The Holy Spirit always face punches me with the song order on Jon Foreman’s Limbs and Branches album…
Track #7: House of God, Forever [lyrics]
Track #8: Instead of a Show [lyrics]
…thank you God. May I have another…
Music is a big part of who I am. The two songs below are resonating in me right now as my dad and step-mom died in a car accident over the weekend.
We are still grappling with it all, but the certainty is:
- God is faithful, His ways are higher than mine, and (not but) I will worship Him in His graciousness and sovereignty.
- Jesus wept, so we weep. Jesus grieved, so we grieve; though differently than those without hope given by God.
- My dad, my step-mom, and my mom (who went to be with Jesus a few years ago) are all worshiping Jesus with perfect and whole bodies.
- One day, I and my family will stand beside them and worship Jesus together again.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Blessed Be Your name [song story]:
Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away, You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name
I was introduced to the “Double Rainbow Guy” phenomenon Monday morning. Not sure how I missed Hungrybear9562’s Double Rainbow video when it went viral…but, now I’m caught up.
If you’re not familiar with it, take a look for yourself:
Ummm. Wow. Here is a guy who is com-plete-ly overcome by the double rainbow in his front yard! Overcome, mind you, without any outside “influences” (according to various interviews he’s given.)
After watching the video a few times and laughing quite a bit, it hit me: I guess that is they way we are to be in complete and utter awe and undone amazement of God. Three verses came to mind:
I was reading John 18 today – where Jesus is betrayed and arrested – and was struck and convicted about the similar mindset I often have with Peter…
3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)
6When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Yet another Andrew Peterson song that sums it up for me – as his “I’ve Got News” did…
Fool With A Fancy Guitar
It’s so easy to cash in these chips on my shoulder
So easy to loose this old tongue like a tiger
It’s easy to let all this bitterness smolder
Just to hide it away like a cigarette lighter
It’s easy to curse and to hurt and to hinder
It’s easy to not have the heart to remember
That I am a priest and a prince in the Kingdom of God
I’ve got voices that scream in my head like a siren
Fears that I feel in the night when I sleep
Continue Reading…
For my dance partner of twenty-three years…I love you.
Check out Andrew Peterson’s new album here (iTunes)…or his other stuff here (iTunes) or here (AP’s website)!
I was reading John chapter five yesterday and verse ten jumped out at me:
…the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
In this passage, Jesus had healed a man who had been lame for 38 years and told him to, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” – and so he did.
The fact is, the “mat-carrying” offense that the Jewish Leaders accused the man of wasn’t really violating a command from God. From the ESV Study Bible,
Nothing in the OT specifically prohibited such an innocent activity as carrying one’s bedroll on the Sabbath day (cf. Ex. 20:8–11), but the man was violating later Jewish traditions that had developed hundreds of minutely detailed and burdensome rules about what kind of “work” was prohibited, including a code that forbade carrying an object “from one domain into another” (Mishnah, Shabbat 7.2). [my emphasis and link added]
As I read this passage, the thing that got me was the traditions and rules that the church (i.e., me, you, us together) has often set up – even canonized – as though they were commands from God Himself. We apply or append our “criteria” for appropriate or proper Christian or God “honoring” or “obeying” behavior to that which is from God’s Word – which really puts us in God’s position as Law and Grace-Giver (John 1:16-17) and Righteous Judge (Romans 2:1-3). […which by the way is a “non-mat” offense.]
Certainly, I’m not excusing sin or behavior that is contrary to what God’s Word calls us to as those who would honor and worship Him. My point is that we (the Church) too often worry about “mat-carrying” things – which are not even of concern to God, according to or in light of His Word.
I confess guilt here. I need to do better.
In our Sunday School class this past Sunday, we spent time in the book of Habakkuk. One of the conversations that took place was on the aspect of being “joyful” in the midst of trials…mainly flowing from Habakkuk’s faith-filled prayer at the end of the short, three-chapter book.
Habakkuk prayed (3:17-18),
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
It was a good conversation – one in which I’m sure many identified…I know I did.
Last Sunday, during our adult Sunday School class, Brad was teaching on Jonah and asked us what our “GO TO” Psalm was – you know, the Psalm that you read, claim, or think about when things aren’t going well. You see, when he was in the big fish, Jonah went to the Psalms as he prayed.
I didn’t share my “GO TO” then, but the one that I would have shared is:
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4
I know there are tons of Psalms that speak of God’s help, faithfulness, and love in times of trouble; but this one has always seemed to remind me that HE is great, mighty, strong, and powerful and I am small, truly powerless, and dependent on Him for everything (protection, etc).
It’s one thing to say He protects – how much more to say He protects and is faithful ! We have so many examples of things or people that protect, but NONE are completely faithful like God (if we are truly honest).
What’s your “GO TO” Psalm?
This post is sorely overdue… I posted about the book over 3.5 months ago, said that I would post about the DVD – even received a review copy from David Cook Publishers – and have yet to do it! So, here goes…
Overall, the Forgotten God DVD Study Resource is a great and one that really encourages and challenges more consideration of the book. I appreciate Chan’s honest and forthright way of explaining things and being transparent in his own journey in Christ.
As a resource, and when compared with the Crazy Love Study DVD, there are two things to consider:
- Each segment/chapter amplifies – it does not, in and of itself teach the related chapter in the book. When we used the DVD in our Sunday School class, we made sure we came up with a few post-video discussion questions. There were one or two on the Crazy Love DVD…none on the Forgotten God one. Some study DVDs allow for a facilitator rather than a teacher/leader – in my opinion, Forgotten God needs to have the latter.
- Study Guide. The Study/Group Discussion Guide was offered separately and not on the DVD (again, comparing Crazy Love to Forgotten God). This is only a comment – it’s up to the writer and publisher on how to distribute this type of valuable resource. That said, I wished it had been on the DVD. I have not ordered the separate Workbook – I think I will so I have it when I re-read the book and re-watch the DVD. Looking at the page count (128) and the “look inside” feature on Amazon, I can see why it wasn’t included on the DVD… [Also, if this guide is used, maybe my comment above about teacher/leader vs. facilitator is moot.]
Those two comments aside, again – I recommend this DVD!
In writing this post, I re-watched the DVD and took these notes…
DENNARR(dot)COM 