The Beauty of Progression

    I'm not sure about you, but I'm a person who likes the idea of pushing forward, learning new things and progressing in my skill, even if I don't always feel like doing it.  Notice I said that I like the idea of it. Sometimes that idea is easier thought of than carried out. I think that this is something that anyone with any skill set will experience.  

    I've witnessed that first hand already with our new album project that will release next year.  Our last project, "Greater Still", was released about a year ago and as far as recording goes, I've had some down time since then.  That down time was nice, but it didn't come without it's disadvantages.  For the new album, I began scratch tracks (a dry run through of the song to give the drummer something to record to) about a month ago and started to get back in the mindset of producing a record.  However, before getting too far into it, I had the idea that I would listen to the previous album to see if there's anything that I'd like to do differently, or if there's anything that I would change for the new album.  At this point, I hadn't listened to a single song on it since we received all the copies in, because from listening to them over and over while mixing them, I was just about sick of it. Within the first minute of the first track I was a bit taken back, to say the least.  Let me tell you that I am not ashamed to say that  I want to do everything differently! I'm talking about everything from scratch tracks to final mixdown...I want to do it all completely and totally different!  Just as much as this fact scared the living day lights out of me, it also excited me.  When I began thinking about it, I would have been really worried had I not found anything I would change.  For me, that was a sign of progression.  

       I think that listening to the previous record was a great wake up call for me.  Had I not heard it, I would have probably subconsciously followed some old habits.  It reminded me of the importance of learning and honing a skill-set.  After all, whatever we do for the Lord, we should attempt to do it with the utmost skill and give it our best.  I know that can sound a bit elementary at times, but it is so true.  No matter what you do, this will apply.  Just like everyone who has a skill and especially one they use for the Kindgom of God, I always want to keep getting better.  I'm a person who loves to learn, so I pray that as long as I have breath, I'm learning.  Not just in this area, but in everything concerning Jesus.  In a year and a half, I hope to begin yet another album project with pages worth of things that I want to change and do differently!  To me, that is where the beauty of progression lies; knowing you are always giving it everything you have for the magnification of Jesus.

Peace,

Justin

Here I Am To Worship

    This is the title to a fairly popular and well known praise and worship song.  It was written by Tim Hughes.  He penned the words on many other worship songs including Beautiful One and Name Above All Names.  It took him nine months to finalize the lyrics and complete Here I Am To Worship.   I have sung the song many times before as I am sure many of you have as well.  It is powerful and leads me to a place of humbleness and nearness to God each time I sing it.  Although the whole song is beautifully written and each line equally strong, I would like to focus on the phrase "here I am to worship".

    Over the past few weeks and months, God has been revealing to me glimpses of how people worship.   I am blessed to have a different perspective than most of the congregation.  As a member of the worship team, I have the privilege of standing on stage for our worship sets and even leading worship most Sundays.  From this view I can see hundreds of other people worship.  Over the years, I have watched people grow in their ability to "freely" worship our Savior.  Some that used to be afraid to stand or afraid to raise their hand, now do so eagerly.  I have seen them grow spiritually.  I see the look in their eyes coming from their heart silently shouting, "here I am to worship".  Philippians 2:5 states that we should "have this mind among ourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."  This is the scripture reference that inspired Hughes to write these lyrics.  Worship is an attitude that we must allow to develop and grow as our relationship grows.  That's what I 've seen happen at our church.  People from all walks of life and various ages silently saying, "here I am to worship".

    As of late, God has led to me to two experiences that have not occurred while I have been leading music.  The first happened a few weeks ago.  It was a Wednesday evening and we were singing praise songs.  My daughter, 15, standing beside me nudged me to look to the right.  I glanced and saw what you now see in the picture.  It is one of our members holding his infant son.  I was moved by the look in the baby's eyes.  His dad was worshiping with hands raised while the baby watched so intently.  The picture is a bit grainy, but you get the gist.  Psalm 143:6 says "I stretch out my hand to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land."  This is exactly what the father is doing; stretching out his hand.  This baby is being led by his earthly father to develop an attitude of worship to his heavenly father.  How cool is that?  Dad's face shouts, "here I am to worship".  He hasn't a clue the impact he is having on his son.  Our church doesn't have a nursery.  We want our families to worship together and this is why.  What a loss for this baby to be in a room separated from this experience!  Consequently, my own daughter, having also been raised "in the sanctuary" noticed what was happening.  She was growing in her own attitude of worship.  My heart shouted this is a win, win!

    The second experience happened on a Wednesday night.  Some of our younger females were leading in worship.  One of them, who is now maybe 14 years old was leading a song and playing guitar.  I could stop there and be amazed.  Leading and playing simultaneously is NOT an easy task, not even for an adult.  What happened next brought me to tears.  I saw her lift her sweet little hand to our Savior.  I stared in awe.  I have watched this young lady grow her skills and talents, but this was a deeper, more important step.  She was freely and openly unhindered in her worship.  She had reached a whole new level.  What a wonderful way to say to her Savior, "here I am to worship".  This pleases the heart of God.  

    All of this may sound unimportant to some readers and that's okay.  But as of late, God has laid this on my heart.  He has been intentional in showing me the significance of these acts of worship and reminded me that we are all there to worship.  We have to put aside ourselves and say to Him, "I am here Lord, to worship."  That is the goal of our worship team EVERY Sunday morning.  We believe that God has called us not only to worship in ourselves, but to take part in leading other believers to His presence.  My hope is that through this post, you will take the time to think about your worship experience.  When is the last time or has there ever been a time when you just simply said to your heart, "here I am to worship"?  Don't worry about what others think or what they might say.  Just submit to Him and I pray that you can have an experience like no other.  John 4:23 says, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him."  He is seeking you to worship Him and He is worthy of our praise!

Kim

I Feel Like the One Losing

As I look at facebook, read emails, and hear of those around me hurting so badly, I am burdened for them all. It seems like in some way we are all “losing”. Whether it be our health, finances, or relationships, someone is struggling. I can clearly stand and say that my Father God has saved me from so much, but I still struggle and am no different from all the others.

Yes, my survival is nothing but a miracle. One that I will share until the day I die. But it's a daily struggle. I think about what it’s going to be like when I'm older with this now broken body. I cry often in the arms of my husband with pain that can't be described. This body is a daily reminder of my accident, my struggles and what is to come. But one thing God places ever present in my mind is a peace knowing that this body will pass away and a new one will be given ( NOT BROKEN).

Often when my pain reminds me of why I was hurt so badly (Satan tries to remind me of the past), I am faced with the question of why?  The song below says it all so easily…"Lord give me grace to forgive them, because I feel like the one losing”. 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/144385841

It’s become a prayer for me. Yes, I have forgiven this man who struck me..but I can't forget the pain, loss, and suffering. At those moments, my Father God whispers so clearly (When “he” reminds you of your past…you just remind him of his future”). You see we can be hurt, broken hearted, and just plain damaged by others. And as humans we want to “get them back” for some reason. We feel that this will make it all better. This is not the case. Anger, hatred, and revenge will eat you alive and bring you to depths you never thought possible.

When we choose to face our struggles head on, knowing that they are already in the hands of Father God, we can make it through anything. I can say that I am happier now (broken, pain filled, and damaged), more than ever before, because I have experienced the clarity of God. He's here now and forever more. Just let him handle things.

Let's promise to let Him shine thru our brokenness so that others can see Him thru us.

Jessica

*to read more from Jessica, check out her blog at: www.tragicallytransformed.wordpress.com 

Are We There Yet?

We all went on trips when we were younger, and one of the main questions on our mind was “are we there yet?” No matter how far we were traveling, whether it was 15 miles or 300, that one question was always asked. I can only imagine how annoying it can be for parents to keep hearing the same question over and over again. I know from experience that my parents were not too fond of that question. So my dad, being the resourceful man he is, found a way to keep us from asking every 50 miles “are we there yet?”

For the curious parents out there that may have experienced the certain annoyance from your children asking the preverbial question, this is how my dad kept my sister and I from constantly asking.  He had recently read an article online that was entitled something like “Tips for the Traveling Family.” One of the main tips was about the question “are we there yet?” The article said to give your kids quarters. Yes, quarters. Each family could decide on a certain amount of money. Whatever you felt was necessary. My parents determined that five dollars was a reasonable amount. At the time five dollars was a lot of money to me. The catch to receiving the quarters was that if you asked “are we there yet,” you had to pay a quarter. Of course as a child I was not going to lose the money I had been given. Therefore my sister and I NEVER asked “are we there yet?”

I am sure by now you are all wondering what the point is to this slight look into my childhood. Well I have personally been dealing with God’s timing in my life. We all use the metaphor of God being in the driver’s seat of a car and we are on the passenger side. No matter what you are dealing with in life, we all question God’s timing. Sometimes while in the car of life I want to look at God and just ask “are we there yet?” Recently I was looking for a job, and nothing seemed to be working out. I know God had to be getting tired of me praying and asking “are we there yet?” In the long run his timing is always perfect and will continue to be. I now have a job and truly love it, but I will say that I am glad God doesn’t give us quarters that we have to pay every time we ask “are we there yet?”

As followers of Christ we have to have faith that while riding in the car with God he has our best interest in mind. Even if we have to take the back roads, which always take longer, He has a reason for leading us the way he does in life. I just pray that I will stop asking “are we there yet?”, and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Much Love

Ashton

Bethel - Ever Be

A couple of weeks ago, I came across Bethel Music's new album, titled "We Will Not Be Shaken". To be honest, I really don't listen to a ton of Bethel stuff, but I always like to hear new music being put out.  My favorite song on that album is called "Ever Be".  This song just does it for me musically and I really like the lyrics.  To me, it sums up not only what we mean to God, but also our response to the love that He has for us.  As Christians, we always talk about our "level of devotion" to God, but this song spins it.  The first line mentions the devotion that God has towards us.  It's not terribly often that I hear a new worship song that just makes me think, but this one did that.  So, I'll have the lyrics below and the music video for you to listen to.  Hopefully you will enjoy it in the same way that I did!

Peace,

Justin

"Ever Be"

Your love is devoted like a ring of solid gold

Like a vow that is tested like a covenant of old

Your love is enduring through the winter rain

And beyond the horizon with mercy for today

Faithful you have been and faithful you will be

You pledge yourself to me and it's why I sing

Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips

Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips

You father the orphan, Your kindness makes us whole

You shoulder our weakness and Your strength becomes our own

You're making me like You, clothing me in white

Bringing beauty from ashes, You will have Your bride

Free of all her guilt and rid of all her shame

And known by her true name and it's why I sing

You will be praised, You will be praised 

With angels and saints we sing, worthy are You Lord

A New Revelation of Jesus

One of the great things about worship is that Jesus can show up at any time.  And many times He shows up in a way that we didn’t expect Him to.  And that’s what this week’s post (devotion) is going to be about.  And to do so, we’re going to look at an experience of the Apostle John in the book of Revelation, chapter 1.

  

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Here we see the Apostle John, and he is having a rough time in life.  Historians tell us that he is probably in his early to mid 80’s at this time.  He has gotten in trouble with the Roman Emperor Domitian for teaching and preaching the gospel.  Domitian initially tried to kill him by boiling him in oil.  But it didn’t work.  John suffered no physical harm.  And so, Domitian exiles him to this island called Patmos to work in the marble quarries.

John’s description of where he is located is very telling.  If he were somewhere well known, he would have just said, for example, “I’m in Rome”.  But he didn’t, because he’s stuck on this island that no one knows about.  And no one knows about it, because there’s nothing there.  Not then, not now.  Currently, there are cruise ships that will take you to Patmos for 3-6 hour visits.  Do you know why?  Because it is mentioned right here in the book of Revelation (the cave where John received this revelation is the highlight of the tour).  So John describes it as the island called Patmos.  He is stuck in this place called Patmos.

 

Like John, are you stuck somewhere today?  His was called Patmos.  What is yours called?  Is it called depression?  Or worry?  Or fear?  Is it a place called lost or lonely?  What’s it called?

We are all somewhere. 

I want you to know that you are not alone.  John writes that he is our brother in tribulation (suffering).  He suffered just like we do.  And our suffering unites us together.  We are all a part of the family of God and we all suffer together.  We are all brothers and sisters in good times and bad.  Wherever you are, you are not alone.

But suffering doesn’t just unite us with each other.  It also unites us with Jesus.  Suffering makes us more like Him.  

So, here is John, on this island called Patmos, probably thinking he was going to die here.  An elderly man, working in a mine with a pick-ax doesn’t sound like someone with much of a future.  I’m sure he was down and needed something or someone to give him a little bit of hope.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

There’s lots of good stuff here with the voice like a trumpet and the seven churches and the seven lampstands, and Jesus walking in the midst of the lampstands and what that means, but I want us to jump to verse 13.

John writes that he saw one “like” a son of man.  Jesus’ favorite name for himself was “son of man”.  So, this was Jesus.  And John knew Jesus.  He was one of Jesus’ first disciples.  He’s the one disciple who was present at the cross.  He knew what Jesus looked like.  He knew what Jesus sounded like.  But this Jesus was different.  He was “like” a son of man, but He was so much more.  He was dressed differently, his eyes burned like fire, his hair was white like snow, his feet were bronze, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 

When John was at his lowest, Jesus showed up.  And He didn’t show up in a way that John had ever seen before.  This was a new revelation of Jesus.  And when we are down, when we are at our lowest, what we truly need is a new revelation of Jesus.  

Now this next part is my favorite.  John sees Jesus and just drops to the ground as though he were dead.  But then Jesus lays his right hand on John and says “Fear not”.  His right hand!  The same hand that one verse earlier is holding stars is now touching John!  Even Jesus in this glorified state (white hair, eyes of flames) is still full of compassion. 

Then Jesus says, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Considering his age and being exiled to work in a mine, John was probably very aware of death and how close he was to it.  So, Jesus says, don’t worry about death.  Not only have I overcome death, I’ve got the keys to it.  I was thinking about this, and while every once in a while I do think about my own mortality, I’m not really scared of death.  But there are things in my life that scare me to death.  The health and safety of my family being the biggest ones.  Yours might be different.  But I believe Jesus is telling us that whether we’re scared of death or just scared to death, “Fear not, because I’ve got the keys to death and I have overcome it”. 

But maybe death and fear aren’t the places you are in.  Maybe your life just feels like a living Hades.  It’s overwhelming and exhausting and you don’t know what to do.  I want you to know that Jesus says “Fear not, I’ve got the keys to Hades as well and I have overcome it”.

Through Christ we can overcome anything.  We are conquerors and we can be victorious!

And I believe that the first step in overcoming is to have a fresh revelation of Jesus.  And for me, worship is one of the best ways to see Jesus and experience Him in new and refreshing ways.  And so I hope the next time you have the opportunity to worship, you'll take advantage of it.  Because you never know when Jesus will show up.

Worship Big!

Brad

I Don't Feel Like Doing This

Can I be honest?  I’ve been feeling a lot like what the title states for the past couple of months.  Many Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings have come and gone, and I’ve not really had the best attitude in the world towards playing music at church.  However, after doing this for close to 20 years of my life, I know that this is just a season and it will pass eventually; it always does. I have been so incredibly busy outside of church, it’s difficult to get excited about much of anything these days…and yet I still do it…even if I don’t feel like it or have the best attitude about it.  

Whenever confronting these feelings, the following verse comes to mind, especially in playing music:

"Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."  (Psalm 100:2)

If you are like me, you may have grown up singing the hymn “Serve the Lord with Gladness.” With sermons and songs written about doing this, it has always bothered me whenever I sort of don’t feel like “doing church” on certain days.  At this point in this blog, if you are rolling your eyes and muttering phrases like “Get over it,” “I work harder than he does, and I’m happy serving all of the time,” “First-world problems,” or “I never get tired of serving my church in my ministry,” this blog is not for you.  Please stop reading, and I hope you have an amazing day!

If you ever feel yourself burning out or sometimes growing weary of doing your ministry at church, keep reading.

Before I go any further, yes, I realize and know that it’s an honor and a privilege to play on the praise team, and I know not to take it for granted.  Also, I feel extremely blessed to live in a country where we can go to church without having to hide (but if we did, I have a big basement…and a PA system…and guitars…and a drum set…and chairs.  Just sayin’…).  With that said, I’m sorry if I don’t feel like skipping across the parking lot at 7:30am every Sunday.  It’s just hard some days, you know?

Here’s where the problem for me lies: It’s been drilled into my head and into my heart for so many years that those of us in leadership-type positions have to be really, really happy whenever we show up to church every week. I’ve been indoctrinated in the idea that if we aren’t practically turning cartwheels whenever we enter the church building, there is something wrong with us.  Somewhere along the way, I accepted the idea that it’s downright sinful to not be happy while serving.  If you have ever felt guilty of feeling a little burned out in your particular ministry, may I be so bold and say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.  How am I to judge your feelings?  Your pain?  Your exhaustion?

So, what does the Bible say? I looked up verses regarding being a servant trying to figure all of this out.  You know what I found?  Besides the Psalm 100 verse written above, I don’t know if there are many other verses out there that deal with serving the Lord with gladness.  Instead of “being happy,” other words seem to be pretty common in regards to being a servant:  Righteousness, honor, love, trust, goodness, faithful, blessing, friend, etc.  When it comes to servanthood, the last I checked the goal is for Jesus to say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”  I don’t think that there’s an additional clause that states “…but you should have been happier.”  Thanks to His omnipresence, He sees what we do.  While a lot of the time a byproduct of being a servant is happiness and fulfillment, I’d rather shoot for faithfulness, loyalty, and friendship with God.

I love my daughter, and I’ve never been loved by someone in this world the way that she loves me.  We have a great relationship, and I hope to keep it that way.  We are open and honest with each other, and she has become a tremendous helper to our house.  Whenever I’m working on something, she is ALWAYS the first to ask, “Can I help?”  At least a few times a week, I have to ask her to clean her room.  While there is a certain level of satisfaction after she’s done, her personal satisfaction (or happiness) is not the point of my asking her; I ask her to do it because I need it to get done.  She does not feel like it a lot of the time, but she does it because it’s the right thing to do.  She does it because she was asked.  She does it because she is loyal.  Most of all, she does it because she loves her dad.  There’s a real deep pride that I have whenever my kids do things that they don’t want to do, and yet they do them anyways.  I think of this whenever I’m dragging on Sunday mornings or when I pull into the parking lot on Wednesday nights straight from work, knowing that I won’t be getting home until about 10:30 that night.  

Sure, there is some satisfaction after playing a good set.  It makes me happy to see other people worshipping, and I enjoy the people that I play with.  With that said, I don’t play to entertain at church.  I don’t sit at home and practice a few hours every week just because it’s fun.  

I don’t play drums at church because it makes me happy all of the time.
I play drums at church because I love my Dad, and He asked me to.  I really want to make Him proud.

Martin