Reflections

A written account taken from my testimony notes which were later expounded:

A week has passed since our Chi Alpha beach retreat and after a week of deep reflection, I thought to write out a few things I began to learn that weekend:

Personal Affirmation or "Self-pat-on-the-back":

Christ calls us to pursue God holistically (Luke 10:27, ref. Deut 6:5)-- not just with your heart, soul, and strength— but also with your mind. Within a culture saturated with romanticism and sentimentalism, the tendency for many Christians today is to love God solely with their emotions on a Sunday morning or wait to get that "spiritual tingle" in a time of worship through song. But God doesn't call us to worship Him solely through an emotional high. Rather, God calls us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Paul says it well in his letter to the Ephesian church,

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
Ephesians 1:16-18

I was encouraged to this extent-- that this semester, in particular, I made an effort to actively pursue God with my mind. Whether it be through thinking through ethical situations, moral dilemmas, political questions, or even interactions with friends of other faiths and religions-- God's Word has proven to be all-purpose and ever useful (2 Timothy 3:16). Of course this was done with the help of wiser men than I. With the help of Joey and Nathan, my pastors and brothers at Restoration Church, I have been able to find great joy in pursuing God with my mind as a student at a secular university.

Personal Convictions and "Self-kick-in-the-nuts":

In my attempt not to compartmentalize my Christianity by loving God with my mind, I made that my main focus. I pursued God only with my mind, and in doing so, I undermined the other aspects of God that can’t necessarily be fully breached by human intellect. Paul writes about this to the local church in Corinth,

But, as it is written,

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him"—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

I was broken in this way-- that in trying to reach God solely through my own intellectual endeavors-- I built within myself a metaphorical "tower of babel," one destined to topple, fall, and confuse myself. I was so legalistic in worshiping the truth about God, that I deprived my own spirit from delighting in Him. In doing so, I puffed myself up in my knowledge of God. I lacked humility. I lacked an aspect of worshiping God that He, himself, prescribed-- to worship Him not only in truth, but in spirit! Paul's letter to the Corinthians resonates so well with me,

We know that 'we all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while loves builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Now that I have spoken about the two, I want to speak of the dangers associated with pursuing God in having to choose either emotional OR mental capacities. There is a real danger in compartmentalizing the Christian worship experience and simply equating it to an emotional high-- hands raised, snot dripping out of the nose, manifestations of the spirit, and the whole nine yards. The lack thereof, especially in some churches and Christian circles, are equated with a lack of God's presence or indwelling within that person's life and may lead to condemnation. There is also a real danger in compartmentalizing the Christian worship experience and simply equating it to intellectual satisfaction-- being able to quote great Christian philosophers, think through ethical problems through a biblical perspective, memorize whole chapters of Scripture, just to name a few.

Attempting to love God based on our own capacities-- whether intellectual or emotional--leads many Christians to become legalistic and base their intimacy with God on the basis of their emotional response to worship or their intellectual capacities rather than the finished work of Christ on the cross. This leads our sinful hearts to critically condemn those who are walking through a "valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:4). But as Christians living in a broken and sinful world, surely there were, are, and will be times wherein our worship of God feels dry and uninspiring or intellectually mundane. Even king David experienced this within his worship life, "You God, are my God, earnestly I seek for you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1). But we see David take upon a humble attitude. Rather than succumbing to his situation and flailing around in a dry spell-- he went to his source of living water and earnestly sought for refreshing found in the presence of God. I have been convinced that we must all take upon this attitude of humility and genuine passion and love for God within our lives of worship.

Ultimately, our hearts (emotions) and our heads (intellect) must work together, not in contradiction, to love God. It sounds simple-- but it's a truth that, when lived out consistently, will radically change our worship lives and give us a more robust view of the Gospel. To quote Bob Kauflin in his book "Worship Matters,"

"Magnifying God's greatness, then, involves, proclamation and passion... to make sure that in both ways-- biblical truth and strong affections-- people have every opportunity to magnify and encounter our great and awesome God."

What a beautiful calling! What a beautiful God! We, lovers of Christ, have the blessed opportunity of passionately proclaiming Christ crucified and resurrected. I pray that we remain sensitive to God's voice-- both in our hearts and in our minds. In doing say, may God give us all hearts and minds of humility and passion.



In the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Matthew

Worship Matters

Worship matters. Fo' real.

I thought I knew that all along until I was given an eye-opening book adequately entitled, "Worship Matters" written by none other than the head honcho of Sovereign Grace Ministries himself, Bob Kauflin.

Kauflin does an excellent job of closely analyzing assumptions we have about worship and strains them through scriptural and theologically sound thinking. Here's an excerpt off of the book with regards to the importance of doctrine and theology in worship:

"The better we know God through his Word, the more genuine our worship will be. In fact, the moment we veer from what is true about God we're engaging in idolatry. Regardless of what we think or feel there is no authentic worship of God without a right knowledge of God." (28)

This guy has been living the life of a worship leader for a long time-- and you can see that through his words and deeds. I especially like his definition of a worship leader:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory

Man, what a rich and profound definition of this blessed vocation. I've often had a hard time trying to figure out what my role is-- both as a worshiper of Jesus Christ at school and within the context of the local church. I've come to realize that it's not just my guitar that empowers me to lead God's people into worship-- it's the Holy Spirit.

That's a LOAD of weight off of my back.

The definition that Bob gives is one of holistic and "holly-stic" proportions. It is where I aim for-- not just on Thursday nights on stage or Sunday nights at Restoration Church, but everyday of my life.


Please continue to pray for me and the elders of Restoration Church as we trust in the one who is worthy of worship to lead us true and heartfelt worship.



Thanks for the great resource, Joey.

Where the Tamer Things Are

After spending a night of reuniting with an old friend over sushi, coffee, and a lovely walk around Downtown Wake Forest, culminating with Spike Jonze's strange kid movie, I thought I'd post some pictures.

I think I'm gonna like how the day sounds. ~Greg Laswell





Three course meal: Hamachi gama, Mango Roll, and Deep Fried Cheesecake







With some lovely company.

On the old train tracks.







Late night chat scenery.

On a side note, I noticed this truism at the Wake Forest Coffee Shop.



I take my vitamins everyday.

Plan B: Saturday Morning Bird Stalking

I have a new camera and I'm not afraid to use it.

I woke up this morning earlier than usual (before noon. I know crazy right?) to take a trip to the mall and participate in one of Pac Sun's ridiculous ploys to get people to shop at the store by giving away free stuff to the first 50 people who show. I got all dressed up and as I walked out the door, lo and behold, my dad took my car to a meeting this morning.

So instead, I went bird watching in my backyard. Our next door neighbor's little daughter probably thought I was a special child wandering my backyard with a camera. I could tell-- she looked at me funny. Little girl, if you're reading this-- I'm not deranged... just slightly dysfunctional.

Attempting to Synthesize a Life Compartmentalized

Hello world, my name is Matt Lozada and I'm a compartmentalist.

Let me break it down for you (as most compartmentalists do):

The definition of the word "compartmentalize" lifted from an online thesaurus:

Verb 1. compartmentalize - separate into isolated compartments or categories; "You cannot compartmentalize your life like this!"

Be forewarned-- this isn't the typical self-indulgent, solipsistic, and narcissistic cry-for-attention type of blog. This is an attempt to synthesize my compartmentalized life. Most people do consider their lives to be somewhat compartmentalized. But I believe that if we deeply consider the extent to just how isolated we are in our thinking, we will inevitably find that our attempts to live a life consistent with our own human logic, apart from a life centered on theological and Christological truths, fails.

This blog serves several purposes. First, it attempts to synthesize theological, philosophical, existential, and practical truths so that I can bridge the knowledge gaps which often keep us from living consistently with cross-centered thinking. In a world that is constantly changing, why should I trust in anything but the everlasting and unchanging truth of the Word of God-- which is God Himself! (John 1:1) This blog is my cognitive blueprint for life decompartmentalization. As Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians,

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Secondly, it serves as another form of journaling so I can track my own progress in life. Lastly, it is also an examination of my experience with the world around me.

I'm not sure if anyone has given much thought to how their lives work. I find that mine is structured around what I'm doing at the moment. If I'm in college, I'm told that I'm a student first and foremost. While I'm at work, I'm told that I'm a sushi server first and foremost. At home, I'm told that I have the foremost responsibility of an older brother to two and a son of a pastor and a dedicated mother. At church, I'm told that I'm part of a larger body of believers with a role of a song leader. Does that mean that when I'm working my day job that I'm absolved of my responsibilities to my brothers? Or when I'm at church that I'm any less of a larger body of believers? Heck no. But you see, it's easier to separate and isolate our lives into these divisions. Compartmentalization.

Life is like a gear stick and I find myself having to adjust to the different bends and turns that it throws my way. Most people leave their lives on cruise control-- letting life take them wherever the road leads, often times without stopping to check for directions or realizing that the drive can be just as meaningful as the destination.

Let's go for a drive shall we?