Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man August 2010

8/9/2019 Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man August 2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/genuine-motivation-young-christian-man-august-2010 1/18

Y O U N G C H R I S T I A N MAugust 2010

GENUINE MOTIV TION V

BEWARE THVICTORIE

THE BIGGEST LOSE



ART + CREATIVE DIRECTOR / MICHAEL MURO

EDITOR IN CHIEF / ROB BEAMES

A PUBLICATION OF ON MY OWN NOW MINISTRIES

http://www.genmoycm.wordpress.com/

http://www.onmyownnow.com/



JOSHUA PAYNEON SLEEPING EASY, SITT ING STILL AND THE VALUE IN RUNNING

Interview By

TAMARA PAYNE



T he Verve Music Group says, “Joshua Payne is one of the most abundantly gifted of a new breed of singer and

songwriter, blessed with a big, classically-trained voice and a soul to match.” As his number-one fan (and cousin),

I cannot disagree. Further, his success has been both a blessing from God and a technological miracle. Joshua was born

with a profound hearing loss, but following surgery, was able to hear. His parents, both very musical, trained his ear with

musical tastes ranging from James Taylor to Prokoev. Joshua used his talents early on in church and school, but during

his youth, his interest in singing was upstaged by swimming, soccer and football.

After sustaining a football injury, Joshua changed his major in college and began formal operatic training. Joshua excelledand earned a number of accolades including eight-time regional and state winner with the National Association of

Teachers of Singing. Joshua continued his studies in music, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of

Memphis. Simultaneously he was an artist-in-residence with Opera Memphis, performing such title baritone roles as Don

Giovanni and Sweeny Todd.

Having recently nished a “gig” in Italy, I caught up with Joshua to get his thoughts on forward motion and Mussolini.

Genuine Motivation: Joshua, what was the rst song you

ever performed?

Joshua Payne: Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell for

my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my aunt and my

mom and cousin. I was two and I loved Glen Campbell. I

remember my grandmother laughing so hard. I think I likedmaking her laugh.

Tunes from the past are getting harder to sing. I remember

being so excited about them in their moments, but even

those amazing moments subside. Still I try not to cheat

an audience who may want to hear something from

way back when. They may still be having their moment

with that tune. So I do my best to keep the old songs

performance-worthy.

GM: Have you gotten comfortable with being on stage, or

do you still get nervous?

JP: Always nervous. I’m uncomfortable when I’m not a

little nervy before a show.

GM: Of all of the songs you’ve written, which ones do you

feel the most?

JP: The songs I feel most are being written right now.

GM: What encouragement do you give yourself to keep

going when you get discouraged when things move

slowly?

JP: I step away from it all when I get frustrated. I just

put it down and act like I’m never coming back to it. I getbusy in the yard or with a building a project or painting or

drawing or… Invariably, I do come back to the writing. It

is my life blood, but to survive when I hit a wall, I disguise

my frustration and compartmentalize. I draw the curtains.

Even though I know there will be a better day, I know too

that standing in front of the wall or the closed door does

not make the present frustration any better. So, I re-

imagine and create a new now - the new task, whatever

is standing open and right in front of me. The other day I

imagined a garden. So, I planted a garden. That put things

into perspective. Seeds do ower, but they take a while.

GM: When was it, and what was it that made you realize

you wanted to be a singer/songwriter?

JP: I was 22 and I couldn’t put down the guitar. I couldn’t

stop writing words. I couldn’t stop the melodies in my

head. The melodies had to be sung; the words had to be

songs. It was like breathing. Now, I write or I die. It’s not

just part of me, it’s dening and involuntary.

GM: Who inspires you?

JP: People, especially the ugly and the strange, inspireme. Abnormal feels the most comfortable to me. Pain is

also incredibly inspiring or, should I say, motivating. I want

to help folks who are hurting. Writing is medicine for me

and my hope is that it could be salve for the masses. And

though I can’t force them to take the pills it doesn’t keep

me from manufacturing the meds.



GM: What were you doing in Italy?

JP: I have a friend who is a pop opera singer there. She’s

getting to be a big deal. She and I did a gig together in

Tuscany and the rest of the time was about seeing the

countryside. Though I’ve been all throughout Europe, this

was my rst time in Italy. I’m already planning my return.

GM: Ten years ago, did you ever think you would be

where you are now?

JP: Ten years ago I was on a path that I eventually

abandoned – a bad move. But I always thought I might

wind up in Nashville. It’s tough and likely tougher than I

thought it would be but, I’m here, and I’ve got gigs on the

calendar. It’s a good day.

GM: Ten years ago, did you ever think you would be

where you are now?

JP: Ten years ago I was on a path that I eventually

abandoned – a bad move. But I always thought I might

wind up in Nashville. It’s tough and likely tougher than I

thought it would be but, I’m here, and I’ve got gigs on the

calendar. It’s a good day.

GM: If you could go back in time, would you have done the

same things? Chosen the same career?

JP: I used to go back in time all the time, and I’d kick

myself for taking the wrong roads here

and there and… bad move. Shoulda, coulda woulda! What

a horrible, troubling place to be. Sure, I would have done

some things differently. I do believe in right and wrong

paths, but I’m where I am, and it’s not my job to redeem it.

So I sleep easy, I wake up, I hit my knees, I pray for grace

and understanding, and I walk or sit. Both are forward

progress and sometimes sitting is the faster road.

GM: What lessons have you learned through this process?

JP: Follow the steps that are ordered. Forget your own

way. Do not self promote. Despise that route even if the

silent approach takes longer. Be still, hone your craft and

wait. Timing is everything. “For such a time as this...” God

knows your address.

GM: What advice would you give to someone who is

considering taking a shot at the music industry?

JP: Do it and do it all the way! Learn it and learn it all

the way! Go to school until you can’t go anymore and

go for music. Do not give yourself a safety net. Do nottake accounting or business or... Ok, so let me back up.

First, go ask someone who is really really really good

if you are any good. If you aren’t, ask someone else,

then ask someone else. Ask a poet if he likes your lyric.

Ask a preacher if he likes your heart. Look for clues that

there might be something special about your approach

– something unique. We can learn anything but we can’t

learn to be great. That’s something you are born with.

As frustrating as this business is, the only reason I’m still

doing what I do is because there are a handful of people

out there that tell me how great they think I am and they

are some of the most respected people in the business.I decided with much convincing to actually believe them.

Things seem to be sorting themselves out. I’m grateful.

GM: What did you like best and least about being in Italy?

JP: What I liked the least: 1. I didn’t get to take the love of

my life. 2. Rome. Mussolini monolith. Over and over I kept

hearing “Mussolini was a good man.” If I were president

that would be the rst thing I’d blow up. it would be like

Germany erecting a monolith to Hitler. Wouldn’t y. 3.

Monuments of martyrs enmeshed in catholic pomp and

circumstance, when it was the church that killed those

saints. Very weird to me.

What I liked the most: 1. The pub across from St. Peters,

darts, good beer and great friends. I felt very Italian but

very not Roman. 2. See number one. 3. The return trip

with my girlfriend. 4. See number three.

GM: What kinds of challenges or obstacles does your

career pose when it comes to romantic relationships?

JP: Ha! Name one it doesn’t. Initially, you have to be

willing to be alone to do this gig. Girls don’t usually go for

poets with guitars who are broke. Then, on the other side

of it, there is the whole fan fantasy thing – women throwing

themselves at you. You gotta be vigilant about what you

know to be true ‘cause this can get best of you early on

if you get caught up. I’ve come up slow. I’m grateful for it.

Lasting love at home is way better than eeting love on the

road. Backstage is for the band. No compromises here.We protect each other. After a while the circus becomes

what it is, and you get used to all the screaming in the hall.

You laugh, call home, say I love you and go to the next

show wishing you were home.

GM: Does your career track come with certain

occupational hazards spiritually? What are some of the

specic temptations you have to ght?

JP: Again, yes! All of them. This is the road less traveled

for a reason. But I’m becoming. Every day I see myself

growing outside of what is comfortable. There is nothing

about the music world that is normal. It’s like tripping

through life on purpose and to the outsider, it looks veryaccidental.

GM: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now in your

career?

JP: I see myself on stage performing most days. I see

myself writing with the best writers in the world. I see

myself in good company, happy, benevolent, trusted,

loved, caring and cared for... creating.



Get to know Joshua Payne better at his personal blog. Here’s the editor’s pick from his recent posts.

http://thejoshuapayne.blogspot.com/

http://thejoshuapayne.blogspot.com/



by Randy Kosloski

WHAT THE LOCUST HAVE EATEN

on

thecouch



CONFIDENCEWHILE

YOU

WAIT

By Thom Mollohan



http://genmoycm.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/why-wait/

http://genmoycm.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/why-wait/


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/genuine-motivation-young-christian-man-august-2010 12/18GM : 12

P E S T C O N T R O L F O R Y O U R S I N S



Maybe we’ve been told that before by a family member or

friend who didn’t want to see us fail by becoming careless or

putting forth less effort than was required. This admonition is

highly applicable in our quest to rid our lives of sin-pests, as

we have been calling them. In short: beware of victories along

the way. This sounds like a contradiction, after all, isn’t victory

what we’re after?

Ever play tennis? Normally in a tennis match, each player will

win some games and lose others. Rarely does a player make

it through a set with no losses. Yet, any tennis player can tell

you that it’s not the losses, but the wins that have the greatest

potential to make one lose focus. A player is intensely focused

when losing, but after a few consecutive wins, it’s easy to get

cocky. Proverbs captures this principal in the often-quoted

verse, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before

a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). And this principal directly applies to

our struggle with sin.

After a certain amount of success in resisting our particular

sin-pest, we often start to under-estimate the power of its

temptation. In our pride, we can start to feel that we aren’t

at risk, even though we have given into this same weakness

many times before. We can warn ourselves about the reality

of this over and over again, but it’s startling how we irt with

disaster while resting on our laurels. As we are starting to

feel invincible, we are also failing to prepare our defenses,

and we even sometimes remove the fail-safes that have

worked before.

It’s kind of like changing lanes on the freeway. Every single

time we know there is a possibility that a car is riding along in

our blind spot, and if we don’t look to make sure the lane is

clear, it could be fatal for us. We check our mirrors and

account for every car near us on the road and then crook our

necks only to nd exactly what we expect—nothing in our

blind spot. After so much of the same, we stop bothering to

turn our heads to verify that it’s safe to move over. And most

of the time we get away with it and just keep driving along in

our pride. In the same way, we careen down the road of sin.

We keep getting away with it, or maybe we simply think we

are not going to get hit.

There’s another way our pride gets us into trouble when

battling sin. Sometimes, after a little improvement we start to

feel we’ve earned something in return. After a few victories,we may feel entitled to a little indulgence. Our triumphant

spirit can quickly turn into a spirit of “quid pro quo.” We

gave a little here; we should get a little there. We may not

be consciously processing it this way, but it is happening

nonetheless. For example, have you ever felt entitled to slack

off on studying after learning you have an “A” at mid-term?

Although it may work out okay in the classroom, it is a very

dangerous attitude to have when combating sin, because God

doesn’t work on a grading scale. He demands awlessness.

We can rely on His grace and be saved, or we can rely on our

perfection and be lost.

God is working with us to make His righteousness effective in

our lives. He gives us the strength to overcome our sin-pests

even if it’s one at a time. In His power, we can sometimes

feel invincible and fail to arm ourselves for spiritual battle, as

instructed to do. This is when we can be the most vulnerable

to the temptation to sin. We want to celebrate the victories

which are due to His grace, but also beware the subtle way

those victories may puff up our pride and set us up for

another fall.

“DON’T LET SUCCESS GO TO YOUR HEAD!”



N ot everyone is a big fan of reality shows. I’m certainly not ashamed to say

I’ve never seen one. In fact, when the rst advertisements aired for the debut

of the television series “The Biggest Loser,” I assumed it was another creative ideaHollywood had concocted to provide us with an avenue to look down on others.

I envisioned viewers having the ability to vote for someone they felt looked

the most like a geek, acted the most like an idiot, or had the most annoying

character aws. I was relieved to nd out that the show was actually a weight loss

competition. These types of weight loss contests have inltrated our “real reality”

too. We see them posted in the workplace and in social circles. Most of us probably

have either participated in one of these contests or know someone who has.

Money and competition are powerful motivators and have worked as the impetus

to shed some extra pounds, even when nothing else has worked.

BY ROB BEAMES



The Apostle Paul considered himself “the biggest

loser” too, but he had an entirely different kind of

motivation, and an altogether opposite kind of “losing”

in mind when he addressed the church at Philippi

from his prison cell, most likely in Rome. Paul spoke

of himself as being the biggest loser, not only for

what he had lost physically, in the name of Christ,

but much more for what he had lost spiritually, for

the sake of Christ. “But whatever was to my prot

I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is

more, I consider everything a loss compared to the

surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them

rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him,

not having a righteousness of my own that comes from

the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the

righteousness that comes from God and is by faith”

(Philippians 3:7-9).

Paul could have easily boasted in his religious zeal,

pedigree, education, titles or afuent circles of

association, (verses 5 and 6) yet he doesn’t. Rather,

he acknowledges that everything he had previouslydone, as well as the reputation he worked hard to

build—all in the name of righteousness—he now

considers rubbish. This shocking word used only once

in his writings indicates a distinct feeling of disgust.

It’s the sense one would get if forced to handle dung

or manure.

It is noteworthy here that Paul does not consider his

own righteousness, which comes from the law, just a

little less than the righteousness which comes from

God. No, he says it is of absolutely no worth! He

regards all of his past efforts and accomplishmentsas loathsome claims. And he doesn’t stop there. He

includes everything he is, has or will ever accomplish

as a discredit to him compared to having known Jesus.

In contrast to what He has done on our behalf, Paul’s

accomplishments are less than worthless. Perhaps,

Paul’s words resonate best with those used by the

prophet Isaiah many years earlier which called our

best efforts “lthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). In today’s

vernacular we might say they stink!

Like Paul, any greatness we could hope to achieve

hardly compares to having a personal relationship

with Christ. Clearly, our works have no value with the

wrong motivation. But if our goal is to demonstrate

the love of God to others, or to reach for His holiness

out of a faith which trusts in the way He is conforming

us to the image of Christ, this is an entirely different

matter. God will use the times we faithfully respond

to His perfect love to work His pleasure within us, and

if we allow Him to do so, He can work through us to

communicate His love to the world. These things are

not worthless, but are of great value. Yet, they still

do not count toward our salvation or our acceptance

by God. Since we were created to do good works, our

endeavors do have value, as long as they are done out

of a gratitude for what Christ has already attained for

us. Any other motivation behind our works changes

our deeds into cow patties.

This is extremely difcult for us to accept, isn’t it? It’s

not so hard to comprehend that none of our efforts

could have the same worth as anything from God,

but for us to view all of our righteous works as the

refuse which comes out of a dog’s behind? That’s a

tough humility pill to swallow. If we nd this difcult

to believe, we might as well get our pooper scoopers

ready and make a crown for ourselves with the little

bits we nd on the ground after walking our dogs.

Our righteousness comes directly from God and is

by faith alone, or it is actually not righteousness atall, in fact, it’s offensive to God. Christ gives us the

righteousness we could not begin to attain, and when

we put our faith in Him alone, this brilliant holiness

is ours! We no longer need to lean on our imperfect

efforts to support us. Without the appropriate faith,

they are revolting anyway.

We want to think that the daily sacrices we make,

each sin we resist, and the efforts we put forth mean

something to someone, right? How can we consider

them as disgusting as manure? Well, it puts our efforts

into perspective, doesn’t it? We have the choice everyday of standing proud on the tops of our dung heaps,

which reek to high heaven, in full view of everyone

to see and (guratively) smell, or we can climb

down in humility from our mounds of manure and

choose to put our faith in the sufciency of His work

on our behalf. Then and only then will His faultless

righteousness will be credited to us and will we be able

to stand proud! (I believe He wanted me to remind

you of this truth.)

W H E N W E P U T O U R

F A I T H I N H I M A L O N E ,

THIS BRILLIANT HOLINESS IS OURS!”



Keeping a journal can be a great help to remember how God has

been faithful in our lives. Recently, I looked back at a page I wrote

during a long, difcult journey in my life, and I was struck by the

way my words captured my heart-felt struggles.

GM : 16

NO QUICK FIXP R E S S O N

BY WILL DOLE



“What is my problem? Constantly searching...constantly

confused. I know God has a plan, all I have to do is

trust Him...but I seem incapable of that. Why is it, that

although I know what my problems are, I still fail? Time

and time again I stumble. I even know how to “x” myproblems...but I don’t. I keep on going along my merry

way screwing up my life, complicating things for those I

love. It’s like I’m in a constant state of stupid. Why? Is

it lack of faith? Will power? Character? What is the root

of my problem? I know that it all boils down to that fact

that I’m a sinner...but there has to be something more

specic. Something I can work on, train myself away

from. What is it? I’m so sick of myself.”

Does any of that sound familiar? Struggles vary from

person to person—each of us has our own history, our

own character aws, our own sin issues, but what we

have in common is the fact that we all struggle with ourfaith sometimes. At times we are overwhelmed by our

circumstances and start to question where God is. It’s

not always easy to see His purpose in our lives. In fact,

sometimes we simply can’t make sense of the things we

go through, or the pain we cause ourselves.

Sometimes, it seems like God could make things so

much easier by making us perfect as soon as we are

saved. But then, how would we see His grace? We may

wish we didn’t need His grace, yet we continue to be the

objects of it, and through His grace, we experience the

joy of belonging to Him, even though we continue to sin.

Sometimes we may wonder why—no matter how hard

we may try—we can not x ourselves. But this is not

really the question we should be asking. Trying to answer

that question can leave us up burned out, emotionally

drained, or even disenchanted with our loving God.

The Bible doesn’t tell us to x ourselves. Rather it asks

us to repeatedly acknowledge that we are sinners.

Romans 3:11 explains, “There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.” So, we see that notonly do we fail to understand, but we don’t even have

the capacity to seek after the only cure: Jesus. Why

would we think we could improve ourselves, if we don’t

understand the magnitude of our sin, nor where to go to

for help? Fortunately, because of Christ’s death, God has

entered into a Father/son relationship with us. If He had

waited to do this until we became more perfect or less of

a sinner, it never would have happened.

God’s grace is much greater than we can possibly grasp.We will never be able to fully comprehend it, but until weaccept by faith the truth about His grace revealed to usin Scripture, we will not only be frustrated, but our “goodworks, which we were created to do in Christ” (Ephesians2:10), will be only ineffective efforts.

We generally understand that God’s grace is the meansby which we are saved, (Ephesians 2:8), but to trulyunderstand grace and its impact on our daily lives, it ishelpful to compare this with 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And Hesaid to me ‘My grace is sufcient for you, for My strengthis made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I wilrather boast in my inrmities that the power of Christmay rest upon me.”

This verse makes it clear that our problem is not that weare screwed up, or that we continue to return to our oldsinful ways; our problem is that we are sinners withoutthe power to redeem ourselves.

This makes our plight sound ominous, but it’s not. Jesustook care of our problem completely and totally on thecross, and therefore as we trust in His redeeming work,our problem is no longer a problem at all. In fact, Paulsays that in our weakness the power of Christ rests uponus. So the focus is no longer on us, or what we have tooffer other people. It’s not even on what we think wehave to offer God, which in reality is nothing. No, it’s notabout us at all. The focus turns to where it should be:God glorifying Himself through our lives.

We must not miss the fact that sin is evil and unwantedin our lives, but our motivation should not be so much

avoiding sin and doing good deeds—which only leads tofrustration when we realize we can‘t accomplish whatGod‘s law demands—but rather, our focus ought to beon the secure relationship with God, which we have onlybecause of what Jesus did for us. When our focus ison our relationship with Him, we may not always live alife worthy of our calling, but we are able to enjoy andappreciate His love for us, and watch it eventually bearthe fruit we were created to bear in our lives.

GM : 17

“SOMETIMES, IT SEEMS LIKE GOD COULD

MAKE THINGS SO MUCH EASIER BY MAKING

US PERFECT AS SOON AS WE ARE SAVED. BUT

THEN, HOW WOULD WE SEE HIS GRACE?”



It’s tempting to become lazy during the dog days of summer and neglect getting a healthy dose

of exercise. Why would we opt to go out in the sweltering heat when we can hold up in our air-

conditioned fortresses endlessly entertaining ourselves with videos, games, movies and music?

Although it’s difcult to get motivated when you look at it that way, we need to get outside on a

regular basis, even when it’s really hot and humid. So here are a few ways to keep outdoors

exercise cool in the summer heat.

TAKE A DUNK

The best way to cool down in summer is with water.

Keep things interesting and get creative by going

swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, tubing down

a river, making a slip-n-slide in the yard, visiting a water-park, or even starting a water-balloon war—the options

are endless. Even if we don’t get into the water, a hike

along a river or stream, or a trek to a nearby waterfall

through the shaded woods can be very refreshing.

FACTOR IN WATER AND SUN

Whatever your summer sport, don’t forget to stay well

hydrated. Also, don’t forget the sunscreen. If you fear

the possible embarrassment of random white splotches

of unblended sunscreen in your facial recesses, try

the spray-on varieties. A cool shower can x being hot,

but it won’t do anything for being burned. Only time –extremely painful and uncomfortable time – will get rid of

that. So don’t be a blockhead and forget the sunblock!

Don’t let the heat turn you into a baked couch potato!

Get outdoors today for some cool summer fun and tness

SPIN YOUR WHEELS

I’m spending the summer in Austin, Texas, and nding

it’s a rather bicycle-friendly city. Though the need for a

helmet keeps the wind from blowing through my hair,

cutting through air at 30 miles per hour is still pretty

breezy. To make it even cooler, try riding in the shade

or alongside water. Austin has an abundance of shadedtrails along the river, as do many well-conceived urban

biking routes.

In the alternate, bike to a beach, swimming hole or

waterfall, then spend a few minutes wading through

the water to cool hands and feet before the return trip.

Finally, scheduling rides for before 10 a.m. or after 6

p.m., will avoid the hottest part of the day.

GO UNDERGROUND

Ever been spelunking? Better known as “caving,” it’s

a great way to be in nature but out of the heat. Caves

temperatures remain constant most of the year, which

means they are relatively warm in the winter and coolin the summer—nature’s own air conditioning system!

Check out http://cavern.com/ to nd a cave tour near

you as a rst step. Caution: Caving can become

addictive (ask me how I know!).

http://cavern.com/

http://cavern.com/

Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man August 2010

Documents

Transcript of Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man August 2010