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You Formed Me

By on April 25, 2006 in

I didn’t meet her until yesterday. I’m not even sure of her name. Julia maybe. Perhaps Kate Our interaction was somewhat one-sided. I talked. It didn’t look like she was listening at all. But I know this about her. God has been intimately acquainted with her for quite a while now. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.     Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your …

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Monday Devotions – Unmeasured Grace

By on April 24, 2006 in Devotions

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. (1Cor. 16:23) Grace. It’s a term that’s much easier to understand than experience. Actually, I’m not sure we understand it very well, either. Do you have a malnourished view of grace? It’s not too hard to tell. Do you live in a constant state of fear and discouragement that you aren’t measuring up to God’s standards? Do you wonder if God’s forgiveness covers your worst sins? If so, you’re failing to benefit from the unmerited acceptance God offers us through the grace of the cross. Or maybe you have the ill-informed perspective that being a Christian really isn’t all that difficult. …

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The Humble Critic

By on April 21, 2006 in —Choosing Songs, —Evaluation

This question came in from Amy, after reading my post on “Entering the Draw Me Close Conversation.” “How do you balance discernment without being critical? I find myself struggling with this constantly. Where is the balance between noticing and being concerned that the theology presented in songs/sermons is man-centered, or that the gospel is missing, vs. being critical of the music and preaching and thus being unable to actually worship?” Great question. How do we exercise doctrinal discernment and personal humility at the same time? First, we need to recognize the importance of being faithful to Scripture. We aren’t simply …

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With Apologies to C.S. Lewis

By on April 18, 2006 in

(I mistakenly thought I had posted this last Thursday. Instead, I had saved it as a draft. Oh well…) My friend Ron Man, who puts out the monthly Worship Notes, has composed a number of fictitious letters based on C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. In light of recent conversations about Draw Me Close to You, I thought this one was particularly appropriate. Let me make it clear that pastors need to determine what kinds of songs their people are singing, and repeatedly singing theologically shallow or emotionally driven songs will produce Christians who live by musical experiences rather than the unchanging Word of God. However, in these …

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Monday Devotions – The Day After Easter

By on April 17, 2006 in Devotions

What were the days following Jesus’ resurrection like for the first disciples? Jesus had died, and he was dead no longer. Just as He promised, He had overcome death, the last enemy. But what did it all mean? Surely, it took time for them to fully comprehend the whirlwind of events that had taken place the previous week. Before He returned to his Father, Jesus helped His followers to realize some of the implications. (Lk. 24:27) His death and resurrection were no aberration in God’s plan. They WERE the plan. (Lk. 24:26) God had accepted Jesus’ payment for the sins of His people. Animal sacrifices  were no longer necessary. (1 Cor. …

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Reviewing Awesome God Children’s CD Reviews

By on April 12, 2006 in —Music Reviews

Near the end of 2005, I offered to send a free copy of the Sovereign Grace children’s CD Awesome God to the first 50 people who would post a review on their blog. THANKS to all of you who responded! We read every one and were grateful for the encouragement and helpful feedback. I wanted to let you hear what others are saying about the CD, partly to give you a better feel for the CD, but more importantly to provoke your thinking in the area of songs for children. Joshua Richie at Deception in the Church picked up on the intentional progression of the songs. “The whole CD seems like one complete message that flows from creation to the culmination …

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Monday Devotions – Living by the Righteousness of Another

By on April 10, 2006 in Devotions

A few weeks ago I shared thoughts on preaching the Gospel to yourself. I find myself continually returning to this theme. Perhaps that’s because we so easily forget what is meant to be the mainspring of our lives – the relationship made possible with God through the saving work of Jesus Christ. I’ve been thinking about where my motivation for godly living comes from. How do we remain motivated to pursue a life of holiness and fruitfulness, regardless of our circumstances? Here’s what happens to me. I’m doing well for a season. Quiet times are going great, I’m experiencing grace in resisting temptations,  and seeing some …

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Entering the “Draw Me Close” Conversation

By on April 7, 2006 in —Choosing Songs, Devotions

In the latest issue of Christianity Today, Chuck Colson has an article entitled “Soothing Ourselves to Death.” He begins with this paragraph: When church music directors lead congregations in singing contemporary Christian music, I often listen stoically with teeth clenched. But one Sunday morning, I cracked. We’d been led through endless repetitions of a meaningless ditty called “Draw Me Close to You,” which has zero theological content and could just as easily be sung in any nightclub. When I thought it was finally and mercifully over, the music leader beamed. “Let’s sing that again, shall we?” he asked. “No!” I shouted, loudly enough …

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Doxologue

By on April 6, 2006 in

I’ve added a new URL to my list of recommended websites. It’s called Doxologue and describes itself as "conversing about, and calling for, God-centered worship in the local church." It’s a newly begun conversation between David Ward, who is a good friend; Eric Schumacher, who has written some great hymns; and Kevin Larson, a pastor in Columbia, Missouri. While you may not agree with everything they say, they will definitely cause you to think more deeply and precisely about why and how we worship God. Which is always a good thing. …

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Watts on Prayer #5 – Persuading Us to Pray

By on April 6, 2006 in —Books, Devotions

I’m in the middle of a writing retreat, working on a book for Crossway Publishers. I mentioned a while back that this book was going to cause me cut back on blogging somewhat. However, I wanted to finish this series today so that I could move on to other things next week. Watts’ final chapter is called “Persuasive Arguments to Learn to Pray.” He begins:“It is to little purpose that the nature of prayer is explained, so many rules framed and directions given to teach persons this divine skill of prayer, if they are not persuaded of the necessity and usefulness of it.” (p. 167) In other words, it’s useless talking about it if we …

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Watts on Prayer #4 – The Spirit of Prayer

By on April 5, 2006 in —Books, Devotions

Over the past few weeks I’ve been sharing summaries of chapters from the book A Guide to Prayer by Isaac Watts. I’ve been using it in my own prayer times, and want to share the benefits. I know I could be addressing many other topics, and will eventually get to them. But if my sense is right, I think that prayer, both public and private, is an area of our relationship with God that we would all love to grow in. In his chapter on The Spirit of Prayer Watts reminds us that all the rules and directions he’s laid out for praying will be ineffective without the aid of God’s Spirit. After providing extensive Scriptural support for the Spirit …

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Monday Devotions – Is There One Thing?

By on April 3, 2006 in Devotions

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22) You probably recognize this verse as being Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Lk. 18:18) (I had the privilege of preaching from this passage yesterday morning at my church. If you’d like to hear an MP3 after Tuesday, you can download it here.)  At first glance, it might seem that Jesus is saying that if anyone wants to have eternal life, they need to give up all their material possessions. …

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One More Thought on Training Children to Worship God

By on March 31, 2006 in —Children

After posting this earlier today, I had another thought about training our children to worship God. "Worshipping God" means different things at different ages. Younger children, who may not know God yet, may still participate enthusiastically in various external forms of worshipping God. However, we want their worship to be from the heart, and not simply a matter of conforming. They need a clear knowledge of who God is and what He has done. That includes His nature, His attributes, and His works, especially our redemption through Christ. As the Holy Spirit enables them, they will become increasingly aware of their sinfulness before …

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Training Children to Worship God

By on March 31, 2006 in —Children

This is a topic that is more related to parents than congregational worship leaders, but I thought it was worth addressing. Helen wrote in to ask about recent experiences she’s been having with her children at home. She’s noticed a decreased lack of fervor in her 8 and 9 year old as they meet in the morning to sing God’s praises and read Scripture together. She wrote: Did you ever go through this with your children?  Is this something we should force them to do?  We recognize that worship encompasses much more than singing with our voices…are we putting too much emphasis on this part of worship? The topic of training children to worship …

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Watts on Prayer #3 – The Grace of Prayer

By on March 29, 2006 in —Books, Devotions

I’m continuing my summary of the chapters from Isaac Watts A Guide to Prayer, which is enriching my communication with God. Today, I’m reviewing Chapter 3, The Grace of Prayer. Watts distinguishes the gift and the grace of prayer in this way: “The gift chiefly consists in a readiness of thought appropriate to the various parts of prayer, and a facility of expressing those thoughts in speaking to God. The grace consists in the inward workings of the heart and conscience toward God and religion.” In other words, the grace of prayer refers to the life, affection, sincerity, and vigor that characterize our praying. It stems from an awareness …

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