OK, so my blog has been a little of ghost town recently. Let’s remedy that.
A YouTube video brought me out of my digital hibernation. It literally brought tears to my eyes. It’s a video about a man I didn’t know personally. OK, so maybe we had shaken hands and exchanged pleasantaries once or twice, but being the pastor of a large church, he’d probably swapped fingerprints more often than Oprah does hairdos.
I wasn’t looking for a church at the time. Yes I was a Christian, but my encounters with the church had left me jaded and disillusioned. I hated the church. I did. Paradoxically, I was in Theological College at the time, theoretically preparing to serve in one. But I was out and out the most disconnected student there was.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZO4IH-4s5Q]
A friend invited me to Riverview Church, and within the first half hour, I was hooked. I loved the music, the ambience, the catchy tagline – “welcome to the church for people who don’t like church”. Now that’s my kinda church.
Yet all of that faded into the background when I listened to Philip Baker. To say that this man has had an outstanding effect on me over the years would a gross understatement. I’m trying to avoid cliches like fresh, provocative and the like; even though they are all true of his leadership and speaking. To date, he remains one of the favorite speakers I’ve EVER listened to. Light-hearted, non-judgmental, yet very incisive; and by a country mile the funniest and most engaging I’ve met. I’d die with a smile if I could be half the speaker he was.
In addition to being a well sought after church and business speaker, he is also a best-selling author – of his books, a quirky little one titled “Weird Christians I have Met” remains my pick of the lot (There I met End Time Ed, Pentecostal Pamela and Demonic Dave).
I’m grateful for Phil. As I listened to him, in my heart of hearts I knew that was the speaker and leader I wanted to be. Funny. Engaging. Relevant. Visionary.
Inadvertently, he slowly began to rekindle a desire for Christian service in me. At the time, I would rather have joined Ozzy Osbourne in biting the head off a live dove and proceding to work the graveyard shift at the local morgue than work in a church. But here I am, excited, fulfilled, alive…serving in church. And even though it would be a little disrespectful to others to credit this all to Phil, my encounters with him showed me the kind of leader I wanted to be.
Today…I love the church. I defend the church. I believe in the church.
So watching this video isn’t easy. I wish I understood God, and what He’s sometimes up. It makes me desperately cling on to this:
We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.[a] They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose (Romans 8:28 – CEV)
WOW! It’s amazing that this is part of what God would allow to come into our lives. I cannot understand it and yet I must accept that in His Sovereignity, He works ALL things (ALL THINGS) together for the good of those who love him, those who are called by His Name. He did NOT promise that things would always be easy. However, He promised to be with us ALWAYS to the end of the age.
Oh Wow…I take out many different lessons here that even when all foundations are shaken (faith,family etal), when I cannot see Him doing something that He is indeed working behind the scenes.. He is lifted up He is the God of our floods…and the questions that run through me as I read beg to be asked i.e should we accept only the good and not the bad that comes our way really plays out even unto the restoration of Philips health. You see I liken him to Job . Am encouraged that God is that friend that sticks closer than a brother- yep there no surprises with Him in good and bad times…He is the same today yesterday and forever, He is able… He will do it again..