We Are All Victims


We are...victims, of the sins of our own, but often more frustratingly the sins of others.  We can all name it, and we can all find something or someone that we feel has wronged us, that has caused us to be "worn".

Sin was not God's creation.  God gave man the ability to choose in order to create a more perfect love. True love is not forceful, but rather it draws one in.  So, on the one hand, we experience the effect of this perfect love, but at the same time feeling the brokenness from the wrong decisions made with the liberty of choice.

3 reminders:
1) God is not responsible for sin...however...
2) God is sovereign and accomplishes His work despite sin
3) God redeems all sin, providing strength in our weakness

The lyrics in the chorus of the above song, "Worn", reminds us that redemption does WIN.  God can heal and reminds us that one day, the struggle does end in eternity for we only labor a little while before we are reunited in full once more.

On August 21, 2012, Tenth Avenue North released its third album named "The Struggle".  Lead singer, Mike Donehey encouraged his fans with this message upon its release:

We may not have answers to our questions, but we do have promises for our souls.

And the promises of God are twofold.

We are free to struggle, and we’re also not struggling to be free.

Our desire for our upcoming album, The Struggle, is that listeners will walk away with both of these truths still ringing in their ears and burning in their hearts.

We are free to fail because there’s an ocean of grace that we fall into.

But also, we have the promise of a power so strong that it raised Christ Himself, and so we know that, mystery of mysteries, we’re also not struggling to be free.

Imagine if we believed these things so strongly that we too gave grace to those tangled in their struggles while still calling them to the promise that they can be set free from them?

This artwork hopefully communicates this theme as well.

We’re in this thing together. Some fighting the waves, some breaking backs against the oars, some just trying to hold on. But one thing we know, we have each other, and most importantly, we have Christ.

And though it seems like He may have forsaken us, that He’s forgotten us, we need only look to the scars in His hands to remember He too entered the storm. He calmed the seas we could not calm. He broke the chains we could not break.

So wherever you are, whatever struggle you’re walking through, know that you’re not alone, and there’s grace, every step along the way.

Reminiscent Lessons

Here I sit watching the sunset and watching the flies buzz about in the meadow. I sit atop a hill in the town where I grew up, sitting on a bench with just the crickets chirping and my thoughts. O yes, and one more familiar sound: drums. 

It is in this instant that I remember that the place I sit is only a quarter mile away from the high school that I once attended. Even at the ripe age of 23, this seems like an old chapter in my life. There was so much growing, so much trial, and so much celebration. It was during these years that I thought I understood everything at the fundamental and psychological level when, only 5 years later, I have discovered that I was only scraping the very edge of the complexity of humanity. 

Drums. Such a simple sound that reminds me also that my soul is wooed through music. I have grown up with the organization of simple sounds layered into a complexity that makes the mind stand in awe. This enjoyment has followed me throughout my years of maturity and it is through these sounds that I can remember where I was but more importantly who I was.

So as I listen to these drums from my high school band, I remember how much I wanted to quit after 2 weeks due to disagreements with the director. But I also remember the discipline that I learned that set me up well for more grandiose experiences with a college marching band inside of stadiums. 

It is through this point that I must remember that I had great fun and enjoyed a great many things, but only after sacrifice, discipline, and patience. So even now, as I muddle through and often staggering and groping for stability in early adulthood, I know that the time will come and the celebration will be had. 

"Be patient, take advantage of opportunity, and you will have your celebration day."

The advice that whispers softly in my ears causes me to lift my chin and focus my eyes. Yes, my day is coming for all roads lead somewhere, but you must first walk it to see where it is going.

The Road to Repair Continues Here



This is just a small peek into charity:water's September Campaign.
To get more excited: http://www.charitywater.org/september/

"What do you in a country where so many were guilty? Only the most absurd options remained: reconciliation...grace...forgiveness..." -Scott Harrison