Noah: Fiction is Stranger Than Truth

The truth is stranger than fiction, it's said. However, I just watched the movie Noah last night, and after that, I'm going with "fiction is stranger than the truth." I had heard mixed reviews about the movie, so I waited until it came out on DVD before watching it. I also heard it was off the Biblical target in a huge way and to just enjoy it as a special effects-filled movie adventure. So I went into it with that attitude. It didn't help. At one point I found the plot so ridiculous, that I walked away to fold laundry.

The story of Noah is fascinating. Moses tells in Genesis about the story of the flood, a tale found in many cultures throughout the millennia. Noah is described in Scripture as "finding favor with God," "righteous" and "blameless" in his generation. Everyone else is described this way: "Every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." Yikes, that's a lot of evil. So God decides to wipe out every living thing on the earth, except for Noah's family - Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives - and two of every animal on earth, except for clean animals of which there were seven pair (one of my favorite trivia questions). It takes Noah 100 years to build an ark (think long floating, waterproof box) to house everyone for the more than a year they were on there. It had three decks, and its dimensions were similar in proportion to dimensions of our great ocean liners today. You can read about Noah's story in Genesis 6-9, from the material he used (gopher wood - unknown today) to the rainbow found at the end of the story that came with God's promise to never destroy all flesh again by flood (which by the way still leaves a bunch of other options).

It's a wild story, but Darren Aronofsky's was wilder. [Spoiler alert - if you haven't seen the movie and want to, plot revelations ahead] Rock giants that were fallen angels; a nasty stowaway on the ark; Noah abandoning an innocent girl to be trampled to death; no wives for two of Noah's son's who were already over 100 years old at the time of the flood; Noah wanting to kill his granddaughters; putting all the animals to sleep during floating time; both Shem and Ham wanting to kill their dad; an adopted daughter; Noah's dad Lamech getting murdered (he actually died in the year of the flood if not in it, along with Noah's granddad, Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived); and on and on it goes. So when I say fiction is stranger than truth, in this case, it truly is.

I am not sure why Hollywood insists on altering stories in Scripture for what they may deem is drama or advancing the plot, but the stories in the Bible are so amazing, it seems like needless change and enhancement to me. 

A friend commented to me yesterday when I told her I was going to watch the movie that she hoped it inspired people to go to their Bibles to read the actual story of Noah. I agree with her, that is my hope, too.Otherwise the movie is a huge waste of anyone's time.

Noah is not a story of a vengeful God wanting to wipe out the children He created, but rather a merciful God, patient enough to give us all a second chance. I have to say, there is one thing that movie reinforced for me, and that is the notion that our all loving God is also almighty, holy and just. It embarrassed me to think about how pathetic we are as humans to contend with the Creator, dismiss Him and disobey Him. Who do we think we are?

So as for the movie Noah: the special effects are cool. That's about the only redeeming factor. I feel like I wasted my time. I've read the story in Scripture many times and never felt that way. It's another case of "Read the book. It's better." Fabulously so.

Makes me wonder what Hollywood will do with Exodus: Gods and Kings coming out Dec. 12. If "Gods" is any indication, I may skip it altogether.

What is truth?

I recently took one of those goofy Facebook surveys to see what accent I had. See when I lived in the north, lots of folks asked where in the south I was from. And when I live in the south, people ask where in the north I'm from. I have lived a third of my life each in the north, south and midwest. Prior to moving to the midwest in my teens, it was quite easy to determine from my accent that I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, one of the finest cities in the country. We speak fast, forthrightly and from the heart. Questions like "Did you eat yet?" come out "Jeet jet?" to which one responds, "No, jew?" While the darlin' "y'all" is popular here in the sweet south, "yinz" in Pittsburgh refers to the group we called "you guys" in Chicago. While we worshiped Gawd in Pittsburgh, in the midwest it was Gahd. It's been so much fun learning the different cultures, accents and terms used in each location. Bubbler vs. drinking fountain; jagger bush vs. thorn bush; gumband vs. rubber band; hoagie vs. sub; crayfish vs. crawdad, coke vs. soda vs. pop and so on. So much so that my accent is mishmashed enough to confuse anyone who hears me.

Recently I had someone tell me I was too "northern" for them. And they weren't talking about my accent. I rolled my eyes. Too northern for someone? What does that even mean? By the tone of voice, it was not intended to be a compliment. In the five years I've lived in Alabama, I have been called a Yankee twice, both times in jest. My northern friends, it is never a kind reference, ever. I heard it more often in Georgia, with folks telling me they'd rather we Yankees just move back up north. But here in central Alabama, we're located near an Air Force base with people moving in and out all the time. Folks around these parts are used to loving people from all over the country, so the Yankee moniker is rare. For someone to actually tell me I was too northern for them was so pathetic to me.

After rolling my eyes at this person, I asked what he was referring to? He didn't answer.

People from the north and south could stand to learn a few things from each other. Northerners are direct, quick, honest, hardworking, generous, strong folk. Southerners are kind, hospitable, tough, sweet-like-the-tea-they-drink and faithful. Now these are pretty general adjectives and certainly do not describe every northerner or every southerner. But there is one distinct difference: typically a northerner will tell me to my face what they think of me. A southerner will be sweet to my face and talk about me as I walk away. If I had to choose between the two, I would take direct honesty every time. Since I grew up in an area where people are blunt with each another, I take at face value that what people say to me is the truth. Sadly, I have learned the hard way to take some things said here with a grain of salt. On the flip side, because northerners are so direct, it doesn't always come across kind, and sometimes even rude or hurtful. Southerners ooze kindness - yes, fake kindness in some instances, but kind nonetheless. So here's a compromise ... and a Biblical one at that: How about the truth in love?

Eph. 4:15 says: "Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." 1 John 3:18 says: "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 3 John 4 says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

I have a problem with fakeness, lies, deceitfulness and exaggeration. All are forms of fraudulence, and Jesus had a problem with that. It is one of the Ten Commandments, for crying out loud. Standing before Pilate before his crucifixion, Jesus said, "In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." To which Pilate promptly responded "What is truth?"

If you have to ask, you have a problem. The truth hurts sometimes, yes, but at least it's the truth. And as long as it's done in love, there's a divine combination there.

If I am too northern for you, ask yourself what exactly you're saying, or even more scary, what you're preferring. I will never sugarcoat things or say something to you I don't believe from my heart. If I have complimented you, I want nothing from you, just to tell you how amazing you are. If I have given you information that can possibly make a situation better, don't automatically assume I am trying to discredit the way you've always done it. If my directness is intended to hurt you, you will not have to guess. But then, would that be truth "in love?"

Psalm 15 tells us a person whose walk is blameless is one who speaks the truth from their heart. Jesus says the truth sets us free (John 8:32). It's a theme repeated over and over again in Scripture. If I am going to err as a human - and trust me I will repeatedly - it will be on the side of truth.

I love this country, every single goofy region of it. And you will see bits of each of those places have become a part of me. I praise Jesus for that.

By the way, in case you wondered what accent this oh-so-accurate-and-thorough survey said I had ... ask me. I'll be honest with you.

The Unqualified Worship Leader's Guide To Worship Leading

Last Sunday I ended a nearly four-year stint as worship leader at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prattville, AL. It's a job I never should have had in the first place, but for some reason God placed me there. I say never should have had because I have stage fright something awful and my musical background - while including much singing - has little musical instrument training. (Yes, I had 7 years of piano lessons, but about all I can play on the keys is Chopsticks.) On paper, it just didn't make sense for me to be worship leader. But by God's grace, the sweet encouragement of a friend and the whole hog support of a pastor, I took it on hesitantly.

I was blessed beyond measure in this position because I was surrounded by the most talented musicians in town. Seriously. One played with the Bee Gees and KC & The Sunshine Band, could play anything by heart on keys - and I mean anything - and had superior producing skills. Two were in a band called the Sweet Young'uns for nearly 50 years and could play the sweetest licks around. Another was a songwriter and talented on several instruments. We had two amazing drummers, gobs of talented singers with unique voices and a bass player from Hawaii that made a coconut bra look pretty frightening. Later with the addition of yet another amazing drummer who had the best song ideas ever and more guitarists that added character to our songs, this praise band was truly hard to beat. Between all these folks, Sunday after Sunday, the Holy Spirit brought our congregation to the most beautiful place of worship. And I learned so much.

And I think what I learned is something all worship leaders (or those wanting to be) can learn from. So here it goes ...

1) Stop noodling and vibrato when you are singing worship songs. The congregation has trouble singing with you when you are showing off vocally. You can sometimes retard the end of a song to do your noodling then, but good heavens, keep it out of the the meat of the song.

2) Oldies but goodies are always the favorites. Don't hesitate to utilize those top CCLI worship songs frequently. There is a reason they are on the top of the list. People LOVE to sing them and worship wholeheartedly when they do.

3) Do not introduce new songs during the opening segment of worship. Keep those songs to the offertory time when the congregation typically isn't singing along. This will give them a chance to hear the song for the first time, so the next time it is part of worship they will be familiar with the tune.

4) Drop the mid-song instrumental parts. It's performance, pure and simple. What exactly is the congregation supposed to be doing while you're doing a slamming solo? We incorporated a few instrumentals during worship, but it was rare and brief.

5) Pray before every practice and every worship. It's for the Father after all, so why not start with Him.

6) Be authentic. I will never forget attending a worship leading conference where the leader of the workshop encouraged vocalists to raise their hands whether they were feeling the Spirit or not. His exact words were "Fake it - the congregation is following your lead." I was appalled. Let the Holy Spirit lead your worship. Fake it? Are you kidding me? Ridiculous.

7) You don't have to memorize everything. I had another workshop leader say every instrumentalist and vocalist should have words and music memorized. Baloney. That might work for your megachurches, but volunteers in praise bands do not all necessarily have the time or talent for that. So you have music stands and monitors on stage and lyrics projected on the walls. This isn't a show. It's worship.

8) Lay low on the special effects, keep the volume at an appropriate level (you should not have to pass out earplugs at the door), and steer clear of rock band show tactics. Again, this is not a concert. It's worship.

9) Lower the lights in the congregation if you can during your open set. People feel less intimidated worshiping (dancing, hands lifted, singing) when they think no one else can see them. However, congregation - I saw you ... and loved it. :)

10) You do not have to wear anything particular when you are leading worship. Some folks think the standard contemporary service outfit is a t-shirt and jeans (girls add a scarf). I made sure to wear whatever I wanted and encouraged our band to do the same. I like sparkles (Heaven is sparkly, so I was too). Sometimes I wore a dress, sometimes capris, sometimes T-shirts, sometimes dress clothes. I wanted anyone who came to our service to feel comfortable - dressy or casual - so I dressed as such. On Pentecost I might tell everyone to wear some red or be in red, white and blue for a patriotic service. One of our guitarists wore a mink on stage once and a captain's hat another time. It was him, so I was cool with it. Just as I am without one plea...

11) Change the key of a song. I know some worship leaders are hesitant to do so, but honestly, I found it was much easier for our congregation to sing some songs when the key came down a bit. And it certainly helped me sing them.

12) Don't be afraid to mix songs. We would put choruses of classic hymns in the middle or at the end of some contemporary songs where they worked and it was beautiful. Just make sure the key and tempo are the same.

13) Bacon is awesome for your voice. I know that sounds crazy, but greasy foods, I found, lubricated the vocal chords and helped a bunch, especially at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. Milk coats the chords and you spend a good bit of time clearing your throat in the morning if you've had some.

14) Take time to really meditate on what the sermon is about and what the Scriptures are for that week when selecting music. The Holy Spirit picked the music for almost every single Sunday for worship. I say almost because I picked my favorites for my last Sunday and let some of our band folks when they were leaving do the same. It is amazing how the Lord had the perfect songs sitting there waiting to be discovered for worship. It was a miraculous process to be a part of.

15) Listen to Christian music frequently and - cough - religiously. :) That's the best way to get to know new worship songs and hear what the public is loving to sing. Check out Itunes new releases, listen to your local Christian station, check out www.praisecharts.com and www.ccmsongsbytopic.com. And never let anyone tell you Contemporary Christian is less Biblical, theological or worshipful than hymns. Let's face it, many hymns were once bar tunes - secular songs with new lyrics. Contemporary Christian music is powerful, beautiful and worshipful.

16) Make sure your band members have a servant heart. Notice I didn't say a heart for God. While that is ideal, if your band members don't know God, they will get a good dose of Him at practice and worship, so let God handle that. But be sure they have servant hearts. Ask them to get you a glass of water or help you move something on stage. If they leap up to help, servant's heart. If not, they may be a little more self-focused and that helps no one.

17) Don't be afraid to say no. Lots of people think they can sing, but not everyone can carry a tune, stay in key, sing in synch with others, or are reliable, or are flexible, or are willing to do background vocals. If it doesn't work, say so. Yes, folks may walk away with a bruised ego, but this isn't about that, is it?

18) Keep copious notes. If a particular sound, funk or beat works, write it down. If that extra verse was one too many, scratch it out. If one person's voice works amazingly for a specific song, jot it down. If you've found acapella parts or key changes or tempos or harmonies or a change in the road map of the song works - write it down and remember it for next time.

19) Use a metronome. Yes, sometimes the songs will get loud and your drummer can't hear or feel the metronome vibrate, but it consistently helps keep everyone from speeding up or dragging.

20) Let go and let God. If you saw where our praise band started on Tuesday evenings for practice and where we ended up on Sunday worship, you would be amazed. The Holy Spirit showed up and showed off every single week. And it was a joy to observe the transition process.

There you go - the unqualified worship leader's guide to worship leading. You know, I will probably never lead worship again. And that's okay. This was my season to do so. The time and circumstances were just right for me. By God's grace, I never got to a place where I was so comfortable on stage that I forgot Who was in charge. So I am grateful for those knocking knees, shaking hands, pasty tongue and pounding heartbeat. Cause I knew I could never do it myself. And even more thankful for a sweet husband - and friends if he was out of town - who would hold my hand till I calmed down after the lead songs in worship so I could absorb the sermon.

Praise to you, O Father God, for allowing me to have that most excellent adventure. My heart overflows with love for you, your music, your children, your Son, your Guiding Spirit and those precious moments in time where you smiled on us and let us reach beyond what we thought we were capable of. You are an Awesome God. To you be all glory forever and ever. In Jesus name, Amen.

Prep Time

You should see me get ready to walk each day. It's pretty comical. I don't just throw on a pair of shoes and walk my daily 2 miles. First I put on my walking shorts (stretchy and comfy), a snug jog bra, an old T-shirt I've cut the sleeves and collar off (instant tank top) and ankle socks. But no, I'm not done there. Then I slide my Ipod under my shirt with the ear buds coming out of the top of the collarless tank and clip it to my shorts. I also clip a retracting key chain with my house key dangling from it to the waist band of my shorts. I clip my cellphone case on. I put my hair in a ponytail and top everything off with my sparkly visor (whichever matches that day's outfit - I'm not kidding). Then I check the duct tape on the inside back of my walking shoes. The inside lining wore off (I always slip on the shoes verses untying and tying them), but the soles are still good, so the duct tape is allowing me to get more turf time with this pair. But the duct tape curls periodically, so I need to change it every few days.

I have found doing all this makes my daily walk much more enjoyable. I've got my music. My kids or husband can get a hold of me if they need to or I can have a 30 minute visit with a friend via cellphone. My face and eyes are protected from the sun via the visor. If I forget the key, I'm locked out. If I forget the visor, I'm squinting the whole time. If I don't check the duct tape, I can end up with a blister. Yes, it's quite a process to get out the door, but since I do this every day, it takes just minutes to get everything together. Then I'm good to go. Prepared, safe, secure, comfy ... I'm better for the walk. The prep time is worth it.


Recently I noticed that I had gotten too busy in the morning for my devotion time. Strike that. Make it "too lazy." I say too lazy, because honestly, I had the time, I was just not getting to it. I decided to turn things around a couple weeks ago. I asked the Lord to wake me as the sun rises so the first thing I do each day is spend time with him.

Now, you need to know, I am NOT a morning person. I'm the gal who kicks in about 3 p.m. I get more things accomplished, faster and more efficiently in the afternoon to evening hours. So asking God to wake me early was not my first choice. But I noticed that the sunlight wakes me up every morning anyways to my chagrin. And it's a beautiful time of day, so peaceful and sweet, watching the sun creep up over the horizon, that it feels like Jesus is starting the day just for me.

So I got myself a new Bible study and have been giving my Father about 30 minutes to an hour each morning in devotion, study and prayer. And it's been delightful. I have learned so much, had miraculous answers to prayer, gone through my prayer lists over and over again, been nudged by the Spirit to meet the needs of others, corrected some behaviors (okay, still working on those) and just basked in the glory and worship of the Son. Call it my day prep time.

I'm getting about four times more accomplished, I'm growing Spiritually and getting much better rest each night. What a blessing this morning devotion time has turned out to be for this very non-morning person. And honestly, like getting ready for my walk, it's not been difficult at all to get into the routine. The Lord has been faithful to wake me up early every day and I have stayed faithful to spend time with Him. It guards my heart, this morning time with Him. I need it and love it.

I have done devotion times at all times of the day, but I can say with all honesty, when I do it in the morning, the day goes better ... every time. My focus is where it needs to be. I love that prep time. I'm better for the day.

Prepared, safe, secure ... and comfy in Jesus.

Scintillating

I love sparkly things. Sequins, glitter, jewelry, anything that sparkles. As my daughter said, "I am drawn to sparkly things like bugs to a zapper."

I have a pair of silver sparkly shoes that I got at our church youth yard sale a year ago for 25 cents. (I know, great bargain, right?) They are comfortable and super sparkly ... unless it's cloudy outside. Then, not so much. They don't sparkle at all actually. They need some kind of light to reflect to be completely appreciated.

Sunlight or artificial, they need it to scintillate (my new word for the day - basically means to sparkle). And if you're wearing something with sparkle potential, you want maximum scintillation.

I think Christians are a lot like my glittery shoes. We need to be in the Light to truly shine. Every moment of every day, we need to find the Light, stay in the Light and reflect the Light so others see it. If we are, perhaps people will be drawn to Christ the way I'm drawn to sparkly things.

I used to wish that when I walked, I would leave sparkle behind me (you know like Tinkerbell when she flies). And with these sparkly shoes, that sometimes happens, as the little glitter bits fall off now and then. Again, I think that, too, is something we as Christians should aim for: leaving that sparkle of Christ in our wake so people will know we've been there in His name. You know - change the world for Jesus so they see it's all because of Him.

It's a sunny day today. I've got the sparkle shoes on. Praying I radiate the Son as much as they reflect the sun.

Commanded to Love

If you call yourself a Christian and are not loving your enemies, you're a joke. Just let me state that flat out. It was one of Christ's commands in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:43). He didn't say, "tolerate your enemies," "ignore those who are displeasing to you," or "give someone you disagree with the silent treatment." No, He said plain and simple, love them. LOVE THEM.

I am sure you are detecting a note of frustration in my voice. I am so very, very tired of people calling themselves Christians and finding all manner of ways to dismiss those they just don't like. I have been treated kinder, frankly, by non-Christians than people who call themselves Christians and smile to my face, while their behavior is blatantly opposite to what Christ commands.

Our Father calls us to be honest, compassionate peacemakers and He even gives us a formula for its success. First, Christ tells us in Matt 5:23-24 that we are required to reconcile with our brother or sister before we bring our gifts to the altar. Second, He tells us to forgive this person so our Father will forgive our sins. And thirdly, if we catch someone in a sin, we're to point out the person's fault and if they listen, all is well, but if they don't, take one or two witnesses along so the matter can be rectified. There's even a final option about getting the church evolved in Matt. 18:15-17. Therefore, based on all three of those Scriptural guidelines, we Christians should be resolving conflicts, forgiving one another and loving one another. But if even the forgiveness is coming slowly, we are above all, to love.

There. I know I feel much better getting all that out. And honestly, I don't follow all the above perfectly all the time. But I strive to, and praise Jesus, have an accountability group that calls me on the moments I am not doing as such. But if I don't see my Christian brothers and sisters working to reconcile, then I just plain and simple don't believe they are following the commands of Christ. They may be building walls around themselves or removing themselves from different things thinking they are protecting themselves from further harm. But that is folly. It's simply Satan isolating that person from the loving, reconciliation that Christ encourages. I know because I was there, doing that isolation bit, when all it did was make me more bitter, lonely and heartbroken.

If you love Jesus and owe your life to Him, He had a command that He considered second only to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength (Deut 6:5), and that was to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev. 19:18) - and that doesn't mean just Christian ones. When we stand before His throne we will be accountable to Him.

So stop faking it. Stop metaphorically stabbing people in the back when they aren't around. Stop eliminating souls from your life thinking that is how you will guard your heart. Stop rolling your eyes at people you disagree with. Stop pitying yourself. Stop being so arrogant that you believe you alone have been wounded or are sin free. Stop looking for reasons to dislike someone God created in His image and was willing to die for. In the name of Christ Jesus, stop it.

And start being who Christ commanded ... Him.

The Daniel Plan

If I like something, I am one to be sure to tell everyone about it. For example, I love chocolate. I love sparkly things. I love my husband. I love my children. I love my Lord and Savior. Anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about all of this. So when I come across something that has changed my life for the better and really works, I'm going to make sure you know about it.

Just recently our church started The Daniel Plan. It's a program created by Rick Warren author of "The Purpose Driven Life" and pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. As Adult Education Coordinator in our church, I was sent some material about it and it intrigued me. First of all it was Biblical, and secondly because it was a life-change wellness book and not a diet plan.

The Daniel Plan has five initiatives: faith, food, fitness, focus and friends. It's a book on complete wholeness and wellness, showing us how our bodies can be a temple for the Lord (1 Cor. 6:19). The book is excellent and filled with Scripture, facts, statistics, stories of success, goals and suggestions. But it's the advice it gave that has been an inspiration.

Much of the health part you've heard before: eat more fruits and vegetables, the right portions of the food groups necessary to maintain health, eat the right fats, limit sugars, exercise at least four times a week, don't skip meals, etc. But it was other information I hadn't heard that opened my eyes. For example, how foods with labels including more than five ingredients, probably aren't foods (especially if you can't pronounce the ingredients). How sitting has become the new smoking in its detrimental effects on our bodies. How your brain immediately craves carbohydrates in food emergencies, so you should have a food emergency kit on hand with healthy choices. How the brain releases certain chemicals throughout the body based on the negative or positives thoughts you have. And the dangers of processed foods we eat. My husband commented last night: "I tell you what, the Lord has truly made the human body resilient after all we put it through."

As a result of The Daniel Plan, we are grocery shopping in a whole new way, reading every label to make sure we're eating actual food, selecting more fruits and vegetables and avoiding the processed food aisles in the center of the store. And we've been shocked by the changes in a few weeks, and we're not talking weight-wise. We sleep better, longer and deeper. We have tons more energy during the day. Brad's blood sugars from a diabetic standpoint are more controllable. We are excited to see if our new habits stick and more importantly to see if it translates into better health for the two of us. When 15,000 people joined Rick Warren in this first Daniel Plan, they lost a combination of 260,000 pounds. That's impressive and encouraging. And the fact that it's all revolving around our love for the Lord is the coolest part.

I've been given one "jar of clay" (1 Cor. 4:7), and to be the best, strongest, most resilient soldier for the Lord, it's about time I took better care of it. As the book says, "You wouldn't give a hamburger and french fries to your dog. So why would you eat it?" When I look around me and see how poorly we've done as a people taking care of ourselves, and how we truly have only ourselves to blame (self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit after all), it's startling ... but not hopeless. We may be coming to this realization late, but at least we're here. As chapter one in the book ends: "Welcome to the journey."