O Come All Ye Faithful

As we continue to walk through December together in worship I wanted to focus on this week’s song “O Come All Ye Faithful”.  This song was was written in 1743, originally written in Latin by John Francis Wade, a Roman Catholic layman.  To support himself during the difficult times, Wade would hand copy musical scores, which became a true art form during this time period.  While working, he penned the words to this traditional Christmas Carol we sing today, “O Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord”

To adore. What does that mean?  The best picture I can think of is when I held my first child, McKinley, for the very first time.  Tears filled my eyes as I held her, rocked her and spoke ever so gently to her.  I simply adored her.  She captured my heart and all I wanted to do was look into her eyes and tell her how much I loved her.

Matthew 2:11 says this, “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

The wise men traveled from all over the area to see the Christ child; to fall on their knees and worship him - to adore Christ the Lord.  Even today, wise men still seek Christ.

Will you seek Christ this Christmas?  Will you adore Christ the Lord and gaze into his eyes and worship Him as Savior and Lord?  That is my prayer for you today as you hear my voice.  Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Merry Christmas

Watch video below:
http://vimeo.com/81780454

Adore Him

Merry Christmas everyone.  

It is my favorite time of the year!  As a music guy, the lights and the sounds of Christmas resound EVERYWHERE!  The radio stations are laced with Christmas Carols and songs of the season, as well as watching our favorite Christmas shows on TV, like the classic “Elf” or It’s a Wonderful Life”.  There is nothing like grabbing a bowl of hot tortilla soup, or a nice tall cup of hot chocolate.  The Christmas Tree is set up and the decorations adorn our homes.  And what about the gifts and presents, the shopping and the lines in the malls.  It is a picture of absolute controlled chaos, right?  What are you going to get the kids this year for Christmas?  Where are you traveling over the break?  What parties are you going to attend?

Are you tired already...and it is just the first week of December?

So here is my encouragement to you today - Stop, pause and take a big breath.  As crazy, fun, exciting, draining and stressful this season can be, let me remind us all that Christmas is truly not about one single thing I have mentioned so far.  I strongly believe that the stuff surrounding Christmas can become more of a distraction from the true meaning of Christmas.  So pause and remember the true meaning of Christmas as you enter this month of December.  

What is the True meaning of Christmas?  Look in the word - CHRIST

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

This weekend in worship we are singing “Adore Him”, a song that captures the heart of the Christ in Christmas.  As you pause and take a breath today, I invite you to worship Christ and adore Him as Christ the Lord.  See you this weekend in worship.  

Merry Christmas

Watch and listen to this amazing song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUCD-GXObac

Build Your Kingdom Here, We Pray

This is a special weekend in the life of our local church - Cottonwood Creek.  We are truly transforming the 4 walls of our church into a mission field where we are serving and reaching the least of these on our campus.  We are packing dry food goods that will feed villages in the Dominican Republic.  We are sorting seeds to allow farmers to plant crops to make a living to feed their families.  We are sending shoe boxes through Operation Christmas Child across the world to reach children who will experience the hands and feet of Jesus through a small gift of love.  We are also learning about an opportunity we have as a church to reach one of the darkest cities in our nation.

Here is the deal - God is on the move and He is building His kingdom, and we have an opportunity to be a part of it this weekend!

How is God moving and growing His kingdom?  THROUGH JESUS CHRIST & THE CHURCH! (2 Samuel 7:12-14)

God is establishing His church to transform lives.  God is raising up a generation that is on mission to reach the least of these, (Matthew 25:39-41) the hurting, suffering, orphaned and widowed.  God is in control and is doing a work in the church. (Job 37:14-16)

Our response to God today?  We are singing a song that accurately speaks to the purpose of this weekend, this Missions Month, and to sharing Jesus with our friends, nation and the world.  Listen to these words…

Build Your kingdom here

Let the darkness fear

Show Your mighty hand

Heal our streets and land

Set Your church on fire

Win this nation back

Change the atmosphere

Build Your kingdom here

We pray

So, now is the time for you to lay down your life before God, pray to Him and allow His kingdom to rule in your life!  If you do this, Your life will be transformed forever!  

Join us this weekend at The Gift.

Watch this video on the song "Build Your Kingdom" by Rend Collective Experiment
http://worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=1894414

Christ is Able

What are the limitations that you place on God? He is a great and mighty God, but so many times we confine him to a box, thinking that He could never meet you at your point of need.  Why do we do that?  A great question to ponder as we focus on our song of the week “Christ is Able”.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul reminds the church that God can break through any limitations we have in life, by placing our hope, faith and trust in Christ alone.  Listen to these great words…(Eph. 3:20-21)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This song is a great reminder that He is able to do all these things and more. Most importantly, it is a reminder that our God is still able to save! (Romans 5:8) May we never forget that simple fact.  If our God can save us, then he can break through any limitation we are facing in life.  We are all in need of a Savior in our life. (Romans 3:23)  We have all gone astray and need to be directed back to Christ.  We are all worn down, beaten up and are hopeless without the knowledge that..

"He is able. He is able. Christ is able still to save.

Come ye sinners poor and needy, sing to Him our song of praise."

Come to Christ today.  Lay your limitations, your broken life and your hopelessness down and trust Christ - for He is able to meet you today.

Tommy Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ehp5GenCp8

How Great is Our God

Sometimes, the most complex, indescribable experiences in life can be difficult to articulate into words.  For example, how do you describe the complexity of the universe, the stars, galaxy and more?  How do you describe the birth of a new born baby?  What about the supernatural healing of cancer or deadly disease?  We could come up with a long list of adjectives, but it would all return to this simple phrase - How Great is Our God!

The Bible poetically responds to God all through scripture.  Listen to Psalm 104 as David describes God...  

1 Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;

   you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;

   he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3  and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

This is just one passage of many that describe God from the Bible.  And today, we have modern hymn writers that write songs that elevate God as well.  Chris Tomlin is one of those creative songwriters who wrote a simple song that describes the greatness of our creator.  He wrote, “The splendor of a King, robed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice.  He wraps himself in light, and darkness tries to hide, and trembles at his voice.  How Great is our God!”  Simple and true.  Our God is great!

As we sing this song in worship to the Lord this weekend, I invite you to respond to His greatness through all of creation.  Honestly, once we realize how great He is, we instantly are humbled by the magnitude of His presence in our lives.  

Join me as we worship the Great God and King of the universe this weekend.

God in Three Persons

Many songs we sing in our worship services are filled with depth and insight into the heart of God, and this week we have the honor of singing one of these great hymns called “Holy, Holy, Holy” which is derived from Revelation 4:8 which proclaims, “And they did not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"

Reginald Heber, the author of this poetic piece of musical history for the church, masterfully articulated the description of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit working together as the perfect Triune God.  Words like HOLY, MERCIFUL, MIGHTY, PERFECT IN POWER, PURITY & LOVE describe how the all three attributes of the Triune God work together.

We see that God is perfect which angels fall down before, and the darkness is hides because He is perfect in love and purity.  

We see that God showed his mercy and might by sending his son Jesus to earth to save us from our sins.  

We see that Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to dwell among His people to proclaim the works of the Lord in earth and sky and sea.

All three attributes of the Trinity come together in this song to proclaim: “You are Lord, You are Lord. You reign eternally.  You are Lord God Almighty.  My Savior and My King.”

How do you respond to hearing these words?  

Have you ever trusted God with your heart?  He is perfect in love and purity.  

Have you ever needed mercy in your life?  He showed mercy by sending Jesus to save us from our sins.  

Have you ever proclaimed to the Lord that He is mighty in power to meet you at your point of need?  He rules over all the earth, sky and the sea.

So as we sing this song in worship this weekend, join me singing to the almighty God in three persons - the blessed Trinity.

Running a Race

I am preparing to run another Half Marathon in November.  Preparing for a race like this takes time, energy and effort.  It takes a plan as well.  Sometimes I fail in my plans, and other times I do ok.

This morning I read this devotional by Greg Laurie that really applied to me as a jogger and I wanted to pass it along to you for encouragement as we run the race here on earth together.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2013

Run Well

	You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?

—Galatians 5:7

When runners compete in a race, depending on what kind of race it is, they must stay in their own lane. A runner cannot go into a competitor's lane and cut that runner off. If this happens, he or she will be disqualified.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia, "You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?" (5:7). Or, paraphrased, "You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience?" Sometimes in the race of life, people will cut in on us and impair our performance. That means we need to give a lot of thought as to whom we choose to run with.

Paul instructed Timothy to "run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts" (2 Timothy 2:22). As Christians, we should run together, not trip each other in the race. We are not competing against one another.

Our competition is with the world, the flesh, and the Devil—those are our competitors in life's race. Those are our enemies. So it is not about besting one another; it is about glorifying God and overcoming the Enemy.

Paul also warned against looking back while we are running our race. He said, "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" (Philippians 3:13–14). You can't run a good race if you are constantly looking over your shoulder.

So in the race of life, stay in your own lane and don't look back.

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/archive/devotion/2013-10-15.html