Mental Pictures: A Castle, A Lantern, Stars, and Music

This post will be a compilation of four little stories, mental pictures if you will, that have been filling my mind over the past two days! Each story comes from a simple image or scene that soon became much more significant. I was inspired to put each picture's deeper meaning into words and make them symbol. Unfortunately most of these ideas came into my head as I was getting ready to sleep, so I had to stay up to write them down! I hope you are encouraged by them and enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. 

Some of you have already read the first one: The King's Castle. A most impressive thunderstorm was taking place outside as the scene came to me. The rain pounded on the roof, thunder crashed around me, but I was safe inside the house, which inspired me to write this:

Being a Christian is like watching an outrageous thunderstorm through a castle window. While enjoying the warmth and security of our relationship with the King, we are constantly watching the storm - not because we regret being in such a calm place, but because we are always ready to go outside and help those struggling in the surrounding chaos. Once they are able to see the castle we can help them throw away their flimsy umbrella and lead them to the only place of true peace and safety: The King's Castle.

After hearing what a blessing this story had been to a few people, I decided to post the other three here!

I have always been fascinated with lanterns - probably due to my slight obsession with Narnia -but also because they remind me of my favorite Bible verse. It talks about being lights in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, and thus "light" has become my favorite symbol for Christians. But who is the brightest light? That would be Jesus - which brings me to the next picture.

Jesus is like a beautiful lantern in the middle of a charred wasteland. No matter how black everything is - how dark, how wretched, how filthy - the Lantern always stays the same. It is pure, it is clean, it is welcoming. Even though the metal casing is simple, the Lantern shines with an eternal light that nothing can ever touch or break.

But only a few travelers stand beside it.

Because it is not the only light in the wreckage; there are other lamps, smaller more attractive ones that give off a sickly fluorescent glow.  And due to the lamps overall physical appearance, easy accessibility, and proximity, most of the travelers cluster about them.

In doing so them miss the real Lantern, refusing to walk up the steeper path to the true light. Instead of enjoying a blazing flame they settle for a superficial gleam.

However, in the end all of the lamps will die out - all except the Lantern. It will shine forever, getting brighter and brighter until everyone knows where true light comes from.

It all comes down to this:

What lights your life?

There's two more. The third continues to use light, but this time its in the cosmos. I love looking at the heavens on a moonless night, so when that picture came to mind a little story soon followed.

Sometimes life just looks like a starry sky - breathtaking and marvelous, but seemingly scattered and random. Events and people are tossed into one's life, handfuls of stars on a blank black background. Its confusingly beautiful, but when you look up its hard to see how they all connect.
And then there's God. Not only did He make the actual stars, but He created and ordained each person/situation sprinkled across your life sky. 
But the best part is that He sees the constellations.
The pictures, the relationships, the significance within each shining image are known to God. Sometimes He reveals them to use so that we too can see the connections, something like the Big Dipper, or Orion's Belt. But other times we can't see the constellation. Maybe its not time yet, or maybe we're just not looking. Yet thankfully as Christians we can know that there is an order and a plan - even if its not visible quite yet. God made each star, He put them in place, and He loves the image it helps make.
And so we watch the night sky with wonder, awe, and reverence, waiting to see the constellations.

The last scene involves music, of course!

Imagine you are a musician and the greatest composer of all time has just written you a song. It is unique, beautiful, original, and solely for you. It's perfect. You take the freshly written sheet music from his hand, place them on the piano, and begin to play. The piece starts off easy enough so you perform it absolutely flawlessly. The notes, harmonies, and chords are marvelous; smiling, you turn the pages.
Then it gets hard. You continue playing but get frustrated and start to give up. Instead of playing what's written for you, music you know will sound wonderful, you start changing the piece. The themes and melodies are altered in order to maintain a skill level you are comfortable with. Wincing as you play, the composer keeps on watching.
The music is not difficult anymore so you continue, proud of your editing skills. However, it definitely does not sound as good. Even worse, the composer is standing right beside you, watching you alter the piece he wrote specifically for you. He is saddened and hurt; his feelings are obvious and you begin to feel uncomfortable.
The music stops.
You look at the composer whose song you have completely ruined. "I'm sorry," you say.
He is silent.
"It was too hard!" you blurt out. "How could you expect me to play that?"
He takes a breath and replies: "Because I'm here too."
Suddenly you're ashamed. Not once did you thank him for the piece or even acknowledge his presence. You played the music with pride from the beginning until the end, editing it when necessary without stopping to think of the effect it would have. Looking up, you watch the composer place the pages back in order, and realize he wants you to start over.
But why? Hasn't he had enough of me?
"Play it again," he says.
A second practice.
"Will you help me?" you ask.
"That's why I'm here."
So you finally say thank-you.
The composer smiles and you begin to play again. Its unbelievably better this time. He turns the pages for you, help you understand an master the hard passages and shows you how to perfect the simple sections. After playing through your piece and finally hearing its glorious finale, its soul-nourishing power, you realize what a fool you were to even think of changing the original song! But the composer seems to have forgotten your blunder, and encourages you to play it once more. Humbled and grateful you do and are swept away by the music. 
At the end of the piece he says, "I have more songs for you."
You smile, because why would you play anything else?

This one is a bit deeper, but tries to explain a truth I firmly believe it. God is the composer, and I am the proud little musician. The best music, the richest experiences, and the most fulfilling life will only take place if I play what God has set before me. I can ask for His help when things get hard, He is standing right there. My own composition will never ever compare to what God has written for me - so I'd better just play His music! 

And that's the end of these little stories for now! 

A Castle,
A Lantern,
Stars, and
Music. 

Mentors and Advisors

Every main character has a mentor - that's just the way it goes. 

This type of relationship is most obvious in the movies: Uncle Ben and Spiderman, Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid, Superman and his dad, Rafiki and Simba, Proximo and Maximus, Gandalf and the Hobbits, Yoda and Luke Skywalker... the list goes on. 

Sometimes these people act like sidekicks; they protect the hero, drive the escape car, or  help them fight the bad guys. Sometimes the mentor becomes more of a friend, encouraging the hero, keeping them focused, and when necessary, telling them when they're being stupid. Sometimes they are leaders and professors, training the main character for their future tasks and imparting wisdom they've already learned. In the end, every type of advisor is important and an invaluable influence in the main character's life.

But unfortunately, most mentors only get noticed when the main character is in danger or needs serious help. 

Like when the hero is about to be killed: the gun is pointed at his head, the bad guys are saying some kind of evil goodbye that ends up being a weird catchphrase later, and there is no one else in sight. Suddenly the mentor enters the scene, usually on a motorcycle, and does some crazy martial arts to get the gun out of the bad guy's hand, knocks out the enemies and then proceeds to save the hero-to-be. (At least that's how it goes in my head!) Then the mentor says an epic quote before sending his student off to fight an even greater challenge. But that's okay, because the main character will be victorious so long as he pays attention to all he's been taught. You see, its in situations like this that we actually notice the mentor, because without him the hero would be dead!

So why don't we give the mentors more credit? Sure get on a few movie posters, get some fans, a bit of respect, but end up being drowned out by the hero's glory. Yet in all honestly, the hero wouldn't even be a hero without their teacher. Now I'm not saying that we need to boycott superhero movies or anything like that, I just think mentors need some more recognition. They shaped the main character's life, so I think they need some more acknowledgement.

And that's exactly what this post is going to be about. 

Let me explain.

I am not the hero in my life story - that title belongs to Jesus - but I am a main character, and consequently I have mentors. These people don't walk around wearing a badge that says "Hello my name is Mentor," but soon enough you realize that's exactly what they are. My parents, Sunday school teachers, piano teachers, wise family friends, and relatives have been my instructors, leading me on paths of spiritual, musical, academic, and practical knowledge. Their influence has helped me become the capable individual I am today. I cannot take credit for anything, because if I didn't learn a skill from someone else, it was given to me by God, so all I can do is be thankful. Its quite humbling actually, and typing that out really lowers the pride level.  

Anyways. I'm getting ready to go on an adventure in the great big world which means I'll be leaving behind everyone who has helped thus far. With the imminent separation approaching, I have begun to realize everything my mentors have done for me. The confidence I have is because of what I have been taught, my musical talents were developed with help from others, and my character is a mixture of qualities being refined by God. Once again, there isn't really a "me" in this.

But before taking off, I got to have one last meeting with my mentors. It was a graduation party, and all the people who had watched and helped me grow up were there, excited to see me go. So I felt like a Padawan in front of the Jedi Council, ready to receive some final pieces of advice before starting off on an independent mission.  

Of course there were some obscure words of wisdom given. One wise family friend (who is also a farmer) said she was disappointed that I wasn't planning on being a goat herder. Another encouraged me to "go break some hearts and wow some profs!" But this wasn't their only advice. For example: 

A continual energetic attitude would make things brighter during the good times and get me through inevitable rough spots. I need to stay true to my character no matter what everyone else is doing and prepare myself for an every changing future. Listen well and never stop learning, continue living with enthusiasm.... 

Just to review: the reason I got all this advice was because none of my mentors are going with me to Europe - even though most of them want to! However, there is one Teacher, an Adviser who never leaves us, one that most of my Jedi Council knew.

Yes, that's right. 
Jesus.

Knowing I was leaving and they would be staying here, they pointed me to the real Mentor who is always with you. He's a sidekick, friend, protector, leader and encourager, all in one! Of course Jesus is the main reason that I'm not stressed to go away, but its always good to have that re-enforced. Thus, most of my advice came from the Bible, the never changing, eternal, Word of God that saves lives and preserves faith. My mentors on earth encouraged me to look to my Teacher in heaven, who never leaves nor forsakes his children, always ready to teach and guide them. 

Now for the serious advice that applies to all of God's children, anytime, anywhere.

Each Jedi Master presented me with a Bible verse, a lightsaber to wield against the Dark Side of the Force. (Man, I love Star Wars analogies!)

So here they are (the verses I mean):

"Many are the plans of one's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
This is a fabulous verse, especially for someone like me who loves planning out the future, and doesn't always like it when things change. I know God's plans are best and whatever He wants to happens, happens, so I just need to trust him when things don't go as expected. And when you consider 1 Corinthians 2:9  "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him," following God's plans definitely seems to be the way to go. That's what I strive to do now, and what I will continue to do in the future. 

Of course Proverbs 3:5-7 were presented to me, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil." 
These verses are great reminders that I am not the one in charge of my future and shouldn't act like it. Jesus needs to be the center, which means I get to get out of the spotlight with quiet humility, trusting that He actually does know what He's doing. But honestly, life it at its best when you are following Jesus and letting Him lead you.

And how is it possible to let Him be my Mentor?

I need to listen - an excellent piece of advice for a chatty person like myself! I need to be able to say "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening," 1 Samuel 3:9. Samuel was a young boy when he heard God speaking, and the rest of his life revolved around God's work. Which brings me to the  classic youth verse: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Basically, there should be no lazy Christian teenagers, a statement I wholeheartedly agree with! 

Finally, I was encouraged with 1 Timothy 6:11-12 and Joshua 1:8-9. "Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses." "The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night that you may be careful to do all that is written in it. For then you will prosper and have good success."

Life with Jesus = Good success. Maybe not as the world sees it, or as I myself might imagine it, but if I'm doing God's will and trusting in Him life couldn't be better. 

Thanks for sticking with me this far, I know its a long post! But in the end, I just want to thank my mentors for encouraging me and training me in this world while encouraging me to focus on the next. Its been a fun 6 years here and I am looking forward to use all the things you've taught me! I have been blessed by your friendship and wisdom. And of course, thank you Jesus for giving me teachers that point me back to You!

One final word of advice.
For me.
For you.
For followers of Christ:

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified do not be discouraged.
For the Lord your God goes with you
Wherever you are. 

So, adventure is out there - but you don't have to go alone.

The Coda: My Life as a Symphony

I love music. 

It has been a huge part of my life ever since I was born, a source of entertainment, a teaching tool, and a challenge for me to master. My parents raised us on Bible CD's - seriously, I can't even read certain verses without singing them in my head - and taught us that music is important. It is an elegant art, a cultured topic, way to relax, and a mood changer. But most importantly, music can be used to glorify God. 
But, it can also be part of academic life. 

Right now, I am in the process of writing a research paper on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony: Ode to Joy for history class. Now, some people might find this task tedious and boring, but I have found it to be invigorating and inspiring! Not only do I get to learn about my favorite composer - who becomes even more amazing as you learn more about him - but I literally get marks for listening to my favorite type of music! Because I love old music. Not like the 1970's, even further back. More like the 1790's.

Anyways, this project has inspired me to write a symphony of my own - not that it will ever even come close to the musical masterpiece of Ode to Joy. Beethoven's Ninth has divine qualities, mine is pretty down to earth. Even so, with symphonies going on in my head - I listened to Symphony No. 9 at least five times this week - it was pretty easy to start thinking about my life in musical terms. So I decided I would take the time to describe my life as a symphony. 

Here is what it would sound like:

It would start with strings, gently playing the first chord. A bass drum pounds out a faint heartbeat that slowly gets louder and louder. Suddenly the flutes trills, the clarinets and first violins ascend in quick scales, and the exposition of my life has begun!
The melody transfers to the tuba and a simple clumsy melody begins to play. The tune is rather humorous, and carries on even when interrupted by trumpet blasts. More scales symbolize the introduction of other people – Caleb, Joseph and Stephen - into the symphony, but my toddling theme is still the main focus. 

And all the while, the heartbeat continues to play.

The tempo quickens and the theme is passed to the cellos who add a little more complexity to the melody. Their solo is playful, lively, and a lot smoother even though a few more people are added. The French horns fill out the sound and a key change is introduced. The music becomes a lot more structured, and a sort of theme and variation takes place. Musicians bounce around in the new key, the tempo and harmonies become more complicated because there are suddenly more instruments playing. This is elementary school.  

Eventually musical styles change, becoming more exotic and playing in every part of the instruments’ range. Trumpets sing out, trombones enjoy numerous glissandos, and the drum set keeps a swinging beat. There is no more structure, the speed and dynamics fluctuate, and every once and a while a few dissonant chords break up the music. Thankfully these are always quickly resolved and the symphonic journey continues as the orchestra plays through our five month road trip.

But suddenly the instruments drop out one by one, and a minor melody begins, led by the violins. The musical scene is sparse, nothing but the violins and a string bass to continue the tune. Sometimes it even seems to echo to toddling theme of the beginning. This is when we moved to Emo, and the transition was not easy. 

Even so, the symphony does not stop. And the heartbeat continues.

Eventually a new theme begins. A harp sweeps through the melody, the sound swells and the music picks up speed. Instruments are added, a supportive bass line develops, and the woodwinds always have something to do. The piano becomes one of the focal instruments at this point, sounding out a few of the exotic melodies played before. I’m in high school, I’ve completed my German Exchange, and things are speeding up. 

The music intensifies. This is the Coda.

Harmonies build, there is even counterpoint going on in the bass instruments! Impressive. The woodwinds laugh, the trombones shout, and the violins pluck away studiously. Percussion drives the symphony forward and everything is streaming towards a musical climax so rapidly that the musicians can hardly even think.

Can you still hear the heartbeat?

Cymbal crashes at the end of scales mark important events, and symbolize that things are finishing. The music is so impressive that people are already clapping. 

But it’s not over yet. 

The cadence begins to unfold with dominant chords punctuated with enthusiastic trumpets and timpani. All instruments are scaling up or down to the tonic, trilling, or playing fortissimo, marking every single note. I think there are even some cannons in the back row - we’re going 1812 Overture style now! 

Everyone is waiting for the final chord, prepared to jump up in a standing ovation - even though it’s only the First Movement and technically no applause is allowed in between!
Then everything drops away to nothing. 

Only the strings and the heartbeat remain. 

Because at the end of the First movement it is time to be still. 

Even though everything has been building up to this moment, even though every single musician is pushing themselves so hard, even though every person in the audience is waiting for the Coda to end with volcanic power - that is not what happens.  

Instead, a time of reflection occurs. A time of quiet, a time of calm, a time of focused peace. The change is deliberate, and all distractions are removed to focus on what truly matters: the melody that has been with me from the beginning. 

The bass drum.

The heartbeat. 

My soul.

The most important part of the symphony, and my life. 

Which is why at the end of the First Movement, it needs to be excavated from the harmonies, and re-examined. Before moving on, my soul and consequently my faith, needs to be reaffirmed and renewed. It must be strong and clear and completely on time while I leave high school. Because in the end, if the percussion is off everything else will be too. 

So in the midst of the Coda: prom, graduation, recitals, celebrations, exams.... I need to be reminded to watch the Conductor and keep the last measures calm and focused.
“Be still and know that I am God,” is the verse I read today. And when you do that, exciting things will follow. Ending the Coda of the First Movement quietly actually allows the music in the Second to intensify without deafening people. And centering on the percussion assures that there will be a strong pulse pushing the next part forward.  

Back to the audience. 

They listen to the beautiful stillness.

Is this the end?

Not quite.

Because this Coda is just the beginning of the next movement, one that will be even more glorious and adventurous than the First, so long as the focus is not on the swirling music around you, but the One who orchestrated it all.

Here We Gooooo!

Every time something exciting is about to happen a little video clip plays through my head. And I mean, every time. You know how in Disney movies they always play that little commercial before the film even starts? A deep story telling voice narrates as strips of film criss-cross over the screen: "From the magic within our hearts, to the adventure beyond the horizon. There is only one Disney." But before he even starts talking you see Peter Pan standing on the children's windowsill, hands on his hips, energetic as can be, ready to fly to Neverland. He calls out three words before zooming out into the night sky: "Here We Gooooooo!" This phrase, full of excitement and glee always flashes through my head at the start of something big. And seeing as its my graduating year, I've been hearing Peter Pan a lot!

I even heard him tonight.

So for those of you who don't know, I am going to Europe next year, definitely a "Here We Go!"  moment. This trip has been in the process for years. I was traveling literally before I was born, been traveling ever after that, and will continue to do so probably until I die. But when you love Jesus, that affects everything, even your traveling. To mix the two I figured going to some Capenwrays overseas would be a great idea for 2014-2015.

After my three month Germany Exchange in Grade 10 I decided I had to go back to visit people and brush up on the language, so I applied to Klostermuehle. Its the German Immersion Capenwray, and also the Bibleschool my Dad went to making it the logical option. Plus, I love German people. Its my heritage, and I think they are super cool and hilarious. I definitely had to go back. I was soon accepted into the school for the January-March Semester.

But what about First Semester? I'm not just backpacking for four months (that would be pretty radical, however, three weeks is a good enough for now!).

And here's where tonight's Peter Pan moment comes in:

There is a Capenwray in France.

Now, after going to Germany I realized the only way to really learn a language is to live there, and I want to learn French. However, all I have going into this is French class: verbs, little plays, and a few idiomatic expressions. Even so, I want to serve Jesus, first in Canada and then in the world, so learning French is pretty important to me making a French Immersion Bibleschool also a logical choice. But its the more challenging option.

After emailing the director, he assured me I could still apply and sent me a proficiency test to take. So I did it. I don't know how long it was supposed to take, but 60 multiple choice questions took me at least 2 hours... Yeah..... Anyways, I sent it back to the director and he gave me my mark. 65%. I was pumped. Besides that, the director said that after a month there I would be relatively fluent and wouldn't have any problems. I filled out the application, sent in the fee and waited.

Tonight I got my acceptance letter!

Off to France with only the basics of the language, there for three months learning theology. Its a good thing the Holy Spirit knows all languages, because I'll be needing a lot of help! Anyways, I am super excited that everything has fallen into place and that I'm finally going back to Europe. God is in control, and this is going to be an awesome way to grow my faith, get connected with the International church, and meet all different types of Christians. And I know God will be with me, just like He was in Germany, and how He is right now.

So Here I Goooooooo!