Glory of God (song)

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          As part of a leadership training program at work recently, I was asked to write my personal mission statement. In thinking upon this directive, I wrote down the main goals I have long held dear. These are still my guiding principles for all of life and I want to be doing them all the more each day. Ultimately, as Colossians 3:1-4 talks about, my life is hidden with Christ in God. I wanted to present my personal mission statement here because it is a good summary of what this song is about as well. Though I wrote the parody song a few years ago in 2021, it lines up nicely with the statement I wrote towards the end of July 2024. It's essentially my personal mission statement in song form. Here's the one I wrote recently in prose form first though.

"I want to live my life for the glory of God above all. In doing this, by faith in Jesus Christ's death and Resurrection for salvation from sins and Hell, and through the power of The Holy Spirit, I seek to obey Christ's commands summarizing The Law.
 Love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. And love thy neighbour as thyself. I want to also always be speaking The Truth in Love. Thus, I am bold in being a witness for Christ in both how I speak and live and I share Truth with love and grace."
      
       Certainly, there are many other commands in The Bible that could be listed, along with warnings, admonitions, promises and so forth, et cetera. Yet Jesus summarized all The Law and Prophets with those two commands, so I just seek to hold to Him and ask His help in fulfilling His top two commands that govern our relationship with God and with man. Like Peter said in John 6:68, where else can we go? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. And as I cling to Him for life in both this life and the next, I want to do it all for the glory of God.


"Glory of God"
(parody of "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/28/2021)
(2 Peter 3:14-18, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:21, 1 Peter 1:15-25, Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 13:8-16, Philippians 4:4-13, Philippians 3:7-21, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Hebrews 13:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:13-16, Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:23-24, Psalms 19:14, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, 2 Timothy 4:1-8, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 John 2:1-6, 1 Corinthians 1:23-31, Hebrews 12:1-15)

In life it's very clear that we're all dying here
There's so many things I want post-haste
(A) wife to always love true
(And) have a family of my own

My life's not over yet- past things I might regret
That make it hard to see new growth then
I don't want to lose time
Can't recover- wasted time's gone

I'm just a man saved by Christ through His offer
He died and He rose for misdeeds I'd done
We'll live forever- (but) now until Heaven
Grant I'd give my all for the glory of God

Philippians 3 calls all else loss for Christ's call
I'm pressing on then toward Heavenlies
I have all I need in Christ
I'll forever praise Him alone

2 Galatians- crucified with Lord Christ there
Go read what He wrote- Colossians 3:3, bud
He lives instead there- old man's no longer
My life's hidden with for the glory of God

I live for Christ but sinning harbours
Cumbersome vines that hold
Run for prize- lay aside all weights
Looking to my Saviour all by faith

12 in Romans- sacrifice for God's honour 
Lord, keep me near You 'cause world leads me off
I wanna live for Jesus- only by His strength
19:14 Psalms- may I glorify God

I'll live for Christ- yeah- knowing that whether
Longings come or not- my life's work is for God

He gave His all for Love
I'm living all for God
City coming above
I'm living all for God

Sharing Lord Christ 'Til Heaven (song)

 It's been said that everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die. Of course, death is the door to eternity. Sadly though, many will enter that door to eternal condemnation and suffering separated from God in Hell. Sadder still, there are many who think they will enter into eternal peace and rest in Heaven but they will find they are mistaken and are still on the hook because they put faith in someone other than Jesus. It is only through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection that pays for all sins that we can escape the Hell we deserve and instead enter the Heaven we don't deserve. 

     The only Doctor who can give us the right medicine for salvation is Jesus Christ. There is no other way. We need to share this Healing Balm with everyone we can. One thing we can't do in eternity is share The Gospel with lost people. We must witness and share The Gospel with all people- that's our Great Commission from The Lord Jesus. So let's make the most of every moment because the days are evil and start sharing Lord Christ 'til Heaven.

"Sharing Lord Christ 'Til Heaven" 

(parody of "Sharing The Night Together" by Ava Aldridge and Eddie Struzick as recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/25/2020)

(Romans 10:9-13, Revelation 20:15, 2 Kings 7:9, Acts 1:6-8, Matthew 7:12-23, Matthew 10:26-33, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 9:42-50, Luke 16, John 15:8)

You're looking at an unholy world

With your Bible unused as you walk through (Yet you claim Christ)

2 Kings 7:9- those dudes

Get a gold mine! Cannot sit on it- they've found food (Must share- Mark 9)

If Christ seems to come on too strong

Christ spoke The Truth- please understand

The lake burning- folks are dying and going

'Cause they don't know Jesus- but they can

That's if we try

Sharing The Light together- Oh yeah!

Sharing The Way to Heaven- Oh yeah!

Sharing Lord Christ

You should read all Christ's warnings, girl

In Luke 16- go Matt. 10

And on the broad road find many hell-bound

That there should change our bent

Matthew line

7:13- destruction! Oh yeah (Background vocals: Share about Christ)

7:14- To Heaven! Oh yeah (BGV: Share about Christ)

Heaven's through Christ

Well, Lord Christ commanded us, see, to go please

All nations- That's The Great Commission, dude

Matthew's last lines- 28:18-20, dude

Disciple and baptize

(In) Father, Son, Spirit Who are Three in One

Teaching them to obey Saviour

He's there with us always- behold!

So we won't be alone- no, never!

Eternal life's at stake so start sharing Lord Christ- (BGV: Share about Christ)(Repeat until end)- for Heaven's sake, yeah

Share that He died for sinners- Rose again

Trust in Lord Christ for Heaven

Romans 10:9 to get there

Sharing's too late in Heaven

(Keep) Sharing about Christ 'til Heaven 

How We Should Live Then and Now, Not Now And Then

 "The Christian and the Materialist hold different beliefs about the universe. They can't both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn't fit the real universe." - C.S. Lewis 

As I have said many times, we often try to address spiritual problems with physical solutions and seem surprised when they don't work. Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.

"C.S. Lewis explains the dilemma in my favorite of his essays, 'Men Without Chests'. For a person to be moral, 'the head', the seat of reason, must rule the 'stomach', or the passions. But it can do this only through the 'chest', which in Lewis's analogy represents the will, the moral imagination. The problem today, Lewis writes, is that modern rationalism has reduced morality to cognition; it has focused on moral reasoning while ignoring the role of the will and moral imagination; it has robbed us of our 'chests'. And then we wonder why morality is declining. In Lewis's unforgettable words, 'We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.' "

......

"What does it take to create the good life? A firm sense of right and wrong and a determination to order one's life accordingly. Not out of a grim sense of duty, but because it is what fits with our created nature and makes us happiest and most fulfilled. When men and women act in accord with their true nature, they feel a sense of harmony, contentment, and joy. This is happiness, the fruit of virtue. In fact, the ancient philosophers defined happiness as something one achieves only at the end of life, after spending a whole lifetime in character training.

     It was this definition that the American Founders had in mind when they declared that we have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The last phrase did not mean a right to hedonistic pleasure, as many people believe today, but the pursuit of virtue, a life spent ordering our appetites and desires to the truth of who we are, which produces happy individuals and a harmonious society."

- from pages 380-382 of "How Now Shall We Live?" by Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey (the latter of whom studied under Francis Schaeffer at L'Abri in Switzerland, which was instrumental in her conversion to Christ! :-) I'm glad I was able to visit this legendary Christian institution a few years back.)

In reading through this book, the call for Christians to share Christ through the Great Commission has been clear, along with the call for Christians to live out the Gospel and use our lives as an example of how God's kingdom operates and thus influence the culture around us as well.

     I was thinking some on this the other night, especially in view of the current pandemic the world is experiencing. While I'm trying to be cautious, I am also trying to be bold in faith. Ultimately my life is in God's hands. 

    Yet I found myself unwilling to engage with someone trying to get my attention while I was momentarily parked somewhere. (There were mitigating factors involved, including it being late at night, my body was physically tired at the end of a long day at work, and the person had no mask on and social distance would likely have been breached.) I don't know what the person wanted though I assume it was a plea for help. I say this to my shame that I didn't acknowledge the person but rather drove off and went on home. Shortly afterward, I did feel guilt and drove back to see if I could find the man, but it seemed he was gone.

    The thought struck me- if we're not helping those who are in need or at least talking with others and listening to them, what good are we? If we're not willing to meet with the lepers and help them as Jesus did, how are we helping the "lepers" of this world? Jesus did not intend for us to live Christian life in a bubble isolated from the world. He calls us to go into all the world and preach the Good News. He calls us to do unto others as we'd have done unto us. He calls us to be the Good Samaritan and help those in need. He calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves- and even to love our enemies and pray for them! He calls us to show love to all and especially "the least of these". Feed the hungry. Give water to the thirsty. Welcome the stranger and house him. Heal the sick. Visit the prisoner. (See Matthew 25) All of these are tangible ways to show we truly love The Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

     And these two ideas really work well in tandem because as we do these good works God made us to do all along (Ephesians 2:10), it gives us all the more opportunities to share The Gospel, which is ultimately the only thing that will truly bring change to the world. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:15-16, we are in this way like a candle on a stand that brings light to all- a city on a hill that reflects the light of God which cannot be hidden- and that causes people to glorify God our Father in Heaven. "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)

   Our lives should preach the Gospel as the evidence of what an encounter with The Lord Jesus does to a soul who puts faith in Him and follows Him- he is transformed into a new creature! (2 Corinthians 5:17) It is Jesus' death to pay for all sins and His Resurrection that gives us forgiveness and salvation when we ask Him for it in faith. He produces in us a changed life that "spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere." (2 Corinthians 2:14) We're the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and those who are perishing- the smell of life to the one and the smell of death to the other. (See 2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

    So put a hand under your mouth and check your breath. Take a whiff of those underarms. Is that B.O. your M.O.? There's going to be a smell one way or the other but let's not be a stench in both the world's nostrils and God's. (Isaiah 65:5) It's God's kindness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4)- and He often uses us to show it to others. So to combine those two metaphors, go out to the world full of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) like an incense burner that lights up the night and leaves a sweet savour in the air and leads people to Jesus the Saviour who burns away our sins and restores us to the design He had for us all along. God is still reconciling the world to Himself and He wants to use us to help bring in as many who will come into His kingdom of love and light. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21 and John 3:16-21)

Father & Son & Spirit (song)

 One of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith is also one of the most incomprehensible to the human mind. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) So states the Shema and it's certainly true. Yet The Lord reveals Himself in three Persons- God The Father, God The Son Jesus Christ and God The Holy Spirit (some translations would refer to the Third Person of The Holy Trinity as God The Holy Ghost.) The basis for belief in God as a Trinity is best evident from Jesus Himself, in the relationship He describes within the Triune Godhead in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-18. His Great Commission to us His followers in Matthew 28:18-20 also instructs us to baptize believers in the Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. 

    While each member of the Godhead has different roles, all three are equally God, so everything is always even stevens. A leopard can't change its spots; it's always a spotted member of the cat family. You can try to change its name but it's still a leopard. Whether you call to The Father, Son or Spirit, you're always calling to God. And God is always one- and His plan of redemption has already won through Christ's death and Resurrection. As the Sandi Patti Christmas classic song "The Gift Goes On" says, "The Father gave The Son. The Son gave The Spirit. The Spirit gives us life so we can give the gift of Love. And the gift goes on!"

"Father & Son & Spirit" (parody of "Father & Son" by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam; parody lyrics copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/10/2019)

(Deuteronomy 6:4, Acts 1-2, Philippians 2, Luke 12:40, Romans 11:29, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14, John 3:16-17, Galatians 4:4-7, John chapters 13-18, Romans 8, Matthew 28:18-20)

In God's time, the Saviour came 

That's a fact- Galatians 4 read

He had to come- that's our fault

Check Jesus' most famous quote

God loved world- Son came down

Whoso trusts will not perish

3:16 John- it goes- live eternally!

God's own Son's likeness of man's found

-and He lowered from God's throne seat

To become Son of Man- Son's still fully God

To take our crimes to the cross

Dying for everything we've done

And He's real deal Man of Tomorrow 'cause Lord Jesus rose up!

How come Lord Christ's going away? When He just did a "There and Back Again"?

It's to our benefit that He is going

So The Holy Ghost could bring the whole world conviction

Counselor Troi cannot hold candle (to) Holy Ghost- no way!

Christ goes- sends Holy Ghost

In God's time, The Spirit came

14 down to 18- go read!

Gospel of John- (The) Master taught

We're not just orphans of God though

Tell the world Gospel now

In time you've got while Lord tarries

Luke 12:40- Christ foretold- that He's returning

Of the times, (in) Acts 1- Christ's teaching

Those aren't things for you to know

His charge: Witness! Start here- to all world then

Our Aid resides in you and me-

His gifts then- revoked? Can't be

So share our faith and we'll glow like 5 Matthew 14 says

Little Christs- that's the goal 

Setting the Record Straight

            I’m like one of those people with initials in their names.  Not “M.E.” like Quincy or “M.D.” like Doogie Howser, but PK and MK.  And I don’t know what you’ve heard about us, but pastor’s kids and missionary’s kids are not always the miscreants they’re made out to be.  But hey, I’m certainly not perfect because I’ve done and do plenty of stupid things in my life.  And having your dad as your pastor out on the mission field gives you plenty of stories to tell.

            I suppose at this point I should give you a little bit of background so you know where I’m coming from because after all, knowing is half the battle.  (I suppose actually fighting with all those fancy blue lasers and machine guns would be the other half.)  But I really hate doing this part.  Whenever people ask me that usually-simple-to-answer question for most people, I have no easy answer.  “Where are you from?”  Aaargh! There it is!  I don’t know.  I was born in Spain, grew up in Trinidad and now live in the United States. Take your pick.  This is both the frustration and joy that comes with being a global nomad of sorts. 

            I only spent about a year in Spain so I don’t remember anything of that.  I do remember growing up in the 1980s in the Caribbean twin island nation of Trinidad & Tobago.  (I was on the larger island, Trinidad.)  My parents were Christian missionaries and my father worked as the pastor of the church we were serving with in Trinidad.  I remember hearing about Jesus most all of my life!  I first came to know Him as Lord and Savior when I invited Him to live in my heart and take me as His own as a young child.  I had this great book that taught you the alphabet by giving you a verse for each letter.  I remember the first one was Isaiah 53:6.  “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  The text of that great hymn, “At the Cross”, was printed next to the verse with a picture of a little boy laying down this big burden from his back next to the cross at Calvary.  And one night during our family devotions I heard a story about a guy who took his pet pig with him on a cruise.  Apparently the pig fell overboard and the man dived into the ocean to rescue his pig from drowning.  This wasn’t a perfect picture by any means, but it drove home to me as a child just how much God loves us so much more than pigs because He sent Jesus to die for all the wrong and stupid things we’ve done and by rising again from the dead, He proved that He is God.  After seeing the good example of my older siblings, I made the decision myself to follow Jesus at the ripe age of about seven.  And that’s something I’ve been more and more thankful for every day since!

            There’re a couple of funny stories I remember from growing up in Trinidad.  There were all the different slang words that I had to get used to hearing.  When someone asks how you’re going, they just mean to see how you’re doing.  My parents, upon first hearing that phrase, once told a bank clerk that they had come by car and were going by car!  And then there’re those trips you take when you’re “going down the road to come back.”  Sounds like a likely plan.  It just means you’re taking a quick trip somewhere. 

And I sure remember some of the sermons.  As pastor’s kids, my siblings and I got to hear some of the messages over again and when we started hearing Dad preach from John 15 about staying in the Vine again, I remember leaning over to my brother and whispering, “Rerun!”  Or there was the oft-lampooned by our family infamous “hermeneutics” sermon series.  It was also known as “How to drive your church down to nothing” series by my family.  My father preached on Sunday nights about how to read and understand your Bible, which is definitely a good thing to learn.  Unfortunately, my father had a tendency to do a “quick review” of last week’s sermon throughout this series.  By the time the review was over and we had actually gotten into the current message, the service was definitely dragging on.  Sunday nights never tend to be a big attendance for many churches, but this series really drove away people.  What got me was when even one of our deacons, who had been coming each night and taking notes, stopped coming- then we knew we had hit the last straw.  There were some services where my whole family was the service!  My dad did the preaching, my mom played the piano, my sister led the worship songs, and my brothers and I prayed and took up the offering!  At the end of each of these messages, my dad would ask if anyone had questions.  My little brother would always crack us up by raising his hand to ask, “Are we finished yet?”  Though much as we joke about it now, I can still tell you to pray and ask God to give you understanding, keep the passage in context by reading what’s before and after it, and analyze the passage by finding the “Who”, “What”, “Where”, “When”, “Why” and “How” of it, when studying the Bible.  But I have to tell you the joke my father would always use.  Here’s how to make a case for suicide in The Bible. The Bible tells us, “Judas went out and hung himself.  Go and do likewise.  What you do, do quickly.”  The message here is to not take verses out of context!  (And I laughed every time at the absurdity of those verses out of context when he would tell this!)

            And let me just clear up this misconception that seems to float around about us PKs and MKs.  We’re not the finest Christians around, and we’re not necessarily the worst of the bunch either.  I am not perfect nor am I even good.  I do stupid and bad stuff all the time and there’s more instances than I care to recall.  The times I’ve lied, cheated, stolen, entertained sinful thoughts, lashed out in anger, fallen flat on my face in pride or said something really, really dumb all slip back into my consciousness from time to time.  And there’s still junk I did as a kid that I can remember that I’m still ashamed of.  On the other hand, I’ve never shoplifted, vandalized, done drugs, drunken alcohol, smoked a cigarette or cigar, and I’ve rarely used foul language.  (There was this one time as a young kid when I repeated a word I heard on television that I quickly found out was not cool like I thought it was!  I don’t believe I’ve ever said it or most any other swear word since.)  Oh yeah, and I’m proud to say that unlike Madonna’s song, I’m not like a virgin, but I am in fact a virgin and will remain so until I marry a Christian woman.  And I will be faithful to her and God alone.  All this I can do through Christ alone who strengthens me because apart from Him I’m nothing.

            So I guess you can say that life has been a bit different for me than many Americans.  I am an official American, but I’ll always be a Trinidadian in my heart.  I have fond memories of that country.  Growing up in a British school system with uniforms and playing cricket and football (soccer) during recess and lunch was great.  It’s also cool to be able to say I went swimming on Christmas Day!  I enjoyed weather from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or more) most every day!  I could go on about the many cultural differences from America, but I think one key thing I learned from living there is to respect and love everyone.  Everyone has an intrinsic value because “God don’t make no junk”, as the saying goes.  It makes no difference what color or gender you are because everyone is really the same.  And The Bible says that once you’ve committed one sin, it’s the same as doing all of them.  So I’m just as guilty as anyone else and can’t stand in judgment of them.  But Jesus calls us to love one another and be His witnesses and I try to do that as much as possible.  I think these are things I learned from The Bible that living in another country helped reinforce at an early age.  If only we could all learn to forget ourselves and think of others as better than ourselves, we would see that we’re all the same on the inside and God loves us all.  It hasn’t always been a normal and peaceful life, but I can’t think of a better one to have. Wherever He leads, I’ll go.

             

Copyright by Nathan Ludwick March 6, 2007

Luke's book's Sequel (song)

When Jesus left us to go back to Heaven, He didn't leave us as orphans. He sent The Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us, convict us and lead us into all truth. And He gives us power to stand strong and share His Word with everyone. And we must be like Christ's first disciples and take the Gospel of Christ crucified and raised for the payment of all sins, offered free to all by faith and repentance, to the world at large. It's the power of God of salvation for the Jews first and then to the foreigner. And we can look to both Luke and Luke's book's sequel for great examples of witness in action. Start where you are and take the love of Christ far and wide.



"Luke's book's Sequel"
(parody of "Jukebox Hero" by Foreigner; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/2014)
(The book of Acts-[particularly Acts 1-2, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:20, Acts 5:27-32], Luke 4:42-44, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 24:36-53, Romans 10:8-17, Jude 1:17-25, Matthew 28:18-20)

Standing on mountain 'cause The Lord said so
Out on Mt. Olivet- Jesus is about to go
He arose in a cloud- Can you picture the scene?
Just these here disciples- they look up intently
Appeared two angels- just blew in to say
"Why're y'all starin' at the sky? He's returning same way"

So Men of Galilee go out serving The Lord
Didn't know how it'd all play out, but they knew for sure
Acts 1 records- Christ laid out the plan- "Don't leave town- 'til Spirit lands
Then comes power upon you guys so
Preach The One Way ticket- only One Way to go"
So they started walking- ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on preaching- So they gonna take Christ all throughout

Go to Je-rusalem, yo- Get started there, guys
Hit up Ju-dea, yeah- in Acts 1:8, go- Sa-maria
Far and going wide- End of the earth (far and going wide)
They're taking Christ worldwide!

Back to town all in one place- they're all in one accord
So they cast lots for disciple- fell on Matthias (yo)
Take a trip to 2 Acts- to that day when He came
And those tongues of fire made their whole lives change
Now they need to keep on talking- they just can't stop
Gonna speak emboldened- The Lord is gonna shake things up!

It'll be like Luke 4:43- go far and go wide
Read in Luke's book's sequel- got started where they were
Yeah, Luke's book's sequel- start of the church
With Acts 1- our charge (start witness, guys!)
The church will thrive (with) changed lives through Christ...Whoa!

Yeah, we're gonna keep on talking- just can't stop
Acts of the Apostles- and now the job is laid to us

24 Luke 48 shows- Got charged to share Christ
Read in Luke's book's sequel- go far and go wide
(Those tongues of fire) Luke wrote Theo (aah aah aah)- Gospel's going worldwide
It's all in Luke's book's sequel (aah aah aah)
You've got (a part) you know (charge! charge!)
Jude 1:23, yo! (charge! charge!)
We've got a charge to share Christ- start here, go wide!

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