Wrong worship

Jeremy Hart called my attention to this video. It’s a humorous look at self-centered worship – at least at first. By the end of the video, I was grimacing, because I fear that too often my own worship is remarkably similar. Thoughts?

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Baptism & Celebration

Last week was astonishingly full. It culminated in a Baptism and Celebration Service on the football field behind Blacksburg Middle School. It also included a trip to Orlando with some of our church staff and volunteers for the Exponential Conference. Throw in a massive laughfest called our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Saturday night at NLCF‘s facility for good measure. As I hit the sack last night, I was moved by gratitude, joy and relief.

I wanted to point you to some pictures that might help you appreciate the joys of the past weekend and week, as well let you see a video that Dave Farris shot from his iPhone. I hope you’ll thank the Lord with me for a week of fullness and grace.

Pictures:

• Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
• Baptism Service

Dave’s Video:

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Beautiful Remixed… and grateful

Our church was thrilled and blessed to be able to host the Glory in the Highest Concert in December. Thanks to Legacy campus ministry, we were able to use Burruss Auditorium at VT. It featured Shane & Shane, Phil Wickham and Bethany Dillon.

They were all incredible, and we were amazed at the turnout and how encouraging the response was.

Our worship leader posted the following YouTube video today of a remix he did of Phil Wickham’s song “Beautiful.” I half expected to find Cody telling knock-knock jokes or something when I clicked on the link. However, I was impressed. You watch and tell me what you think:

Just in the past six months, it’s been amazing how the Lord has knitted together an incredible team of like-minded servants in Northstar Church to not only work together for God’s glory but to deeply enjoy one another’s company.

I’m grateful for how God has worked to lead us to Virginia, and I just had to brag on Cody in particular with this post. He’s an amazingly talented, humble, fun, and reflective young man. He and his better half, LaRae just bought their first house. Carolyn and I are celebrating the implications of that purchase as being they truly sense the Lord leading them to continue their ministry among the people of Northstar and the Burgs.

We’re all very fortunate and blessed to have someone who has such talent and a teachable spirit working among us.

Each and every Sunday, the worship service at our church is conducted in a way that inspires heartfelt worship of Christ. If you’ve not had the opportunity to join us yet, I’d encourage you to do so. The preaching is just so-so… ;)

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The “withs” of approaching God

How do you come before the Lord? And, with what do you come before Him?

Psalm 100 is one of those magnificent and attention-altering passages of Scripture that beckon the reader out of temporal living.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (NIV)

The Psalm urges you to approach the Lord with some attitudes and actions. We’re counseled to do so “with singing” and “with thanksgiving” and “with praise.” It is the picture of jubilant entry. Let us as His people – as “the sheep of His pasture” – not stumble or drag ourselves dejectedly or halfheartedly into His presence.

The New Testament gives us another thing to bring with us as we come before Him:

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4.16, ESV)

Our approach to God reveals our attitude towards Him. Do we view Him as a loving Savior and Gracious Redeemer? Or do we view Him as a Capricious Creator and a Demanding Deity?

It’s obvious that the attitude that we approach Him with reveals our experience (or lack of) with His love. Even when times are bad, we are to approach Him with joyful trust. James 1.2 give us countercultural advice: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…”

In truth, if we do not have a rejoicing heart towards Him and, we may not know Him. We may have only acquainted ourselves with a half-god that is no god – a figment, a fade, a little “g” god that disappoints, fails, and is unable to deliver. Our faulty approach may reveal that we’ve created a non-god out of all our disappointments  with ourselves, others, the church and life.

If you regularly come before god with anger, with doubt, with anxiety and with _________, look up for a minute and realize that there’s no God there. You’ve got the wrong equipment and attitude.

You want to approach the Living God? The God of Redemption? The God of Salvation in Jesus Christ? Come before Him with singing, thanksgiving, praise and confidence.

That’s not to say that He doesn’t dwell with the brokenhearted and the contrite. He does. We don’t have to put on a false face of forced happiness. Rather, we clothe ourselves with humility (1 Peter 5.6) and trust (Proverbs 3.5) and come before Him with a new attitude. His perspective and knowledge is far grander than our own.

How do you come before God?

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Quick vids from Thursday Catalyst

We had a fantastic day at Catalyst today, and I post it thoughts about it later. For now, here’s some video I shot from my iPhone, and if you want to see more, check out the media page at Cat09.

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