How is the World to Know?

Once again, it’s time for my annual Christmas card. This year, more than 600 were produced and shared with co-workers, family, friends, my Eastside church family, and strangers. I still haven’t completely kicked the snail mail Christmas card habit, and even those cards have already been mailed. Hard to believe, isn’t it! The few cards that are left will go to family that I’ll be seeing on Christmas Day.

For 2014, I have written a Christmas song. This was my longest and perhaps most ambitious Christmas card song to date. You might want to watch a video of the Nuns singing this song in the Sound of Music to be reminded of all the complexities of the melody.

The picture on the front of the card this year contains the first few verses of this year’s song. Here on the blog, the picture will just follow, below. With the exception of the little logo and identifying date stuff on the back, the card is here on the blog. Merry Christmas!

How is the world to know that I’m a Christian?
How do I answer all of those who search?
What are the things that say that I’m a Christian?
A cross on my chest?
A fish on my car?
A Church?

Often I wish I knew more of the Bible,
Many a verse I wish I knew by heart.
So how do I point the way?
When my heart is apt to stray?
How can I help when I might come apart?
Oh, how do I share the Good News of the Gospel?
How can I even know just where to start?

There is peace and mercy mild,
And we’re all now reconciled,
So I harken when those herald angels sing.
But then there’s songs of snowmen, too,
And Rudolf, bullied by his crew.
It’s become a Winter Holi-day-ee thing.

It’s a Holiday, don’t stress.
Peace on Earth (well, more or less);
To put meaning into Christmas could be wild.
Christ is King. He is the Lord.
He's the Lamb. He is the Word.
He’s Emmanuel. He’s our Savior. He’s a child.

How is the world to know that I’m a Christian?
How do I answer all of those who search?
What are the things that say that I’m a Christian?
A cross on my chest?
A fish on my car?
A Church?

Often I wish I knew more of the Bible,
Many a verse I wish I knew by heart.
So how do I point the way?
When my heart is apt to stray?
How can I help when I might come apart?
Oh, how do I share the Good News of the Gospel?
How can I even know just where to start?

Merry Christmas to You!

May Christmas bring you…
love, peace, and uncontainable joy
to fill your heart, and your New Year, too!

Dave  Hoag

Overwhelmed

Every time I hear the song Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave on the radio it invokes so many powerful images in my mind, and it definitely moves my soul. Engineer and scientist that I am, I envision galaxies, worlds, and physical wonders. My mind conjures the cruel realities of Christ purchasing our redemption through his suffering and death on the cross. And my heart… my heart so delights in God’s presence in my life that I truly am… overwhelmed.

Until recently, I had not seen the official music video, so it came as a bit of a surprise that the video is promoting the efforts of World Vision. The video is shot somewhere in Africa, and you need to watch it AND be open to let the Holy Spirit settle the lyrics on your heart. You won’t be asked to donate, but World Vision does a lot of good. If the Spirit moves you to make a difference in some distant part of the world, I’m quite certain that World Vision will be happy to put your contribution to good use.

Right now, we are celebrating the Christmas season, a time when we remember God’s overwhelming gift to us. Another watch, handbag, pair of shoes, or electronic gadget doesn’t honor that gift, but making Christ known by improving the health, education, and welfare of an impoverished child is something worthy to lay at the foot of the manger. Let yourself be overwhelmed!

Your brother in Christ, Dave

 

I Choose Joy

This weekend Mike Breaux has been teaching at Eastside Christian Church.

Mike is an awesome teacher and man of God, and if you were there, you know just how powerful his teaching on being full of Joy was. I’d love to recount all of what he taught, but that might take forever (knowing how I tend to embellish). Instead, I wanted to share just 3 of Mike’s many points and Scriptural references.

First, a passage where Scripture repeats itself, Phil 4:4…
“Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again: REJOICE!”

Are we, as Christians, looking like we were weaned on a lemon, or are we rejoicing and full of joy?

Second, Mike recited a poem. I could find no reference to it online, so I did my best to transcribe it. It goes something like this:

I Choose Joy

by Mike Breaux

The Lord is alive
He is with me
He is in me
And He’s coming back someday
And Heaven’s my real home, anyway.

When I think about my God, who:
Made the stars and named them
Took earth and sea and framed them
Pulled back the ocean tides; restrained them
Breathed life into His own and claimed them.

When I think about my God, who:
Before He gave the wind direction,
Before He assigned the moon’s reflection
Before He painted the leave’s complexion
He settled on us as his main affection.

Who despite our rebellion
Pursued us
Though sin skewed us
He viewed us
Priceless;
Chose not to exclude us,
Or let Grace elude us,
But instead came to us

Now sin cannot choke us, crush us, or beat us.
Shame will not conquer, condemn, or defeat us.
We are alive because He is alive.
We rise up because He is risen.
We know love because He first loved us.
So I choose Joy! I choose Joy.

And last, a passage from 1 Thes. 5:16-18…

“ Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Verses 16-18 give 3 simple steps to live a meaningful Christian life. Consider this…
It’s not joy that makes us grateful,
It’s gratitude that makes us joyful!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

[Mike Breaux is a Teaching Pastor
at Heartland Community Church, Rockford, IL.
This was transcribed by David Alan Hoag
from the “Full of It: Joy” teaching Mike gave
at Eastside Christian Church on 7/19/2014.]

FAITHINGFORTY #29

During a time of fasting, leading up to Easter, my friend Paul Lanier is publishing a word for each day. This year, all of them have been a word into my life; #29 especially so. Paul allows me to post his words to the blog, and he wonderfully articulates something here that I have never been able to communicate so clearly. Read on, and be blessed!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

FAITHINGFORTY #29

Paul Francis Lanier
April 8, 2014

I realize that I'm very early with this one, and that it's very long. But I believe it is a word that can truly speak to our lives. It comes from many years of Ministry, and in particular, from Ministering to precious people pursuing the Presence of God in this Great Fast.

Words are so powerful. Extraordinarily powerful. Supernaturally powerful. By words God created the Heavens and the earth. And words continue to create worlds and destroy them. I think it is important for all of us to step back and personally examine our own process of communication. Let me share with you what can happen in a conversation every day.

Much of my counseling has to do with peoples' reactions to words or events that were never truly spoken or never occurred the way they perceived it. They are bound to a stronghold of Perception that has owned and directed their lives for years.

So often a sentence is spoken and it is experienced on a myriad of levels. Of course there is the level of specific words that are actually spoken at a particular time and place. But then the tone, the inflection, how those words sound when spoken, have their own meaning. Was it spoken enthusiastically? Disparagingly? Sincerely?

Where I am emotionally or spiritually can be a determining factor in what I hear, whether that word is actually spoken or not. Then when the words or unwords are repeated by myself or another, my initial perception can be altered or multiplied. So the truest content can be completely lost by what I think I heard. And what I think I heard then is experienced on the deeper level of feelings. Each time repeated, it becomes more real and more entrenched within me. My emotions become involved. I become surprised. Excited. Disappointed. Outraged. Once those words have been charged by emotion they take root in my heart and mind at a completely different and deeper level. From that moment on, when another person tries to converse with me about those words, it is a wholly other experience. The conversation is no longer about specific words spoken on a particular day, at an undeniable location. My emotions are now dictate. They bring the color and the intensity. They provide the interpretation to me. My emotions now tell me how I feel about what I think I heard. My emotions tell me how I will react to you or anyone else because of what I think I heard. So you are no longer having a conversation with me about facts… You are conversing with my feelings. And there lies the disconnect. So you might be able to logically prove that, indeed, the sky is blue or that the bus is yellow or that a dollar bill equals 100 pennies. But that's not the deeper point for me. You've only addressed the skeleton of the issue… But there are also vital organs and skin and mind and perception and experience. So you can confront my misunderstanding and walk away thinking the problem is resolved. But it is not resolved. It is nowhere near resolved. Because this is not about an explanation, but an experience. You had a conversation on one level of reality, but I am living my life on a completely different level of reality. My reality might not be true. It might be detrimental. But regardless, it has become my reality.

Some experiences can be addressed by a meaningful and thoughtful, discerning conversation that removes layer after layer of misunderstanding and misperception. Others must be directly addressed supernaturally, because hell has successfully taken a word never spoken and created a wound from it. It actually requires a spiritual experience upon the Word of God that Delivers us from a wound and a memory that could be based upon something that never even occurred, or was spoken. Indeed, many of the real prisons of our life are built upon a foundation of words or acts that actually never happened. But we perceived they were spoken. We perceived that conversation. We perceived that event and we created a lifelong reaction… While hell laughs.

Speak, "Enough" to your heart and life! Dethrone your memories. Take back the crown from that wound and return it to the Lover of your soul. Determine that you will bow your knee to no pain. No lie. No word-spoken or not. No event-true or imagined. Ground your life only in the True Word that He Speaks.… And Live.+

The Lord's Prayer – Revisited

I thought I posted this a while back (maybe years ago), but I cannot seem to find it on the blog. If you do manage to find it posted here, and you post a comment that indicates the date it was first posted, I will immortalize you in a future blog post. I know it’s not much, but it’s cheaper than…
offering a $100 reward to the first-to-find!
Also, I’d love to give credit to the author, so if you can point me to a credible source of authorship, same deal; immortalized on the blog.

The following is written as a 2-person, 1-act play, and is great fun to perform. Kids, teens, and adults love it because it works on so many levels. If you print out 2 scripts and pass them out to 2 outgoing people in your group, it’s amazing how fast each slips into character.
As I said: “It’s great fun!”

The person praying is the BLUE FONT COLOR,
while God is the RED FONT COLOR.

I hope you get all the way down to the end of this. Not only is it fun and thought provoking, but it changes the way people think about AND PRAY the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.

Enjoy.

YBIC, Dave Hoag

-----------------------------------------------------

Our Father Who Art In Heaven…
Yes?

Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
But -- you called ME!

Called you?
No, I didn't call you.
I'm praying.
Our Father who art in Heaven…
There -- you did it again!

Did what?
Called ME… you said,
"Our Father who art in Heaven."
Well, here I am.
What's on your mind?

But I didn't mean anything by it.
I was, you know,
just saying my prayers for the day.
I always say the Lord's Prayer.
It makes me feel good,
kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right.
Go on.

Okay, Hallowed be thy name.
Hold it right there.
What do you mean by that?

By what?
By "Hallowed be thy name"?

It means, it means… good grief,
I don't know what it means.
How in the world should I know?
It's just a part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean?
It means honored, holy, wonderful.

Hey, that makes sense.
I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before. Thanks.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Do you really mean that?

Sure, why not?
What are you doing about it?

Doing? Why, nothing, I guess.

I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there. We're kind of in a mess down here you know.

Yes, I know, but…
have I got control of you?

Well, I go to church.
That isn't what I asked you.
What about your bad temper?
You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your money -- all on yourself. And what about the kind of books you read?

Now hold on just a minute!
Stop picking on me!
I'm just as good as some of the rest of those

People at church!

Excuse ME.
I thought you were praying
for my will to be done.
If that is to happen,
it will have to start with the ones
who are praying for it.
Like you -- for example.

Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups.
Now that you mention it,
I could probably name some others.
So could I.

I haven't thought about it very much until now,
but I really would like to cut out some of those things.
I would like to, you know, be really free.
Good.
Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together -- You and ME.
I'm proud of YOU.

Look, Lord, if you don't mind,
I need to finish up here.
This is taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
You need to cut out the bread.
You're overweight as it is.

Hey, wait a minute! What is this?
Here I was doing my religious duty,
and all of a sudden you break in
and remind me of all my hang-ups.
Praying is a dangerous thing.
You just might get what you ask for.
Remember…
you called ME -- and here I am.
It's too late to stop now.
Keep praying… (pause)…
Well, go on.

I'm scared to.
Scared? Of what?

I know what you'll say.
Try ME.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
What about Ann?

See? I knew it!
I knew you would bring her up!
Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories.
She never paid back the money she owes me.
I've sworn to get even with her!
But -- your prayer --
What about your prayer?

I didn't -- mean it.

Well, at least you're honest.
But, it's quite a load carrying around all that bitterness
and resentment isn't it?

Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her.
Boy, have I got some plans for her.
She'll wish she had never been born.
No, you won't feel any better.
You'll feel worse.
Revenge isn't sweet.
You know how unhappy you are --
Well, I can change that.

You can? How?
Forgive Ann.
Then, I'll forgive you;
And the hate and the sin,
will be Ann's problem -- not yours.
You will have settled the problem
as far as you are concerned.

Oh, you know, you're right.
You always are.
And more than I want revenge,
I want to be right with You… (sigh)...
All right all right…
I forgive her.
There now!
Wonderful!
How do you feel?

Hmmmm. Well, not bad.
Not bad at all!
In fact, I feel pretty great!
You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven't been getting much rest, you know.
Yeah, I know.
But, you're not through with your prayer are you?
Go on.

Oh, all right.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Good! Good! I'll do that.
Just don't put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.

What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.

Yeah. I know.
Okay.
Go ahead. Finish your prayer.

For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Do you know what would bring me glory --
What would really make me happy?

No, but I'd like to know.
I want to please you now.
I've really made a mess of things.
I want to truly follow you.
I can see now how great that would be.
So, tell me…
How do I make you happy?
YOU JUST DID!

Knocking

My friend, and one of my spiritual mentors, Paul Francis Lanier, posted the following on Facebook recently:

“Went through my computer last night and deleted hundreds of email addresses. Some from names I don't even recognize. Others from folk I haven't spoken to in years. No doubt some had abandoned their old tired address years ago, but not me. I should have removed them long, long ago. A thousand reasons why I'd kept them . . . but none of them were good enough anymore. You see, I don't let go easily, it's just who I am. But there comes a time when you must stop looking down the road and start listening to the door at those who've been knocking for too long, waiting for a home in your heart.”

It got me thinking about how many people Paul touches with God’s Word. People like me, who live thousands of miles away from Paul’s home church; people who don’t rub elbows with him on a regular basis, but have received a word, a blessing, or an invitation from Paul. Many might have only heard Paul’s voice on an audio recording, read his writing, seen a re-posted quote, or had a fleeting introduction at a business meeting. Paul lives out and shares the love of Christ in a very real and honest way that draws people to him. I can see how he’d collect a great many email addresses over the years, and how impossible it would be to stay current and connected to all those hearts he has touched.

I got to thinking about how I’m OK with Paul purging my email address. Paul is being true to his calling, and his calling is not to maintain a list of everyone who has ever sent him an email. It’s up to the rest of us to seek out, encourage, and support the spiritual mentors (prophets) that God brings into our lives.

One last thing… the whole situation inspired me to pen the following:


Knocking

by David Alan Hoag  --  January 29, 2014

God steers me to his purpose
With words I need to hear;
Often, when I hear God’s Word,
It comes from Paul Lanier.

You don’t need to know the name
Of every tiny sprout,
Nor the number of the stalks,
Or heads they each bring out.

No need to count the kernels;
There’s only one real need:
Heed and speak the Word of God…
And keep on planting seed.

Thanks for the continuing inspiration, Paul!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave