Changes Come

Changes come, turn my world around
Changes come, turn me upside down

I have my father's hands, I have my mother's tounge
I look for redemption in everyone
I wanna wear your ring- I have a song to sing
This ain't over babe, in fact it's just begun

Changes come, turn my world around
Changes come, turn me upside down

I wanna have our baby, somedays I think that maybe
This old world's too fucked up for any first born son
There is all this untouched beauty, the light, the dark both running through me
Is there still redemption for anyone?

Jesus come, turn my world around
Jesus come, lay my burden down
Bring the whole thing down

-selected lyrics from "Changes Come," by Over the Rhine


I feel like I'm on a collision course with myself. A quest for truth and authenticity within the church seems pointless at best. Communion with the saints seems difficult to find when the only conversation you feel comfortable in is with others who are just as jaded as I am. Yet the desire for growth remains. There is still a remnant within me that desperately clings to the message of hope and light, while being consumed with wave after wave of frustration at the ineffectiveness of the modern-day American church. Seeking what I know from the Bible, and what I trust from respected friends, teachers and comrades-in-arms, I wonder what age we are in. The birth pains continue, but no baby.

Yet there remains hope, character, perseverance, joy. Joy that the eternal transcends everything I see, from the latte to the mountain to the eyes of the child. To cling to this and press on towards the prize- even though the race is exhausting. This is what I want my life to be about. People ask me what I want to do, why I want to wander about, seemingly aimlessly. To hone my character? To foster a life of learning? Perhaps, but neither of these answers really gets down to the joint and bone of what I want to be. A universal traveler, bent on discovering God in every circumstance, gets closer to my goal. Letting what I do in my present circumstances flow out of who I am, in my present spot on the journey of being conformed to the image... this is closer still. Is there a place in the kingdom of God for modern-day Pauline lifestyle? Tentmaking when need be, but encouraging the ekklesia and calling on all the diverse facets of character to exalt Jesus Christ?

I don't know where I'm going. I know who I want to be like. This is about all I have right now.