God Loves Himself

I've been thinking a lot about how much God loves Himself. Think about it...if God loved someone more than Himself...then He wouldn't be God...because there would be something/someone greater than Him worth loving.

And then I think of the relationship God shares with Himself...Father, Son & Spirit. The Son and the Father share intimate relationship with each other...and Jesus constantly talked about how He came to show us the Father...and that They are one.

I really believe we present an incomplete gospel at times. We leave the thought at, 'Jesus saved us so we wouldn't go to hell.' True...but we need to follow that thought further...doing that will lead us to the very heart and nature of God.

Since God loves Himself...He loves to behold Himself. Man is made in God's image. We chose something other than God to give ourselves to. God desires the relationship with us to be reconciled. He sends Himself to do what only He could do, and in doing so, makes a way once more for us to be together...sharing in the same intimacy He shares with Himself.

I absolutely love this thought.

It's Not About Doing...

I absolutly love Romans 8 in The Message. And especially the end of verse 4...

"And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us."

I think a lot of us get stuck in thinking the bible offers us just 'principles to live by.' I think we sell the gospel very short when we see the bible as just 'guidance for life'...like a book you'd give a high school graduate...you know?

I think we get stuck in talking about 'how to live right'...that we don't get around to exercising a real relationship with the Father, Jesus & the Spirit.

It's not a matter of 'doing', 'striving' or even 'trying'...it's about agreeing with what God is already doing in and around us. When we talk about striving to be perfect, or trying to do the 'right' things...we're not getting the large picture.

I have felt guilt and shame about not having an early morning 'quiet time' with God...a lot of that came from well intentioned people that were hopefully encouraging real relationship with God...but it's the 'shoulds', 'coulds' & 'woulds' that can kill someones passion.

I understand that there are many times I don't feel like worshipping God...and in these cases it comes down to being reminded of who God is that changes my perspective.

He is desiring a real relationship with His children. One that engages the mind as well as the heart...and one that is intimate and close.

More later...

Revelation & Response

Worship is about revelation and response. God shows us who He is...and we respond. The more we see...the greater the response.

Last night we were singing Matt & Beth Redman's Facedown...amazing lyrics paired with a rather haunting verse melody line. The reality that God welcomes us into His presence is mind blowing. That a holy God would invite us into relationship and intimacy with Him overwhelms me.

I never want to get comfortable in my worship...and I never want His Place Church to get comfortable in their worship.

I have been asking our bands to be praying specifically for this: that we experience greater intimacy with the Father and in turn offer everything that we have and are to Him in worship as a response. That we don't get comfortable and caught up in preferences in music or the colors of the newly painted walls...but that when we get together it is for the purpose to respond to God's great love and experience His presence and power.

There is so much more!

Growth Group Tuesday...

We're going to be talking about Intimacy this upcoming Tuesday night. Intimacy with God...and Intimacy with each other...real relationships. Here are the questions from Doug:

1) Read John 14-17. List what you think are the primary things that we can learn about intimacy in these 4 chapters.

2) How do those things impact our lives on a daily basis?

3) What implications do they have for this group this year?

4) What impact does that have on our group?

Intimate & Self-Disclosing

One of our values in worship at His Place is that we strive 'to be intimate and self-disclosing with God.' Intimacy is our highest priority in worship. I've been praying lately that we would experience that intimacy in greater ways on Sunday mornings...and soon to be Thursday nights...in our Growth Groups...and in our homes.

For someone who talks about it a lot...it still comes as a challenge to be open and honest with God. I can be quite stubborn...but I'm trying to let God shape me...

It's All About Relationship

This morning I shot a video with my boss...and spent the rest of the day editing it. Doug was talking about His Place...our vision & values...what we are about.

And as I edited what we shot, I heard over and over and over...it is all about relationship. Relationship with God and each other. That God invites us into a love relationship with Himself blows my mind.

This week is the last week we'll be talking about Intimacy. It has been amazing.

How's Your AIM?

It's the question we've been asking on Sunday mornings.

AIM= Accuracy, Intimacy, Ministry.

It's the idea that one of these things without the other causes funkiness. Like an arrow with it's feathers (vanes). If you take off one of the feathers the arrow flies out of control.

The conversations have been good...

The Battle For Our Hearts

I write a lot about intimacy with God...how I desire it, need it. But I don't write a lot about my fear or hesitation for intimacy with God. That could sound strange coming from someone who makes his living as a 'worship pastor.'

I think a lot of us have been wounded. We've had moments where our trust was violated. Moments where our dreams were shattered. Moments of some sort of abuse...verbal, emotional, or physical. No one makes it out of here unscathed...and we find ourselves coping with our wounds in different ways...

The 'Christian life' is sold to people as a 'one time fix your life' kind of religion. It is no such thing. I think the 'Christian life' is a journey...one that Christ Himself calls us to...and if we let Him...actually leads us through. It's about becoming aware of who we really are and who He really is.

The battle for our heart is huge. As Christians, if we lose heart...if we stop living from our heart...we are dead. We buy into the idea that being religious is enough and we lose the love affair with Jesus that we once had...or dreamed of.

Our wounds are valid...but we cannot let them control us or dictate our lives. Jesus calls us on a journey of healing...a life journey...

There is a battle happening right now for our hearts...and Jesus calls to us...calling us into a life of living from the heart...of love, trust and intimacy.

He's calling...

Listen again...

Intimacy In Worship

I always look at a set list as a bit of a journey. I ask myself questions like: Where are we going? How do we get there? Who's driving the car?

Intimacy in worship is a high value. The whole Christian experience is about relationship and centers around intimacy with the God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. In worship we express our love.

Intimacy with the Father...it's what I'm after...it's where we're going on Sunday mornings as Jesus leads us to Him.

The Son always leads to the Father.

Values

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what I value. What are the things that I'm 'about'. Alex wrote about his life/ministry vision a while back and got my brain working a bit.

I know that I am me...that I'm myself...but what are the things that make me, 'me.' I thought I'd share just a couple in no particular order:

Intimacy - My deepest dream is to experience intimacy with God. I believe that I was created for this reason...and I deeply value intimacy with Him.

Creativity - Erwin McManus once made the quite redundant statement that, "we were creatively created by a creative creator." We bear His image. God has given us the ability to create...and be creative. To do something that has not been done before. I value it.

What do you value?

My Teeth Smell

So it's 8:30...and I haven't brushed my teeth. Gross. I also need to shave today...tonight is the beach bonfire with the church and I gotta look prettier than I do now. You'll thank me later.

Heather and I get up at 5:30 every weekday morning to pray. We've only been at it for about a month and this week was tough. It takes me a while to actually wake up...and yesterday, I opted for the first time to sleep in. Heather headed to the couch and prayed, while her brave husband chose to battle the bed bugs for an extra half hour or so.

This morning was awesome though. (we pray together on Friday's...but Monday-Thursday Heather gets the living room and I get the computer room) I believe that one of the things the Lord desires the most is intimacy with us. We were created by Him...for Him. I'll be honest, sometimes my decisions and attitudes don't communicate that I want intimacy with Him. But thank God that it doesn't rest on my shoulders...It starts with God and ends with God. It starts with God's love for Himself, then us...we then respond to God...because of God...for God...WOAH...

All that to say that I'm thankful this morning that the Father desires intimacy with me. I'm thankful that this morning Heather and I responded together. And I'm thankful that all of this begins and ends with God.

We were created for intimacy with God. BAM!

Palm Trees, Mercy & A Black Widow

I've got a couple of plants in my office. I love it. If I had the room, I'd have a couple palm trees. Within reason, I love a comfortable work space...a little ambiance is a very good thing. I think John makes fun of me for the candles, though. But he's just jealous that his office doesn't smell like passion fruit guava.

We had band practice last night. It was a bit therapeutic for me. You ever just get a little tired? Maybe worn out a bit? Now granted, I had just spent a couple days with Lawrence Welk, but regardless, I was feeling how I was feeling. We hit a real nice spot when we were going through "Your Mercy" & "Draw Me Close." A solid reminder that His mercy will always lift us and draw us into intimacy with the Father. Our prayer last night was that as we get together to worship this week, that we would indeed find His mercy...fresh...new starts...and that we would be drawn close to Him.

In other news, I saw a black widow on my bookshelf this morning and he ran off before I could bring him to justice. I'm nervous...

Intimacy With The Father

One of the values that I've always held close to in worship is intimacy. As worship leaders...or people in a worship band...we do more than lead songs. Raffi does that. I think the best thing that we can do is follow the Spirit into the throne room, call and encourage as many to enter in with us, and then disappear. It's the Spirit that draws us and people to the Father...we're just the folks upfront who have been 'there' and have been called and want to tell others about it. It's more than singing songs.

If it's God that draws us to Himself, then we simply follow.

This week may we experience life-changing intimacy with the Father. Jesus died and came back to life so we could be close with Him.

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

-Matthew 11:27

Father And Son Intimacies

I was reading my bible this morning...Matthew 011:27.
"The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

There are a couple things that I really love here. One is the intimacy part of it. Every time I read about intimacy with God, it connects with me. That the Father doesn't only forgive our sins, or even just desire a relationship with us...the Father desires intimacy. And it's so drastically beautiful. I mean, we ain't talking we can know God. We can know Him intimately. And the second part of this that I love is that He is "ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen." Man...I want to be a good listener. In school I wasn't. I forget things very very quickly...not sure why. But THIS...THIS I want to listen to. I NEED to listen.

That the Father would not only make a way for us to come to Him, but also make a way to have intimacy with Him leaves my jaw wide open. What could be more beautiful? What could be more lovely?

This week as we come together for worship...may we experience intimacy with the Father. And if you've never felt that closeness with Him before...there is much hope...because He's "ready to go over it line by line."

Let's listen in together...

Intimacy

I wanted to start writing periodically about some of the things we value in worship. Values are like tools…they are not the end goal. The end goal is God. It’s Him we are after, and these values are tools to get us to our destination.

The first value I wanted to talk about is Intimacy. Intimacy is God’s idea…not ours. The story of the Bible is the story of how God wins His people back into an intimate relationship with Him after it was broken in Eden. If God values intimacy…then I certainly want to value it.

The most extraordinary example I have found of this value has been in marriage. And while one could say that it doesn’t get much more intimate than that, Jesus says in Luke that, “Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.” Can you imagine the depth of that intimacy. I can’t even begin it understand it. I was reading that this morning and I shook my head in amazement.

The simple rule of thumb is true: Whoever you hang around, you become. Intimacy with God is life changing. We are changed and transformed in His presence.

The Father desires intimacy with His children now. The Father didn’t make a way for us so that we could slap Him a high five and say ‘thanks.’ The Father made a way because He wants intimacy with us. And in that relationship we find life and wholeness.