[Insert Title Here]

I hate titles. I mean, I really hate titles!

Well, maybe not titles themselves. I probably should say: I hate creating titles. You see, titles are useful in identifying any number of things; books, movies, songs, sermons, blogs… But they are usually rather permanent because they reflect an identity. Even if they aren’t permanent, the identity piece is still there, so they end up being a big deal. And therein lies the problem.

A title is a big deal!

I’ve been trying to figure out what to rename this blog. I liked “Inside Worship” and it was great title for what I was doing when I worked at the church. But now, while I may still touch on worship here and there, I’m going to be branching out and hitting other areas of our Christian living. Our society is becoming increasingly polarized and that is going to effect how we reach out to others and live out our faith.

So, what reflects that idea? What, in one or two words, conveys my goals, intentions, motivations, etc? What sounds cool? “iThink” … “TruthSeeker” … “Standing in the Gap” … ? There’s just so much to cover in so few words!

In the end, I’m reverting to a variant of the name that gave this blog it’s initial identity: “Inside Worship” will now be “Outside Worship”. Maybe it’s not that original. But our worship is our connection with God, and if that connection doesn’t exist outside the walls of church, then we really aren’t doing anyone any good, are we? The Truth is out there (for all you X-Files fans – you know who you are!) because God has written it into creation. We, as Christians, need to take the lead in seeking that Truth beyond our church walls. God calls us to go Outside Worship.

Who’s Side Are You On Again???

It seems to me that if you are going to take a risk and start delving into “hot” issues with a blog – which I’ve called jumping into the gap – then it might be good to find others who have trod the path ahead of you. Darcy read to me an article last night that appeared in the Washington Post, written by Sally Jenkins, about the ad from Tim Tebow that CBS is scheduled to air during the Super Bowl this weekend. The article, which you can read in its entirety here, has the seemingly liberal author defending Tebow and his conservative message that is paid for by Focus on the Family.

Toward the end of her article, Sally writes: “Let me be clear again: I couldn’t disagree with Tebow more. … But I don’t care that we differ. …Tebow has a right to express his beliefs publicly. Just as I have the right to reject or accept them after listening — or think a little more deeply about the issues.”

I’m willing to bet I would disagree with Ms. Jenkins on most issues. However, just from this article alone, I can respect her. Not because she’s defending a position with which I happen to agree, but because she has jumped into the gap and is grasping for the Truth that can be found there.

The first chapter of Romans tells us: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that [humanity is] without excuse” (Romans 1: 20(NIV)) I think too often we dismiss the words or opinions of others because they have a different political or religious bent than we do. But if we are all human, and we are all created in God’s image, then His Truth will show itself in some way because it is part of our being…no matter how hard we may try to hide it.

So, even though it looks like Sally Jenkins and I may be on opposite ends of the spectrum (when not writing about sports!), I say “You go, girl!” Thanks for leading the way!

New Look!

Hey…if you are reading this on my site than you can see that the new look is up and running. If not, jump on over and check it out!

I’m still working on a new title (suggestions, based on what I’ve written so far?) and the header image may change again. But for now, we are launching and I’m looking forward to where this little venture may take us!

Stand in the Gap

Music played a big role in my formative years as a Christian. I suppose if you know me, that’s probably not much of a surprise! I had been introduced to Christian music – the rock variety! – during my senior in high school and once I got to college, I couldn’t get enough. As much as anything else, it spawned my foray into music ministry.

Back in 1988, the band Petra released an album called On Fire, which contained the song, “Stand in the Gap” – based on the following scriptures:

• “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22: 30)
• “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…” (1 Timothy 2: 1)
• “Therefore confess your sings to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5: 16) 

The chorus reads:
Stand in the gap, coming boldly to His throne of grace.
Stand in the gap; He will hear you when you seek His face.
Put your weapon to its use and believe it will produce.
Stand in the gap until all hell, until all hell breaks loose.

The song itself is an encouragement to pray persistently for those we know who need God’s love and salvation. But I’m finding now a days there’s another gap that needs to be bridged…and it’s the gap between our reality as Christians and, well, reality. Let’s face it: What we learn in church and in our Bible study makes perfect sense…until we walk out the door. We are confronted with the “real world” that is our work place, school, community, and maybe even some of our homes, and things start to fog over pretty quick.

As I work up the makeover of Inside Worship, I’m finding myself drawn to this gap. Yes, it’s the gap between heaven and hell for those who don’t know Christ. But it’s also the gap between conservative and liberal; Democrat and Republican; pro-life and pro-choice; homosexuals and the church; Wall Street and Main Street (to borrow a cliché!)…it’s the gray that most of us live in between black and white.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4: 12) Jesus stood in this gap, and He certainly used God’s word. But more often than not, that word was not spoken by Jesus’ voice. It was spoken through His actions…many of which angered the religious establishment.

My goal with this “new” blog is not to make enemies of the church…or the unchurched…or anyone, really. Rather, I hope to be a voice that reaches into the gap and starts to make some sense out of the chaos found there…to find God’s truth and word in action even if it’s not packaged like we might expect.

Something New?

Hey…for everyone out there who never bothered to unsubscribe when I stopped writing back in October: I’M BACK!!!

Well, sort of. As I am no longer on staff at the church, I thought it might be good to try something new seeing as I don’t need to generate feedback on our worship anymore. So, in about a week, this blog should be up and running again with a complete facelift, a new name, and a new direction. The web address, however, will not change. So if you’re worried that you will have to re-subscribe or something like that, you can rest easy!

Want some details?

I’m still working on the name (my first thought didn’t work like I hoped!), but my direction will be seeking Truth in the midst of the chaos of our society. As you might guess, I will be diving into current issues that you would hear about on the news. However, as I’m not a big fan of politics, you will also be seeing posts about my family, interests, hobbies, and yes…maybe even worship! There’s a lot that goes on in my head and I’ve found that I just need to let some of it out.

Through it all, the object is to see God’s Truth – His word – played out in real life. But we warned! To borrow from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, our God is not a tame lion…er…God. He is good, however, and I trust His grace and mercy to abound in our discussions. Still…it’s probably best to start this journey without any pre-conceived notions…

Worship Debrief – People Matter: All Over the World (Oct. 3-4)

(Author’s Note: This will be the final Worship Debrief and the final substantive post for Inside Worship until further notice. Inside Worship will be on hiatus after tomorrow as previously reported.)

Pastor put it this way this morning: Jesus didn’t hang on the cross so that we could come once a week and sing our pretty songs, attend snazzy Bible classes, drink coffee, and eat donuts! (I paraphrased that a bit!) Jesus told His disciples, and by extension us, to “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16: 15) In order to do that, we must let God develop in us a heart like Jesus’. So, how do we do that?

1. We must care about what Jesus cared about! And what is that? Jesus cared about the whole world – about people everywhere. Jesus also cared about the church.
2. We must be indifferent to what Jesus was indifferent to. Our savior was able to pick and choose what He worried about and we should too. Specifically, Jesus was indifferent to impressing others and material gain.
3. We must get angry about what Jesus gets angry about. First, anger is not necessarily a sin. When our anger is born out of love and compassion for others, spurring us to action, it is a good anger. Jesus gets angry when the needs of children are unmet and when the suffering of others is ignored.
4. We must want the things that Jesus wants.

Saturday, 10/3 – 7:00pm:

•          Wow! We had a larger congregation this week – at least 28…not including the band, Pastor, or the tech team – and many were new faces! It’s amazing how this service manages to attract new people.
•          Not much else to say other than this seemed to be a nice flowing, smooth service this week.

Sunday, 10/4 – 11:15am:

•          We had a fun group of songs this morning. At least, they were fun for the band to play!
•          Pat Canfield – our Worship Assistant this morning – Sue Steege, our prayer partner, and myself played pass the microphone this morning. It went very smoothly, but it can be dizzying trying to track where is was.
•          Fortunately, we had the mic to pass. Unfortunately for the 8:45 service, the mic had been inadvertently placed in a box the band keeps their mics in following rehearsal on Tuesday. The tech person for the 8:45 service couldn’t find it and they had some minor issues.
•          The reason for the mic-passing game was that we had another drama this morning. It was a great illustration by Karen Cassidy and Joe Zimmerman that showed us how we as a church need to be giving out, not just taking in.
•          Sue talked to the kids (and us adults too) about the paintings hanging in the Sanctuary. They were painted by the Jesus Painter when he was here a couple of years ago and it was great to look into their meaning.

I will still be monitoring and responding to comments. So if there was anything about our services this weekend you would like to share – how they spoke to you, how you met God, etc. – please drop a note in the comments below. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to continued conversation.

Schedule Crunch!!!

Darcy started working as an Aide for our pre-school’s 3-year old program in September. It’s not a lot of extra money, but it will help and it allows both Isaac (4) and Joel (2) to attend more conveniently. However, we also had to tweak schedules a little to make it work. And that’s a requiring a little more adjustment than anticipated…at least for me.

On the whole, the mornings are great. Where before I was rushing to get out the door as others were just waking and getting ready, now we are all up and moving around the same time. There’s six of us, so it’s still a little crazy. But I’m now leaving a 1/2-hour later to get the older boys out the door. So I can help Darcy get the younger two in the car and get some things cleaned up before I leave. I’m not big into chaos, so it’s really great to have time with the family and still leave things somewhat orderly.

What I’m finding to be a problem, however, is the OTHER end of the day. Because I’m starting work 30 minutes later…I have to stay 30 minutes later. That shifts the evening schedule by 1/2 hour for me (the rest of the family is largely unchanged) and things are getting a bit crunched! So far, I’ve had at least one night every week where I feel like I’m running from one place to the next. If anything comes up during the day while I’m at Northtown, I’m supposed to make up the time (I’m paid by the hour)…and that is a thoroughly exhausting exercise!

All this is to say that we need to cut back!!! Or, at least, I do. Not sure what all that will entail, but I’ve decided that Inside Worship needs to go on Hiatus indefinitely. As much as I enjoy writing and connecting with whomever is reading, it’s becoming too stressful to keep up. So, the Worship Debrief this coming week will serve as my final post until further notice. I will continue to monitor comments and respond as I have time.

It’s been fun and I look forward to getting back to it soon. Keep in touch!

Worship Renewal 7 – Pray!!!

We’re down to the last step in Worship Renewal – Pray! It seems like a no-brainer to say that this should be the first step. But think about it this way: Before a concert, the bands that are playing do a sound check…with the band playing first sound checking last. The reverse order let’s you set up the pinnacle of the concert, then gives you the starting point. So it is with Worship Renewal – we’ve set up the concept and put the pieces in place. Now it’s time for the starting point.

Steve Fee hinted in the last section that worship renewal begins on the personal level. And for that to happen on a personal level, we must be in prayer. Kenn Gullicksen – leader and teacher from the Jesus Movement and founder of the first Vineyard  church in West Los Angeles – writes:

“We were created to experience an unbroken and intimate love relationship with our Father, and to live and serve from the overflow of that relationship. … We have been grafted into a vine/branch union, and prayer is the joint that connects the vine (Jesus) to the branch (us). Without prayer there is no life, let alone renewal. Prayer is the most important thing we do, or fail to do.”

Kenn gives us four ways to make this a reality in our lives:

• Show up – Choose to accept the invitation to rest, commune, and receive…and stop making excuses!
• Agree – Be honest, confess, repent, and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart.
• Receive – Let God be your breath, His word be your daily bread, and let His mercy a grace flood your life
• Serve from the overflow – If you get to this point, you will be compelled to give away what you’ve experienced in Christ!

Kenn concludes: “Ultimately, then, prayer/abiding is our connection to the ongoing work of continual personal and corporate renewal.” Will you join me as we connect with a Holy, living God and seek God’s direction for First Trinity?

Prepare for Worship – People Matter: Connecting Our World (Oct. 3-4)

(Author’s Note: This will be the final “Prepare to Worship” post. Inside Worship will be going on indefinite Hiatus within a week due to scheduling constraints. More to come soon…)

If you grew up going to church, you have probably heard of “The Great Commission” – that Jesus told his disciples (and by extension, us) to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16: 15 NIV) It can sometimes seem pretty trite to say that, and sometimes we just take it for granted that there will are people who are willing to go into the far corners of the world to preach the Gospel. But did you ever stop to think about why God gave us this command?

As we finish up our super-series entitled “People Matter,” we are going to look at just that. If we, as people, matter to God…and the people in our families and our community matter to God, then doesn’t it stand to reason that people all over the world would matter to God. Sounds simplistic, doesn’t it? But just think about it for a moment. What does that really mean for us as a church taking on the branding of a place where people matter?

Join us in worship this week and find out!

The readings for this week:
Old Testament:  Isaiah 6: 1-10
New Testament:  1 Timothy 2: 1-6
Gospel:  Mark 16: 14-16

Sunday
Gathering:     “Salt and Light”
Opening:       “Great is The Lord”
Communion:  “Change My Heart O God”
                        “Leave Your Heart With Me”
                        “Breathe”
Offering:        “Shine Jesus Shine”
Closing:         “You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)”
Sending:        “Go and Do”

Saturday
Opening:       “Days of Elijah”
                        “God of This City”
Prayer:          “Hungry (Falling On My Knees)”
Communion:  “Breathe”
Closing:         “You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)”
Sending:        “Salt and Light”

Worship Renewal 6 – Leadership and Teaching Worship

It’s been a little while, but I want to get back to looking at The 7 Steps to Worship Renewal – a conglomeration article in the July/August issue of Worship Leader magazine. In this section, written by Steve Fee – national recording artist with the band, Fee, and worship Leader at North Point Community Church in Atlanta – we look at the leadership’s role in worship renewal. Steve writes:

“Worship renewal. We long for it. We wait for it. And we pray for it knowing that is comes initially from an outpouring of the Spirit of God. We don’t manufacture it. But as leaders and teachers of worship, we play a role in the process of encouraging our people towards worship renewal.”

But what is the leader’s role? Steve puts forth these thoughts:

• Begin with personal worship renewal. Ask God for a renewed sense of reverence and awe to ignite within you – and then lead others to that place.
• Lead through teaching worship as a response to events unfolding in our local community. Things that happen in our city or our congregation effect our worship…and need to be a part of that worship.
• Lead through teaching worship as a response to what’s happening worldwide. Steve tells of leading a Tuesday night bible study on one particular week in 2001 – September 11, 2001 to be exact. In the midst of faces asking “So, what now?” the teaching leader was able to say that the only correct response to anything in life is to worship.

When those of us in leadership are passionate about our worship renewal, we need to let that spill over to the people we’re entrusted to lead. That’s been one of my goals in writing this series. And my challenge is this: Can you take this to heart? “The only correct response to anything in life is to worship Jesus.”