Poultry

What a great night. To be honest, what a great day. I had a wonderful time chilling and chatting with some of my church peeps today. It’s just nice to finally feel at a place of confidence to be able to build relationships with people. I’m like a car on a cold morning. I love people, it just can take me some time to warm up. We have a crazy bible study tonight and I really want to share. So, I’m taking the short cut out of totally blogging tonight and posting the study. (But to be fair, I did write it all myself (except that I summarized a book chapter)). *The title tonight by the way is inspired by someone who mistook the word portly for poultry, made me smile….

| Chapter Seven: Worship as a Way of Life

 

Re-cap:

What do we desire in life? Do we desire just words being said in affirmation and love? Or do we desire people to act on those words and show us love? I agree with Louie, I want both. God, He’s the same way. He desires not only for us to say how much we love Him, but also to show it. The two meanings of worship in the Bible are: 1) an attitude of honor or reverence.  2) To serve. Paul talked about this in Romans 12:1-2. “Paul was saying, If you’ve seen mercy… if you’ve seen the cross… then offer all of who you are in response to all that He has done. Let’s face it: That kind of full-blown serving is not real high on our priority list. But in the mind of God, worship = serving. Worship =life.” We can never repay what our Savior has done for us, but we can respond to  Him by offering our lives in service. “For far too long, people have been cheating God, somehow thinking that if they just keep telling Him He’s great, He’ll be content.” Words come easy. And for us we can say anything or “sing” it without worrying about our actions or lives backing it up. We can easily become those people in the Bible that God talked about…”These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” God has given us everything. Everything! So how do we respond? But showing up on Sunday’s at church? By dropping a buck in the plate? By serving in a worship band or on a tech team? Praying here and there? Talking to Jesus when we feel like it? No way! The only right response to such mercy and grace is our everything! Worship for too long has been confused with just being music. (and maybe I encourage that by calling it a worship band). Worship is our life’s response to God for who He is and what He has done.

Discussion

1. Think about the word service. What kind of thoughts and impressions – either positive or negative – does it bring to mind?

2. What motivates you most to want to offer yourself fully to God?

3. This chapter includes this statement: “Grace requires that we bring ourselves, laying our lives before this merciful God.” Is grace really grace if it has this or any requirement attached to it? What do you think?

 

Romans 12:1-2

Middle of the week

It’s the middle of the week. Woo-hoo! We made it. Been a bit of busy week, but accomplishment feels so good. I’m a list person. So I make list all week and just check em off as I go. I think it helps me in several ways, but mostly to feel good about myself. 

We had a nice small group tonight. A big reward of small group is the chance to really get to know some great people. The biggest question we really thought about tonight is if we’re not reaching people with the love of God, then is what we do at church insignificant? The answer is yes. The point of the church is not just for believers to have this amazing party to celebrate at each week, but that people can come together and discover Jesus as well. The Church is the only place where 7 Channels of influence (Media – Arts and Entertainment – Business – Education – Government – Social Sector — Church) can interact together at one time. The church is not some hospital where the sick can “come” and be healed. It’s a mission for us to go out and bring people in. Our jobs as leaders in the church is to create a welcome and relevant atmosphere where Jesus is lifted high and people can find the gospel. So think about that this week when you meet someone. Think about inviting them to church. 

Found this video and it just made me smile. I hope it affects you the same way… (I had music with it, but the vid was giving me problems, just imagine a good jack johnson song)

Too Busy…

Whoops… I’ve gotten a little busy the last day or two. Much too say, but I will make it short. Thank you to all who have said encouraging words, comments and phone calls. It’s wild to really know that people are praying for you. I could never say thank you enough. 

I’m very excited about some of the direction I’m headed in the next couple weeks. I really feel like I’m getting back to some good practices that I haven’t done in a long long time. 

So, most random and short blog yet. But, I will give a quick promo. Our church (www.anchorchurch.us) is about to start a new series that is going to rock… Heroes. You don’t want to miss a minute. Save the worship leader, save the world!

Fighting the balance

We wrestle everyday. I know I talked about struggle last time and I know that this blog and the last seem down. But we wrestle everyday. We most wrestle ourselves and what is going on. Whether we are to be happy or sad. Content or discontent. To celebrate or to mourn. To fail or to succeed. To be honest or to lie. I hate wrestling. I mean, I’m not really talking about the fake stuff on tv and yes I know they are athletes and no I’m not into that. But I hate wrestling myself. I don’t want to deal with myself. I hate disappointment. I hate people trying to catalogue me and analyze me because they want to control. I hate some things about me I’ve become and I desperately want to change. I hate feeling successful only to find defeat. I hate people classifying me with a problem when they have the same problem themselves. (most of this stuff is just dumping out, b/c it’s late).

I do love generosity. I have been honestly touched by amazing generosity today and none of it did I deserve. Someone blessed me and Shana tremendously with a check of an amount that was just absurd and I don’t know how to handle that. I’m still in honest shock by it. And then there’s the troubled tale of Shana’s car. And the amazing Corey Robinson who has done so much above and beyond anything I can believe. He has basically kept that thing going. And then there is the amazing story of our people at church. We have seen amazing and honest life change and it is so cool. To see people come from where they were and to where they are now and what God means in their life is utterly astounding! 

My biggest fear is that the cynic in me is rearing its ugly head. I’m becoming someone I am not while turning into someone I am supposed to be. I’m sorry my blog is a more sad tone, but my heart is in many places. If you think about, pray for me today.

Struggle

First its a stumble, then maybe a kick. Eventually, somehow it leads to you lying on the ground and wondering how you got here and why it hurts so much. Life is a struggle. And if you are reading this and haven’t learned that at one point or another, watch out. I began my fast today. I thought it might be a more spiritually enlightening time, but so far it hasn’t been… or has it? I’ve felt more clear headed today and so I may have opened my mouth to much. I’m struggling. I’m gonna be honest. Maybe I’m too honest too often, but I just need to voice that. I don’t know how to balance. I don’t. I’m lost. I’m at this place and I don’t know where to go. Have I stepped way ahead of myself? I’m I just completely incapable? Have I been filled with potential or to be just that my entire life, potential? Have I fooled myself? Is it all honestly really worth it? Am I making any kind of difference?

Gone, Like saturday…

OK, so this may or may not matter. I will not be able to blog tomorrow and possibly not on Friday. I’m going to help Shana with a small camp for Creekside Christian Academy. And then on Friday, me and Shana have a date in Atlanta and I’m excited. So pray for me and all the kids I’m going to be with!

The Everlasting God

So our creative arts department ( I think it’s funny when I use titles, because we have used so many different ones, we don’t know the real one!) is still going through the Air I Breathe. Now, I used to be a huge Louie Giglio fan (this doesn’t mean I’m not still one, just not as obsessed as I used to be) and I highly recommend this little book. It offers some really encouraging insight  and thought process into being a worshipper of God. 

We are currently in Chapter 5 and it talks about becoming a true worshipper as we were designed to be… check it out. (This study is more of an overview, so if you would like the whole chapter I will try and post it later!)

The Air I Breathe

| Chapter Five: Joining the Ranks of True Worshipers

Re-cap:

How can we become who we were truly designed to be, true worshippers of God? We can’t. God reveals…so we can respond. We respond to what God reveals about Himself. Let’s look at the two characteristics.

Infinitely Awesome – God is not small. God is not self-contained in some tiny neat package. God is big, I mean really big. As the Bible says, He is from everlasting to everlasting (song). God simply is. God does not depend on anyone, nor does He need us to tell Him how good He is. We have truly only seen a mere glimpse of the awesomeness of our God.

Intimately Approachable – God honestly wants to be intimate with all of us. God is almighty and perfect and enthroned on high, yet He wants to know each of us personally. Think about that. God has given you an open invitation to know Him. You matter to God. The heavens and all the angels tell constantly of God’s glory, yet He wants to hear it from your lips. 

God is ultimately a mystery. He is in a sense the greatest paradox. We have to live heavily in the balance of this mystery. We cannot package God into our size, nor can we neglect the personal intimate times with Him. We praise God not only for who He is, but what He has done. It’s the potent combination of these two areas of praise that cause worship to always be an option for us, no matter what.

 

Discussion:

1. How does God reveal Himself to us?

2. How has your view of God changed? Has it changed? Does your view of God need to change?

3. (Don’t answer out loud) When was the last time you were completely intimate and personal with God?

4. What are some things God has done in your life that you want to publicly praise Him for?

 

Read and meditate on: Psalm 95 / Psalm 150

*If you made this far, congratulations. I would love for you to jump in on the discussion. Feel free to post your thoughts or ideas in a comment! Praises to Everlasting God!!!! 

The Beat of my heart

Yes, I work at a church plant. And I want to get that out of the way begins it used to come up frequently in my blog. I say it not with disdain or with sadness, but with pride. To be honest, I wear it proud. I feel very grass roots most days and less like I have to deal with the junk of establishment. Anyway, hopefully that made sense and didn’t turn you off. I always seem to blog at the end of my day when my brain is in some sort of automatic discharge mode and all my thoughts are just emptying out for the night. I was thinking about something the other Sunday morning (yes, scary) while talking to a few folks. There are many days where I feel like a salesman and I’m trying to pitch our church or a small group or a ministry. Sometimes in feeble hopes of gaining a volunteer or maybe someone with our small group. But to be honest, it made me think how much I miss the chance to just say,” Hey, you seem cool, lets hang out”. I know that sounded very high school or even as low as middle, but I feel that way. And I think that Jesus perhaps occasionally wanted to just hang out. You know, fish with the boys a little or maybe play a little Jew’s harp with a couple of music buddies (don’t take that offensively, cause my next blog is going to be about the balance of Big awesome intimate God). 

So tonight. I had a chance to do that for a few minutes. I realize how much I need to do that more. So what if life gets busy. The church is a body. A family. And we should allow ourselves to spend time with each other not in a volunteer or small group, but just as human beings. The funny thing is, you might find yourself drawing closer to Christ in the process.

In lieu of something worthwhile…

If you haven’t seen this yet, your behind. This is the band I so desperately want to be like.

Puerto Rico Re-Mix Day 5

Travel Day! Well, this is only true for Joe and Chuck, the rest of us will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. I got to speak to Shana more today and that was wonderful. I also spoke to the new mother! Tamara (my sister). The baby and family are doing great.

Today was fun. We rushed around a bit to see what we could see. This country has amazing beauty. The water here is gorgeous! I loved watching the waves crash the beach today (song…?). The sky was blue. The water clear. And the grass was super green. We spent most of the day in San Juan. 

To be honest, I am very tired tonight, so I will be brief. I was grateful for the compliments about the church and the band tonight. All I will say is that I’m worried about my heart. I feel like I’m being drug again.