It feels like ages since I wrote anything on here. I'm on a bit of a guilt trip at the moment - someone came into college this morning to do a talk about the different fields of music in education. I only went because I agreed last night in the pub to keep a friend company...and because they were putting on a free lunch afterwards.
To cut a long story short, I ended up being questionned by the woman giving the talk about my plans for career development, how much teaching I was doing at the moment, how I would use her agency etc. I had a plateful of free food so didn't think it would be appropriate to tell the truth and say I had no plans to work in music...I made something up on the spur of the moment about wanting to work with people with special needs (not entirely fictional, I had considered it at one stage). She seemed interested by that, and signed me up to go on a course in the new year with the National Disability Arts Forum. That wasn't meant to happen!
On a completely different subject, I'm going through a bit of an Ezekiel phase at the moment. It's so good! Last night I was reading chapters 2 and 3. There's too much to quote here (so follow the hyperlink), but it's rich in prophecy about our mission to spread the word to people. Chapter 2 tells us not to be worried by people's stubborn response to our message...
The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Chapter 3 is awesome, we're told that we will be accountable for the blood of those we do not tell. It's a hard hitting chapter, I don't need to elaborate on any of it - I came across it last night and knew I had to share it. Our time here is not about making sure we're good enough to get a place in heaven, it doesn't work like that.
When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die in his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.
We've got work to do! After reading that, I can't just sit by and watch bad things happen...we've got a message to share, and people to reach that are not going to come running to us; so we might as well give up waiting for them and go running to them. I always think of the people that I've had conversations with telling them about Jesus. I always think of the people I've led to faith, the people I've prayed with and seen healed. I think of all the good things that have happened and how God will have seen those. I don't think about the people I haven't shared with; the situations where I haven't had the courage to speak out; the people I've avoided...but I'm going to be held accountable for those people, so perhaps I should!
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