Mary’s Song

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”

Dear God… make this my song too… ~ Wayne

No End
In my eyes there’s a ship with her burden
Blackened beach and her pitch on the ocean
Ground the birds as the fish are all drowning
I pray for the world with no end

At my feet there’s a world slowly turning
Stones cry out in the greenhouse that’s burning
Earth runs dry as the flood water’s rising
I Pray for the world with no end

A way, we must find the Way through the evils that we have created
Away we can’t run away from what we have done

In my eyes there’s a sweet mother weeping
For the life of her baby she’s mourning
Who’s to blame when the children are dying?
I Pray for the world with no end

A way, we must find the Way through the evils that we have created
Away we can’t run away from what we have done

On the calendar of man’s regeneration
But one minute of one day do we all share
Do we have the right to leave the next generation
all these sins to bear?

In my eyes there’s a storm cloud arising
Scorch the earth in a blood red horizon
Kingdoms fall as the horsemen keep riding
I pray for the world, so loved the world
Pray for the world with no end

An American Golden Eagle over Charleston, SC on 3-5-10

A Bald Eagle over Charleston, SC on 3-5-10

Amber sees God in the Snow

My beautiful, charismatic and hopefully romantic 19 year old daughter Amber Caparas recently wrote a compelling message and plea for the sake of virginity and the sanctity of the wedding bed in her blog post titled “Worth the Wait.” I hope you’ll read it and share it with your friends.

Turn my heart oh God, like rivers of water
Turn my heart oh God, by your hand
Until my whole life flows in the river of Your Spirit
and my name brings honor… to the Lamb
Lord I surrender to Your work in me
I rest my life within Your hand
Turn my heart oh God, like rivers of water
Turn my heart oh God, by your hand
Until my whole life flows in the river of Your Spirit
and my name brings honor… till my name brings honor
until my name brings honor… to the Lamb… the Christ

I’ll admit that I’m proud of Amber for competing with Christ as her driving force, and I’ll admit that these past 6 months of the hidden processes have proven very fruitful for her growth as an artist and as a woman of faith. But I’ll also admit that I haven’t enjoyed the controls we both have had to submit to due to the contracts we were required to sign… understandable as they are. After watching the way they edited her post-audition interview (see below) I’m reminded that the entertainment business has no obligation to promote Jesus Christ. Yes, they honored Amber with a excellent edit, and we are grateful to the wonderful folks that produce American Idol for this wonderful opportunity (they honestly are some great folks including many believers and we love them all) but Amber and I both would have preferred more of what she said about her testimony of faith than the preppy stuff they showed. Regardless, as a family, we are grateful.

Those of you who know Amber and me know that we have no delusions of grandeur… but lots of big visions of God moving in awesome ways in the coming years. So Amber did not audition for American Idol in search of fame or fortune. Through AI she simply wanted to shine her light before the world, to do her part… even if that ended in the packed Georgia Dome. Despite her archive of live music performances and album of originals (which is nearly ready for press), Amber is still just 19 and has only put music on the front burner for 6 months. Before that it was school, then sports and martial arts. She’s an excellent artist now… imagine how good she’ll get… I’m so proud of my kid.

Amber’s original music is written with a singular purpose, and even the secular songs she sings all contain a Gospel message or call to repentance (we all know those aren’t well received on prime time TV), so we honestly don’t expect much more than what she has already gained from the experience, which has been far more than we could have hoped. All that said, with the Hollywood round coming in February, I remind Amber that her destiny in Christ was written before Adam bit the apple, and the recording and performance of her Holy Spirit inspired original songs are far more important to God than the glint of light American Idol may allow her to shine through their television show… IF they even choose to advance her. They give a a great stage to those seeking fame… that’s for sure, but spreading the Gospel is not their mission. I wish it were. But God’s will be done. Amber is having a blast and she loves the friends she’s made among this year’s finalists… some that will last a lifetime, some may last for eternity, and she’s truly growing in Christ. I’m an eye witness to that fact. I can thank American Idol for creating an environment that was fertile in that respect… and that’s huge. She’s shining her light and gaining in the savor of her saltiness… right along with few others who are doing the same. As a father, I’m so blessed to witness my only child experiencing such adventure in steps I KNOW the Lord ordered for her (we’ve received some amazing signs and stories we’ll someday share). And for Amber, “I want for nothing more.” So as many of you have sent your best wishes and congratulations and beautiful words of encouragement, please know that Amber is already victorious… in Christ. She will go on to sing the Gospel of Christ with new songs whether she wins the whole thing or if she gets booted before she even sings another note for Simon and the gang. It doesn’t really matter to me, and I know it doesn’t matter to God. As for the physical adventure of competition, if she wins, I’m sure she’ll cry with joy. If she gets cut, I’m fairly sure she’ll cry tears of sadness… just as she did when she lost at the State finals as a hurdler, just as she did when she lost her first karate tournament as a black belt, and just as she did when she lost the National History competition playing Galileo when she was 12. And just as she did in each of these losses in her young life, she will look to God and the tears of loss will soon turn to tears of joy. I’m reminded that she’s cried in victory far more than in defeat… 1000 times over. She’s lived a blessed life, and she knows she deserves “nothing more” than the right to shine the light of Christ. That’s true for us too.

Amber knows that tears of sadness can be more beautiful than tears of joy, as long as our hearts are still set firmly in the beauty of God’s creativity… as all “these” are simply manifestations of His divine pen… stories written by the creator of the universe, so gracious to write His chosen children into stories of loss, and stories of gain. We cry at movies even though they’re fictitious. It’s the way we’re wired (most of us are), and there’s no shame in that. So I know that when my daughter cries on American Idol… whether for the joy of winning or the sadness of loss, she is never defeated, but always victorious for having given it all to God as ink for His pen. So as we watch this TV show unfold, please remember with me that it is just a show, and that win or lose Amber will be victorious, as she is committed to shining her light before the world as a psalmist and musician in Christ… to the glory of the one and only God. And pray with me that God find a way for her to share the Gospel through this show, or otherwise release her… win or lose… to get back to the REAL purpose of her gifting. The preaching of the Gospel to all nations… by living it out loud, whether she becomes a famous Christian recording artist or an unknown worship leader in a small village in Haiti. which will lead me to my next post… hopefully in the next few days… concerning why God would allow such suffering among His children. It has been a sobering 48 hours since the horrific earth quake… and Amber longs to hold and heal a hurting child in her arms… just as does her Daddy.

Click Here to see Amber’s Interview video at AmericanIdol.com

I’m in a season of tremendous busy-ness right now… with lots to “let be.” Thus the low activity at JesusDNA over these past few months. Times like these remind me of how grateful I am for the Old Testament record… and for the epistles… and history books and archaeology that prove the incredible obedience through great hardships so many have endured to ensure we would each be blessed with the Gospel… to prepare for similar hardships of our own. So I press through, and thank God that I truly love the type of work I do, as any real artist should, as any true believer should. And I trust that soon — Like Paul during his post-Demascus Road years as an inconspicuous tent maker — God will move me out of this busy-ness into the full activity of preaching the Gospel… from rootops, from temple steps, from seaside boats, from grassy hillsides, from underground caves, and from devices of modern design. I know this work He has me doing now is His will, for reasons of His own, and though I believe I can see His threads weaving through my work, I know it’s far more important that I “live” the Gospel through this season of busy-ness… for the sake of my staff, and my partners, and my friends and family, and for anyone else who may be watching. I believe it was St. Francis Asisi who said (to paraphrase), “In everything I do I live only to preach the Gospel, and sometimes, I will speak.” I get it.

I’m working on a web project that should offer a “rooftop” for every person who lives in my little town of Charleston, SC. It is at GreaterCharleston.com. Give it a look, and maybe it will speak to you as a “proof” of His movement in me, but at very least it should prove that “considering the birds of the air and flowers of the field” are as much a Gospel effort today as they were when He compelled us to do so from that grassy hill at the sea of Galilee. For this, I simply do what He made me to do, and though I weave, I do not spin. Though I clothe, I do not dress up. His beauty is all that I see (see Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8). Cheers in your own season of busy-ness.

This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.

The evangelical investment in moral, social, and political issues has depleted our resources and exposed our weaknesses. Being against gay marriage and being rhetorically pro-life will not make up for the fact that massive majorities of Evangelicals can’t articulate the Gospel with any coherence. We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith.

We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we’ve spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.

Despite some very successful developments in the past 25 years, Christian education has not produced a product that can withstand the rising tide of secularism. Evangelicalism has used its educational system primarily to staff its own needs and talk to itself.

 The ascendency of Charismatic-Pentecostal-influenced worship around the world can be a major positive for the evangelical movement if reformation can reach those churches and if it is joined with the calling, training, and mentoring of leaders. If American churches come under more of the influence of the movement of the Holy Spirit in Africa and Asia, this will be a good thing.

Despite all of these challenges, it is impossible not to be hopeful. As one commenter has already said, “Christianity loves a crumbling empire.” We can rejoice that in the ruins, new forms of Christian vitality and ministry will be born. I expect to see a vital and growing house church movement. This cannot help but be good for an evangelicalism that has made buildings, numbers, and paid staff its drugs for half a century. 

Please Click Here to read the full article.  Then please, pass it around. I truly believe most if not all of Mr. Spencer’s essay to be a word from God. You be the judge…