"Restless Soul" video

Hi folks. Sorry it's been a while but you all know I'd rather post nothing than post something just to keep an audience. Here is my first attempt at a real music video for one of my songs. It's one I just wrote this past Thursday (3/10/16) and spent many hours putting this together. I hope it blesses you. Here are the lyrics for you to check out.

Check out the "Restless Soul" video on YouTube

Everybody wonders sometimes

No matter what they say aloud

But I’ve learned by leaning - on my perfect friend

I can know that everything will be alright in the end

CHORUS:

But there are still days I’m just a restless soul - Seeking only to be whole

Feeling broken – but knowing that’s not all bad

When you trust what tomorrow will bring

Do you trust what tomorrow will bring?

There is a longing in our hearts.

Crying out – for a brand new start

Don’t hide that hunger – it will show you the way

 The truth, the life alive – can set you free today

BRIDGE:

Life is way too hard to play these games we play

Live through the life, the truth - that lived and died for you that day

So it’s OK to wonder sometimes

When you awaken late at night

Love may be knocking - from the inside of your heart

Building something up in you by tearing it apart

Less Of Me, More Of Him

           Sometimes my lack of faith disgusts me. Sometimes my lack of understanding, laid bare by the situations and circumstances of life, cause me to cry out to God in fear and anxiety. Sometimes I wake up at night with an overwhelming fear, where I feel like I am trapped in a vehicle that has constrained my arms and legs so I can’t move and my claustrophobia kicks in to overdrive and overwhelms me to such an extent that I am forced to get out of my bed and move around just to prove to myself that I still can. It leaves me breathless. Do I have your attention now? Good. Let me tell you something even more personal - Most times when I sin – I planned it. It’s first degree sin… and if you’re really honest with yourself the same is true for you.

I need you all to understand this one point - because it’s really the main point of this writing – The facts presented in the previous paragraph do not change one important fact – I did not choose Him – He chose me! No matter my sin or fears or lack of faith in God’s faithfulness one thing never changes – Him. Nor is my status as a son of God somehow placed in jeopardy by my inability to escape my sin and fear. It does not even disqualify me from the blessings God has for me. He blesses me many times daily. It simply serves to show me that no matter how hard I try or how desperately I want to be holy as He is holy or how badly I just want to be accepted by Him I will be unable to do it in this life and in this mortal frame, as this body is temporary, just like my fear. In fact, if my priorities are straight, my fear and weaknesses remind me daily of this one important fact: I am not good and that is exactly as He planned it. That’s why God, in Jesus, had no other choice than to die for me. That fact is central to a healthy understanding of the Gospel and if it’s not the same for you, then you might believe a lie.

I get that perfect love casts out fear. I know that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. I understand that all things are possible for those who love God. I realize that all things work to good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes. I’ve read the verses a hundred times but sometimes the fear still gets through. Isn’t it the same for you?

Most Christians know and believe all the verses I just quoted, yet fear and doubt are at an all-time high in church congregations. Why is this? This is because we are still living in a fallen world and though we may have heard and believed the truth it has not saturated us to the point where we believe it as the default - and frankly – according to the Bible, it will not in this lifetime – at least not completely, until we see Jesus face to face. Too many times I’ve seen someone I loved hurt or betrayed or killed when it seemed to make absolutely no sense at all and even seemed to conflict with the promises in the verses above. This is OK. This is life. It is hard sometimes and we simply don’t get a vote. When Jesus says, “Fear not” it was not intended as a command that we can use to feel guilty when we fear – it is a statement of fact, to comfort God’s children and remind us that there is no fear in His love, but God will allow fear because the very fear we despise in ourselves will point us to the truth of the scriptures about fear and how God’s grace is present in them. Steve Brown says all the time he is scared every time he gets on a plane but the fact that he still gets on the plane is a much bigger demonstration of his faith than getting on the plane if there were no fear. I concur. Perfect love casts out all fear – that is true – but my ability to love, and my understanding of God’s love have been corrupted by my upbringing, and my friends, and my church family, and all the other broken people and situations that have influenced me throughout the course of my life. Therefore I have far from perfect love – so I will fear from time to time. Like Steve Brown though, I get back on that plane. I climb in my big red death box and hurtle down the road at 70 every morning because I believe what God’s word says… sometimes.

I heard it said recently that what the life of a Christian looks like is perfectly exemplified in the words of John the Baptist in John 3 – “³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.” This means that our faith should not be centered on ourselves, like when we make ourselves a sin management project, where we are constantly focused with ridding ourselves of sin. This is because too often, like the Pharisees and Saducees in the parable of the prodigal son, we are so self-obsessed with doing better and trying harder that we reject those who God has actually put us here to reach.

Remember - Jesus was a friend to sinners and winebibbers. Most Christians I know in the evangelical Church today would be offended if that were said about them. Can you say the same for yourself or are you the typical evangelical in America today – You’re constantly surrounded by other Christians, at church 4 nights a week, all because it makes you feel good about you and keeps you away from places you shouldn’t go? Now don’t misunderstand – when you first come to know Jesus, this may be necessary for a time, but God does not call us to work within the confines of any four walls – even the walls of a church building. All of creation is the Lord’s. How about we set our minds on God’s purposes; to love and to serve others, rather than continue our silly, futile, prideful efforts at self-sanctification? Allow your sin and weakness to become just as big a part of your witness as your victories, so that Jesus will be at the center of the tale, instead of you. You’ll be surprised how our weaknesses grab the attention of those we are placed in the paths of. Think about the first paragraph of this blog – didn’t that title and opening remark make you want to hear that story? The love and grace of Jesus Christ in the face of our unrighteousness should be the center and focus of every Christian witness. It’s the only human story with a happy ending and the only way to witness that reflects less of us and more of Him.

Just A Really Awesome Martin Luther Quote

           Now THIS guy got God's awesome grace and how it manifests itself in the life of believers. Too many modern churches have the cart before the horse here and believe that it is they work to earn favor with God instead of understanding that we work because we have already been shown His favor. I found this on a blog at Liberate.org and I just had to share these faith-boosting words!

Check out this powerful quote from Martin Luther:

"Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. “Faith is not enough,” they say, “You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.” They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, “I believe.” That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn’t come from this “faith,” either.
             Instead, faith is God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.
              Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire!
             Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they’re smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do."

“An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans” from Luther’s German Bible, 1522. Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith.

How The Fifth Grade Glee Club Brought Me To Tears

            It happens every time. Every time I go to see either of my little ladies sing or play music I end up blatting like an eight-year-old girl. Not really sure why. Now my kids are fantastic – probably better than yours, but they are far from perfect. I’m not crying because of the power of their performance or the perfection of the timbre, or the amazing vocal range. I think maybe I’m crying just because they are my kids - doing the best they can – and because I love them more than I could ever even begin to express here (and I’m usually pretty good with words, so that’s saying something right there, isn’t it?)

Anyway - as I sat there again tonight silently with tears streaming down my face and watched my little ten-year-old lady sing God spoke to me very clearly. As I watched the several soloists come to the mic and do their thing, some were great (like my girl) and others just did the best they could with the gifts they had. When they would return to their places after their solos I noticed something really cool in common to every single one…

 

Well – actually I noticed a couple of things.

First – I noticed you can always tell the parents of the soloist by the camera phones that pop up as each child steps to the mic. Second – I noticed that as each child returned to their spot I would see them make eye contact with their parents, and then I’d see that smile of satisfaction when they saw that big smile on the faces of the people they loved. In that moment - they knew they were approved of, regardless of the performance. Tonight Jesus reminded me that my walk with Him has had some good performances – and some really bad ones – but He also reminded me that just as my love for Anna, and my acceptance of her as my child was not dependant upon her performance, neither is His love dependent upon mine. My walk with Jesus is just like every person reading this, if they are really honest with themselves. It is also just like every character in the Bible. Well - except for one. This journey has not been a climb toward dizzying spiritual heights, but a continuous, long lesson on love from the master, and a journey of exploration in to the recesses of my very own heart, to face the fear and darkness that still dwells there more than twenty years after Jesus took me.

 

The sin remains no matter how hard I work to get rid of it, and every layer I manage to remove only reveals a new layer of filth and gook for Jesus to deal with! On nights like tonight though – all that is OK. On nights like tonight my faith is renewed through my tears, as my God reminds me that my performance is not the deciding factor - anymore than Anna’s performance could cause her to cease to be my child. The fact that He is my father is my assurance that when I don’t know where I stand, I can look to Him and know I am safe. I am gently held by the arms of my loving Father, and dwell in His mercy and grace - not because of the greatness of my performance – but because of the greatness of His performance on behalf of all who cry Abba, Father. Who knows? Maybe deep down that’s why I cry.

FEED ME, Seymour, FEED ME!

            In an old classic favorite movie of mine, “Little Shop Of Horrors”, Rick Moranis owns a plant store that receives an exotic plant one morning that develops a serious appetite – for human flesh and when it gets the slightest bit hungry it cries out "FEED ME, Seymour, FEED ME!"

That movie came to my mind this past week as I was listening yet another teaching, like so many these days, being taught out of pulpits all around the developed world these days. In that moment I realized something. I realized that this is the tenor of far too many sermons and sermon series in our culture. I hear them talk about how God “wants” to bless us and how if we just have

enough faith and obedience that our lives should be a steady uphill climb to victory in every area, especially our finances, our morality, and our health. This school of thought has created a gigantic group of ill-informed Christians who believe if they put in their money and attend church services whenever the doors are open then they can feel good about “their walk” with Jesus and expect God’s blessings to follow. Unfortunately, this is a faith that dwells on self and not those we are here for, less on works and more on blessings, less on Jesus and our desperate need for Him and more on what we need to do to earn God’s blessings in our lives. It is a shallow, self-absorbed faith that determines success by the earthly blessings (or lack thereof). As I have seen somewhere before – that’s not the Gospel, folks – that’s karma.

            These theologically bankrupt teachings all seek to do the same thing – to improve people’s lives; which sounds like a good thing - however it operates from a flawed definition of the word “improved”. As Christians, isn’t growth in Christ what it really means to “improve”, and because of that we know that growing in Christ is not a life, nor should it be, of continuous blessing. I learned that when I was about five, the first time I heard the old adage, “no pain, no gain”. The Bible says that God works ALL THINGS for good to those who love Him and are called by Him. Growth through pain is a normal part of every human experience – Christian or not.

It is fairly easy to determine whether or not you are in one of these churches. When you go to Church this week and hear the teaching – when you leave ask yourself this one question – Was Jesus and what He has done for sinners like us the main focus of the sermon or was He hardly even mentioned? In too many of these sermons He has been taken out completely (or almost completely) and hardly anyone even noticed. If you listen for a month and realize this is true for your church, ask yourself this: “When I leave church each week am I thinking more about what I must do for God or more about what God has already done for me?” If it’s the latter then something is wrong.

            Even the witness of these believers is tied mostly to material or health or other blessings God has given to them and just comes off as bragging, and often when they are not being blessed physically or financially, then not only do they feel like a failure, but other believers, like Job’s friends, believe they must be doing something wrong and God is “correcting” them. Of course almost none of these “brothers and sisters” will say anything either way in the shallow, passive-aggressive

version of Christian love found in too many places these days. The Christian “love” on display in many of these houses of worship is like Facebook Christianity - 20 miles wide and four inches deep. In fact, we still have friends from a church we used to attend that will call us for help or to talk when they feel scared and alone, or are in need instead of people from the church because they many times feel judged (and rightfully so) by people there when hard times fall. These poor saints are not free to be who they are because they know that they will not be accepted by most in the congregation so they hide away, never experiencing the deep relationships, or the freedom that Jesus offered to those who get to live the true Gospel, in all it’s magnificent splendor. This is a Gospel that not only explains the sacrifice of the Son of God for our sins, but also our inescapable and overwhelming need for that sacrifice to be available to us every day of our sinful lives.

            We want to believe we are getting better, and sometimes we are, but we’ve already seen how “better” may not mean what we think, and since we know we are not made better by having more stuff, or better health, why do we believe that our stuff or our health are a sign that we are living right in God’s eyes? Think about this - if Jesus had believed this pervasive false doctrine of pay-as-you-go Christianity - then we would ALL be in a lot of trouble. Fortunately He endured pain and suffering for us – Doesn’t it only seem natural that following Him would bring suffering of it’s own – just because He knows that is what is “better” for us?” It does if we realize that He is good and He is smarter than us and knows what is best for us – whether it’s pain or pleasure.

The Lamb Was Slain - Thank God!

             I posted a tweet recently that was simply this: "Jesus didn't die so some of us could be good - He died because He knew none of us can be."

             It was in response to something I had read that day. Here's the quote: "When you wake up in the morning and the devil is against you and wants to ruin your day before it even starts, you put on your bandana, war paint, and grab your machete and tell him where to go!"

             I so appreciate the sentiment behind this quote. I truly do. We are a people in America who want to, "go after it" and as Tullian Tchividjian says, "We would rather have someone tell us that it will take a lot of work on our part, than tell us there is nothing we can do". The problem is - there really is nothing we can do and before you write angry comments remember - I didn't say it - Jesus did.
             This ongoing sermon series of, "picking yourself up by your bootstraps" we preach in America and other western nations was not something preached by Jesus or by the preachers in the New Testament. Frankly - this view is not scriptural at all - for two main reasons.
1. It GREATLY over-exaggerates the human ability to do the right thing with the right motive at the right time, all the time.
and
2. It GREATLY underestimates our inescapable, omnipresent need for a savior, when compared with the height of the perfection that Jesus lived.
            It also completely misses the clear, scriptural fact that the life of Jesus was lived much more as a sacrifice for us, than as an example to us. Not because the Lord is not worthy of emulation, but because He is simply not able to be emulated by sinners like us! We are not capable, in our fallen form, with or without Christ, to reflect Him accurately for anything more than a split second here and there. Please understand - I do not say this to bring guilt to my brothers and sisters, but to bring the  liberty your heart has been craving. When we understand and grasp the fact that we are SOOO lacking and still have a Savior willing to shed God's blood in His pursuit of us, it changes us at a fundamental level, and simply changes how we wish to operate.
            I do not feel guilty as often. I am changing because as I fall in love with Jesus, I simply don't want the same things. I still fall (often) - but that becomes a secondary issue because my faith is about the finished work of Jesus, and the lost still here, and not about me working selfishly to please a God who is already pleased at the expense of loving those who need Him desperately. The more our life becomes about them the less we will sin. It is a natural byproduct of serving, and getting outside ourselves, as we know as Christians that all sin comes out of us according to Jesus in Matthew 15:11. 
             Now this doesn't mean that we won't sin even in the middle of our service to Him (ie. our pride, arrogance, Pharisaism creeps in, at some level, as it exists in all of us) - it just means that the fact we are sinners loses it's power to manipulate us when we realize that it's not really about us anyway, It's about them - and that our sin is not really even the issue.
            Understanding my own weakness, and God's love and mercy in spite of it, helps me to understand that because I am loved, I begin to DESIRE to change. I am no longer obsessively compelled to change myself by guilt and fear. I now just WANT to do the right thing more than I did, but I also see that the "right thing" is no longer selfishly about me and my sinlessness - it's about them and their need for Jesus love. I don't need to report to big brother - I'm just trying to love my brother - because the battle is already won. I do not fear my redeemer - I seek Him out of sheer delight, and don't obey out of fear that if I don't, I will lose favor with Him, or disappoint Him. I want to live like Jesus because I love Him - and I just don't want to let a loved-one down. I do not fear God's wrath or reprisal - I understand that if God says it's the best way - It's the best way and I can trust Him. I believe Him - because He is good - even when I can't trust myself.
             I wrote a song for Easter years ago whose chorus just says this - "The Lamb was slain - The Lamb was slain - Thank God!" (BTW - You can hear it at www.ronbakerjr.com/music/thelambwasslain.mp3 if you want.)
              Praise God today that only one good (Jesus) was enough - then to live free in the love He gives freely, and you will see quickly that there are plenty of other people just as need of a savior as you are. Understand that 1 Corinthians 13 speaks truth when it tells us that Love never fails - even when we do. The Lamb was slain - Thank GOD!

A Faith That Suffers

            What is the life of a Christian supposed to look like? Is it Church services and Bible studies five nights a week? Is it knowing the bible inside and out? Is it sinning less and less and less? Ummmm – No - although many act as if that were true.

So many in America believe their faith is to be an upward climb of some sort, leading to us sinning less and being nicer and becoming more and more like Jesus, “every day, in every way”. They live their faith out, although they wouldn’t say it this way, as though if they are good – God will bless them and when they are bad – God will punish them. As someone has said, “That’s not Christianity – that’s karma.”

The message of the Bible is a simple one of God’s radical grace toward a people that can’t keep themselves from getting into trouble and constantly needed (and still need) to be rescued. It is the story of a suffering savior, who lived His entire life in poverty, and yet was richer than Bill Gates and Oprah combined. Jesus laughed and danced and sang and turned water into wine and He knew how to have fun, but He also suffered throughout His life. Not only the suffering he went through during the day of His crucifixion, but all through His ministry we find Him weeping for Jerusalem or sweating blood, or grieving for the hearts of those who would betray him and kill him. He was a man that got involved in the work of God where He knew he should. He did it better than we ever could, but the way He went about things reveals a truth about life that is not preached in North American churches these days, and seems to be understood much more in countries where people are suffering or dying for their faith and places where you find the same “tired and huddled masses yearning to be free” that the statue of Liberty has been inviting into America for over 130 years. Part of life on this planet as a Christian is the concept of self-induced suffering. We are called to love the unlovely and we simply are too busy loving the lovely too often. It seems to me now that sometimes the very same things that are Americas blessings are also one of the root causes of the Church here developing a Christology that believes more in itself, and it’s programs and sermon series than on the finished work of Christ to redeem us. This paradigm revolves around seeking happiness and God’s blessing through faith and obedience and when they are sharing in His suffering, it is looked at as punishment. This should not be.

            I certainly don’t mean we all need to sell all our stuff and live as paupers, or even that we should not be hopeful of God’s blessings for our lives. It means that we serve a Savior who suffered, and whenever we do the hard work of the Gospel and “get down and dirty” with real people about real problems and cry real tears together – it hurts. You may sometimes lay awake at night with a burden for a brother or sister, or a friend who can’t find peace but won’t listen when you tell them about Jesus. You may wonder why God does things the way He does sometimes and when your friend dies of cancer even with all the prayers you prayed and tears you cried, and the hurt, and you won’t get any answer. You may even get angry with God and curse Him out. You will suffer. It is a natural result of being human in a fallen world. Christians in America need to learn that badly.

            Some reading this live in places where real suffering is going on right now, and may even know people who have died for their faith. People they love may have died for Jesus. These have hurt and cried the same tears of sorrow that Jesus cried and most in the Church in America have never tasted. This reveals itself clearly in our selfish faith, that looks more to the number of church meetings I’ve attended and how much Bible reading I’ve done, than it does the work of loving people and caring for the hurting ones He has placed right in front of us to gauge where your walk is with Jesus. It is a faith more about getting people into pews than bringing Gods love from the pews to the people who need it.

            It is honestly to the point that in some pulpits in America messages are preached where there is almost an unspoken expectation that God will bless the lives of those who are deemed to be “living for God” and punish those who step out of line. This self-obsessed Christian faith is not the one Jesus America from ten miles over any city/town/suburb - it would look like a field of stars. Each star is a church, and the darkness in between would be the places the Church doesn’t reach because too many Christians are all hidden away in their “Christian” places, and are often heard grumbling among themselves about how bad things are getting in the world.

taught or lived. In fact, it seems to be exactly what Jesus railed against and accused the Pharisees of in the Bible. Religion is now used as a tool to clean people up and make good, decent citizens out of them. That is not a faith that centers on Jesus. It is a faith that centers on us and our ability to please Him. True faith in the living God will CAUSE us to put ourselves into places where suffering is going on, because that kind of faith that understands that the darkness is where the light is needed the most. If we were to look at a map of the reach of the Church in

            Remember - God didn’t just call Jesus and the Apostles and the Church founders to share in his sufferings. He called us all.

1 Peter 4:13

“13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

Most of us in the Church in America have an over-exaggerated opinion of the depth of our

own suffering. If we would humble ourselves, and open our eyes to the depth of suffering in the world, and take off our masks and see ourselves as the selfish lot we have become and understand that we are all really just a bunch of frail hurting people who need God and each other because we are desperate, needy, and unable to do anything of lasting value on our own. Then we will look to Jesus alone to deliver us. When we truly understand how powerless and hopeless we are when compared to our perfect God – as an individual or a nation - then and only then we can be strong.

Paul said it wonderfully in 2 Cor 12:10 –

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Self-induced suffering in the life of a Christian does not mean we are called to beat ourselves up. This kind of suffering is a natural result of being in close relationships with others and being involved in the lives of people with whom God has led you to. It is simply part of life as a Christian. When we see God’s love, and how He suffered for us, it is only our own pride that would cause us to expect anything different for our own lives. Plus it’s really not supposed to be about us anyway, right?