Before The Throne

Ethnodoxology? Part 1

2009-12-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

Worship Leader Magazine had a great theme in their last issue, "We Being Many, are One," focusing on a global view of worship. I was challenged by an article called the "The Great Misconception," written by an ethnodoxologist named Robin Harris. An ethno-what? An ethnodoxologist, a person that studies the way people worship the Lord around the world. Yeah, I didn't know there was such a thing

God's Revelation Rejected

2009-12-07T14:52:00.004-05:00

Have you ever felt like you needed to modify what the Bible says just a little bit and then a certain person would come to Christ? Doesn't it seem like there's a new standard emerging where churches have to put on a cutting-edge entertainment program to have good "worship," or to reach people? The church is often tempted to try to make themselves and Jesus look as cool and appealing to the world

My Sweet Lord

2009-11-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

As I sat in the waiting room at the eye doctor today I heard a familiar George Harrison song come on the radio. You've probably heard it before."My sweet Lord, hm, my lord... I really want to see you Really want to be with you..."George Harrison, one of the Beatles, wrote a worship song! How great right? Not exactly. This is definitely a worship song, but it wasn't written to the God the

Iranian Christians Released from Prison!

2009-11-18T20:48:00.004-05:00

I got some wonderful news in my e-mail tonight and wanted to share it with everyone. I've posted once or twice regarding Maryham and Marzieh, two Christian women in Iran who were imprisoned 9 months ago. They have been released from prison without even having to pay bail! This is amazing, praise God for this act of deliverance. Literally millions of believers have been praying for them around

Yahoo Answers Spiritual Questions

2009-11-16T10:01:00.006-05:00

During a little google search this morning I stumbled upon a page within the "Yahoo! Answers" website. Have you ever heard of it? Apparently you can ask a question and other people see it and can respond with their answer. It goes a step further where people can vote on who's answer they think is best. Anyways, the page I came across was from a girl complaining that her mom was overly

No Marriage in Heaven

2009-11-12T13:03:00.004-05:00

I love that John Piper has an "Ask Pastor John" section on his Desiring God website. A lot of people seem to ask great questions, and the most recent post was totally relevant to a conversation my wife and I had the other night. Not to boast, but my wife was saying how she knew heaven would be great, but that it's so hard for her to imagine not being married to me anymore. So here's to my wife

Prosperity Gospel in Africa

2009-11-10T08:12:00.002-05:00

There was a link to this video in my Monday Morning Insight e-mail yesterday. It gave me a another perspective on why it is so important to strive for worship that is in spirit and truth, and also why it is important to rebuke/speak against those who are false teachers. The prosperity gospel flourished in America, and was exported around the world. As this video shows, the worship that is

Prayers of John Baillie

2009-10-29T09:32:00.005-04:00

Up until last week I had never heard of John Baillie. But last Sunday I came across examples his writings in two different sources, and have been very blessed by his written prayers. It's easy for our prayers to be limited to a quick saying of grace at dinner or maybe asking Him for our desired outcome in a particular circumstance. I appreciate how this prayer from Baillie's A Diary of Private

Persecuted Church Prayer Update

2009-10-26T11:02:00.009-04:00

Christ's Church has been joining believers around the world in praying for two imprisoned Iranian Christians, Maryam and Marzieh. The Persecuted Church Weblog recently posted this update."There has been a significant development in the case of Maryam and Marzieh who were arrested in Tehran on 5th March and have been detained since then. Recall that they appeared before the Revolutionary Court on

Communion Song - Rememberance

2009-10-22T10:48:00.002-04:00

Like many worship leaders I'm always on the lookout for good worship songs. While checking out Matt Maher's site (writer of "Your Grace is Enough"), I discovered that he and Matt Redman had written a communion song together called "Remembrance." What's interesting about this collaboration is that Matt Maher is Roman Catholic and Matt Redman is Protestant (as far as I know).

"Away With Your Noisy Hymns of Praise!"

2009-10-14T12:52:00.003-04:00

Last week the Lord brought me to the book of Amos, and I've been mulling on a passage in chapter 5 ever since.“I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.Away with your noisy hymns of praise!I will not listen to the music of

An Evening of Eschatology

2009-10-08T13:52:00.008-04:00

It's rare for me to interact with other Christians and not occasionally hear the phrase "End Times" used in conversation. My frustration is that I don't think a lot of people really know what the Book of Revelation really says, and even if they have read it, they don't understand the context or genre of the writing. By the way, I don't claim to be an expert myself. People's "end times"

Be more quiet now and wait for a voice to say...

2009-10-05T10:55:00.005-04:00

Have you ever been asked the question, "How does God speak to you?" I can only identify one consistent way in my own experience that provides an answer to that question. He impresses something upon your heart, and it doesn't go away. It keeps coming up in your thoughts, and then usually starts showing up in the things you read, in the conversations you have, or the opportunities that start

Pray for Rifqa

2009-09-28T08:47:00.016-04:00

I've been putting together a list of things to pray about for the persecuted church this morning. Usually the prayer concerns I share with Christ's Church are from places like India, China, and Pakistan, but God led really impressed on my heart that there are things here in America to be praying about as well. For those who have not heard about a young girl named Rifqa Bary, I encourage you to

I am Second

2009-09-23T06:00:00.003-04:00

I know that a lot of famous people have "come to Christ" over the years, only to return back to a life of loving the world and forsaking whatever relationship they once claimed to have with Jesus. Despite all that, I was touched by this video about the former guitarist of the metal band Korn. It was put together by a movement called I am Second. They have put out many videos that feature

Lament Part 2

2009-09-21T11:22:00.002-04:00

Thanks to those who gave me some feedback on the last lament post. I wanted to follow it up with just a few more ideas I took away from Michael Card's 2nd lecture, which focused on the book of Job. Some of his observations of Job's friends and how they helped and hurt his lament process was particularly interesting to me, and can help us learn how to best help someone in their suffering. It is

Lament - Part 1

2009-09-11T16:14:00.001-04:00

I was blessed to come across some lectures on lament from Michael Card a few months ago and I've been mulling on much of what he's said ever since. I think the topic of lament is very important because I sense that some followers of Christ may not realize that thoroughly expressing their pain and questions to God is a part of a worshiper's life. I have seen and heard of many situations where

Sojourn Music - Over the Grave

2009-09-08T23:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I caught wind of a unique worship music album that had been produced by Kentucky-based Church community. I was intrigued by the concept behind it and was motivated by several enthusiastic blog reviews to investigate further. I was able to preview some of the material and after that is was a no brainer, I placed my order and have been waiting expectantly ever since. I

Worship Wars- Are These People Serious?

2009-09-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

If you have a few minutes, click here and read some of the comments people have left in response to this video of an old Brian Doerksen song (writer of "Come Now is the Time to Worship"). I stumbled upon this in a search for a contemporary version of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and it breaks my heart to see such things being said from people that apparently claim to be following Jesus.Do

Avoiding Cheap Grace, Fighting for Costly Grace

2009-08-26T11:11:00.009-04:00

I spent a good amount of time this week preparing to meet with the worship leaders at Christ's Church. We do this every three months or so to spend some time catching up, praying, working out scheduling, and discussing direction and new ideas. I love these meetings! One, because all of these leaders are great people and lovers of God, so I look forward to spending time with them. Two, because

Being Unprepared for Worship

2009-08-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

During Pastor Darin's sermon at Christ's Church yesterday, he made an emphasis on Daniel's preparation for prayer in the beginning of Daniel 9, noting that it affected the way Daniel prayed, and most likely the way he was able to receive a response from God. Certainly something for us to reflect upon and model in our own prayer lives. I've heard the same point about preparation made in

Nigerian Churches Under Attack

2009-08-21T08:27:00.002-04:00

(One of the beheaded pastors)Nigeria: Pastors BeheadedOn July 26, 12 Christians were killed, including three pastors, in northern Nigeria after members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram launched attacks on police and government bases, according to contacts at VOM Canada.The violence, which began in Bauchi state, spread to Borno, Kano and Yobe states. Churches were set ablaze and several

The Cows Are in the Corn

2009-08-19T14:14:00.002-04:00

A humorous comparison of hymns vs. praise choruses which should be appreciated by those of us who have had to deal with this particular battle.

Christus Victor and Martin Luther

2009-08-17T09:50:00.006-04:00

I tend not to label myself or associate myself too closely with any one particular school of theological or denominational thought, political party, musical style, social class, etc. I don't usually have a problem admitting which of these I tend to lean towards, I just refuse to be categorized because I think it can cause us to live according to the constraints of those labels rather than in our

Christus VIctor

2009-08-11T09:24:00.014-04:00

I just finished reading the book Christus Victor. It was written by a Swedish theologian, Bishop Gustaf Aulen, and was originally published in 1931. So its not a new release, but a modern classic on the subject of the Atonement. The basic premise of the book is to show, through historical analysis, that the "Christus Victor" view of the atonement (also called the "classic idea") was the view