Martha sat in a damp world, cloudy, tearful. And Jesus sat in it with her. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. — John 11:25 NLT Hear those words in a Superman tone, if you like. Clark Kent descending from…
Worship: God Wants to Party With You
I Live God-First by Worshipping Passage to Read The Wedding Celebration, Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24. Point to Ponder Imagine throwing a wonderful wedding feast. How would you feel if you offered invitations to your family and friends but nobody came? Yet that’s exactly what happens in this story, told in two different parables by Jesus. A king invited a…
Black History Month: Rosa Parks’ Strength — Pray A Lot
I have problems just like everyone else. Whenever I do, I think about my grandmother and my mother. They were such strong women, who always taught me to place my faith in God and to read the Bible. I remember when I got married, I stopped reading the Bible. When my mother found out that…
The Heart of Worship: How Worship Works
Come Bless the Lord Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is…
Code Word: Worship
Are you ready for an awesome thought to live with today? The Holy Spirit is alive and living in you right now! In fact, the Bible says, Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your…
Applaud God, Loud and Often
Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration. — John 4:24 MSG We suffer from poor I-sight. Not eyesight, a matter of distorted vision that lenses can correct, but I-sight. Poor I-sight blurs your view, not of the world, but of yourself. Some see…
The Gift of Sabbath: I Am Not a Machine
In Genesis 2, at the end of the creation story, we read, Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. The creation story starts with God…
Worship Works Wonders
Christmas and gift giving. The two have always been associated with each other for good reason. The magi gave Jesus the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The shepherds gave Jesus the gift of their time and belief. Mary gave Jesus the gift of her womb. The offerings seem practical. The wise men’s treasures could…
Through Life’s Interruptions
Through Life’s Interruptions The very first time I led people in worship was in January 1983 in Woodward, Oklahoma. But there was just one problem. Snow. Everything, including the roads, was covered in snow. In the Northeast or upper Midwest, that is just normal fare for those folks, but that is not the case in…
Out of the Pit and Singing a New Song
You will have a new song in your mouth, a hymn of praise to your God. That’s the second way you’ll know you’ve waved goodbye to the pit. Right after the psalmist tells us that God sets us on the rock and gives us a firm place to stand, he tells us God gives us a new song: He…