No more sharing the television (except when dad wants to watch football). No more sharing the bathroom. No more sharing the ice cream or worrying that someone else will scarf up the last brownie. All this change has made things a little different around our house. It's also made me stop and think about what type of father I've been. When I was driving John to college on move-in day I tried to explain to him how hard I had tried to be a good dad. I tried to make him realize that I knew I wasn't perfect, I knew I had made mistakes, but that I did the best I knew how.

I suppose when you get down to the heart of the matter, being a dad is nothing more than being a leader, and one of the defining characteristics of a good leader is that you lead by example. One day last week my daily Bible study time centered on 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 6-9. Forgive me while I quote from the commentary . I use a little personal devotion guide called Open Windows. It's the same guide that my grandmother McKinney used. Hey, it worked for her....


"People watch how you and I choose to live. Whether we like it or not, we are constantly evaluated and critiqued based on our actions. Often, we call this pressure unfair. the apostle Paul understood this pressure, but he saw it as a privilege. He knew his example to other Christians counted significantly. In one sense, he knew people were scrutinizing him. In another sense, he knew that his example was a grand opportunity for others to be inspired, seeing what faith in Jesus looks like. His example of faith was all he had to give and just what God wanted him to offer. Our example counts, too! it's all we have to give and exactly what God wants us to offer. We must choose the course of each day in light of how we will reflect the faith of Jesus. Our example is powerful - not because of ourselves but because Jesus inhabits our actions and shines through our lives! He's the ultimate picture of hope for a world trapped in hopelessness."


Now that John is on his own, I pray that I was a good enough example for him to follow. Best wishes to you, son, for a wonderful and successful college career. I love you!!

Land of Make Believe

This past weekend I was, for no apparent reason, rummaging through some boxes that we brought with us to Kennesaw. Much to my pleasant surprise, I came across several music posters that used to hang on my bedroom wall when I was in high school. I have no idea how or why they were moved to Kennesaw. I suppose I had assumed that my parents had long ago discarded it all.

Also in the box was a treasure. In almost perfect condition there was a program from a concert I had attended at the old Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC. On a winter night in the late 1970's, I went with a group of friends to see Chuck Mangione and his Quartet (Grant Geissman on guitar, Charles Meeks on bass, James Bradley, Jr. on drums, and Chris Vadala on "everything"). Those guys totally blew me away (anyone ever see a bassist bend a low F at the first fret?). The talent on stage was incredible, but the one thing that stuck with me from that night was the passion and feeling with which these guys made music. You could not only hear the music, you could feel it, and you could see their hearts. Admittedly, the only Mangione tunes I knew before the concert were "Feels So Good", from radio play, and "Chase the Clouds Away" and "Land of Make Believe", from drum corps. But afterwards, I was hooked and for the rest of high school and most of college I listened to anything Mangione I could get my hands on.

In the early 1980's I went to see them a second time at the Carowinds palladium, an outdoor arena. The concert was plagued by steady rain, but the group never stopped and we never left. Three hours and three encores later, we were all still there clapping and dancing in the rain to "Main Squeeze". I still remember how much better Chuck's music always made me feel, and I thought at the time how cool it would be to have the ability to bring people a little happiness in the midst of Three Mile Island, the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Energy Crisis.

Saturday morning, as I finished thumbing through the pages of that program, I came to the back cover. There I found a quote from Chuck himself, and I believe the timing of seeing it was divinely appointed.

"When music is honest and full of love, labels aren't important... And people listen with an open mind."

Through the late 70's, Mangione was constantly having to answer critics about his music. Pop radio didn't like jazz and the jazz community didn't like his "crossover" material. I think that for Chuck, that one quote said it all. He did what he did honestly and passionately and tried not to focus on anything else.

I thought about that quote and drew some parallels to the current "hymns versus choruses" debate in churches today. Both traditional hymns and contemporary choruses reflect the honest thoughts and feelings of a sinful, yet sanctified writer toward a holy God. Both the older hymn and the newer song express a passionate love for our living Savior. Keeping in mind that God is our audience when we worship, I think that our labels aren't as important to Him as they are to us. For me, personally, that ultimately means I will try to put aside my own personal preferences and strive to keep an open mind about things and look for the good in it all. As we move forward in our local church, I hope that's what people will see and understand about my ministry.

The music is perpetual. Give It All You've Got. Thanks Chuck!

How Great Is Our God

Life lessons come in many different ways. Until last week, I had never traveled outside of the USA. I returned last night from a trip to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, organized by Dan Moran Ministries from Birmingham, AL. We spent several days of ministry working in schools, local churches, a feeding center and an orphanage. Honduras is a beautiful country and our hosts and translators were absolutely wonderful. I've spent some time trying to collect my thoughts on the past week. I'm not sure if God will lead me back there again, but if he does, I wouldn't hesitate to go. One of the Christian principles I try to follow is to find out where God is working and then get in on it. God is definitely working in Honduras. It's exciting to see.

I'm not quite sure where or when I got the idea that the USA is the focal point of the planet, but somewhere along the line I developed what became a quiet arrogance that is sadly too common here in my country. We somehow think that since God has blessed our nation so tremendously, that we have somehow become his anointed and appointed keepers of the faith around the globe. After what I've experienced this week, I no longer think that way.


The Church in Honduras is growing rapidly. The message of Christ is being preached and taught all over the nation. Honduran believers are reproducing themselves in an exciting way. I met a young Honduran college student who told me his ambition in life was to own a home so that he could host Bible studies. How different is that from the "American Dream"? Humbling, isn't it?

The local churches in San Pedro Sula are multiplying also. Our host church, Jerusalem Baptist Church, has birthed several daughter churches and they are all continuing to grow and strengthen. (In my own mind, I couldn't help but contrast that with the North American concept of the mega-church. I'm not criticizing the mega-church, only noting the different paradigm.) We spent a day with one of these daughter churches, going door-to-door inviting people to a midweek service, playing games with the children, sharing our stories of faith in Christ, and presenting God's plan of salvation at a late afternoon service. The church had the vision, knowledge and ability, they gave us the direction and we only provided the workers.

The Bible tells us that God is spirit, and we must worship him in spirit and truth. How about 26 North Americans singing "How Great Thou Art" in English alongside a hundred Hondurans, all singing in Spanish? A special experience, indeed. I believe God understood us all and was quite happy with the joyful noise that was raised.

When God decides to move and work, he doesn't need my ability, he only wants my availability. On our last day in country we visited a local market. I got an opportunity to chat with one of the local merchants. I my opinion, it wasn't much of a chat because we spent most of the time smiling and laughing at my version of Spanish. Finally she asked me why I was different from most Americans. She was curious why I smiled so much. I managed somehow to tell her that I had Jesus in my heart and he comes out in my face. Through her broken English and my mangled Spanish, God spoke. "Cristo te ama y yo tombien" - "Christ loves you, and so do I".

How great is our God?