...and in this corner

As many of you know, being some of my closest friends, I'm a recovering perfectionist. I'm actually doing pretty good. It has been a good year since I last fell off the wagon. For me, the bottom line is this; I believe that God deserves excellence in every offering we bring to Him. Where's the line between excellence and perfection. It's always good to remind myself that ONLY CHRIST WAS PERFECT! In my journey to learn more about my sickness, I came across this on the web:

Perfection Vs. Excellence

	Perfection is being right. Excellence is willing to be wrong.
	Perfection is fear. Excellence is taking a risk.
	Perfection is anger and frustration. Excellence is powerful
	Perfection is control Excellence is spontaneous.
	Perfection is judgement Excellence is accepting.
	Perfection is taking. Excellence is giving.
	Perfection is doubt Excellence is confidence.
	Perfection is pressure. Excellence is natural
	Perfection is the destination. Excellence is the journey

Sherry L. Conger

God doesn't expect perfection from us. If His ONLY son was the ONLY one to ever be perfect, why would He expect us to be. Let's face it, we've been screwing up ever since Adam & Eve's lust for more, and it couldn't have gotten more perfect than the garden of Eden. Thanks guys!!

So, just because we know we will never be perfect, should we not strive for it? I think Miss Conger put it well when she said "Perfection is the destination...Excellence is the journey".

I ask it again. Where's the line?

Worshipping in Expectation

A few years ago I had the privilege of teaching on the subject of expectation. To be more specific..."worshipping in expectation". For some reason, this is where God has me yet again. I guess eventually everything comes back around. I'm just not sure I agree that the 80's should come back around, but, to all of our amazement, they have!

Anyway, I thought I'd post my notes from that message & see if it sparks any thoughts, debates, conversations...etc...etc...etc...

Psalm 62:5 “FIND REST, O MY SOUL, IN GOD ALONE;
MY EXPECTATION COMES FROM HIM."

What are YOU expecting?

The tent of meeting (parallel to modern day church) – Exodus 33:7-11
Verse 8 – The people were expectant of what would happen
Verse 10 – The people worshipped as a result of their expectancy

Glory revealed to Moses – Exodus 33:12-23 & 34:5-8
Verses 12 & 17 – Moses had a relationship with God
Verses 33:18 & 34:8 – through his relationship with God, Moses desired asked & expected to experience God’s glory. And, HE DID!!

“If we're going to move in anything, whether it's faith, any of the spiritual gifts, preaching the Gospel, or whatever it is we're doing for God, we need to have a sense of expectation. I'm expecting something to happen today. I don't want to live a day without expectation. I can't think of anything worse. We look up, it's Friday evening, and we've not had a meaningful conversation with Jesus all week, and we've just drifted. What a way to live. When I wake up in the morning, I want to have an expectation that God is going to do something.” – Graham Cooke

Another great example of expectant worship: Unclean Woman
Luke 8:40 - The people welcomed Jesus in expectation
Luke 8:41-47 She expected to be healed.

Hebrews 4:16 - “Come boldly to the throne of grace that you might receive help and mercy at the time of need”.

Is our passion for Christ such that when we worship Him we have a burning desire/expectation to reach out to Him or do we just expect Him to reach out to us?

What is God's expectation of us? Is it that we hold nice, comfortable worship services with three praise songs, two worship songs, one prayer, one offering, one message, two altar calls and a closing hymn? Is his expectation our comfort, our enjoyment, our tradition? NO! God's expectation is that the world will know (have a relationship with) His Son.

“Worship is not a result of how good the music is or whether my favorite songs are sung. It is not a consequence of whether I stand or sit, lift my hands or kneel. My worship must be an expression of my relationship with God - in song, in shouts and whispers, sitting, walking, or driving the car. Worship is my response to God.” – Geoff Bullock

I can only assume that many of you recognized the title of the best selling book "What To Expect When You're Expecting". Lisa & I still have a copy on our bookshelf. NO, we are not! As many of you know, I love a good parody. Even though the title "Expect the Unexpected..." is somewhat of a spoof on the aforementioned book, it struck me as having a lot of truth in the context of worship. As I've said before, one of the many things I love about serving our God, is the mystery.

I say...BRING ON THE UNEXPECTED!

Finally, a new sound

In the spirit of my last post, here's a video from Leeland, what I believe to be the best new band (Christian, or not) on the scene in years. The lead singer not only has a hauntingly beautiful voice, but his depth of writing is awe inspiring. Oh, did I mention, he's only seventeen. Check them out more by clicking on the link in my sidebar. Well, here it is..."Sound of Melodies".

YouTube or TheirTube?

It looks like yours & my favorite outlet for amateur movie making might be in trouble. Universal Music Group says that both YouTube & MySpace are violating copyright laws by allowing users to post music videos of their artists. Universal Music CEO Doug Morris stated:

"We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars,"

Okay, let me stop right there. Folks, this is why I left the music industry. Well, one of the reasons. It was drenched with greed! Universal, as well as the multiple other music labels that will jump on the bandwagon, are not hurting for cash. However, it's never enough! Now I'm not saying that I condone the abuse & misuse of copyrighted material. For that matter, me putting someone else's video on YouTube kind of defeats the purpose of the site.

As a creative person this hits me from so many different angles. YouTube is a place where real homegrown creativity can be showcased. Creativity that in most cases would never be viewed. If Universal, or the next big label, shuts it down, this creativity will be squashed beneath the giant boots of a cookie cutter industry. The next thing we know YouTube will be TheirTube!

I realize that their are much more important things in life than this silliness, but this is part of what makes me tick.

What think ye?

Evidence in The Storm

GOOD MONDAY MORNING! I ran across this article at Worshiptogether.com & thought it appropriate for the beginning of a new week. Job is my favorite book in the Bible. I know, I know, it's pretty depressing. I just love how in the midst of it all, Job keeps the faith. Can we say that to be true of us. Anyway...I give you David Crowder.

My Hope

Date Created: 5/22/2002
Author: David Crowder
Scripture References: Job 1:1 Job 42:17

Verse Text:
Job 1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
Job 42:17 And so he died, old and full of years.

"Do you ever have just one of those days? Or, are you that guy. You know who you are. The one whose mouth is frozen in a perpetual grin. The one that walks outside on a windy day and has paper currency gather at your feet for your discretionary use. The one that is always found by the silver lining that the rest of us have heard tale of and searched courageously and diligently for, only to find you wrapped lavishly in it due, of course, to no cleverness of your own. Well this is not written for you so you can go now... no really, bye...

So now, do you ever have just one of those days? Or, perhaps one of those years? Now I’m not here to vent about our everyday, shared experiences such as the mud puddle that is completely avoidable by the passing car whose timing just happens to be in perfect symmetry to our proximity leaving us with a cool coating of brown mixing vividly with the new white shirt chosen conveniently enough for surely such occasion as this. No I’ll not vent here. I mean what would be the point to even suggest that on other people brown is a neutral even natural tone blending well with their attire but on you and I brown is indeed vivid. That would be pointless and we are at this point comfortably numb to these moments. They are only troublesome in their cyclical repetitiveness, really no more than trivial annoyances at this point.

I recently thought I’d found a loophole in the whole thing. I’ve told every soul I know about it and so I share it with you now. You know how when you and I set our VCRs to record say the season finale of Friends (or Everyone Loves Raymond according, apparently, to our socio/economic status) only to return to the flashing 12:00 or some other unexplainable occurrence that has overridden our double and triple check of programming. Well…enter TIVO. Have you heard of this? It’s incredible! It is a digital recording device that will record up to 30 even 60 hours of television. Through a series of very simple steps, including on screen instructions with visually appealing graphics, you set TIVO to record an entire series of your favorite show. You just click on SEASON PASS and you’re done. Oh, and did I mention it’s hooked up to your phone line making a daily phone call to get any scheduling changes, automatically adjusting it’s recording times accordingly! I am of the strong belief that it is the best invention of this century. Sure the century is new with more to come undoubtedly and TIVO was probably invented in the previous century but I did not own TIVO until last year and my rules allow for this. If you have TIVO you know what I mean. We are family. You and I and TIVO. I mean I talk out loud to TIVO and thank TIVO for making our television watching so efficient and enjoyable. We have a TIVO sticker on our car. But...just recently I returned home with my wife Toni from a pleasant evening out. We sit down in our very large TIVO viewing chair for two, ready to watch a desperately necessary half hour of Friends/Raymond that our dependable never failing TIVO should have ready to go for us. We scroll down the menu and to our delight find the show and push play and “oh my”… “Babylon 5?” “What?” “NO!” “ This is impossible!” “TIVO never fails!” “This cannot be!”* NT></DIV>

I still have yet to find a loophole.

No, for you and I life is unavoidable. And not just the mud on a shirt or a missed television show. I mean the moments that life really presses in. The moment the weight becomes crushingly unbearable by certainly any other. When tragedy intrudes and we are robbed of any logical proofs that God is good. When the book of Job suddenly seems our unauthorized biography. I wrote the song “My Hope” out of the experience of life and the comfort I found in Job. This book is not concerned so much with the why of life’s eruptions but the faith of a man throughout them. A godly man in possession of a faith that all of his afflictions could not shake. To find a man and eavesdrop long enough to hear him in intimate honesty ask “though You slay me, yet will I trust You?” (13:15) and to see his story answer in a resounding “yes” that can still be clearly and effectually heard today. And to see God show up in all of His majestic glory that pen and paper can express. Chapter 38. Everything that we thought was troublesome or painful or disappointing or hard or wearisome or frustrating or maddening is swept away. We become aware of His constant presence, and full of awe we, along with our concerns, are resized. We are swept away in this wonderful, beautifully glorious storm of who He is. He speaks out of the silence and it’s so terrifyingly plain that we have been right all along. He is in control. Beyond even our wildest imaginings."

Funny Stuff

If you've checked out my "in rotation" sidebar you know that I'm a fan of James Blunt's music. This parody of his song "You're Beautiful" is one I just couldn't resist sharing with you. Consider yourself privileged. It's simply called..."My Cubicle".

Can any of you relate. I think we've all, in one form or another, spent time in our own personal cubicles.

Isn't it good to laugh!

Healthy debate gone too far?

A good friend told me that I shouldn't touch this subject with a ten foot pole. However, this has been a bit of a soap box issue of mine for some time now & I feel like it's time to open the floodgates of conversation.

What do you think of when I say the word...Tongues? A valid spiritual gift? A dead spiritual gift? Gene Simmons? I realize that within the body of Christ, there are about as many differing opinions on this subject as grains of sand on the beach. I'm okay with that. In fact, at this moment, God hasn't granted me that gift. No matter. The point at hand here, is someone's PRIVATE relationship with Christ.

This really all came to a head for me a few months ago when I heard of the IMB adding new guidelines for their prospective missionary candidates. One of which states:

“In terms of general practice, the majority of Southern Baptists do not accept what is referred to as ‘private prayer language,’” the policy states. “Therefore, if ‘private prayer language’ is an ongoing part of his or her conviction and practice, the candidate has eliminated himself or herself from being a representative of the IMB of the SBC.

Let me be clear in saying this, I believe the IMB is doing wonderful things for the kingdom. I just don't believe they, or anyone for that matter, has the right to dictate how one worships in their private walk with the Lord.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." - Matthew 6:6

As recent as last month, Dwight McKissic, a trustee of Southwestern Theological Seminary, endorsed "private prayer languages" during a chapel service. Go here for more on that service. As a general practice, the seminary posts its chapel messages on their website. However, this specific message was not posted.

"...though most of Reverand McKissic's message represented a position with which most people at Southwestern would be comfortable, Rev. McKissic's interpretation of tongues...is not a position that we suspect would be advocated by most faculty or trustees."

I understand their view. I really do! I just don't understand why they felt the need to censor the distribution of his message. It's not like we haven't heard what it was about through other means.

The bottom line for me is this, who are we to say what mysteries God may choose to reveal to us in private? These intimate times with the Lord should reveal to us a more personal Savior. Otherwise, why would He have commanded us to go into our rooms and "close the door". When will we get it that it's about Christ!? How long before all our man made walls come crashing down?

LET THE FLOODGATES OPEN!

N.O.W. is WOW (cheesy)

This afternoon we had our first Night of Worship rehearsal. For those of you that don't have a clue what I'm talking about, this is our BIG event for the year. Some churches put on Christmas cantatas or Easter pageants. N.O.W. is our pageant, with one major difference. This is an event that is meant to be a time for the church to come together and do one thing...WORSHIP! Does that mean that we won't have sets, costumes, etc, etc... Nope, we pull out all the stops for this event. However, it's all with the mindset of offering our best to our Savior Jesus Christ!

I'm really excited about what God has in store for us this year. The theme, if you will, is the church of Acts 2. God has really been working amongst our people as of late to get more involved in our community. This is exactly what Acts 2 is about...COMMUNITY!

So, in a nutshell, I think we're off to a great start. I can't wait to see what will unfold in the weeks & months to come.

In case anyone is wondering & you are in the area of FBC, this year's N.O.W. will be Nov 18th @ 6:00.

Commenting Issue

Quick notice : I am sorry to those that have tried to leave comments. Since I switched to blogging in beta, the comments have not been available it seems to those logging it using standard blogger. Also, I have not been able to leave comments on blogs that have not switched over.

From Blogger: Users who have not switched to Blogger in beta will not be able to login to comment on blogs that have been switched. Commenting using the “anonymous” or “other” options will still work. — latest update on 9/05/2006 04:44:00 PM

So, in a nutshell, here's the deal. Blogger has recently been purchased by GOOGLE & consequently is presently in the process of changing blogger. In the long run it will have much more & better features. However, until then, there are obviously still a few bugs to be worked out. To fix this problem, you will all need to open a google account at beta.blogger.com. It's a very simple & painfree process. This will convert your present blogger account over to blogger beta. Eventually, everyone is going to be forced to switch, so why not go ahead and get it over with.

I've been missing our little community & am looking forward to hearing from & speaking to you again. Please post a comment once you've starter your new account.

See you in the blogosphere!

Jesus, I Come

I read this article today at worshiptogether.com. A few weeks ago I heard a great new version to the old hymn, Jesus I Come. Mr. Cameron really hit on what I loved about the song. Take a read:

The Sweetest Words On Earth
Author: Scott Cameron
Scripture References: Luke 7:36-50
Verse Text: Luke 7:48

"What would be the sweetest words you could ever hear?
After Adam and Eve were put out of the garden of Eden they may have longed to hear the words, “Come unto me!” Remember Jacob who wrestled with God? He just wanted to hear God say, “I will bless you”. Insecure Abraham would have known such refreshing as God said to him “I will be your shield”. Unloved Leah was desperate to hear the words “I love you” from the lips of her husband Jacob. What joy filled Elizabeth’s heart when the Angel of the Lord told her “You are going to have a baby”. For the poor disciples going through a storm, the words of Christ come with such comfort “Do not be afraid”. A leper who feels so unclean and dirty hears the words of Jesus, “I am willing, be clean”.

In Luke’s gospel chapter 7 at verse 48 we read of an un-named woman of whom Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven!” To this un-named woman, they were truly the sweetest words on earth. These words were to form a heart of worship to Christ.

In her day she was an un-named woman who had the reputation of being a great sinner. After a sweet encounter with Jesus she is now known as the woman who gave the most extravagant worship.

True heart worship begins at the feet of Jesus - the mercy seat. As she comes to the feet of Jesus, she comes with a broken heart in a broken clay jar. Her ambitions, her career, her reputation, her emptiness, her foolishness, her sins, her sad memories, yes, her whole life was in this jar.

What beautiful worship! No angel can sing like this woman. No angel can sing of sins forgiven. Truly, this is the heart of a worshipper - releasing all to Jesus!"


So, let's go back to the song that I mentioned earlier. Here are the lyrics:


Jesus, I Come
Original text by William T. Sleeper
Craig Anderson, Billy Smiley,
Scott Wesley Brown

VERSE 1
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come.
Into Your freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come.
Out of my sickness, into Your health;
Out of my want and into Your wealth.
Out of my sin, and into Your self, Jesus, I come, I come.
Out of my shame, failure and loss,
I lay them down at the foot of Your cross.
Out of my selfishness, wanting and greed,
Lord, I will follow wherever You lead.

CHORUS 1
Lord, I am thirsty; Lord, I am down on my knees.
And thru all of the valleys, Your word has spoken to me.
For You are my Shepherd—all that I want, all I need—
Jesus, I Come

VERSE 2
Out of the fear of all the unknown, Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Your home, Jesus, I come.
Out of the depths of ruin untold;
Into the peace of Your sheltering fold.
Ever Your glorious face to behold—Jesus, I come, I come!

CHORUS 2
Lord, I am thirsty; Lord, I am down on my knees.
And thru all of the valleys, Your word has spoken to me.
For You are my Shepherd—all that I want, all I need—
For You are my Shepherd—all that I want, all I need—
Jesus, I come.


I love this old song made new. The idea that out of our junk comes the ultimate treasure! Out of our thirsting comes living water! However, if we were to get completely honest, how many of us desire to be at such a place in our lives? A place of brokenness...in such need that we can't help but fall at His feet in complete submission. Is that really what we want? Or, would we rather have it all & thank God for it after the fact. You know, the old have your cake and eat it too.

I'm not going to lie, God has blessed me & mine in incredible ways. With such blessings I've often wondered if I've ever truly been broken before the Lord.

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned!

"We have all sinned and fallen short of His Glory!"

What's in your alabaster jar?


JESUS, I COME!

Shine On!

Hello everyone! I've been trying for a week to publish the video of last week's "Building Bridges" service on the net. Apparently, it's a bit too long to post without a lot of research and patience. No worries, I will figure it out at some point. OH YES, IT WILL BE MINE! Until then, here's a short clip that I was able to post using a site called Video Egg. It's very simple, but will only let you upload 5 minutes. Have a GREAT Labor Day holiday!

-ME