I was reading a wonderful passage in Colossions today that the Lord showed me. After a sermon yesterday that reminded us ministers on the importance of what we do, I thought this was a good follow up:
1 Colossians 1:25-26 (NIV)
I have become its [the gospel] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages, but is now disclosed to the saints.
We are servants of the gospel! We as ministers have been not only asked, but commissioned, called into service. And what an important duty we carry - that of being stewards of the great mystery! At the end of the chapter, another verse that gave me some hope with all of the tiredness I'm facing because of the move, VBS, and other things, was v.29:
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy which so powerfully works in me.
Wow! Isn't is awesome to know that God's power is available to us? I know I'm asking for His power to work in me this week that's for sure. I pray that for all of the teachers involved in VBS as well, too.
In Chapter 3, another keystone verse for me was vs.8, which speaks of making sure no one leads you captive through human based arguments and philopsophy - something we call should be alert against.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
"Early in the morning"
A while back, my little guy started singing in the backseat of the truck a little jingle he made up that repeated the mantra "Early in the morning....." over and over again, same pitch patterns, etc. It's been weeks since then, but tonight he brought back that same melody, so he and I (okay mostly me) came up with some expanded lyrics to the song:
Early in the morning
I will praise my Jesus
In the noon-tide hour
I will praise my King
When the sun goes down I
Still will praise my Jesus
Halle - Hallelujah
Let His praise abound!
Let His praise abound now
In His Sanctuary
Worshippers arise and
See His lasting light
Let His praise abound now
For His love surrounds us
United in one voice we
come to give You praise!
(More to come...??)
©2008 Chris Bridges & son
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Ridgecrest Music Week - Prayer Time
The last morning at Ridgecrest was yesterday, and I was able to spend about an hour alone with God in the prayer garden. It was a really nice time. The Lord showed me a couple of passages in the Psalms that really inspired me.
First of all, in Psalms 101, he showed me how important it is to continually surround yourself with people that inspire you towards righteousness. And in Psalm 103, he showed me several things:
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
Often we think of all of the challenges, problems, and sacrifices we make to live a Christian life - but praise the Lord, there are, as this passage says - BENEFITS!!! The next verses outline them.
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
What a beautiful picture here! His compassion is like a crown he gives us!
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
Here's another emphasis on His compassion, which I believe is a theme of the passage.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
A third expression of his compassion, and probably the most tender statement in the passage.
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
Verses 15 and 16 remind us of how temporal our earthly bodies are, but the verses that follow compare this with the ETERNAL nature of our Heavenly Father.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The last verses in the chapter are a a simple doxology of praise to God, and a fitting way to end this wonderful passage.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
First of all, in Psalms 101, he showed me how important it is to continually surround yourself with people that inspire you towards righteousness. And in Psalm 103, he showed me several things:
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
Often we think of all of the challenges, problems, and sacrifices we make to live a Christian life - but praise the Lord, there are, as this passage says - BENEFITS!!! The next verses outline them.
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
What a beautiful picture here! His compassion is like a crown he gives us!
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
Here's another emphasis on His compassion, which I believe is a theme of the passage.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
A third expression of his compassion, and probably the most tender statement in the passage.
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
Verses 15 and 16 remind us of how temporal our earthly bodies are, but the verses that follow compare this with the ETERNAL nature of our Heavenly Father.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The last verses in the chapter are a a simple doxology of praise to God, and a fitting way to end this wonderful passage.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Ridgecrest Music Week - Day 4
Well, tonight ends one of the best Music Weeks at Ridgecrest ever for me. Not only was it special because of the hymnbook dedication and some very good classes, but it was a really nice getaway for the family. In fact, Nathan told us several times tonight that he didn't want to leave. Me either! Still, there's a lot of exciting things happening in our lives now in which we need to get back and attend to.
After the morning devotions this morning, I attended a very interesting class on ministering to younger children in regards to motivation for singing. Following that I was able to hear a lecture on flow in worship by David Edwards, who had performed in Tuesday evening's feature. Some very good reminders there.
The afternoon saw me in a continuation of yesterday's classes with David Odle on Blended worship, this one centered around the future of Sanctuary Choirs. There were lots of good ideas on helping to transition your choir into being true worship leaders. I also was able to attend part of a class on projection systems and screens, which served as a reinforcement for the research I've been doing for the vision I have to expand the multimedia ministry of our church.
The evening feature was a culmination concert featuring the children, youth, and adults who participated in the conference choirs. This is most always a highlight of the week, tonight being no exception.
Tomorrow we go home. It really has been a refreshing and fulfilling time for me and my family. I hope I am able to spend some time in the prayer garden up on the mountain tomorrow morning. That is something else I always try to do each time I'm here. It is a real communal time between myself and the Lord.
After the morning devotions this morning, I attended a very interesting class on ministering to younger children in regards to motivation for singing. Following that I was able to hear a lecture on flow in worship by David Edwards, who had performed in Tuesday evening's feature. Some very good reminders there.
The afternoon saw me in a continuation of yesterday's classes with David Odle on Blended worship, this one centered around the future of Sanctuary Choirs. There were lots of good ideas on helping to transition your choir into being true worship leaders. I also was able to attend part of a class on projection systems and screens, which served as a reinforcement for the research I've been doing for the vision I have to expand the multimedia ministry of our church.
The evening feature was a culmination concert featuring the children, youth, and adults who participated in the conference choirs. This is most always a highlight of the week, tonight being no exception.
Tomorrow we go home. It really has been a refreshing and fulfilling time for me and my family. I hope I am able to spend some time in the prayer garden up on the mountain tomorrow morning. That is something else I always try to do each time I'm here. It is a real communal time between myself and the Lord.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Ridgecrest Music Week - Day 3
What a busy, but fruitful day! Today begin with a short devotional time up on "Rocking Chair Ridge" where we sang several songs from the new hymnal together. After that began a full day of classes, beginning with a class on "how to purchase the right keyboard" and one on how to teach melody to preschoolers. In the latter of those I got to make a streamer craft to take home (Nathan was very impressed I might add.)
After Morning Worship, which was again very good, I took a class with Maribeth Johnson on vocal praise teams which was interesting. Her husband, as I mentioned in the last post, is a songwriter for LifeWay. At the end of class I got to request to her that they play "Great is Your Faithfulness," my favorite of her husband's songs that night at the songwriter's afterglow. And not only did she remember my request, but they used it to end the program, which I thought was very special.
I also attended a very engaging session on worship team building and leadership this afternoon that was quite good. I plan to go back to some of the follow-up sessions tomorrow on that.
This evening's feature was again a very unique blend of performers. There was a former Truth vocalist gone soloist named Peter Penrose who has a very soulful and powerful voice (with a very high range I might add. I got to talk with him personally after the program, which was really neat. We swapped some worship leading stories and talked about hand-signals(I had noticed he had used some in communicating with the band on stage). Also in the program was a group called "This Hope." They reminded me a lot of GLAD, one of my favorite all time Christian groups, as they did a lot of a capella numbers. Very good harmonies and blend!
And I've already mentioned the afterglow concert, which we could hear very well after opening the window in the room. That was a great close to a great (but tiring) day. I was also able today to reconnect with a few other contacts and Ridgecresters I hadn't seen in a while. Tomorrow looks to be busy too, but the blessings keep coming!
After Morning Worship, which was again very good, I took a class with Maribeth Johnson on vocal praise teams which was interesting. Her husband, as I mentioned in the last post, is a songwriter for LifeWay. At the end of class I got to request to her that they play "Great is Your Faithfulness," my favorite of her husband's songs that night at the songwriter's afterglow. And not only did she remember my request, but they used it to end the program, which I thought was very special.
I also attended a very engaging session on worship team building and leadership this afternoon that was quite good. I plan to go back to some of the follow-up sessions tomorrow on that.
This evening's feature was again a very unique blend of performers. There was a former Truth vocalist gone soloist named Peter Penrose who has a very soulful and powerful voice (with a very high range I might add. I got to talk with him personally after the program, which was really neat. We swapped some worship leading stories and talked about hand-signals(I had noticed he had used some in communicating with the band on stage). Also in the program was a group called "This Hope." They reminded me a lot of GLAD, one of my favorite all time Christian groups, as they did a lot of a capella numbers. Very good harmonies and blend!
And I've already mentioned the afterglow concert, which we could hear very well after opening the window in the room. That was a great close to a great (but tiring) day. I was also able today to reconnect with a few other contacts and Ridgecresters I hadn't seen in a while. Tomorrow looks to be busy too, but the blessings keep coming!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Ridgecrest Music Week - Day 2
Well, we're just now closing shop on the second day of Ridgecrest. All-in-all, today was a bit of a low-key day. Normally the first full day of Ridgecrest is filled with classes, but for me I actually had two very nice breaks to go to the room, rest, or do some work from the office.
The day began with some more information about the new hymnal. This will actually be the first hymnal that has the option to buy recordings of all of the songs within it. Further, there are about 200 more songs available from the online and CD resources. There are going to be video and powerpoint materials already done for you. This really seems to be a pretty big deal. I'm putting a link to more information about the new hymnal and what they're calling the Lifeway Worship Project here.
The only specialized course I took today dealt with creative ideas to involve youth in creative evangelism projects, specifically, dance and rhythym (step/stomp). There was some good info there.
Tonight's evening event was a triple feature - Dan Oxley, a concert trumpeter, songwriter David M. Edwards, and the Burchfield Brothers, who are, well....unique. I had seen them before, but I had forgotten about them. One of them is a classical guitarist, and the other plays a mallet kat, which is in essence a digital marimba of sorts. Together, it sounds like a "Christian Manheim Steamroller." here's a link to a taste of them.
And speaking of tastes, we also made an obligatory visit to the Nibble Nook tonight for ice cream.
The last thing we heard as we started settling down to bed was some praise and worship from songwriters Jeremy Johnson and Paul Marino, who were playing an "afterglow" concert in the courtyard below our room. For any Southside folks reading this, they are the arrangers of the version of "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross" that Randy Hart sang not too long ago.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Ridgecest Music Week - Day One
Wow. It sure is great to be back at this place. This is a real place of spiritual renewal for me. Ever since I first came here in 2000, I've always found encouragement and a touch from God here.
We just finished our opening concert, which featured the dedication service for the 2008 Baptist Hymnal. The Jubal Choirs from Georgia and the Gettys (authors of In Christ Alone) were here for this special service, emceed by Mike Harland, the chief music guy for LifeWay. My early take on the hymnal - thumbs up. It leans much more progressively contemporary than its predecessor, but it does give a nod of respect to many of the great country hymns like "I'll Fly Away" and "What a Day That Will Be" that were overlooked in the 1991 edition. I was impressed at the variety overall, though. The only real criticism I have at this point is that some of the contemporary additions may be a little too rhythmic and hard for many of the pianists, singers, and choirs in smaller churches. I do look forward to the possibilities that will be available with the unveiling of the Lifeway worship website, which will launch in October. We are to hear more about that later in the week.
Tomorrow will be the first full day of events here. I'm going to try to make it a goal of mine to make a report on this blog each day, but no promises. But for now, my eyes are heavy, Nathan is being put to bed, and I will soon follow (I'm in the lobby, so as to not disturb or distract him). More later.
We just finished our opening concert, which featured the dedication service for the 2008 Baptist Hymnal. The Jubal Choirs from Georgia and the Gettys (authors of In Christ Alone) were here for this special service, emceed by Mike Harland, the chief music guy for LifeWay. My early take on the hymnal - thumbs up. It leans much more progressively contemporary than its predecessor, but it does give a nod of respect to many of the great country hymns like "I'll Fly Away" and "What a Day That Will Be" that were overlooked in the 1991 edition. I was impressed at the variety overall, though. The only real criticism I have at this point is that some of the contemporary additions may be a little too rhythmic and hard for many of the pianists, singers, and choirs in smaller churches. I do look forward to the possibilities that will be available with the unveiling of the Lifeway worship website, which will launch in October. We are to hear more about that later in the week.
Tomorrow will be the first full day of events here. I'm going to try to make it a goal of mine to make a report on this blog each day, but no promises. But for now, my eyes are heavy, Nathan is being put to bed, and I will soon follow (I'm in the lobby, so as to not disturb or distract him). More later.
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