Joshua walking in Faith and Works

The Joshua Generation - in the Arts.

This brain-blurp is long over due for my blog.  And believe me it is a big blurp...so strap in.

In 2006, Maria Jackson - who I consider a Moses of the performing arts.  Maria - is one of the one's who has pioneered the way for arts to even be an option, especially in the christian circles.  It was only what...19--. Well we'll leave that blank...all we need to know it was quite some time ago when arts was looked at as "demonic" and reserved for the "secular" world and us christians shouldn't be playing things like guitars! or twirling around unless it was in a Jewish grapevining circle.

So back to what I was saying - in 2006 Maria prayed over me and asked for the anointing of Joshua. 
What does the Joshua anointing look like?  I think it is an anointing that bridges one generation to the next-next generation.  I believe it is an anointing that takes a younger generation into a place (promised land) that the Moses generation saw only in their visions and dreams, from a distance.  I believe it is an anointing that gets to fight great "battles" against evil and take land that was once used for evil, and in turn use it for GOOD/righteousness (the Glory of the Lord).  I believe it is a pretty epic anointing to walk in.  And obviously it's not just for me but I think it is an anointing on my generation.

...but I also believe it is a pretty darn AWKWARD anointing to walk in.  Here's the thing, you have the Moses generation before you and the next-next generation after you.
The Moses generation who you got to walk under, learn from (learn from their failures and their feats).  You got to see major miracles - or impossible things happen - take place through them.  You get to meet with the Lord at a mature level because you get to meet with the Lord with the mature Moses leaders.  You get to hear their stories first hand of amazing miracles of how God brought them into a place of using dance or using music for some of the first times it was ever used in a "Christian" circle and as a christian in a secular circle.  You also get to experience some of those first time events with them.  You get to walk out in some areas with a little more ease, because they did some of the difficult part already for you.
The next-next generation who are gonna be like ninjas - extremely skilled.  They have a lot of extreme talent, because they get to focus deep into that area of talent because they don't have to worry about making a way for their talents....they just have to walk out their God-given skill.   They get to live and train in the promised land. The promised land being a place flowing with milk AND honey...in other words it is a very rich land (I believe in both spirit and craft).  They'll get to take things farther and faster than we could ever imagine.  And they'll get to do it all for the glory of God...because by then that is an automatic understanding that the skill and the spirit are not seperate, but that is all if they don't get caught up in the glory of self.........

Where's the Joshua generation....right smack in the middle of that.

Just look at Joshua in the Bible.  It was an awkward - it was an amazing life - but it was an AWKWARD life he had to walk out.  He was always on the move, even when the Israelites began settling the land he still never got to fully settle down.  He had to watch his entire generation die off because they refused to enter the promised land.  So he had to wait around for the next generation.  He understood the Moses in a way the next-next generation never did because Joshua got to sit under him for years, but Joshua also understood the next-next generation in a way Moses never did.  Joshua was always fighting and conquesting.  Always battling for the sake of completing the vision the Moses generation had and for the sake of the next-next generation to get to settle in a way Joshua would only get to imagine.  He was never fully one type of person (the dessert wanderer) but he was never fully another type of person (the one that got to settle and live in the land all the days of their lives).   He was smack in the middle of two types.  

 The awkward middle child.  Sure we do have a luxury of not having to fight the same battles that the Moses generation had to fight and that Moses had to fight alone...but we have to step out from Moses and the the small but mighty team that Moses has gathered together and go spy out the land.  In many ways...alone.  Bringing reports back to the group whether the land is ready to be taken or not, and hoping that the group will be brave enough to take the land when it is ready.   Joshua is not fully apart of the priesthood in the same way Moses and Aaron are, but we understand the priesthood.  We are not fully apart the excellent craftsmanship that the next generation gets to walk out in, but we understand it.  We are finishing off what Moses pioneered, and we are conquering the final pieces of the land for the next generation to settle.  We don't get to fully settle in the land, but we are not constantly wandering like Moses - what a privilege and honor to get to experience two amazing types of generations. But... We are a special half-and-half breed.

Do you get the picture I'm painting yet?  It's an awkward time for the Joshua generation.  When I read about Joshua in the bible I can't help but to think how cool/awesome/amazing his anointing was, but I also can't help but realize .... "Man, that's awkward."

In the arts I see the awkwardness play out like this:
Often...not always...but often, you have an extremely skilled artist who their character/relationship with the Lord is strugglin'.  Or you have someone who is EXTREMELY in love with Jesus has a deep relationship with Him but their skill and craft is strugglin'.  Both have good intensions with the area they are strugglin' in and both usually are dissatisfied/disappointed because of the area they are struggling in.

Again this is not a Cookie-Cutter happening, but I think it is fairly common.

The extremely skilled artist who does truly love the Lord, has been able to train, train, train, but it has been lonely because a lot of the people who they trained with did not understand this "christian" thing.  They also have not gotten to walk under deep discipleship because there was limited access in their artist world, limited access for mentorship - someone who could pour into them spiritually.  Their environment hasn't been in a place where they were encouraged to focus on their character.   Not that they have horrible character...But they haven't gotten to spend a good "dessert" season studying the word, in the prayer room, weekly even daily one-on-one spiritual mentorship.  Why?  Because they were busy honing their skill/craft, but lonely because their connection to Godly mentorship was extremely limited.  Hear me now, it's not an all bad they were busy honing the gifts God had created within them....but they have had no option but to "neglect" their relationship with the Lord and Godly mentorship.

The extremely Jesus-lovin' artist has been blessed to spend hours in the prayer room, studying the bible, walking under weekly even daily one-on-one mentorship, but they too have experienced loneliness.  Loneliness because even though they were surrounded with people who spiritually understood them and could pour into them in that way, they have had limited access to the people who could pour into their skill/craft at a higher level.  Not that they have horrible technique in their craft...but they have not gotten to spend a good season training, training, training, why?  Because they were busy doing ministry and spending time doing "Jesus-stuff", and their access to teachers in their craft was extremely limited.  Hear me now, it's not an all bad thing that they were focusing on their relationship with the Lord and Godly mentorship...but they have had no other option but "neglect" honing the gifts that God has created them with.

-Insert: Faith without works is dead.  Works without faith...is just work. -

This has been the beginnings of the Joshua generation, one half a person and the other half of the person.

But I think the two can become one.  I believe that you can be a person who trains, trains, trains in your skill and in your character and relationship with the Lord at the SAME TIME.  Simultaneous honing your craft/skill and honing your walk/relationship with the Lord.  THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE.  You can be studying the bible, while doing your tendus and/or scale progressions?!!!  That's not craziness.  We don't need to walk around as: half of me is a strong artist and this half of me is a struggling Jesus follower.  Or this half of me is a strong Jesus follower and this half of me is a struggling artist.   We can do BOTH.  We can be fully understood.  Fully understood as an artist and fully understood as a Jesus-lover.  A person of FAITH and WORKS.

Joshua generation...you may feel awkward now but a day is coming...and the day is here.  The Kingdom is coming and the Kingdom is here.  What is right in front of you is not reality, let's walk in the Kingdom reality that says it is coming and it is here.  Let's walk in that.  Even though it's awkward.  Let's walk in Faith and Works.

Trophies

As we drove through our neighborhood of oversized houses, I asked:
"They live in large houses, but are they actually living?"

The grande allure of it all, is truly enticing.  "Thou shalt not envy..." is something I do and don't want to be reminded of as we drive through neighborhoods with mini-mansions, excessive amenities, and a car for everyone who's living at the house of driving age (so usually about 3-4 cars per household). 

I don't want to be reminded of the whole "not envy" thing because honestly there's something human about me - maybe because I am human... - that enjoys the feeling of envy.  Also, something in my human desire that thinks: "Yeah, that's success and that's what I need to aim for."  It's nice to see your goals lined up for you in a physical format like a row of big houses. 

But wait a minute...I WANT to be reminded of "though shalt not envy" because, come on!  Get a grip.  There's gotta be more to life than big houses, fancy-pantsy bells and whistles, and a cush-cush lifestyle. "Look at all my trophies in a nice little row on my mantle."

Your trophy may be a symbol of hard work, and absolutely, "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might".  No one is a fan of a lazy bum.  We are suppose to work and work hard at whatever it is we are each created to do, but be sure to ask: work at what and to what costs?

Do your trophies, your accomplishments and your WORK define you? 

What's the point to building up a trophy you'll never actually live in, because you don't have time to because you got to go to work to add more bling to your trophy that you'll never get to enjoy because wait you're always at work, working on...adding more work to your work so that you have an identity in your stuff........... (pause for reflection).

This means you no longer have an identity in who you were originally designed to be but now you're defined by the stuff you collect because of all your work: you're defined by craftsmanship, not of The Craftsman who created you.

My work often defines me.  If I have no work, I'm miserable.  If I have too much work, I am miserable.  If I do a "good job" with a pat on the back, then I'm happy.  If a do a bad job with a slap on the wrist, I'm miserable. That's called:  A Person Defined By Work.  I let work and the outcome of work (trophy or punishment) define who I am: happy or miserable.  This is something I constantly fall prey to.   It's something I'm working on. ;)

Yes whatever your hand finds to do work at it, work hard at whatever you're created to do.  But don't let the work or the "trophies" of work define you.  Work out of it being an extension of who are created to be.  If persecution comes, let it be because you were doing what God created you to do and not because you had a "job" to do and didn't do it well.

Yes, in Book of Ephesians it says,"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might^" 
 
But I thought you should know the second part of that verse: 
"for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
  (oh snap!)

You (via your soul) are going to live forever, not your trophies.  Be you, not your trophies. 
Build your mansion in heaven, not your trophies on earth.