The I Heart Revolution

Okay, so there's a movement starting. One that will bring glory to God! Christian artist Hillsong United is launching "The I Heart Revolution"...



A message from Joel Houston of Hillsong United

I have a t-shirt.. it has an "I" which I'm thinking is in particular reference to the person bearing the garment.. a heart – which has accordingly become the universal symbol for love.. and an "N standing along side a Y" – which is intended to refer specifically to the city of New York as opposed to other acronymic possibilities such as "nebulous youth" or "ned's yaught"

Now I just like the t-shirt.. but the truth is; i heart ny.. I really do.. it's an incredible city; the skyline.. the lights.. the landmarks.. the frenetic pace of it all with it's orchestra of sirens, car horns and life in motion.. a statue called liberty? Banana coloured taxis.. the sky lost amongst scrapers.. and in the midst of it all a jungle within a jungle pretending to be a park.. I love it.. there's intrigue and character to be found around every corner.. it's a city of a thousand personalities.. a cocktail of cultures and colours fused together to create a landscape that in many ways has become a symbol of the modern era.. but what makes new york new york.. and what I love most about the place; is the people.. they are in truth it's definition.. they are the movement, the energy, the life within the structures.. they are the landscape the sound-scape.. the history and the future.. they are ny.. and they are what I heart..

see the world is a place made up of places.. and every place has a history.. and every place's history is reflected in what becomes it's culture.. and culture itself is defined through its people.. and the people; well, they are the future… and the future is now..

so then - looking at it in the same light but from the other side of the room; at this moment in history, we are the people in the places.. and we are the ones defining cultures.. and we are the ones creating history.. and so the question must be asked…. If we are the future; how's it gonna look..??

I don't know about you.. but if our generation is remembered for ipods, myspace, and youtube we missed it.. if history speaks of our generation as self indulgent pioneers of the digital age, reality television and purpose built celebrity we'll have failed.. the world will change by itself.. for better or for worse.. it changes daily.. but who will be the ones to shape it.. and how will it look?

in and of itself revolution is neither good or bad.. revolution represents change.. a shift in culture.. History is marked by revolutions.. social and political.. some have represented victory, freedom and justice, however on the flip-side.. too many have become infamous representations of despair, oppression and injustice.. all it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing.. for the church – the hands and feet of Jesus and His plan for the salvation of this big, broken sphere of dirt, water and life we temporarily call home, this has never sounded with more urgency.. it's time for a revolution.. fuelled by a dissatisfaction with self-centred living and complacent faith.. driven by a desire for truth, love and justice..

that's what this is all about…
every generation needs a revolution.. and this one needs to look, sound, walk and breathe like love..

it's not a new concept.. it's an eternal concept.. it's the reason we are alive.. it's the fundemental call of what it means to be a follower of Christ..

Love God.. love people.. that's it.. that's the revolution.. revolutionary I know.. but if we understand what that means.. if we get it.. if we establish in our thinking how that looks.. and we start living it.. we will change the world.. it's not so much about the big stuff.. it's just about the stuff.. it's about the people in the places being the answer - in the places.. and together; becoming the answer to the big stuff.. it's about your backyard.. it's about my backyard..

The world has watered love down to slogans and t-shirts.. lollipop pop songs and popcorn munching excursions in visual indulgence... all of which are fine.. but we throw the word around.. we confuse it's definition.. we diminish our understanding of God's command.. love is the quintessential human emotion.. it is the desire of every human being to experience, and in turn express love.. and God himself IS love.. and he desires to be loved.. and who are the carriers of His spirit..?? it's us…

So that's the call.. that's the mission.. that's what this is all about..

A generation expressing their worship; moreso expressing their heart for worship in the action of love.. toward God.. and toward the world we live in.. and the people who inhabit it.. it's not about highlighting the darkness.. it's about becoming the light that diminishes the darkness.. it's the gospel.. and it is now..
we're all in this together..

((please note: this is not called 'I heart revolution… we don't love revolution.. we're a part of a revolution fuelled by our love for God.. our love for life.. and our love for people.. it's called "the I heart revolution.."))



For more info visit: www.theiheartrevolution.com
www.myspace.com/theiheartrevolution

What do I live for?

Well, it's 2008. A new year has begun. My list of new years resolutions was quite long this year. God has really convicted me to strive to make changes in my life. I was listening to the song "Hosea's Wife" by Brooke Fraser tonight. In the song she asks "what do I live for?" and the song talks about how we are all squandering our lives. She is referring to living for the temporal things in life. Brooke Fraser brilliantly weaves the goodness of God into her song. She includes the phrase "to believe is to begin." This song is so beautiful to me. I feel it is true for all of us. Even those who love and want to please God fall short of His glory. Still, to believe in Him and His love is to begin a new life. So...I asked myself the question: What do I live for? My first reaction was to think of who I want to live for. I want to live for the Lord. My next thought was...am I really living for Him? I think it's an important question to ask yourself each day. What/who do I live for? I don't feel guilty about my failings and I can rest in the fact that I spend time with God each day and seek His face. However, the Lord has convicted me to battle against my flesh and to reach out to Him in my time of weakness.

My point is. It's a new year. God makes all things new and through Him I can make changes and become stronger. When I say stronger I mean more confident in who I am in Christ. I mean doing more for others and expecting nothing in return. I mean allowing God to be my refuge in all circumstances and allowing His Word to abide in me. He can do this for anyone who seeks Him. The Lord is faithful. I know that if I continue to reach out to Him and take steps towards change, He will provide for me and shape me into who I was born to become. Praise the name of Jesus!