Am I prepared for Worship?

Whenever I think something goes really well it seems God has a way of knocking me down a bit. Perhaps putting me in my place. He doesn't allow me to take too much pride in what I perceive to be the work on my doing. Somehow God wants and deserves all the Glory.

However, I think sometimes Satan plays games with us, not allowing us to see how God is using us to be His hands and feet in the world. The evil one will do anything to distract us from the Glory of God.

My heart's desire is for this congregation and this community to fall deeper in love with Jesus. I do not care how this happens, I just want it to happen. I cry out for this. The worship services that God leads me to plan are not attempts to glorify myself, but to bring Glory to God. Since God is the Soveriegn Lord of All, our worship should be varied in style and matter. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess the Jesus is Lord.

When I come to worship God am I more worried about pleasing myself? Do I worry about how others will be lead into worshipping the living God? Am I prepared to sacrifice my needs for the needs of my brothers and sisters?

Can you imagine a community that comes together and worships the Lord by loving each other in that worship? Style and content seem to fade away into the background. What if we don't observe what is happening in worship and just be in worship?

Lord, help me to be the pastor that gets out of your way and lets you work in the lives of the people of CPC and surround community. Lord may I be your humble servant that points people to worshipping you and not the elements of worship. Let there be revival Lord in me and at CPC. With that revival may it spread into our neighbors.

How quickly we forget

It amazes me how quickly we forget. How quickly when we let our guard down things go assunder. Nehemiah organizes the people to rebuild Jerusalem. He gets them praying, confession, reading the Bible, worshipping God, and then once things are going well he decides he can go back to the King. When we returns it has all fallen apart. They have let foreigners into the city. The women and marrying outside the faith, they are working on the sabbath, they forget to pay their tithes and give the first fruits of everything.

Are we programmed to need leaders? Are we wired that we must have someone telling us what to do?

Yes...that is what we call total depravity. When left to our own devices things fall apart. We need (I need) to be a people (to be a person) that is grounded day in and day out in God's Word. We need (I need) people that hold me accountable and watch over me. I need people that care enough about me to gentle correct my behaviors and my thoughts. I need (We need) each other.

Just last night I was grumbling about doing a favor someone. I received the credit, but in my heart I was not a joyful giver. I was annoyed about the inconveince. Lord help me to love my neighbor in each and every moment. Help me to recognize those moments. Help me to be in your Word and in your community.

The Trouble with Visions

I stayed up too late last night. My mind was thinking about the vision of this church. In our Mission study we have stated that the vision for the church for 2005-2010 is:

"Our main vision is institutional redevelopment. By the year 2010 we wish to be a viable and growing church that is an effective witness and servant to our target neighborhood."

Is that really a vision statement? I don't disagree with that statement nor mean to criticize any or all that worked on it. But is that really a vision of the future or just a wish. It seems to generic. Of course we want to be viable! Of course we want to be an effective witness. But how? Where is the vision to get us there.

Reading in Nehemiah I am struck in all the people that help complete the vision of God given to Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem. It goes on and on about the different people responsible for the different tasks in the rebuilding. Can we be a church that comes together with a long list of people that see the vision and complete it? Where does our vision come from?

As I struggle with the question of whether or not I am a visionary, it occurred to me that Nehemiah wasn't a visionary. God had the vision and gave it to Nehemiah. God has the one that gave him all that he needed to fulfill the vision. Nehemiah also experienced resistence and enemies. The road to receiving and completing the vision was littering with danger and obstacles. Are we prepare to go down that road? Are we prepare to journey with God and see the vision He has for Christ Presbyterian Church? Tough questions.

So what do we do? What is the first step in finding out the vision of God for us. Who will be the one or the people that receive the vision? I don't know, It meant not be me. However, I think the direction we need to take is to study and live in His Word together (together being key) and be in prayer together. We need more time to study and pray together. And just start living out God's will for us: LOVE GOD, LOVE NEIGHBOR, MAKING DISCIPLES. By just doing that and entering into God's will in the every day ordinary moments of our lives, I think God will give us the vision--if he hasn't already.

Nameless Visionary

Can you be a nameless visionary? As I was reading Nehemiah this morning, I was trying to pull out the things that Nehemiah did to carry out God's vision. In the first few chapters, I saw a person whose heart was broken for the world as God's is. I saw a Nehemiah who first confessed his sins, for his family and for his people. I saw a Nehemiah who recognized God's grace upon him. I saw a person who traveled light and realized that God would provide all that he needed. I saw a person would rallied leaders around him to get the task done. How can we be like Nehemiah, how can I be like Nehemiah in the vineyard at Christ Presbyterian.

I also sat in on the Brown Bag 'n Bible group. I listen a story of a nameless servant that helped prepare the passover feast for Jesus. I am willing to Jesus' nameless servant or am I more interested in fame and being well-liked. Am I willing to take the risk to Jesus' nameless servant.

Can we be nameless visionaries? Or do you need to be nameless servants?

The Beginning

Well, I beginning my venture to an online world. May God bless and use this blog and my life to serve him.