New Song: Psalm 62

Time to ring in the new year!

I'm excited to be back with you this week as we celebrate our first service of 2009, and I want to do it with a new song.

It's called "Psalm 62," and amazingly, it is based off of the Psalm of the same name!

I love the words that resound with hope and resolve to trust God in the face of uncertainty, trials, and everything under the sun.

Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1

My soul finds rest in God alone
My rock and my salvation
A fortress strong against my foes
And I will not be shaken
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse
And lies like arrows pierce me
I'll fix my heart on righteousness
I'll look to Him who hears me

Chorus
O praise Him hallelujah
My Delight and my Reward
Everlasting never failing
My Redeemer my God

Verse 2
Find rest my soul in God alone
Amid the world's temptations
When evil seeks to take a hold
I'll cling to my salvation
Though riches come and riches go
Don't set your heart upon them
The fields of hope in which I sow
Are harvested in heaven

Bridge:
O praise Him O praise Him
Hallelujah hallelujah
O praise Him O praise Him
Hallelujah Hallelujah
O praise Him O praise Him
Hallelujah hallelujah

Verse 3

I'll set my gaze on God alone
And trust in Him completely
With ev'ry day pour out my soul
And He will prove His mercy
Though life is but a fleeting breath
A sigh too deep to measure
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am His forever

This song was written by Aaron Keys and Stuart Townend, and I think it's one we'll really enjoy singing together as we reflect on it, and grasp its truth.

Here's how the song goes:

Preparing For Worship: December 28th, 2008

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and were able to spend time with family and friends, remembering the birth of the Savior!

Just a little info for this Sunday to help you prepare to come and worship together...

I am heading out to Mammoth tomorrow morning, so I won't be at church this weekend, but my brother will be leading worship in my stead, and I know it will be a great time.

Here's what's going on this Sunday:

The first song is the hymn "Praise To The Lord, The Almighty" and then Pastor Todd will come and welcome everyone and lead in prayer. We then get a chance to hear from Mallory Smith who is home from Germany for Christmas. She will give us an update on how she's doing, and how we can continue to pray for her as she begins the second half of the school year.

Then we'll sing some more as we think about God's love, his mercy, and his power in salvation. That he alone is "Mighty to Save" us from our sins, and that in his sovereignty he calls us to a saving knowledge of himself, and "Give[s] Us Clean Hands" and a pure heart.

Pastor Todd will come next and preach to us from Philippians 3:12-21 and teach us how we can make 2009 a year of spiritual growth.

Then we'll respond in worship by singing "Overwhelmed" and then close the service reminding ourselves of the gospel by singing "That's Why We Praise Him."

Hopefully you can get a chance to read the passage and refresh your memory on the songs so that you can come prepared to confidently and joyfully participate, and build up the body as we worship together.

That's what's going on; happy preparation!

Special Song from Christmas Sunday

Hi guys,

Sorry I didn't post a preparing for worship for this last week!

I did have some of you ask me about the song I sang after the sermon, and I wanted to post the info for it so you could get a hold of it if you wanted.

It's called "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan

Here's a video of the song performed by Kim Walker of JesusCulture.org as I prefer this performance to McMillan's.

Preparing For Worship: December 14th, 2008

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or so it's been said...

I found myself wondering again about the experience of the Christian vs. the non-Christian (similar to my musings on Thanksgiving), and what it is that makes it the "most wonderful time of the year" for each group.

To follow the rest of the line from the song I guess it's the "kids jingle-belling, and everyone telling you be of good cheer!" that makes Christmas great for the non-Christian...

To be sure, we've created quite a social and cultural spectacle to go with the secular Christmas season: shopping and presents are the top priority, although many strive to remember the "real" reasons" for Christmas: being with family and friends. Basically, it boils down to relationships I suppose; but they tend to leave out the most important relationship...

On a more practical level, kids are out of school for a few weeks, cold weather necessitates warm clothing and drinks, and lights on the house and the Christmas tree add a wonderful twinkle to the home.

It's all nice, and it's all fun. But that's about it: nice and fun.

For the Christian however, Christmas is the turning point of the history of the universe.

God became flesh and dwelt among us, fulfilling prophecies centuries old of the coming Messiah! We now had a way to be freed from the bondage of sin, and be restored to a right relationship with our Creator! Christmas is the prime example of God's mercy and grace, and his love for us.

Interesting to think about; I'll ramble more next week...

-A quick note- Since you are probably familiar with many of the carols, I picked some pretty interesting videos mostly for your enjoyment, as well as to remind you of words and melody...

This Sunday we're singing CAROLS! We're going to start with a couple of carols that talk about the longing and expectation that God's people had for their Messiah to come: "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus"and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."

Pastor Todd will then come and lead in prayer and welcome, after which we'll continue singing with some carols that talk about the greeting and proclamation offered by the angels on the night Christ was born: "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "Hark The Herald Angels Sing."

Then Pastor Todd will come and preach part three of his four part series called "Unwrapping the Gift" from the passage John 1:14.

After this, we'll sing another carol: "What Child Is This?" which realizes the magnitude of the gift that we've been given in Christ Jesus.

We'll close the service with a song that talks about what this babe of Bethlehem came to do. He came to be our hope, and indeed it's "In Christ Alone" that our hope is found.

(by the way, this video is one of the best performances of this song I've heard! The good thing about having a megachurch like Joel Osteen's is having Israel Houghton as a worship leader, and a HUGE worship team with a full orchestra and choir!)

So that's what's going on; happy preparation!

Newsweek: The Religious Case For Gay Marriage

"No matter what one thinks about gay rights—for, against or somewhere in between —this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism,"

"Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt—it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition."

This is part of the editorial statement from Jon Meacham following an article entitled "Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy."

This is where the whole Prop 8/Homosexual marriage thing is headed: To do away with the authority of the Bible. The media is trying with all its might to dismiss the Bible as a book of inspirational ideas, and if/when the day comes that they do, we better be ready for a healthy dose of persecution. Persecution that we have thankfully been spared from thus far by living in a country with freedom of religion.

Albert Mohler disects this article further on his blog. I'd encourage you to read it HERE. Living for the glory of God means holding to his Word as our ultimate authority, and that means not backing down from blatant attacks like the one in this article.

Preparing For Worship: December 7th, 2008

The restfulness of the Thanksgiving holiday last week overcame me as I didn't get a chance to post a "Preparing for worship" for last week; please accept my humble apology!

So, to make up for it, here is this week's "Preparing for worship" a whole day early! Please, save your applause for when I can hear it :)

Here's what's going on this Sunday (can you believe it's the first Sunday in December???)

We'll start with that great, upbeat, triumphant song "Let God Arise" which should help get the blood flowing, and wake us up to the glory of the God we serve!

Pastor Todd will come and lead in prayer and welcome visitors. Then we'll get to see another short video on the ministry of the Union Rescue Mission, as we prepare to go and minister there on Dec. 19th. Be sure to sign up at the special table in the lobby (you can't miss it; it's surrounded by lots of shoes!).

We'll continue singing and we'll start to look ahead to celebrating communion together by singing songs that talk about that precious blood of Jesus, and the saving work it accomplished for us on the cross: "Nothing But The Blood of Jesus" and "Mighty to Save."

(I like that the video for Mighty to Save is for a similar purpose as my blog! I may have to start making videos myself...)

Pastor Todd will share the second of his four part series called "Unwrapping the Gift;" this week focusing on John 1:1-5 (click and read!!).

As we consider what it meant for "the Light" to come and shine among the darkness, we'll celebrate the Lord's supper together, and remind ourselves of his blood shed, and his body broken for us, that we might enter into a new covenant with him for our salvation.

We'll sing "Marvelous Light" as we pass the communion elements together, and savor that moment when God's kindness brought us out of death through his Son.

We'll close with the new song "I Have a Hope" we learned last week. It'll still be new for many of you, so be sure to take a look and a listen as you prepare. Put it on in the background while you do other stuff around the house, or at the office. You'll notice the difference!

That's what's going on; happy preparation!

New Song: I Have A Hope

Pastor Todd's message this past week makes this song a "must-sing" for us, as we celebrate that for those of us who have put our faith in the death of Christ, and acknowledged his Lordship in our lives, our best days are yet to come!

The song it called "I Have a Hope" and it's by one of my worship leader heroes: Tommy Walker. It talks about all the biblical promises that assure us that "though trials may come; I have this hope!"

Here's a YouTube video with the lyrics for you to learn the song. Come ready to sing it triumphantly together!

John Piper: Don't Waste Your...Catalog?

I hope many of you are familiar with the ministry of John Piper. I hope that some of you have even read his book "Don't Waste Your Life." If you haven't read it, pick up a copy from Amazon; they have used copies from around $2.50.

I love the unique things that John Piper's ministry: Desiring God (named for another of his seminal works that you should definitely read at some point) does. Everything they do is so clearly motivated by the glory of God, and pretty much everything they do is, well, pretty cool.

They have recently released a new resource catalog that they have done something pretty spectacular with, which takes it way beyond the realm of the normal catalog that just ends up in the trash (or the recycling hopefully...)

Check out what they've done by clicking HERE.

Preparing For Worship: November 23rd, 2008

Thanksgiving is upon us!

2008 is rounding the corner to the home stretch, and for many of us I'm sure that it feels like we've been sprinting the whole way with no breaks.

Jess and I have certainly been running full speed throughout this year, but despite the exhausting pace, we are incredibly THANKFUL for everything that the Lord has brought into our path. Jess is finishing up her Master's degree in English online from National University, which is based in San Diego, AND which her school pays for! Three more months; keep her in your prayers!

I'm up to nearly full time at Crossroads, which is such a testament to God's faithfulness both to Crossroads, and to my family. I've continued tutoring after school to round out the last few hours, and the more I've done it, the more I've seen it as a valuable ministry. The danger of a career in the church is that it's easy for me to spend all of my time around Christians! Now I love spending time with all of you, but we're supposed to be sharing God's love IN THE WORLD, with the lost who need it the most! Needless to say, I'm very thankful for my church family, and the blessing it is to me both in providing me a job, and for the encouragement that you guys provide on an ongoing basis!

This is what's going on this Sunday, as we anticipate the Thanksgiving holiday.

We're going to open with "Your Grace Is Enough" which recounts different ways that God shows us his grace in scripture:
Great is your faithfulness o God! (Lam. 3:22-24)
You wrestle with the sinner's restless heart (Ps. 55)
You lead me by still waters into mercy (Ps. 23)
Great is your love and justice God! (Ps. 89:14)
You use the weak to lead the strong (1 Cor. 1:26-28)
You lead us in the song of heaven's victory (1 Cor. 15:50-56)

Pastor Todd will come and lead in prayer for the morning, and welcome any visitors that will be with us, giving us a few minutes to do the same.

We'll continue singing as we give thanks for the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his work on the cross: "That's Why We Praise Him." Then we'll sing a 400 year old hymn that reminds us of God's sovereignty and providence in our lives: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"
...he is thy health and salvation
...shelters thee under his wing, yes so gently sustaineth
...all thy longings have been granted in what he ordaineth
...[he] doth prosper thy work and defend thee
...his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee...

Then we'll share a time of public thanksgiving together, where we will encourage each other by sharing what we are thankful for in our lives. I'd encourage you to think of something you are thankful for, and share it with us so that we might give thanks with you, and glorify God with you. Remember, we need to be thankful not only for God's material provision and blessings, but also for the trials he allows in our lives that cause us to turn to him, and depend on him!

After this, we'll sing the new song I posted earlier this week called "Offering" as we respond to the time of thanksgiving. Take a look at the song, and get familiar with the words so that we can all sing it together easily! Also, watch the video where the songwriter, Paul Baloche, explains how the song came about; it's really inspiring and encouraging, as well as convicting.

Pastor Todd will then come and preach to us from Luke 17, where Jesus heals the lepers. Read the passage to prepare, and ask the Lord to open your eyes and heart as Todd teaches us, that it might change the way we live and give thanks.

We'll respond with the song "Overwhelmed" that takes a long, hard look at the truth of the gospel: that God Almighty bids us come to him, despite our wretched sinfulness, through the once-and-for all sacrifice of his son on the cross! It should be a great way to let the truth of the message sink into our hearts through the power of song.

That's what's going on; happy preparation!

New Song: Offering

Pastor Todd has asked me if we could sing this song together this coming weekend, as we think about Thanksgiving.

It's called "Offering" and it's by Paul Baloche.

First, check out this video of Paul explaining the process he undertook in writing it, and the motivation for the song. Then watch the second video which has the full song (it also includes an optional "Christmas verse" which I'm not planning on doing just yet).





Lyrics:
Verse 1: (Christmas verse)
Over the skies of Bethlehem
Appeared a star
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three wise men seeking truth
Travelled from afar
Hoping to find the Child from heaven
Falling on their knees they bowed
Before the humble Prince of Peace

Chorus:
I bring an offering
Of worship to my King
No one on earth deserves
The praises that I sing
Jesus may You receive
The honor that You're due
O Lord I bring an offering to You
I bring an offering to You

Verse 2:
The sun cannot compare
To the glory of Your love
There is no shadow in Your presence
No mortal man would dare
To stand before Your throne
Before the Holy One of heaven
It's only by Your blood
And it's only through Your mercy
Lord I come

Great Weekend! (11-16-2008)

We really had a great time this past weekend as special guests Keith Cooper and Daryl Delhousaye came and ministered to us through leading worship, speaking, and fellowship.

Keith Cooper blessed our worship team with a mini-workshop and rehearsal on Saturday night, and then lead us in worship on Sunday morning. What a gifted musician, and leader. His personality is contagious, and his zeal for the Lord is really inspiring.

Daryl Delhousaye blessed our people by preaching to us on Matthew 5:27-30 which is where Jesus talks about lust, and "plucking and chopping." He's a great preacher, and his authenticity and genuine character is encouraging through and through.

Keith came back and shared his amazing skill and giftedness on the guitar with us in a coffeehouse concert. Here are a few pictures:
Check out this video I took of Keith playing Tchaikovsky

Preparing For Worship: November 16th, 2008

Hey gang,

This weekend is going to be so much fun!! We don't really have any special name for it, but we're calling it celebration Sunday, because the two guys who will be here ministering to us will leave us rejoicing FOR SURE.

I've linked his site a few times here before, but Keith L. Cooper will be here to lead worship on Sunday morning, and to perform some of his amazing original tunes on Sunday night.

Dr. Daryl Delhousaye will be here to preach from God's word, outta Matthew 5:27-30.

You can listen to some of Dr. Delhousaye's teaching from Forest Home's family camp HERE.
(scroll down the page to Summer 2007)

So check out those guys' sites, and read this week's passage to prepare yourselves for some great participation.

Keith will be leading songs that I think most of us are familiar with, but here's the set list so you can practice in the shower or the car:
"Blessed Be Your Name"
"Enough"
"Take My Life and Let it Be" (Chris Tomlin's version; a little different than the one I've lead before so be sure to check this one out...)
"Come Thou Fount"
"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"

So plan on joining us Sunday morning for our 9:00 or 10:30 services, and then again at 6:00 pm that night for some fantastic music and hanging out together (including scrumptious desserts and coffee!)

See you Sunday; happy preparation!

Keith Cooper This Weekend!

This weekend we will have Keith L. Cooper with us to lead us in worship Sunday morning, and also to bless us through his AMAZING talent on the guitar. Praise the Lord for this kind of gift, seriously!

Check out Keith's website and invite your friends and neighbors to this special Sunday!

Preparing For Worship: November 9th, 2008

What a momentous week for our country!

We have a new president-elect; the first African-American president-elect no less! We voted to amend California's constitution so that only marriage between a man and woman is recognized by the state. We also voted that under-age females should not have to notify a parent or guardian if they are going to have an abortion (although they DO have to have their consent to get a piercing or tattoo...go figure).

Whatever your political position or passions, we all bear the responsibility as Americans, and first and foremost, as Christians to respect and submit ourselves to the authority God has put in place over us for our good.

In politics there are plenty of opportunities to experience anger. The Prop 8 campaigns showed us a great deal of anger in the way many people protested and abused those who protested, and I know many were angered by the presidential outcome.

Jesus speaks directly to us in this regard in the sermon text this week from Matthew 5. Be sure to read the passage as you prepare for worship! Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin you may have in this area, and to open your heart and mind to the teaching we'll sit under this Sunday.

As for our worship singing, we'll start the service with a song from the Psalms: "Your Love Oh Lord" after which Pastor Todd will come and lead in prayer. We'll watch another video from the Union Rescue Mission, as we continue to prepare to go and minister there on December 19th.

Then we'll sing some more as we prepare to study the Word. "See What A Morning" is a wonderful reminder of the victory of Christ's death on the cross, and the glorious hope he established in his resurrection. "From The Inside Out" will act as a corporate prayer that God would consume us from within, as we give him control in our lives.

Pastor Todd will then come preach to us from the Sermon on the Mount.

We'll respond with "Change My Heart O God," that the truth of his word would really change and mold our hearts, and that it would not just go in one ear and out the other.

We'll close the service with "Jesus Paid It All" as we consider reconciling with our brother who may have a grudge against us, and remember that Jesus accomplished the ultimate reconciliation between sinful man and almighty God!

That's what's going on; happy preparation!

Cross Sunday Pictures!

I had a number of people who don't attend our church ask me what the "big surprise" I mentioned in last week's "Preparing For Worship" post, and so I thought I'd put up some of the pictures I took from our special "Cross Sunday."

Click on any of the images for a bigger version.

Fellowship Church: New Creation

So cool!

New Creation from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

A Prayer Guide for Election Day

Albert Mohler has posted a very helpful list of things that we should pray for as we head down the home stretch of this important election.

Please check it out by clicking HERE, and pray for our country today.

Preparing For Worship: November 2, 2008

This week is a very special week, and I won't spill the beans just yet as to why, but let's just say we've got a "big" surprise waiting for you this Sunday. It should be a unique experience, and one that helps us treasure the work of Christ on the cross just a little bit more.

That being said, all of our worship songs this week will focus on the cross, and rejoice in the fact that all God's wrath was poured out there onto Christ and not onto us!

We'll start the service with "How Deep The Father's Love For Us" and go right into "The Wonderful Cross." Pastor Todd will come and lead us in prayer for the morning, and we'll go right into "It Is Well" and "At The Cross."

After this, Pastor Todd will teach us from the Sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. His sermon is called "You Can Fail With an A-" and he will preach the words of Jesus which say that unless our righteousness is greater than the scribes and pharisees, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven! Those scribes and pharisees were pretty righteous, or at least they thought they were, so how in the world are we supposed to surpass their righteousness??? Answer: The Cross. We have received Christ's perfect righteousness, and no longer have to worry about trying to meet God's standard on our own.

The idea of achieving righteousness on our own is such a pervading thought in our culture and society today. In a time of pluralism, and "tolerance," many people feel that as long as one tries to be good, and believes whatever they believe sincerely, and are devoted to it, they have a shot at heaven. Having a shot seems like a pretty big risk to take when almighty God is involved, and in view of his standard of perfection, a "shot" sounds weak and frail. Christ is no shot. He is a sure thing, and because of that, our righteousness is a sure thing, and "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" (Romans 8:1)

We'll respond to the message by taking communion together, and singing "The Power Of The Cross" as we do so. As we close our time together, we'll sing "Once Again" and go out into the world with the phrase "thank you for the cross my Friend" echoing through our minds.

Happy preparation!

Thinking Globally: Pray for Orissa, India!

I received an email this morning with a prayer request for the horrible situation in Eastern India. This is a very tense situation, and all those ministering there need our fervent prayers!

"Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India. We have never seen
anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile
State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the
continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But
none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage.... And
it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....

Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were
zealously going around the villages of Orissa and 'reconverting' people back
to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last
weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed.. The cry rose up...'Kill
the Christians!' And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have first
hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many
dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reason than
they bear the name of Christ.

Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India Directors spread
across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right in the middle of all
this chaos. In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a
group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff and destroy the
home. They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our
Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They
have promised to come back and 'finish the job.'

Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doors and
windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling
on the Lord in prayer. More police have come to offer protection. In
Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center
and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had
time to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they
fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would
have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came
looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our
neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this
area. So they left.. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.

All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled
inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a
chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic
orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a
computer teacher in house and burned them to death. Many believers have been
killed and hacked into pieces and left on the road.... even women and
children. At another orphanage run by another organization, when this began,
the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving
all the children and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I
have spoken to said: 'We stay with our kids.... we live together or die
together, but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.' More than
5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They have
fled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the
authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.

This will continue for another 10 days.... supposedly the 14 day mourning
period for the slain Hindu priest. Many more Christians will die and their
houses destroyed. Many more churches will be smashed down. The Federal
government is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm down. We
ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God can calm this storm. None of us
know the meaning of persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that
means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and
totally bewildered at what is happening around them. So many of their
guardians have fled into the jungles and are unable to come and get them
during these trying times.

Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with our goal:
the transformation of a community by transforming its children. Orissa will
be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can take these thousands of
throw-away children and help them to become disciples of Jesus, they will
transform an entire region. It is a long term goal, but it is strategic
thinking in terms of the Great Commission.
What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer. Second,
pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can. We must get the word out
and increase our prayer base for this is spiritual warfare at its most basic
meaning. We are literally fighting the devil in order to live for His
Kingdom. The next 10 days are crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade
across Orissa.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us
to get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to
fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations.... Prayer works!
Blessings,
Chip & Sandy Wanner Col 2:2
MBI Team Facilitators to YWAM frontlines"

Preparing For Worship: October 26th, 2008

I think Autumn has been attempting to poke through the blanket of hot Southern California weather this month, to little avail, and as we head to November we are forced to seek the charm of Autumn in Starbucks' seasonal beverages and other artificial reminders.

Looking ahead to the coming months, and in particular the Christmas season, I want see if there would be any interest in forming a Crossroads Christmas Choir that would minister to the church during the month of December. If you're interested, leave me a comment at the end of this post, or shoot me an email: phoover@lifeatcrossroads.org.

As we focus on how to prepare for this coming Sunday, Pastor Todd will be taking a break from the Sermon on the Mount series to address an important topic, one that is especially timely in the light of the upcoming elections.

He will be talking about what the Bible says about marriage. While I'm sure many of us would agree with way the Bible says marriage must be ordered, there are likely many different opinions, and intensity of opinions, as to how this should be played out in the public realm, with regards to government and non-Christians. Pastor Todd will give us not only the Biblical teaching on marriage, but the implications that they have for us as we strive to be "salt and light" in the world.

As we begin the service, we'll declare our weakness, frailty, and hunger for God by singing "Hungry." It's a great song to corporately seek God's work in our church body as one, and in our lives as individuals.

Pastor Todd will come and lead us in prayer to commit the service to the glory of God, and then we'll have a few minutes to meet and greet before we keep singing.

For the next set, I've chosen a few songs that talk about God's holiness. "Holy" is the idea of being set apart, and God is infinitely set apart, and over and above everything we know. His holiness is displayed in his various perfections: perfect justice, perfect love, perfect mercy, perfect power, etc. So we will corporately recognize his infinite holiness, and as a result, acknowledge our infinite shortcomings in meeting the standard of perfection he maintains. We'll sing "Holy is the Lord" and "God of Wonders" which really express God's holiness in profound ways.

As we consider the holiness of God, we must realize that God has commanded us to pursue holiness (1 Peter 1:13-16). How in the world are we supposed to be holy as God is holy?? We are battling the sinful nature within us, and can hardly go hours without sinning in some fashion! We realize that while we pursue holiness in our daily lives, and often fall short, IN CHRIST we have been granted perfect holiness through his death and resurrection! We'll sing the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul," which expresses this truth in such beautiful language:

My sin,
(oh the bliss of this glorious thought!)
My sin
(not in part, but the whole!!)
Was nailed to the cross
And I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord,
Praise the Lord oh my soul!

I love how the author interrupts himself twice because he's so excited and overwhelmed by the power of the gospel over sin.

Pastor Todd will then come and teach us what the Bible says about marriage, and the responsibility it places on us as the preserving moral agents living in a fallen world.

We'll respond corporately by singing "Surrender" in submission to God's perfect Word, and his commands for how we should live. And we'll end the service by singing "Be Unto Your Name," again proclaiming the holiness of God, and his infinite greatness and worthiness of all praise.

That's what's going on this week. Looking forward to seeing your faces and worshiping with you!

Happy preparation!

Spontaneous Ministry of the Spirit

Bob Kauflin posted this powerful video from the recent Worship God conference.

Click HERE to go to the post, but here's the gist:

Pastor Jon Payne was leading worship during this session, and felt the leading of the Spirit to minister to those who had experienced the death of a child. He spontaneously came up with the song in the video, which was extremely powerful (even to me, despite the fact that I neither have children, nor have lost one).

This is a great example of being sensitive to the leading of the Spirit to edify fellow believers in the corporate setting, which is one of the primary reasons we gather together each week to worship (1 Cor. 14:26-33).

Preparing For Worship: October 19th, 2008

What a great Sunday we shared last week with Pastor John Dunkin visiting! I also wanted to thank those of you who mentioned your appreciation of the new song we sang together; it is my pure pleasure and joy to serve the body by crafting God's powerful truth together with song that we can all sing together!!

That said, some of you "2nd-service-ites" asked me for another chance when I told you I thought that the 1st service gang had done a better job of learning and singing our new song. So, this week, you get your chance! I realize that there are a TON of words, and it does take some work on your parts to learn the song, and be able to sing it confidently, but take a listen to the recording I posted, and you should be ok.

We're going to start with "Better Is One Day" and echo the voice of David in the Psalms when he compared one day in the presence of the Lord to 1,000 days anywhere else! This side of the cross we are ALWAYS in the presence of the Lord via his Spirit dwelling within us, but as we come together Sunday corporately, we want to express the beauty and joy of being in God's presence TOGETHER, to worship.

Pastor Todd will lead us in prayer to surrender the morning to God's perfect will, and then we will watch a short video together about an upcoming ministry opportunity for the whole church to serve at the Union Rescue Mission.

After that, we will sing "Perfect Savior" again, and we'll see which service comes out the winning choir [nothing wrong with a little friendly competition right? :)]. We'll follow that with a song that reminds us that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and how is the whole world to hear about it unless we tell them?? "No Other Name" will also help us prepare for the message Pastor Todd will bring us from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, (Read the passage as you prepare!) where Jesus tells us that we are salt and light, and what our responsibility is as such.

After the sermon, we'll respond with remembering that Jesus came down as a light into a world full of darkness, and that we must do the same as his ambassadors and redeemed: "Here I Am To Worship." Then we'll end with another Psalm of commitment that our words, thoughts, and deeds would be pleasing to our God in the ways he has instructed us through his word: "May The Words (Psalm 19)."

Our C4 class is studying the book of Colossians, so come and dive deeper into the richness of God's word in a more seminar/classroom style environment. The class meets upstairs during 2nd service.

So that's what's going on this Sunday; happy preparation!

Preparing For Worship: October 12, 2008

This week we have a special guest speaker with us by the name of John Dunkin, from Whitney Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho. God's timing is of course perfect, and it's all the more obvious this week as Pastor Todd left the office on Thursday feeling like he was coming down with something, so it'll be nice for him to be able to rest and recuperate this weekend. Keep him in your prayers!

As for our singing, we'll start by singing an old hymn with a new chorus: "The Wonderful Cross" is a great way to focus on the reason we gather, and the means by which we can offer God our worship: the cross.

We'll sing the new song I posted earlier this week: "Perfect Savior" and continue to remind ourselves of who Christ is by singing: "The Solid Rock" and ending with a prayer that Jesus would keep us "Near The Cross."

Pastor John Dunkin will then come and wrap up the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, by preaching to us from the last beatitude in Matthew 5:10-12 which teaches us that we are blessed when we are persecuted.

We'll respond in song to this truth by singing "Everlasting God" that reminds us that in the face of trials and testing, our strength is perfected in the Lord as we wait on him, and when we remember that he does not grow tired or weary, but will lift us up on wings like eagles! We'll finish the service by singing "Blessed Be Your Name" that teaches us to find comfort in God's sovereignty, and that whether he gives or takes away, he is still in control, and we still need to choose to bless his name!

Our C4 class is starting a study of Colossians this week, so if you haven't yet been to one, why not come to the 9:00 service, and check out C4 at 10:30?

So that's where we're headed this week; happy preparation!

New Song: Perfect Savior

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

-Jeremiah 53:4-6

We'll be singing this new song together this week that proclaims the perfection of our Savior. It celebrates not only that he was perfect, in a sinless sense, but that he was EXACTLY what we were desperate for in our sinful state. We needed him in the deepest, most urgent way, and he has infinitely filled that need.

The person of Jesus has come under attack many times throughout history, and for many things: people saying he was not God, others saying he wasn't fully man, others saying he never existed at all, and still some saying he was just "a good teacher." (I personally love C.S. Lewis' argument against the possibility that Jesus was just a good teacher, check it out HERE)

It was one of these attacks on Jesus that occurred in the fourth century that prompted the first council of Nicea. A man named Arius had set forth a teaching that although Jesus was divine, God the Father had created him at a specific point in time, and that there was, therefore, a time when Jesus did NOT exist. This contradicts the teaching of the trinity, and the words of 1 John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..."

Emperor Constantine convened a council of around 300 bishops, and they reviewed the major beliefs that all Christians held. It was a significant event because it was the first time the church sought consensus through a representative assembly.

I have adapted the bridge of this song from the portion of the Nicene Creed that deals with the person of Jesus. When we sing this bridge together, we will affirm what the Bible and the historical church have taught since the beginning, and we will echo the centuries of Christians who have read this creed aloud in their meetings.

Here are the lyrics:
(verse 1)
I was a dead man walking
So little good was in me
I was ruled by my sin
He was a perfect Savior
All that was good was in him
He laid it all down for me

I lived my life for myself
Not wanting to surrender
Or know the cost of my sin
He gave his life for all men
Submitting to the Father
He knew the cost of my sin

(Chorus)
So you died on that cross; died the death I deserved
So that I'd have new life; all God's wrath satisfied
Until you come back again
May I forever proclaim
Redemption poured out for men
Through you the pure spotless Lamb
Yes you are the perfect Savior!

(verse 2)
You conquered sin and the grave
You rose again in three days
And you're alive, Lord, today!
Thirsting for righteousness now
Follow your Spirit's leading
Renewing me from within

God you are ever faithful
Meeting the needs of my heart
Making me more like your Son
I want to sing it louder!
I want to shout it out now:
"This sinner's heart's been made new!"

(bridge)
We believe in you Lord Jesus
The only Son of God
Begotten of the Father
God from God, Light from Light
Very God from very God
Begotten and not made
One being with the Father
Through you all things were made

For us and our salvation
From heaven you came down
Born of the virgin Mary
To take on man's design
For our sake crucified
Suffered death and burial
But the third day rose again
Just as the Scriptures said

You ascended into heaven
Sat down at God's right hand
You'll come again in glory
Judge the living and the dead
Your kingdom has no end Lord
Forever you will reign
You've sent your Holy Spirit
He'll be with us to the end!

Crossroads Welcomes New Director of Student Ministries: Stephen Barshaw

This past Sunday we officially welcomed Stephen and his wife, Candace, to the Crossroads family. Pastor Todd invited them to the stage where our elders, and some of our Foundation volunteer staff joined them, and we all prayed for their ministry to the youth of our church.

Here are some pictures so you can be sure to welcome them the next time you see them.

Praise God for his faithfulness!

Preparing For Worship: October 5th, 2008

Happy October to all of you! One of my favorite signs of autumn is the MLB postseason, and this year is no disappointment, given the performance of our LA Dodgers!

This week marked my one year anniversary of ministry at Crossroads, and I can't thank God enough for the blessing that this church has been in my life! I get to work with an awesome senior pastor, a great worship team, and a wonderful church body; I'm sure I have the best job out there.

Let's turn our attention to this Sunday as we anticipate gathering for worship through singing, preaching of the Word, giving, prayer, and edification.

We're going to start with the hymn "All Creatures Of Our God and King" which is a call to worship in the truest sense: all creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing hallelujah!

Pastor Todd will lead us in prayer and then we will get a chance to corporately welcome our new Director of Student Ministries: Stephen Barshaw.

We'll continue singing after this as we focus our hearts and minds on the character of God. "Lord Jehovah" and "For You Are The Lord" help us to think about the magnitude and complexity of God's character, and all the things he is: merciful, loving, everlasting, creator...

This will help prepare us to hear the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Todd will be teaching us from Matthew 5:9 "Blessed Are The Peacemakers."

Jesus was truly the ultimate peacemaker in reconciling us to a right relationship with the Father. His death brought peace to our infinite conflict with God's righteousness! We get to celebrate this through taking communion together after the sermon.

We'll sing "This Is Love" as we remember and thank Jesus for his sacrifice for us.

We'll close with a song that still might be new to you, so be sure to give it a listen before Sunday: "Stronger." This song celebrates the finished work of Christ for us, and rejoices in the perfect power of the Lord over sin forever!

The chorus goes like this: You are stronger! You are stronger! Sin is broken; You have saved me! It is written: Christ is risen; Jesus, You are Lord of all!!

Amen!

Happy preparation!

Good Christian Music: Grits

I'm always trying to expand my musical appreciation for different styles, and I came across this album in a review, and it's really grown on me.

It's the new album from the Christian hip-hop group Grits, called "Reiterate."

It's really well produced, and musically there's a lot going on. There's a clear influence from jazz, and many of the underlying chord structures contain jazz chords.

According to Wikipedia, their name is an acronym for "Grammatical Revolution In The Spirit."

Check out their artist pages on:

Christianity Today

Myspace

SIX WAYS WORSHIPING GOD ON SUNDAY SHOULD TRANSFORM THE WAY WE LIVE THE REST OF THE WEEK (Pt. 3)

So how are we doing in these areas? Is the time we spend worshiping God on Sundays making us more humble? Is it making us more secure?

Undoubtedly these things will take time to manifest themselves in our lives, and we'll never reach a point where we are perfectly humble, or perfectly secure, but these should be practical responses to the time we spend worshiping together.

Let's continue reading from Bob Kauflin's "Worship Matters..." for the third way our lives should be transformed by worshiping together:

3) Worshiping God should make us grateful

There's a reason God commands us to "Enter his gates with thansgiving, and his courts with praise!" (Psalm 100:4). "For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 100:5). And he has been unspeakably kind to us.

When people ask my friend C.J. Mahaney how he's doing, he typically brings God's kindness to mind by responding, "Better than I deserve." Someone might think he's just received an unexpected gift or he's an optimistic guy. It's much deeper than that. He's reminding himself of the gospel.

I've adopted that response at times and have received negative reactions. Some people thought I suffer from low self-esteem. I told them I have no problem thinking highly of myself, too highly in fact.

The truth is we're all doing much better than we deserve. Because of our sin, we all deserve hell.

Yet many times people walk into our meetings unfulfilled, unsatisfied, and ungrateful. They've been thinking about others who are richer, more beautiful, more well known, stronger, more talented, or more godly.

Worshiping God rightly should open our eyes to God's amazing grace. We remember how in Christ Jesus we are redeemed and reconciled to our Father and therefore are enabled to abound in gratefulness and thanksgiving. Our greatest need has been taken care of at the cross.

For that reason, we're able to abound in gratefulness and thanksgiving. In fact, songs of gratefulness are one way Christianity is distinct from other faiths, as one author reminds us:

The great faiths of the Buddhists and the Mohammedan give no place either to the need for the grace reconciliation. The clearest proof of this is the simplest. It lies in the hymns of Christian worship. A Buddhist temple never resounds with a cry of praise. Mohammedan worshipers never sing. Their prayers are, at the highest, prayers of submission and of request. They seldom reach the gladder note of thanksgiving. They are never jubilant with the songs of the forgiven.

When we gaze on the cross of Christ and truly recognize that we should be hanging there instead, what response can there be but overflowing gratefulness?

Preparing For Worship: September 28, 2008

Well this month is just full of awesome things at Crossroads! Our Men's and Women's Bible studies started back up, we just celebrated our two year anniversary as a church, and now we are having our first dual-service Sunday!

It will probably take some getting used to, but we are all so excited to be expanding the ministry of our little church, and we hope that we quickly fill up the seats we've freed up by adding a second service.

I am also excited about our C4 ministry as well, which will be a series-based class focusing on on a variety of topics. This ministry will be so beneficial and help our people grow in their knowledge of God's Word!

As far as what this Sunday holds, here's what's going on...

We're starting the service with "Indescribable" and I tried something a little different with the lyric slides that you'll see on the screen. I thought that since there is so much imagery in the lyrics to the song, that it might be cool to see some actual images of those things behind the words we're singing. I found some REALLY cool images that hopefully will give us new perspective on the words we're singing.

Pastor Todd will come and lead us in prayer, and welcome our visitors, before giving us all a chance to do the same.

We'll continue singing, and this week we're focusing on how holy, and perfect, and amazing our God is, and as we grow in our understanding of this, it makes the passage we'll be studying make all the more sense. Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" and as we realize the gap between our righteousness and God's perfect standard, we can understand our deep need for the Savior!

We'll sing "Immortal, Invisible" followed by "Good To Me" before we sing "Create In Me" as a prayer of preparation for the work that God's Holy Spirit wants to work in us as we hear His Word proclaimed.

As we respond together after the sermon, we'll sing "Give Us Clean Hands" and end the service with "Be Glorified" as we continually resolve to seek him and live a life worthy of his calling, by the power of his Spirit who lives within us!

Happy preparation!

SIX WAYS WORSHIPING GOD ON SUNDAY SHOULD TRANSFORM THE WAY WE LIVE THE REST OF THE WEEK (Pt. 2)

If you haven't read the first post in this series, check it out HERE.

But for the rest of you, let's jump in to reason number two!

From "Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God"

2) Worshiping God should make us secure

A few years ago the community where I live was terrorized by mysterious murders that took place in ordinary circumstances of everyday life. People were struck down by a sniper while they engaged in everyday activities such as filling up a gas tank, mowing a lawn, or catching a bus on the way to work.

For three weeks the fear and tension in the surrounding areas was palpable. People would zigzag as they walked through a parking lot, hoping no one could get a good shot at them.

Eventually the snipers were caught. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief

As we planned for the Sunday meetings during that time, we wanted to specifically remind our church that God was in absolute control. More than that, we wanted them to know that God's Word, rather than the media, was the best way to find out how things were going. So we sang songs such as "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman and Edward Mot's "The Solid Rock."

After the terrible tsunami disaster in December 2005, I added a new chorus to William Cowper's hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" to help the church not only proclaim the truth about God's sovereignty but to respond in faith to it:

So God we trust in you;
O God we trust in you;
When tears are great and comforts few
We hope in mercies ever new;
We trust in you.

The foundation of our security in God is not our preparation and plans, nor what others can provide for our protection. Our security doesn't ultimately rest in our alarm system, our military might, the police, or the stock market. Our security ultimately rests in the unchanging love of God, most gloriously displayed at Calvary.

One of the reasons Christians often question God's protection and love is that they fail to keep the crucified and risen Savior at the center of their worship. The comfort and strength that corporate worship instills in us is more that the result of soothing music or a familiar setting. It's the reminder that nothing in heaven, hell, or in between can "separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39)

Thanks Bob for that valuable insight. Let's put this into practice this week!!
If you're curious about some of the songs he mentioned you may want to click the following:
"Blessed By Your Name"
"The Solid Rock"
"God Moves in a Mysterious Way"

Reflections on a Sunday: September 21, 2008

What a great morning we had this past Sunday! We celebrated two years of God's blessing and faithfulness to Crossroads Community Church, and I believe that God was honored by our time.

Our special guests Majesty shared their wonderful music ministry with us, and encouraged us by reminding us of some of the incredible attributes of God. They reminded us that he is faithful, even when we don't understand his plan, or when we encounter trials of all kinds; we are to count them as joy!

Pastor Todd preached God's Word from Matthew 5:7, teaching us what real mercy is, as exemplified by the life of Jesus.

We closed by singing "Mighty To Save" and I just wanted to share a little bit of what went on behind the scenes regarding that.

As I talked and planned with Majesty early last week, we had decided to have everyone sing "Blessed Be Your Name" together, and as Friday rolled around, I really wanted to have another song that we all sang together to close the service. So all day Friday, and Saturday I mulled over the number of songs we currently do at Crossroads, looking for that "perfect" song to end the service with. It normally doesn't take me two days to pick one song, and it was somewhat frustrating not to be able to decide on one.

Sunday morning came and I still hadn't picked that song, but this is what DID happen. I woke up in the morning still fretting about what song to do, when all of a sudden I realized that what was keeping me from picking the song was pride. Pride had subtly crept in to my heart as I kept thinking about what song to end with. I wanted to craft the perfect ending to what I hoped was going to be a great service, and I wanted to do it for my own gratification.

Sure, I wanted everyone to share in the awesome worship experience I was hoping to facilitate, but as I reflected on the past two days, I realized that most of all I wanted to feel good about the service, and I wanted God pat me on the back for being clever in my planning.

So I gave up my desire to find the perfect song, and asked Majesty to just end the service with a simple hymn medley that they'd told me they had, and I confessed my pride to the Lord. It was such a relief, and I felt perfectly confident that the service would be a blessing to our people, and most importantly, to the Lord, without my perfect song.

Then, the Holy Spirit sprang to work!

As Pastor Todd was preaching about mercy, I began to think of the song "Mighty To Save." I had considered it during my search, but had concluded that it wasn't the perfect song I was looking for. But Pastor Todd continued to preach, and it even started to seem like he was quoting lines from the song as he spoke! I felt that the Holy Spirit was directing and leading in a way I hadn't felt before, and so I asked Majesty if they'd be willing to change plans and sing "Mighty To Save" with me as a closing song. They were very flexible and accommodating, so I went and loaded the slides, and grabbed my guitar.

I checked my heart for pride, and went ahead and led "Mighty To Save" after the sermon, and I think that the Holy Spirit had gone ahead and picked the perfect song after all! It gave us the chance to corporately respond to the truth we had just heard, and to connect our minds with our hearts and emotions, and respond to the greatest mercy of all: Christ on the cross.

So I wanted to share that story to show how God had lead and directed through his Spirit, and how in spite of my sinful pride, his name was glorified and lifted up in an amazing and powerful way. We as leadership often would claim that we want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but it's not often that such a dramatic chain of events conspires the way it did Sunday.

Praise God for his faithfulness, and for his forgiveness and mercy. He showed his greatness when I was able to let go of my pride and seek his will, and I think our service, and our people (me most of all!) benefited greatly.

Thank you Lord!

Preparing For Worshp: September 21, 2008

This Sunday is a very special occasion; it marks the two year anniversary of the beginning of Crossroads Community Church in the backyard of Josh and Debbie Abramson!

I've only been a part of the ride for the last year, but even in that time, I've been able to see God's amazing faithfulness to this little church. There is no doubt in my mind that he has some extraordinary plans to use Crossroads to magnify his great name in the SCV and elsewhere; and I know you all would agree!

This Sunday we have a few special things planned in celebration of turning two years old. We will have the vocal group Majesty, from The Master's College, here to minister in song, and lead in worship singing. They will share some great truths about the character of God, and remind us of his faithfulness to generations past, and remind us that we can trust him to be faithful to us today!

We will dedicate one of our newest little guys, Chase Kostjuk, to the Lord, commission his parents, Tyler and Cristen, to bring him up in the ways of the Lord, and commit to continually support them as their church family.

Pastor Todd will continue teaching us from the Sermon on the mount; this week teaching from the fifth beatitude having to do with mercy. We're just over halfway through the beatitudes, so don't check out, let's squeeze all the wisdom we can out of this section of scripture where Jesus so plainly and clearly tells us how we should live.

Majesty will close our service out with another song, and then we'll all share lunch together thanks to the Tommy's Burgers cookout trailer, which will meet you as you exit the building.

Looking forward to a great morning of celebration and thanksgiving. Be sure to join us, and happy preparation!

SIX WAYS WORSHIPING GOD ON SUNDAY SHOULD TRANSFORM THE WAY WE LIVE THE REST OF THE WEEK (Pt. 1)

When we meet together on a Sunday, what do we expect? Do we expect to come sing some songs, hear a "nice talk" and drop a check in the offering box? Do we come to see our friends and make plans for lunch?

God wants to use the time we spend together as the local body of Christ to make us more like his son, as the apostle Paul tells us:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

The following is from Bob Kauflin's "Worship Matters..." book. He suggests six ways that worshiping God on Sunday mornings should transform the way we live the rest of the week.

We'll take these one at a time so we can think through each one:

1) Worshiping God should make us humble

If we see even a glimpse of the glory and splendor of God, it will produce a genuine humility in our hearts. That was the response of Moses, the Israelites, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, the apostle John, and countless others in Scripture how beheld God's majesty. There's nothing about encountering God that should exalt us.

One reason we so often fail to be humbled by worship is that we focus on other things and end up obscuring God's glory. It would be like visiting the Grand Canyon and foolishly being enthralled with parking signs, souvenir shops, and the railings. We enjoy a picnic lunch, toss a football around, and leave - happy but unaffected bu the glory of God's creation.

No one does that. We never allow the surroundings to distract us from the magnificent splendor of the canyon itself. And the effect is always the same. Suddenly we feel small, helpless, insignificant. As John Piper says, people never leave the Grand Canyon more in awe of themselves.

That's why it's so important that we worship God through the lens of the gospel. Nothing humbles us more that worshiping at the foot of the cross. Not thought attacks the root of our pride like realizing that God himself had to pay for our rebellion against him.

I am a worshiper of God because Jesus died to make me one, not because I earned the right to be one.

If worshiping God leaves us thinking more highly of ourselves, we've turned biblical worship on its head. Worship in general, corporate worship in particular, is meant to make us humble.

Thoughts?

Preparing For Worship: September 7, 2008

Our beautiful Southern California summer draws on still as we head to September. Riding my bike to work has been a great way to save money on gas, get in shape, and enjoy the hot breeze on my face! As much as we complain, we must love the weather here, otherwise we could move anywhere else in the country and live for a lot cheaper!

It speaks volumes about how much we care for something in our culture by how much we pay for it; in this case the cost of living in Southern California. We are willing to spend more on things that are more important to us.

I'd wager that food would be on this list of priorities for us. When we're hungry, we're willing to sacrifice money/time/resources/etc. so we can have food to eat. When your throat's dry, the amount of money you'd pay for an ice cold bottle of water probably increases.

Jesus calls us to evaluate what we value when he says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." He wants us to place a high value on that which is right in his eyes, and be willing to "pay more" for it.

This is where we're headed this Sunday in the next Beatitude in Matthew 5. We're going to think about how much we hunger and thirst for righteousness in our lives.

We'll start the service with a song that reminds us of the power and might of our God, and the certainty that he will reign forever, and that he alone has the power to save us from sin: "Let God Arise."

Pastor Todd will lead us in prayer together and we'll also pray for our new Crossroads Ministry Interns: Nathan Trothing, and Kyle Ruggles, as they begin their ministry training under the Crossroads leadership staff. We'll also hear from Angela Bennet, CEO of the SCV Pregnancy Center, about their upcoming "Walk For Life."

The next few songs will help us focus on the idea of hungering and thirsting for righteousness: "Take My Life (Holiness)" declares that what we want in our lives, and that we completely surrender to the Lord that he may mold and shape us so that we have holiness, faithfulness, and righteousness. "Jesus Paid It All" reminds us that though we seek righteousness in our own lives, in the end, it's the righteousness of Christ, imparted to us, that counts before the throne of God; and we rejoice as the chorus says: "oh praise the one who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead!"

Pastor Todd will then come and teach us from the Sermon on the mount; Matthew 5:6, where Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Come and find out what that means in your life.

We'll respond together by singing "I Give You My Heart" as we commit to pursuing righteousness with our lives, and we'll close our service with "Give Us Clean Hands" as a prayer that we might be seekers of God's face as we go about our week.

Happy Preparation!

Preparing For Worship: September 7th, 2008

This Sunday is the first one of the month, which means we get to celebrate the Lord's Supper together, and remind ourselves of the body and blood of Jesus which were given up as a ransom for our redemption from sin! Take some extra time this week, as you prepare, to ask God to help the simple taking of the cracker and the cup to newly refresh our perspective on the gospel, that we might hold a little dearer, and treasure a little more, the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

This week we'll start our service with "Fortunate," a song we learned a couple of weeks ago, that reminds us how blessed we are in the Lord, and reminds us of how we should live in light of that blessing; a great way to focus our minds and hearts.

Pastor Todd will lead us in prayer to dedicate the morning to God, and to ask his blessing on it. Then, John Book will come and give us a little glimpse into the trip he took with his family to Japan recently to work with Campus Crusade over there. He'll show a few pictures, and then give us some things to pray for as they head into a new year on campus at UCLA. He'll also have some more informational materials in the lobby so you can find more ways to be involved with this crucial ministry to students.

We'll continue singing with "Marvelous Light" that reminds us that we once dwelt in the darkness of our sin, in bondage, with no hope of paying our debt to a perfect God, when he extended his kindness and mercy to us through Christ, and called us out into the light of life!

We then turn our attention to the Son, and consider his perfect obedience and humility in submitting himself to the Father's will, and taking on humanity to come and pay the price for our sin. Jesus is truly our "Humble King."

Pastor Todd will then come and teach us from Matthew 5:5 where we are reminded that in the same way that Jesus submitted himself, we are to show meekness in our lives, for it is the meek that will inherit the earth!

We'll then share communion together, and sing an old gospel hymn that asks Jesus to keep us near the cross, and to always remember it, and to continually kneel before it, as we lay our sins at his feet through our confession: "Near The Cross."

We'll close our time together by exclaiming "Hallelujah (Your love is amazing!)" as we take up our own crosses and follow Christ out into the world, that we might be his voice in our land!

Happy preparation!

ps. the video I found for that last song is so great, that even if you know the song, you should check it out...