The People of His Choice

Father Father, Come to me now
For I am needy, of Your mercy
Holy mercies, firm and sure
From eternity the same
Through eternity endure, endure…

Let the ransomed now rejoice
The ones called out among the nations
Now the people of His choice

Sing of His name
All expanse of land and sea,
All that swim and all that breathe
His glory’s painted
On the branches of the trees
In the changing of the leaves

Let the Elders speak His name
Let us hear ancient tales,
Let us mourn for how we’ve failed
Let the Children now rejoice
When it falls upon their ears,
The proclamations of Gods voice!

As long as life beats in these shells
Keep your words upon our lips
And living water in our wells,
Our hands are raised
Calling out to be redeemed
From certain deaths eternity
Give us new names,
And keep us ever close to thee
Once enslaved, now made free!

by: Preson Phillips
(being recorded soon)

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Is there anyone who doesn’t proselytize? I don’t believe that there is.
If you were to tell me that I am wrong, the reason that you are telling me this is because you wish for me to be more like you.
If you were to tell me to listen to anothers point of view with an open mind, you would be trying to convince me that I am wrong in having my mind made up, and henceforth you would be proselytizing.
If there is a room full of people, who all have admittedly different views, the only reason that they would know that they all had different views is because they talked about a certain subject and came to that realization. Now, when a group of folks talk about a certain subject, they all share their opinion of it, and the reason that they do that is because they all believe that other should see things the way that THEY do. I’m convinced that in a room full of diversity… there is more proselytizing in that place than in most others. Is it okay to disagree with people who think it’s wrong to disagree? And if they tell you that, aren’t they proselytizing? In the end, isn’t it just all semantics?
Can’t we all admit that all conversations are is 2 people giving each other bits of information that they hope will change the other persons mind to be a little more like their own?
At what point are you allowed to decide to end a conversation? When you see many people that you respect and admire and strive to be like get up and leave the table… do you follow? Or do you wait around and try and figure out why they left?
What do you do when you love a book, but not it’s author?
What do you do when you love the concepts put forth by a book… until you realize that the people that agree with the book are difficult to be around? What do you do when readers of books that you fundamentally disagree with treat you better than the readers of that books polar opposite? And at what point do you decide based on fruit? Based on the end result?
What do you do when a tree is beautiful, but it’s fruit is bitter or nonexistent?
What do you do when someone comes to you with something they want to change, something that they feel is destroying them from the inside… do you help them change? How about if everyone tells you that they need not change? How about if they all say that you were created to be that way?
What if you knew someone was searching for happiness in a place you knew they wouldn’t find it? Would you tell them… or would you spend all your time wondering how you “knew” that?
Can you really have a friendly discourse with someone who promotes ideas that would destroy those whom you love and want to help change?
Why is it that you are allowed to promote “change” in one community, and promote “confidence and acceptance of the way you are” in another? Who decides who needs to change?
How is it that one group can blast another group for only focusing on “A” and not “B”, and the second group simply reverses the trend?
What do you do when you realize how utterly silly a concept is, but you’ve used it to replace a concept that you had grown weary of and cannot return to?
Ever play that game at the fair where the same gophers keep popping up and you just want more people with the same mallet standing next you to beat em down?
Ever experienced disillusionment… and felt free of the bonds which once “illusioned” you?
Ever walked on the edge of a cliff so that you could feel dangerous? Ever find comradere with a group of people who loved walking the edge because they were forced to feel safe for so long? Ever meet someone who has spent half their life climbing back up, beating and bloody, because they were never taught to stay away from the edge? Ever had them ask you why anyone would walk that edge… that they had been to the bottom, and that they can tell you how miserable it is? (I have. And it was recent. And it changed my life. And I would never encourage them to walk that close again, and I will protect them from all those who would say otherwise.)

What do you do when someone keeps telling you that “A+B=C”, yet everytime you see it tried… it doesn’t?

Signing with a new label.

I’ll have more information later on that will be detailed. But I wanted to let you all know that in a couple months I’m gonna start recording again. I’ll have info for you as soon as things are set in stone… long story short… I will be signing with a label owned by someone I’ve respected in the music industry since I was 13.
I plan on doing 3 more albums in the next 3 years, and I’m working out the details so that all of the music can be completely free for everyone.

Stay tuned, I’ll let you know.

Pastor Appreciation Month

Did you know that October is Pastor appreciation month? Yeah, me neither. I was very blessed this month by my church. Over and over they sent us homemade cards (ones that should be hung in art museums), and grocery certificates and amazing emails filled with prayers, and to top it all off, they made this video for me which I can’t even watch without almost sobbing.

 

You are all amazing, it is my blessing to serve you. Thank you for this.

The Leadership Model of Nehemiah

 

This morning I read the book of Nehemiah, and this really stuck out to me.

 Nehemiah 5
14 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes^[a] —neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces^[b] of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

 16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! 18 The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden.

 19 Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.

The nuances of the Prophet Nehemiah’s leadership are a much needed trait in todays paid clergy. 

When I was in school at Liberty University (go flames… I mean eagles… wait… what are we again?… RIP Jerrbear), we took countless classes on how to go about “getting a salary that we deserve”. I remember hearing all kinds of strategies and interview pointers that you are supposed to use when interviewing for the church you would like to “serve” in. I believe this is one of the reason that I really had no desire to work in a church by the time I graduated with my BS in religion. I remember hearing all kinds of interview tactics and questions that would ensure my livelihood as the shepherd. I believe this type of teaching is also what causes so many pastoral studies majors at Liberty to funnel into the emerging church movements… what they read, and what they see/hear cause them great dissatisfaction at the state of the western church and it’s leadership (or should I say “celebrities”).

Not once… one time… did I ever hear any of my professors talk about sacrifice. They never talked about the fact that the leader is the servant. They used words like “serve”, but it always applied to serving the Lord, not to the Lords people. Not once did any of them ever mention refusing to get paid more than you deserve, or refusing to let the people pick up the tab on all of the things that the pastor “needs” (most of which… he doesn’t) to minister to people. 

In verse 14, we see Nehemiah refusing to accept his food allowance, and also making his officials refuse theirs.
In verse 16, he devotes himself to doing the backbreaking work, and he also required his officials to do the lowly work with him.
In verse 17 he is constantly entertaining people in his home, and not asking for reimbursement. 

The reason for the refusals? He knew that the people already carried a heavy burden. The truth is that if the people are sacrificing, then the leadership should sacrifice 10-fold. A pastor should never speak of what he “deserves”, but should understand the position he has placed himself under. One of the main themes in the scriptures is one of humbling ourselves and trusting that the uplifting will come from outside of ourselves. 

In the end, it is not the people that Nehemiah wants to take notice, but the Lord.

I’d like to build an altar

I’d like to mark this day as a special one, to mark it as one to be remembered for the rest of my life. I’m erecting an altar in my mind to the Lord on this day. What a great day. I’m gonna have a son! I really just don’t know what to say, I’ve never been so excited about anything in my whole life.

Songwriting as Existentialism

It’s been almost four months since I put my music up for download. Things have gone pretty dang well in the download area of the album… I’ve had over 40,000 hits, and several thousand album downloads. The funny thing that I learned about people is that, given the opportunity, people will take something for free rather than offer people their wage for their work. I knew this was the case from the beginning, but there is always that thought in the back of your head that maybe you are wrong about people. All in all, I have almost made enough to pay for the domain name & for the website through which people download the cd.

There were 3 people who gave over 50$, no idea who they were, one is in australia. That was pretty amazing. It really is the same outcome whether you make physical cd’s and sell them, or if you give the album away for free, you never break even. Which is why I will do it the way that I do. I want to make music because I am unhappy with what is out there. Because I am a musician. Because I must either make music or cease to exist, for God has made me to do this for Him.   What else could I then do? 

I have never believed that I would make a living through music, I’ve always had the idea that it would always be part of my life though. I’ve heard about people who make a great living as song-writers writing about 12 songs a year… that makes me laugh. That’s not work. I write 12 a month, most of them never get written down or sung more than twice, the only ones to ever hear them are myself and my wife (and in 4 months, my son/daughter).

Any real song writer will tell you that if you know how to write, it comes naturally. It’s easy. And any HONEST proffesional singer songwriter will tell you that most of them are lazy… putting out an album every 2 years when they could just as easily put one out every 6 months and maintain quality work. I even heard Ryan Adams once interrupt an interviewer who called him a “prolific songwriter” and tell her that he’s “not prolific, others are just lazy, and should work more often”.

I completely agree with Ryan, and am determined never to be lazy about my purpose.

Lately I have discovered Preaching. I had preached 3 times in my life before last august, since then I’ve preached over 80 times. It has, for me, become an extension of my songwriting. I write about what I will preach on, and preach about what I have written… both of which are focused on the creator… both saying things the other could not. 

So now I have another predicament, now I must preach AND I must sing. I MUST. I feel that if I stop one, the other will suffer.  I see now why Paul always broke out into poetry in the middle of his epistles (see Phil 2). Because he couldn’t just tell people things, he was a poet, and saw things in metaphors of other things. He felt that without metaphors he couldn’t communicate what our own existence was a metaphor for! (is that as confusing as it sounds? I hope not)

I am glad that I cannot draw, (I mean, I REALLY can’t draw… I draw the same picture that I learned when I was 9… a pathetic little koala bear) I have neither the money nor the imagination for a talent such as that.

I’m excited about this coming month. I’m gonna be playing some shows with The Glorious Unseen, and I really just can’t wait to change music settings for a few days. Sing for new people, gain some new insight, and maybe some new inspiration. 

We will hold in our hands,
We will tie to our heads,
We will sing to our children,
The things we have read,
We will hail when we lie down,
And rise from our beds,
For as long as skies remain,
Our king will reign.

 

By: Preson Phillips (from Deuteronomy 6)

Having a rough day?

This should cheer you up.

Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing

James writes about being double-minded in his epistle, Chapter 4, verse 8. 

“Draw nigh to God and he will draw night to you. Clense you hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded.”

I often think about this quote, because I believe that James is nailing on the head the message of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 about serving 2 masters. However, Jesus (at first glance) is only talking about money and possessions in his sermon, while James is completely unclear about his view of being double minded (other than the fact that your hearts are not pure if you are double-minded).

I was at borders books last week and noticed a book by Soren Kierkegaard entitled “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing”. Instantly I knew that it was for me. He spends most of this book painstakingly laying out his arguements for James idea of being single-mindedness. The view that he takes on this subject is that those who are seeking the “reward” of a thing do not actually will the thing itself. In the same light, he also argues that those who seek to avoid the punishment of a thing ALSO do not will the thing itself.

His arguements are all laid out in detail and are really quite enthralling (and worth your read). But I’ve come to see that these thoughts have been beneath my subconscious for a very long time. Why am I doing what I am doing? Often times I wonder about my own motives. I have determined in my heart that I have to fight and suppress the desires of accomplishment, and recognition, the desire to prove others right/wrong, the desire to somehow be paid back with feelings of self-worth, the human need for respect or admiration, the desire to not be labeled a failure… etc. 

I have come to the conclusion (from my own experiences and those of my peers) that if my motives are to be pure, then I must simply will one thing and one thing only… the good. And by the good, I mean the thing that good is synonymous with… God himself. I can be at peace with the fact that if I only desire God, all else will line up… the picture in my head is of a net cast out as if to try and cover all of my desires, and only when one corner of the net is pulled will all of it’s contents line up and follow. 

So I’ve chosen to not focus on myself, either my reputation or my abilities (or lack thereof), or my successes or my mistakes. I’ve chosen to not focus on my needs (even though, at the moment, they are great… I fear losing my house, losing my shelter and along with it my pride), or my security (or illusion thereof). I’ve chosen not to focus on the dreams of my childhood (to somehow write immortal music) or my adulthood.

Others can spend their time doing so if they wish, but for me to get wrapped up in these things is to have an impure heart and to will things other than God.

“Instead of wasting many moments on naming the cast multitude of goals of squandering life;s costly years in personal experiments upon them, can the talk do as life ought to do – with commendable brevity stick to the point?”

If you are reading James, go get this book.

I have 3 videos that will change your life…

My favorite line from the first song: “He is like a mounty, He always gets His man!” HAHAHA 
(my brother in law sent me the first one)