Sunday, April 29, 2007

Encounter '07

We just returned from a weekend at Camp Thunderbird in Clover, SC. (For some reason, it was comical to me all weekend to refer to it as Camp Trundlebed. I'm still not sure why. Tasha thought I was dumb.) Tasha and I led worship for the Encounter Conference sponsored by Southbrook Church in Charlotte. Encounter is a weekend conference designed for new believers and old alike to learn some basics of spiritual growth and how to deal with the skeletons in our closet - how to understand and receive God's forgiveness for past sins.

It was pretty exciting to be a part of Encounter and to see the Holy Spirit dealing with people in so many different ways. I'm hoping to post some pics from it really soon.

Here's some of the tunes we played:
-Everything Glorious (David Crowder)
-Let it Rise (Holland Davis)
-I Am Free (Ross Parsley and Desperation)
-Center (Matt Redman, Charlie Hall)
-Wonderful, Merciful, Savior (Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wyse)
-Your Love is Extravagant (Darrell Evans)
-We Are Yours (Charlie Hall)
-Great is Thy Faithfulness (Traditional)
-Yearn (Shane and Shane)
-Jesus Christ, I Think Upon Your Sacrifice (Matt Redman)
-The Bread Has Been Broken (Joe Beck, Wendy Wills)

Monday, April 23, 2007

"In Quotes"

"Love: The unexplainable feeling of butterflies in one's stomach caused by the undivided attention of a hottie." - the text found on a popular girl's tank top and I'm pretty sure the missing text from 1 Corinthians 13 in some of the earliest manuscripts.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Everybody Wants Everybody Else's Green Grass

My neighbor’s grass is sweet. It's plush, dark green and voluptuous. I wish I could have grass like that. I’m not sure how he does it. I never see him cut it. I never see him fertilize it. I never see weeds. Yet it looks AMAZING. Sometimes I just want to roll around in his yard like a beached whale. But I maintain my composure.

My grass is struggling
. There are weeds all in it. It's brown and decaying. Yet, I’m convinced that my grass grows faster than anyone else’s. I’m pretty sure I mowed like yesterday and pretty much had to mow again today. I really despise mowing. But I like the final outcome. Sometimes I make a game out of it. Like tonight it was getting dark on me, so I started running as I was mowing. It was like a 2-for-1 deal – Mow the grass and get my run on. That’s right.

As I was finishing up the front yard, I noticed that a small crowd had gathered at the front door to watch the spectacle freak show. Rainy, Zeke, and Mommy – all gathered at the storm door with beaming eyes and popcorn in hand.

What I observed in the next few minutes of making passes by the front door left me laughing to no end. Zeke had all eyes glued on me and the lawn mower – more so the lawn mower. He loves manly stuff like that. He loves when I break out the power tools (Although he’ll probably change his tune when he’s 13 and I make him do the yard work).

Rainy is much different. As I held Zeke’s attention, Rainy was busy grooming Zeke. Yes, that’s right - Grooming - like a stinkin' Pan troglodytes. She had just watched Tasha clean Zeke’s ears after a bath, and so she thought she would jump in on the action. Zeke could have cared less. He was homed in on me. Rainy was homed in on earwax.

In those moments I thought how creative God must be – two kids, so close in age, so similar in appearance, yet so entirely unique. It’s unbelievable how God uses those kids in my life every day to teach me things – to remind of simple spiritual truths that I often forget – like just being who God created me to be.

Why is it that we always think we have to be exactly like someone else? Even among believers it’s easy to get caught up in that game. We tend to think that the grass is greener on the other side rather than enjoying and appreciating the uniqueness of God’s intricate designs in us. I don’t want my kids to ever think they have to fit a certain mold – to be the exact cookie cutter of everyone else. The unique individual parts of the body of Christ are what make His body so beautiful – and that’s what brings unity and maturity among the body (Ephesians 4:11-13).

(Granted – I will probably have to do something professional to my yard pretty soon before the weeds take over, but that exceeds the bounds of this analogy.)

So, kids, be you. Rainy, keep grooming Zeke, as long as he doesn’t mind. Zeke, keep banging on your little Fisher Price tool bench, as long as Mommy doesn’t mind. And one day, use the spiritual gifts and personality God has given you to put a mark on this world for the kingdom of God.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Bethel

I'm just now finding time to sit down and write a little about our weekend in North Vernon, Indiana. Bethel Baptist Church is a church ablaze. Whoever said that you can't grow a church in a rural farming town needs to visit Bethel. Packing over 300 people in two services in the middle of nowhere is something to talk about (I just did the math and Bethel has close to 10% of the population of North Vernon attending).

The theme for the Disciple Now Weekend was "Who Am I?" - focusing on the fleeting nature and futility of life next to the greatness of God's majesty - a beautiful contrast.

We know of at least one teenage girl who received Christ as Lord and Savior on Saturday night. Heck yea. That made the entire trip and event worthwhile. Thank you all for praying for the weekend. Tasha and I had an awesome time leading in worship and just being a part of what God is doing there in Indiana.

The speaker for the weekend was a young church planter from Indianapolis, Indiana - Patrick Hanley. Patrick is a firey expositor and an excellent communicator with a heart to reach young people. We were blessed to get to know Patrick and his family and look forward to hooking up more in the future.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

North Vernon

Be in prayer for the kids of North Vernon, Indiana. Tasha and I are hitting the road about 15 minutes from now. We're leading worship for a Disciple Now youth event. Pray that kids will hear and respond to the life-changing message of the cross. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move freely and have His way. Thanks so much.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Avoid Curious Inquiry

Ironic that I would say what I’m about to say on a blog intended for readers to inquire into my life. Because what I’m about to say will sound contradictory to that very notion – that is that we should avoid curious and unhealthy inquiry into other people’s lives - that ungodly sort of inquiry that leads to covetousness, greed, jealousy and hatred.

The blogging world is obsessed with it. Hollywood is obsessed with it. Normal people are obsessed with it.

I think it must be a part of our human nature to want what everyone else has – to be what someone else is – to do what someone else does. Much of that is probably innocent. Maybe even godly. Much of it is not.

The innocent and godly sort? Paul the Apostle speaking to struggling believers - “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

The ungodly sort? Simon the sorcerer offering money to the disciples saying – “Give me this power too, so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19).

I always like to read what godly people have to say about stuff like this. Here’s a snippet from Thomas à Kempis, one of the godliest men of the 14th century, writing as if God were speaking on this subject (I think if Thomas had a blog, this would be his first entry).

“My child, do not be curious or bother with unimportant things. What does this or that matter to you? You follow me.

For what is it to you if that person is such and such, or whether this person does or talks about this or that?

You will not need to answer for others, but you will give an account for yourself, so why do you involve yourself in their affairs?

Do not be anxious to live in the shadow of someone great, for the close friendship of many, or for the personal affection of individuals. For these things distract the heart and greatly darken it.”
- Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

So, my advice? Be who God made you to be. Follow Christ and no one else. There’s enough cookie cutter Christians out there already.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Walking the Ridge


Sunday night, Tasha and I had our third opportunity to lead worship at Ridge Church, a brand new church plant lead by Pastor Chris Brown who has a vision “to reach a city, not just start another church.”

So far Ridge has not officially launched to the public, but they are well on their way to gaining that core group of volunteers they need to make it happen. And with no publicity thus far, the Lord is bringing in the people who want to plug in and help this thing get off the ground as well as those who are unchurched and dechurched who need to hear the simple Gospel of Christ.

The guys in the band are tremendous fellas with hearts on fire for Jesus. Not to mention they are incredible musicians. Hopefully we’ll get to use them some as Tasha and I do more traveling and have the need for a full band.

Here’s the set list:
- Let the Praises Ring (Lincoln Brewster)
- It is You (Newsboys)
- Come Thou Fount (David Crowder version)
- All That I Can Say (Crowder)
- Holy is the Lord (Chris Tomlin)
- A Greater Song (Paul Baloche)

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Completed Work

Philippians 1:6 is Tasha’s life verse.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Yesterday, as I was reading through the Psalms, I came across a verse in Psalm 138 that reminded me a lot of Philippians 1:6. I guess it could probably be considered the Old Testament equivalent.

Here it is: Psalm 138:8“The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”


There are several things that God is teaching me from this:

1. The focus is on God, not us.

I think there’s a tendency to focus on the “you” of Philippians 1:6 and the “me” of Psalm 138:8 to the exclusion of God who is the one doing and performing and completing that good work. We need to reverse that tendency.

2. The good that comes out of our lives is only because of Him and through Him and for Him.

We can take no credit for it. We are his workmanship. We are the poem He is writing. We are the clay He is molding. Can the clay say to His master, “why did you make me like this?” (Isaiah 29:16).

3. How we define "good" may not be how God defines it.

Matthew Henry said that God knows “that which is most needful for me; and he knows best what is so. We are careful and cumbered about many things that do not concern us, but he knows what are the things that really are of consequence to us (Mt. 6:32) and he will order them for the best.”

4. God sees his work through to the end.

Right now around my house, I can think of at least 10 unfinished projects that I’ve begun but not finished. I got sidetracked. I had other things come up. I had to watch 24. Things like that. Not so with God. He sees things through to the end – to their fulfillment – to their consummation.

If God was more like me when it comes to finishing things . . .

Alison Thomas













“If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why is there evil? Because if He is truly all-powerful, He could eliminate evil in the world. And if He is truly all-loving, He would eliminate evil in the world. So, since there is evil in the world, I can’t believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God.”

This is how the argument usually goes. Most Christians I know don’t know how to sufficiently answer this question. But I know of a Christian school full of radical high schoolers who now have the capacity to answer it better than anyone I know.

This past Wednesday, Tasha and I had the privilege of leading worship at Gaston Christian School for their spiritual emphasis week. We were honored to share the stage with one of the upcoming Christian apologists of our nation, Alison Thomas. Alison works with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, one of the leading Christian apologetic and evangelistic organizations in the world.

Thomas, 25, engaged the audience with charisma, self-confidence, a wealth of knowledge and a style that is entertaining and captivating. With obvious concern for the minds of young believers as they enter the university setting, Alison challenged GCS to be students who are not afraid to tackle the tough questions from skeptics of Christianity.

Tasha and I left feeling like we had learned an enormous amount of information without feeling like we had been lectured to for endless hours. It was awesome to be a part of it.

Thanks, Alison, for allowing God to use you in this way all across the country.

Our playlist for the day included:
-Here is Our King (David Crowder)
-You’re Love is Amazing (Vineyard)
-I Will Give You All My Worship (Passion)
-Set a Guard (Via)
-Holy is the Lord (Chris Tomlin)
-Judas Smith (Me)