New Song: "All I Have is Christ"

Hey guys, we're learning a new song this week from Sovereign Grace ministries called "All I Have is Christ." The lyrics are honest and God-glorifying, and the melody is beautiful and soul stirring.

Here are the lyrics, and a video is below:

I once was lost in darkest night

Yet thought I new the way

The sin that brought this joy in life

Had led me to the grave

I had no hope that You would own

A rebel to Your will

And if You had not loved me first

I would refuse You still!

But as I ran my hell-bound race

Indifferent to the cost

You looked upon my helpless state

And led me to the cross

And I beheld God's love displayed

You suffered in my place

You bore the wrath reserved for me

Now all I know is grace!

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ!

Hallelujah! Jesus is my life!

Now Lord I would be Yours alone

And live so all might see

The strength to follow Your commands

Could never come from me

O Father use my ransomed life

In any way You choose

And let my song forever be

"My only boast is You!"

Preparing For Worship: December 20th, 2009

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I can't believe 2009 is almost in the history books, and once again, we are poised to celebrate the birth of Christ. How time flies!

This is a year of firsts yet again at Crossroads, and we're excited to celebrate! It's the first Sunday that we will have THREE services! Yes, count them, THREE! This is just a special change for this Sunday, seeing that it's "Christmas Sunday." The times for our three services are 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am, so you have three chances to join us for worship and celebration!

The second "first" is that it's the first time that we will have a CHOIR! The Crossroads Christmas Choir has been hard at work for the past seven weeks preparing to help lead worship with the worship band, and also preparing a special piece of their own for your enjoyment!

Our 8:00am service is for the "most godly" of you (as Pastor Todd would say), since it's the earliest, and most selfless service to attend (selfless because it opens up more seats in the 2nd and 3rd services). We'll be doing it a little bit "candle light" style as we sing carols, and celebrate the birth of the Savior.

The 9:30 and 11:00am services will be identical, and will also feature a short musical presentation from our Kids ministry featuring all of our Crossroads kids called "Come To The Manger!"

Here's what's in store:

All three services will start with a pair of carols: "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Joy To The World." High energy, joy-filled carols that call us to celebrate the reality of God made man to live among us!

Then we'll celebrate the outreach that is taking place as I type this down at the Union Rescue Mission, with a short slide show presentation.

Pastor Todd will come up and welcome everyone and pray for the morning, and then during the second and third services, we'll enjoy "Come To The Manger" presented by our 1st-6th grade kids.

Todd will come back up and dismiss us to a short welcome and greeting time. There are sure to be visitors and visiting family, so use this time to minister to someone who may be there for the first time!

We'll pick up our carol-singing again after that with the first and last verses of "O Holy Night" as we let the majesty and wonder of the night affect us, and hopefully cause us to see the manger with fresh eyes and soft hearts.

The choir will then share their song with us entitled "Hope Has Come" which is a great tune from Sovereign Grace Ministries, which by-the-way has a good Christmas album called "Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man" (Click the title to check it out at the Sovereign Grace store).

Then Pastor Todd will come and preach the final message in our Christmas 2009 series called "Looking For Something More?" from Luke 2.

We'll sing one more song together after the sermon "Go Tell It On The Mountain" which is a great way to close our meeting, and take the joy of Christ's birth out into the world.

Lots of really cool stuff happening, so prepare your hearts and minds, and come rejoice in the hope of the Savior with us!

See you there!

Preparing For Worship: December 13th, 2009

Once again, I fell off the blogging wagon, and failed to help you prepare for the last two weeks! My apologies!

This Sunday we go full force towards the celebration of the Savior's birth; I've been thinking of the phrase "savoring the Savior" as I plan and remind myself of the wondrous gift we were given in the babe in the manger.

Pastor Todd will continue his sermon series called "Looking For Something More" leading up to next Sunday, the 20th. This week he's talking about Joy, and unpacking the text of 1 John 1:1-4. CLICK HERE to read through the text as you prepare to come worship together with the saints.

We have a great group of Christmas carols to sing together this week, and we're going to start it off with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." (the video's a really fun cover by Weezer!) Now, this may be something akin to when you first found out that Santa wasn't entirely real, but I can't, in good conscience, lead us in carols that talk about the angels without mentioning that the Bible never tells us that angels sing. It's true; when Christ was born, angels didn't span the night sky with songs and carols. They did spread the news that he'd been born, but Scripture tells us they "told" it, and didn't necessarily "sing" it.

That being said, Scripture doesn't tell us that angels DON'T sing, so we just need to be aware that our beloved carols are taking a bit of artistic license when we talk about angels singing.

We'll see one more video about the Union Rescue Mission as we gear up for our big outreach project there next month, and Pastor Todd will welcome everyone and lead us in prayer for the morning.

Then we'll sing "Angels From the Realms of Glory" which recounts the journey of the angels to the shepherds to tell them of Christ's birth, and to bid them to come and worship him. There are a number of YouTube videos that show this song, but I recorded my own that's closer to what we'll actually sing on Sunday, so enjoy! We'll finish off that set with "What Child is This?" as an intro to Pastor Todd's sermon.

I like the way those two songs fit together, because when the Jewish people were waiting and anticipating the birth of the Messiah, they would have been expecting something very different than a barn and a manger filled with hay. I think sometimes in our own lives, we expect God to look very different than what he really is, and when we come to worship him and respond to his own revelation of himself, we are forced to evaluate our own views and expectations. Coming to worship and really thinking through who we believe God is, is an important process as we come to know him and understand him better.

After Pastor Todd's message, we will sing "The First Noel." This is yet another carol about the proclamation of Christ's birth by the angels to the shepherds. As we respond to God's Word, and the joy that is to be found in proclaiming the gospel, we will more closely relate to the joy of that first Christmas when the angels shouted the good news.

We'll close with the song that Candace and I sang during communion last week: "Jesus Thank You" as we put in perspective that Jesus was born to go to the cross for our sins. His life is an example and a model for us, but more importantly, it was a life that perfectly satisfied the righteous standards of God, and was subsequently sacrificed for us. This is the true joy of Christmas, not just that Christ CAME, but WHY he came; to set us free from the curse of sin, and reconcile us to a restored relationship with the Father!

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

Preparing For Worship November 22nd, 2009

I'm looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday together with all of you this week!

I'm in the middle of a very busy Friday, so I'll make this quick:

We're starting with two tunes: "God of Wonders" into the new song we learned last week: "The Father's Love"

I really love contrasting the idea of God as almighty, sovereign, Creator God; and loving, compassionate, Father God. I think these two songs will help us to appreciate the idea that "every good and perfect gift comes from the Father," when we understand that he is the master over everything, but he still looks with care and concern at our needs, and is so faithful to provide.

Then we'll sing "Good to Me" and then remember that even though God is good in so many ways to each of us, he was good to all of us in the most powerful way possible: by sending Jesus to die our death on the cross by singing "Once Again."

Pastor Todd will come and preach after that, and he's taking a break from Ephesians and giving a special Thanksgiving message. Next week he'll start a short series that will take us through Christmas called "Looking for Something More?"

We'll respond in song with "Forever" which reminds us that in all things, though everything else may pass away, God's love endures forever. Then we'll close with "We Will Remember" and commit to trusting in God's past faithfulness as a guarantee that he will continue to be faithful in all of our lives; that we might always have reason to be thankful.

Really Cool Devotional Guide

Check out this link to a digital version of "Breathe," a cool devotional tool from Mosaic church.

Time For Honesty! :)

I came across this interesting article entitled "Top 10 Pet Peeves About Worship Leaders." It's one of those articles that is helpful for a couple of reasons:

1) It helps me to remember that there are little things that I do that may be counterproductive to leading worship, and it helps when these things are pointed out as not-helpful.

2) It helps me to remember that you definitely can't please everyone

So, which of these do I do? Which of them really annoy you? Which of them are actually helpful to you? Any others you'd care to add to the list?? Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of the post to leave your thoughts.

Top 10 Pet Peeves About Worship Leaders (with examples)

1. Asking the Congregation to do Something (21 responses)
   >> Makes us shake hands with the people around us.
   >> When a worship leader tells you to lift up your hands, it takes a meaningful personal action and turns it into a obligatory command.
   >> Talks like they’re at a high school pep rally, “Let me hear ya!”
   >> Asks how everyone is doing. We’re not at a concert, so we’re not going to scream.
   >> Tells you what to do and how to worship… to the point where it makes you feel guilty if you don’t conform yourself to her/his understanding of what worship is.
   >> I hate it when worship leaders script the worship too much by telling people what to do. I’ve had worship leaders completely distract me from God when they start telling me what to do.
2. Mini-Sermons & Talking (20 responses)
   >> Talks between every song.
   >> I am distracted when worship leaders start talking about anything that is not directions on what we are about to do.
   >> When they repeat the same catch-phrases every week.
   >> Breathy speaking between songs.
   >> Sermonettes are annoying if too long or common
   >> You can tell a mile away when a worship leader is “sharing” because he feels obligated to. It’s always a cheesy or over emotional blurb. When God’s really laid something on a worship leader’s heart, it’s cool. But even then, say it in less than 45 seconds! Don’t meander on for 3 minutes.
3. Not Focusing on God (17 responses)
   >> Forget that the audience of worship is God and start making it a performance for those sitting in front of them.
   >> When they perform rather than worship themselves.
   >> Showing zero emotion, standing still, focusing too much on perfection.
   >> Worship leaders who seem really wrapped up in being “cool.”
   >> Sometimes you can tell they’re being fake and/or showy.
   >> I hate it when the music guy/gal asks the crowd to praise God but soaks it up like they are Bono and the crowd is really praising them.
   >> I hate it when worship leaders don’t lead people.
4. Unprofessional (14 responses)
   >> Starts service late.
   >> Typos on the screen.
   >> Talks to the praise band while leading worship instead of using hand signals to tell them what to do.
   >> When the leader changes the key of the song and does not tell the rest of the team.
   >> Goes out of order or adds another song in the middle of the set
   >> When the leader and/or band member turns away from the people to mess with their gear.
   >> When the production team on stage are laughing, joking, and gesturing behind the worship leader to the soundboard guys in the transition between worship and the message.
5. Singing (11 responses)
   >> Can’t sing very well.
   >> Doesn’t know the lyrics.
   >> When worship leaders run words together.
   >> When they put their own little spin on simple, common words.
   >> Repeating the same line in a song 3.6 million times. There’s the Spirit’s leading and then there’s just plain losing people.
   >> Our old church’s leader would sing so high that no one could sing along. She provided no harmony for us to pick up. It was to showcase her own voice.
6. Appearance (9 responses)
   >> Sing with their eyes closed.
   >> When singers act like they are really bored up there.
   >> Wears crotch hugging jeans.
   >> Looks or sounds seductive.
   >> One of our young worship leaders had a really big hicky on his neck a couple of weeks ago.
7. Prayer (8 responses)
   >> Inauthentic prayer – too scripted or so random that it doesn’t make sense, or rushed/dragged out to make the prayer fit the interlude.
   >> Prays the words of the songs.
   >> When they can’t talk or pray appropriately between songs.
8. Bad Transitions (5 responses)
   >> Transitions between songs take long time.
   >> Allows uncomfortable dead time between songs.
   >> When they pray essentially the same prayer at a transition moment.
   >> Using the song name as an introduction/transition - “You know I was thinking about how much God has done for me…it really is ‘Amazing Grace’ isn’t it?”
9. Lifestyle (4 responses)
   >> When he’s obviously ungodly during practice and throughout life, but turns into a saint on Sunday morning.
   >> I hate to see a person who is suppose to be leading worship acting like a jerk before service and then getting up on stage acting like nothing ever happened.
   >> As a Pastor, I hate it when the music guy/gal is lazy apart from their 30 minute set on Sundays.
10. Catering to the Congregation (4 responses)
    >> When they hold back because they are obviously conscious of what the congregation and/or pastor will think.
    >> I hate it when worship leaders/pastors play to people who think the worship somehow revolves around what they like and what makes them feel good when it has absolutely nothing to do with our preferences or likes.
    >> Has to risk being a cheerleader because the people that claim to love God exhibit no sense of joy when singing about Him.

For the full article, CLICK HERE.

Preparing For Worship November 15th, 2009

Happy 2nd Friday everyone! If you didn't have Wednesday off for Veterans' Day, then I suppose this is just your 1st Friday of the week; poor you!

I hope you are all looking forward to coming together to worship our great God this Sunday. I hope that it is a culmination of the relationship and communion that you've shared with God this entire week. That's certainly the goal...

But how much of our life is spent aiming for the goal...and consistently falling short? Do you ever come to the end of a week and look back and wonder where it all went? You ask yourself how there is so much you weren't able to get done, and why you spent so little time with the Lord. I have been there many times, disappointed that the only time I could really get away to be with the Lord was when I was stuck in traffic on a long drive, remembering how my mornings got swept up in chores and errands, and my evenings went who-knows-where.

These types of weeks are a part of life, and we won't always be able to spend lots of time in God's Word, and in really focused prayer. The good news is that we can still worship, and bring glory to God's name by living our lives in the power of His Spirit. The fact that God-very-God resides no longer in a tabernacle, nor does He sit around in the worship center at Crossroads. The Spirit of the all-powerful, living God dwells in the new temple...each of us! This should drastically affect the way we live. However, too often we dismiss it, and forget about it! I am in the midst of rethinking the presence of the Spirit in my life, and how I can better acknowledge Him and live by His strength. To help me, I've just started Francis Chan's new book "Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit." (Click the title to check out the book on Amazon.com). Check it out, I think this is a tragic reality in the church (the church as a whole, not just Crossroads), and we need to do something about it!

Anyway, I suppose I'll end my sermon there, and let Todd do the real preaching on Sunday. He'll be preaching from Ephesians 2:17-22 and finish up chapter two. Be sure you've read the passage, and are ready to study it together with us!

As always, we'll sing together and express our responses to God through lyrics and music. We'll start by acknowledging our dependence on the Spirit to be among us, and to direct us and empower our worship: "Come Thou Fount." Then we turn to the Psalms where David declares the beauty and perfection of being in the courts of the Lord, and proclaims that "Better Is One Day" in his courts than thousands at any other great place.

We have a short video to encourage us to be a part of Crossroads' ministry to the Union Rescue Mission this Christmas. Let's worship God by responding with love to the needs of those at the URM, and being involved in whatever ways we can. Tim Campbell will fill us in on the opportunities. Mark off the days on your calendar: Friday and Saturday, December 18th and 19th.

We'll continue singing as we learn the new song I posted earlier this week: "The Father's Love." Dwelling on how God brought us back to a right relationship with him, and has made us part of his household, will point our brains in the right direction to fully soak up the truth of the sermon text! We'll sing "Draw Me Close" right before Pastor Todd comes up, but hopefully we will sing it a little differently, understanding that we don't have to continually ask God to "draw us close" because HE ALREADY HAS! I think the Spirit will remind us of this truth very powerfully.

Then Todd will come and preach God's Word to us. I want to remind us all to not just be consumers, but to interact with the preaching. Prepare your heart and mind (remember, you have the same Spirit of God as Pastor Todd does in you to teach you and help you understand His Word)! Then as Todd preaches, seek the Spirit's conviction and encouragement in your life. If you disagree with something Todd says, tell him! We as leadership would love to talk about anything you hear (whether in a sermon, song, video, etc.) that raises a red flag in your mind or seems to be different than what God's Word says! So CLICK HERE to read Ephesians 2:17-22.

We'll respond to the message with "Marvelous Light" that focuses on the new life we have, having formerly been strangers with no hope!

That's what's going on this Sunday; see you then!

New Song: The Father's Love

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God...

-Ephesians 2:17-19

CLICK HERE to listen to this new song we'll sing together this weekend.

How has the sinner been forgiven
How has the rebel been made clean
Or blinded eyes been made to see
How have the orphans been adopted
Who hated Your love and ran from grace
Despised and rejected all Your ways

How wonderful the Father’s love
The Father’s love for us
That He would send His only Son
To come and rescue us
He has saved us, called us blameless
Guides us now and will sustain us
Oh how wonderful the Father’s love

Your mercy floods our lives with kindness
Your grace has colored all we see
And You have promised not to leave
You freely give Your Spirit to us
So we can be sure we’re sons of God
And rest in the hope of what’s to come

Though sufferings may fill our lives
We’re confident we’re heirs with Christ
And so we cry, “Abba, Father”

By Joel Sczebel. As recorded on Sons & Daughters. © 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Preparing For Worship: November 8th, 2009

I have had one person mention my lack of blogging to me over the past two weeks; and he doesn't even go to our church! If you normally read Friday's "Preparing For Worship" posts, then I'm sorry I've left you hanging the past two weeks! The month of October was jam packed with great ministry opportunities, and blogging always got pushed right off the list!

Over the last month or so, I was privileged to be able to lead worship over at Grace Brethren School in Simi Valley (where our youth director Stephen Barshaw teaches); and also over at Santa Clarita Christian School for their respective "Spiritual Emphasis Weeks." I also was honored to return to The Master's College chapel to lead worship there on the day that Pastor Todd spoke. Yes, it's true: Pastor Todd spoke at The Master's College! What's the world coming to?? :)

So things are returning to normal speed this month (the "lull" before the holidays), and I'm glad to finally be back at the blog again, helping my family at Crossroads to prepare for worship each week!

This week we'll be starting the service with two songs "How Great Thou Art" and "Blessed Be Your Name." These two songs really help illustrate the proper worship experience:

Step 1) We understand who God is, as revealed in his Word and through his Spirit alive in us (How Great THOU Art)

Step 2) We respond with worship (awe, surrender, thanksgiving, joy, conviction and repentance, etc.) ("my heart will choose to say: 'Lord, blessed be Your name!'")

The idea of this worship experience doesn't only take place in church on a Sunday morning, and as we grow older, and are exposed to the wide breadth of the character of God, we can, in effect, respond to that every minute of every day. As the apostle Paul said: whether you eat or drink, do it unto the glory of God! As we eat, and remember that God is our provider and sustainer, we eat with thankfulness and trust, and as a result, we worship with every bite (so to speak).

We have a few special things to communicate this week, which we'll take time to do after the first two tunes.

1) Pastor Todd will give us an update of what's going on in our Children's Ministry

-let's continue the idea of responding to God's character here: as Pastor Todd tells us what is happening in our Children's Ministry, we have the chance to thank God for providing faithful teachers for our various classes. We can be thankful that each week, committed volunteers are showing the love of Jesus to every child that's there, and teaching them about God. We respond with gratefulness to God for these people, and rejoice that God has a plan for each of our precious children to bring glory to his name!

2) We'll see another short video about "Operation Christmas Child"

-as we are made aware of the need these kids have all over the world, we have the opportunity to be moved by compassion to take action and participate in obedience to "care for the widows and the orphans" (basically, those who are in need). Obedience is a proper response of worship to God.

We'll take a few moments to say good morning to each other, and welcome visitors, showing the love of Christ to others through a warm smile and a friendly handshake. Ask how someone's week was, and be prepared to honestly say how yours was too! If it turns in to a longer conversation than the greeting time, remember to follow up after service, or walk out into the lobby area! I won't be offended, and neither will God! The body is supposed to encourage and edify each other, and if you have the opportunity to have a real conversation with somebody, don't cut it short for time's sake!

We'll sing two more songs before the sermon: "Before The Throne of God Above" and "Surrender," which again outlines our experience of Proclamation and Response. We remind ourselves of our great High Priest (Christ) who pleads our case before the Father, crediting his perfect righteousness to our accounts. Then we respond by "laying down our rights" and "giving up our pride" and surrendering all to God's sovereign will to be used by him.

Pastor Todd will then come teach us from Ephesians 2:11-16 (CLICK HERE TO READ IT). This passage is all about what Christ accomplished in our salvation: breaking down the wall between the Jew and the Gentile, and between man and God. He's appropriately titled his sermon "Tear Down This Wall." The sermon time is a time rich with opportunity to respond to God. We may think that since we sit and listen for 40 minutes, we don't have any opportunities to worship, but as we listen actively, process, and think through ideas, and then respond by changing our lives appropriately, we honor God. Pastor Todd is just as much a worship leader as I am.

Corporately, we'll respond together to the message by singing two final songs: "Completely Done" and "I Have a Hope" which both celebrate the reality of our salvation: done and secure. We don't have to fear being separated from God any longer, and this should evoke in us joy, hope, thanksgiving, and awe for God's great love and mercy shown to us through Christ.

So that's what's going on this Sunday; hope this helps!

PS. You can get a free download of "Completely Done" from Sovereign Grace by clicking HERE.

Preparing For Worship: October 11th, 2009

I'm looking forward, as always, to the opportunity to worship with all of you as we lift our voices in song, bow our heads in prayer, submit to the power and authority of God's Word, and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and application of it to our lives!

Before I give you all the goods for this Sunday, I wanted to make you aware that I've posted a recording on the Crossroads homepage that I did just yesterday (Thursday). It's a recording of "The Lord's Prayer" that I did during church a number of months ago. It's an old...I mean "classic" arrangement of the text by Albert Hay Malotte, and a number of people have asked me if I would ever record it. I'm thinking this is mostly because I absolutely BOTCHED IT UP during second service, and they want to hear what it is SUPPOSED to sound like. :) Anyway, I recorded it and added some background vocals that give it a similar feel to Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah." So, enjoy! CLICK HERE to go to the page...but come back!

This Sunday Pastor Todd jumps back in to the first chapter of Ephesians as we wrestle with the centuries-old tension between God's sovereign choice in election, and man's free will. Calvinists and Arminians have debated and argued for hundreds of years over this, but Pastor Todd will finally settle the debate THIS WEEK!

Just kidding. Our human minds will probably never be able to fully reconcile God's sovereign predestination with our free will to choose Christ in salvation. But guess what folks; the Bible teaches both, so somehow, even if it's in the mind of God alone, the two work together. So come, ready to think through, and wrestle with this very significant doctrine.

We're starting with the hymn "Immortal, Invisible God, Only Wise" with a great chorus written by one of my worship leading heroes: Bob Kauflin. Then we have a few announcements and a greeting time.

We'll sing "Holy Is The Lord" and "Grace Unmeasured" as we focus in on what God's sovereign grace means for us in election to salvation, and receiving the Holy Spirit. "Grace Unmeasured" is shaping up to be a really powerful "theme song" of sorts for this series in Ephesians, so hopefully you like it since I'll probably be using it a lot! :)

Todd will come preach from chapter one, verses 11-14, which you should read by CLICKING HERE. Let the text stew in your brain and in your heart for a while, and ask the Spirit to teach you and make the truth of God clear to you, and to apply it in a practical way.

We'll respond "to the praise of his glorious grace" by singing our new song "Glorious and Mighty" together, which I think will be a good way for us to respond; instead of trying to completely figure God out and put it all into nice little categories and acronyms, we'll throw our hands up in surrender and just proclaim that God is too "glorious and mighty" for us to fully comprehend!

We'll close with the tune "Stronger" which brings that truth home to our hearts when we realize that the mighty God we serve conquered and payed for our sin once and for all!

So that's what's going on; see you Sunday!

PS. The video link for "Stronger is from a youth service in Norway! COOL!

New Song: Glorious and Mighty

This week we're going to learn a new song together by Bob Kauflin and friends from Sovereign Grace Ministries. It's a song that celebrates and responds to the sovereignty of God over all of his creation.

The video is from the 2009 Resolved Conference in Palm Springs. If you look really carefully, you'll see me playing the black electric guitar, although whoever filmed it REALLY liked to watch the drummer :)

Here are the lyrics:

Majesty, Your glory is shining

Brighter than the moon and the stars

Marveling, we honor and fear You above all gods!

Glorious and mighty!

You're awesome in beauty

Joyful songs we raise!

Glorious and mighty!

You're awesome in beauty

Greatly to be praised!

Majesty, You fashioned the heavens

Your decrees can never be changed

Over all the plans of the nations Your judgments reign!

Majesty, we sing with creation!

When You come again in the clouds

Every knee will bow down and worship the one true God!

Here's a really cool video of a church choir doing the tune! Maybe someday a choir will sing it at Crossroads!

Preparing For Worship: October 4th, 2009

I think Fall finally arrived this week! The changing of seasons is always an epic reminder of the common grace of God on both the redeemed and the lost. He gives us beautiful changes in the colors, and welcome weather changes that remind us that he is totally in control of his creation. And I'm just talking about Southern California here, we don't even experience the extent of the changes that the rest of the country/world does!

We'll have a little bit of a change ourselves this weekend as we welcome guest speaker Bob Vernon. Bob served as an Assistant Chief of Police with the LAPD for 37 years, and formed the Point Man Leadership Institute after he retired. He'll be giving us a message on missions he calls "What in the World is God Doing?" Take a moment to pray for Bob, that what God's laid on his heart might be edifying and convicting to us as we worship with him through his preaching on Sunday.

As we love to do, we'll spend plenty of time lifting praises to God through song. We'll start with "See What a Morning" which could technically be described as an "Easter song" but I think it's a good idea to celebrate the resurrection more than just once a year huh?!

We'll take a few moments to welcome visitors, and have a few announcements including the SCV Pregnancy Center's "Walk For Life" coming up on October 17th, and a special "Q and A" conclusion to the study that's been taking place in our "Family Matters" ministry.

We'll sing some more: "We Trust Your Will" and "Completely Done" as we thank God for his wisdom and grace in redemption, and for finishing the work we could never accomplish on our own!

Bob will come and speak to us, and we'll have the opportunity to share communion together after his message. We'll sing "Jesus Paid it All" and then finish our time together with "I Surrender All."

That's what's going on; see you Sunday!

Preparing For Worship: September 27, 2009

It sometimes baffles me how quickly a week passes, and another corporate gathering is on the horizon. It seems like I just finish putting my guitar away, or posting Todd's sermon on the Crossroads website, before I'm picking all new songs for the next Sunday, checking and editing all the chord charts for each one, trying out new arrangements, and rehearsing with the worship team.

It's a draining cycle, and sometimes on Mondays I can't even imagine how I'll work up enough momentum for the next week to match the excitement and energy of the worship gathering we shared the day before.

The book of Psalms tells us that God is enthroned on, or dwells in, the praises of Israel. Other translations say that he inhabits their praise. This means that when the people of God worship, and lift their praise to the Creator, that his Spirit is manifested in their outpouring. This is truly something so supernatural and amazing, and something I'm blessed to witness through all of you each week! I get to watch a transformation that occurs between when I choose, arrange, and rehearse a group of songs, and when a choir of sanctified voices declares the majesty of God and the power of the gospel in a Sunday service!

That transformation is what drives and excites me each week as I plan our services. I want to thank each of your for your part in the process. God's Spirit is fully present in those of us who have given our lives to the Lord, but it's also present in a unique way over the whole of his people who gather each week at Crossroads, and at churches all over the valley, and across the world.

So this week, we have a great morning to look forward to!

We start off with a call to worship with "Open The Eyes of My Heart" and "Stir In Me." It's when the Lord opens the eyes of our hearts to his glory and majesty, that he then stirs in us fire and passion for that glory and majesty to be displayed both in our own lives, and in the proclamation of the gospel!

We have a few minutes to hear and see a report from our Ministry Assistant, Rachel Roleder, as she's freshly returned from six weeks teaching in India. She'll recap a little bit, and show us some pictures from her time.

One of our Elders, Darren Utley, will come up next and take care of a few items of business, including our upcoming Giving Sunday (to help cover some of the costs of moving into our North Campus), and our Elder Affirmation regarding the calling of Wayne Dell and Tom Halstead to join our Elder board.

We'll sing a few more songs: "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" and "Forever (The Nails in Your Hands)" as we prepare for Pastor Todd's sermon from Ephesians 1:7-10. CLICK HERE to read the text and prepare your hearts as we dive into a theologically rich passage that's packed with the theme of Sovereign Grace.

We'll respond with "How Great is Our God" as we mull over the weight of God's wisdom and grace in his plan of redemption.

Should be a really cool morning, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

PS.

Be sure to check out some of the videos I've linked to the song titles; there are some really cool arrangements!

-The video for "Open the Eyes..." is from a worship service at a Calvary Chapel in Budapest!! It's amazing to me that we're singing the same song, worshiping the same God as believers on the other side of the world!

-The video for "Stir in Me" is an awesome medley with "It Is Well" and the vibe is really mellow and dark. Very cool!

-"Nothing But The Blood" is performed by an artist I really like named Phil Wickham. He's got such a great voice.

-"Forever (Nails)" is from an album by Everybodyduck, which was a worship band that used to lead at Hume Lake during the years I attended in high school. Good memories! Also, if you use Twitter, I'd recommend following Darin Mcwatters. He was the lead singer for Everybodyduck, and he's a really funny guy. He is a good "Tweeter."

-"How Great" is a cool version of the song that's really upbeat and energetic!

Pictures from Crossroads Third Anniversary Celebration!

I uploaded a bunch of pictures that I had my friend Peter take during our Third Anniversary Celebration a couple Sundays ago.

Just CLICK HERE!

Preparing For Worship: September 20, 2009

This is going to be a fun Sunday!

First, let me just revel in how great is was this past Sunday to celebrate three years of God's faithfulness at Crossroads! I've been along for almost two of those years now, and it has been the most amazing experience. In-N-Out is practically a spiritual experience for me anyway, and to eat a Double-Double right after church in our worship center is truly following the apostle Paul's exhortation to "whether you eat or drink, do everything to the glory of God."

So this Sunday I'll be joined by not just my brother, who often fills in on any instrument I need him to play, but also my dad! This will be the very first time that all three of us have played together!

We've got a great morning to look forward to in worship singing, fellowship, and preaching.

We'll start with "Indescribable"(the version in the video is sung by the original author, Laura Story) and "Hallelujah (Your Love Makes Me Sing)" as the Call to Worship set. Then Pastor Todd will come and pray, welcome visitors, and dismiss everyone to a cheerful greeting!

We'll continue singing with "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" which is a classic old hymn, but one we've not done at Crossroads yet, so if it's fuzzy in your memory, be sure to click the song title and reacquaint yourself with the tune and the words. We'll head towards the sermon with the song "Be Unto Your Name" which reminds us of our place before almighty God, and the submission and respect we show his Word as we sit under its teaching.

Todd is preaching from Ephesians 1 as we enter our second week of study in Ephesians, which we're calling "Sovereign Grace." Sovereign Grace is also the awesome ministry of CJ Mahaney and my worship leading hero: Bob Kauflin. If you've got some free time, check out their ministry, and their great music by clicking HERE.

Click HERE to read the first chapter of Ephesians and let it soak in so you'll be familiar with the terrain Todd will be walking us through.

After the sermon, we get to respond with our hearts and minds in song with "Grace Unmeasured" (a Sovereign Grace song!) which we've done a few times in the past, but one you may not be as familiar with, so definitely click the song title and check that one out again (scroll a little down the page that opens to see the lyrics).

We'll finish with "The Power of the Cross" and meditate on the cost of the grace we've been shown in Christ.

That's what's going on! See you Sunday!

Crossroads Worship Band: Worship @ Crossroads

Our new worship CD is here! We handed it out at our third anniversary celebration this past Sunday, but don't worry if you didn't get one; we have plenty and they're free!

If you'd like one, please leave me a comment with a way to contact you and I'll drop one in the mail for you!

Thanks!

Preparing For Worship: September 6, 2009

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. -1 Peter 2:9

How stinkin' true that is! And how often we take it for granted. The people of God of which those things are true, is gathering as one to lift up the name of their Redeemer and God. They're gathering to sing songs of praise, to offer him their gifts of service and resources, and to build up and equip those that they worship with.

We're going to sing a song right out of that verse to start the service: "Marvelous Light." The idea that we were once lost in darkness, dead in our sin, may be a new idea to some. It might be new because they are exactly IN that position! Let God's people (remember, that's YOU) pray that some might come to that knowledge, and be rescued out of that darkness into God's marvelous light even this week!!

Pastor Todd will do his pastorly welcome and prayer, and all that good stuff, and we'll jump right back into singing as we proclaim the gospel through the song "Perfect Savior."

Tell me if this happens to you guys also:

You remember the great truth and power of the gospel in your life, and you remind yourself of the joy of salvation, and of living life to serve God, and then a half-a-second later you practically forget about it; whether you stumble over some sin you struggle with, or take your trust off Christ to worry about something in life, or whatever it may be. This is constantly happening in my life, and I am quick to let doubt in to my mind and wonder if the work of the cross is really complete in my life; if there's some way that my sin is causing it to falter.

That's why I chose to do our newest song: "Completely Done" right after our song about the gospel, to INSTANTLY remind us of the power and truth of what we've just finished singing, and that it IS completely done in our lives if we've put our faith in Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. That's IT. Nothing more, nothing less.

Pastor Todd will preach from the book of Philippians this week as we gear up to launch in to our next study in the book of Ephesians. He's calling his sermon "Build-A-Christian" and he's preaching from Philippians 2:19-30 so CLICK HERE to read the text and be prepared to track with him.

Since it's the first Sunday of the month, we'll celebrate communion together, and sing "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" to help us remember and meditate on that dreadful night that Christ took all of our sin onto himself so we could be free.

We'll finish the service with the victory cry: "Jesus Paid It All" and try to infuse the gospel into every part of our being as we go out into the world as ambassadors for Christ.

That's the scoop, now go get ready. See you Sunday!

Preparing For Worship: August 30, 2009

Greetings again my friends!

Well the big piano is gone, and my cellist, Meghan, is back in Kansas City this week. I'm thankful for her giftedness and heart, and I really enjoyed playing with her.

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on last week, and said that they really enjoyed the piano/cello combo. I'm glad it was a blessing!

This week we're back to the old band and I'll be back behind a guitar where I feel much more comfortable!

We're gonna start with the hymn "Crown Him With Many Crowns" as we set our priority of worship on exalting the name of Jesus. We'll follow that up with a song that declares God's worth through our need for him; that we are "Hungry" for him, broken in need of his comfort, weary in need of rest in him, and empty in need of his love to fill us!

Pastor Todd will lead a time of prayer and welcome. There will be a short reminder about our FPU Preview which will take place during both services, and also our upcoming Sunday Seminar series.

We'll continue in song with "I Have a Hope" which explores the great joy and hope we have through our Redeemer, and all the joy that lies in serving him with our lives. We'll go to "Psalm 62" next and remind our hearts that the hope we just sang about lies ONLY in God, and that no matter what the cost or trial, we will delight in him alone.

Pastor Todd will then come and finish up Joshua's farewell speech to the Israelites in Joshua 24. CLICK HERE to read Joshua's address, and prepare your own hearts to hear the commands and truths of the Word when Pastor Todd preaches it on Sunday.

We'll respond with the songs "Give Us Clean Hands" which is a prayer for God's help, through his Word, and through his Spirit, to guide us, convict us, and sanctify us for his glory and purposes. Then we'll finish our time together with "Blessed Be Your Name" as we commit to live in the principles Joshua spells out for the people: choosing to bless God's name in every situation we face, and daily striving to honor him with our lives.

That's what's going on, so prepare well, and we'll see you Sunday!

PS. Even if you know the songs this week; check out the video link I posted to "Blessed Be Your Name;" it's a really powerful, real-life application of the truth of the song. Really moving. Just click on any of the song titles to view videos or hear audio of the song to help you prepare for singing!

How Loud is Too Loud?

I love to go see live music performances in small venues. I love being up close to the performer and watching and enjoying the music they make. Much of the time, that music is being pumped through a sound system. Much of the time that sound is coming towards my ears at really loud levels.

I'll be honest, I love it when it's loud enough that I feel the kick drum and the bass guitar in my stomach. At the same time, I know that prolonged exposure to excessively loud volumes can damage my hearing. That's why I ALWAYS take ear plugs (or ear filters to be precise) to EVERY concert I attend. They reduce the overall volume, and filter out the louder and more harmful frequencies.

People have different pain thresholds as far as volume is concerned. The problem in churches is that for some people the music (or preaching for that matter) is too loud and can be painful sometimes, while for others, the volumes are too soft to communicate the full energy of the worship band, or Pastor Todd when he really gets going!

While much of that spectrum relies on personal preference and hearing levels, there are some basic guidelines that we try to follow; we don't just guess!

CLICK HERE to check out a helpful and informative link that talks about sound pressure levels, decibels, and hearing safety.

Hopefully this gives you a sense of all the little details that go into making church happen, and helps you be better prepared. I want to be clear that I would NEVER be offended if any of you with lower pain thresholds brought ear plugs with you to the worship service. We try to be safe with our volumes, but also keep it up enough to accurately communicate the energy and natural sounds of our instruments and voices.

CLICK HERE if you're interested in buying a set of ear filters that will protect your hearing the same way ear plugs will, but that don't give quite as "muffled" a sound. These are the same ones I use when I attend concerts; they really preserve the sound while protecting your hearing.

Preparing For Worship: August 23rd, 2009

This Sunday is going to be a very cool change of pace. We're calling it our "Autumn Cello-bration" and I'm anticipating a great morning!

I just finished helping some piano movers deliver a 7-ft grand piano into our worship center! It's a beautiful walnut-brown color, and it sounds amazing. I'll be attempting to play this beast on Sunday and although it's about 15 times the size of any of my guitars, I'll still feel a little naked and underequipped. In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree, I did have to pass a "piano proficiency" exam, but it was the type of situation where I did what I had to do and then forgot about it. Plus, the music faculty knew that I thought in guitar, and so they cut me a little slack, knowing the piano wouldn't be a significant part of my ministry. So we'll see if I can play half as good as this piano looks!

I'm flying in a friend of mine with whom I went to college to play with me as well. She is a fantastic cellist, and will really take the sound we're going for to the next level! She also played with me back in June at the Resolved conference, and I really enjoy playing with her. Her name is Meghan Zeikle, so be sure to come up and meet her on Sunday!

Here are the songs we'll be celebrating with on Sunday:

We'll start with "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" which is literally a call to worship for our very souls. Numerous times within the song, we address our souls directly, reminding them of God's character and greatness. We'll flow right into "You Alone" as we declare the sufficiency of God in Christ Jesus for salvation and eternal joy. If we were to be stripped of everything in this world as Job was, we would still be eternally secure and safe in the arms of our Savior!

Next we'll have a short announcement for our new season of Men's Ministry, including a video preview of the new 7-week course we'll be studying by James MacDonald called "Gripped by the Greatness of God." Pastor Todd will direct us to say a quick "top o' the mornin' to ya" (at least that's what Al Harris will say!) to each other, and then we'll jump back in to singing. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking of how it will sound to be standing with our fellow believers and singing along with the two beautiful instruments we'll be hearing; it's gonna be so cool!

We'll sing "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" as we spend time thanking God for the grace and mercy he showed us as, out of a love for us lost sinners, he crushed his son for us on that cross. We'll move into "Before the Throne of God Above" which continues the story of the cross up into heaven where the risen Christ ever stands before God the Father, interceding and presenting our (through Christ) perfect righteousness before him that we might be certain of our adoption as his sons and daughters.

Then Pastor Todd will come and preach the word to us from Joshua chapter 23 where Joshua addresses the Israelites shortly before his death and encourages them to develop Godly instincts as they continue to live in the land God gave them. CLICK HERE to read the passage.

After the sermon, we'll sing the new song we learned last week, "Completely Done," as we respond to the exhortations of God's Word. We remind ourselves that no matter what temptations we face in life, and no matter how many times we fail in fully honoring God with our lives, that our "sins have been paid in full; there's no condemnation here!" So we can leave our fears behind, and live boldly as children of the King.

We'll finish with "Here I Am to Worship" and respond accordingly as we declare God's authority, beauty, and worth, especially proclaimed in the redeeming work of Jesus.

That's what's going on; come prepared to worship!

Main Sessions from WorshipGod09

Many of you know that I was away a couple weekends ago at Sovereign Grace's WorshipGod09 Conference. What a great time to get away and recharge; to hear solid teaching; and to experience God-glorifying, passionate worship!

I came back with lots of great ideas, and lots of great songs to teach us!

I've been slowly trying to formulate key thoughts and ideas from the conference into a helpful recap to share with all of you. But I was thinking that since Sovereign Grace has posted all of the main sessions on their web site, I should just direct you there in the meantime.

CLICK HERE to go to their site.

All of the messages are great. I'd especially recommend either of John Piper's messages, or Thabiti Anyabwile's message that relates specifically to the church.

Preparing For Worship: August 16th, 2009

This Sunday is another opportunity for the body of Christ to meet and pursue God together by offering our praises and worship to him; by studying his revealed Word in order to know him better, and to conform our lives to the image of Jesus; by offering confession, thanksgiving, and supplication to him in prayer; and by encouraging, exhorting, and fellowshiping with one another in love and unity.

Man, that's a tall drink of water sometimes isn't it? To come to church and feel like there's all these items on a checklist that we have to go through to meet our weekly quota with God. We come to church ready to participate, learn, sing, and serve, and sometimes we forget that we are coming before the almighty creator of the universe! In light of who he is, what do we truly have to offer HIM? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Everything we offer to him is only made acceptable and pleasing because it is passing through the substitutionary blood of Jesus.

So come with joy and eagerness, but don't forget to come with humility and brokenness before God, and trust that he will fill you with all of his goodness, which was shown to us so perfectly in the face of his son.

This week we start with "Ancient of Days" that gives us perspective on the God we're coming to worship, and how great and glorious he is, that he holds all things in his hand, and that one day every tongue will confess and acknowledge him. "That's Why We Praise Him" balances us out in remembering that he is not an impersonal and far removed God, but that he came to dwell among us and reconcile us to God through the forgiveness of sin.

We'll have a time of prayer and welcome, and hear a short announcement about the next Financial Peace University course starting up in September. Then we'll get a minute or two to meet and greet friends and visitors.

Then we'll sing our new song "Completely Done" together. I love this song, and how it firmly reminds us that Christ's work is indeed FINISHED; that I need not, nor cannot add anything to it, nor is it deficient in any way. See the previous posts for lyrics, samples, and even a free download. JUST CLICK HERE and HERE! We'll go right into "How Great is Our God" which seems like the appropriate response to the marvelous truth we will have just sung. I love to move back and forth in perspective between the all-powerful creator God of the universe, and the personal, loving, redeeming God in the person of Jesus Christ!

Pastor Todd is back in the saddle as we continue the conquest of the Holy Land in Joshua. This week he'll be fast forwarding to chapter 14 and the extraordinary life of old Caleb. CLICK HERE to read the chapter so you know what's going on, and can be ready to dig in on Sunday.

We'll respond with the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" as we glean perspective on how to live completely sold out to God's grand purposes. We'll see that as we step out in faith, and always look forward, that God meets us with abundant grace and faithfulness!

That's what's going on this week; happy prepping!

"Completely Done" Free Download!

Good news! The new song we're learning this week is currently being offered as a FREE download by Sovereign Grace ministries!

CLICK HERE to go to their online store and get your free download of the tune.

Good Christian Music and New Song: "Completely Done"

Hey everyone, I'm back from a week in Maryland at the WorshipGod conference hosted by Sovereign Grace Ministries at Covenant Life Church. I won't even try to begin to recap the conference just yet as I have so much to share with you all; I will try and do it justice in its own post.

For now, I wanted to give you the heads up on a new song we'll be doing this week that I learned at the conference. It's called "Completely Done."

The song is a part of Sovereign Grace's new album called "Sons and Daughters." I'd highly recommend any of Sovereign Grace's albums to you, but this one stands out to me a little more than the rest. The theme of the album is living in the reality that we have been adopted by God as his sons and daughters. CLICK HERE to read the real album description which is way better than anything I could say. Also, that link contains short samples of each song, so be sure and click on "Completely Done" and try and get familiar with it (it's only 48 seconds long so do your best!).

You can also check out this video someone from the conference took on their phone:


The lyrics:
What reason have i to doubt?
Why would i dwell in fear
When all i have known is grace?
My future in Christ is clear!

My sins have been paid in full;
There's no condemnation here.
I live in the good of this,
My Father has brought me near.
I'm leaving my fears behind me now.

The old is gone, the new has come,
What You complete is completely done.
We're heirs with Christ, the victory won.
What You complete is completely done!

I don't know what lies ahead,
What if i fail again?
You are my confidence,
You'll keep me to the end.
I'm leaving my fears behind me now.

Preparing For Worship: August 2nd

This week we are excited to hear from one of our elders: Darren Utley. He will be preaching from God's Word this week, as Pastor Todd and his family get away on vacation. Next week we'll welcome Joe Keller, dean of students at The Master's College, as our guest speaker for the morning. I'll be heading out Monday night to attend the Worship God Conference put on by Sovereign Grace ministries out in Maryland. My brother, Donny, will be leading worship on August 9th for me. Lots of fun stuff going on!

This week is also the first Sunday of the month, which means we'll celebrate the Lord's Supper together, and partake of the Bread and the Cup in symbolic remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross.

We'll start the service with "Beautiful One" as we focus in on our glorious God. This is one of those songs that describes a physical response to the beauty and character of God: "the beauty of Your majesty awakes my heart to sing...Beautiful One I love...I adore...my soul MUST sing!" Psalm 95 and 96 are wonderful commandments to lift our voices to the Lord in praise:

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise..."

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song' sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord, bless his name' tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods..."

So come ready to obey and play your part in our "choir" of worship! After our first song, Darren will welcome everyone, lead us in prayer for the morning, and dismiss us to greet each other, and to welcome new visitors.

Then we'll sing the new (it's really quite old) hymn we're gonna learn together: "Crown Him With Many Crowns." Click the song title to go to my previous post with a video of the song and all the lyrics. We'll go right out of that song into "In Christ Alone" which brings the glorious majesty of God into full focus in the person of his son: Jesus Christ. As believers, when we think about the love, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and grace of God, we can't help but be pointed and drawn back to Jesus. He is the culmination and pinnacle of all of those characteristics of God; and that gives us great joy and hope!

Then Darren will come and preach to us from Joshua 10:1-15, and build off of Pastor Todd's sermon from last week. If you didn't get a chance to hear it. CLICK HERE and give it a listen!

We'll transition to a time of sharing the Lord's Supper, and we'll sing "Jesus Messiah" as we pass the elements and meditate on the price he paid for our redemption. Darren will come up again and lead us all as we take it together.

We'll close our time with "Lord Jehovah" as we commit to live our lives bowed before the throne of God bringing him glory and honor and praise in all that we do.

That's what's happening on Sunday; hope to see you there!

New Song: Crown Him With Many Crowns

Okay, so this isn't really a "new" song at all. It's an old hymn written in 1852. This hymn celebrates Jesus' divinity and kingship. Each verse talks about a different aspect of Christ: "The Sacrificial Lamb," "The Lord of Life," "The Lord of Love," and "The Lord of Heaven."

It's a simple and memorable melody that is full of energy, and I know we'll enjoy singing it together.

Here's a video of the song from the Resolved Conference that I played at in June with the band Enfield.

Here are the lyrics:
Crown Him with many crowns
The Lamb upon His throne
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own
Awake my soul and sing
Of Him who died for Thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity

Crown Him the Lord of life
Who triumphed over the grave
And rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save
His glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die

Crown Him the Lord of love
Behold His hands and side
Those wounds yet visible above
In beauty glorified
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bend His wond'ring eye
At mysteries so bright

Crown Him the Lord of heaven
Enthroned in worlds above
Crown Him the King to Whom is given
The wondrous name of Love
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before Him fall
Crown Him ye kings with many crowns
For He is King of all

Preparing For Worship: July 19th

"When we can't see Your plan, Lord help us understand: though we can't see Your purpose; we trust Your will is certain."

These are some of the lyrics to my song "We Trust Your Will" and they really address an important issue for each of us: Do we trust that God knows what He is doing?

As Pastor Todd preaches from Joshua chapter 8 (which you can click HERE to read), he's going to talk about trusting God's plan. God delivered the city of Ai to the Isrealites, and they "struck them down until there was left none that survived or escaped." Why did God do this? Pastor Todd will help us think through this together.

Here's what we'll be singing together:

"Here I Am to Worship"

"Indescribable"

"Forever"

"It Is Well"

"Be Thou My Vision"

"We Trust Your Will"

I hope you'll come ready to sing loudly, to encourage and fellowship with each other, and jump in to God's Word so that we might know him and love him a little more than when we came in!

Happy prepping!

Preparing For Worship: July 12th, 2009

Hey everyone, looking forward to a great time worshiping with you all this Sunday! Don't forget that we have our Sizzling Summer Spectacular at Northbridge Park this Sunday night, so if you haven't signe up yet, do it this Sunday!!!

This week Pastor Todd begins a two part series called "The Ache of Sin" as we continue to walk through the book of Joshua. Read Joshua chapter seven this weekend as you prepare to come learn from God's Word with the body.

Musically, we'll start the service with a call to worship that really extends to all creation: All Creatures of Our God and King, and shoot right into Friend of God since that's the only reason we can really come and worship; since because of Christ we're no longer enemies of God, but friends!

We get to officially welcome and recognize our new Crossroads members during our greeting time this Sunday; if you're wanting to become a member, you can still sign up for our 1-day class coming up...

We'll jump into more singing with Open The Eyes of My Heart. This song asks God to open the eyes of our hearts that we might SEE HIM. When we see God (know him and understand him better through the ministry of his Word, and the illumination of his Spirit), we become more aware of his holiness and majesty, and that makes us more aware of the wretchedness of our sin, and our helpless condition without Christ. That's why I chose Overwhelmed next, because we need to constantly marvel at how the Lord almighty bids us come to him, despite our wretchedness, through Christ.

Then Pastor Todd will preach through Joshua 7, and we'll have the chance to respond in song as we sing At The Cross and Give Us Clean Hands.

That's what's happening this Sunday! Happy prep!

New Song: We Will Remember

Hey guys, I know we just learned "Jesus Messiah" a couple of weeks ago, but there is a song I want to teach you that will work so well with the sermon text this Sunday!

Pastor Todd is in Joshua 4 this week, in which Joshua has each tribe take a big ol' rock from the bed of the Jordan River, over which they've just passed. He mentions a number of times that these stones are to be a memorial to God's great work:

And [Joshua] said to the people of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know 'Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the waters of teh Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth my know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." (Joshua 4:21-24)

The song is called "We Will Remember" by Tommy Walker, and here is a video with the music and the lyrics so you can learn how it goes! This song has been a favorite of mine for a long time (kind of a newer "Great is Thy Faithfulness"), and I'm excited to share it with you!

Preparing For Worship: June 14th, 2009

This weekend I will be away at the Resolved Conference helping to lead worship with the Resolved band: Enfield. For more info on the Resolved Conference, CLICK HERE.

My brother Donny will be leading worship for me this weekend while I'm gone. Pastor Todd will be preaching out of Joshua 2, and you'll get to hear from Peter and Heather Malakar who are missionaries in India!

The worship team will lead the morning off with the songs Enough and Good To Me. Then Pastor Todd will come and welcome everyone with a greeting time, after which he'll interview Peter and Heather, and talk a little bit about Crossroads' short term missions trip to India next summer, during which we'll be working closely with the Malakars.

The worship team will lead in For You Are The Lord, and From The Inside Out before Pastor Todd comes and continues our series in Joshua, this week teaching from chapter two where the Isrealite spies hide out with Rahab the prostitute! It's an action packed chapter, so be sure to read it before Sunday. CLICK HERE to read it online!

The worship team will close the service with Jesus Paid It All.

I'll miss being with you this weekend, but look forward to being back for Father's Day weekend!

Happy Prepping!

Preparing For Worship: June 7th, 2009

This week we embark on our study of the book of Joshua entitled "No Fear." It's going to be an action packed series, as Joshua narrates an overview of Israel's conquest of the Promised Land. The purpose of the book goes far beyond an exciting story however, as the name "No Fear" suggests, the book is intended to teach us how to live our lives trusting fully in God's promises. The Israelites were up against some pretty formidable foes, but they trusted God, and followed him boldly, and he proved himself faithful. We are going to learn how to live boldly in our world, and to radically follow Christ as we live without fear!

We're jumping right in to chapter 1, so read it over so you're familiar with the territory! CLICK HERE TO READ JOSHUA 1.

Here's what we'll be singing:

We'll start out with "I Have a Hope" and then remember the morning that that hope was put in place with "See What a Morning."

After Pastor Todd does the prayer/welcome/greeting thing, we'll sing about God's great strength and how he is our shelter and salvation in "Psalm 62" and then flash forward to how he used that great strength to conquer sin on the cross through his son's sacrificial death: "Stronger."

Pastor Todd will come and teach us, and then lead us in a time of communion as we learn a new song that reflects on Jesus' work for us on the cross: "Jesus Messiah." I'll teach it to everyone, but why not take a listen so you can pick it up easier??? It just makes sense.

We'll end with "Once Again" which is a great way close our communion time, and the whole service as we go out as lights in our dark world.

Any questions?? I didn't think so. That's what's happening; happy prepping!

Preparing For Worship: May 31, 2009

This Sunday is going to be a very exciting morning as we have got a TON of stuff going on that you're going to really enjoy.

First, DON'T eat breakfast before you come to church this Sunday, unless you don't like PANCAKES!  We're going to be cooking up the best flapjacks this side of the I-5 freeway, and we need you to help us eat 'em!  The hotcakes will be frying all morning so if you're a 1st service kinda person, enjoy some after you're dismissed, and you 2nd service people might wanna come a little early!

Second, we are commissioning and praying for nine of our people that are going out on short-term mission trips this Summer.  I don't have all the details on me at the moment, but come and see who's going where, and find out how you can support them as they go and serve.

Third (phew!), we will be celebrating some baptisms together!  This is a great time for our church family to rejoice with those who are taking this important step of obedience and publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, and committing to follow him and serve him.

As usual, we'll be singing together and lifting our voices as an offering to our God.  We're gonna start with "How Good and Pleasant" and go right into "Indescribable" at the beginning.  These two songs help get our brains on the right track for the morning, first by acknowledging that we are gathered in love and unity to praise the Lord, and then by proclaiming his greatness as we see it all around us in his creation.

Pastor Todd will come and pray for the morning, and direct all the cool happenings that I mentioned above.  After we finish baptisms, we'll come back and respond together in song by shouting out "How Great Thou Art!" and "I Stand in Awe."

As we wrapped up the last text in the Sermon on the Mount last week, Pastor Todd will help us figure out what to DO with all of that teaching and wisdom that Jesus has outlined to us in the past number of months.  A proverbial "So WHAT??" message.  Maybe take some time to revisit the Sermon on the Mount in its entirety and try to let it soak in so you'll be ready to apply what you've learned in your everyday life.

We'll sing one more song after the sermon: "Mighty To Save" which reminds us of our call to be Christ's compassion and love to the world, that they might see we're singing for the glory of our risen King!

That's what's going on; see you then!

Preparing For Worship: May 17, 2009 "Hymn Sunday"

This Sunday I have something very special planned for our worship singing time together:  We are going to have a mini "Church History Experience."  Let me explain. My generation has been the one to solidify the contemporary "worship team" environment in many churches across the world, and for many who have come to church for the first time in the last ten years, wouldn't know anything different.  

The fact is, the church worship team is still a very recent development in church history.  From the 1800s up until the late 1980s and early 1990s, most churches sang their hymns not with a band made up of drums, bass, guitars, and keyboards, but with an organ or piano, and a choir.  The congregation used to read and sing along with lyrics that weren't projected onto a big screen, but that were printed in their hymnals! 

The choir was really the driving force behind this style of congregational worship, and they really were the worship team of their time.  The choir would often perform special anthems on particular Sundays in the liturgical calendar, or as a call to worship. 

The shift from the choir to worship team setting took most of the 1990s to occur, and the debate has raged since the beginning of whether one style was better or more "right" than the other, but the worship team has proven that it is here to stay, and much of the 2000s has experienced this as the norm.

Wherever you may fall on the scale of preference or conviction in this area, I believe that it's important to know and appreciate where the church as we know it has come from.  The church is a living and changing organism, and no point in history exists in a vacuum, but is a result of ebb and flow, and action and reaction.

More importantly, God doesn't have a favorite musical style. He created music as a beautiful and many faceted gift that we are to offer back up to him in all its forms and styles.  It's like any external act or offering; God looks at the heart behind it, not necessarily at the thing itself.  So whether we're singing with an organ, a 60-piece orchestra, or drums and electric guitars; if the desire of our heart is to lift up and honor the name of the Lord, he will be pleased

So, this Sunday we are going to travel back to the time of hymnals and organs for our worship singing!  We don't have a choir (yet!), but maybe after this Sunday there will be enough interest...(hint hint).

We're going to sing hymns that we already sing here at Crossroads so you won't have to learn all new songs, but we're just going to sing them in a new (or old, depending on how you look at it!) way.

We'll start with "All Creatures of Our God and King" and "The Solid Rock" as our call to worship.  Pastor Todd will come and lead in prayer and have us greet each other and visitors.  I'll come and explain a little bit about the hymnals and how the printed music works, and I'm going to do a little experiement with what we in the music biz call "sight reading." :)

We'll sing "Immortal, Invisible God, Only Wise," and then Pastor Todd will come and preach to us from Matthew 7 about The Truth of Falsehood.

After the sermon, we'll sing one NEW hymn (meaning it's been written in the last decade or so), "In Christ Alone" reminding ourselves that our hope isn't in something as silly as mysic style, but it's in Christ who took the wrath of God for us that we might have eternal life!

Preparing For Worship: May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers!  This is the time we get to publicly acknowledge and thank you for assuming the high call of motherhood.  

My brother will be here to play drums this Sunday, so my mom will get to come and have a Hoover-boys-Mother's-day-worship-service.  Happy Mother's day mom!

It'll be a morning of celebration and joy, as we remember the story of the Caananite woman in Matthew 15:21-28.  This is where Pastor Todd will be preaching from, so read through the passage so you're ready to dive in on Sunday!

Songs we'll song Sunday include:

Come Thou Fount as our call to worship, asking the Spirit to teach us and bless us as we worship together. Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord, which continues that same thought.  Then we get to sing some tunes about the great love of God as we think on the love that our mothers show to their children and families: Hallelujah(Your Love Makes Me Sing), and Your Love Oh Lord. After Pastor Todd preaches, we'll respond with Draw Me Close to close out the service.  

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

P.S. Just wanted to make sure you all know that any text in the blog that is blue and underlined is a link that you can click on to open a new page that I've linked to that text.  I recently had an experience with someone who was unfamiliar with links and was missing out on a lot of helpful content.

Preparing For Worship: May 3rd, 2009

At Crossroads we like to celebrate the Lord's Supper together on the first Sunday of each month, and it's always a wonderful time of reflection, thanksgiving, and hope. When Jesus gave his disciples the bread and the wine, he told them he wouldn't drink of the fruit of the vine again until we all drink it together in the new kingdom! What hope of celebration we have, that one day God will dwell in our midst, and we will celebrate in his presence forever! That's what I think about when we remember the cross; that on that horrific tree, our future was secured, and our hope anchored.

Pastor Todd will teach through Jesus' words in Matthew 7 which you can find HERE as you prepare your heart and mind to come to worship on Sunday.

As we begin our service this week, we'll start with a song that longs for that very presence of God I was describing earlier. This longing came from the mouth of David thousands of years ago, and we sing it as the desire of our hearts in line with his: "Better is One Day" in Your courts than thousands elsewhere!

Pastor Todd will come and welcome everyone, lead in prayer for the morning, and give us a moment to greet visitors and each other. Use this time to find a visitor (they're usually easy to spot) and make them feel welcome; a friendly handshake, invite them to sit by you, hand them a $20 (cash always makes me feel welcome), etc.

We'll continue singing then as we recall the work accomplished for us through "Nothing But The Blood of Jesus." It may be appropriate to mention here that we (as Christians) don't believe that there is some magical property found in the literal blood-fluids that ran through Jesus' veins. The Bible always uses the idea of Jesus' blood as the picture and symbol of his death, which is what the Father required for the payment of our sin. We often think and sing of the "blood" of Jesus and attribute different things and ideas to it, but we sing it as a symbol of his death.

We'll go right into "For You Are The Lord" which reminds us of Jesus' full deity, and that his death was so much more than a "selfless act" or an "inspirational event" in history, but that this man that hung on the tree is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our everlasting Lord, and that one day every tongue will confess that!

Pastor Todd will come and preach, and guide us to a time of communion. We'll pass the trays, and sing "The Power of the Cross" which is one of my favorite "cross songs" because it's so victorious. It doesn't languish in the physical agony Christ experienced (although it does validly recount it), but rather it looks to the ultimate work that was accomplished THROUGH the cross: Christ became sin FOR us, and took the Father's wrath on himself so we could stand FORGIVEN at the cross!

We'll finish with the song "Perfect Savior" with the chorus of that song being our benediction and motto as we go out into the world: 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!

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