Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Regrets, Resolutions and Realizations

Looking back on this past year, I found myself going through my thoughts and making mental lists of things I encountered. Thought I would write them down.

I have some regrets from 2006, some of which are:
Not spending more time with my kids. They grow up so fast and I wonder where I've been and what I've missed.
Not reading more of God's word, and getting closer to Him.
Not keeping in touch with old friends.

Some
resolutions for 2007:
To continue to learn to play the guitar more efficiently and to start playing the keyboard again.
To laugh more and to not be such a stick in the mud.
To love my wife and kids more and spend more valuable time with them.
To strengthen my relationship with God.
And of course to loose about 20 pounds

Some
realizations from 2006:
Time flies when your having fun.
Great vocals is way better than great music.
I have a desire to go back to school and get a degree in music.
I'm not perfect (kinda already knew that one).
I love my wife more today than the day we got married (and that was a lot back then)
My wife gets more beautiful every day.
My kids will one day be smarter than me.
Life is short and fragile.
Good friends make life better.
Stepping out in faith is scary, but necessary to grow in Christ.


I'm sure there is a lot more but in a nut shell.......

I hope your 2006 was fantastic, and if for some reason it wasn't, remember God knows what 2007 holds for you. And if your following Him, and seeking His will, then it will turn out to be a great year.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Gaining a brother

Sunday I gained a brother and a sister in Christ. Keith and I used to hang out together several years ago. We did everything together, farmed, goofed off, hunted, fished, got it trouble, you name it. After Lisa and I were married and life got busy with kids and jobs, Keith and I drifted and only saw each other in passing. Well through a variety of circumstances, Sunday I had the privilege of watching Keith and his wife get baptized. As I watched the service, I was excited and thrilled to think that we would be spending eternity together. I was so proud of Keith and his wife for taking this step of faith, and grateful that I was able to witness this event and time in their lives. God is good!!!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Psalm 104

A few days ago I was reading in Psalms and came across this passage in chapter 104. It gave me a picture of God that brought a smile to my face, and I wanted to share it with you. I would urge you to read past what I have below, the whole chapter is a wonderful vision of how great and mighty and awe inspiring God is. Enjoy!!

1-14 O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are! Beautifully, gloriously robed. Dressed up in sunshine,and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps,made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers,appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean,covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst.

It still amazes me that the God who created this magnificent universe, created and cares for me!!

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Confused by my own language

Today during the service we sang "It Is Well With My Soul", a great song with lots of visual words. During practice one of the team members made a comment that the wording didn't make sense. This is the line she was refering to:

O, Lord haste the day
When my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back
As a scroll;
The trump shall resound
And the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" it is well
With my soul.

She said that with all that verse says, Christ coming back, the trumpets sounding, our faith becoming a physical reality to our eyes, "Even So" it is well with my soul?
What does the "Even So" mean here?


Horatio G. Spafford wrote these words back in 1873, and it almost sounds like he is stating that in spite of all that is happening with Christ returning and the sky's parting, it is still well with his soul. Obviously that isn't what it is saying, but I struggled to understand it. And to sing it means nothing unless I understand what it is saying. The story behind this hymn goes like this.

This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Spaf­ford's life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford's daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford's wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, "Saved alone." Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford's own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth.

it is well with my soul: "Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford"

I have to say, that with the way the english language is spoken today, the "Even so" still does not make any sense, however, now we know the story. And knowing the story allows me to sing the song with some knowledge as to what the author intended it to say.
Life isn't easy, and sometimes it can be just down right unbearable, however as Christians we know that it isn't the end. We may have it rough now, but there will come a day when every knee will bow and every tounge confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And when that day comes, all our worries, all our grief, all our pain and suffering will fade away and we will live for eternity with the great and might King. So, Even though life is hard, even though I may not have it easy, Even though I may be ill, Even though I may be poor or rich, even though I may be dying, it is well with my soul, because I live in Christ.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

10 wonderful years

This past Thursday, my wife and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. Now I'm not sure what ten year edict is, but I'm sure we violated the general rule. A few weekends ago we went to a marriage conference called "A Weekend To Remember" put on by Family life. www.familylife.com We told each other that that weekend would be our gift to each other. Sorry honey, but I just couldn't let it go at that. I had been secretly planning a day for about three or four weeks where I would steel her away from work and pamper her all day long. Our anniversary day came and went, and the day after our anniversary, when all was suppose to be over, I sprang my surprise. See She usually doesn't work of Friday's but several weeks prior to this I had set it up with her boss that she had a meeting she couldn't miss that day. So after she got to work I showed and up and stole her away for the day. I had an absolute blast showering her with attention, gifts, time, just about anything she wanted. We spent the whole day together and topped it off with a nice dinner and carriage ride through downtown Fort Wayne. The best part about it was it was all about her. It was selfless and it felt great. I love my wife, she is beautiful and smart. She has a great personality and a big heart. She is a great mother to our kids and the queen of our household. I have been blessed to spend ten years with this beautiful woman. I pray that God will bless me with many, many, many, more. Lisa, thank you for loving me and being my best friend. I Love You

Love Chris

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Living vrs. Doing part deux

I really appreciate the honesty that was given in the last post/comment. It's easy for me to write that I need to stop living and start doing. It's easy to write because saying it is simple, it's the doing that's the hard part. Putting your faith into action is not easy, and I dare say if it is easy for you, then you had probably better look to see if you really are putting it into action.

In Matthew 5 verse 11, Christ said:
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Even Christ knew it would not be easy to put your faith in Him into action. To "do" in the midst of a world and culture that doesn't understand is hard. But Christ went onto to say that we should:
"12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

We have to remember that not only did Christ endure great temptation in the wilderness from Satan, He also endured all the temptations and ridicule we face today. He endured the jokes, the mockery, the insults, the pain and the suffering, the loneliness and the rejection. We can put our trust in a God and Savior that knows what we go through on a daily basis, because He went through it as well.

I want you to know, your not alone in your struggle with your co workers, I face it every day as do many others who are reading this. But this is one of the reasons I created this blog. When we share with one another our struggles and our pains, we can help each other through them. We can pray for each other and lift each other up. You are a child of God, created for such a time as this. He will give you strength and comfort. He will guide you and protect you.

In Hebrews 13: 5b-6 God gave us a promise that we can live by, and I'll end with this:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

God Bless

Living vrs. Doing comment

I recieved a comment that I thought deserved it's own post, so here it is.

I've enjoyed reading your blogs. It's such a good idea, especially for the worship team members to have a place to voice opinions on different topics. However, usually I don't say anything... but this one struck a place deep. Lately life has seemed a little upside down for me... And I find myself asking God when I will get a moment to stop and take a breath. Obstacle after obstacle is thrown in my face... it's like I'm treading water and doing my best just to keep my face above the surface. I try not to let it show, I tend to hold my feelings inside, that's probably not the best thing to do - but for me sometimes it seems better that way.

Home Life:
Most of you probably know that my parents recently got separated. The whole going back and forth from home to dads hasn't been the easiest thing in the world. In fact I'm really struggling with it.

Work Life:
I've been working at Bob Evans since March and a coworker that I haven't had any trouble with has decided to shake things up a bit. He knows, most everyone at work knows that I follow Christ. I've wanted to make that known, and shown. This coworker of mine has always made little comments trying to offend me - and I've let them slide. I almost took it as a complement... for example I guess in his point of view "I'm wasting my time going to church." But lately, like I said he's decided to shake things up a bit, take it a step farther. He's been talking down to me at work to the point I leave crying... and it doesn't just stay at work, he calls me profane words in the hallways at school, and talks about me behind my back. Let's just say that it's been a little hard trying to keep my composure, not let it get to me.

With home life and work life kind of crazy and struggling with being a senior and figuring college out... I've felt very needy when it comes to Christ. My relationship with Him is on a level that’s very hard to describe. He is that person, that buddy you run to for comfort, or just talk to because no one else seems to be around. But what I've come to notice, like what you've said, is that Christ is soooo... much more than just a buddy, He is a God that I've learned to fear. I've learned to fear Him because I've realized through my recent situations that He is the ONLY ONE in control, and He's in control ALL THE TIME. Which has also been comforting. Realizing this has changed my whole view on things. Work has been getting so crazy I was thinking about applying at other places. But what I've come to see is that I do try my best to resemble Christ in whatever atmosphere I am in, whether home, school, or work and if by doing this it "shakes things up a bit" between myself and nonbelievers then I guess I'm "doing" what I was meant to do. Applying at other places is not an option for me right now. I think I was just seeing myself as I was "living" my life and now I've realized it's not about the living it's all about the doing. And when things do get a little bumpy... I'll just turn to the fact that I know my God is in control.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Living vrs. Doing



As of late, I have been reading a book called “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard. It took me a while to get into this book due to the nature of the writing, but now I cannot put it down. It has caused me to start thinking differently about my “Christian” life and how I live it. For sometime now, maybe a few years, I have desired a fresh look at this thing called Christianity, and I think I may have found it. I have had many conversations with friends and family about how it seems that Christian’s have somehow made Jesus into a buddy that can be called on when needed as we live our “Christian” life, as opposed to the awe inspiring genius teacher that He was and is. There seems to be a lack of wonder, trembling, curiosity, and respect for Christ, I’ve seen it in others and especially in myself. I was raised in the church, my father is a licensed minister, and I serve as the Director of Worship at our church. I read the bible, go to Sunday school, I pray, and try to live a good life serving others and living peaceably among mankind. Most would consider this to be the life of a “Christian”, and so have I for many years. Since I have started reading this book, I have started asking myself if that is true. Curious yet? If you look in the dictionary under the suffix “ian” as in Christian, you will find the following meaning or explanation.

“ian” :One relating to, belonging to, or resembling:

So the word Christian would be broken down to the following sentence. One relating to, belonging to, or resembling Christ.

Now the “belonging to” and the “relating to” I may have been able to emulate a few times in my life so far. It’s the “resembling” that I fall short. Christ told his disciples in Matthew 28, to go make disciples of all nations.

What is a disciple? The dictionary’s definition is “a convinced adherent of a school or individual”.

In Willard’s book, he uses the word apprentice. I like this term much better than disciple. Because it makes me think of someone that closely follows the one teaching him or her. Someone that would believe and pay close attention to the teacher with respect, admiration, and delight at the opportunity that they get to learn from such a person. I believe this to be fairly close to the definition of disciple. So when it comes to the “resembling” of Christ, have I been or have I not been. I believe that it is perfectly possible for someone to live his or her whole life, going to church, praying, living peaceably with others, even serving in the church, and still not resemble Christ in the way Christ intended us to. I don’t want that to be me. I “want to” resemble Christ, I “want to” be His apprentice, but can I truly? The answer is yes. John the Baptist was an apprentice of God, and he paid a high sacrifice for it. Unlike most other religious leaders of the time, he lived without all the modern comforts of the day. He was poor and had the tattered clothing to prove it. His diet consisted of locust and honey, just enough sustenance to live. He knew his place when it came to the coming Christ, he told us during his message in the river, when he said that there was one coming whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. (Something that the servants of that day didn’t even do.) When the religious leaders of the day showed up, John called them out and basically accused them of merely living a lifestyle that made them look as though they were righteous and holy.

By now you may be asking so what’s the point? Where are you going with this? Well, this is something that effects us all, because far to many of us, including myself “live” our Christian lives instead of “doing” them. If you scroll back up the post to about 5 lines down from the top, you will notice that I wrote “my Christian life and how I live it.” I realized just a minute ago that my thinking process is messed up. If I merely “live” my Christian life and “do” nothing, than what kind of life is it really? It is a life of “meets my needs” Christianity. It is a life that is comfortable and one that requires little to no sacrifice. It is a life that we control, instead of giving up and dying to. It’s a life that is spent trying to make myself feel better about me. What can I get out of church today, How can Christ serve me today. I hope worship is good today. AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!
When did it become about us or me? It is suppose to be about CHRIST. HE’S the one who died on the cross. HE’S the one who is the genius teacher. HE’S the one that we should worship, HE’S the one that defeated death and won the final victory.

(Time to settle down)

Christ said.
GO” – move, seek, search, find
MAKE” – do something, transform, teach
DISCIPLES” – apprentices that will believe me, respect me, learn from me,
follow me.
OF ALL NATIONS” – everywhere, everyone, do not pick and choose

I have made a commitment to myself that I will become an “apprentice of Jesus”. I am going to stop “living” my Christian life, and I am going to start ”doing” my Christian life. I want to challenge you to think about your Christian life, are you merely “living” or are you “doing”? Are you an apprentice of Jesus? Do you use Christ as a buddy when you need Him? Or do you respect Him for the genius teacher He was and is? Think about it.

Monday, October 09, 2006

In The Blink Of An eye

Today we took the kids to school then came back to enjoy a nice day of quite reading and catching up on things around the house. We enjoyed the weather which was fantastic, and a nice lunch sitting outside just soaking up the sun. We picked the kids up from school and we were heading over to the park when all of the sudden our day took a turn. Literally in the blink of an eye things went from great to scary as cars started slamming on brakes and screeching tires warned of danger. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Jimmy, in oncoming traffic, get jacked up in the rear and a man tumbling through space head over heals. A Jimmy had slammed on the brakes due to traffic ahead, and a motorcycle behind her wasn't as quick to respond and ended up laying the bike down just as it hit the back of the truck. The impact threw the rider off and through the air like a rag doll for about 30 feet. I slammed on the brakes yelled for my wife to grab the cell and call 911 while we jumped out of the van and ran over to the scene. For a short moment, chaos erupted as we tried to figure out who was hurt, only to see the rider stand up, take his helmet off and throw it to the ground in disgust. I was amazed to see that he only had a few burns to his arms and a few bloody knuckles. The woman he hit was frantic and crying in fear that he was hurt badly. The medics showed up rather quickly and took car of the man and woman involved. As we drove away and I guess up to this point as I write this I'm still shaken by what I saw. I've never seen a human thrown through the air like that (not on accident anyway) It was a terrible site. I'm glad that he was relatively unhurt and was able to walk away from it.

It got me to thinking about how fragile life really is and that danger and death can strike in the blink of an eye. It made the trip to the park all the more meaningful as I watched my kids play without fear and without stress. I will undoubtedly be more aware of the danger that lurks everyday, even in the simple things. I will pray for that man tonight as I'm sure his day didn't turn out the way he planned it to.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

But...But...But....

My 4 year old son is going through this stage where he wants to be heard and he wants his chance to plead his case. It's become almost a daily routine for us to have conversations that go something like this:

Dad: I want you to go up stairs and get your teeth brushed please.

Son: But I was playing with this puzzle.

Dad: I want you to go up stairs and get your teeth brushed right now please.

Son: But I was playing with this puzzle dad.

Dad: Go up stairs right now before you get yourself into trouble, and brush your teeth.

Son: But.... But

Dad: GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

This happens almost every day with various topics from washing hands to helping pick up toys to going to bed. It is very annoying and there are days I just want to pull my hair out and scream, or grunt as manly men do.

I was thinking about this the other day and I started to wonder how many times I've caused God to feel like this. I always have a "but" when He tells me to do something.

God: I want you to do this......

Son: But, I'm not strong enough, or smart enough, or skilled enough.

God: I want you to go do this........

Son: But, I don't have time right now can I finish this....

God: My people are dying, I want you to go do this.........

Son: But, I'm too wrapped up in my own world right now.

How many times have I ignored the voice of God? I'm not sure. I am sure of one thing, it has been far too many. We have always done this. Moses did it when God told him to go to Pharaoh. "Who am I to go to Pharaoh?" Moses said.
Jonah did it when he ran away from God after God told him to go to Nineveh.
Throughout history, men have pushed aside, ignored, ran from, tried to argue with, and tried to reason with God so their case might be heard. I don't know about God, but when I instruct my son to do something, it is for a good reason. I don't do it to ruin his fun, I don't do it because I'm mean, I don't do it because I dislike him and want him to suffer. I do it because I love him and I want the best for him, even if he doesn't see it.

Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

I don't believe God asks us to change just because. I believe He asks us to change because He knows what's best for us. And I believe that when He asks us to change, move, speak, pray, be silent and wait, it is for a good reason. And it should be done without question's or but's. Who am I to argue with God?

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Communion

Tomorrow we will have communion in church. Since I will be facilitating the communion time, I looked up some scripture that talks about that event in Christ's life when he broke the bread and raised the cup for that symbolic moment. I learned quite a bit actually. You see I have been taking and observing communion for quite some time now, and I have always done it soberly. No I haven't been drinking, but I've always taken communion with a very somber attitude about me. I've always been very reflective about the sacrifice made, the blood spilt and the body broken. The images that I call upon from my mind during communion are always very funeralish (if I may make up a word).

However, today I was reading in Matthew about the last supper, about the Passover Supper. I imagined the feast and the fellowship, I imagined the laughter there must have been between friends and family. All these images gave me a different look on that point in history when Christ raised the cup and began a "tradition of rememberance" that continues some 1,972 years later.

The very last verse in that section said that "when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives". I wondered what they would have sung to conclude such a feast. I looked in the notes and it said that it was most likely Psalms 115-118 that they sung. Well, after reading through Psalms 115-118, there is no way that I can recall a gloomy, sad, or somber picture for communion. Rather I will recall a picture that will be of ............. And ................. And of His glorious....................(I don't want to ruin it for you) Let's just say that tomorrow when communion is taken, for me it will be with a different spirit and picture. Let me just say that the battles may still rage, but the war has been won. Go read, and grow.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Oh To Think Like A Child

Tonight I was reading a chapter from Genesis to my boys right before they went to bed. As I was flipping pages finding the text I wanted to read to them, my oldest began to inform me that every page in the bible is the word of God. That He created every word and put them on every page. He also informed me that with His powers he created the front and back covers as well. At about that time my middle child chimed in, "That's right daddy". I thought it was cute and wanted to share.

Monday, September 11, 2006

James 1:27

I don't quite know how to begin this blog entry, I just know that God is a good God and He is worthy of our praise. For the past few days I have been attending Woodside Bible Church, http://www.woodsidebible.org/ in Troy Michigan and have been consumed by great music, Godly teaching, Godly friends, and great opportunities to learn from others that lead Worship. I've been having a great time learning about and praising our Heavenly Father. Tonight about 300 of us attended a Paul Baloche worship concert at the church. Of course the music was good and the quality superb, no questions, but what made tonight so special was what happened during the service and it wasn't music related. Last year I met a woman from New York who has a great spirit and good heart. Now in talking to her I knew that her husband had passed away several years ago but I had no idea how or why. Yesterday being 9/10 I asked her how she as a New Yorker was holding up being out of town and all on the 5th anniversary of 9/11. She said fine and that the Integrity family had been there for her. Well shortly after that conversation, I learned that her husband had died as a result of 9/11. So tonight at the concert, during a time of reflection and offering, the host said he wanted to offer up a prayer for her. I looked over and she was sitting somewhat by herself. I was compelled to go sit with her and in my feeble attempt, tried to comfort her during the prayer and time of remembrance. Others from the class surrounded her, and as a family of believers, brothers and sisters in Christ we stood there under one God praying for our sister and for the others who's lives were dramatically changed by the events of that day. I was reminded of the scriptures that speak of taking care of the widows and orphans in time of distress,I believe it is James 1: 27. Nothing I could say at that time would make her feel better, nothing I could do would take her pain away. But as we stood there together, tears streamed down my face, my heart ached and I could feel her pain. We grieved with her, and cried with her. After the prayer, the entire place broke into this standing ovation that seemed to last forever. I would imagine most were clapping in honor of the sacrifice her husband paid in trying to save those who were lost in the collapse of the towers. Some may have been clapping to affirm her that they were there for her. I clapped for her because she is strong in the Lord. With all this woman has been through, she places her hope and trust in Jesus Christ and praises His name with a heart that is pure and righteous. To watch the outpouring of love for her tonight was amazing. That's what we as a church are to be about. Loving others the way Christ has loved us. I have a picture in my head of tonight's events, and as I look at it, I see that we were not the only ones hugging and comforting her tonight, she was in Gods hands and he had His arms wrapped tightly around her.

One of my favorite scripture readings used to be read by a minister that served the church I attended as a child, and it went like this.
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." '

Friday, September 08, 2006

The Holy Spirit

Tonight I sit in Troy Michigan, where I am attending a class through Integrity Worship Institute. Tonight’s primary discussion was on Team Building with the DISC profile. It mostly deals with personality types and reveals in a snapshot, how God has made us, and how we are made up right now. The discussion went deeper into understanding the Spirit's work in worship. I realized that I have, for quite some time now, ignored the Holy Spirits role in my life. My view of the Trinity has been somewhat two sided. Often in my prayers, I address God or Jesus directly completely bypassing the Holy Spirit. I looked up some passages tonight that talk about the Holy Spirit and it's role in our lives, and what I found was quite interesting. John 14: 15-31 specifically talks about how the Holy Spirit works and why it is given to those who accept Christ.

I have read many other scriptures about the Holy Spirit, and in just about every one, it is the Holy Spirit doing the work. Guiding us, speaking to us, giving us the words to say. Teaching us, testifying on our behalf to God, being our translator and interpreter. The following are a few I’ve come across.
Matthew 1:18
Mark 12:36
Mark 13:11
Luke 4:1
Luke 1:67
Acts 9:31
Acts 13:2
(All can be viewed at www.biblegateway.com)

Going back to what I said about my default prayers, and not addressing the Holy Spirit, I think it’s crucial that we bring attention back to the importance of the Holy Spirit, and the role it plays. In Jude 1: 19-21, it says. “19These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Holy Spirit, please forgive me. You have been instrumental in my life in so many ways, and yet I have failed to understand or see your work. Please lead me, instruct me, speak to me, work in me and work through me. Amen

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

In The End

I recently came across this statement in a weekly news letter I receive, and I echo it's message. Enjoy


"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me." - Erma Bombeck

Monday, August 28, 2006

Books And Their Covers

Just about everyone has heard the saying, 'You can't judge a book by it's cover.", and it might possibly be the one I've heard the most. This weekend we attended the 150th anniversary celebration of a church on the north side of town, and had a rather good time. There were about 4-5 ministers who had served there in the past that were invited to speak and give a short walk down memory lane, and then Bishop of the United Brethren Denomination was the main speaker. I really enjoyed the bishop's message, which mostly focused on the how the church can have a better future than it has had a past. He spoke about how we as a church body will determine the future of the church by how we choose to respond to God's calling. If I can recall them correctly, he gave some statistical numbers of how the United States is quickly becoming the 3rd largest mission field in the world due to the fact that only about 17% of the country claims to practice a religion. Christianity, catholic, Buddhist, etc. It makes me very sad to think, that we as a country are quickly failing to live out or to live up to those biblical and moral principals upon which this country was founded. Now you may be asking how does all that fit the title of this blog? Well the rest of the days' story goes like this.

After the morning service, we enjoyed a carry-in dinner complete with a Hog roast and many many desserts. Now mind you, the tent is full of people who for the most part are in their 50's to 70's and are enjoying good food and good conversation, trying to catch up on the past and enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon. Well there was also live music planned. The first band that stepped on stage just happened to be an alternative / heavy metal Christian band from town. One member was dressed with black fingernail polish, a belt chain, large and multiple ear piercings, and a shirt that read "Porn Sucks" As you can probably guess it didn't go over so well. The minute they started to play about 75%-85% of the tent made a mass exodus that moved faster than the Israelites. Now coming from one who likes music, it didn't sound bad, actually it sounded really good (musically). The lyrics (the ones I could hear over the screaming guitars and ear splitting drums) were good, however not the right time, place, or genre for that matter. It's hard to imagine a mosh pit full of baby boomers. Talk about knee and hip replacements. My point is this, as the afternoon went on, I sensed a opinion forming about the band and it's members. I could sense the disapproval of many about the music and style of presentation. Now I'm not speaking for any of them here, because nothing was actually said to me directly about the character of the band members, but you could sense the disapproval. Now outside of it being the wrong style of music for the age group (and volume) there was nothing wrong with it. So it makes me wonder, how often we do this "book cover judging" on a day to day basis. I'd like to think that Jesus would have sat there and listened to the music with a joyful heart because he knew the heart of the artist. It also makes me wonder if this selective acceptance is part of the reason of the decline in our denomination and in Christianity all together. I think that in general, we only accept those who are like us, those that pose no threat to us, and those who make us feel comfortable. God have mercy on us all if that is how HE works. Now, I pose the question, will those who attended that days activities die due to the loud music they were subjected to? No, not unless they were deafened and can't hear the train coming down the tracks. However, if we keep up this selective acceptance, and we pick and choose who we think God loves, how many will die because we didn't love like Christ loves us?

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Aaron the Worshiper

I came across this tonight in my files and liked what it said. I wish I could take credit for writing it but who are we kidding. Enjoy!

Aaron The Worshiper

Some people have greatness thrust upon them, as William Shakespeare once reminded us. This might have been the case with Aaron, MosesÂ’ older brother. When we consider the responsibility that was placed upon Aaron, it is easy to imagine that he felt singled out for a task that was beyond his abilities. God chose Aaron to address Pharaoh, since Moses felt incapable of speaking publicly. Despite the difficulty of the task, however, Aaron obeyed God. After the Israelites left Egypt, God chose Aaron again for the immense responsibility of mediator and worship leader of the Israelite community. Aaron fulfilled this role faithfully until his death.


AARON THE WORSHIPER
AaronÂ’s divine calling did not prevent him from committing serious errors. He led Israel in its first act of idolatry, making a gold calf for the Israelites to worship. Later he joined his sister, Miriam, in a serious challenge to MosesÂ’ authority. Eventually Aaron recognized his sin, however, and repented, and God showed him forgiveness.
Once each year on the Day of Atonement, Aaron was appointed to enter the Most Holy Place—into the very presence of God—and make atonement for the sins of all the people. He represented the Israelites in a sacred meeting with God.


LEARNING FROM AARON
Worship that is done according to the Lord’s design is pleasing to him. Regarding the sacrifices offered by Aaron and the priests, there are at least seventeen instances in the book of Leviticus where an offering is described as “pleasing to the LORD.” In the same way, our acts of obedience and service today are acceptable sacrifices to God (Philippians 4:18).
As mediator between God and his people, Aaron was the forerunner of a greater High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, our High Priest and Mediator, is the perfect representative of humanity in the presence of God. We may now come before God because of ChristÂ’s atoning work.


FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE
When we worship, we should recognize, as Aaron did, that we do not come before God on our own merits, for we are completely unworthy to do so. Yet at the same time we should worship with complete confidence that God has called us to be there and that he has made us holy by the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. Since God has so graciously made it possible for us to come before him, we should consciously strive to offer worship that is pleasing to God.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Blogs I Like

I'm somewhat new to the blogging world, but I find it interesting and informative. You can learn a lot about someone that blogs if you read their stuff long enough. Two blogs I like particularly are links on the sidebar. Randompokes is a good friend of mine and I have enjoyed reading his blog for quite sometime. You can find anything from his love for Anchor Community Church where he attends, to politics, to family musings. The other blog is the United brethren Bishop's blog site. There you can read what is on the heart of the Bishop concerning the denomination, and the local church's response. Over time I hope to find other blogs worthy of reading, but for now these to are my favorite.

Monday, August 21, 2006

The Eternal Song

Do you ever wonder what it will be like to join the eternal song in Heaven? I spend a lot of time here on earth lifting my voice to God in songs that I hope He is pleased to hear. I often think about the day that I will get to join the ranks of angels that sing praises to His name day in and day out. Never stopping to go to work or run errands. Never running out of something to say to the glorious creator. I look forward to the day that I get to shead the sin laden body of this world and join Him in the Eternal realms of Heaven. Mind you I enjoy my life here with my family, but to feel like a visitor here, like you don't quite belong in this place isn't a bad thing. Until then, my voice will continue to lift the name of Jesus Christ in hopes that through the loud exhalting voices of the choirs of Heaven, my still small voice will be heard.
Chris