Tuesday, May 31, 2005

A pig's snout was a small price to pay compared to my life!

Dear all,

As some of you know, I have had an accident and if I am still alive and kicking(umm,,... well.. writing this), it's purely His grace and just about nothing else.

Last sunday, I was home for the weekend and well, sunday morning I was off to church. I must confess here that what I did was pretty much stupid - I'd already taken the bike(a Unicorn) to a 100 with a pillion and well, I wanted to see how fast I could go riding solo. The road to the church is a highway and no one can actually come in thro the left(there is an artificial tank(a lake like thingy) and so I was pretty confident. Until one rather deaf cyclist tried crossing the road that is...

You have to understand I've got a seriously loud siren on my bike that quite honestly scares me, the rider to death... and the fact that that cyclist slowly tried crossing the road even with my klaxon blaring made me come to the conclusion that he was deaf!!! Of ocurse, I wasn't thinking about this, but braking hard - I was overa hundred by then when this... fellow did what he did... but then, the bike swerved a bit under heavy braking and I came into contact with the rear tyre of the cycle...

And........ up, up and away...I was superman - have no recollection of the exact moment I hit the guy... all I knew was I was flying... but before I could flap my wings/hands, I came down... on my teeth, honestly. The first thing is remember seeing is bits of my front teeth rolling.

I got up, with the usual assorted scratches one gets in an accident, but apart from my bleeding mouth, there was nothing to worry me. The bike was fine except for the headlamp unit, thanks to one litter box on the side that I never really liked because it detracted from the bike's image, and by extension, mine...

I never really understood the way God had saved my life then. After all, I did get a few stitches between my lips and gums, and a blood clot instead of a fracture on my knee. But I slowly, I began to realize that if my nose had come into contact(I've already got a rather flat than sharp nose) or worse, the head, I wouldn't have really survived. But even then, my initial worried about my teeth being broekn(I looked like dracula with broken teeth, and I for one cant help showing all my teeth when I smile) gave way to the realization that I was supposed to "Rejoice in the Lord always" - don't ask me how but that was the first thing God reminded me... and soon after, ofcourse, "Lean not on your own understanding"... I'd hithero been so confident about my driving skills and all that came crashing down like superman did...

I just wanted to take this time to thank all of you who have remembered me in your prayers. A frnd of mine, hearing about my plight remarked "Glad to have you back with us" instead of his usual "cheerio" and it really is good to be back in the land of the living. Last thursday, I was riding my Yam in Blore and I saw a bike on the road, broken glass all around, and a circle fo what appeared very much to be drying blood. I realized just how much the Lord had saved me from at that exact moment. I thank the Lord for what He has just done in my life...

I guess what I kinda wanted to say thru this testimony is, God ofcourse, gives us more grace than we could ever deserve. But then, mebbe we take a lot of things about our life for granted, like what I just did. I learnt something taht day - never ever to take God's grace for granted. My problem usu has been the fact that I never do learn something unless it is spectacular, and I really want to ask all of you, even if you are one of those who'd never think about riding a bicycle even... to learn from other's mistakes - I nearly died making one of them.

Oh, and incase someone like me is wondering about the pig's snout, my lips were swollen up so much they looked like a pig's snout; not that it matters much, considering I'm alive!

posted by Finney @ 5:36 AM 0 comments

Monday, May 16, 2005

Of hope and biscuits...

I couldn't help thinking of the packet of hope... I tried not to, but couldn't. There was something missing, I reasoned, that made me keep wondering about packets of hope, and having relied upon biscuits for lunch on saturday and sunday didn't help either. Maybe, we really do start thinking on a partially empty stomach... or is it partially full?? I'm no pessimist, even if my words do suggest otherwise, but hunger does change perceptions, doesn't it?

Anyway, back to our very own packet of hope, you might remember that in scapegoat, we looked at a person who'd finished his packet of biscuits, sorry, hope... and was in the process of throwing it away when the Lord miraculously showed him a small piece he could nibble upon. I was thinking about this yesterday in church, when the Lord reminded me of Elijah and the widow in Zarephath. Now, some of you may not have the first idea of what I'm talking about so I'll explain.

>> Imagine living in one of the most powerful kingdoms of old. Imagine also, that the former splendour is lost, and the current king is little more than a puppet - not unlike the king you see in "Lord of the rings - the two towers" who's only a puppet for the wizard, except that in this case, the wizard is the king's wife, and she's up to no good.

Now you, my brother, are God's spokesman to the nation, and thus to the king. You know that God's servants don't do very well at this time (a typical understatement), but still you, full of faith and courage that only God can equip you with, go to the king and proclaim a drought(no rain) for an indefenite period; and then, you flee for your life.

No. Don't be ashamed. God's already given you your flight schedule. "Hide by the brook Kidron and I've commanded ravens to feed you." How miraculous. Except that the drought you proclaimed is for real, and soon, your brook dries up also, and with it, your packet of hope. Now what do you do?


It is then that God shows you that little piece of hope to nibble upon. Elijah is asked to go to a widow at Zarephath who would take care of your needs. Talk about hope to nibble upon. You barely have something there and the sight you see at Zarephath surprises you so much so swallow... and pop goes the weasel... I mean, you swallowed that little piece of hope you'd been nibbling. This old widow has no money, no food - technically speaking, she's got nothing, only her little piece of hope she's kept nibbling - a little flour and a little oil in a jar... with which, she'll make one last meal and then die. Isn't that your thought today? Your packet of hope is empty, and now, you've swallowed that little piece of hope God showed you, and you're back to having nothing again?And the only thing you can think of isn't exactly pretty, is it???

God doesn't think in the same way. Now is the most trying of circumstances, and you've got to excercise your faith. You know that old widow has squat with her, and yet, you ask her to make a little something of whatever she has(remember it is only 2 mites, and for all you know, you can only buy bugs with it) but then, God wanted you to take that step of faith... and voila... the cup runneth over!

There's something about the way God leads you. It is unique. It's tailor-made. And while you wouldn't know the first thing about God's fashion, you better understand that it fits you perfectly, and no British tailor could make a better one; And that's because, God knows your specifications. He created you. Oh, and He gave you that packet of hope, knowing exactly when you'll run out of it.

Sometimes, we run out of our packet of hope sooner that we expected. Sometimes, we swallow that last bit of hope in surprise. And as it goes down our throats, so does our spirit. So does our faith. After all, without hope, there is no faith. But then, we forget; The Man upstairs who created you is also a master con-man. He, and not we, can make something out of nothing. Now, that nothing could be so many things. That nothing could even be you and me. It can be food, it can even be 5 loaves and 2 fish infront of five thousand people. Your job and mine is to rather look for that little bit of hope. God can give you that bit of hope... but He wants you to use it. He wants you to nibble on it. How do you think 5 loaves and 2 fish fed 5000 people? A little boy, who quite possibly had no idea what he was doing, gave his lunch to Jesus. That teaches us something, doesn't it? No questions. Just trust Him like a child. Face it. He does know more than you do, more than you'll ever do.

Oh, and I suddenly remembered. My little cousin literally lives on biscuits. And he doesn't fear when his packet fo bicuits is over. He simply asks for a new one... and gets it. He asks politely, not so politely, brings mommy's purse to her, cries, screams, or even does his homework, which in all probability involves writing a couple of pages of 'Cursive writing'... but he gets it. And the joy on his face when he gets a new packet? ...I'm off to get mine, and I think I know how to get it? You don't????? Go figure... or better yet, ask my little cousin. He'll show you something more... remember open, lick, eat?

posted by Finney @ 12:29 AM 1 comments

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Scapegoat?


I honestly felt like I'd run through my packet of hope. Checked for scraps, found none, and was in the process of throwing the empty packet away when God suddenly showed me a little piece I could nibble upon. It may seem like nothing, but like in Abraham's case, it could be the scapegoat.

Think you've lost it all? Do you think along the lines of Job - the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away...? Praise the Lord??? Think again. Look around you. Ask God to open your eyes; to open the eyes of your heart... and there you'll find the ram caught in the thicket - the scapegoat.

> Isaac was Abrahams promise child. He was his and Sarah's (we know Ishmael wasn't), theirs as a result of the God's covenant with abraham. Now, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, I cannot even imagine what would have gone on inside Abraham's mind. Surely, God didn't forget Isaac was His part of the deal(covenant)?? But, he obeyed.

> Think about it. Isaac was Abraham's only son. Probably, Abraham realized that the God who gave him one son could give him a hundred more... but you're forgetting he loved Isaac (Gen 22:2). But, he obeyed.

> The time came; Isaac was bound and Abraham had reached the deciding moment of his life. Many of us come to this level - Where do our loyalies lie? Will you stay with Him, or does something or someone else seem more important to us when it comes to the pinch? I cannot even imagine the pain Abraham would have felt. But, he obeyed.

So many times in our lives, there is a vision God placed in our hearts, or a dream; something you've been careful enough to nurture for Him. Time goes by, and you're left with only the vision and the faith seems to die out like a candle's flame... A leaning tower of hope that has all but toppled over... It is falling... Abraham's knife is coming down towards Isaac's heart.... And the Lord said " STOP!"

Have you been asking the Lord if something is possible? You've prayed about it till you've turned blue or even purple? Think about Sarah. Think about Mary and Martha. The hurt they felt was only matched by the love they thought Jesus had for them. But at the very end of hope... the last flicker of the flame... the end of the arc that the knife travelled before finding it's mark... God showed the ram that was caught in the thicket.

So many of us fail to understand just how much God loves us... and how much love He expects from us in return. He is the Father... and yet, He paid the dearest price of all. You see, our ram in the thicket was none other than God's Son Himself.

There's a beautiful song that echoes your feelng when you're in doubt... and I want you to read it. It's by Petra

There are times when you feel like you can't go on
There are times when you feel like giving in
And there are times when you feel like you can't try anymore
There are times of trouble in believing
This test of your faith will last
As long as it takes to pass
Till you have no more doubt you'll endure
And your faith will emerge true and pure

(Chorus)
No doubt it'll be alright
With God it'll work together for good
No doubt in the end it will be understood
No doubt it'll all work out
With faith He can move any mountain for us
No doubt in the power of Jesus
And after all is done we find out
All we really need to have is no doubt

There's a time to take a reckless leap of faith
There's a time to be cautious and to wait
And there's a way of learning from the past
That this time of trouble won't last
And sometimes we want to think we know
The ways He will choose to make us grow
But it's never the way of our choosing
And we can't always see what He's using

There will be winters in the seasons of our soul
With a cold and bitter wind that chills our lives
But our faith can be building a fire
That will warm us till springtime arrives

posted by Finney @ 1:44 PM 0 comments

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Worship?

Worship?

What do we musicans define worship? The standard explanation holds of course, but what do we, as musicans think of our music in worship? The Bible holds many records of musicians being involved in praise and worship, take for instance David, who was a skilled musician, not to mention the sons of Asaph, and all the rest. Even Lucifer was so instrumental in woship in heaven before he.. well... but then, thats another story altogether - one that still is very much important to musicians, worldwide.

Be as it may, I was made to realize something that we dont often think about - when people worship and we play, according to Lucado, we give something that is verydear to us to the Lord, and as musicians, what better than the skills and talents He's given each one of us? As such, our music is our worship in one sense [we give God something we love most of all, something which we are so very grateful to Him for] and ofcourse, in another sense, music is NOT worship - that is to say, our time of worship doesn't stop with just music, it's about involvement also.

That said, worship thus becomes our offering. And its that offering I want to talk to you about. Most of us play music and ofcourse, we try to give our best when it comes to playing for the Lord - some of us are just about good for that only most of the time - witness my mom, dad, aunt and brother back home... but how many of us practise? Remember Cain and Abel? God accepted Abel's offering because he brought the best to the Lord whereas Cain's was not accepted. The same way, music is one of our offerings - we need ot give our best. Playing the same thing overand overand over and over again constitues what you co9uld call a stale offering. And when we as a church or a congregation or even a corporate body sue it for worship, don't you find it sad that thanks to you and me, the worship becomes stale???

Please note that I'm not saying practise is more important than the spirit of worship - God won't be pleased with your offering if you forget or disregard the fundamentals, ie, putting your music before worship - if that were the case, you and I don't have any place considering the sheer number of professionals around. But then, we need to strive to do our part too...

I know some of you can argue persuasively, but I just realized something. When the master gave the talents to his servants, he expected them to add to them. Ofcourse, he gave them according to what they could handle. He gives them 50 or 100 instead of 5 and 2 and my bet is they'd have jumped on their newly bought horses and gone to some other faraway country. What I am hinting about here is to work those 5, 2 or even that one little talent that you have been given - note, its not that one little talent you have got. Work those, and God gives you more. His desire has always been to give us more and more of His riches and glory, but there areobvious reasons why He doesnt scatter all His riches on us right away - we can't hide from Him, but only He knows what else we would do with His riches.

But the truth remains: The more effort you put in toward your talents, the more you recieve ultimatelty.

Here's where it gets better. All this isn't for the music heads only. There's something in here for you also, no matter whether you're a part fo the congregation or even the worship leader. And again, the answer to practise lies in His hands also, and thus in yours. Didn't He say, ask of me, and you shall receieve? You may remember, I did ask, and receieve, I did too? Now why don't you try that out??

posted by Finney @ 2:11 PM 1 comments