Please enjoy this video of rally footage and my band performing “We the People Do,” My dad’s original song!
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
Forget that ridiculousness. I think the real question is, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one experiences it...does it matter?” And what if someone does witness it...still the question remains.
Why am I doing this? And what does matter?
I’ve officially been blogging weekly for 6 months! It hasn’t gotten any easier. Every time I post something, it’s awkward. It’s always delicious to hit the PUBLISH button, but it’s also cringy, as I anticipate it not landing the way I want it to, and I wonder if I’ve just made a fool of myself. I picture that person clicking the Unsubscribe button...
Will my post be hit or miss? Do I make sense, resonate... does anyone care about the subject...about “me?” (my words, music, research, opinions.)
Is there anybody out there? (PS: your feedback is ever so dear to me!)
It’s that wobbly fine line between, “I do this because it’s important to me/ it’s a labor of love” and, “if no one else sees it or it doesn’t matter to anyone other than myself, is there even a point to the effort?” (PS: it’s a lot of effort.)
THE 3 THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. - Isaiah 61:1
I’m not comparing myself to the great prophet Isaiah, but I do feel a spiritual calling - and gift - to communicate, and not just for the sake of me enjoying the creative process, which I do. But because I continue to find myself interested and positioned in 3 areas that are increasingly becoming more crucial and interwoven: The Gospel, Freedom, and Preparedness.
The above verse from Isaiah hits these marks precisely:
“The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted…” = Preaching/sharing the Gospel of our savior Jesus Christ.
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…” = Peace of mind - through knowledge and skills that provide a level of comfort and safety.
“To proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.” = Speaking out against tyranny that prohibits the individual’s right to his/her body, mind, and spirit - all given to us by God our creator.
Essentially, you could say the Good News of Christ encompasses all three areas, since ultimately, the kind of knowledge and spiritual influence that gives true peace is through the Holy Spirit, and the kind of comfort, joy and preparedness that we need above and beyond anything in this world is through his Word.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. - John 8:32
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39
Likewise, true freedom is only in Christ - his salvation, God’s mercy and forgiveness.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - John 8:36
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. - 2 Corinthians 3:17
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. - Psalm 119: 45
I could go on with many more verses in these categories...but acknowledging that ultimate peace and freedom is in Christ within our core, we can zoom out a little and see what’s going on in our world, our community, the lives of our brothers and sisters. There is persecution, there is suffering, there is harassment, tyranny, crimes against humanity, lies, false witness, and perversion.
Some Christians argue that it is not our place to get involved; we are to be pacifists, submit to authority, and let God handle the rest. While I am certainly not arguing for violence and malicious criminal activity, I personally don’t feel right simply standing by weaving daisy chains while I watch my culture and society crumble in front of my eyes, and the eyes of my child.
Yes, the end of the world is inevitable. Yes, peoples, nations, civilizations come and go. Yes, Christ is already the victor. Yet inside of these inevitables is human suffering, confusion, and fear. Can I help mitigate that in any way? And if it is due to deception, is our God not the God of Truth, thus are we not called to bear witness to it? As I’ve discussed many times in this blog, truth, I believe, is essential; it is the True North of our moral and psychological compass that can help us orient ourselves toward Christ.
The level to which a person - particularly a believer who is called to model Christ - gets involved in an act of disobedience, protest, and defense, is personal and dependent on the situation at hand. I will not make any definitive claims or sweeping generalizations about our collective call of duty. I think a person can only act in a given moment prompted by their conscience, which we hope will be pointed North, doing the best they can with the physical and spiritual tools available to them at that time.
FAREWELL, FENCE-RIDER
When I first started my social media accounts, I was just being “normal.” But my Isaiah Call began to prick my heart to be more open about my faith. For if I love people, and have a platform, how can I hide the Truth under a bushel? So I started being more overtly Christian with my posts. I noticed some fall off, and even received pushback. Then I took it to another level and started posting not just about being Christian, but revealing what “kind” of Christian I was. This caused even more desertion. The more my newsletters discussed my unwavering views, the more people unsubscribed. That’s ok - it only makes it more clear who my core community is - people with whom I can find comradery - our “Misfit Church Congregation.”
I started Everyday Exorcism as a way to get the conversation going about Truth - mostly in preparing the mind and the spirit by guarding against the psychological spiritual warfare we face on the daily - the “powers and principalities.” I think some find these topics more engaging than others, but many have stuck with me, which I deeply appreciate.
But now, I find myself at the next level of the Isaiah Call: the one I have been avoiding like a socially-distanced double-masked hand sanitized hazmat suited...you know who. The part about freedom. I’ve already given the caveat and disclaimer that I understand ultimate freedom is through Christ. But we are finding ourselves in the physical world where our bodily, personal freedoms are under threat, and wickedly annoying: we aren’t supposed to talk about it, to the point where others feel it is their duty to gag those who do. That’s where I can’t keep silent anymore.
You might have heard me mention how I’ve been attending local Freedom Rallies as the featured performance artist. A couple weeks ago I performed with my church band in front of a couple thousand people gathered to peacefully and legally express their discontent with the growing number of medical-related mandates in British Columbia - and worldwide - that are choking personal freedom of speech, movement, bodily autonomy, privacy, and participation in society. It felt good to stand up and sing out my views, surrounded by other concerned citizens. It became clear to me that I cannot continue to be so visible and outspoken at these rallies, while being closeted and neutral on my blog.
So the first step I’m taking is posting the footage from this rally: it’s not an “anti” anything rally, other than being anti-coercion, anti-segregated society, and anti-censorship. The whole point is FREEDOM: your right to your person, your beliefs, your research, your decisions, your voice. In future posts, we can break this down and discuss what this all means, especially from the “Christian perspective” - a murky but fairly useful phrase.
For my entire life, I’ve felt called to stand behind a microphone, and sit with pen - and now keyboard - in hand, using the art of words to hopefully get some sort of meaning across to someone who needs to hear it. Sure, It would be nice if I had thousands of blog subscribers, if my YouTube videos were viral, if I was being reposted on Twitter...but I’m not sure I even deserve such attention; I’m no Isaiah afterall, and no Bob Dylan either. But as for the 3 Most Important Messages: if just one person received the Good News of Jesus, if one person was comforted by being more prepared in this wild world, and if one person found themselves one degree more free, then I know why I am doing this, and yes, it does matter.
In fact, I had one woman come up to me after I sang at the rally, telling me through tears, that I gave her a voice, singing and expressing things she wished she could. Another woman, also in tears, told me that after I sang the Canadian national anthem - explaining my story as an immigrant unable to go home to see my family due to Covid restrictions - it was the first time she felt connected to her country's song. What an honor to receive such feedback. It does matter - for her, that one dear soul.
That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. - Romans 8:21
In Everyday Exorcism moving forward, expect more of the same: faith, critical thinking, music, memoir. But also anticipate a bit more of the following: self-sufficiency, preparedness, self-defense, autonomy, and maybe even a wee bit of civil disobedience. I think I want to be a little more artsy too.
I am answering the call to Preach, Prepare, and Protest.
Thank you for listening, whoever you are. May God bless you and keep you, shine His face upon you, and give you peace - and freedom. And may you enjoy this humbling stumbling website. Welcome to the Mis-fit Church. You are welcome here.
The Lord bless and keep you!