Month: May 2007

Isaiah 14–Can You Stop a Freight Train?


I have a plan for the whole earth,
a hand of judgment upon all the nations.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—
who can change his plans?
When his hand is raised,
who can stop him?
-Isaiah 14:26-27

The picture posted here is a tragic example of a train/auto accident. According to the news article, the truck was pushed for almost have a mile before finally falling off the tracks. Both people in the truck were killed instantly. A car or truck of any size is simply no match for a train. Once a train gets going, you had better get out of its way.

God made a similar warning through Isaiah. He made some astounding predictions of judgment to the mightiest nations of the world. I’m sure it was hard to believe that such powerful armies could be defeated. God’s response was something like this: “my will is like a freight train—once I start my plan, nothing will stop it.”

Planning against God is even more foolish than stopping your car on railroad tracks. As foolish as this is, we are sometimes guilty of doing it. Here are some examples of how we put ourselves in danger:

*God warns us of the consequences of sin, but we continue to sin anyway.

*God calls us to respond immediately, but we say “I’ll respond to God some other time when I’m ready.”

*God calls us to do something, but we ignore His call and to things our way.

God graciously invites us to join His plan of redemption for the world. You can choose to join Him or you can ignore Him and make a “train wreck” of your life. His plan will happen with or without you. The choice is yours.

Worship and Reverse Culture Shock


Confessions of a Recovering Anglo Worshipper

And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
-2nd Samuel 6:14-15

There’s an interesting phenomenon that can happen when you return to your country/culture of origin. It’s called “reverse culture shock”—feeling surprised or out of place in your own culture.

It has happened to me here in an unexpected place—church. I’ll give you some background that will help explain.

Filipinos have taught me a great deal about the joy of worship. They sing and praise God in a way that is visceral, passionate, uninhibited, and emotionally charged. Raising our hands, clapping, and dancing are quite common when we have church in Manila. We have a certain freedom of expression—we wear our hearts on our sleeves, so to speak.

Some of you may think that I’ve been sneaking off to a charismatic/Pentecostal church while in Manila. I haven’t—this before-mentioned worship style happens at many Baptist churches (I’ve experienced this at more than one congregation).

Apparently my Filipino brothers and sisters have influenced me even more than I imagined. Clapping and swaying in worship just come naturally to me now. I fit right in when I do this in the Philippines, but it is different here in the States. On more than one occasion I have looked around at my fellow Anglo worshippers to find that I’m the only one moving. Sometimes I think a church full of mannequins would show more expression that we whiteys do. This is not just an age or worship style issue—I have noticed this in some very young and contemporary worship settings.

Before any of my fellow Caucasians get upset with me, I want you to know that I used to be just as stiff in worship. I first learned to let go and be a little more expressive in my mid-twenties. Worshipping with Filipinos took me a step further, and I never intend to go back to my former mannequin ways. I’m beginning to learn how to drop my pride and just celebrate God’s presence. If I can learn this, anyone can.

Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! . . .
-2nd Samuel 6:22
(David’s response to his wife’s criticism of his “undignified” behavior)