Social Networking

How interesting this past year has been! During the past year I was introduced to two rather interesting forms of "networking" - Facebook and Twitter. At first, these two mediums (especially Twitter) seems a little strange. "Why would anyone in their right minds just openly share what is going on in their life with the world?" Believe me...I asked the question at first and have since been asked the question repeatedly. I have to laugh when someone (one of our awesome lead guitarists...not to be specific, oh Goateed one!) actually Twitters "I just stepped in gum!" Sometimes the "tweets" are completely random...but sometimes they give me insight that, as a brother in Christ, I may want to know.

For example, it is sad to hear news from another Worship Leader in another state how lost his secular job and is at risk of loosing his house. He is a great man who I first met because he started "following" me on Twitter - and I, in return, have "followed" him. Since then, we have shared numoerous experiences and have even written publications for each other. Despite that...this man who I have never physically met gets prayers from me daily and also gets prayers from my two children asking God to "please help Pastor __________ find a job and keep his house." How awesome is God that He can use a tool like Twitter or Facebook for that purpose.

Even well known pastors like my Facebook-friend Mark Batterson note the importance of these types of sites. Mark blogged one time of how these "tweets" give him an insight into the daily lifes of so many people - and it is true. When someone is in need - we can pray for them. When someone has a praise - we can rejoice with them.

Through things like Facebok and Twitter, I have gotten the pleasure of reuniting with old friends...finding friends that have taken on the same joy of writing, singing, worship leading, etc...and getting to feel like I'm still, in some way, connected with family and friends from all over the globe.

Thanks be to God that He is ever-so-current...and that He is far more technically savvy then we may give Him credit for....especially when we may balk at "why stepping in gum is interesting." Ah, you see...even little posts like that into the lives of our friends are important. After all, while he may not be graceful at where he places his foot on the ground - even my gum-trampling friend shows others that he is walking in the footsteps of Christ by the small little posts he leaves for all the world to see.

What are you telling the world?

The Day That "True Love" Died

I posted this vid back in October, but a tweet from a friend yesterday reminded me of it again. Each time I play it...I find myself having to play it again...and again...and again. How true it is! Take a few moments and just concentrate on the lyrics - so powerful...so true...and He died for you!


True Love from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

This is the last song that I wrote. Its a rough recording to give a scratch copy to work off of.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this one. Please feel free to contact me via the website or personally at jason_whitehorn@live.com . I also welcome you to comment on the song in this blog.

Merry Christmas & Season's Greetings from the Whitehorns

I know its been a while since I've posted - life has been a little hectic around the Whitehorn camp as I'm sure it has been for most. I've been working on a couple of projects and attempting to refocus some energy on writing while maintaining a healthy family balance at the same time.

We had a bit of downtime right between Thanksgiving and Christmas due to family illnesses but, thankfully, that seems to be behind us know. We got to spend the days before Christmas travelling to Mississippi to be with family, Christmas Eve with the Chapman's, and are planning to take a couple of other trips between now and the end of January.

Got to take a rant for a moment...I am still stuck with JasonWhitehorn.info as it seems our friend in Japan is still holding JasonWhitehorn.com ransom. (http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/jasonwhitehorn.com) After I left the music business for the first time a few years back, my site became dormant and the domain went away...some "thoughtful" person in Japan decided to scoop it up and, for whatever reason, seems to think it is prime internet real estate (at least the $10,000 plus price tag he has on my name suggests it.) Only on the internet will I ever find a place where someone will hold your name hostage and demand a ransom for it. Only on the internet will someone have the time to post a map to your home under the title "Nashville Celebrity Homes".

I'll digress on the rant....

It is my sincere wish that you have the greatest and most prosperous of years in the coming year. I've learned so much this year that true prosperity doesn't come from the amount of money in your bank account...but from the joy you have realizing all that God has done for us in this life and how blessed we trully are.

Until Every knee bows,

Jason Whitehorn

“My grandfather is dead”

Who would have ever thought that the month of February in 2004 would be as cold as it was? The physical temperature was fine with highs between the 50’s and 60’s…but the chill I felt that February was numbing. I had come home from work and was doing some relaxing on the couch when my phone rang. To this day, I can’t remember if it was my mother or father who called…and I don’t remember the exact words said to me…but I remember being told a simple sentence that translated to “my grandfather is dead.” I vaguely remember not being able to speak and tossing the phone aside at the couch. My wife picked up the phone while I cried my heart into the couch cushions.

The details were chilling. My grandfather had spent the morning cleaning up after himself so my grandmother would not have to do any cleaning when she got home. She had gone to see a family member in the hospital. He changed clothes into an old t-shirt and an old pair of pants and went out into his garage. He had placed a note on the kitchen refrigerator – a note that we would later discover he had written well before the fateful day. He sat down on his favorite glider in the garage – and performed the unthinkable act.

After the initial shock wore off, my mind went where I am sure everyone’s mind goes: Why? Could I have prevented it? What happens to my grandfather now? Signs! There were no signs! How could we have missed this?!? I spent my next few months struggling with these thoughts and emotions.

Dealing with the guilt

Perhaps you have deal with or are currently dealing with the same issue. Perhaps you know someone who is dealing with the same issue. The quiet truth that I can provide to you is that God can heal your heart – and he provides us with many words in the Scriptures that answer many of our questions. It is easy to wonder “Why didn’t I see this coming?” or “could I have prevented this?” when dealing with the suicide of a loved one or friend. The truth is – it is rarely ever made known. I never knew that my grandfather was that upset with life. It turned out that he was going to have surgery on his hips and be confined to wheelchair for a short period of time. My grandfather simply did not want to subject his wife to his pain nor subject her to having to push him around and care for him. There were no signs…there was no idle talk…nor talk at all about suicide.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs that “the heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” We hold our darkest fears inside. My grandfather’s suicide letter was written before he took his own life – but you would have never known it to talk to him. You may also wonder “Why could someone even think about suicide?” Having these thoughts is nothing new. In fact, we see references in the Bible to those who have at least thought about giving up their life for various reasons:

Job said “I’d rather choke to death than live in this body. Leave me alone and
let me die; my life has no meaning.” (Job 7: 15-16)

Jonah was so stubborn to follow God’s
word…stubborn enough that he uttered, “Lord let me die! I’d be better off dead.”
(Jonah 4:3)

Moses had the weight of his people on his
shoulders and spoke to God, “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the
burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to
death right now.” (Numbers 11: 14-15)

Paul even battled with life and
death saying, “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful
labor for me. Yet what shall I chose? I do not know! I am torn between the two:
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” (Philippians 1: 21-23)

You see, even the strongest of men had the thought cross their mind. We all deal with grief, sorrow, and emotion differently. Some of us – like Job, Jonah, Moses, and Paul – deal with it by voicing it…or crying out to God with it. Some people – like King Saul who was grieving over the murder of his sons – carry out their thoughts in a moment of anguish. The truth is, only God know someone’s heart. We can’t completely know what another is going through…nor does God expect us to take on the guilt of another’s decisions. Remember – it was their choice…not yours.

Suicide’s impact on salvation

Perhaps the biggest issue we deal with is that of Salvation. “What happens to my loved one now? Will they go to hell?” I do think that suicide is wrong…do not mistake that…and I do know that the Bible says “thou shalt not kill” and I do not think that God made the distinction of “thou shall not kill…unless it is yourself you kill” – but at the same time I think that the mere thought of the fact that God treats suicide as an unforgiveable sin is outside of the teachings of the Bible.
No single sin, save rejecting God completely, is documented in the Bible that would be certain to prevent entrance into Heaven. Salvation is the ticket to Heaven…Colossians 2:13-14 tells us that our sins are forgiven…all sins…past present and future. If the sins in our life after salvation prevent us from going to Heaven…then – let’s be honest with ourselves…how many of us would be going to Heaven? The truth is, we cannot put God in a box. We cannot micro-manage God. We cannot assume that God shows mercy, grace, and love only on those who perform certain sins – but not others.

To this day, I have my own troubles dealing with what happened four years ago. I put my faith, however, in the fact that God has a far better handle on the issue than I do. It is perfectly okay for us to cry out in confusion. The Bible spends so many verses talking about crying out to God. How comforting it is to know that God hears those cries! When a baby cries – his mother and father hear it. Whether it’s a cry of “I’m hungry” or “I’m hurting” or “I need a diaper change” – a good parent knows that the simple act of holding the child and reassuring “it’s okay” works. Much in the same manner, God holds us close to Him and tells us “its okay.” He did for me…and He can for you!