2007 March «

(Belated) Wednesday Worship Thoughts … The Easter Journey 5

29 March 07 at 8:23 pm | In Wednesday Worship Thoughts | No Comments

The story goes that one day in 1776 Augustus Toplady (how’s that for a name?) was caught in a thunderstorm. Not unusual that. We’ve all been there.

Toplady took shelter under a rocky ledge.

From that everyday experience came the words of a hymn that has been sung in churches ever since.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

A short song, perhaps, but full of truths that might be a thought for another day. Today, however, there are but two lines that have captured my imagination:

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;

If you’re like me, this is the busy season. It seems like all the earth awakes from winter’s slumber … including the schedule for youth group, seminary assignments and who knows what else. I can get so caught in all I have to do and even all I am trying to do for the Lord, that I forget to (as they say) keep the first things first.

And so these lines become my mantra, so to speak. The little reminder I can sing to myself when things get crazy. And really it’s just the second line.

Simply to the cross I cling

Because if I cling to the cross, I cling to all that is really necessary.

And that becomes my shelter …

My favorite search term ever … 2

29 March 07 at 8:02 pm | In Blogging | No Comments

Found on the stat page today under the heading “search engine terms” …

chris tomlin shortish
chris tomlin matt redman podcast shortis

And this one that still has be baffled … especially since I have no idea how it led here …

cryptic jesus letters alphabet

So, about OCMD …

27 March 07 at 4:25 pm | In youth ministry | No Comments

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I would say more about Ocean City and brag on my awesome students. OK. At the time, I didn’t say I would brag on my awesome students, but that’s what I will do all the same. As usual, this post is initials only for privacy reasons (especially since none of them know they are being mentioned yet).

Here’s the thing. I could write about it in chronological terms or I could just highlight the coolest stuff in a sort of list form (chronologically). I’m thinking the list would be more entertaining, so here’s the list.

Impact @ Ocean City (an abbreviated recap of all the cool stuff )

Riding down/chatting with BB

Long walk with KR on the beach the first night. More great conversation.

Getting up for the sunrise on Saturday only to find it was drizzling. Undeterred, we went out anyway to watch CH and SM do a polar bear plunge. Crazy. That’s them.

Funny exchange of the weekend: I and a mixed batch of kids are retrieving something from my hotel room. SM says, “It smells like girls in here.” RB replies, “Yeah, well our room smells like farts.”

Listening to Joel Sonnenberg’s story.

Boardwalking with KW and friends (sorry, I don’t think I ever asked your last names to get all appropriate initials) - especially when they broke into a rousing round of Play that Funky Music, White Boy.

MT (our resident serious musician) standing several doors down from the skater punk store to avoid the blaring sounds of the tunes they were playing.

My Saturday afternoon nap after a total of three hours of sleep the night before.

Going down in front of the stage for worship with LC and KM.

An aside: Suddenly, this whole post is sounding like a high school yearbook, no?

Bob Lenz’s Saturday night message.

Seeing students going to the stage to accept Christ or to recommit.

Journaling to the live music of By the Tree.

GH’s devotions Saturday night. Us? Opposites? Who’d a thunk that?

Getting up for an actual sunrise on Sunday with the guys (SM and RS).

Finding the Dora the Explorer kite on the way to the beach and watching SM fly it.

The sunrise.

The sunrise.

The sunrise.

Getting back to the room to find LC was upset she missed the sunrise. That wasn’t the good part. The good part was walking down to the beach anyway and talking for a long time while walking along, collecting shells and finding the driftwood cross at the top of the post.

Finding the Compassion brochure in the hotel room and finding out that, without my prodding, the students were thinking about sponsoring a child or two as a group.

Hitting the drainage grate on the way back from the great donut search and hearing the groans and shouts from the back seat as they tried not to spill the coffee.

Going to Mark Yaconelli’s sessions all weekend. Sunday morning was particularly great. His sessions were on contemplative youth ministry and he said that, if he had students there, they would go out for the sunrise in the morning. Rock on, Yaconelli!

Seeing the students on my end of the row so excited about The Essential 100 Challenge. to the point that they are planning ways to stay connected and hold each other accountable as they work through the challenge.

Riding home on a beautiful, sunny March day with KM and LC despite the fact that I stopped at a green light.

To my students …

26 March 07 at 5:09 pm | In Glimpses of God, youth ministry | 1 Comment

I caught the sunrise this morning.

I was going over to the grocery store for a couple of things before heading off to work and, as I made the turn, something bright appeared in my peripheral vision. I took a quick glance to see a brilliant, orange sun rising.

This time, though, it wasn’t over endless waves crashing onto the beach. It wasn’t accented by seagulls flying through my field of vision. And, it wasn’t shared by anyone - least of all some of the coolest students on the planet.

Nope. The sun rose over the concrete wall and the chain link fence of the Lowe’s garden center, accented by the tops of trees and the telephone wires.

Not as picturesque, but the sun rose. The sun rose all the same - in all its splendor, all its beauty and all its glory.

As I headed to work, you headed out to school. Your day didn’t start the same way it did all weekend. You didn’t sing songs of praise with about 3,000 other people. You didn’t hear someone talk about the Christ and all that he is and all that he means.

Nope. You had papers due. You couldn’t find your gym clothes and the bus was waiting. You lost your hall pass. Your friends just up and decided not to talk to you today. There was a pop quiz in science class.

Not as inspiring as the past few days, but the sun rose on this day as it did on those.

The sun always rises.

The Son always rises.

Just because you were unceremoniously dumped back into the rhythms of school and work and home doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t as present with you now as when you were singing along to The Heart of Worship on Saturday night. He’s there. He’s with you as you run to the bus, as you guess at the answer to number three on the quiz and as you sit alone wondering why your friends have turned nasty on you.

Just look for him through the clutter of your life.

Because the Son always rises - in all His splendor, all His beauty and all His glory.

DCB now in studio …

26 March 07 at 12:51 pm | In Music | No Comments

… with … oh, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.

Read this.

Back …

25 March 07 at 7:01 pm | In youth ministry | No Comments

Out with the youth group in OCMD Friday, Saturday and today.

I slept … maybe … seven hours … all weekend.

This is all you get, people.

More later.

(Belated) Wednesday Worship Thoughts . . . The Easter Journey 4

22 March 07 at 8:32 pm | In Wednesday Worship Thoughts | No Comments

The girls - we call them the Praize Girlz- loved the song. Simple lyrics. Easy to learn melody. And Christy Nockels’ voice . . . Christy Nockels’ gorgeous voice.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Amazing love, now flowing down
From hands and feet that were nailed to a tree
Your grace flows down and covers me.

It covers me
It covers me
It covers me
And covers me

The song is one of the many born out of the Passion movement that have taken on a life of their own as they find their places on worship set lists in churches and at events everywhere.

In the liner notes of The Best of Passion (So Far), Louie Giglio writes of the moment at OneDay 2000 when this song was sung, “As we moved through the solemn journey of OneDay 2000, we stopped and bowed in the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ. Like the heavy misting sky that surrounded us, the grace of God hung heavy, breaking and healing our hearts.”

It may not have been on a Tennesee hillside with 40,000 people, but there was a God moment all the same as the words of the song lingered in our minds after practice was over.

A lesson was underway. The leader mentioned that the first sacrifice happened when God killed animals for the skins that Adam and Eve could be covered.

Covered.

It covers me.

Grace.

In the garden, it was the skin of an animal. On a hillside outside of Jerusalem, it was the blood of the perfect Son of God that flowed from his head, his hands and his feet to cover our sins.

Grace flows down.

And it most certainly covers me.

He found me …

18 March 07 at 8:12 pm | In Christianity and Culture, Christianity and Media | 1 Comment

After several aborted attempts, I finally got out last night to see Amazing Grace - and I am so glad I finally did.

I already knew the background of the movie and had actually used a few clips available on the official movie web site in a lesson for the Sunday school class, but what I didn’t expect was how one scene would so clearly encapsulate my own thoughts on God and work and what He wants me to do.

The scene begins with a close up of Wilberforce peering at a spiderweb among some flower buds. As the camera pans back, you see that it is obviously morning and the grass is still a bit dewy. Wilberforce spins around, drops his stack of books on the ground, lays on the grass and begins talking to God. About that time, the butler arrives with a question. In the course of the ensuing conversation, Wilberforce talks about his work and all that is before him and tells the butler that what he really wants to do is, among other things, contemplate the spiderweb and God.

Had the scene ended there it would have been enough for me to see (taking into account that this is indeed a movie version of the man’s life) that others have had trouble throughout the ages with what they want to do (hang with God) and what they have to do (work). In the case of Wilberforce, he was able to do both. I hope and pray that is exactly what I can accomplish.

But, the scene continued …

The butler asks if he (Wilberforce) found God.

Wilberforce replies, “He found me.”

Since that second, that interaction has been playing over and over in my head. “He found me.”

I thought I had it all together, but I really had nothing.

“He found me.”

I thought I could get by on my own talents, not realizing they were taking me away from God.

“He found me.”

I didn’t even realize I was lost.

“HE FOUND ME.”

And that has made all the difference …

Wednesday Worship Thoughts: The Easter Journey … 3

14 March 07 at 9:26 pm | In Wednesday Worship Thoughts | 7 Comments

I never knew death could be so sweet
I never knew surrender could feel so free
I’ve never seen such meekness and majesty
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

Now I’ll sing freedom for all of my days
It’s only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The King of Glory rescued me
How beautiful the blood flow
How merciful the love shown
The King of Glory poured out
Victorious are we now

I never knew these nails would love unfold
I never knew these wounds would heal my soul
I’ve never seen such beauty and sorrow meet
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

It’s only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The King of Glory rescued me
How beautiful the blood flow
How merciful the love shown
The King of Glory poured out
Victorious are we now

We’re moving from Isaac Watts in the 1700s to Steve Fee in 2007 with this song from his just-released CD, Burn for You. I picked up the CD at Passion 07 and it was on constant play until it was “borrowed” by a student (not an accusation, no hidden meaning, just a statement of fact) who, I hear, has been rather aggressive in sharing it with her friends in the form of it being on constant play as well.

One of the most intriguing songs in the CD is Beautiful the Blood, which is quoted above.

Beautiful? Blood?

Ick.

Well, in most cases, ick.

Slasher flick? Ick. Massive car wreck? Ick. Unfortunate run-in with the kitchen knife while slicing cheese? Ick.

The blood that flowed from the nail-pierced hands of Christ and from the thorns that jabbed unmercifully into his head.

Beautiful.

The paradoxes in the song illustrate truths of Christian life and belief that often make no sense in a world that is rapidly developing into a post-Christian culture. In a recent interview on the Catalyst podcast, Steve talked about these lyrics, “The verses are written as a paradox … kind of pairing together these terms that don’t go together in our culture very often. I mean, you don’t usually say, ‘how beautiful the blood.’ You know, it’s just a weird thing to say … but that’s where we get our life is from the death and the sacrifice and the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.”

And that leads us to the ultimate paradox.

From death came life. The Light bursting forth from the cold, dark tomb.

But that’s a story for another day …

RE: God’s will … and our unknowing … a conversation (sort of)*

12 March 07 at 10:20 pm | In Glimpses of God, youth ministry | No Comments

Excerpts from her Xanga: i know God’s will prevails. above all else, that is the one thing i know. the one very thing that continues to help me through each and every incredibly hard day.
however, with this knowledge my very tiny, minute brain cannot comprehend all of his majestly and plans …

“For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalms 1:6 But then i ask.. WHERE IS THAT LORD! I find myself crying out like David wondering… where is the Lord? how long must he forsake me?! …
and this is all in my head as i think all of this. I am angry right now. frustrated. disgusted. Not him Lord i cry. this man has done nothing to deserve this… and i am reminded… “not my will by Thy will” and i am speechless. How do i respond to the logic of the Lord. the righteous, all-powerful, humbling, logic of the Lord? There is no response i could even begin to discover to compare

… This life is simply a chance to spend worshiping Johovah, Great I Am. That is exactly what He put on us this Earth to be… a worshiper. I am a worshiper. My life, my everything should be a direct reflection to the one who saves the nations, and the one who breaks despair.

But, my brothers and sister in Christ i know one thing… and that is, this fight is not over. There are battles on this Earth to be won. The desire of us all should not be what we are going to do about prom, or who is going to take us, or our relationship problems… it should be to see that every person on this Earth, this beautiful, majestic piece of land that the Lord so graciously let us live on for a short time… that everyone comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because, i hope. I pray, and i have faith. And those are three things this world can never, ever, take away from any one of us. The Lord is more powerful than any twisted disease, or any tyrant that attempts to rule a nation. There is a truth and a victory in the Lord that only christians understand. Be a worshiper and let your life be a beacan of all those who are lost and seeking. May you search them out, and make you let the Lord use you to do His will. NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL! and may you not be ashamed to let anyone know that you… you are a worshiper… and you wil always and forever be… a worshiper

An e-mailed reply (excerpt): … this whole e-mail really comes from the fact that I was thinking about you today when I was at work. I had the iTunes on shuffle and a song came up that I hadn’t heard in a long time and I thought the message behind it was pertinent for you right now. So, grab you Jeremy Camp CD and listen to Walk by Faith a couple of times. If anyone knew what you’re thinking about now, I bet he did.

Now that I think about it, Jesus knew what you’re thinking, too. After all, he wept at the tomb of Lazarus, but don’t forget that before that he knew that Lazarus was sick, but chose not to do anything about it at the time. The thing in our situation is that we pray and hope and pray again for a miracle … and, trust me, that is what we really, really, really want, but maybe there’s a different plan in the works that we just don’t understand. Then, someday, we stand in the throne room of God and look at the big, huge story of God through the ages and we look at our teeny, insignificant lifetime and say, “Oooooooh. Now, I get it.”

Granted, that doesn’t give you the words to say … at least that you can plan out in advance. It is amazing, though, what words the Spirit can put in your mouth … when you just turn it all over to Him. Words start to flow out of the peace that has taken hold of you. You still don’t understand, you might still be angry … and yet there’s peace.

An excerpt from her new Xanga entry: these words below seem to say everything i know. these words sum up the meaning of faith to me. it is knowing that God is in charge and His plans are so much bigger than what we can see. the next couple days will be alot of David Crowder… why? because i have realized… when i can’t think of a way to be cry and worship all at once… i realize these words say it all. And even if there was more to say… the Lord knows. the Lord holds me when i desire to break down, and when i weep he stands strong beside me and carries me through.

“All I Can Say”
Lord I’m tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I’m so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I’ll stop
Rest here a while
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And didn’t You see me cry’n?
And didn’t You hear me call Your name?
Wasn’t it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You’d remember
Where you sat it down
And this is all that I can say right now (i know its not much)
And this is all that I can give (and thats my everything)
I didn’t notice You were standing here
I didn’t know that
That was You holding me
I didn’t notice You were cry’n too
I didn’t know that
That was You washing my feet
And this is all that I can say right now (i know its not much)
And this is all that I can give (and thats my everything)

My posted response: Don’t forget that you can worship through the tears. Maybe, just maybe, it’s possible the tears are worship themselves - great rivers of pain washing out from somewhere deep inside as you surrender your mask of courage and of any pretense of knowing how on earth you are going to get yourself through it and melt into the arms of the One who holds the entire universe in the palm of his hand and with a word breathed out the stars … and with a breath created life. With every tear, you may just be shedding more of yourself as you open your heart to Him.

One little adjustment to your last line (and my turn to quote song lyrics) … He’s not just beside you. He’s holding you. And he’ll never let go …

Matt Redman - You Never Let Go
From the album Passion 06: Everything Glorious

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Chorus:

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You