People Disappoint Me

It is true... I said it... I mean it... people disappoint me.

Over the past several weeks I have had a few situations in which I was hoping for responses or reactions from particular individuals. In one case, they have yet to responsed... in another, we talk from time to time but anytime something of substance comes up, they tend to disappear.

In talking with a close friend here in town (hey Ostrich!!) it seems that I'm not the only one disappointed by the way people act and think. He's been spending his time lately dealing with a very difficult situation in which many people are thinking of one thing and one thing only... themselves.

None of this is surprising, after all each and every one of us is constantly caught up in the battle between God and flesh, mind and heart, "life" and living.

None of the people I am disappointed by "owe" me anything... I'm not waiting for them to fulfill a promise or anything of that sort, I just simply expected more from them.

As my mind wanders, I start to think about all of the times that people have expected more of me than I was willing to give... be it my wife, my kids, my parents, my friends, my church, my job/bosses, myself or even my Lord. It is a sobering thought!

I've been reading in Joshua and Judges lately and have been amazed at how many people in the bible disappointed God... Judges in particular is full of God showing favor followed by disappointment toward people who simply didn't seem to "get it". There were consequences, but God was faithful to His plan for those people.

We are very much the same way... constantly and consistently disappointing God and crying out to Him when things don't go our way... yet the Lord still desires to call each of us His own. How amazing is that? He is the ONLY one with truly unconditional love.

What an example... here we are, a world full of disappointing people, and yet God desires us to spend time with Him.

I guess the point of this all is when people disappoint me, it must be because I am looking at them through my eyes instead of God's.

In Him,
Jim

The Blahs

Ever have those days where you just want to go back to bed?

Sometime over this past weekend, I managed to catch whatever sickness my kids have been passing around and I have to tell you that it has pretty much taken me down.

I'm tired of coughing (I have a very loud cough) every 5 minutes and having every time I sneeze look like some long lost footage from one of the Ghostbusters movies (ok... gross, I know).

I'm in this constant state of going from a "night time so you can sleep medicine" to pain relievers and nose spray during the day... ewwwww.

Being sick is bad enough, but it just so happens that this week involves me playing at a worship conference and singing in a wedding for my boss's daughter!! Not to mention the various family activities such as soccer games and practices for the kids.

Ok... that's enough for now.

Jim

One Versus Ninety-Nine

Today in my reading, I came across some verses that are probably familiar to most... Luke 15:4-7. In light of my recent convictions in regard to what it is I do with my music, these verses really hit home.

How often is it that we are more concerned with the one who is lost than we are with the ninety-nine who aren't? My guess is "not nearly enough".

This isn't meant to start a debate over seeker churches/missionaries/outreaches etc... I'm talking about on a personal level. What does this mean to you and me?

I was talking to Scott via email this week about how it seems Christian musicians (that is to say a musician that is a Christian) have weakened or removed their desire to use their music as an outreach. It has become more about playing to an expectation than it has been serving a purpose or avoiding being associated with a genre in fear of someone judging your art.

If our art and our ministry are purposed toward serving God, what does that look like? Which is the better scenario; the artist who is blatant about their purpose and has no problem wearing the title of Christian artist or the artist who says that they are a believer and that their music reflects their person as a whole (thus trying to avoiding being pigeonholed into a particular genre)?

I've got friends who fall on both sides of the fence and who are all (from as much as I am capable of seeing) spirit-filled believers with a good intentioned, God-fearing heart.

Which allows us better to pursue the one versus the ninety-nine? And is that our real reason for the choices we have made?

These are sincere and honest questions, as I can truly see the purpose of both sides.

A year or so back, I adopted the position of "I am who I am in Christ and I don't really care what people label me" - meaning that if someone calls me a Christian artist, then I am... if someone calls me a Christian who is an artist (see the difference?), then I am.

The big question is did I adopt that position so that I could reach more people or so that I wouldn't have to take a stand for what I believe (possibly at the risk of the audiences who might hear my music)?

Maybe I'm guilty of leaving all one hundred?

Jim

(all bible passage links are from BibleGateway.com)

When It Rains... It Snows?

You ever get the feeling that the harder you try to get things on track, the more impossible it seems to be?

My wife and I were discussing this the other night. We have both committed to a bible reading plan and have been having fun picking on each other as one of us gets ahead of the other during the day.

Then those little things started happening... I had a discussion with a close friend over some things that have been on my heart and received a response that wasn't quite what I expected from them... My car comes out of the repair shop with a large dollar amount of repairs, and it now looks like there are some additional things to be done, which of course means more money... Our 2 year old son, Griffin, spiked a 105 degree fever last night (which thankfully came down a few degrees), causing a chain reaction of events needing to be canceled including our daughter Grace's birthday party and a field trip to the art museum... I came up to my office to check email and I had an email about my good friend Jody's condition being less than ideal (I'll explain this in another post sometime)... Another email stated that a friend's son was checked into the hospital last night because he has been confused, disoriented and very lethargic... And to top if all off, after a few weeks of beautiful Spring weather, it is now snowing in Iowa. Weather experts predict a decent amount of accumulation and some icy roads and such.

So, what gives? Is it that our brain becomes hyper aware of our surroundings when we are trying to stay on track? Is it something deeper? A spiritual warfare of sorts? Is it God seeing if we truly are trusting Him in all matters? Is it all just coincidence?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here thinking the world is caving in around me and playing the pity game... nothing of the sort. I'm very thankful for the things in my life that are both good and bad. I just find it interesting that this is the way the pattern seems to work at times and thought I'd throw it out there for comment.

Do I believe it could be a spiritual warfare thing? Sure. Do I believe it could be God allowing trial? Sure. Do I believe that it might just be coincidence? Sure. Do I believe that I have to know the reason? Absolutely not. I'm not God (nor would I want to be... wow, talk about stress!!)

I think it is a good reminder that there are lots of things that happen in life that we can't explain. Some major and some minor. I hold to the fact that if we knew why things happen to us or those around us, we wouldn't really have a need to trust God, now would we? Part of my faith is knowing that God is God and that no matter how bizarre, coincidental or painful the circumstance, He is still God.

"My hope is built on nothing less..."

In Him,
Jim

Be Deliberate.

He is risen... He is risen indeed!

Awesome thought when it really gets down to it, isn't it?

I spent a wonderful weekend celebrating Christ's resurrection in music and fellowship. I don't think I can ever recall an Easter sermon in my past that included speaking about both Christ's resurrection and the hind quarters of peacocks. Wow... way to go Pastor Gilmore!!

One thing that struck me a little differently this year was a simple thought: Mark 16:6 in the KJV states "He is risen"... The NASB states "He has risen"... both showing us that this occurred in the past. Well duh, Jim... of course Christ was resurrected in the past, what's your point? My point is, "now what?"

We know why He was crucified and we know what it means for us to put our trust in His death and resurrection, but now what?

For some of you, you are undoubtedly reading this and saying "I can answer that" or "this seems pretty remedial", but the fact of the matter is our emphasis in society on making such a huge deal out of our Easter services just reminds me how much we are missing the point the rest of the year.

Without question, Easter is something to be celebrated and something to respectfully present in remembrance of Christ's resurrection, but what if that passage read "He has risen... and He is waiting for you!" What about the other 364 days of the year?

You see, Christ has risen and we have the opportunity to know our Savior on an individual/personal level.

This has all come out of personal conviction. It is easy for us to make Easter or Christmas a priority, but how easy is it for us to make Christ a priority? I crawled out of bed at 5:08 am this past Sunday morning to drive 40 minutes South of my house and participate in worship with the church... would I crawl out of bed at 5:08 am to talk with God?

My wife, Ashley, and I are working through this very thing. We have long been dedicated believers and try to be willing to go the extra mile for whomever needs our assistance, but it has usually been at the expense of our time with God. Not that we didn't pray or read, but more the case that we fit it in around everything else that was happening in life.

Our time with God (especially in my case) had become an extra and not a priority.

At the conference in Nashville I had the opportunity to hear Phil Joel speak. Phil is the former bass player for The Newsboys. What he had to say was extremely convicting to me.

Phil and his wife Heather have started a new ministry called "deliberatePeople." The concept is amazingly simple: God desires to spend time with us on a daily basis. We need to make that a priority.

Wow... what a concept. God desires to talk with us. God desires to teach us. God desires us to come to Him in prayer and worship.

Phil's website provides a reading track and some notes on journaling what it is you are learning daily in reading the Word.

This is no great revelation... ask any Christian and you'd probably be told that we are to be in the Word daily. But ask the same believer how much time they spend reading the latest book by "Dr. Eldridge Piper Moore Swindoll" compared to time in the Word and in prayer and see if the priorities align as they should.

Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with reading other people's thoughts on life, biblical issues, church issues, etc. The point is are we equally fired up about learning what God the author has to share with us?

A simple concept, but one that I think we are all in need of remembering.

He has risen... and He is waiting for you.

Once a year we all climb out of bed to remember Christ the risen Lord... funny thing is... tomorrow He is still risen. Where will you be then?

In Him,
Jim

(all bible passage links are from BibleGateway.com)

Nashville or Bust

This past weekend my friend John and I attended a conference in Franklin, Tennessee for independent Christian musicians.

John was actually nominated for an award (which he won!) and had asked me to attend because he thought the conference would be right up my alley.

I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting from the conference what I walked away with.

I went into the conference feeling pretty convinced that I knew the direction my life was heading. I walked out of the conference wondering if I was selling God short.

I know that all sounds rather cryptic, so let me try to define a little of what I'm struggling with:

I have several friends in and around the "music business". Over the years as I've been involved with their careers and various portions of my own musical life, I've tried to shape what I believe are my responsibilities (or lack thereof) related to my music and my faith.

I have a friend who believes that being a church musician is the ultimate for any musician. I have a friend who believes that all art (secular or religious) is a gift from God. I have a friend who believes that music is something he does for his own enjoyment and has little or no bearing on his walk as a believer. I have a friend who believes that music is the means by which we communicate God's love to unbelievers. I have a friend who believes that music is the means by which we remind of God's love to existing believers... etc etc.

I've walked many of these paths with different bands and such myself over the years.

Many of you who are Christians and musicians have probably dealt with or thought about the statement "I am a Christian who happens to be a musician" and what exactly that means to you.

I thought up until this past weekend that I was pretty comfortable with my stance on everything. I have considered myself (after years of being pushed around the system) as a musician who happens to be a Christian.

I purposed my "art" to be family friendly and tasteful, but wasn't overly concerned with how it was perceived as a ministry. Granted, since I also serve as a worship musician/leader I was able to convince myself that I was still using my talents to serve God.

The questions now look something like this in my mind: Am I doing what I do with my music because its easy or am I doing it because it is purposed? Am I doing what I do with my music (and my life) to bring glory to God or because it has become my habit?

I think the answer is that it really doesn't matter what your idea of music and ministry looks like, but what does matter is why you are doing it. Where is the heart of the matter?

This past weekend really revealed to me some things that I've known about myself for quite some time. It really touched on some things that perhaps I had given up on because a) the industry doesn't like it or b) because it is hard work. If I'm serving God, then the industry and my own concept of "work" doesn't really matter.

I can honestly say that I'm more confused (in a good way) about how to use my 34 year old life now than I was when I walked into the building in Franklin last Friday morning.

It is a scary thought to sit back with your comfortable life and say "God use me how you will".

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that I think I need to go out and be the next big thing in the Christian music scene. I don't believe that an achievement in an industry makes me any more Christ-like. What I am suggesting however, is examining the things I do and the purpose for which I do them. If I truly feel God has blessed me with a talent (which I still have not comfortably concluded), then I need to be using that gift for Him (in my opinion). What that looks like, I'm unsure of.

That's all for now... I'll chew more on this as I feel I have anything new to share!!

Jim

Let me introduce myself...

Welcome to The Barefoot Servant.

Everyone in the blog world thinks that they have the answers to life's tough questions. You can pretty much find advice about anything and everything if you are willing to look hard enough. Opinions run rampant as to what the "correct" point of view is on just about every issue under the sun.

I want this blog to be something more... something deeper.

I don't want this to be about telling you how I've mastered everything in life and how you can do the same by following my advice. To the contrary, I want to share what it is I'm learning and what it is I've both struggled with and succeeded at. A place for us all to converse and share.

You might wonder why I used this particular name. The answer is actually pretty simple: The idea of a barefoot servant captures two mindsets that I believe are important.

The first one is being a servant to God and others in all that we do. We have been gifted in ways that allow us to uniquely contribute to our families, churches and our society.

The second one is the idea that I am who I am, barefoot before my God. That is to say that fancy clothes (or shoes!), a nice haircut and a massive vocabulary don't change how God sees me. In light of that, I need not be ashamed to stand barefoot before Him scars and all.

I hope what you read here you will find encouraging, thought-provoking and sometimes just plain fun.

In Him,
Jim