2011: The Music, a Musician, and the Maestro

by Joshua updated on 1 Comment

OrchestraHave you ever thought of time as a piece of music? Perhaps a concerto with millennia as movements, centuries as periods, years as phrases, and weeks as measures?

You and I are each musicians in the largest orchestra ever created, the universe as our hall, the earth as our shell, the angels as our audience, and God as the Maestro. We each have our own responsibility to play our parts correctly, but ultimately it is God who masterfully controls the performance and receives the credit for a piece well-played.

Festival of CarolsSeveral interesting melodies and dynamics were heard this year! False alarms of the end of the world, devastating tropical storms, sports scandals, and the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Well, as a violinist (or perhaps a utility musician) in this orchestra, I would like to tell you about the music of 2011 from my stand.

The Music
Measure 1: Mainly full of rests for me, but I had one exciting pick-up note to measure 2- my youngest brother’s first birthday. What a joy it was to celebrate the life of James, my seventh sibling.

Contenders at MeltdownMeasures 2-9: Somewhat busy as school started back up at FBBC. Lots of notes, but nothing overwhelming. Having taken music lessons from the Maestro himself I was well-equipped to take on the part I was given. Some of the fortes included two weekend ministries at Bennington Baptist Church and two more weekend ministries at IRBC winter retreats.

Measure 10: Another respite I fondly refer to as Spring Break. Not as restful as measure 1, but still a welcome rest before several measures of ear-pleasing craziness.

Measures 11-13: A mighty crescendo and accelerando toward an enthusiastic fortissimo! The theme of these three weeks was Missions Conference. As president of the Student Missionary Fellowship at Faith, I had many responsibilities in relation to Missions Conference, and I loved them all. I was blessed with such a good group of people to work with, and the conference went smoothly. The sessions were challenging, and God was glorified as we asked God to “enlarge our hearts” toward sharing the Gospel.

Measure 13 ended with the incredible privilege of being a judge for the Digital Media category at the Iowa Talents For Christ. TFC had such a huge impact in my life during my high school years. After competing for six years and accompanying on the piano for one year, 2010 was my first year doing nothing for TFC, so I was excited to once again participate in the event.

Bennington TripMeasures 14-18: Another climactic buildup ending in an exciting half-cadence. With school and my additional involvement in

A New Day: Pudding the Past and the Present in Perspective

by Joshua updated on 1 Comment

“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

Today is a new day.

Today God’s mercies are new.

But today, God is the same.

Kraft sign that Dad designed

For 20 years my dad worked at Kraft Foods Jell-O plant in Mason City, IA, the source of every single Jell-O cup on the planet. It was a physically-demanding job, especially after my dad was severely injured in an elevator accident 10 years ago. Add to that his age and the demands of taking care of a growing family at home, and his full-time job continued to take a toll on him.

But nevertheless, it was a job that met the needs of our family, a family which now includes 8 kids, all of which are about 3 years apart, ranging from one to twenty-two-years-old. For 20 years God provided a stable job that sufficiently supported our family.

However, for several years now, we have been praying that God would allow Dad to finish up his time at Kraft and provide another source of income. Dad’s schedule required him to work a cycle of four days and four nights, and he missed church half the time too. The job wore on him both physically and spiritually at times.

We started a new business three years ago, God’s Eternal Masterpiece, but that wasn’t enough yet to allow Dad to leave Kraft. So the question was, when would that time come?

Well, yesterday was the day. Kraft is downsizing, and yesterday was Dad’s last day of work. Today is a new day, and Dad doesn’t have a regular-paying job.

But God is not new today! His mercies are new, but His character is the same.

Dad's Farewell PlaqueBy God’s grace, Dad was able to retire yesterday with enough finances to support our family for the next several months. By God’s grace, Dad is home in time for Christmas and he will be able to spend lots of time with family. By God’s grace, we have plans in place to help us earn an income right out of our home as Dad looks for another job. By God’s grace, Dad gets to go to church with us regularly.

By God’s grace, we have no reason to worry and fret and every reason to hope and rejoice! (Matthew 6:31-34)

10 years ago when Dad had his accident, he could not walk for almost a year, and therefore he could not work. We had five children in the home at the time, and God provided for all of our needs and more. 10 years later, God will continue to provide for this family that now has eight kids, and He will do it above and beyond what we can expect or imagine.

Yes, I will miss having my closet at college packed with 600+ pudding cups that Dad brought home. I will miss the Kraft brand foods that we could buy in bulk. I will miss some of the other food-related benefits that came with the job. But “is not life more than food?” (Matthew 6:25)

When you pray, don’t always expect God to answer the way you had in mind. God answered our prayers, and today my dad doesn’t have a job. But why is that okay? Because God is sovereign and in control and He will provide.

Today is a new day. Today’s God’s mercies are new. But today, God is still the same.

“Great…is your faithfulness…”

Oh, and did I mention that my dad is home for Christmas?