What is worship worth

I've spent a great deal of time praying for someone who means the world to me. In the midst of this, I've also been intised to buy a new car. ( I wont name names Ryan) as I was doing both, this thaought came to me.

It’s time to buy a new car.
Sometimes the idea is met with  excitement and anticipation and sometimes with a sense of dread, depending on the situation. Rarely is it a stress free experience to walk onto a car lot, especially when the salesperson walks out with that classic smile to greet you.

Suppose you walk onto a car lot and before you sits a brand new Camaro. It looks amazing. It handles like a dream. It is a picture of perfection. It is sleek. It is fast. It is beautiful. …and it is very expensive, sporting a price tag of a whopping $65,000. Not that I really know what they sell for, I just picked the number out of my head.

If money were no object, this might be the ultimate dream car, and the price tag would not matter. However, if you are on a budget, you might admire it for a bit but it would never come home with you and spend any time in your garage.

Off to the side of the lot and tucked almost out of view, you notice a rusted out, beat up 68 Mustang Fastback. The seats are torn. It smells. All the windows are broken. The tires are flat. It is an absolute eyesore. To most people this would be a piece of junk, ready for the scrap yard.

But wait… what if you're not most people? What if you happen to be a fan of classic cars? What if you catch this hunk of metal out of the corner of your eye and it ignites a thrill in your soul? What if you’ve been looking for this particular car for years and it’s been your dream to find one and to restore it to how it was intended to be? When you look at it, you don’t see the mess that it is. You see its potential. You see beauty. You see value. You see all that it can be.

To you, this car is worth far more than a hunk of scrap. As a matter of fact, you don’t care about how much it costs because you are willing to pay anything for it. It is worth it to you
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Two cars on the same lot. They sit at extreme opposites of the value spectrum, yet, until someone walks in and chooses to pay for them, neither of them is worth anything. They do not hold any value in and of themselves, they only have the value that you place on them. Their worth is found in what you, the buyer, are willing to pay for them.

God chose to pay the ultimate price for us. He has assigned onto us a value beyond measure. It is not dependent on us any more than the value of a car sitting on a lot has to do with itself. If no one chooses to pay for it, it just sits there.

The next time you feel worthless and good for nothing, remember, you have been bought with a price that is beyond anything you could ever dream or imagine. The One who bought you has placed immeasurable value on you. He thinks you’re worth it!

True worshippers???

John 4:23-24

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Those of us who are saved worship God. But how many of us worship Him the way He requires us to worship Him? According the scripture, God clearly wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

To worship in spirit, we must stay connected to The Holy Spirit through prayer and communion with Him. To worship Him in Truth, we must know the truth. To know the truth, we must read His Word and Pray daily so He may reveal to us the truth we need to worship Him.

Wow! Are you showing up on Sundays to sing, praise and worship God after a week of not reading the bible, listening to or talking to God?

Today, make a commitment to stay connected to The Holy Spirit through prayer, and to know His truth by reading God's Word.

So Where's the Fruit or Sneaking apples from another man's orchard

    So here it is... Fall is upon us once more. I must confess that it is my least favorite season. I always approach it like a defendant waiting for his sentence to be handed down from the judge. "I sentence you to 6 months of cold dreary dark, dank winter. You will spend your winter shoveling snow until you suffer a heart attack and die". YUCK.
    But there are a number of things that I do enjoy. the colors, the sunsets that I'm still awake to enjoy, and the sun rising as I go to work to name a few.

    After our nightly walk today, Ali and I were sitting in the backyard admiring the fall colors when we noticed the neighbor's apple tree. After sneaking half a dozen tasty apples (they were hanging over my fence after all) we were commenting on how fruitful the tree was.
    Ali: Isn't it amazing how from one tiny apple seed a tree grows and matures and produces an abundance of fruit. It produces it for years. All it's life in fact. right up until it's death.
    At this we both couldn't help but feel that we have a lot to learn from nature. How much fruit do we produce? do we (I) look like that tree? Hundreds of apples every year. Year after year. For 30-40 years.
    Make me like that tree lord. I bear fruit, but not as a fruit tree. Not by a long shot.

Expecting Worship

How's your week been? Great? Bad? Somewhere in-between?

Each week when we gather together in church for worship, I'd venture a guess to say that maybe only half of us are "ready" to come in and give God thanks. There's so many factors that can lead to how we feel on a given Sunday, aren't there?

I mean, I can think through my Sunday morning process, and there's so many variables that can determine how I feel when I get to church. Did I cut myself shaving? Did I sleep well? Did I get my morning caffeine? It would be interesting to see how many different things affect our attitudes not just on Sunday, but throughout the week.

So if we multiplied the number of variables throughout the week that we all experience by the number of people we have in church on a Sunday, then we're talking about an astronomical number of things that can change the "feeling" of the room once we all get to church.

And then you have someone like me get up on stage and say that we need to be excited about being with God!

I remember that it was generally thought that worship wasn't about emotions--that we should be able to take whatever we're feeling and push it all aside and focus solely on God. That never sat right with me, to be frank. To me, that always felt that we were disconnecting a part of ourselves from experiencing God's presence.

I think that a large part of our worship is made up of our emotions--it has to be, doesn't it? If worship (how do you define worship? When it comes to worshipping God, to me is expressing love and thanks for who he is and what he's done...) is an expression of our love back to God, then emotions have to play into it. Otherwise, it's an intellectual experience only.

When you read the Psalms, you can see how the writers there poured out their emotions to God. I can't read those passages and not hear the vocal inflection in people's writing. I can't read it monotone as if Spock was reading them. They are filled with emotion: honest, open, raw, and even violent emotions at times.

So when you come to worship on Sunday, bring your emotions with you. God's not afraid of how you feel--he'd much rather have you be honest and frustrated with him than put on a show--that "everything's happy" church face.

And your worship does not have to be singing along with me and the band. Yes, we sing a lot of songs that are celebratory--that's intentional. We want to express thanks and adoration back up to God. But we also sing a lot of songs that have deeper meaning than that. Maybe one of those songs helps you connect with God this week.

You know you don't even have to sing and you can still be worshipping your hearts out. On weeks when I'm not leading, There's some conversations that I've had with God in my head that are the most honest and open that I've been with Him (or anybody!).

At any rate, worship is more than just group singing. Our times of worship are designed to be moments where we can connect with the heart of God--we want to be open in front of him, regardless, no maybe because, of how we feel. Maybe in those moments of complete honesty with him something life changing happens to us.

What are you expecting from worship this week?

The Meaning Of Life

Good Friday. Let's always remember the meaning of life

1 Peter 2:21-25 (The Message)
 21-25This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.    He never did one thing wrong,    Not once said anything amiss.They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls

Happy new year

Today, we start a new year. We have dreams and expectations, Some good, some not so good. Gen 26:24...the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. "I am the God of your father, Abraham," he said. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant."


When I read that today, it really stood out to me." I am with you and will bless you." God has a good record of taking care of those who put their trust in Him. He took care of Israel for more than 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness headed to the Promised Land. He provided them with food, water, shelter and protection. This same God is our help in times of trouble and will be with us. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He doesn't change.

The other day, I was sitting and thinking about this coming year and asking the Lord what He desired from us and these are some of the things that came into my heart. God desires for those that call him their God to return unto his house (the Church).  If you have been away from church, it's time to make the time and commitment to get back.



Another thing that the Lord spoke to my heart about is those that do not know him. His desire is that all men would turn their life over to him and let him become your provider, protection and friend. There is no one greater, or more important in this life.


What this year holds, I don't know. But the one thing I do know is that Jesus is going to be with me and help me face what lies ahead. I don't put my faith in governments, people or promises that people make. My trust is in the one who knows what lies ahead and is able to provide, protect and meet my every need. His name is Jesus, and I encourage you to follow Him with me

Advent: Hope

Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
-Luke 21:28 (NRSV)

Wow, here it is, Advent season again. A time when the church basically remembers to be watching for Christs return. A few years ago, I decided to give up something for Advent, I tried to give up rich foods and desserts until Christmas, hoping that my heart might be more open to the presence of Christ. It was a challenging sacrifice, and I didn't fair so well.

When suffering, hardship, or disaster come, are we ready to stand firm and place our hope God? I recently read an article online about a South African who spoke about her families history, they lived during the beginning of apartheid. Families were taken in trucks from their homes and towns and taken into exile to the so-called homelands. Singing arose on those trucks as loving parents comforted their children and offered songs of hope.

In dark times gifts of memory and hope comfort us, bringing strength to stand in the face of cruel injustice. God give us the strength to stand for you. To hope in you, and to find strength in You during this Christmas advent season. Remember to reach out to those around you who find this time of year difficult. Show them the Hope of Christ

Live it out

Today is the time to begin to live Worship! Not tomorrow, not yesterday, not the new year.

Everyday we have to choose. We can choose to live the same old way or we can start to live it to our best through living a life of worship. Does this mean we need to go around singing, dancing and praising every minute of the day? By no means. What I mean is living in integrity and being thankful for what God has done, and is doing.

So how do we begin to live a life of worship? Forgiveness is a place to start. If we hold anything against anyone or towards God we can't live our lives in worship.

Next, give honor and glory to God. God does so much for us each day that we don't give Him credit for, So take time to thank God for the simple things.

Next, pray. The word says to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean that every word from your mouth should be a prayer, it simply means that we need to stay in contact with God through our thoughts. When we do, we have less time to think about distractions that try to take us out of our lives of worship. We tend to forget about distractions and difficulties when we are focused on prayer!

Then we should take time each day to read the bible. when we do this we are actually hiding God's word in our heart. God will help us to understand His word and hide it in our hearts. You don’t have to memorize large parts of scripture. But if you take verses and meditate on them you can absorb these truths. They will help you to make better decisions while you are living your life of worship.

Last but not least you must take time to worship and praise. take the time to worship God in the way he designed for you. Whether it's on your face, or bouncing around the room, just take the time. You will find your freedom in praise when you are by yourself, but I encourage you to bring it to the sanctuary on Sunday. It is contagious. the more people who begin to feel free on Sunday, the more others will join, and soon we will all be worshiping freely in many different expressions

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14b

Isn’t this a powerful statement! You can almost feel the zeal of Nehemiah. Watching Kevin say the words, was almost like seeing Nehemiah speaking. He had authority, he had power. He was ticked because people around him were starting to fall to the lies of the enemy. Now we all know from what we have heard and read in our Bibles that God is, as the text says “great and awesome”, but do you know that for yourself? When you personally think about God, do the words great and awesome come to mind? If they don’t, I assure it is not because God has ceased to be great and awesome.
Author Henry Blackaby says in experiencing God. “Right now God is working all around you. One of the greatest tragedies among God’s people is that even though they long to experience Him they do not know how to recognize him at work in their midst”
If this has been the case for you, take some time to pray for God to reveal to you where he is working so that YOU may be able to say, with all sincerity of heart, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome”.

Thanks to advance notice from Kevin (our pastor for those of you who follow this blog from elsewhere) I've been reading nehemiah with the attitude "God, what are you saying in this book that you want to say through me, and what songs can I play that you will use to help us remember." So while I've been doing this, I've had a couple of thoughts that I thought I'd share.

What impresses me about Nehemiah is his humility and wisdom in this chapter. When Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, he must have made an impressive entrance. The king had sent army officers and cavalry with him, so I’m sure everyone was curious why he was in Jerusalem. But he doesn’t tell them right away. He tells us that he “had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2:12). He stays for three days and then–at night–he inspects the Jerusalem walls. He keeps his own counsel and instead makes a full inspection before announcing his purpose. He is thorough. He gathers all the “facts” before making a decision.

If I’d been Nehemiah, I’d have ridden into Jerusalem proudly, announced my plans right away. I’d have done this before I’d inspected the situation and had a good grasp of the whole situation. Good thing Nehemiah wasn’t like me, which is probably why God picked him for the task. Instead, Nehemiah is humble. the fact that he quietly examines the walls before making any decisions or plans shows me his wisdom. He is careful in his planning and wants to have first-hand knowledge of the situation before he proceeds any further into his mission.

I could stand to learn a lot from Nehemiah’s actions. How many times do I make plans without considering all the “facts” beforehand? How many times do I barge into a situation, proudly thinking I can make it right, when I don’t know the full situation to begin with?

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. See you on Sunday when Kevin speaks from Nehemiah 3. I don't know about you, but this series is definatly got me paying attention, and it's got me digging into the word a little deeper than I have in awhile.

Be Ready

You know, what’s so good about our God is how He can deliver to us exactly what we need exactly when we need it. Matthew 25 has proven to me again that He knows exactly what I’m going through and knows exactly how to handle the situation.

There are three powerful parables in this chapter:

1) The story of the ten bridesmaids
2) The story of the traveling man with 2 wise and 1 foolish servant
3) The sheep and the goats

All of these have to do with being prepared and being good stewards with our time, our treasure, and our talent. As I read this chapter over a few times, it really hit me how important it is to have things in order; to be ready at all times.

See you Sunday

A Life Of Worship

The longer I lead worship, the more I realize just how much of an incomplete idea we have of what it means to worship God.

I don’t believe that worship occurs solely in a moment in time but is more of a lifelong pursuit of God and glorifying His name in all we do and say. It's not just singing songs on a Sunday morning but is moment by moment obedience to God. Jesus said that all the law and the prophets were summed up in two laws, one of which is to, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” This is at the very core of what it means to worship God. The Lord desires that I worship him not just at specific times in specific places, although it is important that I do this, but that my whole life would be devoted to him.

Here are some definitions that have helped me understand worship better:

To love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is to completely devote our lives to Him and, in so doing, consider every thought and action to be to the glory of God, (cf. 1 Cor.10:31; Col. 3:23)

“Worship is a posture of life that takes as its primary purpose the understanding of what it really means to love and revere God.” (Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, Pg.91)

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6v5)

“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” (Romans12v1)

“ The complete devotion of our lives to God while considering every thought and action, through submission to the Holy Spirit, to be done to the glory of God, (cf. 1 Cor.10: 31; Col. 3:23)

The way I think about worship will affect how I worship. Sometimes, I think Sunday morning is the only time we worship God. Why? The answer lies in what we think it means to worship God.

The greatest switch that ever took place in the history of the universe was when a holy God chose to make human beings His dwelling place. Since I am a ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:19), worship can and must move beyond time and place. Worship is grounded solidly in real life and begins and ends with my daily life where attitude is crucial (see Philippians 2vs5-11).

The degree to which I carry out my daily activities with a heart of gratitude (1 Cor. 10:31) and thankfulness towards God will determine the depth of my worship on a daily basis which will, in turn, greatly impact my weekly gathering with the body when I can offer my week – my life, to God in worship.

Which areas of your life could you consider as acts of worship?

Do you want Him enough?

As I look around and sense the season we are in I can’t help but wonder how people live without Jesus. How do they survive the pressure of this world and all its disappointments, temptations and empty promises? Even as a believer it is a challenge to keep my eyes focused on Jesus and His promises to me and not on what is going on in the world. Our eyes fool us at times. We see things as they appear and not as they really are. The perspective we have is limited by our humanity and our culture but God sees the end from the beginning. Scripture says that He will keep us, that even if our mothers abandon us He won’t let us go, that He will be with us in the fire and in the flood but He does not say that it will be easy. The vision of being a Christ follower in our western culture seems to be one of comfort and convenience. I wonder how long we would last in Eastern Europe or in China where life is hard and being a Christian means loosing your family, being imprisoned or giving up your life. How many American Christians would have made it through Nazi Germany or the arenas of Rome? I wonder how long I would last in a Muslim country where giving your heart to Jesus could cost you your head?

I remember leading worship at church one day and sensing God saying “ You don’t want me enough.” I thought He was talking about the congregation I was leading in song but weeks later I realized He was speaking to me directly. I wanted the things of Jesus, the healing the good feeling the protection but He wants me to want Him. I pray we will learn to want Him with everything in us for every moment and every thought for every day.