*Chad Jarnagin

Read the entire article HERE.

The programs aren’t sacred.

The ministries aren’t sacred.

The service times aren’t sacred.

The communication style isn’t sacred.

The methods aren’t sacred.

The committees aren’t sacred.

The bylaws aren’t sacred.

The denomination isn’t sacred.

The style of music isn’t sacred.

The font that’s used on in the program aren’t sacred.

The only thing that’s sacred is the mission of Jesus.

If we step back from this busy life for a moment of reflection, we will start to hear a deafening silence. The ironic thing will be that it is truly the still silence that is so deafening. Everyone in my circles struggle with noisy, crazy, hectic schedules, running from meeting to meeting, coffee to coffee, and service to service.

After you read this JUST TRY to take 5 minutes and sit in silent solitude. This might be hard iPhoners… NO calls, NO texting, NO computer (AIM, Facebook, Twitter, etc), NO music, NO Xbox 360, NO talking. Nothing, but silence. If you haven’t experienced this in awhile, the sound will be loud. You’ll see what I mean.

If you have not seen the Nooma video “Noise”, go check it out. In the book Facedown (Matt Redman), Bill Hybels (WillowCreek) asked, “Is the ambient noise level of my life low enough for me to hear the whispers of the Lord?” A. W. Tozer has said “in some instances, absolute silence might well become our greatest act of worship”. The silence Tozer is talking about doesn’t happen in our worship services. Everything in our culture is screaming at a db level that is dulling our hearing the Creator’s voice, and sometimes His will. I myself continue to struggle with this.

CHURCH LEADERS: When our people come into worship on Sunday, let’s try to remember that life is fast and loud. It can be voluntary or involuntary, but our communities are fast and loud places. If we are living there as well, how can we lead them into the Holy place? When I come into church I NEED the music peeps to help lead me to a place of silencing & yielding my world in order to seek God in everything.

I think we know that God is everywhere AND in everything, but how often do we live acknowledging that? We usually let our little worlds dictate our response to the Almighty. In order to effectively lead people into worship of God, we must be clear to hear where He is leading us. We can’t always be on point with our leadership, let’s keep it real. I stink it up more times than not, but we should step up our game b/c we have a responsibility.

Application of a TRUE “quiet time” or “silent time” is the only means of execution here. He WILL be in the secret silent place. It probably looks different for everyone. I hope to find more frequent time and space to seek, sense, and listen for more of His heart in the middle of my crazy, whack, funky life.

Shalom.

by Chad Jarnagin



Everyone has probably had questions without answers, been puzzled and frustrated at something that we just can’t make sense out of.

Almost everything in society is fact /control oriented. We as humans tend to get a form of temporary satisfaction from the control, facts, information we receive. Who likes to be left hanging on the edge of something unresolved? I mostly HATE it! I am seeing a trend in the way I live that involves almost every aspect of my life. I WANT RESOLVE and CONTROL! I don’t know many people that don’t.

There was a time not so long ago that I enjoyed life’s mysteries. I would basically embrace things that I didn’t fully comprehend. The world has tried to poison me (and YOU) to believe that we will find the peace and satisfaction we need in facts, logic, and control. In doing so this takes the magic out of faith.What if we decided that we weren’t going to let society tame our childhood belief in mystery the way that Paul talks of in Timothy 3:14? The Message translation says that “this life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding.” The life that follows Jesus will fall prey to the comprehension game if we don’t surrender ourselves to the mysterious awe of God that is possibly being beaten out of us by life itself.

We might be able to get a form of comfort from knowledge, but there will come a longing for supernatural mystery. That’s when I want to step back and let awe for the Creator overwhelm me. If He is the beginning and the end, we should have peace knowing that HE KNOWS ALL, and that we don’t have to. That probably won’t stop us from trying to know it all though. I guess we can hope and trust that through walking out our faith in a real world, God will meet us where we are and guide us with His Spirit to mystery, reality, logic, and truth.

I wonder what would happen if we would live impassioned to follow Jesus and not men. I wonder what would happen if men didn’t live by ego, pride, and control. Yeah it’s a mystery but it’s a mystery that I want to try and live with. “Faith is the evidence of things unseen”.

“Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God.” -Marley