Empty Shelf September Edition

   This Idea of posting what I've been reading would be much better if I was diligent about updating. I have added 4 more titles to the shelf since the last time I posted anything. This brings my total to 10 for the year.
   My younger self is scoffing at this pitiful number thus far this year, but my married with three kids self is feeling at least somewhat accomplished.
   Here is a short synopsis of the newest reads...

AHA by Kyle Idleman.  I have been a fan of Idleman since I read his first book (Not a Fan). (I do see the irony there)  He is a pastor that writes with a pastors heart. He knows how many of us read books and he works to make his writing accessible. Case in point...He asks you to read a list of questions and seriously consider you response to those questions.  Then a few pages later he encourages you to go back and actually consider your response to the questions (knowing that many of us skim the list and keep reading).  This book talks about the journey each of us has to go through when we run from God and try to do things on our own. It might not have been mind-blowing, but the writing and the theology are solid and enjoyable.

Jesus Is_____. by Judah Smith.  This was an interesting read. Mr. Smith looks at six ways to fill in the blank. "Jesus is Your Friend, Jesus is Grace, Jesus is the Point, Jesus is Happy, Jesus is Here, Jesus is Alive."  Each of these statements is fleshed out with Scripture and stories.  Then Smith discusses how we can be each of these things as well. I enjoyed this book, but I found myself wanting Smith to go deeper with each chapter. What he said was good, but it wasn't as complete as I wanted it to be.

Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace by James B. Torrance.  This might have been the most challenging thing I've read in a few years.  This book is based off of a set of lectures that Mr. Torrance gave to doctorate religion students. At it's most basic, this book is a call to be more Triune in our thinking about worship and the life of the church. Torrance believes that we need to look more closely at the work of the Holy Spirit in our life and worship, and that we need to remember to continuing work of Jesus in our life and worship. He feels that there is too much focus on "me and God" to the exclusion of the three-in-one God. I appreciated many of the points brought up in this book, but I did not find it immediately applicable in my life, other than to make me think more about how all three parts of the trinity are working in my life.

God's Not Dead by Rice Broocks. This is the book that many of the evidences used in the Movie were taken from. This is a solid primer on Christian Apologetics. As a person who believes in God, I found the evidences presented in the book to be engaging and insightful. I don't know that an Atheist picking up this book would be convinced, but Mr. Broocks does an admirable job of presenting several scientific arguments for the existence of God. For anyone interested in a starting point for Apologetics without diving into the deep end of super science, this was a good read.

   So now I am caught up again. Time to start the next book and see if I can't knock out a couple more before the Christmas Holidays get here. God Bless and keep reading!

What If I Believe...

Writing every six weeks is keeping current on a blog right...?

     So, for the month of August, we have been singing a song in church called "Christ in Me" by Tim Timmons.  If you've never heard it, check out the embedded video at the bottom of this post.
     This is one of those songs that I have a hard time classifying...It's not a vertical song singing to God. It isn't even really a horizontal song about God or His glory and power meant to be sung to each other in the congregation. It's more of a personal song.  Simply put, it asks a question of the singer "What if I believe, Christ in me?"  Honestly it is a bit of a challenging song in its content.  What would you do differently if you truly believed that the power of God was available to you through the Holy Spirit because of Christ's blood shed for your sins?  How would you live?  These are great questions!  Do I allow the Holy Spirit to actually change my behavior, or do I simply spout good christianese and live the way I would without Jesus in my life? The true result of believing is a changed life.  The chorus of the song sums it up well...

     I would lay my worries down
     see these hills as level ground
     What if I believed, Christ in me?
     I would praise Him with my life
     Let my story lift Him high
    What if I believed, Christ in me?

     While this didn't seem at first like the best congregational song I've ever found, it has been well received. It is easy to sing yet challenging in content. It couples well with testimonial hymns/songs as well as making a great invitational piece that challenges us to truly think about what we just heard from the word of God.
I hope you enjoy the song. God bless.

   

Three More Books on the Shelf

Since I last posted about what I am reading (finished reading), I have added three more titles to my empty shelf.

Worship Words by Debra and Ron Rienstra was a long read.  I started this book last fall and have put it down/picked up several times since.  It discusses the language we use in our worship services and what our language says about God.  It was a good read with some very thought provoking concepts.  We must be careful to use words that represent God truthfully.

Weird by Craig Groeschel was very good. Craig challenges Christians to get beyond normal.  None of us really wants to be weird, but according to this book, being normal might just be what is keeping your walk with God from growing.  Basically, this book is a call to live lives that are sold out to Jesus; lives that are biblically based and God honoring regardless of how weird it makes us look to the watching world.

Worship: The Ultimate Priority by John  MacArthur might be the best book on worship I've read since Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters.  Full of scriptural references to make his points, MacArthur posits that worship is our right response of all we are, to all that God is.  MacArthur gives examples of what Biblical worship looks like and how it affects Christians who practice it. Great read.

Now onto the next book on the stack. God Bless and keep reading.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

We recently introduced a new song at church. It's a song that I almost passed over without much thought. The song Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United is being introduced in churches around the country. Just because a song is being used by other churches doesn't automatically mean that we should sing it. However, in this case, I am glad that I gave the song a second chance. It is a beautiful expression of longing to be challenged by God to a deeper faith. It uses a visual picture that alludes to Jesus and Peter walking on water. Because of this, I have been studying this passage of scripture in Matthew 14:22-33. Here are a few things I noticed...

1. The disciples were where Jesus asked them to be. Because the disciples obeyed, they saw Jesus walk on water, and Peter even experienced walking on water himself.
2. Peter asked Jesus for proof that it was really Jesus. In asking for the proof, Peter already showed his faith in Jesus. He asked Jesus to call him out on the water...somewhere Peter could not go on his own. Then Peter proved his faith in Jesus by obeying in this miraculous thing. It's one thing to ask God to grow our faith, it's another thing to actually step out when He calls.
3. Peter did the miraculous as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked at the wind and waves he began to sink. He put his faith in his fears at that moment and has to call out to Jesus for help. Jesus saves and challenges Peter to put his faith in the right place.
4. Once Peter and Jesus are in the boat, Peter is all but forgotten about. There are no "high fives" and "congratulations Peter for walking on water." No the only response the disciples have to witnessing what they saw was to bow down and worship Jesus.

So often as Christians, we see the "wind and waves" that will be against us if we step out in faith, and we never get out of the boat. In fact, many of us never get in the boat in the first place. We are still on the shore arguing with Jesus about making this voyage. We use our expertise to say "Jesus it looks like a storm is brewing, we should just wait until tomorrow." Or we say "Jesus can't we just sit here and enjoy the amazing miracle you just performed and snack on this bread and fish?" (Jesus had just fed the 5,000) We get so comfortable, that the idea of asking God to grow our faith by calling us to do something that we cannot do on our own power sounds crazy.

Oceans is a song that asks God to grow us. I plan to keep singing it. I hope you will too (or at least pray and ask God to stretch you and grow you.

A Picture and 160 Characters

Are you ever inspired by something you see on social media?  Many times facebook and twitter are time wasters as often as they are informative/challenging/inspiring.  However, I was recently challenged by a friend's post. He posts a new picture each time he finishes a book and adds it to his formerly empty bookshelf.

This challenged me because I used to be an avid reader. I devoured books regularly.  The longer the better (as I knew the story would have time to progress).  In the last couple of years I find myself reading less and less.  Not intentionally (in fact my collection of unread books keeps growing).  I have grand plans to read stuff for work, to read for pleasure, and to read for personal betterment.  Somewhere between a spouse, 3 kids, and a full time ministry job, I find myself with less reading time than I used to have.  Add to that the time suckers of social media and hulu plus and my time with the written word has all but disappeared.

Thanks Kyle for sharing what you are reading.  I have decided to follow the example of my friend.  It's time to get back into books. Starting with  Authentic by James McDonald and Revolve by Nelson Searcy and Jason Hatley.  Revolve is a small primer on worship for your average person.  The gist is that often we come to church and get nothing out of the worship service because our views of worship are incorrect.  This little book challenges some commonly held misconceptions and replaces them with a more Biblical understanding.  A bit basic but fairly solid theologically.

Authentic is a challenging book focusing on Spiritual Disciplines.  McDonald walks us through 6 spiritual disciplines that we see Jesus practicing in scripture and helps the reader understand why these disciplines are important.  Very scriptural based information that pulls no punches.  These are activities commanded of the Christ follower.  I especially liked the fact that James spent more time explaining why to practice the disciplines rather than just writing another book about how to have a quiet time.

So there's the start of the shelf...Here's the stack of books at work that I will be working through this year.  Time to go pick up a book...

Songs About the Word

   So...it's been a few months since I've written anything. Honestly it's been a few months since I've felt like I had breathing space to write anything. In fact I probably don't have as much breathing room right now as I think but writing is cathartic and helpful.
   I thought I'd share another look into song choice and how much thought goes into a service some weeks. The theme of this weeks message is "Maniacally Get More Milk" from 2 peter 3-10. I don't know what all Pastor Jack is going to talk about, but obviously we are going to be focusing on the importance of the Word of God. With that in mind, here is my setlist for this Sunday...

• Marvelous Light (Charlie Hall song from a few years ago)
• Jesus, Firm Foundation (the new arrangement of "How Firm a Foundation")
• Standing on the Promises (Baptist Hymnal #335)
• Ancient Words (Lynn Deshazo song made popular by Michael W. Smith)
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (Baptist Hymnal #320)

   I'll come back to Marvelous Light in a moment. The Hymn "How Firm a Foundation" takes a scriptural promise in each of it's 7 verses (only 4 in the hymnal today). It begins with the premise that there is no greater foundation than the Word of God and Jesus Christ as revealed therein.  Because of this, I felt like this was a great way to highlight the importance of God's word even as we sing.  Moving from there to "Standing on the Promises" seemed like a great transition. We finish a song that highlights promises from the Word and then declare that we stand on those promises for life.

   Ancient Words is a great song (in my opinion) that reminds us that the words we read in the Bible are not new.  They are not a passing fad.  They have withstood the test of time because they are God's truth as breathed to life by God himself.  

   As I tried to find a song to end the service with, I struggled. There are several more songs that speak about God's word (obviously) but I felt like we needed more of a vertically charged song.  Something to remind us that God is in the room with us. I felt like "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" while not a fully vertical song (one sang directly to God) was a song that helps make the connection between the word of God on paper (or phones, tablets, etc) and the Word became flesh that dwelt among us. The Time of Commitment song will be "Open the Eyes of My Heart" which finishes the focusing by being a truly vertical song asking God to help us receive His truth.

   Back to Marvelous Light...this is our new song for the month of September (I know it isn't really new, but it is to our congregation).  I had this song in mind for the month, but kept setting it aside as being too youth campy.  So I started looking at other songs and had even chosen one. It had a nice feel to it and I thought it would work nicely. However, after looking at it a bit more closely, I began to feel that it wasn't theologically 100% sound. It's not a bad song, but the theology is a tad bit off. So as I came back to square one, Marvelous Light kept coming to mind. I read through the lyrics, prayed about, and realized that the truths contained therein were ideal for this time of year. As we go back to school, work, schedules, what better reminder than the thought that we have been called out of the darkness and into God's marvelous light. 

   I'm excited to get to lead these songs in our congregation this Sunday. I pray that wherever you worship this week, that the Word of God would speak to you in fresh ways and that you open yourself to receive that truth. 

Hymns...for or against...

   Hymns can be a divisive topic in church life.  To sing songs from the hymnal or not is a question many churches wrestle with.  As a worship leader with a rich tradition of worship, I find it quite natural to lead with a mix of newer as well as older songs of the faith.  Occasionally I find that lyrics within these old songs express my heart as well or better than the modern songs.  Sometimes, I find that songs written within that last year help me praise God in a way that an older song does not.  When it comes down to whether we should sing this song or that song, I think much more emphasis should be put upon what the song is expressing than on how old the song is or the style of music that relays the song's message.

   Each member of a congregation is going to have their own culture of worship that they grew up with and most appreciate.  Some prefer the old songs they have sung for years.  Some prefer to learn the new songs and join a new generation in expressing their love and devotion to God.  I think the trick is to find a cultural balance.  In a way I like the picture of each church having their own hymn book. The songs that resonant most with the majority of the congregation are added to the book and those songs (old or new) that don't help a congregation praise God get set to the side.

   So, do I like hymns?  I love them!  Do I enjoy new songs?  Indeed!  Do I have a preference? Of course I do.  My personal culture of worship probably leans more towards newer song styles.  That being said, when we sing a song written in the 1800's we are joining our voices with the great cloud of witnesses whose voices  have sing those words before us.  When we sing psalms from the scriptures, we are joining our voices to even more generations of worshipers.  When we sing a brand new song that expresses our heart's love for God, we are joining with future generations of worshipers who will sing these songs after us.

   Think about it...every old song was once new.  Not every song that Charles Wesley, Fannie Crosby, William Cowper, and B.B. McKinney wrote are still being sung.  Not every song that Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder, and Rend Collective Experiment are writing will stand the test of time. We sing the songs that speak what we desire to say to God.  There is a place for old, new, traditional, and different music in the worship of our Lord and Savior.

   Sing a song of praise to the Lord...

New Baby!

Do you ever get the urge to just do something?  For me, I've had the urge to write a new blog post for a couple of weeks.  I simply haven't taken the time to sit down and do it.  Part of the problem is that I'm not sure what you write about.  I've had several thoughts...

• New baby in the Harris house.
• My thoughts on hymns and their current usefulness in worship.
• Motivation behind our actions as Christians.
• Blessings in life that ought to be appreciated.
• and more...

So...what's it going to be...I'll start with something brief...Ian Patrick Harris joined the world on March 6th, 2013.  He was born at 10:12 pm, weighed 8lbs 8oz, and was 20 3/4 inches long.  He is a healthy, contented, little redhead.  His siblings think it is very cool to have a baby brother.  His  Momma is recovering well and delighted with the new addition. I am so proud  of her and Ian.  I'm also extremely humbled that God would allow me to have three such beautiful and healthy children.  Kids are a blessing and I pray that God would remind me of that with every dirty diaper, hug, tantrum, piece of artwork,  excited greeting when I come home, and frustration.  I pray that I raise up my children in then way they should go.  I pray that I am an example to them of what a Godly man should be.  Thank you Lord for entrusting me with these three young hearts.

How Often are You Eating?

   A friend of mine (David Manner) posted an interesting thought on twitter yesterday, and it has stuck with me today as I work.  He said "If you eat only one meal a week, you will always demand food that you like."
   This statement was made in relation to the conflict that arises in many churches concerning worship styles and preferences.  If we only worship God once a week (Sunday Mornings) we will always want that experience to be what we like.  Hymns, Praise Choruses, Liturgical prayers, Spontaneously letting the Spirit lead, etc...  This led me to a question in my mind...how often do I (or you) worship during the week?
   I think the biggest challenge for me in this question is our definition of worship.  Too many times we call worship that portion in a church service when we are singing.  If that is the extent of our definition of worship, it's no wonder that many people don't even think about worshiping during the rest of the week.  I mean how many of us have a band, choir, and projection system in the garage that we can whip out each evening?
   Our definition of worship has to be expanded.  What if we defined worship as "Our response to God for all He has done for us."  A simple definition, one that definitely doesn't cover all there is to think about worship, but let's run with it.  This would include singing to God in a corporate setting.  However, it would also include so much more...Prayers for help, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of intercession are all appropriate responses to God's presence in our lives.  Taking care of our spouse and children, visiting our parents, and working at our job as if we are working for Jesus, all of these are things that we can do in response to how God has blessed us.  Even doing the dishes can become an act of worship when we take time to recognize God's presence with us in both the mundane and exciting times of life.
   So let's ask the question I asked with the title of this blog...how often are you eating?  Are you living each day as a gift from God or as just a step to the next promotion, vacation, or weekend?  Are you taking time to see God at work around you and thank Him for working in your life, or are you simply going through the motions  required to accomplish the task at hand.  If you don't look for God, pray to God, and thank God in the day to day, how will you recognize Him when He is present in the Sunday morning Worship Service?  Our worship is to be the purpose of our lives, when it becomes simply one more thing on our to do list, we become consumers who will often times demand our way because that is what we do with everything we consume.
   Can I challenge you and me to start eating a bit more often? Look for God today, He's there...

Newspaper Article Week 4

~Love~

   We have spent the last three weeks looking at the candles of Advent. We have looked at how HOPE, PEACE, and JOY can come from knowing Jesus Christ as Savior.  We have also looked at how these things interact with each other.  Now we get to LOVE.  Our society thinks it knows all about love.  We have song upon song upon song upon song and then some telling us what love looks like.  We talk about falling in love, falling out of love, having a heart full of love, and having our hearts broken.  So what does it mean when we sing “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.”

   In John 15:13 the Bible tells us “Greater Love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  1 John 3:16 tells us “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”  Jesus came and was born as a baby in order that he might lay His life down for us.  The crazy thing is He came when the majority of the world wouldn’t have called Him a friend.  In fact we see how the world ended up treating Him.  They hung Him on a cross.  Love came down at Christmas…a love that lasts forever despite our tendency to throw it to the side…a love that is stronger than any struggle and gives a peace that surpasses all understanding…a love that fills our hearts with a joy that can’t be taken away.

   I hope that this Christmas Season you have experienced Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  I hope that you have experienced these things with Jesus as the Lord of your life.  If not…it’s not too late!  John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life.”  That life eternal filled with hope, peace, joy, and love can be yours today.  Accept the gift today. 

Newspaper Article Week 3

~Joy~

   If you were to rate on a scale from 1-10 how much joy you have in your life, where would you land?  I’m not talking about being happy.  I’m not talking about putting a smile on your face and acting like everything is perfect all the time. In fact I am not even talking about the Webster Dictionary definition of joy…

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying;

    I’m talking about that feeling of peace, of purpose, of ABUNDANT LIFE… that is found in the person whose heart is belongs to Jesus.  I’m talking about a person who has trusted in Jesus as their savior and knows that their future is secure.  Imagine how your life could be.  Instead of trusting in an emotion of great delight caused by something good, your joy would come from knowing who you are and whose you are. You are God’s unique creation. You are adopted into God’s family despite your inability to earn that position.  That little baby we celebrate at this time of year is more than a nice story or pretty picture.  He came that you might have HOPE, enjoy PEACE, and experience an abundant life full of JOY!  For this reason we sing Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King…it’s not a happy feeling, it’s the knowledge that you are loved and desired.  When we allow Jesus His righteous place on the throne of our lives, we can experience a joy that this world cannot touch.

   I guess the dictionary might have gotten it partially right…Joy is the emotion and great delight/happiness caused by something exceptionally good/satisfying…True joy is only found when that exceptionally good/satisfying something is the love and lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives.  Then when the world falls to pieces around you, you can rest assured in the knowledge that the One who holds you is taking those pieces and working all things to the good of those who love Him.  I hope that you are experiencing that joy in your life this Christmas Season. 

Newspaper Article Week 2--Peace

Here's the Week 2 newspaper article...

~Peace~

   Do you know what I find interesting…I think that the four Candles (themes) of Advent can build on each other.  So without further ado, let’s look at how Hope leads to Peace.

   I don’t know if you've ever felt hopeless.  I think people who do tend to react in one of two ways.  They either give up or they fight back.  Some people simply stop trying.  They figure that if there is no hope of a better tomorrow then why try to change/love/grow/create/imagine/strive etc…  On the other side of the spectrum, you have those who fight back.  They push hard against anything and anyone they feel they can beat in order to exert control in some areas of life since they feel lost in others.  For people on both sides of this coin, the fight to simply care enough to try or the fight to maintain a semblance of control can be exhausting.

   But I think that is where we see hope and peace colliding.  For the person who has given up, they now have something to live for; a future that is brighter than today.  For the fighter, they now have a glimpse of something good that isn't dependent upon them winning another fight.  When Jesus came, we were all offered a hope for the future.  A future home in heaven, and a purpose here on earth.  With that hope comes a peace of striving less on our own strength.  With that hope comes a peace of knowing that the future is in hands that are eternal and strong.  There is a peace that can overwhelm our souls when we give ourselves over to the Hope of the World—Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

   That peace can be yours…You can stop attempting to make it on your own.  You can give your helplessness and your fighting over to the one who gives strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.  That is the peace that surpasses all understanding.  That is the peace Jesus Christ brought to the world.

Week 1 of Newspaper Articles

For the month of December, I get the privilege of writing an article each week for our local newspaper. Since I am a bit terrible about getting on the blog here and writing stuff, I thought I might as well share my articles here. Here is what I turned in last week.

-Hope­-

Advent…that time of year where we remember, celebrate, and wait anew for the coming of Christ as a baby in the manger.  If you go to a church like mine, you might light a candle each of the four weeks leading up to Christmas day. These candles represent Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  Let’s examine that first candle of Advent today shall we?

Hope…that which inspires us to work for a better tomorrow and which encourages us to endure through times of trial. We sing songs that say things like “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”  But do we really put our hope there?  We enter the advent season singing about Jesus, putting up nativities, and even going to church and watching them light that candle that is supposed to represent the hope that Jesus brings in the world.  But, oftentimes we live in ways that seem like our hope is built on other things. 

We work overtime to make extra money to purchase things that we don’t truly need.  If our spouse or child is later getting home than we expected, we begin to worry about what terrible thing might have happened to them.  We fear the unknown and known alike, and do our best to make our lives as safe and simple as possible. 

What about you? Is your hope built upon Jesus?  Do you trust in Him who scripture calls the precious cornerstone?  We are told by Jesus Himself that He is returning one day.  In fact He tells us that not only is He returning, but He is preparing a place for us who have made Him Lord in our lives.  When Jesus came the first time, He brought hope to God’s people.  He desires to bring hope into your life if you will let Him.  As you spend the coming days preparing to celebrate His birth would you take a couple of moments to ask yourself where you place your hope?  If you place your hope in anything other than Jesus, it will eventually let you down.  However, Jesus is eternal; He has offered us a hope that never ends.  Won’t you accept that hope today?

Desert Song and the Election

We sang a new song in church yesterday, and the more I listen to it the more I like it. It's called "Desert Song" and it was released by the Hillsong Music group. The verses of the song speak about our dependence on God in the midst of our circumstances. The first three verses relate to difficult circumstances...times in our lives when we are going through trials, fires, battles etc...Then the chorus simply responds to who God is. It says:

    I will bring praise, I will bring praise
   no weapon formed against me shall remain
   I will rejoice, I will declare
   God is my victory and He is here...

I love this response. As Christians this should be our response to life...no matter what, I will bring praise because I know that my God has already won the victory and seen fit to allow me to be part of that victory. Through Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross, I have been adopted as a co-heir to eternity! The last verse of the song is a reminder that when life is good and going well, God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. It's a great reminder. Something that we need to be reminded of often.

Why did I mention the election in the title of this post? Simply for this reason...Your candidate might be able to claim the victory tomorrow or they might lose, but the only one who can guarantee your absolute victory is God. If you are in Christ, the victory has been won. By all means go out and vote. Make your voice heard. Represent your King well by voting for men and women who stand for biblical values. But, at the end of the day, if worse comes to worse and you wonder where our country is headed, remember this...God was here before the United States, is here now in the United States, and will be here after the United States are gone (unless Jesus comes back first). Our trust is not in the government ruled by man but in the one who rules the universe. God is my VICTORY and He is here...now go vote tomorrow. 

Shine Your Light on Me

   I listen to allot of music. My job kind-of requires it. Much of the time at work I am listening for music that I think would work within the setting of a congregational worship service. So in my head, music naturally falls into categories...

   I recently heard a song that fell into my I love this and it speaks to my heart, but I don't think it would work in a church setting...category. The song is called "Shine Your Light On Me." It is off of the new Andrew Peterson Album called "Light for the Lost Boy."  The reason I love this song so much, is that it paints an awesome picture of the church. Not a building, but the people. It starts off telling the story of a young man who wanders into a church "nursing a broken heart" and having walked through the woods after his car broke down. As he listens to the people around him and hears "the story" once again the chorus shines out "Shine Your Light On Me." The song goes on to view several snapshots of this mans life when people have shined the light on him. Isn't that what we are called as Christians to be for each other and the world? People who shine the light of God. Sometimes other Christians are the ones who need to feel/see the light of God in their lives. We need to be reminded of who God is and what He has done in our lives because sometimes we simply forget. The world of worries, distractions, work, school, play, kids, spouses, paychecks, and life push the thoughts of God right out of our heads. We need each other to be the light of God in our lives. When I listen to this song it reminds me of times when I've needed people to shine the light on me, and reminds me that I want to shine God's light for others. I'm plugging in the song here for you to enjoy. I hope it speaks to your heart...

P.S. I love the mental picture of calling us "the servants of the secret fire." I want to be a person who burns brightly with a light that is visible to the world around me Christians and non-Christians alike.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

   Are you familiar with the old hymn "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go?" I've heard a few different recordings of it in my life, but I'd never sung it in a congregational setting. Lyrically it is a song that speaks to me. In recognizing God's love that never lets us go, and then responding by giving ourselves back to God, I feel like it is a song of hope that recognizes God's centrality to our hope. I also love the imagery of giving our weak and weary selves to God and allowing Him to make something more. 

   Anyway, I was recently reintroduced to this song through a book I read and I decided that I wanted to sing it for my congregation. For whatever reason, the music in the hymnal wasn't my favorite so I decided to try my hand at re-arranging things a bit. So here for your listening pleasure (or maybe not) is my rendition of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go". I hope the lyrics touch your heart as they have mine.

Making the World Flat...

I just an article in the most recent issue of Worship Leader Magazine about multicultural worship.  Within the article (written by Vaughn Thompson Jr.) are these words...
"The world is not the same as it was 20 years ago. Cultural lines are becoming blurred and less  definitive as globalization and the booming technology age makes the world smaller and flatter than ever before."
What do you think this means? As we gain more opportunities to interact with more and more people, are we truly connecting more? Or are we simply setting ourselves up for more chances to set sail for new horizons and finding ourselves falling off the edge of the world.  As much as I love the internet and social media, I wonder sometimes if we are losing the art of communication. How much longer will it be before we lose the ability to have compassionate debate and considerate sharing of ideas. Maybe it's not just the internet age that has contributed to this loss, but we seem to be losing ground faster everyday.
What do you think? Is this shrinking of the world leading to more opportunities to learn and share, or more building of walls to fend of the ideas coming at us from all sides.

New Post and New Music

     So...it has been exactly 1 month since I have blogged anything. Summertime has been a crazy hectic time. Great ministry has taken place. Great songs have been sung. Life has flown by while at times I have felt like I was standing still. While I have considered blogging on several occasions, it seems like there is always something to distract me from sitting down long enough to put words to this digital page. So you might be wondering what broke me out of my blogging stupor...it was a new CD.

   I pre-ordered Andrew Peterson's new album "Light for the Lost Boy." I mainly pre-ordered it because I was on his page buying something else and to be honest I tend to enjoy his music. I received my package with the new CD a day earlier than it was supposed to release and opened it excitedly (I mean all you digital only folks couldn't hear it until today.) Upon putting this disc into the player I think i literally stopped everything I was doing for several tracks. I won't go so far as to say that every track is amazing, but some of them simply should not be missed. The opening track "Come Back Soon" speaks poignantly about the longing each of us has in our hearts for Christ's return. The track "Shine Your Light on Me" made me literally catch my breath. These two are the highlights for me, but there isn't a bad track on the CD. And in actuality, there are most awesome songs here. This is musical and lyrical poetry like I've seldom enjoyed. I would encourage everyone who reads this (all 15-20 of you) to go check it out. We serve an awesome God, and Peterson knows how to poetically express many thoughts on about that awesome God. It is honestly a beautiful expression of worship and awe. I hope you enjoy.
   I'll try to get back to being regular with my blog posts now...so hasta la vista.

Book Review of "Spirit Fighter"

   I received a free copy of “Spirit Fighter” by Jerel Law from the booksneeze book reviewer program in exchange for an objective review. I wasn’t sure what to think about this book when I read the description. Anytime someone writes a fictional story based on an obscure and seldom understood passage of scripture, I tend to be skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this story. Make no mistake…I’m still not sure that I’m ok with basing a story off of a passage of scripture that scholars don’t truly understand themselves. Thus the fact that Jonah and his family have powers because they are descended from fallen angels is a bit far-fetched. That being said, the actual story being told here is very enjoyable.

   Jonah and his sister are thrust into an age old struggle when Jonah begins to exhibit super strength. As his power begins to develop, his parents explain that his mother is a child of an angel and human, meaning she is half angel. This means that Jonah and his siblings are a quarter angel. When Jonah’s mother is kidnapped by a demon, Jonah and his sister are called upon by God to go and rescue her. While it seemed strange to imagine that God would send a couple of angels to your house to tell you about your mother’s kidnapping and to give you a wristwatch from God to direct you to your next coordinates. However if you can suspend your inclination to put the book down just because it seems a bit far-fetched, the story picks up very nicely. The pacing is good, the characters are decently fleshed out and believable, and the action is well-written.

   So, all things considered, this is a pretty good story for kids and young adults. The biggest drawback is that the scriptural references sometimes seem out of place in a fantasy story. 

Book Review Behemoth by Jonathan C. Leight

Behemoth was a very enjoyable book.  As a fan of the Jurassic Park books, I was excited to pick up a book written by a Christian dealing with dinosaurs. While Behemoth was not nearly as action packed as Jurassic Park, the action that is here is fun and believable. The creationist belief system is very strongly represented throughout the book. While I agree with this belief system, it did feel a bit heavy handed at times. Some of the dialogue felt like a creationist vs. evolutionist debate forum more than an actual conversation. There is a lot of dialogue that feels academic as well. I got used to it, and it didn’t bother me nor did it distract from the story greatly. Once I got used to how the dialogue flowed it felt fairly natural.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a rip-roaring adventure story in the vein of Jurassic Park, you might get bored at times. If you are looking for a well told story with a Christian creationist base point, some fun action, and dinosaur adventure, then I would highly recommend this book. I would even buy and read a sequel if one is written.

I was provided a digital copy of the book “Behemoth” by Jonathan C. Leicht by booksneeze.com. In return for the copy, I was asked to provided an honest review of the book.