Auto-Tune the Pews?

In the service today... there was a lady behind me who sang loudly and well, rather out of tune. Really badly out of tune. I was taken aback for a while as my ears immediately latched onto the out-of-tune-ness. Hastily guarding myself against all that judgemental stuff a musician can throw at someone, I just carried on listening to her singing.

She sang earnestly and honestly with gusto.

That struck me because outside of the service, I've spoken to her before and she is a quiet person. In fact, she doesn't have a good command of English and she has a mild speech impediment. Now right there behind me, that lady was singing to the Lord with her pipes and giving her lungs a workout! 

And I was... "taken aback"?

There are (too many) times when pride rears it's ugly head.

Who are You In-Tune With?

I stumbled upon a quote by A.W. Tozer which is worth contemplation.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.

A.W. Tozer

I need a sign Lord... really?

So I was reading Pyromanics and I found this little comment made by another blogger. She said:

I think I'm having a serious "duh" moment here. 

But basically, if we affirm that scripture is TOTALLY sufficient for knowing the will of God - then praying for any knd of sign to know what God's will is in a certain situation is actually wrong, isn't it?

Now... isn't THAT something to think about?  SERIOUSLY?

More on this next time...

Help Needed In The Pews... Just Beside You.

During service today, I noticed a lady struggling to find the page during Scripture reading. She didn't have good eyesight and used a magnifying glass.

I could have walked over with my Bible to help her but I didn't because I thought the walk (to the other pew) too far. Upon deeper thought, I was actually afraid of disrupting the peace, of stepping out of line, straying from the norm.
What harm would have befallen me if I had walked over? Distract somebody for a moment? Ruffle my pride?
Afraid to break man-made conventions, afraid to gain a disapproving eye, afraid to go forth and help.

Midway through the reading, the lady eventually found the page.

The opportunity to show love to another had closed.

My pride, my pride! Bah.

The next time, I will walk over. I will help. Dear Lord help me...

The Sound of Heaven...

Over a serious discussion of extra-biblical "revelations" about heavenly visits and what not... I spilled the fickle seeds of my inner-most hope to my friend....

Me

i'd like to be told that there are electric guitars in heaven though.

how about that?

Friend 

c'mon man.. how can there be distortion, decay and delay in heaven?

Ow. 

Whose Fault is It Anyway?

Here's an interesting account in the book of Numbers that set me thinking about what I think I believe in...

Numbers 22:21-22

²¹So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.  ²²But God’s anger was kindled because he went...

A bit of context here before I move on - so we read here in Numbers 22, Balak summoned Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel. Balaam decided to wait and see what God would have him to do and God told him not to go. Balak was denied but tried asking again and so Balaam went to check with God again. This time, God said go. 

Thus Balaam went...  and "God's anger was kindled".

How can that be?  Didn't God just tell Balaam to go? (Num 22: 20) 

Now, pause a moment here. This is where I immediately thought - "Did God go back on His Word?" 

What an absurd notion to even consider that! The Scriptures are clear that "God is not a man that He should lie" (Num 23:19) In fact, the very idea of holiness set forth in the Word demands a God of Truth! Why would I even think that God could have gone back on His word? Instead, the Scriptures are clear that God sees the heart (1 Sam 16:7 and more), not just the actions, therefore Balaam could have "obeyed" God for all the wrong motives. This is clear from 2 Pet 2:15.

So this is the thing I'm bothered about: If I understand the holiness of God from Scripture, why would my thoughts immediately spring to fault Him? I know that for my good friends, I would say things like "Oh, he would never do that... he's not like that!". Why not God? Hmmmm....