SBC Ministry Musings

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2007-04-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Long time, no blog. Had a friend ask about this blog tonight. Since I hadn't posted to it in over a year, I was unaware that a comment had been placed on the last post by someone in need of a new past time. Anyway, if you happened across this bl0g and have seen the comment to which I'm referring, you know what I'm talking about.

May I say "sorry" for not checking comments forever and for the offense it may have caused. Know that the comment has been permanently deleted and I have found out how to prevent questionable content from ever showing up again. Being a tech novice has its problems and I just experienced one.

I can't say for sure that I'll blog very often again, but check back from time to time. There are seasons of the year when life isn't so hectic and I have time to give to blogging. And then there is most of the rest of the year when that time is in very short supply.

God's best blessings to all,
David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-03-06T10:38:00.001-06:00

Well, I found the topic most likely to silence our Bloggers: "Silence". Last week's blog on silence produced a lot of it. Feel free to comment on last weeks blog later, but, today we move on.

Forgive and Forget! Are you kidding? After what he said to me..., after what she did to me...? I'm just not ready to forgive.

This is a biggie for most of us at one time or another. You know from your own experiences that a simple stroll through life will lead to many instances of offense. You'll be hurt or offended by friends, co-workers, family members, church leaders, team mates, class mates, neighbors, employers, and on and on the list goes. So the question is, what is a child of God to do when the offense comes? How are we to respond? How will our response impact our spiritual lives, our relationships and our worship?

Because this blog focuses on issues relating to the church and worship specifically, let's look at how an unforgiving spirit impacts us as believers.
- It leaves us with bitterness
- It damages our relationships
- It grieves the Holy Spirit
- It hinders the fellowship of the church
- It never knows resolution that leads to restoration
- It doesn't model what Jesus did for us
- It marks us as immature believers
- It is a reflection of a "me" centered life philosophy
- It hinders ones ability to grow deeper in the faith

This list could grow lengthy. You get the Idea. To understand the downside of not forgiving, look around and observe the lives of people you know who harbor a spirit of unforgiveness.
You see the fruit of that kind of life in them. Or, bring up the name of a particular person or a situation in which they were hurt and you will see how close to the surface those feelings really are. This unforgiveness leads to a life of spiritual weight, heaviness and lack.

Now the reverse is also true. Look into the lives of those you know who are always ready to forgive. When forgiveness is sought, these people are gracious forgivers and are ready to take necessary steps to restore relationships. They are free of the spiritual encumbrances that unforgiveness brings. They have no "issues" with folks they work, worship, and live with. They have chosen to get better through these hurtful times by being ready to forgive rather than getting bitter by the bruising incurred.

They enjoy the freedom that comes from being a forgiver. They are not "Me" centered. They are maturing in their faith. They are folks you enjoy being around. They are happy. They are loving. They enjoy relationships without keeping a record of wrongs done to them. They are in fact folks who must make the Father smile because He sees in them the image of His own Son. I want to be more that way. I seems to me, the joy of that kind of life is worth letting go of the offenses that so often keep us in spiritual bondage.

Where are you in this issue? Want to talk about it? Comment, it's your turn.

Blessings,
David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-02-27T12:07:00.001-06:00

Dry Seasons Abound!

It seems that Dry Seasons abound in the family of faith. Not only did several of you post comments last week, but, I've had several conversations about this very topic. I love your honest, heart felt sharing. In response to all that, let me pooint you to Psalm 63. In it, David finds that his thirsting soul, his dry season was satisfied in God alone. The same is true for us. Regardless of what brings on the dry seasons we face, our God is the source of refreshment, forgiveness, and restoration. He alone is the spring at which we can drink daily to experience the renewed, abundant life he has for us. Drink deeply in Him and find complete satisfaction in an abiding relationship with Him.

THIS WEEK: SHHHHHHHHH! Listen! Be still! Pause! Slow down! Whoa!
Getting still before the Father is one of life's most difficult, yet, needful disciplines. Difficult because life is lived at a blistering speed, yet needful because His voice speaks life into our Spirit. We hear best when we focus completely and that focus happens in the stillness.
"Be still (cease striving, let go, relax) and Know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

The alarm clock blares, my feet hit the floor. The mad rush to school and work ensues and somewhere in the mix is a quick devotion, a prayer and a spiritual nod of the head in God's direction asking His guidance and help to "get through the day". In the car and we're off.
A brief prayer of blessing at lunch and supper and as I turn in at night, in those vanishing moments of consciousness, I pray "God Bless us everyone". Sad, but true far too often.

Sound familiar? Though I talk to Him, I often make no time in the day's agenda for listening to Him. Cultivating the discipline of silence is one of the most prfound expressions of love we can offer the Father. When we get still before Him, then we can hear His still small voice in ways we never could by simply running through the day at break-neck speed. So, come away, be still and get to know Him as God more intimately.

Our ability to worship authentically in private or corporately is directly linked to our willingness to be still and listen. You see, worship is nothing more than revelation and response. God reveals something of Himself to us, we listen or observe or sense what He reveals and then respond to Him. If we are not listening, we'll miss it.

The richness of our walk with the Lord is made rich because we pay attention to it and nurture it. To race through each day with only a cursory glance at the Father is settling for a life of dryness and lack.

Your turn. Talk to me, but, more importantly, listen to Him.

Blog on,

David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-02-20T09:50:00.001-06:00

Two weeks without blogging leads to the Blogging Blues. That is, I've missed our heart swapping exchanges. I'm ready to jump back in and hear from you.

I'm glad to be back after my little time away for the Pastor's Conference in Jacksonville, FL. It was a fine conference with great preaching and powerful music and helpful breakout sessions. As good as it was to attend, it is great being back home and refocusing on ministry here at Southside.

Where do you go to drink during the DRY TIMES?
This week, I want to take off on a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago. We've all been there if we're honest. Those dry seasons of the soul when it seems God is distant or silent and we long to "feel" His presence and see His activity like we used to. When those times come, and they do, where do you go, what do you do to continue to drink spiritually?

Our conversation took us several directions. We talked about walking by faith and not by sight. That we are not dependent on feelings to determine our connectedness with God. We talked about the rich vegetation, the growth that is experienced in the valley. We talked about the fact that by faith we must continue in the word and in prayer regardless of the dryness we feel.

Like the Psalmist, there are times when we thirst for more of a sense of His presence, more of a tangible expression of His presence when we pray, worship, or study His word. Do these dry seasons mean we are out of His will or that we are immature in our faith? I think not. At times, it may mean just the opposite.

So, where are you today? Is this a dry season or have you been through one recently? Would you share from your life experiences about times of dryness and the soul quenching rain that comes after the dry season? Talk about lessons learned, scriptures claimed, etc. that you have experienced? Let's blog about it.

Worshiping Him, Loving You,
David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

"I knew it!" "If he had only listened to me." "One of these days I'm gonna tell that music guy what's on my mind." Well, this is the time. Here's your opportunity to let me in on what you are thinking about the music portion of our worship services. I'd really like your input as we move into the spring.

Here's the only catch. You must sign your name in order for your comments to be taken seriously and you must not only offer ideas or changes, but, you must talk about how you arrived at your opinion. That's fair. I'll respond to them in my blog on February 13.

Talk about what we sing, the text, the styles, the instrumentation, the flow, the choir music, how we order the service, what blesses you, what distracts you, things that help you worship more authentically, what you wish we had more of, what you believe we could have less of.

OK, ready, set, blog. I'm away from Fri.-Wed. at a conference and won't read them till next week. So, take your time and pray over your thoughts. Click on "Comments" at the bottom of the page and share your heart. This could be the most exciting blog yet, but, you must participate for it to be so. Don't say, "I'll let other's do it." I really want to hear your heart.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Worshiping Him, Loving You,
David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-01-30T11:11:00.000-06:00

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep..." That's where it started for many of us. This thing called prayer. Sadly, many christians are not far advanced from that formula or at least that maturity level in this area of prayer. So this week, I want to engage you in discussion about the most powerful force available to the Christian. Prayer!

Do we realize that "Satan laughs at our toiling, he mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray!"? That quote has haunted me for years since I first read it in a little book called, "The Kneeling Christian". Our prayer life is pretty much a great measure of our spiritual temperature. If we are little in prayer, it shouldn't surprise us that we have developed into little Christians, praying little prayers to a little God from whom we ask little things and get little results. Boy that sounds cold. I know it does, but it has been so true in my own life and I've seen it in the lives of many others.

Now the reverse is also true. Look at people who are much in prayer and you will see spiritual giants who pray powerful prayers to a powerful God and they have seen powerful results in their lives and in the matters about which they pray.

Knowing that prayer is our source of power and intimate communication with the Father, what is the reason or reasons we spend so little time nurturing this spiritual disciplne? When the people of God pray, God acts on behalf of His people. When prayer is a priority in our personal lives, our public lives will reflect that we have been with Jesus. Our speech, attitudes, actions, even our faces will be a closer reflection of the One we have been spending time with. Prayer does change things and it changes us too.

Having said all that, please take time today to pray for me and my family as I am doing prior to sending this blog to you who have requested it. I pray God will grow us into an army of prayer warriors who will stand in gap for this generation. Our world will see miraculous and powerful acts of God in direct proportion to the prayers of His people. The very nations of the world cna be softened to the gospel as we pray. It's our task, it's our delight, it's some of our finest spiritual work.

OK, it's your turn. Talk to me.

David

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-01-23T08:10:00.000-06:00

Good Monday Morning!

Welcome to an incredible week. "How do you know it's going to be an incredible week, David?" Well, I'm glad you asked. This week comes with potential as great as any week in history. Do you understand that we serve Almighty God who is the same yesterday, today and forever? Believing that, then the God of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, John, Paul, you and me is able to do today anything this week through us as great and mighty as anything He has ever done. (Take a breath and let that soak in.) He is able to save, to deliver, to encorage, to heal, to mend, to tear down, to empower, to lift up, to do anything He chooses. I want in on that. How about you?

What are you expecting God to say and do through you this week? What can you see Him doing in or around you? Scripture says the He is always at work. Henry Blackaby says that we should adjust our lives to join Him in whatever we see Him doing. That would be and awesome week.
A week where we abandon our agendas to Him.

That's really what it is to experience Worship through the week. Worship is a personal experience and a coorporate experience, but, it is also a way of life. Living our lives totally given over to the will and pleasure of God is nothing less than a great act of worship.

How are you approaching this week? Don't attempt to live it on your own strength when all the power of Jehovah God is available to you. Access the source of every good and perfect gift through the dialogue of prayer. Recieve the joy of the abundant life He came to give. Dig deeper this week in the richness of His word and praise Him in advance for the best week of your life. Who knows, it may just be.

I'd love your take on all this. Add to, fill in, expand on, or disagree. But go ahead and comment if you will. That's what makes the SBC Ministry Musings work. God's best to you today.

Worshiping Him, Loving You,
David

SBC Ministry Musings

2006-01-17T13:45:00.000-06:00

Monday's come quickly don't they? Sorry if you looked for my Monday Morning Musings on Monday only to discover nothing had changed. Sorry for the delay. It won't happen again. Well, I hope it won't happen again.

Thanks to you who posted comments to last weeks blog. I loved hearing your heart. Feel free to comment about this week's blog as well and get the word out to your friends and family about this blog if you think it is something they would enjoy.

Part of my hope in doing this blog is to engage you in thought and conversation about issues relating to the church and more specifically, worship. Here at Southsided, it seems God is visiting us in deeper ways during our coorporate worship experiences. This week, I'd love to hear from you about any or all of these several random questions relating to our times of worship.

How do you know when God is speaking to you in worship? How do you determine if it is the Spirit of God moving in your heart or simply an emotional moment due to the high note at the end of the choir piece or a solo or tears after an especially moving video clip or testimony, etc.? How do you sense that it is God at work in your Heart? What difference does our worship make in your heart during the week? Are you experiencing growth in your personal life in this are of worship?

Monday Morning Ministry Musings

2006-01-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

This is the first post to SBC Ministry Musings. I'm excited to offer this opportunity to our Church family and friends to chat about ideas, issues, thoughts, concerns relating to areas of worship, music, ministry, life, etc.

I'll post comments or questions on Mondays and will monitor posts throughout the day. I'll not be commenting on individual posts throughout the week, but will assimilate thoughts shared and respond with ongoing comments the following Monday.

Please share you heart kindly and with sensitivity. This blog is intended to build up the church and encourage all. Agree or disagree, but always in a spirit of love and consideration. Have fun with this and let's see what benefit it offers.

Today, I'd love to get your take on our times of worship. Specifically, I'm wondering if you are finding moments in our worship experiences where you are truly worshiping rather than going through the motions. Talk to me.

Worshiping Him-Loving You,
David