Tuning Your Heart to Worship

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Is worship easy for you?  Let me rephrase that – it worship of God easy for you?

Six years ago my life changed.  I went from being single in control of my mornings, time to myself, pick the church I want to being married (to a then worship pastor, now someone still involved in worship ministries) and a mom to two littles who don’t always let me run my mornings or my days like I would like.

And Sunday mornings – we all know what Sunday mornings are like.  They are crazy.  My mister leaves before the the rest of us to rehearse for the morning service.  Usually by the time I drop the kids off at church preschool ministries they’ve disobeyed, needed discipline, and I’m not in a “good frame of mind” to worship God.

And we’ve changed churches so much in the last 7 years.  So, community and preaching and worship styles and kids ministries and women’s ministries – they all affect my ability to worship on Sunday mornings.

And I’m still working on it. Some Sunday mornings I’m in a better worship mode than others.  Some, its just rough from the get-go!

Can any mom relate?

But, of course, worship is not a Sunday morning thing – not exclusively.  Being in the Word, singing praise songs, working, cooking dinner, playing with our kids, dating your spouse – all of these can be acts of worship.  Tuning Your Heart to Worship is a new book by Lavon Gray (New Hope Publishers) that will help you focus some time in the Psalms.  The Psalms is sort of the worship guidebook for the Bible.  The psalmists, under direct breath of God, experienced so many of the emotions and daily things that we face.  Yet they worshiped.

In this book, there are 100 passages from the Psalms.  100 days for you to spend time in the psalms, reading them, and hearing about worship songs, ministry insights, and application points.  The author encourages you to read the whole psalm not just the 1-2 verses that he highlights.  The Word of God is living and active.  The Word through the power of the Holy Spirit can and will change your heart of worship.

This is also a book full of application.  You will be encouraged to think and process as you read through the devotion each day, but you will also be encouraged to do something next.  Journal, pray, write, think, share.

I do agree with the author that this is not an academic devotional.  It is more personal and one that you might use with a more academic commentary if that is something you desire.

Thank you New Hope Publishers for the book.  All opinions are my own.

The Word and Music (Giveaway)

We have started to see some exciting things in our boys!  They are not only able to learn the Word, but they are eager to do it!

When we moved into our new rental home, we started making a concerted effort to teach our kids the Word.  We knew this would not only help us but also help them.  We started with “When I am afraid I will trust in you.”  Then we have been working on Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need.”  It is so cute to hear them say it, to say it at random times, and to want to say it all by themselves.

Another great way to teach kids Scripture is through music.  And Seeds Worship has some great music that teaches kids the Word of God.  It is a joy to hear them singing in the backseat as we drive to donut day, to church, or to the park.

One of my favorites right now by Seeds is their Praise CD.  Has some great verses on it for kids (and adults) about trusting, our words, and the Word of God.  I love singing along to it – and even getting my littles to “dance” in the car with me – so when others look in from the outside they won’t think I’m the only strange one.  The songs Sing for Joy and Mighty to Save are two of my personal faves that I just SING LOUD on!  I want to teach my children to sing for everything they have – sing with abandon to the God who created them.

If you would like to win the Praise CD from Seeds, just tell me what songs you and your children love to sing.  And I’ll pick a winner soon.

Seeds sent me these CDs to listen to and love, but all opinions are my own!

31 Days of Hymns : Jesus is Lord

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Jesus is Lord

One of the best current or ever hymn writers in my opinion is Stuart Townend.  Do all good things come from across the pond?

Most of the songs that the Getty’s sing are co-wrote or written completely by Stuart.  And this hymn has been one dear to my husband as of late.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

The stanza I chose from this hymn speaks of Christ’s work on the cross.  And we boast in that.  Even if it didn’t do anything for us in this life – Jesus would still be boast-worthy (1 Corinthians 15) but, it does so much for us in this life.  We are welcomed into the presence of the Creator of the Universe by His Son and His work on the cross.  We no longer have to be enslaved to a habit, a person, or a way of life because our Savior has risen from the grave. Glory!  (One of the pastor’s I served with in Raleigh would always says this – I smile when I think of him saying this).

Live free today.  Another newer praise hymn is We Speak to Nations by Israel Houghton – I love it.

31 Days of Hymns

God Loves Colors, Too!

posted in: Arkansas, Bible, Books, Worship | 0

God loves color!

I’m still reading through the OT and making lists of the God the people of the OT encountered, served, feared, and loved. I am loving seeing how God interacts with his people. I know that He is the same God today as he was 8000 years ago.
Currently, I’m in Leviticus, and its not very exciting reading – but still I see that God talks to his people and tells us how we can please him. I see him showing mercy. Here are seven things that I learned this past week.
1. God has a purpose for color. I saw this as I attended the Bloggers in Bloom event last week and as I await the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show. The reports in Exodus about color is that God intended certain aspects of the temple and of the worshiper’s attire to be a certain color. He is an exact and detailed God. But, how he uses color now for our benefits are different. He uses color to express warmth and invitation. He uses color to express that winter is over and spring is finally here. He uses color to brighten moods and take away frowns. All of these are great reasons to use color in your home, kitchen (in what you cook), and in your wardrobe.

Georgetown Cupcakes
2. God is a free-ing God. The If:Gathering was this weekend, and although I wasn’t able to attend in Texas, I was grateful for one of my friends, Sharon Miller, who posted some of her favorite quotes. I particularly loved this one by Christine Caine: “You came out of Egypt, but Egypt is still in you. But God wants to get Egypt out of you so we can walk into the Promised Land free.” This basically means that we desire so often to return to what God has freed us from. But, how much better life would be if we never turned back and desired the old ball-and-chain!
3. The Lord shows mercy to stiff-necked people. I’m not talking about chiropractic care (though I love mine in Raleigh), but I’m talking about the mercy that he shows us when we refuse to give up our sinful ways, when we balk at his correction, when we settle for every day ho hum when he has called us to live the extraordinary!
4. God gives gifts to people to use for his glory! Let’s take a look at the oil maker in Exodus 37. God gave him the talents and abilities to make oil so that a particular type of oil might be used in the worship of God! That is so cool to me. That God might give me a particular gift that I can use to bring God glory in our home, in the local church, and in the church around the country and world. That gets me excited!

Bella Blu NYC
5.  The Lord requires sacrifice for sin.  I often thought in reading all of the lists for sacrifices that I’m glad that Jesus paid my sacrifice once for all so that I don’t have to sacrifice daily or weekly or yearly or anything to recompense for my sin.  The perfect Christ already did that! Oh what a blessing.  And this is how we can use the Old Testament, even in Leviticus, to teach others about the beauty of the Gospel and that the whole Bible points us to Jesus!

6.  The Lord tells us what is pleasing to Him.  He has given us His Word.  That Word, the Bible, is sufficient in us knowing what it means to please Him.  In one way, we stand before God because the Son has pleased the Father in his death and resurrection.  But, we still try to please God in our actions.  Not for acceptance.  No, but for his pleasure.

God's Word

7.  God shows his glory to his people.  He did this many times for Moses, and He dwelt in the Tabernacle with his people.  How we might long for that.  Do you long for Heaven?  Do you long to be worshiping and singing where God and Jesus and the Spirit are front and center?  I was reading a Donald Miller article about why he doesn’t feel the need for church and the first paragraph – singing really isn’t my thing – I just don’t like it.  It made me sad for him because Heaven will have singing in it.  We will get to sing to the Lamb!  Moses’ song will be sung there!

How are your devotions going?  Do you find them dead and lifeless?  Or do you long to meet with God every day?  I’m not quite to the last one – but I am finding the more time I am in the Word the more I want to be in the Word.

 

W&BT Found in Him Week 3

Moms, the Word, and Worship

This is a little late in coming because we were trying to get our home back in order after being gone for two weeks.  Its gets harder when you have more clothes to wash (2 little boys and 2 weeks of travel).  I definitely thought this was the richest chapter yet and it met the rest of my life as I was reading it.  Here are my top thoughts from reading chapter three.

1.  Sometimes I wish I had said something.  I would never think to refer to the Incarnation – and all the parts of the whole – as an “exquisite mystery”.  Maybe this is why I like Elyse so much.  She knows how to pen her thoughts in beautiful packages.  I was telling my Mister tonight about how the Incarnation seems to be getting more mysterious to me the more I read this book and think upon that doctrine.  What parts are more of a mystery to you?  The fact that he was God?  Or the fact that He was human.  For me, its that He was human.  But, for me, all I need to know is written in the Word so that I might know Him – and in eternity I will know Him more.

2.  This is specifically for moms: do you ever feel like no one knows what your days are like?  Like no one really knows you or your trials?  Like no one knows what you go through loving on your kids each day (and pulling bubble gum out of hair and peeling spaghetti noodles from the wall and scrubbing marker off of the baseboards?  This was very encouraging to me: Jesus lived his whole life in faithful obedience – all 33 years – not just the three in public ministry.  “if our understanding of his work pauses after a brief celebration in Bethlehem to resume only at his baptism in the Jordan, we rob ourselves of the comfort that his whole life of isolation, obscurity, and obedience are meant to bring us.  Generally ignored, he toiled without complaint, suffering humbly.  He wasn’t merely treading water.  Jesus’ life of ordinary (yet spectacular) obedience changed everything.  He needed to live a full life of joyous obedience in order to save us.  He grew from blissful innocence to tested holiness in the crucible of daily life.”  How is God shaping you and perfecting you in the crucible of daily life.  My mentor and I have been talking about this the past few days.  Knowing there is great reward in the daily – seek faithfulness and the glory of God.

3.  God’s Word is reliable.  Elyse says that – we can believe it.  We can believe in the Bible’s reliability not because Elyse says it – but because God says it.  Jesus knows the Word.  He spoke the Word while He was on earth.  God-breathed was the Word that he was quoting in the wilderness – and in many other instances in his earthly life.  God gave it to us as a means to know Him – let us love this reliable word.

4.  “The Lord Jesus had a practiced habit of exclusive worship of his Father.”  Another one of those quotes I wish I had penned.  What do you in the ordinary?  How do you live your life daily?  Do  you wait for a trial to come before you pray?  Do you wait until you need an answer before you read the Word?  Do you wait till you have a Bible study lesson to prepare before you dig into the Scriptures?  When trials come – what do you have to cling to?  If you are in the practiced habit, like Jesus was, of daily walking with God, His and our Father, then your life will demonstrate that as you face the trials that all of use are going to face in this life.

5.  “Recall the perfect obedience of the Son in your place and go on your way in faith.”  There is an age old discussion about faith and works.  What the Bible clearly says is that salvation comes through Christ alone – by faith alone (and that faith is a gift not of ourselves) and then we are to walk in the good ways that God has for us.  So often though as believers, when we are failing and struggling in sin, our minds battle with our assurance of salvation.  If we constantly look inward and look to ourselves and our good works as a measure of our salvation – we will never be sure of it.  Because we will always be failing.  We must look to, rely upon, and rejoice in the perfected work of Christ.

Happy reading!


W&BT#1: Name Above All Names (Week 1)

I hope you have all enjoyed reading this week’s first chapter in Alistair Begg’s and Sinclair Ferguson’s new gem of a book on the person of Christ.  It has been a blessing to me and I’ve been learning much from their study and have thrilled at their writing and teaching style.

How these weekly studies will go, for the next 7 weeks, is this:  I hope you will come to each Monday having read the chapter for that week, but if you haven’t, feel free to join in anyway. I guarantee you will get more out of this blog each week if you have read the material.  I won’t walk through the chapter, but more offer my gleanings and what I’ve learned in light of the author’s writings.  In the comment section, you can either comment on what you’ve read in the book, on the blog, or something else you’ve read in pertaining to the subject matter at hand.  Everyone will interact with each other.

Here are some of my reflections on Chapter 1:

1.  Why study Jesus?

“They (the names of Jesus) express the incomparable character of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  Reflecting on them better prepares us to respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon Him, and to meditate on how great He is.” (pg 15)

The study of Jesus greatly enhances our worship.  True worship, if you remember John 4, has to be through Jesus. If you look at the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, they were worshiping the Yawheh God through the future faith in the coming and reign of Jesus. My husband has been reading a Dennis Johnson book in preparation for his DMin class on preaching – the entire book is on how the entire Bible points to Christ.  The Old Testament, New Testament, the 400 years of silence in between.  Jesus has everything to do with our yesterdays, todays, and forevers.  According to Sinclair in another sermon, God is a speaking God – and through the person and work of Jesus is one of the primary ways God chose to speak.

There are many types of religious affiliations in the world, that is an understatement.  However, one distinct person separates true Christian, gospel-centered worship from every other religion in the world: Jesus.  Others have works, ladders, lists, and good deeds, but as a former pastor of mine said, Christianity doesn’t equal DO, it equals DONE.   Does your worship, both daily and on Sunday among other believers, center on the person and work of Jesus?  If not, something is most definitely missing.

This is what gets a lot of us women in trouble on a daily basis.  We are seeking to do everything we need to do: whether our jobs, schooling, motherhood, being a wife, serving others, being a homemaker, etc. in our own strength.  However, knowing Jesus and what He has done for us as believers, and daughters and co-heirs, will enable to us to free our minds from a perfectionist mindset and set our hope and our calling on Him.

2.  Scripture is more than knowledge, it is doing.

As my husband and I studied the book of James for most of 2012, I read weekly or daily the verses about doing the Word of God, not just listening, reading or knowing it (James 1).  This was so convicting.  Often times we ourselves, or others in our presence, will spout Scripture, but often times we fail to do what we know.

As the authors talk about Jesus being the Seed of the Woman, the reason the Seed was needed was because of sin.  And the action of sin in the garden was not listening and obeying the Word of God.  God has spoken very clearly as to what Adam and Eve were to do and not do – however, they both chose to turn away from the spoken word of God and do their own thing.  “The distinctive feature of this tree is what God had said about it.” (p 16).

Sweet friends, how do we fight this battle daily – the battle of our minds?  We fight this battle daily with some of the following (and think for yourself what some of yours might be): putting our hope in status, a clean house, happy kids, a husband, a successful career, etc. (other than putting our hope in Jesus); worrying and being fearful (this only tends to get worse in our sinful nature once we have children); fighting our own battles (wanting to be the justifier instead of waiting for God to act on our behalf), etc.  We need to memorize and act upon the Scriptures that God has so graciously spoken to us.  We only do this by choosing to believe in the Gospel every minute of every day.

3.  Conflict Resolution.

I once had the opportunity to hear Ken Sande speak at Southern Seminary.  A gracious man, he taught his listeners about means of being a peacemaker.  There are some helpful resources on his website, so if you aren’t familiar with his ministry, I would encourage you to “google” him.

We have conflict in our lives (between friends, church members, spouses, children, bosses, family) because of a great conflict that was started in the Garden of Eden.  This ultimate conflict will eternally be won by Jesus, but there are daily ramifications of conflict for us in this world.  “When Christ appeared, he came to undo what the Serpant had done.  By His life and ministry and ultimately through his death and resurrection, he destroyed all the works of the Devil.”  (p 20)

Oh, isn’t this a happy thought?  When there is conflict in our lives, we can rest assured that we know who will be the Victor.  I really don’t know anyone who loves conflict; I certainly don’t.  In our marriage, we strive to resolve conflict as soon as possible.  But this conflict between the Seed of the Woman and Satan has been going on for centuries.  And the outcome is still secure – Jesus wil be victorious.

So dear one, when you find it hard to battle the conflict daily – that battle of sin and of the flesh and of the war that Paul speaks about in Romans 6-7  – please take heart that this is not an eternal battle – but one that Jesus has already won!

4.  There will be pain.

Since everyone knows this…I can move on from this point.  Wait.  As I think about the ladies I know who are doing this book study with us here on the blog – I know their stories (most of them).  I know the pain in their lives – pain today, pain yesterday, knowing that pain will certainly come in the future.  Lost jobs, lost loved ones, unsaved loved ones, difficult family circumstances, family members with lifelong disabilities or illnesses, betrayal of friends, etc. – pain is so real in our lives.

I found much hope in this statement by the authors: “We must not allow ourselves to be tricked into thinking that if things are going well with us, then we can be sure of God’s love.  For life can often seem dark and painful.  Things do not always go well for us.  Rather, we look to the sacrifice of the cross and the demonstration God gave there of His love.  This is the proof I need.  This is the truth I need to hear if the lie is to be dispelled” (p 33).

This last month of my life has been a very hurtful one.  But, I’ve actually had much comfort that has come from friends speaking the Gospel truth into my life – words of hope and life that have dispelled (somewhat, honestly, at this stage in the game) lies.  I’ve had a husband and close friends who point me to what God has said about me in His Word and that has given me much hope.

Ladies – there will be hurt.  There will be pain. But, as the authors of this book and the glorious Bible has said, Jesus gets the victory.  Pain will one day lose all of its sting.  Pain can no longer have the victory if we believe in Jesus.  That is a great HOPE!  In your hurt – where do you find hope?

What have you gained from the book this week?  What was your most applicable takeaway?  What thoughts have you read here that have triggered some new thoughts in your understanding of this truth about Jesus?

Join us next week as we reflect on chapter 2!

 

Mirroring Christ in our Hospitality

posted in: life together, Women, Worship | 0

 

There are probably people we know, men and women, who are amazing at showing hospitality.  There was a lady in our church growing up who was fabulous at this.  She welcomed everyone in the church and was a fabulous cook as well.   My mentor is incredible in this skill as well: cooking, opening her door, opening a bed or place to sleep for guests, praying over her guests, etc.  I learned much of my “activity” of hospitality from them.  Thankful.

Our church’s women’s ministry just had a night of learning about hospitality.  I was not able to go but you can find some of the handouts from the sessions on our women’s blog.  I’ve written much about hospitality, but what does it mean in a more spiritual sense?  Meaning, the hospitality that God shows for us?

An illustration you might understand before I get to Tripp’s quote: Some people you welcome into your home with welcome arms.  You can’t wait to go out of your way for them, sit and talk for hours, invite them into your heart and home.  Others, you tolerate.  You really could have them leave at any time, don’t care if they stay or go.  Really, if you are honest, you wish you could probably just show them the door quickly after dinner was open.  (If you are reading this with dropped jaw in disbelief that anyone could ever have such a thought toward another person – look at your own life.  This is where sanctification comes in.  I’m not perfect.  Spirit is still working).

Well, as Tripp says in his book, Dangerous Calling, Christ doesn’t just tolerate us:

“One of the sweetest blessings of the cross of Jesus Christ is that the curtain of separation has been torn in two. No longer are the holy places open only to the high priest once a year. No, now each of God’s children has been welcomed to come with confidence into God’s presence, and not just once a year.”

“We, with all of our sin, weakness, and failures are welcome to do what should blow our minds. We are not only tolerated by God at a distance; no, we are welcomed into intimate personal communion with the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the creator, the sovereign, the Savior. We, as unholy as we are, are told to go with confidence into his holy presence.”

– Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling, p. 197.

Live welcomed.

O Thou in Whose Presence

posted in: Worship | 4

Old Hymns are making a “comeback” in our churches: music like Sojourn, Mars Hill, Red Mtn Music, IG, and the Gettys just to name a few. These can be done of course like they were back when they were written, acapella or with a myriad of instruments, or done in a contemporary way like Indelible Grace does most of theirs – with a new melody.   One of my favorite artists for just sound accoustic music in down times or relaxing times is Fernando Ortega. 

O Thou In Whose Presence. Written in 1791, it definitely fits the bill for an old hymn. Just because a hymn is old doesn’t mean its lyrics are biblical. Always, as with any music, put its lyrics up against the truths that are found in Scripture. Scripture always stands the test of time.

Here are some of the lyrics that I especially enjoyed:

O Thou in whose presence my soul takes delight, On whom in affliction I call, My comfort by day, and my song in the night, My hope, my salvation, my all. (so many Psalms in this first verse)

Say, why in the valley of death should I weep, Or alone in the wilderness rove? (Ring a bell with 1 Cor 15?, Ps 23)

 O, why should I wander an alien from Thee, And cry in the desert for bread? (I think of the Israelites whining for manna, then still whining when they got it)

 Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see, And smile at the tears I have shed. His voice, as the sound of the dulcimer sweet, is heard through the shadows of death;

 The cedars of Lebanon bow at His feet, The air is perfumed with His breath. His lips as a fountain of righteousness flow, That waters the garden of grace,

From which their salvation the Gentiles shall know, And bask in the smiles of His face. He looks, and ten thousands of angels rejoice,And myriads wait for His word; He speaks, and eternity, filled with His voice, Re-echoes the praise of her Lord.

Dear Shepherd, I hear and will follow Thy call; I know the sweet sound of Thy voice. Restore and defend me, for Thou art my All, And in Thee I will ever rejoice.

Culture, Family Worship, and Legalism

posted in: Bible, mothering, Worship | 0

The following quote is taken from the 1689 London Baptist Confession:

And verily there is one spring and cause of the decay of religion in our day which we cannot but touch upon and earnestly urge a redress of, and that is the neglect of the worship of God in families by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the gross ignorance and instability of many, with the profaneness of others, be justly charged upon their parents and masters, who have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk when they were young, but have neglected those frequent and solemn commands which the Lord hath laid upon them, so to catechise and instruct them that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures; and also by their own omission of prayer and other duties of religion of their families, together with the ill example of their loose conversation, having, inured them first to a neglect and the contempt of all piety and religion? We know this will not excuse the blindness and wickedness of any, but certainly it will fall heavy upon those that have been thus the occasion thereof; they indeed die in their sins, but will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permitted them to go on without warning – yea, led them into the paths of destruction? And will not the diligence of Christians with respect to the discharge of these duties in ages past rise up in judgment against and condemn many of those who would be esteemed such now?

Breakdown of the family unit in today’s society is something that not only Christians and churches worry about, but for many reasons politicians and sociologists are concerned with it as well.  However, this isn’t just a problem that plagues our society today.  It is a problem that for over 300 years church leaders have seen as something that needs to be addressed.
I live in a part of town that is known for some crime and general “lolly gagging” by people of all ages.  This part of town is also known for single-parent homes or absent parents altogether.  Latch key syndrome.  Yes, this is definitely a problem and the breakdown of the family has been at least one cause, if not the leading cause, of the rise in crime among teenagers/college students. The trend continues.
I think another danger that we have to be careful of is a type of legalism.  I was watching a video the other day that showed four youth getting baptized.  All of them said something like this: “My parents raised me in a Christian home and we read the Bible, did Christian things, etc.  But, it wasn’t until later that I accepted Christ.”
The Psalms and Proverbs talk much about delighting in the Word, meditating on the Word, etc.  Deuteronomy 6 tells fathers to talk about the Word every chance you get – teaching it to your children.  It is something we are commanded to do as parents.  It is our main responsibility.  But, we are parents cannot assume that our church going and Bible reading is going to save our children.
1.  Shepherd your children.  By leading home worship you are doing this very thing.  Home Worship doesn’t need to be long and complex.  Some ways my husband and I started doing it when we were engaged were praying together at night and reading a Bible verse at meal times.  We look forward to continuing and building upon that when Baby Campbell arrives.  If you have someone who can sing or play an instrument (or a YouTube video), incorporate singing into your home worship routine.  Make sure the Word and the Gospel are intrigal parts of your time together and that you do it.  It doesn’t have to be done every day, but some sort of schedule will help you keep doing it – habit, right?
2.  Home Worship can’t save your children.  In Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book Give Them Grace, she talks about rule following that would lead your children to be better Pharisees (in a negative light) than Christ-followers.  The heart of your children need to be changed by a gracious God.  We can’t save our children by doing more and better home worship, or demanding their obedience, or regulating their wardrobe, iPod playlist, or friends.  We can give them the Word and pray for their salvation, showing them much grace and forgiveness as they are coming up in our homes.
Grace and discipline.  The two go together in this thinking of home worship.  We need to have discipline to do home worship with family members and show the Word of God as a permanent and prominent fixture in our home.  One of the ways we are doing that as we prepare for Baby Campbell’s arrival is by adorning the nursery walls with Scripture.  We also must rely on grace.  We can’t possibly adhere to the true gospel and think that by us doing family worship, even every night of the week, will gain us (or our children) an audience and relationship with God – we can’t have that apart from Christ.  The Gospel is D-O-N-E not D-O.
“As the years go by, more and more we realize that if our children turn out right, it is only because of amazing grace.” – Joel Beeke, Parenting by God’s Promises

Never Cease to Praise – Jeff Bourque

posted in: Worship | 1

 

Back before Easter our church commissioned a new Durham church, SoDu, and one of the songs we sang that day was this one by Jeff Bourque.  He is a worship pastor near Nashville and a friend of my husband.  I didn’t know it that well the first time, two weeks later, I wept through it hardly able to get the words out, and since then I’ve sung it as one of my new favorite songs.  The words are challenging and exhortational!

 

May we run this race, may we keep the faith; may our eyes be fixed on Jesus –

That we’ll not lose heart in our struggle with sin, and through suffering know endurance.

May we arm ourselves with the mind of Christ to rejoice in trials and be not surprised.

May our hearts be so consumed by You that we never cease to praise.

 

May our company be the saints You’ve called may we all stand firm in one spirit –

That the gospel’s truth may resound on earth, that all living things may hear it.

May the fruits of faith mark the path we trod through the life of Christ, to the glory of God.

May our hearts be so consumed by You that we never cease to praise.

 

May the words we share be Your grace and peace, may our tongues speak Your proclamations –

That the many parts of the body of Christ be affirmed in their right relation.

As we long and wait for the groom to come, may we learn to love, and spur each other on.

May our hearts be so consumed by You that we never cease to praise.

 

When that day arrives, and the race is won, when our griefs give way to deliverance,

We will fully know, as we’re fully known all our groans will end as new songs begin,

And a multitude from every tribe and tongue wearing robes of white, will stand before Your throne

And our hearts will be so consumed by You that we’ll never cease to praise!

Written by Jeff Bourque.  2004 Universal Music Corp. / Cumberland Belle Music (ASCAP).