phil wing

I’ve gained a whole new respect for the work ethic of pride. Now, mind you, I’m not saying I respect pride - but I do respect how hard it works to survive. I’ve discovered 2 new areas that pride lurks…very hidden and disguised, yet very present in many cases.

First, I’ve found that pride exists even in my desire to defeat sin.
In my quad, we’ve been going through “Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges and he nails me to the wall with this quote:

“…our attitude toward sin is more self-centered than God-centered. We are more concerned about our own ‘victory’ over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God…”

I want the feeling of saying “I’m done with that sin” or even the more pious “I know what you’re going through because back when I USED to struggle with that…” So many people thrive off of success and overcoming a challenge. That isn’t sin…but when we take that approach to our sin, we’ve lost sight of what victory really is. I don’t know that I ever noticed this in me before…but I do now. I need to look at my sin as just what it is…my choosing to dishonor God. I also need to view victory as just what it is…God’s grace.

Second, I’ve found that pride exists even in my desire to confess sin.
When I sin, I know it. There’s no denying it. The Holy Spirit makes it very clear to me when I have not chosen God’s way. But I find that a lot of times, I go to God praying these nice sounding prayers of confession with a root level desire for ease. I definitely struggle with laziness, or a constant want for comfortability anyways. Even worse is how I process that desire - it’s that “self-entitlement” thing that kills a lot of good gifts. You know, that thing inside you that says “I deserve this”. Well, I even use that in my confession of sin…because I don’t want to feel the weight of my sin. I hate how it feels when I’m being convicted. You know, that pressure, that sick feeling that says “What are you doing? Why did you do that? You know that you didn’t have to do that! You’ve been given all the strength you need to say no to that.” I hate that feeling!!! So a lot of times, I go to God confessing my sin so that I don’t have to feel that anymore. I don’t want to feel guilty anymore so I try to fake God into believing I’m really sorry, thinking all the while that I deserve to feel better than this. The good thing is that God cannot be faked. So, later, after I’ve tried to forget about that…I’m wondering why I’m still feeling convicted about it. I’m even saying “what happened to that whole ‘as far as the east is from the west’ thing???” And then it hits me, the motive. My motive was about my comfort, not God’s glory. Pride has crept in and taken residence even in the very things that define the redeemed. We have to be careful about this! It’s what made the Pharisees so ridiculous. It’s what has made me so ridiculous time and time again.

Pride is something that I battle daily. Maybe you do too. Praise God that He has given us all we need to please Him. [Philippians 2:13]

Check out the latest post from my beautiful wife…

“no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

- I think that “the American dream” is like the Easter Bunny…kinda cute, but a pretty screwed up idea.
- I think that the Dayton Mall Panera makes you stink much less than the Far Hills Panera.
- I think that I’ll always get that desperate feeling when I pull the last bit of toitel paper off the roll…regardless of how much I may already have in my hand.
- I think Jon Foreman and Jason Morant are great writers.
- I think life consists of moments seen as good or bad by our response to divine orchestration.
- I think hair is overrated.
- I think we need each other.
- I think that the words “church”, “worship”, and “love” need to be thoroughly redefined for most of today’s Christians.
- I think being excited, hopeful, and scared out of your mind at the same time is ok.
- I think becoming a dad is in my top 3 all time experiences.
- I think becoming a husband is in my top 2.
- I think being redeemed is in my top 1.
- I think last night was the first time I’d actually cried with tears since my grandma passed away in ‘98.
- I think that everyone cares about what others think at some point or another, probably more often than not.
- I think my opinion doesn’t really matter all that much…but we all enjoy sharing it.

…whadda you think???…

Just a tidbit of information for you. My blog’s address is no longer just http://philwing.com. It is now, http://philwing.com/blog
So if any of you have RSS feeds for my blog, you’ll want to update the address.

The reason for the switch is because philwing.com will soon be the main site for my band. My blog will just be a page off of the main site. Look for the band site to launch sometime in the not-so-distant-future.

A good day to you and yours…

I had a blast this past weekend! I got to do a lot of my favorite things.

Friday - I got to spend the whole night with my too-cool-for-school son, Gibson. Amber was at a wedding shower for my soon-to-be sister so it was boys night at home. We watched movies, grunted a lot, played who can drool more (he won), and laughed a whole bunch. Seriously, I had so much fun with him.

Saturday - met my quad for an early morning breakfast. We had great time just catching up and discussing what real time in the Word looks like. I love those guys. They think Jesus is a big deal…and I agree.
Well, after our quad, Jason and I made our way down to Lebanon to record vocals in the studio. That’s got to be one of the funnest things that I’ve discovered lately. This being my first real studio experience, I’ve now realized that recording vocals is definitely my favorite part. We tried every idea we could come up with. Sometimes they would flop and we’d crack up at how ridiculous it was, and other times it would really be exactly was that song needed. Who would’ve thought that there would ever be a place for a little shouting in a Phil Wing song??? Just wait, you’ll hear it soon.
Singing with my brother has always been something I loved. Now, to get to do it in the studio was even better! I think we work really well together. Maybe we have a bit of an advantage though since we’ve been singing together since shortly after my birth.

Sunday - I had the pleasure of meeting with my church family to spend a little time praising God. That’s always a great joy. This past week was one of those where band practice just wasn’t so hot, but then Sunday, God just gels it all together. I think He does that on purpose to remind us of how much we need Him…even in the things we’re talented/gifted to do.
After the service, I got to hang out with some very cool college students from Apex and enjoy some free food, courtesy of the Well. Then I headed home for a great afternoon/evening of chillin’ with my family.

We took a nap, played Jeopardy on PS2, made dinner, watched T.V., played on the floor (with Gibson of course), and just had an all around relaxing evening at home. I love those…I wish they happened a little more. Here’s a couple funny Gib pics for ya:

here we see his love for trying to eat animals…

Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday of this week, I’ll be back down at the studio doing more vocal work. I’m really hoping to have the main vocals finished this week. We’ll have a bit more background/harmony stuff to add later, but I’m thinking I can get all the lead stuff by Saturday…that’s the goal anyways. It’s wonderful to see this band project moving along! I really think it’s coming together pretty well. I’m ready to start recording all of our other songs now…not so sure the guys are on the same page with that though. hah. Couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to be making music with though! I’m lovin’ it.

So yeah, it was a great weekend, and it’s looking to be a great week!