AMDG for our daily life

Ad majorem Dei gloriam. For the greater glory of God. Many Christians have already written AMDG on top of their thesis, book, diary, or maybe even on the first board of a home to build - or a Church. AMDG it is the older (and presumably more thoughtful) version of WWID - or the answer to WWID if you like. AMDG is not just a motto (of the Society of Jesus - the 'Jesuits'), but a phrase coined by the founder of this society, Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), a man described by Pope Benedict XVI as someone who gave God the first place in his life, a man of profound prayer too. Besides that, there is another thing that reminds me of Rebecca St James: Ignatius wrote his Spiritual Exercises, basically a simple and straightforward approach to practical meditation and prayer, designed to be carried out over a period of one month (28 to 30 days).

Rebecca and her 40 days with God book(s) have nothing to do with the Jesuits as an organization, but of course we know her as a Jesus-follower. Her 40 days books are not meant to be read under strict conditions of meditation, but they have some kind of meditative character too. They are more direct, more meant as 'meditation by example' (which fits with our time) - they are written from an evangelical tradition, not a Roman Catholic one. However, mind you: Protestants have been interested in Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises too, and in 2006, an adapted version of these meditations appeared, for usage by Protestants. Contemplative prayer has had a growing interest during the last decade - maybe particularly since nine eleven.

For the greater glory of God. It strongly reminds of Rebecca's song For The Love Of God (Written By Rebecca St. James and Matt Bronleewe, 2000 - Transform album):

[Chorus]
For the love of God
Let this be my motivation
For the love of God
In this love I'm recreated
For the love of God
It's the reason for giving love away
For the love of God

God has such a huge place in many other songs: the Song (and Album) simply titled God, the album Worship God. Songs like God Of Wonders, Lamb Of God, Yes I Believe In God are about assurance; a song like God Help Me is more about reassurance.

There is a whole landscape of feelings about God in these songs, be it in words written by Rebecca herself, or in songs written by others, she selected for her albums. Just a selection, based on finding the word God in these songs:

Joy in God, praise: "We behold the Lamb of God ... The risen Lamb, the Son of God" (And We Behold Him); "For He is risen, Seated upon the throne, He is the Lamb of God ... He is the precious Lamb of God" (Blessing, Honour); "My God is there - His light is there to follow - Back to the quiet waters - I know he cares" (Way Up Here); "It's God, truly God - Can you see can you hear can you touch can you feel" (God); "Beautiful Savior my God, my friend" (A Cradle Prayer); "God I lift You high - You are my Abba" (Abba Father); "The extravagant love of God ... God loved us, And through His grace He gave us shining hope" (Omega); "The Son of God and Light of the world" (Expressions Of Your Love); "such grace could only come from God" (Go And Sin No More); "May the words of my mouth Please you dear God" (Mirror); "God of wonders beyond our galaxy" (God Of Wonders); "God will carry us" (I'll Carry You); "Lamb of God, Holy You are" (Lamb Of God); "Sing all ye citizens of heav'n above - Glory to God" (O Come All Ye Faithful); "The heavens declare You are God - And the mountains rejoice" (Song Of Love).

Longing for God: "And I'm longing for that place way up high - Where God's air is sweet and I touch the sky" (Way Up Here); "God, You alone can forgive me - erase my fear and my doubt ... God let me not be distracted Lord help me focus on you" (Go And Sin No More); "My heart and flesh cry out For You, the living God" (Better Is One Day); "Here I am to say that You're my God" (Here I Am To Worship); "They can point their fingers, Push me nearer to the flame; God, You can save me from the fire" (Carry Me High); "Restore me and draw me to you, God ... You're near me - You love me - You hold me - You reach me - You still me - You move me - You draw me to you, God - You are God!" (Peace); "Son of God we pray we may reach thee - May we live in peace we beseech thee" (Jesu' Joy Of Man's Desiring); "Merciful God - We confess that we have not loved You with our whole heart ... And we cry out for you God" (Merciful); "God, I'm so in need of grace ... God we praise You for Your grace - Before You we are raised - Forgiven" (Forgive Me).

Responsibility, encouragement: "There are millions in this world today - Searching for something that can take away the pain - Why don't we show them a little of God's love?" (Little Bit Of Love); "The power of God is a mighty force, That breaks the strength of the enemy ... God didn't give me a spirit of fear ... I'll stand to fight, With all God's might, Now turning darkness into light" (The Rock Medley); "God asks the question, 'Whom shall I send?' - Now what will we answer? ... Lord I give myself to you, my God I trust you ... teach me my God" (Here I Am); "Fear God and do exactly what He says
That's what matters" (That's What Matters; from the Bible book of Ecclesiastes), and "Life holds new meaning - When God becomes the center of it all" (same song); "That You the God of creation say - I've got this power in me" (In Me); "This is our time to believe - To know in our God we are free" (Stand); "Mean it death or mean it life - Oh, I believe in God - For I have found the way" (Yes, I Believe In God); "God, I hear You calling out to me" (Beautiful Stranger).

Insightful contemplation about God: "I feel the touch of God's loving hand
Restoring me in ways I can't understand" (Way Up Here); "We're never gonna see God if we keep looking for vogue" (We Don't Need It); "He was God but one of us" (A Cold Heart Turns); "You are the true God the one living Lord" (Speak To Me); "You are God in Heaven And here I am on earth - So I'll let my words be few" (Let My Words Be Few); "Be still and know you are God ... " (Peace); "Oh Lord my God, You walk beside me - Through the laughter, through the tears, Oh Lord my God, You hold and You hide me" (My Hope); "God help me see what You see - The diamond in the stone" (Beautiful Stranger); "God, it hurts to give You what I must lay down - But when I let go, freedom's found - God, it hurts to give You what I've held so dear - Because of Your love it's clear - I can trust You with this" (I Can Trust You); "For you are a friend who loves at all times - I thank God for you" (singing about a close friend, on I Need You - maybe the only song where Rebecca so directly hints at human relationships being so very important too, next to a close relationship with God); "Everybody asks, 'Is God good?' I believe, He is - In fact I know, He is" (You Are Loved).

What a stockpile of excitement and incitement we have here! And all of this wrapped in songs which themselves have clearly been created as pieces of art Ad majorem Dei gloriam.

Let us get crazy about all these things. Crazy about God. What a source of power and love He is. Even when I don't feel it, I can 'objectify' sorrows or fear to a certain extent, in order to see them in perspective, in a context where God has a place too. Contemplation and prayer helps in this process. Rebecca's albums are in themselves Spiritual Exercises. Add so many other artists to it - there is a lot of good music out there. Maybe we don't use the full potential of it. Maybe we could treat every good Christian album as a 40 days with God exercise?

Parsifal, the Witless Fool

Modern music is derived from ancient music. Nothing new here, we all build upon the past. Rebecca's music often includes violins or other symphonic elements. There is a lot to say about Christian music of the past. Bach, Beethoven, and so on.

What about Wagner? Wagner is a disputed figure. Wagner's antisemitism is one major source of dispute - as is the case with Mel Gibson's alleged antisemitism in more recent times that has put some shadow over his impressive movie The Passion of the Christ. But we must not judge someone by one action alone - this isn't honest. Gibson comes from a Roman Catholic tradition. Wagner comes from the past - that's even worse. However, Wagner has known the kind of wonderment, the preoccupation with Christian thought that characterized so many composers of the past. But was this man honest?

Talking about Wagner is difficult without some introduction on what's true and what's an exaggeration. Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) was the product of a racist culture, we must judge him against the background of his time. It was in many ways a very unfortunate time to live in - but no one can choose his own time frame from the historical roller. And of course, it wasn't very helpful that Houston Stewart Chamberlain, often associated with Nazi racial philosophy, admired Wagner's work and marrying Wagner's daughter Eva. Brushing up the image of Wagner isn't easy. Nevertheless, the man had long died when Hitler came to power - let us not forget that.

An impressive work like his The Ring of the Nibelung, the four-opera cycle that seems to have inspired Tolkien into writing his The Lord of the Rings, has also been interpreted in more dark, racist ways. Nationalism and racism have been plaguing German artists, philosophers, politicians, even the Pope (as Pope Ratzinger had his own struggle with the extremism that ravaged German Hitler-Jugend). Biographers of Wagner have often put a terrible burden upon the shoulders of this man, who could not possibly have escaped his own time.

Parsifal is something very special. This opera has been criticized in many different directions: Schopenhauerian pessimism, Buddhist compassion and reincarnation, nature as holy (or 'wholly' - think holism today), and of course, the much debated question of antisemitic content in the opera. But much of it is questionable. More recent literary research on Wagner leaves more space for a balanced view. Parsifal does in no way hint at antisemitism unless you put it in the text, based on conclusions from other sources. Which is what a biographer like Gutman did.

Of course, it is undeniable that Wagner has been occupying himself with the racialist philosophy of Arthur de Gobineau. But, while Gutman claims that this is reflected in Parsifal, there is no real confirmation for this tendentious interpretation in the story iself. After all, Parcifal was already written in 1877, while Wagner showed no significant interest in Gobineau until 1880; and already as early as 1881, it becomes clear (from Cosima's diary entries at that time) that Wagner had begun to form an opinion about Gobineau's racial theories which was, on the whole, negative. His pamphlet "Heroism and Christianity" starts with friendly, careful phrasing about Gobineau (they were still considered friends, even while they had started to part), but Wagner's answer was an anti-racist plea.

At that time, however, anti-racism could be seen as contrasting with Judaism. (The Jews would, later on, find themselves more and more in a terrible position: attacked by a secular, virulent racist program on the one side, and at the other side by Christians who thought of Jews as racists). We know today what a madness this really was, but Wagner lived in the Germany of that time - long before Hitler, which also means long before the consequences of German philosophy started to become clear.

Now when you observe Wagner's works - most of them suggest a significant influence of Christian thought. Most of those great composers of the past have been interpreting Christian thought indeed. But Parcifal - Wagner's final opera - is an abundant example of that process. What is it that invited great artists to rethink, work out, experiment with, recreate, reformulate, object against or embrace (part of) the biblical materials, and often come to surprising, interesting interpretations?

Working with Biblical materials

When non-Christians (or non-explicit Christians) get involved with Christian thought, the 'biblical materials' are often treated as 'raw material' that require elaboration. Elaboration can be seen positively as processing the materials, elaboration as real labor: working hard on preparing yourself to interact with the raw material, so it makes sense for you.

In my opinion, seeing the biblical texts as 'raw material' isn't necessarily such a bad thing. It might be more dangerous when people (including Christians) treat biblical materials as an end product, because that is where 'fundamentalism' often starts - more particularly where bible literalism takes over. It is not just about holding on to the Word of God then, but about holding on to our own interpretations, especially to what fits best with what we see as God's will. It seems to me that seeing the bible as 'raw material' is in a way less dangerous.

And after all, isn't the real end product - according to Jewish thought - a product to achieve in the future? The much anticipated end product is mankind itself. Even the new world to come is in reality a world where people act differently. Obviously, there is still an awful lot of homework to do before it would really look like an end product.

What is the benefit of considering such figures like Wagner?

First of all, they experienced this sense of marvel at the great God story that often seems to have escaped Christians. On the other hand: people like Wagner clearly missed our 'Christian certainties'. And this could be an interesting experience for us to discover.

Don't get me wrong on this: there is not necessarily anything wrong with Christian certainties. You are reading this on a site called Rebecca St James reference; obviously, Rebecca has a couple of 'Christian certainties' of her own, and obviously I have no problem with that. I love the fact that others are feeling more certain than I do, and what makes me a fan of Rebecca is the fact that I can relate to certainties IF these certainties relate to the person who promotes them. Which is another way of saying that I perceive Rebecca as an authentic Christian. However, there can be little doubt that some Christians are not very 'compatible' with Christian certainties. The net effect of Christian certainties upon certain Christians does not look like very Christian: haughtiness, overconfidence, nonchalance, lack of interest in the fate of unbelievers, and so on.

Wagner did not possess our certainties, but he had a desire to find out what really matters in this world - a desire that might inspire us.

Seeing the Light

Just like Arthur Schopenhauer (who had a major influence on Wagner), Wagner observed the chaos in his world, having no ready-made answers to it. The world was seemingly determined by an irrational and evil will. Wagner wrote some masterpieces that seem to carry us through the depths of despair. You may perceive his as a completely pessimistic world view - but you could also see a man who was desperately wrestling with the darkness in order to find the way out.

We can observe different places, levels of despair if you want, but we cannot easily judge about what kind of direction someone is taking. Despair is not necessarily a choice, not even a constant state of the heart - but often a temporary state, and at the inside, a couple of eyes may be seeking for the light, not finding it, yet. The reason for this sorry state could be the 'blindness' of the non-believer, as we Christians often call it - but we cannot always be that sure about the nature of this human condition. In many cases this can hardly be the entire truth. We could ourselves be a part of the problem, why people do not see the light.

Music is a wonderful way of shining the light - because music is a universal language and is capable of expressing just about everything about life, even afterlife. But also about death (and 'after death').

Besides the pagan (and Buddhist) influences in Parcifal, Christian influences are most prevalent.

For instance, there is a profound emphasis on sexual and spiritual purity in the Parcifal story (both are connected, as explained in other postings on this weblog: you cannot be pure in one way while you are impure in other ways at the same time). This may require significant struggling with the powers that try to fill our spirits with the products of a consumer-oriented program that pays no respect to the moral qualities and responsibilities of the human being. Parcifal gives a profound impression of this struggle. In order to see the light, you may have to pass through the valley of death first, or at least through the shadowlands (in C.S. Lewis and Rebecca St James language).

The long journey towards the light

But what's also prevalent in Parcifal is the sheer longueur, the length, the duration of the journey. You may see the light, but still, have to walk a long road before you arrive at the right place.

The story of Parcifal may look odd in many ways, but if you 'get into it', you may recognize so much of your own life. We may often think that our story should move more quickly. But, when translated into today's language, what that means is: move on to consumption - because consumption is about the funny stuff. Reduce pain, increase pleasure - the god of hedonism, ruling our spirits maybe more than any other god.

In Parcifal, no such non-sense. Parcifal makes us come to our senses, which for human beings does not only include the five or more senses we (more or less)share with animals, but also the spiritual-intellectual senses (often identified as mind and understanding). It takes time to arrive at the point where we make sense. Till we have faces, as one of C.S. Lewis marvelous books calls it, in an attempt to explore the human condition and Psuchè in the light of the higher powers, the powers we cannot control, but who may look like non-sensical unless some divine light shines upon it, revealing the true nature of the things. The human mind is a labyrinth to those who have no compass, and for those who have a compass, it still is a huge domain, rich but frightening. Logical thought, or even Wittgenstein and all the linguistic insights of these days may never make the light really shine. The light shines when an authentic story reveals to us the meaning of things, of life. The entire Bible consists of truth-by-storytelling. Wagner was getting it - as most composers got their part of it, understanding the rich palette of colors that music offers.

Music gives faces to things, it tells stories, paints images on our minds. Wagner, for all his missing certainties, was not left in the cold entirely - not as we would be tempted to think today. There were still those strong Christian fibers throughout German society then, just like elsewhere in Europe. Wagner was like telling a John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress story, but more as one would see it from a dark place. And Germany was rapidly becoming a very dark place then.

Today, some very dark clouds seem to have appeared once again - world threats (such as radical Islam, as 9/11 proved, but also virulent forms of atheism and other radical anti-Christian ideologies are emerging). Christians are often weak, still. If this does not change for the better, meaning a radical change of hearts, taking a stand for Jesus, there may be little hope for the world. But, while even Parcifal - a 'young fool' - managed to get through it, while Hitler was going to come down with great force, as Lucifer will, at a certain point in the future, there must be hope. The 'young fool' Parcifal reminds of Dostojewski's The Idiot (who pictures in fact Jesus Christ, the innocent who is a fool to the world). These days, you have to be a bit of a fool to stand for God in a world who - once again - wants to get completely rid of Him and his rules. Music is one way to remind us that truth is composed of the simplicity of a pure heart. No matter how many people perceive that as foolishness. The simple belief that there is more to earth than meets the eye is enough for many 'intellectuals' to boast out loud against such 'nonsense'.

What would they know? They have rejected the most basic lessen of life: realizing that we are witless fools when we stand before the Great God.

David Smallbone - Silent Professional for God

I want to write something about Mr. David Smallbone, the father of Rebecca Smallbone (Rebecca St James by her artistic name). We don't hear that much about him. But that is typical for many professionals, particularly organizers.

I am not going to tell you something new about Mr. Smallbone: I am depending entirely on the materials I could collect from articles on the Internet, some things from video fragments, some things from Rebecca's books. And Luis Palau's book: It's a God Thing. And some of my own thoughts on this man.

Mr. Smallbone made a living as a Christian concert promoter in Australia, which was not such an abundantly Christian country at that time (only 5 percent of the people believed in Christ, according to Palau).

Jon Hanna writes in an article, The Real Deal (see sources at the end of this article) that in the mid to late 70s, when Christians around the world were discovering that it was okay to praise God with contemporary music, David Smallbone was introducing he music ministries of Petra and Amy Grant to his Australian countrymen, and also Larry Norman - known as the prime instigator of today’s Christian music. The first concert he ever promoted was in fact a Larry Norman concert.  David Smallbone recalled that his daughter Rebecca was "only six months old at the time", says Jon. I don't know what's wrong with the timing, but Larry appears to have had a concert in September of 1977 - Rebecca would have been 2 months old then (she was born at the end of July). There was probably also a concert at the end of December 1977. (PS. I don't know if Pascal Muet can be trusted with his information on Rebecca, but he suggests that Rebecca's first performance was at the age of six months, when "she cried through a whole Larry Norman concert her father organized"; crying through a complete concert at the age of 6 months on the other hand seems a bit strange to me, but then, I have no clue about kids, and anyway, Rebecca has a strong voice so maybe she was really dong some early exercise).

On a more serious note, however, years later, Mr. Smallbone run into a financial debacle due to his passion for Christian music as a mission. Too few fans filled seats in a national tour he had been promoting. When ticket sales fall short, artists still must receive their guaranteed money - and Mr. Smallbone "took a $250,000 bath in red ink". The creditors repossessed his house. He was a father of six then (Helen, his wife, was expecting the seventh one - Libby) and David had to look for work elsewhere.

At that time, a top artist offered him a job in Nashville, Tennessee. With children ranging in age from 1 to 14, it was unthinkable to move to the U.S. alone. Knowing the better opportunities for Rebecca in America may have played a role in their decision too. In the fall of 1991 the Smallbones decided to sell furniture, and purchased tickets to America.

Having arrived at destination, they made a living in two motel rooms, eating fast-food until an unfurnished rental house was found. Helen, now seven months pregnant, slept on a mattress, the others slept on the floor. After a couple of months, David was told his position was no longer available. For several days, he was feeling sick about these developments. But the family got on their knees together and asked God to help them. They also took on some odd jobs. Rebecca, the oldest, and two brothers raked leaves and mowed lawns. Rebecca also baby-sat and helped her mom clean houses. But also, "interesting things began to happen", so reports Mr. Palau at this point. Bags of groceries were left at the front door. Sunday school classes donated furniture. A Nashville songwriter, Jon Mohr, gave the Smallbones - no strings attached - a three-month-old Toyota Previa van.

Then, a major surprise: Forefront Records heard a demo tape of Rebecca singing, and they offered the 15-year-old a recording contract. She recorded her first album when she was 16, using an old family name, St. James. The family started to make plans for a concert tour - things were rapidly changing now. Mr. Jon Mohr came up with another 'miracle' of charity: he traded the Previa for a Chevy 15-passenger van. Awestruck by his generosity, David offered Jon 50 percent of the money they earned from Rebecca's emerging musical career. Today, David promotes his own daughter's sold-out concerts, but it started with a lot of problems and ... a lot of prayer, and with faith.

Working Together

Only recently, a very nice video called working together was posted in the official rsjchannel on YouTube. In it, Helen Smallbone - David's wife - speaks about how they learned  to cooperate as a family during these hard times. Nowadays the Rebecca St James happening is a real family activity, but that did not just happen overnight. Helen: "I don' think it was something that we started, I think it was definitely God's idea. And it happened when we first came to America, and David lost his job". Rebecca declares, later on in the video: "We are so close as a family I think because of the fire that we've been through. And no one asks for fire (...) but I've seen God use that in my family and in my life, to shape me into who I am, and to shape our relationships into what they are."

The same video, part two, tells about the 'No Secrets' policy in this family. (In fact, it appears that they were actually often wearing a T-shirt on the road that says 'No Secrets' on it). Helen tells about the kids, how "they learned, very young, that everybody was needed to make this thing [their trying to make a living as a family] happen. I think [when] we look back, that was the start of what we are doing. We've [learned] so much to do it together, that when we did this, to be separated was just so hard. And so that's when we started to think: well, let's go together".

In Gettin' Serious, the early newsletter of Rebecca St. James, she wrote: "We try to keep everything out in the open and be honest with each other. As a young person, this has helped me so much. I have always known there is nothing that I can't share with my family."

The Australian Spirit - or is it Christian Family life?

Australia has a rich tradition in Christian music. I'll cover something about that in a separate article. [Update: see The Australian Spirit]. It is no surprise that this early Australian industry veteran founded Smallbone Management in the U.S. after their migration, once the initial difficulties had been overcome. As the president of this successful Christian artist management company, he could soon enjoy the outcome of their challenging decision, as Rebecca's concerts were soon becoming sold out. In 1999, daughter Rebecca became the first Australian woman to win a Grammy. But under the skin of the manager there is the heart of a missionary. In his own words: "Ever since we have arrived in the US from Australia we had a dream of encouraging people to worship God with a contemporary and youthful emphasis".

In fact, it is a simple lesson we are seeing here. Rebecca is widely respected for her authentic Christian lifestyle, her being 'radical' in the most meaningful way of the word: radically living for this God of life, love, peace (key words in Rebecca's songs). But this attitude did not suddenly turn up from nowhere. Christianism is, just like Judaism, not about magic, but about reality. In the Old Testament, emphasis on 'faith education' is prevalent. For Christianism as well, such simple, almost 'ordinary' thing like family life really do matter, and make the difference in many cases. Rebecca St James is a 'phenomenon' that started in the hearts of faithful parents.

Good things can so often be traced back to grandparents, parents, family life. The mission thing has clearly also been caught on well with Rebecca - but these kind of things usually work by example. Christianism is quite down to earth in such things. Sure, there is the 'magic' of how faith grows in an individual person. There is the 'magic' that Rebecca did things none of her parents could probably do. Even there, the mix of down to earth things (like being talented) and 'magic' things (like the secret and power of real faith) is prevalent. The 'magic' thing is that one can see Gods work here, but there is also the simple fact of two parents who knew what true education means. If they would not have been authentic and faithful, Rebecca might not have been either.

I can only conclude that having a great dad and mom, having a great family, means a lot of things for he human beings we are, and hence, of course, for our Christian lives too. You or I could sometimes feel a bit jealous about these things if we see them happen in the lives of others, not in our own family, but that of course is not the best way of receiving something from God. Being allowed to have a look into things as God obviously wants them to see, that too means receiving something from God. And, you know, we often look at some of those great 'lives' (think the life of Hudson Taylor for instance), without fully realizing what kind of life they really lived: their firm devotion to Gods will even in extremely difficult situations. Are we ready to push that button? To take those risks?

When I consider the life of someone like Mr. Smallbone, it also strikes me that this man, this family, could have decided to make much more money with the kind of talents of their oldest daughter - provided that they would all have agreed on doing that. They could have walked a much more 'mainstream' road, they could have decided that just showing a little more 'flesh on the screen' could immediately double or triple the amount of attention for Rebecca's performance. It is not even about taking extreme positions, just doing a little bit more what 98% of all female mainstream artists seem to do these days. Speaking from a human viewpoint, and given the fact that Rebecca knows something about acting, they would have succeeded. Rebecca would have been popular for a much wider audience - but a totally different audience. Tens of thousands of Christians would not have been much aware of her existence, she would not have been one of the very influential Christian leaders for all those (young) people who were already considered by many Christians a 'lost generation'.

I See Smallbones

In stead of a lost generation however, a 'purity generation' was rising up (not solely due to the efforts of the Smallbones of course, but heir being faithful to a mission made a difference - it always makes a difference. In stead of seeing a lost generation, they saw a purity generation. It reminds of Floyd McClung's recent book You See Bones - I See an Army (2007, the title refers to Ezekiel 37, the valley full of bones, that is: unless faith gives us another vision). An interesting view on Christian life by the way. I would suggest - with a wink - that God might probably have thought, when those hard years for Mr. David and family occurred (1990, 1991): you see Bones - I see Smallbones.

But fill in your own name if you want. The world saw just dry and dead bones - but God saw Evie Tornquist, or he saw Amy Grant - and they reached millions with their songs of devotion. And not just artists of course - remember: this is a mission thing.

Christians basically see - or ought to see - 'success' and things like that in an fundamentally different light. Reality is something that happens within the orbit of Gods will - not outside of it. The World is real, but not reality in all its fullness. Nothing can be more real than the One who created reality - all things seen and unseen. He also created our talents.

You decide how you use it: for real or for unreal. Contribute to the ways of the History Maker, or to the ways of the masquerade makers of this world.

Some sources

• A short series of articles in Christianity Today about David Smallbone: Disaster Down Under, Five Ways God Answers Prayer, The Big Break. The original source behind these articles was Luis Palau's book It's a God Thing.
• The video Working Together / No Secrets Policy as posted on the official rsjchannel on YouTube.
• Jon Hanna: Rebecca St James - The Real Deal
• Of course, also check out the site rsjames.com, and you will also find information on our homepage.