GLENN'S PODCASTS!

PODCAST UPDATE

I'm so busy touring that I've gotten little time to upload podcasts... but I sure want to!!

One thing I'll try to get done in the coming months is to interview several
more people on our Project 12 staff so people can get a handle on how
we're approaching discipleship training and the like.

The other idea for a set of podcasts I plan to do:

I have a lot of friends who are/have been deeply involved in music as
musicians, agents, managers, record company execs. and you name it...
and many of them are now involved in various levels ofdiscipling
musicians or certainly encouraging people - based on real-life
experience- to get things in order so that they aren't merely spinning
their wheels and possibly losing their souls in the industry. I plan to
interview a number of these friends as some of them have pretty intense
things to say, some now direct retreats, schools and so forth. I think
people can learn a lot from these folks- and I want to introduce or
re-intro. them to you. These should be fun, deep and instructive
interviews that I'll want to share and you may want to pass on to
others.

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

-Glenn

GUILT TRIPPING ANYONE?

My wife and I had a fuss last night. It was over a computer problem she had on her machine. In a nutshell, I was frustrated and wanted to figure it out, she was frustrated and wanted to offer suggestions as to what was wrong and how it might be fixed. In short, we were both impatient and I got angry.

By God's grace, I don't usually get as upset as I did last night. After words, we apologized to one another, prayed together and I got it fixed. Today we chatted with our dear friends down the hall here at JPUSA and both learned a few more things about how to better deal with such matters as they arise, and of course sooner or later issues will surface as this life is far from "pain- free"!

As one of our pastors so wisely said a number of years ago, "When I was a new Christian I thought all my old nature, all my "flesh", that old way of thinking and doing that is so against God, well, I thought it'd get better. Over thirty years have passed and my old nature is still as selfish, irritable and nasty as it ever was! Hopefully I've grown in spiritual maturity, but flesh is still flesh and I need to repent when I sin just as I always did".

How true!

So today we spoke with friends, one another and I think moved a little further down the path. We'll see... cuz there WILL be a test eventually :)

One thing either of us could have done during or after our argument- even during or after our time of "ministry chat" with our good friends in Christ... we could've "guilt tripped" one another. You know- manipulate the conversation, turn the tables, like: "If YOU hadn't gotten so frustrated I would've been more 'in the Spirit' and gotten it fixed. You kept butting in with comments and THAT'S why I got mad. The argument was YOUR fault"! Or, she could've said "If you would have just LISTENED to me and not been so frustrated and angry at having to fix this little bitty thing I would have not felt sad and emotional. There would have been no argument. I just wanted you to hear me out. Therefore it was YOUR fault! Next time let me have my way and it'll all go smoothly".

We can further lay a guilt trip on someone by constantly bringing up their past sins nearly every time we get an opportunity- and use such reminders to get them to do things -our- way. Guilt-tripping nearly always has to do with a person using a false spirituality in order to manipulate the other person.

Now, the interesting thing about all this is that I find those who talk about others "guilt tripping" them are often -not- the sort of people who are constantly in God's Word, not in prayer, tend to be quite independent and frankly rebellious about receiving any genuinely Christ-forming accountability in their lives. You know: "Hey man, I can smoke a little dope- quit trying to guilt-trip me"!

It would be one thing if those using the term most often were truly condemned and feeling truly guilty when they'd already repented of actual (biblically defined) sin, and had someone breathing down their neck to "get spiritual"... but this often just isn't the case.

So I question those who like to toss such terms around- are YOU truly IN the Word of God, DO you pray regularly, confessing your sins, thanking and praising Jesus Christ for His love, for His saving work in your life? IS Jesus truly Lord or your life? ARE you really open to growing spiritually, becoming more like your Lord? Have you understood your call to love and yes, serve/work alongside others who love Jesus and reach out to those in need? Or are you basically living a self-centered life and easily ticked off at someone calling you on living a shallow Christianity?

I know, I know- I'm probably just trying to lay a guilt-trip on you, right?

Reminds me of All Along the Watchtower (Dylan)- "There must be some kinda way outta here, said the joker to the thief"!

Every day is a new opportunity to grow in Christ, a new set of moments and circumstances where we can become a little more like our Savior. Jesus never manipulated anyone, though He certainly challenged people to their socks about sin, selfishness and pettiness. In fact, He did that mostly with "spiritual people", those who claimed to know God.

Let's not guilt-trip others... and let's not be so quick to claim that's what's being done to us.