Many of you know that I love U2. Well did you know that U2 is branching out to do children's music? It is very fun. You got to hear it!
Check it out by clicking HERE.
Hope you like!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sad and Tragic...
Today I am mourning the unexpected passing of Kyle Lake, author of Understanding God's Will and (re)Understanding Prayer, and pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, TX [where David Crowder and Chris Seay are from]. He died yesterday morning after a tragic electrocution accident while leading a baptism service. Only 33 years old, he is survived by his wife and three young children.
Although I didn't know Kyle personally, I found him to be an amazing pastor, educator, writer, and learner. He was involved in Emergent and many other progressive ministries. I can't imaging all the emotions that his family, friends, and congregation are going through. Please join me in praying for the Lake family and all effected by this tragic loss...
Although I didn't know Kyle personally, I found him to be an amazing pastor, educator, writer, and learner. He was involved in Emergent and many other progressive ministries. I can't imaging all the emotions that his family, friends, and congregation are going through. Please join me in praying for the Lake family and all effected by this tragic loss...
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Monday, October 24, 2005
Where is righteousness?
So I have been wrestling with the idea of righteousness and what it means to live in a way that would be described Biblically as righteous. Charles Finney [an old school evangelist] believes that revivals do not come from praying then down from God and he doesn't believe that they are miracles. He says we don't have to convince God to bring revivals that He wants everyone to be saved. He basically says that revival doesn't come until we [the Christians] get on fire for God and start living righteous lives. That when our lives start radically changing for Christ others will start to do the same. In other words, Finney says revivals don't start in the other they start with me. That has been a challenge for me to chew on.
When I think of righteous living I think of pride, cockyness, strong attitudes, no-it-alls, etc. But that is not what Scripture means. Righteous living is humbly coming to God and saying "search me and know me and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" it is confession, it is wisdom, it is distinguishing good from evil and choosing good. Doesn't Scripture say that God always provides us with a way out of our sinful temptations?
Proverbs 21:3 [niv] says this... "to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice"
This was and odd scripture to me. But I read it in some other translations and looked at it closer. I love the way this is translated differently...
Proverbs 21:3 [the message] says this... "clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far mroe to God than religious performance."
This has made me think of our culture, of church, and trends that have come about lately and thought how caught up we have been in "experience" and creating atmospheres for people to "feel" things. I think at times they can be manipulative.
Worship can be the same way. I don't think God cares so much about us having this one "Sunday Worship Experience" as he does about our lives being transformed on a daily basis to be more and more like Him. That we become loving neighbors, that we become people of justice, who love mercy, that we become lights to people around us.
What a revival might look like then would be more like a church body as a whole committing to daily confessing, renewal and being filled with the Holy Spirit to live out the image of God to our world. It would be the transformation that starts to occur through Christ in our lives that would take our worship experiences to a whole new level.
"clean living before God" and "justice with our neighbors" sounds a lot like "love God and love your neighbors as yourself" and meaning "far more to God than religious performance" sounds a lot like "this is the greatest of all the commandments"
Know that I am not promoting legalistic living, but living that humbly approaches God regularly through confession - a breathing out of the junk of life, and filling - the breathing in of the Holy Spirit throughout the day.
I want to re-live over and over again the beauty, glory, and awe of living out God's call to me to live a righteous life. I want to know how to do so through His Word, and how to be faithful to that within my culture.
A song that has been on my heart along with these ponderings is...
This has been some of my ponderings of late. Let me know what your think...
May forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love through Christ be with you today.
When I think of righteous living I think of pride, cockyness, strong attitudes, no-it-alls, etc. But that is not what Scripture means. Righteous living is humbly coming to God and saying "search me and know me and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" it is confession, it is wisdom, it is distinguishing good from evil and choosing good. Doesn't Scripture say that God always provides us with a way out of our sinful temptations?
Proverbs 21:3 [niv] says this... "to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice"
This was and odd scripture to me. But I read it in some other translations and looked at it closer. I love the way this is translated differently...
Proverbs 21:3 [the message] says this... "clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far mroe to God than religious performance."
This has made me think of our culture, of church, and trends that have come about lately and thought how caught up we have been in "experience" and creating atmospheres for people to "feel" things. I think at times they can be manipulative.
Worship can be the same way. I don't think God cares so much about us having this one "Sunday Worship Experience" as he does about our lives being transformed on a daily basis to be more and more like Him. That we become loving neighbors, that we become people of justice, who love mercy, that we become lights to people around us.
What a revival might look like then would be more like a church body as a whole committing to daily confessing, renewal and being filled with the Holy Spirit to live out the image of God to our world. It would be the transformation that starts to occur through Christ in our lives that would take our worship experiences to a whole new level.
"clean living before God" and "justice with our neighbors" sounds a lot like "love God and love your neighbors as yourself" and meaning "far more to God than religious performance" sounds a lot like "this is the greatest of all the commandments"
Know that I am not promoting legalistic living, but living that humbly approaches God regularly through confession - a breathing out of the junk of life, and filling - the breathing in of the Holy Spirit throughout the day.
I want to re-live over and over again the beauty, glory, and awe of living out God's call to me to live a righteous life. I want to know how to do so through His Word, and how to be faithful to that within my culture.
A song that has been on my heart along with these ponderings is...
Knowing You
(words and music by Graham Kendrick)
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this.
Chorus:
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness
Chorus: (repeat)
Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know you in your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this.
Chorus:
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness
Chorus: (repeat)
Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know you in your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die
Chorus: (repeat)
+ + + + + + +
This has been some of my ponderings of late. Let me know what your think...
May forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love through Christ be with you today.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Reflections on worship...
More thoughts on worship by James Torrance...
"Worship is a narrative and symbolic activity, meant to evoke response."
"The role of symbol in worship is not to convey doctrine or promote ideology, but to provoke an encounter between God and God’s people."
I love the concept of worship as narrative...the telling of or singing of the story of God. I love the idea of an encounter between God and humanity!
Today was the first time I led worship just me and my guitar and one vocalist. I was nervous and lacking some confidence. Some of my insecurities started to come out not having my band/team with me. "What would happen if people really see me, hear me, and find that it/I am lacking?" was the question. Another was "could I do this [leading worship] in such a way that would not be distracting to others?"
I was reminded of these two quotes. Worship is not about me as the leader, musician, singer, etc. it is about telling, re-telling, and remembering the story/narrative of the Gospel. And in doing so we are drawn into a place of response. The "here I am send me" response of Isaiah. God was gracious and by His Holy Spirit I was able to help in the faciliting of re-telling of the story. As a result, we had a wonderful encounter with God!
Tomorrow is Sunday and I have much to praise God for! I pray that you all have the opportunity to respond once again to the narrative of the Gospel as told through a time of intimate/corporate worship!
"Worship is a narrative and symbolic activity, meant to evoke response."
"The role of symbol in worship is not to convey doctrine or promote ideology, but to provoke an encounter between God and God’s people."
I love the concept of worship as narrative...the telling of or singing of the story of God. I love the idea of an encounter between God and humanity!
Today was the first time I led worship just me and my guitar and one vocalist. I was nervous and lacking some confidence. Some of my insecurities started to come out not having my band/team with me. "What would happen if people really see me, hear me, and find that it/I am lacking?" was the question. Another was "could I do this [leading worship] in such a way that would not be distracting to others?"
I was reminded of these two quotes. Worship is not about me as the leader, musician, singer, etc. it is about telling, re-telling, and remembering the story/narrative of the Gospel. And in doing so we are drawn into a place of response. The "here I am send me" response of Isaiah. God was gracious and by His Holy Spirit I was able to help in the faciliting of re-telling of the story. As a result, we had a wonderful encounter with God!
Tomorrow is Sunday and I have much to praise God for! I pray that you all have the opportunity to respond once again to the narrative of the Gospel as told through a time of intimate/corporate worship!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
A NEW LOOK...
I got bored with the look of my blog so I did some changes. I know...the wonderful Bridget had this template for some time, but the reality is that this is the only other one that I really like within the templates blogger offers, and she isn't using it any more. So, here it is. I like it much better.
And with the change comes a re-newed desire to post more regularly. Easier said than done, but that is the hope. So stay tuned! Thanks to you all who have come to read my thoughts. I think I am going to be posting some thought on a book I am reading by Doug Pagitt. It is called "preaching re-imagined"
More to come on worship as well...
Also, I am doing some interesting studies on the spiritual disciplines. This is a link to a blog written by Brian McLaren that I thought was awesome check it out here. It is on "Spiritual Formation in a Postmodern Context." You will have to scroll to the bottom of the blog to get to it. It is worth the read.
And with the change comes a re-newed desire to post more regularly. Easier said than done, but that is the hope. So stay tuned! Thanks to you all who have come to read my thoughts. I think I am going to be posting some thought on a book I am reading by Doug Pagitt. It is called "preaching re-imagined"
More to come on worship as well...
Also, I am doing some interesting studies on the spiritual disciplines. This is a link to a blog written by Brian McLaren that I thought was awesome check it out here. It is on "Spiritual Formation in a Postmodern Context." You will have to scroll to the bottom of the blog to get to it. It is worth the read.
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