1 Day and Counting

Well, today is actually the first day of the CMS. Tim Hughes will be joining us tomorrow on the second day of the conference. I'm pumped! It's going to be a great time of worship and learning. I'll post an update here after the conference to fill you in on some of the excitement.

One of the things God has been teaching me lately:
In our busy world, it's easy to loose track of the most important things. Especially in ministry, it's so easy to get distracted by all the things that need to get done, we forget Who it is that we are actually serving. My prayer: May we always remember the sacrifice that was made so that we might live & may we never loose the wonder.

Lord, this heart must sing of all the You have done for me
The beauty of the cross, the greatness of Your loss
So I'll thank You for the day when You washed my sin away

Help me understand just what it mean for You, Jesus
The Holy King of all upon a sinner's cross
So I'll thank You for the day when You washed my sin away

I will never loose the wonder of the blood You shed for me
There could be no greater love than this through all eternity
So I'll thank You for the day when You washed my sin away

Tim Hughes - Never Loose the Wonder

2 Days and Counting

Here's a funny Tim Hughes video I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Click here, or see below:

3 Days and Counting

The CMS is just around the corner and things are getting busy. We've also got our next preview service coming up in less than two weeks. In addition, I have the Northwest Baptist Convention next week as well. Both conferences should be good, but it's requiring me to get a lot of the work done now, on the front side of things.

Needless to say, life is BUSY!

So in the light of all my busyness, here's a song I'd like to share:

Tim Hughes - Beauty of Your Peace

Your voice has stilled the raging storms
The wind and rain bow down before
Your still small voice brings hope to all
Who wait on You, we'll wait for you
To lead us to the place where You'll restore our souls
And all our earthly strivings come to cease

Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Your peace, the beauty of Your peace

4 Days and Still Counting

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Here I Am to Worship

5 Days and Counting

The CMS is this weekend and I am really looking forward to it! It's a time of great training by some of the best around and some times of great worship as well.

And if you haven't heard, or haven't read our blog in a few days, Tim Hughes will be there. I've never heard him lead live before, but his music is amazing and I've been told he is one of the most humble guys around. If you're not familiar with his music, I'd highly recommend it. I know I'll be picking up his latest CD at the conference.

Here's a little taste of one of his songs. Undoubtedly you'll recognize the words, I think I was probably 3 when I first learned them.

Enjoy!

6 Days and Counting

Nothing in this World

I love the simplicity of this song. It's unassuming drive just keeps moving, almost as if it were a song with no ending or begining - it just is.

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around...Day and night they never stop saying:
"Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty
who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. 4:8)

And Lord, how I need You
Jesus, I need You - You are the One who satisfies
You are the One who satisfies

7 Days and Counting

Consuming Fire

The first time I heard the opening words to this song, I was blown away:

There must be more than this Oh, Breath of God, come breathe within

How many times in life do I allow the stuff of earth to get in the way? I think, if I could just have this or that, or if this were to happen then...

I get so wrapped up in my own little world that I forget there is something greater out there - or rather, Someone greater.

Psalm 8 says it all: (taken from the Message)

1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.

3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

9 God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.

What an awesome call to declare the greatness of our God.

(By the way, if you listen closely to end of the recording, you'll hear another one of my favorite worship leaders, Christy Nockels).

8 Days and Counting

Beautiful One

9 Days and Counting

In the days leading up to the CMS, I thought I'd share a little about Tim Hughes who will be one of the main worship leaders at the conference. In yesterday's post, I shared about his song "When the Tears Fall." You can find the song here on iTunes.

Here is another song that has challenged me to really live out my faith. Two verses really stand out to me:

Micah 6:8, He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

James 1:27, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

How many times have I walked out of a worship service, singing the songs, only to drive right past someone in need on the street? It's not enough to simply sing the songs or read the words, I've got to live it out. What that looks like might be different for you and me, but the needs are there & they are real. What are we going to do about it?

God of Justice