Freedom

One of the last places you might expect to find freedom would be in a former communist prison used for housing the most treacherous of​ offenders (such as Christians, or political dissidents), now serving as maximum security penitentiary in the city of Vac, Hungary (pron. 'vats').  But "Freedom" we did find, as we had the privilege of joining a group of about 75 inmates in the worship of the living God.

My latest tour in Hungary/Serbia saw us doing 11 concerts in 14 days; a few of them being in some very unlikely places.  But we follow the footsteps of the Lord into the places He leads us, and this time that included a Girl's Reformatory, a Co-Ed Sanitarium, and this Maximum Security Prison.  Yes, we got to do some things that many would find more "standard", or even "exciting", like opening the European Youth Festival that was taking place in the Kecskemét city square, where the organizers say that as many as 2,000 people were within sound of our songs, testimonies and dances (go here to check it out: <http://vimeo.com/100087410>

As the tour unfolded, we realized that we had an opening on the very last Sunday, and asked Attila, our tour organizer if he would be OK with finding us a church, or another opportunity to ministry – after all, we were there, and all of us were up for it!  Needless to say, God came through when in one of the first concerts, we met Zsofia, a lawyer ​who told us she had a great opportunity for us in a prison if we were willing!

Paul and Silas not-with-standing, my experience doing ministry in prisons has been quite encouraging, and have been in them in​ the USA, Mexico, Cayman Islands, the UK, South Africa, ​and now Hungary – and everytime, I am overwhelmed with how the inmates respond – genuinely, to authenticity, brokenness, and invitations to join in.  And this experience in Vac was no different.

The inmate carried the equipment up a couple of flights of hard stone stairs, filed into the room when it was time to start, and serious "rocked out" as soon as we hit the first downbeat!  We were opened by one of the prisoners, an extremely talented man who was a musician, songwriter, worship leader, and professional potter, making pots to sell to produce income to help improve prisoners lives.  He met Jesus, and his life was totally transformed.  He played the keyboard brilliantly, and led the men in worship – and we just soaked it in.  When it was our turn to take the stage, obviously the ground had already been plowed, and we just entered into the flow, bringing the Word of God through song and testimony.

James, our guitarist from England, shared with the men how he had been a drug addict and homeless – and how God rescued him through the ministry of Teen Challenge.  I shared of divorce, abuse, death of parents, and being suicidal, and offered to them the same choice Teri's College Pastor had offered me – kill self, or die to self.  It is such a wonderful experience to share with people who know exactly what you are talking about, have been through it, and are looking for answers.  Obviously nothing short of unconditional surrender to Jesus will ever bring the freedom that comes from shedding the grave clothes the enemy fashioned with us, and putting on the wedding garments that the Groom of Heaven has prepared for those who come to Him.

I arrive back in the "land of the free, and the home of the brave", wondering if we still know what we as a nation mean by that.  But that last concert in Vac serves to remind me that the physical constraints of body and bars in no way dictates where true​ freedom lives or thrives.

You Can Play this for us, Si?

I have had some amazing moments as a christian musician traveling around the world.  Like the time in South Africa when I was presented with a home stereo system to plug my keyboard and vocal mic into (didn't happen!), or putting my keyboard on saw-horses to hold it up (Eastern Europe), playing off the back of a semi-truck's trailer as a stage (Azerbaijan), or using an old-out-of tune stage piano when the 220V in Nottingham, England fried my American keyboard and modules…!

I thought I had seen it all, but no - I was wrong once again!  This gem came from Torre Pelice, Italy, in an old Salvation Army Hall.  It was the going away party for the local Captain and his family, and we had just showed up as our first visiting Sunday - one third of us from our Incarnate School having been assigned to this church as "our local fellowship" for the next three months.  When they found out that I played the piano, they were on me like ants on a picnic - "Brother, we need you.  You can play for us, yes?"  Actually, I had been forewarned by a lovely Dutch Omer serving here who attends the Salvation Army with her family - and I had agreed, as long as I didn't have to "read" music, and only if there were "Chord Charts".  I was told there would be.

What I wasn't expecting, was all lyrics in Italian (honestly, I should have known that part), but the kicker was the chord charts - they were all done in "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do"  (you might recognize that from a famous movie made in the 1960's!)

Anyway, it was the most amazing moment - it was the exact parallel to what a translator must do with language on the spot - train my mind instantly to read Do = "C", La = "A",  Fa#m = "F#m".  Oh, and try to keep up the the obligatory Salvation Army Brass Band that was "bringing it" with amazing gusto and enthusiasm!  Man did we make joyful noise!  And the people sang!

What an experience!  Overall it did go well, even though I did hit a few wrong notes, was humbled once again, and will never forget my first cross-cultural musical experience in Italy!   

Tutto lode a Dio!

Religious Freedom or Freedom of Worship?

Standing at the Bonfire with the Valdensians the other night was kinda surreal.  I can only imagine what it was to gain the freedom to express one's beliefs without fear of retribution, and yet here they sang, celebrated, and lit bonfires all up and down the valleys of the Piedmont, signifying that day when the political powers that be in Italy decided that enough was enough - the Valdensians would be recognized, could worship freely, have their own schools, not be prohibited from jobs, not be imprisoned or hassled, simply because they did not adhere to the teachings and services of the prevailing religious powers…

My thoughts naturally went to the prevailing winds in my own nation, where Christians are just beginning to face a persecution of a different kind.  No one as far as I know has gone to jail yet, but some have been ordered by courts to either provide services they find utterly reprehensible, or close down.  When marriage laws were changed in Massachusetts for example, the largest provider of adoption services by far in the State had to change their policies (based on 2,000 years of faith and belief), or shut their doors.  Rather than violate their beliefs, they shut their doors.  Photographers and cake makers have been vilified, and court ordered as well.  Interesting.

So what happens when the State starts to dictate how a people should behave when their religious convictions run headlong up against what the States says such convictions ought to be?  We need to look no further than Nazi Germany, or the Roman Empire.  While both examples may appear at first to be extreme, it is important to realize that both persecuted Christians without guilt or quarter if they in any way spoke out against, not to mention acted out against State policy if it differed from Christ's commands.  The result at first is a lot of people got killed, and the result at the end is that God brought those powers down in ruin.

Watching the bonfire burn, the people sing, and the children running around gave me once again a glimmer of hope:  the motto of the Valdensian Church:  Lux Lucet In Tenebris, or, "The Light Shines in the Darkness".  What amongst many other things that bless me about these people, is not only their tenacity and perseverance against being slaughtered, but also their grace - as far as I can tell, they are not bitter.  So how do you not move toward anger and retribution when your rights are taken away, your woman and children killed, and your churches burned down?  I think the answer was in the bonfire that night.  You concentrate on being the light, staying connected to its source, focusing on delivering what you have been given, and not on what is being taken away.

To be continued...

The Artists Are Back!

The word went out by mouth, flyer, newspaper, internet, and phone call:  the Artists were back in town!  OM Arts School of Mission: Incarnate 2014 was about to begin, but first: an open house/reception.  We invited the community to come and meet the new students, view original art from the previous school, and enjoy some Italian musicians.  Some of the new students and teachers shared their visual and musical art as well.  The result?  A packed house, a happy crowd, reunions with some connections from the previous school, and a wonderful launch of Incarnate 2014.

Like other cultural universals, the Arts have an intrinsic drawing power; unlike almost anything else (other than a crisis or a family celebration), the arts tug on the heart strings of the imagination.  For all that enhances life (at best), or satisfies curiosity (at the least)—by what might be seen, heard, or experienced—the arts are compelling.  We experienced the gamut late last Saturday afternoon, as the facility here in OM Italy filled with local people meeting, greeting, and sharing life and art with us.  In a tiny snapshot of community, twelve nationalities shared food, ideas, and hearts, around artwork intended to stir the soul.

Dario, a local horn player, had enlisted Dan Mullis, our new Music Mentor, Dileep Ratnaike, our School Administrator, and Satu from Finland, one of our sax students, to help him deliver a fine arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”  This hymn inspired the name of our facility here in Bobbio Pellice:  Forterocca.  Kirsty, a vocalist from New Zealand, brought a Gospel piece from CC Wynans.  Geinene Carson, founder of Artslink, presented a mixed-media piece that she had created 2 years ago.  Made from walnuts garnered from the local valley, the piece recalled Geinene’s process upon receiving news that her infant daughter had been born with brain abnormalities.  A number of us had tears in our eyes as Geinene's artwork spoke directly into the broken arenas that invade so many of our lives.  Bill Drake brought "Sovereign Lord", an original piece from his latest album Broken & Complete.  Its lyrics take up a number of themes that speak volumes from the history of persecution, martyrdom, perseverance, and mission that are part of the legacy of the Waldensians who live in these valleys.

Our time finished in typical Italian fashion as any good time in Italy should:  with the culinary arts!  People lingered well past the posted closing time, in fellowship and interaction as rich as the program had been.  

Getting the Balance Right This Christmas

"

Like most things in life, every good intention has an invisible divide that, when overstepped, can turn the positive into a negative, the beauty into the ugly.

 

When the thin dividing line of love is taken one step too far, it turns into obsession. Grace

turns to compromise when we step over the line and truth turns in to judgement. We so

often see the admirable act of charity turning to enslavement when the line is crossed and

enjoyment to gluttony. Spiritually, the Church also runs the risk of crossing that invisible

divide when blessings turn to greed and worship turns to entertainment. It is often just that one step too far. The challenge is in the balance.

"

 

I recently read this quote from my friend, Mike Burnard of InContext Ministries in South Africa.  He has captured something that I have often thought about but could never put so eloquently:  that all good things given to us by God, when put through the filter of humanity, have the potential to be corrupted into something they were not meant to be when taken to extremes, taken out of balance, or taken as being "man-centered" versus "God-centered".  

And while the context of his quote was the recent passing of the international icon Nelson Mandela, and the cult of worship that is potentially developing out of the desire to honor him, Mike's thoughts seemed especially poignant for me this Christmas, when we seem to have to fight tooth and nail through Santa, decorations, materialism, a real war against nativity scenes, consumerism, false expectations, and over-bearing nostalgia, in order to get to the real thing.  So many times it is hard to find the authentic behind the noise and the blinking lights, but I have decided that this year I will not settle for less.

Keeping the balance is hard, for it requires an alert diligence that is at once able to fully plumb the reality of the moment or season, but at the same time not get swept away by it into idolatry.

My prayer for you this Christmas, is that you would find the time to celebrate the "real", and embrace the "true", keeping the balance of family and worship, expectation and faith.  Yes, there will be distractions - some of them even necessary.  But it will take courage, insight, awareness, and wisdom to perceive, what the Magi ultimately did:  that it was worth the effort to stay on course, and cross deserts and despots in order to worship that which was truly worth worshipping, and to celebrate that which was truly worth celebrating.  When they laid their tributes of "wealth", "worship", and "burial" at the Baby's feet, I think they got the balance right and set the example of what we should ultimately be giving this Christmas.

Jesus and the Jihadist

Yacob was nine years old when he heard that his life was meant to be fully given to God.  He was encouraged by a friend to begin to attend a local Mosque, where he learned that the only sure way to get to heaven, was to die in the Jihad.  He trained for the war between Iran and Iraq, went off to die, yet even on the battlefield he remained unharmed.

When the war ended he returned home, saddened that he did not die a martyr.  He married a young woman, and they had two children.  He settled into a job, and wondered - "Is this all there is?"

Some friends told him his Jihad could continue, if he was to wage it agains the local Christians.  And in the midst of persecuting them, he was challenged, "Why are you doing what you are doing?"  He responded to the infidel, "It is to please God and obtain eternal life."  The Christian lady he was persecuting began to explain to him the difference between a Muslim Martyr, and a Christian one: that a Muslim Martyr is usually killed whilst killing infidels, while a Christian Martyr is killed while sharing Christ, even the message that we are to "Love our Enemies".  Then she said to him, "My book tells me the only way to that is through Jesus Christ."  This impressed him, but haunted him as well.

After a bit of time, Yacob was informed by his doctor that he had a bone disease.  Walking home, he was in deep despair, and for some reason unknown to him, he remembered the words of the Christian he had been torturing.  That night, he made a daring grasp:  he prayed to be healed in Jesus name.  Instantly he felt the release, and knew in his heart he had been healed!

On his next checkup, the doctor was amazed - Yacob had been totally cured.  This convinced Yacob - Jesus must be Who He said He was, and Yacob then got down on his knees, and completely surrendered his life to Jesus.

When he told his family, they couldn't believe it - how could this jihadist have fallen so far?  His Father-in-law was incensed, and convinced Yacob's uncle to kill Yacob's wife.  Finding her murdred, Yacob fled the country, and sought asylum in a Western European nation.

His testimony is now used to bring many to Jesus, and especially those trapped in Jihad.  Jesus has given him a new wife, and a new family, and he is trying to get his children back who were left behind when he fled.  Yacob is fiercely in love with Jesus, and is willing to fully lay it all on the line for Him.

I met Yacob in Germany while we were both visiting, and our hearts were drawn to each other straightaway.  And even though we are both quite different, we were blessed at where we are alike:  both of us have suffered at the hands of father figures, both of us were violent, both of us have been saved by the Son, and both of us have been drawn in and embraced by the Father.

(The name, and some details have been slightly altered to protect Yacob - but this is a true story)

Run Your Kingdom Through My Heart

Michael heard these words 15 years ago at a teen mission event:   "Lord run Your Kingdom through my heart, crucify self, set me apart…"  It pierced him, and he became determined to make a difference in his German High School.  He started a small bible study amongst his fellow students, and together they began to witness to their friends.  It totally changed the focus and purpose of his life.

Michael has stayed in the school environment in order to be a witness for Christ, but now as a trained teacher.  His focus is still to bring glory to God and serve His Kingdom in all that he does, no matter the challenge or obstacle.

When he heard there was a conference for the persecuted church in Schwabish Gmund, he had to go.  But in his own words, he was in for one of the "shocks of his life" when he saw Bill Drake at the grand piano on the stage.

Michael approached me after the first session with tears in his eyes.  

"I've always wanted to meet you, Bill, and want to thank you for having such an impact on my life through your deep lyrics."  Michael's  emotion came through clearly, and God reminded me once again that He is capable of using anything given to Him for His glory, including a song called "Move Through Me" that I wrote on an old battered, backstage piano just outside a large squatter camp near Port Elizabeth, South Africa:  

Lord run Your Kingdom through my heart

Crucify self, set me apart

So that the nations hear Your truth

Send this ambassador for You

Move Through Me