i’ve been contemplating doing a series of posts on the book of Galatians. I know, i know: i haven’t finished the series on the Song of Songs yet! I believe i will get back to the Song, but i’m in a Galatian season right now. And a Galatian season calls for a Galatian series! So, here we go!

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is one of the books i return to over and over. We all lose our way in this life. We experience patterns of getting lost, being found, brought home and vowing to never wander again. We may lose our way, but the Way does not lose us! He keeps us.

One of the paths i often wander down is… well, it’s really a circle, and it goes nowhere. Self-Condemnation: I’m not good enough -> Self-Righteousness: I’ve got to do things to be good enough -> Pride: Gee, I’m doing these things, I’m good enough!… what’s wrong with everyone else?!?! [you all know what Pride precedes, right?] -> the Fall… -> Self-Condemnation…

As often as i wander here, as oft as i find it goes nowhere, as oft as i feel the pain of straying from grace, as often as Jesus comes and finds me here and brings me home… it seems that i find (lose) my way back. The book of Galatians is a clear voice that calls me to return. From the first verse to the last, it sings the song of grace that leads me home.

The First Verse

“Paul, an apostle…” an innocent statement. The man is merely stating his name and title, is he not? I think there is more going on here. By definition, an apostle is a “sent one”. So? So, read what follows:

“Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…)”

From the get-go, Paul wants us to know Who sent him.

Who sent you?

it’s a valid question. One we ask everyday in many ways. Bernadette Windleheimer may call you on the phone. She may begin asking for personal information. This might make you uncomfortable. But, as soon as she tells you she is calling on behalf of your auto-insurance agency you are put at ease!

Who sent you?

We ask this question in relationships as well. i usually feel more comfortable with friend of a friend than with a perfect stranger. I assume they must be ok if my friend approves of them! In this crazy information age so many people have access to our personal data. I am much more likely to accept a facebook friend-request from a friend-of-a-friend than from someone with no relational-Bingo connections.

Who sent you?

We even ask this in the family of God. There’s a “guest minister” at church. Well, who is he? Where did he go to school? Is he with our denomination? Who in this church knows him? Who sent him?

i’m not saying we shouldn’t ask this question! many selfish, false, wicked people have given us every reason to ask this question! But you know what? Even if a guy has all the right answers: he went to the right school, he’s with our denomination, good friends with the pastor, etc, etc… THAT is NOT what validates him. And i believe this to be Paul’s point:

“(not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…)”

Ultimately, it is God Who sends. Our Father is the One Who raises us, trains us, validates and approves us. In the timing of His choosing and in the ways of His will, He sends us. He absolutely sends us to be in community with others. And yet our involvement in that community is not what validates us. That does not at all devalue community relationships. It is essential to know and be known, to trust and show ourselves worthy of trust. These relationships can be A way that God chooses to send us; but they are not THE way. He is.

The agency of man can become a crutch, propping up the soul so hungry for approval. believe me, i know. We can easily become deluded, thinking that man’s approval constitutes God’s approval. It does not. It’s so easy to assume: now that i’ve finished the training-course i am qualified to teach! Now that i can say it like that-guy, i have the answers! My leader invited me to take this leadership role, i must be ready! I’m part of the right Christian group… I got my doctrine straight… they are so godly and they do things this way, so this must be the way for me too!

Who sent you?

Paul will allow us to go no further without making it perfectly clear:

I was not sent by man. I was sent by God.

Hey! Thanks for being interested in what i do here at peopleonahill! I am always trying to clarify my vision so i can communicate better with others. Below you will find my latest efforts to explain the ministry of peopleonahill in a clear, concise manner. We’re pretty interactive here, so i’d like to invite you to re-word stuff! Leave a comment with your suggestions on how things could be said differently. Let me know what seems vague or confusing or other important questions that have not been addressed. Thanks!

what is peopleonahill? peopleonahill is the ministry of ryan internicola where passion for Music, Word and People shines.

what does the name mean? Jesus told His friends to find space where they could shine so others could see how awesome God is (Matthew 5:16). peopleonahill exists to express the beauty of Jesus and encourage others to let their unique design shine.

what does peopleonahill do?

peopleonahill spreads music and word that encourages people to shine through life with Jesus. Here’s how we do it:

-www.peopleonahill.org: i post music and writings about life with Jesus and invite others into discussion.

-i publish and distribute music and writings that call for the light of the world to shine.

-i lead worship, music and Word events centered on Who God is and who we are in Him. (invite me to your town!)

peopleonahill is in the process of obtaining non-profit status. We are working with a great organization that is helping us fill out all of the government paperwork. If you would like to help us achieve this goal, you can make a donation HERE!

As a token of thanks, i will write a brief and silly poem on the topic of your choosing and post it on the site. Thank you!

Hey! Thanks for folla-ing the progress of my “Heart Torn Out” EP project!

In the not-too-distant future, the hill will be invaded by “Heart Torn Out”! In order to welcome the new release i want to do some housecleaning and fix-em-ups around here!

it’s time for a makeover here on the hill and we’ve got to add some important elements like a music player, a webstore, and general prettiness! We’re hoping for increased traffic when the CD comes out and i’d like to welcome our new guests. This will require help from web-guy. Being technically challenged i won’t be able to make these changes myself. It will also require help from art-guy for the prettiness part of things. Web-guy and art-guy have wives and children to feed, bills to pay etc… so, i will have to give them money. I am happy to do this because they are workers well-worth their wages!

If you would like to help me pay web-guy and art-guy i’d sure appreciate it! you can give towards peopleonahill fix-ups HERE!

Another exciting event about to take place: peopleonahill is goin’ 501-c3! That’s tax-deductible! We are well into the process of establishing peopleonahill as a not-for-profit ministry. We’re working with a great professional organization that is helping us do this: startchurch. We’ve already been able to make our first 2 payments to startchurch because of God’s provision and people’s generosity. I am going to need help making the next payment of $300. If you would like to help with that you can do so HERE!

Lastly, our family is about to be invaded in the most wonderful way: the birth of our 5th child!!! in preparation, Susanna is requesting some new diapers. Now, we use cloth diapers which are reusable, but our other 4 children have gotten bigger and their bums have stretched out the cloth diapers! Our little newborn is going to need some new, non-stretched-out diapers! we’ll also need to buy a few packs of newborn disposables because it’s hard to find cloth diapers quite small enough for a little “tree-frog” as we fondly call our infants! A single cloth diaper costs about $15 and lasts for the child’s diapered life! If you’d like to buy us 1, 2 or 12 you can give HERE!

thanks so much!

Do you remember the scene in “The Matrix” in which Neo goes to visit the Oracle? In the waiting room he meets a little bald boy who is bending spoons with his mind. Neo wonders how the boy is able to do this amazing thing and the boy explains:

Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

Neo was discovering the strangeness of living in the Matrix, an environment where the traditional rules appeared to apply, but they really did not.

I have had a number of Matrix moments recently. Times in which i or others have been living under assumptions and perceived obligations that we really don’t have to live under.

I made a really good point when i was preaching at the Well a couple Sundays ago. Holy Spirit gets all the credit for this for without Him i am pointless except for the one on top of my head. I had the privilege of preaching from the Apostle Luke’s description of the First and Greatest Commandment found in Luke 10. Have a look at it.

A law expert puts Jesus to the test asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The man’s question is entirely self-centered. Words like “I” followed by “do” and “to inherit” give it away.

In His consistently-Jesus fashion, God incarnate answers with questions, “What is written in the law? …How does it read to you?”

The man answers by stating the great commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus applauds his answer and states, “Do this and you shall live.”

Now, my point was about what Jesus did NOT say. He did NOT say, “Do this and you shall inherit eternal life” which was the man’s real question. He said, “Do this and you shall LIVE.”

The Greek word here for “live” is zao and it means to truly live, breath, enjoy real life, to be vigorous, effective, etc…

See, Jesus knows that there is NOTHING we can DO to inherit eternal life. That’s not our job. it’s HIS job. He is the bestower of eternal life and His gift does not depend upon our doing. We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. As the recipients of eternal life, our job, rather, our JOY is to LIVE it! Which is why Jesus answers the way He does: “Do this and you shall LIVE!”

We are so concerned about the law, the checklist, the requirements. What must i DO to be okay with God? To secure my position in heaven? To be a good Christian?

Jesus is not concerned about the list. Jesus is concerned about LIVING! He wants us to LIVE this eternal life and to actually enjoy it.

It is not the First and Greatest Obligation. It is not the First and Greatest Requirement. Christ’s Command to us is this: LIVE! ZAO! Breathe! Enjoy!

and how do we do that?

By loving God with all we have and loving others as ourselves.

But don’t i have to do this? And musn’t i do that? And are we not required to do such and such??? Isn’t there a rule book to follow? A set of requirements to keep? A list to check off?

There is no list.

The law was a list. It was given in part to prove our inability to live by lists. i can’t say it better than this:

“having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14

Jesus is not telling us the requirements we must keep in order to inherit eternal life. There ARE requirements, but He has kept them for us. Jesus is telling us now how to live and enjoy that eternal life: Love God with all we have. Love others like ourselves.

Do not try to keep the list. That’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth:

There is no list.

I’ve been quiet for a while. Part of that is due to the craziness of returning home from a 3 week trip, trying to finish a CD and getting ready for a baby. But that’s not the whole reason. I also feel dumb for some of my recent behaviors. I was harsh to some people who have only been supportive of me. They’ve forgiven me, but the feeling of stupidity is hard to shake. and when i feel stupid i get quiet; perhaps so as not to say any more stupid things for a while! i don’t think this is a particularly good way of dealing with things, but it is nonetheless the way i most naturally respond. i spend so much time wishing i hadn’t done what i did, wishing i hadn’t said what i said, wishing someone had just told be precisely what to do so i wouldn’t make these mistakes!

This is the heart of the matter: a subject that has come up in several of my recent conversations. Our basic lust for law.

I’ll be honest: i want a law! i want a checklist that tells me exactly what to do and when. If i had that i could check the items off the list and feel good about myself, knowing i had done what was required of me; knowing i was ok.

i don’t think i’m alone in this. Adam and Eve had this same law-lust. I don’t think it was so much the shininess of the fruit or the smooth speech of the serpent that tempted the two. I think it was the lust to know good and evil.

This is a portion of our family history that i return to over and over again. It fascinates me and here i find so much help for understanding man & God. Think about this: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Most of us probably believe that Adam & Eve knew no evil before they ate the fruit. But, do you think that they knew good? I think they probably did. All they knew was good. They lived in the good world God had created, with light that was good, water that was good, plants and animals and relationships that were good. God looked at all that He had made and said it was good. Seems to me: all Adam & Eve ever knew was good and they were allured by the contrast between good and evil.

I’ll tell you why i am allured by that same contrast: because if i can know the right choice and the wrong choice then i can make sure that i choose right and can therefore BE right. I want to be right. I feel insecure in my standing with God and with men and so i seek another source of security: the knowledge that i have made the right choice between good and bad. If i have this knowledge then i don’t have to depend on Jesus to make me right or upon the fickle favor of men to deem me right. See? it’s shiny! it’s alluring! it seems to good to know good and evil.

The First and Greatest Commandment came up in our scripture readings at the Well last week. It is interesting to me that Jesus’ summary of all the law and the prophets is so vague. Love God. Love others. The old law was so detailed, so specific. It gave us what we wanted: the knowledge of right & wrong. Do this. Don’t do that. Period. This “new” command contains no “don’ts” only “dos”. Do love God and Do love others. It leaves me lusting for a list. It leaves me needing something other than my actions to make me “right”. It leaves me right where i need to be.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this concept of “Law Lust.”

So, we’re back home after 3 weeks on the road! whew! While we were away i got my first round of mixes from the studio and began listening through them. I’ve probably listened to the project at least a dozen times now. I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s sounding great! I just finished typing up my notes for adjustments and sent it off to the studio. They’re going to do another round of mixes tomorrow. This puts us one step closer to a finished CD! The studio will send me the new mix, i will review again, make notes for revision if needed, they will remix if needed and then we should be done! (with that part!)

Hey hill-folk, you still there? i don’t blame you if you wandered away; i haven’t given you much reason to hang out here lately!

i just realized i’ve been on the road for 19 days now. whew! it’s been tricky to get computer access and time to update. so many cool things have happened, we’ve seen so many awesome people. i wish i could tell you everything tonight, but i’ll pick one thing to focus on: Sunday.

New Covenant Christian Church Oswego, NY

We got to spend several days with our dear friends the Greutman’s in Oswego NY. On Sunday i led worship at their Church: New Covenant Christian Church. I always love leading there because they don’t seem to need any convincing: they come ready and eager to worship Jesus. I can just jump right in with them. I got to lead with some of my favorite humans who happen to also be some of my favorite musicians! The team sounded great!

Beyond sounding great, the heart to worship was present and we had a sweet and powerful time. During worship, Pastor gave a prophetic word about taking it “out”. Later, he gave a short word from scripture, encouraging us to trust in God and take the land despite the giants. Then he called us back into worship! The team had already played all of the songs we had practiced, but everyone met the challenge with excitement. We jumped into some unrehearsed songs and just continued to give our hearts to God in worship. it was fun.

So, there’s one thing i’ve been up to. If your here on the hill lemme know and tell me one thing you’ve been up to! thanks!

Thank you to all the backers who have jumped on board in the past week! It’s so cool to see the excitement building over this project!

There is a peace in knowing we cannot fulfill our own promises.

I’m not speaking of the promises we make, though that also may be true, but, rather of the promises made to us -by God.

i have received some specific promises over my life from the Lord. You have to. Sometimes they come in the form of relentless desire in the heart. Sometimes they come through the words of another -awakening purpose inside of us. Sometimes they come from letters leaping off the pages of scripture, becoming forever ours. We have a God of promise and our lives are laden with promises.

There is much to be said for pro-activity, for laying-hold of that for which we were laid hold of, for planning and acting. Yet, i think it is crucial that we recognize that these are not the means by which we attain our promises.

Actually, Hebrews 11:33 tells us that promises are obtained by faith. By necessity, faith involves action, yet faith is not a force derived from ourselves: it is the gift of God. So, it is by a free gift that we receive our promises, though we partner in the process through prayer and obedience.

I am not yet old and wise, but i have walked with Jesus long enough to know that He doesn’t always lead in a straight line. We receive a promise, envision it’s fulfillment and in our minds we plot a direct course from here to there. The problem is, the road from faith to fullness is often long and winding, fraught with perils and not one turn or trial is without it’s lesson. The experiences we gain along the way are essential for the reception and stewardship of the promise at the end. We could never coordinate such a thing. This can only come from a Good Shepherd Who intentionally leads through valleys and shadows of death en route to green pastures.

When we plot our own course from promise to possession we end up with Ishmael (Genesis 16.) Even this is not able to thwart the promises of God in our lives. He is never surprised and is able to work all things together for our good as we go on loving Him.

If we, like Abram, view ourselves as ultimately responsible for fulfilling our promises, then the way will be paved with striving and needless pain. Make no mistake, there is pain on the path of grace as well. Some pain is needful. Some pain is not.

If God is ultimately responsible for fulfilling our promises then we can rest in the surety of His leadership. When our path appears to be wandering or taking us further from our destiny we can trust that our Good Shepherd is leading us ever closer to fulfillment.

There is peace in knowing that we do not attain our promises by our understanding or our strength, but by a God of promise.