U2 and The Echo Within

My first exposure to the rock band, U2, was in the late 1980's as the band was sweeping the world with the success of its Joshua Tree album. There was this girl (isn't there always ;) who loved the band and since she was smoking hot, I decided that I should take a listen. At first, admittedly, they were not my cup of tea. Their rock ballads were, well, kind of granola to me. I pictured a whole bunch of peace advocates and no nukes people sitting around dreaming counter culture dreams and listening to U2 while complaining about the English in Ireland. Then Andy (of A Mile From The Beach fame) and our good friend Greg used one of the songs as accompaniment to a slide show for our Youth Group. The song was In God's Country, and I was officially blown away.

My secondary reaction to U2 has fed my fascination with this band ever since. Here is one of the most kick-butt rock groups in the history of rock and roll singing about faith. As I listened again to the Joshua Tree, I was surprised time and time again of the inclusion of the Christian message. I didn't understand a lot of what was being said, but I understood that it was cool that someone could sing about God and not become some preachy Christian rock band.

Through the years, my appreciation has only grown and not because U2 has become more Christian over the years, or less, or because of all the wonderful things they have done for Africa or Amnesty International, etc... My appreciation has grown because the band continues to create songs that are meaningful to them. They sing about love and about war and about politics and about lemons and all sorts of other things, but those messages are all infused with their understanding of the world. And their understanding of the world is infused with a deep love for Jesus Christ. They can sing a song that speaks of the deepest yearnings of a man for a woman with lyrics like, "Please, please, get up off your knees," and you can hear that yearning in the voice and imagine the sort of passionate embrace that these two lovers will embrace - or, you can also imagine an apostle standing on the side of a road in Jerusalem watching his Lord stumble while carrying a cross to Golgotha. U2 is a band that lives its faith and as a result of that faith, everything they do is colored by it. This is the kind of life that, as an artist, I want to live.

A short while ago I read the book The Echo Within by Robert Benson. This book was a quick and fascinating read about what it means to be called by God. I was startled right away with the author's assertion that being called by God doesn't necessarily mean that you are being called to deeper ministry at a seminary or a Bible college. Sometimes it just means that God wants you to use the gifts that you have to further His kingdom. I admit that I didn't connect these thoughts with U2 right away, but when I did, I realized that this was exactly what this rock band was doing. It means that for the rock band, U2, rock and roll is their calling. When put in that light, suddenly the idea of God's calling becomes much more eagerly anticipated. What is God calling me to do?

The Echo Within explores this idea with Robert Benson's life as our guide. He talks about the various steps along his journey and how each one ultimately led to the point where God called him to a life of ministry as a writer. He explains how not all of the steps along the journey made any sense or were clearly defined as signposts on the way, but that when he realized that he was being called, suddenly the entire journey became illuminated. He notes that there are many people along the path who contributed to his education and to his enlightenment, and that they aren't always what we would consider teachers. And he illustrated the many different false steps he'd taken down the path until he realized what he'd probably known all along - that he was a writer and that God wanted him to write.

What a fascinating concept - the idea that implanted in each of us is that one BEST thing that we were meant to do, and that part of our calling is to realize that this Thing and God's Calling for us are exactly the same. That we can be a great musician and a great Christian at the same time; that one doesn't have to bow down to the other. We are all unique individuals with lots of gifts, but there is one that makes us happiest and that is closest to our true nature. This is God's calling to us. Use this gift to glorify Him and to spread His word. God will do the rest.

And so, in the end, I see that God wants me to be a writer and He wants me to use that gift to further his kingdom. Now, the only question I have, is how does one do that? I imagine that as with all other things prayerful consideration is required to answer that question.

Book: The Echo Within
Author: Robert Benson

Summary:
The Echo Within is a profoundly affecting, honest look at the myriad ways we are drawn into our life’s best work.
Written out of his own lifelong search for and response to the calling voice of God, Robert Benson recounts his discovery of the meaning of vocation, work, and purpose through the ups and downs inherent in family life, professional choice, and spiritual experience. With clarity and insight, and in the elegant prose for which he is known, he gently invites and encourages readers to find such deep truths for their lives as well. In particular, he illuminates the way for readers to explore:
· ways to sense the Holy in our pursuits, both in the pursuits themselves and within ourselves.
· how to fall into our vocation and chart a course toward it at the same time.
· how to love the work we do, and the process of doing it.
For anyone beginning a new career or sensing a needed change in their life or wrestling with a transition suddenly thrust upon them, Robert Benson delivers wisdom, humor, and heart in what he’s learned about listening for The Echo Within—and how it can help us discover our calling.

Author Bio:
Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about the discovery of the sacred in the midst of our ordinary lives, including Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Home By Another Way, and Digging In. His work has been critically acclaimed in a wide range of publications from The New York Times and USA Today to Spirituality & Health and The Benedictine Review. He is an alumnus of The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation and was recently named a Living Spiritual Teacher by SpiritualityandPractice.com. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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