 So recently I’ve been really getting into my songwriting. For those who don’t know, I love writing and playing music… it’s awesome! It has been real fun for me to be able to perform my music on a local radio station and also record my songs in the studio. Great, exciting times!
I recently watched a really good talk by Jon Foreman - the lead singer of Switchfoot (the most awesome band in my humble opinion). Jon talks about how we should approach life as a grand song, written by a great composer and conductor holding it all together. For me that conductor is no other than God: In our busy lives as we try and simply get by doing life, the songs of creation are all held together by the fact that there is a God out there who loves us and wants us to be the best that we can be. Later in the talk Jon shares how we are unique and being ourselves will “take a lifetime of practice.” So there's no surprise that there will be times when we are going to get things wrong. However we need to continue pushing into discovering what amazing and incredible plans God has in store for us. He wants us to enjoy the good times that we face in our lives, and also use and learn from the challenging seasons. It’s like keys in music. Both the minor key and major key can prove useful, even if sometimes they sound very different indeed. When we get things wrong it’s important to remember that the great conductor can change the score. Our lives can be totally Transformed by God, given new amazing meaning. “Don’t let the past mistakes rob the present of it’s potential.” These words are so encouraging! So face up to your song today and enjoy what amazing plans the great conductor has in store for you! You can find Jon Foreman’s talk here Matt
0 Comments
 So I’m not the most gifted DIY guy ever. If you asked me to put a shelf up, I’d go 'Uhhhh' and then run away - I can just about paint and have hung up the occasional picture. Because of this I’ve never felt the need to buy a toolbox. I just kind of buy tools depending on the task at hand. My tool collection consists of a hammer, a screwdriver and some pliers.
You can have a toolbox with all-sorts of different devices in them but what is important is whether you need to use them. Electric drills and chainsaws look fun but I’m not planning on going ‘lumberjacking’ anytime soon. As human beings we have our own ‘toolbox,’ with different tools in them. For example, there may be a situation we face where we want to use our ‘friends’ tool and seek their help and advice in a challenging situation. We might take out the Parent’s tool when we need a shoulder to cry on or some guidance. What’s really interesting is that when we are facing times of challenge or struggle, we forget the most important tool in the toolbox… the Prayer tool. Jesus is the all-rounder, the perfect one to trust in our times of challenge, yet all to often we leave him at the bottom of the box. I can honestly say that when all else is taken away, all I’m left with in times of struggle is Jesus, and he is always the perfect one to trust in. He always leads us out of difficult times, and to push the analogy as far as it will go, he is the ultimate DIY guy; He lived the human life and knows exactly how to relate to us in all areas of life. That’s not to say that we can’t share trying times with our friends, parents or others but we have an underlying support who will be there for us no matter what the situation. So I’ll leave you with this thought, who’s in your toolbox? Do you need to add Jesus to the list of useful people who walk with you in life? Matt |
