Act Your Shoe Size

Christian Music: “I can’t stand it.”

benconnolly — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:55:58 +0000

“A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music.”

After reading Foy Vance’s latest blog, I felt frustrated. He said:

“Now, I’m not a fan of christian music AT ALL, in fact I can’t stand it…”

I hate how music inspired by Christianity, God or Jesus now has it’s own genre: ‘Christian’. What classifies a song as Christian? A song written about God? By that standard, any song written about anything other than that should be classified as ‘Secular’. But we can’t obviously do that, since that would put all different styles into one box: rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, acoustic, alternative all put in the same box. That would be silly, wouldn’t it? Not for Christian music. Rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, acoustic, alternative all in the same ‘Christian Music’ box.

If I am an artist, and confess I love Jesus and put this into action by not compromising my faith in the ‘music world’, I am shunned into ‘Christian Music’. U2, Bob Dylan, Elvis, DMX, Van Morrison, Iain Archer, Duke Special and Foy Vance himself have all sang from a faith perspective in many of their songs, yet they aren’t ‘Christian Music’. When artists like Bethany Dillon, Brooke Fraser, Rend Collective Experiment, John Mark McMillan and many more sing from the same faith perspective they are ‘Christian Music’. Just because these artists do a bit of leading worship on the side, shouldn’t be a reason to label them.

I think it’s ‘cool’ not to like Christian Music. And it frustrates me when people say they don’t like it. It’s ok then, if you don’t like Christian inspired rock music. But then don’t tell me you love U2. I love his music, but Foy Vance said at Summer Madness a few years ago, that he hated that Christian artists take money for what they do. However, he professes to be a Christian and plays music; and as far as I know he’s not working part-time in the local petrol station to pay for a Chinese at the weekend. Then his blog continues in the same vain, professing strongly that he can’t stand Christian Music. I therefore find it hard to understand that he enjoys singing these lyrics (one of my favourite songs):

“Then Gabriel just smiled and said be peaced my child
Salvation is here today

He got up to his feet and he sang Hallelujah
People were turning around in the street
He looked them in the eyes and he sang,
“Hallelujah
There’s someone here that you gotta meet
Someone you just gotta meet.”

Genre as it’s definition is classified based on identified musical sounds, not by it’s inspiration. If it were so, iTunes’ genre section would include love, divorce, hatred, happiness, contentment.

There is a challenge, therefore, for music loving Christians everywhere. Let’s not classify in a way that degrades Christian artists for the way they write their music. Let’s not join in on the culture that suggests you’re ‘cool’ or ‘underground’ for not liking Christian Music. Just as God’s love unites, so should music.

Mission. Africa

benconnolly — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:55:34 +0000

After a drought of posting I’m sharing a video about a 3 month Mission’s trip I’m going on to Kampala in Uganda. Please visit my facebook page and donate in any way you can.

Antrim 24/7 Prayer Room Captured

benconnolly — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:18:55 +0000

Here’s this week’s Prayer Room captured in a couple of photos.

24/7 Prayer Room

benconnolly — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:10:39 +0000

This week has been special for me.

Tuesday night. This time may have been where I have felt God’s presence so much, on my own. 2am – 4.30am doesn’t seem the most desirable of times to pray, but for me the night time slots are unique. When I feel most intimate with God. No distractions, no noise. It seems to me that everybody is asleep so God doesn’t have to be with them. And with his free time he chooses to be with me, on my own. In reality this isn’t the case. But the best way to describe my late-night encounters.

Last night I spent time praying with a community of friends I’ve got really close to this Summer. Although we didn’t spend all that time praying ‘together’, in the usual sense of the word; it was encouraging to see these new, close friends desire and long to be with God in a real way, in the same place at the same time.

Then today, after much needed sleep, I spent five hours during the day, which was a first. Because there was daylight, the prayer room was new to me. Fresh. I walked home feeling an overwhelming sense of peace.

These are my encounters. They stand out to me, from all others. Every conversation, every time I wrote, every song, every breath filled with the Holy Spirit. Some moments felt, dare I say it, holy.

God taught me a new word. Communication. Not the way I had defined it, but a new definition about communicating to him. As well as this, I learned something more. I released that although this prayer room was for Antrim. I felt most of my interceding was for me; my family, my circumstances, my non-Christian people, my struggles, my friends, my life. This gave me a sense of guilt. Was I being selfish? “Everybody is praying for Churches and Revival, and I’m sitting here worrying about myself.” God spoke to me.

When I feel God is speaking to me, I try to listen. A lot of the time he is speaking (or shouting) but I can’t hear him over my TV, headphones, Starbucks, friends, family. But when I do realise it, I listen. I explored the prayer room today. I read the post-its, scanned the art work, translated the scribbles. That feeling of guilt disappeared. I was not alone. Actually, most of my brothers and sisters prayers were for family, circumstances, non-Christians, struggles, family, life. Even further, the prayers felt real, dirty, messy. They were genuine pleas and thanks. I could almost smell the tears that stained some as they were written; and sense the ear-to-ear smile behind the pen that wrote thanks for all God answered.

I realised something, or God showed me, the only way Jesus moves in Antrim is through his people. Obvious, I know. We pray not for ‘Antrim’ but for the people and things going on in Antrim. That’s why this and previous prayer rooms have stirred a passion in the hearts of people. It’s not selfish for us to mostly pray for the things only we might care about. Jesus cares about them. And, by praying for them, we pray for Antrim. Antrim is just a name for a defined area. A borough. A postcode. Our prayers aren’t for that. We pray for Antrim: people, situations, the mess, the real stuff.

Ordinary Radicals

benconnolly — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:42:41 +0000

After reading Crazy Love by Franis Chan, I was inspired to create a space to inspire, challenge and encourage others. The blog will share stories of ‘Ordinary Radicals‘, who have stepped out of the boat and lived out the words of Jesus, literally:

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40.

The first story is something I love to share, especially when the subject of weddings come up. It’s a story of Ralph and Colleen. They inspire me. I would love to do this at my wedding.

“On a cold and rainy Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of their city, Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerly anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be distinguished guests of their wedding.

Ralph and Colleen met while working in ministry for the poor at Bethel Church, Redding. They shared a passion for God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at find department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all the put on their wish list were coats, hats, gloves and sleeping bags… to be given to their guests. Not the typical wedding, then.

The wedding began. Apart from an extended time of worship, followed by an evangelistic message and a prayer for salvation, the ceremony was quite normal.

Among the family and friends were people who were only there to get a meal. It wasn’t wrong, just different. After the ceremony, the newly married couple went directly to the reception hall, got behind the serving table, and dished the food for their guests. The meal was excellent. The hungry became satisfied. God was pleased.”

“How much do you love Jesus?”

benconnolly — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:25:22 +0000

Recently I’ve been challenged.

It all began during my Uni Placement at OpportunityYouth, where I met a really cool guy called Rob Dight. He has a Northern English accent, loves too many ice-breaker games and passionately loves Jesus (what a combination).
“How much do you love Jesus?” This was one of the first things he said to me on my own. I was a bit taken back by it. I don’t think anybody has ever asked me that question, let alone on first meeting! He went on to explain that when Christians meet each other, they usually ask: “What Church do you go to?” “How long have you been a Christian?” “What do you think of the new Passion Album?”… basically every question about Church, Christianity, Doctrine, Books, Music. But nothing about Jesus.

Yes, I know that all the other examples are centered around Jesus and it’s a good way to start a conversation with a stranger. But, maybe we’ve got it all wrong? This got me thinking…

Since then God has spoken to me about this for months since. I thought about times when I would hang out with Christian friends for hours, in groups and on our own, and WE (emphasis to include myself) would always talk about Church (what’s good and bad), other people’s journeys (usually in quite judgmentally), Christian talks, books, music and so on…

I rarely felt encouraged by these conversation. I rarely fell more in love with Jesus. It made me think…
As a Church of brothers and sisters, have we created our own culture and attached the term ‘Christian’ on to it? Is Jesus missing in my relationships and conversations?

I believe an idea, can become a belief, and that belief becomes an action.
I’ve challenged myself to be as real as possible, especially with my brothers and sisters. I have tried to focus my conversations on Jesus. Practically, that meant having to be uncomfortable (that’s another blog post… or book I have to write!) and go against the typical things we, as Christians, talk about. Here’s some examples I predetermined to ask, and talk about:

“What do you love most about Jesus?”
“What do you connect with most about God in the Bible?”
“What stands out to you about Jesus?”
OR
“Recently I feel God is telling me…”
“I’ve fallen in love with him loads recently, let me tell you why.”
“Jesus is class! Today I felt…”

In these conversations I always felt encouraged. In these conversation I fell more in love with Jesus.
The challenge and the call to you and I, is to not live with one another in a ‘Christian’ Culture, and substitute talking about Jesus with everything that surrounds him; but to make our conversations (and as a result our relationships) filled with Jesus. So, to bring me back to where it all began with the words of my friend Rob…

“How much do you love Jesus?“

24/7 Prayer Antrim

benconnolly — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:31:48 +0000

Last year I was involved in running a 24/3 Prayer Room in Antrim YMCA through ‘RISE’. It was a time which seen over 60 people, from over 10 different churches, come to talk to God in a personal and reflective way.
Once again I’m involved in another Prayer Room in the same location. A group of people came together as a community passionate to see the ‘Prayer Room’ idea move forward, and after a couple of nights of conversation a week-long time for continuous prayer was the output.

From 21 Aug to 28 Aug, we’ll be running a 24Hour Prayer Room in Antrim YMCA. I’m really excited about it; probably based on the experience during sleepless nights in the RISE Prayer Room last year. Another dedicated space to meet with God, reflect on what he’s done for me, thank him and cry out to Dad for the things I want most: a Character like Jesus, Antrim won for Jesus, his Fame in our town…

We need 168 hours filled. I am in charge of the slots from 8pm Thurs to 8pm Fri. So if those slots are a priority for you, get in contact with me directly. If you would rather book another slot, check out the official blog for the timetable and contact our mail to book.

antrim247@mail.com
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My Gift to the World

benconnolly — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:52:15 +0000

Recently I’ve been excited by this method of studying God’s Word. I found it while listening to the AudioBook of Louie Giglio’s I Am Not, But I Know I Am. I could try to attempt to explain it, but I’ll let Louie do it himself…

The One-Word Bible Study Method (OBSM) isn’t an official name, just one I have created for myself. Given that much of chapter 4 is built around the OBSM, it might be a good idea to talk through what the method is about and how it works.

A long time ago, through a seminary friend, I encountered the discipline of observation, or looking intently at a given object over an unusually long period of time. The approach is based on the famous teaching method of Louis Agassiz, a scientist who taught at Harvard during the nineteenth century. He regularly asked his students to look carefully at a fish (a preserved lab specimen), then write down a description of what they saw, When students thought they had noticed everything, they’d report their findings to the professor. But he would say, “No, no! You haven’t seen it yet! Start Over!” and send them back to study the fish again. This process of observing, writing down findings, reporting – and starting over again – would often last every day, all day, for more than a week,

Here’s the thing: With each commitment to further observation, Agassiz’s students made fresh discoveries – layer upon layer of greater detail, and deeper and more important insights than they would have ever noticed the first few times through.

Applied to the study of Scripture, the discipline of observation means that we look intently into the text for an extended period of time, waiting for the text to begin to breathe and disclose its meaning. Too often we speed read through the text, underline a key phrase here or there, and move on without giving the living Word enough time to take root in our hearts and reveal more of what it’s about. But Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16 NIV) If we are going to know God well, and walk in intimate fellowship with Him, we have to immerse ourselves in His Word. It is the living expression of who He is to you and me.

In a sense the OBSM is nothing more than meditation – allowing God’s Word to slowly soak into our minds and hearts. The OBSM is not a substitute for conventional Bible study methods (exegesis). I’m not even saying the OBSM should be your primary Scripture study path. But after you’ve applied a more traditional study approach (for example, an inductive Bible study, where you ask of the passage: “What does it say? What does it mean and, How do those two things connect with my life?”), I think you’ll find the OBSM extremely helpful for getting even more out of the text.

The OBSM works better with some types of literature than others. The history books, the prophets, and the narrative found primarily in the four Gospels don’t usually work as well as the epistles (the bulk of the New Testament teaching books), where the content is presented in logical sequence.

Take for example the book of Romans. Beginning in chapter I, verse I, the OBSM caused me to stop and park for a while on the very first word, Paul, where otherwise I would have probably kept on reading. Sure, it’s just a name. But using the OBSM, Paul has become a one-word summary of the entire book of Romans. Why? In a sense all of Romans is depicted by the life story of this man, a hater of Christians and a persecutor of the church who was changed by God’s sovereign grace from Saul into Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament and the first century’s most effective mouthpiece for the gospel.

Every word in your study may not be spectacular, but many will, making the whole process worthwhile. As you find a verse or phrase you want to focus on and absorb, write it down on something you can carry with you. Read the passage one word at a time. Focus on each word until it starts talking back to you. After a while, you will probably see things you may have missed many times before. Patience is the key. You can’t rush the process and you can’t make the words tell you what you want to hear. Listen to them, and let you knowledge of all Scripture speak into what you’re discovering in this particular passage.

I would have never observed Be in beloved or in became if I hadn’t spent a lot of time wrapping my mind around the idea that God’s I AM name also translates as BE. (pp. 150-153).

Passion.London2010

benconnolly — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:30:39 +0000

Just as it was in 2008, Passion London was a Mountain Top moment, where I met God in a way I had never done before. This year’s worship was led by Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, Christy Nockels, Matt Redman and David Crowder Band; with Louie Giglio speaking on Friday, and Francis Chan speaking on Saturday.

Louie and Francis both spoke on Romans 8; the jist: God is FOR us. Being conformed to Christ means sharing in suffering. Although Craig and I got stuck in London for two extra days, it didn’t spoil the experience I had with Jesus there. Here’s the words that stood out to me from the conference:

Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, Awesome in power, Our God, Our God.

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?

How high, how wide? No matter where I am, healing is in Your hands.

How deep, How strong? And now by Your grace I stand, healing is in Your hands.

Belfast Marathon 2010

benconnolly — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:17:26 +0000

I woke up on a Monday morning, my stomach filled with a mixture of butterflies fluttering against the remnants of last night’s Lucozade Sport overdose. It could only have been my first Marathon Run.

September 2009 I applied to do the Belfast Marathon Run of 26.2 miles. “If I apply now I’ll know I’ll have to do it, so that will motivate me to train.” I began training in April; naivity is a strange thing.

Naive:–adjective

1.having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.

2.having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: That Ben feller is so naive, he thinks he can do the marathon and he’s only ran 8 miles.

So back to day of the Marathon. I had jelly beans in my pocket, an iPhone strapped to my arm (which did not help with my balance at all) and a raw competitiveness to answer the critics; namely my Dad, Mum, Brother, countless ‘friends’ (I apostrophized friends, because good friends lie and tell you that 26 miles is easy. These friends did not. I still love them, but will trust their warning in future). I thought I could actually do it.

10 Miles Down, 16 to go: “This isn’t too bad, I’ve passed the 8 miles I previously did in training and I have built up a rhythm. I’ve ran past quite a few people, so that give me hope.”

15 Miles Down, 11 to go: “I can see why people told me to train, my calfs are tight and I have cramp in my knee. It’s good that I have my iPhone to play music and take my mind off the pain.”

18 Miles Down, 8 to go: “iPhone died. My legs are now very sore. The calfs are now tighter than I have ever experienced before. Also, I never thought you could get cramp in your knee. I want to rest but, as I have learned the hard way, my cramp doesn’t hurt as much when I’m moving. The people I previously ran past are repaying the favour.”

22 Miles Down, 4 to go: “I hate all these people watching, who keep telling me, ‘not long to go’. It is easy to stand on the side and clap. I have ran past 4 mobile DJ’s who I’ve wanted to run back to punch. Only the thought of 20 yards extra on to my last 4 miles have made me silence the violent voices in my head.”

24 Miles Down, 2 to go: “I have seen the finish line on the opposite of the river. It looks suspiciously close for my liking.”

25.9 Miles Down, ‘tiny’ bit to go: “The last 4 miles of stopping stretching, running, stopping, stretching, have made me look like a lost puppy to the on lookers. The quicker I run, the less time I have to run through this pain.”

Finish: “It’s done. Medal on neck, water in hand, laying face down in my own sweat, surrounded by the silenced critics.”

I thought about it a bit more and came to the conclusion that it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to in my life. But maybe the greatest achievement that I have reached, so far. Lessons learned – God gave me strength and power to finish this challenge, the Bible says He is unchanging. I have more determination than I first thought. Prayer works. Belfast is bigger than I thought. Train before a Marathon. Trust God and run for Him.