Sorry Ben Folds

Whenever I would catch a glimpse of a brick, I used to begin singing/humming “Brick” by Ben Folds Five. I love Ben Folds and his writing style… but after yesterday, I will no longer look at bricks the same way. Check it out:

Listening to God can be difficult for me at times.
Especially in sermon preparation.
“God, what do you want to say to your people?”
“What do they need to know that will bring them closer to you?”
“What if I totally drop the ball and wreck it completely?”

Thankfully, it’s not on me. God can use a great delivery or a sloppy mess to communicate His love.
He does the work.
I just get to humbly be a part of the process.
Yesterday we talked about judging others. I used two scales and had bricks with words I used to judge the other person. The passage we kept coming back to was Matthew 7:2 “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” We cannot put that weight on others, we’re not the ones to judge the heart, God is. We need to bury/kill that kind of thinking. We gave everyone a brick. Told them to take it home, write the things they are judging others about on the brick, and bury it.

Here’s one couple’s story…

“I’ve always been quick to judge. Especially when I feel threatened. My husband and I have been through A LOT the last year. I’ll spare the details, but it’s a year I’ve been wanting to forget. Because of things that happened, I put a lot of labels and judgment on my husband and other people. The judgment I passed on them has done nothing but make me expect the things I judged them on. I thought bad things, therefore I expected bad things. Which in return has made everyday a nightmare. It’s a horrible life to live expecting the worst everyday. And even when things are going good, it sucks when you manage to find or make up something bad about it because you’re convinced that’s how it is. Point being, when you tell yourself someone is bad, you start to believe it. I’ve been praying a lot lately for help letting go of the past and the judgments I’ve placed that I held onto. Finally, today you gave me the extra push I needed to stop thinking about doing it, and actually doing it. As I was writing on my brick it honestly felt like a weight was being lifted. Every time I wrote a word, it was like a little anxiety went with it. By the time I was done, I felt so calm and at peace. It feels good to let go. Really good. Here’s to a fresh start, a clean slate, an open mind, and a compassionate heart.”

Thanks be to God.

Jason *over and out*