End of an Era

It feels strange. I have been the worship Pastor at The Father's House for nearly four years now and as of this last week there is no longer any people on my team from when I first started. It was a bittersweet ending to an era.

How do you deal with transition in your own life? Do you even recognize when God has fulfilled one thing in your life and has begun another?

There is a danger in staying in one place too long; we begin to believe that the method, song, program, tradition, etc., is what makes something powerful. The reality is that it was/is God who makes things powerful and effective. We get stuck thinking that a method is what makes it powerful when the method is totally a moot point. If God did not breathe on your method or song, it would be minimally effective.

Let’s keep the main thing the main thing; God is our source and all power and authority belong to Him. Never get stuck in a method or style. Those only have life as long as God breathes upon them. Be willing to change and recognize that sometimes it’s just an end of an era.

Bring a Gift

It has occurred to me that in scripture the lesser person always brings a gift to the greater. Just start out with the most obvious: the wise men and Jesus. Also consider Abraham and Melchizedek. How about Cain and Abel bringing their gifts to the Lord; one was acceptable and the other was not.

When we come to worship the Lord, what gift are we bringing? Is it one that is acceptable or not? I urge you to bring your very best to the Lord at every opportunity that your gift may be pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.

Worshiper or Whiner?

Here are a couple things you can apply to yourself to determine if you are a worshiper or a whiner.

1. Worshipers take responsibility while whiners only justify.
2. Being a worshiper or a whiner will choose your friends for you. Are your friends worshipers or whiners? What does that say about you?
3. Worshipers speak the truth while whiners distort the truth?
4. Worshipers and whiners create their own environment. Is your environment that of a worshiper or a whiner?

Which are you?

Easter Recap

Yesterday was an amazing day. I find that when people come in with an expectation that things are going to be great, they are. Imagine that.

This Easter everyone was walking around with a smile and had great enthusiasm in remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior. That momentum carried directly into the music portion of our service. People were involved and it was a lot of fun.

I began wondering this morning, why do people come with a greater expectation on Easter than any other day? Don’t we celebrate “Easter” every day?

On one hand, I totally get it. Globally we have set aside a time to celebrate the greatest miracle that ever took place, Jesus’ resurrection. So people are already on board and are excited because we have set aside time to honor the Savior.

On the other hand, my prayer is that people will recognize that His death and resurrection are the very essence of our hope and realize that “11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (NLT) Rom 8:11

I’d say that’s a good reason to live every day expecting God to do the amazing. Happy Easter!

Easter

I love Easter so much. It’s one day of the year where we all celebrate one common theme: the perfect life, death and resurrection of Christ. I am so thankful that Jesus did not just come say a bunch of pithy things, die and then be done with it. Instead, he followed through on His Father’s word and AROSE! What an incredible celebration. Because of Christ’s life, we too have the opportunity for eternal life. Too many people are walking dead. They have not experienced the life of Christ in their lives.

Therefore, do not shy away from declaring the resurrection of Christ. It is the reason for our hope; the reason for our life. It is His life after death that validates every word He spoke, every miracle He performed and every promise He has made.