Pure Worship
Picture: Elijah worshipping PURE WORSHIP After 400+ yrs of Hebrew enslavement in Egypt, a nation dedicated to the self-declared man-god, Pharaoh, an inspired Hebrew named Moses authored a book dedicated to explaining the life of worship; Deuteronomy. This ancient book goes into great detail explaining how the recently freed peoples, whom God had chosen to declare His wonders, should live their days. There is no doubting the message the one true God was conveying; “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do.” (Deuteronomy 12:32 ESV) God wanted true worship unto Himself ...
The Wisdom-Filled Life of Worship
THE WISDOM-FILLED LIFE OF WORSHIP After Paul encouraged the church at ancient Ephesus to walk in the light of their new lives available through the work of Jesus, he went on to encourage them to "be imitators of God, as beloved children." Ephesians 5:1. After giving a list of what God-imitators don't do (unmarried sex, dirty mindedness, crude joking, etc.), Paul went on to point out the wisdom-filled life of worship. The points he made then are still applicable to Christians today. BEING CHRIST-LIKE Ephesians 5 goes on to say that God worshippers are full of wisdom. Christians know better than to become ...
BOOK REVIEW – How To Read The Bible
Book: How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart. Zondervan, 2003. INTRODUCTION Gordon Fee, professor of New Testament at Regent College, and Douglas Stuart, professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell, have tried hard to not write “just another book” on the issue of hermeneutics (a method of interpreting scripture for personal or corporate application) and exegesis (the principles of studying scripture to arrive at its original meaning). This newly revised book (my pastor Doug Clark used it in seminary over 25 years ago) is meant to help all audiences grasp the intended meaning of ...
Among The World’s Most Hopeless & Destitute
Social Justice Opened Doors "They're not trained for leadership and they're not business savvy, but they've got tender hearts that have made them available to serve the impoverished souls of Sierra Leone, West Africa." Danny Loeffelholz, University Blvd Campus Pastor, Grace Community Church. According to the Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is the third lowest ranked country when assessing the life expectancy, education, and gross domestic product of it citizens. The Human Poverty Index measures its people as the seventh poorest among the nations of the world. Couple those factors with prolific corruption following a decade long civil war that decimated ...
World Religions & Imperialism
This post is for all my nerd friends who would like to see 1) the effects of the expansion of various religions and 2) the effects of conquest and military expansion. The following two presentations will create a ton of questions and answer very little; they'll make you think though. Can't see video one? Click here. Can't see video two? Click here.
State of American Christianity – We’re Really Destitute
Many of us American Christians are comfortable in our middle class bubble while inside our spirits are in decay. We attend endless Bible studies and church services and fellowships with other believers while missing a key part of what our Christianity was meant to be. We must go love others not in the church & share the Gospel. We must go get mud on our hands and heal the eyes of those blinded to the love of God with the message of the Cross of Jesus (John 9:11). These lyrics from an old song really drive home the point. Read on. Another ...
How Many Texas Churches Have Burned Down?
WE'RE GETTING THE MESSAGE "Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. They said to themselves, We will utterly subdue them; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land." Psalm 74:4-8 ANOTHER FIRE This morning, we awoke to news that another Texas church was ...
What Hope Do Christians Have For The Local Church?
The beginning of the new year witnessed a streak of church arson that culminated with the Body of Christ in East Texas gathering together for corporate prayer at Bergfeld Park in Tyler, Texas at 1pm on January 24th, 2010. Below you will find a few highlights from the prayer rally that should both bless you and inspire you to unity of hope & purpose. HIGHLIGHTS Toward the end of the service, Pastor Joe Canal, of Tyler Christian Fellowship, led the 300 plus participants at the Prayer Rally in a period of silent prayer. After closing the silent prayer with a plea ...
DIG A GOOD DEVO? TRY FAITHBOOK OF JESUS
Are you feeling wrong? Foul? Do you struggle with the same old junk everyday and can't seem to dig your way out? Got a habitual favorite sin you've been nursing but want to dump? You know that maybe prayer and Bible reading are just what the Dr. ordered but you either fall asleep or it doesn't make any sense? Well, you're not alone. You and I know that daily spending time in some sort of prayer and/or Bible study is a great way to develop a character that is more like Jesus; assuming you want to be more like Jesus. ...
Hope & Faith During Troubled Times
As seen in the picture above, the devastation in Haiti seems nearly incalculable. While watching the almost endless news coverage of the Haitian earthquake, I caught a stunning moment on live television that shocked even Anderson Cooper, a seasoned reporter. In the midst of overbearing human suffering and unrelenting emotional pain, Haitians spontaneously gathered together to march in unison while singing a song of hope. Hope and faith seemed alive in the midst of despair. Take a moment to watch CNN replay that clip... Can't see video? Click here. The video made me think... The video convicted me... It also encouraged me... ...
Pure Worship
Picture: Elijah worshipping PURE WORSHIP After 400+ yrs of Hebrew enslavement in Egypt, a nation dedicated to the self-declared man-god, Pharaoh, an inspired Hebrew named Moses authored a book dedicated to explaining the life of worship; Deuteronomy. This ancient book goes into great detail explaining how the recently freed peoples, whom God had chosen to declare His wonders, should live their... [Read more]
The Wisdom-Filled Life of Worship
THE WISDOM-FILLED LIFE OF WORSHIP After Paul encouraged the church at ancient Ephesus to walk in the light of their new lives available through the work of Jesus, he went on to encourage them to “be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Ephesians 5:1. After giving a list of what God-imitators don’t do (unmarried sex, dirty mindedness, crude joking, etc.), Paul went on to point... [Read more]
BOOK REVIEW – How To Read The Bible
Book: How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart. Zondervan, 2003. INTRODUCTION Gordon Fee, professor of New Testament at Regent College, and Douglas Stuart, professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell, have tried hard to not write “just another book” on the issue of hermeneutics (a method of interpreting scripture for personal or corporate application) and... [Read more]
Among The World’s Most Hopeless & Destitute
Social Justice Opened Doors “They’re not trained for leadership and they’re not business savvy, but they’ve got tender hearts that have made them available to serve the impoverished souls of Sierra Leone, West Africa.” Danny Loeffelholz, University Blvd Campus Pastor, Grace Community Church. According to the Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is the third lowest ranked... [Read more]
World Religions & Imperialism
This post is for all my nerd friends who would like to see 1) the effects of the expansion of various religions and 2) the effects of conquest and military expansion. The following two presentations will create a ton of questions and answer very little; they’ll make you think though. Can’t see video one? Click here. Can’t see video two? Click here. SHARETHIS.addEntry({... [Read more]
Need A Ministry Website On A Tight Budget?
As a communications director for a large 4 campus church, I am always looking for ways to streamline work processes while serving the senior pastor’s goals. Recently, I came across a tool called Square Space. http://www.squarespace.com/tour/ What I love about Square Space is the ability to cheap “build” a high quality website that can also be customized; all of it done online. No... [Read more]
State of American Christianity – We’re Really Destitute
Many of us American Christians are comfortable in our middle class bubble while inside our spirits are in decay. We attend endless Bible studies and church services and fellowships with other believers while missing a key part of what our Christianity was meant to be. We must go love others not in the church & share the Gospel. We must go get mud on our hands and heal the eyes of those blinded... [Read more]
How Many Texas Churches Have Burned Down?
WE’RE GETTING THE MESSAGE “Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. They said to themselves, We... [Read more]
What Hope Do Christians Have For The Local Church?
The beginning of the new year witnessed a streak of church arson that culminated with the Body of Christ in East Texas gathering together for corporate prayer at Bergfeld Park in Tyler, Texas at 1pm on January 24th, 2010. Below you will find a few highlights from the prayer rally that should both bless you and inspire you to unity of hope & purpose. HIGHLIGHTS Toward the end of the service,... [Read more]
DIG A GOOD DEVO? TRY FAITHBOOK OF JESUS
Are you feeling wrong? Foul? Do you struggle with the same old junk everyday and can’t seem to dig your way out? Got a habitual favorite sin you’ve been nursing but want to dump? You know that maybe prayer and Bible reading are just what the Dr. ordered but you either fall asleep or it doesn’t make any sense? Well, you’re not alone. You and I know that daily spending time... [Read more]
Hope & Faith During Troubled Times
As seen in the picture above, the devastation in Haiti seems nearly incalculable. While watching the almost endless news coverage of the Haitian earthquake, I caught a stunning moment on live television that shocked even Anderson Cooper, a seasoned reporter. In the midst of overbearing human suffering and unrelenting emotional pain, Haitians spontaneously gathered together to march in unison while... [Read more]
Modern Day Slavery: Pt 2 – A Christian Response
Examples of Modern Day Slavery Today’s slave trade, comprised of over 27 million souls worldwide, is active in many industries. A few specific examples of the forced or coerced labor endured by cheap slaves (or those born or tricked into slavery) include work in the kilns of southeast Asia used for brick production, the harvesting of cane fields in the Dominican Republic famous for sugar exports... [Read more]
The False God of Politics
Once upon a time, I was a hard-core Republican. Now I try my best to love people. If you are a knee-jerk Christian conservative who affiliates with the Republican party, you probably take offense at the above statement. And conversely, if you are a knee-jerk Democrat you probably swelled with pride. Welcome to the true nature of politics, that honestly at the core, thinks like this, “I’m... [Read more]
Slavery, A Modern Day Injustice – Part 1
“to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke” Isaiah 58:6 LARGER, MORE PROFITABLE, & MORE PROLIFIC The modern day slave trade is an obscure, worldwide criminal enterprise larger, more profitable, and more prolific than at any other time in history. Its traces are easily evident to governments committed to the rule... [Read more]
90 Minutes w/ Donald Miller
Most likely, Donald Miller’s tour bus has passed a city very near you. If you missed the tour or would like to listen to his soul-refreshing, mind-enlightening, theologically-challenging talk one more time, then you’ve come to the right blog! Don has given us the A-OK to copy, pirate, and otherwise spread his 90-minute laid back story with the whole wide world. So sit back, tune in, and... [Read more]
Proudly serving on staff @Grace_Community Church, in Tyler, TX as the Director of Communications. In addition to being a friend of God, I'm also a problem solver & Fuller Theological Seminary student. Some also think I have ninja design skillz! If you know what a DISC Assessment is, I am a lion, adaptive persuading conductor (11), and core implimenting conductor (10). Watch out!
