a2z

New Blog Address!

2010-09-03T15:37:00.004-04:00

Aly and I are switching our blog address from a2zsimons.blogspot.com to a2zsimons.tumblr.com. This is mainly because that blog service is easier and faster to use. Any previous posts will still be available at this blog but anything from here on out will be at the new address. There will also be a link back to this old address incase you want to read something from the past year. But check there to read anything in the future. Although that page looks a little different, it will be the same a2z blog. Please book mark it and/or follow us and we hope you keep reading!

Work Horse

2010-09-02T22:21:00.003-04:00

Vera Cruz reached 80,000 miles the other day. 50,000 miles in 2 years.
She's definitely a work horse.

Conversation with Chan, Driscoll, and Harris

2010-08-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting conversion between Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris on why Francis Chan decided to step down as the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA.

Highlights From Brazil - #2

2010-08-28T11:02:00.007-04:00

I know it has been almost 2 weeks since the last post I made about Brazil. Since then, both Zach and I have started school. I am so thankful that I was able to go on the trip right before school started. It has helped me to see my job as a mission for sharing the gospel in Orlando.

This journal entry is about the favela we went to for VBS, the City of God. In the past two years this favela has seen amazing amounts of restoration. It was very exciting to hear about from the missionaries who have lived and worked there for so long.

"The kids were so excited to see us today. Several remembered our names: Annie, Vivian, and Estella. We focused on the story of the feeding of the 5,000 today during VBS. It is still so heart breaking to see these kids in bare feet and dirty clothes. There is so much garbage in the 'streets'. The homes are made of broken down shakes, several don't even have doors. There was a very little girl, probably no older than 2 and 1/2 who was coughing pretty badly. She wouldn't talk to me, so I just held her for a while. Her head was very hot so I talked to one of the missionaries about her. He said he would make sure that she got medicine tomorrow. Ana told me later that she had a very sad family history, but didn't elaborate any more than that. It was hard leaving her, not knowing what or whom she was going home to."

I unfortunately do not have any pictures of the favela we were working in yet. But here is a picture of one that was near where we were staying.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

Last night I celebrated 2 wonderful years with my beautiful bride. Finally got to eat at Fulton's Crab House + a night walk around the Disney Boardwalk = a dream come true. Happy 2nd Anniversary Aly (on the 23rd)!

Aly on Sunday

2010-08-19T11:38:00.003-04:00

Here is a link to the audio for Sunday's teaching at CrossPointe. Aly and my friend Joel were able to share about their experience during the service. Its a great articulation of God's redemptive work in Brazil and in our own communities.

Link to teaching: "The Movement Continues"

Of All Time?

2010-08-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

The following is a blog post by our new RTS President, Dr. Don Sweeting. I was thinking the same sort of thing when I saw Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Dr. Sweeting just has the ability to articulate his thoughts better than me. I think he makes some great points here. Take a look.

Greatest Songs of All Time: Beyond Rolling Stone

By dwsweeting

It is quite a claim, is it not? The “greatest songs of all time.” So reads the July/August cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone. It offers us “the ultimate play list,” chosen by a blue ribbon panel of writers, musicians and experts. I was curious….greatest songs of ALL TIME. Do they mean by “greatest,” their favorite songs, or the most influential songs, or the most important songs of all time? They don’t say.

If they mean “most influential” songs, would the list include, say…songs of lasting historical consequence, such as the Star Spangled Banner, The Socialist International, The Marseille, God Save The Queen, Land of Hope and Glory, Deutschland Uber Alles, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again, or perhaps songs that epitomized Greece and Rome at their heights? Would the list include Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, or Handel’sHallelujah Chorus? For that matter, would it include Somewhere Over the Rainbow, or even Happy Birthday? But no….none of those songs make the list.

In the introduction, Jay-Z says that a great song is one which “transcends time” (p. 6). So which songs, according to Rolling Stone,transcend time and make the top ten? They include, in order: Like a Rolling Stone, by Bob Dylan (1965), I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, by the Rolling Stones (1965), Imagine, by John Lennon (1971), What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971), Respect by Aretha Franklin (1971), Good Vibrations, by the Beach Boys (1966), Johnny B. Goode, by Chuck Berry (1958), Hey Jude, by the Beatles, (1968), Smells Like Teen Spiritby Nirvana (1991), and What’d I Say, by Ray Charles (1959).

Interestingly, Rolling Stone’s myopic vision is evidenced by a list that is almost entirely composed of North American and British artists. Their 500 list has only one song that is not in English. It has only two songs from the 1940s, all the rest are more recent. Most are from the 60’s and 70’s. Of the groups, the Beatles are the most represented with 23 songs, followed by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, U2 and the Beach Boys.

Curious about this whole—“greatest songs of all time” matter, my wife Christina and I had a breakfast conversation about the subject. We will never be appointed to any music “blue ribbon panels,” but our list would look very different. It’s not that it would exclude everything that Rolling Stone put forward. I am sure my list of top 500 songs (though not hers) would actually include songs by the Beatles, U2, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Nickel Creek, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, as well as various Bluegrass, Jazz and Celtic artists.

People sometimes ask me what kind of music I like. “All kinds,” I answer. My tastes vary wildly. I am an eclectic mess. But at the top of our list, we would most definitely expand Rolling Stone’s horizons. Our list would include:

The Song of Creation, as referenced by Job 38.7 when “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy,” and noted in literature by C.S. Lewis in The Magician’s Nephew when Aslan sang creation into being.
The Song of Moses and Miriam, of Exodus 15 which praises God for his redeeming deliverance—“the Lord is my strength and my song; and he has become my salvation.”
The Songs of David—the psalms. The longest book in the Bible is composed of songs of praise, lament, thanksgiving, ascent and mourning
The Magnificat by Mary at the birth of Jesus, (Luke 1.46ff).
What about the songs the disciples sang after the Passover meal, (Mark 26.29)? Or the song of celebration when the loving father celebrates the return of his wayward son in Luke 15. The father celebrated with music and dancing. Or how about the song of Paul and Silas singing in jail at midnight, referred to in Acts 16.25
What about the songs of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion?
Not just Handel’s wonderful Hallelujah Chorus, but also I Know My Redeemer Liveth, Worthy is the Lamb, He Shall Feed His Flock, If God is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?
Malotte’s The Lord’s Prayer
What of some of the greatest hymns of the church—St. Patrick’s Breastplate, Luther’s A Mighty Fortress—(the most powerful hymn ever written. The hymn the devil hates), Newton’s Amazing Grace, Bach’sJesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, Watts’ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, and hymns like Great is Thy Faithfulness, Joy to the World and Holy Holy, Holy.
Surely Jesus Loves Me ought to make the list
As should Take Me Out to the Ball Game J I better stop
But what about the song of the trumpet when the dead are raised in 1 Corinthians 15.51 and death is swallowed up in victory?
And what about the songs of the future in Revelation 5.7-13, 14.3 and 15.3 where multitudes sing a new song—many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircle the throne of God and sing in a loud voice “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

I appreciate the challenge that Rolling Stone has given to us of identifying the great songs of all time. It’s just that they suffer from a kind of weightlessness and tunnel vision. Jay-Z was on to something when he said that great songs transcend time; it’s just that his andRolling Stone’s bandwidth is too narrow!

Aly's Testimony Video

2010-08-15T19:48:00.003-04:00

This morning was a great time of sharing for Aly and the team from Brazil. Aly and my friend Joel were both able to share a bit of what God was doing in Rio de Janeiro and in their hearts over the past 10 days or so. I will post a link to the audio from this morning's service later on, but for now, this video was shown the congregation to give them an idea of what life was like for the team as they stayed with the Brazilians. Aly speaks for quite a while in this video and it is definitely worth watching, just to get a recap from her perspective. Jamie did a great job of editing it and it really helps give us a better idea of what it was like.

Highlights From Brazil - #1

2010-08-15T17:03:00.012-04:00

After a 24 hour airport/flight experience, we are thankfully safely back in the United States. I myself (Aly) have never written on this blog before, but I have so much to share about the experience I just had. There is no way that I could share everything that I learned and experienced in just one blog post, but I would at least like to give a highlight of the trip.

To better summarize and articulate what I learned and experienced in Brazil, I am going to post some of my journal entries throughout the week. We mainly focused on doing a VBS in a favela (slum) called The City of God. Two years ago, it was controlled by drug lords and was too dangerous to work in. Now, however, there is a church plant that is growing and missionaries who are living with the people, sharing the gospel. We also went to a church in another favela (Rios das Pedras), an orphanage, a day care, and did some outreach with the homeless.

The following journal entry is from Aug. 7th, 2010 when our team went to do a mini VBS in an orphanage. This was what I was most looking forward to doing on the trip. I have always had a desire to work with orphans, so this was very close to my heart:

"I woke up this morning still tired, but so thankful for a bed. After breakfast, we drove a long ways to an orphanage. Still, my heart is feeling kind of detached, but this orphanage is what I was most looking forward to. The orphanage was a smaller area with 1 larger building where the kids lived and an outdoors shelter. We set up in the shelter. The woman who runs the orphanage, Ana Maria, talked to us for a while about it. Lu translated. Ana Maria was so thankful that we were there and so gracious to God for all that He had provided for them. She takes in children from abusive families, drug traffickers, unwanted children, and some kids from off of the street. She told us about the first child she ever took in. He was 4 at the time, but his parents used him to deliver drugs to their clients. One day, he confused the addresses that he was delivering to and his parents abused him. A local pastor took him in and asked Ana Maria, who is a widow, to raise him. She she took him in. When he was 8, his parents decided to visit the orphanage. The parents became saved, gave up drug trafficking, took the boy back, and the father is now a pastor! That boy is 18 today and he came to meet us. Jay prayed for the woman and we laid hands on her. The kids walked into the shelter and seemed so apprehensive. Several of the young girls and boys clung to each other. A few of them were right up to us giving high fives and chattering away in Portuguese. We attempted to sing several songs with them and set up different stations. I helped them make necklaces and they loved it. Kids were crawling on us, sitting on us, and had the best time working on the necklaces. It was so much to take in and to process. The kids were very well behaved and quiet. You could tell that Ana Maria loved each child very much. It made me want to somehow open my home to orphans, maybe by adopting. I could go back there every day. How sad to leave that place. But praise God that the kids normally are adopted very quickly!"

Thank you for your prayers and support for this trip. Because of it, you are part of what God is doing in Rio. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what it was like.

Saturday's Birthday Gift

2010-08-11T22:20:00.002-04:00

My lame birthday is tomorrow. When you start getting old, birthdays become less and less fun. Especially when you are in class all day and your wife is off saving Brazil. She has a heart of gold, but I wish she were here to be with me - even if it were just for tomorrow. Luckily she sent this adorable birthday message via Jamie's sweet new iPhone.

Internet connection is pretty poor where they are staying so I have only talked with her for a total of maybe 6 or 7 min since she left. Sounds like she is doing well, but pretty tired. We won't be able to talk tomorrow because of their location, so I will have to wait until Saturday for the only birthday present I really care about. For her to come home.

Aly in Brazil - blog

2010-08-05T23:13:00.000-04:00

Many of you know that Aly is on her way to Brazil right now with a team of people from our church for a missions trip. I just got a call from her at the airport in Myrtle Beach. Apparently they were supposed to land in Charlotte, but strong storms rerouted them for a while. Not sure what that means about their their connecting flight to Brazil, but God will get them there somehow. It will be difficult for me to talk to her this week, but one good way for me (and you) to keep updated with how the trip is going is to check out the Restore Brazil missions trip blog that Pastor Jamie is writing. He will update it each day with info about the team's schedule and cool things that happen along their trip. Take a look HERE and keep updated with all that they will be doing over the next 9 days or so. Remember to pray for them and for those that they will be working with as well. Miss you Aly, can't wait to hear all about it!

From the Blessed Ax to Jupiter

2010-08-02T22:13:00.005-04:00

The news came a few weeks ago. The Blessed Ax was out of surgery and the surgeon called to deliver the news. "She's alive, but there were complications. She couldn't be completely repaired. She is stable, and in playable condition, but she may never perform again. I think its time you considered retirement." Up until this point, retirement was not being considered a viable option. Weeks of recovery - yes, even months if need be. But retirement? I picked her up and for weeks I tuned and played, hoping that she would sound as she once had. Clear and perfect, no hint of damage or wear. But the truth began to sink in. The Blessed Ax was no longer the guitar it had once been. She seemed to be asking for a simpler life, without the practices or the heat of a car ride in the sun. Without the Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, weddings, funerals, and ceaseless traveling. She was asking for a life at home where she would be played and cared for. But she was no longer a work horse. It was time to pass the baton. I needed a new guitar.

Naturally, my period of mourning was blended with and eventually cut short by the excitement of what it would mean to meet and connect with a new guitar. What style would it be? What would it look like? What wood would it be made of, what would it's smell be, it's sound, it's tone? Thankfully, I wouldn't have to wait too long. A friend of mine recently allowed us to stay at their beachside home in Jupiter, FL for a weekend getaway. As beautiful and peaceful of a place as it was, my mind was focused on the large and highly recommended guitar shop down the road. Last Friday evening, my questions would be answered as I was introduced to "Jupiter," my new Breedlove C25/SMe. Its now day 4 since we have met and I couldn't be happier with her. She will be a perfect work horse guitar and sounds amazing in my office and on stage through the system. However, as much as I am enjoying playing this wonderful guitar, I will always have a soft spot for the Blessed Ax. As my friend has said, "She will live on in our hearts, if not in our ears." Well said friend and may it be so. Happy retirement the Blessed Ax. And welcome to the family Jupiter.

Summer in the North

2010-07-24T14:17:00.000-04:00

There are few things I miss as much as summer days in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The only exceptions may be our families, and autumn days in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Last week Aly and got a much needed escape from the Florida heat to visit our families at home. To be honest, it was probably our most anticipated trip all year. Here are a few reasons why:

Tubing on the Root River:

Tractor Parade in Lanesboro:

Hiking with the family:

Morning in the backyard:

The Decision

2010-07-15T19:52:00.000-04:00

"Its not about sharing. It's about everyone getting they own spotlight." This is Steve Carell enjoying his spotlight.

Future of Worship

2010-07-10T10:52:00.001-04:00

If you have read this blog very much or have known me for very long, you know that I am influenced by a guy named Bob Kauflin when it comes to leading worship. His phenomenal book Worship Matters largely shaped the way that I view the worship ministry. In this video clip from last year's Worship God Conference, he explains the hope of future generations of worshipers. It cannot be in us, our infallible ways or musical preferences, or even in our musical and technological capabilities - but in God alone.

Why the Counseling Degree?

2010-07-08T11:09:00.003-04:00

"Life in Christ is by nature communal." - J. Knox Chamblin

Community is rooted in the Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--in eternal union and communion with one another. Because we are made in God's image, we cannot begin to understand ourselves, let alone God, apart from one another. While the Fall damaged human union with each other and with God, the work of Christ enacted a community-restoration project that continues in and through His redeemed sons and daughters.

Throughout my short stint in church ministry, I have been consistently blindsided with an unexpected emphasis on relationship. One might say that to be a Christian is, by definition, to be one that is labeled by a restored relationship with their creator - God. This restoration comes through a relationship with God's Son - Jesus. It even spills over into our relationships with one another through the power of the Holy Spirit. But what good is it to know about these relationships, and yet neglect to cultivate them and watch the gospel work within them. What good would it be to fill my head with the knowledge of God, with the knowledge of his steadfast love, and his will that we love others as Christ has loved us, but never experience the transforming power of that knowledge and love in my own relationship with God and with others?

If it is true that life in Christ is communal (and I believe it is) then this unexpected emphasis on relationship should not have been unexpected at all. My view of the Body of Christ and of shepherding his people has been changing all year. The video above gives one of the many reasons that I thought it beneficial to work at completing a Masters in Counseling as well as in Biblical Studies. Simply put, I believe this education and training will better equip me to serve the Body of Christ, whether that is as a worship leader, a pastor, or simply a leader in the church.

New expected end date: May 2012

Fellowship in the Body

2010-07-03T16:34:00.002-04:00

"The society into which the Christian is called at baptism is not a collective but a Body. It is in fact that Body of which the family is an image on the natural level. If anyone came to it with the misconception that membership of the Church was membership in a debased modern sense - a massing together of persons as if they were pennies or counters - he would be corrected at the threshold by the discovery that the head of this Body is so unlike the inferior members that they share no predicate with Him save by analogy. We are summoned from the outset to combine as creatures with our Creator, as mortals with immortal, as redeemed sinners with sinless Redeemer. His presence, the interaction between Him and us, must always be the overwhelmingly dominant factor in the life we are to lead within the Body, and any conception of Christian fellowship which does not mean primarily fellowship with Him is out of court."

- C.S. Lewis

Youthful Passions

2010-06-29T11:34:00.002-04:00

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22

Whether one would consider it fortunate or unfortunate - I am a youth. With being young comes a host of possibilities, opportunities, energy and excitement, as well as hard lessons, future trials, fierce battles and growing pains. One thing a young man should always have is someone to look up to - a mentor of some sort. The apostle Paul was this type of mentor for Timothy. Paul was probably about 30 years older than Timothy who was already in his thirties when this letter was written to him. Yet Paul warns him to flee (literally to run from, as a fugitive would) from youthful passions. Initially most people take this to mean lust or something along those lines. While that is included, it is not all that Paul means. These passions can include pride, craving for wealth and power, inordinate ambition, jealousy, envy, an argumentative and self-assertive spirit, etc. Paul seems to focus on the last one in the following verses (23-26). If I am honest, I admit that Paul is right to focus his following statements on the argumentative and hot-headed spirit of a young man. I read a prayer today in "Valley of Vision" that dealt with this. It was simply called "Passion." Here it is:

Holy Lord,
How little repentance there is in the world,
and how many sins I have to repent of!
I am troubled for my sin of passion,
for the shame and horror of it as an evil;
I purpose to give way to it no more,
and come to you for strength to that end.
Most men give vent to anger frequently and are overcome by it,
bring many excuses and attentuation for it,
as that it occurs suddenly,
that they not delight in it,
that they are sorry afterwards,
that godly men commit it.
So they seek peace after outbursts of passion
by entire forgetfulness of it,
or, by skimming over their wound, they hope for healing
without peace in Christ's blood.
Lord God, I know that my sudden anger arises
when things cross me,
and I desire to please only myself, not Christ;
There is in all wrongs and crosses a double cross -
that which crosses me,
and that which crosses you;
In all good things there is somewhat that pleases me,
somewhat that pleases you;
My sin is that my heart is pleased or troubled
as things please or trouble me,
without my having a regard to Christ;
So, I am like Eli,
the subject of punishment for not rebuking sin;
whereas I should humbly confess my sin
and fly to the blood of Christ for pardon and peace.
Give me, then, repentance, true brokenness, lasting contrition,
for these things you will not despise in spite of my sin.

This last sentence is similar to that of one David prays in Psalm 51: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Admittedly, 'youthful passions' have been a hinderance to me and are a hinderance to every young man, even in (I'm tempted to say "especially in") ministry. It is crucial that we not allow our hearts to be pleased or troubled without regard to Christ - who has taken away our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. Youthful passions seek to please only ourselves, and not Christ. While I and others struggle against this pull, I desire to pray like this - for brokenness, repentance and the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love and peace. To flee from sin and anger and to run to God.

The Essential 'LOST' Reading List

2010-06-29T08:23:00.003-04:00

It was hard to contain my eagerness when I stumbled upon this gem. For those of you who watched Lost, you know of the mysterious connection between the show and a variety of classic novels, often glimpsed in random episodes as one of the characters does a bit of 'light' reading. As if Kierkegaard or Dostoyevsky are ever 'light' reading. The list is intriguing, but surprisingly, they don't include some of the most obvious references to books and authors from the show. Two such references are Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" and Flannery O'Conner's "Everything That Rises Must Converge." Nonetheless, it will be awesome to read some of these again with the plot of Lost in mind. It will be like a whole new mystery again to see how many references I can find. Anyway, for you nerdy Lost fans, here is the list: 'Lost': The Essential Reading List

Don't Forget About Your Acoustic Guitar

2010-06-16T11:40:00.004-04:00

I Found this Blogpost by Tim Smith very helpful. I especially like the fact that he admits:

"If a song can’t stand on its own with an acoustic guitar and a few voices raised together, it needs more work. Effects and instrumentation shouldn’t be used to cover up a poor song. If you can’t strip it all away, and still have substance that moves hearts to worship Jesus, then you’re relying too much on technology, tricks, and gear."

There are numerous times that I find myself interested in introducing a new worship song that does not pass this test. It is a good reminder when worship leaders are picking songs or even writing songs. With that said, take a look below - hopefully you find it helpful as well.

Don’t Forget Your Acoustic Guitar

Tim Smith

Worship Pastor at Mars Hill Church

When I came to Mars Hill Church over ten years ago, I had never owned an electric guitar or been in a real band. I was an acoustic guitar-playing, worship-leading youth group poster-child with hippie tendencies. This didn’t go over well when I showed up at Mars Hill. At that point Mars Hill was known for dim light, incense burning, and experimental rock bands. Virtually every musician was a new Christian who had been in many bands, worked in music professionally, and even toured.

A huge musical shift began for me. Instead of my previous diet of Dave Matthews, Bruce Cockburn, and Phil Keaggy, I started going to local shows and was drawn to the Seattle indie-rock scene. I got my first electric guitar, nerded out on amps and effects, and started a band. My acoustic guitar lived an isolated existence for the next 8 years.

Recently, this changed. Over the past year, I have led many small groups in song with just an acoustic: at staff meetings, for students in Re:Train, during community group training, for Acts 29 events, during family song nights, and on and on. During the reawakening of my acoustic guitar, I’ve learned a few things:

Turning Down the Effects Turns Up the Music

If a song can’t stand on its own with an acoustic guitar and a few voices raised together, it needs more work. Effects and instrumentation shouldn’t be used to cover up a poor song. If you can’t strip it all away, and still have substance that moves hearts to worship Jesus, then you’re relying too much on technology, tricks, and gear.

You Learn to Lead, Not Perform

Worship leaders exist to lead others in song; not to perform for them. If you can’t stand on your own and sing your guts out with just a guitar and lead others to do the same, then you need to grow as a leader. I’ve been leading worship for a while now, but leading more in small groups on acoustic has given me significantly more confidence and insight in how to lead others than leading with an electric.

Acoustic Lets You Try New Things

When it’s just you and your acoustic, you can be more sensitive to the people you are leading and, most importantly, the Holy Spirit. If you want to be able to “go with the Ghost” you have to practice and grow in your confidence just like anything else. This year I’ve seen spontaneous prayer, words of prophecy, healings, and rich times of fellowship with God—all in small groups raising their voices in song. Now, by God’s grace, these things are starting to make their way into our main services. Coincidence? I think not. We’re almost charismatics!

I’m still a fan of large bands and worship teams leading God’s people in fist pumping shouts of praise to our great God. But no matter how big your church, seek the opportunity to lead small groups of people in song—and don’t forget your acoustic!

1 Year

2010-06-11T21:57:00.000-04:00

Tonight Aly and I celebrated God's guidance through one complete year of seminary and one complete year of teaching 3rd grade. Here is Aly in front of one of our Orlando favs - Seasons 52.

The Story

2010-06-09T10:49:00.002-04:00

I have recently been going through a 40 day bible study covering many of the key redemptive-historical elements of the entire biblical story in a booklet published by our church, CrossPointe Winter Park. The booklet is entitled "The Story: A 40 day guide to help you connect your story to God's story." I know the concept of "story" may seem like a trendy concept these days, but in reality I think it helps clear up a lot of misconceptions we have when we read many biblical narratives. Spoiler alert: The story of David and Golioth is not about David! The story of Daniel in the lion's den is not about Daniel! The story of Peter walking on the water is not about Peter! Now, I know this flies in the face of all we have ever been taught in Sunday school or by veggie tales. Although these characters have important things to teach us about living by faith, these stories are interwoven into the greater narrative that spans from Genesis to Revelation: the story of God's redemptive work in restoring his creation. This story has its climax in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, anything on either side of this event points either forward to it, or backwards at it. Most of all, this story is about God - not about sinful, human, biblical characters who overcome great obstacles against great odds with a little help from their fairy God-father. However, these human, sinful, and disobedient characters (along with ourselves) are invited into this story and are made a part of it. We have the privilege of being included as the Holy Spirit is at work in transforming our lives. This 40 day guide has really been helping me to see this and has been teaching me new truths from familiar biblical stories each day. I encourage you to check it out. You can download it here if you would like, or pick it up after church if you attend CrossPointe.

Florida June Weather

2010-06-04T13:57:00.003-04:00

Still not quite used to this... but at least its predictable.

Ummm... what the heck LOST?

2010-06-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

Just a few of the unanswered questions left at the end of the epic mystery LOST.

Free Audio Book - Forgotten God

2010-06-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

I may have posted something related to this before, but the website ChristianAudio.com sells Christian books in audio format so you can listen to them on your iPod or in your car or whatever. Each month they give away a free audio book and this month (June) they are giving away Francis Chan's "Forgotten God." I haven't read (or listened to) this yet, but Jamie has referenced it in a number of sermons and I have only heard good things about it from friends. So, as a little plug for Francis Chan, I urge to head on over and check it out. I mean... it's free... so... why not?

Oh - once you are at the website, click on the icon to the right that shows the "Forgotten God" book cover. Follow directions from there.

Family Vacation

2010-05-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

Simons family Florida vacation 2010 = Great time!

Restore Brazil

2010-05-18T08:29:00.000-04:00

This summer Aly and I will have a unique opportunity to serve in the slums (favelas) of Brazil. A small team of people from our church will be partnering with RestoreBrazil, a ministry started by Jay Bauman (the former Executive Pastor at CrossPointe Church Orlando), to serve the city through various ways (Vacation Bible School, homeless outreach, construction, prison ministry and more). We will be flying into Rio De Janerio during the first week in August and spending our time working among the lower class and partnering with the churches trying to serve those with both spiritual needs and physical needs.

Needless to say, the slums or favelas of Rio De Jenario are dirty, dangerous, and completely broken. Many are governed by drug lords, and receive little help or aid from outside authority. These favelas are plagued by sickness, injustice, violence, extreme poverty and a myriad of other problems. On this trip we will seek to bring the good news of the gospel to the people living in these favelas as well as provide them with whatever physical aid we can bring. The good thing about RestoreBrazil is that Jay and his team live in Brazil and have the ability to establish lasting relationships with those that we will encounter. Through RestoreBrazil our church will be able to support and love the people of the favelas in an ongoing relationship.

Please consider helping - If you would like to support us on this trip, our church website has set up a way for others to donate online. Follow these instructions:

Funding Support
How to give on-line:

-go to: www.crosspointewinterpark.com
"Give" (top right)
"clicking here"
-sign in or create an account
-Enter Amount
"Fund" = "Brazil Mission Trip--CrossPointe Winter Park 2010"
"Sub-Fund" = either "Zach Simons" or "Aly Simons"
-fill in payment/billing information
"submit payment now"

You will need to create an account if you do not already have one (you can close it after you donate if you would like).

Please consider supporting us by giving and/or praying for our trip and our safety. Also pray that we will see restoration in the country of Brazil as the gospel takes root in the slums of Rio De Janerio.

Isaiah 61:4
{Gospel Restoration}

"They shall build up the former ruins;
They shall raise up the former devastations;
They shall RESTORE the ruined cities;
The devastations of many generations."

Missional Church

2010-05-13T09:33:00.000-04:00

This video is posted on the CrossPointe Winter Park Facebook group and is useful in describing our evangelistic approach. Take a look.

"A simple, short, video explanation of the missional church. Good synopsis of our series SENT. I encourage you to check it out."

My Guitar

2010-05-03T15:28:00.004-04:00

To all of you who know and love my guitar: terrible news. She is undergoing surgery this week. Words are difficult to find when attempting to describe the flood of feelings that fill my chest at the thought of it. Do you all remember your chosen object of comfort as a toddler (blanky, stuffed animal, etc...)? How about your favorite story book? Your favorite pair of high school sneakers? Your favorite baseball cap? Or even your first car (or van)... the memories that you had in it? Although these each have sentimental meaning to me, none compare to faithfulness shown to me by my guitar. So what if my friends make fun of her narrow neck and rounded backside. She is mine, and never fails to produce sweet music in the late hour when I am alone and in my office, just as she has for a decade. I know its an object that will one day burn with everything else... I just hope that it is not this day. Here are a few pics from the last 10 years with it. Just a snapshot of all we have done together.

Airports and Architecture - The World's 18 Strangest Airports - Popular Mechanics

2010-04-30T10:42:00.002-04:00

Again, the Editors over at blog.worship.com prove to be the guys that just might be my super best friends. Being a pilot myself, this gallery and its captions are extremely cool.

"Engineers tasked with building an airport are faced with countless challenges: The ideal location needs ample space, endless flat ground, favorable winds and great visibility. But spots in the real world are rarely ideal, and engineers are forced to work with what they have, making sure that the end product is the safest possible structure for pilots. A survey of airports around the world turns up a mixed bag, ranging from dangerous and rugged landing strips to mega-size facilities that operate like small cities. Here, PM explores the world's most remarkable airports and why they stand out."

Check it out here: Popular Mechanics Airports Article

Mystery of the Incarnate Son of God

2010-04-29T11:46:00.003-04:00

“He was tempted as man, but he conquered as God; yea, he bids us be of good cheer, for he has overcome the world. He hungered—but he fed thousands; yea, he is the bread that gives life, and that is of heaven. He thirsted—but he cried, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.’ Yea, he promised that fountains should flow from them that believe. He was wearied, but he is the rest of them that are weary and heavy-laden. . . He prays, but he hears prayer. He weeps, but he causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for he was man; but he raises Lazarus, for he was God. He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver; but he redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price of his own blood. As a sheep he is led to the slaughter, but he is the shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. . . He is lifted up and nailed to the tree, but by the tree of life he restores us; yea, he saves even the robber crucified with him; yea, he wrapped the visible world in darkness. . . He lays down his life, but he has power to take it again; and the veil is rent, for the mysterious doors of heaven are opened; the rocks are cleft, the dead arise.”

-Gregory of Nazianzus

My New Car

2010-04-17T14:09:00.002-04:00

Aly and I got a "Taste of Oviedo" this Sat. morning in lieu of our weekly trip to the WP Farmer's Market. Part of the attraction was the small exotic car show towards the end of the street. Here is Aly next to one called "my new car."

Tim Keller on "Why Jesus Had To Die"

2010-04-15T14:32:00.001-04:00

The Cross is not simply a lovely example of sacrificial love. Throwing your life away needlessly is not admirable - it is wrong. Jesus's death was only a good example of it was more than an example, if it was something absolutely necessary to rescue us. And it was. Why did Jesus have to die in order to forgive us? There was debt to be paid - God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born - God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering.
.....
When Jesus suffered for us, he was honoring justice. But when Jesus suffered with us he was identifying with the oppressed of the world, not with the oppressors. All life-changing love entails an exchange, a reversal of places, but here is the Great Reversal. God, in the place of ultimate power, reverses places with the marginalized, the poor, and the oppressed. The prophets always sang songs about God as one who has "brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the poor" (Luke 1:52), but never could that have imagined that God himself would come down off his ultimate throne and suffer with the oppressed so that they might be lifted up.
.....
To understand why Jesus had to die it is important to remember both the result of the Cross (costly forgiveness of sins) and the pattern of the Cross (reversal of the world's values). On the cross neither justice nor mercy loses out - both are fulfilled at once. Jesus's death was necessary if God was going to take justice seriously and still love us.

- The Reason for God

My Prius is a Calvinist.

2010-04-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

You get one at every seminary. The guy who is so passionate about one doctrine or another that he literally eats, drinks, and breaths it. Not that understanding theology is bad... but a Calvinistic vanity plate? C'mon. That's going a little far, don't you think? The RTS parking lot has embarrassed me today.

Amazingly Interesting Choir

2010-04-04T19:47:00.001-04:00

This video is of a choir singing a composition called "Lux Aurumque" by a composer named Eric Whitacre. In this video, Whitacre conducts a choir of 185 people from 12 different countries as they sing his composition.... through the internet. That's right - all 185 people are singing from the comfort of their own homes around the world into simple webcams. Online auditions were held, and when the prospects had been narrowed to the 185 most talented, Whitacre sent each vocalist and instructional video as well as a video of himself directing the piece. When the 185 vocal recordings had been submitted, it was a matter of mixing and mastering to create this extremely authentic sounding rendition of "Lux Aurumque." I have to say... at first glance, I was thrown off by the cheesy computer animated stage, but after listening I was truly stunned that a random collection of voices recorded through home computer webcams could ever blend together to sound so beautiful. Really amazing.

Cooking with the Furuseth Girls

2010-03-30T19:05:00.000-04:00

I might have to save up for this....

2010-03-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of blog.worship.com...

Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference

This one looks interesting...for a variety of reasons. Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference.
The font and logo design begs the question: is Willy Wonka involved?
Speakers:

Artists

Happy Birthday Aly!

2010-03-12T10:46:00.002-05:00

My beautiful wife turned 23 yesterday. I always like this time of the year when she is only 3 years younger than me. It will only last until August, so I try to make the most of it. A local dream of Aly's was realized last night as we got to dine at a small, charming restaurant called "The Bistro" in Winter Park. She had always admired it, but until last night, we had never eaten there. We sat by the furthest window in the picture. Next to the back door. It was a great time and we would recommend it to anyone. Aly ordered the New Orleans Crab Cake Dinner while I had the Key West Reuben Sandwich. The food was great and it was good to unwind from school and work and just have fun together. Afterward Aly got to open some presents and I gave her a new jacket (shown below). Funbruary has spilled over deep into March this year and it was great to get a night with my wife where we could celebrate and talk about the rest of the year. I think it is extremely important to take nights like these every so often and reconnect. I admit, I'm pretty bad at making it a priority, but last night reminded me of its importance. My wife is one of my greatest joys, and to push aside my responsibilities as a husband to make way for my responsibilities at school and work would be wrong. Thanks for a fun evening Aly. I love you and happy birthday!

Attention Worship Leaders:

2010-03-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

Just looked at a really cool new web based planning program that allows you to plan worship services with ease. Thinking about using it in the future sometime. Check out the tutorial below. It can do some crazy stuff!

Introducing Planning Center Online from Planning Center on Vimeo.

Sunday Preparation - The Pointe

2010-03-04T08:56:00.005-05:00

The first of the Sunday music postings is now up over at thePOINTE blog. These postings will be up each week under a series called "Sunday Preparation." I won't mention them any more on a2z, but you will be able to find them over there each week. I encourage you to check them out and learn the music that we are singing each weekend. And if you have time, make a bible study out of it, by looking up and reflecting on all of the related scripture passages.

Weekly CrossPointe Music Posts

2010-03-01T12:09:00.004-05:00

With the help of Ryan Collman, I just figured out how to make a blog post with embedded mp3s of the music we will be using in worship each week at CrossPointe. This will be a great tool that I will hopefully use each week to share the upcoming weekend worship music with the congregation. It will also be valuable for teaching new songs and sharing scripture passages and theological insight pertaining to the lyrics of our worship music.

I am testing this new ability here on my personal blog, but will be posting these blogs regularly over at the CrossPointe Winter Park blog called thePOINTE. Feel free to check out that blog each week to see what songs we will be singing and what we can learn about scripture and God's character and deeds through the lyrics.

This test consists of list of music from this past weekends worship gathering. The style and sound do not match perfectly with what you will here if you join us for church on Sunday, but this will help you get a basic idea and will help you learn the words.

How to Build a God - Video

2010-02-25T07:32:00.002-05:00

Cam Huxford from Mars Hill Downtown Seattle posted this video recently that exposes the dangers lurking in a musician's heart, and all to often the dangers in my own heart. It is an ironic thing to worship God with the very instrument you are tempted to worship instead. God's grace is amazing to change the hearts of wicked sinners like us. However, in this area, the line is easily blurred between true worship and sin. I pray God's grace continues and that we find it sweet enough to overcome our innate tendencies to build our own idols.

7 Weeks of Prayer

2010-02-22T15:50:00.000-05:00

I regret that I was unable to attend last week, but I am excited that CrossPointe will be gathering on Wednesday mornings at 6:30 to pray for our community. During the season of Lent, or the 7 weeks prior to Easter, we will be gathering at the new church office to pray as a group. I am excited to join in this week and look expectantly for God to act in our church, work places and neighborhoods. For those of you in the area, join us here.

2 Paradoxes of Common Grace

2010-02-19T15:02:00.001-05:00

Paradox 1:

On one hand believers and unbelievers are on "common ground" when it comes to their "kingly" vocation (or secular vocation). There is no biblical carpentry, or biblical math, or biblical engineering... just carpentry, math and engineering.

On the other hand, only believers can truly fulfill their secular vocation obediently - i.e., out of faith in God's goodness and for God's glory (1 Cor. 10:31). And only believers can inherit a reward for their kingly (secular) labor's in eternity.

Paradox 2:

On one hand, believers should be more passionate about their secular vocations (i.e. discovering the laws of nature and exercising the creation mandate) than anyone else - because they are grateful for this divine calling and because they seek God's glory in this divine calling.

On the other hand, believers should be less absorbed with the creation mandate than other people because they recognize that their highest end lies beyond the creation mandate - there's more to life than this.

Systematic Theology II Lecture - Scott Swain

4 Parks, 1 Day, and a lot of Rain

2010-02-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

Probably the wettest and coldest day I might ever experience at Disney. But it was a ton of fun.

Free Audio Book: Religion Saves

2010-02-09T18:54:00.001-05:00

Once a month ChristianAudio.com gives away a free audio book of the month. this month it is Mark Driscoll's Religion Saves: and Nine Other Misconceptions. I haven't read (or listened to) it yet, but I plan to this week. If you want the free mp3 download click this link and then click the "Religion Saves" icon on the right hand side.

Link: http://christianaudio.com/

Happy Birthday Cody!

2010-02-09T18:17:00.002-05:00

Here starts our string of visitors. Aly is officially changing the name of February to Funbruary. It starts with you Cody! Happy Birthday!

Do Learn Hebrew.

2010-01-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

"Do learn Hebrew. If you don't you are denying yourself a world of fascination. Without Hebrew the Bible is like kissing a girl through wax paper."
- Dr. Waltke

The Best Mystery of All Time

2010-01-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Luke and I just watched this with jaws dropped. Can't explain how pumped I am for this last season.

Worship Lectures from the Louisville Bootcamp

2010-01-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

I found this blog the other day at the Resurgence website with some practical teaching for worship leaders. If you are interested, check it out below.

Sojourn Community Church in Louisville has created a new podcast containing the full audio from two sessions of the Worship Track at the November 2009 boot camp at Sojourn, featuring Sandra McCracken, Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, and others.

Subscribe to the Podcast

The podcast is called "Inside Sojourn," and you can download these and other interviews and features of the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
The first is the "worship leader panel" featuring Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace, Marc Heinrich of Bethlehem Baptist, and Josh Dix of The Journey.
The second is the "songwriting panel" featuring Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, Kevin Twit, Sandra McCracken, Neil Robins of Sojourn and Chip Stam of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Direct Download

The Longing for God Incited by 'Avatar'

2010-01-11T21:54:00.002-05:00

CNN did a news story today on some fans response to the new movie 'Avatar.' The article can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html . It states that many fans have been experiencing depression and even, in extreme cases, thoughts of suicide after viewing the extremely captivating movie. The movie itself is not what seems to cause depression, but its the comparison that it makes to our life in reality on earth. In the futuristic movie, humans go in search of natural materials after squandering most of earth's resources. They come in contact with a beautiful, lush utopia called Pandora in which much of the movie takes place. One fan describes his feelings in this way,

"Ever since I went to see Avatar I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and where everything is the same as in 'Avatar.' "

Another fan says this, "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning. It just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world."

To help audience members cope with depression after seeing the movie, the Avatar fan forum website has started a forum called "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible" as a place for fans to come and post their feelings of depression and confusion. After describing this phenomenon experienced by thousands of fans the CNN article says this,

"The bright side is that for Hill and others like him who became dissatisfied with their own lives and with our imperfect world after enjoying the fictional creation of James Cameron, becoming a part of a community of like-minded people on an online forum has helped them emerge from the darkness."

After reading all of this, I felt deeply saddened. Our world is a fallen, sinful and dying world as these people have realized. It's true, that (outside of Christ) life seems meaningless; the world is gray and dying; our souls long for something greater and more beautiful than our tiny unsatisfying gods (money, sex, power, achievement, etc...). The author of Ecclesiastes agrees when he says, "I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind " (1:14).

The difference between King Solomon (the author of Ecclesiastes) and those that wrote this article is in their remedies. The CNN article points to the online forum as its best suggestion for breaching the darkness of depression. But to seek solace in an online community seems like a way to remove yourself even further from reality and push yourself further into a darkness that cannot and will not ever satisfy. Solomon takes a very different approach. At the very end of the book, Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." To a non-Christian, this might sound meaningless as well. One might think, "How would that help me?" But this statement means that ones greatest purpose, joy and, indeed, meaning in life is to know God. Why do people that watch Avatar feel depressed about reality and long for something greater? Because we were made that way. God created us to know him and to be in a relationship with him. These people have a longing for something that they can't properly identify. This longing is a longing for God. God is greater than anything in creation, and being in his presence in better than any utopia we can image and certainly better than any 2 hour motion picture. Any darkness that we feel from the effects of sin on earth can only be taken away by knowing God, and the only way to do that is through Jesus Christ who is the Light.

Although an online forum may help these people to realize that 'Avatar' is just a movie and that they should move on with their lives, it certainly will never bring anyone to "emerge from the darkness" in the spiritual sense. They instead need to hear that there is a hope of glory and it is only found in Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

Could it be... ice?

2010-01-09T17:58:00.003-05:00

Its not just water you see. These are icicles on the tips of the palm branches outside of our balcony. I thought we moved away from this weather...

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-02T11:32:00.003-05:00

I know this is late, but since we were so lame and did not send out Christmas cards this year, Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

Winter Illiteracy

2010-01-02T10:45:00.011-05:00

Apparently Aly and I have forgotten how to survive in the north. The cold and snow were too much of a match for us and seemed to have dulled our senses on our recent visit to the tundra. These videos will demonstrate my point.

I fared no better than Aly when I attempted to go sliding with Jon after a long winter weather hiatus.

You'd think we would remember how to do this stuff.

Year in Flux

2009-12-17T09:52:00.007-05:00

2009 was a crazy year for Aly and I. Not that others years have not been crazy... but 2009 may have set a new standard for the term. Taking a look back at last Christmas in comparison to this Christmas shows just how much things have changed. The one thing that hasn't changed, however, has been God's providence and continual provision in our lives. That much has been obvious and he deserves the glory for that. This week, the staff at CrossPointe got together for dinner to talk about the great things that God has done in the past year. Aly and I have had the privilege of being a part of the excitement, but only for 5 months. And even for 5 months we had a lot to talk about. It got me to thinking about all the things that God has taken us through in the past year and how God has been faithful in all of it. Here is a brief timeline identifying just a few of the things that have happened in 2009 and how they have completely changed our lives.

Dec. 25th 2008 - Aly and I share our first Christmas morning together as a married couple in our small 419 Tulane Ct. apartment in Grand Forks with the temperature somewhere around -10.

March 10th 2009 - I finish History of Christianity I - my first online RTS class.

April 22nd 2009 - I begin my second online class - Acts & Pauline Epistles.

April 24th 2009 - Aly and I fly down to Orlando to interview for Jobs and look for places to live.

May 4th 2009 - I break my ankle while playing frisbee with Dale and Jared in the parking lot outside our apartment. Crutches for about 2 months.

May 16th 2009 - Aly graduates with honors from UND with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.

May 17th 2009 - Aly and I meet and have lunch with the Wittrups, whom God would eventually lead to Grand Forks to lead the worship ministry.

June 7th 2009 - Grace takes its first step away from divisive, musically segregated services to unified worship services as one worship team leads both services.

July 5th 2009 - I fly to Orlando to meet the staff and congregation of CrossPointe Church Winter Park for the first time and lead worship at the Sunday service.

July 26th 2009 - Aly and I spend our last Sunday morning worshiping with the congregation at Grace.

July 27th 2009 - After 6 years for me and 4 for Aly, we move away from North Dakota.

Aug. 1st 2009 - My sister Brynn and her fiance Jared get married as Brynn Simons becomes Brynn Andrea.

Aug. 16th 2009 - Aly and I arrive at CrossPointe for our first of many Sunday worship gatherings.

Aug. 23rd 2009 - Aly and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary in a place we never thought we would - Disney World, Florida.

Aug. 25th 2009 - We move into what would turn out to be a terrible place to live and proceed to move out 3 months later.

Aug. 26th 2009 - My first semester of full time classes start at RTS.

Sept. 14th 2009 - Aly receives a job as a 3rd grade teacher and starts teaching her students full-time.

Sept. 17th 2009 - Our first community group where we meet our future best friends down here.

Sept 30th 2009 - I finish Acts & Pauline Epistles.

Oct. 2009 - A process of acclimating to Florida weather, culture, and people.

Nov. 21st 2009 - Aly and I move into our permanent apartment as my family hunts in the northern woods of Wisconsin without me.

Nov. 26th 2009 - Aly's family comes down and we celebrate our first thanksgiving in Orlando.

Dec. 15th - I finish my first semester of classes at RTS.

Dec. 18th - Aly makes it through her first semester of full time teaching (she did wonderful).

Christmas-time Dec. 2009 - Aly and I find ourselves on the opposite end of the country (temp. somewhere around 80), while Aly works and I go to school; involved in a wonderful church-plant, with lots of new friends and a stronger faith in God. Faith that he will accomplish whatever he wants despite our lack of trust and knowledge.

The Great House

2009-12-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

A quote by C.S. Lewis was instrumental this semester in teaching me the correct perspective to take when relating to those Christians of another denomination or to those with slightly different doctrinal beliefs. This analogy helps me to calm down when I get all worked up over something relatively minor. It reminds me to follow the instructions given in Philippians 2:1-5,

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,"

Here is Lewis' quote from "Mere Christianity":

“I hope no reader will suppose that “mere” Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions — as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable. It is true that some people may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerable time, while others feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at. I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait. When you do get into your room you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light: and, of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and paneling. In plain language, the question should never be: “Do I like that kind of service?” but “Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here? Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?” When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house”

Thanksgiving Fun

2009-12-14T15:38:00.003-05:00

For Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to have Aly's family come down for a visit. We had a great time showing them where we live, taking them to the beach, hanging out in Orlando and going to Disney. For this picture, I took my hat off and put it behind us as a backdrop. Turned out alright.

Saving Belief vs. Unbelief

2009-12-10T09:52:00.003-05:00

Over at Worship.com Blog I found this quote by John Piper:

Unbelief relates like this: my understanding of faith is that you don't just believe that Jesus as the Son of God died for your sins, rose again, reigns in heaven, is coming again, and forgives my sin. That's only factual. It's also a being satisfied with that, treasuring that. Faith is not just an intellectual assent to doctrines. Faith is an affectional embrace of the Savior for my deepest longings.

Unbelief, on the other hand, is a failure to be satisfied in Jesus. It's a failure to go to him as the living water and the bread from heaven and the light of the world. It's a failure to go to him as a satisfaction that's deep enough and strong enough to satisfy me when I am tempted to go in a sinful direction to indulge and appetite - say, an appetite for companionship or food or sex. The satisfaction of Jesus - that is, belief in Jesus, embracing Jesus, loving Jesus, being content in Jesus - is going to be the power that severs the root of that impulse.

I believe with all my heart that the main way we're sanctified in life is that we conquer the power of the promises of sin with the power of a superior promise, such as Jesus saying, "I'll be with you. I'll love you. I'll take care of you. I'll reward you. You'll know a fellowship with me if you conquer this that you wouldn't have known otherwise."

Could you look a little more excited Aly?

2009-12-03T15:16:00.004-05:00

Easily my top prospect for this year's Christmas card picture...

What does it mean to have God's Word written on our hearts?

2009-12-03T14:16:00.015-05:00

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 119 that repeatedly praises God for his Word. At times, the psalmist seems to go overboard and say that he literally can't sleep at night because he is up thinking about and dwelling on God's Word. He says that he has stored it up in his heart and it is ever with him. Other places in the Bible talk about writing God's Word on our hearts. But why... what does that even mean? We talked about this in class today and it left an impression on me. John Frame is my prof. for this class and in his book called "Doctrine of the Word of God" he has this to say about writing God's Word on our hearts:

This is an expression in Scripture that shows the deep penetration of God’s revelation into our being. The heart is the inner core of a person’s life, the basic direction of his life (for good or ill), the person as God sees him. The heart is what we really are, when all our masks are off. Jesus taught,

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

When God revealed his law to

Israel

, he intended it to reside, not only on tablets of stone, but also on their hearts (Deut. 6:6). That means that it was to govern their deepest thoughts and motives, to control all their actions, in all areas of life. They were to live a life surrounded, saturated, by his words:

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6:7-9)

God’s word was to be everywhere. The people were to know it so well that it would direct their decisions even when they had no time to think about it. They were to be a people for whom obeying God’s word was “second nature.”

So the Psalmist says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). And the wisdom teacher tells his pupil, “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Prov. 3:3). The righteous man is one who has the word in his heart (Ps. 37:31). In Ps. 40:7-8, the redeemed man who delights to do God’s will has God’s word in his heart.

In my mind, this has everything to do with worship. See the expressions of worship in these passages:

Living a life of righteousness and goodness
Obeying the commands of the Lord
Turning from sin
Embracing God's steadfast love and faithfulness
Delighting in God, his Word, and his will

Each of these are not just simply a part of the Christian life, but are essentially acts of worship. By writing the Word of God on our hearts, we are saturating our lives with it. Everything we do, say and think will be shaped by it, therefore, revealing that which we treasure and value most in life. God himself.

2 Determined Goats Try to Board a Bus

2009-11-17T19:49:00.003-05:00

These two goats just made my day.

10 Things I Will Miss About Deer Season

2009-11-16T09:16:00.009-05:00

In 26 years of existence I have never missed being with my family over the thanksgiving week. The thanksgiving break, or what my family calls "Deer Season" has always been the time of year when my family gathers to hunt and eat huge dinners in northern Wisconsin. I knew that when I moved so far away that it would be difficult for me to make it back for deer season and Christmas in the same year. This is turning out to be very true and unfortunately this will be the first year that I have ever missed our family tradition. So rather than pout, I will name the 10 things that I will miss most about deer season this year and just enjoy sharing them with you. Here you go:

10. The Pines Drive - Always good for some shots which raise the excitement level a bit. Many times it is successful as seen in the picture above.

9. Thanksgiving Meal on Saturday - After a full day of hunting, nothing tastes better than a thanksgiving meal with Aunt Shelly's mashed potatoes, my Mom's stuffing and apple pie, and Aunt Sherry's cheese beans. There are always the less desirable items as well, such as canned cranberry gelatin stuff, and creamed pearl onions. But I usually stick with the basics.

8. Holiday Squares - 3"x3" squares of soft, frosting covered, cherry garnished goodness.

7. Orion Above the Clearing in the DNR Trail - 5:30am with my dad: Snow, silence, and Orion standing above the trees to the west.

6. The Simons Swamp - Although a little creepy at 6:00am in the dark, nothing sounds more exciting than the sound of a buck breaking through swamp ice as it slowly gets closer to the stand.

5. Hoodlums One - Eleventeen - "Hoodlum 4, did you get him?" "That is an affirmative, Hoodlum 3. But I need your help. I forgot my knife and my rope, and he's at the bottom of a ravine."

4. Sunrise in the Woods - From silence to birds, squirrels and wind. From darkness to pink, orange, yellow and bright blue skies.

3. Opening Morning - I usually get so excited that I feel like I might throw up a little. Breathing becomes hard to control, sweating becomes hard to control, and serious thoughts that I am irreversibly screwing up my best chances at a big buck creep into my head. By shooting light those feelings subside, however, and give way calm, collected strategery.

2. After the Shot - Heart pounding, ears ringing, eyes watering, snot dripping... "Holy crap - did I get it?"

1. My Family - The previous nine are actually pretty pointless without them. I miss you guys.

Living By Prayer

2009-11-10T21:51:00.010-05:00

A couple of years ago Aly bought me a book of prayers written by the puritans of the 16th and 17th centuries called "The Valley of Vision." It is a pretty cool little book that I used from time to time in worship services and in my own times of reading. It wasn't until I realized that there was a major deficiency in my own prayer life that this little book started to mean a lot to me. This book taught me how to pray as God instructs us to pray in the Bible. To seek God's glory and will. To worship him and seek him as the provider of the things that we need. To value him and find my identity in him when I pray. Historically it has been difficult for me to be this vulnerable. But this book continues to inspire and teach me. I will share one prayer with you and encourage you to pray with this balance of biblical truth and personal honesty.

Living By Prayer

O God of the open ear,
Teach me to live by prayer as well as by providence,
for myself, soul, body, family, children, church;
give me a heart frameable to your will;
so that I might live in prayer
and honor you,
being kept from evil, known and unknown.
Help me to see the sin that accompanies all I do,
and the good I can distill from everything.
Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring my will to yours,
and that without this it is foolish to pray;
When I try to bring your will to mine it is to command Christ,
to be above him, and wiser than he;
this is my sin and pride.
I can only succeed when I pray
according to your precept and promise,
and to be done with as it pleases you,
according to your sovereign will.
When you command me to pray for pardon, peace, brokenness,
it is because you will give me the thing promised,
for your glory, as well as for my good.
Help me not only to desire small things
but with holy boldness to desire great things
for my people, for myself,
that they and I might live to show your glory.
Teach me that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have,
out of love, willingly, not of necessity;
that I may come to you at any time,
to lay open my needs acceptably to you;
that my great sin lies in not keeping your ways;
that remembering this truth is one way to the sense of your presence;
that there is no wrath like the wrath of being governed
by my own lusts for my own ends.

Trip to NASA

2009-10-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

We were lucky enough to get tickets to NASA last week. Our new friend works there so she took us on a tour. To the left you can see Aly in a spaceship..... just before she went to the moon.

Ending the War Without a Truce

2009-10-27T08:43:00.002-04:00

On the Worship.com website Ed Stetzer says this about the worship wars. Its worth reading and understanding:

The reason worship wars exist is because the church thinks it is fighting for something permanent when it is actually temporary. Musical styles and service preferences are like a jacket that can be taken on or off depending upon the temperature. It is used only when needed. Worship as a theological reality is not fit for such pedestrian arguments. It is to exist in the heart of all people-- and it does. When we think we're debating styles and techniques and forms, we are really defending our own affections and deeply felt preferences. Most often we defend what is nostalgic rather than what is helpful. It's no wonder then that even attempts at ceasefires result in more fuel for the blaze.

I will lay my cards on the table: I was not raised in the church or in the subculture of the Bible Belt. I came to Christ at a later age and when I began my ministry it was with the urban poor in Buffalo, New York. I have been called by some "a son of the contemporary church movement." I don't know if that's necessarily true, but I know what it means. I do not have the traditional church DNA in me like so many others I've known, pastored, and appreciated.

So, it could be that it is hard for me to get inside the shoes of the traditional worship advocate. (Though ancient church music has now become a favorite on my iPod.) Or it could be that having come from an irreligious home in addition to my travels observing the worship practices of global Christians that I have a different perspective.

I won't deny I have personal preferences. For instance, it is clear that country and western music is not of God. (That's another joke; don't tell my friend Ricky Skaggs I said that.) Nevertheless, what I try to do is what we all should do in matters of preference and praise-- commit to the reality that worship is not ultimately about us.

And because worship is not about us, I don't think we end the worship wars in our local congregations merely by compromise. Compromise is noble; consensus is better. A truce just gets 100% of our church worshiping at 50%. It is not compromise we want, but unity. So how do we get to that ever-elusive goal, that aim Jesus laid out for us in His High Priestly Prayer in John 17? Here are five ideas.

Continue reading as Ed elaborates on his five ideas:

Rally Around Truth, Not a Truce
Acknowledge That Preferences are Personal
Acknowledge That Relevance and Reverence Are Not At War With Each Other
Embrace Humility
Cultivate Consensus, Not Compromise

Just Me And Bear Grylls

2009-10-22T14:48:00.007-04:00

... well, this isn't technically ME and Bear Grylls. Actually this picture is of Bear Grylls and some lady who was a little over eager to be close to him. But I took the picture. I will explain:

This week Alpha, a Christian organization who developed a 10 week study on the meaning of life and faith, held their United States conference in Orlando. Bear Grylls (popular T.V. host of Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild" and coincidentally one of my favorite shows) is a spokesman for Alpha and has used the course in his own personal walk with the Lord. He agreed to be one of the keynote speakers at this years conference. Prior to the finale of the conference last night, Alpha held a special invite only banquet dinner for donors to the organization. Gregg Heinsch (Luke's dad) was given two free tickets to the banquet as a representative for the Vision 360 church planting network active in the Orlando area. Gregg knew I liked the show and asked if I wanted to go with him and meet Bear Grylls. Um... yeah.

Anyway, while gawking at a gigantic ice sculpture and helping myself to meat, cheese and grapes at the hors devours table, up walks Bear Grylls and his family to do the same. I was able to collect myself and meet him briefly before the other 50 people in the room crowded me out. Unfortunately my camera battery was dead and I didn't think of using my phone camera until the line of people waiting to snap a pic with him was obnoxiously long. But I took a picture with it anyway... it was of Bear Grylls and one of the other ladies at my table as seen above; but it doesn't matter - I still got to meet him. Promise.

Later, after eating at the table right next to the table of Bear Grylls and his family, Gregg and I went over into the main auditorium for the finale of the conference featuring Bear talking about his job, the TV show and his faith in God. It was a great night.

The Emergent's Creed

2009-10-20T21:38:00.002-04:00

Luke sent me this yesterday. I laughed out loud...

The Emergent’s Creed

I contemplate on the big Guy in the Sky,
Visionary of heaven and earth,
and in the Mystic Jesus Christ, a Son, the Lord:

Who might have been conceived of the Great Spirit,
born in a Labyrinth,
buffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified and reinvented in the Eucharist.

He descended into the silence.

The third day He emerged from the fourth dimension.

They say He ascended into heaven
Where I visualize Him sitting at the right hand of God,
whence He might come to have a conversation with Post-modern doubters.

I meditate on the icons of the holy catholic church,
the missiological position,
candles and incense,
and the possibility of creating life ever-blasting.

Rock on. Amen

World's Most Ethical Company?

2009-10-19T10:17:00.007-04:00

Aly and I were on Park Ave. the other day and I found this sticker on the inside of one of the shop windows. Apparently this shop was picked as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies of 2008." Wow. That is quite the claim. I would love to know who has the authority to go about labeling companies as the "most ethical"... let alone who comes up with the criteria to make such a decision. So, what makes one company more ethical than another? Do the world's most ethical people work at this company? Does the company itself display moral behavior superior to that of its competitors (as if a "company" could be moral in itself)? Does this company ever cheat on its taxes? Price gouge? Purchase cheap goods from slave labor manufactures in Asia? Or is it simply that they are more "Green" than other companies as indicated by the cute little green picture of the world on the sign. What is their standard of morality? Is it God's word? Their own relativistic beliefs on right and wrong? The Koran? Aristotle or Plato? Hopefully these questions show the absurdity of such a claim. This company better be one heck of a world saver to beat out something like "Compassion International" or "Food 4 Africa." I'm pretty sure this store simply sold stuff like energy efficient lamps and $1000 eco-friendly purses.

The Bible has a very different take than the rest of the world on what is ethical. Its way to much to include in a blog post. But I encourage you read about it. A very practical NT passage is Romans 12:1-21. I am sure that this passage was not in mind when this little shop was crowned as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies."

Thirsty Bear

2009-10-17T08:11:00.003-04:00

Only in Hayward, WI would something like this happen. This is my heritage...

Black bear wanders into grocery store

Shared via AddThis

Harnessed Worship

2009-10-16T16:13:00.003-04:00

In an article called "Worship Worthy of the Name," Tim Keller writes on what it means to worship with other believers. He calls it "harnessed worship." This is what he says:

The only difference between private and public worship is that in public worship, individuals are doing it in concert with others. In a team of six horses, each horse is affected by the speed and direction of the other five. The same is true of corporate worship—it's individuals worshiping God in harness.

If the minister is talking about the holiness of God, for example, I'm seeing God's holiness in concert with the congregation. Together, God's people are in harness, letting the worship leader guide them so they can respond to God individually by giving him what he is worth.

Scripture readings, exhortations, and sermons show people what God is worth. The offering, prayers of repentance and thanksgiving, and times of confession allow people to respond to God.

In order for us to worship, our mind, will, and emotions have to be moved. They're all organically connected.

Merely learning a truth about God is intellectual education, not worship. For example, I can know intellectually that God is good but still be worried silly about something that's coming up this week. If the morning's sermon is on the sovereignty and goodness of God, I haven't worshiped unless that truth descends from my mind and touches my emotions and my will.

I worship, then, when I realize I've been trusting in my own abilities, not the sovereignty and goodness of God. When I pull my affections off the other things I've been trusting in—which is why I'm anxious—and put them on God, I will be touched emotionally. I may cry; I may not. It depends on what kind of personality I have. But the truth will affect my emotions.

My will is also affected when I decide to change the way I handle that threat next week.

Worship is grasping a truth about God and then letting that truth strike you in the center of your being. It thrills you, comforts you. That's when the truth has moved from left to right brain—from mind to heart. On the spot, it will change the way you feel. The whole brain, the whole person, is affected.

Templates

2009-10-15T17:23:00.004-04:00

Alright... I'll stop switching stuff up so much. What can I say; I have Favre syndrome. I'm indecisive. But this time I have come to a decision and am sticking with it. This will be the template for the rest of the year. Promised. Cool, clean, sophisticated, not overly gaudy. It's like my wife - classy and pleasing to the eye. This will do.

The Enjoyment of God...

2009-10-15T15:07:00.003-04:00

"The enjoyment of [God] is our highest happiness, and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean."

— Jonathan Edwards

Bono and Jesus

2009-10-08T13:42:00.008-04:00

Aly and I have a once in a lifetime opportunity on Friday to see U2 live. Luke, Taylor, Gregg, Aly and I are going headed to Raymond James Stadium tomorrow night in Tampa Bay for the U2 360 Tour concert. Needless to say, I have been looking forward to this for sometime. Since my first year in college I have been extremely intrigued with the band (under the influence of Bruce Canham). Bono openly professes truth about Jesus and actively goes about both sharing the gospel and loving others by actually doing something about their physical needs. Yet his relationship with the church is weak at best. In a book called "From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas" by Michka Assayas, Bono answers questions related to his views on Christ and Christianity. This section I found particularly interesting and encouraging. To know that the worlds biggest rock star and one of the biggest social activists believes and confesses these truths about Christ brings me encouragement and inspiration. I'm not saying that all he says is orthodox, but Bono might have a lot to teach us. Check it out:

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled… . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched …

Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus:

Bono: … [I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s--- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

Challenges - Part 4

2009-10-05T18:26:00.005-04:00

Jeremy Taylor was an Anglican bishop, theologian, and writer in the seventeenth century. He was Vice Chancellor of Dublin University and was a somewhat undistinguished theologian who tended to rile most religious people of his day. We read Taylor in class today as we discussed the 7 deadly sins; particularly the sin of pride and the problems that it poses to all who follow Christ. It is helpful to understand and embrace the polar opposites of these 7 sins, which are the virtues found in the Beatitudes. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit," but what does he mean by this? The explanation put forth in class is "Blessed are those who are so aware of their own bankruptcy, in and of themselves, that they have nothing to count on in this world except God, for his bliss will be theirs." This is what it means to humble. Embracing humility is a powerful way to uproot pride in your life.
In The Rule and Exercise of Holy Living, Jeremy Taylor gives a list of Acts or Offices of Humility. I will list a few that I found particularly challenging and that I know will be hard to swallow as I attempt to put them to practice in my battle against pride.

1. Think not yourself better for any thing that happens to you from without...

3. Whatsoever evil you say of yourself, be content that others should think to be true; and if you call yourself a fool, be not angry if another says so of you...

5. Never be ashamed of your birth, or your parents, or your trade, or your present employment...

6. Never speak anything directly tending to your praise or glory; that is, with a purpose to be commended, and for no other end. If other ends be mingled with your honor, as if the glory of God, or charity, or necessity, or anything of prudence be your end, you are not tied to omit your discourse or your design that you may avoid praise, but pursue your end, though praise come along in the company. Only let not praise be the design.

8. Secure a good name for yourself by living virtuously and humbly: but let this good name be nursed abroad, and never be brought home to look upon it. Let others use if for their own advantage; let them speak of it if they please; but do not use it at all yourself, except as an instrument to do God glory, and your neighbor more advantage. Let your face (like Moses's) shine to others, but make no looking-glass for yourself.

16. Be not always ready to excuse every oversight, or indiscretion, or ill action: but if you are guilty of it, confess it plainly; for virtue scorns a lie for its cover...

18. Bring up no man's weaknesses to discomfort him, neither report it to disparage him, neither delight to remember it to lessen him, or to set yourself above him. Be sure never to praise yourself, or dispraise any man, unless God's glory or some holy end does hallow it.

Irreverent, Silly Myths

2009-09-30T13:35:00.005-04:00

Matt Chandler speaks against irreverent, silly myths. How tempted we are to let them be the focus in our church...

Challenges - Part 3

2009-09-30T12:58:00.005-04:00

One of the cool parts of living in Orlando is the hookup I now have with the church planting networks of Vision 360 and Acts 29. Last week Luke and I got to lead worship for and observe a regional Vision 360 pastor's training seminar in Orlando. One thing that this network is now doing is building relationships with various countries with the goal of supporting very needed church plants in areas outside of the U.S. Pastor Gregg told me that later this year he is making a trip to England to discuss partnership opportunities with the well known songwriter Tim Hughes and to discuss planting possibilities in areas of England. Naturally I was curious about this visit and began reading what Tim Hughes has to say about the area of congregational worship. Here are some of his comments that I found particularly useful about the challenges involved in leading worship.

"The church that can't worship must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment." A.W. Tozer.

This is quite a challenge - especially as we all prepare to lead worship this Sunday. Are we going to pull out the classics, and try and force people into a time of worship? Are we going to rely on our own strength to make something happen? Or, are we going trust and follow God to lead us in a beautiful, deep and meaningful encounter of worship.

John 6:63
"The Spirit brings life; the flesh counts for nothing."

Perhaps the best thing we could do in terms of our preparation for leading worship is to spend some time in God's presence, seeking Him and asking that He may fill us up with the Holy Spirit and use us in power to bring glory to Him.

The Turtle Man

2009-09-22T07:56:00.003-04:00

Unbelievably, my seminary professor sent me this video. Apparently if I fail in my seminary studies, he thinks I might be good at this vocation. Something to aspire to I guess.

Pics of Our New Home

2009-09-21T18:17:00.007-04:00

Here are a few pictures of where we now live in FL. It is incomplete at best. Aside from the battle that I have with the cockroaches in the kitchen every morning its not too bad. Come visit us anytime!

Ode to Michael Ruit

2009-09-17T14:34:00.006-04:00

My dad had numerous nuggets of wisdom which he passed on to his son throughout the years. "Lift up your feet when you walk through the woods, you're scaring all the dear" and "No no no, red is positive and black is negative" are a few that fondly come to mind when thinking of my childhood. But no nugget ever compared that nugget that surpasses all nuggets... "Michael Ruit can do it!" Indeed he can dad... indeed he can.

"Michael Ruit can do it" or in Latin, "Michaelunum Ruitund can du iti" has become my motto. A light in the dark places of life. When life tells you that you can't... just say back "Well Michael Ruit can!" I learned this early in my time of serving Grace Baptist Church. Can I play every instrument? Do I have perfect pitch? Do I drive Gretta the Jetta? Do I have a cool buzzed hair cut? Can I pull off that mafia pose to the right? Sadly, no were my answers to these questions. But then came along Michael Ruit who took me from zero to hero in no time flat. "I can do all these things in which you lack capability and talent" he said on that day as he filled my doorway with his cape flowing behind him. By the time that my tenure at Grace came to an end, I looked back on multitudes upon multitudes of accomplishments... not accomplished on my own, but with the help of Michael Ruit. A friend and hero of us all.

So friends, gather round, and raise a glass. When we fail in the line of duty... listen for that whisper in your ear. Hear it? ... "Michaelunum Ruitund can du iti." That's right... he can. Here's to you Michael Ruit.

1 year past and many to come

2009-09-12T13:20:00.010-04:00

Aly and I were married on Aug. 23rd 2008. Therefore, a few weeks ago we celebrated our 1st anniversary. I don't know if you are married or not, but this is kind of a big deal. Many people say that the first year can be the hardest in a marriage. If that is the case, then we have quite a few wonderful years ahead. I went to bed on the 23rd reflecting a little on the adjustments that I have had to make since last August. A few... but completely worth it. Our first year was wonderful and as a celebration of that fact, we spent the day together taking in much of what Orlando has to offer. Aly and I celebrated together as we thought back of all the fun that we have had over the past year. To us, it didn't seem that difficult at all. We didn't think that we would know each other even better than we did when we first got married and we definitely never thought we would be living in Florida.

Anyway, after church, we went for a walk on Park Ave. and Aly got a chance to look in some of the shops. That was followed by a tour of Downtown Disney and the Disney Boardwalk where we were forced to seek shelter in the "Pooh Corner" gift shop from passing thunderstorms. Once they passed we made our way over the Swan and Dolphin Resort Hotel for our 7:30 dinner reservations at Il Mulino New York Trattoria (pictured above). A New York style Italian restaurant with fantastic food. The stores, streets and food were amazing, but to be honest we just enjoyed spending the day together. It had been fairly hectic since we moved and it was nice to just relax.

You all know that I married up. Some old guy came up to us today at Panara. "You are beautiful, you know that?" he said to Aly. "But what are you doing with this tall guy here? He needs an operation." ... Still not sure what that meant. But I will admit it as well. I married way out of my league. I hope each year is as fun and as memorable as this past year has been with my wonderful wife. I love you Aly.

Challenges - Part 2

2009-09-09T11:14:00.004-04:00

One thing that I have been thinking of lately (and alluded to in my last post) is what it would be like to be used in the transformation of a long standing church community. What if, once I graduate, Aly and I are called to another 100 year old church. What if it needed a drastic refocusing on the cross of Christ? What if (stress on the "if") being part of a church plant or being a missionary was the easy way out of what God was really calling us to do? A recent post by Pastor Scott Thomas, Director of the Acts 29 church planting network calls the revitalization of a slowly dying church a "Replant." He also gives an extremely helpful list of questions that would be essential to answer in plans for a Replant. Here it is:

Envision

Envision what the church could be if no pre-existing traditions existed. Dream big. Now add God to the equation. Dream again. Then dream short-term to see the immediate needs of the body.

Envision what the worship gathering could be (Acts 2:42-47).

Attitude of body during worship
Music
Prayer
Teaching
Communion
Children
Exaltation of God
Incorporation of arts

Envision what the evangelism could be (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

Who can you reach immediately?
What attitudes toward evangelism need to change?
Where or how could you boldly make an impact with the gospel?
What steps of faith need to be taken to reach the unchurched and the unsaved?
How could your youth evangelize?
How could households evangelize together?
What worldwide impact could you make as a body (i.e. foreign missions)?
How are you going to be an eternal value to your community?

Envision how education and discipleship could be effective (Acts 2:42).

How will it become a passionate pursuit of the body ("continue steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine," Acts 2:42)?
What resources (people, qualities, gifts) do you have in place to launch greater disciple-making?
How will the fathers and heads of households (single moms, etc.) be trained to be the priest and spiritual head of their homes?
How will the older men and women teach and interact with the younger men and women? (Titus 2)
Will the age groups be segregated (children, youth, singles, college, married, etc.) or will they be integrated into the body?
What role will small groups play?
What training will be needed to help develop disciples who are passionately pursuing Christ?

Envision an Acts 2 commitment to fellowship (Acts 2:44-45).

In what ways will the body seek to meet the needs of one another (spiritual, social, financial, physical)?
What attitudes need to change to be sacrificially generous with time, money and resources for the encouragement and edification of the body?
How will the body serve one another actively and responsively in an unprompted way?
What will the membership requirements be? How will it communicate a covenantal commitment?

Envision an effective youth and children's ministry.

Will they be integrated into the church ministry? If so, how?
How will families be strengthened through the student ministry?
How will the youth be encouraged and trained to evangelize their friends?
What role will the heads of households play in the student ministry?
Who (person or groups) will lead the youth and children's ministry?
What facility changes are needed to communicate the value of children and youth?
What other positions of leadership need to be filled to be effective?
What leadership development with the students will be put into place?
What programs or customs need to be extracted from the youth and children's ministry to avoid distractions from the ministry goals?

Envision an equipping staff (Eph. 4:11-13).

What changes need to be made with the staff (paid or volunteer) to meet the church's goals?
Are the staff members doing the ministry or leading people to do the ministry? If they are doing the bulk of the ministering, how will they develop the body to do the work of the ministry?
Are you over-staffed or under-staffed to meet both financial obligations and the development of lay people (taking responsibility for ministry)?

Envision a body not reacting to finances to determine God's call (Matt. 6:24).

How will faith in God calling a body to reach out to the community and world be weighed against financial responsibility and stewardship?
If mortgages or debts exist, how will they be paid off in a realistic way over a reasonable time period?
What attitudes or practices about money and finances need to be changed?
Is a budget in place? Is it a true reflection of the church's giving and spending (balanced budget)?
What expenses can be cut immediately to be redirected toward the church's mission?
Is the body (especially the leadership) making decisions based on finances or on God's calling?
What creative ways can you generate more income without sacrificing resources, biblical principles, or expending paid personnel?

These are all helpful for all church leaders to think about, no matter what stage their church community is in. Whether 100 years old, or a year old, answering these questions and then taking action in your church will be a challenge worth your effort.

Challenges - Part 1

2009-09-08T13:16:00.008-04:00

I am taking a class this semester on Worship cause I thought it would be fun and pretty easy. Well... its fun, but already (by class period 2) I am being challenged in huge ways. Today in class we discussed different dimensions of worship, one being the heritage of the christian church. Growing up non-denominational and in what most would consider a "contemporary style" of church, I have this strange inner hesitation when it comes to the value of tradition and heritage. Not that it is bad... but in many cases, heritage and tradition have become the gods of a particular church and the congregation no longer serves Christ in freedom but finds themselves slaves of the legalistic system which they have inadvertently created. This is called traditionalism.

Anyway, a quote by Jaroslav Pelikan rocked my world today by affirming my evasion of traditionalism but correcting my evasion of tradition. Here it is:

Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when are and that it is we who have to decide. Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the fist time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition.

The distinction between tradition and traditionalism is extremely important for me to learn. I pray to learn the value in tradition and extract from it what is beneficial and edifying for the church body today, but at the same time be engrossed in God's Word enough to know when I am slipping away from my goal and sliding slowly into slavery. That will be a challenge.

Don't be a Fanatic

2009-08-28T13:46:00.005-04:00

"The conscience may be pricked by human tradition or even by the Word of God separated from God and Christ. As you reflect upon your own personal spiritual journey, you can probably look back and identify certain experiences in your life where your approach was influenced by human tradition that had no biblical warrant, or by a biblical tradition that was severed from the love of God and the love of Christ. A fanatic is someone who redoubles his efforts after forgetting his aim. And it's possible to be a fanatic with respect to the law of God. Don't be a fanatic."

- my seminary Prof.

The reason I give all of my life to God:

2009-08-26T22:54:00.003-04:00

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

-C.S. Lewis

Kauflin on Piper's Worship of God

2009-08-21T12:51:00.005-04:00

This is a post from the Worship Matters blog by Bob Kauflin that I read quite often. This specific post was on expressiveness and experience in worship -- and not just when singing. In fact his specific example is the preaching of John Piper. When I read it, I had to post it so that YOU could read it. Plus the pictures are pretty funny:

The Passionate Preaching of John Piper

At the recent WorshipGod09 conference, I taught a seminar called, “Let the People be Glad: Corporate Worship and Expressiveness.” I attempted to present some biblical principles for what we’re supposed to do with our bodies when we gather to praise God together. I know for some of you that’s a no-brainer, but for others it’s still a front-burner issue.

John Piper is a great example of what happens when the heart’s passion for God is naturally expressed externally. He practices what he’s written in his books and proclaims in his preaching—worship (whether it’s singing or preaching) consists of strong affections rooted in biblical truth. Here’s what he’s said on the topic:

“God is glorified in his people by the way we experience him, not merely by the way we think about him.” (When I Don’t Desire God, 30)

Strong affections for God, rooted in and shaped by the truth of Scripture - this is the bone and marrow of biblical worship. (Desiring God, 81)

“Godly people are seen yearning, longing, hungering, thirsting, and fainting for God. They are also seen enjoying, delighting in, and being satisfied in God.” (When I Don’t Desire God, 24)

“My understanding of preaching is music without the music.” (from the WorshipGod09 message, “The Heart of Worship“)

See if you can hear the music (without the words) in these pictures from WorshipGod09. One thing’s clear: John Piper is doing more than simply talking about God—he’s experiencing him. I guess that’s why he says preaching is meant to be “expository exultation.” Seems to me this is a great example of what we should be seeking to do when we’re leading the musical portion of corporate worship. That is, letting our bodies show what our minds are thinking and our hearts are feeling as we consider how great our God really is. (For more on physical expressiveness in worship, you can check out the series of posts I wrote starting with this one.)

Books by the Numbers

2009-08-19T12:40:00.003-04:00

My Friend had a funny post about the numbers surrounding his seminary books for this semester. I would like to do the same.

Total Books: 22 books + the Bible
Total Cost: $389.37 + tax
Cost Per Book: $17.70 (not bad)
Total Pages: 6976
Pages Per Book: 317
Largest Book: 992 pgs.
Estimated Self Space: 2.3 Shelves
Estimated Library Growth: 9%

Should keep me pretty busy for the next 4 months.

Walt Disney's B-day Present to Me

2009-08-14T19:51:00.006-04:00

Turns out that Disney World likes me so much that they gave me a free ticket on my birthday. A golden ticket actually. Pretty sweet. Aly and I got to spend the whole day at the Magic Kingdom. And look at the fireworks they put on for me. Disney knows how to make you feel special.

Trip Down Top Ten

2009-08-08T14:05:00.011-04:00

We did it. Aly and I crossed from Georgia into Florida at precisely 5:57am eastern time this morning and can now be labeled as Floridians. After 1483 miles and 3.5 days of driving, we have finally arrived in central Florida. It was quite the trip too. Here is a list of the top ten things to remember from our travels:

#10. Helen. A small Georgian town that (for some reason) is completely themed as an Alpine skiing villiage. Churches, schools, statues, paintings, shops... you name it. Dutch themed to the max.

#9. The cookie cutter Southern Baptist church buildings on every corner. Somewhere there is lucky architect who is filthy rich with Southern Baptist money.

#8. The large lime green tree frog who snuck into the shower with me while I was washing my hair, then stared at me as I was forced to continue under his watchful eye.

#7. The incredibly ghetto Louiville Hotel 6. Here's a few of the amenities: dirty bathtowels in the bathroom, holes in the sheets, warped and waxstained carpet, the creepiest hotel neighbors you can imagine, and a dirty microwave that made the room smell like cheese.

#6. Camping at a Georgia State park in 90 degree weather. Then after 4 or so hours of sleepless tossing in the heat, packing up our gear and sneaking out of the park with our car lights off at 3:30am.

#5. Hiking out of the woods on Friday morning to find bear nose prints and paw prints mixed with a healthy dose of bear slobber all over our car windows.

#4. Mistaking North Carolina highway 64 for highway 441, then being forced to take county 75 between Hiawassee and Helen as a detour back to our original route. If you can find it on a map... circle it and label it Nutso. Probably the windiest, steepest and craziest road I have ever driven on. Definately the most dangerous.

#3. The creepy hiker named Eddie from California who decided that we were going to share campsite 18 with him. Throughout the night he proceeded to try and convince us that Big Foot was a legitimate threat, moonshiners and meth addicts were also a legitimate threat, and that he was not a pot head. Although he finished his defense with, "I don't care if you guys want to smoke pot though... if you brought any." Sorry Eddie... fresh out.

#2. Being forced to start our campfire in Great Smokey Mountain National Park with Purel Hand Sanitizer and bugspray. The forest was damp and resources were limited.

#1. Watching the sun come up over the Florida landscape as my beautiful wife and I talk about our future together with our cruise set on highway 75 towards Ocala.

All in all it was a great trip. Of course there were many more memorable moments, but these are a select few. We miss all of you at home and wish you were with us to see it all.

New Home

2009-08-03T16:51:00.005-04:00

Since leaving Grand Forks last Monday, Aly and I have been homeless. Kind of a bummer. Luckily we have plenty things to keep us busy for the time being. My sister's (Brynn) wedding was on Sat. and we were privileged to watch her marry a true man (see below) in Jared Andrea. I will post later about that event. This week, we are spending a little time with Aly's family before taking a 3 or 4 day trek down to Orlando by car. Throughout this whole process, we feel a little a little bit like nomads... not really belonging anywhere. However, we are excited about our future home and the community in which God will use us. I will be serving as a worship leader and ministry intern at CrossPointe Winter Park. Through visits with people in this family of believers, it's evident to me that God is already using this church as a missional tool in reaching central Florida. I am excited to be a part of God's work in that city and to grow and learn in new ways myself. For those of you in the midwest, you can check out the church through their website http://www.crosspointewinterpark.com/ .

True Men

2009-07-26T15:16:00.003-04:00

Two bedroom apartment - 9x9x8 cube - 4 hours - 5 guys... no problem. How to accomplish such a feat? True men. Not in the worldly sense however. Even though they packed our entire apartment up in one morning, it takes more than muscles and speed to be a true man. For the past 6 years, I have been privileged to know and serve along side many true men. These four guys, as well as many many others, have influenced me greatly and demonstrated what it means to be a true man by the way they live. It takes a lot to love your wife, stand up for what is right, lead your family and those who need help, confess that Christ is Lord when others reject him, and truly worship God by the way you act, speak and live. It takes nothing to boss your family around, sit on the couch, swear, drink, watch sports, and generally waste your life. Thankfully each of my friends are the former type of man. A TRUE man. For some reason God surrounded me with an incredible group of brothers, all of whom I look up to and respect. He deserves praise for such and gift. I thank Him and will continue to thank him for the men in Grand Forks who have been instrumental in shaping ME as a man. I know that God will use each of these guys in powerful, powerful ways as we all grow. I look forward battling along side of them even though we will be thousands of miles apart. Our purpose and goal is still the same. Love you guys.

He's Still God Right?

2009-07-22T10:49:00.004-04:00

Last year I read a book that had a quote from Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones in it. I had never read anything of his, but I know that Ray had quoted him in his sermons often. This particular book was on leading worship and this particular chapter dealt with the power of the Holy Spirit. The author quoted MLJ as saying:

Here is the crucial matter. Do we individually and personally really believe that God still acts, can act and will act -- in individuals, in groups of individuals, in churches, localities, perhaps even in countries? do we believe that He is as capable of doing that today as He was in ancient times -- the Old Testament, the New Testament times, the book of Acts, Protestant Reformation, Puritans, Methodist Awakening, 1859, 1904-05? Do we really believe that He can still do it? You see, it is ultimately what you believe about God. If He is the great Jehovah -- I am that I am, I am that I shall be, unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable, the everlasting and eternal God -- well, He can still do it.

At the time, I related this quote to the power of God to change the hearts of large groups of people, such as our congregation at Grace. I read it again today and found it speaking truth into the midst of my current situation -- our upcoming move next week. I need to be reminded that God has always been working in individuals and families. He has always been the same and always will be. His promises are not outdated or empty -- poetry from some ancient book. They are valid today just as they always have been. God really is the everlasting and eternal God who's Word will endure forever and will never return void. This is the only reason that Aly and I can confidently do what we are about to do. Because God won't leave us out to dry. It's easy to doubt that God will come through for us when we are in need. I don't know why -- sinful human nature I guess. But "He can still do it" as the quote says. He can still accomplish unbelievable things in the life of an individual or in the lives of an entire congregation of people. Trusting that will always lead me to follow and worship Him.

My Friend Matthew

2009-07-20T12:22:00.002-04:00

This is our friend Matthew. I will honestly miss him as much as any of my friends. He is a blast. And in case you're wondering, when you tell him to smile for the camra, he closes his eyes. He thinks its what he is supposed to do.

Giving This a Try

2009-07-19T18:37:00.002-04:00

I figure since Aly and I are moving so far from our friends and family, this might be a good way for us to keep in touch with all of you and give you a little peek into The Sweet Life of Zach and Aly in Orlando. In a week or so, Aly and I will be saddling up Vera Cruz (our car) and heading out of the GF for the very last time (tear). However, we are leaving for an adventure that God will be taking us on as I will begin classes at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL in August. Dispite the hot summer weather and the lack of terrain (all too familiar), we are looking forward to what God will do with us in Florida.

It's appropriate at a time like this to pay tribute to our first apartment which, at the moment, is filled with packed boxes and random odds and ends that have no clear class of items with which to categorize them. She has been good to us. And for any of you who have never had the opportunity to visit our tiny place, here is a video (hosted by my lovely wife) to give you a look at where we spent the entire first year of our marriage. Here's to you 419 Tulane ct.