Stillwaters Jazz Band

This is Justin Dickson from Jonathan's church... long time listener, first time caller. Anyway he asked me to write on this blog about the jazz band we have started. So here is the story.

About two months ago, our pastor hosted a sort of "family meeting" with we who attend the church regularly. He spoke on a few subjects, but the one that caught my attention was our role in the surrounding community. He asked questions to the effect of, "what are we really doing to help the people out there we don't know?" and "if we ceased to exist as a church next week, how much would the community of Salisbury really be affected?"

For some reason these questions stayed with me for the remainder of the day (I blame the Holy Spirit), and my wife and I discussed them afterward. I am an introvert by nature and the idea of helping out at a soup kitchen or something like that really bothers me... and yet I felt like I needed to do something to make a difference and do some ministry out there in Salisbury.

Now a few weeks earlier, we played a song or two in our church worship band with a sort of New Orleans jazz feel to them. We really enjoyed playing like that together and thought it would be fun to do it again some time. Personally, I have always loved playing traditional jazz and blues more than any other kind of music.

So eventually I had the idea to put together a small jazz band for the purposes of music ministry. The idea is not necessarily to preach from a soap box and ask for an alter call in the middle of every performance, but rather to show the Gospel to strangers by giving our time and talents to them for free. The hope is that people will turn their heads when they see a group of people give up their Saturday afternoon to come play fun music for the sick and lonely in retirement homes, hospitals, etc.

I hope the conversation comes up at least once every time we perform.
"So you're not getting paid for this?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"We don't really want to do it for money."
(blank, confused facial expression)
"This is just our way of showing that someone out there is thinking about you and cares. We're based out of Stillwaters church in Salisbury and we thought you might enjoy a little music today. That's all."

After four years of being a camp counselor at a Christian summer camp, I've learned that most people don't want to hear about the Romans Road or what is going to happen when they die if they don't get down and pray right now. Most people just need an honest hug, about 10 minutes of our time, and for us to just shut up and listen to them. They don't want a tract or a clever slogan on a church marquee, they want help and understanding as they deal with their dying little sister or divorced parents. They need to be honestly loved from someone who doesn't have an agenda or a pre-written script full of cliches.

They need to be loved the way that Jesus loved the poor and needy people he encountered. He didn't throw theology and a list of church membership requirements at them; he immediately diagnosed each individual's greatest needs (spiritually or physically) and met those needs through selfless acts of love and miracles. This is ministry, and it will never lose its power.

I hope ministry is exactly what we accomplish with our music. We have been blessed with enough talent and time to make it happen. We already have a good sound together, we're having a lot of fun in practice, and I hope to start getting out into the community in November. There are four of us right now: myself on trumpet, my wife on piano, Jonathan on guitar, and Gillon Jones on bass guitar. Gillon was a senior at South Rowan last year and played bass in the school jazz band for me, and he is now starting his career in the ministry. I hope you get the chance to meet him soon.

I will close with the verse from 1Peter that really explains the heart of this whole thing.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10

New Song Coming Sunday Morning!

Rick and I were working on music yesterday and were looking at a song that we had in the songbook. Neither of us really liked the tune, but we both liked what the words had to say. As we parted I told Rick that I'd see what I could do and see if I could find a new tune for this hymn.

After a day of running errands, I was concerned that I wouldn't have the time to write something, but God really came through! In about 15 minutes I had written most of the tune and within another 30 minutes I had transcribed the tune into Finale Notepad. What was most miraculous of all was that I got the rhythms right on the first try! I NEVER do that. Either I am finally starting to learn a little theory, or God was just looking out for me...

Well, He's ALWAYS looking out for me!

It isn't a Brandenburg Concerto, but I like the end result. The song title is Let Your Heart Be Broken. My sister, Vanessa Dellinger, also contributed a good suggestion for a modification of my original tune. Her version is less hokey! (We're going with her version.)

Came Across An Interesting Blog

As a church we have been looking into ways to reach out to our neighbors and get to know them. I came across an interesting idea that was being blogged about. The name of the blog is Hello, Neighbor! and seems to be the chronicles of (what appears to be) a far flung sewing circle. I'm not a stitcher, but I thought that it was an interesting idea that might bear fruit in our neighborhoods and circles of friends. I have also placed a link in the Places of Interest in the side bar. Check it out!

Quote Of The Day

Have you ever wondered why the end of Job’s life was far better than the beginning? It obviously wasn’t because God loved him any more than He had before the trials. I think it had to do with the fact that Job was no longer bound with fear.

According to Job 3:25, God’s precious servant had been tormented with the fear of losing his children and possessions. Now that he had faced the reality of every one of his fears, he had nothing left to fear. This enabled him to enjoy a quality of life that he had never enjoyed before.

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

Why The Name "Conspiracy Of Kindness"?

So, perhaps you are wondering about this unusual name, "Conspiracy of Kindness." What does it mean? Why did you pick this for the name of the blog for Stillwaters church?

Well, there are a couple of different reasons. I had originally thought to name the blog Philadelphia, after the church mentioned in the book Revelation, because the name "city of brotherly love" matched the mission that our church has identified here in Salisbury. I also liked the message that Jesus gave to the church at Philadelphia. However, and not unexpectedly, the address that would have contained simply "Philadelphia" was already taken.

As I was pondering another name that would convey what we believe that we are supposed to be doing, I thought of Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy of Kindness. Here is a picture of the book with a link to Amazon:


I don't remember where I discovered this book, but when I read it, I was totally captivated by a church's plan to show the love of Jesus to Cincinnati, OH with no strings attached. They were going to follow their plan with no hidden agendas. If no one came to their church it was OK. If they didn't see anyone get saved as a result of their outreach that was OK too. They were going to intentionally continue to share the love of Jesus with the people of Cincinnati in practical ways regardless of the outcome.

They call it "Servant Evangelism" because their modus operandi is to do practical things to let people know that Jesus loves them. The first project that they came up with was to go door to door in downtown Cincinnati and offer to wash the businesses' toilets for free "to show them God's love in a practical way." The effect was electric. Not everyone would allow them to serve them, but it sure got people talking.

As they expanded their program, not everyone got saved. Not everyone came to their church. But because they had been laboring, many people (even some that they hadn't served) DID get saved. Many people DID come to their church (although many of them had never been served by them.) And the city of Cincinnati became a much friendlier place.

Ever since I have read this book, I have been convinced that its methodologies are worth emulating. What better way to be relevant to the society in which we live? What better way to help people understand who Jesus is and what He is about than by trading words for action?

The beauty of Servant Evangelism is that it doesn't require a head full of theology to be effective. Even the newest believer can be involved in it. Even the most shy can be a servant evangelist. Oftentimes, the people that are being served don't even know that something has been done for them until long after the person serving them has left, but the effectiveness is not lessened one iota by the lack of direct contact.

There is also a serendipitous benefit that derives to the one doing the Servant Evangelism: their courage and boldness to actually talk to others about the gospel is increased.

So, in the near future you will be hearing about plans for Stillwaters to "Show God's love in a practical way." One is in the works right now. Start thinking of ways to serve your neighbors. How would you like to be served? What would make your day if someone did it for you out of the blue? With a little planning, a little work, and a little money we will see our city transformed by the love of Jesus demonstrated through our hands.

Quote Of The Day

"When the gift of God in us is manifesting, we profit in new ways (1 Cor. 12). Many people are clueless to the Gift of God within them. The Lord has given each of us a destiny. He has also given us a unique mix of gifts to fulfill that destiny. I believe that you will experience life at its fullest and display His glory at its richest when you passionately walk in the callings and gifting that the Lord has imparted to you."
- Chuck Pierce

Reminds me of something John Piper said:

"One of the saddest feelings in the world is the feeling that your life is going nowhere. You're alive, but you feel like there is no point in being alive. You get a little daydream - a little flicker - of what it might be like to be a part of something really great and really valuable, and what it might be like to have a significant part in it. But then you wake up and everything looks so small and insignificant and pitiful and out of the way and unknown and pointless.

We were not made to live without a destiny. We were made to be sustained by a meaningful, purposeful future. We were made to be strengthened each day by this assurance, this confidence: that what is happening in our lives today, no matter how mundane and ordinary, is a really significant step toward something great and good and beautiful tomorrow."

and

"God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him."

Fear Or Faith?

"No matter how wonderfully you have built your life, sooner or later, you will face a situation that forces you to choose between faith and fear. It is in these moments that the very foundations of our lives are revealed."
-Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

Just go ahead and click here and read the whole article. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

This devotion sums up what I have been learning for the past 8 and a half months in the crucible. (...Make that the past 20 years in the crucible...)

Are we doing the things that we do out of fear or out of faith? Is our "wisdom" really fear disguised as wisdom or is it real godly wisdom? I submit that we are hounded by fear more than we have been willing to admit. There is a full post coming soon that will deal with the subject of fear. In the meantime, let my old friend Jim Laffoon open your eyes to something you may have not seen before.

To Ponder For Sunday...

"Although the church is obviously an instrument of salvation, many Christians refuse to see it as anything beyond that. Tragically, this view of church life has produced a generation of Christians who are more interested in escaping from the world than transforming the world."

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

More On Fear

"...once the enemy of your soul learns how to manipulate you through fear, you will be running for the rest of your life, unless you turn around and face him through the power of God’s Word."

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

Quote Of The Day

Even as faith is your greatest friend, so fear is your greatest foe. In fact, fear is the enemy’s version of faith; even as faith will bring you into the reality of God’s promises, so fear will bring you into the reality of the enemy’s tormenting threats.

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

A Couple Of Good Articles

As I was reading around the other day I came across a couple pretty interesting articles that I thought would be appropriate to share here. The first is by Cal Thomas, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite columnists.

The Non-candidate: God
By Cal Thomas
Thursday, September 13, 2007

In it he deals with an aspect of the campaigns that I'd like to see highlighted more. I wonder if any would pass my muster.

The second is by one of the American Church's great leaders - Chuck Colson.

The Fertility Gap: More Christians on the Way
By Chuck Colson
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Perhaps a little different fare than you would expect from Colson, but I really liked the parallels that he drew between ancient Roman culture and current American culture. The bottom line is that amazing things happen when we simply obey God.

Quote Of the Day

Like Nehemiah, I have found in my own life there are times when I must build and fight at the same time. This is the case because the very purpose of the enemy’s attack on my life is to get me to stop building the things which God has called me to build. It is no different for you, either.

- Jim Laffoon
(This devotion was really worth reading in its entirety. I think that this message is appropriate to where our church finds itself. Click Jim's name to read the whole message.)

Happy Birthday!

I woke up this morning to discover that I had been given the most wonderful birthday present that I could imagine! And it came from someone who rarely packages gifts for special days. That isn't to say that this person is not generous - just the opposite. He gives gifts to everyone every day. He is so generous that we often take His gifts for granted.

This morning I woke up to discover that God gave me rain for my birthday!

I have been begging for rain for the past few weeks. And I begged in earnest yesterday. But God made the rain wait for my birthday. I had even said earlier this week that that would be the best birthday present ever! What an old softie!

Jesus loves me
This I know
For the Bible
Tells me so.
Little ones
To Him belong;
They are weak,
But He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Quote of the Day

...never forget that the more you pray, the more the devil will pay. The enemy hates the prayers of God’s people because he is powerless to withstand the divine power released by those prayers.

- Jim Laffoon

Quote of the Day

I cannot count the times the enemy has questioned my ability to see an unbeliever converted or a struggling Christian transformed. Personally, I love it when he asks me this particular question, because conversion and transformation have nothing to do with my ability and everything to do with God’s ability.

In fact, I have found that reminding the devil of God’s power incenses him more than almost anything else. When he whispers to me, “Do you really think that person will ever change?”

I whisper back, with a smile on my face, “There is no human that my God cannot change.” That’s right; whether a person’s life has been shattered by substance abuse, immorality, violent crime, or some terrible emotional wound, God is well able to make them live again.

- Jim Laffoon
Our Daily Blog
Ridiculed, Posted for September 12, 2007

Well Done Good And Faithful Servant

I don't know how I missed it. I have been on conservative news websites every day and yet somehow I missed the news of the death of Dr. D. James Kennedy. The first that I heard of it was Sunday morning at church. I am not quite sure how it happened. How could a man of his stature die and I not know about it at all? Well I may have missed the news here, but I can assure you of one thing - nobody in Heaven missed it when Dr. Kennedy showed up for his welcome home party.

I have never been able to follow Dr. Kennedy avidly. I'm more of a music guy in the car and I don't watch a lot of religious programming. However, I have always enjoyed the times that I was able to hear or watch his teaching. He always struck me as a man of great intelligence, piety, and integrity.

The list of his accomplishments is long and distinguished, and I have heard numbers bandied about that the evangelism tool that he developed, Evangelism Explosion (a.k.a EE) is responsible for over 5 MILLION conversions to Christianity. I can't even begin to imagine having that kind of impact on the world and it not being the front story of every newspaper, news site, blog, and newscast.

I found a very good interview with a co-worker of Dr. Kennedy's that sheds some light on this man of God.

The Homegoing of Dr. D. James Kennedy
By Paul Edwards
Sunday, September 9, 2007


Welcome home, Dr. Kennedy. You sure left some big shoes to fill.

Do Christians Belong In Politics?

I suppose Christians down through the ages have asked the question, "Do Christians belong in politics?" The question seems reasonable considering the negative press that constantly seems to surround politicians. What Christian would want to enter that coliseum of intrigue, compromise, partisanship, corruption, and strife? In many ways I'd sooner face the lions! Why would anyone want to endure the frustration that must go along with being forced to work with people who have entered the public arena to serve themselves instead of serve their country - in addition to having to contend with a media that is openly hostile to anyone who is willing to take a moral stand?

Let me answer the first question with another. Where are Christians needed the most? - In the places where God is least glorified.

There are certainly precedents in the Bible. How many men with Daniel's integrity were found in Babylon? Not many. We know of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. By the time of the story of the lion's den, it would seem that there was only one. How many godly leaders did it take to bring about a great revival in post-exile Israel? Nehemiah stood alone as the personality that God could use to cause a stiff-necked and rebellious group of people to walk in step with His Word. How about Joseph who used the gifts that God gave him to save a whole region from starvation? Esther was raised up to become Queen so that through her the Jews could be saved from Haman's hatred. Think about the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah. All of these leaders impacted their countries through their faith and position POLITICALLY.

We owe much to the great Christian statesmen throughout our history. Where would we be without men like George Washington, John Adams, Patrick Henry, John Quincy Adams, and Daniel Webster? These men were critical in setting the tone and foundation upon which our country's greatness rests.

Ken Connor has written a very good article entitled Evangelicals Must Stay The Course that addresses a lot of the reasons that Christians do belong in politics and why we mustn't shrink back from the political arena simply because so many politicians have been shown to be scoundrels.

One of the concerns that Mr. Connor addresses is the American Church's quickness to grow discouraged with the failures of the government and especially the Republican party. There have been real reasons to be disappointed with the performance of both recently. However, we must not become discouraged just because the Republicans haven't been able to turn our country around. That isn't their job. It's God's and it is ours. Expecting the Republicans to do it is putting our faith in men rather than putting our faith in God, and doing that is just asking to be disappointed.

We are foolish to expect lost people to exhibit godly character when they are placed in office. For it to happen is certainly the exception rather than the rule. Sadly, proven character is far less common in the American church than it should be. Yet there is no other religion on earth besides Christianity that can honestly claim to literally change lives and overcome man's natural propensity to sin. Who better, then, than Christians to govern? And, as Mr. Connor so aptly points out - we are called to be salt and light. The only way to influence the culture is to be involved in it. Salt doesn't season the stew if it stays in the shaker. We cannot merely sit by and pray. As the apostle James said, faith needs action to be real faith.

Thus, we must support those who are called to enter that ministry (And, yes, the Bible does call it a ministry.) We have to encourage them, and pray for them, and hold them accountable, and even, yes, even invest our money and time into helping them get elected. We have to educate ourselves about who the candidates are. We have to learn what they stand for. And we have to pay attention to make sure that they do what they said. We have to vote.

But our responsibility goes beyond that. We have to be actively working as agents of change in our sphere of influence. Are we working to make it hard for our friends, neighbors, co-workers, enemies, etc. to go to hell? I am so guilty in this! I know that I am not a gifted evangelist, but if you've got something good, don't you tell others about it? As far as actions go, we can achieve no greater impact in our nation than by demonstrating the love of Jesus to everyone we encounter. This is where the rubber meets the road. If I really want to see change, I have to stop being selfish and love my neighbor at least as much as I love myself.

However, action isn't the only necessity. Prayer is critical as well if we are to see a turn about in the moral direction of this country. I think that if there is any weakness in Mr. Connor's article it is that he seems to dismiss prayer as some impotent thing. If so, he couldn't be more wrong. I could write a million letters to Congress. I could petition and picket and phone every lawmaker on Capitol Hill, but if God isn't moved you can rest assured that Congress won't be moved either. Prayer works. I have no idea why, but for some reason God wants to involve us in the process of change. I know no better way to change something than to earnestly pray about it - especially with another believer.

As far as I can tell from my reading, no revival has ever begun without prayer. Even at Pentecost, the disciples had devoted themselves to prayer for weeks in anticipation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

So what about my neighbor? Can I make him come to Christ? No, but I can intercede on his behalf to God. I can help clear up the atmosphere around him so that he can better hear God's call to be saved. Perhaps by my prayers, I can pull down the strongholds that hold him captive so that he can be truly free.

Who will be a better neighbor? One who is bound in his woundedness and addiction, or one who has experienced the joy of being made right with God? Wouldn't more neighbors like the second one make for a better city, a better state, a better nation, and a better world?

If you are like me, by now you are already disgusted with the circus of a campaign that is underway. The election is over a year away and the politicians have been campaigning for it ever since President Bush's re-election. This is not a time to give up in disgust. We have over a year to seek God's face and His favor for the coming election. We have time to pray (and, dare I suggest, fast) that godly people will be elected, and we have time to pray for discernment for whom we should vote. Still, there is no time to lose. Are we going to listen to the media and concede our country to those who would destroy it, or will we fight to take it back and re-establish it on the sure foundation of faith in Christ Jesus?

That choice and that authority are in our hands.

Testify!

How my heart rejoiced in my newness of spiritual life, even though my body was suffering so terribly from the physical beatings and lack of food! But suddenly I discovered that God had given me new spiritual eyes and that when I looked at the enemy officers and guards who had starved and beaten my companions and me so cruelly, I found my bitter hatred for them changed to loving pity.

I realized that these people did not know anything about my Savior and that if Christ is not in a heart, it is natural to be cruel. I read in my Bible that while those who crucified Jesus had beaten Him and spit upon Him before He was nailed to the cross, on the cross He tenderly prayed in His moment of excruciating suffering, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

And now, from the depths of my heart, I too prayed for God to forgive my torturers, and I determined by the aid of Christ to do my best to acquaint these people with the message of salvation that they might become as other believing Christians.

- Jacob Daniel DeShazer (American POW of the Japanese during WWII)

Scripture For Today

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He (Jesus) answered them well, asked Him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:28-31 ESV

Quote Of the Day

There is one God
There is no god but God
And there is no rest for any people who rely on any god but God.
Let God be God.
Soli Deo Gloria
(from No God But God, edited by Os Guiness and John Seel)