Why Was I Ever Born? | A #CEBTour Post

“Why was I ever born  when all I see is suffering and misery,  and my days are filled with shame?” Jeremiah 20:18

When adversity hits us, it may come as a shock, but when it continues and worsens, our faith faces the test.

I’m so glad that the God didn’t edit out the parts in the Bible where people questioned their lives, their calling, and their faith.  It validates our feelings as part of the normal human experience during our walk as a Christian.

Even though God had clearly told Jeremiah that he was born for a purpose (Jer 1:5), he had forgotten that during this time of suffering:

Cursed be the day in which I was born!
Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
Let the man be cursed
Who brought news to my father, saying,
“ A male child has been born to you!”
Making him very glad.  Jeremiah 20:14-15

Job had a similar reaction:

Perish the day I was born,
the night someone said,
“A boy has been conceived.”  Job 3:3

As many times as I have suffered in my life, and continue to do so in some regards, I appreciate and understand the sentiment.  Why?  Why was I even born? Why do I have to suffer?  Why do I have this shame?

Hymn-Theology Christmas Edition: Mercy Calls You, Break Your Chains

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you, break your chains

“Angels from The Realms of Glory” by James Montgomery (Music by Henry T. Smart)

This may be one of the most underwhelming (and underrated) Christmas hymns.  I’ve heard it for years but the lyrics never grabbed me like they did last year. The second half ot this stanza is so powerful:

Justice now revokes the sentence. Mercy calls you, break your chains.

Fairness. Justice. We often cry out for these valiant, noble causes. In fact, God calls us to “do justly and to love mercy” in Micah 6:8. Yet, what do we want for ourselves?  Do we want justice? Do we want God to treat us fairly?

I Am With You In Spirit: Colossians 2:4-5

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.    Colossians 2:4-5

It is a common motivational strategy to present people with high goals knowing, at least subconsciously, they will strive to obtain those goals.  Also effective as a motivational strategy is the thought that an authority figure will check up on you.

Paul somehow combines the positive and negative reinforcers in one sentence.  He does this throughout the book of Philemon, too; but that is another blog post.

The church at this time is being faced with deception.  Paul will begin to attack this threat with the truth.  He will remind them of who they are in Christ and what it means to be a Christian.

For some reason, we don’t like being reminded.  “I know that, already,” people will tell you when you encourage them with the word.  Just the other Sunday, one of the students let me know that they’ve “already heard” the lesson twice.  Ah.  But the Bible is not Lord of the Rings.  Sure you can read it a few times, maybe. But there is nothing life-altering or inspiring that comes out of that or the Hardy Boys or any other book.

Communication on Fire? Stop, Drop, And Roll

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.  James 3:6

Are you the smackdown king in your marriage? Do you have a blackbelt in Tongue-Foo?  Do you have a quick, witty, albeit cuttng, remark on hand for quick and easy use?

Mercier and are both adept at making the snide remark or two; however, our goal is to maintain healthy communication.  (I say “goal” because, much like yourself, we are only human and are bound to make mistakes.)

When I observe couples engaging in this sort of tit-for-tat war (when really a simple answer would suffice), I am reminded the fire prevention public service announcements during Saturday cartoons: Stop, Drop, and Roll

Friday Church 1/13/12 #SundaySetlists

Part of The Worship Community’s #SundaySetlists.

Our Friday night motel outreach functions just as any other church.  We may differ in this:  the children and adults are together for a psalm reading, worship, and the memory verse.

Here is the set (all capo at 2nd fret):

May Your Love Send Me | © 2007 Danny Donnelly

Children Of The Living God | © 1996 Metro One Fernando Ortega CCLI #2069618

The Solid Rock | Edward Mote / William Bradbury, 1863

This song was the subject of my Hymn-Theology post entitled “My Anchor Holds Within the Veil.“

Below is a demo I recorded in Garage Band.  Click to play or click HERE to download the mp3 file.

All Who Are Thirsty | Brown + Robertson © 1998 Vineyard Songs CCLI Song No. 2489542

Jesus Come | © Evan Wickham/Calvin Nowell

2011 in Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Friday Church 12/30/11 #SundaySetlists

Part of The Worship Community’s #SundaySetlists.

Our Friday night motel outreach functions just as any other church.  We may differ in this:  the children and adults are together for a psalm reading, worship, and the memory verse.

Here is the set in the Key of D (a repeat from 10/7/11):

• The Joy Of The Lord | Twila Paris ©1991 Ariose Music / Mountain Spring Music
• You Are Still Holy | Rita Springer © 1998 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing CCLI 2581983
  • One of my favorite worship songs ever (by Rita Springer). My favorite part: “All that has been in my life up to now belongs to You. You are still holy.”
• You Are Everything | Phillip Wickham © 2003 CCLI #4522555
• I Will Bow to You | Pete Episcopo ©  2001 Integrity’s Praise! Music  CCLI# 3262139
• I Belong | Kathryn Scott, Mildred Rainey  © 2007 Vertical Worship  CCLI #5064067
  • My favorite line: “Not weakness nor failure, No broken dream or promise… Nothing can take me from your great love… I belong to You.”  Sometimes I break down and cry during that part.

Friday Church 12/16/11 #SundaySetlists

Part of The Worship Community’s #SundaySetlists.

Our Friday night motel outreach functions just as any other church.  We may differ in this:  the children and adults are together for a psalm reading, worship, and the memory verse.

I have never played Christmas Hymns on guitar and never has my lack of practice and knowledge of chords been so exposed as trying to find songs I played on piano that are not available to me on guitar.

Hopefully, using these songs over the next two Fridays will not ruin Christmas.

Here is the set:

• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Joy to the World
• Away in a Manger
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• O Holy Night

Commit it to Memory and Consider Carefully | A #CEBTour Post

Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully.

Luke 2:19

How often to we flippantly blab things to one another without regard to wisdom and even discretion? Technology to tweet from our phones creates a casual atmosphere to vent, share things that could be private, or what-have-you without a single thought of the consequences.

Not Mary.  She showed wisdom and discernment in all phases of the miracle that would define her life.

She was given such an amazing, incredible prophesy (Luke 1:31-32).  She was to have a child by the Holy Spirit.  It would be hard to not tell everyone – yet people may have thought she was crazy and tried to stone her for adultery.

Notice that she didn’t tell the whole world.  She had wisdom; she went to her relative Elizabeth-someone she trusted, spiritually.  Too often we allow too many people the privilege of input in our walk with Jesus and with our daily lives.  This is a great example of using discernment, even with great news.

Give Thanks to the Lord | A #CEBTour Post

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make his deeds known to all people! Sing to God, sing praises to him; dwell on all his wondrous works!” 1 Chronicles 16:8-9

Give Thanks:

This is a command.  Notice that it doesn’t say, “If you’re up to it, you may consider giving thanks” or “when things are going your way, you may want to spend some time being thankful.”  No.  It’s simple.  ”Give thanks to the Lord.”  In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we find out that this is God’s will for us.  Giving thanks should not be dependent upon your circumstances as Paul and Silas would testify during their midnight praise in prison.

Call on His Name:

Calling on the Name of Jesus invokes both His authority and attention. As the song goes, “There’s just something about that Name.”  His name brings peace during a storm, comfort in trial, and hope in tragedy.  Sometimes when I don’t know what to pray, I just say, “Jesus.”  Calling upon HIm and all that He is changes our perspective during so many times and turns our hearts toward thanksgiving.

Spirit and Life | A National Bible Week #CEBTour Post

The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63

We know from John 1:14 that Jesus is the Word manifested into Humanity.  His words give us the spiritual life that we all need.

Organic:

Organic is a term that I originally became familiar with in high school Chemistry.  It now is often associated with a style of farming and process of food preparation.  The true connotation of the word “organic,” however, denotes things that were once alive or are now living.

What’s organic on this world isn’t necessarily organic in Heaven.  It’s His words, as we see in John 6:63, that give life–the spiritual life.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Friday Church 11/4/11 #SundaySetlists

Part of The Worship Community’s #SundaySetlists.

Our Friday night motel outreach functions just as any other church.  We may differ in this:  the children and adults are together for a psalm reading, worship, and the memory verse.

This time I was accompanied by Nicole on vocals; it was an enjoyable set.

Here is the set in the Key of G:

Take Me Higher | © 1999 Jason Wade

Blessed Be Your Name | Matt & Beth Redman © 2002 Thank You Music CCLI # 3798438

Rescue | Jared Anderson © 2003 Vertical Worship CCLI 4084763

Be Near | Shane Barnard © 2003 Waiting Room Music CCLI 4090362

Restless | Audrey Assad, Matt Maher © 2010 Thank You Music et al CCLI 5762008