Words on Worship

The longer I live, the more I am learning that life has a certain rhythm to it.  My life has never been one of routine. Instead, it’s been greatly out of balance and way too busy most of the time.  I used to wear that busyness as a badge of honor.  But as I grow older, I am realizing that I’ve developed some awful habits.  I can’t sit still, I can’t slow down, and when I try, I feel guilty about it.  But, the problem is, all motion and no rest eventually produces activity without accomplishment.  When we are depleted, we lose our way.  We...

In Ephesians 5:16 Paul encourages his fellow servants of Christ to “redeem the time by walking wisely.”  There is a well-known poem called “The Dash.”  It is a poem that was written in reference to the dash we see on tombstones between someone’s birth date and the date of death.  The whole point is that none of us can control the date of our birth or the date of our death. Those dates are in the hands of God Almighty.  However, God has granted us total control over everything we do in that dash. He has given us a will, a mind, and a body in which He...

One of the greatest quotes on worship I’ve ever heard came from T.W. Hunt in his book The Mind of Christ. He said: “If we praise the Lord on the mountaintops and don’t do it in the valleys, it’s not praise of the Lord at all, it’s just praise of our feelings.  His worth doesn’t depend on our mood.” He is worthy all the time.  And that means we worship the Lord in the good times and the bad.   In fact when I look back, having been through many valleys myself, I’ve discovered I learn much more about worship in the bad times than I do in...

Jordan Romero is a hero to me.  By the time he was 16, he had already climbed the 7 tallest mountains in the world.  That takes serious commitment, planning, and discipline.  Very few of us have ever experienced the exhilaration of standing on top of one of the highest peaks in the world.  But in a spiritual sense, many of us have had mountaintop experiences. These are unforgettable moments.  Why?  Because there are three things about the mountaintop that we remember:  First - the view. From the mountaintop you can see what the big picture looks like.  Second - the value.  Mountaintops help us understand the value of discipline and diligence.  It is through...

Have you ever been lonely? I asked that question one night while doing a concert, and for the first time all night, this little teenage girl sitting on the front row lifted her head up and looked me in the eye and shook her head “Yes.” Her look shook me to the core. Loneliness is a real issue for many people. But as God’s children, we can rest in the comfort of God’s promises.  He never fails, and in Hebrews 13, God promises He will never leave us, nor forsake us.  He will not turn His back on us.  So, as a Christian, if...