It's weird to think that I have been rather excited for the past few months for the new ESV study Bible to come out. Not because it's weird to be excited about God's word, but weird because not too long ago (10 years), that concept was completely foreign to me.
And so, I have the new ESV and am very excited about it. To channel my excitement into something useful, I am going to make some brief observations on the book of Genesis. A few chapters at a time. Hope you enjoy!
Gen 1:
Always been fascinated by the idea of "night and day" counting as one day, and not "day and night".
Gen 2:
Interesting that Adam is assigned the naming of animals before Eve is introduced. This could be so that the first marital argument would be delayed to a later date.
Gen 3:
God says "don't eat this fruit or you'll die".
Woman says "we can't touch this fruit". (not what God said)
Satan says "you will not die" (a lie) but he ALSO says something true..."you will know good and evil". He loves to mix truth and lies...
Woman saw practical and positive things about the fruit and decided to pursue that instead of obey God's voice.
Gen 4:
9 generations in, we see the first Biblical example of music (with instruments I might add).
Gen 5:
235 years in, people begin to "call upon the name of the Lord". "Worship" occurs hundreds of years before music is mentioned.
Gen 6:
v3:Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."
What in the world?
Gen 7:
Why aren't the animals in the water killed too?
Gen 8:
Kind of humorous that some of the animals survive the flood in an ark just long enough to then walk off the ark and be sacrificed. Bummer for them.
Gen 9:
Lex talionis applied to animals. Wow.
Gen 10:
Language begins, but soon with disastrous results. Unity in of itself is not a Godly virtue. The question, "to what are we unified?" is key. People can be unified in their rebellion against God...
More thoughts on Genesis later...
October 28, 2008
October 27, 2008
Sets from last night...
You guys did a great job this weekend. I really like "request" nights.
5pm
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount
He Is Near
Only You
You Are Mighty
Doxology
7:15
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount - You guys picked it both services...
Joshua's Song
Anchor of My Soul
Glory of It All
You Are Mighty
Doxology
5pm
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount
He Is Near
Only You
You Are Mighty
Doxology
7:15
Unmatched (intro)
Come Thou Fount - You guys picked it both services...
Joshua's Song
Anchor of My Soul
Glory of It All
You Are Mighty
Doxology
October 21, 2008
Can You Hear Yourself?
And now, a very special treat for the few that follow this blog:
A quick sample of this weekend's fun for all.
You guys sound great...truly wonderful.
DZ
A quick sample of this weekend's fun for all.
You guys sound great...truly wonderful.
DZ
October 20, 2008
Last night's set.
Got lots of requests for details on last night's set.
1. Control - Mute Math
2. Come Thou Fount - old hymn
3. Sounds Like Home - Anchordown
4. Song of the Broken - Something Like Silas
5. Glory of it All - David Crowder Band
6. Thank You - Sinead O'Connor (redone by David Crowder)
I do want to say that last night's 7:15 service was one of my top 3 favorite LS gatherings ever. God is so good.....
1. Control - Mute Math
2. Come Thou Fount - old hymn
3. Sounds Like Home - Anchordown
4. Song of the Broken - Something Like Silas
5. Glory of it All - David Crowder Band
6. Thank You - Sinead O'Connor (redone by David Crowder)
I do want to say that last night's 7:15 service was one of my top 3 favorite LS gatherings ever. God is so good.....
October 17, 2008
Exciting news...and an invitation.
Something very special is happening this weekend...
As an exciting addition to Anchordown's new record coming out late November, we are inviting and recording 1004 of our closest friends this weekend at Living Stones. This means you.
So, we are recording everyone who attends Living Stones this weekend for about 3 minutes. Anyone who chooses to participate will be on our new CD coming out very soon.
Living Stones is on Sunday, at 5pm and 7:15pm in Reno, NV at Grace Church.
Come one, come all. Be there. Tell your friends. Come sing with us.
Love,
ADB
As an exciting addition to Anchordown's new record coming out late November, we are inviting and recording 1004 of our closest friends this weekend at Living Stones. This means you.
So, we are recording everyone who attends Living Stones this weekend for about 3 minutes. Anyone who chooses to participate will be on our new CD coming out very soon.
Living Stones is on Sunday, at 5pm and 7:15pm in Reno, NV at Grace Church.
Come one, come all. Be there. Tell your friends. Come sing with us.
Love,
ADB
October 9, 2008
Commercial for this blog.
I did not ask, request, plea or encourage the following voicemail from a friend in Seattle.
Click here to listen.
Click here to listen.
October 8, 2008
Song and Comfort
As I was reading in the Psalms today, it occurred to me one of the many reasons that music and singing as personal worship is really "hit or miss" for a lot of people has to do with comfort.
Not comfort like, my car has individual climate controls for driver and passenger. More like, an overall comfort in life, where we have no immediate needs.
I should preface this by saying that singing to God is commanded in scripture, and there are no qualifying statements about singing only being performed by people that love music,(like me) or people that are really talented (like others).
It seems that comfort and singing are rarely next to each other in the scriptures. Singing has often through human history been a means of comforting the soul, or at the very least expressing something that you feel. This occurs most often in times of trouble, times of sorrow, and times of elation or joy. These are not neutral places for the soul, but instead a time when a person is most aware of themselves and their Creator.
The problem for many church attenders is that they sit through a church service and feel nothing. The problem for many worship leaders and service planners is that worship is not about emotion and sometimes emotion can even lead us away from true worship.
From the pain of David in the Psalms fleeing from his enemies desperately trying to save his life, to the richness of the old Negro Spirituals, there is undoubtedly a connection between great anguish and powerful, evocative music. Joy and deep peace have been a spring of art as well, but an exciting joy (the birth of the child, a financial windfall, a new relationship) is what leads to song. Not a stripped down, middle-of-the-road joy, like the joy I feel over my favorite burrito at Qdoba.
I guess my point is this; comfort in many ways removes the human need to respond to anything. At its most basic level, the human soul will seep in apathy and a numbing stillness unless provoked. Grace seems pretty provocative to me.
I pray that we would be a provoked people.
Not comfort like, my car has individual climate controls for driver and passenger. More like, an overall comfort in life, where we have no immediate needs.
I should preface this by saying that singing to God is commanded in scripture, and there are no qualifying statements about singing only being performed by people that love music,(like me) or people that are really talented (like others).
It seems that comfort and singing are rarely next to each other in the scriptures. Singing has often through human history been a means of comforting the soul, or at the very least expressing something that you feel. This occurs most often in times of trouble, times of sorrow, and times of elation or joy. These are not neutral places for the soul, but instead a time when a person is most aware of themselves and their Creator.
The problem for many church attenders is that they sit through a church service and feel nothing. The problem for many worship leaders and service planners is that worship is not about emotion and sometimes emotion can even lead us away from true worship.
From the pain of David in the Psalms fleeing from his enemies desperately trying to save his life, to the richness of the old Negro Spirituals, there is undoubtedly a connection between great anguish and powerful, evocative music. Joy and deep peace have been a spring of art as well, but an exciting joy (the birth of the child, a financial windfall, a new relationship) is what leads to song. Not a stripped down, middle-of-the-road joy, like the joy I feel over my favorite burrito at Qdoba.
I guess my point is this; comfort in many ways removes the human need to respond to anything. At its most basic level, the human soul will seep in apathy and a numbing stillness unless provoked. Grace seems pretty provocative to me.
I pray that we would be a provoked people.
October 5, 2008
Mark Driscoll - Sexual Sin
Hey guys. Some of you asked about the video we showed tonight.
Or, check it at the mars Hill Church site below:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/sexual-sin
Thanks!
Donald
Or, check it at the mars Hill Church site below:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/sexual-sin
Thanks!
Donald
October 3, 2008
Adobe After Effects
Living Stones is in dire need of finding someone with solid experience in the program After Effects.
Do you know someone who fits the bill? Let me know a.s.a.p.
Thanks stoners!
Dz
Do you know someone who fits the bill? Let me know a.s.a.p.
Thanks stoners!
Dz
Thoughts today...
I was thinking today about how many in our generation are apathetic and in some cases even hostile towards the local church.
It may be oversimplified in my mind. No one questions that the church is made up of people that are broken. Therefore, churches are often broken, sometimes in obvious areas and other times in more difficult to perceive ones.
This is a part of what Jesus sees in His bride regularly, and lovingly works through and despite her on a regular basis.
The rub comes in when believers see said brokenness and decide that they will have nothing to do with the local church. Rather than being the catalyst for change that the church may desperately need, they isolate themselves and turn into the church's critic rather than her champion.
I hope that the brokenness of the church at large is a means for us to never take credit for advancement in the Gospel, a humbling presence that allows us to welcome others into our community, and ultimately, something we admit openly to give glory to our Maker for.
It may be oversimplified in my mind. No one questions that the church is made up of people that are broken. Therefore, churches are often broken, sometimes in obvious areas and other times in more difficult to perceive ones.
This is a part of what Jesus sees in His bride regularly, and lovingly works through and despite her on a regular basis.
The rub comes in when believers see said brokenness and decide that they will have nothing to do with the local church. Rather than being the catalyst for change that the church may desperately need, they isolate themselves and turn into the church's critic rather than her champion.
I hope that the brokenness of the church at large is a means for us to never take credit for advancement in the Gospel, a humbling presence that allows us to welcome others into our community, and ultimately, something we admit openly to give glory to our Maker for.
October 2, 2008
What do Piper and Chandler have in common?
They both made cameos in my dream this morning.
Basically it went like this:
I was a seminar with Dr. John Piper attended by a full room of about 200 people. At some point he heard I was a worship leader and kindly asked if I knew that "new worship tune" about going back to the heart of worship.
I chuckled at Dr. Piper.
Without making him feel outdated (that song came out via Matt Redman circa '98), I told him I did. This pleased Dr. Piper very much. So, as I had now gained a bartering chip, I requested that I be able to tag along his next trip involving Matt Chandler. It's kind of a weird request, but that is what a said in my dream. Piper agreed, and I walked away with a worship melody in my head, and a victory in my heart.
End of story.
DZ
Basically it went like this:
I was a seminar with Dr. John Piper attended by a full room of about 200 people. At some point he heard I was a worship leader and kindly asked if I knew that "new worship tune" about going back to the heart of worship.
I chuckled at Dr. Piper.
Without making him feel outdated (that song came out via Matt Redman circa '98), I told him I did. This pleased Dr. Piper very much. So, as I had now gained a bartering chip, I requested that I be able to tag along his next trip involving Matt Chandler. It's kind of a weird request, but that is what a said in my dream. Piper agreed, and I walked away with a worship melody in my head, and a victory in my heart.
End of story.
DZ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)