Love Came Down

"I remind myself of all that you've done
and the life I have because of your Son..."

Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

"No Compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about... 'For I tell you...no man can serve two masters...' (Matt. 6:24). In a day when believers seem to be trying to please both the world and the Lord (which is an impossible thing), when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer...Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him!" — Keith Green, No Compromise album, 1978.

Wow, I can't believe that this song by Keith Green is now 30 years old. I came across this Jesus Culture cover of it and the words of the bridge just really stuck with me and became one of my prayers of late.

"I want to take Your word and shine it all around

But first help me just to live it Lord

And when I'm doing well

Help me to never seek a crown

For my reward is bringing glory to You."

- Keith Green (1953-1982)

Revelation Song

"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones, and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightening, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal."

"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:"

"Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty

who was, and is, and is to come."

"Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:"

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being."

"Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?' But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.'"

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:"

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throng and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:"

"Worthy is the lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!"

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them saying:"

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!"

"The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped."

(taken from Revelation 4 and 5)

Psalm 23

I was recently introduced to a song called Psalm 23. It's based on, you guessed it, psalm 23. I remember hearing a missionary preach on Psalm 23 a few years back and I posted about it. Every time I listen to this song I can't help but stop what I'm doing, close my eyes and soak in the melody.

Before the Throne of God Above

We sang this song in church on Sunday and I absolutely love it. I've been listening to this version of it by Shane & Shane throughout the entire week and the powerful lyrics of this hymn just blow me away (and their vocals are pretty impressive too). It's off of their 2007 album Pages. Have a listen to it below!

Before The Throne of God Above - Shane & Shane


To avoid any copyright violations, go check out the lyrics HERE.

Winter Jam Session

Got a chance to cap off 2008 with a jam session with my brother and some old friends from church. It brought back some great memories of when we used to work together on various worship teams. These guys (and gal ^_^) are so gifted and it was a privilege to be able to take a few hours, rock up, and have fun praising God together.

I thought I'd put that 16GB SDHC card to use and I setup my dad's tiny little camera to capture a few of the many songs we tried. Took about three batteries worth of video. Next time we'll have to turn up the mics a bit more to have the vocals cut through but here are a few that I liked.

"Hungry" by Kathryn Scott



"Still" by Reuben Morgan



"I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" by Martin Smith (Delirious?)

I actually really liked this version. Rob had this idea to use a different chord progression (Emaj7 Bm7 Amaj7 F#m7 B) and it actually sounded okay. I think I'm going to fiddle around with this idea more...

Let Your Glory Shine

I wanted to get my hands on Lincoln Brewster's latest album, Today Is The Day, so I thought I'd head down to the local Christian bookstore that's about 5 minutes away from my house and check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't know (or had forgotten) that Christian Publications went out of business in Calgary earlier in the year. I was very disappointed because now if I want music or a book I'll have to blindly order it online without the benefits of browsing through it first. I guess they just can't compete against the giants named Chapter/Indigo or Amazon when it comes to pricing and one-stop shopping for everything.

Anyway, I've been listening to tracks off the CD online and I just love this one song called "Let Your Glory Shine". At the beginning of the song, Lincoln erupts into this Van Halen-like intro and launches into a really great sounding song that would be great to use to end off a worship set. It's got a catchy riff with a nice bluesy-rock feel to it. Go to his MySpace page to listen to the full album version of the song or watch a live version of it below:



I enjoy reading the thoughts that Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries shares on his blog. I've learned a lot from him about the role of music in worshiping God and the important things to keep in mind when involved in the music ministry. One statement that he made with regards to being "lead worshipers" (and applies to everyone) is that our goal should be to magnify the worth of God and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. That is the purpose of the music ministry in a nutshell.

When I attend a service on Sundays, one of the aspects of worship that I love is the music. Songs are a very powerful way for us to connect with God for many different reasons and shouldn't be reserved for just Sundays either. There's no reason why singing can't be a part of our own personal worship at home, in the car (great place to just belt it out), in the shower, or walking to work/school.

Have you ever found it easier to remember the lyrics to a song rather than simple prose in the absence of music? I know it's tough for me to memorize a whole passage of scripture. I was so encouraged when I found out that the Sunday morning adults bible study class was combining scripture memory with their study of the sermon on the mount. I joined them just as they were finishing the beatitudes in Matt 5 and they hope to have chapters 5-7 completely memorized by the end of it all! I'm surprised at how many songs I can sing along to on the radio or how many worship songs I know the lyrics to by heart. That's because combining words with music helps us to remember better. So one of the keys to singing is that it helps us remember God's word.

Bob also pointed out that singing should be a response to God's grace. We should be thankful and grateful for all that God has done for us. Especially this Christmas season, we celebrate and thank God for sending his son Jesus through the singing of various Christmas songs.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Col 3:15-17 (NIV)

Finally, we sing to reflect God's glory. Paul tells the Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit. And how can they do that? By speaking to one another with psalms, hymn and spiritual songs. He encourages them to sing and make music in their hearts to the Lord, to always give thanks, and always in the name of Jesus Christ.

Discipleship Revolution

I thought today's sermon was great. There was a guest pastor by the name of Paul Butler and he spoke about his passion - helping to bring about a discipleship revolution.

Pastor Paul used three three-word mnemonics to help us join in on this discipleship revolution. He spoke from 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 and reminded us all that we should be living as disciples of Christ, not merely believers; we should live in a way inspired by Jesus Christ with our works coming by faith, our labor prompted by the love of our God (who sent His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins), and have endurance inspired by the hope of eternal life. Faith, love and hope.

One truth that Pastor Paul brought up was that it is the Holy Spirit's work that leads people to repentance and ultimately salvation. Too often I think that the words that I use, the well-contrived arguments and my rational thinking can sway people when it comes to the truth - the truth about life, love and what purpose we serve being here on earth. Wrong. We do our best but it's by God's grace and by the Holy Spirit that people are saved. The apostle Paul makes it very clear that the power of the gospel lies not in the words that we use to present it. It comes through power, deep conviction and joy given to us by the Holy Spirit. Power, conviction and joy.

I don't like being wrong about anything - nobody does. This is especially true when it comes to worldviews. When I claim to be a follower of Christ, what does that mean I think about all the other religions out there? Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So basically, this means that if God indeed exists and Jesus turns out to be God (as he claimed to be), then any other worldview that claims to have an alternate way to heaven/God/enlightenment/nirvana/whatever is wrong. I didn't make up the rules, God did - the author of life and truth. Unfortunately, this comes across as exclusivism and rubs a lot of people the wrong way. We can and should do our best to plant the seeds and water them but ultimately it's up to God and the Holy Spirit to soften hearts...

The last bit of the sermon today was focused on how to kick-start the discipleship revolution. He spoke of Jamie Oliver and how he has taken his passion for food and cooking and written a book on the "Ministry of Food". Basically, Jamie has started this "pass it on campaign" to teach people how to cook that follows a discipleship method. You learn how to make something like spaghetti bolognaise, you invite a couple of your mates over for dinner, and using the book you talk both of them through the recipe. Once they've got it down, they can each go and teach two of their mates the same recipe and the result is a powerful, exponential explosion of people who can now make this dish.



The way Jamie Oliver is spreading the joys of cooking and food to countless people is the same way that we as Christians should be spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ - through a mentorship/discipleship scheme. In fact, we should be probably be telling more than just two people because the gospel message will determine how we spend all of eternity. Food is great and everything but most of us can't even remember what we cooked or ate a few days ago. It is such a temporary and fleeting experience and within hours (or minutes for some of us) we are hungry yet again. How must more desperate should we be to teach others about the truth of Jesus Christ so that the church can grow exponentially and fulfill the great commission? Pastor Paul told us to remember three words for discipleship (which I forgot and had to be reminded of after church LoL) from a mentorship perspective:

Intentional - it needs to be proactive; we must initiate the process or it won't happen
Investment - commit to meeting once a week with someone to talk about one thing that Jesus teaches us in the bible and how to apply it to our lives today.
Imitation - we should imitate the example set by the apostle Paul and, in doing so, imitate Christ

We need to develop a passion for people through...
Faith Love Hope
Power Conviction Joy
Intentional Investment Imitation

Was just listening to a song I really like called "Revolution Cry". I believe it was originally written by Jason Wade of Lifehouse while he was with a band called Blyss. Steve Fee did a cover of it on the Passion Worship Band album "Sacred Revolution". Have a listen below =)

Goodbye My Friend

Dear Ronnie/Pomaron/Ronstars,

It's been a while since we've had time to catch up. I still remember what a pleasant surprise it was to see you at S.N.O.W. last Christmas. Ever since you left for Edmonton to do pharmacy, it's been tough to keep in touch. I wish I could have met up with you before I had to jet off to Australia again. You've got me in this deer-caught-in-headlights shock man and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to write or what to say but I can't help but remember our time spent together...

Much of my time yesterday afternoon and evening was spent looking through some old photos that Nathan had uploaded from the good 'ole days at Evangel Alliance Church. We were the 'Evangel Boyz'. What a memory explosion and how thankful I am that Nathan was so good at diligently photographing everything throughout the years. I don't know how I would have survived all those years without you there. Not officially, but you were the leader of that small handful of us that made up the EAC youth; and not just by default either but deservedly.

You were so cool and mature. As a teen I thought you were so lucky to live with your sister and have your level of independence. I remember getting into Gran Turismo 2 because of you and giving the Final Fantasy games a shot (never really caught on to the FF series). Remember that choreographed Matrix-style fight scene you had with Gabe at EAC's 10th Anniversary celebration? I wish I knew karate or kung-fu or some form of I-can-kick-your-ass-art like you.


There weren't many people I looked up to but you were one of them. You were the closest thing to a goh-goh or "older brother" that I had. It was awesome having you a couple years ahead of me to light the path ahead of me in many ways. Asking you about school stuff like whether I should take IB in high school. Bugging you about university and eventually choosing to major in biochemistry - just as you did - and then realizing how freaking hard it was to memorize all that crap and spend all that time in labs (I didn't realize that because you were so stinkin' smart and chill playing foosball throughout uni - you made it look so easy). I still have your chem 201/203 and bio 231/233 labs and notes in my room back in Calgary. Wouldn't have gotten A's in those classes without your help.

I remember how we were the first of the next generation to get baptized at EAC. I wish I had a copy of your testimony saved somewhere.

But by far the best memory I have is how we both started really getting into worship music. Neither of us were satisfied with the simple piano accompaniment our church had been using for years and years and we wanted more...we wanted to start a revolution that would introduce guitars, drums and just a modern sound into our church music. And so we set off to learn the instruments ourselves...starting with the guitar. I still remember how nice your guitar was (a Simon & Patrick) compared to mine (my uncle's old Yamaha SJ-180 that I was borrowing - no offense uncle!!). We set out to teach ourselves chords and for the purpose of playing in church. You were the sifu and I was the todai trying to learn whatever I could from you.

Do you remember the first song we led together on the guitar? I remember this set that we led back in June of 2001. I was playing keys and you were on the guitar. I'm pretty sure we did "Open The Eyes of My Heart" and "Every Move I Make" among others. I remember Every Move because we were trying to teach people the part that goes "La la la la la la la la la la la..." and when we got there nobody knew how to time the 'las' and nobody could sing it LOL. At that point I had managed to learn the chords for "Lord Most High" and that was the one song we both played the guitar for - you leading and I struggling along with you trying to keep up.

It was so cool to see you this past winter and to see that you were still passionate about worshiping God through music (and through the rest of your life). I'm still playing the guitar now and I thought I'd play that first song we learned together. It sounds a bit empty without one of us singing the echo parts or maybe doing a bit of harmonizing during the chorus. But that's okay as long as God gets the glory. If I close my eyes I can almost hear your voice singing in the background...

You were a true friend and I count myself blessed to have known you. I'm going to miss you heaps. Your selfless, caring attitude will never be forgotten. I look forward to seeing you again when my time here is finished. Rest in peace.

Your brother in Christ,
Matt

The Future of Worship Music?

This post is inspired from a post made earlier by the Worship Guitar Guy on the same topic. He makes one important point about the definition of worship (borrowed from Louie Giglio) that it is our whole life response to God for who He is and what He's done (and continues to do) in us - waaaaaaaaay much more than music and song. Then he poses a bunch of questions to his readers and asks them to comment...

1. How will songwriting change (for you writers out there?) One criticism of some worship music is that it seems very “me-centered.” Should songwriting be more community focused and how can writers be more open to that thought?

I'm not sure if we will see any significant change in song-writing in the immediate future. I think it would be cool to see more lyrics of "we" and "us" in congregational worship. I think it's cool to be singing as one body and united as once voice and I would support a more community focused lyrical movement. I know that there are songs out there that you could sing to your girlfriend/boyfriend if only you replaced Jesus with their name (not very profound). However, it's tough and maybe unfair to criticize someone's songwriting inspiration because it could have come from a very personal and touching moment between the writer and God. For example, one song that comes to mind is "You Are My All in All" written by Dennis Jernigan. I remember reading that his inspiration for writing the song came from how God helped him through his struggles with homosexuality and helped him to find purpose, love and reassurance through Jesus Christ. I think it's very fitting that the song be personally centered on that intimate relationship between the believer and God and that there should continue to be a place for these "God-and-I centered" types of songs as well - maybe like a personal prayer to God.

2. Also, another issue suggested is that songwriting has been very simplistic in its thoughts and lyrical content. Do you see songwriters embracing much more “vivid imagery” in writing? Can you see more complexity in lyrical content or should lyrical content remain simple?

I have mixed feelings about the balance between simplicity and more complex "vivid imagery" in songs. I'm not sure more imagery is the solution. The words need to be simple enough for a congregation to catch onto quickly, remember and sing with ease (here i'm assuming that these are praise and/or worship songs that are written specifically for congregational use). If you have too many syllables crammed into each line and words that you need a dictionary to understand, people aren't going to connect with God during the singing. Getting the words flow easily with music is the trickiest part. You can have the best lyrics possible (pull a Psalm directly from the bible) but if you don't set it to a singable, catchy melody then it can be impossible to use effectively in corporate worship. Ultimately, you can't separate the words from the song and the music has to fit. I find Hillsong United songs are some of the easiest to learn, love and sing along to.

Recently, I've been listening to Valley of Visions by Sovereign Grace Music and the lyrics are pretty solid in all of the songs. Some songs are easier to sing along to and some are just...well...awkward. For example, I liked "In the Valley" and "Let Your Kingdom Come"; I did not like "I Come Running", "It Was Your Grace", "Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son", "It Was Love"...actually most of rest were pretty tough to catch onto (nevermind lead in church). I think if I need to listen to song more than 5 times before I can figure out how to sing it, it's too complicated. That means the song will have to be introduced and sung at least 5 times in service before the average person with a bit of musical background can sing the song comfortably without struggling through. Maybe it would work if everyone listened to the songs at home and/or to and from school/work throughout the week so that they were familiar with them come church service time. I love it when I can close my eyes, sing a song, and really focus on God because the melody and words are familiar.

This is where the really gifted songwriters stand out. Chris Tomlin, Paul Baloche, Matt Redman, Reuben Morgan - all have written many great, fairly simple, memorable, singable songs that are used in churches all over the world.

3. How will the role of singers and instrumentalists change? Are there additional ways we can begin to “decrease” so that the confessions of the songs and the focus on God “increases?”

Hmm...I think variety is good and that having a huge band/choir is not necessarily the best way to go all the time. Sometimes simple is good. One idea that I remember reading about was to remove the stage-presence of the music team, put them in a pit or maybe off to the side/back, and just stick a big cross at the front. That way people aren't potentially distracted by the singers or instrumentalists (what they're wearing, what they're doing, what kind of guitar they're using, wow that riff was neat how did he just play that <watch his fingers>...) and can instead focus on God. But I guess this has it's problems too because the leader needs to be seen to lead...

4. Bono is quoted as saying “Gospel tells us where we’re going, but the blues tell us where we are.” 2/3rds of the Psalms deal with issues of darkness and despair (obviously) faced by the psalmist. Is there a place for darker more introspective worship in a church setting? Can “the blues” (not necessarily the genre, but the thoughts behind it) become a greater part of corporate confession?

I remember hearing Tim Hughes speak at Breakforth 2006 about laments and how there are very few modern laments written. Reason? Well, it's probably cuz they're sad and depressing and people don't go to church to be sad and depressed...or do they? I've been pretty upset and depressed in church before and sang songs that didn't truly express how I was feeling at the time...I remember crying in the middle of a sermon once and having to leave to recompose myself because I felt that there was something wrong with being upset or showing negative emotions. My guess is that when we sing songs like "Oh Happy Day" there are heaps of people in the congregation that may not be feeling so happy at that moment. Why not give these people an opportunity to cry out to God in their struggles and sorrows? I would like to see a place and context for laments and songs that may not be all happy happy joy joy in corporate worship - a "holy blues" perhaps?

One thing is for sure, there sure won't be any shortage of fresh and new material coming forth. I am confident that we will continue to "Sing to Him a new song" as the psalmist writes...

My humble rig down under: G&L Legacy --> Ts9 --> Echo Park --> Blackheart 5W Class A tube head + 1x12 Eminence speaker cab

Cry Holy

One of my favorite Christian bands is Sonicflood and one of my favorite songs of theirs is "Cry Holy." I've always thought that it would be a great song for a call to worship.

Take My Life

Chris Tomlin is one of my favorite song-writers and worship leaders. I stumbled upon the Passion Conferences site and found that their 2008 world tour is making a stop in Sydney later on in the year (21-Oct). Would absolutely love to attend one of the Passion conferences as I am a huge Crowder fan as well. I'd say there's a 5% chance that I might try to make it down to Sydney somehow...

There's an old song that I came across again from one of their older albums, "Sacred Revolution." It's called "Take My Life" and it's based off the hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be." I love the lyrical richness found in hymns and the little bridge part that Tomlin adds is great too...

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for thee.

Grace Like Rain

Week two of the second semester is about to start and I still feel like I'm stuck in vacation mode. This past weekend I had a chance to travel down into New South Wales for the first time as I went to a church camp being held just south of Lennox Head and Byron Bay. Unfortunately, I had to come back a bit early (the camp runs til Monday arvo) because I have a clinical skills workshop scheduled in the morning. I already had to wag Friday's PBL in order to get to camp so I figured that I really shouldn't wag Monday as well (wag is the new Aussie slang I learned for playing hooky).

There were a lot of great aspects to camp. Some highlights included meeting heaps of new people, participating in some bible talks (having had any of those in a while), and hearing the testimonies of three young women who were baptized in the ocean on Saturday! How awesome is that to have the opportunity to be baptized at the beach in the Pacific Ocean?!? So many cameras too. Not sure why but I didn't bother to pull out my camera all weekend. Oh well, I'm sure there will be sharing of photos eventually...

I love coming across new worship songs and there's one by Todd Agnew called "Grace Like Rain" that I have picked up from CCCB. It's my song of the moment...

You Never Let Go

I'm always encouraged by this song by Matt Redman.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I had a chance this weekend to go watch the Simpsons movie. It was entertaining and there were a few pretty good parts. I guess after watching the Family Guy, I find that Peter Griffin is so much funnier than Homer Jay Simpson. Granted, the jokes used on the Family Guy are usually more politically incorrect and obscene. I'd probably only give the movie a 6.5/10.

I remember the one scene where Homer tries to use a wrecking ball to rescue his family. He miscalculates the distance and the ball comes back at him. This is followed by a scene with him being smashed back and forth between a rock and a hard place on the wrecking ball.

Last week, the local church I've been attending was continuing it's series through the book of Exodus. We had reached the part where Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh for the first time, asking for the release of the Israelites. They are rejected by Pharaoh multiple times and God keeps on sending Moses and Aaron back. It was a very serious risk they were taking. In brief, they were challenging Pharaoh's authority and could very well have been killed on the spot. I was just reading through Acts as part of this course I'm taking for fun on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I'm at the part where Paul and Barnabas are in Lystra preaching the gospel. Some Jews from Antioch and Iconium were very hostile towards them and wanted them dead. They succeeded in turning the crowds against Paul. They stoned him within the city and then dragged his body outside of the city walls thinking he was dead. Normally they execute people by stoning outside the city walls but in this case, they didn't even bother to drag him outside first. Miraculously, he got up and went back to the city with the help of the disciples!

Moses, Aaron, Paul, and many others that we read about in the bible have been seemingly between a rock and a hard place (sometimes quite literally as in the case of Paul). On one hand, they are being commanded by God to carry out a task. So if they don't obey, they have to deal with God's judgment. Probably not a good idea to make God mad. On the other hand, if they do what God says, they face almost certain persecution and likely death at the hands of those like Pharaoh, Herod, or angry Jewish mobs. Tough decision right? Well, without God backing us up, this would definitely count as being stuck between a rock and a hard place. However, if you consider God's promises for us, the decision becomes much less difficult.

"50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
- 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (NIV)

Quoting the prophet Hosea, Paul knew that through Jesus Christ, there is no fear in our physical death - our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the victory over death. I need to learn to stand firm and let nothing move me - not even the threat of death - concerning God's work. That's the kind of attitude that men of great faith had in the bible. Sometimes I find that I worry about doing what's cool or acceptable in society. Was Noah worried about being popular in society? No! He was probably the laughing stock of the entire town for building this 450 foot long boat in the middle of the desert. They probably thought he was all crazy until it started to rain for 40 days and 40 nights.

Sometimes, I also worry about what my peers will think of me. It's probably good to refrain from acting like a fool but sometimes it's not so easy to speak-up for what I know is right. Were Joshua and Caleb worried about being the odd men out when they reported back to Moses on Canaan? All 10 other explorers came back saying there were giants living there that made them look like grasshoppers. In fact, the entire nation of Israel had a pessimistic attitude and were pretty upset with Moses and Aaron and wanted to stone them. But of course, in the end the walls of Jericho fell and Israel took the promised land.

One of the songs of the moment for me is called The Stand by Joel Houston. It encourages me to make the answers for all of my choices to be a simple YES to God. The chorus says:

"So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours."

Shout Your Fame!

Yesterday in church I was just so encouraged by the first song that we sang called "Shout Your Fame." There was just something about the whole song and the bridge that goes "Jesus I decide to live, live a life that shouts Your fame..shouts Your fame!" that just really lifted my spirit up.

Jesus Lead On

I was just thinking about the whole idea of allowing God to guide our lives and it reminded me of a song by Brent Helming, a worship leader with Vineyard Music. I don't have an mp3 of it (otherwise I'd load it on the sidebar for you to listen) and I can barely remember how the melody goes. I think the last time I sang this song was during a chapel back in junior high school. Right now, it's my "song of the moment."

Jesus Lead On

This is my cry, this is my song
You are my guiding light, when the way is unknown
And when these sunny skies turn shades of grey
I'll stay close by your side as You lead the way

Jesus lead on, I will follow
Jesus lead on, let Your love light the way
Jesus lead on, I will follow
Jesus lead on

Hear now this cry, hear now this song
You are the guiding light, for this journey I'm on
And when my vision is clouded by the wind and the rain
I'll stay close by Your side as You lead the way

Find Us Faithful

It is a bittersweet feeling knowing that God has called the senior pastor from my church back in Calgary on to a new ministry. He has led our church for many years and will be greatly missed. I was just reminiscing back many years ago on one of the old songs we used to sing in church by Steve Green called Find Us Faithful. I think it's one of my pastor's favorite songs and it has a great message in it.


"We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find"


Pastor Moses, thanks for your faithful leadership and dedication in serving the Lord all these years. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you wherever you go and give you peace!

Being Still

I was recently reminded of the song Still. I love many of Reuben Morgan's songs and this one is no exception. I'm learning to be still before God whether He's taking me for a ride through a storm or the calm seas. I'm reminded that He is a God of refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble; and reminded that I should give thanks to Him and tell of all His wonderful acts when the blessings flow. Thanks for reminding me of this awesome song Rich :)

Trust and Obey

When I think of this song it reminds me of Uncle Mark, an elder and worship leader back at South Gate. He would often lead this song and it has some great lyrics. I love how this new church I'm attending here in Brisbane sings a lot of contemporary Hillsong and United songs. But I guess I'm still a bit old school since I love a lot of hymns too. The words just blow me away.


Trust and Obey
Words by John H. Sammis

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.