FINE TUNED STRINGS thoughts. ramblings.

Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Inc. passed away this evening leaving the world in shock. All the trends on Twitter currently reflect Steve Jobs and #TeamApple in one way or another. Over the years, we’ve witnessed the passing of several celebrities and influential figures, but none really seemed to hit home like this one. As I type away on my MacBook Pro, I realize that a significant number of the world’s population have a vested interest in #TeamApple and here’s why: Steve Jobs started a computer company like many others. His approach however was different. He didn’t want people to invest in a computer company; rather he wanted people to invest in his dream of simplifying technology. I heard Simon Sinek mention that “people don’t really care about WHAT you do, they care about WHY you do it”.

So with the passing of the innovation genius and someone who’s left a  significant global dent, let this drive you: allow people to latch on to why you do what you do; the cause not the effect.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

iPod, iMac, iPad, iPhone, iStrive to make a difference.

So the other day, a video made its rounds on the social media circuit, and it caught my attention. It was a segment of a worship service that for lack of a better term, unorthodox. (The video is not linked to avoid negativity). The video hit the social media network, and was immediately tweeted and re-tweeted for being “ridiculous”, “outrageous” and “embarrassing”. This particular worship leader has written numerous songs, many of which have been incorporated in to churches world-wide. Few people asked my stance on this, so here it is: personal, unbiased, loud.

Now mind you, I’ve seen this clip before. I didn’t understand all of it, so I won’t negate it. Here’s the way I see it. Worship is a lifestyle. In a corporate setting, it can be an outward expression of an inner transformation. I believe there is NO set protocol to express devotion to God. “I will dance like David danced” and “I’ll become even more undignified than this” have become embedded in Christian music folklore, and stems from the example King David set in II Samuel 6. That was his intimate form of worship, between him and God, and wasn’t imposed on anyone. Now imagine the comments if that was broadcast on Youtube. We come to the Gospels, and see Jesus at a dinner table. Out of nowhere, a woman comes and dumps perfume on his feet and wipes it with her hair! Imagine watching that crazy chick on Youtube. The problem here is that we fail to realize her act of worship. Her isolated act of wiping the Master’s feet was not her act of worship. Her understanding of who Christ was, and the realization that He was preparing to carry the sins of humanity, coupled with love and devotion resulted in her anointing Christ’s feet. That was her act of worship! Certainly looks crazy when taken out of context. Or how about Jesus healing the blind man at the pool of Siloam. Imagine zooming in to the scene of Jesus slapping a mixture of dirt and saliva on the man’s face when all he wanted was healing. Definitely crazy, absurd, embarrassing and ridiculous- when taken out of context.

My point is this: God does NOT operate within a box. When we claim that certain things are not a move of God, and do so without scriptural support, we are in fact assuming total knowledge of all that is God. Christ’s model of worship didn’t make “sense”. Neither did David’s, or Joshua’s. Sometimes it is about obedience and faith- like marching around a fortified city with trumpets, making nothing more than a whisper till the command was given. So just because we don’t understand the way someone worships, doesn’t make it wrong. If we don’t understand it, we should focus on worshiping God in the way we know best, rather than opting to ridicule. In our finite human understanding, we will NEVER fully know or understand our infinite, loving, gracious God. But that’s the beauty of it: we don’t have to. We worship Him with total devotion, and it become a beautiful thing, socks and all.

Proverbs 13:3- Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything (The Message Bible)

What are your thoughts?