Voices of Common Saints

The Power of Intention

2010-05-14T17:45:00.004-06:00

I think one of the things that I am really discovering in 2010 so far is the power of being intentional. This seems to be the resonating lesson that I am to grasp so far. There is such power in living our lives intentionally! I am not just talking about the big hairy audacious goals that we plan to conquer, but even down to the smallest things, such as the food that I put in my mouth, the way

Thinking Kingdomly

2010-05-12T06:36:00.002-06:00

Jesus constantly taught about the kingdom. His message was the Gospel of the kingdom. His parables gave insight into the kingdom. His invitation was to enter the kingdom. When he sent out seventy followers to prepare for his arrival, he told them to announce, "God's kingdom isright at your doorstep!" The kingdom is the existence, the presence and the authority of the king. And Jesus is the King.

Does anyone really read this anymore?

2010-05-10T04:41:00.004-06:00

I have decided that I am not a facebook type person. Initially I really thought it was great getting to get in touch with people, but then when I started getting the endless stream of notifications that they had found pink cows on their farms or needing my help to become a super vampire or a mob boss is when I started checking out. So I guess I am back to blogging, simply because I enjoy this

Just a review of James

2009-05-03T23:59:00.003-06:00

I haven't taken much time to comment on this blog because I have been busy posting on my boat blog. However, on a spiritual note, I just want to comment hwo wonderful and challenging it has been to go through our nine week study over the book of James. I have been strongly challenged to live out my Christianity in spite of the curves tha life throws. That is not to say that I have that mastered

Whatever happened to Josh?

2008-12-15T17:00:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-10T22:01:00.003-06:00

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

Sovereignty Over Aimlessness

2008-10-09T17:18:00.002-06:00

I think one of the greatest and often overlooked gifts that we have asChristians is the purpose given to us at our conversion, which servesas the framework for our lives and gives everything that we domeaning. It didn't hit me until I recently picked up a novel at thebookstore written by a secular author. I rarely read fiction and, infact, stopped about two-thirds of the way through this one

Friends and their "Hang Ups"

2008-10-05T20:55:00.008-06:00

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

Our Uncle Has a Problem!!!

2008-10-01T22:43:00.007-06:00

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

Reflecting on Politics

2008-09-28T21:05:00.006-06:00

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

Darth Vader Feels Blue

2008-07-19T01:41:00.001-06:00

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

Random thoughts

2008-07-16T10:26:00.000-06:00

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

Spammer driving me Crazy

2008-04-24T23:35:00.001-06:00

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

2008-04-16T22:00:00.001-06:00

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

Thinking about heaven

2008-04-02T07:55:00.002-06:00

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

Happy National Athiest Day!

2008-04-01T16:58:00.005-06:00

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 !

2008-03-24T15:47:00.003-06:00

Triple dog dare you to watch without smiling.

Triple dog dare ya...

2008-03-24T15:47:00.001-06:00

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

Overcoming Limitations

2008-03-16T22:54:00.005-06:00

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

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

2008-03-12T22:27:00.009-06:00

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"

Sweeping Under the Doormat...

2008-03-03T22:29:00.007-06:00

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

My friend Pam

2008-03-03T21:05:00.004-06:00

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

2008-02-27T15:00:00.003-06:00

Larry Norman was responsible for the first Christian rock album. Foryears he was spurned by the mainstream christian music scene andrecord lablels. However he stood by his convictions and was eventuallyrecognized for his unprecedented contribution to Christian music. Hismotives were conveyed in the title of one of his better known songs,"Why should the devil have all the good music?" I remember

Trading Consumerism for Calling

2008-02-26T00:18:00.005-06:00

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

Blog link break up

2008-02-22T21:41:00.010-06:00

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

When I Became a Christian by Adrian Plass

2008-02-21T13:40:00.003-06:00

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

Into the Mystic

2008-02-14T23:58:00.006-06:00

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

Being the Missional Church

2008-02-05T19:42:00.001-06:00

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!

2008-02-03T00:33:00.000-06:00

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

Jesus in your shoes...

2008-01-27T23:17:00.000-06:00

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

God's Applause

2008-01-17T09:20:00.000-06:00

"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

Exciting Days

2008-01-14T19:41:00.000-06:00

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

My God is a Mighty Fortress and Victor indeed!

2007-12-10T22:49:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah, did I mention that I hate the devil? I would like to post the words to this anthem for your meditation . I love verses 3. When I meditate on it, I have a mental image expressed by the late Rich Mullins of "Satan impaled on the sword of the Word."A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:For still our ancient foe doth

Gone

2007-11-30T00:01:00.000-06:00

they came todayto carry awaynot the sum of all reasoncould issue the stayhow utterly futile it came to bewithout the will to fightwithout the will to flee

On the Edge

2007-11-26T18:00:00.001-06:00

I'm standing on the water's edge. Not wanting to go forward. Not wanting to go back. Why would I turn to climb up a bank, down which I so easily strode?Yet, the impending dread of the water's chill keeps me frozen here. Or is it the fear of a raging boil that has soldered my feet?What if I step in and find the water no different than the air I leave? I will have journeyed this path for nothing. I

Noise

2007-11-26T17:30:00.001-06:00

There is so much noise in my life. So many things consistently and persistantly competing for my attention and for my soul. So many things relentless in their objective to draw me away from the only things that really matter. The noise in my life is deafening but so far from my heart's cry, it's thirst and it's hunger. In the stillness, You are there Lord. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

2007-11-17T21:39:00.001-06:00

I saw this on my friend Michael's facebook. Man, this blessed my heart!

Extending Grace

2007-11-13T22:37:00.000-06:00

I was reminded tonight that we should be willing to extend grace to the level that we ourselves would like to receive it. Ministry is just tough sometimes! It's great to know that God is at work.

Keith Green - What's Wrong With The Gospel?

2007-11-05T17:24:00.001-06:00

Thoughts from the late Keith Green

No Evangelism in Heaven

2007-11-04T22:00:00.000-06:00

So we are on our way to the church this morning and Emily, my oldest, says, "Man, the year has flown by" which got us all talking about the fact that we are already in November and that Christmas is just around the corner. How did that happen? Christmas nearly here!!!Well, I told Emily that it seems every year that you grow, the years just seem to clip off that much quicker. I added in my

A clarification

2007-10-29T15:56:00.000-06:00

As a disclaimer I must note that my previous post is not directed toward anyone within my new chuch body at Cornerstone. I love the freedom and acceptance of our church family there. It is a great place to worship and I would not anyone reading my prior post to get that incorrect impression. Rather, my comments are reserved in regard to observations made of several I have become acqainted with

Saved by Christ!!!

2007-10-29T15:25:00.000-06:00

I seems I had forgotten how diverse people's belief systems are while ministering within the confines of my previous home church. Being from First Baptist really influenced my interaction, or better said, others interaction with me. Folks just put on a different face once they knew where I went and the "brand" of the church. I don't see that quite as much now. I thought maybe it was due to

Worship and Missions

2007-10-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

I was doing some pilfering through the net today and came across this quote by John Piper that blew me away. I am looking foward to your comments on this one!"Missions exists because worship doesn't." Evangelism and Missions by Ron Blue

Bye Bye...lil' Buddy

2007-09-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

I'm preaching a series on walking the Christian walk from Ephesians 4 throughout October. Tomorrow I'm talking about walking toward maturity. It kinda got me thinking about this guy....me about 37 years ago. I had no idea what life was...or what it would be like when I was this age. It's really kinda surreal to look at this picture of a virtually empty slate and realize that God had a plan. I am

Mr. Bean - Church

2007-08-29T20:25:00.001-06:00

Mr Bean reminds us why we need contemporary praise and worship. Enjoy!

Living Life on Purpose...

2007-08-27T06:55:00.000-06:00

I am thinking this morning about a saying, "You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right". Our profession as Christians and as worshippers was not meant to be lived in a vacuum. For the worshipper of Christ, to live rightly means to live outwardly . This was one of my points in my sermon last night at Oak Street outreach while talking about what it means to believe. When the woman with the

God's watching out for us!

2007-08-23T23:20:00.000-06:00

I got this video the other day and it made me think, "I wonder how many things happen everyday where I am never even conscious of God's protection?" I hope this guy brought an extra pair of underwear to the race.

Unforced Grace

2007-08-20T22:56:00.001-06:00

Here is the newest addition. I started writing this song on the way home from work while thinking about the people that we are ministering to. Josh and I finished it tonight. How dark things can seem. Then without warning His grace, light and love come shining through. How could we not praise Him?(Click the player on the right to hear the recorded acoustic version)Your grace is sufficient Lorda

God's movement, our response...

2007-08-16T08:59:00.000-06:00

Every movement that we make in response to God has a far reaching ripple effect on the lives of people that we may never know.I love to write music as some of you may know, which generally originates from whatever sermon or Bible study I am preparing for. There are a few songs I have included in congregational worsip sets, but the majority I have typically shared with very few people.Recently,

A Mighty Fortress

2007-08-14T01:03:00.000-06:00

In the ministry at Oakstreet, we have been introduced to many folks who have been homeless and destitute (materially and spiritually). I have seen God do some miraculous things in the past weeks in their lives. There are still others who are searching and have not entered into a relationship with Christ. These were the ones that I had in mind when Josh and I started writing this song last week.

Parting ways...

2007-08-08T10:09:00.000-06:00

Everybody worships something and music is a giant expression of that.Yesterday we went to Six Flags over Texas. After a couple of hours of being beaten down by the sun we decided to catch a show for some rest and AC. We went to the Southern Palace because it was the show closest to where we were. The show was called "Extreme Country" which I knew would not be my "cup of tea" from the title, but I

Life and Death Miracles

2007-08-06T14:03:00.000-06:00

"The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this?" A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?"......But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes-and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles...Absolutely

For a thousand tongues...

2007-08-05T22:54:00.000-06:00

The old hymn says, "O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer's praise". This totally expresses the desire of my heart. It has been an enormously incredible weekend on so many fronts. Getting to fish with my friend Doug; getting to rescue a man out of the lake; kid's club; seeing the new bathroom at Oakstreet one step closer to completion; cultivating new friendships and celebrating old

Don't sing another Pioneer Song!

2007-08-01T23:41:00.000-06:00

We just finished VBS and it was a lot of fun! I did participate by leading the songs. Our theme was "Pioneer Days", but the funny thing was that in the literally hundreds of songs that I know, I couldn't think of one child's Christian song that had anything to do with pioneers (huh, go figure?). So I got to write some little diddies that went over quite well with the children. Unfortunately, I

What you may be missing on Sunday...

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

I was looking at Mandy's blog and saw Praise Aerobics. Ever heard of Paul Eugene? You won't forget him after seeing this clip. Take a look and let me know what you think...come on "Pump it up!"http://mandythompson.wordpress.com/2007/07/31/gospel-aerobics/My favorite quote is: "you keep your own groove, your own praise, but of course…watch what I do”. I think I might use this line on Sunday

A proclamation...

2007-07-30T23:06:00.000-06:00

I've been working late and just finished. This post is only to say that an Oreo with ice cold milk at midnight is a beautiful thing.

No substitute

2007-07-30T07:07:00.000-06:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I have had so much activity and so many things going that it seemed I was going at a 'fever pitched" just to get to the essentials.I have observed the same situation in the lives of many around me. It seems everyone I know is rushing. I wonder if this is a new phenomena of our times, or if our parents were the same way but we just didn't notice?On Friday

It was a rough day...

2007-07-27T18:14:00.000-06:00

( © 2007 by Buddy Holt)"I am thirsty Lord and my soul is dry.Let your living water flow inside.Wash away my worry.Come heal my hurt.Pour your life into meand quench my thirst""Famished I come before you.My spirit yearns,for the bread from heaven.My hunger burns.Come and fill me Jesus.Restore my soul.Only You prepare a tablethat makes me whole"

I'm An Idiot! I hope this helps.

2007-07-26T00:21:00.000-06:00

Ok...so I have learned the secret. Do you want a lot of hits on your blog and to get a lot of emails? Post a scandal. WOW!!! I never knew how many non-posting readers I had until now. Thanks for the emails, which far outnumbered the posts. For the record it really never ocurred to me how short the skirt was. I am truly sorry about that. AND HOW!!!I praise God for the cross of Christ, and while it

A Church Sign by Any Other Design...

2007-07-25T00:54:00.001-06:00

For several weeks now we have been pushing around ideas for what the church sign should look like. I threw this one into the mix tonight for consideration. It is not the traditional church sign, I know. In fact, it was met with the comment that it might look like there is a new bar in town. I thought for a moment and actually considered that given the group that we are trying to reach that this

New Look

2007-07-21T00:05:00.000-06:00

I have made some changes as you can tell. Here is a new format to look at. I hope you enjoy it!

Daddy's and their Kids

2007-07-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

Well after several nights of sleep deprivation Friday is here! I have been working like a horse with blinders on a presentation that I made today to a potential client. My days were so long this week that I literally was unable to see my daughters for three days, as they were in bed when I left and in bed when I got home. I have some compulsive work tendencies that I have to work very hard to

Ready? Action!!!

2007-07-18T22:42:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been dropped into the middle of a scene in an action movie. All kinds of things are happening and I find myself right in the middle of it and wondering all the time, "how in the world did I get here?" and yet simultaneously elated at what I am observing and experiencing as God is moving all around me!We are rejoicing in being able to observe the baptism of 6 folks within the past

Thoughts from a Shallow Mind

2007-07-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

My friend and fellow laborer in the ministry at Cornerstone Church in Mabank has just entered the "blogger world". Drop by and give him a shout. May I present to you Mike Cooper.

Breaks Over!

2007-07-14T22:34:00.000-06:00

I spent the last week in Corpus Christi: reading, fishing, smoldering, eating seafood and spending money (not necessarily in that order :0) But I had a great time! Now here it is...Saturday night...and I am rushing to get things ready for Sunday...followed by the old "Monday as usual" routine...and now all of the sudden the past few days seem like such a blur .Vacations seem fleeting, but then

Breathing the Breath

2007-07-04T07:30:00.000-06:00

I have been meditating through the past week on the following words from Matt Redman's song"Breathing The Breath". How absolutely incredible is it that our God would delight in us. I am in awe of this.We have nothing to giveThat didn't first come from Your handsWe have nothing to offer YouWhich You did not provideEvery good, perfect gift comes fromYour kind and gracious heartAnd all we do is

Homesick for God

2007-07-01T00:53:00.000-06:00

The clock has just turned to the 2:06am mark on my PC. Why am I up so late? I had to make an appearance at a client's dinner party with Cher in Dallas and we had friends graciously offer to take care of the girls. This was especially a big deal because we don't let our girls "sleep over" at other people's houses. Tonight was our first foray into this, but only out of necessity. Shortly after

My cup is running over!

2007-06-26T23:22:00.000-06:00

A couple of Sundays ago our previous pastor and dear friend, Byron Jones, called us forward at the end of the Sunday morning worship service and prayed for us. Only one thing could take us out of the church body that we have been in since before our daughters were born; where we have forged deep roots and incredibly strong friendships; and where we have been so honored to be involved in active

Be Zealous about...pancakes???

2007-06-13T09:25:00.000-06:00

Check out this article sent to me by my friend John. I thought it was pretty funny! I got it right after reading a four page article on George Whitfield, who was so zealous for God and preaching his word that he suffered incredible physical ailments but remained faithful. This article made me think of how tragic it is that many people outside of the church are so zealous about the wrong things ,

Bye Bye Galoneda Blog

2007-05-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

There was no way I could keep it up. It is hard enough for me to stay posting on this blog, but having one seperate for the Galoneda outreach was just too much...so I killed it (not the outreach, just the blog). If you have linked to it...you might want to remove that link. I will post updates here going forward.Please remove your hat and observe a moment of silence for my dead blog. It is gone

Praise Habit

2007-05-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

I just finished David Crowder's book, Praise Habit. He is an excellent writer and has a great sense of humor. His encounter with Richard Simmons at LAX had Cherie and I rolling! There is a lot of spiritual depth in this book and a challenge to bring "rescue" in a real way in a real world. It is definitely worth the read!

Burning the candle

2007-05-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

My dad told me the other day on a phone call that "I am burning my candle at both ends". He is a good man that loves me very much and is concerned with my ragtag schedule (if he only knew how crazy my life really was!). I was thinking about the warning tonight while talking with Cherie on another subject and came to the conclusion:I don't want to be a consumer of God's work in the world...I want

Putting Legs to My Worship

2007-04-03T18:09:00.000-06:00

I really believe that worship is more than surrendering to God, but more specifically surrending my time, talents, treasure, etc. to His service. I have been thinking about Jesus' words "when you have done it to the least of these my brothers, you've done it to me" Mathew 25. In fact this has been on my mind a lot lately. As I pass through the center of Dallas on my daily commute and see the

Nothing Compares

2007-03-25T21:35:00.000-06:00

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Galoneda

2007-03-20T19:17:00.000-06:00

Bringing someone to Christ is our greatest act of worship. As some of you may know, the Lord has been been working in my heart to begin outreaching the Cherokee Shores addition. It has been amazing how He is at work and laying this vision on the hearts of many others. I have created another blog dedicated specifically to this outreach. It would be my honor for you to stop by for a visit.

You Complete Me...

2007-03-20T18:17:00.000-06:00

If we don't worship God, we always end up worshiping something. My friend Jacki writes about this in her latest post titled "You Complete Me..." She says, "Maybe our worship needs to be shifted from a flawed man or woman to an undconditional loving King who came to bear the words “it is finished” and to make you complete." It's a good post. You should check it out!

The Wars of Worship

2007-03-16T07:08:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we were part of "A Concert of Love" held at FBC in Kemp, Texas as a fund raiser for one of the churches in the area. There were twelve churches from various denominations, and the musicians from each of the congregations shared. It was a true hodgepodge of styles (from black gospel to country to contemporary) It was a great night! I really enjoyed the variety of all of the

Breaks Over!!!

2007-03-16T06:59:00.000-06:00

Wow! I don't know what happened but I look at my blog and realize that is has been weeks since I posted. I have all of these great ideas bouncing around in the dark, empty space between my ears, and think to myself "oh, that is going on my blog." Then I get busy and don't post. I'm sure that has never happened to anyone else, but just to set the record straight, I have officially terminated my

Its All About Me!

2007-02-22T23:56:00.000-06:00

In the light of many of the post concerning self-worship as opposed to God worship over the past days, I thought you guys might be interested in checking out this video from Sermon Spice.http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/592/its-all-about-me/Let me know what you think? :)

Worship is in the Air!

2007-02-21T22:31:00.000-06:00

Two of my favorite people are blogging on my favorite theme. Do yourself a favor and take some time to read and comment on both of these excellent posts:Kenya says: "God doesn’t need us…………His glory does not revolve around us…….WE are the ones that need God."http://kenyablack.wordpress.com/Julie says: "God is WORTHY of our respect. He is WORTHY of our time. He is WORTHY of our adoration. He is

How Do I Love Me?

2007-02-17T11:21:00.000-06:00

I ran across another blog by a man named Bob Kauflin called WorshipMatters. He has a post called How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways where he discusses the pervasive attitude in our culture of self-love and sheds insight as to how the Gospel frees us from the lies associated with it.In the post he states:"self-love is rooted in at least two lies. The first is the lie that no one can love me

Worshiper or Critic?

2007-02-16T21:11:00.000-06:00

Have you ever left a worship service, evaluating "how good it was" or stating the opposite? Would it surprise you to know that as worshipers the role of "worship service critic" was one that the Lord never left open for us? Why? Because worship is not for us. It is for Him! I am ashamed to say that there have been times when I have fallen prey to slipping into a critiquing mode, not from the pew

Bringing others to Worship

2007-02-14T09:10:00.000-06:00

You know our desire should be to bring others to worship in more than a metaphorical sense. I’m talking literally. It is like pulling teeth to convince someone of their need to overcome their fear and begin witnessing...but how easy is it to just simply invite someone to church? I had a great idea this morning. How would it be if in our affluent nation, every Christian who drives, would with God’

The Greatest Act of Worship

2007-02-09T21:31:00.000-06:00

My desire on this site, and on the larger platform of my life, is to inspire others to come to a place of deeper worship. It could be said that worship is simply the act of proclaiming who God is. When I sing my songs in church and I raise my voice, this is not only vertical communication of me lifting my voice to God, but also a horizontal act of me making His revelation known to others around

Desiring God

2007-02-08T23:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I purchased John Piper's "Desiring God". I have to say that I have found this to be one of the most spiritually provocative books that I have waded through in a long time. I am captivated by the third chapter on worship. It is like taking a drink from a firehose."All of the works of God culminate in the praises of His redeemed people. The climax of His happiness is the delight He

Will God stir our hearts?

2007-02-05T21:28:00.000-06:00

http://kennethblack.wordpress.com/2007/01/01/part-1-a-question/How could the church ever expect that God would stir the world’s hearts outside of the church walls, when we don’t allow Him to stir our hearts while we’re within them?

The "Who" and the "How"

2007-02-04T21:47:00.000-06:00

A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."A

Ecclesiastes

2007-01-20T23:18:00.000-06:00

So...I was reading in Ecclesiastes today and came across an AWESOME scripture....Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to

We owe it to Him to think about it

2007-01-15T22:19:00.000-06:00

"Among the many acts of gratitude we owe to God, it may be accounted one to study and contemplate the perfections and beauties of His work of creation. Every new discovery must necessarily raise in us a fresh sense of the greatness, wisdom, and power of God." Jonathan EdwardsWe are studying creation is sunday school throughout the month of January. Last week we were looking at some of the hubble

He should be enough!

2007-01-06T01:04:00.000-06:00

In my christian journey I have come to realize that the chief end of my existence is to bring glory to God. That is to say, I understand that I am here for Him and it is not the other way around. I know that sounds silly, yet I must embarrassingly admit that while I have known this truth in theory since my conversion, it is not something I truly realized in practice. For many years I, like many