An old classic by a Christian singer/songwriter that is one of my favorites. This expresses my own heart toward worship, and reminds me of a ‘first-love.’
Bob has many more wonderful songs. I can recommend him, that is if you like this kind of stuff. I discovered the lyrics, after an intense search, but I hope you like this at least.
In the middle of this madness I am dancing
Though I’m not sure why just now I tried to be sober, tried to be logical
But I could not stop my feet I know I have not turned off my mind
I know there’s evil all around me But for now, it’s outside
And I am in my room And joy is like a crashing tide I don’t wanna burn no books
Don’t wanna argue rock n’ roll I don’t wanna shoot anyone
With my high-powered doctrine gun
Let the madness roll on like a hungry beast
No one will miss me (No one will miss me)
For a half-an-hour at least A song came this morning and woke me
And as I listened, then I found That I was not alone
I was standing, moving Dancing, dancing On holy ground
I don’t wanna burn no books Don’t wanna argue rock n’ roll
I don’t wanna shoot anyone With my high-powered doctrine gun
Let the madness roll on like a savage beast
No one will miss me No one will miss me No one will miss me
“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.“
Genesis 1:16
“Wonder is retained by wise pondering.” –Ravi Zacharias
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” —Unknown
“We wake, if ever at all, to mystery. ” –Annie Dillard
It strikes me this morning that we live in a ‘coarse’ age. I meet so many who don’t seem to enjoy life at all. They seem to view things without ‘seeing’ them. There is mystery all around, and yet we seem to lack the faculties to perceive it. We probably would rather play X-box than write a poem, paint a portrait, or gaze through a telescope.
The older I get, the more life astonishes me. There is so much mystery saturating my life: nature, the night sky, a tiny baby, and my hands– all just ‘skimming the surface.’ When I consider the multi-layered complexity of life, I tend to ‘short-out.’
“We wake, if ever at all, to mystery.” –Annie Dillard
God reveals Himself as, ‘the God of wonders.’ When I consider our phenomenal universe with more than a million, billion galaxies I start to lose it. Once I camped on a remote beach in Mexico. There wasn’t any electrical, so at night it really got dark. Lying on my back I saw the ‘Milky Way’ for perhaps the first time. It was magnificent! But I also got somewhat scared as I looked into it’s depths. I actually ran back to my tent terrified. I guess I got ‘overloaded.’
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”
Psalm 8:3-4, NKJV
For the freshly awakened believer, it is almost beyond belief to see so many people ‘sleepwalking’ through life. The somnambulistic masses move through life with nary an inkling of what it is all about. They are completely oblivious it would seem; they are unable to see the wonders of creation, much less the Creator. The enemy blinds so many to God’s presence and His redemption. The darkness is almost palpable.
“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
Psalm 96:3
“I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick
“You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.”
St. Francis of Assisi once wrote, “The devil never rejoices more than when he robs a servant of God of the peace of God.” Sometimes I think I’ve made the devil dance far too many times.
I confess that peace has never been real high on my list. Love, joy, kindness and even goodness are clear priorities. Peace–well… not so much. Until it’s not there. And then I get frantic by its absence, and look for it with manic bewilderment.
I’m panting for some sign that God still loves me. Anxiety eats at me. I beat myself up by my last failure. The guilt of my latest sin grows until it looms larger than the blood that saved me. Sometimes religious people have the most neurosis.
I’m afraid that we are taking “the present tense’ out of the Gospel. The past tense is far preferable to us as we manage the Christian life. We like to make check marks on our list. Repentance– check. Baptism– check. Bible study– check. I think it gives me a definite feeling of ‘maturity.’
But truth has a way of punching through. I haven’t arrived, and it seems I’m still the hideous sinner I always was. I cannot pretend otherwise, even with a truck load of cosmetics at my disposal. I know, I’ve tried. And I’m still ‘ugly.’ I do know forgiveness, and I do walk in its wonderful light (by grace.)
I read Luther 30 years ago. (And Bonhoeffer would say something similar.) “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” – Martin Luther (this is the first of his 95 Theses.) There is a present tense here we can’t ignore. I don’t just repent over smoking, or fornication, or of hypocrisy, once and done. But my entire way of living is to be one of repenting.
Repentance is a ‘moment-by-moment’ grace.
As I read the Beatitudes I cannot evade the sense that they are present tense. Read them, they’re obviously not a spiritual checklist. Each verse seems to speak of the time being, the present moment. No list here, guys. It will never be ‘one-and-done.’
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Matthew 5:3-10, NLT
“All of the Christian life is repentance. Turning from sin and trusting in the good news that Jesus saves sinners aren’t merely a one-time inaugural experience but the daily substance of Christianity. The gospel is for every day and every moment. Repentance is to be the Christian’s continual posture.”
–John Piper
Luther’s last words, on his deathbed wrote on a scrap of paper these words, “We are beggars! This is true.” Thirty years before, he was only echoing his first thesis. It seems dear ones, we are to live at the foot of the cross. Everyday. Because we desperately need to.
And perhaps the biggest reason is this: Jesus only comes for ‘sinners.’
“A few days later, when Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.”
Mark 2:1
You can’t hide the presence of Jesus. There is a ‘built-in’ need for Him in the hearts of men and women. You can’t keep it quiet, it is an open secret. Believing people let it out in many ways. You can see it in their faces, and hear it in their voices. They become gentle and caring, where once was selfishness and anger. Peace is present, and a wonderful new thing called joy. They can’t help but share about their new guest, when they speak it spontaneously spills out.
Spring flowers can’t help their beautiful fragrance. There is a fragrance that announces that He is present. You might say that He takes over, just as a bright light takes over the darkness. When Jesus is present, His brightness pushes through the cracks and shines out every window. He cannot be contained or hidden. Love itself is invisible. But it has an effect on all who take it in. The very presence of Jesus transforms us.
My heart is now His home.
People travel and gather great works of art. They collect these things of beauty and culture. They will go out of their way to search for paintings and statues of grace and elegance, and finding them they will spend a great deal of money to obtain them. But no one or nothing can compare to having Christ as the honored guest. The poorest farmer can be the wealthiest man. No matter how quietly Jesus enters, His presence will soon make itself known. Where Christ truly abides, nothing but good will be observed.
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
Broken Believers 