Posted: 12/10/2016 at 10:15am | IP Logged

From the world’s perspective, prophetic people are indisputably odd. Truth be told, a significant portion of the broader Christian family considers them odd as well. They obsess about things like intimacy with Jesus and living in God’s Presence and actually hearing His voice. They think funny and always seem to have a slightly different take on any given topic. It’s almost as if they’ve been listening to a different conversation. And they are prone, at times, to say or do odd things that leave normal and appropriate people scratching their heads in bewilderment. Now don’t get me wrong. Most prophetic people don’t intend to be this way. It just seems to come with the territory.

A few people who know me are scratching their heads in bewilderment right now. Asking questions like: “Why on earth would you sing…uninvited…to a bunch of business people? And why on earth would you write about it on a “prophecy” forum?”  Well it all makes perfect sense to me, but…

I’ve been busy. Being odd. I haven’t posted here in quite some time. So why now? I wanted to reconnect, even if briefly, and let some old friends know that I’m still alive…and what I’ve been up to…and what I’ve been sensing and hearing from the Lord.

For those who don’t know me, and those who need a reminder, I’m not a “professional” minister. (I did go to seminary. Briefly. It wasn’t pretty.)  Like the majority of Christians, I spend the majority of my waking hours engaged and interacting with people in the “real world”…the marketplace. Navigating the marketplace can be tricky. It’s full of assumptions and customs and rules and behavioral expectations, spoken and unspoken. Those can vary based on the context. They can even vary based on the office. Or the day. It’s a moving target.

And unless you’ve been hiding in a cave somewhere, you’ve probably noticed that we live in a volatile world. Every day, a host of conflicting and contradictory voices and agendas are vying for our attention and loyalty. Shrill and adamant voices often insisting on agreement with their particular perspective to the exclusion of all others. Or else. And to an ever increasing degree, these voices and perspectives are seeking to marginalize and silence anyone who attempts to speak or live out an authentic Christian perspective in the marketplace and the public square. Anyone who dares claim to speak or live a truth higher than their own.  It’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged.

Personally, I’m not overwhelmed or discouraged. I’m stubborn that way. My relationship with Jesus Christ remains the central defining factor of my life. And I remain convinced that my faith needs to form and inform all that I do, in every aspect of my world.  Far from being a personal private matter, it belongs on the street, in the coffee shop, in the hallways and offices. Honest. Engaged.  Dilletante. Meddling in simply everything. Challenging me to do whatever I do to God’s glory. Consciously. Strategically. Christianly.

And…more to the point…prophecy belongs on the street, in the coffee shop, in the hallways and offices. Real. Honest. Engaged. Meddling in simply everything. Prophetic insight and prophetic life are ultimately supposed to provide understanding of the times and practical clarity about how to respond and what to do. I mean, really, doesn’t it stand to reason that the God who designed the universe would have the best ideas about how to live out the day to day details of the here and now?

Now let’s get to the point. This all sounds good in theory, but it can be really challenging in practice. Let me give you an example. You can determine whether it’s one of those “prophet becomes the prophecy” types of things or just a random moment of personal peculiarity.

As I said, I’m a marketplace person. As such, one of the social media tools I use is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a platform for professional networking. The working assumption is that people should therefore use it to present professional material. Professionally. That’s why so many profiles feature ten year old photos of smiling neatly groomed people clad in crisply appropriate business attire. This is a marketplace for professionals discussing professional topics and industry specific ideas. Or at least cutting edge leadership and marketing strategies and information related to business and success. But songs? This isn’t Facebook or Pinterest. Right?

So here’s my problem. Professionally and personally, I'm a "words" person. I write. I coach. I consult. I do a podcast. I talk and laugh and argue over a host of issues and inordinate amounts of coffee. I've finally settled into a place where I even get paid occasionally to ask the kinds of questions and engage in the kinds of conversations that used to get me fired. Words and the relationships that spring from them are my platform and my stock in trade. Ideas and strategies and direction and vision and hope. Sometimes though, the things we really want to say can't really be said. Words alone can't adequately express them. That's why we have art.

Art lives in that other side of our brains. It scratches at our neatly addressed envelopes, howling to get out. It longs to take on giants, with nothing but a sling shot and a handful of rocks. It rises up in defense of unrecognized truth and beauty, riding out like an eccentric knight into the countryside to scatter sheep and tilt at blind windmills of fear and control.

Art sees what others don't, and lives and speaks with the heart.

So why on earth would anyone post a song on LinkedIn? Maybe to provide another perspective. Or paint a bigger picture. Or wrinkle a suit. Or to scratch at envelopes and howl and kick at the tyranny of the obvious. Or maybe just to cut through the white noise and overload and offer a bit of clarity.

Maybe because there are times when we’re stuck with our own deal and realize that we have no choice but to do and be what needs to be said!

I confess. That’s why I did it. Twice. And I’m doing it again. Here. I simply want to share a little of my own heart and hope it speaks some of what my own mere words fail to express. Because things aren't always as they seem. Because sometimes people need us to shout above the white noise. Because I like wrinkling suits. It's a gift and it's one of my most cherished anti-social behaviors. Because in spite of all the prognostications and claims to the contrary…it’s gonna be alright!

Listen to the Song Now