You have been granted permission to worshipworship as if God actually hears you as if your thoughts are words to God
Worship as if the sky were a funnel to filter only your words to His ears
Favorite Poet[s]: Commoners and Kings
I love the written and spoken word. I try to soak up as much of it as I can. A while ago I came across Commoners and Kings on a podcast I frequently listen to. I was unable to find a lot on them to share, but recently I revisted their facebook and found a stream of videos they call "Street Series" of different impromptu poets they film performing on the streets of Southern California. This is one of the videos which happens to be one of the Commoners and Kings. Enjoy!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1JC5skwRsw&w=560&h=315]
3 reasons your pastor's sermons stink
Does it seem your pastor has been going downhill in his preaching? Does it seem when he brings the Word, you aren't feelin' it anymore? Is your pastor not preaching up to par for what you expected or as he used to? We all have! I hear you! Here are 3 possible reasons your pastors sermons suck:
1. You have not prayed for him Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, "Brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly." Successful preaching of the word has everything to do with prayer. E.M. Bounds wrote, "Prayer opens the way for the word of God to run without hindrance." How often have those who complain actually prayed for the pastor they complain about?
2. You have not prepared your heart In the Parable of the Sower Jesus questions what sort of soil your heart would be when the seed of the Word is sown. Many more sermons could be fruitful if we would prepare the ground of our hearts ahead of time through prayer and meditation.
3. You have forgotten everything There is a story of Martin Luther preaching the gospel of Jesus each and every week for months and years at a time. His congregation began coming to him saying, "Surely we have this down by now. Week after week you preach the gospel message; why can't we move on?" To which he replied: "Because week after week you forget it.
We resist application of things we study. The good ground in the parable are those who hear the word and make intentional efforts to cultivate the planted seed sown.
Reactionary Bear Love
"bear with one another in love" (Eph. 4:2).
We are told to bear with one another in love, but what does that look like. That needs to jump off the page, out of cliche and into some sort of action for it to really matter. What would it take for us to really bear with one another in love?
It requires making the CHOICE to love each other, and continuing to make that choice. Now this is not as easily done as it is written. Why? Because we come to make love a REACTION instead of the ACTION that it is.
The reason so many of us struggle to bear with one anyone in love is because we have made love a reaction, and we will only love when loved. We will only love when given a reason to love. Love has become a reaction to us, and bearing with one another will never happen as long as love is a reaction. The cycle will only continue and no one will choose to love as we are all waiting for the other to love us so that we can love in return.
Love is not a reaction, it is an action. Love is a choice. Love is INTENTIONAL. In order for us to truly bear with one another in love, it will mean choosing constantly to GO and love.
When one person goes with intentionality of loving someone, they break the cycle of reactionary love.
Love is not a reaction. It is an action.
Normal people do not test well
In those moments when 'normal people' would give up and fall apart, there is a crazy blessing awaiting those who trust God in crazy moments.
Genesis 22 is a crazy example. Abraham obeys and trusts God will provide in a moment nearly every normal parent would have given up with a hearty "Heck No!"
But in verse 1, we see the whole story is a test. God never tempts us, but he frequently tests us. He tested Abraham. He tested Job. He tests you.
God will put you to the test; count on it. BUT realize he puts you to the test not to see if you will make it. An all-knowing God does not need to see if you will make it. God tests you to show YOU that you are capable...
because he already knows.
The only unknown factor in God's tests is to what degree you will trust Him to provide.
Lay in the dust
The story is told of a moment in an old ice house where they would throw down layers and layers of sawdust to keep the ice from melting. There was a day when a worker had lost his grandfather's watch in the course of the day.
For hours, the other workers searched the whole building for the watch to no avail. Eventually, they gave up the search writing it off as "lost" forever. 
A small boy went in after everyone left and came out in a matter of moments with the watch in hand. When asked how he found what everyone else had spent hours trying to find, the boy said, "I just went in and laid down on the sawdust and listened for the ticking of the watch."
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Before you conclude that prayer is pointless or unheard or unanswered, take a moment to just be still and listen...
Every day grace
Grace is available to the repentant. Every day grace is available to the every day repentant. Repentance is a daily discipline, not a one time shot. Each day we should ask that God search our hearts and reveal any wickedness, injustice, or lack of integrity within us. When he reveals those things to us, which is inevitably present, we must repent of those things. We cannot then avoid what we know is there.
Psalm 7:12-16 reveals the self-inflicted pain and consequence for the person who refuses to repent. Its like he has dug his own inescapable hole to fall into.
We are to repent, and when God answers with mercy and ridiculous grace, we must give thanks and never take it for granted, even with every day repentance.
Rescue is never delayed
Psalm 6 reminds me of the heart of my Father. I am reminded, first, of all those moments we are worn out from crying. I am reminded that when life places me in painful moments when I am worn down under the weight of it all, my God not only hears my cries, he heals me and pours over me his grace and overwhelming love and kindness.
More specifically, I see that my God rescues my soul and saves me (vs 4). It stuck out to me that he rescues my SOUL. It does not say God rescues me from the situation physically as though he removes me or takes away the situation.
I am reminded of a God who sees the heart and knows the heart comes to me in moments of pain and rescues my heart. He comes to rescue my soul because when everything originates in the heart and soul, that is where the rescue must take place.
We can endure so much more as long as our heart stays safe, secure, and protected. It is when the soul is broken that we cannot withstand even the lightest trouble.
My God is mighty to save...my soul and rescue my soul.
My God, he will not delay My refuge and strength I will not fear, His promise is true My God will come through, always
Reading Between the Lines: a power sentence for [almost] every year of my life
Hidden in these sentences are the likes of divorce, adoption, and diabetes. Also there will be found marriage, birth, and milestones alongside brokenness, addictive numbing, and wounds. Good luck discovering those things between the lines as these lines are much thicker than the revealing space between. (I gave up trying to think of things for a few years I just don't really remember much about.)
*This was an idea I received here.
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1980 - Naked into this world I came. 1981 - Some of the best memories are those you don't remember. 1982 - It was never your divorce, but ours. 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - Two families converge 'forever' with adoption??? 1989 - There is now more than corn in Indiana. 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - Time to be a man, boy! 1993 - 1994 - Wade out a little bit deeper. 1995 - Commit to your life's largest choice. 1996 - 1997 - Search for future while you relish tonight. 1998 - Release! 1999 - A bold use of poetry will get you married some day. 2000 - The end is further than we ever think. 2001 - The death of naive safety will never be forgotten. 2002 - Never take for granted a gift of grace. 2003 - A degree does not qualified make you. 2004 - Marriage slays any selfishness to which I thought I held. 2005 - Two converged families fracture with only a letter. 2006 - Shedding the man you used to be is a temporary joy. 2007 - Bodies stop producing insulin and emotions at the same rate. 2008 - Stir in a little Mexican, lots of insulin, and a charge of passion. 2009 - What.is.happening 2010 - My heart exploded with more love than I ever knew I was capable of. 2011 - New life is on the horizon.
You're Welcome: Future Me
I have a reoccurring post idea here called: “You’re Welcome”.
Every once in a while you come across a website that just steals your attention right from under you. You may not even know why, but you find yourself just mindlessly clicking through because you just have to see one…more…post.
These will be things I find to share with you; things before you thank me for showing, I’ll just say, “You’re welcome!”
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Have you ever wanted to write a letter to yourself? Sure you have. Have you ever wanted to write a letter to yourself you would read later...way later? Of course, right?
That is the simple premise of Future Me. It is such a great idea. It is simple to use as well. You write a letter to yourself in the future, set a date, and it will email to you on that date.
I set me letter to be sent to me a year from now. I wrote out some goals and hopes I have for myself by that point as a husband, a father, and a pastor.
You can also allow for it to be shared anonymously on the site. Take some time to read other letters people of have sent to themselves. Really interesting and inspirational...sometimes!
You're welcome!
In Abba's Embrace
"The hand of God does not hold the man nearer, clasped in its grip, but sets him free, and its creative power becomes the longing love of the Creator for the creature." - Bonhoeffer
This Bonhoeffer quote is a great image for my heart to see today. I am reminded that God is not a vindictive dictator manipulating my every move so that I remain near to him and his model for my life. That would not be love! If, in his phenomenal power, God manipulated my every move that I had no option but to love him back, I would not have loved him anyway. But as a phenomenal Creator, he has given me life and asked that I be close to him and yet allowing me to live that life as I choose.
I am reminded of one of many fears I had of becoming a father. If I raise a child with great love, I cannot imagine the pain of a time when my own daughter lives her own life without a desire to be near me and the love I have given her. I imagine I would stay back, wanting her to go and become a woman; for her to grow into a strong woman; all along waiting back for her to desire time, connection, and nearness to me, her father.
This image has served me well today in my connection with the heart of God.
My Father has given me life to live, but how close have I desired to be? He waits for me to be near while he also enjoys seeing me go and grow and mature. I long to be near my Abba who has given me life and brought me this far into the person I am.