Great moment in a creative meeting today. We had much discussion about how to approach someone with an issue…different angles, multiple perspectives. But then our senior pastor did something that should be normal. It was so profound I got choked up. He said, “let’s hold up on talking to them…let’s pray right now that God would show them what is right and appropriate.”
Awesome.
May that be the first thing I do.
Always.
Today the subway was packed with people. That’s not unusual in the mornings, but today was extra tight. I noticed a woman standing next to me reading the Bible and it got me thinking about how many people I see reading Scripture on the train. Of course, everyone’s usually doing something – reading, writing, listening to music – but there’s often someone reading the Bible.
So often we hear about how the Church is compacting and leaders ask the question, “Where are all the believers?” While this is not necessarily a bad question to ask, God’s been showing me that He has believers everywhere. Even in the darkest places His people are there. They are praying. They are seeking Him. They are the ones bringing the favor of God upon those places. They are leading people out of the darkness.
What I’ve started doing when I see these people on the train is just praying for them. Praying that God would show them something so incredible, so wonderful in that moment. It’s the only place to start for my new brother or sister I didn’t know existed just minutes before.
Jesus is building His Church in the Earth. Let’s look for each other. Let’s encourage each other — even if we don’t always agree. He’s worthy of that and so much more.
May we be His Body:
And God placed all things under his (Christ’s) feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. – Ephesians 1:22-23
This will be a light week on the blog as I’m preparing to lead worship at Shelter Rock Church this weekend and Olivia and I are answering the question, “To move or not to move…”
I hope everybody’s ready for a great weekend…I am! This has been a long week…
Just wanted to update everybody on what’s going on these days and ask you for your prayers.
If you follow our journey, you know that I have been seeking a new position as a worship leader at a church. While I’ve been waiting on the Lord, I’ve had a temp job at the NFL. It’s been such a blessing and a lot of fun, but it’s coming to an end sometime in November, so I’ve been asking the Lord what’s next.
I’ve interviewed with a church in Long Island and am going to lead worship at one of their campuses this Sunday. In addition to the possibility of the position, I’m also just excited about leading worship in a corporate setting…it’s been awhile.
There are a couple of other possibilities if it’s not the right place, but I would appreciate your prayers!
Olivia and I are also trying to decide whether to move closer to Midtown. It’s a long commute to her current job (in which she was just promoted!!) and, if I get the LI position, I would need to be closer to Penn Station for the train.
This obviously involves moving (which is always a big deal) and paying more in rent. So we’re just laying it all before the Lord.
He knows what we need long before we need it. He knew about these situations before the foundation of the world.
So, thanks for reading (and listening:) and thank you for praying.
I had always heard of A.W. Tozer, but hadn’t really read or heard any of his teaching. A few weeks ago someone tweeted a quote of his that floored me:
The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment.
So I wanted to see if there was more where that came from…and there most definitely was!
I first found a series of MP3s from 1960 – ten sermons in a series on the Holy Spirit. I’ve listened to three and they are exceptional.
The next thing I did was to download his book “The Pursuit of God.” I’ve been using the Amazon Kindle App for my iPhone to read books…it’s so easy to just download a book and my phone’s always with me. This book was only 99 cents! But it’s worth far more than that.
I’m only a few chapters in but there are already some amazing truths. Here are a few of my favorites (so far):
The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word.
…but let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God himself.
The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all.
(God said to Levi)…”I am thy part and thine inheritance,” and by those words made him richer than all the brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world.
God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.
So, I highly recommend the teaching of A.W. Tozer this week. Do you have any recommendations for me??
