Embracing Accusations

Has there ever been a song that you keep listening to and listening to and you just cant get enough.

This week I can't get this haugnting, dark, yet beautiful song out of my head. The song is about the Father of lies, (the Devil) preaching over us, singing over us, that all of us are cursed and gone astray, and there is no way that we can gain salvation. Check out the way this song ends, follow the words closely and be blessed through the ministry of SHANE and SHANE.

Shane says he was running on the beach one evening before a show and was meditating on Galatians 3:10:All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written “cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”He said he was overwhelmed with guilt at this truth from Satan…that because he does not follow everything written in the Book of the Law, he is cursed. Satan was trying to tear apart Shane’s faith but instead, ended up preaching the gospel to him. Yes, he is cursed BUT Christ paid that death for us, so he is cursed no longer. For this passage from Galatians doesn’t end there, it goes onto to say in Galatians 3:13:Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written “cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

These are the lyrics:

Father of lies, coming to steal kill and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
He’s right, halleluia, he’s right
The devil is preaching the song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvationEmbracing accusation
Could the father of lies be telling the truth of God to me tonight?
That if the penalty of sin is death, then death is mine
I hear him saying, “cursed are the ones who can’t abide”
The devil’s singing over me an age old song
That I am cursed and gone astraySinging the first verse so conveniently over me
He’s forgotten the refrain.JESUS SAVES!!!

If you want to hear this song go to: http://youtube.com/watch?v=r6o5bmfZmbg

Simple. Beautiful.

Last night, I went to Oakville Ontario to Harvest Bible Chapel, where my brother is the worship pastor. Their church usually doesnt have a sunday evening service, but last night they decided to have a "Night of Worship" to kick off their week of prayer. I wasnt't expecting what I was about to experience...

Have you ever been to a worship service?

No, I'm not talking about a church service. A church service, and a worship service are two totally different things. I am talking about a worship service, where you can feel the presence of God from the moment you walk in to the time you leave. That's what last night was. The first song we sang was "Mighty To Save" and I am not kidding, it was so loud I couldnt hear myself sing. So I just stopped. It wasnt loud because the band was turned up to high, it was loud because God's people were singing. Probably 1000 individuals, with their own God storey, with thier own struggles, and with their own personality, were singing at the top of their lungs! I stopped singing, and just looked around. Every face beaming with joy. They were in the presence of the Lord and nothing was going to get in their way.

I left Harvest and felt like I had just been to a feast. I was full. I had met with the Lord.
I wanted to know how do you get a church fired up like this? How do you get them to sing without pleading with them? I wanted to know how as a worship leader do I disapear to the point where the congregation is leading me? I wanted to know what Harvest secret was?

Was it the right songs? No, they are the same songs most chuches are singing.
Was it the right worship leader? No, it was just my brother and his acoustic guitar.
Was it the building? No, in fact the building they meet in is kinda old, and kinda small.
Was it the lights? No, nothing fancy.
Was it the sound system? No, just two speakers in the front.

Or was it something more...

Where was the roar of voices coming from?
Where was the burst of praise coming from?
Where was the shouts of adoration coming from?


My conclusion....

It was something more than lights, glitter, and sound boards. It was something more than worship leader manipulation tactics, and high energy emotional frenzies. It was something more than multi-million dollar worship centers...

it was people. real people encountering their very real God.


simple.



beautiful.

Words on Words

I find it amazing that everything that is, everything that was, and everthing that will be finds it's origin in the spoken word of God. "In the beginning God SAID..."

Needless to say, or should I say needless to speak, Words are Poweful, and yet the Bible teaches us that "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

Words On Words

written by: Jonathan Seller

Words are small, words are mighty, words reveal me, words describe me, and the wrong words haunt me. I can keep my word, and I can break my word. I can write my words, express my words, swallow my words, and give my word. And I can speak my words. And I speak often of that which I do not know. I speak to be understood, I speak to be heard, I speak to make others laugh, I speak to make others cry, I speak to hurt, and I speak to heal and who decides the weapon of choice except the giver of words, which God’s word says is the heart. Am I defined by my words, or do my words define me. Even when I am silent I withhold words for it is in giving to silence that I admit the power of words. When I am discouraged, I long for a word, a word of hope, a word of comfort, a word of peace, anything that could heal. When I am happy, I give words, words that exhort, words that encourage, and words that edify. Can a ship be driven without a rutter? Can a heart be expressed without words? Words are the outward symbols of the thoughts within. A word begins as a thought, and is revealed as a word. Thus, even in Creation the power of the spoken Word is seen. In the Beginning God SAID… In the beginning was the WORD. Are we stewards of words. Are we speaking creatures because of a speaking creator. Are we image bearers in this regard? If so, my words have power. Power to create, and power to destroy. Power to give life, and power to kill. Power to heal, and power to make sick.
Speaking words are of comfort to me, a release of frustration, a sye of relief, a cry for hope, a prayer to God and all this with these things called WORDS. Words are a gift, a power, a pleasure, a weapon. Words give hope, loss, despair, comfort, heartache, love, pain, and joy. Words are powerful and words reveal me. So May it be as God’s Word, the only Word that really counts says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O God”.

Goodbye Razor, Hello iphone

Yes, today was a bitter sweet.

Bitter - I have laughed, cried, sent texts, lost, found, dropped, caressed, and cherished my Motorolla Razor for the last year now.  It has allowed me to stay in contact with the people I love.  Everyday my Razor has nuzzled herself up to my left ear, and allowed me th

e pleasure of hearing many different voices.  We have also pressed our lips up against each other at least once a day as I speak into her, cry into her, laugh into her, or my favorite... whisper into her.  She never lets me down, but she has on occasioned dropped me.  But I would just wait a little while and she would find her way again and we would be off talking in no time all throughout the night (especially nights and weekends).  We would talk for hours (450 minutes a month, to be exact), share our darkest secrets together, make fun of other people behind their backs, encourage each other, and pray together.  Razor has been apart of my life up close and personal.  She knows everything about me.  But it is time for us to part ways.  A new girl is in town, and her name is Ms. Iphone.

SWEET - Today is our first day together.  Actually right now I am syncing her with my c

alender, music, video's, and contacts.  She in a matter of minutes knows more about me than Razor ever did.  She will be my new friend for the next two years.  I am looking forward to our journey together, I only hope that I will communicate well with her, and her with me.  I look forward to running with her as she sings to me, I look forward to sending her letters through her attractive unlimited email and web access plan, but most of all I look forward to walking around the malls with her, holding her in my hand, and watching all the other guys wish they were me.  ahhh, "Iphone, thanks for being you!"

Taste Buds, Andy McKee, and Learning How to Ride a Bike

I find it intriguing that we have tastebuds. Here's why. We don't need them. Taste buds exist primarily and soley for pleasure. God could have created a door in our stomachs for us to manually shove food in, shut the door, and we would be full. Why didn't he do it this way?

Think about your ears. Have you ever listened to a song that created such an emotion in you that you began to cry. Have you noticed the variation of tones, rhythems, and genres that create differnt emotions. (note: Andy McKee)

Isn't it intriguing that one man's noise is another man's worship song.

Think about your eyes. Have you ever witnessed a dad teaching his son or daughter how to ride a bike, or watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition

when the family yells out the sweet sounding words,

"Move that Bus!".

Something happens to us.

It doesn't matter your race, background, culture, or religion, something happens to us. It is in these moments that we find we are all the same. We are God like. We were created for pleasure. His pleasure.

So relish Him, feed off him, and find that God is most glorified when we taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8