Worthy IS the Lamb!!!

I have to admit that I was inspired to share this post by viewing a post over at WorldPrayer. Personally, I feel this is one of the most deeply touching worship songs in recent memory. If you've ever seen the movie "Passion of the Christ"...you left changed forever. This video puts the song to the backdrop of clips from the movie. How can we feel big or like God is honored to have us serving for Him when we put into perspective what Christ did for us?

The passage that comes to mind when I think of my unworthiness is found in Isaiah 6:5..."Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." When we truly get a glimpse of God in His glory, we will truly bow and worship and say "Worthy is the Lamb"!!! I pray that this video touches you like it did me...




What thoughts come to your mind when seeing the images accompanied by the song? Please share them with each other!

And also please let me know if there is a special prayer request I can word on your behalf today!!!

Who Am I Working For???

As I sit praying and thinking about the vision God has for me in the coming days, weeks, months and years...I am struck by the thought that if the work being done is of my doing, then the labor is futile. In Psalm 127:1, the KJV version states..."Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

So, what this says to me is that if I am laboring on my own, nothing tangible will come of it, right? Not only do we need to be working in His plan, but also be watching to see what He sets before us.

I am reminded of a blog post I read yesterday by Kyle Campos at his blog Our Rising Sound. He was talking about how horrible the whole musical part of worship went and how down he was about it, but during the invitation how humbled he was because he was reminded how it's not about what we do, how good we perform or sound - but rather what He is doing through us.

Isn't that the way we see things too often? We let our selfish pride stand in the way of God working through us...(realize that when I say we, I include myself). Our special on Sunday morning was sung by my wife Lindsey. She sang Laura Story's arrangement of "Mighty to Save". I am reminded of the line..."take me as you find me, all my fears and failures...fill my life again"

Think about those words today...remind yourself...it's not about you!!! Lay your fears and failures at His feet and ask Him to fill you again...I am doing it as I write these words. Ask for the opportunity to share and ask for the discernment to say the words that will show Him...

Please let me know if there is a special prayer request I can word on your behalf today!!!

What are you determined to know???

As I look forward to the New Year, I was looking up the mentions of the word "resolve" in the Bible on YouVersion. When looking, I realized I was searching under the Amplified Bible, which pulled up 1 Corinthians 2:2. I would like us to take a look at the passage, 1 Corinthians verses 1-5 (this is the KJV)..."And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. (2) For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (3) And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. (4) And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (5) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

Looking to 2009, my prayer is that I am not drawing others to myself, but to Jesus!!! I must daily deny self and the sinful habits that can come so easy when walking in my own power. I like the way verse 2 was brought out in the Amplified version, shown here..."For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified." This just makes it jump out that much more...I need to worry not of the things that are of this world! My mind needs to be on Christ crucified...and realize that because of that crucifixion and resurrection, no matter what happens, therein lies my Hope!

Look at this passage and leave a note about what else jumps out at you...let's truly discuss the subject!!! More to come...

Please let me know if there is a special prayer request I can word on your behalf!!!

Give yourself continually...

For our memorization challenge for this week, we look at Acts 6:4..."But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." This continues on with the teaching from last week's memory verse in John 3:30, where we learned that "He must increase, but I must decrease." If we are to grow closer to God and have His will made evident in our lives, we must follow these words CONSTANTLY!!!

As we go into this week, let's take a moment and see how we are or aren't to pray...Let's take a look at Matthew 6:5-8..."And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (7) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (8) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

This is calling us to a personal, private prayer relationship with the Lord. We are to pray as if no one is there but us and the Lord. It is not necessary to say the loftiest words and recitations to make ourselves look good. Because, those who pray to be heard have their reward. If we take our requests privily and secretly, the Lord will reward openly. Also, realize that the Lord knows your needs before you even state them. This doesn't mean to take that for granted, but rather feel confident to make them known personally.

We need to have a special place and time that we meet with God daily...whether in a closet, bedroom, office, or wherever you feel led. Not only do we need to spend our time in prayer, but also in the Word. Be thinking on our new verse during the coming days. Once again, it is Acts 6:4..."But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."

Please let me know if there is a special prayer request I can word on your behalf today...

Who will you serve???

As we draw nearer to the elections, we get overwhelmed with political advertising and rhetoric that gets so hard to weed out the good and bad. The good thing as Christians is that we are not conformed to the images of this world, but are aliens in a strange land, right? Yes, we need to be mindful of all that is going on around us, but are also called to be separate.

As I was thinking on those things this morning, I was brought to the verse found in Joshua 24:15..."And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

As human beings, we are given the freedom to choose who we will serve. Have you made a stand in your home? Or are you wishy-washy depending on if things are going well or not? Make a stand one way or the other...I am making a stand on the final part of this verse..."as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"...POINT BLANK!!!

That requires a lot from us...does it mean everything is always easy? NO. Will there be struggles? as long as we live in an imperfect world...YES! But, we are "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"(Titus 2:13)...

Before I end today, we need to take another look at our verse for the week...John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." Goes right along with our passage, doesn't it? Those of you who haven't got it memorized have until Monday before it's time for our next verse...be working on it!

I pray that you have a great day and look forward to seeing many of you at our 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat tonight from 6-7:30 PM...

Please let me know if there is a special prayer request I can word on your behalf today...

The Heart of Our Worship

Okay, bear with me for a few moments...the last couple months, there has been something bothering me. Now, please don't think I am coming down on worship leaders everywhere, or even questioning their motives. I just personally think we need to watch how we portray what we are doing in our worship services and how it comes across to others. One of my favorite blogs has a thing every week called Sunday Setlists...Like I said, I am not taking aim at them. It is a great way of seeing how other ministers are arranging services and worshipping corporately. My beef is that it "sounds" more like a performance of man than a worship of God. I don't want my worship to be a "setlist" of music to entertain. I guess the whole "setlist" problem mainly comes from my DJ days. My prayer is that we will come back to the heart of true worship...where it's not about us at all! There, I got that off my chest, whew! Now, I feel better...

Okay, so for today's passage, we look to Psalm 5:7-9..."But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. (8) Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. (9) For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue."

Here, David is asking for God's overall guidance in his life. We should look at verse 7 when we come to His house to worship Him. We should come in lowness of spirit...humbly...praising His great mercy upon us!!! Let's corporately ask the Lord to lead our steps today. I am challenging you to come with me on this journey...

Lord, lead us in your righteousness, because our enemies in this world are looking to trip us daily. Light our paths before us...show us where you want us to go...Let us see the folly of the words they speak that don't ring true...Let us see the heart of them, that we may not be fooled by their smooth talk...Keep us strong, even though they tell us what our flesh longs to hear...Thank you, Lord for your faithfulness and mercy...We deserve none of it!!!

Thank you for letting me share my heart with you today. I pray that we can all think about what worship is meant to be. Like I've quoted "The Heart of Worship" before..."It's all about you...Jesus"...

Please let me know if there is a special prayer I can word on your behalf today...

And Keep Thy Word...

This morning as I have been doing some reading around the blogosphere, I am troubled by a few things. I realize as "worship leaders", we are to be working to produce the best possible product to lead, but are we putting the focus on the right things? I have read how several are worried about keeping guitarists, pianists, drummers, and vocalists happy. That is not what worship is about, though...it's about giving our best to Him, regardless if we hear our voice loud enough, there's feedback, etc. Don't get me wrong, I am as picky as the next guy, but we can't allow technical issues to take the focus off who we are singing, playing, or drumming to.

My scripture passage today comes from Psalm 119:17-22..."Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. (18) Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (19) I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. (20) My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. (21) Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. (22) Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies."

Here, David is praying for God to provide abundantly for him, that he may abide while keeping the Word of God in his life. He is also asking that God open his eyes, that he would see the great things of the law. We no longer are under the law in the same respect as the Old Testament, but should still glory in the statutes set before us for Christian life.

One of our deacons here is always reminding me about the next verse's words...we are not of this earth...don't let things here get to you! I will next skip over a bit to verse 21 where the proud are rebuked and cursed for getting their own selves in the way of the commandments. This is a hard one to keep our minds upon. When a person is put on a pedestal, after a while they seem to think they deserve it, if they don't have the right perspective. I speak from being there personally. My prayer each day is that I am mindful that I must decrease and He must increase (John 3:30).

Finally, in verse 22, if we keep our eyes focused can ask God to remove the trials and contempt we face for we have kept His testimonies. This is not to say that everything will be great all the time and trials will never come, but that God will remove those feelings from our hearts.

Let's pray that we may focus our eyes upon the Lord in our times of praise and worship. Like the words from "The Heart of Worship" state so eloquently..."it's all about You...it's all about You, Jesus..."

Let me know if I can word a special prayer on your behalf today...

Exalted in due time...

Today, the verse about the devil walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour has been on my mind. We have been walking through neighborhoods, passing out flyers for our upcoming Block Party. I kept thinking about how the devil is seeking to trip us up and keep us from sowing seeds of kindness, that we may reap no harvest. I want to take a look at the passage that contains the verse afore mentioned: 1 Peter 5:6-10..."Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

We start off being reminded to keep things in perspective...humble yourselves under the hand of God and HE will exalt you in due time...not when we deem it, but rather in His perfect time!!! Also, be mindful, that may not occur here as in earthly treasure...would you rather receive crowns above, that you can place at His feet, giving Him glory...which is definitely against our human nature to even think that!

Continuing on, we are to cast all our cares upon Him, because He cares for us. This is one of those hard-to-grasp statements...He cares for me...kinda like He calls me friend...how is that possible??? The Maker of heaven and earth wants to hear from me and likes my story...Say that last sentence out loud...made you smile, didn't it? Well, it's true!!!

Verse 8 reminds us to be careful and don't lose sight of our adversary, the devil. He is always looking for a way to make us fall...slow us down...ruin our testimony...get any victory in our life that he can. That is another reason why our time in prayer and the Word (daily) is such a must!!! Any opening we allow, he is ready to jump on...

Verse 9 continues to tell us to resist the temptations of the devil and be stedfast in your faith...knowing that the same tests occur to our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is another place to point back to verse 7...cast all your cares upon him (the Lord)

Then in the final verse of our passage today, notice that through our suffering (for a while), God will strengthen, settle, establish, and in the end perfect us...Be of good cheer, the trials only last for a short season...If you're going through a trial and the night seems as dark as it can possibly be, remember...the darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

Please let me know if there is a special prayer I can word on your behalf today...

The potter's hands...

This morning, I have been doing some reading in Jeremiah. In chapter 18, I found the subject for today. Let's start reading in verse 1...

" The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
(2) Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
(3) Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold he wrought a work on the wheels.
(4) And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
(5) Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
(6) O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

This is another message of hope for every believer. No matter what you do, if you are willing to be used, the potter can mould you into a vessel for His best use.

It can be painful, as when a potter remakes a marred creation. He literally must break it in pieces then restart the process. That is what God does when need be. It does take a broken, contrite spirit to be used of God. Unfortunately, sometimes it's God that has to do the breaking.

The upside is that no matter where you are, God can use you. This is evident in my life. Long ago, I heard the call of God on my life, but was unwilling to give my all. After over 8 years of running, I came back to find Him standing there waiting with arms wide open. Since then, the road hasn't always been easy, but God has promised not to leave me or forsake me.

He gives the same promise to you! If God can use someone like me, He can use anyone. I am amazed and humbled everyday that the Maker of all has a plan which includes me. He has a plan for you, too. Open your heart to Him and heed His calling.

If I can say a prayer for you today, please let me know. I will keep any requests private and confidential. May you be blessed today.