Whatever happened to Josh?

Josh is hands down the most talented guitar player that I know. However, it seems Josh has laid down his axe to venture into a new direction. Check out his most recent release here.

Yes this is really him and no this is not a cry for help....(I don't think?)

Random Ramblings

I had such an interesting weekend. It was good and weird on many fronts and God opened up a lot of different opportunities both to be challenged and to challenge, which was really great. I was reminded again this weekend that regardless of how many people are in the building, we play our instruments and sing for an audience of One.

God has been so good to me and my family. I thank him everyday for His grace and protection. We are going to have a special guest this week at Lifegroup. Cherie's aunt is going to be in from California and has asked to be baptized. I am really looking forward to it. We will be breaking out the horse trough. I'll post some pics.

Sovereignty Over Aimlessness

I think one of the greatest and often overlooked gifts that we have as
Christians is the purpose given to us at our conversion, which serves
as the framework for our lives and gives everything that we do
meaning. It didn't hit me until I recently picked up a novel at the
bookstore written by a secular author. I rarely read fiction and, in
fact, stopped about two-thirds of the way through this one because the
story became so debase. But what struck me before I put it down was
the paradigm of the author as he was trying to extract some meaningful
story of the protagonist's life from a world that the author, as was
evident from his writing, deems to be chaotic.

I forgot what aimlessness feels like. I haven't truly felt it since
before I gave my life to Christ. Since that time I have come to
understand that God is truly sovereign. Therefore everything in the
life of the Christian who has truly surrendered his life to Christ has
a purpose, whether it appears good or bad to us at the moment. The
only time we feel aimless is when we refuse to acknowledge God's
sovereignty in our struggle.

I feel genuinly sad for any individual who is aimlessly absent of this
knowledge and this confidence especially in these troubled times. I
pray that God would further grant me the grace to point others to the
meaning I have discovered in Him.

Sent from my iPhone

Friends and their "Hang Ups"

I had a pretty rotten thing happen to me on Friday. I was talking to someone on the phone over an issue related to my business. When our conversation ended, the person on the other end of the line thought that he had disconnected from the call, but something happened and the call remained connected. I overheard his conversation about me to someone else and it was venomous and negative. He said things that he would never want me to know.

I felt betrayed and angry! Mainly because this person has pretended to be my friend for a really long time....and I felt that we had developed a pretty close relationship over many years. I realized at that moment, however, that it had all been "just business".

I was pretty broken about the whole deal, and it has been good to be away from the office this weekend. Truth be told, I wish I had a couple more days away. Too bad I wasn't just independently wealthy and didn't have to work...That would be great! Nevertheless, tomorrow I am heading back with a two new challenges...(1) to reevaluate my relationships with every person on my list of contacts and ensure that my relationships with those people are "real". Life is too short, and opportunities to really connect are too few and far between, to settle for something less. (2) I want to ensure that I never have a conversation about anyone that I would be ashamed of if I discovered that they were listening over a connected cell phone without my knowledge.

The message at church this weekend was from Psalm 51 and David's sin with Bethsheba. It reminded me also that our life is lived before God and sometimes we forget that He is always listening on an "open line". David came to that realization when God himself revealed that fact to him through the prophet Nathan. Proverbially it was like David thought the phone was hung up when slept with her, plotted her husbands death, and then married her, but God was listening the whole time.

In His presence, during times of worship I have told God that I love Him. I have even sang "I am a Friend of God" But guess what? To my shame, I know that there have been many times that I forgot that I was connected to Him. During moments where I forgot that He was still "on the line" I have blatantly rejected Him through my words or actions. All the while He was observing my betrayal. How many times have I hurt the heart of God? It makes me just sick...and like David I have no defense but can only say..."I have sinned before God."

I will end by gladly telling you that incredibly God has forgiven me....... and for this reason, if none other, I will forgive also.

Our Uncle Has a Problem!!!

On more than a couple of occasions in my life I have been grievously disappointed after trying to help someone battling an addiction...only to see them squander the resources I have given them to fall back into the same trap. People who are desperate to satisfy that need just won't stop asking....begging....stealing. The manipulate in anyway they can if they think it will result in getting what they are after.

If you have ever experienced that frustration....then you know exactly the emotion that I have in regard to this bailout that the President and Senate are trying to push down the throat of the people. The Senate voted out of turn today, in order to pressure the house to pass this, after adding another Billion (yes, with a 'B') to the prior nightmare, which was rejected outright.

I am praying the representatives in the house, both Republicans and Democrats, will stand their ground to reject this piece of legislation again. The message needs to be sent, "What is it about NO that you don't understand!?!" Uncle Sam has a real problem and in need of some real help, but $800 billion is only perpetuating his addiction to uncontrolled spending and the drug of power at the cost of the people.

Reflecting on Politics

It has been forever since I actually sat down in front of the computer to write anything on my blog. I think I should do it a lot more...good therapy. I find that many of the links that I have, lead to blogs of people who haven't posted since before me. Some links don't work, and others have changed and no longer go to Blogger or Word Press. So I guess a little house cleaning is in order and I will get to that soon.

I have spent the past hour checking the headlines and catching up on the whole political scene, trying to make sense of the $700 billion dollar bailout that has suddenly became my and my family's responsibility. Typically, I only track what is going on in D.C. with only cursory interest, but this whole deal has really made me just incredibly frustrated. It appears that the bailout will extrapolate to about $3100 per person. In the simplest of terms, my family of five will now be on the hook for $15,500 of someone else's mortgage. I really was not intending to buy a new house this year, were you?

I guess to add to my political rant I should at least comment on the equal frustration that I feel with regard to the presidential race. I know there has a been a lot of work from both sides to make their candidates "Presidential", and I suspect both are fine men. But honestly, I think it is sad when these men are the best candidates that could be put forth by either party to lead our country through the difficult days ahead.

So what to do? I will place my trust in God, who looks down from heaven to all the raging nations, and the present turmoil. I will remember that He is not suprised, frustrated, helpless, baffled, or worried. For many years the church in America has prayed for revival, perhaps these are the movements necessary to bring us back to Him?

Darth Vader Feels Blue

Darth and I love the blues. What can I say?

Random thoughts

Wow it has been way too long since I done this, but I truly have not
had the time to even look at my blog. I was in the bookstore the other
day and Melissa Parker says, "I was on your blog this morning". Then
it came to me, oh yeah I have a blog! Things have just been so hectic
I simply have not had the extra time, and while I would like to say I
am a reformed man/blogger I don't think that I am there yet. Maybe I
shoud just commit to blogging while at the car wash, which I am doing
now. That may at least keep my account active?

So what have I been doing you ask? Well somehow about a two to three
months ago I got this stupid notion in my head that I was bored. So I
can now confess that i absolutly let the pendulum swing to the opposit
extreme which I am praying through and working like a one legged man
in a butt kicking contest and at this moment it does not feel as
though I am fairing well. I could use a second wind.

Sent from my iPhone

Spammer driving me Crazy

Sorry. I have been getting hit by the spammers so I have enabled word verification in the hopes that it will cut some of it out.

Tim Hawkins - Cletus Take the Reel

This is a beautiful work. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks Kenneth and Julie for sharing this. Great stuff!!!

Thinking about heaven

I don't have many memories from childhood, so those that I have are very important to me. While I was driving in this morning, I drifted in my thoughts back to a moment when I was a very young boy living in Cambridge, Indiana. In my memory I was a lying in grass, very thick green grass, on my back and looking straight up at the sky. I remember that it was sunny, but not so bright that it hurt my eyes or caused me to squint. The breeze was blowing and the air was clean and fresh. The big blue sky was dotted with puffs of white, cottony clouds. I was watching the billows toddling across the sky, slowly changing shape in time with the currents of wind blowing across my body and tussling the patches of the long blades of grass around me. I remember trying to discern the shapes of the clouds and recognize in them some figure that was familiar to me. It was a Robert Browning moment where, "God's in his heaven...All's right with the world!" Only I was little, very little, and had no notion of how wrong the world could be, or that God truly lives in heaven and knows and loves me beyond anything I could imagine. I wouldn't make those discoveries until much later.

It is funny to hear people talk about heaven; some get really excited about streets of gold, or angels or something like that, but I picture heaven to be a place that eternally causes me to feel like I did as a little boy in that brief moment when I lay in the grass watching the clouds. In the middle of my crazy world, I am comforted by the hope that one day I will dwell forever in a place where the longing that is evoked in my heart when I reflect on that instant in time during my boyhood, will be perpetually and eternally satiated with the presence and reality of Christ, who will be as real and present as the grass, the sky, the clouds, and the wind were to me on that day.

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Happy National Athiest Day!

This is a big day for you guys! In commemoration I just wanted to let you know that you have a really big surprise coming very soon.

Charlie bit my finger - again !

Triple dog dare you to watch without smiling.

Triple dog dare ya...

Just try to watch this all the way through without smiling.

Overcoming Limitations

It has been one hectic week and weekend, and tomorrow it starts all over again.

I was sitting in my chair unwinding and thinking about how good God is.

Everyone has limitations but God gives us the power and incredible ability to receive His glory in spite of them.Tonight, I am thankful for the Holy Spirit that He has given me. I have so enjoyed my preparation and study of Acts 2 for this week's sermon and will take with me, into this week, the great assurance that His Spirit is within me, though I don't deserve it; That He will use me, though I am so very limited in my abilities; and He will receive glory from me, though I am merely human.

Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way!

Sacred Cows and Other Things We Like to Milk (Pt.1)

OK, I should be writing a paper tonight about how to witness to Hindus and Muslims for my class at the cost of some needed sleep, but instead I am going to start this series of posts and pay for it in the morning....why you ask?.....I have no idea, but here it goes:

In the event that you are wandering by my blog for the first time....let me clarify, as a preface, for you that I am a "to the bone" committed student to orthodox exegesis in regards to the principals of the Scripture...my paraphrase: "Don't jack with The Book, or God will jack you up!" But I am tired of many things that I see that are not scriptural based, but traditionally based, and held to the same level and reverence as if they were born in the scripture themselves and serve as a standard for faith and practice. Well, guess what? Many are not. It is not that I consider myself to be any sort of scholar or authority, but I do know that those who do not know history are destined to repeat it. And in the past God pronounced His severest judgements on those who knew their traditions, but did not know Him or His Word. So over the course of several post under this title I will be revealing the orgin of many of the traditions that we hold so tightly to that our knuckles turn white, but have absolutely no foundation in Scripture. Don't shoot the messenger! If you get bent at some of the things I am writing about, please don't hold it against me. God's work is so much bigger than the things we hold to dogmatically....isn't that great news!?! And for heaven's sake, don't take my word for any of it...search it out yourself....be noble like the Bereans.

One last disclaimer, if you understand the origin of what I am sharing and at the conclusions have no qualm with the practice...that's cool. Most of these things I'm addressing are not bad. I don't have a problem with many of them either...that is until people put them on the same plane as something authoritative. I like what Augustine said, "In the essential unity, in the non-essentials liberty, but in all things charity" So I hope you find these history lessons informative and challenging to "old" views. Here it goes...

SACRED COW #1 - Our Worship and Practice Closely Resembles the Early Church

There are two pivotal moments in church history: 323-327A.D. and October 31, 1571 and we are going to be referring to both in many posts to come. Out of those two points in time have flowed the vast majority of the practices of present-day Christianity. I did not say its theology, but its practice. VERY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION!

So what was the early church like? Well you have read about the persecution that began in Jerusalem beginning with Saul in the books of Acts. The persecution was assumed also by the Romans and carried on with Nero. It was bad! To give you an example, the Roman historian Tacticus wrote that Nero would bind Christians, paint them in tar and hang them from poles in the streets of Rome. If that wasn't bad enough, it was disturbing for the citizens to hear them in agony, so they began the practice of sewing their lips shut. At night, Nero would have the bodies of the living victims, set on fire and the streets of Rome were lit with burning of Christians. Why was this done? Simply because they worshipped the risen Christ.

During the next 250 years the early church experienced tremendous growth, but in the midst of tremendous periods of persecution.

The climax came on February 23, 303. On that date Emperor Diocletian, signed the first general edict against Christians. The edict mandated that all copies of the scriptures be burned, that all Christian worship be banned, all meeting places closed, and all leaders rounded up and be forced to recant. The torture and bloodshed were so bad that even the Romans were sickened and repulsed. The result was the it left the church without leaders, setting the stage for 313AD, but that will be in the next post.

So to dispel the first sacred cow, unless you sit in the pew of your church with the thought that at any moment a dispatch of Roman Centurions is going to bust down the plate glass door of your foyer to haul you off for lunch with a lion, you probably do not possess the same mindset. If you are sitting in a building architectually designed for your comfort, you are not in a similar place Finally, if your commitment is not one of total heartfelt devotion in your worship; if you are not committed to doing everything you can to encourage and ensure those around you stay strong in their faith through the battles in the coming week; if you aren't singing that hymn or chorus as if your life depended on it; if you're not clinging to every word of the message from the scripture without facing the reality and making a choice that you will do what it says at the cost of your own life; and if you're not surrounded by a group of people who feel and live the exact same way, what you are a part of is a far cry from anything that resembles the early church, so please don't say it or act like it.

Embrace the mission He has for you in this age He has called you to and be real! Love Jesus and make him the center of your affection not traditions and not religion. Sacred Cow #1 down, bring in the next one...

Sweeping Under the Doormat...

I was reading tonight some material and came across the story of a young woman who was attempting to join Spurgeon's church in London one day, and she was asked, "What makes you think you have become a Christian?" Not understanding all the Bible doctrines of conversion and regeneration, she simply responded, "Because now I sweep under the doormat!"

I really like that answer. The walk we are called to is not about the appearance that we can put on, as if by any stretch you or I could do anything to impress God. So who do we put those famous Sunday appearances on for that we hold to so tightly? Why do you insists on wearing that suit and tie on Sunday? Who are you hoping is going to be "scoping" that new Easter dress and hat you just purchased? Does God marvel at those things? Is he impressed? I talked with another man this weekend, who told me he couldn't go to church this past Sunday because his only pair of jeans have holes in them and they are grease stained. I don't blame the man for that (though we spoke about it in length to correct his thinking) but what is wrong with this picture?

I read the report that was released concerning the state of the church and guess what, WE'RE LOSING! What does it take to really stir our hearts? Does the fact that someone would miss hearing the preaching of God's word because of the condition of his clothes, upset you and I more than, the fact that he knows in his heart that we would look down on him if he came in the clothes he had? If we are really going to impact our world, we must start looking beyond what people are seeing and focus on how we are going to deal with what only we know is really under the mat. I am excited because I see this happening all around me and I am encouraged because I know that Revival is coming!

I'll admit that for me to say that "WE'RE LOSING" is probably misleading and really to get more of a rise out of you than anything. Because the truth is that Christ's true church is thriving. He himself has promised that even the gates of hell will not prevail against it. God will preserve the church. However, in saying that, I'm nearly certain that He will not preserve the "church" culture that well intentioned folks have created, to cushion and isolate themselves from the world.

I'm so excited about the new series we are starting this week at Cornerstone. Over the next 13 weeks we are going to be teaching from the book of Acts. Of course, Acts is the short name we have given for the book that is really titled "The Acts of the Apostles", which could better be called the "The Acts of the Holy Spirit as He Worked Through the Lives of the Apostles as they Confronted the Culture of Their Time", but I guess that would be a little too long, huh? It is pretty exciting stuff to study the first and true "missional" church, the very thing we are suppose to be continuing even to this day. I eagerly anticipate the fact we are going to be challenged to move into the marketplace, schools, workplaces, etc. of our area, and to take the Christianity that we profess out to confront the culture that is around us. "A faith that is not tested, is not worth holding".

So if you're in the neighborhood on Sunday and only have a pair of grease stained, holy, jeans please come worship and study with us at Cornerstone. We will have the welcome mat out for you and it has been well swept underneath.

My friend Pam

Check out my friend's blog....she just threw up her first post. Stop by and say hi at I Don't Know Yet.

God's prize

Larry Norman was responsible for the first Christian rock album. For
years he was spurned by the mainstream christian music scene and
record lablels. However he stood by his convictions and was eventually
recognized for his unprecedented contribution to Christian music. His
motives were conveyed in the title of one of his better known songs,
"Why should the devil have all the good music?" I remember the first
time I heard it.

Larry went home to be with the Lord this week. I was listening
to the radio and the announcer stated that the day before his death he
told friends, "I feel like the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks and I
sense the hand of God reaching down to pick me up."

I thought that statement was so beautiful, especially coming from a
man who experienced the "cold shoulder" for so many years from the mainstream Christian movement because he stood for his convictions and then battled ongoing physical illness toward the end.

It made me stop and think about myself and my relationship to the Father. Do I feel like the prize in God's box of Cracker Jacks? Do you?

Sent from my iPhone

Trading Consumerism for Calling

I have to say that I am so excited about this past weekend. I took a couple of days at the end of last week to hang out with the elders of the church in a mini-retreat to pray, study, relax, plan, etc. For me it was a very meaningful time and I really enjoyed experiencing how God moved and for the work that we accomplished over those two days. God is doing something that is nothing short of awesome in our local congregation and I am so excited to simply be a part of it!

On Saturday, we worked all morning hanging a new projector at the church. I was sure that it would take only about 30 minutes, and I was dumb enough to make that prediction to Cherie in our conversation as I was leaving the house. Somewhere between the third and forth hour of the project I decided that I'm not going to make anymore assessments as to the time it will take to do projects in the future!

Overall though, the thing that I am so happy about is the recent change that we have made in the meeting on Sundays toward teaching verses simply preaching. I think we are living in a time where the body of Christ needs more than just an exposition of three points sandwiched between a catchy introduction and a conclusion. Not condemning it....just my opinion. Our members need to be fed, educated and most importantly equipped with the message to take it into their world. Simply preaching at them on Sunday is not going to win the cultural war that is raging outside of our church buildings. Emotional sermons mean nothing if they can't be carried out the door. What good is it if you walk out the door on an emotional high, but have forgotten 95% of what was said by the time you put your keys in the ignition?

A friend sent me a link today to a CNN article talking about the decline of Christianity in the US. On the heals of this, tonight while I was studying, I discovered that simply by immigration, tangent faiths (New Age, etc.), Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam are growing at four times (400%) the rate of Christianity in our country. That troubles me, because the majority of Christians that I know have little if no training to confront this. That is why we are so adamant about getting the knowledge in the hands, hearts and heads of the folks at Cornerstone Church.

So if and when you visit: be aware that we've traded our chairs being stacked neatly in a row, for tables, Bibles, notebooks and pencils to educate and equip each member for the ministry that God has called them to. Cherie was making the observation the other night at one of the Life group meetings (these are the small groups that meet in the homes during the week) that in all of the churches where we have served, just a handful of people actually are engaged in doing ministry. This is the first place we have ever been where the overwhelming majority of the congregation is just as, if not more, active in ministry than we are. It is a fact that in most churches less than 20% of the people do 80% of the ministering. That percentage is even smaller in the mega church movement. No wonder our churches are in decline. We've traded consumerism for "the calling". I pray that our congregation continues to be a place where people don't come to see "what they can get out of it", but rather come to be equipped to go out and give.

Blog link break up

Dear... ,

This is really hard for me to say, but things have just not been working out between us lately. I have hit your links on numerous occasions but its just not the same between us. You seem so despondent, so distant. So after a lot of thinking...I have come to a very difficult decision. I feel it is time for us to unlink.

It's not you, it's me....I just need more. I want you to know that I will never forget you. I will always cherish the memories that we made and really enjoyed our time together. The moments we had were special, but I think it is just time for us to move on. You are heading in other directions and I would only be holding you back.

This doesn't have to be forever, and I still want us to be friends. It's just.....well.....I have met some people who enjoy the same things that I do. They have been posting since the first of the year and I think I really need to spend some time linking with them. I know this is hard, but if you search your heart...I know you will see that this is the right thing for both of us. So, this is goodbye...I hope if you ever start posting again, you'll look me up.

When I Became a Christian by Adrian Plass

When I became a Christian I said, "Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin."
And He said, "Well, Your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me?" I said, "Amen! – I think.

I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say, my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen – I think.

But, Lord look, there must be other ways to follow you,” I said,
“I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed."
"Well, yes," he said, "you could put up with sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me?" And I said, "Amen! – a bit.

A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say Amen! – a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good Book says that Christians live in joy."
"That’s true," he said, "you’re gonna need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you still want to follow me?" I said, "Amen! – tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
You see I got to get it clear, could we just run through that again?
You said that I will need the joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say, Amen – tomorrow."

He said, "Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me,
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit.
Now tell me, will you follow me?" And I said, "Amen! – No, I quit.

I’m very sorry, Lord, I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do."
And He said, "You forget religion then, and you think about my Son,
And you tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.
Are you man enough to see the need? Are you man enough to go,
Are you man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know?,
Are you man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear?
And battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend?
Are you man enough to hold your tongue? Are you man enough to cry?
And when the nails break your body – are you man enough to die?

Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again"
I said, "Oh Lord, I’m frightened”, but I also said “Amen”.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen,"
I said," Oh Lord, I’m so frightened," but I also said, "Amen."

Into the Mystic

I always liked the Van Morrison song, "Into the mystic", but gotta admit, I don't understand what in the world it is about. Aside from that, when I hear the word "mystic" or more directly "mysticism", it conjures up in my brain images of beaded, peace sign tatooed, nature fetished hippie types, hugging trees for some undefined type of "spiritual experience". Pretty weird, huh? I really need to work on these stereotypes I have floating around in my head.

As I have been reading more and more on the missional vs. emergent thing, this whole concept of "mysticism" keeps popping up. What I can't seem to get my brain around is if the term has been adulterated in practice within the emergent movement to be more reflective of my bad stereotype or is it really about making doctrine secondary to feelings? I am not making a statement, it is really the question I have, since there appears to be such disparity between the different congregations within the emergent movement.

Personally, I have a firm conviction that real Christianity, the kind that changes us, is both axiological and mystical. However, I mean this only in this sense: we come to a cognitive assurance of what is true (axiological), which is also "felt" to be true in our hearts (mystical). Without that "feeling" of what is true, I don't know that anyone would stay the course. I am not saying that our feelings are primary. Our faith preceeds our feelings. However, that does not negate the feelings does it?

So here is the question for you to ponder: Pragmatically, what role do feelings play in your day-to-day relationship with Christ?

Being the Missional Church

I have had several conversations lately about what it means to be missional. Michael Frost answers that question. Please take the time to watch this. I look forward to hearing your comments.

Me and Hank...just sad!

I think I know what Hank Williams Jr. was feeling when he wrote, "all my rowdy friends have just rowdied on down." (is "rowdied" really a verb?) Anywho, I'm just going through my links to see what all my blogging friends are writing about and guess what?

Bosephus says, "I think I know what my father meant when he sang about a lost highway". I am really not a Hank Jr fan at all, but after looking at the pitiful sight of inactive blogs, I'm thinking about downloading a whole anthology of that depressing music and mourning the loss of my blogging friends. I hope you guys come back soon! :(

Jesus in your shoes...

It was a great weekend, even though I think I preached one of the worst sermon's, in terms of delivery, of my entire tenure as a minister. It is great to know that His word never returns void and that He can even use my blunders.

We had the opportunity to hang out with several good friends over the two days and that was cool. I am thankful that the Lord has allowed us to form friendships with so many diverse folks. We get into some interesting conversations as a result. Tonight the conversation turned to the topic of the church and its effectivness in engaging the culture, which was interesting. That conversation though got me to thinking about something else.

The church is composed of people who are by definition suppose to be "Christ-like". In a pragmatic sense, I am aware that if Christ were here walking amoung us physically in the 21st century, that would look verfy different in terms of details than what we read and know from scripture.

However, what if Christ were born in the baby buster generation and were a 30-40 yr. old male in N. America today? What would He be doing? Who would He be engaging and more specifically what methods would He use? Would He attend your church or home fellowship? Would He be the leader? Would He be focused on the same programs, goals and objectives that you are? What would He do if He were on the job at your work or attending your school? What forms of entertainment would He occupy himself with? What kind of clothes would He wear? and what reason do you have to presume the things that you do?

I would love to hear your thoughts on your perception of what Jesus would be doing if He were a 30-40 yr old, N. American male physically living today in the United States. How far, if at all, do you think that you have veered from what you perceive that He would be doing?

God's Applause

"Sometimes the whole world is applauding you and God is saying, 'that's not what I called you to do'. At other times it seems everything is against you and God says, 'you are right where I want you to be because you don't know the things I am doing that you can't see.'". This was what a friend told me was the lesson that God taught her in a big way after learning that her new album has been nominated for a Dove award as "best album of the year by a new artist.". She told me that just prior to receiving the news of the nomination she was battling feeling down and like things were just not moving.

I understood what Annie was saying and I know a lot of you reading this do too. Her desire is for God to use her, not to receive awards, or gain men's applause, etc. Yet, sometimes you can work very hard and very long at what God has called you to do without any sign of affirmation
and that gets tough. The clouds of doubt roll in and you begin asking yourself, "what am I doing?" How great it is when something happens to remind you that you are right where you need to be.

Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

My prayer is that I can be more vigilent and to not miss an opportunity today to be Christ's hands, giving God's applause to someone I know doing the ministry they have been called to, but in need of a little affirmation.
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Exciting Days

One of the hardest things about leaving our old church was leaving the worship team and have to start all over. Playing and singing are such a big part of my expression to God that it was tough. Only my musician friends really understand truly what that means and how big of a deal it really is. However, God used our moving on to mobilize others into that ministry. A chance that they would not have had otherwise.

But I am so excited because He has been so awesome to assemble a new worship team at Cornerstone. It is really starting to come together and it has been so exciting. The past two weekends have just been great! We could use a keyboard player and another male vocalist, but I am not pushing things. I'm just so happy with the people He has allowed to come together. There are a lot of things that are falling into place and I am so excited to be here at this place at this time.

Our little congregation is really starting to take on its identity also which is very exciting. I couldn't help buy notice on Sunday that to me it is a place that just feels "real". No pretention - just people coming as they are with the desire to love God and love others. Not that neither are without pain, but it is a pretty exciting thing to be a part of.

God has been so good to give me the opportunity to forge some firendship and to do some one-on-one discipleship. My desire is to find two to three men that I can disciple and get integrated into the lifegroups and church this year. Please pray with me toward this goal!