inspired Worship

I have been struggling lately with being "inspired" to prepare for Sunday's service. Struggling with being "inspired" to worship.

Lots of things haven't exactly gone the way I thought they would; the way I believed God was leading, and honestly I can't say that I'm excited to do this anymore. The passion I once felt to sing songs to God, and play my instrument for Him, has been replaced with apathy. Or worse than apathy, obligation. I wonder sometimes if the calling I heard when I began this is now a far ringing in the distance of a bell that has long since stopped, and I'm only trying to remember the sound, and that's what keeps me going. I wonder if the joy I have experienced in the past has been stolen from me and replaced with a need to "get things done".

I've heard it said when you feel the farthest away from God, it's because you've stepped away; His guidance is still there, it's our perspective that has changed.

Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So the same God that called me out of darkness and into His light yesterday, is the same God whose presence I cannot sense today, yet is the same God that promises me a hope for tomorrow. 

As I continue to prepare for our worship service this weekend, I hope there are those like Paul, Silas, and Timothy ( 1 Thessalonians 1) who are praying for our Church, and our pastors, and all those serving in it, myself included, because they remember "your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" 

That is the passion that we need today, that I need today; inspired by faith in what He has done for me, prompted by the love that He has for me, and inspired by the hope of what he has yet to complete in me.

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believing the lies...

 "The check is in the mail." "I promise.. I'll call" how about "and now for  tomorrows forecast...". seriously if I could be as wrong at my job as most weather forecasters.. or maybe this one "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

We started a new series at church called "Identity Theft". The topic this week had to do with the lies that we're trained to believe. The ones I listed are just kinda little funny jabs at some of the obvious lies that people kid about. But there are other more damaging lies that prevail in our society. how about these.. "You'll never be smart enough." "No one could ever love you." "Look out for yourself first." "This new (whatever) will bring you happiness." oh here's a good one "The church only wants your money."

I just got this really cool new phone (insert shameless plug for the HTC Incredible here) and it can download all these tiny programs called apps. All the free ones, the ones I can afford after buying the phone, are all supported by companies putting little tiny ads somewhere on the screen, touting the next rage in skin care, or singles looking for relationships in my area (not kidding, and that was on a radio app). Thing is if I pay 2 or 3 buck s i can get the "ad free" version of the program. But i wouldn't know what types of things I really needed if I didn't have all this media in my face telling me what is good for me.  Oh wait.. that's another one of those lies we're led to believe, that someone else, or some corporate sponsor, or even our government knows what's good for me.

Here's one you won't hear between songs on the radio, or between stories in the magazines "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Or what about this one, I haven't seen this on any tv screen lately "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I guess there isn't enough truth in those last two to gain prime time billing between scenes of American Idol, or Big Brother.

the point was made, and I've seen it myself, that if you're told something long enough, it becomes truth. I got this weird feeling that if we just believe what's pushed in front of us, the truth we end up with, may not be the truth we were promised.

The worship service this weekend was very cool. After the service last week, I had someone come up and inquire about playing drums in the band. He came to rehearsal this last week and while we were practicing with our regular drummer, he sang along. Since we had a drummer for this week, he asked if I wouldn't mind him singing with us. I had heard him sing before and he did a good job so he joined us leading worship this weekend. It's neat when you find people who are willing to contribute in whatever way they can, and they have a desire to do so. We're still looking for more folks, bass players and drummers in particular seem hard to come by, but I think we're generating some interest which is good.

here's the lineup from this past service

Not To Us

The Wonderful Cross

Amazed

By His Wounds/ Nothing but the Blood

Hosanna

"Amazed" was kind of a new song. First time I had led it anyway. It got a really good response. My wife likes the song alot, and from the way it went today it will probably wind up in a regular rotation. Our guest singer did a great job, and we had some fun playing with a few different pieces as we went along. Our bass player always surprises me with added little runs and fills, makes me smile more than normal, thanks Tim.

  

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You Are Here

everyone is messed up.. so if everyone is wrong.. what does that make me?

am i an "everyone"? i'm part of the everyone right?  do i have it messed up? have i started at the end and am i  trying to find the beginning? 

we talked this weekend about pinpoints on the map of our faith.. where we are.. what the start is.. where the end is..

I stress a lot when i talk to people about tough situations.."what do you want to see happen here?  what is your desired outcome of this conversation? What is your expectation of this encounter? what's the end goal?" for me those are questions i ask myself whenever I go into a difficult encounter. I need to know where i'm going before i can figure out how to get there and the best way to approach the journey.

Our relationship with Christ is the pretty much the same. You gotta ask yourself, "what am i trying to get out of this? do i want fire insurance? am i trying to avoid hell? to punch my ticket for the free ride?"

or.. am i trying to make a difference? do i want my life to change? Do i want the people around me to know the grace i've experienced through the love of Christ? Do i want my kids to see a life changed by the love of God?

The sermon this week was challenging because we were asked to look at those questions about our faith. 

worship was a little different this week. I got to play the drums. my first time in a Sunday service. I usually lead and/or play guitar. I had a fun time doing it. I'm not a great drummer by any means, but i think i can keep a beat, and people were clapping along. i missed our regular drummer a LOT (spencer, you are definitely the man, but i'm glad you are relaxing on vaca).

point is, i asked myself at the beginning of the week, "what's my end goal this weekend? what was the desired outcome of me doing this?" and the fact is, i took the little I had to offer, and God added His "lot" and in the end, no on died (that's a milestone at our church), I had a lot of really nice folks comment that I did a good job, but, they're church folks and their supposed to say that (thank you everyone for your kind words), but anyway, it felt good to be able to contribute in a new way. to make a difference. to be a part of a worship service that hopefully showed God's love in a new way, even if there were beats dropped on the floor.

here's the lineup from the past weekend

Your Grace Is Enough

Take My Life

You Are God Alone

    Morning Message
    Communion

How He Loves
God You Reign

Today Is The Day

I wasn't real happy with "How He Loves". don't get me wrong,it's a great tune, and speaks to people in our congregation,  but it was a little lacking this week. I'll take the blame for that since Crowder's drummer is amazing, and clearly i cannot compare. other than that, "You are God Alone" set a really good atmosphere for a new song, and "Today is the Day" was very fun to play.

anyway.. figure out where you're going. ask the tough questions, and answer them in a way that means something to you. are you trying to make a difference or just buying the fire insurance? Today could be your day!. rejoice and be glad!

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How lucky am I ?

You know I realize everyday how blessed i am by God. I was lucky enough this week to lead a vacation bible school group at our church. The thing is, whenever i do this, whenever i get involved in the lives of those around me, i see how my life has changed.

I sang this song this last weekend called "This is Our God" and there's this line in the song that says "He will wipe away your tears, and return your wasted years, this is our God.". Every time I sing this song I struggle with that line. I can barely get it out. Most times i choke on the words because It's so true for me. I think about all the things that I have done to distance myself from Him, and all the ways I have tried to hide; and I am broken by the thought that the Creator of the universe wanted to hold me close all along. 

The song speaks to more than that though. It talks about God being "a Father to the  orphan, A healer to the broken, this is our God".

I was not an orphan in the sense that i had no father and mother; in fact the family i grew up in really made me what I am today, and I am thankful for that. But I have been broken. like many, I've experienced loss. The loss of 3 fathers, the loss of an unborn son, the loss of many ideals that ultimately led me to turning away from God at an early age, and turning to myself for whatever strength I needed. Loss, that in the end, led me directly back to a Father that embraced me in my darkest hours when i had no where else to go.

I see these kids at vacation bible school that don't need anything more than someone to tell them that God loves them, and as importantly, for me to SHOW them that I love them. I am God's hands and feet on this earth, and every one of these children need to see something from me that they may not see somewhere else. For these 5 days, they need to know that whatever is going on in their big world, the Creator of the universe knows who they are and is crazy about them, and that at least for that 3 hour time frame, every night that they are with us, they have His complete attention.

Hopefully my children will never know a day when they don't have the love of a Father, and they will never know the longing for that unconditional acceptance that we all need. 

I had a complete blast at VBS this year, just like I do every year. I sweat a lot. I high five a lot. I hug a lot, and i even cry a little bit (ok a lot). 

I make these memories of God sightings, through the eyes of these kids, that I will hopefully carry with me all the days of my life.

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Pressing On

Wow.. it's been a while huh.. 

I haven't blogged a lot lately.. i've been a little busy. There's been quite a shake up in the worship ministry lately. We've had a few folks step away to do different things; and so, here we are a church that two years ago had a worship ministry (not counting the Kids Own Worship Team that serve of children's church) of about 24, is now at 9. Two praise bands have been "syndicated" into one, and with summer on us, people are in and out.

For those that don't know my personality, I like to have a plan. I like to have two plans. Actually three or four plans are better (can someone say "control issues"). Sometimes in all the planning I get distracted from the goal of the worship ministry and get overly concerned with the "hows" instead of the "whys". Over the past month some people have had to make some pretty difficult decisions, decisions that seem like the right thing for everyone involved at that point in time. Some hurt more than others, but I truely believe those decisions were made after lots of prayer and seeking the best given the information we have. 

Which brings me to my point (everyone say "finally, a point!"). God is moving at Legacy.Who knows exactly what's going on, or where we're going, but there are a lot of new faces as I look into the congregation. There are some familiar faces missing as well.  What does it mean? Is it bad? Is it good? Should we sound the alarms and pull the shades? Nah.. It looks to me like there are opportunities being opened, and new people are being lead to fill some important roles. That's pretty cool; if those folks answer with the passion God has put in their hearts.  Philippians 3:12-14 says we should continue to press on toward the goal to win the prize which God has called us to. To me, pressing on means I answer the call God has placed on me because I know that He has a plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11). It means that even though the end isn't clear and things don't seem like they are ever going to be right, I put my trust in a God that has a plan, and try to walk it out the best I can. 

here's the set list for this week

May 23, 2010  (9am and 11am services)

Bless His Name

Hosanna

The Wonderful Cross

   message

   communion

By His Wounds/ Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Revelation Song (11 am only)

Good service for this weekend; the band and vocalists did a great job with 1 day of practice. There were some rocky points at rehearsal, but one of our vocalists reminded me that Sunday is always at least 50% better than rehearsal. Sunday was about 100% better than rehearsal, and a lot of that was a change of attitude on my part. It's funny how when your heart changes a little bit, your perspective can change a lot. 

Anyway, we still have opportunities on the praise band. Specifically we could use drummers and bass players, but if we are going to lead our congregation with the team we have, then we have about the best group of folks you could want. I know there are people out there, with a heart for this ministry, that are being called to serve this church, and I can't wait to see who God is leading into our team.

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Paid In Full

The sermon title from this last week was "Words from the Cross". As we prepare for Easter, that event becomes more tangible to us, or it should, as we reflect on the life given (Christ) for the life saved (ours). The seven words from the cross that took focus in the sermon were Forgiveness, Promise, Care, Loneliness, Suffering, Victory, and Trust. 

The point that stuck with me the most was Victory. John 19:30 records Jesus, with His last breath, said "It Is finished". That's the Victory of the cross. Our pastor described that the original Greek word that was translated here is 'tetelestai' (te-tell-es-tie), which was most often used in business dealings to describe a debt that is paid in full. That paid in full debt is the point of the cross. If there was no debt to be paid, then there would have been no reason for the sacrifice God had planned, and every time I try and earn God's grace, or think someone else needs to try a little harder, I need to remember that the sacrifice of Christ has paid the debt in full; for me and for them; for everyone who wants it.

Here's the lineup from the past weekend.

March 28th, 2010

My Saviors Love

Jesus Messiah

Worthy is the Lamb

      message

      communion

Jesus Paid it All

We Cry Out

You Never Let go

My oldest daughter had a soccer tournament this past weekend so we went to the 9 o'clock service. We got there a little late so I missed the first song altogether. Troy has started singing more and is doing a really good job. 'We Cry Out' was great, there's something about speaking God's name as "El Shaddai", and "Adonai" that move me.. odd huh? Yeah, I don't get it either.. 

I'm also thinking from now on we just use one acoustic guitar, no drums, 8 singers, and only sing Hymns............................................. 

Ok.. I'm done with that thought.............. 

Stop by and visit with us Easter Sunday, it's your gift too....

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Church Exposed

So I got to find out again this week that feeling distant from God is normal. That's right normal. I struggled with a few things that I really felt like God was letting me down on. Promises that He had made me, He was turning back on and making me figure out for myself.

A new sermon series started at Legacy this weekend called "Church Exposed:Where's God in My World". As it turned out to be very timely for me. What I've come to realize (ok, I think I actually knew this before, but maybe I "forgot" for a minute), was that God didn't turn His back on me, I actually had turned away from Him. Not in a sense that I was filling my life with sin, but that I was not allowing Him to be God. I was being God for Him (oops, I guess that is a sin). Trying to take charge of the things I really have no business being in charge of, or the means to control. So as soon as I realize I can't control those things, I lash out at God, or actually whoever is closest, and want them to fix it for me. I was allowing my feelings to control me, which is not always the best way to make decisions. 

So I have this renewed perspective on my role. It goes something like this. I have to let Him do what He does best, and not worry about the things I can't control. Even more so, when I get in those situations where I feel a million miles away, I need to press on, with faith knowing that God hasn't left me, that he may have removed His hand a bit to see if I could ride the bike without the training wheels, but also knowing He's right there to grab ahold if I don't try and pedal too fast and too far in front of him.

I led worship this weekend, here's the lineup

February 21, 2010

Not To Us  (Chris Tomlin)

Who is This King (Pocket Full of Rocks)

Enough (Chris Tomlin)

    (message)

    (communion)

Holy and Anointed One/Jesus Draw Me Close (Any Given Day)

God Of Wonders (Caedmon's Call)

How Great Though Art (Hymn)

Very good worship set this weekend. The mix was really good, and after a rough week of practice, everything seemed to work well together. We introduced a lot of changes during rehearsal. Well "I" introduced a lot of changes at rehearsal (new effects rig, new in ear monitors, new loop from the computer, and rehearsing with a new guitar player that will be joining the team soon, but not in the mix on Sunday yet).

Even with all the new stuff going on, I felt the worship was Spirit filled. There are songs that seem to speak to people every time they are sung, we had a few of them this week. Who is This King, God of Wonders, and How Great Though Art are a few of those.

One glitch though, we were using a loop out of my macbook for Not To Us. In the first service it worked fine, however between services I was speaking the praise of apple and how all this technology stuff just fits together, showing off all the ins and outs, starting different apps for the crowd that had gathered around the little silver box. Well sure enough, we go to kick the same loop for the second service and all I get is glitchy, bleep bleep, kccch, kccch,.. yeah.. it just works (sarcasm). The sound guy says after the service "let me know the next time you want to do an Apple commercial, (HA!)." Again.. God is in control, and he may move away just for a second to see how I react, but the service went on, and He was praised, even without the loop.

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