Reflections

Reflections by Jason Champion

I may not sing as well as most of my friends
I may not play as well as some of them can
Would that make me a better man?
Would you wanna shake my hand?
Would you wanna be a fan?

But there’s no light with my name
There’s no stars on walks of fame
There‘s no crowd screaming more
No one asking for encores

When I look in the mirror here’s what I see
I see my Savior looking at me
When I look in the mirror I don’t see me
I see my purpose, I see destiny!

I may not write the songs that the whole world will sing
May not live in a mansion or have the wealth of a king
Would that make me a better man?
Would you wanna shake my hand?
Would you wanna be a fan?

Through the eyes of God I’m more than I could’ve dreamed
Through the eyes of God I am soaring on eagles wings
If the people could only see what knowing the Lord has done for me



I never thought that these exact lyrics would minister so much tho me on the very same day I first heard them. I thought to myself, "this is a nice song" and that's all the thought I had given it until Sunday evening. Church went well. The word was on point. Worship, spirit filled as always. Impact rehearsal was fun. The usual Sunday afternoon nap was well needed. Woke up and BAM!!!! Adversity!!!! Are you serious? Satan sends text messages?? Yes He does!!!!

I received a message from a person I once considered a friend, expressing how much they didn't want to be in their life any longer and that part was ok with me. But the message went on to say that they had yet to observe any growth in me (in reference to my spiritual man) and that I was "not the woman or girl for that matter you assume you are" THANK YOU JESUS! I can laugh now but my initial reaction or thoughts about how I should react were NOT the most Christ-like. However, my response to the message contained no malicious retaliation but I told that person that I would make things easier for them and quit everything that we were both involved in (which is a lot).

It took all of 5 (that's a good #) minutes to retract that statement. Wait! Hold the phone!!!! Who are you to tell me what you have seen and not seen? I made the decision not to let that mess (for lack of a better term) knock me off my post. I was reminded that I have conquered far greater attacks than this! This was nothing!

About an hour or so later I thought I had brushed it off, but I was still FURIOUS. Why was this hanging me up so much? Often times we pay so much, too much, to what other people say or think about us. This is why it is important to know who you are, whose you are and what He says about you. Psalm 149:4 says His thoughts about us are precious. Psalm 149:4 says He delights in his people.

I figured out the reason that message bothered me so much was because in some ways I am unsure about myself, insecure, if you will, in certain areas. I too question my growth at times. I wonder if what I do pleases the Lord and can other peole see him in me. Yeah , it hurt a little that it came from someone who I thought was a friend but when reality hit, I was overjoyed! All I had to do was just take a moment to reflect over where I was shoot, like a year ago, a month ago! Growth? Yes! Maturity? Definitely. What's ironic is that this person said that hadn't seen growth but I had already begun to OUTGROW them! HA!Ha! HA!

The Song:
Resonated so much on the inside of me because, NO, I may not be able to sing like so and so or play like him or her. Does that make me any less of who I am and who I am striving to become? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I could have let that mess disturb me much longer but I know that there is much more on the inside of me than what the NATURAL eye can see! When I look at me I do see Jesus! I see my purpose! I see destiny! So I am not trippin' about what this person can't see. Through the eyes of God I’m more than I could’ve dreamed. Through the eyes of God I am soaring on eagles wings

My Encouragement:
1. Be confident in you are and who He, the Lord, is calling you to become!
2. Learn to take things with a grain of salt and discern which things being said are worth going back to the Lord in prayer about!


this one is free: Not everyone YOU consider a "friend" is a "friend"

Amen!

Where are the TRUE worshippers at?

I can remember being a little girl saying, “I can’t wait to grow up”… If I knew that some parts of growing up were going to hurt and sometimes even be uncomfortable I would have probably thought twice about anticipating being a “grown up".

As a worship leader and actually acknowledging that leading worship is a part of my calling, I have recently been experiencing some growing pains. Growing up isn’t easy, I have come to realize. But all of it is not that bad. I am learning to deal with the changing of my voice, the maturing of my voice and taking steps to improve my delivery. That’s been the easy part, well not that easy but it’s not as hard as embarking on a new level of discernment, responsibility and accountability.

Last night as I was began to settle down from the long day I had, a question raised in my head, “Where are the TRUE worshippers at?” I had just finished crying my eyes out of frustration and passion at the same time and that question the end result. I prayed with the question still heavy on my heart. Woke up this morning. Question still there. Got to work. Still there. It led me to John 4.

Frequently I have heard people reference verse 23 and 24 when it comes to true worshipper. Honestly, reading 2 verses didn’t help me much so I decided to read the entire chapter. The words leaped off the pages!

It begins with the Samaritan woman at the Well. In verses 7-8 the Samaritan woman is asked by Jesus for a drink while she drew water from a well. Her response went something like this, “How can you ask me for a drink? Do you know who I am? I am a Samaritan.” Sounds pretty familiar… God asks us to do things all the time, like worship, and we automatically disqualify ourselves, “Who me? Do you know who I am? I’m all messed up. Go ask someone else”. Jesus’ response is so funny to me. “If you knew who I was YOU would be asking for a drink…” It’s clear she didn’t know who he was. What’s even funnier is that we do the same thing. Sometimes we are in the presence of the Lord and do not even know it! The Samaritan woman may have had an excuse though. She didn’t know him. We know him or we should know Him (not just know of him), but we don’t acknowledge his presence.

Jesus went on to tell the woman that he would give her fresh, living water. He said that “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). You mean to tell me that the very one who can give us LIFE stands right there in our faces and we don’t even know it! WOW!!!!!!! That is upsetting.

So after this Samaritan woman acknowledges that the man she is talking to at the well is a prophet, she sort of questions him by saying, “Our ancestors worshipped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place to worship right?” In verse 21-23 Jesus tell this one that the time is coming that Samaritans will worship the Father neither at that mountain nor there in Jerusalem. I think I can go as far to say that He may have even been alluding to the fact that the time will come where there won’t be a particular place of worship , it won’t matter where you go, rather it’s on a mountain or in a particular city.

Well my friends, that time is NOW! It doesn’t matter where you go to worship… you can worship at home, at church, in a parking lot at the beach, wherever. In fact Worship is not even you may think it is. Worship is a lifestyle! It’s not necessarily singing a song and lifting your hands and swaying back and forth to music. In fact, John 4:23-24 says that it’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. So can you worship God on your job? Yes! Can you worship God in the grocery store? Yes! Can you worship God in church, even if you are not a part of the Praise and Worship Team? Yes! Can you worship Him in dance? Yes! “Yet a time is coming and has NOW come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

The Gist:
God is looking for the kind of people are in pursuit of the truth in their worship. He is searching of those who are purely and honestly themselves before him in their worship. He’s looking for those who are worshipping Him (and only Him) out of their very being, their spirits , their true selves in adoration, reverence and honor.

The Result of your True Worship:
After the woman at the well encountered Jesus she went back to her village and told them all about it. I can just imagine the excitement on her face as she urged the people to come see for themselves. “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out!”, she said. After they went to see Jesus for himself the bible says that many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness! WOW! Isn’t that what were called to do? Draw people to Christ and the Kingdom of Christ? We are to do the same thing that the Samaritan did in our worship, proclaim Jesus and to create a d compelling witness so that others can come to Him.

My Encouragement:
As I am beginning to examine myself, my heart, motives and my heart behind my worship, I encourage you to do the same. Are you only a beliver when you have become dazzled by a miracle (John 4:48)? Are you only worshipping God in one particular way or in one particular place? Can people witness the presence of the Lord through your worship? Have you disqualified yourself because of you are or used to be? Is your worship out of adoration and reverence? God is asking, “Where are the true worshippers at?” Can you answer Him by saying, “Here I am Lord, I will worship you in spirit and in truth”?

26, Just What I Needed!!!!

Boy oh Boy!!! For the past couple of weeks I have been reflecting on the past year! 25! I have been through hell and back in just one year. I was in what can be called an abusive realtionship (mentally), a very dear friend of mine passed away, wrestling with myself and with God became an ongoing struggle and after having prayed to be stretched, God answered my prayer, which in turn placed me in a position that forced me to be more transparent and to dig deeper into my calling as a worship leader. Whew!!! Praise God He was there the whole time to sustain me. Honestly,from October 25, 2007 all the way up until October 5, 2008 I felt all alone, like I was enduring all these things by myself. My New Year's Resolution for 2008 was simply just to "Live" and to live according to the definition of the word...

LIVE is defined this way: to continue to have life; remain alive;to continue in existence;to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself; to pass life in a specified manner; to experience or enjoy life to the full;to escape destruction or remain afloat

Quite frankly, up until my 26th birthday, I felt like I was doing the exact opposite of what I destined to do; I felt dead for a load of reasons.

Sunday, woke me up!!!! It took a "roast" at my birthday dinner for me to wake up!!! Behind all the hilarious things my loved ones shared, I was able to see that they all see my heart and that is most important. For the first time in a long time I was in a room with 30 people and I DIDN'T feel alone! God, through the words of those that shared, reminded me who HE sees when He looks at me. I was reminded of I am through Him and who I am striving to be.

Who would have thought that someone that so simple as a "Roast" would bring so much comfort, love, joy and revival? Not me!

Where is the love?

Saturday while I was loading the washing machine a song that we used to sing when I was younger randomly popped in my head. If I can remember it correctly it went a little something like this;

“Love is something if you give it away
Give it away Give it away
Love is something if you give it away you’ll end up having more
It’s just like a lucky penny; Hold it tight and you won't have any
But if you give it away you'll have plenty
You'll end up having more”

I kept singing and singing and singing, not really paying attention to the words that were coming out of my mouth. Around the third time or so of me singing this song I thought to myself, “THIS SONG IS CRAP!” At that very moment I didn’t believe one line of that song! To think of it, I don’t even feel like that this morning.
After I thought about the lyrics to this song all day Saturday, I started to ask myself, where is the Love? More than ever I have been feeling like I have been giving and giving and giving love but I am still waiting on my “You'll end up having more”. Where the heck is it? Am I even supposed to be looking for it? What will it look like when it comes? Who or where is it supposed to come from? How come I don’t feel it?

?????

when is it gonna be my turn....let me vent!!
When is it going to be my turn?
When is it going to be my turn to be happy?
And how come I don't feel like I am?
Wait! What is happiness anyway?
So..... Back to what I was saying...
When is it going to be my turn to be happy, to be satisfied, content?
When is it gonna be my turn to be adored and cared for?
When is it going to be my turn to stop longing for romance, love, companionship?
When will it be my turn to laugh, and be giddy?
When is it gonna be my time to be taken seriously and not walked over like a doormat?
When it going to be my turn to stop getting hurt and never holla'd at?
When is it going to be my turn to stop crying late at night? When is it going to be where people will see me and not ask, is everything alright?
When is it gonna be my turn to held, cuddled with and carressed? When will someone notice that I'm witty and have some finesse?
When will be the time when I recognize that this aint about me? When will be the time that I realize God's got me where he wants me to be?
When will it be my turn to find Mr. Right? When will I wake up and see that the darkness I feel is really God's Precious light?
When will I have more trust in God and more dependency? When is it gonna be my turn to feel like God is filling that void in me?
When is gonna be turn....I could go on and on
But one thing I have realized is that I'm not in this alone.
When? To some of these questions, it's now, and it's to obvious to me that the rest will be in God's timing.(Decemeber 17, 2006)

As I skimmed through pieces I have written over the years, I came acrossesd this random poem I wrote on my T-Mobile Sidekick in like 5 minutes. I sit in amazement but not in a good way. I am kinna disappointed,mostly because it's been 2 years ago since I wrote this but this is how I feel TODAY! Am I in the same place that I was in when I first wrote this, in some areas it's looking like I am! Frustrtation overcomes me because it seems like my prayers have not been answered. Disappointment sets in and makes me feel like I have not done all the growing that I should have done in the past 2 years. As my 26th birthday approaches, I am beginning to reflect on the things that I know I could be doing differently. I am even reflecting on the stagnant points on my timeline of "life". Reality is a hard pill to swallow. But the time is NOW to move forward, forgetting what is behind me! That's just it tho'!!!! How do I press through where I am now and forget what's behind me, if where I am now is soooo old? (Did that make sense?)

How do I get out of where I am on September 24,2008 if it's the same place I was on December17, 2006? What am I doing wrong????

A & R Pet Peeves!!!!

oooooooooooo WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! So those who know me know where I work. (THANK GOD for a Job!!) BUT, there are some things that absolutely get on my (as my mom would say) last nerve! I know , I know, I need to digress and I will as soon as I list these peeves....

1. There are signs posted all over the place that say "Please have photo ID ready", so how come when the student approaches the counter they don't have their ID ready? AND, 9 times outta 10 if it's a female she has to dig all the way down to bottom of their purse only to find out "Oh it's in my car" ERRRRR!!!!!

2. It's standard to answer the phone "Admissions and Records"... so why after the caller hears the greeting they say, "umm is this Admissions and Records?" Would I be wrong if I answered, "No, I am sorry, this is the Financial Aid Department?

3. Students assume that our department knows absoulutely EVERYTHING about our campus and I can understand that, but we do not know everything about the Northridge Community. Please do not call and ask for the phone number to the LA Public Library, the phone number to the Subway on Reseda, nor the addresses to all the surrounding Community Colelges! WE ARE NOT THE YELLOW PAGES! CALL 411!!!!

4. If you say you stayed on hold so long, how come you don't have your question prepared when the call is answered? LOL!!! "um ...I... well... I... uh"

5. When students don't get their way, they automatically "HATE THIS SCHOOL"...Well Transfer and turn in that CSUN Sweatshirt that you are wearing!

6. Helicopter Parents- Helicopter parent is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's or children's experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions. These parents rush to prevent any harm or failure from befalling them and will not let them learn from their own mistakes, sometimes even contrary to the children's wishes. They are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not

YOUR SON IS 30...BACK OFF!!!!



ok! I think I am done now.... stay tuned for more... It's only NOON, Monday and all of these things have happened already, so I am sure there will be more.

R., You Serious???

Ok, Let me just preface this blog by saying that I am NOT an R. Kelly basher. I love him as an entertainer and for his musical abilities BUT I think he's gone just a little off the wall.
After watching Jimmy Kimmel Live and seeing bits and pieces of the interview with Toure, I decided to check out the whole thing, or what was posted on www.youtube.com. Disappointed to say the LEAST! SMH(shaking my head)! This man was talking in circles. He sounded so confused and Toure's facial expressions were so hilarious. I probably would have made the same expressions if not worse LOL!
While watching this video this morning before work started, a co-worker walked past my desk, saw who was on the screen and backed up. A very interesting conversation came about, “when it comes to older men dating teenage girls, who’s to say what’s wrong and what is right,”? OHHHH BOY!!!!
I don’t know who determines if it is right or wrong but I think that it is outright NASTY for a let’s say 40 year old man to even think about a 14 year old girl in a sexual manner! YUCK!!!!! I mean what can a 40 year old man see in a young girl who is not of age?

The Co-worker’s arguments
1. Society has place a negative connotation on a man dating an underage girl but glorifies older women dating younger men.
2. Just because the female is 14 does not mean that she is not mature enough to date an older man
3. Age difference has nothing to do with how 2 people connect

My Responses
1. Cougar Dating(older women dating younger men), which is a new trend, is NOT illegal
2. 14 year old boy or girl is just that, a child. Children have no clue!
3. You tell me what a 40 year old and a 14 year old would have to talk about?

So who is to say it’s right or wrong? Does it matter how you grew up? Would it be different if the motive of the man was not solely based on taking advantage of a little girl?

Whatcha thinkin’????