Radical Righteousness

Righteousness. A religious term, only applicable to those who attend church, sit in pews, and enjoy church music. Right?

Merriam-Webster defines "Righteousness" as: 1-free from guilt or sin. 2- morally right or justifiable.

Good ol' Merriam. He's such a smart guy to know so many words. He'll never know the impact of this one definition on me. It puts the book of Proverbs into such reality and simplicity.

Check out Proverbs 13:
5 "A righteous man hates falsehood..."
6 "Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless..."
9 "The light of the righteous rejoices..."

Righteousness... it's the idea of being free from sin. It's the act of being burdened no more by the stresses and frustrations of the world, simply because you know God has it all. It's the evidence of grace, mercy, love, and understanding all wrapped into one characteristic. It's pleasing God... and according to Proverbs 13 it's reward is protection, favor, and joy.

You see when righteousness becomes a reality to me, I begin to HATE being around sin and sinful things. I begin to despise having it evident in my life. I don't want anything to do with it. Which in most definitions would make someone a "radical".

My friend Merriam-Webster does it again:
Radical: 1- very different from the usual or traditional, 2- favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions.

So to be a radical, would be to be different... extremely different from the "norm". I think what I am in need of in my life, and in the church across America is simple: Radical Righteousness. When people leave groups of friends, family, and other habits behind to be closer to God we see it as strange or radical. When in all reality, it's the realization of righteousness. RADICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS will cause me to HATE sin and anything associated with it. Which makes Proverbs 13:20 completely relevant all of a sudden. "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Now, it's not so crazy or radical, but it's now a Godly side effect of the covering, favor, and protection that righteousness creates!

Does that mean never associate with sinners? No, how else can we win them to Christ? It means don't WALK with them. Meet them, talk with them, hang out with them, but your steps can't be the same as their steps. Why? Because you now have radical righteousness - and that causes you to be different from the existing views/mindsets.

So, don't even question favor, protection, or understanding from God - if righteousness isn't even something you're striving for. I realized something today. It's ok to be a "black sheep" or to be different from the norm. I don't HAVE to look like, act like, talk like, or be like other pastors, youth pastors, or leaders. I can learn from them, respect them, and be mentored by them... but I don't have to BE them! As long as we are all walking in radical righteousness, who should care who we are anyway? As long as we are who God created us to be.

From now on, I'm me. I'm Brandon. No questions, no apologies, no worries. It's me and God. Radical Righteousness is my destination... God is my process. I love Him - THAT'S why!

Oh Crimson Flow...

When it's dark... it's easy to hide. It's easy to go unnoticed, unseen, and even uncared for. Or is it?

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)

Life is difficult. It's frustrating. It's hurtful and painful. It's confusing. Life is difficult.
But, NOTHING is hidden or too dark for God to see through. Your life, is seen by God... in every way... and He cares!

As we go through life, it's inevitable that something will take place, and offer us some kind of hurt or confusion. Maybe it's financial, maybe it's personal, maybe it's physical... there's a myriad of ways that it could come. But, remember who roams the earth... the enemy. Therefore, the earth will be painful as long as he is roaming it. However, there is greatness in the Crimson flow...

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus." (Hebrews 10:19)

We can be made whole again through the blood of Jesus. It's not that we are separated from God because we have difficult times, it's simply that we need to lean on Him even more, because He is the source of our strength. And because of His blood, the Crimson Flow, we can lean upon His strength.

Isaiah talks about seeing God in the throne room in Isaiah 6. He says that as he passed by his robe filled the temple. Here's the kicker: in the days of kings and kingdoms, when a king would battle another king... the winning king would cut off a portion of the losing kings train (the back of the robe) and attach it to his own... making his robe longer. Which gives all new meaning to God's robe filling the temple. That means He's won an awful lot of battles. How?

Oh crimson flow once shed for me
My life I owe my saving king
His blood has paid my ransom fee
Oh crimson flow that set me free

Oh the blood of Christ
It washes over me
(Oh Crimson Flow, Christ for The Nations)

So, an encouragement... don't worry about your day. Don't worry about hardships. Don't fret the small things, nor sweat the large. Because when it's hard, there's a God that desires you to lean upon Him for strength. He's won the battles... His robe fills the temple! Let his robe fill the temple of your heart, and the realization of His love comfort your mind today.

Just live life to the fullest... with God as your center salvation.

{credit to Chuck Barrineau for some of the historical reference here}

I Want Weakness

"...But on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses." 2 Corinthians 12:5b

I hate admitting faults and weaknesses. Maybe it's because I'm human, maybe because I'm male, or maybe because I'm prideful... then again, it could be all of the above. I mean, who really wants to walk around admitting or asking for a WEAKNESS?

"Man, I had a pretty good game at basketball yesterday. I'm getting pretty good..."
"Oh yeah? I'm really bad at that! REALLY WEAK! and I LOVE IT! YES!!!"

Negative... you'll never hear me having that conversation unless it's in a sarcastic manner. But, what if there was something to having a weakness. Trust me, my fingers are shaking just typing that statement, but what if there was? What if somehow through our weakness, it was a good thing? It actually, I don't know, HELPED us?

I was reading through 2 Corinthians the other day and ran across the opening scripture. I found it quite odd actually. I won't boast in anything but my WEAKNESS? I mean, who's gonna brag about being REALLY BAD at bowling? No one! I've always admired, looked up to Paul... yet, this statement somehow caught me off guard. Then as I continued to read, I saw what he actually meant.

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

WOW! Here's the deal... it's not just about how great I am at something or how talented I am at a certain thing... it's about how weak I am as well. My talent, desires, passions, and goodness will get me places... and God even desires that we become GREAT in our endeavors... yet, I should still recognize my weaknesses.

In life, it's natural to recognize and appreciate our strengths. That's what we want to focus on, and sometimes we even over commit based upon them. But, according to Paul, if I would recognize and even respect my weaknesses then Christ becomes even stronger in me. Therefore, If Christ is stronger in me THROUGH my weakness, then my strength becomes stronger because of Christ.

So, I struggle in things. I struggle with sometimes listening intently to people, trusting people, shoot, trusting God sometimes! I struggle with understanding reasoning, I struggle with prayer, I struggle with being a good husband. I struggle with the thought of not being a good pastor, or even a good father one day (in the near future!) I struggle with quiet time sometimes, I'm weak in my stress, I'm weak in time management. I know what I'm strong at, and I rejoice in that. But, beginning today, I will also rejoice in my weakness... because just as I'm becoming weak, I am also becoming strong, because THEN Christ becomes stronger than me... and isn't that the goal anyway?

So, GO... Be WEAK... and be strong at the same time... just live your life, and let it please God.

Interrupting God

Knock, Knock...
Who's Th... INTERRUPTING COW!

Knock knock jokes are popular with kids, and even adults. This is one that I have heard recently, and I thought it was funny. No one likes to be interrupted. Interruptions while I'm talking actually make me slightly mad. It's rude, inconsiderate, and just plain annoying. My mom and dad taught me as a young child, that if someone was talking, I did not interrupt, I simply was to wait on them to finish and then I could join in conversation. That was always difficult for me, given that I'm pretty sure I'm ADHD, which means, I talk... A LOT!

During my study time this morning I ran across a scripture that brought me to repentance and even to tears. Check this out:
Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 "Guard your steps as you go to the house of god and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word of impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of god. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words."

Ok... maybe you need to go read that again, but man did that challenge me. Don't go before God and offer up a sacrifice for others? Don't be so quick to petition a need for God? What in the world? THAT IS PRAYER! Or is it? According to Solomon (known as the wisest man in the Bible) prayer isn't about petitioning for needs, for others, or to talk to God all the time. Prayer is a CONVERSATION, that requires listening. Basically Solomon is saying here: If you REALLY want to draw near to God, if you want to hang out in HIS house... LISTEN!

That's a difficult thing to swallow. That puts a whole new importance on getting time alone with God. It's not just so I can say what I want and it stays between me and God, but because it gets me alone with someone I'm listening to. Now, I'm not saying that petitioning God for things, or praying FOR someone or something is wrong... by all means it definitely is not... however, maybe the traditional thought of prayer being that of a needs session, isn't what prayer is all about. Maybe it's not about listening for an answer to our prayers, but listening for the voice of God in general.

Through God's voice flows anointing and hope!
Check out these scriptures: 1 Samuel 2:3, Jeremiah 1:4-10, 12, 18-19; Nehemiah 2:12; Ezra 1:1; Joshua 6...

These are just a few examples, with MANY others to follow, however, if we see where the voice of God spoke to people, and see the things that they accomplished and were equipped/empowered to do then it only makes sense that THROUGH HIS VOICE FLOWS ANOINTING AND HOPE!

If we are constantly offering our words/dreams/visions/wants, then how do we ever have the time to hear His? And I can promise you this... His are much better! As a body of Christ, maybe we need to stop interrupting God, and allow Him to freely speak to us, and not just on OUR conditions.

Lord, forgive me for interrupting you... speak to me

Taste and See

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good..."

I love this generation. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I believe there is so much potential, passion, and purpose released inside the hearts and spirits of this generation. MAYBE more than ever before. And it angers me to see so many people TALKING about the potential, passion, purpose of this generation, yet not many seem to want to step out and get dirty. Not many seem to have the passion to make a difference, but they will talk about this generation, and not always in a good way.

This generation is full of passion. Go to a football game... go to the local high school/middle school and see the passion for friends... go to a mall... Passion is everywhere. This generation has no problem with passion... their passion is just directed in so many different directions. There's not much meaningful passion being exhibited. Why? Simply because, in my opinion, the older generation has not done much to exhibit positive passion!

Example: We can pack a college football stadium weekly with 80,000 fans, sometimes more. We will go spend $45 for a ticket, $20 for parking, and $20 for a concessions. So in essence we will spend $85+ on a football game, and spend countless hours tailgating before AND after. It's second nature to most of us. I'm a football FREAK! I love football, I love the connection of the fans, I love the atmosphere, I love cheering for something that SEEMS meaningful. Yet, when I look at the big picture, there's not much meaningful in a football game.

The deal is this: We have misdirected passion. We will get excited about someone scoring a touchdown, yet act like it's no big deal when someone enters the Kingdom of God. Why? Misdirected passion. So, what we have done, is raise pathetic passion in believers.

We have made church, Christianity, and Jesus so passionless, boring, and non-relative that we have nothing to have passion about. So, again, I repeat: I believe this generation has the most passion, possibly ever. Passion is exhibited everywhere throughout this generation, just in the wrong avenues. So, what are we to do?

WE must become people of passion, in order to teach others to become people of passion. Passion is more than clapping your hands during an upbeat song, singing loudly, praying faster in order to sound holier, and dancing in front of the church simply to exhibit the Spirit. (all of which are ways to be people of passion) However, it is encompassed in that and MUCH more!

Psalm 34:8 "TASTE and SEE that the Lord is good..."

I believe we have become passionless because we have lost the taste of the Lord, therefore, no one can SEE that He is really good. When I taste something good, my expression changes, my actions change, and I will do whatever possible to taste that good thing again. We are passionless because the God we serve is tasteless.

But, MY God isn't tasteless. My God is the God that opened up the Red Sea, healed a paralytic, and raised Jesus from the dead. My God is the God that sent the Holy Spirit to guide/comfort me, enable men to write a book of love letters for me from Him, and wants me to be presented before Him one day blameless and without reproach! My God is FULL of taste.

I can't be passionless in my actions, my life, my words, or my writings anymore; simply because now that I've tasted how good my God is again, people must SEE that He is good. I need to offer them the fruit of my good God!

So... how do we teach this generation to be passionate about God? How do we encourage them to chase after Him, and follow His leading? WE must taste, and then allow them to SEE how good He really is. Then, they will taste, and an outbreak of passionate tasters of God will be born. The question is... what does your God taste like?

Get Out!

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged. I promise I'm going to try to get better at this! Here's some simple thoughts that are running through my mind right now. Something simple.

Tuesday I am meeting with some of our students here @ Undone220 for something calling Strategic Students. What we are going to do is this, we are going to come up with strategic ways to go out into our schools and spread the good news of Jesus, and increase the visibility of Undone220. I'm excited. You don't think that it's really all that spiritual to increase the visibility of your ministry? Check this out...

Psalm 104:4 - He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

Ok, He makes His messengers fire! Yet, HE is THE consuming fire! Check something out here:
WE are His messengers. WE are His sent ones. WE are called to be flaming fire for Him! If that's the case, how do you think we are going to grow? By being in a corporate body together, with one another, SUPPORTING each other through ministry and hearing.

If that's the case, and we are to be fire, and we are to be part of this corporate body, don't you think we should be excited about the ministry/body that is equipping us? More than that, shouldn't we be excited about the God that charges us to be His ministers?

So, to finish this short, simple blog: let's go out and do something about the lost and dying that are out there. That's the goal of our Strategic Students, to do something about it! Not to grow a giant ministry, but to grow a giant God Kingdom!

Just A Read

Ok, so this won't be MY writings. But, I'm reading "The Dangerous Act of Worship" by Mark Labberton (along with some other books) right now, and I ran across this portion of the book that SHOOK ME TO THE CORE. I think it's a challenge to everyone that wears the name tag of "God Follower" or "Child of God". Read this and let it marinate within you for a little while.... this is for my Undone teens and adults alike!

" At a time when many are struck by the polarization between liberal and evangelical churches in America, it is more striking to see what the average congregations on both sides hold in common: they are asleep. Some seem asleep to God. Some seem asleep to the world. Some sleep on their right side, others on their left, but either way they are asleep. The way they sleep, the character of their dreams, the forms of their sleepwalking or sleep-talking varies. Varied, too, are the words and voices that cause restlessness, making their sleep less than tranquil: inclusivity. diversity. faithfulness. process. power. justice. relevance. recovery. healing. biblical. The words may stir the sleeping, but without enough urgency to demand awakening.
Too much sleep can lead to enervation and, in time, atrophy. A crisis hits - 9/11 or the Asian tsunami or Hurricane Katrina, say - and like waking from a deep sleep or shaken by a nightmare, our churches raise their heads and try to rise to the occasion (if they can figure out what it is!). Before long, the clamor of crisis quiets down, and our desire to return to the safe coziness of familiarity is too hard to resist. Wakefulness demands too much energy or strength that cannot be mustered or sustained.
Some Christians and some congregations seems to have selective wakefulness. After all, we are weary, overwhelmed, insecure, internally longing for hope of our own (never mind the need for hope in the world). We don't see much beyond the edges of our own bed, whether it is culture, economics, race, denomination or class. We know and like our bed. We have made it. We are not inclined to leave it. We are entitled to it after all, since we see it as God's blessing.
Meanwhile, those without a bed - and without a home, food, safety, water, warmth or knowledge of the Savior's love - are not seen or remembered or reached. In light of the stark reality of lost and dying humanity, forced prostitution, bonded slavery, malarial epidemics, HIV/AIDS and human life stripped of its dignity around the globe, where is the evidence that through worship our lives have actually been redefined and realigned with God's heart for justice in the world?"(emphasis: mine)

Holy cow... just think about that one for a little while!

What IS isn't what SHOULD BE

I LOVE the book of Nehemiah. There is so much leadership knowledge and life knowledge in this book. And I've just begun to read it again, with my student leadership team, and in reading that, I found some things that I really want to share... Feel free to leave comments if you wish...

The first 2 chapters we see in the heart and soul of Nehemiah, the simple cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. But, we see much more than a cupbearer. We see someone that is full of passion, hurt, pain, but more than that... someone that is filled with REALIZATION...

Nehemiah saw the realization of something that most could not see. He saw past was IS, and into what SHOULD BE! Jerusalem was messed up... it was burnt, torn down, and demolished. Most people were looking at Jerusalem saying "wow, I wish this didn't look like this. I wish someone would clean it up..." but no one was willing to do so. No one was willing to get into the city, get their hands dirty and make a difference. But Nehemiah, wasn't just looking at the smoldering remnants of the gates. He wasn't just smelling the stinch of smoke. He wasn't just hearing the cracking bricks continuing to fall because of their weakness... No. What Nehemiah noticed was the gates sparkling with "Welcome To Jerusalem" messages on them. He was smelling the sweet aroma of fruits and perfumes being sold. He was hearing the laughter of children, and the discussions of old men and women talking about the dynamic past of the city. He looked past what IS, and looked into what SHOULD BE!

Nehemiah had the realization that a city that SHOULD BE prominent, fruitful, dynamic IS burnt and destroyed... yet, he couldn't wrap his mind around the thought that it was the end for Jerusalem. He couldn't accept the fact that what IS, is what SHOULD BE! The more he spent time with the Lord, his heart grew more and more discontent with what IS, and more and more intrigued with what SHOULD BE! His passion, desire, hurt, and realization grew greater and greater. And it got to a point, that King Artaxerxes even realized it. As he was taking the wine up, Nehemiah was trying to hide the realization from his actions, but the king noticed it. To make the story short... because of Nehemiah's passion for the realization, the king sowed a seed of finances, time, and provision for the vision of Nehemiah... Where there is VISION there will be PROvision!

This week, I begin a Sunday night series about this generation specifically for adults. And it's no coincidence in God's timing that I am reading Nehemiah at this time. The more I read, the more discontent I get with what IS. The more I research the more I realize what IS isn't what SHOULD BE! The more I study, the more I understand, that SOMEONE has to take a stand, somewhere at some time! The problem is, just like in Nehemiah's time we see people looking at the church, this generation, and ministry, and everyone is saying "wow, I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish it could be cleaned up..." yet not many are willing to get dirty...

Ministry is dirty, God is dirty, life is dirty, love is dirty... it's all dirty because dirty people need to be clean. We are living in the most influential, technology driven, and loving generation to walk the face of the earth, but they are walking without a destination. We can look at this generation and see the walls, gates, houses, and plants that previous generation have burned, destroyed and left to be cleaned up. We can see the ashes of the gates of what they hear and see continuing to burn with no regard of what comes in or goes out. We can smell the stinch of smoke from the lifestyles that are loved and accepted. We can hear the cracking of walls from the lack of love and appreciation in their lives. But, here's the charge... LET'S REBUILD!

See, I'm leading the charge. I've been a cupbearer for my king, and will continue to simply serve my king (Jesus) for my entire life... and He has seen mine, and some others, sadness, hurt, pain, frustration, and realization of what IS. But, something is happening to me more now than ever... I don't see what IS anymore, I refuse to... I see what SHOULD BE! Just as Nehemiah in the latter parts of chapter 2, I won't reveal my entire heart, purpose, and plan to many because of the power that places in your hands. I will give no one the opportunity to wreck my dream/vision again... but as we will look later in chapter 3 and forward, we will ALL work TOGETHER to rebuild the city to what it SHOULD BE!

But, you know what that means? Getting dirty. We can't jump and act surprised every time one of those ashy pieces breaks off of it's burnt host, and a cuss word slips out. We can't be upset every time we smell the smoke of their environment seep out. We were all dirty once, but we've become so "clean" that we forget what it's like to go from dirty to clean. It's a process. A process that I believe in enough, to invest my life to this generation of young people, to help rebuild what IS, and allow God to make it what SHOULD BE... will you join me?

(Undone220 leadership- this is our charge. To bring in the dirty, and let God make them clean, by using us to love them, and hold them accountable.)

New Find...

Ok, this is definitely an informational post... so, this is more of a current event type thing.

Here's the deal... today I was looking at Facebook and myself, the church's secretary, and my pastor saw a symbol unlike any other. So, my pastor and I began to research, and this is what we found. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So... what is it?

It's called a "heartagram". It's made popular by Bam Margera and a band called HIM. Bam loves the band HIM so he wears their clothing and such. Well, everything HIM does has a "heartagram" on it. Let me explain what a heartagram stands for:
Death and love.
It seems to be an ongoing thing that teenagers today enjoy wearing, most likely because of the unique styling of the symbol. Doesn't seem TOO wrong to wear that, however, let's look at the band that made this, and where the thought of the design comes from.

HIM was a band whose original name was: His Infernal Majesty
Infernal is from the late Latin word "infernus" meaning hell. Merriam - Webster defines it as this: "of or relating to a nether world of the dead. of or relating to hell. damnable"
So, basically what the name HIM means is this: Satan (infernal) is a glorified and high above spiritual being and they want to be sold out to him...

Now, all I did was take the name of the band and the meaning of the symbol and break it down. So, there ya go... that's what your kids/grandkids are probably wearing or wanting right now...

We have to step in and make a stand against things like this. It's not all innocent things that they want. They may not know the meaning behind all of it or anything, but there is a dark, spiritual, satanic meaning behind the symbol.

Just hope this helps with current culture!

Renew

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged. SO WHAT!? Just kidding...

So I was reading Romans 12 as part of our New Thru 30 Bible Study the other day, and something jumped out at me. I've read this chapter several times, but as I was reading this group of scriptures jumped off the page, punched me in the face a couple of times, and then sunk deep into my heart.

Here they are:
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do no be conformed to this word but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Here's the deal with this scripture. When we come to Christ we are to understand that it is a MINDSET change that must take place, which in turn changes our lives. SO, our HEART is cleansed, our MINDS are transformed, and our LIVES are to reflect that? People...living for God IS a works thing, and not just a heart thing! When your heart is TRULY changed your LIFE will reflect that change.
Just like when I get kicked in the shin... my FACE reflects what I'm feeling! My LIFE should reflect what I'm experiencing on the inside. But, HOW?

Paul explains that as well, in verses 4-6
"For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are on body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly."

What? We are to REFLECT what is going on inside of us by this: LOVING EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF GIFTS/QUIRKS/AGGRAVATIONS! We are to love and support one another. We are to be of the same mind. The reason our MIND is to transform after our HEART is cleansed is to be on the same level with Christ. But, if we are all transforming our minds to be on the same level with Christ, then we are all consequently on the same level with each other! SO WHERE IS ALL THE FRUSTRATION, ARGUING, and DISAGREEMENT in the church coming from? NO TRANSFORMATION! We aren't transforming our minds, we are simply judging others. And verse 3 says clearly

"...not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement..."

WE have a RESPONSIBILITY to TRANSFORM our HEARTS so we can SHAPE our LIVES in order to reflect the MIND of Christ! And we can't understand the mind of Christ until we focus and are overcome with the Holy Spirit, whom God sent after Christ ascended. (1 Corinthians)

Verses 9-10 "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor."

THIS IS THE WILL OF THE FATHER THAT IS GOOD, PLEASING, AND PERFECT!
So, we look for the will of God in our lives, and He does have specific actions, careers, and mates that we should choose, but it's really not that simple. God's SIMPLE, PLEASING, GOOD, and PERFECT will is this: LOVE EACH OTHER and SHOW IT!
We can't care about what's going on in their love life until we care about what's going on in their heart. I can't tell them how to date if I can't tell them how to love God!
I'm tired of seeing Christians search for the Will of God, more than they search for an opportunity to share Christ. The Will of God is to SHARE CHRIST while LOVING EACH OTHER! Simple as that!
My life should be shaped, by the transforming of my mind, which is reflecting the experience of my heart!
I'm ready to enter into a whole new level of dedication to the will of God, I hope I'm not alone...am I?

(if you're from Ebenezer, you may be hearing this again. haha)