"Long Way Home"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Long Way Home" by Steven Curtis Chapman. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

Has something ever happened to you that you can't let go of or want to change? Are you stuck and miserable?

When you're stuck and dwelling on an event, think about the part of the song that says:

Some rocks on my shoes
Fears I wish I could lose
That make the mountians so hard to climb
And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes
There's a bag of regrets,
Should've beens, and not yets
That keep on dragging around
And I can hardly wait till the day I get to lay them all down
I know that day is coming
I know its gonna be here soon
I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way
Cause its just the long way home

¹³But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 3 (NIV)

We need to try and let go and not dwell on our past mistakes. We can't cover or forget what happened; it's the past, it's part of us, but we need to keep moving. When we keep moving, the healing will start.

Another version, the Message, says it a little differently:
^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
~Phillipians 3 (MSG)

The ultimate goal is Christ. When we dwell on the past, it keeps us from God, and Satan is winning. We need to stay focused on the goal. We have to think: How can God help?



"Long Way Home" by Steven Curtis Chapman

I set out on a great adventure
The day my Father started leading me home
Said theres gonna be mountians to climb
And valleys were gonna go through

But I had no way of knowing
Just how hard this journey could be
Cause the mountians are steeper
And the valleys are deeper than I ever would had dreamed

But I know were gonna make it
And I know were gonna get there soon
And I know sometimes it seems like, were going the wrong way
But its just the long way home

Some rocks on my shoes
Fears I wish I could lose
That make the mountians so hard to climb
And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes

There's a bag of regrets,
Should've beens, and not yets
That keep on dragging around
And I can hardly wait till the day I get to lay them all down

I know that day is coming
I know its gonna be here soon
I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way
Cause its just the long way home

When we cant take another step
The Father will pick us up and carry us in His arms
And even on the best days, He says to remember were not home yet
So don't get too comfortable
Cause we are just pilgrams passing through

I know that day is coming
I know were gonna be there soon
I keep on singing and believing
What all of my songs say

Cause our God has made a promise
And I know everything He says is true
He promised He would never ever leave us
He's gonna lead us
He'll lead us home

Every single step of the long way home
So keep on, were gonna make it
Were just taking the long way home
So keep on, were gonna make it
I know, were gonna make it
Its just the long way home

Christian Atheist: Ashamed of Your Past/Aren't Sure He Loves You

Last week, we started a series on Christian Atheism. This week, we're talking about when you believe in God, but are ashamed of your past and aren't sure that He loves you.

(Source)

• Our past becomes a cycle. We believe that pain and failure is who we are, not just an event. Because of this, we just keep doing what we are doing because we think that's all we can be.  WE ARE NOT OUR SINS OR PAST.
• We need to heal by accepting. If we do not accept our past, we cannot know God because we cannot live for Him.
• We are forgiveable, changeable, capable and moldable. Forgiveable: God forgives us for any and all of our sins, as long as we ask. Changeable: We can change. It doesn't matter what our past is, we can change from it, as long as we have God's help and willing to do so. Capable: We are capable of changing. Moldable: God can shape us to be more Christ-like.
• Embrace God. It's the ONLY way to change our future. God loves you regardless of what you did in your past.

In Matthew 18, there is a story about a shepherd and 100 sheep. If one sheep goes astray, the shepherd will leave the 99 sheep to save it. God is the same way with us. He will leave to find the one person straying.

It is hard to understand God's love. We are used to temporary love; love that lasts for a week, a month, a year, even a marriage is temporary. Eventually we all die. This life is temporary.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16 (NIV)

Now, take John 3:16 and phrase it: "For God so loved (your name) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you and give you a future in Heaven, if you embrace God.