05/23/10 Back from the DR

I hear great things about Brian's leadership last Sunday and look forward to being back with you guys this week. The DR was a refreshing experience, not because it was a comfortable trip (I was severely sunburned the first day and was bitten by mosquitoes in an un-airconditioned room at night) but because my heart was re-ignited for the things that ignite the heart of God. All the superfluities of my American life were stripped away, until all that remained was relationships, good food, God's creation, conversation (some of the most interesting I've had in recent memory, despite a nearly opaque language barrier). Sabbaticals look different for different people. Mine was a trip to the DR, my sister's was some time with her brothers and dad in her new home, and one of her missionary friends was on our flight home to take a sabbatical with family and friends in the States. Whatever a sabbatical looks like for you, I encourage you to take one this summer. Use your sick days, go away for the weekend, find a babysitter for a couple days, take your bible and at least one other good book. My first morning in the DR, I looked through a shelf at my sister's house and found a book called "A Pastor in Prayer," which details the post-sermon prayers of Charles Spurgeon. It was just as transformative as any other experience I had while out of the country. God is good.

Can't wait to sing these songs with you...

1. The Glory of it All (David Crowder)

Shortly after he wrote it, I remember hearing Crowder talk about the phrasing of this title: "The Glory of it All." We've heard songs about God's glory and we often hear about "the wonder of it all" or "the beauty of it all," but "the GLORY of it all" is a unique phrase. It gives a freshness to an age-old divine attribute.

I'm a firm believer in the plagiarism of scripture in worship, and I love singing songs like "Create in Me a Clean Heart," which is simply a psalm put to melody. But there's also something to be said for new poetry, written from an untapped well of creativity. This song was written from that place. As psalm 40:3 says... "He put a new song in my mouth"

Here's a video of Crowder performing "The Glory of it All"

Revelation 1:8 (New International Version)

⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

2. Our God (Chris Tomlin)

Pray for the Tomlin guys as they are touring the globe for the Passion World Tour. They play in Tokyo tonight. If you'd like to intercede for them more specifically in the coming weeks, here are the locations and dates in need of prayer:

Tokyo 5/22

Manila 5/25

Hong Kong 6/5

São Paulo 9/3

Vancouver (TBA)

For more information, visit http://www.268generation.com/

Exodus 15:2 (New International Version)

² The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3. From the Inside Out (Joel Houston)

Mark 1: 7 says; "His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out" (Message). When our lives are truly transformed by Christ, we will abandon ourselves in favor of His will. The song of our heart will be "In my heart and my soul, I give you control." And there's nothing safe about surrendering our lives to Jesus. Just ask Steven, who was stoned to death - or Peter, who was crucified upside down. Following Christ involves risk, and our Pastor Gary is going to expound on the topic of "RISK" in his sermon tomorrow morning.

4. When Heaven Came Down (Logan Walter)

It will be nice to sing this song with you, The Heights, who know it so well, before we go out and teach it to thousands of campers this summer. I'm praying for our summer dates, and I'd love it if you would too. Click here to check out our schedule

Psalm 18:9 (New International Version)

⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.