In the summer of 2000 I worked as a music assistant at Camp Crestridge. It was during that summer the worship team, & the staff, awakened me to the world of contemporary Christian worship music. I've never been the same since. It became my worship music of choice - an amazingly hilarious thing considering my age at the time, & my age now.
One of the songs we did a lot from that summer used these words from Psalm 36.I can still hear the guitars, the sharp joyous sound of the djembe, & singular voices of the worship team & the staff, as they sang this psalm.
I'll be forever grateful for the new worship expression they lovingly drew me into that summer, & in which I've remained as joyously ever since.
Psalm 36
5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
1 way
1 Corinthians 8
5 According to some people, there are many so-called gods & many lords, both in heaven & earth. 6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, & we exist for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything & through whom we have been given life.
We hear a lot of people say there are many ways to God - Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu, Joseph Smith - just to name a few.
It looks like what Paul is saying here pokes a few holes in that thinking.
I know that it's very uncomfortable for some to think that Jesus the only way to the Father.
If that were true, then we'd have to take seriously everything He said - and obey them.
And our world today is VERY uncomfortable with many of the things He said.
Jesus kinda narrowed it down when He said to Martha (Lazarus' sister) in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
1 way - by faith in Jesus' sacrifice for each of us.
simple...
free...
always available.
5 According to some people, there are many so-called gods & many lords, both in heaven & earth. 6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, & we exist for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything & through whom we have been given life.
We hear a lot of people say there are many ways to God - Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu, Joseph Smith - just to name a few.
It looks like what Paul is saying here pokes a few holes in that thinking.
I know that it's very uncomfortable for some to think that Jesus the only way to the Father.
If that were true, then we'd have to take seriously everything He said - and obey them.
And our world today is VERY uncomfortable with many of the things He said.
Jesus kinda narrowed it down when He said to Martha (Lazarus' sister) in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
1 way - by faith in Jesus' sacrifice for each of us.
simple...
free...
always available.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
chock full
Sometimes a psalm or a chapter I'm reading just has a lot of good stuff in it. Here's what I saw this morning in Psalm 34...
Psalm 34
vs 2b ...let all who are discouraged take heart.
vs 4 I prayed to the Lord, & He answered me, freeing me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
vs 6 I cried out to the Lord in my suffering, & He heard me. He set me from from all my fears.
vs 8 Taste & see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!
vs 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing.
vs 14 Turn away from evil & do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
vs 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
vs 19 The righteous face many troubles, but the Lord rescues them from each & every one.
Psalm 34
vs 2b ...let all who are discouraged take heart.
vs 4 I prayed to the Lord, & He answered me, freeing me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
vs 6 I cried out to the Lord in my suffering, & He heard me. He set me from from all my fears.
vs 8 Taste & see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!
vs 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing.
vs 14 Turn away from evil & do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
vs 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
vs 19 The righteous face many troubles, but the Lord rescues them from each & every one.
Friday, March 16, 2012
guidance
Sometimes I'm speechless in what God lets me see & know.
Just sit & soak in the amazing truth of this verse...
Psalm 32:8 The Lord says,
"I will guide you along the best pathway for you life.
"I will advise you & watch over you."
Give Me Faith - Elevation Worship
Verse: I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You're shaping my life
Pre-Chorus: All I am, I surrender
Chorus: Give me faith to trust what you say
That you're good and your love is great
I'm broken inside,
I give you my life
Verse 2: I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me
Chorus
Bridge: I may be weak
Your spirit strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will (repeat)
Just sit & soak in the amazing truth of this verse...
Psalm 32:8 The Lord says,
"I will guide you along the best pathway for you life.
"I will advise you & watch over you."
Give Me Faith - Elevation Worship
Verse: I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You're shaping my life
Pre-Chorus: All I am, I surrender
Chorus: Give me faith to trust what you say
That you're good and your love is great
I'm broken inside,
I give you my life
Verse 2: I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me
Chorus
Bridge: I may be weak
Your spirit strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will (repeat)
Thursday, March 15, 2012
word
Sometimes, I just want to share the verses that come up off the page as I'm reading each morning. Some or all of these may help you today, or speak to something that may be going on in your life. I hope so.
Isaiah 30:18 But the Lord still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love & compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for Him to help them.
Psalm 31:17 I am overcome w/ joy because of Your unfailing love,
for You have seen my troubles,
& You care about the anguish of my soul.
vs 24 So be strong & take courage,
all you who put your hope in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk;
it is living by God's power.
Isaiah 30:18 But the Lord still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love & compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for Him to help them.
Psalm 31:17 I am overcome w/ joy because of Your unfailing love,
for You have seen my troubles,
& You care about the anguish of my soul.
vs 24 So be strong & take courage,
all you who put your hope in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk;
it is living by God's power.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
success
1 Corinthians 3
4 When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts,
and Apollos watered it,
but it was God who made it grow.
7 It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering.
What's important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose.
And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God's workers.
And you are God's field.
You are God's building.
We're so success oriented.
We feel like if we're not the "harvester" in a situation , we were ineffective, or not important.
I grew up on a farm, surrounded by farms.
For decades I watched someone cultivate a field. This usually took a few visits.
Then someone else plant the seeds. This was usually a one shot deal.
Then someone else would come along MANY TIMES & run a cultivator through the field to keep the weeds under control until the planted crop had grown big enough to take care of itself.
Finally, someone would come along & harvest the ripe plants in the field. The harvester usually was a single occurrence.
Every step of the work in growing crops was important. The weed guy's numerous visits was the most numerous, & the hottest, since it was done during the growing period, which was usually in the warmest part of the summer.
But be that as it may, each person's part in the growing of a crop was necessary.
I get the feeling sometimes that we're supposed to all be harvesters when it comes to winning people over to become Christ followers. It's that success orientation popping out.
God has each of us playing a part in someone's life as they walk toward belief. Some of us will never know our impact untill we get to heaven. But each of our parts in the leading of someone to Jesus is just as important as the other.
And who do you think usually has the most satisfaction at harvest time? The weed guy
It's because he spent the most time with the crop.
Just saying...
4 When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts,
and Apollos watered it,
but it was God who made it grow.
7 It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering.
What's important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose.
And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God's workers.
And you are God's field.
You are God's building.
We're so success oriented.
We feel like if we're not the "harvester" in a situation , we were ineffective, or not important.
I grew up on a farm, surrounded by farms.
For decades I watched someone cultivate a field. This usually took a few visits.
Then someone else plant the seeds. This was usually a one shot deal.
Then someone else would come along MANY TIMES & run a cultivator through the field to keep the weeds under control until the planted crop had grown big enough to take care of itself.
Finally, someone would come along & harvest the ripe plants in the field. The harvester usually was a single occurrence.
Every step of the work in growing crops was important. The weed guy's numerous visits was the most numerous, & the hottest, since it was done during the growing period, which was usually in the warmest part of the summer.
But be that as it may, each person's part in the growing of a crop was necessary.
I get the feeling sometimes that we're supposed to all be harvesters when it comes to winning people over to become Christ followers. It's that success orientation popping out.
God has each of us playing a part in someone's life as they walk toward belief. Some of us will never know our impact untill we get to heaven. But each of our parts in the leading of someone to Jesus is just as important as the other.
And who do you think usually has the most satisfaction at harvest time? The weed guy
It's because he spent the most time with the crop.
Just saying...
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
out of our minds ;-)
1 Corinthians 2
1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him."
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. 12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren't spiritual* can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,
"Who can know the LORD's thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?"
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard" & "Who can know the Lord's thoughts?" are often quoted. The former verse come from Isaiah 64 & the latter from Isaiah 40.
But I think we miss the point here. Paul isn't saying that we're kinda wandering in the dark about things. He's saying here that if we follow God, & are filled with His Holy Spirit, our thinking is being changed in such a dynamic way that we begin to think like Jesus.
Iow, we start to think like God does.
Iow, we can begin to understand life, people, situations, the past, the present, the future like God does.
We start to think like the God of the universes.
That's pretty huge.
What do you think? Is that what Paul's saying here?
Is that true?
And what does it mean if it's true?
How then should we live?
1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him."
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. 12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren't spiritual* can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,
"Who can know the LORD's thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?"
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard" & "Who can know the Lord's thoughts?" are often quoted. The former verse come from Isaiah 64 & the latter from Isaiah 40.
But I think we miss the point here. Paul isn't saying that we're kinda wandering in the dark about things. He's saying here that if we follow God, & are filled with His Holy Spirit, our thinking is being changed in such a dynamic way that we begin to think like Jesus.
Iow, we start to think like God does.
Iow, we can begin to understand life, people, situations, the past, the present, the future like God does.
We start to think like the God of the universes.
That's pretty huge.
What do you think? Is that what Paul's saying here?
Is that true?
And what does it mean if it's true?
How then should we live?
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