St. Augustine on Prayer

I'm wading through St. Augustine's "Confessions" right now (which, if you have enough persistence to make it through, I highly recommend) and he just described leaving his mother in Carthage to go and teach in Rome. She had been a fervent prayer warrior in his life, and even though he was not yet saved, he realized how desperately she prayed for him.

In this particular instance, she "grievously bewailed [his] journey, and followed [him] as far as the sea," where he tries to calm her by delaying his departure another day. When he finally does leave, she was left behind...

"...in weeping and prayer. And what , O Lord,
was she with so many tears of asking Thee,
but that Thou wouldst not suffer me to sail?
But Thou, in the depth of Thy counsels
and hearing the main point of her desire,
regardest not what she then asked,
that Thou mightest make me what she ever asked."
(book V, section 15) (emphases added)

This passage says so much about the sovereignty of God in our lives! Though "Mrs. Augustine" was a devoted woman of prayer, and she prayed fervently that God would not take Augustine to Rome, God had a plan to bring him to salvation! God hears our prayer, and he answers us according to His will, but sometimes, even when we think we're praying in accordance with His will, God's plan is beyond our scope!

This should encourage us to pray all the more, knowing that God will always accomplish His perfect will in our lives, knowing "the main point of [our] desire," and knowing how to most perfectly display His glory in answering that prayer!

See You In A Few Weeks

Thanks to everyone who worshiped with us this morning! I believe God was glorified as we sought to realize and savor God's grace, mercy, and peace in our lives as we go about building his church!

I'll be back with you on October 7th, so in the meantime, be faithful to hold fast to the glorious truth of the gospel, remembering that Christ's death on the cross was God's ultimate example of his grace, mercy and peace (peace=reconciling).

If I could recommend a great book to you, check out C.J. Mahaney's "Living The Cross Centered Life: Keeping The Gospel The Main Thing." It's a really simple book to follow, but its words are powerful, and Mahaney is a very gifted speaker/writer.

I also posted an entry on Jess and my personal blog recapping a little of the morning, so to save me typing it twice, check it out here.

Again, Jess and I are so excited to come and minister with you, and we'll see you soon.

Preparing for Worship: September 16th

This Sunday we have the opportunity to meet together to corporately worship our Sovereign Lord! This will hopefully be the grand culmination and climax of a week lived in the wondrous joy of his grace and mercy! Each morning that we've woken this week has been a gift that we wretched sinners do not deserve, but God allows us to breath, think, laugh, love, see, hear, touch, and also to cry, hurt, and mourn. Understanding that each moment is a gracious gift of God really puts those things in perspective, as we strive each day to know and worship our Creator better!

As you go about your daily tasks the remainder of this week, ask God to be preparing your heart to meet together to worship on Sunday. Ask that he would be molding and shaping your life, so that when you encounter your brothers and sisters of Crossroads, you would be equipped to edify them as you worship together, through your words and actions towards them.

This Sunday, Pastor Todd begins a study through the book of 1 Timothy. A GREAT way to prepare for worship is to READ THE BOOK. 1 Timothy is 6 chapters long, and you should be able to easily read the entire book before Sunday. Ask the Spirit to illuminate your heart to the truth of his word.

The beginning of the book is a call to hold fast to the truth of the gospel, and to beware of false teachings. Many of the songs that we'll sing together speak of this theme of knowing and clinging to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, and we use these songs to preach the gospel continually to ourselves, so that we may savor it more fully!

We'll begin with the song "Holy Is The Lord" as a call to worship, and to focus our hearts on the character of God. Then we will worship through announcements as we seek ways to fellowship and serve those in our congregation. We will then sing "God Of Wonders," which helps us understand the holiness of God.

When we understand the holiness (or "set-apart-ness") of God, we then understand why He cannot tolerate sin, and that because we are fallen, sinful creatures, we are naturally doomed to experience the full wrath of a just and holy God!!

BUT

God planned, before the beginning of time, to send his son as a substitute for us! Through the blood sacrifice of Christ, we have the hope of being spared the horrible wrath of God, and of inheriting eternal life in his presence!

That's what the song "In Christ Alone" is all about, and hopefully you read the last blog entry to get to know the song a little bit! We'll sing this amazing song together, and then sing "We Fall Down" as a look forward to that glorious day when we'll bow before our God at the end of time and worship him in his presence forever more!

We'll then worship through the hearing of the powerful Word of God, and we ask the Lord to convict and encourage us by its truth, according to his Spirit's work in our lives.

We'll respond with "Once Again" which draws us back to the glorious cross of Christ, and end with "How Great Is Our God," appropriately closing our time together in adoration of his incomprehensible nature!

We look forward to worshiping with you, and we pray God would be preparing your hearts to meet with our brothers and sisters, and with our Lord!

In Christ Alone

Pastor Todd is going to began preaching through the book of First Timothy this coming Sunday, September 16th, and we really thinks the song "In Christ Alone" is a great fit for this text, and would like it to become a "First Timothy Theme Song" of sorts. Now, he also said that the song has not been introduced to the congregation yet, so to help acquaint you with it, I've posted the lyrics here so you can get familiar with them. I'd also recommend the audio recording of the song by the authors, so you can use it as a tool for personal worship during your week (put it on your iPod/iPhone, burn it onto a CD to listen to in your car, etc.).
You can pick it up from:
-iTunes
-KeithGetty.com
-Amazon.com

"In Christ Alone"
By Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Copyright 2001 ThankYou Music

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
The fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
'Till on that cross, as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His, and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ!

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns, or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

I'd encourage you to print out these lyrics so you can learn the song, and come Sunday morning ready to rejoice with our brothers and sisters in the Lord!

Sing To The Lord!

Greetings to my new Crossroads family!

I hope to get to know all of you in the coming weeks and months as my wife, Jessica, and I embark on a new chapter of faith in God's perfect plan for our lives!

I intend to use this blog as a guide and tool for preparing our hearts to worship God together each week. Worshipping together as a church family is one of the most unique and awesome human experiences, and one that should not be entered into lightly. I firmly believe that if we are not worshipping God Monday through Friday, we will not be able to worship him Sunday mornings.

This means pursuing God through prayer and reading of his Word throughout the week. And even (as a recent sermon on Psalm 96 convicted me) singing to God throughout the week! Can you imagine that? Singing to God each day, and not having it be at church, or a Bible Study or Small group? Our culture has taught us that we should leave singing to the professional entertainers, but God commands us in the pages of scripture to:

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

-Psalm 96:1-4

So as we endeavor to know, love, and serve God better, let's keep in mind this command from the Psalms, and let those praises erupt from our lips each day! God has even given us places like the shower and the car (with the windows up or down, I'll let you decide) that seem to be MADE for singing!

So my first challenge to you as your new Worship Director is to sing praises to God each day. Maybe there's a CD out there with some of your favorite songs suitable for the car stereo, or maybe you play an instrument and can accompany yourself! Even if you wouldn't count yourself as an able singer, God has commanded us to sing, so warm up your vocal cords and let his praises ring!

-Paul