A Teeny Bopper Preaches Me A Sermon

By John Stallings


Once in a while someone will ask my favorite type of music. As you might expect, it’s Gospel but they usually mean-besides gospel.

I’ve loved gospel music since childhood, but I do enjoy other kinds of music. With other types of music, I have no “favorite type.” It all depends on the song.

I was 16 when Elvis came on the scene & blew a hole in music’s status quo. I was driving to school one morning & I heard a guy singing “Heartbreak Hotel” & said to myself, now there’s something different. I didn’t know it was Elvis because I hadn’t even heard his name yet.

I liked a few of his songs as many of my generation did, but I was never a big Elvis fan. My parents wouldn’t let me be an Elvis fan, & I didn’t have the money to buy records anyway.

I never saw an Elvis movie save one—“Love me tender.”[Bad Johnny showed up one day & secretly went to see Elvis.] I remember hearing some of the girls I went to school with sobbing, “They’ve killed my Elvis.” His other movies I didn’t see until they were played on T.V years after he was dead. I guess you could say I never “got” the whole Elvis thing until a few years after his death. [Slow learner that I am.] In retrospect, I recognized that Elvis had 39 or 40 number one hits & as far as I know he didn’t write a one of them.

Elvis wasn’t a songwriter. Do you realize how hard that had to be for a man to sift through multiplied thousands of other peoples words to find the ones he wanted? If he’d been a songwriter, 80% of that problem would have been solved. Of course it didn’t seem to be a problem for Elvis.

In the early nineties, Juda & I visited Graceland & watched a short film presentation called ‘If I can dream.” That song, to me, has to be at the top of the list of Elvis’ best. I have to tip my hat to old Elvis, for his accomplishments & especially his love of Gospel music. I feel terrible about the way he died but that’s all ancient history now.


THE CLIMB

One of the best secular songs to come along in years, I think is Miley Cyrus’ song, “It’s the climb.” I pray the girl doesn’t go the way of Brittany Spears but that’s another blog.

When I first heard “It’s the climb” I was moved by the truth of its message. I was feeling a little down & the song ministered to me in its poignancy & truthfulness. It reminded me that we’re all facing some kind of mountain in life. To be perfectly honest, I never expected a secular song sung by a teenager to minister to my soul but we never know what God will use to speak to us.

Life has taught me that everybody wants a problem which is good because everybody’s got them. We should embrace our challenges because they are the things that keep us alive. Listen to the words;

The Climb

Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb!

The climb proclaims that life is a journey. As a matter of fact, the sooner you & I learn that life is a journey, the sooner we’ll get on better terms with life, relax a little bit & enjoy the trip.

Whether we realize it or not life is a spiritual journey. We’re on a road trip. That’s the only realistic way to view our lives. Every trip, no matter its length has a beginning, middle & an end. Some of us might be closer to the end of our journey than we’d like to think. All of us have a finish line out there somewhere & our objective as Christians should be to finish strong.

Let’s look at some ways we can make our trip, or climb more enjoyable.

1. TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME

Recently our son & family were running from the snow in Pennsylvania, [kidding] & visited us for a week. It was one of the most enjoyable weeks I can ever remember. We went through four of the parks in & around Disney. Our should I say, - they, including Juda went through four parks; I only made it to three of them. My dogs were barking so loud after the third day, I had to drop out.

To get as far as I did on this marathon, I had to keep telling myself—“One step at a time.”

2. UNDERSTAND THAT THE CLIMB ISN’T EASY

More than Miley’s chorus spoke to me. I like this line; “The struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking, sometimes might knock me down but no, I’m not breaking.”

That reminds me of Paul’s words—we’re knocked down but never knocked out.

It’s also reminiscent of the gospel song, “We fall down but we get up.” I can’t remember who wrote that great song but it’s so true isn’t it?

Years ago I read the book “The road less traveled.” I am familiar enough with it to know the first line in the book says; Life is hard. But when we accept that it’s difficult, it’s not difficult anymore, because in the acceptance comes the strength to rise above life’s difficulties.[paraphrased]


3. TAKE THE CLIMB SERIOUSLY, BUT NOT TOO SERIOUSLY

Have you read the book of Ecclesiastes lately? This book is so grounded in reality some complain that it doesn’t sound like scripture. Sometimes the message is extremely realistic. The message in Ecclesiastes seems to be in some respects, “Life stinks.” This book is so realistic it says to us; the wise person trusts God for the future but lives each day to its fullest. This book reminds us that all will die & some will die too young & some of us tragically before we think it’s time. The preacher in this book teaches us a perspective on life we’d be wise to consider.

What is faith? According to Ecclesiastes it’s living each day not knowing what tomorrow will bring. That’s faith! Ecclesiastes teaches that the ratio of people who die is one-to-one. We all die. Death wipes us out, at least on this earth. A live dog is better than a dead lion. All the great faith teachers like Kenneth Hagen & Oral Roberts die. To be fair, they never said they wouldn’t someday go to heaven. I heard Kenneth Hagen Jr. tell about being with his father on his death bed. Kenneth Jr. asked his father if he wanted people to really get hold of heaven on his behalf & rebuke death. The elder Hagen said, no, it was time & he was ready to go to heaven.

If Jesus tarries, we’re all going to go to sleep & wake up in eternity. The fact of death however is a far cry from you & me living out our days sick & in bed. The fact that life is but a vapor makes it too precious for that.

The certainty of death isn’t all there is to know about life & death. Not at all. That’s why we should take life seriously but not too seriously. We must face the reality of death but conversely we must keep in mind that there is one who died so that we might live. He also rose from the dead.

Jesus came- that we might have life & that we might have it more abundantly. The Bible speaks of death as—the last enemy we’ll face.

Ecclesiastes also speaks about realities such as-the race isn’t always to the swift. Life isn’t always ‘fair.” The best team doesn’t always win. The smartest people don’t always succeed. Great planning won’t always produce a great outcome. Expect the unexpected. Don’t assume things. Don’t give up & don’t be shaken when things don’t turn out the way you planned. This doesn’t give us a license to worry because worry is a lack of trust in God.

In the final analysis, the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that the certainty of death makes us think more realistically about life. The Psalmist speaks of numbering our days so that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.

To make the journey more enjoyable;


4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TRAVELING COMPANIONS

1. Corinthians 15:33 says, -- bad company corrupts good morals.

Loneliness is a growing problem in our society. A study recently showed that the loneliest group in America is college students. That’s surprising. Next on the list are divorced people, welfare recipients, single mothers, rural students, housewives & the elderly.

Recently an ad appeared in a Kansas newspaper. It read, “I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00.” Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But it was serious & it wasn’t long before the individual was getting 10-20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness is so sharp in our world the many people are willing to try anything for half an hour of companionship. The Bible is very clear that-two are better than one.

All of us need a friend. All of us need love. We need “someone to watch over us.” We need someone who’ll double our joy & divide our grief. We all need someone who understands our silence. We all need someone who’ll come in when the whole world has gone out. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.”

We also need the right kind of friends if we are to be happy on our journey. Not just anyone will do. The verse says—Bad Company corrupts good morals.

The opposite is also true, good friends lead to good character. Proverbs 13:20 says, -He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

We don’t need soothsayers or fortune tellers to tell us our future. All we need to do is take a long hard look at our friends.

If you’re head over heels in debt because you’re trying to keep up with your friends, you need some new friends who’ll accept you for who you are not what you have. When they get a new car, you get a new car. When they go on expensive trips, you go on an expensive trip. When they get the latest gadget, you must have that gadget. You may need friends who aren’t so materialistic.

I love the words of Psalm 1;

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners.-But his delight is in the law of the Lord & on His law he meditates day & night. According to the psalmist, that man is blessed who avoids bad companions & makes the law of the Lord his companion.

Our friends can either help us or hurt us on our life journey. They can either help or hurt us in our relationship with the Lord or they can lead us away from him if we’re not very careful. Again—Bad Company corrupts good morals.

Another way we can make our climb more enjoyable & productive is;


5. DON’T TAKE TOO MUCH BAGGAGE ON YOUR JOURNEY


Baggage is the perfect metaphor for things we collect & carry with us.. This baggage is where we keep all our psychological stuff we’re unable or unwilling to jettison. All of us have collected emotional junk as souvenirs from places we’ve been & people we’ve met. This is weighty stuff & can not only get in our way; it can clutter the lives of the people who love us.

I remember a story about a 5 year old boy who misbehaved & was put in a closet for some quiet time to think over what he’d done. The mom told her son he’d have to stay in the closet for 30 minutes. She heard strange sounds coming from the closet, & then everything got quiet. The mother was curious so she opened the door. “Jimmy,” she asked, “What on earth are you doing?” The little boy said defiantly, “I spit on your clothes & I spit on your shoes. Now I’m just waiting for more spit.”

I’ve seen adults who react the same way. You can look at them & tell by the expression on their face that they’re just waiting for more spit.

All of us can have a tendency to harbor grievances against others. Baggage can be things like, “I was abused,” “Nobody knows what I’ve been through,” “I hate my job,” -anger, bitterness, haunting memories, regrets, concerns, worries, hurts, fears, resentments & grudges we harbor. If we’re going to enjoy the road trip we’re on, we can’t be loaded down with all this baggage.

On this climb, we’ve got to travel light. Maybe we think our baggage keeps us grounded to reality but it truth it keeps us from flying. The problem is, we have to be willing to open the door & let all these things out but the door can only be opened from the inside. If we can’t get release from this baggage, through turning it over to the Lord, then we will inevitably be crushed under its burden.

6. HAVE JOY & INSPIRATION ON YOUR JOURNEY

No language has as many words for joy as does Hebrew. In The Old Testament, thirteen Hebrew roots found in twenty-seven different words are used for some aspect of joy. Hebrew language often puts God as the source of joy. The good Israelite regarded God as both the source & the object of true joy. The Psalmist said;

In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore. 16:11

Also- The joy of the Lord is our strength.

In the New Testament another element is added to joy. The Hebrews found joy in focusing on all the good things God had done, while the early followers of Jesus discovered joy everywhere, even in suffering. Paul called joy “A fruit of the spirit.”

How’s joy working for you these days? You & I know that this joy is supernatural & is a gift we can’t buy with money. This joy is something we can’t contain & keep hidden. If we have it, it will overflow into the lives of others.

Next;

7. DON’T EXPECT PERFECTION ON THIS JOURNEY

We shouldn’t expect perfection from those around us, our circumstances or from our own selves.

Have you ever noticed the pockmarks covering the surface of a golf-ball? They make the ball look imperfect, but why are they there? An aeronautical engineer who designs golf balls says that a perfectly smooth ball would travel only 130 yards off the tee. But the same ball with dimples will fly twice that far. Those apparent “flaws” minimize the ball’s resistance & allow it to travel much farther.

Most of us can name a few things about ourselves we wish we had been born without. It’s hard to imagine that those “imperfections” are there for a purpose & are a part of God’s master design. Don’t forget that David said—we’re fearfully & wonderfully made. If we accept our “flaws & imperfections” as part of God’s master plan for us, it will make all the difference in our outlook on life.

God wants to take the baggage off our shoulders so we can be free from its bondage. Jesus said;

Come unto to me all you who are weary & burdened & I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28.

He invites us to come to Him & check our baggage once & for all. I realize this journey will have its rough spots. Every journey does. But by the grace of God I intend to enjoy the process that gets me to my destination. How about you? I also know-

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side


It's the climb!


Blessings,


John