I learned yesterday that the song "Healer" was promoted with a lie. Check out Tim Gabbard's blog for articles that concern this. Joe Gabbard's blog has his excellent thoughts on the same issue. After practice last night, our music ministry prayed for this man and his family. We also prayed that this would not be a distraction to any that would come to our service.

It seems that I am able to see stories every day that relate the tragic failures of people that are held as "religious leaders." Maybe the mantle that I place on them is the greatest opportunity for their failure. When this came to mind, I couldn't be angry with the man. I have to be honest with myself and direct my anger inward. In truth, my anger is not that the deceit was un-masked. My anger is that the work of our ministry could be dismantled by this culture of sensational exposure. This thought brings to mind my lack of faith in God. Can this single act negate our faith in the omniscience of our Heavenly Father? Is it possible that this is the actual real intent of these kinds of attacks? If you take this into consideration, the person that has seen their life destroyed by temptation is merely a pawn in a monumental chess match. As you can see, my mind has been chewing this news, but it is having trouble swallowing it.

I am drawn back to the old "Wide World of Sports" on ABC. It always opened with a video tag that related the "thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat (cue cheesy promo music and horrible ski-jump.)" I have had to ask myself some tough questions over the last few weeks. This recent news forced me to figure out my intent of participation in worship. Personal struggles, financial hardships, and spiritual hurdles have forced me to look at the path that I am traveling. More importantly, it required me to evaluate the intent and level of dedication that I use to keep my travel moving. I think that these two components are more important than the direction. The direction changes daily and sometimes swerves erratically. My intent is the compass that brings me back to true north, and the dedication factor keeps me coming back until I get it right. Like spokes on a wheel, every element is necessary to keep on spinning.

The question that is going to become my banner is this. Am I pursuing God with reckless abandon, or do I let the agony of defeat draw me away? I need to quit letting peripheral blurs attract my attention and focus. I must rely on my faith in God to bring me through whatever tries to plow down my door and send my life into upheaval. I need to seriously evaluate my commitment.

As the days grow longer and my children grow older, I will have to answer their questions when failure slams into their lives. I cannot answer confusion with anger and emotion. I must provide answers of truth and nothing else. The man lied, everyone knows, but God still forgives. God's power is not tied to some particular song or worship venue. It is instead tied to my personal walk with him. This is the point that I need to find solace in. I will let God do the work of dismantling the work of the enemy - He's good at that.

Reckless - marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences.

Abandon - to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly.

I will pursue God with reckless abandon. I will make a relationship with God my ultimate goal. I will keep my eyes on this goal, because when you take your eyes off of the goal, all you see are the hurdles (thank you for the small group memory, Daniel.) I will not allow the attacks of the enemy to gauge the effectiveness of my relationship with God. I will keep myself close enough to God so that other things can't weasel their way in. In doing this, the questions that come my way from my children and other outside sources will be answered in the absolute correct way. I will try my best to not give in to the sensationalized waves of influence that seek to drown the move of God. Above all, I will trust in the "omni" of God - in all situations, He is everything that He is and nothing can approach any part of Him. His truth is what begs me to stand against the junk that thunders towards me. His peace is what holds my head up when I am dejected by my failures. His love carries me through when the attacks seem to come from everywhere. His might brings justice, and that justice is never late. These are just a few of the characteristics that I love about God. I find myself loving the fact that I know Him. I love it even more that He knows me.

So, I challenge you to take up the banner of reckless abandon. Move with purpose, but let God decide what the purpose will be. When the attacks start to hurt, rub some dirt on it and walk it off. Whatever you do, don't stop moving.