All Down In Me

Psalm 57:7
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and give praise.

Real....
Uncovered....
Laid bare.....
This is the power and reality when you encounter the real-deal God.
This is the place I want to live....
This is where I want my mail delivered.

There is a reality that takes place whenever we gather together on Saturday night. This reality is the very understanding of who is at the center of our meeting. Jesus. It doesn't matter who comes through the door to be there on Saturday night....this reality affects everyone. Me, the worship leader, the core leadership of VRC, or first-timers who have never attended.

First off...
It's no secret why we meet....
Recovery.
There is kind of a blank space at the end of the word recovery. In fact there are two blank spaces. It should actually be Recovery from _____. Insert whatever it is that has taken on your life, and is actually dictating your movement, invading your thoughts, and has you under its thumb. It could be drugs.......it might be alcohol......it could be sex or gambling....it could be religion (you know..the kind that acknowledges God, but denies the power that could free them). The list is endless, but the promise of freedom from Christ can break whatever chains are holding you in place.

The word "recovery" seems to have gotten a bad rap, especially from the church. There has been a tendency to look down on people who are in recovery. The "Poor Unfortunates". Truth be known, traditional church really doesn't know what to do with them. The church wants to help, but for the most part doesn't know how to address the problem. SO they create a church for those in recovery. Trouble it, it looks like most Sunday morning services. This is where I differ.

As John Wimber use to say..."Just because you like fishing with minnows doesn't mean that the fish will bite. Sometimes you've got to change bait in order to catch fish." Translated: Just because you do church (Or have a model that speaks to you) doesn't mean others will come to it. This was one of the bit things that I first realized when I started putting together a service for those in addiction. It had to be different in that it had to appeal and speak to the hearts of those who attended. So I set out to create a place that had all the dynamics of church, but not the appearance or the language that one might encounter in other churches. Now before I go any farther, let me say that this is not a shot at mainline Sunday morning church. They occupy a much needed place in our community. It's just that you can't take that model and expect to reach some of those in addiction or who have started their journey in recovery.

Being a by-product of the 50's and 60's, I have a love of the music of that era...especially the blues. This particular style of music has an appeal that crosses every ethnic group. It has a universal draw or appeal that especially touches the hearts of those who are in pain. In the natural, when someone sings the blues, it is merely a heart cry of pain or loss. When we play such music on Saturday night, it is a heart cry directed to God that He would come and save us and heal us. The true heart of addiction is the realization that we are the architect of the destruction we live in. No matter how hard we try, we cannot overcome the power of the craving or the desire. Having this knowledge, we encounter a power greater than ourselves who could restore us to sanity. We were incapable of making sound decisions (that's insanity), but Christ in our lives gives us the ability to choose wisely.

God has called me to be His voice of reason.
To take His word and share the hope found within.
Hopelessness is another by-product of addiction.
To boil the message down to the simplest of forms and speak the promises that God will provide to those who turn will and life over to His care.
What's the message?
Simple...
"You no longer have to live the way you have been living."
There is a POWER greater than any of us who not only has the ability to give us a new way to live, but longs to do so.
So we gather every Saturday night to see what God will do next.
He does not disappoint.
Thanks for letting me share this morning...

God on you...
michael b.