This is gonna be weird but stay with me… I love music, all kinds of music. So when I saw something yesterday about the highest grossing concert tours of 2008 it caught my attention.
Here is why…#13 Michael Buble. Basically he is a reincarnated Frank Sinatra. BTW Sinatra would be 94 years old today. #12 Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they are a cross between Beethoven and Boston. #9 was the Eagles they have been around about thirty years. # 7 was none other than Neil Diamond, he turned 68 this year. The #1 tour of 2008 was a band that has been touring for 25 years…none other than Bon Jovi!
Neil Diamond grossed over 80 million dollars. He sold out 61 shows with an average ticket price of $97.00 each! Bon Jovi grossed over 200 million!
Why did I tell you this? One little reason. The world does not need or want something new or different. They don’t need or really want cutting edge or what’s never been done before. They want true, tried, tested and pure! They want the best! They want it over and over. They want it no matter the cost. They want the real thing!
What if we as believers and the church stopped trying to be something new and different and cutting edge and started focusing on being true and tested and pure. What if in our everyday life we always tasted like 2000 year old living water. 2000 year old bread of heaven. 2000 year old Spirit-filled men and women who were always the same! What if no matter when, where or who found us, we were always simply Loving Jesus, Serving Others, Reaching the World.
What if we stopped trying to be hip and relevant and contemporary and started being genuine and real. Not dressed up or dressed down, just dressed in humility. What if we put on Jesus instead of a show? What if we just made sure we were no more in public than we are in private. What if we hid so much in the prayer closet that we had nothing to hide on stage?
In the long run only Jesus will be able to give that peaceful easy feeling to a world that has a heartache, tonight!
Oh by the way…the number one selling album of all time? A collection of songs recorded between 1971 and 1975 by some guys who call themselves…The Eagles. 29 million copies sold.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Wastin’ away in Malaria’ville
At about 3:00 am Saturday Jan 24 I experienced the onset of Malaria. A recent trip to Burkina Faso Africa had exposed me to mosquitoes that were bearing the disease. And though I had been back for 12 days, the virus was still very active. The short story is that from that early morning onset of symptoms I did not find real relief until sometime Thursday morning. I faced high fever, intense body pain and headaches that responded best to ice packs on either side of my head. In short it was the most horrific experience of my life. I would wish it on no one.
And while I would gladly have never experienced it I must say with all honesty I am grateful. I am grateful that my son Jonathan who slept on the cot next to me in Africa has to date not shown any symptoms. If one of us had to have it, I am grateful it was me.
I am also grateful that I had the privilege of being treated by a great infectious disease Doctor and a fine staff of nurses who did everything in their power to help me seek relief. They were very patient with me when all their efforts seemed ineffective.
I am grateful for a wife and family who cared for me so tenderly. I am grateful for a family of faith, that extends farther than I can imagine, who prayed for me without ceasing. The difference between my condition Wednesday evening and Thursday morning January 29th is borderline miraculous.
I am grateful that I will never be the same. I have been given and incredible gift of understanding, like few can, what it means to millions of people around the world to suffer from Malaria.
While in Africa this year I had held the feeble fingers of a small child as we tested him for malaria. You could almost tell by looking at the child that they had the disease. We had treated adults who had traveled many miles on foot to the clinic. I look back now and remember how desperately ill I was as I traveled by car to the hospital and wonder how they ever made it to the clinic.
I am grateful that for the first time in my life I have a passion for something and for a people that is beyond the walls of a religious status quo. I have already been challenged to never go back to Africa. They argue that the danger to my health is all the reason I need. And my response is,” how can I possibly not go back.” How can I not go and try to help people find relief from a treatable disease of which I now know of the terrible affliction first hand.
Had I known then what I know now I would have spent every moment of every day trying to care more tenderly for those who had the disease. I would have done everything I could to check and treat every person I could.
I will not likely return before January of 2010. But when I do I will go back with a greater sense of focus and passion than ever before. I hope to be able to do more to be prepared than ever before. I want to give an insecticide treated mosquito net to as many mothers of young children as possible. I want to give as many families as we can some repellent for their homes. We will test and treat more people for Malaria than we ever have before. I will share the love of Jesus more passionately than I ever have before.
Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your love. Pray for those who suffer right now from Malaria.
And while I would gladly have never experienced it I must say with all honesty I am grateful. I am grateful that my son Jonathan who slept on the cot next to me in Africa has to date not shown any symptoms. If one of us had to have it, I am grateful it was me.
I am also grateful that I had the privilege of being treated by a great infectious disease Doctor and a fine staff of nurses who did everything in their power to help me seek relief. They were very patient with me when all their efforts seemed ineffective.
I am grateful for a wife and family who cared for me so tenderly. I am grateful for a family of faith, that extends farther than I can imagine, who prayed for me without ceasing. The difference between my condition Wednesday evening and Thursday morning January 29th is borderline miraculous.
I am grateful that I will never be the same. I have been given and incredible gift of understanding, like few can, what it means to millions of people around the world to suffer from Malaria.
While in Africa this year I had held the feeble fingers of a small child as we tested him for malaria. You could almost tell by looking at the child that they had the disease. We had treated adults who had traveled many miles on foot to the clinic. I look back now and remember how desperately ill I was as I traveled by car to the hospital and wonder how they ever made it to the clinic.
I am grateful that for the first time in my life I have a passion for something and for a people that is beyond the walls of a religious status quo. I have already been challenged to never go back to Africa. They argue that the danger to my health is all the reason I need. And my response is,” how can I possibly not go back.” How can I not go and try to help people find relief from a treatable disease of which I now know of the terrible affliction first hand.
Had I known then what I know now I would have spent every moment of every day trying to care more tenderly for those who had the disease. I would have done everything I could to check and treat every person I could.
I will not likely return before January of 2010. But when I do I will go back with a greater sense of focus and passion than ever before. I hope to be able to do more to be prepared than ever before. I want to give an insecticide treated mosquito net to as many mothers of young children as possible. I want to give as many families as we can some repellent for their homes. We will test and treat more people for Malaria than we ever have before. I will share the love of Jesus more passionately than I ever have before.
Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your love. Pray for those who suffer right now from Malaria.
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