"...it's the beat, the beat, the beat!"

When I was a teenager I remember hearing what may have been an excerpt from an interview, during which the male speaker, perhaps a very concerned father, is expressing his disdain for the music of Elvis Presley and its effect on the youth. He seems to reach the conclusion that the thing that hooks the youth into Presley's music is the beat. The man's emotionally charged allegations were mocked by those who dispelled his concerns as being loony, but from my experience and observations I'd have to say he was probably onto something.

I know this is kind of a touchy issue, so I'll try and tread lightly while keeping it brief. I know there have been studies done showing that listening to types certain music (particularly "dance" music) apparently triggers a release of endorphines into the bloodstream. Some critics from a Christian perspective claim this produces a sort of high or rush within the listener. My take is a simpler one. When you're listening to a certain type of music, even an individual song, where does it take you? Is it pulling you away from the Lord- despite what may be good lyrics? (By the way, I'm not suggesting we never listen to "secular" music.) Let's be honest here. You may be listening to someone quoting bible verses, but if the backdrop is more like the kind of thing you danced to in the clubs back in the day then it's likely not encouraging you toward Christ. In fact, the message is probably getting lost in the beat.

I'll tell you a little story. Several years ago I was riding in the car of a new friend/aquaintance who also said he was a follower of Christ. He also happened to be a musician. He said he wanted me to hear a certain recording he had in his car's CD player. It turned out to be some pretty vulgar stuff, and I was just unable to listen to it. When I questioned my friend as to why he would listen to such music he said he really didn't pay attention to the lyrics (!) and was only listening for the music and production values. I was flabbergasted!

To sum up, I believe everything we take in affects us. Scripture says we're to guard our hearts. So let's give thanks for and enjoy the freedom we have in Christ, but let's also use it with wisdom and discretion and not make provision for the flesh.

Digging Deep

"Whosever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." (Luke 6:47-48 KJV)

We seem to understand what Jesus is saying here in this parable about the importance of building on "a rock" rather than "the earth" (as he says in verse 49). Rock is more solid and stable than earth. We get it. But do we really give thought to what it means to "dig deep" in order to get to the rock? It seems the process of hearing and doing what Jesus says is part of the excavating and foundation-laying work, or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, when we hear what Jesus has to say and find ourselves in agreement, yet fail to act on it we're laying a weak foundation which will suffer catastrophic failure when the swelling streams begin to pound against it. We say we want to "do" what we "hear" Jesus say yet seem to be unable to. If this is the case, perhaps we're relying too much upon our own ability and have reduced the bible to a simple guidebook. We need to remember to rely and draw upon the Holy Spirit and to pray for the courage and willingness to follow through. No doubt, there will be struggles as we strive to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The apostle Paul articulated this struggle well in a stunning display of disarming humility in Romans 7:13-25. And I love how he sums up his thoughts by giving "thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord", reaching the conclusion that with the mind he served the law of God but with the flesh the the law of sin. Mind (of Christ) over matter.

But let's get back to the point at hand. I'm pretty certain that during the time of Jesus' ministry there were caterpillars, but no Caterpillars. No earth-moving equipment like backhoes, cranes or bulldozers. Digging, especially through manual labor, was and is among the toughest work around. It's backbreaking work that requires lots of sweat and endurance. Digging deep in the spiritual sense, I believe, has to do with digging into the word- reading it (and rereading it), meditating on it and absorbing it. It also has to do with persisting in prayer. I'm not suggesting it's drudgery; far from it. But it is hard work, though richly rewarding hard work. Jesus is the rock, but we need to be willing to roll up our sleeves, grab the shovel and get to work. Let's remember "we are laborers together with God" (I Cor. 3:9). In the construction business, doing the work of a laborer isn't a glamorous job. It's usually the most physical and financially, the least rewarding. Jesus is The Rock and and in order to have a deep, strong, storm-resisting spiritual house we're going to need to do more than just throw a few shovels of topsoil. Let's dig in!