You know it's almost New Years when...

You know it's almost New Years when every other commercial on TV is for a weight loss program. New Years resolutions are an astounding evidence of the human ability to resolve to do something and then completely forget about it in 30 days.

God is a very patient father, who doesn't seem to mind reminding His children about things that matter over and over again...like loving Him, loving others, sacrificing, giving, our insufficiency...stuff like that.

Amos

I was reading Amos today and saw this:

"The Lord GOD has spoken;
who can but prophesy?"

This really struck me. It's a reminder to me about God's sovereign hand in the world and in my life. You can't control the universe so it seems the wisest course of action is to tap into what God is doing and leave your plans behind.

Why Conform?

The word "conform" has some serious baggage. People immediately associate conforming with a weakness of mind and character. The strong will be unique (even if that means they are the same kind of unique as everyone else).

I had a thought during the sermon this week at Living Stones, that is obvious but never quite hit me like it did that night.

God wants us to conform to His son for many reasons, including:

1. Jesus was and is perfect. Perfect is good. Really good.

2. The more our lives look like Jesus, the more we accomplish our purpose in life, to glorify God. What does that mean you ask? Well, live like Jesus and you are glorifying God. Circular I know, but no less true.

3. When we are conformed to the pattern Jesus set, we are healthiest spiritually. This is true for us as individuals, and corporately. We are best meeting others needs when we conform to Jesus.

I would also point out that being like Jesus is the most unique thing you CAN be in this fallen world.

Prayer changes...

It occurred to me this week that the things I pray for our community now are far different than the things I used to pray for us a few years back when we started.

I am not sure why this is so.

Strengths and weaknesses have changed, demands have changed, logistics have changed, and maturity levels have changed.

So have my prayers.

TRL at LS

Thanks to everybody for making our "TRL" worship time this weekend a good experience. The songs you guys picked were excellent, and thematically fit the evening. Good work everyone.

On another note, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a "slave to righteousness". Most Christians I have asked can not define or even feign a decent understanding of this concept, and I find myself having a hard time fleshing it out as well. It's easy to give a pat answer for theological line-in-the-sand drawing, but practically quite difficult. I'll keep you posted...

DZ

Photo Development

A quick observation...

This weekend we did a creative photo display with quality shots from around the community.

Printing 36 5x7 pictures at Wal-Mart, available in 2 days: $53

Printing 36 5x7 pictures at Costco, available in 2 hours: $15

Very interesting I think. Take note artists.

Donald

P.S. We went with Costco. Shocker.

I used to run track...

This is phenomenal...Human excellence typically is a great illustration of a worship experience.

One Pure and Holy Passion

Got a lot of questions/calls/emails about this song we played last weekend at Stones.

"One Pure and Holy Passion"
written by Mark Altrogge
recorded by Candi Pearson on the "Passion One Day LIVE" CD

Lyrics:
Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me on magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You

To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you
Lead me on and I will run after you

Worship Pamphlet Section 1

what is worship?

The weight of this question is unmatched and its answer is completely crucial to a life that honors God. Worship is core to the Christian experience and is ultimately what all humans are created to do. It is the supreme purpose of human life, and our hardwiring for worship is constantly seen all around us. From sports fans to newlyweds, it is clear to see the human propensity towards worship.

With that said, the word ‘worship’ is one of the most misused words in modern Christendom. Worship has come to mean something isolated and limited, commonly synonymous with the musical portion of a church service. Music in a religious building is not necessarily worship. Worship most often has nothing to do with music at all. This is an important distinction. Making worship synonymous with music is limiting and unbiblical. The truth is that worship can and should happen frequently without music playing a role. In addition, music even music at a gathering of the church, is often not Biblical worship.

An example of this would be to say that “all cars are blue”. It is true that some cars are blue, but the blanket statement that all cars are blue is obviously false. Some cars are red, and still meet the requirements of being a car. Furthermore, the ocean, your neighbor’s house, or your jeans may be blue, but none of them require gasoline or can get you to work in the morning. Just as blue is one possibility for the color of a car, music is one possibility for the means of worship. Just because something is blue, it is not necessarily a car, nor is worship always mean a time of song.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5

Unfortunately, many people have so strongly tied music to their understanding of worship, that they only think of God’s greatness when musical accompaniment is available! Music can not be the mediator between God and man. Jesus Christ is the only mediator, and it is common to see people worship the emotion that music can bring or even worship the music itself. These are both empty idols compared to our great God.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:16,17

From this passage we see that worship is all inclusive and not limited to one activity. Worship is the giving of our whole being for God’s glory. The mark of true worship in Scripture seems to consistently include two elements. The first, is that God’s place and priority in our lives is elevated. Secondly, the Holy Spirit gives conviction of our sins and leads us to turn away from those sins and turn towards God. The core of worship is understanding that only God is worthy of our affection, our attention, and our devotion. The worship of other things will always be an enticing but ultimately unfulfilling endeavor. God desires us to worship only Him, because He is the only worthy receiver of our worship, and it is in that relationship that we are fulfilled.

True worship is a response to what God has done and is doing with the obedient pouring out of our lives. It is key to recognize that worship is never ceasing but ongoing. It is not a time on Sunday, nor is it a specific place, but continual worship happens at all times and all places. Worship at Grace Church happens through a wide variety of means: It can take place in our lives as we interact with others and with God. It can happen while singing to God during a service or gathering. It can take place when people attend a small group or home fellowship and share their lives with others. It can take place when people serve or volunteer both within the church and in the community. Most importantly, it happens everyday in the lives of those who pursue Jesus as the center and authority of their life. Worship can happen corporately or privately, and each has its place in the Christian life.

Worship effectively changes how we do everything. It affects the way we think, watch, listen, eat, relate, and live. We love those that make our lives complicated because God loved us while we were His enemies. We look for ways to show His love to others. While living in a world that says that material things will make us happy, we cling to the Truth God has given us in Scriptures, that only He can satisfy. All of these elements tie back to the Gospel message, that Jesus has paid the price for sinners and requires a life of faith in Him.

Resurrected Apr. 27th, 2008

Our tomb scene.









We built a "sandbox" with cheap OSB board and 2x4's from Home Depot. Spray painted the top brown, to wash it out visually a bit. Filled it (once it was in the foyer) with dirt from the construction site outside. Linen strips were torn and stained to resemble blood and dirt. Accent lighting was placed under and above. You can kind of see the x-mas light strings under the linen pile in the background.

Sabbath

It often occurs to me that we are a people of lists and check-boxes. Day planners, calendars, and cell phones. I won't belabor the point but we spend an asinine amount of time on productivity. That thinking creeps into our Kingdom identity as well. I see it and hear it constantly.

It goes something like this: If i do good things, my boss likes me. If I do bad things, my boss is upset. God is the boss, so...

The problem is that while we know that this is contrary to God's economy, we hardly ever reinforce that truth in our lives. It's hard to know that our value is in "being" a child of God, when we are constantly "doing" things to please Him. They don't reconcile.

I recently heard someone say that the reason we have a Sabbath is because we spend 6 days a week "doing". That one day a week is to just "be"; to focus on "being". It's a chance to reinforce the truth that we are loved by God because of who we are in His Son. Jesus is the reason we have hope. Jesus is the reason we have God.

Keeping the rules for the sake of rules has been more destructive to human souls than disease, natural disasters, or historical atrocities.

Many of us don't give ourselves permission to rest. If God has, why can't we?

LS Element "Worry" from Feb 10th. 2008

from luke 12... 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. WHAT'D WE DO:
Pretty simple. We bought some lilies, some opened, others closed. Strips of paper with "consider the lilies" printed on them and submerged in the water of the vase. Lighting drew atttention for pre and post-service crowd. Not subtle, but a good fit for the evening.