Sometimes I question God's fairness. When I am in a situation rife with injustice or I feel wronged by someone or some circumstance, or I work hard at something yet fail to achieve my objective, I have a tendency to stamp my foot and say to God "that's not fair". God patiently and gently reminds me that fairness and justice are not the same thing. Fairness, is a very personal perspective. I think our brand of fairness can only be achieved by keeping our circle small and our perspective narrow. I don't have to look very far in my own life to see this in action. After all, I have teenage children.
The Kruger Fairness Doctrine
Posted by Mark Kruger
Asking and the Unkept Heart
Posted by Mark Kruger
Certain things have been engraved upon my heart by God's grace. I know, both in my head and my heart that God loves me. I know he has redeemed me through Christ and that he has a plan for me, and that all the good things in my life and world proceed from Him. I also know that when I suffer (whether through my own waywardness or through his plan) that he is there with me, shepherding me and caring for me. I do not doubt His passion for me or his presence in my life. Indeed, the evidence of his care for me is personally overwhelming and I could scarce do more than yield to it. This then is the basis for my walk with Christ - the combination of my will, my heart and my intellect yielded to a living Jesus. For me, this is settled and unshakable ground.
Then too, when it comes to miracles and the gifts of the Spirit, I do not doubt that they are real and that God moves daily on people all over the world. I have seen miracles and experienced mind blowing manifestations of God's presence. This too is settled for me. God does move and I have seen it. If that is not something that is settled for you, re-read the first paragraph. You might recognize that the first paragraph represents a greater leap of faith than the second - even though we often get them reversed. Relationship with a living God is a miracle not to be discounted as ordinary. It's not as splashy as filling teeth or growing limbs, but it is certainly far more powerful and life changing.
So, I have a firm belief in both the inward life of Christ and the outward manifestations of His presence. Still, I have a problem. I don't really ask God for much. You see, I have somehow adopted a path of basic non-resistance to life's events. I accept things as they come and do not ask for God's intervention very often. In fact, I have to say that I have not been asking God for anything other than to grow in knowing him. Perhaps that seems noble. You might say that such a deep and Spiritual sentiment is a testament to my maturity in Christ. You would be wrong. I have needs and hurts and wants. I feel desperate and hungry. There are times I feel trapped in a circumstance where the way out is closed. These are things I should be giving to Jesus.
In fact, I usually choose not to ask for some very unspiritual reasons. Perhaps you are like me and we can figure out how to start asking God together. First, let's talk about those dynamics of giver and receiver and what it means to "ask".
Revelation in Worship: Taking the Plunge
Posted by Mark Kruger
Sometimes worship leaders talk about the stages of a worship service as moving from Celebration to Adoration to Revelation. Our music is often structured around this idea. We use upbeat celebratory songs at the beginning, more worshipful songs toward the middle and we end with songs that are thematically focused on who the character and nature of God Himself. For example, last week we did in order, Take It All, You Deserve, Our God Saves, Maker of Heaven, The Stand and Your Name. You can see how the first three songs might be rightly thought of as "celebration", the next 2 as "adoration" and the last one (Your Name) as revelation. It doesn't always fit so neatly together, but this basic progression is often seen in our worship services.
In fact, a marker of powerful, annointed worship is that point where we cross from awareness of how God has cared for us to awareness (revelation) of who He is. That is the point where nothing else seems to matter except for Him. I think that true "revelation moments" should be one of the main goals of our worship. I also believe they are rarer than we think. We sometimes mistake an outpouring of emotion or celebration for revelation. I believe that at least one reason "revelation moments" are rare is that in our hearts we fear the consequences when God Himself descends to be with his people. God's presence is not comfortable. He's not like a pet or an old pair of shoes. He is a holy fire burning us, refining us, drawing us to repentance and changing us. When Isaiah had his vision of God in Isaiah 6 he was immediately aware of his own lack of holiness. He cried out "Woe to me!" His attitude was a visceral reaction to the holiness of God. When God revealed Himself with a display of thunder and lightning on the mountain, the children of Israel told Moses point blank, "You go talk with God … we'll stay here".
So the revelation of "who God is" is not a blithe ceremonial exercise. It is scary business. I think that sometimes when we worship we sense that "next level" where God will breakthrough, and we shy away. We settle for an exciting worship service that feeds us and uplifts us but does not transform us. Going further into his court means coming face to face with who He is - and by contrast recognizing who we are as well. Thinking of it reminded me of my youth. Young people are risk takers and I was no exception. If my mother only knew...
Sam and the Weary Soldier
Posted by Mark Kruger
I've been thinking a great deal about truth and deception of late. In my heart I know I still have many pre-conceived ideas about God and what he wants to do in me and in us. As we start our new season of choir I would like for us to begin to think about approaching Jesus and our worship of him with a heart that is completely unfettered by notions of what he is going to do in and through us. We want him to have His way, and we don't want to dictate to him what "His way" might look like. We want to be totally yielded to him. To that end, I offer up this short story that I hope you will enjoy.
Sam was two years old when his father went to war. His father had been captured behind enemy lines and held prisoner for 5 years. Now, at age 7, Sam was about to see his father again for the first time since his release from captivity. Images of his dad, never more than vague impressions, had faded over time. By now, what Sam knew about his Father he had gathered into his inner world from a faded picture album his mom kept on the piano, and fond stories she would tell him as he drifted off to sleep.
Memorial Day in DC
Posted by Mark Kruger
I had thought about posting this on the choir web site, but it is more of a patriotic post than it is a spiritual post. Still, I am often moved by the sacfrifices of the generation before me - upon whose shoulders I am standing and thriving. So for those of you who are interested you might find this a good read.