If Jesus Is My Song, Why Am I So Out Of Tune?

If Jesus Is My Song, Why Am I So Out of Tune

(A Search For Balance)

Mike Harris

Smashwords Edition

Disclaimer and Copyright

The information contained in this book is for informational purposes only. Any suggestions that I give are my own opinions based on personal research and experience. Although I choose not to live in fear, we still live in the land of legal ramifications. As such, be forewarned to seek the advice of a professional before acting on anything I have published.

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And now on with the show….

Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Mike Harris.

mailto:mike@surfandskidawg.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE

AWARE AND A DARE

BLISTER AND THE BRAIN

CHARITY AND MASTERY

DIVERS AND SKIMMERS

EGO AND E-NOT-SO-GO

FEELINGS AND FAITH

GROOVED AND SMOOTHED

HURRY UP AND WAIT

IN-TENSE AND PRE-TENSE

JEWELS AND JEWEL THIEVES

KNAPPY AND HAPPY

LISTEN AND ENLIGHTEN

MEEKED AND MIGHTY

NAUGHTY AND NICE

OPENED AND CLOSED

PASSION AND PURITY

QUIET AND RIOT

ROUGH AND TOUCHED

STILLED AND THRILLED

TO PROVE AND NOT REPROVE

U AND ME

VALUE AND DAZZLE-YOU

WELL-BEING AND WANNA-BEING

X-D OUT AND BLENDED IN

YIELDED AND SHIELDED

ZEAL AND REAL

EPILOGUE

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever heard a quartet of singers whose voices blended so perfectly that you couldn’t tell which performer was singing what part? Four strong independents, each very capable of carrying their own tune, yet each choosing to sacrifice the starring role for a greater purpose: harmony. Or perhaps there were four, none of which could confidently stand on their own, but when combined with the supportive voices of three others, there emanated a harmonious sound so magnificently balanced that none of the individual weaknesses were noticed.

This kind of balance—the cooperative yielding of personalities, talents, goals and roles, so as to produce a whole greater than its parts—does not come naturally. Christian or not, it must be learned.

So if Jesus is our song, why do we get so out of tune?

First of all, it’s not the song. A song can be perfectly written, yet still it is perceived to be only as good as its delivery. An efficacious delivery of a perfect song is dependent upon the harmonious blending of many smaller parts (words, notes, rhythms and the like) to be fine-tuned individually and then cooperatively meshed into the larger whole. Balance is everything.

Perhaps like a song sung out of tune, our personal lives get out of balance too. Like the naive and untrained performer who sings too loudly and off key, and then wonders why there isn’t an encore, we, too, often haven’t a clue as to how unbalanced our life is. We just stand on stage and wonder why people are yawning. Sadly another Perfect Song goes unnoticed.

Balance, that subtle but oh-so-necessary ingredient for success. Whether it be singing a song, swinging a golf club, surfing a wave, motivating a child, or disarming the contempt of a fast-food world, knowing where to draw the fine lines between the good and the not-so-good is an everyday challenge. For example, last week were you bold or prideful? Humble or timid? Cautious or fearful? Faithful or foolhardy? So many fine lines. So easy to fool ourselves. No wonder they’re yawning.

Sometimes while gutting out my twenty-minute ritual on the exercise bike, I like to pretend that I’m the lead singer and songwriter for my own rock and roll band. This imagining, coupled with an earful of tunes, helps to drown out the constant complaining from my heart and lungs (those whiners...always begging to quit before my twenty minutes is up).

Given that our imagination is free from the usual boundaries, I take full advantage of the opportunity and create a band that is uniquely different. Our music is a combination of traditionally incompatible styles—rock, classical, gospel, folk, country—brought together to enjoy the best of each. The loud, rowdy rumble of the electric guitars share center stage with the soft, solemn sounds of the violin and cello. Of course we need a drummer to provide some sense of boundary (my fantasy job), and off we go on a twenty minute jam-fest’.

We are not under the Christian label. Nor are we considered a secular band. In fact, we shun labels. We like to think our purpose is larger than that. (You know, the find-a-profitable-label, memorize-the-rules, conform routine.) Our message is simple and clear: to explore with musical harmony an unhindered and balanced love of life, complete with both its successes and sorrows. Our music speaks for itself. And since God’s truth is that which sets men free, we embrace His wisdom as our search light while we S4B (Search 4 Balance - the fantasy name of my fantasy band).

DING!!! Time is up. My thoughts are always rattled momentarily as the handlebar timer faithfully does its job. Another S4B concert is brought to a successful close and once again, I’m just a little bit healthier because of it.

Perhaps, however, the greatest benefit over the years has not been cardiovascular. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that, while the pace of my heart and lungs returns to normal, my imagination does not. Our God-given privilege to question and imagine compels me to explore the relationship between extremes, the balance of life, as God may have intended.

Please pardon my idealism and allow me to explain. I want to be strong, yet meek. Disciplined, though tolerant. Passionate, yet not prone to impulsiveness. Intense and energized, but without compromising God’s command to be still and at rest. Rational and practical, although occasionally prone to pure reckless abandonment. And the list goes on and on. What a challenge—to live a life so balanced in God’s truth that everything in His created order, from one extreme to the next, is available, useful and enjoyable! And that as a result, our lives as God’s children are both free and unhindered!

To me, that was the most distinctive character quality of Jesus the God/Man. He was hindered not! Not by the need to impress, not by fear, ignorance, pride or sin. Jesus was free! Free to be all that He was, and is. Jesus Christ is perfect balance! And so are we to be. On the other hand, one wonders how much our lack of balance, both as Christian individuals and as a Christian community, has contributed to the world’s disinterest in our faith.

Looking back, I can see how the quest for balance has run a similar thread throughout every developmental crisis in my life, even when I wasn’t aware of it. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Changing careers from flight attendant to firefighter to counselor (hardly a linear progression). My obsession with sports (surfing, skiing, tennis, racquetball, golf…), with all those intricate balances, both physical and mental, essential for good performance. Sports being nothing less than microwaved versions of real life, man-made mini-crises, providing us with great testing grounds for the reaping and rewarding of spiritual truths. (Pick a sport—any sport—loser buys dinner is an opener that has not only fueled friendships but saved me money.)

Join me then as I seek to explore some common biblical truths in all our various sideshows. It you are a seeker, like myself, and prone to stumping the status quo with your questions, then we already have something in common. (More about that in the Prologue, which follows.) And if it is true that we read to know we’re not alone, then simply bonding with you the reader/seeker, as we go on a treasure hunt together, will be a satisfying experience for us both, whether we find the treasure or not. I’d like to believe that at least you’ll be challenged to think. Whether that be to defend or debate, my role remains the same: to be painstakingly transparent. Gut to gut. For until we run the risk of communicating at this level, the heart will remain disengaged and uninvested. Safe but sorry.

If you’re looking for another How-To book (a book of lists, complete with do’s and don’ts), then my style might disappoint you. The questions of balance and fine-tuning from my point of view are not so simple.

I have always defined wisdom as knowing where to draw the fine line. This kind of insight is only fully known by The Master Artist, Himself. The best we can do is respectfully seek Him for guidance. You might say, then, that the meat of this book is in the prayer at the end of each chapter.

So can there be a healthy balance between extremes, between life’s apparent mismatches, or are we to choose which side to pitch our tent and stay there? (Pointing the finger at the other guys, no doubt.) My premise lies with the former.

My prayer in writing this book is that we Christians are ever learning to appreciate the bigger picture. That every stroke, color, and fine line from The Master’s hand might be seen as a coordinated, purposeful part of a greater whole. That we may be united, in spite of our differences—no, strengthened by them! And that each day our united and balanced delivery of the Perfect Song will be both honorable to it’s Writer and a soothing, harmonic tune to a world in need.

May their yawning give way to curiosity.

PROLOGUE

Baby Boomers:

Probably best known as the generation that bucked the system. Only back then you called it the establishment. Whatever word most used for authority, you bucked it. No silver-tongued cowboy could ride you. From your hair to your music to your psychedelics, you had your own ideas, and by George, it was made perfectly clear that you were entitled.

Eventually, many of you found your way to a church. Whether you were raised there or just blew in with the wind (sixties style), you sat and you listened. You compared what was taught behind the pulpit with every other free-spirited philosophy that was floating around.

A problem arose.

Bucking the system was still in your blood. When the preacher said jump, you didn’t ask, How high? You wanted to know why.

SEEKERS WELCOME

These were the words on the marquee, which towered in front of the church parking lot. I couldn’t help but wonder as I drove by why seekers had been given such a special invitation.

Seekers. Who are these guys? And why such clout?

This wasn’t the first church I knew of that had especially sought them out. I was reminded of my weekly breakfast meetings with Pastor Chuck the year before. Chuck had felt led to start a church for seekers (the unchurched variety), and knowing that I was a counselor, had asked me to meet with him as a sounding board for behind the scenes frustration. Every preacher needs his own personal counselor, Pastor Chuck would say. Someone he can be completely honest with.

I was honored for the privilege.

Each week we would banter back and forth various philosophies and strategies on how to reach this select group of people. With all the books on the subject, there was always plenty to talk about. And now, nearly a year later, with these big, bold letters of the sign etched clear in my mind, I couldn’t recall if Pastor Chuck had ever given me the official definition of a seeker.So I sought my own definition of the term. And in doing so, I became the answer.

Seeker - One who seeks. Profound, isn’t it?

What makes this type of person so special? What makes the seeker such a popular protagonist for both New Age and Christian writers alike? What makes the seeker worthy of a personal invitation on a church sign for all to see?

These answers required more seeking.

Matthew 7: 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

There you have it! Perhaps seekers have a special place in our society because God has promised to show them a thing or two. Things from which everyone can benefit, seekers and sheep alike. Oh, by the way, that brings to mind the second half of my definition of a seeker.

Seeker - The opposite of a sheep. One who naturally resists being shepherded. One who resists conformity for the same reason. One who goes right or left, not because it’s the popular choice, politically correct or spiritually impressive, but because all available choices have been considered, and this one is best. One who responds to the call of the Lord in much the same way.

It is to you, dear reader, that I have written this book.

And why would any church of sound mind and spirit offer a personal invitation to one with a natural bent towards independence and resistance? Because once a seeker makes up his mind, he is wholly committed. He is vested. He not only knows what he believes—but why!

Consider the parable of the sower (Mark 4: 10-21). A seeker is one who digs his roots a little deeper with each question that is answered. Comparing, contrasting, asking the difficult questions—this is the nature of the seeker. In time, following Christ becomes the most intelligent, logical choice. Jesus told the woman at the well, in John Chapter 3, that the water she worked hard to draw would leave her thirsty once again. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

A seeker is aware of this thirst. His thirst is what compels him to seek. This search for satisfaction, fulfillment, and purpose will eventually lead him to Christ…or he will die thirsty.

Seeker, I know your search. Whether you are the mass product of a questioning generation or a custom-made limited edition. Whether you were raised in a Christian home or from a completely different mindset. We have a few things in common, you and me. You see, in spite of our differences, there is one character trait we will always share: we seek! We refuse to settle for easy, handed down answers. It is our nature to question. And many times because of our stubbornness, we resist the call of God in our lives. But He is patient.

And if (and when) you finally choose to submit to the staff of The Good Shepherd, there will be some major changes and struggles. But one thing will remain the same—you will continue to seek, ask and knock. It is your nature.

Guess what? The church needs people like you.

You are the ‘Thomases’ of life who sometimes struggle with doubt. Yet your courage to express it becomes an avenue for the rest of us to work through our own similar struggles. You have the knack for communicating those things that many of us feel—but keep to ourselves.

You are the ‘Solomons’ of life whose flavor for passion and curiosity sometimes gets you off track. If only you could learn things the easy way. And yet the hard lessons learned combined with the Spirit of God living inside you becomes a wellspring of wisdom for the rest of the flock.

You are the ‘Peters’ of life who boldly call it like you see it. Sure, sometimes your impulsiveness gets you in trouble, but the rest of us can only wonder what it’s like to walk on water.

Or perhaps, like me, you are just another anonymous layman. One whose search for balance in a world of extremes helps to keep God’s people honest and down to earth. And if the waters of churchdom become toxic with worn out, canned clichés and paper doll smiles, may it be your search, your questions, and your knocks at the door, which God uses as His gentle nudge back to sobriety.

Seeker, this book was written for you and from your vantage point. May it be a source of confirmation wherever you are in your spiritual journey. Let it reassure you that you are not alone in your thoughts.

And for the rest of you, be careful. These pages may rub a blister on your pointer finger (see Chapter 2, Blister and the