Hillsong London

Last night I had the chance to see Hillsong London lead worship at Celebration Church here in Jacksonville. It was an awesome experience. At one point one of the guys in the band played a simple version of the chorus to "Look to the Cross". Sometimes the most powerful moments of praise are the simplest. Here's the lyrics...

"I look to the cross
Lord let me see Your love anew
'cause there I find peace
there I find peace again."

Have a peace-full day!

Proud to be a Pastor

This past Sunday was one of those moments that make you proud to be called "pastor". There is a family here in Jacksonville that is facing several health issues. The daughter has a host of heart issues that she is battling at just 2 or 3 years of age. The mother has recently been diagnosed with MS. They have not been out of the house much because of the daughter's delicate condition. As you can imagine this has kept them from really being an active part in any church. The whole family has a strong faith in Jesus but has not had much of a chance to enjoy the fellowship of the body of Christ on a Sunday morning.

That's where we came in.

Through the connection with one of our church families we had the chance to do something a little outside of the norm. We took our normal Sunday worship service time and relocated to this family's front yard. We had enough people out there to not only praise Jesus together but also to wrap around their house and pray for and with the family.

It was an exciting moment as a pastor to see the "church" be the "church" and have "church" for and with a family who has not been able to fellowship in a long time. Not one person expressed a hesitation in moving the service. Not one person suggested that we do it at another time. At least not that I have heard.

We had the opportunity to worship God in a very practical and encouraging way and we saw God move.

God is the God of all Grace and all Comfort and He gets all the credit for a Sunday morning that we will not soon forget.

Bill's invitation

So yesterday at church we had a couple of visitors join us in our morning worship service. They were a mother and son who had been invited by Bill who was friends with the son. Bill's invitation was accompanied by a church bulletin so they would remember the name of the church and the location. This mother and son enjoyed the service and we look forward to worshiping with them again soon.

Now to WJACC folks this story may not seem too out of the ordinary. After all Bill is one of the nicest people God has ever created. No one has ever said one cross word about Bill. He is just that lovable of a guy.

For those who may not know Bill, he has Down's Syndrome. He is in his 50's (which is it's own miracle) and is a vibrant and vital part of this church body. He is definitely taking a message of hope and encouragement out to his friends where ever they are.

Today my thought is...if Bill can be unhindered by something like Down's Syndrome then what's my excuse?

Balance

Every church is good at something. Over the last 90 years WJACC has been good at several things. Creating a family atmosphere. Reaching out to the neighborhood. Worshiping. Praying...and the list goes on and on. Recently we've come to the conclusion that most of the time we have focused on one area to the neglect of another. So here is our goal for ministry starting now.

Balance.

All areas of ministry are seeking a balance of three things.

1. Community-building the believer, equipping the saints for ministry, forging the identity of the body of Christ and the family of God


2. Outreach-spreading the gospel of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Being a force of encouragement and hope.


3. Worship-realizing that there is no greater privilege than to worship, in spirit and in truth, the Almighty God of the Universe.

Every Sunday School class, prayer group, Bible study, board member, pastor, etc. can ask..."How am I encouraging/integrating these three areas in an intentional way where God has put me?"

I don't know what all God has planned for 2010 but I do know that His ways/plans are always much better than mine.

Please pray as we seek God's balance in ministry at WJACC.

**If you are not a believer or church goer I want to invite you to consider "Why not". God only wants the best for you and His love and faithfulness is always the BEST! You don't have to walk through life alone.

Lincoln Brewster

Here's Lincoln Brewster's album version of "Salvation is Here"...enjoy!!!

Darkness

I just finished reading Matthew 26-28. I don't know that I have ever read those three chapters straight through together...without stopping. Although, I have to admit, I was tempted several times to stop...take a break...it's so much to take in...really you can come back to it.

The story is dark. To say that it is difficult to read is an understatement. The emotions. The betrayal. The neglect. The abuse. The lies. The mocking. The isolation. The hopelessness. The Crucifixion. The pain. The bitterness. The punishment. The suffering.

The obedience. The grace. The love. The victory. The resurrection. The celebration. The good news. The commission. The promise. The King. The Lord. The Savior.

My description can not even begin to accurately describe all that Jesus went through and accomplished because He loved us and still loves us that much today.

It overwhelms me. I don't deserve it. I never have. Yet He generously pours out His love and grace even today. Wow!!!!!!

I encourage you to read Matthew 26-28 today. Don't stop. Keep reading it. It will be hard to read. It will be difficult to watch as Jesus is punished. However, when you reach the end you will witness a hope and joy victory that is like nothing else. The eternal. The everlasting. Amen and amen.

Monday morning reflections

• Yesterday we experienced a great God service. God's word. God's music. God's generosity. God's people. God's timing. WOW!
• Saturday was a great day in the life of WJACC as so much of the church came together for the purpose of celebrating a wedding and a marriage. Congratulations Marshall and Sarah!
• My brother and sister-in-law were visiting this weekend and we had a blast together. Natalie took about 1 1/2 seconds to warm up to both of them.
• I will be blogging some of my thoughts from yesterday's sermon on giving soon so keep watching.
• Quote of the day...this one is for all pastors and worship leaders. "The hour on Sunday can be a time of wonder, a time of transformation, maybe even a time of awe."-Nancy Beach
• Check out this blog from Clayton...it should make all of us pause.

Qoute of the day

"The difference between believing that God is gracious
and tasting that God is gracious
is as different as having a rational belief that honey is sweet
and having theactual sense of its sweetness."

- Jonathan Edwards

Car tunes

This morning I had an awesome worship time with Natalie as we were driving into the daycare/office. We were listening to a Veggie Tales cd filled with praise songs when we started singing "God of Wonders". The next thing I knew I here this little voice belting out..."You are Hoooooooly, Hooooooly". It really almost brought tears to my eyes to think that my daughter is praising God. Even if she doesn't understand exactly what that means God is being glorified through her.

My next thought was how little I really understand God and His praise yet He uses my feeble attempts to bring honor and glory to Himself. Wow....what a cool God He really is.

Benediction

Here's a verse in Romans that I read recently that I think makes a great benediction for a worship service. See what you think.

Romans 15:13 (New American Standard Bible)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Amen.