"CompassionArt"

This message is, I must admit, not much of a "message" at all in the traditional sense. It is actually an advertisement; it's the article writer (and myself) trying to persuade you into buying a product. So then, in that case, why am I sharing it here today? Well, read on and see for yourself. I think you'll understand soon enough!

It seemed like a crazy idea at the time – gathering twelve of the most skilled Christian songwriters for a week-long retreat in rural Scotland. They'd pay their own way, write together and give up all claim to any royalties earned from the songs.

Crazy.

Then it got a little more crazy; within a few weeks of the retreat the writers were back together once more at London's Abbey Road studios to record 14 songs in just three days, emerging with the spine and heart of an album.

Even more crazy.

And then things got interesting; would the publishers, labels managers and countless other industry personnel join in? Would the Christian scene unite to do something they'd never attempted before? Would they forgo income so that money could be raised to help fight poverty around the world?

The answer was a 'yes'. A very loud one.

And now, a few months later CompassionArt the album is set for release. Featuring 14 songs that stretch and inspire, joining the dots between faith, music and action, CompassionArt brings the heart of worship a little closer to meeting the needs of a world in pain. All proceeds generated from the CD, book and song royalties will support the work of 16 initial Charities over the lifetime of these songs. The four headline projects are Stop The Traffik, Watoto, Ray Of Hope and Hand Of Hope.

The brainchild of Martin and Anna Smith (of the band "Delirious?"), the songwriters including Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis-Chapman, Stuart Garrard, Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Darlene Zschech. Several other additional guest performers: Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Christy Nockels, Leeland Mooring, tobyMac and CeCe Winans.

Also included with the cd is a packed dvd – including a 50 minute documentary, trailers, videos and pdf downloads of song and chord charts for all of the tracks. As well as all this, the writers united to produce a book- The Art of Compassion; a twelve chapter unraveling of the trail of worship, hope and justice found in each of the writers' lives.

Back to the album though; what does it all sound like?

Hope, justice, peace, enlightenment and truth. Grooves and tunes and melodies that work under the skin and into the heart.

Put it another way; these songs sound like the future.

"These songs sound like the future." I like that; but I would like to put it another way. "These songs sound like the heartbeat of God." These Christian artists have come together and used their talents, skills and passions to truly put their faith into action. I find this incredibly encouraging - but I also find that it challenges us to put our faith into action as well.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

If you'd like to buy one of these music albums or the book that goes along with it, please click here to purchase one. However, I find that this can challenge us to do more than just open up our pocketbooks. It can challenge us to open up our hearts and minds, just like these Christian artists did, to help those in need. We all have our different talents, our passions, our areas of expertise - but the question is, will we look for creative, ingenuitive ways to use these unique qualities to build up the body of Christ and carry out Jesus' ministry of love?

For Further Study: Read Matthew 25:31-46

• From this verse, we are shown what truly following Jesus looks like. What does it look like?


• Who in our lives are "hungry, thirsty, strangers," etc., and what specific needs to they have?


• Now let's be creative! In light of 1 Co. 10:31 above, how can you take your own talents, skills, and passions ("whatever you do") and use them to meet the needs of others? Now is when things really get exciting!

Blessings in Christ,

Andrew

"The Interruptible Life"

We are all different, so we each show love and appreciation to each other in various ways.

But when it comes to serving others, check your life. Sometimes when we think we are being "good people", we might not really be. For we can have other motives; we can be selfish even when it seems like we are not. Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become "fools" so that you may become wise. 1 Corinthians 3:18

I love being involved in the beautiful people in my life; but they aren't always so "available" for me. I know it isn't because they don't care about me; people usually tell me it is only because everyone is so busy with their lives, and I'm sure that is very true. I'm busy myself too after all.

But regardless, I'm not so convinced that is the full reason. Sure we are all busy; but are we so certain that we couldn't possibly be busy for just selfish reasons? How could we be so busy as to rarely have time for others? (We means a general we; you might happen to be the least selfish person in the world—I draw mainly from my own experiences and observations). Or perhaps it is simply everyone assuming we are all busy with things in our lives when we really aren't that busy. Whatever the case may be, people still often see a "do not disturb" sign on our lives, making it so they will be less likely to "bother" us. Do people see one on your life? I know people do with me.

Regardless where you stand, still be willing to be "interrupted" by others; Jesus was. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. Matthew 20:30-32

So what does it mean to be "interrupted"? You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:13-15 

Whatever you think your purpose in this life may be, make sure you show love to others—in whatever form may fit who you are. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Loving God and loving others should be at the top of the list before us: Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

Be careful though. Serving one another is not about competition. Don't make your motivation only to do it to show others how great a person or Christian you are. No one is greater or lesser than another, no matter who you might be nor what you may have done. [Jesus speaking] "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them". Matthew 6:1a Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philemon 2:3-4 Serve others humbly; love them because you want to! 

Serving others really is a blessing even if they do not show appreciation back; evaluate your motives--[Jesus praying to His Father] "I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do". John 17:4 Bring glory to God by loving those around you. Remember the greatest commandment?

Be thankful and serve with a loving heart without looking for praise. If that is your only motive, then you are missing the point of what it means to love. [Jesus speaking] "…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28 

I know as well as anyone that doing literally anything in this life can be scary. Maybe serving others humbly is not generally your thing. But that to me is the beauty of life. If we didn't have problems, make mistakes, or take risks, then no one would ever learn nor grow. And learning and growth are two valuable and beautiful things... 

Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 

It's alright to be afraid of something new; you're not alone in that. But have faith; trust Him. Even when things seem like they will never be okay; for while it is true "You cannot control [everything that] happens to you, you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you." ~Brian Tracy "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." ~C. S. Lewis "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10 

God loves us no matter what we do. But imagine just how vast His love and joy towards you can be when you truly surrender everything to Him and just love. We aren't perfect beings; but we can always strive to be. I believe that is something He longs for us to do: to strive to love Him. "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" Matthew 25:21

I love this quote by C.S. Lewis:"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step". You don't have to agree with everything I say. In fact, I don't want you to! What I would hope is for you to sift through all that I have said and see what it might mean in your life. This is what life is all about; learning from one another and thus loving each other in order to love and honor our Father. Loving one another reflects what our relationship ought to be with God. So you might not have an idea what you should do with your life, but as C.S. Lewis said, take a step. Such an attitude won't make things all nice and shiny, but it will allow opportunities for growth and advancement. Opening ourselves up to love means to become vulnerable; but take heart, for it is in our most vulnerable moments that He draws close…

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

May we love as we are loved.*

Thank you God,

Whitney

"Part of the Good Fight"

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Have you ever been that person in the situation where you have just done something that you felt should have been given some kind of recognition and didn't get any? Most of us would appreciate others respecting us enough to congratulate us on our accomplishments in some way, even if it be small. It's not fun to be ignored is it.
The Thessalonians were tired of helping people who gave them no respect in return. They were ready to let the lazy, rude people do everything on their own. So Paul, knowing this, wrote them a letter of encouragement. He said to them that they oughtn't be discouraged from "doing good". Why? Because if they stopped, then no longer would they be doing the work of Christ; they would give in to the follies of the world.
We often get frustrated when our work goes by unnoticed, or when no one listens to us, and we are so let down that we want nothing better than to just quit. But then we would be giving in, and if we quit, and no one else were fighting, then all would be lost... Jesus said that even if one person were saved, all would be worth it. (Read Luke 15:3-7) So the next time you want to complain about how you are treated, just remember that we are fighting a battle with the evils of the world, and that the only way to win is to never give up what we do.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14-16
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 2 Thessalonians 3:15.
Now while this verse is more referring to confronting your brethren in love (like the theme in the daily bread "True Friends"), we could take it out of context for a moment and apply it to what we are looking at today.
We get so frustrated with people that we sometimes lash out at them for not acknowledging us (or whatever the case may be). But this verse says to admonish him as a brother, not view him as our enemy. This can be a difficult thing to do I know. But when we "do good" to others, we let Christ's example shine bright from our actions--and while it may not seem so obvious to us at the time, people are watching us and noting how we behave. They are curious about why do the things we do. Let's not give them cause to think that we are failures and just like everyone else. After all, that would probably just prove to them that there is no God if we who claim to follow Him don't act like there is one either.
How can we say we are something when we don't live it ourselves? And then we tell others to believe it too. We admonish them and slander them, labeling them enemies of Christ. We are hypocrites when we claim to follow God and yet sin when the world is not looking. So don't think we have to "do good" to earn us good marks with God. When we do good, we need to do it with a humble spirit, and for others, not for ourselves. Good works aren't just to make us look like good little Christians to society. It is nice to hear praise, but just remember to give God all the credit and not be disappointed when no one says anything. Feel proud within your self that you are shining His light to the world. And don't worry; they may not like to admit it, but they are usually listening.*
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Let is shine.
Whitney