Thought Quotient

Brian Doerksen - ‘With All My Affection’

With all my affection
All my understanding
Lord I worship You

With all my affection
All my spirit’s passion
Lord I worship You

There’s no higher call
Than loving You with my life
There’s no higher ground
Than kneeling down before You
Lord I surrender

Real worship is full of affection (it’s definitely not disinterested duty!), understanding, and action, and is ignited by the fire of the Spirit. This is our life’s work and calling! In fact, I believe that the highest place we can ever reach is kneeling at His feet. This song began for me in response to meditating on the words of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

I often say “I want it all!!” What I mean by that is I want all of the truth and understanding of what our faith is based on, and all the affection of our deepest true emotions, and the reality of living out our calling of worship fuelled by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Worship that is all those things is not cheap or easy, but it’s my dream and life long goal. I don’t think I could have written this song earlier in my ministry as a worship leader - this is almost a song of looking back and saying, “this far I have learned this, and it’s still the way forward - with the destination being the place of unbroken worship in His presence’. - Brian

Apparently, these days it can cost up to a million dollars.

A recent BreakPoint commentary informs us that trying to make a difference can be costly in ways that we might not expect. Barry Lynn and the Americans United For Separation of Church and State (AU) are using lawsuits (instead of reasoning and working it out with Prison Fellowship) to try to bring about an end to the InnerChange Freedom Initiative program (and the resulting transformed lives of prisoners apparently).

Read more about it here…

• Not Intimidated - Standing up to Americans United for Separation of Church and State

I have yet to understand how AU’s tactics aren’t resulting in them doing the enemy’s work, and how God working through the IFI program to transform prisoner’s lives results in man getting the glory and not God - something that any believer would celebrate instead of legislate against.

Matthew 25:42-45
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

*update* - 6/6/06

The judge has ruled against the IFI program and ordered that the program be shut down in sixty days and that IFI and Prison Fellowship pay back the state of Iowa $1.5 million.

• A Troubling Verdict - Religious Freedom at Stake

So, for the record, Prison Fellowship not only has a million dollars in legal fees due to the AU lawsuit, but a judge order has potentially added 1.5 million to that total. When all the debate is over on a case like this, who can we say wins? Who loses? The fact remains that the IFI program was reaching people for Christ. God is working through it to change lives for all eternity. He alone deserves the glory for that. So, can God be pleased when our reaction is one of lawsuits and attempts to shut it down?

*update* - 6/13/06

• Unconstitutionally Effective - Shutting Down a Program that Works

*update* - 6/21/06

• Judging Evangelicals - Comparative Religion from the Bench

*update* - 6/30/06

• True Freedom Behind Bars - The Battle over Religion in Prison

*update* - 8/30/06

• Sordid Reminders of Failure - What Works behind Bars?