Dreaming of Silver Roses

The first time I heard this song, Derek Webb was giving his album “Mocking Bird ” away freely. I was really touched by his generosity in that and of course having been a long time fan of Caedmon’s Call and other music that Derek had touched I listened to the album with expectation. It blew me away. I won’t ruin the surprise for any one who hasn’t had the honor of listening.

Check out this video: a new law

..

Add to My Profile | More Videos

A few days ago a friend of mine and I were talking about being led by the spirit verses legalism. The line, I think, that is hardest to define is your line between rationalizing a pet sin, liberty in Christ for each other, and legalism. It seems as Christians we run to extremes often because we want the answers to be easy on one hand and we don’t wish to offend on the other hand. We don’t want to offend by living in a way that seems sinful to someone else and we don’t want to offend by being holier than thou at the same time. So we live in knots of trying to remain PC for everyone. The truth is that living like that isn’t liberty in Christ either. So I know I have battled, I battle, I will battle, trying to find the balance between being freely in step with the spirit for me and in loving my neighbor as myself by setting healthy boundaries. That is what staying reflective and sensitive to the Spirit and knowing the word of God well is all about I think. We do not need “a new law” so much as the heart to follow the two greatest commands Jesus gave us as directed by the Holy Spirit.

Mark 12 says:

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29″The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

So what’s the line? When I do what I do does it illustrate that I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength AND that I love my neighbor as myself….

Here’s what the Nouwen Society has to say along these lines:

Ordering Our Desires

Desire is often talked about as something we ought to overcome. Still, being is desiring: our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls are full of desires. Some are unruly, turbulent, and very distracting; some make us think deep thoughts and see great visions; some teach us how to love; and some keep us searching for God. Our desire for God is the desire that should guide all other desires. Otherwise our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls become one another’s enemies and our inner lives become chaotic, leading us to despair and self-destruction.

Spiritual disciplines are not ways to eradicate all our desires but ways to order them so that they can serve one another and together serve God.

Filed under: art, Christianity, life, relationships on April 21st, 2008