How He Loves Us

So today I struggle.
I struggle with trying not to figure things out.  I want to know…why….now.
I try and stand back and wrap my mind around what God is doing.  In my life.  In my friend’s lives.  In my church.  All over the world.
I struggle with wanting something other than what I have.  Being somewhere other than where I am.
I sit here wanting to know the big picture of my life.  If what I am doing right now is what God wants me to be doing…what I am made to be doing.

Today I found out that I have a new niece…a new life, a beautiful, God-breathed life.
And today my friend found out his mother has cancer.  A disease that could take her life.

All of these things…questions, fear, worry…all of these things are so hard to bring to the Lord sometimes.  And easier to sit and think about….churn over in your mind…what if.

I am reminded that it is in these times of wonder, excitement and even heartbreak, that the Father can build his virtue into our lives.  It’s when we can be reminded of His unfailing love that He has for us.  I read today in someone’s blog “We will walk this road in faith – a fully-sighted faith that produces confidence in us because the Father has been faithful to others in the past. It doesn’t make it easy, but it does make it bearable”

I just had it on my heart to encourage those of us who are struggling…with who we are, with where we are, what we want for our lives, with loss, with gain….that He Loves Us!  Oh How He Loves Us….He loves us regardless.

I know that I have shared this song with some of you…but this David Crowder version is just so awesome.  May it bless you and remind you that you are loved by the Our Maker.

ms

His Word Alone…

Is ENOUGH to make me want to worship Him!!
This morning I was blessed by His Word and hope you can worship with me in His faithfulness!

Acts 2

    ²²“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,^[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. ²⁵David said about him:
   ” ‘I saw the Lord always before me.
      Because he is at my right hand,
      I will not be shaken.
    ²⁶Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
      my body also will live in hope,
    ²⁷because you will not abandon me to the grave,
      nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
    ²⁸You have made known to me the paths of life;
      you will fill me with joy in your presence.’^[b]

    ²⁹“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,^[c] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. ³²God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. ³³Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
   ” ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
      ”Sit at my right hand
    ³⁵until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet.” ‘^[d]

    ³⁶“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

    ³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

    ³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

    ⁴⁰With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers

    ⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

AMEN!

(posted by ms)

“Community” Service…

I love our worship community at Grace!  This past weekend the Men’s Choir led the music with Ken and it was awesome to see the men having such a great time in worship!

Because of my volunteer position, I get to see the “behind the scenes” working of the Worship Ministry on a weekly basis.  It has been neat to see the fellowship, encouragement, prayer, growing friendships, spiritual growth, and above all else, intense desire to praise and glorify God. We are definitely “a peculiar people” but whether you are a “techie”, a singer, or an instrumentalist, you are welcomed into the community.  It’s like a ‘large’ small group that helps make a very large church feel very much smaller!  Serving together here for the weekend strengthens me to serve outside the church during the week…

posted by pw

“Holy Spirit Sighting!”

If anyone was wondering where the Holy Spirit was hangin out on Monday evening, He definitely made a visit to the First Monday men’s meeting!  The unbridled display of love by this bunch of sold out Christian men, raising their voices in worship in that intimate venue was jaw droppingly inspirational to this old biker.

As we sang from the riser, the voices of the congregation just uplifted the worship team. kt often refers to how it must sound in heaven when thousands of created beings surround the Lord’s throne in worship of the King.   Anyone who was there got a small glimpse of what worship will be like in heaven. Wow, what a night!

Thanks Ken for this past season. There aren’t many worship leaders who could work so effectively with this bunch of whacked-out-for-Jesus freaks that comprise our team.

Love you all…….even tomato & zucchini guy

posted by ejjr

“20 Questions…”

“What are you reading these days?” 

“What’s in your CD player this week?”

“What’s your favorite Scripture verse?”

I love our Worship Team!!  It is so great to be involved in leading with you…

I had some great conversations with folks this weekend and for some reason, seemingly more than usual, I got asked a lot of questions about my life and my preferences… 

I thought I’d take a shot at answering one of these questions and then turn around and ask you to answer the same one..this could be fun if y’all comment…

 (I read the NIV Application Bible and use a program on my computer called “Bible Navigator” for my usual devos by the way…)

I’m not an avid reader, or particularly speedy, so it’s unusual for me to be in three books at the same time.  It’s been kinda cool to switch back and forth…Because they’re pretty different from each other, it’s not hard to pick up where I left off…All three of these were recommended by friends…

“Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God” by Francis Chan.  This guy is apparently in love with Jesus!  I’m about 4 chapters in and I find myself feeling encouraged to go after that “first love”… The God of the universe is crazy about you! His love is the most powerful thing in the world and He wants to give it to you, so you can live for Him. If you have made a commitment to follow Christ, then read Crazy Love to be reminded and challenged in your walk. Sharing from his own life struggles and sacrifices, author Francis Chan issues a call for selfless, Christ-like living. Let the love you have received from God impact your life like never before.

“The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life” by Tony Jones.  Again, I’m about 4 chapters in… I’m kinda fascinated by this one… It’s a study of personal spiritual disciplines like meditation and prayer that have been used for centuries and his experience in applying them in his life… gives some “how to” in every chapter…

“Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin… Only into it a bit thus far… Bob’s been leading worship, teaching about it, and writing books for a long time…Great practical insights for worship leaders…easy to read…

Okay!  It’s your turn:

What are YOU reading these days..???

love you guys…

kt

“Meeting Together”

What a great Choir rehearsal last night!  The group is really sounding good on this set of songs… the Section Leaders are doing a nice job of helping me find and fix musical “troublespots”, and we’re having a bunch of laughs while we’re at it..!

We started with a nice time of worship and ended with a great time of prayer… As usual, folks stayed around to pray in small groups, fellowship some, and reset the room…

I really appreciate you guys and I’m looking forward to our rehearsal with the Band on Thursday!!

Keep praying for one another, that He would continue to work in us and through us…

1Peter 2: 9 & 10

kt

“Songs for the Heart?”

“God is great.  Beer is good.  People are crazy!” 

How’s that for a lyric?  I heard it on a country music station the other day… I wish I could give the artist credit, but it was one of those times when they didn’t mention the artist at the end of the song, and I didn’t really want to keep listening long enough for it to come around in the rotation again..!

I believe that at some point in our “journey” here, most of us could agree with at least two out of three of those statements.   That’s what’s so clever about the lyric… it represents how most of the listeners will feel at some time..!

I am not a clever lyricist.  In fact, I very seldom write songs… I’ve written a few songs that have been useful,  and I have dozens of “snippets”: verses, refrains, or guitar grooves that I’ve recorded that I hoped would someday become something coherent.   The problem is that I rarely take the time, or have the discipline, to sit down and actually complete the ideas…

Instead, I tend to look for other artists songs that say what I wish I could…lyrics that resonate with me; that hit me right where I’m at… sometimes I look for songs that talk about where I wish I was either emotionally or spiritually…

We have been blessed with an abundance of gifted songwriters whom God has gifted to speak to our hearts, and in many cases to His heart through their songs…

I’d love to hear your comments on a song lyric or phrase that has really resonated with you lately…

kt

“Relationship in the Activity”

Wow!  Monday’s here again and we’re off to another week already!  Sometimes I wish we could linger in the “weekend” a bit more, so much great stuff went on this past week and weekend..!

Still working on the the motorcylce, the lawnmower, the weedwacker, and the grounds-keeping… started up the new Choir yesterday, looking forward to First Monday tonight…we’re not wanting for great things to be involved in!

Here’s an excerpt from this morning’s devo:  something to ponder as you head off to your “busy” week:

“We are so activity oriented that we assume we were saved for a task we are to perform rather than for a relationship to enjoy. God uses our activities and circumstances to bring us to Himself. When He gives us a God-sized assignment, its sheer impossibility brings us back to Him for His enabling. When God allows us to go through crises, it brings us closer to Him.

If we are not careful, we can inadvertently bypass the relationship in order to get on with the activity. When you are busy in your activity for God, remember that God leads you to the experiences in order to bring you to Himself.”

—Experiencing God Day by Day 

Have a great week as you serve Him…

kt

“Understanding Worship”

I attended a church awhile ago that was in the midst of a “worship war”…traditional music vs. contemporary music. They compromised and the result was a weak, anemic contemporary service with songs almost totally devoid of real content: “7/11″ songs (seven words sung eleven times!). The traditionalists who were used to the old hymns rich in doctrinal content (but mostly played on the organ like a funeral dirge) rightly complained. The many of the contemporary people wanted something better but had no clue how to go about it.

The problem was that neither group had an understanding of worship.

In corporate and personal worship, we express our gratitude not just for what He has done for us, but also for who He is apart from that. The Author of creativity, art, passion, and love, created us in His image, and gave us the ability to use the arts and our passion to worship Him. We are to bring all of that when we come to worship Him. Of course we need to worship Him in spirit and in truth, but the Church is the bride of Christ and when we come in corporate worship we are not to bring a dry, passionless, perfunctory love.

The pastor of that church said that corporate worship had never changed anybody. I respectfully disagree. It has changed me…deepened the way I think about God, challenged me to walk closer to Him, and so much more. I have heard testimonies from people who have come to Christ through the words sung in worship and many more testimonies of lives blessed, enriched, strengthened, challenged and encouraged by worshipping God.

Have you had one of those impactful encounters with God that you would be willing to comment on?  We’d love to hear it… (I Corinthians 14:26)

(posted by pw)

totally in love..?

 

I have been reading the book “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan and wanted to share an excerpt with you all….one that has challenged me over the past couple of days.

 “…the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity.  The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance.  Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered.  That’s for the ‘radicals’ who are ‘unbalanced’ and who go ‘overboard’.  Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.”

 “Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ?  Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?”

  Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is fit neither for the soil nor the manure pile; it is thrown out.  (Luke 14: 34-35)

“He [says] that lukewarm, halfhearted following is useless, that it sickens our souls.  He [says] that this kind of salt is not even fit for the manure pile.” 

“Wow!  

How would you like to hear the Son of God say, ‘You would ruin manure’?

How do you want to live your life today?  As lukewarm, halfhearted, and partially committed or….as totally in love with and radical for Christ?  

(msmallin)