The Great Rescue

New Blog Location.

2009-11-12T11:46:00.002-08:00

It's official my blog has moved: http://www.dearfaithless.tumblr.com

Check me out there. Thanks.

Green Flip-Flops

2009-10-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

By my back door sit these two pair of green flip-flops. One my wife's the other mine. For some reason as I was cleaning up around the house this morning this image caught my attention. It grabbed my mind and I saw such significance in our flip-flops sitting next to one another. They're both dirty. We wear them out in the backyard when we're too lazy for shoes. I started connecting these parallels in my mind of how much I love Kristin and this journey of life we're on together. We both come to the table with different things. We have different perspectives on some things. She's a bit more conservative than I am and I'm the one who's always thinking bigger than I probably should be. She reigns me back to earth. We're going to go through good times and hard times. We're going to get a bit dirty along the way I'm sure. The thing is she'll always be by my side and I'll always be by hers. She's my bride, my wife, my help mate, my partner, my love. I'm so thankful she's by my side. So thankful we can take these steps in life together. My God is so good to give me such an amazing wife.

A New Dawn Breaks...

2009-10-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering for a long time if I'm on the right track. There are sometimes I wake up in the morning and I feel a sense of longing for something more than myself. I am blessed beyond measure with a wife and a home that I love and that love me. I'm not complaining about that. All I'm saying is that surely there must be something that God has not yet shown me. I feel like I'm right on the brink of Him moving me someplace. I feel like He's about to shift things around and rearrange my furniture. I'm just not sure how or when or where. Maybe it's nothing. But I sense a new day dawning. Some time ago I wrote a poem for an album I recorded with a friend under the name Opposite Day.

The sunrise peaks the horizon

Sparkling the light dances across the iris

The world is young but my soul grows weak

I turn to You if for nothing else than knowing I am safe

Hear in Your arms that I'm ok

The dew drips from the cloroformed leaves and spring to life

The clouds rip apart

The day, the life begins here.

As a new dawn breaks.

I feel like that's where I am. At the brink of a new day.

Excited and completely unsure of what is coming...

Simple Life - Book Review

2009-10-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

We all long for simplicity. Our lives pull us in a million different directions. Somewhere in the midst of our work, home, and church lives we hope and long for something that is simple. Something to slow us down. We look for simplicity in how we design artwork and clothing. We want simplicity in how things function and work. We want simplicity in our lives.

Not long ago I had the privilege to play a concert with a band called The Cobalt Season. Their most recent album is called "In Search Of A Unified Theory". Ryan explains that the majority of us compartmentalize our lives. We place things in boxes. We have our work life, in which we do work things, we have sets of morals and values that are exclusive to our work life. Then we have our home life with it's own set of morals and values exclusive to it. Finally we have what we call our spiritual life. There are here exclusive morals and values as well. Ryan explains that "In Search Of A Unified Theory" is a set of songs where he is trying to combine these boxes of life. He is trying to mend the inconsistencies between his boxes. He's trying to make his life line up into one single unit. He longs for simplicity.

In their book Simple Life Thom Rainer and his son Art begin to unpack what it means to have a simple life. They do this in four areas: Time, Relationships, Money, and God. In each of these four ares there are four ways to make them simple. Clarity, Movement, Alignment, and Focus.

Clarity means that you have a plan and that the plan clearly states were you want to go. Movement takes place when we remove the congestion in our lives. Congestion in life means you aren't making progress. You can have a clear plan of where you want to go, clarity, but you aren't moving toward the goal. Alignment is when we look at the bad habits and problems that are interfering with our movement then we eliminate some of those things. Focus is that process of eliminating those things.

The authors walk through this process with each area of life in order to help the reader simplify. There are application section to help the read put into practice what he or she is reading. Rather than just giving information the authors provide the reader with something to literally do. The book is well written and indeed simple.

The Justice Project - Book Review

2009-10-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

There are days and moments in which I find myself stopping to ask the question: "Do I have God all wrong?"

I know I must not have Him all wrong I mean I understand the Father's saving grace and the atoning sacrifice of Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit for guidance and direction into all truth. I wonder if I too often ignore the Spirit of God. If my preconceived notions of who God is have gotten in the way with who He really is? Am I believing under false pretenses about who my God is? Have I been speaking so quickly and believing so swiftly that I've missed the words God Himself was whispering?

I feel that God is taking me to some new places in knowing Him... at least I think He's trying to if I'll shut up and let Him. God's been teaching me and molding me through different resources and one of these is The Justice Project, which is a collaboration of Christian thinkers from around the globe asking questions about social justice and justice as it pertains to who God is. If nothing else this book has helped me to clear a path for questions of my own to resurface. Questions that have been brewing for a long time.

Tonight I sat in a warm bath to read some of this book. A tub full of clean water that I pulled a lever to access and gallons filled my clean tub in moments. Earlier today I filled a gallon jug in seconds with fresh cold clean water to use for coffee beans that I pulled from a bag and ground and brewed for myself and a friend with no thought at all. As I filled my tub and my jug today at both times God has reminded me of so many around the world without clean water to even drink. Here I sit wallowing in it. Here I can call it up at any temperature desired from the tap, if I'm feeling luxurious I might filter it... God has blessed me with so many things that I take for granted. What does it say about Him that so many go without? Rather what does it say about what my response to these situations should be. Justice is at the top of the list for God. He calls us to follow Him in this in Micah 6:8. He calls us to "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" with Him.

The Justice Project I hope will bring some questions to your mind as well concerning your role in social justice. I'm praying that God keeps my heart open to hear Him speak.

“Justice.”

The word variously thrills, or it terrifies, or it bores. Justice is something we’re longing for, something we’re trying to evade, or something we feel vaguely guilty about because – in a post-ONE Campaign world – it’s something we’re supposed to be passionate about.

Whither justice?

This question is vitally enmeshed in early 21st century life, whether we’re approaching it politically, spiritually, philosophically, or pop culturally. Clothing lines that promise easy-purchasing justice, theological interpretations of the Gospel that say ‘Thank God we don’t get justice,’ and a litigious culture that demands justice for coffee that’s too hot – it’s a hot-button topic, for sure.

The contributors to this new anthology The Justice Project feel our pain. And they contend that the world has never been in greater need of Jesus-followers who "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."

The Justice League:
This collection of essays contains more than thirty brief chapters by some of the most penetrating thinkers in the contemporary Christian ‘justice conversation,’ including voices from evangelical, mainline, and emerging contexts:

* Rene Padilla
* Peggy Campolo
* Will and Lisa Samson
* Sylvia Keesmaat
* Bart Campolo
* Lynne Hybels
* Tony Jones
* Richard Twiss
* many others

The essays are fresh, and take nothing for granted. You can read ‘em in order or peruse at will. The Justice Project is eating through my jaded-ness to inspire me to live a beautiful life of justice-making unto God’s new creation.

Endorsements
"Put together by exemplary leaders, this will be a handbook for any who are committed to working for biblically based social justice. It's comprehensive and brilliantly well written."
– Tony Campolo

"Absolutely dazzling. Here is a choir for social justice that makes the prophets smile. The editors have conducted a symphony of voices, harmonizing without homogenizing. You may find some voices here a little high pitched or unfamiliar, but together they are magical. These authors are not just the 'usual suspects' of the religious left, but signs of a movement that is coloring outside the lines of partisan politics and stale debates in a post-religious right world. They insist that our faith must be as daring and sassy, as gentle and fascinating, as our lover, Jesus."
– Shane Claiborne

Extras
Brian McLaren explaining his heart behind being the editor – and how his proceeds will be used:http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/the-justice-project.html

25-page PDF excerpt:http://www.bakerbooks.com/Media/MediaManager/Excerpt_9780801013287.pdf

Even the book’s potential theological critics are turning a hopeful eye: http://witheredgrass.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/the-justice-project-a-look-at-doing-justice

Through The River - Book Review

2009-10-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

"Your truth is what you make it." has never been more fleshed out than it is in modern culture. People all around the world and across the street come to the table with varying views on truth. Some believe truth is non-existent or that truth is created by one's own personal belief system. Some believe that truth is absolute and unchanging that it can be directly proven by facts and hard evidence. Some base truth on experience and ideas.

In their book Through the River, by John and Mindy Hirst - with Dr. Paul Hiebert, attempt to paint a picture of the reader of three main truth lenses (positivism-instrumentalism-critical realism) through the example of a place called River Town. In River Town there are three different types of villagers and each village represents a different truth lens.

The readers are given a fair and objective explanation of the three truth lenses. Positivism being the more extreme conservative view in which truth is absolute; and Instrumentalism being the extreme liberal view in which truth is fluid and changeable. The authors tend to lean a bit toward critical realism, a combination of positivism and instrumentalism.

The book is very practical and well written. It takes some large ideas by the late Dr. Paul Hiebert and puts them in a format that is easy to understand and dig through for every reader. I hope it's published again later by a larger company. This book deserves the press.

http://throughtheriverbook.com

Through the River blog

Jon and Mindy Hirst on Twitter: @generousmind

Through the River Facebook Fan Page.

Through the River Facebook discussion group.

Quirks

2009-10-08T04:34:00.000-07:00

Whenever I can't get something out of my mind.

\Something I'm thinking pretty heavily about I end up walking around talking to myself about it.

This can seem and look pretty hilarious. However the most fun is when I get really into it.

I start preaching about it. I mean like old school fire and brimstone preaching about it.

I'm not sure where this comes from.

Today I can't get my Grandfather's funeral out of my mind. I'm trying to figure out when and where it is this weekend and it's frustrating that I can't get the answers I'm looking for. So this morning in the shower I started preaching. I was talking to imaginary people about how the Bible condemns laziness and gluttony (not sure how gluttony got in there) and that they needed to give me the times for the funeral.

That transferred to me actually preaching his funeral in my mind. I began to share all these stories and memories about my life and time with my grandfather. (At this point my cats began to give me strange looks.)

The earliest I can trace this habit back (to where I remember myself doing it) was once in 4th or 5th grade when I was listening to Carman's Cassette Tape "American Standard" where he preach/sings through "We Need God In America Again". I was listening to the cassette and pretending I was Carman preaching at the mirror. My dad came in without me noticing and scared the crap out of me.

Some of you are now doing one of a few things

+ You can't believe that I had a Carman Cassette Tape

+ You don't know who Carman is or what a Cassette Tape is.

+ You're still thinking about my cats making faces.

Regardless. What are your hang ups?

Those little quirky things that just kick in and you're not quite sure where they come from.

Well?

Ted Dekker's Green - A Book Review

2009-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Let me first say how excited I am to have the privilege of reviewing such an amazing work of fiction. I am a big fan of Ted Dekker's work and have read through almost all of his literary contributions. This is no exception. Green can be read as with the beginning or the end of the Circle Series which includes Dekker's other works Black, Red, and White.

Green is the much awaited beginning... or end to the Circle Series by Ted Dekker. It's a story that captures elements of love, truth, adventure, suspense, betrayal, and faith in a way that few Christian authors are able to capture. Dekker's imagination never ceases to captivate.

Green is a must have for any Ted Dekker fan. It is a great beginning and ending for the Circle Series, probably Dekker's most famous work. Green ties together the loose ends from many of the Books of History and Paradise novels.

Green wrestles with the idea of trusting and having faith in a God that sometimes seems distant or even absent. It's amazing how a work of fiction can hit home so hard with a Christian audience in real life. Much like in the novel hopping from one reality to another. Dekker causes the reader to pass from the reality of the book into the reality of life. Challenging and encourage a trust in a God who never fails.

Be sure to check out Ted Dekker's Green Website for Downloads, Videos and More!

I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

A Prayer To Our Father - Hebrew Origins Of The Lord's Prayer - Book Review

2009-10-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

A Prayer To Our Father by Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson is VERY hard to get into. In the first 50 pages all the authors do is talk about how they met, how they want got to the point of wanting to work together and how they come together despite their differences in order to write on the Hebrew Origins of the Lord's Prayer (The Avinu Prayer). The writing is very hard to read and seems more like a diary for personal use of the authors that for actual education of the reader. The authors begin using terms, such as the Avinu Prayer before they explain them. Overall this was not an enjoyable read.

Extraordinary - Book Review

2009-10-02T12:57:00.001-07:00

Grace brings believers into relationship with God. But many Christians don’t understand that grace is also the power source for incredible joy, success, and peace in life. In Extraordinary, John Bevere presents a logical, compelling, and deeply inspiring case straight from Scripture for living a life far above “the ordinary.”

There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life--didn’t Jesus promise that?”

He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.

Nothing could be further from the truth! John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.

Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”

Author Bio:
John Bevere is an internationally popular conference speaker, teacher, and author of bestsellers, including The Bait of Satan, Drawing Near, andDriven by Eternity. His award-winning curriculum and books have been translated in over sixty languages and his weekly television program,The Messenger, is broadcast around the world. John and his wife, Lisa—also a bestselling author and speaker—reside with their family inColorado Springs, Colorado. Visit his ministry website atwww.messengerinternational.org.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

If you are interested in purchasing EXTRAORDINARY please be sure to check out the random house site! http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307457721&ref=externallink_wbp_extraordinary_sec_0817_01

The Diversity Culture by Matthew Raley - A Book Review

2009-09-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

The subtitle to this book immediately grabbed my attention: "Creating Conversations of Faith with Buddhist Baristas, Agnostic Students, Aging Hippies, Political Activists, and Everyone in Between." As a youth pastor I have a large number of students that have friends (the majority % of my students have grown up in Christian homes) that fall into one of these categories. I have family that falls into this category.

I began to read through the pages and became immediately engaged with the coffee shop "Café Siddhartha" in which two individuals come to the table with very different perspectives on life and God and each other without saying a single word. I'm guilty of this.

Matthew Raley does an amazing job painting a picture of what the Diversity Culture is "the dominant American ethos of openness toward all beliefs and spiritual traditions". Raley walks through the preconceived notions most come to the table with. He encourages the reader to figure out what their own personal preconceived notions are and to wrestle with them.

Raley compares the conversations we are to engage in with those immersed in the diversity culture with the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. This is a very well written aspect of the book. It leaves the reader feeling encouraged knowing that Jesus walked through the same had conversations that we will have to in order to impact the culture. Raley is passionate about this cause stating that "unbelievers also need the endowments Christ has given you. As long as they think of Christian spirituality in terms of the group they know as evangelicals, they will not follow Christ. But if you show them the power of the risen Jesus in your testimony, the freedom you have found through the Scriptures, and the love you have stirred in members of Christ's family I think unbelievers will see the gospel for the first time. In think, in fact, that you can only show the gospel to the people of the diversity culture as an individual. You have to stick out."

The love of Christ must be shown to the world not simply told.

The Diversity Culture is a great book I recommend it to any an all who are looking for an hope in sharing there faith in the midst of this current world.

The Search for God and Guinness A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World By Stephen Mansfield - Book Review

2009-09-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

The history of Guinness, one of the world’s most famous brands, reveals the noble heights and crushing descents of a great family and an innovative business.

It began in Ireland in the late 1700’s. The water in Ireland, indeed throughout Europe, was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place was devastating civil society. It was a disease ridden, starvation plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness—as well as monks and even evangelical churches—brewed beer to offer a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times. This is where the Guinness tale began. Now, 246 years and 150 countries later, Guinness is a global brand, one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The tale that unfolds during those two and a half centuries has power to thrill audiences today: the generational drama, business adventure, industrial and social reforms, deep-felt faith, and the beer itself.

The Search for God and Guinness is a biography that traces the heritage of the Guinness family. The creators of Guinness beer. The author, Stephen Mansfield, in the early chapters lays out beautifully the sense of wonder in the reader as he explains all that goes into creating the dark stout beverage. He spends some time on the origins of beer itself and how the Guinness family became involved in the business of beer making. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of it all are the ties of the Guinness family to social justice and the work of ministry through their beer company. Mansfield traces the various impacts that the Guinness family has had on the world, how the company itself treated it's employee's (to the point where Guinness was known as one of the best places to work in Dublin, Ireland. The author has done an amazing job with the biography and very noticeably has jumped in with both feet to provide the reader with an excellent and informative history of Guinness.

RagamuffinSoul Pimps My Music.

2009-09-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Carlos Whitaker "pimped" (promoted) a song I wrote called "Wild Goose Chase" for a series we did in PowerSource a little ways back. Head over to the site, check it out and leave some love!!!

http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/2009/09/ragamuffin-soul-pimps-micah-andrew-hasty/

If God Is Good - Randy Alcorn: Summary

2009-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy,and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

If you would like to purchase If God Is Good you can do so at the ollowing link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601421326

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

My Little Friend

2009-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

A mouse made it's way into my jar of animal crackers over the weekend (yes i forgot to put the lid back on) and I looked down and saw his beady little eyes looking back at me. I quickly put the lid on examined him a bit and then took outside to release him. Fun little excerpt from my day. : )

Family At It's Best Is A Beautiful Mess

2009-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day of festivities. It's been a day of love and symbolic ceremonies. It's been a day of laughter and of love and beauty. There's also been some awkward moments and some unexpected ones. I'm reminded today what makes family so great. You never know what you're going to get. Sure you're related via blood or marriage to many people that you call "family" but you can't control much of what you get when that all comes together. And with all those people comes all types of emotion and expression and hang ups and habits and beauty and joy and love. Family can be messy sometimes. It's a great big beautiful mess. Family is there to support one another. As my sister-in-law and now brother-in-law said their vows today a room of surrounding family and friends stood as witnesses to the event. Our job is to help support them in this new step into their journey as husband and wife. There are no doubt others in the room who have been married once and that failed or thought about getting married but didn't. To them days like these can be hard. What does family do here? We surround, we encourage, we pray, we lift up. Why? Because we're family. We all have junk. We all have things that go wrong or that we aren't proud of... and that my friends it's what makes family at it's best such a beautiful mess. We love each other beyond words, though sometimes we can't stand each other, but at the end of the day, when the light fades and the shadows of that which haunts our souls creeps in like death we surround, we encourage, we pray, we lift up... because we are family. I wish nothing but joy and happiness to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law as they begin their lives together. It's my prayer that Kristin and I can be that encouragement and the help to them when they need it. I'm so thankful for family. It comes in many shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors but at the end of the day...

it's family that keeps us together.

More Than All I Am - Song Idea

2009-09-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

Who Do You Say He Is?

2009-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

In Matthew Chapter 16 jesus turns to those closest too Him and - in response to many saying that He was Elijah reincarnated - asks "Who do you say that I am?" Who do you say that He is?

Lip Worship

2009-09-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Matthew 15:8-9 (TNIV)

"These people honor me with their lips but, their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain their teachings are mere human rules."

This morning I was reading a bit in the gospel of Matthew for Chasing99 playing a little bit of catch up from yesterday and I came across this verse. It reminded me of some things I've been meaning to write about for a little while now about worship. I've had the unique opportunity to be involved in some various worship environments leading people in singing. Each experience has given me some different perspectives and some questions raised. I want to share them with you.

The House Show: Many of you know that I sing and write music for the band The Great Rescue (hence the blog name). Recently I had the opportunity to do an acoustic set at a house show with a could good friends of mine. All of us are Christ-followers and enjoy each others company. I set up in the living room of the home and about 20-30 people showed up for things to begin. It's been a long time since I've played a house show. The environment is always strange. There are those outside smoking their cigarettes and cloves and those inside trying to decide if they want to brave the smog on the font porch or go deaf in the living room. Since I was an acoustic set it gave a nice compromise for those in the living room. I got to meet up with some good friends I haven't seen in a long time. Some friends I needed to see.

Much of the music (if not all) that I write for The Great Rescue has to do with finding hope for the hopeless. I like writing music that can bring encouragement to those who need it and draw people toward the only source of true hope, Jesus. During the set I felt like I was healing and attending to more wounds than playing a set at a house show. There were a few with tears. Some that came to me afterwards and talked a bit about the songs with me. I was able to encourage many that night. I felt as though God had placed me in that house in that moment to minister. I was there to draw hearts toward worshiping the true King.

One gentleman in particular came in to the room that caught my eye. He had tattoos on his face and dressed like he was homeless. He stumbled over to me afterwards. It became immediately obvious that his state of consciousness had been altered a bit by drugs alcohol or a bit of both. He slurred, "Hey man that was a good set. You played the **** out of that guitar." I thanked him and we talked for a bit about my guitar playing (he thought it was great... this confirmed my suspicions about his altered state). Then he said, "You sing a lot about God." "Yeah man God changed my life." "God doesn't like me very much." "Dude, God loves you. He has a plan for your life." At this he stopped and thought for a little bit. The said, "I guess God's an OK guy then." "He loves us dude. That makes him way more than ok in my book." He looked at me glazy eyed for a second then smiled. "And God bless ******* Texas!" He started laughing. I chuckled a bit and said, "Sure, God bless Texas." He laughed and turned quickly walking out the door. I may never meet this gentleman again. He may not remember anything we talked about. I hope he does. I hope he holds on to some kernel of truth in our conversation.

I headed out of the house got in my car and made my way to my next worship environment. In this one I wasn't leading. I was participating. Or at least trying to...

The Glorious Unseen: I attend Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and our Student Life department is pretty amazing. They bring in some amazing concerts for free for students all the time. Recently, The Glorious Unseen came and played in the new student center called "The Tilley Center". They were amazing. Ben Crist and crew lead those trying to seek after God in a night of unashamed worship. It's always a beautifully freeing thing to be in the midst of a group of Christ-Followers worshiping God publicly. There was just one problem. There were so many students in the Tilley Center not there to worship. They were talking and so loud that at some points it drowned out the band. It made it difficult to focus. Difficult to worship. There were many there more excited about seeing the band than meeting with God. I remember feeling more able to worship at the house show than I was here in at the Tilley center. Strange. It felt like God's presence was more fluid and alive in the midst of cloves and cigarettes, the hopeless, the broken, than he was in a room full of students coming to a "worship concert". I felt like I was in the middle of these verses from Matthew. I was in a room full of lip worship with no heart worship.

Tussekiah: A few nights ago The Great Rescue had the privilege of leading worship at a youth rally at Tussekiah Baptist Church in Meherrin, VA. It's a small church and there were a little more than 100 people there that night. We were fed and loved and treated better than we deserved. We were loved with the love of Christ. We played a full set of some originals that I was able to explain a bit in VH1 Storytellers style. Then we launched into a full worship set in which the youth and adults came with us in the public worship of our King.

The room ignited.

It felt as though God's presence was thicker than water in the air and the youth and adult unashamedly worshiped. It was amazing to see. It was amazing to be a a part of it.

Thoughts: In each of these three environments worship took place. Some worshiped "gods" of addiction. Others worshiped the God of restoration. Some worshiped with their lips alone. Others with their hearts open wide to heaven. Where is God most pleased?

God is most pleased when His people who are called by His name gather together and worship with their hearts close to His heart and their lips speaking His truth in love.

What about you?

Are you stuck in Lip Worship?

You Were Born For This - Summary

2009-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by a direct intervention from God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expectingGod to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”

In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a “Delivery Guy” from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth.

You Were Born for This will change how readers see their world, and what they expect God can do through them to meet real needs. They will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and I expect to!”

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Seven Faith Tribes - Book Review

2009-08-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna is a book written with the hopes of opening the eyes of any who will care to listen about who he believes are the seven faith tribes of America. The tribes are: Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Spiritual Skeptics.

Casual Christians are those who call themselves Christians to get a "get out of hell free card" (my words not Barna). In this group you will find no difference between the habits of the Casual Christian or the unbeliever. All of their choices are virtually identical (more can be seen on these stats in the book by David Kinnaman UNCHRISTIAN)

Captive Christians are those who take their faith seriously. They are first and foremost always filtering their lives choices from the largest to the smallest through their faith in Christ. The ratios between Casual and Captive Christians remind me of the Praeto or 80/20 principle.

American Jews' roots run deep in their heritage. They are all about where they come from and what they've had to fight through to get where they are today. They value community and bring any other Jew into the fold based on heritage.

Mormons "argue vehemently that they are a Christian" group but the deny many tenants of the Christian faith. The value family and have large families and are married longer than most Americans.

Pantheists are the group with something for everyone the "Baskin Robin's" of the group as Baran describes. Among this group Barna includes: Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian and "a wealth of groups that fall under the generic New Age banner. In general Pantheists seem more focused on better one's self than bettering the whole.

Muslims in America seem to be more of a nomadic group. They are more likely to not own their homes however are very traditional in their values and doctrines and teaching that to their children is a very important part of their home life. Muslims are more likely to have children under the age of 18 in their homes as well.

Spiritual Skeptic are as they seem. They take everything with a grain of salt but, in the end seem to be searching for something bigger than themselves.

In Seven Faith Tribes, Barna brings these groups together and pulls their strengths and weaknesses to come to a stronger place in American spirituality. He does this by pointing out our shared values and spends the rest of the book noting how we can build up the strength of these values in our households, media, etc.

This is my first Barna book and overall it was pretty hard to read. It seems that it's loaded with statistics but, not quiet as practical as I would like. Great vision. Raises some good questions about what we'll have to do to reach an UNCHRISTIAN nation.

The Prodigal Returns

2009-08-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Blogger - I have returned. Tumblr is no more.

My Blog Has Moved...

2009-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've moved to www.thegreatrescue.tumblr.com

Please come check me out over there and follow me.

Dancing Goats EP

2009-08-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

A little while back I wrote an EP called the Dancing Goats EP based on a new coffee house I tried on a whim. All these songs are a little different than what I would normally write and are inspired by the ability to try something new. You can download the EP for free at NoiseTrade.com or pay what you want for it. Regardless. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Check out this FREE music from The Great Rescue @NoiseTrade!http://tinyurl.com/lew5ne

Starbucks.. What Is It About That Place?

2009-08-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sitting at a local Starbucks on Wards Road here in Lynchburg, Virginia. Waiting for the parent of one of our students to walk through the door to meet with me. I have to say there is just something about Starbucks. Granted my favorite coffee shop in town is the Muse Coffee Co. in Wyndhurst. It’s a locally grown shop with their own roaster and amazing employees who know your name and face and love you like family. There’s just something about Starbucks though. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Any ideas?

A Lover's Quarrel With The Evangelical Church - Book Review

2009-08-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

A Lover's Quarrel With The Evangelical Church by Warren Cole Smith is exactly as the title describes, a lover's quarrel. The book opens with "My name is Warren, and I'm a recovering evangelical." In the book Smith offers his honest perspective of his problems with the evangelical church. What's interesting is that all the while Smith claims to be an evangelical. It's an insiders look, saying "Here are some problems I see. I don't like them but, I'm apart of this as well and I think we can come together and fix these things."

Some of the main issues Smith tackles are those of the "Christian-Industrial Complex" in which he brings up topics like Christian publishing houses, record labels, and the like that make millions of dollars a year and questions their motives.

He criticizes what he calls "Body-Count Evangelism" in which numbers become more important that the souls of those people. Smith makes a very true statement: "In the era of body-count evangelism, people become statistics. True salvations become opportunities not for joy, by for bragging." It's a sad truth that I've seen this very thing take place. Thankfully not in the church I'm currently serving. I would say it's also easy to look at the surface of some things and make judgement calls rather than seeing what happens behind the scenes. Sure there are people that slip through the cracks... I wish this wasn't the case but, the truth is in large churches it just happens sometimes. The goal is not to allow anyone to simply walk an isle and leave. We want to win people to Jesus Christ by sharing His love and message. We want to then not count them as a number for a quota, but instead grow them in their spiritual walk with Jesus Christ and then send them out to the world as representatives of the love and message of Jesus Christ they themselves came to know. I'm thankful that it's more than numbers at my church home. I'm thankful we're not a statistic and that we don't count them.

Overall Smith writes with honesty and passion towards the topics he addresses. However, there are moments when it seems that Smith is ranting more than examining and condemning more than diagnosing. Early in the book Smith is a but confusing with his writing and mentions about 4-5 items that are the "theme" of the book. I felt myself confused about what exactly the theme of the book was and wondering why my conclusions were different than the author's expressed ones. The book didn't pick up for me until about the third chapter. A Lover's Quarrel With The Evangelical Church is a decently written and raises some good questions that all evangelical churches need to examine and be reminded of.

A People's History of Christianity - Book Review

2009-07-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

There has been a rise in recent years for people to return to their roots; to understand the inner workings of who their ancestors were discover their heritage. In the author's spiritual walk with Christ and her own study of Christian history she kept having conversations with her friends that ended up with statements like "I don't have trouble with Jesus. It's all the stuff that happened after Jesus that makes me mad." (pg.1) It is this sense of discontentment and question that caused Diana Butler Bass to write A People's History Of Christianity.

I have also expressed some discouragement, along with many of my friends, over the state of the evangelical church in the present day. There are times when we just stand back with mouths agape and eyes wide thinking out loud "How did we get to here?" It's this very question that Bass hopes to answer through A People's History Of Christianity.

A People's History of Christianity divides Christian history into five time periods: The Way (Early Christianity, 100-500); The Cathedral (Medieval Christianity, 500-1450); The Word (Reformation Christianity, (1450-1650); The Quest (Modern Christianity, 1650-1945); and The River (Contemporary Christianity, 1945-Now) and traces the social history of Christianity through those five periods. Within these periods Bass tends to highlight persons and principles that served as catalysts for movements of Christianity.

During "The Way" (Early Christianity, 100-500) "people understood Christianity primarily as a way of life in the present, not as a doctrinal system esoteric belief, or promise of eternal salvation." (pg.27) Those centuries closest to the ascension of Christ were filled with people living out Jesus' call to "come and die" on a day-to-day basis in figurative and sometimes literal ways. It would appear that this "way of life" mindset is making resurgence among many Christ-followers in the present day.

"The Cathedral" age brought about with it the rise of higher devotion to Jesus and a distancing from the institutional church. Monasticism came to a rise and more and more people were seeking true community to follow Jesus rather than the institutional church, which had become nothing more than a tyrannical theocracy. "In an age when people claim to be "spiritual but not religious," it is fashionable to downplay institutions in favor of a direct experience of the divine." (Pg.90)

"The Word" refers to the period of time in which the Guttenberg Press printed the first Bible ever. With the Word being printed and passed around this put the Word of God into the hands of the people in their own language. It made the Bible common place for society.

"The Quest" or the period of Modernity was the time in which it seemed that many were searching for truth and believed they could find it. This is a large shift into postmodern thinking in which searching is more important than finding and truth is what you make of it.

"The River" is a name given to this time period that describes the fluidity of Christianity. In our contemporary era of postmodern though truth has become what we make it. Christianity flows up and down and can fit into whatever mold I pour it into. This is all done for the purpose of ideas like the "ecumenical movement" in which people of all races, genders, denomination, sexual orientation, or creed can gather together and worship the same God all at once. Let me say this. I think that sounds like a beautiful thing. I really do. However there when it comes to some issues of theology and doctrine and biblical truth I don't budge for the sake of loving everyone. The best way for me to love someone is to sometimes confront him or her, in a loving and compassionate manner, with the hard truth of a wrong path they are traveling.

Bass effectively traces this social history of Christianity by stringing together some of her own personal encounters with each section as she herself studied Christian History in college. Some of her college experience took place in conservative theological seminaries while her PhD comes from Duke University in North Carolina. This liberal influence in her PhD work seeps through here and there in her writing as it seems throughout the book that conservative outlook is frowned upon or seen as close minded while "emerging Christianity" and "spiritual progressives" those with a more liberal view seem to shine through a bit brighter.

Bass' end desire is for Christians to understand their roots. She wants those who claim to follow Christ to know how we got to here... wherever "here" ends up being in the next few years. She longs for the readers to see an importance in knowing history and then to go and make history. (Pg. 310) Bass tends to push the reader toward a thought process that ends up on the liberal, or spiritually progressive, end of the drawing board however she does a good job of trying to stay balanced in her communicating of the topic.

Blue Like Play Dough - Review

2009-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Book Review:

In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own. As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible.

Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.

In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognizes the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind.

Author Bio:

Tricia Goyer is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including Generation NeXt Parenting and the Gold Medallion finalist Life Interrupted. Goyer writes for publications such as Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family, speaks to women’s groups nationwide and has been a presenter at the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) national convention. She and her husband, John, live with their family in Montana.

If you are interested in purchasing the book click here.

The Dirty Hands Of A Derelict

2009-07-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy day. I've been pretty preoccupied with the world around me today. I've been doing work getting things designed and printed and ready to send out. I've been getting price quotes on t-shirt designs for our F.L.O. ministry and our SURV teams for PowerSource (pretty excited about those shirts) but, the thing that I've forgotten today is my time with God. Yes it's true. Today I missed my quiet time. Normally I do it in the morning right after I get to my office or before I get there in my car in the parking lot for a few a little while. I normally pull out my bible and read through some passages and meditate on them and pray through them asking God to reveal His word to me. I pray through requests that I know of and I spend some time in silence listening for God's voice. I wait for Him to move and speak to my heart.

This morning I completely didn't do any of that.

I got wrapped up first thing in my office work and reading other books than my bible. I like reading so even reading can become a distraction. One must be careful to not get so caught up reading books about God and the Christian life that they forget to spend time in the Word of God itself. I did that today. It's 10:00pm and I'm just now getting around to reading in my Bible and praying spending some time now reflecting. I normally reflect on what I've read by blogging. It's my form of journalling. I used to write a lot in a journal and I still do to some extent but, recently it's just been more natural to blog it out. Regardless, here I am. Let's begin.

Isaiah 1:29-30 (NCV)

You will be ashamed, because you have worshiped gods under the oak trees. You will be disgraced because you have worshiped idols in your gardens. You will be like and oak whose leaves are dying or like a garden without water.

This passage I read tonight it spoke pretty loudly to my described situation. God's talking to the people of Israel about their worship of idols, false gods. He says that those who have worshiped false gods will become like what they worshiped. If you worshiped under the oak tree you'll become like an oak whose leaves are dying. If you worshiped idols in your garden you'll become like a garden without water... dried up and dying. I began to think of that in light of this morning. I would consider and idol anything and everything that takes priority of or place of God in our lives at any point in time. This morning my reading and my work turned into an idol. I was so excited about reading and about designing that they took priority over my excitement to dive into God's word. It's true... it happens to all of us. So what did I become today? I became tired. I felt like the dry pages of a book filled with mans words about God rather than God's words to me.

I'm glad God forgives and I'm able to ask for that forgiveness and make things right. Earlier in this same chapter in verse 25 God says that He will clean away Israel's wrongs "as if with soap". He washes us clean if we are willing to be washed. He won't force us to be clean. We have to allow Him to clean us.

I'm reminded of a song that came out a while back by the band Mukala. As far as I know they only ever released one album. I saw them on tour with Bleach and Seven Day Jesus back in the early 90's. Their hit single was a song called "Soap" it goes like this.

I'm bleaching and scrubbing
Been rubbin' around in the dirt
Infested, Infected
My soul beginning to hurt
I'll whitewash my tombstone
So bright and white and clean
But I don't think no one can see the rot beneath

What Soap can never wash away
Deodorize or disinfect
The dirty hands of a derelict
What soap can never wash away
The blood-stained hands of a guilty man
Only Your love can

We're fickle; we're wayward
Rubbin shoulders with fallen angels
And carry epidemics
Spread around by street corner medics
We try and we try
To heal with the naked eye
And find a cure for the sinful seed
We carry in our genes

- MUKALA: "SOAP"

What are your idols?

What do you worship instead of God?

What do you need to be washed clean "as with soap" of?

Will you make things right and allow God to wash you clean?

Hold Me Now - Hillsong

2009-07-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yet another video and song from the upcoming Hillsong album Faith+Hope+Love.

Hillsong "Hold Me Now" from Ben Arment on Vimeo.

The Tale Of The Three Day Old Sheetz Coffee And A Word To The Colossians

2009-07-28T12:39:00.001-07:00

I finished a cup of coffee today that I bought Sunday morning from Sheetz. It's been in and out of fridge as I've nursed it slowly. I bought it Sunday because we just moved and all of our coffee stuff was packed away in a box and I needed some caffeinated loving. I picked up Matt Godsoe, one of our students, and we swung into Sheetz grabbed the cups-o-joe and made our way to PowerSource. The thing is that Sunday morning got a little more crazy than I had hoped for on the way toward our start time and I never got to drink my coffee. At the end of service I took some sips to keep myself from falling asleep, bed time the night before was around 1:00am due to unpacking and it was a 5:30am waking up before the dawn. I dropped it in the fridge took it over to the apartment last night (we're repainting it white) and brought it home and put it back in the fridge. Woke up a little later this morning with no time to brew a hot cup and grabbed my trusty Sheetz Coffee cup out of the fridge again and finished it in a meeting this morning. Granted this morning it was by far NOT the best cup-o-joe I've had. It was actually a bit gross. Ok really gross but, I was desperate.

I was reading in Colossians today for a bit of a switch up and got to verse 13 of chapter 1 which reads: "God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son." (New Century Version) I started thinking about how I've been freed from darkness. I'm no longer a slave to it. I don't have to remain in it... but.... sometimes.... my heart drifts back to dark places and in the end I'm left screaming and crawling back to the light. It's kind of like my Sheetz coffee. I had opportunity to get other coffee. I could have gone over to Starbucks or even dropped back by Sheetz for a fresh brew but, I kept returning to my cold sludge. I had the opportunity to be freed from it. There was nothing holding me there but I kept going back to it.

What sins keep calling you back to the darkness?

Things you feel like you can't escape?

May you rest in the fact that as a child of the King you are freed from the bondage of the darkness.

May you run into the marvelous light cast by the Son Jesus Christ.

May you get some fresh brewed, warming, refreshing cup-o-joe and not settle for the sludge.

Meditate on Colossians 1:13 today.

Rest in it.

Release it.

Be free.

Clear The Stage | Worship Is More Than A Song

2009-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

CLEAR THE STAGE
Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure that it takes to crush the idols.
Chuck the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregations few then have revival.
Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
until you're broken for your sins you can't be social.
Then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store
and know that great is your reward and just be hopeful

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Take a break from all the plans that you made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.
Beg Him please to open up his mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.
Then read the word and put to test the things you've heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

Cause you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
you can sing all you want to
And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Anything I put before my God is an idol.
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol.
Anything that I give all my love is an idol.
We must not worship something that's not even worth it.
Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.

Cause I can sing all I want to.
Yes I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song.

And you can sing all you want to.
Yes you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.
- Ross King

Such a beautiful line. Such a beautiful truth.

I was reminded of the song "Clear The Stage" by Ross King not long ago by my friend Lynsey Koles (@OneBlindMouse) This song always gives me perspective and helps me to drop my pride a bit if you will. I was thinking this morning quite a bit about the role of "worship" in our churches. I thought about how much time and effort and money and staffing is put into our "worship ministries" in our churches. We spend so much money to create worship environments that are extremely visually engaging and interactive for our congregations. This song reminds me that in order to truly worship sometimes we need to strip the stage. We need to get rid of all of that and simple get alone with God. Worship in public can't happen if worship in private is not happening already. What things do you need to clear out of the way to make way for genuine authentic worship that is seeking God completely looking for nothing for self but giving completely and sacrificially to God in Spirit and in Truth?

No Reason To Hide - Hillsong

2009-07-28T10:14:00.001-07:00

Another new tune from the upcoming album FAITH+HOPE+LOVE by Hillsong

A great reminder of how God is EVERYTHING WE NEED!!!

No Reason to Hide - Hillsong from Tony Morgan on Vimeo.

I Will Exalt You - Hillsong

2009-07-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

The NEW song from the album Faith+Hope+Love coming out 8.4.2009 by Hillsong.

It's beautiful.

Just rest in it for a bit.

Make it your prayer.

One Big God

2009-07-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've been reading through the book of Acts in which it describes the history of the events that happened after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven of Jesus Christ among those of His followers who remained faithful in speaking about Jesus mission and message. In chapter 4 (I've been camping here for a bit recently) I was stopped today at verse 24. It's random because the verse is simply the beginning words of a prayer from the apostles after a confrontation between Peter & John and the religious council.

Acts 4:24 (ESV)

24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices p together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, q who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

It's so simple but, it just made me stop and think...

When is the last time I opened a prayer to my God with that type of reverence and respect?

They open with calling God their:

"Sovereign" (i.e. in complete control - having ultimate authority)

"Lord" (i.e. not just a friend or a guy they talk to when they want something but, their LORD the one they have dedicated their every breath to)

Imagine what it would look like if we lived like we believed that God was really our Sovereign Lord. Wow.

Not only is their Sovereign Lord but He made the Heaven, Earth, Sea, and EVERYTHING IN THEM.

Tonight go out and look at the stars if you can see them where you are. Just gaze. Try and count them. It's pretty overwhelming. Our God made that. He made it so we could look up and see the magnitude of just how big He is and how small we are. (Go to http://crazylovebook.com/ click on "Videos" then "The Awe Factor Of God" video to see just how far up those heavens go.)

Look at a globe. Find your country. Your State. Your County/City. Your Street. How small is that in comparison to the entire Earth. Think of all the people that inhabit our planet. God created them and loved them.

Think of the sea. When I think of the sea I think of shows like Deadliest Catch and Whale Wars and Planet Earth. Shows that take us to the most dangerous, and most beautiful waters on our planet. The oceans and seas are so full of life that sometimes seems more "alien" to us that anything in the heavens could seem. God created that. To show us the depths of His creativity and majesty.

Point is. God's a big God. Even though He's big. He loves us. That's beautiful and amazing.

It's a joint prayer "they lifted their voices together to God and said," it's not just one person praying, but all of them with their hearts and souls as one (Acts 4:32). We should come together as one body, the church, unified and saying, singing, dancing, living, working, serving, exhorting, praying, - worshiping this one big God. In all we do in all we say, think, and breathe, we should be giving "glory to God forever" because He is our Sovereign Lord who made the heavens and the earth and the seas and everything in them.

Glory to God

Glory to God forever

Take my life and let it be all for You and for Your glory

Take my life and let it be Yours.

- Fee

I Will Not Be Silent

2009-07-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

Acts 4:18-20 (ESV)
18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for l we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John here in this passage have just been told by the religious leaders of the day that they need to keep quiet about the miracle, through God's power, of Peter healing the crippled man. Note this is a "charge" not a request. Peter and John were basically just defending themselves in a court of law. So what do they do? They cannot keep silent.

So if you're told by the government, your school, your friends, your parents to stop telling people about Jesus... will you have the courage to stand up and say

NO. I WILL NOT BE SILENT.

I'm reminded of the chorus by David Crowder Band "Make A Joyful Noise/I Will Not Be Silent":

Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth

Flowers of the field are crying to be heard

The trees of the forest are singing

And all of the mountains with one voice

Are joining the chorus of this world

I will not be silent, I will not be quiet anymore.

Running through the forest I dive into the lake

Bare feet on beaches white

Standing in the canyon with painted hills around

And the wind against my skin

Every ocean on tree

Every river every stream

Every mountain every tree

Every blade of grass will sing

Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth.

May we join with creation... in not being silent about the love and beauty of our King.

A People's History of Christianity

2009-07-23T20:15:00.002-07:00

I'm reading A People's History of Christianity right now, and you'll be getting my thoughts on it soon. In the meantime, check out this OOZE.tv interview where Diana discusses the impetus behind the book."

To My 8th Graders Moving Up:

2009-07-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

"May you - shine your light to let the whole world see the glory of the Risen King Jesus - may He be the center of your lives - your one passion - when the road is dark ahead may you rest in the shelter of His wings as He sings over you with gladness and brings you quietness through His love - oh how He loves you so oh how He loves you how He loves you so - may you find your identity in the beauty of Jesus blood that never fails you - may you live as if you would give your life to follow everything you believe in - because it is all because of Jesus that you are alive - may your hearts break for what breaks God's - may you shine with the light of God, speak words of love, get a little wild when you dance, worship the King with everything that you are and make a joyful noise to the Lord with all of creation because you are known and loved by the King."

Emersion by David Jolley - The Beauty Of Dance As Art And Worship

2009-07-21T09:42:00.001-07:00

Emersion by David Jolley, originally uploaded by she dances.

The medium of dance has been coming up more often for me lately as an art form. I'm married to a dancer so naturally it comes up a lot but, in a more than normal way dance has made it's way into my heart and mind quite frequently.

The TV show So You Think You Can Dance has created a venue for aspiring dancers across the nation to make their mark on the world of dance as they use their bodies to communicate a thought, idea, emotion, or scenario.

Dance has gotten a bad rap in our churches for years. It's been viewed in a negative light and unfortunately there is a good deal of dance out there that is very immoral. For this reason we've stripped it from our churches. My question then turns to the radio. There are a number of songs that are written out of immoral heart and have lyrics that should make us crawl under a rock and hide. Yet we use some of the same rhythms and chord progressions to create art that is pleasing to our God and king. We have used the medium of painting in our churches, one might think of the Jesus Painters ministry or the series "CANVAS" done by Louie Giglio and Andy Stanley some years back. There is quite a bit in modern art that is also displeasing to God. We still use the medium but direct it's focus toward heaven.

Dance communicates all sorts of things. It can be used to communicate light or darkness. As with the other mediums I've discussed, to see dance focused on drawing the watcher toward a better understanding of a truth about God is a beautiful, beautiful thing and I would go as far to say that it can't be experienced any other way.

In dance, the dancer must use their whole body, their facial expression, their emotion, their heart to direct others toward Christ in worship. It's amazing. It's my prayer that we would begin to see dance as a form of worship to be used in our services.

How has dance been used in your community? Has it been? How has it effected you?

My Favorite Things... (In This Module)

2009-07-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

We'll my favorite topic in this module didn't have much to do with raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens.... but it does have to do with style of church and worship. As a worship leader I love to see how and why the church does what it does as it ebbs and flows through culture creating new art and teaching new generations about the love of God. It's amazing to look at the Charleston vs. Sandy Creek Movements and trace through to how my church does worship today.

Some background would be nice I guess. Charleston Baptists started in 1740 and grew mainly in the US state of South Caroline. Interestingly enough I've spent a fair amount of time in Charleston this summer doing missions and speaking to youth. Characteristically Charleston Baptists have a more liturgical style of worship. They value highly their education programs and believe that discipleship should be the main emphasis of all teaching in the church.

Sandy Creek Baptists, originally called Separate Baptists, started in 1755 were a bit more of a wild bunch. They were very evangelistic in nature and in their congregational methods. In general they were less educated and wealthy that the Charleston Baptists and had a more "extemporaneous" worship style. They emphasized evangelism and church planting over discipleship and education in ministry.

It would honestly say that my church falls somewhere in between. While there are deep Charleston roots it seems that our worship styles feel more Sandy Creek. Regardless of where they come from or which movement we claim for our roots the important thing is that both of these stylistic methods for "church" can point to Christ and draw others to Him.

It can be messy that's for sure... but, it's beautiful.

The Great Awakening (1720-1740)- Lecture

2009-07-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

Introductions:

I'm doing quite a bit of study in the realm of Church History this summer. I'm taking the first of two parts of an overview of Church History and then a more specific study concerning the history of Baptists. In my studies I've come to the point where a bit of discussion on The Great Awakening (1720-1740) is in order. I thought to myself (at the prompting of a discussion board) if I were to teach a class on The Great Awakening what would my main three sections be? What parts of The Great Awakening are crucial to the understanding of what exactly the movement was?

The Background:

It's important first to understand that we are not speaking in general terms of the Great Awakenings but rather the First Great Awakening. "The Great Awakenings were several periods of rapid and dramatic religious revival in Anglo-American religious history, generally recognized as beginning in the 1730s. They have also been described as periodic revolutions in U.S. religious thought. The term is also used in some respects to refer to American religious revivalism that the Protestant Reformation inspired during and after the 1500s, as well as to identify general religious trends within distinctly U.S. religious culture." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening) The First Great Awakening was indeed a revival, think full commitment not tent preachers with gimmicks, of the soul.

The reasons for the start of this awakening are threefold: Providential in that it was affirmed by the works of Jonathan Edwards and others; Physical as natural disasters and diseases such as an earthquake and diphtheria brought the people to think heavily on eternal matters, and Spiritually there was very little involvement in the church by the colonists and the lack of understanding about spiritual matters brought many to place of questioning.(Ergun Caner CHHI 694 Lecture Notes Lesson 12 Pgs. 3-6)

Controversies: (Old & New Lights)

As with anything in the local church there are always those who champion and oppose. There were those among the Congregationalists who rejected the revival called the "Old Lights". Many of these men and women later became Unitarians. Those who championed the cause of the revival from this group, the "New Lights", began to question things like infant baptism and later became Baptists. "As more religious dissenters and more of the general populace supported the idea of separation of church and state, more ministers from various denominations supported the Great Awakening. Although it began to reinforce the old, traditional theology of Calvinism among people, a new group of preachers arose later in the years called the New Lights. Leaders such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were New light preachers who gave emotional speeches. They believed that salvation was more important than religious training. In contrast, the Old light preachers used more closely reasoned, rational arguments in their sermons."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening)

Results:

Some important results of the Great Awakening were: renewed evangelism and revivalism, religious freedom, emphasis on being part of the local church, and renewed call and passion for ministry. (Ergun Caner CHHI 694 Lecture Notes Lesson 12 Pgs. 6) The greatest result was that the Great Awakening helped to draw people back to Jesus this was an is still the most important aspect of any revival in the church. That God would draw all men unto Himself so that He alone can receive glory for the work done in men's hearts.

Finding An Unseen God: Reflections Of A Former Atheist - Book Review

2009-07-16T21:54:00.001-07:00

It's always a beautiful thing to hear the stories of lives that have been changed. Lives that were heading deeper into the darkness of the world only to be rescued and brought into the Light. It's a beautiful thing to hear about how Jesus changes lives.

That's exactly what the book Finding An Unseen God is all about. It's a true story, a testimony if you will, of a changed life. The author, Alicia Britt Chole, writes with passion and zeal to communicate the story of the events surrounding her encounter with Jesus.

As a former Atheist, Alicia writes from a slightly apologetic perspective. She reminds Christ-followers that they are to be known by their love. This is not a wishy washy love that wipes over all people without an attempt at sharing the gospel. Alicia encourages the reader to communicate the truth in love and one might get the idea that she feels the telling of your own story may be the best way to do just that.

The book jumps from chapter 52 and the end of her story to chapter 1 the beginnings to 51 to 2 and so on until it meets in the middle. While at first this is a bit confusing it later became pretty enjoyable and worked like a seamless puzzle joining up in just the write moments. It also became very nice in breaking up what some might consider heavier apologetic sections of reading. While there is no real, "heavy reading" in Finding An Unseen God it's still nice to keep the story moving while breaking it up as well. The theme of puzzles seems to flow throughout the book, from the clever cover art to an actual word puzzle at the beginning of the book, that serve as metaphorical touches to Alicia's testimony of her life that at many moments seems like a table full of puzzle pieces waiting to be put together. Thankfully all is found and put in place by her Savior, Jesus.

While Alicia spend 90% of the book simply telling her story, it's not lost on this reader her attempts to draw those without a relationship with Jesus into one. She leaves the reader with four filters to apply to their own faith, which she in tern has applied to her relationship with Christ. "(1) - My faith's savior, Jesus, is consistent to the core. (2) - My faith - though quotable - is also livable. (3) - My faith in Jesus is sustainable (4) - My faith in Jesus is transferable to others."

Overall, Finding An Unseen God, is an enjoyable and quick read. It's the true story of a woman who has come to grips with who Jesus is and what He has done in her life.

"Watership Down EP" - Lyrics

2009-07-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Bombs

into the darkest night they call

all of the demons have lost their hold

in this heavenly ward for souls

breathing His last drops the atom bomb

brace for the blast

victorious

Constellations

God pull Your hunter's bow from constellation's arrow

strike deep

pull from me with Your sparkle and fade

a new heart with dawn breaks

I'll rise

all rise

Canyons

the canyon's rise up all around me

i am lost in the magnificence of how with all this

You still created me

i'm on the cliff looking out

give me the strength to take the steps

to dive

Stumbling

stumbling is where i am most days

cradling i'm lost in Your grace

through the death by love i am enslaved

capture me in freedom's chains

Quarter Of A Century - Looking Back On 25 Years Of Life

2009-07-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Genesis 5:25-27 (NCV) - "When Methuselah was 187 years old, he had a son named Lamech. After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years and then he died."

Methuselah was the oldest record person to ever live.

He lived for 969 years.

He had kids, sons and daughters.

Then he died.

That's it.

That's all we know.

That's all that the account in Genesis tells us.

There's even a pine tree named after him.

The "Methuselah Pine" is the oldest living tree species on the planet and all it's known for is that it gives birth to leaves and is old.

Pretty exciting huh?

No not really.

If your life was listed out for all to see...

Your major accomplishments.

Your biggest failures.

What would it say about you?

Would all we know be.... "He lived _____ years and then he died." ?

What can be said of my life?

If I was listed out for all to see...

What will be written of me?

I'm typing this to you on my 25th birthday. I've been alive for a quarter of a century.

As I look back and evaluate my life I feel I'm doing pretty good...

I have an amazing relationship with the Creator of the universe who died to set me free.

I have the most beautiful and loving woman on the planet to call my wife.

I have 2 loving parents, who in a few years will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary!

I'm closing on a townhouse on the 23rd.

I own a car that is paid off.

I'll finish my 2nd Masters Degree in the Spring of 2010 with hardly any if any debt at all.

I'm fairly healthy... at least average... not on the poor side of things.

I get to work at a job where I design art and create art and bring others to an understand of how that art can point us to Jesus. I get to work with kids here and I love my job. I love my coworkers. They are more like family that office mates.

The world would look at my life and say... yeah he's doing ok.

What does God think of my accomplishments?

What does God think of my day to day?

Does my life point others to Him?

This is my hearts cry. It's what I want to do above all else and I sometimes feel like it's the hardest thing to do.

I don't want to just be known for having kids (eventually) and growing old.

I want my life to count for Christ.

Father, thank You for these years of life.

Thank You for how You've blessed me.

Guide me in the way I should go.

Give me courage to follow You when I can't see or hear You.

Let my Yes be Yes and my No be No.

Let me live and move and breathe Your glory and love and truth.

Amen.

MFUGE 2009: MOVE

2009-06-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

PowerSource just returned from our large summer trip. We go to a missions oriented camp called MFUGE. It's a camp run by LifeWay and this particular site was in Charleston, South Carolina. We stayed on the campus of Charleston Southern in suites (2 dorm rooms strung together by a connected bathroom). But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

On Monday morning June 22nd my wife, Kristin, and I arose around 4:45am in order to get to the bus and be loaded and help with packing and such by 5:30am. The students arrived between then and 6:00am and we loaded up the bus and van and headed out onto the road. I'm not one for long car rides or trips as my stomach gives me a hard time about it so I took 2 Dramamine and knocked out pretty early into the drive. We stopped once for a bathroom break and snack and then again for lunch but other than about an hour and a half at the end of the ride I slept pretty much the entire way there which was really nice. I needed the rest for what would become a very long, hard, and enjoyable week at MFUGE.

Upon arrival at Charleston Southern we went through the ins and outs of checking our students and leaders into their rooms and familiarized ourselves with a very open and beautiful campus. With spacious lawns and a reflection pool it provides a place for great meditation times and great fun with tennis & basketball courts and a pool. These amenities are not why we have gathered in sunny, and hot, South Carolina. We, along with many other church youth groups, have gathered to serve. We paid good money and drove from hundreds of miles away to love people with the love and message of Jesus.

Our students and leaders were broken up into serve tracks, similar to our Surv Teams, based on their 1st 2nd and 3rd choices. The tracks included: Creative, Games & Rec, PCY (painting construction and yard work), Social, and Children. Each of these tracks provides the students with a rough idea of how they will be serving. The PCY track works on mowing lawns construction sites and functions much like a Habitat for Humanity team. The Games & Rec, and Children teams work mainly with young children. They go to daycare centers or drop off points and plan out a day of fun for these young ones, all the while looking for opportunities to share with them the life changing gospel of Jesus. The Creative team works with children as well as homes for the elderly and they plan a program consisting of music and drama that points toward Christ. Social is basically a grab bag of all the other teams. They could be stoking food pantries, playing with children, visiting the sick and elderly, or doing some PCY.

Almost all of our students got the track they were hoping for. I was a van driver for the Social track in which I was put in. I really enjoyed my track group. None of my students from PowerSource were in my group so I got the opportunity to meet and learn a lot of new faces and make new friends. At first I was a bit nervous at the spiritual temperature of the students in my track. (I wrote about this in an earlier post you can read here.) However our track leader, a young woman by the name of Kara Barefoot, and I have a history. We group up together as friends in the same youth group at Raleigh Road Baptist Church. It was really cool to be able to serve with her and talk with her about the paths God has taken her on over the course of the past few months. It's a great thing to see God moving in the lives of my friends.

During the week, my track group worked with children at a downtown center (more on my time there in this blog post), helped spruce up a homeless shelter (in which I had a fight with some vines hanging from a tree and the vines won), and helped to harvest some squash at a farm that donates it's food to the homeless. All in all it was a great time of ministry and fellowship with other believers.

During the night time and morning worship sessions we experienced a very passionate hearts from our camp speaker Brian Jennings and our worship leaders The Rescued (nice name). Brian's actually an alumni of PowerSource middle school ministry and used to attend Thomas Road during his youth. He was very excited to see our youth there and was able to communicate to our students very well. He understand the struggles of being in a large church connected to a Christian school and the apathy that can sometimes cause in students.

Now I will say.... the group we took to MFUGE are mostly our core students. By that I mean they are student who dig deeper that we tell them to and ask the hard questions about what it means to follow Jesus in this great big Wild Goose Chase we're on to know Him and experience Him more fully. Not only do they ask questions they dive in head over feet. They live it.

There was true evidence of that this week. Collectively our students lead about 20 children and adults to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ while we were at MFUGE. It's a really exciting thing. Even more exciting to know that the MFUGE staff will be working with those individuals all summer to help disciple them and bring them along in their walk with Christ.

I loved sitting in our Church Group Devotion times every night after our worship sessions. God taught me a lot simply by listening about the stories of courage and bravery chronicling our students sharing the message and love of Christ and seeing lives changed. I got the opportunity to teach one of these sessions and I think I may have been more moved than some of the students. I was at the brink of tears thanking God for what He was doing in the lives of my students and those they connected with that week. (More on that night in this blog post. )

Overall God did some amazing things while we were in MFUGE. I'm thankful for opportunities like that. To love God by loving those He loves (all people). After the lives changed and time spent meeting other Christ-followers from around the nation we said our goodbyes and began to make our way back to good old Lynchburg, Virginia.

We made it about 15 miles.......... then our bus broke down.

We were in pretty heavy stop and go traffic and the brakes on the bus locked up and began to smoke excessively almost to the point of fire. Craziness. We assessed the damages and realized we would have to be towed in order to fix the problem. We shuttled students in the van to a Chic-Fil-A in Summerville, SC a few minutes down the road (I'm leading a worship evangelism conference there next weekend pray for me if you think about it.) It took us about an hour and a half to get all the students there. We then walked over to a shopping center with a PetsMart a Target and some other interesting stores. We passed the time waiting for the bus to arrive and arrive it did at about 9:00pm that evening. (We left camp at 10am). We loaded everyone up on the bus very tired and were ready to be on our way. Then another problem happened. The temperature gauge was reading close to a boiling point on the bus. We went back and examined it and had to call a repair man to come take a look. During this time a couple drove up next to our bus (which reads THOMAS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH in the side in big letters) and asked us if we were from TRBC like "Liberty University TRBC) turns out they were both Alumni and let us know that if we needed a place to stay that we could sleep on the gym floor of their church, which had showers and AC. Considering how late it was and not knowing the extent of the problems we would be facing with the repair we stayed at the church.

We slept like rocks and a shower felt great after being in a sweating bus for a long time. Our students were great. Even though a few started feeling a little sick due to the heat, for the most part no one complained. It was awesome. The next morning TRBC had sent a new bus that drove through the night (THANKS SO MUCH Mr. Parra!!!!) to pick us up. We loaded up and headed home. With Rubik's Cubes in hand we made our trip home. I slept most of the way again but woke up and worked on some DLP Church History lessons that I ripped to my iPod.

I love long sweaty bus rides with break downs. I wouldn't trade them for anything because...

God moved in our hearts. God moved in the hearts of others.

Some will never be the same again because we made the trip.

I love this ministry.

I love it.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Stepping Into The Unknown

2009-06-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight I spoke during our Church Group Devotion time here at MFUGE. The lesson was on God always being there for us and how He promises us that. I used the illustration of keys. I brought one of my Focus Group guys, Trey Briggs, up to do the illustration. I told him. "I Promise You These Keys Will Always Be Here."

I held the keys in front of him and asked him. "Where are the keys?" "In front of me." He answered. "How do you know?" I asked. "Because I can see them right there."

I then blindfolded Trey and asked the same set of question except this time I started to jingle the keys. "Where are the keys?" "In front of me." He answered. "How do you know?" I asked. "Because I can hear them."

I then stopped jingling the keys and became very quiet asking again "Where are the keys?" "In front of me." He answered. "How do you know?" I asked. "Because you promised me they would be."

You know our relationship with God is like that. When we're here at camp surround by other believers it seems that it's easier to see and hear God's direction. When we go home sometimes it's like we're blindfolded and we can sort of hear God's voice but, it's not as easy to see Him. Then there are moments when everything is still and quiet. It's in those moments we're tempted to step away from God's plans for us. To step away from taking the risks He's called us to and jumping into the unknown.

It's in those very moments when we need to remember the most that God is there with us.

How do we know?

He promised us He would be.

I'm really going to miss this group of 8th Graders that are moving up. They were my first set of 6th Graders in PowerSource and I've had them the entire time in small groups. It's bittersweet to see them go. I love these guys. I love what I do. I love that God has called me into this place that He sculpted out for me. It's awesome and I wouldn't trade it for anything unless God called me into another unknown....

I would take the plunge.

Celebration Station And A Stabbing Around The Corner

2009-06-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

So today was pretty awesome. I attended my first ministry site with my track group from MFUGE. I'm in the Social track and today we went to a ministry downtown called "Celebration Station". I have an interesting group. No one from PowerSource is in the group with me but, my track leader is a girl named Kara Barefoot. She and I went to the same church when we were younger so it was nice to be able to know someone and catch up a bit. At the Celebration Station(CS) we basically planned out an afternoon of fun for the neighborhood kids. CS is located in a downtown urban area.

The neighborhood is not in a good part of town, during our rounds promoting the party a man was stabbed after he picked a fight with another man just up the corner. CS was on top of it right away. For the first hour we walked around letting people know that we were having this huge party with face painting and balloon animals and games. It was a big hit. We had close to 30 little kids come out. It was awesome. We played 4 Square and RedLight|GreenLight and Freeze Tag. It was really cool.

During the story time a boy named Mark sat beside me. He really like my To Write Love On Her Arms shirt. He wanted to know if I got it at the mall. I told him I didn't and he seemed sad. We talked a bit more and he asked me if I was married, "Yes" I responded. "Does that make you happy?" he inquired. "Yes it does make me very happy but, the thing that makes me the happiest is Jesus. Do you know Jesus?" He shook his head no. I told him about Jesus and about how He had always been there for me no matter what. I explained what He did on the cross and why He had to die. I then asked Mark, "Would you like to know Jesus as your Savior?" Mark sat and thought for a few moments and then replied, "I think I'm ok today." I asked him if he was sure and he said he was.

I hope I get to talk to him more tomorrow.

Like Zombies Walking Sluggishly Across A Crowded Freeway

2009-06-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

So tonight I was sitting in a room full of Christians. Kids who, the majority, said they came from churched homes in which mom and dad were both professing Christians. Who knew nothing about the faith we claim to base our lives around. It's one of the scariest things I've ever experienced I don't know that 90% of the room could share their faith. The question "What does "the wages of sin" mean?" was caught with blank cold stares like zombies walking sluggishly across a crowded high traffic freeway. I couldn't help but, pick my jaw up off the floor when I realized how many of them couldn't effectively share their faith. Isn't this the thing we claim to base our entire lives, our very existence around. It was humbling. It's one of my goals this week to get these students to fall more in love with Jesus and understand more what their faith means to them. I want to help them rediscover Jesus like it was for the first time. When do we lose our sense of wonder about Christ? When did Jesus become just a story?

My dear friend Jeremy Rader (@jeremyrader) commented tonight on our relationship with Christ saying, "What is your relationship with Christ like now.... and where do you want it to be?" I think that's a great question that gives us an excellent ability to look ahead to the things God has for us. So are you where you want to be?

Pelagius - vs - Augustine

2009-06-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Is man free or God sovereign? Articulate and analyze the positions of Augustine and Pelagius on man’s nature and ability to be holy.

Man is indeed free, created with the ability to choose God or not so that love can truly exist while God is still sovereign knowing every choice we will make but not holding strings like a puppeteer. It is from this choice that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden and spread the seed of sin down through every human being born of one flesh from that point on. The question that arises from this thought process and that sparks the Pelagian Controversy is this: What if sin is not passed down from Adam. What if sin for every human being is a choice, and then in theory one could live life without sinning.

The Pelagian Controversy was the first controversy in the West. It was a controversy based in practical thought between Pelagius and Augustine on the issue of infant baptism and man’s sin nature, or lack thereof, and his ability to be holy. This is still an open question in Catholic theology even today.

The main characters in this controversy are Pelagius (c.370-c.420), Celestius (?-?), Augustine (354-430), and Jerome (c.345-419).

Pelagius gives his name to the Pelagian Controversy, though he was no a prominent participant in it. His ideas and thoughts set the stage for the rest of the controversy to take place. He was a monk and had some problems with the teachings of Augustine and Jerome. He felt that their teachings left room for moral laxity among the Church. He took a pretty heavy stand on the fact that he did not believe in original sin or an inherited sin nature but rather believed that every person on the planet could choose whether or not to sin.

Augustine, in the minds of some, is possibly the greatest theologian ever to live. He was the Bishop of Hippo and is most famous for his writing of Confessions, a personal testimony of his salvation experience. August held to the view that we were all born with a sin nature; meaning that sin was passed down from Adam and Even to every human being on planet earth. It was due to this believe that he championed so heavily infant baptism. He felt that infant baptism “washed away the taint of sin” from the babies and gave them a clean and fresh start to a life walking with Christ. It was believed that infant baptism was more likely to help a child grow up in a manner following Christ.

Pelagius thought Augustine’s thoughts on infant baptism were ridiculous and opposed him greatly. While these thoughts against infant baptism all began in the mind of Pelagius it was not him but his student Celestius who began to spread Pelagius thoughts and teachings. Celestius, a lawyer, was a much bolder and more outgoing individual that Pelagius and spoke very opening about his teacher’s thoughts. He very openly attacked infant baptism as well as Augustine and Jerome for their support of it.

Jerome came along side Augustine, supporting his views on infant baptism, but is probably most well know for translating the Latin Vulgate. He wrote the Dialogue Against Pelagius in which he openly opposes Pelagius views on infant baptism and original sin.

Pelagius view was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431

The Effects Of Constantine

2009-06-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

Let’s talk about Constantine, the sole Roman Emperor from 324-337. What did he do for the Christian movement? What short-term impact (positively, negatively) did his actions have on the church? What long-term impact did they have?

Constantine grew up in a home where his Father was very tolerant of Christians. This probably had much to do with his later life decisions. In 312 Constantine, before the battle of Milvian Bridge near Verona, has a vision in which he believes God shows him a symbol that will bring him victory against his opponent Maxencius. Constantine puts this symbol on the shields of his men and the flags that he bears and wins the battle. After this battle Constantine adopts Christianity as his own persona faith. While there is evidence on both ends of the spectrum for whether or not he was actually a Christian the truth can only be known by God.

In 313, Constantine issues the Edict of Milan in which he granted tolerance to Christians. In the short term, this ended persecution, at least from the political perspective and Christians were treated as equals in court and other legal arenas. Social however there were most likely still some persecutions taking place. In a modern context one my think of the civil rights movement.

In 323, Constantine proclaims himself as the Sole Ruler / Roman Emperor. He makes Christianity the preferred religion of the decade and sets up a theocracy in which the church rules the state. Constantine considered himself as the bishop to the bishops, which in some cases portrayed a very negative picture of Constantine as he took his authority a bit to far. He began to give every soldier that would convert to Christianity 20 silver coins. Think about going out on a street corner and announcing that anyone who would accept Jesus Christ as their savior would be given a $50 bill on the spot. This would indeed be a stimulus package!

In the long term, Constantine brought the Church out of an era of persecution. Not everything was perfect in the beginning but it was a major start in getting the church a voice again. However this voice in later year will become over dominant and become the persecutor rather than the persecuted.

The Results Of Persecution On The Early Church

2009-06-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

How did the church respond to persecution?

How did the Christian movement develop in theology and practice as a result of persecution?

There were four main causes of persecution for the Church: Religious, Social, Political, and Economic.

Religious persecution of the Church came mainly from the Jews because the Jewish leaders didn’t accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. While some Jews viewed Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy which moved the Jews into the messianic age. Those who doubted found a great deal of force and urgency with their persecution of Christ-followers. A secondary reason for religious persecution was because of the enthusiasm Christ-followers had after their conversion. Christianity was contagious and as Acts chapters 1-6 traces it grew in epidemic proportions very quickly.

Social persecution came from two areas. First the fact that Christianity put the master and the slave on equal ground and secondly blame due to the disrespect of other gods. Slavery and religious tolerance had swelled like a tumor in this time with the rise of Greek philosophy and melting pot of gods were thrown together and all worshiped for different purposes and meanings. The Christians claimed that Jesus was the only one true God and this did not sit well with religious relativist worship.

Political persecution came from a similar vein of idol worship. As Christians claimed Jesus exclusively as God they refused to say that Caesar was Lord. For this reason they also refused to serve in the army in which they had to proclaim this statement and were deemed unpatriotic.

In the economic realm, Christians hurt business of those selling idols for idol worship.

The Christian church responded in many ways persecution.

The good results of persecution were that the vast majority of Christians remained true to their faith despite the persecution; the Church was purified by any who chose to take the easy road out and flee the persecution; and the Scriptures became canonized during this time.

The bad results were that thousands of Christians denied the faith and fled persecution; many took positions that were contrary to the Christian faith in other religions; it caused divisions in the Church; some of the Scriptures were lost due to the burning of Christian letters and text; an abnormal desire for persecution arose among evil emperors and persecution became a heavy blood sport, and concerns of the relationship between the Church and the State arose.

There were some mixed results as well: While three million Christians dying at the hands of persecutors is by no means a good thing it does provide and effective witness to the fact that three million people were willing to die for the cause they believed in. Also while some fled the persecution and the empire, like cowards, after they got their bootstraps back underneath them the Gospel was spread into the areas in which they fled.

The Christian movement was forced to stand firm in their theology and practices. They had to know what they believed and why they believed it if they were going to be killed for holding true to it.

The Canonization Of Scripture

2009-06-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

How did we get the Bible? What factors led to the canonization of what we now call the New Testament Scriptures?

The Canon Of Scripture or The Bible is a collection, believed by the early church, to be actual stories and events written and collaborated by men under God’s instruction by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament is made up of the Jewish law given to the Israelites by God through Moses. It also includes some poetry, prophecy and history of the Jewish people.

The New Testament is made up of historical accounts of Jesus ministry on Earth, letters from some of Jesus closest followers to other churches of encouragement, discipline or edification, and some prophecy in the book of Revelation.

The OT came under little dispute as it’s content is has been with the Jews for a long time and taken care of by the tribe of Levi. This content was easily added. The NT however was not as easy to simply give the thumbs up to.

While most of the books that are in our modern Bible were without question added there were some disputed books that just made it into the mix. Hebrews was disputed, as were 2^nd and 3^rd John, due to the fact that there is not a listed author; and James, 2^nd Peter, Jude, and Revelation were disputed due to some content issues.

The question however still remains as to how the process of canonization came about for the Bible, specifically the NT, as we currently know it?

From the time of the death of the last apostle to c.140 all of the books in the NT had been written and were being circulated among the Christian community.

The phrase “New Testament” is first used by Ignacious in 110 when he says, “The Old Testament is good but, the New Testament is better.” This was not saying the OT was worthless or useless simply that the NT was a better addition to the OT.

Marcion, is probably best known for being the first to compile a list of books for the NT Canon. He did this because he felt that the OT Hebrew Scriptures were inferior and that it should not be read in the church or used as a basis for Christian instruction. The early church responded to this by forming it’s own Canon which included the OT Scriptures.

Origen played a part in helping to understand which books should and should not be included in the N.T. and actually had some issues with James, 2^nd Peter, and 2^nd & 3^rd John. However by c.340-400 Most of the 27 books had been agreed upon. Athanasius created a list which he presumed would be the canon and it is in fact the 27 books of the NT which we have now.

This list went through the approval of the Council of Laodicea in 363, the Council of Hippo in 292, and finally the Council of Carthage in 397 where the Canon we know today was made official.

The Preparation For Early Christianity

2009-06-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Christianity began with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on Christ’s followers gathered in an upper room in a home in Jerusalem. It was from this moment on that the spread of Christianity took root with Peter and the other disciples speaking to the people gathered for the Jewish festival of Pentecost.

There were three major factors that helped prepare the way for the swift spreading of Christianity. The first of these factors was the large gathering of Jews in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost. Over time many of the Jews had spread out far and wide away from Jerusalem. These Jews were called Diaspora Jews, meaning they had dispersed. When they heard Peter’s message, of the life Jesus, many believed and became saved. Those same Jews then left Jerusalem back to their far away homes and spread the gospel to those in their area.

The second major factor is that of the Roman roads. It was a true statement that all roads really did lead to Rome. As many people, from many religious backgrounds and cultures, used these main roads it made for an efficient route for the story of what had been happening in Jerusalem. Merchants traveling these roads from town to town would have also spread the story of what happened in Jerusalem to their other import and export towns.

The third major factor was the rise of Greek philosophy and thinking. The teachings of Plato and Socrates spread wide, and left many with open minds to other religions and thoughts of the supernatural. This open mindedness toward other ways of thinking made a way for the apostle Paul to share Christ as not just another god among many, but as the one true God who became flesh.

These three factors largely contributed to the preparation for the quick spread of Christianity from the town of Jerusalem to the rest of the world.

"I Need A Heart Transplant Because This One Doesn't Love You Right"

2009-06-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

"You have left the love you had in the beginning. So remember were you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first. If you do not change, I will come to you and will take away your lampstand from its place." - Revelation 2:4b-5 (NCV)

The lyric I most often connect with this passage is from the band My Epic.

"I need a heart transplant because this one doesn't love You right."

- My Epic

In the earlier verses of this passage the church in Ephesus seems to be doing pretty well. They don't put up with false teaching, they have suffered for the name of Christ. They have quite a bit going for them. From all outside appearances they look great. However, they are doing all these things for the wrong reasons. They have forgotten their first love, Jesus. They have become infatuated with doing church rather than being the church. They have become over zealous about how to do things instead of who to do them for. It reminds me of a someone in need of a heart transplant. By all outward appearances everything seems fine but the deeper issue could kill you. It seems like this is the case with this church as well. If this problem isn't fixed and if their hearts aren't turned towards God then they will very quickly have their "lampstand" taken away from them. This lampstand is the blessing of God on their church.

How do you do in comparison to these thoughts?

Are you fine by all outward appearances but dying underneath?

Have you forgotten your first love?

"When I saw Him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man."

2009-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

"When I saw Him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man." Revelation 1:17 (NCV)

When was the last time you had this type of reaction to experiencing God?

When was the last time you had to fall to the ground and hide your face because of the holiness of God?

New MUTEMATH Album

2009-06-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Let me just say. I am so excited.

Jiffy Lube Morning

2009-06-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

I'm getting my oil changed at Jiffy Lube and taking advantage of their WiFi to write a little bit here. I'm sitting next to a gentlemen who is very obviously homosexual. My suspicions were confirmed when he saw my shirt (Thomas Road Baptist Church - Love God. Love People.) and quickly turned his head up with a "hmph, yeah right". And returned to the news. He and I have been watching the news reports on the shooting at the Holocaust Museum in D.C. I say out loud to him, "It's unbelievable isn't it." Without looking at me he replies, "That's what hate will do to you people." I tried to be cordial and conversational for the rest of the time we were here together before his car was ready and he went off on his way. I wanted to be loving to him as much I could. I didn't want him to feel like I was alienating him. I've read through the passages in Scripture that express homosexuality as sin. I think it's a mistake to call it more of a sin that drinking, or gluttony. I feel it's a gross hypocrisy to see it as anything different. This next statement might get me some weird looks. If it were not for the Bible saying that homosexuality is wrong and me believing everything that the Bible says to be true, I would have no problem with a monogamous homosexual couple being married. If the Bible didn't say it was wrong then I wouldn't have a problem. If it was all based on "feelings" and "emotions" (which I don't believe true love is based on anyway but, that's another blog) then I wouldn't have a problem. The truth is though that God didn't design us as having a choice to be homosexual. He designed the family unit as male and female. What is the best way for me to love that gentlemen? I don't agree with his lifestyle but, I know God loves him and has a plan for his life. I will be the best example of Jesus I possibly can be. I will love him. God break my heart for what breaks Yours.

Sunsets And I Wish I Had Sushi

2009-06-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

So tonight as I was leaving PowerSource (which went really well by the way) with the sounds of David Crowder Band's Sunsets & Sushi album still ringing in my ears and as I walked out of the building I looked out on what I refer to as a "Lynchburg Sunset". See Lynchburg is right by the Blue Ridge Parkway and the shadows and light that those mountains catch at the end of an evening are absolutely beautiful. They remind me of how creative and artist our God is. I love the sunsets here. Simply beautiful.

The One Who Is And Was And Is Coming

2009-06-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

I spent some time this morning reading through the book of Revelation. It's the last book in the Bible written by the "beloved disciple" John. John has been exiled to the Isle of Patmos and there he receives this final revelation from God of what is to come for the world. In the first chapter of this letter of prophecy John writes about this God who is describing these things to him through an angel that has come to show him. John begins:

"Grace and peace to you from the One who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raise from the dead. He is the ruler fo the kings of the earth . He is the One who loves us, who made us free from out sins with the blood of his death. He made us to e a kingdom of priests who serve God his Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen. Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds, and everyone will see him, even those who stabbed him. And all peoples of the earth will cry loudly because of him. Yes, this will happen! Amen. The Lord God says, "I am the aplpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty."" (Revelation 1:4b-8 - NCV)

I love the way God describes himself as "the One who is and was and is coming". God has no boundaries. He is infinite and beyond anything I could type here in mere words. He is presently alive and existing as a God who is active in our lives. He didn't create us and dump us. He longs to have us know Him more deeply. He already knows us deeper than we know ourselves. He was, or always has existed. He has no time limits. Instead He is the beginning the Alpha of all things and only He can be the Omega or end of all things. And then the best part of all this is that He is coming again to start this world fresh with a new Heaven and a new Earth. He is coming. There is hope. Just as the Jews whispered of a coming Messiah we also, not needing to whisper, can shout to all that the Messiah is coming again.

How great is our God.

Pedal Boards, Giftings, Talents, & The Body Of Christ

2009-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

So I know this might sound really cheesy but, last night I felt like I was worshipping God by packing up my pedal board.... God reminded me of some beautiful truths. Let me explain.

Last night I had the privilege of leading worship for the Prayer Service Kick-Off for Living Proof our High School ministry. It was a small group that came to pray but, pray we did. It was awesome.

So I normally use my pedal board set up with my acoustic as well as my electric because I like my Boss DD-6 looping feature and some Boss Super Chorus effects etc along with my CryBaby Wah make for a really rich sound. Well last night I didn't end up using any of that. We had run everything through the system and then literally seconds before we started decided to go "unplugged" more than we already were since we were a small group. It was awesome and the best choice for the moment. After all was said and done I quietly walked up on stage and began to unplug my cables and pack up my board. I began to think of all the little intricate circuitry that is involved to make each of my pedals work they way they are supposed to. How each linking cable from one pedal bridges the gap to the next so they can work together in a family unit to create one sound.

All of this reminded me of the Church. God has created each of us with individual giftings and talents in order to worship him effectively with our lives. Each of these individual gift/talent groups when combined with the gift/talent groupings of others create the Church in unison as it's supposed to be. The Church then can create "one sound" or "one love" to give to the Father and to show to the world around.

The Apostle Paul talks about this in his letter to the church in Ephesus. In chapter 4 verse 11-13a Paul begins "And Christ gave gift to people - he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God's people. Christ gave those gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving to make the body of Christ stronger. This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God." In my pedal board some pedals are made to create distortion and sustain. Some are created to add delay or looping effects, some for chorus and flanger, and some for funky wah sounds. The point is while each of these are amazing on their own. They can be so much better when combined with one another working to the goal of creating one sound.

I just stopped for a moment and looked down at my board and said a prayer to our God thanking Him for the gift/talent mix He has given me. I also prayed I would never misuse this mix for my own glory.

I closed the lid and locked the latches on my board and my prayer with the help of a friend and then packed up my guitar... (that's another blog.... not really) and went to spend some time at the prayer stations set up around the room. God did some working in my heart for our ministry last night. He made real in my heart some things that had been real in my head but, weren't making the connection.

The room is open from 7am-5pm all week till Friday for prayer. I'm planning on spending more time in prayer over our ministry there. God speak to me in the little things. Show me You in the margins of life. Continue to break my heart for what breaks Yours.

You can see pictures from the Prayer Service here. Living Proof Prayer Service

BRIGHT LIGHTS - The Church

2009-06-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

"As one of the two primary entities that God has positioned to have influences in the world, the church is uniquely and strategically placed on this planet to display God's glory to the world. The role of the church is simply to turn on the light." - Reggie Joiner | THINK ORANGE

If the role of the church is to turn on the light in order for those lost in darkness to find Jesus the question must be asked. Is your local body, part of the universal Church, shining it's light to the world? If your church turned out the lights would anyone know the difference?

When describing Christ-followers of the early church Peter writes to remind that the church then of who they are in Christ Jesus. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1Peter 2:9 ESV) Being called from darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ is no doubt a biblical truth. The beautiful thing about the role of the church is that since we are in the marvelous light of Christ we are able to reflect that light, brightly, to the still darkened world around us. The church is called to be a bright light. If we're not turning the lights on then we aren't being the church.

"The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose." - C.S. Lewis | Mere Christianity

Are we doing this? If not why not?

If not can we call ourselves the church?

I don't think we can call ourselves part of God's Church or His Kingdom and not turn on the lights.

Let's be light in a dark world and stop making a mockery of our Lord and King.

"Into marvelous light I'm running. Out of darkness out of shame. By the cross You are the Truth, You are the Life, You are the Way." - Charlie Hall: Marvelous Light | Fly Into Daybreak

Soundtrack To The Movie Of My Life - iPod Shuffle Game

2009-06-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these. It's a guilty pleasure. FAIL I know. Anyway here goes.

1. Open your library (iTunes, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...

Scene:

Song - Band - Album

Comments

Opening Credits :
Vanity - Smashing Pumpkins - Machina II: Friends & Enemies Of Modern Music

Fitting since I feel pretty vain playing this game.

Waking Up :
Wake Up Call feat. David Banner - Maroon 5 - Call And Response: The Remix Album

I'm not kidding. Ironic.

First Day of School :
Look Where We Are - Hoobastank - Every Man For Himself

Interesting. Haven't listened to this band in a while. Good stuff. Reminds me of HIgh School.

Falling in Love :
I Got The Girl - Bon Jovi - Crush

Wow. This is creepy how accurate these are so far.

Fight Song :
The Strangest Day - Jonah 33 - The Strangest Day

This song is pretty chill. I've never been in a real fight in my life. So I guess it's fitting. If it's referring to a school fight song well... I wasn't very involved in that type of thing either.

Prom :
Myself - Fireflight - The Healing Of Harms

Fitting. I wasn't going to go to prom. One of my good friends told me she'd pay for everything but dinner if I went with her. So I did. Fireflight has a girl lead vocalist as well. Hmmmm.

Life :
I Was Once A Loyal Lover (EP Version) - Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door

I really like Death Cab. Good song. Not sure it ties very well with my life but... rules are rules.

Mental Breakdown :
Battleship - Hot Rod Circuit - The Underground Is A Dying Breed

Feels like a mental breakdown for me. Sounds like a get away from everything and think song.

Driving :
How The Lonely Keep - Terminal - How The Lonely Keep

I first have to say... I really like Terminal... I'm sad they broke up. I like driving alone down old country roads. This song fits quite well.

Flashback :
Glass Of Water - Coldplay - Prospekt's March EP

I was kind of hoping this would be an 80's throw back or something. Good song regardless.

Getting Back Together :
What Do You Go Home To? - Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everything

You have to hear this song to know how much it fits.

Your Worst Mistake :
Dry The River - Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster - II

Nice. This mix needed some metal.

Wedding :
Underneath It All - Pillar - Where Do We Go From Here

Sounds like it's going to be a pretty rockin' wedding....my real one was AMAZING!!!!

Birth of Child :
A Critical Proposal - Ghost Of A Fallen Age - Rumors Of The Secret War

This must be one hard labor.... wow. Intense. Haven't listened to these guys in a while.

Final Battle :
Hand On My Heart - Petra - Unseen Power

This ballet must stink. Or I die. This song feels like it belongs in a bad 80's romance.

Death Scene :
Sometimes You Have To Ask Yourself - MXPX - At The Show

Cool.

Funeral Song:
Year Of The Dog - Sufjan Stevens - Enjoy Your Rabbit

Strange album. Strange song. Strange place for it to fall in all this. So strange has found it's place.

End Credits :
Set Me Up - Project 86 - Drawing Black Lines

Besides being this bands best album ever. I really like this for the ending.

Comment with links to your soundtracks. : )

A Speck In The Sun

2009-06-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

A speck in the sun defined by crooked lines connected and filled like a vacuum black void

A space to create out of darkness a place in which hopes and dreams were once realized

A small step for man and a leap for mankind bringing all that we know into complete perspective

As we once believed we were gods we walked tall and walked proud as we conquered this blue ball of dirt

Then out into the unknown we launched from our homes and saw just how simple we are

A speck in the sun, just a speck in the one great big universe

Held by hands that created so delicate with passion the world we arrogantly think is our own

With love he breathed life into dust to make man then took a rib for his wife

To walk and commune to be one and bite true but it all fell away with a bite

Because we believed we were gods we walked tall and walked proud

As the dirt we were created from stained us.

So Beautiful | First Impressions

2009-05-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't finished reading Leonard Sweet's new book So Beautiful but, as soon as I dove into it I new my reviews would have to span over a couple of blog entries.

So Beautiful is a challenge to the church to realize their DNA. "Just as DNA's three strands make life possible, three other elements work in harmony to make life not just pretty, but beautiful. And it's in the church where we find the greatest expression, the ultimate fulfillment, of these three components to a beautiful life".

The three components Leonard is taking about are easily remembered as M.R.I. (M=Missional, R-Relational, I=Incarnational). These are in contrast to the more common A.P.C. model of church (A=Attractional, P=Propositional, C=Colonial). One might do well to understand that while APC is a model, MRI is an already existing unrealized way of being.

In unpacking the Missional strand of our undiscovered DNA strand it's said that "Being missional is not something you do to get something done, like grow a church or sign the suceed-creed. Missional is who you are, because it is who God is." Therefore since we are all created in the image of God and God is missional we are indeed missional. We must simply unlock these aspects of our already existing DNA.

This is just a quick look at a portion of So Beautiful. I can't wait to see where the rest of this journey takes me.

The Unlikely Disciple

2009-05-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

So I just finished reading The Unlikely Disciple by author Kevin Roose. The summary is basically this: Kevin, a journalist and student from Brown University, decides that he wants to explore the Liberty University up close and personal and undercover for a semester. He wants to see what Liberty students are really like. He want's to know how things work at Liberty and how it all comes together. His experience was honestly quite similar to mine. The dorm life was the same the people were the same. It's truly an honest inside shot of Liberty's student life. While I don't come to all of the same ending conclusions that Roose does about Liberty... I give him serious credit from coming from an objective standpoint not to beat down Liberty but to give an honest perspective. I laughed as I identified with many things on campus and remembered some experiences from my own dorm life. I cried when remembering the late great Dr. Jerry Falwell. I was sitting in the Thomas Road Baptist Church sanctuary having just come on staff not long before as Dr. Godwin choked out the words "... a giant has fallen ..." I watched the monogram flatten a large section of beautiful landscape on the mountain... and in the end I also have to credit Dr. Falwell for changing my life. In almost all cases for the better. I'm so thankful for one man following God's call on his life. It only takes one.

The Next Steps Determine So Much

2009-05-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm searching for the right way to go. I'm praying to God for the right steps to take. I'm asking for wisdom. I'm seeking His face. I'm hoping He makes clear the path to follow and the journey to make. This song seems like a fitting cry from my heart. Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) by Sufjan Stevens.

Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)

Oh God, hold me now
Oh Lord, hold me now
There's no other man who could raise the dead
So do what you can to anoint my head

Oh God, where are you now?
Oh Lord, say somehow
The devil is hard on my face again
The world is a hundred to one again

Would the righteous still remain?
Would my body stay the same?

Oh God, hold me now
Oh God, touch me now
There's no other man who could save the dead
There's no other God to place our head

Would the righteous still remain?
Would my body stay the same?

There's no other man who could raise the dead
So do what you can to anoint my head

Oh God, hold me now
Oh Lord, touch me now

Rescue Is Coming

2009-05-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

The song Rescue Is Coming by David Crowder Band has been resonating in my heart this morning. I don't know if it's that the news this morning had Jon & Kate all over the screens replaying the painful situation they're going through or the fact that my coffee is a little on the biting rather than smooth side but, something about this song is echoing around deep inside my bones. The acoustic crooning melody at the end of the song really draws everything back to a beautiful beginning as the song repeats and repeats in my iTunes Library. It started playing this morning in the car as I drove to work and it's been on repeat ever since.

A Collision (and it's companion EP B Collision) are my favorite albums by David Crowder Band. Really it comes back to the same reason I named this blog and my band "The Great Rescue" because rescue, true rescue, can only come through knowing Christ. On the cross Jesus performed the greatest rescue attempt of all time and succeeded. All we have to do is reach out and take His hand. As Christ-followers we also look forward to the rescue from this world to be taken into God's Holy City to spend eternity with the One who loved much. Rescue is coming... and Rescue is here.

There’s a darkness in my skin My cover’s wearing thin, I believe I’d love to start again, go back to innocent And never leave  Don’t give up now A break in the clouds We could be found  There’s nothing wrong with me It’s just that I believe things could get better And there’s nothing wrong with love I think it’s just enough to believe  Don’t give up now A break in the clouds We could be found  Rescue is coming Rescue is coming Rescue is coming Rescue is coming  And there’s nothing wrong with you And nothing left to do But believe something bigger And there’s nothing wrong with love I know it’s just enough to believe  Don’t give up now A break in the clouds We will be found  Rescue is coming Rescue is coming Rescue is coming Rescue is coming now

They Said, "I Do" And They Really Did.

2009-05-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

So I just got done watching the season premiere of the show Jon & Kate Plus 8. I'm kind of speechless. I just feel such sadness in my heart for their family. The entire show it just felt awkward to watch. Everyone by now has heard about the situation with Jon possibly cheating on Kate but, to watch the two of them interact tonight on screen, or rather not interact, was heart wrenching. This is the family I've been watching for five years now. For five years we've watched them laugh and cry, purchase Hermit Crabs and German Shepherds... we've fallen in love with the kids and with Jon and Kate. They've become part of our family. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was holding back tears. It's just so hard to watch two people... well... yeah.

I'm so fortunate to come from a home where my mom and dad are still married and still very much in love with one another. They have their squabbles, believe me I've been there for some rough ones... but, in the end what matters is that when they said "I Do" they really did. They committed to this thing for the long haul and understand fully what it means to sa

y that "love is a choice". I'm so very thankful for their example. My wife Kristin's parents are also still happily married and loving life and each other dearly. I pray to God that I never take for granted the example they have set for Kristin as well. As we both come up on our second anniversary on June 30th (I know it's a little ways away but, the show really got me thinking about it all), I can look in her eyes and know I'm here for the long haul. No matter what life throws at us... I'm here. I'm committed to loving her with all I am for the rest of my God given life.

In fact today marks two years from the day I asked my wife to marry me. While my plans got radically changed from proposing at Maymont Gardens in Richmond to Virginia Beach with King Triton not far off looking down on us. I pulled a ring out of my dingy man purse and asked Krisitin if she would do me the honor of spending the rest of our lives together. Every morning I wake up and am in awe that she said yes. I'm so thankful to God that he placed her in my life and can't imagine doing this thing with anyone else. She was shaped and formed and planned before either of us existed by God to be my wife. I'm so thankful and glad that God knows what He's doing.

I've Been Thinking A Lot Lately About...

2009-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about this thing we have called a "relationship" with God. It makes me thankful I have a God who stirs in my heart and moves and speaks to me and calls me to know Him more. I'm thankful that my God doesn't sit on fluffy white clouds with lightning bolts and little Angel Soft Cupids flying around trying to sell toilet paper. I'm glad my God is intimate with me and knows me and longs to know me more.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what Francis Chan talked about in his session at the Innovate Church Conference this week. Specifically about opening God's Word and reading it like it's the first time you've ever read it. Reading it while putting away preconceived notions and looking for the "obvious truths" in the text. What are the obvious conclusions we come to? An example of this he gave was simply "Do you mean to tell me you read the Scriptures and when you are done the obvious conclusion you get is that you need to say a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart?" The truth is that this is not what we see Jesus saying about following Him. Jesus calls us to a deeper relationship with Him in which we abandon everything and run whole heartedly toward our God.

I wish I could lock myself in a room with a source of water and a vegetable tray and my Bible and just go cover to cover on the Bible. I want so badly to do this... I just have to plan it out.

New Song - "Burn In Us"

2009-05-19T07:52:00.001-07:00

I just sat in a session at the Innovate Church Conference with Francis Chan. He spoke about returning to a child-like faith and about hearing the Spirit's leading on our lives. He encouraged us to dig into the Word of God for all we are and to look at the obvious truths. His words on the Holy Spirit really touched to the core of me. I came up to the office really quick and demoed it out and posted in The Great Rescue Facebook Page. You can go listen to it and become a fan if you like. It's in our media player under the BOXES section. It's just a rough demo but, whatever. I just had to write it, record it, and post it. I had to get it out there. It was like there was a sense of urgency. I had to do it. May you be blessed by it where ever you are.

Burn In Us

I feel a stirring deep within, in my heart I know it's You.

I feel a power moving deep within my soul it's You.