Chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel shares a compelling story. Beginning in verse 13 we learn of two men walking to the village of Emmaus, a seven mile journey, & they were discussing the current buzz on the street, during which the resurrected Jesus joined them, & entered into the conversation. Read Luke 24:13-27 yourself for the full story, but the tale is a peculiar one. [Read more…]
Hope in Troubling Times
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“Joy in the Morning” / “Morning will Come”
I remember the first time Psalm 30:5 spoke to me so deeply; “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” It was 2008 & were walking through a very deep valley & needed encouragement – those words became something firm for us to stand on, so we wrote them into a song that we demoed with the band for the SONGS FROM THE HOPE FARM release, but it just didn’t feel finished, & the message was so dear to my heart that I wanted to make sure it was truly finished before I recorded & released it.
So, I rewrote it. I rewrote “Joy in the Morning” so many times that it became a joke among my band members. I’d say, “Guys, should we play ‘Joy’?“, & they’d respond – “I don’t know – which one?“, & we’d all have a good laugh. [Read more…]
Resolutions for the “Dark Night”: Worship in the Valley
Everyone faces times of trouble – their own “Dark Night of the Soul”, while walking through the valley. It seems the whole world is there presently. How do we continue to serve others & walk with God when walking through the valley of the shadow of death?
One of my spiritual heroes, Jonathan Edwards, was keen on making ‘resolutions.’ Much like Edwards, I have made a list of resolutions to strengthen my walk during the hard times: [Read more…]
Worship IS about Singing
In part 1, I AM NOT THE WORSHIP LEADER, we saw that it’s Christ who’s opened a way into God’s presence, so we merely point to Him. In part 2, WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT SINGING we saw that worship was about a whole life – heart, mind, soul, and strength – given over to God to proclaim and display His glory. If someone doesn’t live under this Lordship – which is Kingdom living – it doesn’t matter what they confess as some incantation: NO AMOUNT OF PASSIONATE SINGING CAN CHANGE WHAT KINGDOM YOU ARE A PART OF! [Read more…]
Worship is NOT about Singing
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Most recently we saw that we are unable to actually lead anyone into the presence of God in any ultimate sense, for that is Christ’s job – it was accomplished by his work on the cross, and is applied in the present by the Father’s call, and the Spirit’s work in our hearts. However, there is a sense in which we do fulfill an important roll in the Body of Christ as a “Worship Leader”, but without a Biblical understanding of what worship is, we’ll never fulfill that roll.
What makes you feel valued? Gifts? A phone call? Has anyone ever sung – or better yet, written – a song for you? Speaking to the fellows – Guys, if you know that you aren’t the most attractive pup in the litter and you want to get married one day, buy an instrument NOW, and START WRITING! It can be a very effective dating tool! [Read more…]
I am not THE Worship Leader
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In the most important sense of the phrase, I am not THE “worship leader”.
Yes, I lead people in corporate song, and on my best days (hopefully, MOST days) I encourage them to sing to God, but that’s not necessarily ‘worship’, and at best that makes me a ‘lead worshiper’ or a (oh, I do hate the name) ‘song-leader’, not a worship leader. [Read more…]
Worthy
How often do you just ponder beauty? What is it about the moon passing between us and the sun that makes us stand outside, special glasses on our heads, awestruck? [Read more…]
MORNING WILL COME: one year later…
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One year & two weeks ago MORNING WILL COME was born. And what a year it has been.
I had intended to post a credits & thank you page, & little devotionals from each song, but before I got around to it I started a process that led me to Mississippi & back (quite literally). Now that I have a moment I’m sitting here looking back over the past 12 months, acknowledging some of the surprising things God has done with this release. [Read more…]
Morning will Come: when nothing is going right
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Have you ever had a day when it just seemed like nothing went right? Then that day’s hardships slipped over into the next, and then the next, until your bad day feels like a bad week? How do you maintain your sanity, & keep moving forward? It’s not like you can retire from waking, bathing, feeding your children, or working. Where do you find the resolve to get out of bed & take the next step.
Back in ’10 I had one such year. A year so fraught with hardships that some of my most spiritual friends even asked, “What did you do to make God angry?” Sever illnesses, job loss, injury, catastrophic vehicle break downs – I began to slip into depression because life was becoming overwhelming. [Read more…]
COMING SOON: Morning will Come
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It’s finally finished. 7 years in the making. Songs representing all 10 years of the past decade. 7 producers, in 5 different studios, with dozens of guest musicians & other friends taking part. Let me introduce you to… Morning will Come. Coming May 17th!
BELIEVER, Husband, Father, Son, Pastor, Songwriter, Musician, Producer, Worshiper, Thinker, Creative
