Politics, Purpose and Passion

Well it has certainly been a week of great change in the political arena. Or has it? Maybe it has only been a change of faces but the games will be the same. Agendas, goals and budgets may change a little but methods, madness and money are always a constant in the hallowed halls of Congress.

Those of you that know me know that I enjoy word history and origins. A couple that I like to have fun with: Politics; from poly—meaning many, and tics—being little blood suckers. And another: If pro is the opposite if con, what is the opposite of progress? Is it Congress?

Just as a parent may take away a toy or privilege from a child that has been irresponsible, so the voters have taken away control from one party and handed it to another. What remains to be seen is if either party was paying attention and did anyone learn anything? Whatever your political affiliation may be, we must remember to pray for those that set policy and practice for our country. The Bible tells us that all authority on Earth is given by heaven.

Enough on politics. Let’s move on to purpose and passion.

I spent a few moments today with a couple of people that enjoy music with a passion. Understand that I mean that music is much more to them than it ever could be to me. I enjoy music. I like listening to music, I even like singing. But it doesn’t drive me. For me, a day without out music is like…well it’s like a day without music—no big deal. For either of them, well they couldn’t even imagine a day without music. And it’s not just listening to music—it’s experiencing music, rehearsing music, performing music, worshipping through music and ministering through music. Music moves them. It can sooth them, comfort them or really pump them up. And they want to use music to evoke those same emotions and feelings in others. Music has a healing quality. In the hands of a passionate person, it can change an attitude, change a heart, change a life.

Let me introduce you to my friends. The first is our Minister of Music at Hopedale Baptist Church, Rich Langston. He is an exciting young man that we have quickly fallen in love with. He has fun worshipping our Lord and Savior—and it shows. Coming to church on Sunday morning is what it should be—an event. Whether it’s the Praise Team or the choir, you know that something special is about to happen. You know that Someone special is about to arrive. Through praise and worship, we invite the Living God into our presence and He always accepts our invitation. If you’ve never had an encounter with the Most High God, come join us on Sunday morning. It would be our pleasure to introduce Him to you.

The second friend that I want to introduce is a woman that I met at an evangelism conference earlier this year. Kristy Green was singing in a quartet and you could tell that she is one of those people that has that passion. It isn’t about the performance for them. It isn’t about the quartet. It isn’t even about the music. Somehow it seems to be a package sort of deal; music, emotion, performance. But it’s not just any performance. It’s a performance for the King. It has to be your best and you can’t fake it for the King. It is your offering to Him. Kristy also sings in a trio and I wanted to introduce these two music freaks to each other. (I mean that in the nicest way, guys) I hope to hear Kristy and her trio or quartet at Hopedale sometime soon. I’ll keep you posted.

If you have a passion, something that drives you, consider offering it to God. It may be that He has given you your passion to bring glory to His name. It’s no coincidence that our passion and His purpose often meet. It is a wonderful surprise when we find that we can continue doing the thing that we love and use it for His purpose, His glory.

John