Archive - January, 2010

Worship Confessional: January 17th, 2010

January 17, 2010 in Service schedules, Worship, Worship Confessional with 2 Comments

Energy!  That is the word that I would use to describe the singing today!  Our people were really singing with all their hearts today!  It was a just a great day to be in God’s house!  I have one more week to lead worship here at Glenville, and I am looking forward to a great final week!  Here is the setlist for this week:

Intro Video to service

Baptism (LOVE seeing people baptized!)

  • Today Is The Day – Baloche/Brewster
  • Sing, Sing, Sing – Carson/Gilder/Nunn/Reeves/Tomlin
  • Glorious One – Fee

Choir – Reveal (Awesome job everyone!)

Message – The Body Pt. 3 (Love for the church – Hispanic Pastor Richard Perez spoke today)

Time of response

Offering/Announcements

  • A New Hallelujah – Baloche/Smith/Smith

Hope everyone had a great day of worship!  This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at theworshipcommunity.com.

Friday Links

January 15, 2010 in Friday Links, leadership with 1 Comment

I know a lot of people do a “Follow Friday” every week.  I enjoy seeing all the connections with that. I read many blog posts during the week that sometimes I forget about at the end of the week, but yet they were SO good, good enough to share.  So, with that said, I am going to start a “Friday Links” post each week just to recap the posts from bloggers that really spoke to me during the week.  I hope you will check them out as well, and that they will speak to you as well!

Here are a few links from this week that would be worth your time to check out:

Spiritual Co-dependency

January 14, 2010 in growth, the church with 0 Comments

Speaking of the way we do church, Mark Batterson (in Wild Goose Chase) says:

“…I’m afraid we’ve turned church into a spectator sport.  Too many of us are content with letting a spiritual leader seek God for us.  Like the Israelites, we want Moses to climb the mountain for us.  After all, it is much easier to let someone else pray for us or study for us.  So the church unintentionally fosters a subtle form of spiritual codependency.”

This is why it is so important for the church to encourage and equip people to be in the Word for themselves.  It is also important for people to know that the church can provide opportunities for growth and equipping, but it is still up to the individual believer to take next steps in his relationship with God.  The church cannot make anyone do that, and the church is not responsible to do that.

What do you think?  Has the church made people spiritually codependent?

Guts… Dream the Unthinkable. Attempt the Impossible.

January 12, 2010 in change, leadership with 1 Comment

Ok, I have 2-3 three more posts this week on things that struck a chord with me from Mark Batterson’s Book, “Wild Goose Chase,” and then I will be done.

“We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes.  People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure.  People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible.”

I know this is where I want to live.  Not that I want to fail or make mistakes, but I do not want to sit by and do nothing just because I am afraid of temporary discomfort or embarrassment from failing.  I think this is why many churches fail to grow, and why many Christians are unhappy.

It is easy to play it safe when things are going good.  After all, who wants to mess up a good thing by making changes?  But here is the deal, if you are not constantly changing, you are not growing.  If you are not dreaming, then you have no vision.  If you are reaching into the past for what to do in the future, you are grasping at straws.  We need more Christians and churches with guts.  Guts to attempt BIG things for God.  Guts to do the things that no one else is doing.  Guts to “dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible.”

I am praying for guts… what about you?

Worship Confessional: January 10th, 2010

January 10, 2010 in Service schedules, Worship, Worship Confessional with 0 Comments

This was the second week of our first series of the year called, “The Body,” which focuses on the church working together to be the church. I think there are many Christ-followers today that are disassociated from the church which not only hurts them, but it hurts the body as well. I know there are sometimes reasons why people have left or felt rejected by the church, but it is still God’s plan for the believer to be engaged in a local church for relationships, for service and for accountability. Let’s look at the setlist:

  • Forever – Tomlin
  • Your Grace Is Enough – Maher
  • You Are My Strength – Morgan

Special Music – Great job Lesley!

Video Intro for message

Message – “The Body”

Time of response

Offering and Announcements

  • Friend of God – Houghton/Gungor

It has been kind of surreal to think about me only having two more weeks of leading worship at Glenville (or anywhere for that matter – read my announcement from last week if you have not). We have some tentative plans on what we will be doing that I will share in the near future here on my blog.

This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at theworshipcommunity.com.

Going… or Becoming?

January 7, 2010 in change, commitment and surrender, family with 0 Comments

Continuing on with some quotes from Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase:
I am going to use two quotes here this morning.  The first is from Mark as he writes,

“…God seems to be far less concerned with where I am going than with who I’m becoming.  I think some of us want to know the will of God more than we want to know God.”

It is not easy to focus more on the process than it is the destination. Dreams, goals and vision that God gives you are certainly good to have, but God is more concerned with who you are becoming than He is in your achieving anything.  It is not easy for me to write that, because I do want to know what the end result of my journey is gong to be.  I want to know where I will end up, and when I will get there.  And yes, God is interested in that as well, but if I get to the end and have learned nothing about God in the process, what have I really gained?  Nothing!  The journey is where we get to know God.  It is where He works and shows Himself strong.

Mark then quotes Oswald Chambers:

“The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident.  What we call the process, God calls the end.  His purpose is that I depend in Him and on His power now.  It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.”

Wow.  Just read that and let it sink in a bit.  We think that the goal achieved, the desire accomplished, the status attained is what it is all about. Really, it is about how we get there, and how our relationship with God grows in the process.

So, what are you concerned with?  Going… or Becoming?

The Lord Determines Our Steps

January 6, 2010 in commitment and surrender, future, sovereignty with 1 Comment

Here is another quote from Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase that really struck a chord with me, especially with our recent events:

“God is far more concerned about your future than you are. We put so much pressure on ourselves, as if the eternal plans of the almighty God are contingent upon our ability to decipher them.  The truth is, God want to reveal them more than we want to know them… In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

How much do you worry about things?  I have been guilty of asking God if He knew what was going on in my life.  Of course, I already knew the answer, but the fact remained that I did not think God was paying much attention to my situation.  I had taken control, or at least I thought I had, and my control only led to more worry and indecision.  I needed to listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Jesus then goes on to explain how God cares for the flowers and the birds, and since I am a little higher up the food chain, He certainly will take care of me.  He also reminds us to “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

I need to stay Kingdom minded and focused.  God will take care of showing me the steps I need to take… of that I am sure!  He works from the future back, and knowing that He has already been where I am going gives me great comfort.

A God Who Cannot Surprise

January 5, 2010 in change, contentment with 2 Comments

I am reading Mark Batterson’s book, “Wild Goose Chase” and have come to several places in the book that have challenged me.  I am going to share a few of those this week.  The first one is actually a quote that he uses from A.W. Tozer in his book, “The Knowledge of the Holy.”  Tozer says, that when we make God in our own image, we are left with a God Who

“…can never surprise us, never overwhelm us, nor astonish us, nor transcend us.”

Basically, we are left with a God that we can keep in a box.  And we like it that way.  It keeps us comfortable.  The problem is, when we keep God in that box, we never get to see Him do the miraculous.  We never get to see Him move on our behalf in a way that can only be explained by saying it was God.  Many Christians and many churches live in this state all the time.  They do not want a God that surprises, overwhelms, astonishes or transcends.  It scares them to lose control… to lose control to God!

I pray that God will move out of the box that I set up for Him.  I want to be surprised by Him.  I want to wake up each morning thinking to myself, “Ok God, what are you up to today.”  That might make you uncomfortable.  If it does, maybe it is time to let God out of the box you have Him in and allow Him to be the God that you say you believe in.

New Year Brings A Change In Ministry

January 3, 2010 in change, family with 15 Comments

This morning our Pastor announced to the church that the financial situation at the church has necessitated some major changes for the coming year.  We have had many families lose their jobs this year, and with that the offerings have also suffered.  With that news, it was then announced that two of the full-time staff pastors would be leaving to find new positions.  I am one of those.

We have been here in Wichita for right at a year and a half.  We have loved the opportunity that we have had to be involved at Glenville, and have learned a lot in the time we have been here.  The people love God and love others.  I would have to say this church is a great example of what a grace-filled church is all about, as they are so very accepting of people.  The staff has also been a blast to work with.  We will miss everyone dearly.  This has been a great experience for us.

Our next steps do not simply include a change of churches to serve in.  After a long time of prayer and seeking counsel, I feel that God is moving me into another direction in ministry as well.  I love music, that will never change, but that season of ministry is coming to a close.  I will be seeking a church in which to serve as their Lead Pastor, or some other Administrative/Executive Pastor role.

As I said, we will miss the people that we are currently serving along side with.  It is never easy to move on. But we are excited to see what God is going to do with us in the future.  I love what Job said in Job 23:13-14:

“But he alone is God, and who can oppose him? God does as he pleases, and he will do exactly what he intends with me.”

We covet your prayers for our family as we take our next steps.  We hold on to the knowledge that God knows what He is doing with us.  We just want to hold on and go for the ride!

Worship Confessional: January 3rd, 2010

January 3, 2010 in Service schedules, Worship, Worship Confessional with 1 Comment

It was really good to be back leading today after taking a week off.  The first Sunday of the year always feels so fresh and new. I LOVE the new year and all the changes that come with it.  Speaking of change, today was a day of changes announced at our church.  Our Lead Pastor told the church that our financial situation at the church has necessitated some major changes needing to take place so that the church can maintain ministry.  We have had a lot of job losses affect our people and offerings have really suffered because of that.  With all that said, our Pastor let the congregation know that two of the full time staff pastors will be leaving.  I am one of those. I will write another post about it later.  For now, let’s get to the setlist!

Special Music – “Something More” (Kristy Starling)  Misty did a great job!

  • All Because of Jesus – Fee
  • Everlasting God – Brown/Riley
  • How Great is Our God – Tomlin/Cash/Reeves

Special Music – “If We Are The Body” (Mark Hall) Steve, you did awesome man!

Message – “The Body” – Our Lead Pastor spoke for us today

Time of response

Offering

  • Glory To God Forever – Fee/Beeching

I hope you all had a great first Sunday of 2010!  This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at theworshipcommunity.com.

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