I Absolutly Can't Wait For This...

September 24th can not come quick enough...

Phil Wickham - Heaven Song

Where We'll Be September 24, 2009

Heather and I like being married. We like it so much that we do something super cool every anniversary. Well...this year, it just happens that U2 is on tour and will be playing the day of our 4 year...in New York.

The only reasonable thing to do was to join their fan club, get in on their special pre-sale and snag a couple of tickets! We also found a super cheap flight on JetBlue.

What could make all of this better, you ask? Muse is opening.

This is gonna be amazing...

Late Morning Distraction...

Set List & Recap :: 4/19/2009

Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Able/Tomlin)
Unchanging (Tomlin)
From The Inside Out (Houston)
Holy God (Doerksen)
Take My Life (Underwood)
Refiner's Fire (Doerksen)

Man...this morning Doug, lead pastor at HPC, brought it big time. We were continuing our series in 1 Thessalonians and we were talking about sanctification, holiness and sexual integrity. You could have heard a pin drop as he talked about what so many in the church don't like/are uncomfortable talking about...sex.

He did a killer job communicating the truth w/o laying on guilt...cause if as a Christian you've wrestled with sexual sin...you know there is enough guilt from everywhere & everyone else.

It was an incredible morning...and there is hope!

Thoughts On Buying A House

So we've been looking at houses the last few days and will be going out again on Friday. There's one house we really like...being 2 blocks from the lake & less than a mile from downtown CDA would be quite fun.

The place is smaller than what I was originally thinking of...but the more houses I see...the more I like this one.

We've had some cool conversations about what we need...the place will fit us perfectly, but we'd have to get rid of some 'stuff'. It's a funny thought to buy a bigger place so we can fit all of our things in it.

It's a super cool little bungalow that was remodeled 3 years ago.

Hmmm...

We're Looking For A House

Something I was convinced that would never really happen for us was owning a home. We've been throwing down rent for our whole independent lives...and now, for the first time in our lives, we're looking for a house to purchase. Crazy.

We're headed out with our realtor Monday afternoon for the first time. We're stoked...and we're praying the God would lead us to the right spot.

We came up to Idaho with a limp & a prayer...and in the practical AND the emotional/spiritual...God has been providing for & healing us in amazing ways...

We'll keep you posted.

Johnn Cash Is On Twitter...

It has finally happened.  Our dog, Johnny Cash, has set up his own Twitter account.  Follow him here.  @JohnnyCashDog

Northwest Ministry Conference

So we went to the Northwest Ministry Conference this weekend. There wasn't really anything offered re: worship ministry...or...better stated...the few things that were offered re: worship ministry didn't really interest me. But there was redemption! Francis Chan brought it...and brought it big time. He spoke about many things...the bible, the church, love, poverty, marriage...and it was all pretty dope.

The biggest bummer was that the conference only gave him 12 minutes in the morning general session...which was a big mistake on their part...and followed his powerful talk on poverty & equality with a comedian...

All in all...the time away was good..and has helped me rethink a lot of things. Plus, the fact that my wife got to come with was a pretty sweet deal!

Unknown Comments...Pt. 3

There was an 'Unknown Commenter" that didn't have the courage to leave their name last week, complaining about "not being able to worship" because we haven't done a hymn in a while...and asked me to "throw them a bone."

Well...before I heard or knew of their complaint, I picked the following weeks set list...which included a hymn...Jesus Paid It All...Stanfill style.

This week there was another Unknown Comment that read, "Thank you for the bone."

There is much irony here...at least for me...

I'm bummed that people think that if they complain we will change what we're doing. I'm pleased that this person was 'able to worship' yesterday because of my song choice...but it's a little silly to me.

May His Place be a community of passionate Jesus followers who are amazed, in awe and overwhelmed by God's mercy, love, grace...His Son & His Spirit...and may He be the reason we worship, not song selection and/or complaining...

A.W. Tozer Quotes from "Worship: The Missing Jewel"

"Why did Christ come? In order that He might make worshippers out of rebels."

"Worship means "to feel in the heart". A person that merely goes through the form and does not feel anything is not worshipping."

"Worship also means "to express in some appropriate manner" what you feel. And what will be expressed? A humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder. It is delightful to worship God, but it is also a humbling thing."

"And if there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We’re too familiar with God."

"We’re here to be worshippers first and workers only second. We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of him. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshipper, and after that he can learn to be a worker. The work done by a worshipper will have eternity in it. Labor that does not spring out of worship is futile and can only be wood, hay, and stubble in the day that shall try every man’s works."

Worship: The Heart & The Mind

Worship is a response to something or someone...in our case, God. God reveals who He is to us and we respond. We experience freedom, healing & restoration from Jesus...we respond. We learn who He is in His word and we respond.

The more we see and experience Him, the more amazed and in awe we are...His power, beauty, love & holiness.

Worship also involves sacrifice. Words are easy to say...but to follow through with those words with a life lived in unabashed surrender involves yielding ourselves to Him...it involves giving up & letting go.

To worship with just the mind is dry and not robust. To worship with just the heart is empty and vague.

It can flip flop either way...and worship without both the heart and mind engaged is either flat or fluff. We write off engaging the heart in order to keep things controlled and manageable. We write off the mind to keep things in 'abstracts' and never get around to knowing who we are worshipping.

I fear it going either way...God cannot be contained in knowledge, yet He desires us to know Him. He reveals Himself in His word, yet desires us to know His heart and agree with what His Spirit is doing.

I want my worship to be as big and robust as God is...