That's Why We Praise Him

Psalm 22:3"Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."

Israel's worship songs were both an act of remembering & an act of praise. It's amazing to me how many of Israel's songs remembered God's saving acts on their behalf. Psalm 30:11-12, Psalm 107, & Psalm 116:1-9 are great examples. Israel would be called to worship with "Hallelujah" or Praise (Hallelu) Yahweh (yah). And the call to praise the name of God would flood their memory with all the wonders God had done, all the blessings God had given, & all that God meant to them.

And when Israel worshiped, it elevated Yahweh above all other God's. So that God truly was "enthroned on the praises of Israel." Yahweh was elevated above Baal, Dagon, Marduk...above all other gods.

So too with our worship. When our worship experiences truly result in praise, God is lifted up above our gods. Above popularity, money, power, esteem, inclusion & all the rest. Or has our praise become routine. Perhaps we need to create, if even for our own personal times of worship, songs that reflect God's saving work in our lives. It is through remembering that praise is born. What is praise that is not born from experience? Cheap? Empty? Hopefully our praise can have the full meaning & call to mind all that God is in our lives as well so that the God who is worthy of praise may actually recieve praise from our lips, hearts & lives.

May Yahweh be lifted up in our praise.
Praise Him.

courage to speak

This weekend our youth group went to Winterfest in Gatlinburg, TN & joined 12,000 other teens in a wonderful experience as we all grew in our relationship to Father God. The picture you see here is of my friend Taylor. Taylor is a junior in our youth group. He is a great servant who has a humble heart. There's nothing Taylor won't do for you if you ask him. He's just one of those guys that doesn't need a lot of press, doesn't require a lot of thanks or recognition. He just wants to be a servant & bless the kingdom. And he's been doing that for as long as I've known him.

I've been praying for Taylor for quite some time. For whatever reason, Taylor has been holding out to be baptized. To make that commitment to the Lord where he steps into the water & becomes a child of God. Retreats have come & gone where I've talked to Taylor, prayed for Taylor, & still nothing has happened...as far as I could see.

But this weekend was different. It was the last night at Winterfest. And they were offering an invitation. One of our adults had gotten up & positioned himself where he could see Taylor. According to him, Taylor never flinched, never moved the whole time the invitation song was being sung. But Taylor's good friend T.J. was talking to Taylor the whole time the song was going on.

After the song was over, I was a little disappointed that Taylor had not walked forward. And then to my surprise, Taylor & T.J. walk right up to me. With chins quivering & tears in there eyes. Then Taylor reached out, gave me a big bear hug & told me he wanted to get baptized.

I told him I loved him & was proud of him. People started gathering around to hug Taylor. So I stepped aside & asked T.J., "Did you get a chance to talk to Taylor this weekend about being baptized?" He said he had. I asked him what made him decide to talk to Taylor. He said, "He's my friend & I didn't want to lose him."

I later asked him what he said to Taylor during that invitation song. He said, "I asked him if he believed Jesus was the Son of God, cause that's all he needed to know,"

May we be the T.J.'s in the lives of those friends we love & don't want to lose.

A-mazing

Have you seen this guy?

One of the things Alisha & I love to do together is watch American Idol. And we're no fair weather fans. We even watch these early, painful episodes where so many horrific singers are paraded in front of the judges. We just believe you have to be in all the way or not at all. So you can imagine our surprise when this smiley 18 year old cowboy stood in front of Simon, Randy & Paula & blew us away with his amazing voice.

Garet Johnson got his gold ticket & was ready to make his way to Hollywood. Singing in front of the judges was the first time he had ever sung in front of a human audience. Before, he had only sing in front of the turkey's he fed every morning. It would be the first time he would ever fly on an airplane. In fact, there were a lot of firsts for Garet.

He's nickname now is the "Crying Cowboy." Whenever they interview Garet, he's so overcome with emotion just to have this opportunity. You can see how pure his soul is. He's genuine through & through. And it's so nice to see the good guys get a chance like this.

After arriving in Hollywood, the contestants would get a tour. It's a chance to see the sites & take it all in. I was particularly touched when they took Garet's group to the beach. You see, this was his first time to see the ocean. He stood forever just looking at it. And then, fully dressed in his cowboy boots, wranglers, button down western wear hat & all...Garet began to walk into the ocean. He slapped at the waves. Laughed with joy in the splendor of it all. And he kept walking till the ocean waves washed completely over him. And he loved it.

May you too be so overwhelmed & completely amazed by the awesome love of YAHWEH.

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your justice like the ocean depths.
Psalm 36.5-6

creatures in His presence

(disclaimer: sorry, i'm on this psalm kick)

it's hard for me to get my mind around Your holiness
and Your otherness
i don't know that i will ever understand who You are
Your nature & Your character are so far beyond me
and yet you come & call me by name
and still you hold my life in Your hands

we're not a people worthy of such all sustaining love
all forgiving love
we cannot pretend to deserve Your presence in our lives
Your nature & Your character, it speaks to who we are
for we are as the image of You
creation reflecting the Creator in You

creatures in You presence, calling You by name
may we all live a life that glorifies Your fame

a psalm

for all the things You do & all the things you are
for all the times You hear my cry & answer when i call
creation sings Your praise, the stars they light Your way
and how i want to join the song that sings of Your great Name

to sing of Your unfailing love, Your unending grace
You are merciful & You are in this place
You are worthy of praise

everything

We've been talking about the idea of treasure with our teens over the last few weeks. Coming out of Matt. 6:19-21, "where your treasure is, that's where your heart is too." So last Wednesday night I'm in Junior High kicking around some ideas with these 6th-8th graders & I asked them how much would they pay to go to Heaven? If God where to say that they could buy a ticket that would ensure them a one way trip to heaven, how much would they pay to buy that ticket? One kid says, "Everything I have!" Another says, "All the money in the world!" Which led me to ask,
"How much are you willing to give God?" One good church answer came back, "10 percent." Then one after another they started saying that they would give God everything.

So, I pushed them a little. I know. It's not fair to be this way to Jr. Highers. But after many said they would gladly give God everything, I asked them to do it. I cleared off the stage & asked them to place everything they had on the stage & that we would give it away to those in need. One girl said, I don't have anything, obviously ignoring the warm coat she was wearing, the cell phone she was carrying, the money that was in her expensive purse. I said, you guys have plently on you tonight. I pointed out some of these things, & asked them to give tonight whatever they would to God. Not much made it to the stage. A few kids, trying to be funny, began to throw some trash up on stage. Then, all of a sudden, Samantha came up. A 6th grader. And stood on the stage. Letting all of us know that she would give "everything."

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18.3

heavy

I love our thursday morning get togethers at Cafe Baba's. It's something I look forward to every time we do it. Mostly we hang out, talk & enjoy coffee. But we also take just a few minutes to share a verse or 2 & a prayer before the day starts. This morning we shared in Psalm 8. And we talked a lot about God's glory.

Glory has always been a difficult word for me to really get my mind around. I mean, what is it? How do we get it? How do you define it? What does it look like? What is God's glory? Now I still don't have it all figured out, but I have to say that one thing I learned in my Hebrew (language) class last semester was the meaning of glory. In Hebrew, the word means heavy, weight, or significance. So God's glory would be His weight, the sum of all the greatness that He is. It's His significance...His meaning-full-ness. So if God is significant, we are insignificant. If God is meaningful, we are meaningless. If God is infinite, we are finite. If God is heavy, we are lite. If God is great, we are small.

God's glory defines who He is in so many ways and reveals who we aren't. Psalm 8.5 says that God has crowned us with glory & honor. All that we aren't God redeems to make us who He wants us to be. He re-defines who we are by crowning us with His glory. And all that we are becomes evident in the light of His glory. Praise Him.

baby t

Well, it's been killing us to keep such a big secret for so long! Alisha & I found out we were going to have a baby back in Decemeber, & we just made the big announcement last night to everyone. We're very excited! Alisha is 10 1/2 weeks along. Our due date is set for August 6th. Everything is going perfectly so far. We're thankful for that. And we're thankful for you. For all our friends & loved ones who continue to surround us, support us & love us. We humbly ask for your prayers. We'll keep you posted as the journey continues. For now, you can check out the first photo of our baby. This is only the first of many pictures to come!

i praise you

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you percieve my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out & my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in--behind & before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night all around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in a secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139.1-18, of David

For the smell of it.

I like to make coffee for the smell of it.

It dawned on me this morning. I’m in a hotel room here in Nashville & for no apparent reason I started making coffee. Now we don’t have a coffee maker at home. I’m not a big coffee drinker, per se. I mean, I live mochas & lattés, frappuccino is my favorite. But just straight up black coffee…never been a big fan. This morning though – I realized why I started making coffee. I realized why every time I walk by a coffee shop in the airport, pass by it percolating in the office, come across it at restaurants & the like, it brings such a warm & comforting feeling over me.

You see growing up my father was an avid coffee drinker. I have no idea how many cups of coffee he would down in a day. But if there’s one thing that brings back to mind memories of growing up with my father, it’s the smell of Maxwell House brewing first thing in the morning. Before school, before church, on Saturdays, on holidays, coffee was a given for my dad.

In the same way, there are many things that remind me daily of my heavenly Father. The things that remind you day in & day out of His love are probably different than those things that remind me. Because He knows each of us so well I’m sure He uniquely places things in our daily lives that remind us that we have a Father who’s watching over us with love & pride.

This morning, I write this with a cup of Maxwell House sitting next to me. I’m drinking it, not particularly enjoying it. But enjoying the feeling I get of remembering & knowing my father. What has reminded you of your Father & allowed you to enjoy the feeling of remembering & knowing Him?

no longer walking

"From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." John 6.66 (niv)

Hungry? Satisfied? Full? Can I get you anything? Want fries with that? What more do you want?

The thing I love about Jesus is He is always meeting people's needs. Many times those that He helps, heals, feeds, etc. don't even become believers in Him. So, it's a comfort to know Jesus is capable, able, ready & active in meeting the needs of people...even more so, meeting your needs.

Big, small. Urgent, insignificant. One thing He's good at, meeting needs.

Still, will that be enough for you?

Jesus feeds 5000, then declares to the crowd that He is the bread of life. The people wanted manna again. Not sure why. When God provided manna the first time around, all they did was complain about it. And besides that, they eventually died. Nothing special about the manna their ancestors ate. Jesus miraculously takes a little boys lunch & feeds more than 5000. Then says "I am the bread of life." And "...he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

In other words...eat, drink, live, breath Me!

And they got it. The people, the crowds, the Pahrisees, teachers of the law, scribes... they got it. Following Jesus means a total, unparalleled, uncompromising, unwaivering commitment to Jesus Christ & His purposes. It's all or nothing.

After hearing this, look at what happened. The NASB says it this way,

"As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore."

They decided they could no longer walk with Jesus. This relationship with Jesus is all about daily walking. Literally, the text reads that "they withdrew back to their own things behind." Wow. Couldn't commit to this walk with Jesus. I think this is what we might call discipleship.

Sometimes we, for a moment, withdraw back to our own things behind. But now, keep on walking with Jesus. Believe & know that He is the Holy One of God. Be Satisfied. Fulfilled. And walk on.

fingerprints...

This week, as many of you know, I'm at Lipscomb taking another grad class. Being here reminds me of a lot of things. Mostly, & for a lot of different reasons, it reminds me of all the people that have had an amazing impact on my life. If you're reading this, chances are you are one of the people whose fingerprints are most clearly seen in my life to this point. And for this, I am so thankful.

It's easy for me to see the fingerprints of God in my life. It's easy because I can identify the people God has used & is using to put them there. They have faces & names & funny stories that go along with them.

From my parents who have & continue to show me what it means to be Christ-like,
to my Kindergarden teacher, Mrs Thompson (you never forget your kindergarten teacher you know!),
to those youth deacons who helped me through Jr. High,
to those older guys that let me hang out with them in Sr. High,
to the mentors & life long friends I met through college,
to the men & women who have influenced my life heavily over the past 6 years in ministry,
to the teens who I have been called to minister to who minister to me so often,
to the few who have let me be a spiritual mentor in their lives,
to my wife...words can't express how I feel about you,
to now, this point in history...it's amazing. His fingerprints are everywhere.

I see people here on campus who have had a huge impact in my story & I see people who have allowed me to have a huge impact on their story & right in the center of it all...the story was never about either of us, but about our great God. And in participating in what He's doing in His story, we get to see His fingerprints in our lives. It's a simple yet overwhelming thought & tonight I just want to stop & praise God for you.

I can't take any credit for who I am (or who "I am not" for you Louie fans) today. But I can praise our great God for the grace He has shown me & the influence He's allowed you to have in my life for His glory. And that's just what I'll do. Praise Him. Today. For you.

I Believe in Wyoming

So this discussion came up on the way home from our Jr. High Fall Retreat. It all started when I told the kids on my bus that I didn't believe in Wyoming. I mean think about it. Have you ever seen a liscense plate from Wyoming? I haven't! What comes from Wyoming? Idaho is famous for potatoes. Wisconsin for cheese. Wyoming...nada, nothing comes to mind. So why should I believe in Wyoming? I've never met anyone from there. I don't know what comes from there. I've never seen a picture from there. Don't know of any reason why I should believe in Wyoming. Is it a government conspiracy? Maybe we only had 49 states but someone thought the nice round number of 50 would be better so they rounded up & made up the state of Wyoming. I don't know. The whole thing seems bizarre to me. Why should I believe in Wyoming? No one has offered me any hard evidence it is true or that it really exists.

Actually, (you know what I'm about to say) I do believe in Wyoming. No, I've never been there, never seen a liscense plate from there, don't know what comes from there. But I believe in Wyoming. The fact of the matter is I don't have to see it to believe in it. I don't have to meet someone from there to know that it is an actual place that actually exists. I believe in Wyoming for the same reason I believe in a lot of things.

And I believe in things that matter a lot more than Wyoming. I believe in God. I believe in brotherly love. I believe in serving. I believe in hope. I believe in people. I believe in things I can't explain, can't see, can't resolve, can't define, can't locate, & can't understand.

I believe in Wyoming, do you?

This is love

Jesus said in John 15:12-14,

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."

He said that, & I believe he meant it. But then, Jesus takes things one step farther. He not only lays down his life for his friends - for those He loves, but He lays down His life for His enemies - for those that hated Him.

I had a professor @ Lipscomb, Randy Harris, who once started class by talking about the "irritant." An irritant, he said, is an irritant because they don't know they are irritating. That's what makes them an irritant. We all know people like this & have people in our lives we just don't necessarily like. The question for us is how do we treat these people in light of the cross?

The common response is to be nice & polite to these people that we just don't naturally get along with. To be cordial to those who hurt us. Maybe to even pray for them. But Jesus went far beyond tolerating those people - He laid down his life for those who loved Him & those who didn't love Him.

It's easy for us to love those who love us. And it's easy for us to love sacrificially for those who love us. But Jesus calls us to this "next level" of Christianity, if you will. To sacrifically love those who don't love us. To lay down our lives for those who hurt us, mistreat us, & irritate us. That's the real challenge. How do we do that in real, everyday, practical ways? That's up to us to live out.

Hope in the midst of the Storm

Jeremiah 51:15-19

In recent days we've witnessed great devastation. I don't have to say much to recall images you've witnessed from the newspaper, internet, & TV showing us the desructive power of this recent natural disaster called Katrina. Countless lives have been forever changed by this incredible storm.

But I wonder how many lives here at home have been & are being ravaged by the storms of life that have come. There are 3 "storm stories" I look to that give me hope when the storms of life come. Each found in Matthew. The first 2 occur with the disciples on the Sea of Galillee. In Matthew 8, Jesus is asleep in the boat. The winds & the waves are raging & the disciples wake up Jesus shouting, "Lord, save us!"

In Matthew 14, the disciples once again are in the boat in the middle of the sea when the storm comes. The disciples are terrified when they see a figure walking toward them on the water. The Jesus calls out to them & says three things.
He says, "It's alright."
"I am here."
"Do not be afraid."

2 times He has calmed the storm. In the third story, however, Jesus endures the storm for you & for me.

In Matthew 26 Jesus is in the garden. It's one incresible storm He is facing. And He's having to face it alone. 3 times He prays to His Father that this cup would pass from Him. But He yields His will to that of His Father.

2 times He calmed the storm. The third time, He endured it.

Each time Jesus was in the middle of the storm. And each time prayer was the resource that brought delieverence either from the storm, or through it.

When we face the storms of life, remember the words of Jesus when He says, "It's alright. I am here. Do not be afraid." Remember that He is always in the middle of the storm with you, & that He will see you through.

War Eagle!

I'm at the game! War Eagle!

Psalm 130

From the depths of despair, O LORD,
I call for Your help.
Hear my cry, O LORD.
Pay attention to my prayer.

LORD, if You kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But You offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear You.

I am counting on the LORD;
yes, I am counting on Him.
I have put my hope in His word.
I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the LORD;
for with the LORD there is unfailing love
and an overflowing supply of salvation.
He himself will free Israel
from every kind of sin.

Cafe baba's ~ Thursday mornings at 7am. Ask Allison what kind of coffee to eat!

Greater & Greater

"He must become greater & greater, & I must become less & less." John 3:30 NLT

We've all heard this verse a thousand times, but lately it's just been on my mind. How do we live that? How is God becoming greater & greater in me? We say it on every mission trip. "It's not about me, it's about Him." But is that really true? On Sunday we sing "How great is our God" or "How Great Thou Art." But really the song we live out is "how great i am."

Everyone look at me & see what I'm doing. Let me have your attention please.

This is my struggle as much as yours. All I know today is that it takes a concerted effort to live John 3:30.

It takes a conscience effort to put others before my self.

It takes a purposeful act to do the job no one else wants to do.

It takes time, energy, & all my resources to live out John 3:30.

Ask John the Baptist. He had nothing to his name. Not a penny. No great house to show off. No fancy car or means of transportation. No brand name clothes. Nothing like that. There were a few guys that followed him & became his disciples. They bought into what he was selling. But when Jesus came along, he pointed them in His direction. And they followed Jesus. John's response, I must become less.

Today, i just want to make a decision to live John 3:30 on purpose. It won't be easy, but it should Great as I make much of You Jesus in my life. Behold, the Lamb of God.

greater|than> • part 3

Let me start by saying kudos to our Senior guys who led our SH Devo last night. These guys did an outstanding job. I really appreciate this Senior class & their willingness so far to be leaders, & step up in our youth group to lead our group this year in a way that glorifies & exalts GOD!

As we begin the school year, we're talking about the greatness of God. Our theme for the next 8 weeks, greater|than>, really says it all. Psalm 135.5 says it this way: "I know the greatness of the LORD, that our LORD is greater than any other God." Our God is great. And He wants to be great in you. Because when He is great in & through your life, His name receives glory. And everything God does He does for His glory. But how do we let God be great in our lives?

Take a look at the ring nebula.

It's a beautiful picture. It's the most photographed star in the galaxy. You see the tiny star on the left, right in the center of the beautiful colorful rings? That star is dying. That's right. And in it's dying it is producing these galactic gasses & star dust that makes these beautiful colorful rings that we see. You see, it's beauty comes from it's dying. The same is true of you & I.

We are most beautiful when we die to self & self trying. Paul said I am crucified with Christ & it's not me...but Christ who lives in me. We too are most beautiful when we die to ourselves & let Christ live in us.