Thursday, June 28, 2007

Texas or BUST!


This Sunday we're off on our annual trek to the International Worship Institute in Dallas Texas. Home Sweet Home. Once a Texan, always a Texan...long live the republic!

Anyway, keep posted into the blog. I will hopefully be breaking my typical weekly post as of late & blogging a tad more frequent. I will also be posting pics of the week. Not sure yet if I will create a separate blog like last year (in the sidebar) or just post them into this blog. I might even set up a flickr account to post them to.

If you know me, you know that this is one of my favorite weeks of the year. And, this year, I get to share this wonderful experience with 11 of my friends...one being my lovely wife Lisa. However, I can't help but think about what's going on right here in our own little community of Clarksville. Many of you may know, that this year's annual gathering of the "Rainbow Family" is scheduled for next week just north of Clarksville in Fallsville. Part of me, honestly, would like to venture north to see what all the hubub is about. Mainly for two reasons...1. I'm pretty sure my brother is part of the "family", &...2. I'm sick of how my fellow Christians are reacting to this group entering our holy bubble!

Sorry for the outburst, but really. Let's remember the silly little bracelet bandwagon that all of us Christians jumped on a few years back. You know, WWJD...What Would Jesus Do? The God I serve & His Word that I read says:

"But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

When are we going to stop "complaining" & start doing. Don't hear me wrong, I'm not preaching from on high. I'm just as guilty. I'm just tired of Christians looking down our noses at others that don't fit our mold of what a "good" person should be. The Bible says that "our righteousness is as filthy rags". That's all of us, not just those crazy rainbow people.

Lord, please help us to do honor to Your name, & not give anyone a reason, by looking at us, to say that's why I don't want to be a follower of Christ. May they see us, & want what we have!

So, as I leave for Dallas & what proves to be a wonderful week of rejuvenation. I challenge those of you that we leave behind. Go to Fallsville, or the neighbor's house, or the park, or Wal-Mart. Make a new friend & in doing so, SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Pray Without Ceasing!!

As many of you know, every year I take a team from our Creative Arts department to the International Worship Institute in Dallas. Only 11 more days until this year's event! This will be my fifth year to attend. We have grown from taking two, to this year a group of ten of us are attending. I'm really excited that my wife is going this year...without the kids. I love 'em, but they'll be just fine with Grandmama & Papa. Besides, we're going to Colorado together the following week! There...my conscience feels much better. Anyway, it truly is one of the best weeks of my year. It rejuvenates my soul & gets me refreshed & energized for the next year in ministry.

Contrary to what people may think, working in the church carries a lot of baggage. Don't get me wrong, at this point in my life, I can't imagine doing anything else..."For such a time as this". It's just that this calling is a lot more stressful than one might think. The bottom line is simply this, PEOPLE ARE MESSY! As it says in Romans..."We've all sinned & fallen short of the glory of God". Church is just the one place that all those messy folks come together. You gotta love it!!

Forgive me, as I feel like I'm rambling or going to ramble a bit. Let me get to my point. This morning I received an e-mail, as I often do, from the good people at IWI. It started much like they all do with a greeting not unlike that of Paul in his letters to Timothy. However, as I read on, the tone became quite different. As I'm reading, I'm thinking to myself, Lord please let this not be happening. But, as I read on, sure enough, Lamar Boschman, the founder of IWI (21 years ago) is stepping down. Why?...moral transgressions. Only God knows what that means, & frankly I'd like to keep it that way. Here we have yet another Godly leader knocked down. What is going on? The reality is, as stated earlier, we are all sinners & could at any moment be knocked down by any number of temptations.

So, what happens now? The way I see it, the only thing that I know can be done is...PRAY. We must do as the word says & "Pray without ceasing". Pray for Lamar...Pray for his family...Pray for the faculty of IWI...Pray for those attending IWI...PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!! The last thing we need to do is judge as if this couldn't happen to any one of us. Will we still be going to IWI? Of course!! I believe with all my heart that God has ordained this group of ten people to connect with Him as never before. In fact, I will be going now with an even more expectant heart than before. Through our weakness, He shows himself STRONG!

One more thing. This just solidifies in my heart the need for more ministries seeking to bring freedom to the addicted. Starting sometime in the Fall or the beginning of the new year, we will be starting a new ministry called "The Well".


Honesty is crucial! We are all either addicted to something, know someone that is, or prone to have one. Right now, I'm sure some of you are even offended by that statement. I stand by it though. We MUST get honest with ourselves. More to come down the pike with this ministry. If your heart stirs, let me know. We need leaders that have been there & done that.

Until then...

"PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!"

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Thursday, June 14, 2007

I've discovered something!

I ENJOY TOO MANY THINGS!!

Blogging, for instance. I loved getting started with this about a year ago. I loved designing the site, creative writing, teaching, yada, yada, yada. Now, like many things, it has become one more thing...that I enjoy doing...but have trouble juggling with the other things I love.

So, here's the deal, in an effort to balance all of my loves (i.e. my wife, kids, songwriting, recording those songs, videography, photography, blogging, etc...etc...), I will continue to blog, but not quite as often. Honestly, I see this becoming primarily a teaching tool, with bits of my other passions thrown in.

Speaking of other things that are thrown in. I've added a new band & book to my sidebar. Check them out. Your best bet to stay in tune to Me-Log is to subscribe. That way, as frequent (or infrequent) as I post, you will get an e-mailed version of the post that will direct you to the site.

Before I sign off for today, I do want to share with you what my small group talked about last night. Like last semester, we are still studying the mystery of worship. Only this time, we are diving a little deeper into the personal aspect of it. As many of you know, Romans 12:1 is my favorite, or some may call it, my life verse. Let's look at it:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."

I love this verse!! Let's start at the beginning. What does it mean..."in view of God's mercy"? More simply put, what is mercy? We concluded that it was simply getting what we don't deserve, as well as not getting what we do deserve. The Word says that our acts are as filthy rags. If that's so, we deserve the trash heap! Although, due to God's mercy, we don't get it. In fact, we get the opposite...ETERNAL LIFE!! What does that speak to you?? I'll tell you what it says to me. It screams I LOVE YOU!

Let's go a bit further. Why does it tell us to offer our bodies? Why not our hearts? I think we can all agree that our flesh is what consistently gets us into trouble. We HAVE to give that flesh over to Christ's will for us. Also, the body encompasses the heart & soul. The way I see it, it's a package deal.

"Holy and pleasing to God". WOW! Isn't that what worship is truly about...pleasing our heavenly father. Worship should be our response to our loving, giving, merciful Creator. THANK YOU DADDY!

It ends with this statement..."This is your spiritual act of worship". Not, this might be, but THIS IS! We are commanded to live our lives in this way. So, here's my challenge to you. When it gets difficult, when you think you can't go any further, funnel your worship through His mercy. What more could He give for you? NOTHING! He deserves what we can offer him.

I concur with Paul as he stated, "I urge you brothers". It's of ETERNAL importance.

BLESSINGS!!

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