Awake

One man wakes; awakens another;

It's the first line from the opening song on Leeland's new album, The Great Awakening. But it's also kind of my story. I blame Andrew Norden (and a few other conspirators). I'm not sure who he blames. But something awoke him to the possibility that faith was bigger than a prayer; bigger than ascribing to a set of beliefs; that it could become a way of living; that it could change the world and bring justice and hope; and that belief alone was far too small (and not at all what Jesus asks). Through our friendship, I awoke too.

Second one awakes his next door brother;

That's the next line of the song. It might be presumptuous (or boastful) to list a name or names of next door brothers that I've helped awaken. But that's certainly what I'm trying to do; to step into a real, earthy, Spirit-dependent, living (and occasionally messy) faith that aims to look increasingly like Jesus … and to awaken a next door brother (or sister) in the process. As this happens, a Kingdom momentum is set in motion.

Three awake can rouse a town; and turn the whole place upside-down;

Recently, I read an article that offered a beautiful description of what this might look like – to turn the whole place upside-down. “The revolution, the real revolution, the revolution that will move beyond a cultural evangelicalism, the revolution of the Spirit, where lives, towns and villages are changed, this revolution will not be televised. It will happen low, on the ground, beneath the lights, in the daily cultivation of life in the Kingdom.” I love that phrase. The daily cultivation of life in the Kingdom. The song ends with these words:

One man wakes with dawn in his eyes; Surely then it multiplies.

If you want to be a part of the low, on the ground, beneath the lights, daily cultivation of life in the Kingdom (oh, how I want to be a part of this), here's is my encouragement: Keep dawn in your eyes, and keep company with someone else who is awake. (By the way, these two things actually go hand-in-hand.)

Surely then it multiplies.