Casey Anthony, God and Us. (Highlights from Made2Worship 7.6.2011)

Below are highlights from the Made2Worship on 7.6.2011.


"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
(Phil. 4:6-7)

Most people will remember this week for the end to a very publicized trial involving a young mother who was acquitted of murdering her young child. Based upon the dominance of media coverage, this has been unquestionably the public event of the year to date. While at my parents' home just prior to a weekend of Fourth of July family festivity, I was given the skinny; my parents had been following the case every night.

What intrigued me more than Casey's demeanor and the sordid facts of the case was the sheer dominance of this event on all news and talk shows. This was the American "big event" phenomena. The media sets the stage of what's important. You're missing out if you're not on board.

When we're tuned in to any media we delegate command of our souls. How many of us stop to ask: Where is this taking me? Does it "fit"? Am I better off? Is it good?

Many of us remember life before cable (etc.) when you had to precisely adjust "bunny ears" or be left with static. Interesting enough, "static" literally means stationary, unchanging, un-moving. It's not so much what we see on the screen as what's taking place in the soul. Are the various channels and media moving us forward? Do they make us more tuned into what's really important? Are we better human beings?

Seems to me that the prevalence of static has not changed, it's only taken on a multiplicity of other eye-popping, scintillating, mind-numbing, passifying forms.  It's no longer a question of what you're plugged into, but that you're plugged in. And now we can keep this (non) life support attached to us. A constant dose. Have to check my gadget and see who's contacted me. Have to check my information.

It's the sheer electricity of the thing.  In fact, isn't it precisely the lack of peace that keeps us looking for the next fix, only to be left all the emptier and searching for the next?  So long as we're plugged-in, wired, we're good.  For the majority of us, seriously, what really do we have to lose by not being plugged in?  More importantly is what we're losing by being plugged in: the undivided attention owed the people who most matter in our lives.

For many of us, this lack of peace (static) has become such a part of our inner furniture that we don't know anything different. And it all conspires to keep us from seeking something different. The proof? When we're faced with a moment of genuine peace, do we drink it in?  Or do we dive into the next preoccupation, the next thing to be done?

The truth is, from the moment we awake to the moment we fall asleep, most of us are on a constant ride.

Peal back all the layers and we're all pretty much the same. We were fashioned incomplete so we would seek; we were fashioned to be tabernacles for the indwelling Spirit of the Living God (1 Cor. 6:19). And while there are numerous "apples" that appeal for our affections, with Augustine we need to discover that "our hearts are restless until they find rest in [God]."

I thank God for anxiety. It's a built-in indicator that things aren't right. Anxiety is a summons to prayer... God's invitation to resume His dominion in our souls. We're so blessed to have this connection to the God of the universe... which alerts us when He's missing, and points us toward the peace beyond all understanding when we allow Him to return.

I believe we're on the verge of a major revival. The sheer "God-presence" in the human soul is so enduring, so intact, so vital and beckoning that after trying every other channel and finding it wanting, sooner or later people look inside and recognize they were fashioned for more. They will take the chance to really believe again, beyond the hypocrisy and mediocrity that has so dotted "faith." They will consider that just maybe there is a relational God who loves us personally, who wants to make Himself known, who wants us to know the peace in Him that is beyond all understanding.

That's what Made2Worship is all about. A response to the heart of God calling us to know Him. We were made to worship. That's what's going on in the video above. Real people. Real lives. Real challenges. All of us on the great adventure of more fully discovering Jesus Christ in our lives. Come to the next one... tune in and and experience the difference.
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Pope Benedict is inviting us to be awakened from the slumber of "ceremonial" spirituality and culture. He is constantly reminding us that faith, our very lives, are about an intimate relationship with our Savior... to know Jesus Christ personally, truly, that He is alive and present. Pope Benedict knows that if we were to really encounter Jesus, we would live for Him completely, not on the order of obligation, but out of a genuine, relational love.

We invite all to continue journeying with us beyond the event. We schedule things that are important to us in life.  Do this... and we promise it will positively change your life: download the fun and engaging LivingIT Family Gathering Guide. Take the 30/3 Family Challenge. Even if you can't schedule three times a week, commit to just once! We know after that one time you'll want to do it more!

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Our next Made2Worship event is July 6. Sign-up now for special updates. Spread the word.  Above all, let's keep one another in our prayers... open our hearts to God's amazing love.

Blessings and peace in Him,

The Made2Worship Team