Bill's Blog - Trinity Church, Redlands CA

Bill's Blog - Trinity Church, Redlands CA en Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:53:19 -0500 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:53:35 -0500 Here is Love http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=626 September 8, 2010 9:27 AM Before the month gets away from me I must pause and reflect a moment on our hymn of the month for September. The love of God for the world, expressed through Jesus Christ has and will always be one of the central truths of the gospel that inspires our songs of worship. The Scriptures abound with statements about God's love. One of the earliest texts of worship states, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV) John states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) Paul prays, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV) He also affirms, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) John again says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1 NIV) William Reese was the Welsh preacher who penned the words to Here is Love in 1876. His contemporary, Robert Lowery, wrote the music that same year. Reese pictured the love of God as being as vast as the ocean, and his loving-kindness like a flood. And how did God give love like this? Through the blood of Christ shed on our behalf - the Prince of Life, our ransom. Verse two continues the simile. Through the crucifixion of our Savior fountains opened deep and wide, his mercy was released through floodgates, a vast and gracious tide. His grace and love are compared to a mighty river flowing without ceasing, kissing the guilty world with love. His poetic imagery helps to take the truth of Scripture from our minds to our hearts where we receive and believe it. Reese stopped there, but in 1900 another hymn writer, William Williams, decided to pen some additional lyrics. These became the third and fourth verses. At some point they were slightly changed from 3rd person plural to 1st person singular. I can't imagine the hymn without these terrific verses that move forward from declaring the love of God to personally expressing active faith, prayerful desire, and praise to God in the form of living a life shaped by his love. I think it gives us a more complete worship response. Receiving the love of God, given in his Son, Jesus Christ, is the greatest, life-changing decision in all the universe. I will never tire of hearing an old or new song of praise declaring and rejoicing in the love of God. With David, I will always say, "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands." (Psalms 63:3-4 NIV) Here Is Love William Reese, William Williams, Robert Lowery Here is love vast as the ocean Lovingkindness as the flood When the Prince of life, our ransom Shed for us His precious blood Who His love will not remember Who can cease to sing His praise He can never be forgotten Throughout heav'n's eternal days On the mount of crucifixion Fountains opened deep and wide Through the floodgates of God's mercy Flowed a vast and gracious tide Grace and love like mighty rivers Poured incessant from above Heaven's peace and perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love In Your truth You will direct me By Your spirit, through Your word And Your grace my need is meeting As I trust in You my Lord Of Your fullness You are pouring Your great love on me anew Without measure, full and boundless Drawing out my heart to You Let me all Your love accepting Love You ever all my days Let me seek Your kingdom only And my life be to Your praise You alone will be my glory Nothing in this world I seek You have cleansed and sanctified me You, Yourself have set me free <blockquote> Just after eleven o'clock on a Wednesday evening a hundred years ago, a solo voice rang out with the beautiful Welsh hymn "Here Is Love Vast As The Ocean". Maybe a thousand people were in the Chapel at the time, leaning over the galleries, packing every pew and squeezing into every spare corner. They'd been here for more than four hours, in a service of intense emotion. Meetings like it were taking place across Wales night after night, with fervent prayer and passionate singing - and similar disregard for the clock. They both excited and appalled, left many puzzled and some frightened, but it was reckoned that in less than a year, over a hundred and fifty thousand people had made a new commitment to Jesus Christ. Whole communities changed, as men and women found themselves drawn into a powerful experience of God; and sparks from their awakening were soon to ignite fires in more than a dozen other countries. And the hymn that soloist struck up spontaneously, about "love vast as the ocean", was heard so often that it became known as "the love song of the revival". (from http://www.truthinhistory.org/the-welsh-revival-of-1904-1905.html)</blockquote> O Lord, God, may the simple yet profound truth of your love for us, poured out richly through the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, spark a revival among the people in our community. Work powerfully in our worship services as we declare your great love in our songs of praise! Amen. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=626#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=626 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:51:22 -0500 Thoughts on Prayer http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=621 August 18, 2010 7:37 AM Last Sunday we had an incredible time of worship, and by that I mean the whole service. I partnered with my good friend and colleague Steve Springsted. He preached a message on <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=1157&fileType=audio_file3">The Lord's Prayer</a> and I helped craft the other elements of the service around the message. A highlight for me was the beautiful way Steve encouraged us to grow in our practice of prayer as an issue of desire and not duty. Prayer is all about our relationship with God and a means to grow closer to him. Now I find myself waking up in the morning with a fresh desire to meet with God. Of course, meeting with God without distractions is shortly lived with a family of 3 young kids (adding a 4th today!) and a farm to care for. So I have my red Adirondack chairs on my front porch and I try to get a few minutes there, with a fresh cup of coffee, to read God's Word and pray before one of my kids comes to hop up on my lap for a good morning cuddle. Then I have a 3-way conversation with God and with my kid on my lap, using the pauses between conversation to thank him for my precious children and pray for their day. Other mornings I spend an hour in the grove before the sun rises, spraying weeds and talking with the Lord. I use that time mainly to pray for others, family, friends, missionaries, coworkers and those I know who are in need. Wednesday mornings, I leave before my family is awake and slip away to this coffee shop to spend my time studying, writing and having an occasional conversation with others. I call this my listening time where I pause in my busy life to gather my thoughts and seek leading from the Lord. I treasure this time deeply and try to never miss it. We must never forget that listening is a crucial part of conversation and so it is with prayer. One of the biggest periods of growth in prayer life came when I was 26 years old. I realized that I spent most of the day with no thoughts of God and no conversation with him. I felt alone with a big sense of inadequacy as I faced the challenge of some difficult classes of students in my job as a math teacher. At some point I decided that I needed to learn to pray without ceasing, one of the commands of Scripture: "pray continually;" (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV) I asked God to help me remember to be mindful of his presence with me at all times during the day. I wanted my days to become a continual conversation with the Lord. Why not take advantage of the fact that he is always with me? He answered that prayer and soon I found myself shooting off short sentence prayers throughout the day, often in the form of the word, "Help!", and other times for the kid who was challenging me at the moment. My friend Toby blogged about this the other day and hit the mark when it comes to living a life of prayer. I appreciated his thoughts in his blog, <a href="http://tobyhoff.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunday-i-went-to-church-and-preacher.html">A Man For Christ</a>. Another sweet growth of prayer in my life was learning to pray with my wife, Julie. During my difficult year of teaching, our first year of marriage, we would take 1 or 2 walks a week where we would include God in our conversation. We would pray out loud as we walked and sometimes talk to each other in the middle of our prayer. (Kind of like I do with my kids now.) Now most of my prayer time with Julie is just before we drift off to sleep together. Then of course there are the times of crisis or concern where we pause in the middle of the day to lift our requests to the Lord. Do I feel good at prayer? Not at all. I feel much like a beginner, like a little child learning how to talk to his daddy. I have much yet to learn of Him and a long way to go toward maturity. Still God invites me to come and delights to be with me. Another thing is that my heroes of the faith, men of God who were and are greatly used by him, have a common characteristic among them. They were and are men who pray. I want to be a man like that! I want to know God like that! And so by God's grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit I keep pressing in that direction. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=621#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=621 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:14:11 -0500 On Intimacy with God http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=616 August 4, 2010 7:45 AM I've been asked to share a little about intimacy with God in one of our upcoming services. The topic is prayer and the main point is that prayer is mostly practiced in pursuit of knowing God. It is a relational issue more than anything else. Prayer draws us closer to God, closer to his heart, to his will, and to his character. Prayer brings intimacy with God. Many songs of worship are sung prayers that when sung from our hearts draw us closer to God. Christian songwriters are a gift from God to the church. As modern psalmists, their musical prayers model intimacy with God. They give me an inspiration and a means to draw near to Him. My first experience came in Junior High with Keith Green's music. His prayers became my own and you know what? God answered these prayers that I sang as a child. I realized this when I got to college. My favorite song is called, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/make-my-life-a-prayer-to-you/id278919775?i=278920290">Make My Life a Prayer</a>. It was one of the first songs I learned to sing and play on the piano. It remains a major prayer of my heart. When a worship song or hymn resonates with our common desire to know God, it quickly becomes a favorite. The Scriptures promise, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." (James 4:8 NIV) God desires to draw near to us and offers prayer as the main means of doing this. Repentance, thanksgiving, complaint, need, adoration, suffering, a cry for help, questioning, a prayer for a loved one - all of these are appropriate ways to communicate with our loving Father. There are many prayerful songs that personally draw me close to God. I sense his nearness when I sing them. I sense that this is exactly where I need to be more than anything else. Choosing one song to highlight is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. But the first that comes to mind is one that immediately resonated with my heart; yet, I found it difficult to sing. It fought my sinful nature to sing the words, "You're all I want. You're all I've ever needed. You're all I want. Help me know you are near." I had to come to the place where I admitted that all the things that I want and need, even good things like my family, friends, my job, my ministry, all my desires, all of these things don't compare for my need for God. Like the raising of my hands in worship, overcoming the barrier of my pride by singing these words from a place of surrender took me another step toward intimacy with God. When I sing words like these, is it because I always feel or act that way? No. Perhaps it is uncomfortable to sing them because they are not true at the moment. I need to stop singing and repent - the prayer of confession is a prayer that God promises to always answer. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." My favorite version is the first I ever heard by the Katinas on the Exodus project, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/draw-me-close/id6669001?i=6668986">Draw Me Close</a>. Recently, I heard Matt Papa's <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/open-hands/id347817953?i=347818033">Open Hands</a> on KSGN while driving to worship early one Sunday morning. It became my prayer right away and I had to sit in the car and listen all the way to the end. I quickly found this song and downloaded it for $.99 on itunes. We live in such amazing times! I encourage you to make a playlist of some of your favorite prayer songs and use that to draw you into a conversation with God. Last week we introduced, Like Incense (Sometimes by Step) by Hillsong. This song combined a prayerful chorus written by Rich Mullins' Sometimes by Step with new verses presented by Hillsong. These new verses are prayers that flow from the heart of Psalm 119, having a delight in following God's ways. Enjoy! (not available for individual purchase on itunes) <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JFeGgyHp4Yw&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JFeGgyHp4Yw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Perhaps you could add a comment recommending one of your favorite prayer songs. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=616#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=616 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:33:02 -0500 Blessed Assurance http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=615 <img src="/files/Blog/615image.jpg" class="image1"> July 28, 2010 7:54 AM Our August Hymn of the Month is Blessed Assurance by Fanny J. Crosby. Fanny was disabled, blinded as a result of bad medical advice when only six months old. Yet she came to embrace and even thank God for her blindness, becoming a very influential hymn writer and public speaker around the turn of the 20th century. She said these words about her disability. <blockquote> "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." When only eight years old she composed the following poem: <blockquote> Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't! So weep or sigh because I'm blind, I cannot -- nor I won't! (http://www.zianet.com/maxey/reflx188.htm) </blockquote></blockquote> In August, Trinity Church is celebrating and honoring those in our congregation who are disabled. We have a growing number of families with disabled children who are an indispensable part of our children's' and youth ministries. They have a support group called <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?section=disable&name=disable_kingskids">King's Kids</a>. We also have a growing number of adults with disabilities who attend and serve in our Sunday worship services. They are part of our <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?section=disable&name=disable_lightandpower">Light & Power</a> Sunday School class, led by Jeff and Kathi McNair. Many of us at Trinity share the opinion that our disabled family members make Trinity a beautiful congregation. Scripture affirms that, "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body." (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NIV) Paul continues with what is the secret to the beautifying of the body of Christ called Trinity Church. We have discovered that we need the disabled members of our church family. <blockquote> "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12:21-26 NIV)</blockquote> And so we are rejoicing in the part of our body that is disabled. Check out our August edition of <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Media/1148notes_file.pdf">Connections Magazine</a> celebrating a few of our treasured families and individuals. And be sure to come and worship with us on August 8 for our <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/NewsList.cgi?section=&cat=General&rec=1714">Disability Celebration Sunday</a>. Back to Fanny J. Crosby's beloved hymn, Blessed Assurance. "Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a large pipe organ installed. The organ was incomplete so, using the piano, Mrs. Knapp played a new melody she had just composed. "What do you think the tune says?" asked Knapp. "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine", answered Fanny Crosby." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessed_Assurance) The lyrics that immediately flowed from Fanny's heart through her fingers, bears testimony that she knew who she was in Christ, an heir of salvation, a purchase of God, born of his Spirit and washed in his blood. (All references from Scripture if you care to check them out: Titus 3:7, 1 Cor. 6:20, John 3:5-8, Heb. 9:14) The other verses demonstrate that her delight, rest, and happiness came from her constant gaze upon Christ, his goodness and love. The moment our story connects with God's story and we place faith in Christ, we not only become an heir of salvation, we also learn to express our delight and gratitude to God through becoming worshipers, praising our Savior all the day long. May this be our song in August, 2010 and forevermore! A few of my favorite recordings are by <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blessed-assurance/id265684171?i=265685151">Matt Boswell</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blessed-assurance/id273904560?i=273904630">Jadon Lavik</a>, and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blessed-assurance/id5431562?i=5431548">Crystal Lewis</a>. <blockquote vs.1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. vs.2 Perfect submission, perfect delight! Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. vs.3 Perfect submission, all is at rest! I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with his goodness, lost in His love. </blockquote> ~Bill Born bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=615#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=615 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:30:56 -0500 Be Thou My Vision http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=609 <img src="/files/Blog/609image.jpg" class="image1"> Celtic Cross July 7, 2010 8:19 AM Our Hymn of the Month for July is Be Thou My Vision. It is one of my favorite hymns, one that I sing with deep passion and conviction. It is a prayer, written over 1200 years ago by an Irish Christian brother or sister. It captures so much that is true and ought to be true about a maturing follower of Jesus Christ. Although the language is a bit archaic, each phrase unfolds beautifully and presents an authentic hunger and thirst for righteousness; an unquenchable appetite to know and follow Christ. The original Celtic hymn writer is unknown but was thought to write this sometime between the 6th and 8th centuries. It had 16 couplets each prayerfully inviting Christ to be all and was used in Irish monastic tradition for centuries. You can read the original English 1905 translation by Mary E. Byrne on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_Thou_My_Vision">Wikipedia</a>. Seven years later it was organized by Eleanor Hull into the 5 verses we now sing. The beautiful Irish folk melody is called "Slane." Some nice recordings to check out are by <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/be-thou-my-vision/id356910944?i=356911697">Jars of Clay</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/be-thou-my-vision/id3945582?i=3945566">Fernando Ortega</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/be-thou-my-vision/id78662382?i=78662274">Selah</a>, and an Irish version by <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bi-thus-a-mo-shuile/id118100068?i=118099969">Maire Brennan</a>. As you sing, I encourage you to meditate on the rich phrases and allow these to challenge your current way of thinking and living, and hopefully to become your own prayer of praise and desire to know God, allowing him to truly be the "Lord of your heart." It is inspiring to know that the same passion that Paul expresses in this statement below was in the writer of this hymn, in thousands of believers since then, and is growing in me nearly 2000 years later. <blockquote> "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ..." (Philippians 3:8-10 NIV)</blockquote> Be Thou My Vision Author Unknown Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me Save that Thou art Thou my best thought By day or by night Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light Be Thou my wisdom And Thou my true Word I ever with Thee And Thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father I Thy true son Thou in me dwelling And I with Thee one Riches I heed not Nor man's empty praise Thou mine inheritance Now and always Thou and Thou only First in my heart High King of heaven My treasure Thou art High King of heaven My victory won May I reach heaven's joys O bright heav'n's Sun Heart of my own heart Whatever befall Still be my vision O ruler of all bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=609#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=609 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:08:05 -0500 Congrats to a Good Friend http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=605 <img src="/files/Blog/605image.jpg" class="image1"> June 16, 2010 7:46 AM Having just returned from a glorious 2-week vacation, I'm excited to be back home and back to work. But, before I return to my thoughts on excellence, I want to send congratulations to worship team member and dear friend, Roy Tinker on the marriage to Adrienne. It was their marriage that inspired us to drive all the way to Topeka, Kansas. Wouldn't you agree that they are a beautiful couple? I had the privilege of witnessing their uniting in marriage and I am very excited for all that God has in store for their lives together. Roy and I met probably about 10 years ago when he was a high school student, new to Trinity Church. A few years later he did an internship with me, which included fellowshipping together daily, praying together, planning worship sets, leading worship for our Trinity family, and even leading worship together for some missionaries in France. Roy's love for the Lord and for the Scriptures became and continues to be an inspiration and encouragement to me. I've grown to love and respect him as a friend and brother and I couldn't be happier that he has found a kindred spirit in Adrienne. She has a treasure in her newly acquired husband. And I know that she is also a treasure to him. God is so good! I wrote a song 15 years ago that captured the joy when a woman of God is joined in marriage to a man of God. I wrote it in celebration of my best friend, Dave, and his bride, Stefani, who came together with the greater purpose to honor the Lord in their marriage. I also was preparing to propose to my sweetheart, Julie Ann, at the time, so the chorus about the woman of God reflects the Proverbs 31 qualities I saw in my own future wife. I consider it one of my best songs because its choruses flow from Scripture, capturing the character of my wife Julie as well as the character I aspire for myself as a man of God. I post it here in celebration of my 14th wedding anniversary next week. <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/2046url.mp3">The Hand You Hold</a> Back to our Kansas experience, one of the unexpected blessings that we had was meeting Adrienne's church family and finding that they were indeed our own. We met many folks from the Halpin's church family and witnessed the sweet fragrance of Christ. How beautiful is the body of Christ! Where else can you drive up to a stranger's house, knock on their door and immediately be welcomed as family? Adrienne's parents arranged for our family to stay with Shawn & Tonya Schwensen. Shawn is the worship pastor of their church. It was a joy to fellowship with these kindred spirits! Our kids became immediate friends, as did we. Shawn and I talked a fair deal about worship leading and traded some favorite worship songs. I grew to respect him as a good husband, father, worker and servant to the body of Christ. We hope to return the hospitality and host them here in Redlands some time soon. <blockquote> "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV)</blockquote> As we experience the grace, love and fellowship of our triune God, may these things be the characteristics that overflow into the lives of those we meet. Hospitality is a great way to share what God has given to us. Thanks Lord, Jesus for our experience with our extended family and for the beauty of your presence in them. Continue to bless your church that gathers as The Lion and The Lamb Church in Topeka, Kansas. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=605#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=605 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:38:12 -0500 Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=600 <img src="/files/Blog/600image.jpg" class="image1"> 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus Hymn by Louisa M. R. Stead 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus Just to take Him at His word Just to rest upon His promise Just to know Thus saith the Lord Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him How I've proved Him o'er and o'er Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus O for grace to trust Him more Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus Just to trust His cleansing blood And in simple faith to plunge me 'Neath the healing, cleansing flood Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus Just from sin and self to cease Just from Jesus simply taking Life and rest and joy and peace I'm so glad I learned to trust Him Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend And I know that He is with me Will be with me to the end bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=600#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=600 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:42:28 -0500 On Humility http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=597 May 26, 2010 7:10 AM In my previous post on excellence, I focused on its precursor, humility. I'm not done yet, so here are a few more thoughts. A Christian without humility is an anomaly. The gospel of Jesus Christ declares that, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) An authentic encounter with the gospel of grace produces humility. It turns a proud and religious Saul into a humble and grace-filled Paul who can say, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV) As a worshipper of God, and especially one who seeks to help others to worship him, I cannot be successful without a growing sense of humility. The reason why not, is the very task before me. C.J. Mahaney in his book, Humility, defines it like this. "Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness." A primary task for worship leaders then is to shed light on God's holiness, exalting him above all. He is wholly perfect - his character, his purposes, his promises and even his judgments. If we're doing our job well, leading people to encounter and worship our holy God, there should be an increase in our resulting confession of sin, repentance, and embracing of the grace and forgiveness offered to us through faith in Christ. There should also be an increase in joy-filled celebration, with an overflow of thanksgiving. We should wholeheartedly offer our love and our very selves up to God, for what other response is worthy of what God has given us? These other expressions of worship flow out of seeing God for who He is and embracing what he offers through the gospel, that is, through Jesus Christ. They are expressions of the humble. Sometimes I wonder how often God is opposed to us in our worship services. The Scriptures state it simply. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5 NIV) We may come longing to meet with God, spiritually bankrupt, seeking God's blessings and answers to prayer. But God might be saying to us, "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen." (Isaiah 1:15 NIV) But God also offers this invitation, the solution for those of us who refuse to acknowledge and repent of our sins: <blockquote> "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18 NIV) </blockquote> The posture of repentance is humbling but so is the receiving of forgiveness through God's amazing grace. Humility is not something we produce in ourselves. Instead, it is something that God produces in us as we place our faith in who he is and in what he has done for us through Christ (the gospel). There are so many elements we could include in our worship services at Trinity, but I want to always maintain a strong emphasis on God's holiness and the gospel of grace offered through Jesus Christ. That is what produces humility. A humble people are a beautiful people and that's what I want to become personally and as a community of believers at Trinity. Father, please do that work in us as we worship together on Sunday mornings. Amen. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=597#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=597 Wed, 26 May 2010 23:47:30 -0500 This is My Father's World http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=592 <img src="/files/Blog/592image.jpg" class="image1"> Patrick's Point State Park, California ~ 2007 Our hymn of the month for May came alive to me a few summers ago on a family vacation to the Redwoods along the Northern California Coast. We were in the car returning to our campground after a day of sightseeing, listening to a shuffled mix of worship songs on my ipod when Amy Grant's version of <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-is-my-fathers-world/id318544405?i=318544407">This is My Father's World</a> began playing. (From her Legacy ... Hymns & Faith project. SonLight danced to this version in our May 9 worship services at Trinity.) We stopped talking and joined along in song as all of our senses consumed the beauty around us. It was a moment of worship as we joined with God's creation in "declaring our Maker's praise." It was also a worship moment experiencing God's presence, and being reminded of his personality, power and purpose together (as the link below to the hymn story will mention). Since then I've also come to love Jadon Lavik's version, named, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-fathers-world/id273301715?i=273301931">My Father's World</a> off his Roots Run Deep project (an outstanding hymn project worth adding to your collection). Lavik presents the hymn as a sweet meditation set to a simple and beautiful arrangement. Here is a link to a brief yet thorough telling of the <a href="http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/this_is_my_fathers_world">This is My Father's World</a> hymn story. This is My Father's World Hymn by Matlbie D. Babcock, Tune by Franklin L. Sheppard <blockquote> This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought. This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world: he shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world: the battle is not done. Jesus who died will be satisfied, and earth and heav'n be one. Alternative ending: This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=592#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=592 Wed, 12 May 2010 23:56:08 -0500 On The Pursuit of Excellence http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=590 May 12, 2010 8:48 AM "Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." (Psalms 33:3 NIV) One of the challenges I face as a worship leader is the quest for excellence, both personally and for those I lead and serve on my worship teams. We've been slipping a bit lately, evidenced by people coming unprepared to rehearsals and still unpolished on Sunday mornings. I confess that I have slacked a bit in this area. Don't we owe more to our Lord, each other and our congregation? These we are called to serve with our musical and artistic talents. Having recently returned from the <a href="http://www.thriveconference.org/">Thrive Conference</a> at <a href="http://www.baysideonline.com/">Bayside Church</a> in Roseville, CA, I've been inspired anew to gain ground in the area of excellence at Trinity. They do things very well there and it seems to be for the right reasons. However, excellence is not the end-all. There is something greater that comes first. I've always and will always hold humility as the precursor to excellence. Humility is one of the Christ-like and Christ-produced qualities that I desire most in me and look for in all who serve on my teams. Humility is what makes excellence an expression of worship to God, putting the spotlight on him as the giver of our talents and the one worthy to be praised through doing our best. Humility is what allows an incredibly talented artist like Lincoln Brewster (the worship leader at Bayside and an incredible musician and worship leader) to play skillfully and in so doing, put the spotlight on God and not himself. While I'll never be as talented as Brewster on the guitar, I am responsible to develop my talent/skill to it's utmost potential, and that, to the glory of God. So I'd like to think briefly about humility and excellence, allowing the Scriptures to speak truth into these areas. While this spans all service to God, including all arts and technical areas, I will focus mainly on the music ministry for the sake of getting to the point. Humility <blockquote>"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV) </blockquote> The enemies of humility are selfish ambition and vain conceit, exalting myself and my desires above others. Okay, isn't this the basic struggle (a.k.a. sin) of all mankind? In contrast, humility thinks of others first. This was, in fact, the example that the Lord Jesus gave us (where the passage above is going). In a worship setting we must set selfish ambition and vain conceit aside and instead consider others as more important than ourselves. I think the others in our situation are first and foremost the congregation we serve - this will determine the style of music we do (which may not be our favorite style) and how much time we give to making it excellent (a.k.a. practice). Our greatest goal should be providing excellent and beautiful accompaniment to the sung praises of God's people. In so doing, we honor God whose Word instructs us to "rather, serve one another in love." (Galatians 5:13 NIV) (As opposed to serving our sinful nature.) We also serve each other (and love each other) in the band by recognizing that we are all adding a small part to make a beautiful outcome. A good friend of mine explains it like this: <blockquote>A band paints a picture. Each instrument is a color and each instrumentalist uses their instrument to add their color to the whole picture. The goal is a beautiful picture. If we're painting the sky, it's going to be mostly blue and white, maybe some grey. (Unless of course it's a sunrise or sunset.) Most of the pictures we paint within the worship service are landscapes, sunrises and sunsets - we gather corporately to "to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." (Psalms 27:4 NIV). Certainly at times we ought to focus in on one area. In other words, one instrument or voice may be featured. At other times, none at all. My greatest contribution to a song may in fact be where I'm tacit (not playing at all).</blockquote> I want our teams to excel at painting beautiful pictures at Trinity church. Musically, I want to produce that which is beautiful within the style that connects best with the culture around us. The same goes for media, drama, dance, art and our use of technology. And all of this is done to the glory of God. Humility enables me to forsake my selfish ambition and vain conceit for the overall purpose of glorifying God and serving each other in love. So this is where we start. "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5 NIV) Bring on the grace, God! Bring it on and help us to live it out and give it away. I am truly grateful for the people who serve along side me in the worship ministries at Trinity. Humility is certainly the distinguishing mark of our teams. To this I say thanks to God, and ask him to help us to excel still more! Next time we'll spend some time thinking about excellence. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=590#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=590 Wed, 12 May 2010 12:28:50 -0500 On Confronting Sin & Encouraging Transformation http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=587 May 5, 2010 7:44 AM I'm struggling, wrestling to understand and practice an important part of my role as a pastor and brother-in-Christ. How do I confront sin in other people's life? How do I encourage people in the process of transformation by God? Transformation is a process of the Holy Spirit and it is his work, not ours. But as a shepherd of his people, he's given me a role. How do I know? God's Word tells me to: <blockquote> "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV) </blockquote> So, when I observe actions in others that are not right, I am called to use God's Word to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. Jesus also warned me elsewhere to care for my own sin first. <blockquote> ""Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Luke 6:41-42 NIV) </blockquote> I must remember that sin is sin whether it is sexual immorality, pride, greed, etc. I must come humbly and gently, realizing that the same process of transformation through God's grace in me is what I long to assist in others. I must come with great patience and careful instruction, realizing that transformation is a process that takes place over time. This is hard to do in an "I want immediate results" society! However, he who began a good work in us promises that he will be faithful to complete it. The goal of righteous living is to display the glory of Christ, to live a life that is pleasing to him, that is, a life of obedience motivated out of love for him. This is a life-long process. Too often, Christianity has been formulized as a list of "don'ts" causing Christians live in this world of paralyzing guilt, trying to measure up to God's standard and living a false life in front of each other in order to cast the picture that, "I have it all together." Unfortunately, this is hypocritical. How refreshing to be around people that instead openly confess, "I don't have it all together - help!" I think it is a proper understanding of the gospel of grace that helps us get to this latter place of honesty. My role then as a pastor and fellow sojourner is to keep the central thing the central thing, helping my people to understand who they are in Christ and then to live that way. The journey of transformation, also called sanctification, is not one of just "trying harder." Yes, it involves effort on our part, but the motivation for that effort comes from the renewal of our minds - namely proper thinking. <blockquote> "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2 NIV) </blockquote> Abstaining from sexual immorality (the issue in this case) is a command given in God's Word. We renew our minds by filling it with God's Word. Then and only then do we come to know God, love God and because of our love for him strive to do that which is his good, pleasing and perfect will. The Scriptures remind us that, "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome," (1 John 5:3-4 NIV). Of course we discover that it is also good, pleasing and perfect for us to obey. There is no greater joy on earth that can compare to this. This is not burdensome at all, but in fact quite the opposite - completely freeing! Father, help me to confront sin boldly, but with grace and humility and love and patience. Help me to first confront it in my own life so that I may see clearly in order to help others confront it. I trust that your Holy Spirit goes ahead of me convicting people of sin. I am reminded that it is your kindness that leads us to repentance. That kindness is given to us in Christ Jesus. May my efforts be carried out with kindness and perceived as such. I can't do this without your help. Amen. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=587#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=587 Wed, 05 May 2010 23:34:31 -0500 Why I Love Going to Church (Part II) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=584 Continued from last post, here's why I think making corporate worship a priority is important. <blockquote> "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." (Philippians 2:1-2 NIV) </blockquote> 1. God created the church and placed highest value on our unity and love for one another. This is seen very clearly in Jesus' final words to his disciples before his death (recorded in John 13 - 17). There is a blessed unity that results in walking through this life together with other believers. The worship service, specifically the exhortation that comes from God's Word delivered and taught to us, holds the greatest potential to accomplish like-mindedness, commitment to love, and oneness in spirit and purpose. The more we experience God's presence together, the more likely we are to be united in these ways. I urge you not to miss out on what God is doing as we corporately gather to worship him. There is no greater joy than being like-minded, having the same love, and being one in spirit and purpose. <blockquote> "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6 NIV) </blockquote> 2. I come to the worship service hungry and thirsty for righteousness. I want to know my God who is eternally righteous. I am so fortunate to have a senior pastor who loves the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, and who loves the church, and takes seriously his role of bringing the teaching of God's Word to us each week. No matter how much I open the Scriptures on my own or discuss them with others, nothing can edify nor exhort me like the Spirit-inspired, teaching from one who has been gifted by that same Spirit to be a teacher to the Church. Paul says, "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."" (Romans 1:17 NIV) The more I know God, the more I understand the gospel, the more I grow to love my Savior, the more I learn to live by faith. The more I realize that it is his work in me through faith that accomplishes that which is pleasing to him, the more I desire him to do that work in me. The result of all this is that I am filled. That is the latter promise that goes with the beatitude. Our faith can and should certainly be strengthened by our personal Bible study and small group or one-on-one fellowship. In fact, the corporate worship experience is incomplete without it. However, God created the institutional church (with pastors, doctrinal statements, membership, buildings, and elders, etc.) for the believer - the family of those who are followers of "the Way." The corporate gathering of the church is our primary place to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to be filled. How else can we know the righteousness of God than through his Word spoken to us? The first part of the promise is that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. I sense that blessing every week that we gather to worship our Lord at Trinity. <blockquote> "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1 NIV) </blockquote> 3. I have come to realize that the church is a large family of adopted children. My sinful tendencies cause me to clash with some of my brothers and sisters. At times it would certainly be easier to leave the family than learn to love one another with the Father's love. Worse than that, I like to put myself in the position of the Father, thinking that I deserve the right to choose who ought to be adopted, and who doesn't belong. The truth is that none of us belong. All of us are needy and together we can be quite a dysfunctional group. Yet in our Father's unconditional love he has chosen exactly who he wants to be in his family and he has called us to love each other. No church is perfect because it is composed of people who are "already, but not yet" sanctified. Followers of "the Way" are people who have been made righteous through faith in Christ, but are in the process of learning how to live righteously and love righteously. That process of learning is bound to be messy at times. Jesus knew that his disciples' challenge would be to love one another and so he said to them, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (John 15:12-13 NIV) Then he showed them the full extent of his love by offering up his life for them on the cross! I see the Word of God changing us and helping us to love one another in spite of our imperfections and propensity for sin. I see us becoming more diverse as God's family ought to be. I see love for one another and for God becoming the defining characteristic of our church family - and so it should be! As the worship pastor responsible for planning and facilitating our worship gatherings each week, I am committed to making the worship service at Trinity a place where we can experience the unity of heart and purpose, the blessing and fullness that result from hungering and thirsting for righteousness together, and the beauty of being the children of God. I thank God for all of you who are and who are yet to become part of my church family at Trinity. I consider it my greatest joy and privilege to encounter God together with you each week, and to consider you my brothers and sisters. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=584#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=584 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:01:23 -0500 Why I Love Going to Church (Part I) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=581 April 21, 2010 8:42 AM Each week during the welcome and announcements, my eyes scan the congregation for the people that I love, dear friends. Many are the folks on my worship teams. They are my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, even those whom I've not yet met. My heart fills with joy and love and my spirit lifts as I see the ones I love. I know that we are experiencing God together in this most important gathering of the church for the purpose of worshiping him and listening to what he has to say to us together. That experience draws us together bringing unity of heart in purpose. (Of course, I can't see everyone in our large room, not to mention those who come late to our family gathering. Nevertheless, I try to observe who it is that I am privileged to worship together with that morning.) I find myself perplexed, no, saddened by the fact that there are many who do not attend church regularly each week. Content with casual attendance, both they and we are the ones who lose out. They are missing out on the family gathering, a weekly reunion and corporate encounter with God, and an important part of the life of the church. I miss them. I miss sharing the worship experience together. There is a unity that results from experience as God speaks to us through the teaching of his Word and our corporate response through worship. Don't get me wrong. I by no means equate church attendance with salvation, but I do think that it is part of the way that God sanctifies us (makes us holy) - one of the ways that we draw closer to him, he draws near to us and we subsequently draw closer to each other. His forgiveness and unconditional acceptance of us is based solely on the gospel - on his initiative to rescue and restore us through Jesus Christ and our simple confession of faith in him. God does not give us brownie points for attending church. There is the danger in equating church attendance with a spiritual judgement of who is more or less spiritual. I do not intend to do that. Yet that very gospel is what we corporately proclaim, celebrate and gather together each week to let shape and transform us by the renewing of our minds and the engagement of our hearts. There is a danger in considering attendance at church as one of many options on par with competing sporting events, family gatherings, home improvement projects, and time to sleep or relax. Yet, I think many approach it that way. No!Participation in corporate worship is God-ordained and commanded. Hebrews reminds us, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25 NIV) Okay, I'm the worship pastor. I should feel that the worship service is of utmost importance. To design an opporunity to corporately encounter the Living God each week is in fact the primary role of my job. However, I felt this way far before becoming a full-time pastor. Next post I will share three reasons why corporate worship should be a high priority for those of us who profess faith in Christ. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=581#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=581 Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:56:55 -0500 Crown Him With Many Crowns http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=578 Our hymn for the month of April led us into our worship celebration last week on Easter Sunday. Psalm 66:2 commands us to, "Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious." As the worshippers raised their voices and sang, it was glorious! Crown Him with Many Crowns begins with a focus on Christ as revealed in Revelation19:12,13 which says, "His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns .... He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God." As we sang, "Awake my soul and sing...," the music transposed up a key. Like a rocket igniting and then slowly picking up speed, our praises lifted with power into the heavens and continued to grow with intensity and feeling from that point on. The second verse hails Jesus as the "Lord of Love" and invites us to "behold his hands and side." With that, we vividly remembered the wounds that our Savior suffered on our behalf. After a joyful musical interlude, the tempo slowed dramatically, allowing every word of the last verse to resound from deep within. We had finally arrived at the resurrection! "Crown Him the Lord of life who triumphed o'er the grave!" I'm so grateful to my friend Jeff Moore who arranged this wonderful hymn for our orchestra team and truly led us into the presence of the Lord in a powerful and dramatic way. Crown Him with Many Crowns became a collaborative work between two men, most likely unknown to each other, yet both desirous to exalt the Lord, Jesus Christ. Good theology is important and the rich text that we sing today is a result of that refining process. Matthew Bridges (1800-1894) was a part of the Anglican church and converted to Catholicism when he was 48 years old in connection with the Oxford Movement led by John Henry Newman. Among other things, the leaders of this movement were discovering the rich hymnody of the early church and devoting themselves to translations of their Greek and Latin texts. Bridges wanting to share in the rich hymnic tradition of the Protestant church began writing original hymns for the Catholic Church. Crown Him with Many Crowns" was published in the second edition of Hymns of the Heart in 1851 in six, eight-line stanzas. <blockquote> Hymnology scholar J. R. Watson, notes that, "During the 1870s, objections were made to Bridge's words, perhaps because of the complex references to the Blessed Virgin Mary." Godfrey Thring (1823-1903), an Anglican priest, composed a new version and published it in his Hymns and Sacred Lyrics(1874). The United Methodist Hymnal, like many others, combines a stanza of Thring's text (stanza two) with three from Bridges' original. (C. Michael Hawn, HISTORY OF HYMNS: Hymn enumerates Christ's many crowns, http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=6115 (November 2009).) </blockquote> I can't imagine singing Crown Him with Many Crowns without Thrings wonderful 3rd stanza that exalts Christ as the Lord of Life! I'm thankful to the refining process that happens when men and women who are committed to uphold the Word of God, test everything by it. Through that process, a good hymn became a great hymn and encompassed the whole of the gospel by adding the resurrection. Here's a little history on the tune. <blockquote> A good or even a great text does not survive without a stirring tune. DIADEMATA (meaning "crowns") is the tune that was written by Sir George Job Elvey (1816-1893) for this hymn when it was published in the Appendix of Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1868. Watson agrees with most when he observes, "[DIADEMATA] makes a magnificent setting for the text, march-like and joyful without ever becoming mechanical or strident." (ibid) </blockquote> Here are the verses that have endured the ages and that we will sing together at Trinity. Verses 1,2 and 4 are by Bridges and verse 3 is by Thring. <blockquote> Crown Him with many crowns The Lamb upon His throne Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns All music but its own Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee And hail Him as thy matchless King Thru all eternity Crown Him the Lord of love Behold His hands and side Rich wounds, yet visible above In beauty glorified No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight But downward bends his wond'ring eye At mysteries so bright Crown Him the Lord of life Who triumphed o'er the grave Who rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save His glories now we sing Who died and rose on high Who died eternal life to bring And lives that death may die Crown Him the Lord of heaven One with the Father known One with the Spirit through Him given From yonder glorious throne To Thee be endless praise For Thou for us hast died Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days Adored and magnified </blockquote> ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=578#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=578 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:22:23 -0500 The Faith Story as Worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=569 March 24, 2010 7:41 AM This week we finished a series of three faith stories in our worship services themed around the "sharing the gospel" portion of our mission statement. (You can view these at the end of this post.) God has been glorified and many have been encouraged by this element of our worship service together. The faith story is truly a highlight of our corporate worship services. Whenever we have one, it leaves me not only edified and encouraged, but also wanting more and wishing that we did this more often. I view our worship service as a give and receive interaction on both the vertical and horizontal plane. We come to give and we come to receive and only in both interactions is the fullness of God's purpose for our worship gatherings experienced. Vertically we receive from God as we listen to his Word being taught, sung, and proclaimed both visually and verbally. We may also receive from him healing, encouragement, peace, exhortation, even rebuke, correction and forgiveness. On the other hand, we give God thanksgiving, praise, obedience, and repentance in response to what he has given us. We also come to obey the Scriptures command, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name." (Hebrews 13:15-16 NIV) We confess his name in our songs, prayers and in our creeds. However, the practice of publicly proclaiming what God has done or is doing in our lives through Jesus is another way each one of us can fulfill this command. This Scripture reminds us that our faith story is first and foremost offered to God as a sacrifice of praise. However, faith story is also offered to one another. On the horizontal level, we give and receive love, grace and mutual encouragement to and from each other. We ought to do this on a daily basis in our relationships, through a one-on-one conversation on the phone, or face-to-face at the coffee shop, in our small group gatherings, and even through our social networks and e-communications. I am reminded of Paul's opening statement to the Roman congregations. <blockquote> "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-- 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." (Romans 1:11-13 NIV) </blockquote> The underlying goal of a faith story is to spotlight the work of God in our lives. However it also spotlights the basis of our salvation, faith and in so doing it encourages greater faith. That's why it is so important to have in the worship service setting. The Scriptures declare, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--" (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)." In sharing the details of our journey of faith, we give a spiritual gift that makes others strong. We mutually encourage each other by our faith. Do you see yourself as someone who should be sharing your faith story? What kind of faith does the Lord require and commend? Turning in the Scriptures to Hebrews 11, we see that all sorts of people are included in that list of living "by faith." Sure Abraham, the father of Israel is on that list, but so is Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho. Jesus once rebuked his disciples for having "little faith." He said that if you had the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. So I'd say that mustard seed faith is the requirement for a faith story, and what mountain-moving potential it holds! That's all it takes! It's because we're not displaying ourselves, but our God - that's what faith does. The point of the faith story is not to present a polished you, or a perfectly resolved story. On the contrary, it's to share your "in process" journey of faith, spotlighting the author and perfecter of your faith, Jesus Christ. So whether you are at the beginning, middle or toward the end of your earthly journey, if you are living by faith, you are invited to share. What if at the end of 2010, what we at Trinity have deemed the "Year of the Gospel," we publish a book of our stories declaring the wonderful work of the Lord as the gospel saves us and shapes us as his people? Our Senior Pastor, Gary Inrig, clearly took us through the mega-narrative of the gospel with the four words: Creation, Rebellion, Rescue and Restoration. (check out this incredible message here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=1030&fileType=audio_file3">The Story</a>. Our story joins God's story the moment we are rescued from our rebellion through faith in Christ. It continues throughout the restoration process. If you've been rescued and you are being restored, then you have a faith story (stories) and others need to hear it. Consider submitting it here by responding to this blog. Each faith story should include the rescue portion, that is, when and how you placed your faith in Christ. Then it continues to demonstrate how you are being restored. Share a significant event in your life. How is your faith growing now? The inclusion of faith stories in our worship service accomplishes the two-fold purpose of the corporate worship service - to glorify our triune God and to edify the church. Please consider "imparting a spiritual gift" to your church family. Leandra McHargue's <object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1402071458132" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1402071458132" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object> Herrick Johson's <object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1410660392850" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1410660392850" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object> Mike Holyk's <object width="500" height="375" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1415683838433" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1415683838433" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="375"></embed></object> bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=569#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=569 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:13:38 -0500 Leading the Hesitant to Worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=561 March 17, 2010 8:57 AM I had an interesting experience leading worship last week. I was invited to fill in due to a last minute cancellation to lead worship for a Christian high school chapel service. There were about 300 students. I was given 15 minutes at the beginning of a 45-minute service. I knew in accepting that I was going to have my work cut out for me if I was truly to "lead" this group of students to worship the Almighty God. Honestly, I don't have to work very hard to lead my Trinity family to worship. Most of them come with eager hearts just like kids going to Disneyland or fans supporting their home team at a sporting event. I've got it good at Trinity and I know it! It was a good reminder of how important it is to consider whom I am leading before all else. My opinion is that if a worship leader fails to lead, he or she has failed. I fail sometimes. I didn't want to fail this time. I prayed and prepared intentionally. So, how did it go? Well, I'm not sure. But I can tell you how I approached it. Because corporate worship is primarily expressed through singing, I did begin there, with <a href=" http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/glory-to-god-forever/id333329500?i=333330258">Glory to God Forever</a> by Steve Fee. I do expect folks I lead to sing. I thought that kids might know and like this song that powerfully turns our focus toward our Creator God and yet expresses our role in using our voice to sing. The second verse declares, "Creator God you gave me breath so I could praise your great and matchless name all my days. So let my whole life be a blazing offering--a life that shouts and sings the greatness of our King!" So what was the response? It was almost inaudible - a few bold souls opening their mouths to allow their breath to vibrate their vocal chords. It almost felt like a mockery to God to have the words displayed, the accompaniment provided, the leader encouraging the people to "sing," and yet very few singing. I was trying hard to connect with my congregation for the morning, but as I casually made eye contact with folks, I received glares back from some, apathy from most. Granted, I think this generation wants to know first who is leading them. Credentials don't matter; even my status being first declared a friend of one of the respected teachers didn't seem to matter. I wish I had time to establish a little more of my heart - hard to do in 15 minutes, but perhaps worth dropping a song to strive to establish some credibility first. That's a take-away. So after that first song, I did plan to sing a new song, probably unknown by most, that I think has the potential to take a hard or disconnected heart and draw it into worship. <a href=" http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-is-our-god/id286785725?i=286785939">This is Our God</a> by Hillsong is such a gentle song, packed with incredible truth and a very active pre-chorus declaring, "I will fall at your feet; I will fall at your feet and worship you here." If anything, I was going to enter in and loose myself in this song. However, I did not dismiss folks, or ignore the fact that I was still a worship "leader" who did not want by any means to fail to, well...lead. I did give more of an action point to "experience God as we gently walk our way through this song that declares who he is and what he has done for us." I sensed that this turned the tides a bit as my "tough" group softened and entered in. It was a tender moment and I don't think I was alone in this experience. A few more voices were added as we gently sang, "I will fall at your feet..." More than that, the silence spoke volumes - kids weren't talking to one another. The Spirit was present in the hush. I closed with a prayer for these students, acknowledging the varied talents that God has given to those present--athletes, scholars, and artists and that the obvious response to God's freely giving himself for us is for us to give ourselves back to him--fully! I brought the focus to God's Word through Romans 12:1,2 and had folks stand to sing <a href=" http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-my-life/id5785380?i=5785377">Take My Life and Let it Be</a> by Chris Tomlin. Participation was by no means eager, but I think a few more than at the beginning had chosen to join in this prayer to the Lord. I'm used to this challenge from my former days as a math teacher. Teaching math to kids who don't like math was quite a challenge - a challenge I enjoyed in moderation. It's a shame however to think that a Christian heart isn't more primed and ready and yearning to enter into worship whenever the opportunity is given. Just as a group of mathematicians can't help but be eager to do math, Christ-followers should be chomping at the bit to worship Christ - that's what we do for heaven's sake! I expected this group to be more like my college bound math students who were for the most part eager to do math. I would only expect the type of challenge I faced when leading unbelievers to worship God. In conclusion, I would like to see how this group of students follows a worship leader who they know and trust. I did not have that advantage. That could have been the main issue here. The teacher who spoke in the chapel following me certainly had an immediate connection with the students - they were eager and ready to listen to him, to follow. I encouraged him to take advantage of this position and speak more often. Another contributing issue may have been that many of the singers were away at a choir competition. Maybe the team was missing their captains. I love the challenge of leading anyone to worship the Triune God--Father, Son and Spirit. I think this group of students would benefit from gentle but persistent instruction on how to become better worshipers - perhaps many of them have forgotten, or have never been taught in the first place. That's the benefit of having the same worship leader week in and week out leading the same group of believers to worship the Lord. Churches as well as Christian schools and colleges need worship leaders like this. Lord help me always to be full of your Spirit and intentional as I lead but also teach people to worship you! Amen. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=561#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=561 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:49:24 -0500 Take My Life and Let it Be http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=553 With a Mission focus in March, we are going to sing the song, Take My Life and Let it Be. There are three versions that I have for you: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-my-life/id5785380?i=5785377" target= "_blank">Take My Life</a> - Tomlin's arrangement (new melody, reflective, with powerful additional chorus) <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-my-life/id273301715?i=273302025" target= "_blank">Take My Life</a> - Jadon Lavik's arrangement (same melody as Tomlin's, different chorus, joyful!) <a href="http://karijobe.com/music.php" target= "_blank">Take My Life and Let Be</a> - Kari Jobe's arrangement (traditional melody, sensitive and wonderful!) - no recording on iTunes Here's the story: Frances R. Havergal came to faith and committed her life to Christ at the age of 14. She had begun reading and memorizing the Bible at the age of four (eventually memorizing the Psalms, Isaiah and most of the New Testament). At seven she wrote her first poems. Several of her mature verses became hymns. As a student, she loved to learn languages and became an accomplished musician. Her life's mission was to sing and work for Jesus. She had both a great taste for music and a good knowledge of harmony, a natural and inherited turn for melody, a ringing touch on the piano, and a beautiful and well-trained voice. These gifts she now entirely devoted to Christ; whether at home or in mixed society she always "sang for Jesus." Her hymn of consecration, "Take My Life and Let It Be" was written by Miss Havergal in 1874. She had been at a retreat with some folks and was praying for their salvation. She gives the following account: "The last night of my visit after I had retired, the governess asked me to go to the two daughters. They were crying, & then and there both of them trusted and rejoiced; it was nearly midnight. I was too happy to sleep, and passed most of the night in praise and renewal of my own consecration; and these little couplets formed themselves, and chimed in my heart one after another till they finished with 'ever only, ALL FOR THEE!'" Her prayer, "Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold," in the same hymn was not lightly stated. In August, 1878, Miss Havergal wrote to a friend, "The Lord has shown me another little step, and, of course, I have taken it with extreme delight. 'Take my silver and my gold' now means shipping off all my ornaments to the church Missionary House, including a jewel cabinet that is really fit for a countess, where all will be accepted and disposed of for me ... Nearly fifty articles are being packed up. I don't think I ever packed a box with such pleasure." Frail in health all of her life, Miss Havergal one day caught a severe cold which caused inflammation of the lungs. When told that her life was in danger, she exclaimed, "If I am really going, it is too good to be true!" At another time she responded, "Splendid! To be so near the gates of heaven." At the very end, it is reported that she sang clearly, but faintly, another of her hymns, "Jesus, I Will Trust Thee, Trust Thee with My Soul." Frances Ridley Havergal died at Caswall Bay, Swansea, Wales, June 3, 1879, at the age of forty-two. She never married. On her tombstone at Astley, Worcestershire, is engraved her favorite text, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7 Take My Life and Let it Be Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord to Thee Take my moments and my days Let them flow in ceaseless praise Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee Take my silver, and my gold Not a mite would I withhold Take my intellect and use Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose Take my will and make it Thine It shall be no longer mine Take my heart it is Thine Own It shall be Thy royal throne Take my love my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store Take myself and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=553#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=553 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:56:38 -0500 On Joy http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=550 February 24, 2010 7:36 AM JOY - I would say that the marks of a Christian are captured best in the list of nine qualities found in the Scriptures called the Fruit of the Spirit. Joy is the second fruit listed. The basic premise is that when a person hears the message of the gospel, that is the good news about Jesus Christ, upon believing, they become a new creation and are given the Holy Spirit as the indwelling presence of God. The role of the Holy Spirit is varied--helping, convicting, comforting, and giving assurance that we belong to God. But we are told that the Spirit also produces all that is good in us--the fruit that flows out of our experience of abiding in him and him abiding in us. Let's turn our attention to the worship service. Joy is the overwhelming experience and expression of praise that results when we are in the presence of God together. The Psalms probably mention the word joy more than any other. <blockquote> "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11 NIV) </blockquote> And so as I make a plan for leading a "Service of Joy" for an upcoming conference, where shall I begin? What brings me most joy in the corporate worship service? Answer: Rallying around the gospel! When the spotlight is on Christ, my joy is two fold. First of all, there is the reality of who I am in Christ - the object of his love and delight. Second, there is the unparalleled experience of God with other believers - worship within the community of faith, and it is the gospel of Christ Jesus that brings us together. Both experiences cause my heart to fill and overflow with joy - with resounding joy, I sing. The experience of worshiping the Lord together with the body of Christ parallels and surpasses that of any sporting event or musical concert--at least it should. I live for Sundays! The truth of the depth of the Father's love for me produces joy. When I delight in my wife or my kids, I can see the joy on their faces. In the same way, we are told that our Father delights in us. <blockquote> "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV) </blockquote> There is something about the Father's Love that makes my heart rejoice. It is the realization that I am his adopted child--the object of his love and affection. Two songs come to mind: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-deep-fathers-love-for/id165913011?i=165913207">How Deep the Father's Love for Us</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-he-loves/id273656075?i=273656353">How He Loves</a> The first song lays out the deep theology of the Father's love and it is wonderful to sing of this truth. But the second, while not theologically deep and a bit quirky, lets me soak in the simplicity of my Father's love. In other words, I find myself just resting in his loving embrace. Our experience of joy as we realize and rest in the Father's love for us is in itself a beautiful expression of worship! However, words are appropriate too, "Your Love O Lord" not only declares God's love for us, but responds with words of worship. "I will lift my voice to worship you my King. And I will find my strength in the shadow of your wings." Another theme in the gospel that brings joy is the beauty of grace displayed in our redemption - the prisoner has been set free. Our God is Mighty to Save! Is there any greater thing than that? "I once was blind but now I see...my chains are gone! I've been set free!" Our freedom as declared in such great songs as <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-am-free/id159371632?i=159371720">I Am Free</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-day/id219113204?i=219113207">Happy Day</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/amazing-grace-my-chains-are/id294754021?i=294754037">Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/your-grace-still-amazes-me/id167859722?i=167860137">Your Grace Still Amazes Me</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hallelujah-what-a-savior/id298766744?i=298766749">Hallelujah What A Savior</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mighty-to-save/id185893063?i=185893768">Mighty to Save</a>, and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-christ-alone/id50294073?i=50294071">In Christ Alone</a>, to name a few songs. The second part of our service will focus in on the redemption and grace of God, shown to us through Christ our Savior. Joy is also captured in declaring the works of the Lord on our behalf and aligning ourselves with his mission. This all happens within the context of fellowship - the unity of believers in heart, mind and purpose! The third and final component of our Service of Joy will focus on our corporate experience. While we've been experiencing it all along, now we turn the lights up and look around and realize that the icing on the cake, so to speak, is the people in front of us, beside us and behind us. Our experience of joy is incomplete if it is not experienced within the context of the unity of believers who are joined together in Christ, loving one another like Christ, and carrying on his work together. <blockquote> "then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." (Philippians 2:2 NIV) </blockquote> This Scripture is laid out in the context of Christ's attitude of humility with the charge that we are to follow in the same manner. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beneath-the-cross-live/id341061717?i=341061732">Beneath the Cross</a> will be our theme song for the week and it captures joy in the 3rd verse, declaring, "How great the joy before us to be his perfect bride. Beneath the cross of Jesus we will gladly live our lives." This song brings it all together! I would like to include some media, corporate readings, Scripture reading, and songs in our celebration of Joy. Father, help me to put this together in a cohesive way that leads us into the fullness of joy that comes from you. And may both our experience of joy and our expression of joy bring you great glory. And may you be blessed as you watch your children delight in you! Amen. ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=550#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=550 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:53:34 -0500 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=535 We have the privilege of having a "Hymn of the Month" focus for 2010. Many hymns reflect a personal relationship with the Lord. Such is the case with our February focus: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson. During his early teen years, Robinson ran with a notorious gang of thugs and led a depraved life. At age 17, he decided to attend a revival where the noted evangelist George Whitefield was preaching. Robinson's motive was to make fun of the people and their religious delusions. Instead, God "began a good work" in him and three years later, he accepted Christ as his Savior. Not long after his conversion, he responded to a call on his life to preach and became pastor of a rather large church in England. He also wrote a number of theological books as well as several hymns. His most well-known song, written at age 22, is also his spiritual autobiography. Phrases from two of the verses become especially poignant, considering Robinson's spiritual journey. "Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand'ring from the fold of God; He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood." "O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be! Let They goodness like a fetter bind my wand'ring heart to Thee. Prone to wander-Lord I feel it-prone to leave the God I love; here's my heart-O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above." Most of us will never pen a book or write a song, but our lives can be a "melodious sonnet" sung in "loudest praise." Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Come Thou fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it Mount of Thy redeeming love Here I raise my Ebeneezer Hither by Thy help I've come And I hope by Thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He, to rescue me from danger Bought me with His precious blood O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be Let Thy goodness like a fetter Bind my wandering heart to Thee Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=535#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=535 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:25:01 -0500 On Being Adopted into God's Family (Part I) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=530 January 27, 2010 7:26 AM I've been given another assignment, to give a one-hour session on the topic of, "the significance at a congregational and personal level of being adopted by God." This is for the upcoming <a href="http://www.formeradventist.com/">Former Adventist Fellowship</a> weekend in February and I'm excited to prepare the session and then to spend time with these wonderful people. The Bible uses adoption language to help us understand who God is, who we are and what we have been given through faith in Jesus Christ. Understanding these three things on a personal level is crucial to the believer's ability to experience God's personal love and to "continue to live in him" (Colossians 2:6 NIV), as Paul commands all of us who have received Christ Jesus as Lord. Understanding these things on a corporate level leads us to experience the true community of the faith, the church as the family of God where our faith is nurtured, where we grow to "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ," (Ephesians 4:13 NIV), and where we contribute to that growth in others. There is no greater emphasis on adoption in the Bible than the opening to the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1&version=NIV">Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians</a>. I'd like to spend the bulk of our time uncovering and rejoicing in the wonderful truths that are there. As we move through this hour together, I'd to encourage you to think from two perspectives. First, put yourselves in the shoes of the one who is adopted - if you are in Christ, you are! I'd like to think about the formerly and the but now aspects of being adopted. Second, put yourselves into the context of a huge family of adopted kids - the corporate setting. As we grow understand the Father's love and purposes, while always a recipient, we develop our Father's heart and join him in his passion to adopt. We also realize the intense value that our Father places on having a family that is healthy, where love and humility is the operating principle. Here is a basic outline of what I'd like to present. First of all, I'd like to pause here, and show the <a href="http://www.usforever.org">Us Forever</a> video. This demonstrates the heart of the issue of adoption and I think will soften our hearts to understand and receive the truth of what God has revealed in the Scriptures. <blockquote> Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV)</blockquote> [Before proceeding, I will pray using some of the very words that come next. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these precious people you have gathered here this weekend - for their faith, for their desires to seek you through this weekend. I keep asking that you, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious Father, may give each one here the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know you better. I pray also that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which you have called us, the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints, and your incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of your mighty strength, which you exerted in Christ when you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his 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. (from Ephesians 1:16-23 NIV) May our focus be on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and may we experience more of that fullness as a result of our time together. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.] Let's uncover some of the powerful phrasing in the Ephesians passage above. The rest of the Scripture contained in Ephesians is spoken by God to us within the context of our identity as a child, dearly loved and adopted by God the Father, through Jesus the Son. This is so important to grasp! I love the truth that God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. I love it that he chose us in him before the creation of the world! I love it that he predestined us to be adopted according to his pleasure and will. I love the purpose of our adoption: to the praise of his glorious grace in Christ. And then what follows is a beautiful telling of the gospel, namely: <li> Redemption through his blood The forgiveness of sins (through grace that he lavished on us!) We were chosen, predestined according to the purpose of his will Having believed, we were marked in him with a seal, the Holy Spirit We are guaranteed an inheritance We are God's possession--to the praise of his glory! </li> Wow! It doesn't get any better than that! And that is only the first chapter! Next, having stated these phrases, I need to do a little uncovering. But for now, I must head into the office. Stay tuned for more... ~Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=530#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=530 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:20:09 -0500 Celebrating Corporate Worship @ Trinity http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=529 January 20, 2010 8:52 AM 2010 includes a year-of-the gospel focus at Trinity. After the first few services, I have a notion that this focus is going to change us, making us into better worshipers. An encounter with and understanding of the gospel increases humility, gratitude and our desire for others to hear and believe. I can feel it happening in me as I plan and even rehearse with my teams, let alone worship together with my congregation on Sunday mornings. Our rehearsal on Monday night left us speechless for a moment after we played In Christ Alone, This is Our God, and I Cling to the Cross. We were only a 4-piece--keys, drums, bass and acoustic guitar--yet when 4-pieces pour all their heart and soul into worshiping the Lord it is a beautiful result. I was reminded that worship transcends the "style" and production - it is above all else a heart response. Corporate worship involves two or more believers united in their expression of praise to the Lord...and God is there in their midst! As we focus the spotlight in on Christ and the gospel this year, I know that it is going to build our faith and build our church. I'm almost giddy with excitement about our worship set for Sunday. Part of that comes from our experience last week. There was the undeniable fact that we all experienced the Lord during our corporate worship time last Sunday, characterized by tears, abundant joy, loud songs of praise, and moments of silence. I chose two new songs to surround taking the communion elements together. We sang, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-is-our-god/id286785725?i=286785939">This is Our God, by Hillsong</a> before hand - such a gentle song, yet one that climaxes in the middle with a powerful declaration of the gospel. <blockquote> Freely You gave it all for us Surrendered Your life upon that cross Great is the love poured out for all This is our God Lifted on high from death to life Forever our God is glorified Servant and King rescued the world This is our God </blockquote> Then following communion we sang an extended version of the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/revelation-song-extended-version/id277218274?i=277218341">Revelation Song by Gateway Church</a>. I was of the opinion that this corporate worship song couldn't get any better than it was, but it did. Gateway Church released a live version where they paused in the middle and created some space to meditate after singing the phrase, "Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder, at the mention of Your name." Such a pause caught me off guard and brought tears to my eyes as the beautiful yet simple and gentle instrumentation accompanies Kari Jobe's vocal meditation on the name of Jesus. And then we go back, sing it again and then, convinced more than ever, move on to sing, "Jesus Your name is power, breath and living water; such a marvelous mystery!" At this moment, the worship song explodes into a literal "shout to the Lord" as the instrumental is repeated this time turned up to 11 backed by shouts of praise from the congregation! I find myself longing for heaven as I then sing the last chorus wishing I had more ability to sing it louder and better and more perfectly. I realize that as good as this moment of worship is on earth, heaven holds so much more - this is just a rehearsal for that glorious day when all nations, tribes and tongues will gather around the throne of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and declare these very same words. <blockquote> "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: <blockquote> "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"</blockquote> Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:<blockquote> "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"</blockquote> The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped." (Revelation 5:11-14 NIV)</blockquote> These songs of praise, along with some tough news of our Senior Pastor's recent diagnosis of prostate cancer, our prayers and concerns for Haiti, a glorious child dedication of a 9-year-old recently adopted into a loving family, and a sermon on the book of Philemon all converged as a wonderful corporate experience with the Lord on Sunday. Here's to next week...and the next... ~W.T. Born bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=529#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=529 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:21:51 -0500 How Firm a Foundation http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=514 "How Firm a Foundation" was first published in 1787 in A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, which was edited by London pastor John Rippon. The melody is an early American tune, and the author of the text in Rippon's volume is only marked as "K." There are a number of potential authors, including John Keene, who was the music director at Rippon's church. Much of the hymn is taken almost directly from scripture. Verse one sets the stage, encouraging believers to find refuge and a firm foundation in God's word. Verse two comes from Isaiah 41:10; verses three and four come from Isaiah 43:2 and 2 Corinthians 12:9; and verse five points to Hebrews 13:5. God's word is the only sure, solid foundation for our lives. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-firm-a-foundation/id3945582?i=3945578" target= "_blank" > Purchase on iTunes</a> bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=514#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=514 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:37:02 -0500 Hymn of the Month http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=526 <img src="/files/Blog/526image.jpg" class="image1"> We have the privilege of having a "Hymn of the Month" focus for 2010. It has always been my goal in corporate worship to include both "new" songs and proven songs that have endured the ages. In both cases, our musical presentation will strive for beauty that complements the lyrics and a sound that reflects the current times; namely, it will sound and feel like it's 2010. I would define hymns as songs of worship that are written specifically for congregational worship. To that end, they are usually musically simple, lyrically deep and poetic, memorable, and powerful when sung in the corporate setting. There are many great hymns that have endured the ages, connecting generation upon generation of people to worship the Lord and thus building up the Church. Some of these hymns are deeply theological and written for the purpose of conveying and teaching the great truths of the Scriptures. Thus was the case with our featured January hymn, How Firm a Foundation. Others are heartfelt prayers of devotion and longing to the Lord. Some characterize a personal relationship with the Lord while others exalt the name of Jesus and rejoice in the gospel. It has been tough to choose only 12 from the wealth that exists, but I'm looking forward to allowing the content of these proven songs of the faith to corporately and personally inspire praise to God and lead us to become better worshipers. - Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=526#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=526 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:08:49 -0500 Reflections on the Incarnation, Part II http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=492 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV) Let's pause and consider the implications of the incarnation. The passage above has always captured it best for me. What God did was above all else a sacrifice - a gift exchange so to speak. Yet we come to the party with empty hands, worse yet, dirty hands. And God, he comes offering to us all of the riches of the universe. It has been said that the incarnation is the most amazing miracle of God - the creator of the world and everything in it, being made like us. The precursor to and perhaps a sacrifice even greater than Christ's death on the cross for our sins, was that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The One who owns all the riches of the universe became poor in order that we who were poor might become rich. What an exchange! And what riches are we offered? Grace. Forgiveness. Redemption. Eternal life. A new identity as a child of God and a new family! We were given something that we did not deserve and never could have earned ourselves. It is clear from the passage that God did this for our sakes. He had you and me in mind! And what exactly did it look like for God to become poor for our sakes? Elsewhere, Paul sums it up like this. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-7 NIV) It is nice to pause here in this wonderful passage of Scripture to contemplate the weight of this statement - it is pointing to the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. Christ's example is that he took on human nature, and that not in the form of an elite and powerful human, but as a lower class servant - starting out as a helpless child and later becoming an obscure Galilean and then crucified as a criminal. Paul continues the story. "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8) One cannot or at least should not ever consider the manger out of the context of the cross. The cross was Christ's purpose and that is why it was a matter of obedience. Christ was obedient by fulfilling his purpose. His purpose is wonderfully stated by Paul as another great exchange. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV) That statement follows the incarnation pattern - through Christ, God gave all he had in order that we might be lifted out of poverty and into incredible riches. Christ's purpose for coming was our redemption. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) In conclusion, I have noticed three points of application based on the truth of the incarnation. First, we have been given a new possession - from poverty to riches. This possession is the gospel - the good news! We have been given the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. We've been given grace! Can we ever say, "Thank you" enough?! Dare we keep it to ourselves or shall we proclaim it freely? These riches in Christ are for all! Second, we have been given a new preoccupation - generosity toward others and humility that puts their needs above our own. That is the context of both the Corinthians and Philippians passages considered above. Paul is encouraging us to have an attitude and actions like Christ and he uses the incarnation as his major point of motivation. The response of those who comprehend the meaning of "God with us" is not just to be wowed, but also to be like him. Christ has given us an example of generosity, humility and service and we are called to follow in doing the same. Now that is the true spirit of Christmas! Finally, we should be compelled to a new position - worship. Paul finishes his great incarnation passage in Philippians with a powerful statement of worship. "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV) Above all else, Christmas is a time to bring glory to God in the highest - a time to joyfully declare that Jesus Christ is Lord! The more we understand the mystery of "God with us," the more we will praise him. Have you seen the glory of the One and Only God, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth? If so, then loose your tongues to joyfully declare and sing, might I even suggest shout, that... Christ is the Lord O praise his name forever His power and glory Evermore proclaim! (from O Holy Night by John S. Dwight, 1813-1893) -Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=492#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=492 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:27:59 -0500 Reflections on the Incarnation, Part I http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=489 December 2, 2009 8:38 AM The Christmas season is upon us and it is simply wonderful! My heart erupts in praise the more I consider the advent of the Christ-child, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--the helpless infant lying in the dirty manger, and yet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who was, "in very nature God." This truth is captured in the doctrine of the incarnation. As I pause to reflect on that truth, my mind is blown away by the implications for mankind and I am inspired anew to approach the One in the manger just as the shepherds did: telling others what they had seen and heard, and glorifying and praising God. The birth of Christ is truly one of the most amazing and incomprehensible events in the narrative of God's plan of redemption. The deeper our understanding of the deity of Christ, the more authentic will our response of worship be at Christmas time, and throughout the entire year. <blockquote>"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14 NIV)</blockquote> Before we consider the implications of the incarnation, it would be profitable to establish the truth of the doctrine first. The word "incarnation" is not contained in the Bible, but has been used by Christians to capture the truths that the Scriptures teach about the deity of Christ; mainly that Jesus was God in human flesh. According to Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology, "The Latin word incarnare means "to make flesh," and is derived from the prefix in- (which has a causative sense, "to cause something to be something") and the stem caro, carnis-, "flesh." Instead of an exhaustive study of the deity of Christ, I will attempt to help you "see his glory, the glory of the One and Only." Let this glimpse inspire a response of worship with awe and reverence. Going in chronological order, we first consider the prophecies by Isaiah. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14 NIV) The name Immanuel means, "God with us." Again Isaiah prophesies about the identity of the coming Messiah. <blockquote> "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NIV) </blockquote> Herein lies compelling evidence that the child in the manger is indeed "God with us." Let's examine what the Scriptures declare about the four names attributed to Jesus - and worship! The fullness of God is revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son. He will be called: <blockquote> Wonderful Counselor: "All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom." (Isaiah 28:29 NIV) Worth mentioning here is that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Counselor who would remain with them after he departed. In this single name we see the mystery of the Trinity - God, Christ & Holy Spirit all being declared a wonderful counselor. Mighty God: "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10:17-18 NIV) Imagine, the child born in Bethlehem as the Almighty God! Everlasting Father: "But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name." (Isaiah 63:16 NIV) It is too much for me to comprehend, that the Everlasting God spoken of by Moses was the child born in the manger. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." (Psalms 90:2 ESV) Prince of Peace: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV) </blockquote> It is pretty clear just from what Isaiah told us about the identity of the child that was to be born that he was in some mysterious way the same as the Almighty God, the LORD, the one and only, YAHWEH. Although surrounded with mystery, it all begins to make sense when you compare Isaiah's prophecy with its fulfillment in Christ, especially considering how the first hand witnesses processed it all. No doubt the divinity of Christ amazed the New Testament writers. I wish I could ask each one the question, "When did you come to the understanding that Jesus was LORD?" All of Jesus' disciples refer to him as Lord. The use of the word Lord is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which was commonly used at the time of Christ), for the Hebrew "Yahweh" which is translated, "The LORD" or "Jehovah." Let's consider a couple of instances here. The angels declare the identity of the Christ-child in their announcement to the shepherds. "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11 NIV) Even the Shepherds understood the news to mean something extraordinary about the Savior. We are told that, "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." (Luke 2:17-18 NIV) Before the angels' announcement, Elizabeth understood that her son, John was the forerunner of the Messiah, and therefore declared that Mary's baby, yet unborn, was "my Lord." "In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:42-43 NIV) This is an extraordinary statement concerning the identity of Jesus and must have been based on her and Zachariah's fresh understanding of the Old Testament prophesies! They knew that their son was the messenger, the forerunner of the Messiah. Matthew points this out about John in his gospel. "This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"" (Matthew 3:3 NIV) John himself indicated his understanding of Jesus' divinity when he said, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." (Mark 1:7 ESV) Jesus declared his own identity as LORD. "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"" (John 8:58-59 NIV) Grudem explains this encounter clearly. <blockquote> Jesus combined two assertions whose sequence seemed to make no sense: "Before something in the past happened [Abraham was], something in the present happened [I am]." The Jewish leaders recognized at once that he was not speaking in riddles or uttering nonsense: when he said, "I am," he was repeating the very words God used when he identified himself to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex. 3:14). Jesus was claiming for himself the title "I AM," by which God designates himself as the eternal existing One, the God who is the source of his own existence and who always has been and always will be. When the Jews heard this unusual, emphatic, solemn statement, they knew that he was claiming to be God. "So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple" (John 8:59). </blockquote> The disciples and apostles also referred to Jesus as Lord and God. John begins his gospel by declaring Jesus as being the eternal Word of God who was in fact, God. Later he says, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:18 NIV) Thomas upon seeing Jesus after his resurrection calls him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:29 NIV) Peter opens his second letter referring to, "... our God and Savior Jesus Christ ..." (2 Peter 1:1 NIV) Paul says that he is, "...Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." (Romans 9:5 NIV) Finally, we see a picture in Revelation of Jesus at his second coming. "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God... On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:13,16 NIV) The deity of Christ is powerfully demonstrated in the Scriptures. Pause to worship the Lord, Jesus Christ! <blockquote> Christ by highest heav'n adored Christ the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold him come Offspring of the virgin's womb Veiled in flesh the god-head see Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with men to dwell Jesus, our Immanuel Hark the Herald Angels sing Glory to the new-born King! (From Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788) </blockquote> -Bill *Next week part II will consider the implications of the incarnation. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=489#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=489 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:14:46 -0500 2009 Thanksgiving Reflections http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=487 <img src="/files/Blog/487image.jpg" class="image1"> Due to illness that struck me and my family over the past few weeks, this post has been a bit delayed. Stay tuned next week as I'm working on a study of the Incarnation. This is an assignment that was proposed to me that I gladly accepted. It is the best thing for my heart and mind to engage in reflecting on the divine nature of Jesus Christ because such knowledge inspires heart-felt praise. I have the privilege of leading my church family in worship through the Christmas season and I want to lead them to a place that I have been before. I'm like a scout going out ahead, exploring the terrain and then eagerly bringing others along to see what I have seen. And from there, we might just experience something unexpected and unseen together. Anyway, here are my reflections of Thanksgiving for '09. November 18, 2009 9:18 AM Next week is Thanksgiving and I have about a half hour left to consider what I am most thankful for before I head into the office. At this point in my life I am filled with indescribable joy and gratitude to the Lord. I feel deeply blessed by him in all areas of my life, in my work, my family and in my friendships. I return home after work each day to the blessing of a wonderful wife and a satisfying and full relationship where I feel deeply loved, respected and valued as her husband. Little did I know a year ago when I reflected on Thanksgiving that within Julie's womb our precious third child was being formed, Benjamin Jackson Born! Given the tough circumstances Julie and I faced in 2008 (mentioned last year), I can hardly fathom this blessing that God had purposed for us and whom now I am enjoying daily. My little Benjamin is a highlight of 2009! And then take a look at Billy, handsome, kind, soft-hearted, a bit silly and an absolute delight to me. Watching him thrive as a boy socially, academically and spiritually is just wonderful. And my daughter Maria is getting cuter by the minute - a toddler now full of imagination, spunky and a bit feisty at times. My delight in my kids as their father was only heightened as a result of doing our <a href="http://www.usforever.org">Us Forever</a> project. Of course my understanding of my Heavenly Father's love for me has been deeply affected by that as well. I sense that I remain in the overflow - the fullness of His presence flowing in and through me. When it comes to the ministry of adoptions, I am witnessing a work of God, almost weekly and it makes my heart overflow with joy. 3 weeks ago my friend Tim and his wife brought their daughter home from the Ukraine. She is a lovely 5-year old girl, running to me with her arms out for a hug! I think that as I write another friend Greg and his wife are awaiting the arrival of a daughter through adoption. Another friend Mike and his wife are about to adopt their 9-year-old son, most likely in December. I'm in the middle of yet another potential adoption as a family from our church is considering taking in an 8-year old and his grandmother. All of this is too beautiful to me and I'm pretty sure it is beautiful to God as well. For the time being, I am content with this role of being an adoption advocate, even though my heart will always yearn to take in other children. At work I am blessed with a worshiping congregation who wholeheartedly sing their praises to God each Sunday. I have a wonderful planning team who help us use the arts to engage our hearts in worshiping. We are currently working on Christmas programming and that has been a joy! I have great musicians and friends whom I get to work/play with each week. I enjoy the pastoral role I have in caring for others in times of need, encouraging discipleship, spreading the wonder of the gospel, and celebrating what it means to be the family of God. I am grateful for my senior Pastor, Gary Inrig and the way that he is leading our church and teaching the Word. I appreciate his role in my life more this year than last and I appreciate our partnership in the gospel as he mentors me as well. Yes, my gratitude runs deep and I recognize that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." (James 1:17-18 NIV) God, thankyou for the life that you have birthed in me! It is very good. May my life overflow with thanksgiving and praise in every circumstance because above all else you are good! -Bill bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=487#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=487 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:58:16 -0500 About the Us Forever video http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=466 <img src="/files/Blog/466image." class="image1"> November 11, 2009 7:48 AM A few weeks ago Trinity Church released a short film where Julie and I had the privilege to share our story about adopting Maria. Our purpose for the video was to highlight God's incredible love for us - to share the gospel using some of the Scriptures that use adoption language. I was deeply inspired by a series of articles written on <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/category/Adoption.aspx">C.J. Mahaney's blog</a>. Mahaney did a series of 9 blogs on the topic. The most moving part was this quote by author J.I. Packer that stood alone as his 5th entry entitled, "Justification or Adoption? Which is greater?" Do you understand the Father's love and your salvation this way? I think it is revolutionary! <blockquote> That justification--by which we mean God's forgiveness of the past together with his acceptance for the future--is the primary and fundamental blessing of the gospel is not in question. Justification is the primary blessing, because it meets our primary spiritual need. We all stand by nature under God's judgment; his law condemns us; guilt gnaws at us, making us restless, miserable, and in our lucid moments afraid; we have no peace in ourselves because we have no peace with our Maker. So we need the forgiveness of our sins, and assurance of a restored relationship with God, more than we need anything else in the world; and this the gospel offers us before it offers us anything else... But contrast this, now, with adoption. Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love, and viewing God as father. In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship--he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with the God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.* ----------- Note: * J.I. Packer, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083081650X?ie=UTF8&tag=sovereigngr05-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=083081650X">Knowing God </a>(IVP, 1993), pp. 206-207. </blockquote> It was extremely rewarding spending the time preparing the script for the end of the Us Forever video. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to take the time to think about how you would personally share the gospel. What part of it resonates most deeply with you? Writing it out is a great way to fully engage your heart and to own that the gospel is for you. There are so many wonderful verses in the Bible that highlight the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ that it was hard to choose just four! If you read through the book of Acts you will find that the way that the apostles shared the gospel was varied, depending on their audience. I've often harbored a fear of sharing the gospel, thinking that I have to do it just right. That fear has often kept me from sharing it at all. I arrogantly and erroneously thought it was my smooth ability to share the gospel that produces faith! Here's something important that I am learning. The Bible compares our role as a witness simply to a person sowing seeds and a person watering. Paul says this, "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (1 Corinthians 3:7 NIV) God is the one who produces the growth. The growth is not our responsibility. The pressure is off! I'm not a businessman trying to seal a deal. Instead, I am a reporter sharing the good news. More than that, I am an adopted child who thinks that there is nothing in the world greater than my Father and my Father's love, and that everyone should know this and know that they have been invited in! The translation of the Greek word for gospel; is "the good message." Our prayer for the "Us Forever" project is that it plants or waters the seeds of faith in Christ through hearing the good message. We rejoice in God who causes the growth and we look forward to celebrating whatever he chooses to do with this film. You can check it out at <a href="http://www.usforever.org">www.usforever.org</a>. I have also attached the script of the last part below if you prefer to read it. The first half of the film is Julie and I sharing our story of adopting our middle daughter, Maria. It is a wonderful story and Maria is a precious gift to us from the Lord. Us Forever Script Have you understood the love of your Creator? Do you even realize how much he loves you and wants you to be with him? I'm going to tell you something that really blows my mind. The Bible uses adoption language to describe the love that God has for you and me. It says this: "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:4-5 NIV) God's pleasure and will was for me to become his son! I had never grasped the significance of that word "pleasure" until I felt a similar pleasure and will to adopt my daughter. To think that God feels that way about me is almost too much to comprehend. Think about adoption for a minute. Every adoption begins with a need that cannot be met by the child in need - a need for stability, protection, provision ... family. And then along comes a couple or family who is willing and able to meet that need. What a wonderful moment when that great need is met with an even greater provision. In the same way we have a need that we cannot meet ourselves. The need that we have is that our sin has broken our relationship with God. It's easy to classify sin according to the big things like theft, murder, addictions, and the like. But sin is the subtle stuff too, like selfishness, greed, lust and pride. Let's face it, we're all rebels to some extent and God can't accept sin no matter how big or small it may be in our own eyes. Here's the amazing thing that you can't afford to miss: God loves us and he stepped in and made the provision to bring us into his family. Forgiveness. And that's where Jesus comes in. Maybe you've wondered before why Christians are so obsessed with the death of Jesus on the cross. It's because it was the price that was paid to settle the problem of sin once-for-all. Listen to how simply the Bible lays it out: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Peter 3:18 NIV) The language "to bring you to God" is adoption language. Christ's death was the means by which we get to become adopted by God. Now here's the craziest thing about it all. God doesn't force anyone into his family. He gives us a choice. The Bible simply states is like this: "...to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 NIV) We either receive or we reject what Jesus did for us - the offer from God to become his son or daughter. We all have a choice. My daughter, Maria didn't have a choice. She was too young to understand our love for her and our deep desire to call her our own. But now she does. Could you imagine her rejecting our love, denying us and herself the pleasure of family? There was a time in my life where I wanted the forgiveness and love of God. I chose to receive Christ and to believe that what he did on the cross was for me. As a result I've been adopted into God's family and I call him, Father. The Bible states it this way, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1 NIV) And so now I'm inviting you to join the family. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=466#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=466 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:43:15 -0500 A Mighty Fortress http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=462 <img src="/files/Blog/462image." class="image1"> The Virgin River, Zion National Park November 4, 2009 8:54 AM A vacation to Zion, jury duty last week - these things have filled my Wednesday mornings for the past weeks. Zion in the fall - gorgeous! 24/7 quality time with my family - priceless! Serving on a jury last week was also delightful - I'm not kidding. Other than lost time at work, doing my civic duty was an honor. Highlights included watching the lawyers do their job, both were exceptional, and getting to meet the other jury members during our breaks was great. I waver between introvert and extrovert, and I definitely was energized from my interaction with these folks. Deliberation was a fascinating experience. Enough of that. This is a blog about worship. Sunday - sweet worship with the highlight being a very loud rendition of A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Our congregation has sung it before, but I don't thing we had done it for 5 years or so. We're a different worshiping congregation than we were back then. I'm a different worshiper, a better worshiper - more wholehearted, more in love with Jesus, more in love with my church family. That was a sweet realization on Sunday morning. People could hardly contain themselves, cheering at the end of the verses: <blockquote> Does't ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He. Lord Sabbaoth his name. From age to age the same. And he must win the battle! [cheer!] </blockquote> The version we did, originally prepared for Promise Keepers, goes into an anthem, "A mighty fortress, a mighty fortress is our God." It's over the top! Give it a listen: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=217015546&id=217015540&s=143441">A Mighty Fortress is Our God</a>. I was proud of my band. Our rehearsal of the song on Monday was a wreck. We committed to practicing during the week. I spent hours, as did most of the others. I couldn't sleep very well Saturday night for the words of the hymn were playing over and over in my mind like a broken record (or should I say a stuck CD?). It was a good thing for I had a friend who was struggling with some spiritual warfare that same night and I was able to encourage her with thy lyrics from verse 3: <blockquote> And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him. </blockquote> Lord, let your truth triumph through us! And that, my friends, is the topic of our current sermon series, "Words of Life." Jesus says in the Scriptures, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17 NIV) I encourage you to listen to Gary's message this week, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=906&fileType=audio_file3">Here I Stand</a>. It was great! These are good times at Trinity Church as we are being transformed by the Word of God. Blessings! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=462#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=462 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:46:31 -0500 On The Essentials of Worship @ Trinity http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=449 October 7, 2009 7:34 AM I'm going to spend some time thinking about what's important for worship leading at Trinity. I could list tons of things, but I want to keep it simple and determine this morning what is most important in our worship leadership at Trinity. I am most edified and encouraged by the team of worship leaders that I have - leading our children, youth and adults throughout the Redlands and Pass campuses. I can summarize it in this way: our emphasis is corporate, our ethos is humility, and our sound is current. 1. We emphasize the corporate meeting with God and doing that part well at Trinity. While God certainly meets and speaks to us individually and we personally experience God within the worship service, our primary focus is the corporate experience, celebrating our great God as his people, on his mission, together. We are a family. Worship within the body of Christ, the church, is corporate in nature; it is a "together" thing. To that end, our worship is: <ul> <li>God-focused - we seek to put all the spotlight on God. We major on the wonderful character of our God and humbly bring ourselves into the picture only within that context. (As opposed to our songs being all about us.) Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=152053320&id=152053191&s=143441">Everlasting God</a> by Brenton Brown <li>Christ & Gospel centered - We revel in the gospel of Jesus Christ! Namely that Christ died for our sins, was buried and then rose again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our salvation through Christ is the source of our greatest joy and thanksgiving in worship. It is the common thread unites us "together" as God's children, transcending and diminishing generational, economic and racial barriers. Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=263434010&id=263433940&s=143441">O, For a Thousand Tongues</a> by David Crowder Band <li>Spirit-filled - We acknowledge the presence of the Spirit within each of his people and declare in our songs a deep desire to experience his fullness. As leaders, we realize that the Holy Spirit leads us as we plan the worship set as well as while we lead the people he has brought together before us. He also prepares the hearts of God's people to receive from His Word and to respond appropriately within and beyond the worship service. Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=23201220&id=23201256&s=143441">Consuming Fire</a> by Tim Hughes <li>Scripture-inspired - our songs and other programming is Scripturally based and so is our leadership. Our emotional response to God springs forth from our understanding and declaration of the life-changing truth of his Word. Our worship programming is subservient to and complementary to the teaching of God's Word. Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=212393764&id=212393612&s=143441">When I Survey</a> by Kathryn Scott <li>Missional - we are also united by our decision and desire to follow Christ. We love to declare and celebrate the call he has placed on our lives to give our lives in service to his will and purposes. Missional worship often acknowledges suffering as the Scriptures remind us that, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," (2 Timothy 3:12 NIV). Missional worship is also deeply dependent on the Lord and his work among us - we express that dependence through prayer. We also rejoice in his work among us through personal testimony thanksgiving. Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=263685520&id=263685277&s=143441">I Cling to the Cross</a> by Paul Baloche <li>Accessible - our music and other programming is purposed to make it easy for our congregation to worship the Lord - to that end, we sacrifice the "coolness" factor (includes style, creativity, etc.), for the greater good of making sure everyone (as much as possible) is edified by our experience together. We recognize that our experience really isn't together if most of our people are disengaged. Example: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=288454410&id=288454007&s=143441">Beneath the Cross</a> by Kristyn Getty </ul> 2. Humility trumps talent and is what defines our leadership - we exist to serve the Lord and the people we lead and lead with. We seek to promote others above ourselves. We lead by example and we expect all worship personnel to behave the same way. We as a worship team do the "one anothers" well. These are the many commands in Scripture that highlight how we ought to treat each other. For example, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2 NIV) 3. While being primarily focused on singing a "new song," we remain rooted in the songs and practices of the faith that have shaped the people of God throughout the centuries. Toward that end we major on singing the songs that are currently coming out of the church and deeply connecting to the church, while intentionally including hymns and choruses that have endured the ages. Some of our songs of praise will hopefully come from our own congregation as God transforms us, through Christ, by his Spirit. Also our "signature sound" and other artistic elements will be current. In other words, it will look, sound and feel like 2010 or whatever year it is. I think that everything that I have mentioned above is demonstrated in the song, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=286785939&id=286785725&s=143441">This is Our God</a> by Hillsong. Give it a listen and judge for yourself. We will certainly be singing this song in the near future with our congregation! This is list not exhaustive, but includes the essentials of worship at Trinity. I look forward to interacting together with my leadership teams and refining and then owning this together as we seek to glorify God and build his church through our corporate worship at Trinity Church. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=449#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=449 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:04:02 -0500 Celebrating the Worship Ministries Workshop http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=440 September 23, 2009 8:55 AM I'm so grateful for the church where I serve! I get to work with (okay, play with), the greatest team of artists and technicians ever! We had a worship workshop over the weekend and seeing the video below gives me warm fuzzies of inexpressible joy all over. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xLAkyAquM0s&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xLAkyAquM0s&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Here are the things I feel: 1. Amazed at the team that God has given us at Trinity - excelling in humility, serving one another, and in excellence! We span all generations and facilitate worship in every ministry! 2. Appreciative of those who came from other local churches to teach many of our workshops. They were all top-notch. We're all in this together (uh oh, I'm feeling the urge to dance...)! 3. Grateful for those from our church who served us with hospitality and by leading many of our workshops 4. In awe of Sheri's dance moves! 5. Indebted to our senior pastor, Gary Inrig, and his skill in teaching the Word of God! He gave a message crafted just for us. Listen here: <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/1790url.mp3">6 Principles of Worship</a>. 6. Excited to see how God uses <a href="http://sixteencities.com/">Sixteen Cities</a> as they continue to make their boast in Him! These young guys were a real blessing to us over the weekend. Listen for their songs coming soon on Christian radio. 7. Indebted to my Worship Planning Team that leads the various artistic and technical teams at Trinity and helps me plan the worship services. 8. Appreciative of the technology we have and the facilities we have through which to do ministry and gather to worship God together at Trinity. 9. Happy to have my friend and colleague Bruce Herwig, II - so gifted in what he does; together we are discovering how communications goes hand in hand with worship - declaring the works of God! (He and his Flip'n Videos class produced the video) 10. Thankful to God for giving me the privilege of doing Worship Ministry @ Trinity Church as a career! Do you know of someone who needs to get plugged into the local church? Send them this video and invite them to become a part of the worship ministries team. Does anybody have more fun serving the Lord and his church together? I don't think so! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=440#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=440 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:33:52 -0500 Adopted into God's Family! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=434 September 9, 2009 8:43 AM I'm back at the Fox taking some time to read and write this morning. I've been reading a great book called, Adopted For Life, by Russell D. Moore. About half of the content of the book recjoices in the gospel of Jesus Christ that enables us to be adopted into God's family. The other half helps a person or couple considering adoption to work through the issues that the choice to adopt brings. I just read a paragraph that perfectly summarizes my goal in an upcoming project that Julie and I are doing for our church. Here is the charge from Russell D. Moore. <blockquote>The unbelievers in your community--or in the mission fields you serve around the world--are hungering for belonging. You know this. Show them, then, the beauty of what the Scripture says about adoption in Christ. Whether in your one-on-one witnessing or in your pulpit proclamation, unpack the glory of this cosmic adoption and show how this adoption is pictured in flesh-and-blood adopting situations in your own congregation. Plead with sinners to embrace their Father, to find a new family.</blockquote> Julie and I are hoping to allow our story about adopting our daughter Maria to help people see and understand the Father's heart to adopt us. I'm going to begin working on a script that will be dispersed within our short video where I will speak directly to the people watching the video, asking them, no pleading with them to embrace their Father, to find a new family. I want to do this in a very personal, warm and encouraging way, trusting that it is the Father who is seeking to save those who are lost, leading those who view this video toward faith in Jesus. Our role is to plant seeds of faith or water the seed that is already planted. God causes growth. Paul says it this way: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." (1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NIV) As about 150 friends & family gathered at Maria's adoption party, I was struck with a profound thought. God feels the same way we all felt about every child that he has created. He pursues them with the same intensity and rejoices in the same way when us orphans are adopted into his family. Really, our collective experience as a big family pursuing Maria, paralleled the way God wants us to go after people whom do not know the Almighty God as Father. And that knowledge of the Father comes through knowing his Son, Jesus who was the payment for our adoption and the way into his family. Here are some Scriptures I would like to include: "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13 NIV) "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:6-9 NIV) "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV) I'd like to use some of the powerful phrasing in the Ephesians passage above. I love the truth about God the Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. I love it that he chose us in him before the creation of the world! I love it that he predestined us to be adopted according to his pleasure and will. I love the purpose of our adoption: to the praise of his glorious grace in Christ. And then what follows is a beautiful telling of the gospel, namely: <ul> <li>Redemption through his blood <li>The forgiveness of sins (through grace that he lavished on us!) <li>We were chosen, predestined according to the purpose of his will <li>Having believed, we were marked in him with a seal, the Holy Spirit <li>We are guaranteed an inheritance <li>We are God's possession--to the praise of his glory! </ul> Wow! It doesn't get any better than that! I want to go back and listen to Gary's sermon on this from his series from Ephesians. I remember that he referred to Jim and Jan Miller's adoption of Lindy, and that my desire to adopt was fueled that morning as I wept through the sermon. When I think about the charge from Russell D. Moore to, "unpack the glory of this cosmic adoption," the passage from Ephesians is how I intend to do it. God, help me to deeply internalize these truths and give me the words to clearly and passionately communicate your Word to those who will be viewing the project. Thanks for adopting me for the purpose of "praising your glorious grace in Christ." It is for your glory alone that we attempt this project. To borrow the prayer of Moses: <blockquote>"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalms 90:17 NIV)</blockquote> Amen! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=434#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=434 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:27:30 -0500 Meditations on Psalm 63: Earnestly I Seek You! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=431 September 2, 2009 12:59 PM Another DAWG Day and how wonderful it has been! I returned to South Fork Campground, set up my tent trailer and am enjoying a cool retreat at about 6000 ft elevation, away from the intense heat in the valley below. Now there are thunderclouds shading the earth and a gentle breeze of cool air with a slight scent of rain. I feel like I'm miles away enjoying the mountains that I love so much. I did pray a minute ago for protection from fires after hearing a clap of thunder (oops, there's another). Lightning of course starts fires - rare here in SoCal, but I still feel the danger, especially after this week of some major fires that are still being fought as I type. After setting up this morning, I spent some time in the hammock reading the Scriptures and praying - part of the slowing down process. I desire to hear from God on a number of things, but more than that, just want to hear from him through his Word and through his Spirit alive within me. Afterwards, I set out for a hike with my ipod - my helper in memorizing Psalm 63. SonLight led us in a "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5BRuwCAfyE">Peace Meditation</a>" on Sunday and when this Psalm was spoken, my heart felt that yearning that it speaks of. And so I set out to memorize it, ending up sitting on a small bridge across a bubbling creek, finally able to do it. I will write it out here: O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you and my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods and with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you. I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you and your right hand upholds me. They who seek my life will be destroyed. They will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and will become food for the jackals. But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. (Psalm 63, NIV) Okay, I did have to fix a few parts, but got the gist of it. I love this Psalm because it captures desire! The spiritual life is nurtured through desire - beginning with the Father's desire to know us fueling our desire in response to know him. Oh that I might desire the right things - the best things and forsake what is not! This psalm also demonstrates a trusting relationship in the Lord. David joyfully remembers past experiences, and expresses hope of future victory with God in the center of it all. David is hiding in a cave in the desert from his enemies and we get to see how he worships in this needy and vulnerable moment. First, David has a relationship with the Father - God is "my God." This is deeply personal! God is not just some powerful deity to be afraid of, but a loving God who delights in being called "my God." David seeks God, earnestly. He doesn't complain. He doesn't try to fix the situation. He doesn't blame God for his undesirable circumstances. He seeks God and the language he uses is desperate language - a longing thirst in a barren desert where there is no water. And then he remembers. "I have seen you in the sanctuary." In the midst of this lonely desperate moment he remembers a worship service. He saw God in the sanctuary and beheld his power and his glory! The sanctuary was a place of corporate worship and so this is most likely an experience he shared with others. Wow, do the worshipers I lead from week to week see God through the course of our worship service? Do we behold his power and his glory together? Is it so significant, that the experience will carry us through the lonely moments? Yes, I have seen God and experienced him in a deep way in our sanctuary. I confess, not as often as I would like, but certainly there have been moments where all present are beholding his power and his glory. We who lead worship and preach the Word of God must prepare with the intent to help our congregation "behold his power and his glory" right then and there! The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are the only means by which this will happen. David also experienced the love of God - the "hessed", that is the loyal love of the Father. In fact, this love, he declares, is better than life itself. Christians have always been enamored with the love of God from the beginning of time until now. And so we should be! "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." (from When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts) I heard this amazing new song called, "He Loves Us," about God's love by Eddie Kirkland. Crowder decided to release it as his first single from his about-to-be-released Church Music EP. I've attached the first recording I ever heard by Kim Walker and it is powerful. One point of contention I have with this worship moment is that it is not grounded in the Word of God and in the person of Christ. While it is true that God loves us, his greatest demonstration, well, the Scriptures say it best: "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 ESVS) Fellow worship leaders, our emotional experience of God must be rooted in and spring forth from the unchanging truth of the Word of God as it reveals to us our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Anything less than this is like the foolish man building his house upon the sand, in grave danger of being here today and gone tomorrow. That said, this is a great song, and this recording is powerful. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JoC1ec-lYps&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JoC1ec-lYps&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods..." Jumping back into Psalm 63, David pauses here to declare his intent to always praise God and then notes the satisfaction that it brings. My formation in the early years of my worship leading came in part from reading John Piper's Desiring God. I felt the pleasure that came from praising the Lord, but felt that I should restrain it, as if unbridled joy in the sanctuary is wrong. Piper's book convinced me that it was my flesh that would say, "restrain" and it was the Spirit that says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11 NIV) Piper says, "God is most gloried in us when we are most satisfied in him," and this becomes his manifesto as a Christian hedonist. This freed me to pursue that pleasure all the more through the times I corporately worship the Lord. Thank you John Piper for helping me think rightly about this! Interesting to note that his mind for the first part of Psalm 63 has been filled with the greatness and loyal love of God and he has assumed the posture of praise as a result. As Mark Brown stated this week in his sermon on the peace of God (worth checking out <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=841&fileType=audio_file3">The Promise of God's Peace</a>), "Either your problems are this big [holds out his hands to indicate "huge"] and your God is this big [small], or your God is this big [huge] and your problems are this big [small]." David had a big God, but he was realistic in his expression of worship and so came back to his problems. "On my bed I remember you, I think about you in the night watches." Interesting to note that David was not sleeping very well if he was remembering and thinking. Neither would I if I was hiding in a cave from my enemies who wanted to kill me! Yet in his wakeful hours in the night he keeps declaring over and over again, "Because you are my help I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you and your right hand upholds me." Do you turn your wakeful hours into a moment of worship? Once again, David feels his neediness and clings to his Father, his Savior who is holding him up. We don't experience the "holding up" of our Fathers arms until our soul learns to "cling to" him. And then David closes with the reality of his situation - enemies that are seeking his life. Yet he has hope that he's on the right side, trusting in the Lord to help, to deliver him once again from the hand of his enemies. Not only that, but to destroy them so that they are no longer a threat. And he ends with the confidence that he is a worshiper of God, using his voice to proclaim truth while the others are liars and will be forever silenced. Okay, I'm glad I'm on the "worshiper of God" side with David. So David models how to worship God in the dark night of the soul - in the most desperate of times. We too should follow suite and in these times turn our attention to our God, earnestly seeking him, declaring our praise as we reflect on our past experience with him, trusting him completely in the moment, being completely honest, but never forsaking the privilege of using our mouths to bring him praise in all circumstances. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=431#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=431 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:42:07 -0500 On the Convergence of Personal & Corporate Worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=429 August 26, 2009 7:54 AM Sunday worship was an extraordinary experience in corporate worship! We at Trinity are in a time we call "Connect Month" where we encourage everyone to stop and think about priorities and how we are using our time. We borrowed an illustration that states, "If you don't put the big rocks in first, they won't fit." Here's the short video, Big Rocks First: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OKYPMTyZXFk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OKYPMTyZXFk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Are we deeply connected to the Lord and to his purpose for our lives? Are we connected to our church family and engaged in growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Are we joyfully expressing our love for our Lord through serving to advance his Kingdom? Last year I commissioned a video project that would capture all of these things, being a catalyst for worshiping God by rallying around our mission as a church. It was set to the song, "God of this City." I'm thankful for friend and producer Roy Swedeen who hit a homerun with this one! Here it is: <object width="500" height="400" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1082595351429" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1082595351429" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="400"></embed></object> There is nothing more exciting than being united in the cause of Christ. I felt that excitement Sunday morning as our congregation raised the roof with our songs of praise! The whole service was an extraordinary worship experience because I sensed God's presence and pleasure both corporately and individually. Our experience of God must be both personal and corporate for he has created us for both. We so easily miss this beautiful convergence, erring on either extreme. We are deeply committed to church, but miss the personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, or we glorify the personal relationship and dismiss the church, saying, "Organized religion is not for me." Our God is intensely personal, sending his own Son, Jesus, so that all who "receive him, all who believe in his name, gain the right to be called children of God." (John 1:12 paraphrased) There is nothing more personal than the relationship between a child and his Father! (or so it is meant to be) Jesus also instituted the church (referred to as the "Body of Christ") because he knew that it was only in the context of human relationships that we would be able to remain faithful as his disciples by carrying on his mission. The illustration the Bible uses is that all the parts of the body make up the body. You may be a hand, I'm a foot, and another is the ear and so on. (Found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Note that it is followed by 1 Corinthians 13 on love. Love is the lifeblood of the body! I expounded on that in an earlier blog titled, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=280"target= "_blank">On God's Family Business</a>.) An amputated limb will eventually die apart from connection to the body and so will the believer who is not in regular fellowship with other members. Worship leaders need to be diligent to create worship services that help people experience both the personal and corporate relationship with God. After singing "<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=272260884&id=272260705&s=143441">God of this City</a>," my friend and fellow worship leader Tim Polen led us further in with a highly energized rendition of "<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=219069636&id=219069599&s=143441">Only a God Like You</a>." (links to songs are through Apple's iTunes.) Then after a great message by our Senior High Pastor, Shawn Brennan, (<a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=835&fileType=audio_file3">The Promise of the Holy Spirit</a>) we took some personal time to respond in prayer with gratitude, confession and supplication. After this personal time, we brought it back to the corporate celebration of our Counselor, Keeper and King, a great worship song, yet unrecorded, by friend and fellow worship leader David Finley. Yes, it was the sweet convergence of the personal and corporate experience with our Triune God that made our services extraordinary on Sunday! Here's to more of the same each weekend at Trinity - to God be the glory! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=429#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=429 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:43:07 -0500 On Christian Music http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=426 <img src="/files/Blog/426image.jpg" class="image1"> August 19, 2009 7:31 AM I love Jerry Flasschoen! He is a brother-in-Christ and fellow worship leader to our Trinity Church family. His faith encourages my faith. I look forward to every interaction with Jerry in the same way that I look forward to Sunday dinner, knowing that I will walk away edified, savoring the sweet food and fellowship and desiring better things as a result. Last week he sent me these thoughts in an email. I post them here for you to enjoy. Let's celebrate the treasure we have in the songs of our faith, and in the songwriters who are edifying the Church by writing them! By Jerry Flasschoen, August 13, 2009 Thursday at about 6:00 a.m., I was sitting in my car at work and praying. The words of "Nothing but the Blood" and "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood" came to mind. I was really blessed by the Spirit as I meditated on the words. I began to wonder why these songs and their melodies meant so much to me. As I prayed about it here are some thoughts that came to mind. I think one of the things that sets Christian music apart from other music is the focus on the glory of God. So many of the older hymns speak of God's character that it fills my heart with a deep sense of who God is. Which relates to another thought. Jesus said that we would know the truth and it would set us free. Christian music takes the deep truths of God's Word and the Spirit uses the truth to minister hope, forgiveness, comfort, joy, and peace. I think that's what sets Christian music apart from any other music. Christian music seeks to glorify the Lord while communicating theological truth. When the Spirit uses these aspects with the melody, it becomes a very powerful and worshipful experience that deepens our walk with God. Another thought is that the writers of the songs applied the Word and the truth to their lives. As they did so, it became a living testimony recorded in music and lyrics and woven into the very fabric of their walk with God. As they maintained their relationship with God, they could write about their experiences, whether of joy or deep trial. As they wrestled with and reminded themselves of these truths, their souls were filled with the awesomeness and personal blessing of the Lord Jesus. These lyrics then became their testimony of these truths as they lived life. These are truths and experiences we all can relate to and identify with. This is not to say that those who don't know Christ cannot write beautiful music. But their music seems to glorify either themselves or something else. While it may sound nice, it still seems hollow and empty, as if something is missing. "...when the best bliss this earth imparts, we turn unfilled to Thee again." In sum, when we walk with the Lord and His word becomes living in our lives, the Spirit causes these truths to be etched in our lives. Our walk with God then takes on a depth that the Lord can use to minister to others going through the same experiences. Our lives become testimonies of God's grace, which He uses in song to glorify Himself. This is what makes worship so meaningful...acknowledging the Lordship of Christ and the truth of His word and rinsing our hearts and minds in the truth of who he is. One final thought that came to mind about Christian music. There is an eternal aspect to it because of the eternality of Christ. The truths written and sung are eternal in nature and do not change. I believe many of the hymns both older and modern will go with us into eternity. It is this eternal aspect to which our souls can relate. These are not new thoughts but just some convictions the Lord has been building into my life lately. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=426#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=426 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:49:30 -0500 On the Promise of Answered Prayer http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=410 August 12, 2009 8:17 AM I've been consumed over the past few weeks preparing for a message on "The Promise of Answered Prayer." I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with colleagues Steve Springsted and Walt Pitman. Last Sunday we preached it together and it was quite an experience. I was personally ministered to in a powerful way by my brothers who went before me, and when it came time to do my part on "Practicing Prayer," I was very aware of the presence of God leading me that morning as I led my church family in the practice of prayer in worship. There are times when I sense a profound unity as if the entire congregation is experiencing our God together. This morning was one of those times and it was sweet. Of course this is the goal of every worship service. You can check out the message here: <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=828&fileType=video_file3">The Promise of Answered Prayer</a>. (I attached the video because both Steve and Walt used PowerPoint in their parts.) When it comes to prayer, this is an area where I long to excel still more - not out of guilt or duty, but out of a hunger and thirst to know my Father - to hear his voice and to see his hand at work and to turn and give thanks. I read a motivating (and yes, convicting) article this morning in Worship Leader magazine this morning on "The 7 Steps to Worship Renewal." Step 7 was to pray. It was written by Kenn Gulliksen, a man who God used to lead the church in what has been called the Jesus Movement of the early Seventies. He founded the first Vineyard church in West Los Angelous. I'm going to post his part here - I needed to hear it and perhaps you do too. Pray By Kenn Gullicksen Fifty-six years ago Alan Redpath wrote, "There seems to be a tendency for many Christians to imagine that a church can be conducted and led in the same way as a business concern ... but the Church of Jesus Christ can only be led in blessing and power by men who have been humbled and broken at the cross, and who, through many experiences of their own failure and nothingness, have learned an utter dependence upon God and have been taught by the Holy Spirit to lay hold of Him at the Throne of Grace." Busted. After being filled with the Spirit at a Lutheran renewal summer camp in 1962, and 40 years of pastoring, I'm beginning to get it. I always thought of myself as Spirit-filled because of that early experience, and my subsequent "successes" in ministry. I really did love the Lord, seek the Lord, and serve the Lord. I taught pretty well and tried to walk in the light I had. But little by little, over a couple of decades, I found myself increasingly filled with myself, serving out of self effort, out of the desire to find value in my performance. I wasn't aware of it until I grew weary with well-doing, lost heart and didn't like God too much. We were created to experience an unbroken and intimate love relationship with our Father, and to live and serve from the overflow of that relationship. In His indescribable love, God exposed my heart, and in that place of "failure and nothingness" I began to own what I had been teaching all along. We have been grafted into a vine/branch union, and prayer is the joint that connects the vine (Jesus) to the branch (us). Without prayer there is no life, let alone renewal. Prayer is the most important thing we do, or fail to do. Norman Grubb used to tell me, "the goal isn't frequent renewal, but continuous revival." We're not pots to be filled with water only to be emptied, but more like hoses that are connected to the Source, constantly being filled, constantly full, constantly being emptied out in service. We can only serve from the overflow if we choose to stay connected to the Source. Here are some ways to make this a reality in your life: 1. Show up--choose to accept the invitation to rest, commune, and receive. Quit making excuses. We make time for what we truly believe is important. As our model, Jesus made time each morning to meet with His Father for intimacy and to see what His Father was doing. Jesus understood He could do nothing apart from His Father. He continued to abide all day. 2. Agree--be honest, confess and repent of self effort, unbelief, wrong priorities, hidden sin. Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart; ask Jesus to be your King and to advance His kingdom in you. Graham Cooke said, "The soul (emotions, intellect and will) must come to the cross daily, not to be destroyed, but to give up its right to rule." 3. Receive--abide in the Vine and let Him truly be the air you breathe, let His Word be your daily bread. Let His mercy and grace flood you with life, forgiveness and, the power of the Holy Spirit. Celebrate! 4. Serve from the overflow--if you abide, you will be compelled to give away what you're experiencing in Christ. Ultimately, then, prayer/abiding is our connection to the ongoing work of continual personal and corporate renewal. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Continue [ongoing process] to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will [give you the desire] and to act [give you the power] according to His good purpose." bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=410#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=410 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:49:13 -0500 Welcome Benjamin Jackson Born! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=384 <img src="/files/Blog/384image.jpg" class="image1"> July 15, 2009 7:03 AM I took a wonderful hometown 2-week vacation with the advent of my son, Benjamin Jackson Born on July 1. It was wonderful to slow down and just enjoy my family, now a family of 5. I avoided (for the most part) the urge to work on home projects and instead just enjoyed my life with my family on the farm. I spent my days serving meals, cleaning up, playing with Billy and Maria, reading, resting and mostly, staring at Benjamin in awe and wonder. Billy captured it well on the second day of Ben's life when he said, "I just want to look at him all of the time because he's so beautiful!" And I still find myself reluctant to break my gaze as I stare at my beautiful 3rd child. There is nothing in this world as amazing as a newborn - a human being created by God, bearing the very image of the Almighty. I wonder what this little man will become and pray for wisdom as I seek to help him to know God, worship him and use his unique talents to joyfully serve him all of his days. Of course Benjamin's arrival kindles anew my love for Billy and Maria as well, remembering their coming into this world and rejoicing in who they are and who they are becoming as they grow up. Finally, I am in awe of my wife as I see her give her all to sustain this little infant, meeting his every need and gently and patiently loving him and comforting him as he tries to figure out what in the world has just happened. These are the best of times. Leaving my family to go back to work after being together 24/7 for 2 weeks is hard, but going back to work is not hard at all. I praise God for what I get to go back to! Sunday was fantastic as we worshiped God together. I love my church family, those whom I lead with on stage, the rest of our worship team that assists from the back, and the congregation who is between us. (I just had a pleasant image of our worship team surrounding our church family, going before and behind as we point to God and invite all hearts to worship him.) There were many moments where the singing was so loud that I just backed off my mic to take it all in. Trinity Church practices this Psalm: "I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (Psalms 9:1-2 ESVS) Heavenly Father, I do not take this for granted. I praise you for my church family and pray that we may discover more and more the wonder of your gospel, and as a result grow more in love with Jesus, in our faith, in genuine love for one another and our love for those who are outside of fellowship with you. I'm grateful for those who "Rightly divide the Word of Truth" each week, teaching and exhorting us from your Word. Amen! It's worth checking out Mark Brown's great sermon on <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=808&fileType=audio_file3">The Promise of God's Presence</a>. The more I think about the promises of God the more I realize that believing them is what truly brings the Christian toward maturity in the faith, sustaining him through the challenges of this life and then finally bringing him into the presence of God in heaven. The most wonderful people I know are the ones who base their entire lives on these promises. I am most excited as we continue to worship through this series together. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=384#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=384 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:13:43 -0500 On Desperation http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=379 June 24, 2009 8:03 AM Today is Julie's due date and as of yet, no labor. We can barely wait to meet our new child - the waiting is driving us mad. You could say that we are desperate! Fortunately, I have work to do that distracts me to some extent. The waiting is a bit harder for Julie. My journaling this morning is going to be a bit random - lots of thoughts are running through my mind. Speaking of desperation, I started reading a book last night that chronicles a fascinating journey. Back in 2007 my brother-in-law gave me a CD of the Desperation Band's project, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=267167034&s=143441">Everyone Overcome</a>. Listening to this project was an experience like none other - totally unexpected. I knew by the way they captured this worship concert that God was alive in this church and that they were alive in him. My heart not only connected with the Lord in worship, I found myself thirsty to experience him corporately like this with my own church family. I also wanted to lead worship like the guys from Desperation Band. I could feel the passion they had for the Lord, rallying around Christ, his cross, and his mission. With a little research, I found out that they were from <a href="http://www.newlifechurch.org/">New Life Church in Colorado Springs</a>, the church that was shaken with the moral failure of their very prominent pastor in 2006, and then a shooting during their Sunday worship service that took two teen girls lives just a year later in 2007. Their "Everyone Overcome" project happened in between. Recently released was a book by one of their worship leaders, Glenn Packiam, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secondhand-Jesus-Trading-Rumors-Firsthand/dp/143476639X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245861038&sr=8-1">Secondhand Jesus: Trading rumors of God for a first hand faith.</a> In it, he chronicles how this series of events changed him and his church for the better. I just started reading it, and find myself deeply resonating with what Glenn has to say. Yesterday in our staff meeting I found myself at once in tears for joy at God's work, and shortly afterwards deeply disturbed. I'll briefly recount both instances: Joyful: one of our church family members came in to introduce his uncle and his family to us. They were refugees from Liberia who had received an immigration grant to the U.S. but only the father could afford to come. Trinity Church was able to provide the funds to bring the rest of his family over and they arrived one day before their papers expired. It was awesome to think that God used us to enable this family to reunite on American soil and have the promise of a life of freedom and opportunity. After warmly greeting each one of us, they shared their story with much thanksgiving and then we prayed for them and continued with our meeting. I was excited that our helps fund could be used for this kingdom work and happy to contribute to it in a small way. We're going to share this story with our congregation on Sunday and that excites me as well. It is declaring the works of the Lord! May it inspire all the more - to God be the glory. Disturbed: our mission pastor, having just returned from a trip to visit our missionaries in Europe, recounted how everywhere he went there were missionaries from Brazil. That's great news, dear to my heart being a Brazilian myself. I was born there to missionary parents. The disturbing news was how much agencies favored the Brazilian missionaries because they operated on about $300 a month as opposed to Americans who averaged over $2000 per month. "What's the difference," I asked? It's our required standard of living. Required? Required by whom? This hurt tremendously! It stung, because I felt the conviction that I am one of those American Christians who feels entitled to the comfort, security and pleasures that our dollars can buy. We can't lay down our standard of living in order to better use our dollars to benefit the folks we go to serve? Kudos to the Brazilians and to organizations that are figuring out how to better use our dollars for Kingdom work. God please give me the right perspective here - I want to get it right! On a related note, I was emotionally moved last week as I read an article in Compassion Magazine about a man who felt similarly convicted and decided to do something about it. Mike Foster began an organization called, <a href="http://junkycarclub.com/">The Junky Car Club</a>. Way to go, Mike! Let's be countercultural for our Savior, Jesus. It's going to look different for each of us, one step at a time, one conviction at a time. Let's let his gospel and his Word shape us and may our lives and choices flow out of a love for him. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." (from the hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Charles Wesley) I close with these words from Hebrews, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24 NIV) bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=379#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=379 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:54:49 -0500 Tough Times iMix Notes http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=377 May 27, 2009 7:41 AM I was reminded last week how real our tough times are and how necessary to love each other well through these times. I've wanted for a while now to make an iMix with songs to aid our worship of God through these times. Julie gave me a deadline last week, wanting to give it to a friend who is in the midst such times. We spent the late hours of the evening listening to the mix before we drifted off to sleep. As I listened, I felt two things - the pain shared by my friends whom I know are in the battle right now, and a surge of faith that comes from knowing that our God is good and will carry us through these times. I am thankful for my friends who display faith and hope through the hard times of life. They give me reassurance that I can do it too. I'm also grateful for the songwriters that have produced these songs that draw the troubled soul to take refuge and find strength in God. But most of all, I am grateful for our Great God who is so good. This iMix corresponds with our recent "Tough Faith for Tough Times" sermon series through the book of James. I encourage you to check out our Pastor Gary's messages at our website here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&category=James:%20A%20Tough%20Faith%20For%20Tough%20Times">Tough Faith for Tough Times</a>. <div style="position:relative;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=320567095&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="60" height="60" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:12px;"/></a><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=320567095&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="200" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:75px;"/></a><a href="itms://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/publishedPlayListHelp?v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="175" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:295px; left:65px;"/></a><embed src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/flash/feedreader.swf" FlashVars="host=http://ax.itunes.apple.com&feed=WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/ws/RSS/imix/html=false/imixid=320567095/sf=143441/xml?v0=575" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="330" name="feedreader" align="top" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed></div> Tough Faith for Tough Times iMix Notes By W.T. Born 1. Come and Listen by David Crowder (A Collision) "Let me tell you what he has done for me." I love the hope presented in this wonderful song of praise. It comes from Psalm 66 that declares, "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" (Psalms 66:16-20 NIV) We begin with the hope and assurance that our God is good and that in trusting him, he will answer our prayers, lavish his love on us, and we will be able to tell others what he has done for us. 2. Take Heart My Friend by Fernando Ortega (Fernando Ortega) We are never alone! Not only does our God promise that he will never leave us or forsake us, but he also gives us each other to uphold us with this truth when we doubt it. Each verse of this song is packed with reminders of who our God is and what he does. He is, "our assurance every morning and our defender in the night." What a beautiful thing a godly friend is to us during tough times. 3. Carry You by Amy Grant (Rock of Ages ... Hymns of Faith) In times of trouble we must realize that we are children with a loving and faithful Father. There is a wonderful promise that God gives to his people. "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4 NIV) We are also commanded to "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (Psalms 55:22 NIV) This song invites us to let go and let God carry us and our burdens and reminds us of the wonderful works of the Lord that prove that he is able to do it. 4. Hosanna by Paul Baloche (A Greater Song) "When we see you we find strength to face the day. In your presence all our fears are washed away." I cling to every phrase in this song! It is so packed with the truth that our God saves - that is the meaning of "Hosanna." It is really a shout of, "God save us," as well as a celebration that he is our Savior. God's saving work in our lives is a wonderful thing. Our need is to turn to him and to see him. God's Word is the lens through which we truthfully see him. It is through his Word that our hope is stirred and our hearts and broken lives are made new. While this can and should happen in the personal quiet time, there is nothing that compares to the corporate experience worshiping our God who saves us. This song is meant for the corporate setting and I love to sing it with my church family! 5. Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman (Beautiful News (Bonus Track)) This acoustic version of a familiar worship song is refreshing. I have sung this song through tears more than any other. These tears have been shed both in the context of pain "on the road marked with suffering" and joy "in the land that is plentiful." It is my choice to worship God in all circumstances. This song keeps me grounded in my choice to bring praise to God no matter what. Though I may start it tentatively at times, I always end it with a bit more faith than at the start. 6. It Is Well by Brian Doerksen (You Shine) I have sung this song at more funerals than any other. There is no other hymn that so fully and powerfully captures the resolve to trust God in tough times, the victory of salvation over sin through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the hope of heaven for all eternity. Horacio Spafford wrote it on the occasion of the death of his four daughters at sea. A good friend recently wrote to me after listening to this recording, "I long to be able to say that and really mean it: No matter my lot ... it is well with my soul. I'm not there yet, but I'm willing to let God bring me there." God will bring us both there, brother! The choice to worship thus is the starting place. 7. What A Friend by Jadon Lavik (Roots Run Deep) I grew up singing this hymn, but it wasn't until college that it struck me in a profound way. "Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." How quick I am to worry or problem solve when instead my first response to tough times should be prayer. While there are many poignant lyrics in the song, I love the ending, "In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there." Simply said, "Run to Daddy!" 8. What A Good God You've Been by The Maranatha! Singers (Long Play Thanksgiving) Being thankful in all circumstances is not only a command from the Scriptures, but also leads to "counting it all joy when we face various trials of all kinds." This song by Tommy Walker helps us shift the focus from our present circumstances to our Good God - his character and presence with us. The heart that is thankful is steadfast because it is deeply rooted in the goodness, loving-kindness and faithfulness of our God. Thanksgiving is not only a means by which we praise God, but it also opens the door to his saving work in our lives. "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (Psalms 50:23 NIV) 9. Hungry by Kathryn Scott (Satisfy) Tough times can draw us to our knees in brokenness. Humility is spiritual fruit that comes from tough times when we let go of our pride and cry out for help. God promises to draw near and uplift the humble heart. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10 NIV) This song captures an authentic hunger and thirst for God - not just for the rescue, but more so for his felt presence. Learning that he is ultimately what our heart is longing for is a secret to persevering through tough times. I love how this worship song nurtures that process and turns these times into an opportunity to offer ourselves more fully to God. 10. When the Tears Fall by Tim Hughes (When Silence Falls) Lament is a form of worship that flows from a place of deep pain. Worship in the "dark night of the soul" moves us honestly toward our Father. It results in greater intimacy and deeper faith. While our circumstances may not change, our perspective does and that is where hope is born. This song is a resolution to praise God no matter what. 11. Psalm 13 (How Long O Lord) by Brian Doerksen (You Shine) I chose this psalm as the foundation of a recent study on how biblical worship confronts fear, doubt and depression. The psalmist, David, experienced all three and brought these feelings to God in worship and moved to a place of trust. When I discovered this song afterwards, I moved from an intellectual understanding of it to a heart-engaged moment of worship. I wept as I realized that the model here is to run to Daddy. We come to our Father with our complaint, cry out for help and then we collapse into his loving arms. It is there that we can rejoice in the goodness of our God - when we are being held by Him. 12. You Never Let Go by Matt Redman (Passion: Everything Glorious) The 2nd verse and related bridge in this song are food for the heart struggling to hold on. "I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on. There will be an end to these troubles but until that day comes, still I will praise you!" We recently sang it as a worship response to a sermon from the book of James. "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:8 NIV) It was one of those moments where I felt both a fullness of the presence of the Lord and strength from the unity with the other voices that joined mine that morning. These are the sweetest moments of corporate worship. That is why I chose the "live" version of this song. God creates us with a need for other believers. Even though we have lonely moments, we cannot hold on if we are alone. We not only need God who never lets go, but also we need his church through which he will hold us at times. I praise God for my church family! 13. You're Not Alone by Meredith Andrews (The Invitation) Loneliness seems to amplify the pain and sadness of difficult times. But God loves to meet the lonely heart through his Word and through prayer. "In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid." (Psalms 118:5-6 NIV) This song reminds us that he will never leave us, nor forsake us. He is always there. He will see us through the darkest night. We just need to cry out to him and he will answer. 14. Faithful One by Brian Doerksen (You Shine) The chorus of this song helps us respond to the fact that God is the Faithful One, the ageless one who is unchanging. He is our Rock in times of trouble - a rock of peace. He lifts us up when we fall down. All through the storm his love is the anchor that holds us. Our hope is in him alone. My ears need to hear that and my mouth needs to say it again and again especially in the midst of suffering. It is only then that I discover that my heart really believes - that my faith is in the Lord, the Faithful One. I need to call out to him again and again in faith that he hears and will answer. Faith produces endurance and is also the product of endurance. Psalm 18 is a great passage of Scripture that probably inspired this song. 15. Grace for Me by Michael Gungor Band (Ancient Skies) I end this mix with a simple but profound reminder that God's grace is all we need. There are wonderful statements of truth in each verse: you are forming me, you'll provide for me, and you'll watch over me. My heart soars with a resolution of hope during the instrumental bridge and then joyfully declares, "I'll rejoice in spite of hardship; you'll watch over me." Yes, Lord, in the lonely times I can and will declare this: "All I need is here ... in you!" bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=377#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=377 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:48:42 -0500 What a Friend! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=376 Wednesday, June 17, 2009 8:50 AM We've got one week to go to Julie's due date! This child that will soon enter our lives is wonderful evidence of God's grace, our third miracle. I will take my summer vacation the moment that he or she comes, and so will take a break from my time at the Fox. Borrowing from the lyrics to "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt & Beth Redman, "Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise!" I have yet to post my notes for the Tough Times iMix. I will do that next, but first want to recount a wonderful worship experience with my congregation on Sunday. One of the songs on the iMix is an acoustic version of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," by Jadon Lavik. Right now his "Roots Run Deep" hymn project is the music that is filling our lives. Jadon does an excellent job on every song and I highly recommend the project to you. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=273301715&s=143441">Jadon Lavik, "Roots Run Deep"</a> The message on Sunday was on prayer, from James 5:13-16. (Here's the link to our Pastor Gary's message, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=782&fileType=audio_file3">What About Healing (6.14.09)</a>.) We sang this song together right before the message - and boy did we all sing out! I think you can almost hear the congregation coming through our stage mics. (<a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/1725url.mp3">What a Friend ~ Live</a>) I knew that we were all touched by the presence of God with us when afterwards there was complete silence - no applause, just a profound moment of unity in the presence of God. Hymns that have endured the ages are a treasure given to God's people - building the body of Christ, generation upon generation. I'm thankful for artists like Jadon Lavik who present these treasured worship songs in a way that appeals to this generation. Other hymn projects you may want to check out are: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=59398429&s=143441">Amy Grant: Rock of Ages ... Hymns of Faith</a> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=81969684&s=143441">Fernando Ortega: Hymns & Meditations</a> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=3945582&s=143441">Fernando Ortega: Hymns of Worship</a> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=5785380&s=143441">Passion Band: Hymns Ancient & Modern</a> bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=376#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=376 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:03:16 -0500 Worship that Doesn't Feel Like a Performance http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=368 June 3, 2009 7:47 AM One of the things that people appreciate about our worship leadership at Trinity is that it doesn't feel like a show, like a performance. I hear comments like this often and I praise God and ask people to pray for us that we would continue in like manner. I passed this on in appreciation to my 1st Sunday worship team at rehearsal on Monday night. Eldon, recommended I blog on the topic and so here it is. I'm going to mention a few things and would invite your input as well. I'm thinking specifically of our worship music here, although the principles apply to everything and everyone who contributes to the worship services. First and foremost, is to keep in mind our ultimate goal: to spotlight our Triune God, as revealed through his Word, and to lead people in experiencing him and bringing corporate praise to him. We strive to accomplish this goal with excellence. We want our music to sound as modern and wonderful as possible. How can we do this and make it not feel like a performance to those we are leading? Here are some things that make it work. 1. Humility is before all else! Part of our <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/176url.pdf">Worship Team Member Covenant</a> that all team members sign states, "[I agree to] pursue humility and modesty in order to put the spotlight on God and not myself." We've been recently reminded of the importance of humility multiple times through the book of James. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." (James 3:13 NIV) Humility helps us reach our ultimate goal (spotlight on God), while also facilitating smooth operations on the team. There are no superstars on our team. The Lord is the Famous One! The better we are at our talent, the greater humility that must accompany it, lest we forget and think and act like it's about us. I seek to extinguish pride the first time signs arise, and carefully and prayerfully bring new people onto the team because I realize how precious the reigning attitude of humility is. Many of our team members serve in TLC, Light & Power and with our youth ministry. Some of our folks are preparing to do musical prison ministry. Most of team members serve our church family in other ways as well. Whether we're leading a group of ten 2-year-olds, a roomful of prison inmates, or a worship center full of 700 adults, all have the same value before God. Our goal is the same; the spotlight is on him! Humility is number one to making us not seem like performers performing. It makes excellence a beautiful thing - a sacred offering to the Lord for his glory and the building up of his church. 2. The corporate nature of worship is the second thing that must always be considered, especially by those who are crafting the worship service. The current style of music is very driven by the solo artist - David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Brenton Brown, Tim Hughes, etc. These are some of my favorite worship artists, but I am very careful to pick their songs that provide an "ease of worship," as one of my team members aptly phrased it last night. I often lower the keys to make the melody accessible by the majority. While one vocalist leads the song, I am quick to have the others join so that the message from stage is, "Y'all sing!" Even when we have solos, we project the lyrics so that our congregation is trained to know that anyone is welcome to sing at anytime. Our music is for God and it is for them to join in. It is not our personal time of worship on stage! In addition, I tend to pick a majority of songs that were written specifically for corporate worship and have proven to resonate with the Church. Hymns are wonderful for this purpose and proven songs that have resonated with the Church for centuries. I'm always searching for new songs that are coming out of the church too - Hillsongs, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Baloche, Desperation Band, Gateway Church (Revelation Song), Jeremy Riddle and Brian Doerksen are some great worship leaders writing for their churches. So are most of the artists I listed above for that matter. Here's the key: when we add multiple voices, we try to do so in a manner that keeps the integrity of the modern sound, but realize that we must sacrifice some of the "coolness" of the original recording to make it work for multiple voices. 3. The content of our songs is also very important. There is a delicate balance between interacting around the rich theology of our faith and the emotional response to it. I realize that people are seeking a transcendent experience meeting with the Almighty God, and I seek to facilitate that. But I also realize that this experience needs to be rooted in the truth as revealed in the Scriptures. I call this Biblical Worship, that is worship that is grounded in the Word of God and resounds from the whole of our being as our lives are transformed by the revelation of God's character and the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ that saves us. I blogged about that in my previous entry (very lengthy - sorry about that!) This is a start to noting the important components to worshiping in a way that builds up the body and avoids the feel of performance. I am highly concerned with getting it right at Trinity. We owe it to our God and to the people he has given us to lead. I praise God for you who make up the worship teams at Trinity - both the visible stage people and our wonderful behind-the-scenes folks that really make it happen each week. I'd like to hear your additional insights. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=368#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=368 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:39:47 -0500 Fear, Doubt & Depression http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=362 In February, I was asked to present the following seminar at the <a href="http://www.formeradventist.com">Former Adventist Fellowship</a> Weekend. It took me a while to turn my notes into an article, but here it is. It was a joy to spend the time to think and study this topic. And it was a joy to interact with the wonderful folks at the FAF Weekend. <h1>How Biblical Worship Confronts Fear, Doubt & Depression</h1> I am convinced that worshiping God individually and corporately with the body of Christ is of utmost importance. The act of worshiping God gives us the proper perspective because it shifts our attention from our situation and ourselves and places it on God in our past, present and future. He is the One who was, who is and who is to come! However, left to our own ways, we quickly become the center of our own attention. Whether we experience great prosperity or great distress, we can easily loose perspective as our view of God diminishes and our focus becomes more consumed with self - our past, our present and our future. The presence of fear, doubt and depression in our lives can turn our focus inward, or it can turn our focus elsewhere, toward God. If our practice of personal and corporate worship is informed by and grounded in the Word of God, it will do the latter, and bring us to a place of deeper faith - a better place. Defining what I mean by biblical worship Let's first attempt to define biblical worship. To do so, I will tell you a bit of my experience as a worshiper and as the worship pastor of the body of believers who make up Trinity Church in Redlands, California. In the course of worship planning, leading the congregation, and entering into corporate and personal worship myself, I have learned a few things. There are "ah ha" moments when I realize that something is very right about what we're doing. One of those times came during the 1st year of my career as a worship leader as we worshiped through a sermon series on prophecy and the end times. As we sang songs hailing Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, while celebrating and longing for heaven, it was as if all could feel God's pleasure and presence. There was a sense that God was pleased for us to worship in this way - I call it Revelation or "heavenly" worship, for it is this that we have been ultimately made for. It is this worship that the Bible reveals will happen for all eternity. One of the wonderful things that happened during these worship services was that we began to cheer at specific points, namely when we sang of Jesus' resurrection. Even last Sunday as we sang, Everlasting God by Brenton Brown, our people couldn't hold back a shout of "YEAH!" after we declared God to be, "our Hope, our Strong Deliverer." In the same way, worshiping through a sermon series on the book of Romans followed by the Gospel of Mark, we began to focus more intently on the gospel, rallying together around it and placing Christ at the very center of our worship. As we corporately put the spotlight on Jesus and these wonderful truths our worship response naturally flowed from a place of growing faith, while expressing a sincere love and clinging to a real hope. It was as if this gospel moved from the background of our faith to the foreground. The more we worshiped thus, the more I sensed a unity, a confidence and assurance that these truths were very profound and very real. But most of all, my heart became grateful and a grateful heart is a heart that feels deeply and responds with natural expressions of love and thanksgiving. The other thing that happened was that compassion grew for those who have not heard, or have heard and not understood, or have heard and rejected. Not only does our heart respond with love toward God, but love toward each other, brothers and sisters united by the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, with an increased awareness of and commitment to our mission of making disciples. That is love for those who do not believe. All of these things converged to become a wholehearted response of worship to God - a wonderful congruence of our knowledge, actions, thoughts, and feelings. Do you notice what was at the center of our worship? It was the Word of God as we studied through Romans and then the Gospel of Mark. Our worship was not merely emotional. It was an emotion that sprung forth out of the eternal and sure truths of Scripture. I recently talked to a friend, Daniel, who left the Adventist church and found himself shortly afterward at a Vineyard Church, which is a charismatic fellowship. One thing he noted was that his experience worshiping in Adventism was very intellectual and seldom emotional. The doctrines were the central issue, not a relationship with Jesus. His experience worshiping with this charismatic fellowship was quite the opposite. This made me realize how important it is in worship not only to affirm the right doctrine, but also to emotionally respond to it. About 3 years ago I became close friends with John who was raised in Adventism, walked away from in it complete rebellion as a youth, and then came to saving faith in Christ in his 30's. Combining the intellect with a heartfelt response is what my friend John taught me to do by his example. He is very intellectual - smarter than I'll ever be. Yet he feels such a deep gratitude to God for the gift of salvation. He feels a deep love for his Savior, Jesus. He can barely talk about Jesus or sing about his saving grace without tears. In contrast, I realized that I had fallen into the error of suppressing those emotions in worship, as if they were embarrassing or inappropriate in a corporate gathering. While I may not be demonstrably emotional in the same way, I ought to have the capacity to express heartfelt gratitude. My heart had grown numb. I had grown too familiar with and unimpressed by the extraordinary nature of the gospel and of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. I first prayed that God would change my heart and newly reveal this wonderful gospel to me. Part of this transformation included the reality of who I would be apart from it. As I understood rightly, I began to pray that God would then help me naturally express worship with gratitude, love, and joy. God continues to answer those prayers. We are all wired differently, processing emotion in different ways. Nevertheless, we must allow ourselves to respond emotionally to what we understand intellectually. Our understanding comes from God's Word. All of this is what I would define as Biblical Worship - worship that is grounded in the Word of God and resounds from the whole of our being as our lives are transformed by the revelation of God's character and the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ that saves us. Establishing the reality of fear, doubt and depression in the believer's life Now that I have attempted to define and demonstrate Biblical Worship, I want to establish the reality of fear, doubt and depression in the believer's life. I realize that these three, especially depression are very complex issues, often requiring professional help to appropriately deal with. In talking with former Adventists, what became clear is that the journey out of Adventism is often similar to walking through the steps of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. One couple that I interviewed shared that in their journey the steps of anger and depression were severe. Anger was attributed to the feeling of being deceived; that was one man's greatest struggle. The man's wife on the other hand struggled more through the depression stage. The depression can be over the loss of precious relationships, the work of starting over at the beginning, the fear and insecurity of trying to trust again - trusting leaders, trusting yourself to understand correctly and not be deceived again, and ultimately to trust God and his Word. All of these issues can be the source of depression, doubt and fear and they all feed each other. They both stated that the fear and doubt in the journey are profound. Before we consider what becomes of fear, doubt and depression when we worship, we must first be honest about them before the Lord and before other believers. Another realization that occurred to me over the past year is that in the same way I tend to suppress the expression of emotion in worship, I also tend to suppress the expression of natural feelings like doubt, fear and depression. The Bible models the exact opposite. There is a lot of venting of anger, complaints, fears, doubts and depression in the Word of God and it is mostly spoken to God in the context of worship. As I did a study on Psalm 145 last summer I looked at the chapter and specifically the verse: "One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts." (Psalms 145:4 ESVS) I thought of how the works of the Lord on our behalf happen because we need him to do these works. In other words, Christ's work of salvation implies that I need saving. Why is it so hard to admit our neediness to each other in the body of Christ? How many people hide their pain, doubt, depression and fear as if they are the only ones who experience these things? During the worship service the week after our message on Psalm 145 we had cardboard testimonies where about 20 people wrote briefly, in about 5 words, a need on the front of a piece of cardboard. It was often in the form of a struggle with sin, or a hard time they experienced. On the back of the cardboard they put the work of the Lord, how God met or is meeting that need. As I studied Psalm 145 I was hit with this thought. How will we as a congregation display the works of the Lord (the back of the cardboard) if we are ashamed to show people the front of the cardboard? We get stuck going nowhere when we keep these things secret. Worse yet, God does not receive the glory that is due him. The reality of what we write on the front (our need) becomes eclipsed by the beauty of grace that is displayed on the back (God's gracious provision). Now this was a public setting, displaying vulnerability and honesty within the body of Christ and all who did it would say that it brought tremendous freedom and encouragement. However, think about your relationship with God, just between you and the Lord. In the same way me may suppress emotional expressions of gratitude, love, and joy, we may also struggle to bring the very real feelings of doubt, fear and depression to God. This is worship too. It is the worship of lament. Worshiping in this brutally honest way opens the door to redemption, salvation, forgiveness, wholeness, and healing. It draws us into greater intimacy with our Lord. Exploring the effect of biblical worship on these things Having established the reality of fear, doubt and depression in the believer's life, let's explore the effect that biblical worship has on these things. In so doing, we will also see that the godly men and woman of the Bible also experienced these things and provided us with a model of how to confront them with worship. What better example of total honesty in worship than the Psalms? Let's look to the Psalms for the process of worship countering doubt, fear and depression. Psalm 13 is a good place to start.<blockquote> 1 "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me." (Psalms 13:1-6 ESVS)</blockquote> Pslam 13 is a psalm where David is certainly depressed, wondering if he can make it another day. Feeling abandoned, he doubts God's presence in light of his circumstances. He is fearful that his enemy will prevail. Yet, after bringing these things to the Lord, he pauses in the end to praise him and that gives him hope. Hope comes from the proper perspective, which is gained in this case by declaring the truth about God and remembering. Note that the whole of psalm 13 is a response of worship to God. It is a praise song. The praise that results at the end is sincere and sweet because of the honesty of David's complaint in the beginning. Is this part of worshiping God "in Spirit and in truth?" (A reference to Jesus' teaching in John 4) The content of David's praise is truthful not only with who God is (the resolve in the end), but also with who and where he was at the moment. This psalm ends not with a resolution of circumstances, but instead a resolution of heart and mind to trust in the Lord. That's where the hope comes from. A Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card has proved to be a helpful book toward understanding how lament can and should be a worship response to God. He introduces the topic and then studies the sorrow of Job, David, Jeremiah and Jesus in the Scriptures. This book was foundational in helping me to practice bringing God worship out of the presence of sorrow. I highly recommend it. Here is an excerpt that helps us understand how this type of honest worship captured in Psalm 13 combats fear, doubt and depression. It is found in the simple word, "but," that comes at the beginning of verse 5.<blockquote> In the Psalms, the transition is almost always marked by the English word "but" or "then," and reflects a Hebrew particle known as the "vav adversative." Vav is, in fact, the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. (Another system of pronunciation renders it "waw.") it looks like this: a short vertical line with a little flag on top that perpetually seems to indicate the wind is blowing from the east. It is generally used to join ideas and is most frequently translated "and." Sometimes it serves another purpose, to help express antithetical or "adverse" ideas. When used in such a way it is called the "vav adversative." The transition marked by this upright line of a letter is always abrupt. It indicates that somewhere, somehow an invisible line has been crossed and the focus of the lament has turned from the self to Elsewhere. [Michael Card, A Sacred Sorrow (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005), 78.])</blockquote> In addition to the wealth of Biblical knowledge and the practice of faith contained in the Old Testament, as "New Covenant" believers, we are now defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is a fascinating man. He was a man who suffered great sorrows, mostly in the form of persecution of his faith, and that for being outspoken as a missionary and an apostle to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also suffered health issues and many other natural disasters. Certainly he experienced fear, doubt and depression. In fact, he records a long list in 2Corinthians 11:24-29. Somehow, Paul had moved from a place of shame about these things to the very opposite, boasting. It is utterly amazing to me that Paul didn't mention in passing that he struggles; rather he chooses to boast publicly about his weaknesses.<blockquote> "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." (2Corinthians 11:30 ESVS)</blockquote> Consider his position as the apostle writing these letters, which were to be read by churches everywhere and eventually by us. God inspired this Scripture and by it we are invited to boast in our weaknesses as well. And why do we boast? Here's a huge application to how worship confronts weakness. Paul is wrestling with God pleading that he take away his "thorn in the flesh."<blockquote> "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2Corinthians 12:9 ESVS)</blockquote> Read that again. The secret of Christ's power resting on us is in being willing to boast in our weaknesses! This is scandalous! James gives us a different perspective.<blockquote> "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4 ESVS)</blockquote> Somehow God uses the weak moments when we are plagued by fear, doubt or depression to make us mature and complete. I think it is because we grow in our knowledge of God, our dependence on him, our faith in Christ and the gospel, and our confidence that our future is secure in Him. As a result, our hope rests in his presence with us and not on our perceived need for a resolution that is comfortable and pleasing to us. It comes back to perspective. We gain the proper perspective when we worship God. Look at Paul at the end of his life and ministry. Just listen to what his life has yielded and listen to his perspective. <blockquote> "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me." (2Timothy 1:8-12 ESVS)</blockquote> As Paul drew near to his end of life on earth, he had a confidence in the gospel, a knowledge of the Lord, and an assurance that God would complete what he began. Conclusion I'd like to end with some practical advice based on this study.<blockquote> 1. Ask God to lead you to an increasing understanding and practice of biblical worship - both individual and corporate. The more we understand the gospel, the more we will find that our natural response will be worship from the depth of our whole being. Learn to let your worship response be natural, that is, congruent with the way God wired you to respond to it. Think about the language of the gospel. Rescued. Redeemed. Forgiven. Saved. Adopted. How do you naturally respond to these things? What do you feel when you've been rescued and how do you express it? God created you to respond this way. Say someone forgave you a tremendous debt that you could not pay. How would you uniquely respond? Would you write a thank you note? Would you verbally honor this person before other people for the rest of your life? Would you think very highly of him and want others to think likewise? Would you love him deeply? How would you express this love? By your words, and through your actions? Through your art? Worship is the response that flows from our whole being, inspired by our understanding of all that Christ is and all that he has done on our behalf. 2. When experiencing fear, doubt or depression be honest with God and with other believers about your feelings, but don't forget the "but." Don't be ashamed of these feelings; rather recognize them as an opportunity to trust God more. Honesty leads us to a greater knowledge of God and to a greater intimacy with him. Practice the Psalm 13 model. Simply stated it is this: run to Daddy. We come to our loving Father with our complaint, cry out for help and then we collapse into his loving arms. It is there that we can rejoice in the goodness of our God - when we are being held by Him. And how do we know the goodness of God? We turn to his Word where he reveals time and again that he is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." (Psalms 103:8 ESVS) The more we run to our Daddy in time of need, the more we will find that he is faithful and the more we will love him and find ways to express that love. That is worship! 3. Don't forsake the regular practice of corporate worship. "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESVS) God declared that the main purpose of the worship gathering is edification - encouraging and being encouraged. He has made us both needed and needy and being a part of the body of Christ is where we give and receive. Martin Luther had an insightful comment. He said, "At home in my own house there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through." [quoted in Robert G. Rayburn, O Come, Let Us Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), 29.] 4. Fill your hearts with God's Word through consistently feasting your eyes, ears and minds upon it. I do this by reading the Scriptures daily as much as possible. This isn't a "go deep" study, but just a saturation of my heart and mind in the truth of God's Word. How privileged we are to live in the day of the Bible on CD or our mp3 players! But at least once a week I want to go deep with God by studying and meditating on the Scriptures. This is additional to the weekend worship service. A weekly small group study or one-on-one meeting with a mentor or friend are helpful practices in developing the skills, and the habit of going deeper and keeping us accountable to doing it. Finally, I suggest listening to worship music all the time. Saturate your mind and your surroundings with the truth of God's Word and the invitation to respond in worship. Listening to praise music creates an atmosphere of continuous worship in which you live and breathe. Christian songwriters are a gift to the body to edify us and draw our hearts to sincere and honest praise. Find some Christian artists whose music fits your taste and play it at home, in the car and at work. I created a Biblical Worship iMix to accompany this study. I included a variety of musical styles for you to sample. To access this through my blog on Trinity's website, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=309">click here</a>.</blockquote> If our practice of personal and corporate worship begins with honesty and is informed by and grounded in the Word of God, it will bring us to a place of deeper faith, a better place - a place we would not reach if not for the times of great need that draw us to our God. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=362#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=362 Thu, 21 May 2009 00:22:56 -0500 Pondering the Almighty http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=358 May 13, 2009 7:50 AM The hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" has a wonderful phrase in the third verse that says, "Ponder anew what the Almighty can do." I wonder how we who lead our congregation each week can better facilitate this type of "pondering the Almighty" worship. The first thing that comes to mind is that pondering the Almighty does not take place unless I deliberately go there. My first inclination is to ponder other things like: 1. What am I going to do next? 2. What problem is overwhelming me at the moment? We who lead corporate worship need to help people shift their pondering from their problems and activities to what God can and wants to do with these things. Ultimately we need to know God's presence and follow his leading within our daily activities and even our most difficult problems. The worship leader has the tools to facilitate this shift of focus. In one hand we lift up the Word of God and in the other hand, the works of God. Next time you raise your hands in worship, picture this as part of the offering you are lifting up to God. These two activities should be the primary focus of our corporate worship gathering. The good news is that we have the Word of God and a gifted pastor who teaches it to us each week. Pondering the Almighty will not happen in a "tickle your ears" preaching church. I praise God that our senior pastor, Gary Inrig, brings us God's Word each week and it is powerful to not only inform us of how we ought to live, but more so to help us to come to know our God and bolster our faith in him. The end of last week's sermon was a great example of Gary doing this when he came to God's promise from Hebrews 13:5, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." You can check it out here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=742&fileType=audio_file3">A Satisfied Heart</a>. Keep bringing it, Gary! In addition to the Word of God, we have a wealth of art, worship music, media and drama available to us that has been inspired by the Word of God. Christian artists who beautifully capture God's Word and display his works in their art are a gift to the church. Finally, each one of us and each one of the people we lead who are truly God's disciples bear testimonies of the works of the Lord. The demonstration that we are Christ's disciples is that we bear fruit. Fruit is the visible, appealing, delicious and nurturing evidence of the work of God in our lives. Changed lives, changed hearts, increasing faith, and the miraculous works of the Lord must be proclaimed and celebrated within our worship services. We who are worship leaders must be artists ourselves who help our congregations rally around the Word and the works of God. The crafting of a worship service is our art; it is our offering of worship to God; it is our service to the church. My seven-year-old son taught me a lesson on pondering a few weeks ago. I teach him on Monday mornings. We were reading through a word list. My goal was to quickly get through it so we could get to the next thing and then done with school that day. He had a different goal. He began reading each word and would pause to comment about it, put it in a sentence, and even get out of his chair and act it out. I found myself frustrated, wanting to rush him so we could be done with it. Then I realized how beautiful his approach was and how shallow mine was. He was pausing to ponder, caught up in the experience of the moment. I, on the other hand, wanted to get through the activity, and was missing the moment. I need to approach the worship service with Billy's mindset. It is an opportunity to meet God in the moment. We who lead worship need to foster these moments. Worship is not just the proclamation of the Word and works of the Lord. It is ever so much our response as well. The worship service is not a program to get through, but instead an encounter with the Almighty God that wants to say something to each one of us. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to convict, comfort, and transform our thoughts and behaviors. This is perhaps the toughest thing to do within the confinement of the blasted clock. Therefore, we must be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in our crafting of the service to leave space for God to speak and for us to listen and then respond. The other pondering that often consumes my mind is on my problems. The good news is that God loves to meet us when we are most needy. Problems are an opportunity for God to do his works in our lives. More often than not his works do not include removing the problem, but refining our faith by sustaining us through the problem. Psalm 55 commands us to, "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (Psalms 55:22 NIV) The Psalmists give us a wonderful pattern of laying their problems out before the Lord and then choosing to shift their pondering from their problems to the character and works of the Almighty God. Here's a quick example from Psalm 5 authored by King David. "Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." (Psalms 5:1-3 ESVS) I love how David ends this statement with the phrase, "and watch." Pondering what the Almighty can do is the watching and waiting. Faith is practiced and strengthened in this practice of worship. We who lead must help our people bring their groaning to God, sacrificing these things, so to speak, and then watch for what God is going to do. So what can the Almighty do? He can do far more abundantly than all we can ask or think! "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESVS) Let us be worshipers and worship leaders who delight in pondering what the Almighty can do and lead our congregations in the same. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=358#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=358 Wed, 13 May 2009 18:47:03 -0500 Celebrating Easter Weekend @ Trinity http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=346 <img src="/files/Blog/346image.jpg" class="image1"> April 15, 2009 7:07 AM I'm still basking in the glow of Easter weekend and our worship services at Trinity Church. I just had a meeting last night with my Worship Planning Team. This team is primarily responsible for the Easter Sunday services and even though the Good Friday Service was outstanding, my focus will be on what happened Easter Sunday. My team spent the bulk of our time last night recounting the special moments, how we were personally touched and led in worship, and retelling what we have heard others share about their experience. We celebrated the work of the Lord, because we know that while we bring our very best, it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that touches hearts and makes a lasting impact as people experience God in the worship service. It is his work that matters most - it goes before, through and beyond the experience of the moment. Truly what people experienced was something beyond what we could create and that is exactly as it should be - this was a clear answer to our prayers as a team. And so the first honor goes to our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was, is and always will be about him. As I was leading worship through our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services, my heart was drawn anew to worship to him and that was wonderful! Few people know of the teamwork that goes into planning and then pulling off a worship service like this. I found myself so grateful for the teams that I get to work with and I'd like to thank and honor some of the behind the scenes folks with the rest of this blog entry. Jeff Moore is the rehearsal director for the 7 vocalists and 16 instrumentalists that provided the beautiful music for our Sunday services. He is my friend and mentor and God used him to establish the worship culture at Trinity Church through his worship leadership before me. We musicians are incredibly blessed to be directed by Jeff - he is brilliantly gifted, yet humble and wonderful as he directs us. The quality of what you heard and experienced musically on Sunday is greatly attributed to his masterful leadership. Daniel Medina didn't sleep much between Friday and Sunday as he was commissioned to capture our baptisms on Friday and put together a video to share that experience with all who came on Sunday. He is deeply gifted in the area of telling a story with media and did a masterful work of capturing the heart of what happened with the baptisms on Friday night. I don't know how he did it in only 1 minute and 42 seconds. I know that this video edified and encouraged all who attended on Sunday and will continue to bear fruit for the kingdom as we rally at Trinity around the saving work of the Lord among us. Here it is. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TqZTQd-JQdY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TqZTQd-JQdY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Steve Simons is a stage manager. He coordinated the 2 media techs Donna Lusher & Jenn Mullinex, sound technician & team leader Scott Tirrell, lighting technician and team leader Henry Meinders, camera operators David Ladner, Steve England & Norb Tellez, and the drama, dance, music & ushering teams. Steve's role is to help us all work together to accomplish a successful worship service. He is a master of pulling off a smooth service, coordinating us, helping with transitions, problem solving with technical and personnel difficulties, relieving stress, putting out fires and making sure that what you see and experience is the highest quality possible. His administrative ability is a gift from the Lord and I appreciate his role and couldn't pull off a service like this without him. Steve's ministry is Christ-like to me in that he bears the stress that should rightfully be mine so that I might go free. Ken Weaver is the builder of crosses at Trinity. He is responsible for the beautiful and majestic centerpiece of our service. We had over a minute of time just to quietly reflect on the cross of Christ after the dance piece. Ken is a gentle and faithful servant, gifted as an artist and builder. I love him! I love working with him and appreciate the way he joyfully serves the Lord and his church. It was a great moment of worship, just the two of us, as we carried the cross together across campus into the worship center a few weeks ago. <img src="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/1663url.jpg"alt="Ken's Cross"> Jan Arnwine is the drama team leader. She brings a great heart to her work and did a great job directing her team of three as they led us in a powerful and thought provoking drama. The quality of what they did was top notch and led us all in contemplating the significance of the resurrection and the challenges that might distract us from believing and being shaped by it. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sj6A2ti-eqU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sj6A2ti-eqU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Mary Bawden led a team of 4 trained dancers in a piece that encouraged us to "Behold the Lamb of God." She also had 4 additional young dancers helping to celebrate during "Happy Day" in the venue and then at the end of "Revelation Song" in the worship center. All of the dancers were beautiful and just shined the joy of the risen Christ in their faces as they danced. I was deeply moved during the "Behold the Lamb" piece and especially enjoyed the end with a simple spotlight on the cross for the last minute and a half. Mary's heart is to put the spotlight on God through dance and she did a great job leading us up to this moment of reflection. Revelation Song was also a special way to end the service with the addition of her dancers. (We are waiting for permission to post the dance.) Jen Derksen made a very important contribution. She laid out a great spread in the back room for the dancers, technicians, thespians, and musicians I've just mentioned. She uses her culinary talents to edify the church and I praise God for the wonderful way she serves us during these special services during the year. I'd like to honor the Pastoral & Support Staff, my beloved colleagues. First mention must go to my administrative assistant, Sheri Blakey. She joyfully serves the Lord and all of us who serve by covering the hundreds of the details, coordinating all of our teams and services, communicating relentlessly, and planning everything down to the last minute. This year she was the stage manager for the service in the venue and it was a great success! She is truly a blessing to all of us, a co-leader with me, and irreplaceable as far as I'm concerned. Joe Cornell and Ron Berger support all things technical at Trinity. Ron helps set up and maintain our technical systems, ensuring highest quality and ease of operation. Joe sets up and tears down relentlessly without complaint and with incredible detail. Every ministry and every ear at Trinity is blessed by the service of Joe's hands and he puts in countless hours to facilitate all things sound related at Trinity. Bruce Herwig and his assistants Donna Walker and Allison Anderson did a great job with printed materials and our overall theme for "The Greatest Day Ever!" It's always a pleasure to partner with our Communications team. Gary was brilliant in his presentation of a monologue by Thomas. His knowledge of the Scriptures, his love for the Lord, for his church and for the lost, and his gift of teaching minister to each one of us on a weekly basis. Gary is also quite talented dramatically and shared that with all of us on Sunday. Every heart was deeply captivated by his message. He did such a great job walking us through the Jesus Story through the eyes of Thomas and then encouraging us to "stop doubting and believe." I came away with a deeper faith and more sincere belief as a result. Gary ministers to me in this way every weekend! Check his part out here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=701&fileType=video_file3">What If It's Really True?</a>. God, thank you for our senior pastor, Gary Inrig! My close friend and mentor, Steve Springsted and his administrative assistant, Ann Mixon, coordinated everything outside - guest ministries include the parking team, welcome center, hospitality (food!), greeters and ushers. These folks were fantastic and are our front line, making people feel welcome into the Trinity Family as we gather to worship. He also coordinates a prayer team that prays during each service in the Prayer Room and is available to pray with folks who need prayer. He also has a team that follows up with our guests. Wow! That's a lot! Shawn Brennan led our service in the venue and did a fantastic job with his team of high school students. Sheri said that her greatest joy was serving with these talented students who brought their best in service to the Lord and his church gathered in the venue. We are truly blessed at Trinity by our high school youth and by their pastor, Shawn. Finally, I love the church family that I get to lead in worship each week. God is working in our lives. Jesus is truly alive at Trinity Church demonstrated by the fact that we are growing more alive in him. He is doing great things as our family is growing numerically and in spiritual maturity. We are becoming better worshipers. I see the fruit of his Spirit filling and spilling over through us. May God continue to be praised each week as we gather to worship him, Christ our risen King! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=346#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=346 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:05:59 -0500 Happy Birthday Mom! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=334 <img src="/files/Blog/334image.jpg" class="image1"> March 25, 2009 8:45 AM Yesterday was a special day - it was my mom's birthday and I would like to take a moment to honor her. Two words that immediately come to mind are "gentle servant." My mom delights in serving her family, her friends, and her God. She serves with a gentle spirit. She has been serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship in this way for 41 Â½ years. No doubt that many throughout the years have experienced the blessings of her gentle service. This year brings huge changes as she transitions to her new assignment - out of her career with MAF into her career as full-time grandmother (and other important ministries as well). Her family in California is eagerly anticipating the joy of having her come home. When I was 23 I figured out how blessed I was to have such a great mom - namely that she was a P-31 woman, the kind that I would like to marry. (P-31 being a reference to Proverbs 31). More than that, I wanted to possess these same god-honoring qualities that I saw in Mom, yet as a man and in a masculine sort of way. My Savior described himself as a servant who is gentle, and in this way my mom embodies the character of Christ. Mom taught me how to be a gentle servant. I have always considered my father a very wise man, but not until recently did I realize that Mom possesses great wisdom as well. First of all, being a P-31 woman, she fits the biblical description of a wise woman. But a few weeks ago, our pastor, Gary Inrig, preached a great sermon on "the wisdom from above," from James 3:13-18. (You can listen here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=673&fileType=audio_file3">Wise or Otherwise</a>). I was struck by the description of heavenly wisdom from verse 17. This verse describes mom. "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." (James 3:17 ESVS) Anyone who knows her would agree that these qualities are the fruit that flows from her life. If you bump into Mom, this is what spills out (even when it is an ugly bump that has to do with conflict - the context of this Scripture). I praise God that his Spirit living in mom has produced this wisdom and continues to produce it increasing measure. Years ago, as a young adult when I began to rediscover the blessing of my mother, I wrote this poem and I'd like to end this with it. Here's to the year ahead, Mom! Cheers to you and thanks to God for you! Mother, I Love You My thoughts turn to you mother On this very special day Thankfulness, indebtedness; feelings one after the other Heartfelt joy from kindness I am unable to repay Emotions I cannot rightfully express using paper and pen Remind me of how vividly you show God's love time and again It has not always been through words, though words have been many Letters faithfully written to encourage comfort and guide Often times when my spirit was dead 'twas these kept me alive Virtue, one of the highest qualities you possess Exemplified by your actions - so giving; so selfless Yes, your actions have been the most powerful lesson to me Of how love by God's standards was meant to be Unlike none other; I will forever call you blessed!! Mother, I Love You! Written for Mom on Mother's Day, May 8, 1994. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=334#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=334 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:36:40 -0500 The Worship of Baptism http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=332 March 18, 2009 7:00 AM This morning I am considering the practice of baptism in our church and specifically as part of the gathering of believers for corporate worship. I feel a strong conviction to make baptism a more central part of our worship at Trinity. We are having a baptism service on Good Friday and in preparation, Gary did some teaching on it in our staff meeting yesterday. He has written an excellent booklet that outlines the who, what, why and how we approach the practice of baptism at Trinity. You can find it on our website here: <a href="http://trinityredlands.app3.net/files/News/791image2.pdf">Baptism Booklet</a> After an extremely disturbing hour skimming through church history on the topic, I came away deeply grateful that our church seeks to practice first and foremost according to the Bible. This avoids allowing the traditions of men to distort our understanding and seeks to keep the practice of our faith pure according to the will of God. I'd like to consider what baptism accomplishes for the Lord, for the body of Christ, his church, and for the believer who is being baptized. We will consider the practice of baptism within the context of worship. First, let us consider what baptism accomplishes for the Lord. The most obvious answer is that it honors him as an act of obedience to his Word, the clearest being the Great Commission where Jesus commands his disciples to continue the process Jesus began with them - making more disciples. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."" (Matthew 28:19-20 ESVS) Of course we obey not just out of duty, but our motivation is out of love. That is what makes obedience an act of worship that is pleasing to God. Another thing we accomplish for the Lord is putting the spotlight on his work of salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It shouts out, "It is true! The gospel is the power unto salvation for all who believe!" Baptism is evidence that God's program is working. There is a wonderful story worth noting here. It is found on the musical group Selah's "Hiding Place" project during the song "By and By." Apparently the government of the country of Congo in Africa outlawed baptism for 2 years thinking that they could extinguish the rise of Christianity. This song begins with Selah members, Nicol Stonberg and Todd Smith's grandfather, Laban Smith, describing the wonderful scene the day the ban was over. People kept coming from all over to be baptized. It is a wonderful testimony of God's saving work - he is always working and we are called to spotlight his salvation work. "Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." (Psalms 96:2 ESVS) Second, we consider what baptism accomplishes for the gathered body of believers who are the witnesses of it. In this context it is an act of corporate worship as was always intended to be. First of all, baptism declares the works of the Lord in a public setting. Our practice at Trinity is to include a faith story with each baptism. While this is not a biblical requirement, we do it this way specifically to praise the Lord and edify the body - to celebrate the saving work of our God who has saved us and brought us into his family. The telling of how and when God saves us is encouraging for others to hear and results in something wonderful - a worship response, celebrating, clapping, cheering for our great God who saves us. Psalm 145 beautifully demonstrates worship flowing out of personal testimony. "They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness." (Psalms 145:6-7 ESVS) Notice the pattern of "they" and then "I." The declaration of the awesome deeds of the Lord causes those who hear to add their voices to the declaration of his greatness and to sing loudly of his righteousness - I really like that! God does too. That's why I usually follow baptisms with a "loud" song of praise. Additionally, the symbol of baptism itself, apart from the public testimony, is a dramatic illustration of salvation. Borrowing Gary's words from the booklet, he explains this clearly. "The very act of baptism is a powerful display of what God has done in our lives: 'We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life' (Romans 6:4, NIV). It therefore becomes a testimony to friends and family of our conversion experience: a means of declaring the gospel visibly." (Baptism, Gary Inrig, p.12) In this regard, I think we need to be careful not to force a person to declare their personal testimony publicly, although we should greatly encourage it. A third aspect to the public testimony of baptism is that observing a baptism increases our faith and resolve to wholeheartedly follow the Lord. I am reminded of the power of the public testimony of baptism each time I sit with my son and observe baptisms. His attention is completely captured by it and has been since he was three years old. It was at Mears Lake in Forest Home where we sat side by side on the shore and witnessed an unusual number of high school boys following the Lord in baptism. I really think that Billy's 3-Â½ year old mind began to understand what it means to follow Christ that day. All who were there were edified by their testimonies as they humbled themselves before the Lord to follow him in baptism and declared their belief in Christ as Lord and Savior and their intent to devote their whole lives to follow him. Lastly, let us consider what baptism accomplishes for the one being baptized. Gary explains clearly in his booklet, that "baptism does not accomplish their salvation; it bears witness to it. Water baptism is the outward and visible sign of the inward, invisible transformation of life." (Baptism, Gary Inrig, p.8) Steve Springsted usually teaches our baptism class for adults and encourages people to take it very seriously. I did when I was baptized at sixteen years old. The decision to be baptized was a personal and public statement that I was "all in," committed for life. This seems to be the case for the early believers - that is one of the reasons baptism usually immediately followed conversion and why it was public. Paul emphasized baptism not just as an "all in" statement, but also as an "all new" statement. "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life...11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:3,4,11 ESVS) It makes our faith a public commitment with many witnesses to not only celebrate with us, but I think to hold us accountable to living a life that is dead to sin and alive to God in Christ! Baptism not only identifies us with Christ, but also with the community of faith to which we now belong. Think for a moment about the humility that baptism requires. I would argue that this is another wonderful thing that it accomplishes for us. We humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he lifts us up. This command occurs twice in the New Testament and is strangely similar to the symbolism of baptism. This may be a bit of a stretch, but I think there is a point to be considered. Let's look at the first practice of baptism in the New Testament. John the Baptist's ministry was marked by this symbol and practice of baptism. "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (Mark 1:4-6 ESVS) It is a blow to our pride to admit our need for Christ, to confess our sins, and then to submit ourselves to being pushed under the water in front of others. I think that is part of the reason John didn't want to baptize Christ. He wanted it to be the other way around. "John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented." (Matthew 3:14-16 ESVS) This makes me consider the question, why was Jesus baptized? While there are many reasons, an obvious one being that he did the very thing that he would command his followers to do, I think there's another implication that we shouldn't miss. It began his public ministry in a posture of humility before God and others. And his Father was well-pleased. Christ lived his life teaching his disciples to serve and not be served. He ended his life with the ultimate demonstration of humility that would give his followers an example to follow. "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8-9 ESVS) Baptism serves as a reminder of this posture of humility before the Lord and our new spiritual family. Finally, so obvious that I almost missed it, is that baptism is itself an act of worship. It is a direct statement to the Lord that he is worthy of giving our whole lives in service to him. It is identifying with our Savior and loving him by obeying his commands and following his example. This is the very heart of worship. I'd like to consider one extra thing - that is, what baptism accomplishes for those who observe but do not yet believe. It is a powerful witness that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth. Especially when accompanied by personal testimonies, a baptism service includes a sermon like no other. While the real test comes with the day-to-day witness that follows, I think baptism was meant to be the commencement of our life as witnesses. It is interesting that accompanying Christ's Great Commission must have been this parallel statement recorded in Acts as the very last thing Jesus said before ascending to heaven. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."" (Acts 1:8-9 ESVS) Taking from the end of the gospel accounts and the beginning of the book of Acts, we get the full picture of our mission. God commands us to baptize and make disciples and to be his witnesses. He promises another baptism of the Holy Spirit that would make us effective witnesses. (Recall that John the Baptist spoke of this "Holy Spirit" baptism.) In this way, we see that water baptism is our initiation as a witness - it is our first witness. And that is what baptism ultimately accomplishes for the unbeliever who observes, another witness that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. The baptism service is one of the most treasured times our church family meets together. It is an unmatched experience worshiping together as the body of Christ. I pray that God would give us cause at Trinity to witness baptisms more and more. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=332#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=332 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:40:17 -0500 Thoughts on Solitude http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=315 <img src="/files/Blog/315image.jpg" class="image1"> This is from a journal a few weeks ago during a day of solitude. As part of Trinity's staff, I have been asked to take one DAWG (day away with God) day a month. February 4, 2009 11:08 AM I'm sitting in the tent trailer at Doheny State Beach, enjoying some time alone with God. I don't feel good at doing alone time. My life is so full, always producing something, always solving some problem, always serving others, always working to keep my head above water at home and at work. I love all of this stuff and I sense God's presence and pleasure in all of it. But now it is time to stop just for a few hours and it's hard to put on the brakes. What am I stopping for? I guess I'm hoping to meet with God in a special way - forsaking my agenda, searching for his. While I always seek to align my agenda with God's, sometimes I may drift. I get distracted, impatient, over zealous, and I forget to listen, to really see, and to know God. That's what this day is about, fine-tuning my receiver to make sure I'm hearing and seeing God clearly. I spent most of the morning out on the sand, reading the Scriptures, sitting quietly, talking to God a little, and trying to listen more. Of course my mind is used to running at high RPMs, so even when I'm quiet it's hard to listen. I read from Exodus 20 this morning the account of God revealing himself on the top of the mountain. What a moment to try to imagine! It was such a fearful thing for the Israelites to meet with the Living God. Here's what the people said to Moses as they waited at the bottom of the mountain. "Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was." (Exodus 20:18-21 ESVS) Perhaps that is one of the reasons for this DAWG (day away with God) day - to be tested that the fear of the Lord may be before me, that I may not sin. I found myself thinking of my sister's boyfriend, Todd, who will be leaving this weekend for 3 weeks of alone time as a requirement of his Spiritual Formation degree from Talbot Seminary. I can't imagine 3 weeks! Perhaps that is like facing the mountain with the thick darkness and being invited like Moses to draw near. Fortunately, God has come near in a way he hadn't yet in Moses' time. Through his Son, Jesus, all who have faith in him now have complete access to God. But we must not forget that he is the same God as the one whose voice thundered on the mountain, making the people tremble. Worship leader, Matt Redman captured our relationship with the Lord by calling it, "The Friendship and the Fear." It is both a comforting familiarity and an unsettling mystery all at once. Today I hope to discover both in increasing measure. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=315#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=315 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:09:40 -0500 Biblical Worship iMix http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=309 February 18, 2009 7:59 AM <div style="position:relative;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=305785277&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="60" height="60" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:12px;"/></a><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=305785277&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="200" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:75px;"/></a><a href="itms://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/publishedPlayListHelp?v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="175" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:295px; left:65px;"/></a><embed src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/flash/feedreader.swf" FlashVars="host=http://ax.itunes.apple.com&feed=WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/ws/RSS/imix/html=false/imixid=305785277/sf=143441/xml?v0=575" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="330" name="feedreader" align="top" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed></div> I had a wonderful time presenting at the Former Adventist Fellowship Weekend conference. Preparing for it was a blessing; especially interviewing friends who are former Adventists and spending time studying the topic in God's Word. I'm going to work on making my presentation into an article that I can post at a later time. I did make an iMix to accompany my discoveries as I uncovered the topic, "How Biblical Worship Confronts Fear, Doubt and Depression." Here are some notes to accompany each of the songs. As you journey through these songs with me, you really get the bulk of what I discovered and tried to communicate in my presentation. Biblical Worship iMix By Bill Born 1. Revelation Song by Gateway Church (Living For You) Let's begin with the end, that is, the reality of who Christ is. He is the Lord God Almighty, the One who was, and is and is to come! That's where all expressions of worship eventually lead us. This gives us the eternal perspective and there is no greater hope and no greater joy than that of arriving at that place. This is heavenly worship. 2. Everlasting God by Brenton Brown (Everlasting God) This song begins with a wonderful promise based on Isaiah 40:31. Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. When my church family sings it, we eagerly sing, "Our hope, our strong deliverer" and then we explode into the chorus with a shout of "YES!" I feel like I could jump a mile high when we get to that place. Everything that is "man" in me is connecting with the Everlasting God, my God. At that moment I have faith that could move mountains ... and it has. 3. Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin (Hello Love) We get it right when our worship is centered on Jesus Christ and the gospel. This song spotlights the Hebrew name for Jesus, "Yeshua Mashiah," the Lord of All. I love the reference to communion in verse two. It is too much for me when the choir sings "all our hope is in you," while Chris sings the chorus. It is another heavenly moment. 4. In Christ Alone by Avalon & Geoff Moore (It Takes Two) This is the first recording that I heard of this modern hymn of the faith. It will certainly endure the ages, "contend[ing] for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 1:3 NIV) The first time I can recall our congregation cheering in our corporate worship service was in verse three after we sing, "Up from the grave he rose again!" There is so much truth packed into this worship song that I find comfort singing it in all circumstances. 5. Cross Around My Neck by Mustard Seed (Mustard Seed) My good friends John & Tonya Mace taught me how to bring wholehearted worship to God. This moved me toward allowing my intellectual understanding to inspire an authentic emotional response of praise - congruence between mind and heart worship. It was God's perfect timing to be planning worship sets through sermons from Romans and Mark with them. In the process I became more unashamed of the gospel that saved me and fell more deeply in love with my Savior. They wrote and recorded this song with some of our church musicians. 6. At the Foot of the Cross (Ashes to Beauty) by Kathryn Scott (Satisfy) This song beautifully connects an Old Testament description of the Messiah's ministry to it's fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Then it invites us to a worship response. "I lay every burden down at the foot of the cross." Jesus preached one of his first sermons from this text and boldly claimed to be the fulfillment. (Luke 4) I include Isaiah's text here. Jesus came for those who lament. "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV) 7. Jesus Paid it All by Fernando Ortega (Storm) Yet another wonderful hymn that anchors our soul in the eternal truth of Scriptures as they reveal to us the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. And this moves beyond the right doctrine to a wholehearted yet simple response. "Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe." Fernando's recordings of hymns are a treasure to God's church. 8. I Cling to the Cross by Paul Baloche (Our God Saves) I love this song because of where it ends up. It incorporates a familiar chorus I learned as a child and makes it a wholehearted expression of faith, a surrender of my will to follow Jesus no matter what. The bridge is noteworthy as well as we stand at the open tomb and realize the significance of the resurrection. The world behind, the cross before me, no turning back! No looking back. No turning back. I cling to the cross! 9. When I Survey (The Wondrous Cross) by Kathryn Scott (Satisfy) We started singing this arrangement a few months ago. The familiar words set to a different melody make it fresh and engages my heart anew. I love the additional second verse that talks about boasting alone in the death of Christ my God. (Boasting is an important practice of worship!) The song grows in harmony and beauty as we move through the gospel to a wholehearted faith response in verse four. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." That is the worship offering we are urged to bring to God. (Romans 12:1) 10. When the Tears Fall by Tim Hughes (When Silence Falls) Lament is a form of worship that flows from a place of deep pain. Worship in the "dark night of the soul" moves us honestly toward our Father. It results in greater intimacy and deeper faith. While our circumstances may not change, our perspective does and that is where hope is born. This song is a resolution to praise God no matter what. 11. Psalm 13 (How Long O Lord) by Brian Doerksen (You Shine) I chose this psalm as the foundation of my study on how biblical worship confronts fear, doubt and depression. The psalmist, David, experienced all three and brought these feelings to God in worship and moved to a place of trust. When I discovered this song afterwards, I moved from an intellectual understanding of it to a heart-engaged moment of worship. I wept as I realized that the model here is to run to Daddy. We come to our Father with our complaint, cry out for help and then we collapse into his loving arms. It is there that we can rejoice in the goodness of our God - when we are being held by Him. 12. Before the Throne of God Above by Selah (Hiding Place) Selah has produced a wealth of beautiful worship music to God. They have wonderful arrangements of the great hymns of the faith and yet sing a new song as well. This hymn has become one of our favorites at Trinity Church. It is packed with life changing truth that inspires and strengthens our faith as we sing it. 13. Grace by Phil Wickham (Phil Wickham) This song is a lament. It begins with grey skies, raging seas, and crying in the night. It moves to a cry for help, "I need hope and I need you, 'cause I can't do this alone!" It is a modern psalm, a poetic expression of honest worship, a plea to God for help. While it doesn't resolve, it somehow it leaves me with incredible hope. Maybe it's because my faith is now secure in this wonderful grace. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) Amen! 14. Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Living Sacrifice (Life Choices) Scott & Sharon Strum are good friends and worship leaders at Trinity Church. They love to celebrate the great gospel of Jesus Christ with their music. This is their version of a new arrangement of this beloved hymn of the faith. Chris Tomlin and some friends added the wonderful new refrain, "My chains are gone!" The Strums recorded this song with some of our church musicians. 15. Empty and Beautiful by Matt Maher (Empty and Beautiful) This song, particularly the second verse, captures the journey of some to saving faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The choice to follow Christ sometimes causes deep rejection from friends and family. This is not new to Christianity, and it is the context of most of the suffering in the first century church. Here in this worship of lament we find ourselves at a place of deep trust. Once there we can endure suffering for the sake of the gospel. Matt's chorus is a song of hope anchored in God's finished work of salvation in his life. Matt attributes his journey to Christ's work of chasing, "keeping the faith in me," and helping him finish the race. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=309#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=309 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:08:22 -0500 Happy Birthday Dad! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=305 <img src="/files/Blog/305image.jpg" class="image1"> February 11, 2009 7:33 AM Today is my dad's 67th birthday. It's a real privilege to have a dad like I do. I was just recounting with my brother-in-law over a cup of coffee how Dad did it right. He's still doing it right. I see my son, Billy, growing up so fast. He turned 7 last week. As I reflect on my relationship as a son to my father, I want to do it right too. What is doing it right? Well most of all, it is being a humble man. A humble man according to the Scriptures does justly, loves mercy and walks humbly with God. (from Micah 6:8) Dad was hard on me - always instructing, always demanding greater maturity in thought and action, and always pushing me to be my best. He was about the business of teaching me to do justly. But he wasn't too intense. He was mercifully demanding. He was a load of fun too. He enjoyed being with me and was proud of me and I knew it. Is there any greater gift a father can give his child than a sense that he delights in him? The Bible has an amazing Proverb that says, "for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs 3:12 ESVS) I think Dad's success as a parent stemmed from the fact that he walked humbly with God. He was prayerful, openly dependent upon God for wisdom in all things, especially parenting. I observed this more when I moved on to college and had a view from the outside in as Dad navigated the difficult years of raising two teen daughters. It was tenuous at times, but he did it with a deep dependence and confidence in God. My sisters would agree with me that he did it well. This gave me a model with which to approach my 2-year-old daughter, Maria. I'm grateful for his example there as well. Dad is about to retire after 41 Â½ years in his career as a missionary with <a href=http://www.maf.org>Mission Aviation Fellowship</a>. He has done that well too and I am deeply proud of him and my mom as they wrap things up and celebrate God's faithfulness through all those years, and get small glimpses of the fruit that has yielded as a result of their life work. Years ago when I was approaching marriage, I watched Dad go through a trial in his job. He did justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with God through it all, and remained at MAF to continue to love the Lord by loving His people. This trial eventually opened the door to beginning a Member Care department, moving he and my mom into the roles from which they will retire in a few months. I wrote this poem for him 13 years ago, weeping uncontrollably through the last half as I realized the deep truths of what I wrote there. So, happy birthday Dad! I love you! Here's to a big year of change and some sweet times together as father and son. Cheers! To Dad Tonight I felt your pain Tonight I shed some tears As I caught a glimpse of the broken heart Of a man who had served for years A dedication to be genuine A passion for lost souls A life-long commitment to excellence Being faithful to fulfill your roles Yet approaching thirty years of service You have encountered a slammed door I sometimes wonder if your ears still ring Have you answered the question, "What for?" Or have you changed the question to one more useful As only time will allow To look to the future with a glimmer of hope And ask the question, "What now?" But the years behind you did not go wasted Is it evidence you demand? Then look at the life of the one who writes you Your boy became a man And now I walk the road to marriage For that I am very glad Yet I owe a lot of the man I am To the man that I call, "Dad." The change from boy to man didn't just happen It was not coincidence I look at your hand and your thumb is up A symbol of confidence So as I seek to make a difference in this world To find God in the circumstances of life As I proceed to raise a family And as I love and honor my wife I do so because I had a role model who did so The greatest blessing God could give That position can never be taken away, Dad For as long as we both shall live. Written to Dad, inspired by the film, "Mr. Holland's Opus", January 27, 1996. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=305#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=305 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:30:05 -0500 Two highlights from our Pastoral Staff Retreat http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=294 January 14, 2009 7:33 AM Last week I had the privilege of participating in a pastoral staff retreat with my colleagues at Trinity Church. I want to highlight two significant things that happened. The first is that we spent the afternoon on Thursday discussing what we thought were the main areas that we should be praying for as a church, and then came up with some major action points for 2009. My heart was so encouraged to sense a unity among us that we were hearing the voice of God leading us. More than anything else God is leading us to pray first. And thus we have chosen "First Pray" to be the major motto and focus for 2009. I continue to rejoice at what God is doing and what he will do as we bring these requests to him in prayer throughout the year. Certainly God is working according to his timing and it is no mistake that our senior pastor, Gary Inrig, has chosen to teach through the book of James, a sermon series called, A Tough Faith for Tough Times. Check out Gary's opening message from our website, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=615&fileType=audio_file3">Forged By Fire</a>. Mark Brown also taught the previous week a message called, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=611&fileType=audio_file3">First Pray</a>. I encourage you to check that out too as it is our call to prayer for the year. Here are the prayer requests for 2009: 1. Pray to TRUST GOD MORE (Tough FAITH in Tough Times) 2. Pray for OPEN DOORS, HEARTS, MOUTHS, and EARS related to our community 3. Pray to show EXTRAORDINARY/EXTRAVAGANT LOVE 4. Pray to model CREATIVE RESPONSES to tough times 5. Pray for a GRANDER VIEW of GOD The second highlight was on Friday morning. We heard a charge from Paul Cedar, a man who has spent his life in ministry as a pastor, led the Evangelical Free Church Denomination for a season, and is now focused on mobilizing the church toward evangelism through the <a href="http://www.missionamerica.org/Brix?pageID=13211"> Mission America Coalition</a>. Hearing from Paul was refreshing, inspiring and challenging. It was a moment where we all had an immediate sense that this was a word to us from the Lord through a man who intimately loves the Lord and knows him. He gave us a charge on Servant Leadership, a message from 1 Peter 5:1-4. Afterwards we had a time for Q&A. I'll include the Scripture passage and Paul's main points here in closing. "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." (1Peter 5:1-4 ESVS) 1. Peter displays authentic humility - that's where it begins! 2. Be shepherds of God's flock - no greater honor, no greater accountability to God 3. Understand your assignment/calling and willingly do it to the glory of God 4. Do not desire personal gain, but be eager to serve 5. Be examples to the flock - "Follow me as I follow Christ" God help me to be this kind of leader for your glory alone! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=294#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=294 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:32:33 -0500 On Anticipating a Great 2009 http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=287 January 7, 2009 7:52 AM Okay, it's been a while since I've checked in to this blog and I've missed it. Christmas was busy, but wonderful, perhaps the most worshipful Christmas season I've had due to the fact of walking through John 1:1-18 during the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. Gary's messages were awesome and totally worth checking out <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&category=The%20Gift">here</a> if you missed them. The truth that was so clearly and compellingly taught inspired my soul to respond in resounding worship. Following our Christmas Eve Services I enjoyed a great vacation at home, celebrating Christmas, spending time with family, and just treasuring every hour of each day. I pretty much let go of all responsibility (sorry Sheri) until I came to the church on Saturday to take down the Christmas decorations and prepare for our first worship service of the New Year. I spent about 5 hours just listening to worship music, working with my son, Billy, the whole while reflecting on the wonderful job that God has privileged me to have. It is wonderful because of the great church family that I serve and the wonderful people who serve along side me. I'm going to be brief today because I must spend the next few weeks preparing for a presentation that I've been asked to do on February 14 for the Former Adventist Fellowship Weekend. I was asked to speak on the topic below: One-hour class in our Christianity EDU track on using Scripture/praise/worship to counteract depression, fear, and doubt. I'm excited about this opportunity as I believe wholeheartedly that the activity of worshiping God not only counteracts depression, fear and doubt, but it conquers it rendering it powerless in our lives. I'm going to utilize my new <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/">Accordance Bible study software</a> (a Christmas/birthday gift) and begin conversation with people about this topic. With that said, I'm going to dive in. I look forward to my 'listening time' this year and all that God will speak into my life and hopefully through it as I share it with you. Here's to a blessed 2009 together - cheers! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=287#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=287 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:42:32 -0500 "The Gift" Christmas iMix http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=282 <div style="position:relative;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=299783781&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="60" height="60" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:12px;"/></a><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=299783781&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="200" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:75px;"/></a><a href="itms://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/publishedPlayListHelp?v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="175" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:295px; left:65px;"/></a><embed src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/flash/feedreader.swf" FlashVars="host=http://ax.itunes.apple.com&feed=WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/ws/RSS/imix/html=false/imixid=299783781/sf=143441/xml?v0=575" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="330" name="feedreader" align="top" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed></div> Check out this new iMix of some traditional carols and some newer Christmas songs. I'll blog more about it on Wednesday. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=282#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=282 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:45:54 -0500 On God's Family Business http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=280 December 10, 2008 7:51 AM This morning I'm thinking about the church and the wonderful family that God is building - the family that I am a part of. Our message on Sunday is going to be about adoption. In other words, God chooses us to be part of his family. He adopts us in. The scripture says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13, NIV) Notice that God gives us the right, but as people who have a choice, we have to receive this offer. What I would like to consider this morning is the nature of this family that God is making, and more specifically, the most important activity that God is calling his family to do together. What is God's family business? First of all, let's think about the makeup of this family of adopted children. Adoption brings people into the family who are very different from one another - different backgrounds, nationalities, interests, looks, experiences, practices, talents, etc. You name it, we're all very different, or at least we should be. To complicate things further, by it's nature, adoption is for needy children - children who need a Father and who need a family. In this way, the family is going to be a gathering place for needy people who are very different from each other. Sounds like it might be challenging for this family to get along, right? If it were up to us, we would probably look for people who are like us in every way. But the good thing is that the family doesn't get to choose who to adopt, the Father does. So what should we, the brothers and sisters be about? The answer in the Scriptures is very clear, and is found right before the verses I've already referred to above. We are called to be witnesses, pointing to the Father and to his Son who gives us the right to adoption, full of his Spirit who enables us to experience the fullness of the reality of adoption. Our pastor, Gary Inrig, gave excellent teaching on this last Sunday, (check it out <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=597&fileType=audio_file3">here</a>), and gave us pastoral staff a sneak preview into next Sunday at our staff meeting yesterday. So the family business is to be witnesses who point people to Jesus Christ, the one who gave us the right to become adopted into the family in the first place. But it is interesting that being witnesses was not the central focus in the apostles' teachings. Love for one another is by far the greatest topic for the new churches, families that God was forming. It makes sense that the business of being witnesses is packaged in the beauty of love for one another, for we are the family that God is bringing new children into. Jesus himself said it, and the disciples really understood it, and taught relentlessly on it in their letters to these baby churches. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35, NIV) I've been studying 1 John for the past few months and can make a case in point by just looking at this letter from John, Jesus' disciple, to the church in Jerusalem, and to us today. My study method was recommended by my friend and colleague, Steve Springsted. We've been studying it together. We print it out from a Bible program. Then we read, reread and begin to underline key points all the while looking for the big ideas that God is trying to get us to understand through John's inspired writing. I break out the highlighter and use different colors to highlight the main themes. I found 3 main themes. 1. Obedience - walking in the light, confessing our sins, keeping His commandments, keeping His word, walking in the same manner as He walked, doing God's will, practicing righteousness 2. Abiding in Christ - over and over John talks about us abiding in Him and He in us 3. Love - the theme is stated early on and then at some point it becomes the central theme of the letter; in fact, if we are not loving each other, we are not fulfilling numbers 1 and 2 - we are not being obedient and we are not abiding in Christ. a. God's love identifies us as his children, as brothers and sisters "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1John 3:1, NIV) b. God's love is the example/inspiration for our love for one another "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1John 3:16, NIV) c. Our love for one another confirms that we are in God and that God is in us "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1John 4:7-8, NIV) I would conclude from this study that the marks of being a Christian are obedience to God's command and abiding in Christ. The primary evidence that we are practicing those two things is in carrying out Christ's example of love in the way we love one another. I believe that this is the greatest point of failure of the church, and it was in the early church as well. The enemy of God and his church is Satan and I believe that he takes this family, the children of God, and attacks us at this point more than all else. Loving one another is the hardest thing we will ever be called to do. John says it plain and simple, we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." I want to return to my introduction and see if I can tie it all together. We are a diverse group of people with incredible gifts, passions, and desires. We've been adopted into God's family through Jesus Christ and so we are brothers and sisters. We are commanded to love him foremost and in the same way, love our neighbor as ourselves. We are commanded to love one another as of first importance and as a testimony to the world that we belong to him. We are also commissioned to make disciples of all nations, being his witnesses to everyone. Yet John doesn't mention this commission or command of God. I think that the early church knew that making disciples was their primary purpose - it was a given. They all knew that God's business was adding children to the family, and knew their role in inviting and welcoming them into the family. John focuses instead on making sure that the family is healthy, attractive, and truly abiding in Christ. Who wants to be invited into a family that isn't loving each other well? No one. I want to conclude with examples of what this love might look like in practice. You might want to read it through a few times, pausing at the end of every phrase. It is powerful and it is convicting. It is God's Word! "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1Cor. 13:4-8, NIV) O God, help me to love like that! Forgive me and forgive us for our failure to love like that. Help us, your children, to love each other like you did, laying down your life for us. It's so hard to lay down my life sometimes, especially when I think that I'm right and when I've been wronged. You, who conquered death by rising from the dead, redeem love that has failed. May it spring back to life, stronger and more alive than before. May love within your family at Trinity Church be the most beautiful and compelling reality behind our actions and words of witness, that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the whole world. And may the result be the growth of this family - growth that You produce. Bring us more children, God, and may we be ready to love them like you do! Thank you for your Holy Spirit that produces that love in us. Fill us Lord - may we overflow with love! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=280#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=280 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:25:08 -0500 On our Century Tea Piano Concert http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=275 <img src="/files/Blog/275image.jpg" class="image1"> November 19, 2008 8:06 AM I need to be brief this morning as I intend to finalize my thoughts for my part of the sermon on Sunday. I've been studying, discussing, writing and praying about where to lead my church family as we contemplate having "A Thankful Heart" on Sunday. But before I do, I must share about a wonderful event that we held at our home over the weekend. Our Weber piano is 100 years old this year, and as a celebration we threw a 'Century Tea' on Saturday afternoon, complete with a concert of classical works played by some of our church pianists. Our goal was to let the piano sing like it has never sung in it's 100-year history, and I'm most certain that we accomplished that goal. The concert was simply wonderful! I felt like I was seated in Carnegie Hall - the quality of music was certainly worthy of such a venue, and should have been made available for such a crowd. And so I post the concert in two parts here for your enjoyment. The first part, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/1502url.mp3">Century Tea Piano Concert 1</a> features Roy Tinker and Linda Carrier and the second part, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/files/Download/1504url.mp3">Century Tea Piano Concert 2</a> features Dan Rogstad. (These mp3's are about 44 & 28 MB. Right click, Save Target as, and then wait a while for the download to finish). I also opened the concert with a piece. Here is a list of the works for your reference. Bill Born - Gounod: O Divine Redeemer Roy Tinker - Shubert: Impromptu in A flat Roy Tinker - Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata, 2nd Movement Linda Carrier - Bach: Minuet I & II, Gavotte, Gigue from Partita in G flat Linda Carrier - Chopin: Valse in C sharp minor Linda Carrier - Debussey: Claire de Lune Linda Carrier - Nazareth: Odeon Dan Rogstad - Scarlotti: Keyboard Sonata Kk.551 in B flat major Dan Rogstad - Chopin: Etudes Op 10, No5 in G flat major "Black Keys" Dan Rogstad - Chopin: Nocturne for Paino in B flat minor, Op. 9/1, CT 109 Dan Rogstad - Ravel: Undine In closing, I want to encourage my musicians (and Christian musicians everywhere) to use and develop their skills to be the best they can be, because the music we play is being presented as worship to the Almighty God. The music we play in the church worship service has the best message in the world. God is worthy of the most beautiful vocal or instrumental presentation we can give both in the church and/or the concert venue. And somehow when excellence comes from a humble heart and a life with Christ at the center, the spotlight is on God and not the performer. That's how I felt on Saturday. The beauty of the music that was played awakened my soul. My mind was filled with the wonder of God who gives such gifts and ability to his people to use for his glory. I was inspired to devote myself to further developing my skills for his glory. I was reminded of the call from Psalm 33, encouraging me to "play skillfully with a shout for joy," and Psalm 66 that says to "make God's praise glorious." Let's turn off our televisions and computers and do more 'living room' concerts like this in our homes. To God be the glory! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=275#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=275 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:09:40 -0500 On being thankful in all circumstances http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=273 November 5, 2008 8:48 AM It's November and I'm responsible to lead our congregation to worship through the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm excited about this opportunity. On November 23rd I will partner with a few coworkers to teach our congregation about the worship that is expressed to God through the giving of thanks. I have selected the theme of 'give thanks in all circumstances' from 1 Thessalonians 5:18. I have the goal today of studying through the Scriptures for our service that morning. I want to be centered in God's Word but don't want to get too wordy or theoretical as to miss the reality of where most people live their lives. I fear that I am a bit dry as a teacher. What I lack in the energy of humor I must make up for with the intensity of passion and conviction. I feel like my sweet spot is more in the area of interactive teaching, not preaching, so the normal feelings of inadequacy pop up. The approach I prefer most to take is the one of organizing a thematic worship experience for people around the topic of thanksgiving. And so I ask God to give me insight and clarity of thought and speech as I study and prepare today. I will then organize my thoughts with Steve and Larry who will join me to provide the Biblical teaching that morning. So where do I begin? Here are some questions: What does God have to say about thanksgiving? God has a lot to say about thanksgiving in the Scriptures - too much to list here. We have multiple commands to be thankful and we have wonderful illustrations of people who lived lives that overflowed with thanksgiving. We also see thanksgiving practiced in the corporate worship setting. The Psalms are packed full of statements of thanksgiving to God in both settings of celebration and within the darkness of personal depression. But, there is an amazing statement, actually, a command, in the Scriptures that defies all earthly reason stating, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess. 5:18) I'd like to spend some time in the Scriptures in our worship service uncovering this extraordinary command - the why we should and the how we can really do it. And then I will invite our congregation to practice this inviting them back for our Thanksgiving Eve service to do just that. Why does the human heart struggle to produce thanksgiving? (the issue of sin) I've done some thinking about this with Steve Springsted and we have arrived at the same conclusion. Thanksgiving is a worship response to God that flows out of a position of contentment and trust regardless of current circumstances. When God and his works and his ways are the central focus of our lives, we are thankful. When our works, our ways and us are the central focus, we are at best stressed, yet struggling to be thankful, and at worst proud, angry and thankless. A thankful heart is a heart that feels no entitlement to God's blessings, but instead, absolute awe and wonder that God would choose to bless us in the first place. A content heart, while honestly yearning for more is nevertheless at peace, deeply settled in God's will be it great blessing or great suffering. A content heart is a thankful heart - and that thanksgiving is poured out as a worship response to God through song and through the conversations of our life. It eventually becomes our mindset, our M.O. (method of operation), and a praise habit. How does God transform our hearts to become thankful in all circumstances? If we take a deeper look into the Apostle Paul's life, we can see what thankfulness in all circumstances looks like and can learn the secret to practicing it. My brother-in-law mentioned an important foundation for thanksgiving - the place where it starts. He stated it something like this, "We will never be sincerely thankful for the salvation that Christ has given us until we realize what we would be without it." It is that salvation which defines the life of a Christian. I think that this is where thanksgiving began in Paul's life. Those who like Paul regard themselves as the "chief of sinners," unworthy and yet lavished with the salvation of Christ, will certainly be thankful people. Those who are working hard to earn their salvation, or who feel entitled to God's blessings will not get it. Those who are consumed with self for that matter will never get it. It is only those who are consumed with God, with a perspective on life that is shaped by the Scriptures, that will become and remain thankful. In a survey of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonian believers, we see that an attitude of thanksgiving permeated everything Paul said. He felt deeply thankful, and took multiple opportunities to express that, often times outright gushing. Steve is going to take us through the passage to look at the context of Paul's command to be thankful in all circumstances. In this we will see Paul's practice of thanksgiving. Larry then will take the hand off from Steve and look specifically at a time in Paul's life when he was thankful in very difficult circumstances. We will move to an incredible worship service with two men at midnight in a Philippian prison cell and we will note the outcome of their worship of thanksgiving - for themselves, for those who observed/heard his thanksgiving, and most of all for God. That brings me to my last question. What does thanksgiving accomplish for God? for us? I love to consider this question. It is certain that I cannot offer anything to God as if he was needy, but he is deserving, worthy of certain things that I can give him. Revelation states it best in a heavenly scene of worship. "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Rev. 7:12, NIV) Thanksgiving is nearly always connected to other worship responses. Here it is found among a list of the attributes and responses that belong to God. In our passage from 1 Thessalonians, it is listed among the commands to rejoice, pray and be filled with the spirit. Namely, what we find is that the giving of thanksgiving as an act of worship accomplishes one main thing for God - namely, more worship. The worship in heaven is a call and response worship - angels and saints resounding praise back and forth in response to one another. And so on earth we find this to be true. The more I express thanksgiving to God, the more thankful I become until like Paul, I begin to gush. A great moment of Paul gushing is found in Romans 11 when after trying to comprehend and explain God's plan of salvation for all people by grace through faith in Christ, he just can't hold back. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Rom. 11:33-36, NIV) This also holds true in the jail scene found in Acts 16. God moves his hand, perhaps in response to their thanksgiving and prayers, and as a result, the jailer and his family are saved. It says that they were all "filled with joy." I can imagine that thanksgiving was pouring out of that man's life and his family from that day forward. More worship for God! We see this invitation to join the chorus of worship in the Psalms, "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth ... Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psa. 100:1,4, NIV) Finally, what did it accomplish for Paul? It brought literal freedom from prison, greater testimony with influential Roman leaders, and success in his mission to preach the gospel and build the church. It gave Paul another moment for which to be thankful. Ultimately it accomplished more worship for God! May that be the fruit of our thanksgiving worship as well! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=273#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=273 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:40:08 -0500 On Small Group Worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=271 October 29, 2008 8:04 AM Next Sunday I have been asked to present to our small group leaders on worshiping in a small group. This is an exciting thing for me to do because I did a study back in September that really convicted me of the importance, shall I say necessity of worship in a small group. Studying for the purpose of instructing my worship teams about our role in corporate worship, I was surprised by this discovery. While worshiping in a large gathering has great benefits, it is not enough because you cannot do all of the elements in the same way that you can in a smaller gathering. We see in the book of Acts that the first gatherings of the church included a 'big' setting and a 'small' setting. While I as a worship leader am mostly responsible for the big setting, I am increasingly convinced that the smaller setting is equally important and ought to be a critical focus of my leadership as well. I would like to discuss why it is critically important to worship in our small groups and give some practical ideas for how to implement worship in that unique setting. First of all, we need to willfully worship God, because our natural tendency is to worship everything else. Among other things, worship places our greatest value on God. Perhaps my greatest propensity for sin is in breaking the 1st of the 10 Commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me." While I am called to worship God personally, worshiping with other believers unites us in this purpose of ordering the activities of lives, our desires, our affections, everything around him at the center. Colossians 1:17 reminds us that, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Second, we must figure out how to do worship in a small group gathering. Acts 2 outlines 4 elements that believers do when they gather together to worship God. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47, NIV) I discussed each of these four elements in my previous blog entry so I would like to emphasize what these look like in a small group. 1. The apostles' teaching is listed first because I do believe that it is meant to be the foundational focus of our gathering together. We are not called to be devoted to our own opinions, and even our own studies, but instead to the apostles' doctrine (as recorded in Scriptures), and taught to us by gifted teachers like our own Gary Inrig. It is not more important than the other elements, but the Scriptures give us a foundation on which to learn to practice the others correctly, and so the apostles' teaching must come first. The small group setting allows us to not just take in incredible teaching during a sermon once a week, but to digest and apply it together. I think that it further opens the door to the voice of God through the Holy Spirit, and through the exhortation and example of our brothers and sisters of the faith. a. Gratefully, this seems to be the basis of our Koinonia groups and is the foundation of any corporate worship gathering. 2. The fellowship seems to be a corporate gathering because of the article 'the.' It's not just fellowship, which could be defined as I hang out with a friend at a coffee shop, or I hang out with my immediate family. This refers to a corporate gathering of believers for the purpose of doing life together. Within the context of this passage, it is debatable whether this referred to the large gathering in Solomon's Colonnade (probably over 2000 people), or to the smaller gathering in their homes around meals. I think it was both. Fellowship is the translation of the Greek word koinonia, and so "the fellowship" just means the gathering of believers, specifically, the participation with other believers. So much is implied by this word, but the specific application seen in this passage is one of sharing life together and showing extraordinary love. It is in the small group setting where you can be really known and thrive as a member belonging to a physical group of God's family. This is where your needs are known and where God provides for them through acts of extraordinary love. On the other hand, you also have an opportunity to meet the needs of others. In a recent sermon by Rick Langer on Psalm 145, he noted that we are both a needy people and a needed people. The small group is the place to be both needy and needed within the context 'grace and truth.' People operating in grace and truth give extravagantly but practice accountability. The demonstration of 'giving it all' in Acts 2 is meant to display the most extreme level of sacrifice for one another within the family of God, but there are many other day-to-day needs we also meet - needs for sincere friendship, encouragement, and grace-filled reproof, correction and training in righteousness. Loving each other well is not only a way to worship God, it is also a great testimony to the world that we are his disciples. a. Do you as a leader cultivate this type of fellowship as an act of worship? It takes a vulnerability on your part as a leader and a prayer that others will find this a grace-filled place to in turn be needy. It seems to me that love for one another within the family of God was given the highest priority by the apostles. (1 Cor. 13, 1 John) 3. The breaking of bread is referring to practicing the Lord's Supper - taking communion together. Later on in the passage it captures the small group setting like this: They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. It seems that communion was a part of their meals together. Jesus used the common elements of bread and wine in order to make our remembrance of him an everyday practice. He expected his followers to always be mindful of him when they met together to share a meal - to always be thankful. a. I would encourage you as leaders to incorporate communion as a part of your fellowship together - perhaps a part of a meal. For example could gather right away around the table with some crackers & cheese, grapes, wine or juice. You begin by leading them through a simple taking of communion and then fellowship for a while, making sure that the overall attitude is one of thanksgiving around receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. I've never done this before, but would love to try it. 4. Prayer - the corporate practice of prayer is an essential element of worship. I have found that hearing others pray unites our hearts in the same purpose (that is the 'amen' of prayer). It also teaches us how to pray - we learn prayer from those who practice prayer. Even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray because they saw how he personally practiced it. I also think that prayer makes us corporately dependent upon God and gives him great glory as we declare praise to his answers to our prayers. Finally, intercessory prayer (prayer for each other) is what increases our love for one another. Here are some practical ideas to grow in the area of prayer in your small group. a. pray the Lord's prayer out loud together at the beginning or end of your time together. b. Keep a list of biblical prayers (prayers by Paul are incredible) and craft a prayer time around these c. Focus corporate prayer time on the larger needs for our church and church family and encourage individual times for the unique needs of individuals d. Focus prayer and lay hands on individuals who are in times of crisis 5. What about singing? While it is not mentioned in this passage, there is encouragement elsewhere to include singing as part of our fellowship together. Right in the midst of a great passage on how believers should behave toward one another we have this command. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:16, NIV) I don't necessarily see our current practice of an extended time of singing modeled in the New Testament church, but neither do I think that it excludes it. We do have the example of Jesus doing this in the upper room by ending their time together singing a hymn. Here are some ideas that I think are appropriate for including worship in song in your small group gathering. a. Begin or end your time with an a cappella singing of a familiar hymn or praise song b. Have someone share a recording of a song that has been influential in drawing them to a place of worship. c. As a special occasion, invite a musician/worship leader to come and lead your group in a time of worship in song. Ideally, this should be a 20-30 minute time woven with Scripture, corporate prayer and songs of praise and thanksgiving. Concluding this brief look at small group worship through the model of Acts 2, it is interesting to note that the result of the corporate worship gatherings was that God was adding to their number daily. When the church is doing these four elements of worship well together the result is that God causes the church to grow numerically. People are drawn in and must be invited in. We are a family whose Father is not passive, but active. He came to seek and save the lost. He is most interested in adoption, having paid the greatest cost to bring lost children to him. And these children do not have it all together - they are needy and needed. May we never forget that we are too. Let us keep our arms open to invite and receive new members into the family and invite them to join in worship to our Great God! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=271#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=271 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:25:06 -0500 Four essential practices of corporate worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=265 The following is from a previous study: September 10, 2008 7:51 AM I'm going to take some time this morning to prepare for my charge to my people at the Worship Ministries Workshop this weekend. I've been thinking about a lot of things lately and I hope I can focus in on a compelling 15-minute challenge for our teams as we forge ahead in leading our church family in worship. I've been most intrigued lately by the intended corporate nature of our worship gatherings. I think it is an essential aspect of our purpose as a church that is highly understated and underpracticed. While it is good to come to church wanting and even needing an individual encounter with the living God, I think God created us with another need - a corporate encounter with the living God. In fact, could it be that the life and growth of the church is directly related to whether or not the people are experiencing this kind of worship gathering? I've read statistics that suggest that the most important element that attracts and causes people to join a church family is not the preaching or the worship - it is the sense of belonging. Since those I lead have a significant role in planning and producing the worship services for our church family, I'd like to spend some time thinking about what we can do to make sure we get the corporate part of our worship gathering right. Let's think about the corporate nature of our worship. I'd like to look at the first 2 pictures we see of the first church worshiping. "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." (Acts 1:12-14, NIV) The first picture we see of the gathered church after Christ ascended to heaven is them constantly praying together, waiting for God to pour out his Holy Spirit upon them. This was in fact Jesus' command to them - he said to wait until this happened, and he had taught them to pray. Can you imagine for a moment being a part of this first worship gathering of the church? They were probably eagerly anticipating what was next, while reveling in the amazing events that had just been - the resurrection, their encounters with the risen Christ, his ascension into glory. Isn't that a beautiful picture of the first worship gathering of the first church leaders - prayerfully waiting for what's next while reveling in what had been? Sometimes I think we don't do either thing well. We just go through the motions of planning, practicing and meeting to worship, and we fail to do those two very basic activities - continual prayer as we wait for what's next, and eager celebration of what has been. Of course I'm supposing the second part, but I cannot imagine gathering the same day that Christ ascended into heaven, 40 days after his resurrection, and not being overwhelmed to the point of continual conversation with one another and with God about the extraordinary events of the past 40 days. Let's look at the second gathering recorded in the book of Acts. The believers had been praying continually for a few days when the promised Holy Spirit descended upon them producing incredible signs and wonders that attracted a large group of people from around the town. Peter delivered an incredible sermon explaining how this filling of the Holy Spirit they were witnessing had been prophesied 800 years earlier. But he quickly turned all attention to Jesus, His death and resurrection from the dead, and ascension, identifying him as both Lord and Christ. When confronted with their role in killing Jesus, the Lord and Christ, 3000 people were convicted, repented, believed and were immediately baptized. The mega church was born that day, and we see the first picture of their order of service. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47, NIV) The meeting of the church is entirely corporate in nature. I've always been amazed by this picture of the early church, and I'm always saddened when I think how churches rarely look or behave like this now. Usually we get a few things right, but as you'll see, there are areas where even we at Trinity need to focus our attention. Think of your role as a worshiper, as a planner of worship, leader of worship or facilitator of worship and what God may be calling you to do about it. First we see what they were devoted to four things: 1. The apostle's teaching - there must have been an incredible hunger and thirst for knowledge of the truth, of God's mysterious ways. I mean, they were absolutely blown away by the story of the gospel and more so by the Lord and Christ of the gospel. Do you approach the worship service with this kind of hunger and thirst for the knowledge of God and his Word? The teaching of God's Word is central to the corporate gathering of the church. While many churches are dropping the bar here, I think it is Trinity's greatest strength. I praise God for our teacher, Gary Inrig, who faithfully brings us the Apostle's teaching each week at Trinity. We are blessed beyond belief! 2. Fellowship - we see here that the fellowship spoken of was both in the larger setting (temple courts) and in the smaller setting around meals together (in homes). We all experience the larger worship gathering - that is why we are here and this is the function that we serve. Think about the smaller part. Shouldn't we serve that as well? Our focus as Americans is so much on the nuclear family (my mom and dad, my brother and sister, my wife and kids, soccer, school, activities, entertainment, etc.) that we miss out on the fact that God has given us a bigger family with a bigger purpose. I confess to God and to you that I fall short in this area and I am committed to expanding my home and family to the larger view demonstrated here. a. As a subpoint, I would like to add another hugely missing element to this smaller group fellowship of the church, and it is probably that hardest thing for us to do in our culture. (Obviously it was hard for them as well if you read ahead to the story of Ananias and Sapphira). It means throwing my resources, mainly translated, "possessions and money," into this mix. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. " (Acts 2:44-46, NIV) Notice that the hospitality of the first church gathering did not just include fellowship, entertainment, and good times with friends & family, the people we like, etc. It was a complete giving of possessions to make sure that the new extended family (translated, "very needy people,") were sufficiently cared for. God is pressing the need for this type of corporate worship gathering on me more strongly than anything else. He is saying, "Worship me this way, and lead your church family into this type of worship as well." The first church gives us this example of small group worship and I want to encourage all of us not to forsake this type of meeting together. Certainly we must begin by viewing one another as family and care for each other as family. Taking it a step further, I think we should lead our church in hospitality - inviting strangers into our home. 3. Breaking bread - this has to refer to remembering Christ as he requested when we eat bread (symbolizing his body broken for us) and drink wine (symbolizing his blood shed for us). This common daily practice of eating was turned into an act of worship in remembrance of Christ with thanksgiving. Meals were never meant to be the same again. Not only was the table filled with a new family, but the meal itself included remembrance, thanksgiving and praise for Christ. It is certain that people did this in their homes together as part of their meal, but I wonder about the large group, the 3000 people gathered in Solomon's Colonnade. I think we probably get it backwards. I've rarely celebrated Communion in someone's home, but always in the big church setting. Maybe it's time to reconsider how we do communion, and at least incorporate it into our meals. I think this way all of live becomes deeply spiritual, there is no division between the sacred and the secular - it is all meant to be sacred. 4. Prayer - I feel like such a beginner at prayer - so awkward, so easily distracted, so self-serving, and so undisciplined. But what I am learning is that prayer is an act of love and an act of desperation. It's the love that is expressed in a personal relationship where we talk to and listen to our Heavenly Father - the dependent child in love with his daddy who happens to be so much more than that - Creator, Savior, Shepherd, and Healer to name a few. It is also love expressed toward others by lifting up their needs above my own. That's what personal prayer is. But corporate prayer is so much different, and it is only in the past few years that I am discovering and yearning for and leading out in this kind of prayer. Corporate prayer is a combined act of desperation while we wait for what's next, and praise for what has been. If the first Church had corporate prayer as the foundation of what they did, why don't we? This quickly translates into, "Why don't I?" Is it because I'm embarrassed to pray out loud? That begs the question, am I praying to show people that I'm spiritual, or because I'm desperate to see God? I believe that it is the desperation that is missing. When I was in a desperate situation in my home life, my wife and I began praying together regularly. When I felt desperation for our church, I began praying together with a friend and now continue with a colleague. Desperate people pray and they pray together. This aspect of corporate worship pleases God who promises over and over in the Scriptures that he hears our prayers and will grant our requests. I come away from this brief study quite convicted that I fall short in practicing and planning these four essential elements of the corporate worship gathering. While all four are present in both the larger worship gathering and small group gathering, I think that we need to experience both. I'd like to personally do both better and better and see my team leading our church in both well. Note: I posted my blog titled, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=251">Worship Ministries Workshop Closing Address</a>, on September 17th after doing this study. There I considered the benefits of the "big' corporate worship gathering. In a few weeks I will address some Koinonia (small group) leaders about worship in the small group. I need to do some thinking specifically about that and will try to do that next week. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=265#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=265 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:55:04 -0500 Everything Glorious http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=261 My friend and fellow worshiper, Tony Wilcox, recently sent me his response from a year ago when he first heard the song 'Everything Glorious" by David Crowder. I love it when the lyrics and/or music of a song makes a lasting impact on our lives. It makes me love the song more when I hear how it has impacted someone else. "Everything Glorious" is part of our new iMix and it is part of our worship set on Sunday. Enjoy Tony's thoughts below, and let's sing it loudly as we worship together on Sunday. Everything Glorious? So it's early fall, 2007 the first time I heard this song, David Crowder's "Everything Glorious." I was in my Jeep, driving around who knows where, top down, the air was warm...you know that typical SoCal cool, early fall afternoon. My mind was rattling with the issues of the day. But it has a catchy refrain that I started singing along with... "You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, you make everything glorious and I am yours." I liked it right away. An easy to remember chorus that I could relate to...at least in a distant sort of way. Doesn't God make everything glorious? Of course he does...(whatever that really means. ) Anyway, it sounds biblical enough and it was well, you know...sing-able. I forgot the song almost immediately...as the rush of the day's demands swallowed me up. "You make everything..." Huh? Fast forward several weeks later and my heart is in a different place. God has softened it, brought me low in humility...the place I need to be to really hear him speak. And here I find myself driving alone in my Jeep again, on the way home after a long, hard day. But this time, there is intention. I pop my iPod into my sound system and tune it to the song I had heard a few weeks back and liked enough to download on iTunes. And the bearded, skinny Texan starts singing again... "The day is brighter here with you. The night is lighter than its hue...would lead me to believe...which leads me to believe..." And then I smell it. You know, that early autumn scent of burning wood, cool humidity and mown grass. And it smells good. Why do I notice that? I look into the rear view mirror as I round the turn towards home and the jeep kicks up a swaft of orange, green and brown leaves behind me. "You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, yeah you make everything glorious...and I am yours...what does that make me? Yeah, there's definitely glory in that smell. Where else can you get that smell than this time of year around here? I get it. And then my senses are aroused. If God can make a combination of seasonal smells "glorious," what else is he doing that with that I'm missing? "My eyes are small but they have seen the beauty of enormous things, which leads me to believe...there's light enough to see..." "Enormous things?" Yeah, I guess there are those enormous things that God really does make so glorious. How do I miss them? Like the way my 6 year old smiles at me when I walk through the door in the evening or the way my wife's beautiful brown eyes light up when she laughs. I love that. That's glorious in an enormous way. Or the way I hug an old friend and hold on tight that extra second when we haven't seen each other for a long time just so they know I've missed them. Enormous. Wow. You make everything glorious, you make everything glorious, you make everything glorious And I am yours... From glory to glory, from glory to glory, You are glorious, You are glorious... Which leads me to believe why I can believe...You make everything glorious, yeah You make everything glorious, You make everything Glorious and I am Yours... Yeah, it's different this time. I feel the cool October air on my face as I look upward into the cloud filled sky and I feel just a few errant rain drops hit me inside the jeep and splatter around. And there are those smells again. Someone's cozy wood burning fireplace casting off that unforgettable scent of autumn. Is it oak? Orange wood? And the sun is setting behind those smoky clouds and shooting out unbelievable rays of orange and purple and yellow and for just a moment, everything feels...well you know... Perfect. And I smile....and start singing along with Crowder. "You make everything glorious! You make everything glorious! Yeah, you make everything glorious...and I am yours!" ~T.D. Wilcox bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=261#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=261 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:21:52 -0500 On Loving People http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=258 October 1, 2008 7:42 AM "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him." (1John 5:14-15, NIV) On Sunday night, we are going to have the second Night of Prayer at church, praying through our mission statement: "We are a community of Christ-followers longing to glorify God by loving God, loving people, sharing the gospel and serving the world." We will focus our prayer time around loving people. I have by no means done a thorough study on the topic, but I have been inspired and convicted by my current study of 1 John with Steve Springsted. As we study together, pray together and talk together, we sense God leading our church and us into a season of showing extraordinary love. I'm going to spend some time thinking about this and then will compare notes with Steve as we prepare to lead our church family through a time of prayer on Sunday night. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1John 3:16) We will begin our time remembering and declaring Christ's love. It is his extraordinary example of love, laying down his life for us, that is our motivation to love one another. John keeps driving this point home multiple times in his letter. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1John 4:10-11, NIV) "We love because he first loved us." (1John 4:18-19, NIV) We will declare and remember God's extraordinary demonstration of love toward us and do so with all of our hearts - in song, in fellowship and through communion by sharing around the table of the Lord together. I'd like to do this in a very different way than usual and in M102 where it's a bit more intimate. After a time of fellowship & communion, we will think a bit about God's desire for us to love people. I want Steve to set the stage, sharing how God has been leading him and apparently us into a season of showing extraordinary love. It is interesting that the passage we began with continues with an exhortation to love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. " If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1John 3:17-18, NIV) The first prayer then is that we would see, and that is a prayer that we prayed on Sunday during worship as we had a drama that culminated with a dance to the song, "Give Me Your Eyes," by Brandon Heath. Once we see people through God's eyes, we must then wrestle with what we do about what we see. That's where the 'deed' of loving is done. Trinity is for the most part an affluent church family. With the unstable economy and a likely depression, we are on the verge of having many needy people within and without - colleagues, neighbors, friends and family. These times are a chance for God's church to really behave and look like he intended us to be - not a social club for affluent, well educated, fiscally responsible people. But instead, the church is a refuge for the poor, the hurting, the broken, and the needy. It's a place where the proclamation of the gospel is demonstrating power unto salvation and then the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is producing transformation. I think that people who have never come face to face with great neediness are about to and the result of us rising to the challenge to love people in an extraordinary way will be a beautiful thing for our church family and to the watching world. I must note at this point that the concept of loving people has implications on how we love each other within the family of God and how we love those who are outside the family of God. The Bible clearly teaches both, and we must do both, but Jesus and the apostles clearly place a greater focus on how we love one another within the church. The context of 1 John is entirely on how 'brothers' love each other. I think that while God calls us to love our neighbor outside the church, the clearest call being the parable of the Good Samaritan, his love is best demonstrated when we who belong to him are good at loving one another within the church. It is perhaps our strongest testimony, intended to be the most attractive thing about his people, his church. People will be drawn to Christ be being drawn toward his people who are demonstrating his love toward each other. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35, NIV) When you read through 1 John, a letter to the church in Jerusalem (and to us), it is clear that the author, John, was unpacking Jesus' teaching on his new command. This command, stated above, is then followed by Jesus imploring his disciples to abide in him. John concludes that it is our obedience to his commands and doing what pleases him that proves that we are abiding in him. "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1John 3:21-24, NIV) It is in this context, that we ask God to help us to love people and we do so with a confidence that he will answer our prayers! First we should focus on how we love our brothers (believers within the church), and then how we love our neighbor (those outside the church). May it all be for his glory! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=258#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=258 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:42:26 -0500 A glimpse into the Staff/Elder & Spouses Retreat http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=255 September 24, 2008 7:37 AM I just returned from Trinity's annual Staff/Elder and Spouse retreat. What goes on at this short retreat is not a secret, and I think that our church family will find it highly encouraging to know what their leadership team did. This is my seventh retreat, and it was fantastic, probably the best one I have been to. I say this because what we did together satisfied and even went beyond deep longings I've been feeling lately - longings to be leaders, united in prayer out of desperation to see God alive in our church body and out of love for the people we serve. To feel deeply about things makes life harder rather than easier. It is easier to go with the flow, settle for the ordinary, and find comfort in the routine and predictability of life and ministry. However, that has been permanently ruined by the last 2 Â½ years of my life since I had a spiritual awakening that has resulted in a hunger and thirst for God and his ways that cannot be quenched or filled. I called this the era of 'overflow.' An era of overflow that has left me with a hunger and thirst, now that sounds contradictory. It is not. There is a satisfaction that is unmatched, but along with that deep satisfaction have come longings that are at times intense and deeply troubling. I also feel alone at times. Now back to the retreat - God not only met me there, but confirmed that my longings and desires for our church and for our leadership team have been placed there by him, and that he is placing them in others. It confirms that God is moving in our leadership team, in our church, and that I am not alone. I think I have placed a finger on the main reason this retreat was so encouraging to me. It was a weekend of worship above all else. God has called me to lead my church family there, and certainly I hope that our leadership team is leading the way as worshipers as well. So often I feel this praise lacking in our leadership meetings, but not this time. It was there and it was wonderful. I'll outline a few highlights so that you can have a glance at your Trinity leaders worshiping God together this weekend. Bob Tincher, chair of the elder board, opened our time on Friday night outlining the plan for our time together. It was packed with good things - worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching. We began with a good anticipation and a sense that a lot of thought and planning had gone into preparing for our time together. From our opening time of worship together to our closing time of prayer, the Spirit of God was felt, we were strengthened in the bond of unity and peace, and I left feeling very excited about God's ongoing work at Trinity and thankful for this leadership team. Hylke & I led the opening worship set with a prayer, "Show us who you are, we come to see you. Lead us in your ways. Lord we believe you are the One who saves. O how we need you to fall on this place! Leave us amazed at who you are!" I challenged my colleagues to "ask and imagine" what God might do among us as the leadership team of Trinity Church gathered to worship him over the next 20 hours. Based on an incredible promise found in Ephesians: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph. 3:20-21, NIV) Then we sang over and over, "Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God, forever ... take our church and let it be all for you and for your glory. Take our church and let it be yours." We then burst into praise of Jesus' name with, "You Are Holy." Toward the end as we all sang the names of the Lord, "You are Lord of Lords, you are King of Kings, ..." I began to sing "Stir it up in our hearts Lord ... a passion for your name." Everyone joined on this a while and ended with an a cappella "Consuming Fire, fan into flame a passion for your name. Spirit of God fall in this place. Lord have your way. Lord have your way with us." Then we remained in silence for a few moments - it was an incredible way to begin - our hearts were united, our eyes and ears were open as we sat amazed at who God is. Jim Woolard (Youth Pastor in the Pass and new Men's Pastor) took the hand off and led us right into the Word of God with a challenge to be totally dependent on Him, just as Joshua was as he took the baton of leadership from Moses. This was coupled with testimonies of God's faithfulness in his own life. It was wonderfully encouraging and deeply challenging, strengthening our faith and our resolve to follow God into the Promised Land - a place of beauty and richness coupled with giants and battles and miracles that can only be performed by God when we are totally dependent and led into situations far beyond our own means to control. What resulted next was a beautiful chorus of praise for the works of God happening at Trinity. Each pastor shared a story (or two or three - oops, we couldn't keep to our 3 minutes) about what God was doing in people's lives in their ministry. What ensued was story after story about salvation and transformation, demonstrating Christ alive in this Church and this church growing more and more alive in Christ. In between stories elders paused to praise God in prayer for what he was doing. We went an hour over our planned time with this praise and I loved every minute of it - I'm certain that God did too. The next morning after a nice time of fellowship over breakfast, and some thought about the times and people to which we minister, we moved into something very beautiful. The elders gave reports of visits and phone calls they had made that week with people from our congregation on our ongoing prayer list. The love and care represented here was a reminder of how basic some of our roles as leaders are. Each name on a prayer list is person deeply loved by God and placed in our church family for us to love. All of us are needy and all of us are needed - that's what the body of Christ is about. So often the needy people end up feeling unneeded and ashamed and alone in their needyness. We should not let that happen. After lengthy and some deeply moving reporting by our elders, we spent time praying for these people and for other needs of those in our congregation. We certainly exist for needy people and this time of prayer was perhaps the most encouraging part of the weekend for me. After another rousing time of worship in song, Alfredo Rodriguez (Hispanic Ministry Pastor) encouraged us to be leaders who go before our people and make it easy to follow. Gary's closing session was on 'Success in Ministry.' I clung to every statement. Thinking this would be a talk of vision, maybe even strategy, I was pleasantly reminded that maybe God is asking us to build a foundation right now more than a strategy. The challenge Gary brought to us was timely and was confirmation that God is speaking to and through the leadership team at Trinity Church. He challenged us with 5 things that I will briefly mention in closing. We must remain: Faithful -to 'guarding the deposit' of the Word of God and we do this by training up others - the next generation that is to pass it on. Faith-full - being full of faith requires risk, calling us to situations that are beyond our ability to control. He asked this question, "What are we doing that is causing us to really trust God?" This is what produces faith and drives us to dependent prayer. Amen and Amen as I feel this call perhaps more than any other right now! Fruitful - we need to be concerned about the fruit that God is producing among us. What does fruit look like? It is the people of God displaying the character of Christ - the process of transformation. The benefit of this fruit is for others - evangelism, edification. It's going to get messier to do ministry! Full - we need to be full of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of this will be the fruit that was previously discussed. We need to be known like Stephen who was described as full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom, grace and power. Famous - we need to make God famous. Everything we do is for the sake of the Name. Our greatest concern is that the spotlight is on God and it is all for his glory. We closed our time sitting in a circle. The elders and our wives laid their hands on the Pastoral Staff and prayed for us. I wept at times - it was deeply moving. We didn't disperse very quickly afterwards - that's always a good sign. May God's work abound in and through us as we lead our church family into the future that God has prepared for us. Please continue to pray for Trinity's leadership team - pastors, elders and their families. The assaults of the enemy will become greater as we align more closely to God's will. I sense Satan's anger at what is transpiring, but I have a greater sense of confidence and protection in Christ, and hope and anticipation of what is yet to come. "Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world!" bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=255#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=255 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:12:32 -0500 New Music: Pure Desire iMix! http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=254 <div style="position:relative;"><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=291537854&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="60" height="60" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:12px;"/></a><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=291537854&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="200" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:75px;"/></a><a href="itms://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/publishedPlayListHelp?v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="175" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:295px; left:65px;"/></a><embed src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/flash/feedreader.swf" FlashVars="feed=WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/ws/RSS/imix/html=false/imixid=291537854/sf=143441/xml?v0=575" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="330" name="feedreader" align="top" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed></div> This iMix accompanies our new sermon series (Fall, '08) called, "Pure Desire - Moral Sanity in a Sex-saturated Culture." These songs celebrate all that God has made good - the beauty of restoration, healing and transformation that result when our lives are defined by the grace of Jesus Christ, and wholly devoted to use for his glory. The pursuit of God and his ways becomes our greatest pleasure, and the practice of our sexuality a means by which we worship him. Here are some comments on why I chose each song. I pray that these songs are a great encouragement to each one of you personally, and that our church will bless God as we sing them together and live according to the truth we sing. Pure Desire iMix By Bill Born 1. As It Is In Heaven by Matt Maher (Empty and Beautiful) I choose to open this iMix with a song based on the Lord's Prayer. This prayer captures so much of our need as children before our great Heavenly Father. Because God is holy, we say "let your will be done." We realize that it really is all about God's Kingdom, his power and his glory forever. And that is what we ought to be about too. 2. Everything Glorious by David Crowder (Remedy) I love this song because it defines the process of God's redemption in our lives. In the beginning, God made everything glorious, including our sexuality, and sin has made everything not so glorious. However, grace comes through Christ Jesus and brings restoration and beauty to the things that sin has distorted and that in my opinion is more beautiful than anything else in this world. 3. Give Us Clean Hands by Chris Tomlin (Worship Together - Be Glorified) This song comes right out of Psalm 24 which answers the question, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?" The answer? ... those with clean hands and a pure heart. The Psalm ends with a prophecy of the coming messiah - the one who would make the way of grace through the cross. May we be a generation that seeks God's face and finds that we are gazing into the face of Christ who initiated this seeking process in the first place. He came to seek and to save us, to cleanse and to purify us so that we might stand in God's presence. 4. East to West by Casting Crowns (The Altar and the Door) God is revealed to us as "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." Psalm 103 further declares that, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Yet even after true repentance, the struggle with guilt and shame often keeps us in bondage to our sin. It is a struggle of mind over matter. What we know from Scripture must inform & transform what we feel. This song reminds us how far the east is from the west. May this truth help to set us free! 5. Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle (Sweetly Broken) This song captured my soul the first time that I ever heard it. It was the verses that so clearly and poignantly declared the gospel that first got my attention. And then the chorus seemed like the perfect worship response - drawn to our knees, lost for words, lost in love, sweetly broken, and wholly surrendered. May we at Trinity not only delight in singing about the gospel, but also respond to it with such tender and raw emotion. 6. O For a Thousand Tongues by David Crowder (Remedy) This is a hymn with a passionate statement of worship - if only I had a thousand tongues to sing God's praise! I love the fact that as we gather in corporate worship, as one in Christ Jesus, we do indeed bring many tongues to sing God's praise. The ending of this song, centered on Jesus' name is over the top. There is one great love and it is in Jesus that our God-given desire and need for love is fully satisfied. 7. Join the Song by Vicky Beeching (Painting the Invisible) It's fun to hear the doxology sung in this song with an invitation to come join the song. The joyful and playful music just makes me want to smile and dance, and ... join the song. It is the song that God made us to sing, and all who've never sung it need to be invited in. We need to join Jesus in his mission of seeking and saving the lost - adding singers to the great song of praise. 8. Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin (See The Morning) When it comes to the topic of our sexuality, a flow of mercy and grace is a refreshing stream quenching our intense thirst and washing away what is dirty and shameful. Grace is poured out upon the repentant heart and the result is the release of chains that brings freedom and beauty. I'm proud to belong to the family of God which includes a lineage of former 'wretches' like John Newton (the composer of Amazing Grace). 9. Lift High by Steve Fee (We Shine) I love every part of this song, from the opening statement, "Broken people call his name," to the invitation to "all rise and exalt the Son." But my favorite is the invitation in the bridge to 'Lift up your heads and look on Him." There's nothing like being in a worship gathering united with the body of Christ as we all gaze in the same direction - toward Jesus Christ the Holy One. Let's lift our eyes to him and sound the invitation for others to join us - broken people, helpless children, sinners - for such were all of us, dare we ever forget! 10. Happy Day by Tim Hughes (Holding Nothing Back) Is there any better way to say it? There is such freedom and joy as a result from our sins being washed away! I think of the passage where Jesus says, "He who has been forgiven little, loves little." Like the sinful woman's extravagant expression of worship, I want to be a worshiper who loves much because I understand how much I have been forgiven. What a glorious day, when Jesus washed my sins away! I'll never be the same! Trinity Church, let's be a people who truly celebrate the day of salvation - shout it out, "Jesus is alive!" 11. Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin (Hello Love) Chris has always written songs that are God-focused. This song, like many from his new worship project, "Hello Love," is all about Christ and the gospel. Truly we must sing songs of worship that are God-focused (like the psalms), but without Christ the revelation of God is incomplete. Christ is at the center of all Christian worship. Indeed, Jesus Messiah is the Lord of All. This is a bigger picture of our God and should inspire bigger expressions of praise. 12. When I Survey (The Wondrous Cross) by Kathryn Scott (Satisfy) The words of this familiar hymn sung to this new melody immediately caught my attention and inspired me to join in worship. The beautiful melody combined with the simplicity of the recording, just piano and voices, invite reflection and personal response. In fact, this song declares the most compelling and worthy worship response to the cross of Christ. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." 13. Divine Romance by Phil Wickham (Phil Wickham) Phil is songwriter who celebrates the rescue of salvation, and in turn revels in God's grace. This is an expression of love in response. "For you I sing, I dance, rejoice in this divine romance; lift my heart and my hands to show my love." Are we completely satisfied in God's presence? God delights in satisfaction in him alone! The psalmist affirms that, "In your presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore at your right hand." 14. Alive in You by Matt Maher (Overflow) The fact that Christ lives in us is the most amazing reality of the Christian life. Paul calls it a mystery, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He says elsewhere, "Do you not know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? ... therefore honor God with your body." This truth not only transforms our public worship, but also our private worship. Let's live it out and shout it out! "I'm alive in you as you live in me. I'm alive in you, hope of glory." 15. All Because of Jesus by Steve Fee (We Shine) "It's all because of Jesus I'm alive," we get to joyfully declare together. Paul says in the Scriptures, "...even when we were dead in our sins, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)." Why then do so many churches feel dead and apathetic when they corporately gather to worship God? I praise God that Trinity Church is growing more and more alive when we gather to bring worship to God. Let's excel still more as we gain a deeper understanding of our salvation by faith alone, by grace alone and through Christ alone. 16. God of Our Yesterdays by Matt Redman (Passion: God of This City) I love it that the last words of the closing song on this iMix are, "We can trust you." Is it possible that trust is the most authentic worship response to God? We worship the God who was, who is and who is to come and we should chose to trust rather than to fear. This song speaks to the reality that God is always present. He is present when we indulge in shameful sin, present in a struggling marriage, present with those who've been victimized, present with those who long for what they do not have, or have what they do not want. Thankfully, he is present when we cry out for help, and present at the moment of repentance and throughout the process of healing, restoration and transformation. Together, he is making us into a beautiful people, yes, a beautiful bride - his beloved church! We can trust you, we can trust you ... bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=254#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=254 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:29:53 -0500 Worship Ministries Workshop closing Address http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=251 <img src="/files/Blog/251image.jpg" class="image1"> Below is a copy of my notes for the closing address I gave at the worship ministries workshop on Saturday, 9.13.08. This was a great day together and something that we will repeat again next year. It was wonderful to see people from the various Trinity ministries devoting themselves to bettering their practice of worship. I am so thankful for those who lead, plan and facilitate the worship of God at Trinity Church. I am also thankful for the church family that gathers to worship throughout the week at Trinity Church. These are good times! September 11, 2008 9:33 PM Here is my revised plan for my 15 minute charge to Trinity's worship leaders, planners and facilitators at the end of the Worship Ministries Workshop. Opening: Thanks to our workshop presenters, to our hospitality team (Jen Derksen and Kim Palermo) and to Sheri Blakey for organizing this whole thing. You all have spent some time working on your artistic or technical skill. A commitment to excellence in your artistic or technical area is most honoring to the One who gave you your talent in the first place. Additionally, you've heard a lot today about cultivating your heart of worship. In your service to this church family, that is perhaps your greatest contribution - leading and serving from a heart that is growing more and more in love with Jesus. I'd like to end our time this morning thinking about our greatest responsibility and privilege as leaders, planners and facilitators of worship at Trinity Church. That is the fact that we are inviting and leading people to worship God together. We are in charge of the corporate worship of the body of Christ. This raises the question: What does corporate worship accomplish that individual worship cannot? Once we discover these things, let's focus our attention on doing them well, for this is something people do not experience unless we do. I have discovered 3 essentials of corporate worship that I would like to be our focus for the year. 1. Together we celebrate the essence of who God is, what he has done (the gospel), and what he is doing among us (changing us). [sing Everlasting God chorus, into Grace Like Rain last chorus] Take a moment to think about what you just experienced...can you describe it?...You don't experience that alone. There is nothing in this world that matches the unity that comes from many voices declaring the same thing. But I'll tell you something that comes very close and that is what happened at the Lake at Forest Home last Sunday. We witnessed over 20 stories of God actively moving in people's lives, drawing them to repentance and faith, imparting salvation and new life, bringing them into this new family, and then we saw these people be baptized as an act of obedience. This was a worship service better than anything you or I could plan. None of you should miss a baptism service. The joy of being a part of a worship gathering is not only declaring the same thing about God together, but also experiencing God together. 2. Together we look to God - there is unity as we all look in the same direction, at the same Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [sing Lift High verse 1 and chorus and then Show Us Who You Are chorus] There's something about seeing God together that builds our faith and encourages our hearts to more fully surrender to God's will and follow his ways. Once again, the joy of being a part of a church family is experiencing God together. This is why it's so important for those who are on the worship teams to be always present in the life of the church - worship services, baptisms, and corporate prayer times should be a priority in each one of your lives so that we who lead especially have this shared experience. Once we get the first part right, we come to the icing on the cake, something I have only recently discovered as a once missing element of our worship service. The corporate nature of this element is what makes it so powerful. 3. Together we rally around the mission that God has called us to. God calls us to pick up our cross and follow him daily. This is the hardest and greatest thing we will ever do in our lives. The joy and endurance come from the knowledge that we are not alone. We are a part of a kingdom, a family of like-minded people essentially walking the same narrow road that leads to life. An intense focus on our mission is what unites us in our purpose as God's people. Our worship services must include a reminder of this call, for it is the call of our Savior. We are the leaders of an army of worshipers moving forward into the battle, but our battle is quite different. Our weapon is our body, hands, feet, and mouths. Our ammunition is love. Our battle cry is worship. Our mission is one of bringing life where there was once death, hope where there was despair, and light where there was darkness. Our mission will not be accomplished until all people worship Jesus Christ. [sing Let the Church Rise v2 and chorus] In conclusion, notice that each of these three essentials of corporate worship are uniquely something we do together. Each of the three results in a powerful unity and a focus that is stronger than any other thing that might cause disunity. I find it amazing that the emphasis of Jesus' prayer before he went to the cross was the unity of those who followed him. Listen to Jesus' prayer for his disciples and for us: "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23, NIV) Let's pray. God we cannot do this well without you. I pray that you would take the things that we have learned today and help us to apply those things. Among all of the things that you accomplish in us as we worship together, I pray that we would be one and that it would be a powerful testimony to the world that you love them. I pray that our art would be excellent, as beautiful as we possibly can make it look and sound, because we carry the greatest message on earth - the message of the gospel, that is, the good news of Jesus Christ. But more than beautiful art, I pray for the hearts of each one on these teams. May we be deeply connected to you, growing and bearing fruit for your kingdom. God I pray that you would change our rebellious hearts to hearts that want to please you more than anything else. Most of all, please fill us with your Holy Spirit. May Trinity Church be a church that overflows with the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. [sing Consuming Fire chorus] In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=251#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=251 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:16:17 -0500 Reflecting on the Summer in the Psalms http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=243 August 20, 2008 8:05 AM Before I dive into what's next, I want to revel in what God has done and is doing this summer. At the end of June we were leaving the 'Mission Possible' series where we took a lengthy look at our mission and purpose as a church. The worship services during May and June and the worship preparation for them were incredibly inspiring, re-igniting in me a personal passion to be 'all in' and uniting our church in worship around not only who God is, but on the shared call he's placed on our lives to be his followers. Needless to say, I felt a huge let down as we left this 'high' for the 'Summer in the Psalms' series. I admit that I'm bent toward adventure - inspired by the challenges of the Christian life. You don't catch me sitting in a recliner in front of the T.V. The battle is where I want to be - right in the middle of the action. That said, I think God needed to teach me a lesson - although Psalm 23 was not one of our sermons, this summer was for me a journey through the valley of the shadow of death, learning to cling to the comfort the Lord provides in that lonely place. It was also a time of being made to lie down in green pastures, being led by the still waters, and finding restoration for my soul. I think our church family needed to worship in the Psalms as well - kind of a settling and focusing on authentic expressions of brutally honest worship. In fact, as each weak unfolded, I sensed that the Lord was leading us exactly where he wanted us to go. The unstructured approach where each pastor was responsible to choose the Psalm he would preach, ended up being the clear voice of God leading our church. Afraid that it would be lost, my concern was to keep our mission in front of people. As I reflect now, I realize that the Summer in the Psalms was the perfect bridge, launching us into our fall season of ministry with a stronger than ever focus on our mission, because we are grounded in what goes before mission - relationship. We are called to follow Jesus first, to know and love him, to learn from him and to worship him. This relationship is the basis of our journey of discipleship and it is ultimately out of love, not duty that we end up picking up our cross to follow, even to the point of laying down our very lives. So now we have entered 'Connect Month' with a focus on discipleship. I love the challenges that are being placed before our church family - namely the multifaceted challenge toward intentional growth in our relationship with God. But it all begins with "Loving God." That is where the Psalms have centered us. Out of the foundation of loving God and being loved by God (the practice of our relationship with him), we are moved and empowered to love people, share the Gospel and serve the world. I walk with anticipation toward the season ahead, with a huge 'thank you' to God for what is behind. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=243#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=243 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:19:59 -0500 Kutless To Know that You're Alive http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=242 <img src="/files/Blog/242image.gif" class="image1"> Ever since 2002, Kutless has been bringing the rock with songs like "Your Touch," "Not What You See," "Treason," "Strong Tower" and "Shut Me Out." The Oregon quintet adds to that list of outstanding songs with To Know That You're Alive (BEC). There's not a single dud on the 13-song album. This album features the first instrumental song from Kutless in "Sleeping City," written entirely by new guitarist Nick DePartee. The album also features the standard rockers you expect from them, with songs such as "The Feeling," "The Disease & The Cure," "Overcoming Me" and "Loud." Some of the highlights of this album, though, come in their more worship-style songs like "Complete" and "I Do Not Belong," with lyrics like, "In You I am complete/It's all because of love/I'm not who I was/I'm who I'm meant to be/In You I am complete," and, "I do not belong in a world of broken pieces/I was meant to be in the arms of Your redemption/I am moving on to the place of Your perfection?'Cause I do not belong, no/I do not belong." There are also some slower-tempo songs on this album, the title track, "The Rescue" and "Promise You," are a welcome addition to the album. My personal favorite from this album comes at the end, "You." This is a light acoustic song with wonderful lyrics, such as the chorus, "You/You're the love I have always known/And it's You/I'll never be alone." It's the perfect end to a wonderful album. Kutless has found its strengths over the last six years and elaborated on them, which has been hard since only two of the original members remain, and they've had three different bass players and two different drummers during that time. As the years go by, Kutless' lineup has changed, but their message and their music style have not. Simply put, these guys rock. My rating: 9.5 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=242#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=242 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:18:32 -0500 Personal Worship http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=239 A few weeks ago, I prepared a talk on Personal Worship for some interns in our youth ministries at Trinity. This turned out to be a sweet time together and was a good reminder for me of the importance of an intentional personal worship practice throughout the week. Here are some of my thoughts and the discoveries I have made along the way of seeking to live a life of worship. " O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. " (Psa. 63:1-2, NIV) Corporate worship is not a substitute for personal everyday worship. Personal worship happens during corporate worship, but flows out of a 24/7 lifestyle of worship to God. What is personal worship? It is a response that flows out of a hunger and thirst to know God. We see it demonstrated in the lives of Biblical characters who knew God and who were most influential in turning people toward God and his ways. It is also demonstrated in the heroes of the faith and well as contemporary influential people in our own journey of spiritual growth. I find the people who are demonstrating the kind of spiritual life of faith that I desire and sure enough it is overflowing with personal worship to God. This personal worship was captured so well in the Casting Crowns song, Lifesong, that shouts, "May my lifesong sing to you." How do I practice a life of personal worship? 1. It begins with prayer for the desire to know God - to see him, to thirst and be satisfied by him. All too often, we see the way it ought to be and we want it, but we don't do the work required to grow in our faith. We are overwhelmed by the gulf between where we are and where we would like to be and become so defeated that we quit. Worse yet, we know we ought to desire to know God, but this world has a stronger pull on our affections and our personal worship is wasted on worldly things. I have found that a prayer to desire the right things is the place to start. I have never prayed such a prayer and not seen God answer it. In my life it sounds like this. "God, give me the right desires. Help me choose the things that please you and draw me closer to you and to your ways. Give me a hunger to know your Word and spend time in study & devotion ..." and so on. The Bible is clear about what pleases God. When we pray for those things God answers because they are undeniably his will. 2. The second step of growth in my life of personal worship was to pray that God would make me mindful of his presence all day long. I have had times in life where I have spent a whole day, a horrible day of frustration, anger, wrong responses, failure, and at the end realized that I never once thought of God, nor cried out to him, "HELP!" I remember once in college lying on my bed at night after such a day and the words of an old song drew me back to God. "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sin and grief to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. O what grief we often forfeit. O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." I prayed that God would help me to be quick to say "thank you" for the blessings, and "help" for the tough stuff (and thank you as well). That God would be a part of every thought and activity. Sin becomes pretty ugly once God answers that prayer and rightfully owns every area of my life. I find that I am much quicker to identify, hate and then confess my sin. God forgives and is pleased with this type of personal worship. 3. The biggest challenge in my personal practice of worship has always been a true quiet time with God. We live in the world of multitasking. Of course multitasking with God is a wonderful thing and ought to be done all of the time. How else do we fulfill the command to "pray without ceasing?" However, spending time alone with God that is not multitasking, but deeply focused on listening to and responding to him is next to impossible. It is another opportunity to ask God to produce that desire and discipline in my life. I call this making space for God. My theory with prayer and Bible reading is "a little here and there, a lot once and while." I have come to treasure the times where I really dig in. Slowly the amount of time and regularity of those times has increased and continues to do so. For me, this is Wednesday morning from 6:30 - 9:30 AM. It is sacred time. I read, study and blog. I call it my listening time and it is one of the highest priorities of my week because it is what keeps me centered on God and his will for my life, my family and my church. 4. Lastly, I have discovered the joy of personal worship through a job well done. Delighting in doing good work is a wonderful way to worship God who commanded us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."(Col. 3:23-24, NIV) Once I found out what I was good at, I resolved to do it to the best of my ability as personal worship to God. I even apply this to things I'm not so good at, but am responsible to do nevertheless. Ultimately, a job well done points the spotlight, not at my work, but at my God who gave me the ability to do this work. Do you practice personal worship throughout your week? What does it look like for you? There's no shame in an honest assessment of our personal worship practices. Once we identify where we are at, we just need to make sure we grow from there and never stop growing. Let's encourage one another in this area. As we become better worshipers personally, we will find that we experience better worship times with the corporate body of Christ. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=239#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=239 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:18:12 -0500 Third Day Revelation http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=238 <img src="/files/Blog/238image.gif" class="image1"> Usually when I write reviews, I purchase the album, listen to it a number of times, then review it. Since this album only came out this Tuesday, I haven't really had that luxury. However, I figured it would be a nice challenge; plus, this album is so great I just had to write a review right away. Third Day's new album, Revelation, picks up right where the band left off in 2005 with Wherever You Are. The album follows a story, if you will, of a man lost in sin, finding God, and choosing to live for Him. They do such a terrific job of it, too. Songs like "Run to You" and "Revelation" show the brokenness, where songs like "Call My Name" and "Let Me Love You" show God's tender heart. One of the great things about Third Day is their exquisite lyrics. Mac Powell (lead singer/principal songwriter) delivers yet again on this album with instant greats such as "This Is Who I Am," "Born Again," "Ready," "Slow Down" and "Run to You," just to name a few. Mark Lee (guitars) also adds his songwriting touch on this album with "Take It All," and Tai Anderson (bass) helps Powell out writing the song "Otherside." You can clearly see their heart in lines like, "Give me a revelation/Show me what to do/'Cause I've been trying to find my way/ I haven't got a clue," and, "I want the world to turn because of love/And mercy to find each of us/Doing what we can to just believe." There's a reason Third Day is so widely known. These guys know how to put together a great album, and they do so again with Revelation. This album shows some of their best yet, and I won't be surprised if we see some more Dove Awards and Grammys coming their way. My rating: 9.8 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=238#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=238 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:38:21 -0500 On Better Worshipers http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=237 July 30, 2008 7:30 AM I had the privilege of spending an extended lunch hour yesterday with a friend's father, and a life-long worship leader and professor to worship leaders, Dr. Bruce Leafblad. It was one of those moments of imagining what might be that left me deep in thought and full of longings. I praise God for men like this who have devoted their whole lives to raising up worshipers and worship leaders. From my observation yesterday, Bruce is still going strong as ever. I was deeply encouraged in this calling that God has placed on my life. It took me a while afterward once back in the office to switch gears away from what might be back to what is, what had to be done that day. (What is, is good, and I praise God for the worship culture at Trinity, but certainly want to press onward.) We talked of many things, but ended on one that is preoccupying my mind these days. My observation is this: the church worship service has made a cultural transition away from corporate worship toward an individual worship - from producer of worship to consumer of worship. This cultural shift nearly 40 years ago from primarily horizontal worship (worship about God) toward vertical worship (personal expressions of praise directly to God) was a good and necessary thing, but perhaps has gone out of balance. We need both. There is another trend that has complicated things. In our hurried and busy world, people come to the worship service bankrupt of spiritual activity, seeking to make up for 6 days of no quiet time and virtually no thoughts of God and seeking God in personal worship during the week. I know this, because I feel that bankruptcy sometimes. I am a product of this culture as much as anyone else. That people come to the worship service hungry to meet with God is a good thing. We who lead the church in worship must recognize this and meet worshipers at that place of hunger. That people are not worshiping God personally during the week is a bad thing. Worship leaders must encourage and teach people how to practice a life of personal everyday worship. I will share some thoughts from my own journey of personal worship practices in my next blog. Back to the worship service, I feel a need to focus our worship time on the corporate aspect of being the church of God worshiping God together. I think there is a movement back to this practice of corporate worship, and while it is connecting with all generations, it is particularly appealing to the younger generation - those in their 20's. (The church will die if we fail to reach this next generation - I am more concerned about that right now than anything else.) While it is true that we are individuals and God knows our personal needs, and will speak to us individually during the worship service, the purpose of what we do during the corporate worship service is to meet with God together. It is the unity of expression of praise to God, the unity of being a family related through Christ and the gospel, the unity of our shared state of brokenness eclipsed by the beauty of grace, the unity of participating in the mission God has called us to, and the need for prayer, encouragement, and instruction from God's word to be able to be the people who live worthy of that calling, together. Church is a together thing more than it is an individual thing. Churches whose worship services capture this aspect of the corporate worship service are bursting at the seams with people from every generation who come ready to give God the praise he deserves, and revel in the fact that it is a together thing. This is beautiful to God and to all who see it and experience it. Now back to my conversation with Bruce. The above thoughts have been shaped by our conversation together. He said an amazing thing when I proposed this topic for conversation. "What we need is better worshipers, not better worship." No change in the mechanics of the worship service will produce a permanent change unless it is partnered with a change in the day-to-day practice of the worshiper. This change is informed by the Word of God, and produced by the conviction and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and the gentle but firm exhortation of those who lead from the pulpit and platform. I apply that to my own life and invite my worship leadership team to do so as well. We need to always be growing into better worshipers. Then we must figure out how to gently teach and exhort our congregation toward a personal life of daily worship to God, leading them from there into the pleasures of experiencing God as we worship together, not alone. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=237#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=237 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:39:24 -0500 Michael Gungor Band All I Need is Here http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=234 <img src="/files/Blog/234image.gif" class="image1"> It's always nice to find good worship music these days. But when it comes to the Michael Gungor Band, "good" may not be the right word. A better word would probably be "incredible." Every track on this album is a great worship song with great lyrics. Gungor also loves to add different instruments from your standard band instruments and some other programming and such that add to the overall brilliance of Michael Gungor Band. These guys are genius. The album starts off with three straight-up worship songs in "Be Praised," "Giving It All" and "I Will Never Stop." These three songs are a great way to start the album, with deep, original lyrics and real musical quality. Next comes "Ancient Skies," a slower tempo song with some of the best lyrics on the album, which is saying something. More of Gungor's lyrical genius is seen in the next two songs, "Prodigal" and "Grace for Me." "Prodigal" is basically the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 turned into a worship song. "Grace for Me" is an acoustic song that shows the perfect blend of musicianship and lyrics. The second half of the album starts with undoubtedly the best song musically on the album. "Fly" starts off very acoustic, with a very nice acoustic guitar solo in the middle. Then all the instruments drop out except for the piano for about 5-7 seconds, and then all traces of acoustic are gone as the band rocks out for the rest of the song on electric guitars and the like. To describe the song in one word: WOW. After that comes "You Alone" and "Spotless," two more great mid-tempo worship songs ("You Alone" is one of my personal favorites on the album). This is definitely what Gungor excels at; writing wonderful worship songs. The second to last song on the album is "Heaven's Song," which keeps the upbeat rock going at the end of the album. Last, but most definitely not least, is the song "Glory Is Here," a perfect end to a near-perfect album. With lyrics like, "Help me to see/You're all around me," and the chorus, "Our praises arise/As we come to recognize/Jesus is near/Glory is here," this song is virtually unforgettable. (There is also a little bonus track at the end of "Glory Is Here" that is just Gungor and his acoustic guitar, and it is very good as well.) Michael Gungor Band's music excels where many worship artists don't. Gungor is able to keep away from using cliche lyrics most of the time, and all of the band's music sounds different from some more standard worship songs. This is a great band, and I hope we get to hear a lot more from them soon. My Rating: 9.7 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=234#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=234 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:26:45 -0500 Cardboard Testimonies @ Trinity http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=233 July 16, 2008 7:35 AM I just need to celebrate what happened on Sunday in our worship services. Mark Brown preached a wonderful message on Psalm 103 titled, "Forget Not His Benefits." We culminated the worship service with an idea we saw another church do on YouTube called, Cardboard Testimonies. This was a beautiful demonstration of Psalm 145 worship - one generation commending the works of the Lord to another. Praise was rising from Trinity Church in a powerful way on Sunday, and I know that many people's faith was strengthened as a result of this powerful proclamation of the greatness of our God on display through the mighty works of God. <embed id="VideoPlayback" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=753928657014060059&hl=en&fs=true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed> This type of transparency and celebration is exactly what many others and I have been praying for our church and I can barely contain my joy to see it happening. God is alive and presently at work in the lives of his people and we must declare it, celebrate it, and rally around this work inside and outside of our worship services. In so doing, we not only bring praise to God, we also invite others to open their lives to the work of God, and enter a faith relationship with him. God does not seem real to people unless we are willing to be real about our stuff on the front of the cardboard. There is no shame in failures, disappointments, sins, diseases, and the admission that we are in the pit and in need of rescue. What's on the front of the cardboard gets eclipsed by the beauty of what's on the other side. It is grace that becomes the centerpiece of beauty reflected in the life of the redeemed, rescued, healed and forgiven Christ-follower. That brings God the greatest glory! Now wouldn't it be cool if all of the churches in our area joined in offering this type of praise to God! We'd all be scrambling for space because our churches would be overflowing with people who are experiencing "the benefits of God" and gathered to publicly declare their gratitude in worship to him. "Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Let all that is within me praise his holy name!" ~Psalm 103:1 Check out the Mark's audio message here, <a href="http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&recordID=506&fileType=audio_file3">Forget Not His Benefits</a>, and the Cardboard Testimonies video here, <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=753928657014060059&q=Cardboard+Testimonies+7.13.08&ei=7kZ9SIKzCJDkrQOQtNy6AQ&hl=en">Cardboard Testimonies</a>. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=233#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=233 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:29:12 -0500 Declaring the Works of the Lord http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=232 Wow, it's been a little while since I've posted. After a vacation and some personal struggles that have kept me from my 'listening time,' I am back. This morning, I am posting my notes from part of a talk I prepared last week. I wrote this as part of my DAWG day. (Day Alone With God) After I wrote this, I went for a 3 hour hike with my ipod repeating Psalm 145 over and over as I spoke it out loud, alone in the forest, successfully memorizing it after about two hours. I thoroughly enjoyed this modern way to memorize and meditate upon Scripture. July 2, 2008 10:15 AM Today I am enjoying some time up in our mountains in my tent trailer. I just spent the last hour lying in a hammock reading Psalm 145 and praying through each verse. I admit that I dozed off once and a while and I enjoyed it. Peace and rest, solitude - wow, these things have been non-existent lately. There's a cool breeze and it is quiet. I don't remember the last time I've ever been alone for an extended period of time. I tend to enjoy my life - the chaos of four children (yes, four! You'll have to check out my Adoption Blog) and the challenge of keeping up with the busy social schedule of my ENFP wife. Of course being a pastor of a large church and living in town with most of our relatives makes it all the more busy. Somehow, I like it and like the challenge of listening to God in the midst of all the stuff that really is my life. God has placed all of these people around me and I delight in them and in the things that he has called me to do. While I value the time to get away, the Christian life must be lived in the day-to-day, moment-by-moment reality of activity. The challenge is how to listen to God and grow in my relationship with him. Basically, the challenge is two-fold. First, I must make God a part of every area of my life. Second, I must make some space for him alone. Both are a challenge in this day and age, and probably have been throughout all time. I'm going to spend the bulk of my time preparing a talk on Psalm 145 that I will call "145 Worship." Mark Brown and Rick Langer are going to preach a message on that passage and then I am going to conclude with a challenge for us as a Trinity Church worshiping community. Goal: I am going to close our message this morning by encouraging my Trinity church family to excel in 145 worship. This is worship that meditates on God's greatness and proclaims his works. I want to apply this Psalm to us as a worshiping community. Key Idea: Psalm 145 calls us to publicly declare, celebrate and sing about two aspects of God 1. Who he is - "the glorious splendor of his majesty" - his character, what he is like "he is gracious and compassionate ... slow to anger and rich in love ... good to all ... faithful to all his promises ... loving toward all he has made ... righteous in all his ways ... and near to all who call on him." 2. What he does - "he upholds those who fall ... lifts up those who are depressed ... gives us the things we need ... satisfies our desires ... fulfills our desires ... hears our cries ... saves us ... and watches over us." Picture these two aspects of worship, over here [left] "Who God is" and over here [right] "What God does." (I'm going to give my camera operators a challenge this morning☺) It is critical that we spend equal time doing both in order to engage our heads and our hearts in worship to God. [Move to right] Picture a worship where there is not an adequate focus on who God is. We would end up with a self-centered view of God that lacked the deep trust that comes from the knowledge of the truth. This deep trust carries us through when life gets hard or God seems distant and hard to understand. [Move to left] On the other hand, if our worship services lacked the proclamation of what God does, all of the deep truths would seem to lack evidence - heady knowledge without a heart connection. The works of the Lord are what makes it real. I think that God realized the human need for evidence or proof. Remember when John the Baptist was questioning the identity of Jesus as the Messiah? Jesus answered his messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." (Luke 7:22, NIV) [move to center] We need to fill our times when we gather to worship God with an equal portion of both. I would like to see our church family rally more and more around Who God Is and What God does. In the words of the Apostle Paul, "I urge you, therefore, to excel still more." However, over the past year God has been giving me an increasing desire to see us grow in the aspect of worship that publicly declares What God has done and what he is doing among us. Just a year ago, I wrote a blog and titled it, "Desperate for God's Work Among Us." In it I concluded that God was indeed at work among us, but that we needed to do a better job at declaring that work, and that it was my job to lead out in this Psalm 145 worship. "One generation will commend your works to another. They will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate upon your wonderful works." However, if we are really going to excel at declaring the works of the Lord, we need to realize something important that goes before. Have you noticed this about the works of the Lord on our behalf? Nearly all of them have to do with the fact that we are needy. Listen as I read through the list again. (Read What he does list) I Bill Born, do hereby confess that I am a needy person. There is no shame in being needy, in fact there is glory to God in this. Do you recall that Paul boasted in his weakness in order that through Christ he might be made strong? Do you recall that Christ said, "I did not come for the healthy, but for the sick who were in need of a physician." In order to grow in this "declaring the works of the Lord" aspect of our worship at Trinity, we must come honestly to God in front of one another. We cannot hide thinking that we are alone in our needy state, or worse yet, come trying to impress like we have it all together. David was unashamed to confess how absolutely needy he was and we need to be unashamed as well. We cannot fully declare the works of the Lord unless we first identify, own and confess that we are needy. In fact, I think that we close ourselves off to the works of the Lord unless we come to him needy. What are your needs this morning? Have you called out to God with this need? He is near to those who call on him in truth. Do others in this church family know about your needs? Perhaps our great God is whispering to you right now that he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, that he is good and wants to have compassion on you. God hears our cries and can save us anywhere, but certainly we should be open to him doing these works among us during our worship service. Or perhaps you've experienced the works of the Lord. Remember that time when you cried out to him and he heard your cry and saved you? Have you taken the time to share that with your friends, your family, your coworkers, with this church family? We must do our part to pass on these stories of God's works in our lives. Great is the Lord, and most worthy of Praise; his greatness, no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another. Don't miss out on the pleasure of worshiping the Lord this way. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=232#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=232 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:42:09 -0500 Hawk Nelson, Hawk Nelson is My Friend http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=230 <img src="/files/Blog/230image.gif" class="image1"> After four years of fairly good alt/rock music from Hawk Nelson, their new album just doesn't impress. The record unfortunately brings in a lot of songs that sound similar to songs on previous albums, as well as being similar to songs earlier on the record itself. Simply put, the Canadian quartet didn't deliver with Hawk Nelson Is My Friend. The first three songs on the album, "You Have What I Need," "Friend Like That" and "Turn It On," all seem to follow the same basic formula that Hawk followed on their previous record, Smile, It's the End of the World. "You Have What I Need" is the one really hard rock song on the album, just like with the Smile song "The One Thing I Have Left." Also, "Friend Like That" and Smile song "The Show" are fast, energetic songs that make you want to jump up and down. Then comes an even more rockin' anthem-style song on each album, with "Turn It On" for Friend and "Bring 'Em Out" for Smile (which, interestingly, you can get an alternate version of if you purchase the special edition of Hawk Nelson Is My Friend). It just seems as if Hawk Nelson is just sticking to a formula that seemed to work well for them once, but it doesn't this time. Lyrical confusion comes in the song "Let's Dance," where lead singer Jason Dunn sings, "I don't wanna look inside myself cause/Then I'll have to change something else and/I don't wanna live like someone else I'm/Happy in my skin, being my self/Let's dance." While this may be okay in regards to living like other people, this is false in Christian views, where we are supposed to live like Christ. This may have been a small slip-up on their part, but needless to say I am not impressed with this song. The four songs that I really enjoyed were "Somebody Else," "Arms Around Me," "Not the Same" and "I Still Miss You." "Somebody Else" and "Not the Same" show some real improvement in Hawk Nelson's musicianship and their maturity in playing together. The lyrics in "Arms Around Me" are wonderful, including lines like "Every time I stand up, I fall without You." "I Still Miss You" was written by Dunn after his grandmother passed away from cancer, and is a very meaningful song. Another interesting song is "Words We Speak" because it stands out as a song with a style unlike anything Hawk Nelson has ever done. All in all, not a great album, but showing some glimmers of potential. If Hawk Nelson can take some of the problems that arise in this album and improve them for their next album, then they will be back in their good form placed through their first two releases. My Rating: 7.4 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=230#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=230 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:11:44 -0500 Sanctus Real, We Need Each Other http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=227 <img src="/files/Blog/227image.gif" class="image1"> After 3 successful albums with Say It Loud, Fight the Tide and The Face of Love, Sanctus Real returns with possibly their best work to date. We Need Each Other showcases 10 songs with catchy, flowing melodies and well thought-out lyrics. These songs will find their way into your mind and will stay there, but they will surely be welcome. The album starts out on an energetic, jump-outta-your-seat feel with "Turn On The Lights." It leads into the title track, which is a little slower in tempo. Tempo speeds up again with "Black Coal," describing in a sense how Christians are in this world, a "diamond in the black coal." Following this are "Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)" and "Sing," two fairly soft and slow songs, the former more so than the latter. Lead vocalist Matt Hammitt sums up the theme of "Whatever You're Doing" when he sings, "It's hard to surrender to what I can't see/But I'm giving in to something heavenly." "Sing" paints the picture of everyone singing praises to God together with one voice, and "how sweet it will be." The next song brings the slow-tempo rock in with "Leap of Faith." The next three songs, "Lay Down My Guns," "Eternal" and "Half Our Lives" are a little softer, but definitely not lacking in lyric content, with lines like "Lay down my guns and lift my hands/Surrender to love and live again," and "You are eternal, and I am eternally Yours." The album ends on a high note with "Legacy" (probably my favorite song on the album), an upbeat, catchy song saying, "Oh, I want to leave a legacy to be remembered/More than just a memory that fades away/Because we only, we only get one life." All in all, this album is worth the money. The right mixture of upbeat and slow songs, along with wonderful lyrics showing us how much we really do need those around us, make this album a knockout. If this is how Sanctus Real will continue to be, and they can elaborate on this style, I'm excited for their future. We need each other, and we need Sanctus Real, too. My Rating: 8.9 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=227#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=227 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:22:33 -0500 New Feature - Album Reviews http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=219 May 21, 2008 8:41 AM I want to draw attention to an exciting new feature of this worship blog, introducing Sam Blakey's music reviews (See the May 13th blog entry). Sam is finishing up his junior year at Arrowhead Christian Academy. He is involved as a vocalist and guitarist on the Kaleo (H.S. ministry) worship team at Trinity Church and he really loves music, but especially music that expresses and responds to the worth and mystery of God. His musical taste is broad and he is always looking for the latest worship music release, eager to give it a listen. He has been submitting album reviews to CCM Magazine for a while and had his first published a few months ago. Sam is a talented writer with much to offer those of us who don't have the time to keep up with the new music scene. I feel so privileged to be a part of worship ministries at this time in history where the quality and quantity of good worship music is abounding and accessible to the whole world. Welcome, Sam Blakey, and thanks for your first contribution! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=219#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=219 Wed, 21 May 2008 11:29:34 -0500 Worship Leading - Leading the Army http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=217 May 14, 2008 7:59 AM This morning I want to think about worship leading, and an insight that has been very helpful. I went to a meeting in a colleague's office last week. I was discouraged and it had to do with my own inability to lead well. I drove to work pleading with God for an answer, for help, for a breakthrough. That morning and my answer came in the form of a quote on the wall. There were 4 points on leadership by Warren Wiersbe, and this one got my attention and reminded me to slow down. This is what it said: "If you get too far ahead of the army, your soldiers may mistake you for the enemy." Right after that meeting, I was thinking about worship leading, and this quote became very insightful into a problem that I think every worship leader faces. Certainly I face it each week as I meet with my congregation in order to lead them in worshiping God. The problem is this: If I'm not connecting with people, and helping them connect with God, then I'm not doing my job. My job is to lead people into an encounter with God. More importantly, it is to lead the people that are in the room with me - the ones God has brought together that very moment. Here's the challenge we worship leaders face. I come to the worship service, having been planning, practicing, memorizing songs, praying, rehearsing and anticipating the worship service for many weeks in advance. I rarely get a good night of sleep the night before because song lyrics, scriptures, and thoughts about what I should say or pray in the worship service are racing around in my mind. My team has been doing the same for the past week or two. Then we all wake up very early and warm up by listening to some of the music during our commute. We've been running through the elements of the service together for about an hour and a half before we finally meet with our congregation. We are fired up, raring to go, enthusiastic about the worship service, having already encountered God. Then our army shows up - the people God has given us the privilege to lead into his presence that morning. The range of their emotional, spiritual and physical readiness to worship is huge - some are wounded, weary, sick & suffering, looking for a shelter - a quiet place with God. Others aren't sure why they are there, just going through the motions. While others are ready to prepare for the battle, eager to pull out all the stops and shout their praise to God. We've got this incredible desire to see them all engaging on the same level as we are, and so often that's not the case. Hello, is anybody out there? We're all alone here! And so we make two mistakes at the point where we realize a disconnect with those we are there to lead. We just forget that they are out there and march toward battle alone, or we plea with them to join us, which can easily be mistaken as chastisement or exaggerated emotionalism. Both choices put us way out in front of our army, to the point that we may appear to be the enemy - spiritually arrogant, insensitive, flaunting an emotional connectedness in worship that many others don't feel. At best, those we are trying to lead just feel like their leader can't relate to them. What we ought to do instead is realize that we are leading an army who have faithfully shown up. They want to engage and that is a great place to start. However, most of them have not warmed up, may be focused elsewhere and need to be reminded of what we are about to do. And so here are some leading practices that I am going to intentionally try to improve at Trinity. 1. The call to worship is so very important! We must declare what we are about to do. This is where we make sure we are not way out ahead of our army, but instead standing along side them, welcoming them, thanking them for coming, and then giving our marching orders. Sometimes, most of the time, I think we just plow into the worship service like a train at full speed. Unfortunately, a lot of people miss the train. The call to worship is worth planning and even writing out in advance. I envision myself spreading out my arms as wide as I can to gather as many people as possible. (Unfortunately, only about half of my people are there because the rest are late - because of this, I usually have another call to worship after the welcome and announcements.) The worship service is a corporate thing. It is not a time for us to make up for all of our personal quiet times that we missed during the week. However, there is the reality that people come with very personal needs and expectations, and that's a good place to start. The opening statement, the choice of Scripture, song and a prayer of dedication for our time together is of utmost importance and must be chosen mainly with those we lead in mind. What is their state of mind and how can I address that in a way that identifies their personal need, but leads them into a corporate experience? What will best engage them and help them to enter in? What will best unify us in our purpose of meeting together, namely to direct our attention to God and his Word? What will make as many as possible feel at home - like this exactly where I need to be? 2. Teaching about worship is important as well. Little moments within the worship service where we gently and humbly present an important worship practice will have a lasting value. For instance, last week I felt led to include a time of confession in our service. Shamefully, this has not been a common occurrence during our worship services, and I felt pretty clumsy at introducing the time. When evaluating how I did, one of my team members at a planning meeting last night suggested that a short video showing, inviting and highlighting a Biblical mandate for confession might be the perfect way to teach the congregation about it. This would pave the way for me to then suggest and lead people in this process together. It would engage people visually, audibly and then experientially. 3. Another practice is this. We must be aware at all times of where our people are. If they are not with us, we must gently return to find them and regroup. This is hard to do when there is the dreaded cue sheet - the order of service with every minute planned. Time is an enemy unless we leave some slack in the service for this type of stuff. Most often it can be sensing a moment where we are unified and stretching that moment out. When you've got that feeling that you shouldn't move on, don't. Pause for some silence or meditation on a phrase - anticipate the places where some instrumental support would be helpful and assign a musician to be ready. It took me 4 years of doing this job to learn that the 'moving down the list' kind of worship service is a killer to a felt presence of the unity of the Holy Spirit. 4. A final practice is to realize that gathering to worship God corporately in a worship service is just that - practice. The battle really begins at the doors when the army enters their world outside of the church worship service. With that in mind, how we respond to the teaching of the Word is the most important part of the worship service next to the Call to Worship. Most of our attention and intentional planning needs to be here. This is where good communication with the preacher is of utmost importance. We've got to have a smooth hand off that helps people respond to the truth of the Scriptures and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in how to apply. Of all the times, this is where we should lead more toward the personal one-on-one worship between the worshiper and God. Even then, I like to send people out on a high note, rallying together as the body of Christ around who God is, what he's done for us, or what he's calling us to be or do for the advance of his Kingdom. We are leading an army. Our position as worship leader is an incredible honor. We must devote adequate time to the best preparation and practices possible that we may honor our King by how we lead his people, and by how we follow his lead. I am so honored to have a team of dedicated worship leaders who are also my friends. These same principles apply to how we lead our teams and even our families. May God receive the greatest glory as he works in and through us! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=217#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=217 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:27:37 -0500 Unbreakable, the new album by Fireflight http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=216 <img src="/files/Blog/216image.gif" class="image1"> For someone who enjoys hard rock but prefers songs with good music and stand-out lyrics (a la Casting Crowns), Fireflight's new album Unbreakable is quite a find. The Florida quintet finds a way to blend catchy, fairly original melodies with deep, meaningful lyrics. It seems as if the phrase "sophomore slump" isn't in their vocabulary. The title track kicks off the album in true rock fashion, and displays the theme felt throughout the album, that God is there for us to guide and strengthen us, making us, well, unbreakable. Dawn Richardson's vocals come through loud and clear, while blending well with the instruments surrounding her. The strings in "Brand New Day" were unexpected, but very welcome. The ballad "Forever" showcases some of Fireflight's softer side, which is right on track with their usual hard rockin' side ("Wrapped in Your Arms" also does a nice job of this). Applause is required for this band's wonderful musicianship. Though rather short (clocking in just under 35 minutes), these ten songs travel from a desperate need for God ("Forever," "So Help Me God") to finding God's help ("Unbreakable," "Brand New Day," "Wrapped in Your Arms") to the emptiness of an unbeliever ("The Hunger") to a call to "stand up" for your beliefs ("Stand Up"), while staying true to the theme of being "unbreakable" in Christ. One can only be excited for what's to come from Fireflight. My Rating: 9.7 out of 10 () http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=216#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=216 Tue, 13 May 2008 22:57:52 -0500 Prepare for ... Mission Possible http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=212 Below are notes on a 'Mission Possible' Worship iMix that I made for our church family. We will be singing most of these songs over the course of the next few months. I am encouraging you to invest in this iMix, hoping that these songs will become a resounding prayer to God for our church and for our lives as we press on towards our Mission as a church. You can purchase the <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=279754928">Mission Possible iMix</a> at the iTunes store by taking this link. You must have iTunes software installed on your computer first. <div style="position:relative;"><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=279754928&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="60" height="60" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:12px;"/></a><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=279754928&s=143441&v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="335" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:30px; left:75px;"/></a><a href="itms://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/publishedPlayListHelp?v0=575" target="_self"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="175" height="20" style="position:absolute; top:295px; left:130px;"/></a><embed src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/flash/feedreader.swf" FlashVars="feed=WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/ws/RSS/imix/html=false/imixid=279754928/sf=143441/xml?v0=575" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent" width="435" height="330" name="feedreader" align="top" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" ></embed></div> 1. Consuming Fire by Tim Hughes (Holy Trinity, Brompton, UK) This song opens with the phrase, "There must be more than this." I come to this time in my spiritual journey as a Christ-follower and as a Pastor of Trinity Church with a desire for more - to know God more, to experience his presence more, to delight in his church more, to be overwhelmed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to save and transform, and to experience the overflow of the Holy Spirit more and more as I absolutely surrender to God's way for my life. The key to this experience is in taking the longing to God in prayer. He will answer! The Holy Spirit is the source that will not only direct and fulfill our desires, but leaves us saying, "Lord have your way in us." 2. Let the Church Rise by Jonathan Stockstill (Bethany World Prayer Center, Louisiana) This song is my prayer not only for our church, but also for God's church around the world. It came out of a church in Baton Rouge, La. around the time of Hurricane Katrina, and became the anthem for the church as they took in more than 1000 victims. While this church met people's practical needs, over 800 of those people came to realize their greatest need for salvation and became followers of Jesus Christ. "Moving with power, bringing your name to the earth ... we are moving with his compassion ... let the church fall to her knees ... let your wind blow, revive us again Lord." God, do this work among us and through us for your glory alone! 3. Enter This Temple by Leeland This chorus is such a huge cry for God's presence when we meet with him corporately to worship. Sometimes I find myself entering the worship service with a mindset of business as usual. Shouldn't we instead expect the unexpected when we gather to meet with God? "Father enter this temple, come touch your people, we need to be where you are. Children living as their Father, washed in pure water, we need to be like you are." Meeting with God as we worship together as a church should change our perspective, our behavior, and our desires as we allow the Holy Spirit to work among us. 4. I Cling to the Cross by Paul Baloche (Community Christian Fellowship, TX) I love the picture this song paints - the saved sinner clinging to the cross - it's the only hope there is for saving me. Christ followers unashamedly center their lives on Christ and the cross. Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." The best part of this song is the climax at the end when it explodes into a glorious anthem proclaiming, "The world behind me, the cross before me - no turning back, no turning back!" 5. Hosanna by Hillsong (Hillsong Church, Australia) This song begins with a worship focus on God and then moves from there to a chorus that declares - Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna means, "Save us, O God!" When God saves us, everything changes - or at least it should. The song climaxes into the bridge and it is by far the most amazing bridge I have ever sung or played. The music matches the passion as our souls shout this prayer: "Heal my heart and make it clean. Open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours. Everything I have for your Kingdom's cause as I walk from earth into eternity." May God answer that prayer as we begin to pray it together, our eyes and hearts fixed on eternity. 6. Bring the Rain by Mercy Me One of the things the pastoral staff has wrestled with is how suffering fits into our life as a church. I was drawn to Paul's statement, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2Cor. 12:10, NIV) We have a tendency to avoid suffering at all costs. Paul delighted in it. This song is frightening to me, but I sing it because it captures the correct mindset of a Christ follower. Suffering is often the place God leads all who are wholly devoted to him. We must learn to embrace suffering as his way and embrace one another well through it. 7. Giving it All by Michael Gungor My wife and I walked through the valley of suffering at the beginning of 2008. This song became our anthem as we grieved together - and it is still our anthem today. "We're giving it all to you. Our hearts cry out, "We need you now!" We're giving it all to you! ... I surrender all." I don't want to be any other place than, arms lifted high, wholly surrendered to God. 8. Pleasing To You by Desperation Band (New Life Church, CO) This song is almost too much for me to sing. It captures the heart and desire of one who is in love with Jesus - "my heart must know, I'm pleasing to you!" The prayer is for God's sanctifying work in our lives. It is what God desires of us as well - holiness, being set apart for him. It is time for the church, the bride of Christ, to plea with God to purify us, and it begins with repentance. "Come make me white as snow; Lord make me pure as gold. Jesus, my heart must know I'm pleasing to you. I give my life my all; taking my cross I will follow. Jesus, my heart must know I'm pleasing to you!" 9. Wholly Yours by David Crowder Crowder celebrates redemption so well in his songs. I love this song's approach to worshiping God. I chose the acoustic version because it is this version that got my attention. Sometimes musical simplicity is the best way to communicate the depth of the lyric. The ending is profound. "Here I am, all of me. Finally, everything. I am wholly yours." 10. All to You by Lincoln Brewster (Bayside Church, CA) This song communicates a whole heart for God - "not holding back, but every part. I'm giving it all to you!" I love the way Lincoln Brewster brings worship to God that is abounding in excellence, but defined by humility. I love the way that the musical interlude captures the essence of the song. I must admit that a guitar solo like the one recorded here makes me smile and think, "God is great, and gave Lincoln a great talent that he is giving wholeheartedly back to him." Are you giving 100% of your talents to God and the furthering of his Kingdom? No holding back for us, Trinity Church! 11. Overflow by Matt Goss (Lancaster County Bible Church, PA) I love the passion of this prayer and chose this as a theme song for me and for my church in the fall of 2007. It is still a way of thinking for us as a church and remains our prayer as we press on in the mission to which God has called us. "Fill me up so I can be poured out. Fill me up 'till I overflow with you!" 12. Everlasting God by Brenton Brown This song centers us on the character of God and sets our hope on him alone. I am convinced that 'waiting' should produce the most growth in spiritual lives. We turn our attention away from what we're waiting for and toward the Everlasting God. That's where strength comes from. It's where faith comes from. My heart was blessed one Sunday when one of our worship singers couldn't hold it in, and yelled, "YEAH" when we dove into the chorus. We all felt it, and I'm glad he led us there. 13. God of This City by Chris Tomlin God has placed us in our city for a reason and this song captures a heart to see God's mission accomplished right here. I am a champion of foreign missions, but my heart is here first. God's heart is a "both and" heart. He desires that all people come to salvation everywhere. Let's expect him to do this work here - in our families, our neighborhoods, our schools, and work places. From there we will spill over into the world. That said, this song was written by an Irish band, in a night club in a dark city of Thailand, on a mission trip. 14. Mighty to Save by Hillsong (Hillsong Church, Australia) Do we have the faith that God can move mountains? He is mighty to save! Let us plea with him to reveal that salvation among us - we want to see people being born again into his family. Trinity Church, 'Shine your light and let the whole world see we're singing for the glory of the risen King - Jesus!" It begins with us who are saved, part of God's family, living like his children. May our times of corporate worship rally around God's ongoing work of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord! 15. Counting on God by Desperation Band (New Life Church, CO) I close with this song, because I believe that God is leading our church to a greater willingness to risk, to a more costly discipleship, to a willingness to align ourselves fully with his mission, forsaking the pleasures of this world for the pleasures of God. The only way to move in that direction is to step one step at a time with a deep faith that says again and again, "I am counting on God." The result of this faith in action is captured so beautifully in the pre-chorus to this song. "Joy unspeakable that won't go away, and just enough strength to live for today. So I never have to worry what tomorrow will bring 'cause my faith is on solid rock - I am counting on God!" Let's roll Trinity Church! bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=212#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=212 Thu, 01 May 2008 23:58:44 -0500 #7 Church Health http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=200 April 16, 2008 7:06 AM I've got so much to think about this morning and so little time. I am most excited about where God is leading our church as we gather around our coach, Gary, over the next 2 months and he gives us the game plan. It is God's game plan, his mission for our church as we continue to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in our homes, community and beyond - and it is exciting! I am discovering a grander view of the role of corporate worship as it relates to our church mission. Changing metaphors from the game to the battle, I think of the biblical account of the army of Israel going into battle with the worshipers leading the way and the worship of the great army resounding as the battle call. "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever!" All of the attention was on the Almighty God - all hope was in Him and victory was certain. I want to lead our church in the same way, intentionally toward the mission that God has called us, our worship expressions resounding our mission call and the greatness of the One who has called us. I'm not sure what that looks like, but have a strong sense that God is calling us there and that we're about to see. Please pray for our church and the role of Worship Ministries in what his glorious gospel is accomplishing among us here at Trinity Church. In the meantime, I will reflect upon the last of the 7 Affirmations of Trinity's Philosophy of Ministry. It has been a great experience for me to use this document to clarify the role and vision of Worship Ministries. Now I need to clearly communicate this vision to those who share the role of leadership with me, namely my Worship Planning Team and Worship Leadership Team. If you are on one of those teams, I praise God for your partnership, and invite your feedback as we unite in purpose and lead our church family in the worship service. The last affirmation is stated as follows: 7. Our emphasis is on church health rather than on church growth. a) While numbers are important, we believe that church health is about whether we, as a body of believers, are functioning as God intends and about whether we are fulfilling our God-given mission and purposes. b) We will develop effective structures of leadership and ministry that allow us to accomplish our mission, maintain effectiveness and efficiency, guard integrity and establish appropriate accountability This affirmation is self-explanatory. While I agree wholeheartedly that church health is the focus, I do think that the lack of church growth should alert leadership to evaluating church health. In other words, stagnation in growth may be a symptom of disease. It takes boldness to step back and critically evaluate our own leadership, and more importantly turn to God and ask him to reveal areas of sin, blindness, shortsightedness, or weakness. We should always be adjusting, evaluating, refocusing, and pressing onward in our call to be a church who is all about God and his mission and purposes. I need to take primary responsibility for the Worship Ministry teams that I lead and also help my leadership teams do the same as they share responsibility for the health of their teams. My worship planning team met last night and we are entering a period of critical evaluation of what we do and where we are going. I am excited to see the results as we turn to God with our questions, desires and dependence on him to accomplish his perfect will in and through us. This same pattern should exist in every area of leadership God has given me - in my marriage, in my family, my friendships, my occupation, etc. Catching problems right away, putting them out in the open, devoting ourselves to prayer and then dealing with them is the best way to ensure health. That's hard to do in our quick-paced, demanding and noisy culture that robs us of any time to be quiet, listen to God, and evaluate where we are. That's hard for the leaders of a large church that has a packed master calendar. But we must if our emphasis is really on church health. Second, is the issue of structures of accountability and integrity. I will speak mainly to my own responsibility with the teams I lead. There is a place for formal evaluations, but having an environment of constant evaluation is much more profitable. The foundation on which I strive to operate Worship Ministries teams is affirmation and encouragement. However, we also need to be not only open to critical feedback, but aggressive in inviting feedback - from our leadership, our colleagues, and those we lead. Ego and pride are unwelcome, and detrimental. Fortunately, they are also unnecessary when there is a strong spirit of love, affirmation and encouragement. But, that is not enough. When a team wholeheartedly owns its purpose and mission, the desire to accomplish them takes it to the next level of inviting critical input from each other. Critical input is messy at times, especially when we as artists are bearing our souls through our art, but it is worth working through the mess together to find the nuggets of truth that will make us better, stronger, and ultimately more effective for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. But it is the leader that must lead the process of being accountable and humility is the defining principle - pride is the killer. God, make me this kind of leader. May I build up leaders and teams that are single-minded in purpose, united in vision, and effective because we are full of your Holy Spirit. May we join you in building up Trinity Church for your glory alone! Amen. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=200#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=200 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:15:25 -0500 On Announcements and the Worship Service http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=179 April 9, 2008 7:33 AM I am going to spend a brief time on a worship issue this morning. Okay, it's not that exciting - it's the place and purpose of the announcements. Maybe that's part of the problem. It should be exciting! It should help us move forward as we meet with God. I often feel a loss of momentum when I take the handoff from announcements. I can feel the energy being sucked from the room. The best announcers (I prefer to call them hosts) intentionally capture a heart for what God is doing among us and how we can be a part of it. I think that a few clear goals and some intentional planning before delivering the announcements will make a huge difference in making them an integral part of our worship gathering. I usually begin the worship service with the invitation to meet with God. Our opening song and prayer centers us on God and is carefully chosen to include as many as possible in coming along. It is important to invite people from their individual context of worship into the corporate sense that we are a people meeting together for a purpose. I propose that the hand off to our announcement time pick up the 'together' theme and draw us further in, centering us on our God and evidence of his work among us. It should be 4 to 5 minutes long at most and it should communicate the following: 1. "This is a great family and we want you to be a part of it!" - We must warmly and sincerely welcome people to the worship service and specifically welcome guests to our church family. Everything said in this time should indicate a real desire for them to join our family. This includes an encouragement to connect with us at the welcome center. (1 minute) 2. "We are going somewhere exciting!" - We are a church that is moving toward God and his mission/purpose for our lives. We are in the middle of [current sermon series or focus]. Mention a specific thing coming up that people can be a part of. Encourage them to look at the worship folder for many other opportunities. (1 - 2 minutes) 3. "Look at what God is doing!" - This is the time to brag on God (bring a Hallelujah). This could be a report of something He's doing among us. It could be a quick interview with someone (who is adequately prepared and coached). It might be a faith story or a video recap of an event. When appropriate, it should include a prayer of thanksgiving and a request for God to continue his work among us. NOTE: This section could come anywhere in the service, but the announcer/host should allude to it and wet people's appetite for where we are going. (2 - 3 minutes) Then I would take the hand off moving us further in, fixing our eyes on the One at work among us, marveling at who he is and what he is doing. Everything is moving toward the moment where receive instruction from God's word ... and then the response afterwards ... but that I shall save for another time. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=179#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=179 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:47:58 -0500 On New Birth http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=176 April 2, 2008 6:53 AM Last week I experienced one of the greatest joys in life. I had the incredible honor to witness new birth, a man being born again into the family of God. Sometimes I've heard it said that we lead people to the Lord, but certainly in this case, it was God that was leading him to Himself. I was just walking along with him, sometimes fumbling as I tried to answer questions with the truth of Scripture, trying my best to be God's voice. And then there was the beautiful moment when faith was realized. The cross of Christ made sense, a man confessed Jesus as Lord, and my new friend became my brother. The Scripture teaches that "... there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7, NIV) Certainly, I am rejoicing too, and passing this on as a HUGE praise to God for his work of salvation! It was a sweet moment on Sunday as I sang, "Our God is Mighty to Save" with a new joy and confidence because again I had seen it with my own eyes. I found myself where I was a year ago, echoing the words of Job. "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you." (Job 42:5, NIV) Right now I have an unwavering faith that God can move mountains! I've been praying for nearly a year that God would reveal himself in that way not only to me, but also to our church family. Certainly, the miracle of new birth, how God brings a person to himself, is just as much a miracle as God healing a disease or putting a broken marriage back together again. God, I want to see it all! We need to see you at work among us! Unleash your saving and healing power that we may see it and declare our praise to you. And even as we wait, may we turn to you with a childlike faith, trusting, praying, hoping, believing and rejoicing in the waiting. What's next for my new brother? He is a follower of Jesus Christ, and now begins the process of transformation as he discovers his new identity as a Child of God and begins to live it out in the family of God. I will help him connect to his new family, hopefully at Trinity Church. I have a deep love for him and told him that I will personally help him to become acquainted more deeply with Jesus and begin to follow his ways. He joins me and all believers in the process of allowing the truth of Scriptures and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to transform us to be more like Christ. I think the glory and power of God is really seen in that more than anything else. In that sense, the pathway of faith leads a Christ-follower to become a Christ-worshiper, and a worshiper to become an ambassador for Christ. So I conclude by shouting a joyful, "Welcome to the family!" to my new brother. I have just experienced first hand an adoption into God's family and it is a beautiful thing. But it is only the beginning. The nurturing and growing of his faith through a genuine connection to the family of God is of utmost importance now. bborn@trinityonline.org (Bill Born) http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=176#comments http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=176 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:04:29 -0500 #6 (cont.) The Words & Works of Jesus http://www.trinityonline.org/cgi-bin/BlogList.cgi?section=worship&blogID=175 March 26, 2008 6:37 AM I still contend that we at Trinity need to lean more toward the dangerous, costly and sometimes messy life of following Christ wholeheartedly, and perhaps that is where the next Philosophy of Ministry affirmations lead us. There is a lot to them, but I will group them together and then make a few comments. Affirmation #6 reads: 6. Our mission is to extend the kingdom of God by engaging our community, our culture and the world with the words and works of Jesus. a) discussed in a former blog dated, 3/5/2008 b)We are committed to be a missional community, intentionally building bridges to the world around us to show the love of Christ and to share the truth of the gospel i)We will train and encourage one another in personal evangelism ii)We will active