Modern Day Prodigal Son

So guess what? Country music has inspired me again and this time by total accident.

Before I get into my thoughts I have to tell you a story.....well two stories. First a parable....

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Now my story....

A few days ago a friend of mine saw Brantley Gilbert in San Antonio and sent me a video of him singing. I don't know why but it got me thinking that I didn't have any music of his on my Spotify channel. So away I went to add some of my future husbands music to my playlist. Usually I just had 4 or 5 of their top songs to the playlist but something different happened on this day. I decided to scroll though his work and add song titles I found interesting. Of these songs one of them was A Modern Day Prodigal Son. Why did I add this one? I loved it because it is about one of my all time favorite biblical stories.

So here is the song please listen closely and and lyrics are in the video....

This song got me thinking.....what is your modern day prodigal story? What part did you play? Where you the one to return, the brother that was jealous, or the loving father that welcomed the son home? 

Part of the reason I love this story is one, because I learned I am not the only one in the family that loves it and two, everytime I hear it something changes for me. Me role changes, my ideas change, my feelings change, something changes. 

Everyone turns away from something at some point in their lives. I have turned away from the church, from my faith, and occasionally from my friends. Those moments were some of the hardest I have ever had to go through but they taught me something. When you turn back and return the love and celebration that occurs is crazy. For instance, when I returned to a church after not going for a while, they welcomed me with open arms and loving hearts. They have been my home for the last year because I am one of the lost sheep that returned home. It is those moments that I feel like the son that has returned. But really everyone has been that brother. It is easy to see what that brother has gone through. 

What about the father? What was he going through? I mean he technically lost a son. As I type this I think of another song that comes to mind. Listen to this song.....and yes it is country again. Sorry 

That is a dad that lost everything. And yet he never gave up. He waited.....and can you imagine that joy and celebration this Dad had when his daughter returned. He never gave up on her, never gave up hope. It makes me think that maybe the father in the Prodigal Son never gave up. He hoped and prayed that his son would return. Upon seeing his son again the joy that overtook him was unimaginable. He celebrated with the fattest calf. His message was answered and his son returned. 

So what do you think? What does the prodigal con mean to you? And really there is no right or wrong answer. This story can mean so many things. It all depends on what is going on when you hear it. And that is what is so amazing about this story. It can shift and form to be whatever God needs it to be and when it changes it will hit us in an amazing and forceful way. 

And that right there is one reason I love the bible. It is a true living, breathing, piece of work. While the words never change it is constantly shifting in meaning and ideas for each and every one of us. What I hear might not be exactly what you hear. What hits my soul might not even touch yours. And isn't that just amazing! The Bible never gets old.....it is a timeless piece of work. 

The word is alive and this story, this Prodigal son and Modern Day Prodigal Son proves that. It is a timeless piece that will constantly alter how we look at this world. 

So sorry for all the country but I hope you take it all to heart. 

Love you all and God Bless! 

Batman

Okay so I know I posted about superheroes a while back.....but I am wanting to add to it.

In my blog, for those of you that didn't see, I posed the question, who is your favorite superhero? I wanted to show how Jesus is the ultimate superhero, the ultimate sacrifice. But something came up the other day that got me thinking.

In the car the other day I was listening to a country artist state that for some music comes easy, those are the Supermans, for others it takes time, dedication, and effort....those are the Batmans, the ones that choose to be the superheroes.

And that is when the thinking started......are we as Christians not the Batmans of the church. Think about it, Jesus was born to save, born to be the hero, Jesus is Superman. But we, we are born to choose. We have to choose whether to step up and be the hero and show what sacrifice and dedication are or we can sit back and watch from a distance.

For those of you that don't know the story, Batman wasn't born to be a hero. Bruce Wayne, an orphan who's parents were killed in a robbery, was raised by the butler. He then went off and in the mountains of a foreign country he learned how to fight and be stealthy and everything it took to be Batman. That was when he returned to Gotham to save the people of the evil ways and become the hero the city needed. Bruce Wayne did what no one else could, he saved a city from it's own death and destruction.

Okay Courtney, so how does this relate to Christians and our walk with Christ. Well simple, be Batman. Take the steps to be more then just someone on the sideline. And no it won't come easy, but I can promise it will come. Like Batman, we have to learn how to be dedicated, how to be stealthy at times, how to help from the shadows, and how to be that light in the darkness. Jesus can't be the only hero, well we could. But like Superman it is sometimes nice to have back up from those that weren't born heroes, from those that choose the destiny for themselves.

So be Batman, be the superhero the world needs now, as we wait for the one that will help us soon. Be the Batman in the world and choose what to do.

In Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy there are many quotes that can be applied to our lives as Christians. Don't believe me let me show you.

Batman Begins:

At one point in the movie Bruce Wayne is talking to Ra's Al Ghul who states " You cannot lead these men unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to defeat evil." We must be willing to face anything that comes our way in order to achieve what is needed to be done in this world. There will be obstacles but we have to be able to move them. Another aspect of the movie is the rebirth of Bruce Wayne into Batman. Bruce "died," and while everyone close to him that he really had died he was really being transformed and reborn in to Batman, the "Savior" that Gotham needed. Now I am not saying we have to be Saviors because we can't but I am saying that we can be a fighting force in our own communities, we just have to "kill" off the parts that are stopping us. Before Al Ghul turns evil, he kind of becomes Bruce's priest, helping him obtain the skills that is needed to be a disciple, obtaining the skills needed to help Gotham. Just look at the clip below, without Al Ghul, there would be no Batman. Without our guide there would be no one to help lead us.

The Dark Knight: 

There are too many quotes for this one, but the whole story line proves what I am trying to say. In the movie Batman works to pass on the heroism to Harvey Dent, he believe that in order for Gotham to be saved he must have the people want to save it and Harvey Dent can do that. Isn't that what we as Christians are supposed to do? Yes we should also work and strive to create a better world but we should also want to pass the torch onto others so that it can continue. We must spread the news and works of Jesus Christ in order to obtain more disciples of Christ. In the following clip, Dent is dead and Batman understands that Dent needs to be the Hero not Batman so he sacrifices for the better of Gotham, he sacrifices his life for Gotham. 

The Dark Knight Rises: 

This one is a little harder but I think I can do it. This one more represents how we won't always have the perfect life with Christ, but if we work hard and strive to be better, we become stronger in Him. In the Dark Knight Rises, Batman does just this. Bane breaks Batman down and sends him to the pit. A prison in which the only way out is to climb out. Batman works hard to become stronger and better while in the pit. On his first attempt out he fails. But on his second attempt he realizes that the harness is limiting him, so he climbs out without it. He faces life or death in order to escape the hole that he is in. He must trust his work and strength and the strength of those around him to get out. We must do the same. WE might stumble and fall but with trust and faith in Christ no hole is big enough to keep us in.....sometimes we just have to take off the harness. Here is the clip from the movie see for yourself.....

So Rise! Bruce did!!!! 

We must be Batman, we must learn to adapt to anything to comes our way. We must sacrifice to help others. Jesus is Superman, let's be his Batman, let's help to form the Justice League. What do I mean by that. We must work with Jesus Christ in order to help the greater good. We must work together with Superman to be the best Batman we can be. We have to take our ideals and hopes and fight for them, no matter what. 

So there you have it. So my final question is this.....Do you want to be the Batman for the Christian world? 

God Bless!!!! 

The Most Common Language

Wow I am so sorry I haven't posted. I have been crazy busy with school and homecoming and I finally have a chance to sit down and write some more.

Okay so start off by watching this quick video. 

So this video means so much to me for two reasons, a) I love Bobby McFerrin and b) This proves something I have thought all along. And that is that music is the most common language that the whole world shares and because of that it links us in a very unique way. Think about it, during this video were you not resisting the urge to sing along even though you didn't know the answer. 

Music for me is life, it always has been and always will be. Music speaks to the soul for me and if creates a sense of calm for me. But what does this have to do with my journey with Christ. Well a lot actually. In church I love singing and making music for Christ. I feel everytime I sing or play djembe that I am one moment closer to Christ and the feelings that surround me complete this feeling. When I am lost or confused I listen to music to find my way, and I know I can't be the only one. 

Who out there has ever been in a car and turned on the radio to just sit and listen to what was on. Who ever just wanted to be alone so they put on headphones and just listened to what was on their CD or MP3 player. 

Music is a way to reach the heart and the soul. There is something out there for everyone and it is a great way to hear God's message.....and no it doesn't have to be just Christian music. It can be rock, or country, or pop, anything! Just look through my blog, I have had Country artists, I have had current pop artists on here, and I have much more to go. The message is everywhere and in every genre, is that not anything short of AMAZING?!?!  We all listen to different types of music so the fact that we can all listen to the music we enjoy and still be able to hear God's message is just awesome! 

Music has the ability to make one laugh, or cry, or happy, or dance, really music has the ability to do anything. Watching Pitch Perfect the other day one of the characters wants to write scores for movies because he states that music can set the mood and make the movie even greater. Think about that, it isn't the words or the acting (well okay maybe a little bit), but it is the music that helps set the mood. That is because music connects to the heart and the soul. It has the ability to tug on the heart strings. 

I love the sign above because it is so true. God is the DJ, he is in charge of the rhythm that is life. He can speed things up or slow things down as needed. He knows when to play the right songs. For example: some of yall might know how crazy school became for me last semester and the pain and worry I went through at the end of the semester. Well, one day as I was driving worrying about when I was going to graduate or what classes to take I rolled down my windows and turned up my radio. The station that was one was playing "Just Breath" by Faith Hill, well I didn't want to hear that at the time so I switched the channel.....well God had another plan on the new station "This is only a Mountain" was playing. That was God right there. I was worrying and panicking and here he was telling me it was okay and that I will make it through this minor bump in the road. 

Music is the most common language in the word. It is a language that can speak to the soul and speak to the heart. It is a way to get closer to Christ and is a way to hear his message. So here is my challenge to you.....listen to music closely and tell me what does your heart hear that your ears don't. Listen and really take in what is going on. I can promise that things will drastically change in a good way. 

God Bless! 

Courtney