MK forum

Anyone else think this hymn could really mess a kid up?

1. When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
(Refrain)

3. But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
(Refrain)

4. Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
(Refrain)

My mum used to sing this as she went about her daily activities. She probably still does.

I suppose by itself it is fine, but it's all the other stuff that it went with. The stuff about having ones will broken, being broken before the lord, yielding, trusting, obeying. Just who exactly was I supposed to be trusting and obeying, because there were those who were speaking to me directly from God Himself? And that is where I came unstuck, because I just didn't find it very credible how leading Saints could talk to God on my behalf, yet I never seemed to be able to do so myself and I knew what them Saints were up to and it wasn't Saintly.
Then there was the whole dying and drinking blood thing, that really got me as a kid. And somehow we were supposed to die too and then bounce back as some perfect being who then immediately sinned and hung around doing sort of good things till the trumpet blew, which was going to be in 1984 when the planets aligned, but it didn't happen so then it was the year 2000, when all the computers would malfunction and now it is 2014 and I'm still confused.
It just didn't seem to be a whole lotta Love, Joy and Peace. More Shove, Ploy and Pieces.
I guess I didn't get it as a kid and now it's in the too hard basket and somehow acknowledging that, has brought it's own peace with myself.

Oops I think I rambled a bit off course then. I'm sure I shall be politely put back on track

Now, do we ever do that to you?

I kind of like these comments from the CT article:


For example, one problem for MKs is the pervasive God-talk, Schmutzer said. On the mission field, there is no place to express doubts. "You can't ever say, 'I don't understand God,' or 'God is unfair.' In the mission context where God is the wallpaper, you aren't allowed to question—that's dissent."


There was an anxiety about God, who knew all things."


Anxiety about God. Yep. Because you were supposed to feel, but not rely on the feelings. And act as though it was perfectly logical and OK to drink a symbol of blood. It was a strange world.

What disturbs me about the hymn is the "IF YOU DO THIS, THEN . . ." nature. No wonder so many have had spiritual crises--

Just imagine if some kind Saint had sat a doubting young Bemused down, given him a hot chocolate and listened to his doubts with comfort and sympathy, maybe life would have been a whole lot different. Instead it was a matter of believing because the fear of not believing was greater, which is hardly the basis for a convincing wholesome faith, endless personal ministry and the classic being locked in the bedroom until doubts were recanted.

And of course there was always the gates of hell looming for those who dared to vary from straight and narrow, except far to many of us had already experienced a taste of hell already.

Oh yes, God was definitely the wallpaper that adorned every room of the MK experience, but somehow when the MK years on the field ended, the wallpaper parted ways with the wall, because the glue was faulty and the tacks couldn't bear the burden any more.

Ahh Allbetter I really do remember that song! I still know it off by heart.

I spent most of my time at NTM [sorry CrossEyedView Australia] striving continuously to be good enough so that I might "hear" (and I know you all know what I mean by that) what God was saying to me. Everyone else seemed to hear from God but me. Used to worry me but now, if I perchance heard voices in my head I'd be pretty worried. No doubt nurse Bemused would say "oh we have pills for that".

I never got that whole "God told me" stuff. For those of us who grew up in such circles it doesn't seem so whacky but just try explaining it to someone who hasn't.

Listen very carefully, in a quiet spot:

It's Saturday. I created this day for you to relax, but NOT have to think of spiritual matters. Take a long bubble bath. Drink a Coke and Rum. Read a novel. Watch a movie. Go shopping. Call a buddy. Seek some open skies.

Don't you remember being told that God uses other people to talk to you? There you have it

You will be very happy to note that Bemused has had a heavenly Saturday experience. Mrs Bemused and I went to a rural fair, where the local firebrigade had been joined by the big city boys with their fancy new ladder truck. They needed a volunteer to go up the ladder and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up the ladder ascending into the heavens where I found my doubts replaced with fear and terror. (have the pics to prove it, ably taken by Mrs Bemused).
Bemused had the best view of the fair and he didn't even have to pay for it. He would have seen it if he didn't have his eyes closed in terror. I'm not sure if God spoke to me while I was up the ladder getting close to Heaven, my knees were knocking so hard I couldn't hear anything

Bemused, since you were so courageous, no doubt that you won't mind a bit being one of our star speakers in Atlanta.

I can't wait. To hear Bemused speak.

(Are you implying he will need to get high first?)