July 2011 Blog Posts (18)

Matthew 5:22-24 (MSG)



"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words… Continue

 

 

 

Slender as life

 

Covering secret things

 

We knew were there…

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24 I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are throughout all generations.

25 "Of old You founded the earth,

And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26 "Even they will perish, but You endure;

And all of them will wear out like a garment;

Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

27 "But You are the same,

And…

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A worship leader dose far more then make pithy comments and lead people in singing familiar songs... That's what karaoke singers do. Worship leaders lead the flock into the deep wellspring of the Spirit and the lush vegetation of the Word.

Ever notice how many of these go by with zero repsonses, or just one or two?

 

Here's why:

 

1) The original poster never responds or quits responding.

2) The original poster censures your post because he/she doesn't agree with you. (Bosque!)

3) The subject is wacky and no on wants to talk about it.

4) The subject is very controversial and everyone is afraid to engage.

5) People don't know about them - they're near the bottom and not…

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The Book of Jonah 1-4 (NIV)

"The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”



But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from… Continue

Nothing frustrates me more then false dichotomies concerning worship. Here are a some that I find especially frustrating...

..."Hymns are full of rich theological content." VS. "Contemporary songs are trite and repetitive."

..."Contemporary music is emotionally engaging." VS. "Hymns are dry and stuffy."



..."Hymns are singable." VS. "Contemporary songs are difficult to sing."



..."Contemporary songs are culturally relevant." VS. "Hymns are unable to…

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“Hymnus est laus Dei cum cantico; canticum autem exultatio mentis de aeternis habita, prorumpens in vocem.”

Translation: “A hymn is the praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.”

-Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)

In the bible there are few equations (promises) of God that he pronounces such as a +b = c. Today we are doing one. One such verse knocked my socks away and I know it will knock yours away too.

 

“Behold your house is left unto desolate and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me until the time come when you will shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” Luke 13:35. These were the words of Jesus to the generation of Jews present on the day. So the equation…

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Romans 10:14-17

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?



As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good… Continue

Some time back I talked about one of the causes of worship ministry conflicts, people placing different levels of priority on performance and participation. There is actually another cause of conflicts and misunderstanding in worship ministry, and it is how we see worship ministry through the eyes of our own personal giftings.

 

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its…

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We all know that pop-terms to describe the church and matters of the church come and go...  Maybe the most popular being, "WWJD".  Another term related specifically to the subject of worship is "Audience of One".  The basic idea behind the term, "Audience of One", is that our worship is to be solely directed to God and no one else.  However, I have recently been thinking through the implications of this statement and feel as though I have some ground to challenge it's…

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Matthew 4:1-4, NIV

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."



Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'… Continue

Beloved in Jesus Christ,



Greetings to you in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We reached the unreached people in Madhya Pradesh, North India. God gave me a vision to reach the people with the Gospel all over India. This is a great privilege to me as a witness for our Lord Jesus Christ in Madhya Pradesh. Brother Harvey came along with me and helped me in this outreach. God used us here in a mighty way. So many people are accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and… Continue

Matthew 20:27-28 (NIV)

" ... and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”



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At church we talked about how we often think about Yahweh as being similar to the mythical man…

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I am looking for some bluesy gospel songs that would give a different flavor to our service.  Any suggestions would be awesome.  Thanks