Weblog

Monday, 24 August 2009

  • Dug Pinnick's Comments on the Christian Music Scene

    By:  Chad

    I was browsing on the internet the other day in an attempt to find some new information on one of my old favorite bands, Kings X. I ran across this interview from May 2006 where Dug Pinnick, the band's bassist and lead singer, made some comments on the Christian Music scene.

    Pinnick was a confessed Christian who, some years ago, came public about his homosexuality, and has since declared agnosticism as his faith.

    Here are the comments:

    "Christian music scene?? Yeah, we could have been maybe the biggest band in Christian music, but we're not hypocrites, and when the Christians find out that we drink, smoke weed and I am gay, they would turn on us anyway, so why go there? That just hurts. Besides that, they rejected us anyway after they learned who we were. They're human, they hide it. We're not like that, we're too honest. That's why I am down on Christian music. In the name of truth they live lies. That's never been me, or KING'S X. It's one of our biggest faults. The Christian music scene was a dead end for us no matter what had happened in our career. I am agnostic now anyway. We just couldn't justify being a Christian band. It just wasn't the truth. I was raised Christian and have seen the Christian music scene first-hand. I can't be a part of it and I couldn't back then either... and we're still called a Christian band to this day. It wasn't kosher back then either. I remember so many people saying that they couldnt get their friends to listen to KING'S X 'cause we were Christian, even though STRYPER were successful. Now it's accepted being a Christian band, but we're not one of those bands. What's done is done and it's the past..." (article can be found here).

    Do you think Christian music artists hide their humanity, as Dug said?

Wednesday, 29 July 2009

  • The Fear of the Lord

    By:  Chad

    In the book of Job in the Bible, Job states in his longest discourse that to "fear the Lord" is wisdom (Job 28:20-28).  It's an idea that is repeated in Proverbs more than once, and in Psalm 111.  I think this phrase is hard to understand, and often misunderstood. 

    Here's a look at what the word "fear" in this passage really means:

    Yi'rah: 

    1) fear, terror, fearing

    a) fear, terror

    b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)

    c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety

    d) revered

    Reading Job's words convicted me, because I think I take God's holiness for granted.  When I consider the way I talk about God at times, I realize the truth of my condition.  When I weigh my 'reverence' for God beside the unfair, untamed, immeasurable love He has for me, it stands clear that my righteousness could never stand before Him.  When I compare my cavalier attitude towards God to the unrelenting and merciful attitude God has toward me, I find myself empty of words.  What would I say to God?  What case could I possibly make, even on my best days?

    The bottom line is this:  One day I'm going to stand before God; one disappointing existence with a disappointing life to show for myself.  On that day, I'm going to finally understand just how much I pale in the presence of the Holy One. I will have no more words to say, no case to make.  The case will be closed - guilty.  I'm guilty of falling short in every conceivable way.    

    And that's when God will tell me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

    It's hard to describe how I feel about it.  I look forward to it, but in a funny way, I'm nervous about it.  I know that God is limitlessly merciful, and kind, but I also know that He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts.  He is the highest majesty in all the universe.  He's the master of all royalty;  the commander over all the cosmos.

    Putting it into perspective makes me realize that to fear Him, to revere this awesome being that can somehow love a little cosmic disappointment like me, can only lead to a better life.  It means being in a right relationship with Him, kneeling at the foot of my King.  This leads to a better life.

    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of [insert] wisdom.  

    - financial wisdom

    - wisdom in relationships

    - wisdom in time management

    - wisdom during a crisis

    - wisdom in suffering

    It all begins with a right relationship with God; a relationship of knowing where we stand, and how we need His mercy so much.

Sunday, 19 July 2009

  • Why I Use an Internet Filter

    By:  Chad

    I wanted to take this time to meditate on why I use internet web filtering software.  Here's a passage that comes to mind:

    "43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where
       " 'their worm does not die,
          and the fire is not quenched.'  49Everyone will be salted with fire." -Mark 9:43-49

    Before I became a Christian, I had formed an uncontrollable dependency on internet pornography;  an addiction.  It started at an early age, and believe me when I say that I was ashamed.  Now, there are some men who have been raised to be comfortable with the idea of viewing pornography.  I, on the other hand, was utterly ashamed of it.  The idea of ever getting caught horrified me.  So, my life was a constant struggle to hide my addiction, and quit.  I assumed I could quit, and the horror of pornography would forever be behind me.  How wrong I was.

    Whenever I read the testimony of men fighting drug addiction, I find their descriptions of their triumphs and failures eerily similar to the things that I have gone through in my struggles against pornography.  The most frustrating thing, as an early believer, was the feeling of helplessness.  I could not fight my addiction.  I was absolutely defeated.

    As a born again Christian, I could not live with this sin anymore, and God gave me courage to come out with my addiction, and take steps toward combating it. 

    Combating it - Something I had wanted to do for so long.  I had prayed endlessly for the strength to just quit, but was never that simple, and never will be.  So, I installed a web filter.  It was one of the most liberating days of my life.

    The filter I use now is called Safe Eyes, which I highly recommend.  This tool isn't the solution to my addiction.  There's still no end to the battle.  However, a good web filter essentially gave me an offense against this thing I had fought for so long.  For years now, I have been tweaking the settings on my filter, cutting my access to pornographic websites and images off completely.  My wife has the administrator's password.  If I ever need to allow a site, or tweak a setting, she has to log in as the administrator.  She is in charge of internet usage in this household.  As an addict, any loophole is a potential for relapse, and I have relapsed in the past.

    It can sometimes be awkward when friends are over, and they ask why I have a web filter installed on my computer.  Now I'm at the point where I just tell them, "It's not to keep other people from getting on bad sites.  It's for me". Then, there are people who get really uncomfortable with the idea,  as if it's some sort of tragedy that I don't want to spend hours a day staring at porno.  How I really do enjoy my life without it.  I'm not going to go into all the reasons why people shouldn't look at pornography, and how it destroys a marriage.  I'll keep it short and say that it's the most lifeless, fun-sucking thing I've ever taken part in, and good riddance.

    The bottom line is this:  The above mentioned passage makes clear, in a powerful and poetic way, that when something causes me to habitually sin, I should remove it from my life.  God wants me to be proactive.  It's evidence of my conversion; a major difference between now and the time before I received Christ. 

Friday, 17 July 2009

  • Is What We Say Significant?

    By Chad:

    I read a very striking statement in the book of James;  one that I have thought about for a long time.

    James 3:2 says:  "For we all stumble in many ways.  If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."

    There is a powerful section here about the tongue, the organ we use to speak.

    I can't imagine a life where I never use my words in ways that are dishonorable or insulting.  To be honest, my speech can be pretty filthy at times. 

    Also, I find myself filtering things out as they go from my brain to my mouth.  The dialogue in my head is a lot more vulgar than the things I actually say.  Whenever I am alone, and I talk out loud, I generally turn the filter off.  Sometimes, when I'm with my wife or a certain group of friends, I turn the filter down.  It's not something I do consciously, either.

    When I read James 3, however, I feel convicted because James compared the tongue to the rudder on a ship.  The rudder is small, yet it changes the direction of the entire ship.  He makes it sound as if our speech is an overflow of what's in our heart.  It makes me reflect on the real condition of my own heart, and how much I need a savior.

    How do you feel about your own speech?

Monday, 13 July 2009

  • What is the Meaning of Life

    By:  Chad

    To me, life is my temporary chance to make a permanent impact on heaven for God, who is my Lord, Savior, and Creator.

    "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
    - 2 Corinthians 5:20

    What do you think the meaning of life is?

Pulse

Our Wedding