Just Singing in Church - by David Brollier

I'm 58, so it may not come as a shock that I like the old hymns of the church. Let me give you some biographical background and some comments about worship services as I've seen them change over the years, and how it has affected those in the church and those in society.

Growing up we had hymnals, for you young people these are books with the songs written in them. We didn't have Power Point Presentations. We didn't have lighting affects. Depending on the congregation we had people in an orchestra who helped with the music. We didn't have professionally sounding music groups to lead the worship. Then again we didn't care, because we came to worship God.

The songs we sang were frequently over 100 years old, some much more so. We remembered to focus our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our Faith as we sang The Old Rugged Cross. We were comforted in times or hardship or loneliness as we sang What a Friend We Have in Jesus. We wept before the Lord as He wrapped His arms around us as we sang It Is Well (with my soul). Yes, the songs were old, but they were still coming from our hearts. My dad used to sing His Eye Is on the Sparrow as one of his favorite soloist numbers. One of mine has always been In the Garden. There's a line in that particular song that I love so much I would try to get the pianist to stop playing so the impact would be greater. It goes like this, "He speaks, and the sound of His voice, is so sweet the birds stopped their singing."

I'm not saying there aren't any good new songs. There are. I've come to know a few. When I was going to college there was a change in our music as a revival spread across the United States. People, some of you may classify me with them, would put down the new sound as being demonic or at least bad. Really, I'm not saying that, although if you have to leave the place where the music is being played because the music is so loud it literally is making you nauseous I think there needs to be some serious checking up. But see, I went to college in the early 70s and I bet most kids today can't recall a single song any of those bands sang back then. This isn't saying those songs were bad, but they were for a time, not for eternity. Somehow the Holy Spirit inspired many (not all mind you) of the hymns so they would span centuries and touch the hearts of people as if they were written this morning. They always seem fresh and new, even if they do include some "thees and thous".

I have a great friend in Barry McGuire. He sings from his heart. The first time I heard him he sang "It's a Happy Day" on a day that it was raining, but he meant every word of that song. Yet few people remember him for anything other than his hit Eve of Destruction. How tragic. Groups like Danny Taylor and the Children of Truth, Solid Rock, Maranatha Band, Love Song, Petra, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Micky and Becky, and many, many more are unknown to today's youth and they were the "contemporary Christian music giants" of their day.

So, here is what I have witnessed. There is, and has always been, a need for songs that are a bit lively, that speak to the current generation, but they will soon be forgotten as other groups are formed and other generations grow up. At the same time there has always been the need for the old hymns. You can't get much more basic than "On Christ the solid Rock I stand" when speaking about living a victorious Christian life. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God reminds me of Psalm 91. In other words there needs to be a balance. We, as a body of believers, need to stop playing games and focus on the Lord.

What exactly does that mean? Well, focus on the Lord and find out. If a false balance is an abomination to the Lord then how can you sing contemporary worship songs over and over (to the point they must make God sick)? How can you justify ONLY singing contemporary songs and not singing hymns. God, who never changes, nor does His Word, has said a false balance is an abomination to Him. This also means that those who only sing hymns and don't let the newer songs to be sung as well are as guilty as those who sing only contemporary songs and never hymns.

How do we maintain this balance? How do we worship God in our churches in a way that pleases Him? Jesus said, "He that worships the Father must worship in spirit and in truth." So I guess it's a matter of what your attitude is. The new songs have a way of giving us a new insight into some old truths, and this is good. Yet the old songs have a way of giving us in insight into the unchangeable faithfulness of God and His love. Both are needed.

In a recent conversation with my cousin he related something rather interesting. Working with the 2nd Chapter of Acts he spoke with them and learned that during a recording session of their hymns album Annie Herring broke down and cried during the first song. I forget what the name of the song was, but it was an old hymn of the church. Through her tears she looked up and said something like, "This is so beautiful. Who wrote this?" She didn't realize it had been written a hundred years ago. As she was broken by the Lord the Holy Spirit filled that studio and worked out a miracle. Known for their fast-paced, but heart-felt music, the 2nd Chapter of Acts, by the power of the Holy Spirit, turned out a specially anointed album of the old hymns. I wonder how many other Christian artists have also been moved by these old hymns, even if it means writing something more contemporary (in their mind) that comes from their heart.

We, as a Body of Christ, should embrace all music that glorifies the Lord. Let's forget about how many instruments are playing or whether we are using overheads, flatscreen TVs or hymnals and focus on the Lord of Glory. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. We aren't. Our music isn't. So let us stop slapping a bunch of garbage on top of the music we have, old or new, and worship our Heavenly Father in spirit and in truth, and as we do, don't be surprised if something in that song reaches down and touches your heart, bringing you to teaches, drawing you closer to Him. For He said that if we would draw closer to Him He would draw closer to us. Now that's something to sing about. (Do I hear Nearer My God to Thee being sung?)

When God Isn't First in our Lives

What happens when we keep God out of our dealings, when unrighteousness becomes so prevalent? This nation was once founded on God. We received the blessings of God in so many wonderful ways. God raised us up so that we were the greatest nation on earth. Somewhere along the way we decided we were responsible for our own greatness and pushed God away. We cut Him out of our schools, our sciences, harrass those who believe in God, and then...then we find things going wrong in all areas of our life. Do you think our financial mess is just some bad investments? No. We are reaping our own reward. Below is an email I received that shows how even ungodly nations can act more righteously that we are. When are we going to realize that we need to turn back to God, to repent of our sins and allow Him to heal our Land? I hope and pray we will do so and soon.


- IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.
- IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.
- IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.
- IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.
- IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.
- IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.
- IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.
- IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET................................
1 - A JOB,
2 - A DRIVERS LICENSE,
3 - SOCIAL SECURITY CARD,
4 - WELFARE,
5 - FOOD STAMPS,
6 - CREDIT CARDS,
7 - SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,
8 - FREE EDUCATION,
9 - FREE HEALTH CARE,
10 - A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON,
11 - BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE,
12 - AND THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG WHILE YOU PROTEST THAT YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH RESPECT. (AND THIS IS JUST THE SHORT LIST!!)


Remember, this is just one issue that has been affected. We have terrorist coming in illegally and being given rights that you and I work to get, only they get them freely, including the right to ridicule us. Isn't this backwards? Think about it. Then pray and ask God to give our nation's leaders wisdom to get us back on His track.

Walking the Long Road, by David Brollier

Right around New Years Eve 2002, I wrote a song called "One Step at a Time". The chorus goes like this:

One step at a time, I keep on walking.
One step at a time, the road is long,
but I keep on walking,
One step at a time,
and it won't be long, til I find my way home.

While God is interested in how faithful we are each day, He is more interested in the attitude of our heart. He knows we are going to stumble and fall along the way, but the important thing is that we get back up and keep going. The important thing is to surrender to the victory that is already ours in Jesus Christ. The important thing is to endure until the end, not the foul ups we make along the way. I am not opposing being faithful or obedient, they are what pleases God, but when we are disobedient, He wants to see how we handle this when it is brought to our attention. Are we going to repent and get back in the race, or are we going to sit on our backsides and moan and groan over our failure? The road is long for a reason. God needs that time to make us complete in the image of Jesus Christ. How we respond to this long road determines how effect we will be for Him and sometimes even how long the road is. He loves us so much that disobedient children may have a very long road so that we might, at last, shine with the brightness of His Son.

The 3rd Covenant, by David Brollier, now only $5.99

Isn't life funny? When my book was published in 2006 the suggested retail price was set at $24.95. At their site, however, the price was $19,95. Then a couple of weeks ago they lowered all books to $7.99. Now I don't know if this is signalling the end for Publish America, but if you want to purchase THE 3RD COVENANT, now is the best time, because they've dropped it down even lower to $5.99. Read below and use the link to go to the site and purchase the book.

Dear Author:

Email your readers, tell your fans, call your friends! This weekend only.

All books at PublishAmerica are priced down to

$5.99.

No coupons, no minimum purchase volumes. Just $5.99 for any book, in any quantity.

Want some copies of your own book on hand? This is your day!

Check it out at www.publishamerica.net. Hardcovers and fullcolor books excluded.

Happy Easter!

PublishAmerica Author Support Team

Politics and God

I'm not going to get real heavy into this, and I'm not going to pick a particular political party to stand behind. I want to get some things straight, things that have been heavy on my mind.

Politics is a way of taking control away from the people, much the same way religion turns something Godly into something rather deadly. The Constitution of the United States begins with these 3 words, "We the People". That doesn't mean those people in Washington, it means you and me. It means WE, all of us. Now let us consider the following:

Our political system exists because God allows it to, not because He necessarily endorses it.

We should never replace God with government, because terrible things happen, as we can all attest to these days.

There is only one party that is right and that is the party that is doing what God's Will declares, and I haven't seen a campaign button for that party yet.

Stop putting down the president and start praying for him and for all government officials. Don't you realize that God has placed ALL authorities over you? If some authority is doing wrong and your life is not at peace that can only mean one thing, you haven't been praying for them. So when you point your finger at President Obama, just remember, you're singling yourself out as the one who is really to blame.

Government is supposed to be "of the people, by the people, and for the people" (Lincoln's Gettysburg Address). They are to represent us, the "we the people" and as such are OUR servants in governing. A cursory look at the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments to our constitution) prove this to be true. Over time we have gone from a nation that reveres God and works to get the things we need to a nation that feels like the government owes us, and we have no more room for God. So God in His infinite wisdom has sent us into a kind of exile. He has given us leaders who will drive us back to Him or we will cease to be a nation.

Various political parties are needed. No single party has all the answers nor should be allowed to run the show. No single party has the right to attack another party. One of the biggest reasons we are going backwards faster than a squirrel that got knocked into the Niagara and gone over the falls is that our party system is so busy fighting itself it has no time to address the needs of this nation. There needs to be diversity, yes, but within that diversity there must be unity.

Lastly, our King is God, not the president or anyone else. If we deny Him His place in our social structure He will deny us the blessings He wishes to give us. More than that we can expect to come under His wrath.

So the question is, dear pilgrim, where are you going to go from here? Are you going to accept God as your King, move to unite this nation, pray for it's leaders, and for yourself, or are you going to follow the other critters as they run off the cliff into the abyss? The choice is yours.

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." (2nd Chronicles 7:14)

Unity in the Vine

In John 15 Jesus tells us that He is the Vine and we are the branches. Most of us glance over this text as one of those nice little stories Jesus told when He was on earth. There is so much in this portion of Scripture it's incredible, but let's go back to how God got ahold of me and pointed me in this direction.

One night when I couldn't sleep God showed me a tree. All the branches had been cut off and lay at the base of the tree. Although the tree itself was strong, the branches were going to whither and die. Then I heard the Lord say, "This is My church. Unless they be grafted back into My Son they will be cast out." Not only was this a strong message to my spirit, but I noticed that there was not a single branch on the tree. This concerned me, because although I may not be properly grafted into Jesus I was sure that someone was. So I asked God why all the branches were cut off. God spoke clearly to me, "This is so that NO ONE can say this message is not for THEM."

Get the picture? No? Okay, now look at John 15:1-8. If we replace Vine for Tree in my vision we come up with THE SAME EXACT PICTURE. The same thing Jesus was telling His disciples He is telling us today. The really terrible thing is that we are so convinced that this has to do with someone else that we gloss over it and don't get the message at all. In Philippians 2:12 we read, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. " Don't be worrying about the other guy or gal. Start worrying about your own salvation. Get serious with God. Secure yourself in Jesus, or you WILL be cast out. I didn't say that, Jesus did. I'm not making things up here, but just repeating what our Lord has already taught us.

So what does all this have to do with Unity in Christ? In John 15:2,4,5 and 7 Jesus makes it clear that He is the one who gives life to the branch and fruit for the harvest. We are just branches. As branches I want you to think, have you ever seen 2 or more branches that were identical? Then why are we so bent on getting people to conform to our idea of what being a Christian means? Why are we telling people what they can and cannot wear, what the can and cannot do? Sure there are some things that are wrong, Biblically wrong, but do we have the right to enforce a certain set of rules or laws on others? Remember, we are just branches, Jesus is the Vine, and the Father is the Husbandman of the vineyard. When we go to church we say we are going to God's house. If it is HIS HOUSE, then how come we demand that people follow OUR RULES. I don't know what kind of home you had growing up, but in my home my parents made the house rules. If my dad said something it was law in the home. My brother could say anything he wanted and I could accept or reject it as I saw fit, but I could not do so with what my father laid out for us. I could not reject his rules. Neither can we reject our Father's "house rules", nor can we impose on one another our own rules.

I had a friend who had some grape vines. I can tell you this, every branch was different. Some bore fruit, and never the same amount, never all arranged the same, never even in the same way. Some branches seemed to have just leaves and tendrils that lashed the vine to the lattice. These also were different, not just from the fruit bearing branches, but from one another. And yet the whole vine worked together. Tendrils held the vine close to the lattice and helped the branches with leaves to be in a better position to receive light. The branches with leaves provided shade for the grapes on the fruit bearing branches and would follow the sun throughout the day. Above they soaked up the light of the sun, below they protected the grapes from the intense heat. What we are, in Christ, are branches in Him, the True Vine. Not one of us is exactly like any other, and yet we are all to function so that the Vine produces fruit. Reading beyond verse 8 we find Jesus talking about a law of love. If His love is not pouring through you then you better check your connection with Him. If you are finding fault with others then perhaps you better look into the Word of God and let Him show you what YOU look like, and how YOU should change.

If we want to be One in Christ, as Jesus prayed (John 17) then we must learn to love as He loves. He put you and me before Himself and went to the cross. You and I have the tendency to get upset when someone cuts us off in traffic. That is NOT Christ-like, is it? God has called you to be a branch in His Vine, but He never calls anyone to be like anyone else. So accept one another as God has made us as we are. Then let the love of God pour through His Vine and up into us. For only in doing so can we produce fruit. If we are not producing fruit for God then we are not letting His love flow through us. We are cut off from the Vine. If that is the case we have more to fear than the long-haired kid with tattoos that tried to get in the church door. (The nerve of him). Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost. So if you get to thinking that someone isn't quite up to par for your little group of Christians then chances are your little group of Christians don't even know who God is. "Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for GOD IS LOVE." (1st John 4:7,8)

CHRISTIAN VAMPIRE NOVELS?

There's a lot of chatter about whether or not there should be Christian vampire novels on the market. I hope to clarify some terms, opinions and ideas and hopefully break the yoke of religion in the process, for Christianity is NOT a religion, it is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

First, a Christian vampire novel need not have the Christian BE a vampire. Rather it would be better to show how a vampire becomes a Christian. We get glimpses of this in Sue Dent's novels, Never Ceese and Forever Richard. Her approach, however is not the way I would do it because she resurrects traditional vampires, puts them on basically the same playing field as Stephenie Meyer, and runs with the story.

So what then is the proper way of treating vampires in a Christian novel? You know, I'm glad you asked. The Bible says that when Adam sinned he died, and after him every person born came under that same curse of death. (Rom. 5:12) In a very real sense, humans are the living dead, to borrow a phrase. They are vampires, feasting on their desires that come from a fallen nature, which bring them closer and closer to judgment. If all of us were born as vampires it's pretty evident that we don't have fangs and drink people's blood (at least most of us don't). There are vampire cults that have grown out of the occult and the fantasy understanding of what vampires are, but these vampire cults are made up of people who are sinful people, same as you and me. They have no special powers or abilities, though they might claim to. Their only reality is that they are dead to God, and therefore dead to themselves.

Vampires and Light. In most vampire movies you see the vampires coming out at night because they fear light, specifically daylight. It kills them, which when you think of it is a ridiculous statement for even a vampire to make. I mean, if you were someone who was one of the living dead, if in order to survive, to continue in this state of immortality, even though you were cursed both by God and by your own conscience, wouldn't you rather put an end to it rather than live on for centuries hating yourself, hating humanity, hating and fearing light? Why not just step into the light and be done with it? The Gospel calls to each of us to do this very thing. We are not only the living dead, but creatures of the night. We do things in secret because we don't want anyone to know about them. Coming into the light would mean telling God all about this, which He already knows, and confessing these things as wrong, as hurtful, as desires that preyed, many times, on other people (for that is the way of the vampire). So many people fail to come into the light. They think that by avoiding it they will somehow avoid judgment, but this is not true. One day they will, against their will, be brought to stand before the One who is the essence of all light and truth, the Creator, Savior and Judge of all. What can we do? What can a vampire do? Step into His Light. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (John 12:24) In other words, if we want to live we first have to die.

What? I can hear the collective gasp. "We have to die if we are to live?" That's correct. Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John 3:3) Why did He say that? Because we are dead. If physically we die while we are spiritually dead, then we will be dead forever, and not in a wandering around the world kind of sense, but in a Hell is home kind of sense. Jesus also said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mat. 16:24) We look at these words and say, "Yes, Jesus I will follow you," and take little thought at what Jesus was saying. He wasn't simply talking about taking up a burden and doing good. Jesus was comparing things. He took up the cross, carried it to Golgotha, and there died that we might live. This is what Jesus was talking about. We are, in the same way, to take our cross and follow Him into death, that we might find life. Jesus died that we might live. We die so that He might live through us. So yes, we must die, that is if we really want to live.

Vampires and the cross. Another thing about vampires, traditionally that is, is that they are afraid of the cross. I'm sure you've all seen the movies where some priest holds a silver cross in front of him to ward off a vampire. Well that, as they say, is Hollywood. Vampires, however do fear the cross, because there is power there that they cannot compete with. When Jesus died upon the cross He descended into Hell, acquired the keys of Death, Hell, and the Grave. For three days He preached to those held captive by death, and rose on the third day. The death of Jesus marks payment for the curse that made us vampires in the first place, but our evil nature desires the things of the flesh. So we frequently turn away from the cross. It annoys us, because it reminds us of our faults, of who we truly are, but at the same time we are attracted to it, first out of morbid curiosity sometimes. On some level we all seem to love blood, and even violence to a degree, although I'm sure many of you will disagree on this point. However, there is something else about the cross that draws us. It symbolizes a power that is God's alone, to triumph over death by dying and rising again. This is not merely the power of an immortal, such as some vampires are portrayed, but the power of the Almighty. It frightens us and draws us. When we surrender, come into the light, then the power of the cross becomes ours, not just for the forgiveness of sin, but for healing, for victory over temptation, for victory against the attacks of Satan and his demons, even for prosperity in our spirit, in our soul and even in our body. Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)

Vampires and mirrors. We probably all spend too much time in front of a mirror, making sure the hair is just so, that make up is applied properly, that tears have been dried before facing people. Whatever the reason mirrors reflect what we look like, or do they? If we are dead, the living dead that is, then we only get a reflection of that corpse we walk around in. We do not see ourselves. Mirrors are useless to vampires, for they do not reflect their image. However, vampires and others find their reflections in the actions of others. Bullies and other people who point fingers and talk badly about others are really just talking about the bad that is in them. It is one of our major flaws to find the bad in others, and the reason is because we are well acquainted with this, for it is who we are. The Bible talks about another mirror, a couple actually. Jesus is the mirror that we look at to remind ourselves who we are in Christ in God. Vampires, that is those who have not come into the light, died and come into true life, cannot do that. They do not have access to Jesus. So all they ever see is the bad. The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians saying, "But now we see through a glass (mirror) darkly, but then face to face." (1st Cor. 13:12) We are promised that in the end we will no longer look at Jesus as simply a mirror, but as our elder brother sitting next to us on the Father's throne.

There are other things about the vampire stories that I haven't touched upon, but these are some of the main ones. I would dearly like to see a romance novel about a person who realizes that they are a vampire, struggle in their decision to come into the light and die that they might live. One where they finally see Jesus as they read His Word, but more importantly, one in which others see Jesus in as they go about their daily tasks. This is a vampire novel worth writing, worth reading and worth telling others about. If you know of such a novel please tell me about it. I will be most gracious to find one. This is the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some will argue, and I've seen it already, that doing this is unChristian, an insult to Jesus, blasphemy. Yet, in reality, those people are bound by a religious spirit. They do not know how to worship God if Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24) I am not saying we should tell a horror story about someone with fantastic strength, who lives a long life by drinking the blood of others. I am merely suggesting that since they are referred to as "the living dead" we ought to recognize that we also were once dead in our sins, but thanks be to God, through Jesus we have been made alive and placed within Him, just as surely as He is within us. It is not the story of vampires, but the story of the saving grace of Jesus Christ that is offered unto anyone who would only receive it.