Life Journal is Life Changing.

As a worship pastor I have the opportunity to see firsthand the Mt. Vernon family -together- every week. It is a sweet spirit and an encouraging sight. 

My friend Tony Merida used to always tell me that "Doctrine makes you dance" What he meant was - when God's people know His word, they respond. There is a deeper connectedness to the songs that we sing and it's truly life changing. 

I'm seeing such an exciting transformation taking place. As we study God's word, we are taking ownership of our faith and it's beautiful. Check out a few stories from Mt. Vernon people about the effect that Life Journal and "being in the word" is having on their lives.

I've always known it and I'm recently reminded. As a worship pastor, there is no challenge more important than encouraging God's people to study His word. 

Are you completely dependent upon something?

That word has a lot of meaning doesn't it? 

"relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed; "dependent children"; "dependent on moisture..."

That's what the web says. And outside of drawing images of your W2 form at 11:45 PM on April 14th, what you are dependent upon says a lot about you.

Likely because of the rise in accessible technology and social networking one popular trend at the stroke of midnight on January 1st was what one person coined a "Social Media Cleansing". The theory was that a solid week of living with a decreased connectivity to things like Facebook and Twitter would tell you a lot about yourself. It would tell you how dependent you've become to showing and knowing life in relation to other people. 

In the grassroots rules for the social networking cleansing you had to "sign off" by telling everyone what you were doing. Seven days later you should evaluate yourself. This would probably be followed by (what one writer called) a "disturbing realization of what has become of our dependency".

I didn't participate.

It's not to say that I won't. And maybe I am too connected, but my immediate justification for connectedness to something like "social networking" is... wait for it...

Comparison.

I can think of a number of people who are more connected than myself. Even in most every category of addictive behavior, someone else does "addicted" better than me. Or worse than me. 

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But (to make a magic segue to spiritual things) what if I truly seek to find my dependence upon things of God, or of God?

I believe there are two sides to the dependence coin. Being more dependent on something creates less dependence upon something else. Think about (what starting a new habit) can do for your other habits. As a kid it was the example of less time on the bike because of more time with a new video game. As a teen it was less time with the guys because of a pursued interest in the fairer sex. As an adult it's more time with a giant to-do list and less time with your kids. 

It's easy for me to compare every area of my walk with God (with someone else) and end up feeling pretty good about myself. In fact, that's what I do when I want to justify my lack of dependence upon God.

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Time spent on one thing becomes dependence if we are not careful. And it affects every other area of our life. 

An earnest dependence upon the creator of the universe, upon His word and upon growing more deeply connected to Him results in the alignment of every other area of your life. It results in less time in addictive behavior and more time with real people. Less time with negatives that result in more negatives and more time becoming sanctified by a devotion to the all-perfect creator of the universe.

So my hope is that this year, I'll become more dependent upon my savior. More dependent upon His word. As I do that - I'll take a moment here and there to watch myself become a better husband, son, brother, uncle, friend, worship leader, person. And I'll be reminded of how far I have to go, but yet my increasing dependence upon the one who can get me there. 

Have you ever peered into someone else's hurt? Just for a second even? Have you ever caught a glimpse of something that you truly believed exceeded your deepest hope.

We don't like to talk about these types of things.

Our American spirituality (just like our "every man for himself" mentality) has taught us that we shouldn't show weakness in our belief. But on the contrary it's pretty amazing how dealing with our deepest questions draws us closer and closer to God. 

There is a hope that is deep and it is in Christ.

You know when someone truly believes - because when they enter that hurt... that deep deep well of hurt - the hope is even deeper. 

I've never seen that hope so well displayed in a record as in "Beauty Will Rise" - Steven Curtis Chapman's latest project. 

I don't typically review albums in this form. Even though I make my living in music, I'm much more prone to recommend a book title than a record. And frankly, I wouldn't throw this title out for just anyone. It's full of truth in pain, hope in sorrow. 

In addition to it's worthy themes, it really impresses me musically as well. Chapman takes his legacy of well-produced pop studio records and strips away the gloss coating. His voice is rigid at times, clearly in pain. I wouldn't doubt if he accepted first takes on his vocal tracks. He emotes heartache that's welcome. Anyone knowing his tragedy of losing a daughter believes every word that he sings - but somehow he takes it a step further in the raw arrangements of these cuts. 

Several songs stick out. One that I'll mention is "February 20th" I think it's fascinating how Chapman focuses on the day his daughter comes to know Christ rather than the day she passes into eternity. He details the simplicity of the day and his daughters eagerness to meet Christ. 

Chapman clearly understands that the well of hurt compares none to the well of hope. And the deepest of hope lies in redemption. 

Check out the newest record for Steven Curtis Chapman - "Beauty Will Rise"