We’re going to lead our congregation in worship with this song this week. This is one of my favorite sentiments, in that our response to God’s love is simple.
We just need to respond to God with wonder! and to recognize that God loves us no matter what…that He has for all time, before we were even made!
Our God is awesome!
Hi guys…just a quick post to talk about how w need to remember to be joyful during worship. God has blessed us abundantly!
This song written by Drew really captures that joy. Our part of that worship time needs to be focused on the amazing love and mysterious grace that God has poured into us through His son Jesus.
So as we lead worship this week, and every week, let’s focus out thoughts on the things that bring us joy. Here are some of mine:
1. Grace
2. my wife
3. friends
4. a community
5. shelter
What are some of yours?
Drew picked a theme verse for us to focus on this year as a community. It is Matthew 22:37
And he said to him, ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ESV
The He here is Jesus, and this was His response to the teachers of the day when they asked Him what the great commandment in the Law was. We should love God with our whole heat, mind and soul, our everything. This is easy to say, but how do we do it? What do you do?
Memorize the verse, pray that you can live it each day, and comment on your ideas.
I absolutely love the sentiment of this song…it’s one that we just did last night. We need to spend more time pondering God’s majesty, and less time focused on our needs. Praise the Lord!
Ok team. Paul’s sermon on Sunday has really inspired some thinking for me this week. “Not what we do for God, but what He does for us…that’s the agenda”. Luke 10:20 (The Message). I have been thinking that more and more we need to remember that Worship involves us in a direct vertical relationship with God. We are also to guide others in worship, but that is where we have to make a distinction between playing music and leading worship.
Just wanted to share what’s been on my mind since Sunday. I’ll post later this week on one of our songs.
Hi guys. So I’m really excited about the new series that we’re doing. I think it is time for us to look at some of the key elements of our faith, and digest them as a church body. We started off this last week by looking at art.
I don’t know if we all share this opinion but art, and life, share many of the same values. Art can be hard, uplifting, and needs to be constantly evaluated. I know that I often evaluate myself, to make sure that I am following God’s call for my life. So, how do we reflect those values and “express our uniqueness”? Or are we even supposed to?
Our pastor referred to our need to create as a reflection of God’s image. That he created us, and as reflections of God’s glory, we’re supposed to create as well.
So, what is your art? I’m not going to limit the definition to painting, or sculpting, or writing music. As is often said, “different strokes for different folks”. This can be true, as long as it is evaluated according to the principles laid out in Phillipians 4:8.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
So, have a good week folks…talk to you soon.
As many of you know August 17 at illuminate will be a little different. It will include much more music, some video and tech presentations and a shorter sermon. Please plan to come and invite your friends. (and it will be an hour and fort forty five minutes to two hours)
I would ask you all to please pray for this night as well. Pray for Drew and the others as they plan and organize. Pray for the bands as they rehearse and learn music. Pray for the congregation that will, and should be there that night. Pray that God blesses this night and that is is a night of worship to HIM. Above all, pray.
So last week I could not get Show me what it Means by Meredith Andrews out of my head. Early in the week it just kept going through my head. I ended up putting the recording from last week on repeat and just let it play for hours.
So the big questions:
The first one is in the chorus. ”Show me what it means to follow You”
The second is in the, well I guess it is the bridge. “To find out what it means to be alive”
Now I realize neither of these are stated as direct questions, but isn’t that what they are? Or at least a seeking? These are questions that come into my head over and over again. How do I follow the Lord and what is life?
The song gives some suggestions into this, like love as you loved, live as you lived, show up broken at your feet, take up my cross, love my enemies, care for those in need and more.
Some of these are less than clear when trying to apply. I work on developing good spiritual disciplines so that I will be closer to God and know his will, but this tough.
So my QUESTION is what do you do? How do you follow and how do you live to be alive?
Give some short or long answers. Just help us all by sharing.
A few quotes form Romans 10 (The Message)…..”You’re not doing anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That’s salvation.”…..”No one who trusts God like this–heart and soul–will ever regret it. It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help God!’ gets help”…..
Isn’t it amazing to think that God is so simple yet so complex. At least complex in our human minds. It’s so hard for me sometimes to just simply trust God. Between pride, doubts and fear in my very human mind, I almost feel as though I’m not even worthy to trust a God who makes it so simple. There’s some times in my life that I find it so hard to just trust and put my full faith in God, knowing that the outcome will be o.k. and what He desires for my life. In these few verses I picked out from Romans Paul makes it so simple to understand that if we just believe and call out for help, He gives it to us. Simple as that! It’s funny that in the times that I need Him most I all too often tend to run and hide, but He again, so simply, says that if we just call out to Him, he’ll take us in His arms and hold us close. God is mighty, awesome and complex, but simple in His response to us. Our response–faith in and trust in an amazing God who loves us wholeheartedly!
As I was reading through the Romans 9 text this week I read the last verse in the chapter…..”The one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame”…..I never really thought of those words. It amazes me to think that God not only loves us unconditionally, but I got the impression from this verse that He wholeheartedly respects and honors us too. Pretty cool to think that the Almighty, Everlasting God thinks highly of us, especially when we go from day to day not always honoring and respecting Him in a totally imperfect world. Yet another reason to worship God wholeheartedly and with everything we have this Sunday and every other day! Thanks be to God for His amazing love and kindness!!!
