Discovery Worship

The Worship Set: November 30, 2008

Immanuel (1990), by Andy Park
From the Vineyard CD, "A Vineyard Christmas"

Hope Has Come (2006), by Stephen Altrogge
From the Sovereign Grace CD, "Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man"

You, You Are God (2003), by Walker Beach
From the Gateway Worship CD, "Living For You"

Bow Before The Baby (2006), by Rob Brock

Available on the Discovery Worship MySpace page here.

Note: Following the baby dedication, Beth McClain sang "Beautiful Little Girl" by Cheri Keaggy.  You can download an mp3 of this song from Amazon here.

Worship Song: Thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord
Words & Music by Don Moen & Paul Baloche
Copyright © 2004 Integrity's Hosanna! Music
CCLI Song # 4220833

One of the ironies of the Thanksgiving holiday is that many people don't have time to actually slow down to reflect and give thanks.  We tend to overcomplicate our holidays, filling up our time with events and activities.  We long to relax, but find ourselves over-committed and stressed out.

Don Moen and Paul Baloche wrote a new worship song a few years ago that expresses the simplicity of what this holiday ought to be about.  "I come before you today, and there's just one thing that I want to say: Thank you, Lord."  In the hectic pace of this life, it is important to remember that there is one thing God longs to hear us say: "Thank you, Lord."

May your Thanksgiving holiday provide the rest that God wants for you, and may your heart be drawn to the One to whom we owe everything.

Note: You can download the lyrics and a chord chart for this song from Paul Baloche's website here.  The video above is from a live performance by Don Moen.  We often do this as the opening song in the set at Discovery, and sing it at a somewhat faster tempo.

When You Don't Know What To Say

The good news is I've started several blog posts today, some of which might end up being really great.  The bad news is, I've struggled all day finding the right words to finish them and I've come up empty.  I was looking forward to being on vacation, thinking that it would be easy to sit down and share some thoughts about worship and devotion.  Maybe my mind is simply swirling with too many thoughts to keep them all straight.

As I started and abandoned post after post, I kept thinking, "I don't know what to say."  I may share with you some insights someday from a sermon I heard when visiting another church this past Sunday, but not today.  I will probably also write about how to worship when you feel stuck, or when you are stuck and don't even realize it - just not today.  Everything I started to write seemed helpful, I suppose, but it still felt empty.

I think this is how we feel sometimes when we come together on Sundays to worship God.  We sing the words and pray our prayers and listen to the scripture, but our souls are restless.  It's like when you call a friend and start talking when they answer the phone, only to realize you are talking to their recorded voice mail message.  "Hi, this is God.  Thank you for your worship.  To leave a prayer request, please press 1 now..."

This fresh struggle reminded me of this promise of scripture, as if it were written just for me in such a time of weakness:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." - Romans 8:26-27

When you find yourself in a place where nothing seems to make sense, cry out for the Spirit of God to intercede with words beyond what our human minds can comprehend.  When your Bible reading is dry or your time of worship feels empty, let His Spirit lift you higher.  Sometimes when you don't know what to say, I think the best thing is to say nothing at all.

"Lord God, I praise You even when I feel I have nothing left to give.  You know my deepest thoughts and prayers, so I offer these up to you.  Though I cannot form the words, I praise you still, and I worship you in the Spirit.  I trust that you will fulfill your promise, though my human emotions betray me.  I lift up your name in a dry and weary land, and I pray that you would fulfill your will in my life.  Let it be so, Lord.  Amen."

The Worship Set: November 23, 2008

Note: Rob Brock is spending time with family in Missouri this week for Thanksgiving.  Today's worship set at Discovery was led by Andrew Krueger.

I Love You Lord (1978), by Laurie Klein

Only A God Like You (2000), by Tommy Walker
From the Michael Neale CD, "Made Me Glad"

I Love Your Grace (1990), by Rick Founds

Blessed Be Your Name (2002), by Matt Redman & Beth Redman
From the Tree63 CD, "The Answer to The Question"

I Lift My Eyes Up (Psalm 121) (1990), by Brian Doerksen
From the Vineyard Music CD, "I Love Your Presence [Live]"

In Christ Alone (2001), by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
From the Newsboys CD, "Adoration: The Worship Album"

Counting On God (2007), by Jared Anderson
From the New Life Worship CD, "Counting On God"

Trading My Sorrows (1998), by Darrell Evans
From the Darrell Evans CD, "Freedom"

The Coincidence of Answered Prayer

I learned a lot about the testimony of answered prayer from the same man that taught me to do a brake job and an oil change.  Working at Del's Auto Service throughout high school, I learned my way around the engine compartment and undercarriage of cars, all while having great conversations about life and faith.  Del was an elder in our church, the volunteer fire chief, and a regular at the coffee shop downtown.

Del's Auto was a small shop, and Del and I fell into a routine the summer before I left for college.  Each morning, Del and I would open the shop and go through the list of jobs for the day.  I'd get started on a couple of big jobs, order parts to be delivered, then start knocking off the oil changes.  Del would head down to the coffee shop and casually share his faith with lifelong friends over a cup of joe.

Del enjoyed sharing his faith, but thought that the best testimony was of a life changed by God.  He loved to share how he'd been praying about something and how God had answered his prayer.  Answered prayer is evidence of a living God, and Del would look for every opportunity to share what God was doing in his life.

I remember Del talking about one of his friends who was continually skeptical of Del's answered prayers.  "It's just a coincidence," his friend would say.  It was the same response each time Del would relate a story of answered prayer and God's provision.  In what Del later told me had to have been a prompting from the Lord, Del responded to his friend one day saying, "I tell you that God answered my prayers, and you say it's just a coincidence.  Well that may be.  These may all be just coincidences.  But I'll tell you what...I've found that when I stop praying, coincidences stop happening to me."

Del and I became good friends during the time I worked for him.  He was a trusted advisor in my ministry for many years.  A few years ago, Del was diagnosed with cancer, and he went home to be with the Lord not long after that.  I visited him in the hospital just before he passed away and reminded him of this story.  He told me how he still marveled at how God continued to answer prayer.  Life might be just a serious of coincidences, Del said, but he'd seen too many coincindences to believe it is just random.  Instead, he was ready to trust God by faith and meet the One who makes coincidences happen.

"I praise you, God, because you are the creator and controller of this life.  You put the stars in place and you direct my steps.  You knew me and had a plan for my life even before time.  I thank you for answered prayer, even before the prayers reach my lips.  You are faithful and true, and your plans for me are better than I could ask or imagine.  I give you praise and glory and honor for you alone are God."

Worship Songs: This Is Our God

This Is Our God
Words & Music by Reuben Morgan
Copyright © 2008 Hillsong Publishing
CCLI Song # 5060834

We've been singing a new song by Reuben Morgan for the last couple of months at Discovery.  The title track from the new Hillsong Live CD, "This Is Our God" is a powerful worship song that has impacted the church on many different levels.

From the opening lines, "Your grace is enough, more than I need", this song has resonated with so many people.  Perhaps my favorite lyric in the song is the beginning of the second verse: "Your presence in me, Jesus, light the way by the power of your word."  This is a reminder to me of the mystery of gospel - that Jesus can live within us and give us power over sin and death.

May the God who gave it all for us, to rescue the world, be glorified in your life today.

Chorus:
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! 

The Worship Set: November 16, 2008

Because Of Your Love (2006), by Brenton Brown & Paul Baloche
From the Paul Baloche CD, "A Greater Song" 

You, You Are God (2003), by Walker Beach
From the Gateway Worship CD, "Living For You" 

I Will Boast (2006), by Paul Baloche
From the Paul Baloche CD, "A Greater Song" 

This Is Our God (2008), by Reuben Morgan
From the Hillsong CD, "This Is Our God" 

How Could I But Love You (2000), by Tommy Walker

Everyday (1999), by Joel Houston
From the Hillsong CD, "Ultimate Worship"

Your Morning Coffee

I never got into the coffee habit, but I know many of my friends can't get going in the morning until their have their coffee.  Whether it's Starbuck's on the way to work or a fresh brewed pot of coffee in the office, the jolt of strong coffee gets them going.

My two year old son definitely has his morning routine.  Don't talk to him when he first wakes up, and don't try to get in between him and mom.  The world just isn't right until he has his morning "cuddles" with mom.  Give him 5 minutes sitting on mom's lap and suddenly he's a completely different boy - he's smiling and laughing and ready to meet the world head on.

I was reminded of my son's daily routine when I was reading through the Psalms one morning this week.  Psalm 131 is one of the Psalms of Ascent that the Hebrew people would sing on their journey to Jersulem each year, and this particular Psalm is a short hymn of humility before the Lord.  Here is the verse that stood out to me:

"I have stilled and quieted my soul; 
   like a weaned child with its mother, 
   like a weaned child is my soul within me."
    -- Psalm 131:2

In my minds eye I can see my son sitting on my wife's lap in the rocking chair by the window.  He's got his head on her shoulder and his hands are folded together in his lap.  My wife is holding him tight with both arms wrapped around him and she's talking softly too him.  A tear rolls down his cheek, but he's not crying any more.

This is a picture of what God wants to do for us.  In the chaos and pain of this life, when the world doesn't seem to make sense, we can choose to "still and quiet" our souls, climb up on the lap of God, and rest our head on the shoulder of the one who is a father for the fatherless, and a comforter in our time of need.  Whether you've missed your morning coffee or your morning "cuddles", God is waiting there to calm your fears, wipe your tears, and carry every burden.

"Thank you, Lord, for being the great comforter in our time of need.  You can speak to calm the storm, or whisper to bring us peace in the midst of it.  I choose right now, in the middle of the difficulties of daily life, to trust you fully.  You have been good to me, God, and you will be faithful still.  I praise you for the peace and hope that only you can give.  Amen."

How Majestic Your Whispers

Monday mornings are always hard for me.  I work full-time in marketing at a medical device company, a job that is very rewarding, and certainly a blessing from the Lord.  Still, it's often hard for me to walk down the mountain from Sunday to face the mundane realities of life every Monday morning.  I know that many believers face a similar struggle coming down from a spiritual high place.  What's encouraging to me is how God responded to Elijah when he faced that same emotional conflict.

You remember the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel.  This man of God stood alone against hundreds of prophets of Baal and challenged them to call on their god to produce fire from heaven to burn their sacrificial offerings.  The prophets of Baal could not, of course, show evidence of their god.  Yet when Elijah called to heaven, God sent fire to consume the sacrifice, the altar and everything around.  What an amazing experience that must have been!

What did Elijah do after this?  He ran for his life, fleeing the wrath of a deadly king.  He ran into the desert, and sought the Lord so he could complain that he was all alone.  After Elijah spent the night hiding out in a cave, God called him out to the mouth of the cave to stand in the presence of the Lord.  Here is what happend next:

"The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?""
-- 1 King 19:11-13

What a vivid picture of the kindness and grace of God!  Elijah knew God's awesome power - he'd seen fire from heaven consume both sacrifice and altar right in front of the prophets of Baal.  But when Elijah fled to the desert, discouraged and alone, God came to him in a whisper.

This story is what I think of when we sing "Wonderful Maker" in worship.  Many of you were already familiar with this song, but I introduced it to the church for the first time on Sunday to complement Andrew's message on Sience and the Bible.  The song is a great song of praise to the Creator God, but my favorite lyric in the song speaks of the whispers of God:

"What a wonderful maker, what a wonderful Savior,

How majestic Your whispers, how humble Your love..."

(From the chorus of "Wonderful Maker", by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin)

I love that the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as "the comforter".  When we face the realities of this world yet long for the promise of another, God's spirit comes to us, this great comforter, and speaks to us in a whisper.  The mighty arm of God is strong to save us, but it is the gentle hand of the Savior that lifts us when we are down.

"Lord, I praise you for your gentle kindness toward us, and for your loving compassion that speaks softly to us in our time of need.  You remind me of your faithfulness and invite me to trust you in all things.  We lift up your name as the only name that gives life, and we cling to the hope of the life you are preparing for us in heaven.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus."

His Journey is Complete. He is Home.

We received word this morning that Phil Miller, the minister at Valley Christian Church in Fargo/Moorehead, went home to be with the Lord.  His CaringBridge journal was updated this morning just after 8 am:

"Philip completed his journey on this earth this morning shortly before 8 am. He is home."

I've been blessed reading through Phil's journal at this CaringBridge site (you can view the site here).  I learned of Phil's passing after posting my previous blog entry this morning, so I thought I would share some of Phil's own thoughts (excerpts from his journal) with you now.  Please pray for Phil's family and friends at Valley Christian.

October 20, 2008
How much is the Kingdom worth? The value of life... the value of Jesus' life given on a cross for the value of your life and mine and everyone's life who has ever or will ever live. He is the one who placed that price on our heads and then paid the price for us - O how he loves you and me!

October 14, 2008
So in this world permanent may not mean permanent. I think of it this way... things can always change. In this world with God's help, it is also never too late... even though it may be unusual, things can be repaired... stitched up. Isn't this what the resurrection is all about? We are a part of the Kingdom where dead things come to life and wounds are healed.

September 27, 2008
One of my favorite verses in Scripture is 'Perfect love drives out fear' (somewhere in I John I think). God loves us no matter what, no matter what pain or failure or sin or success. Nothing we can do can make Him love us more or love us less... Nothing. Christ's death proves His love and the resurrection proves His power to give us hope. We are loved beyond measure! With that confidence I can face anything without fear. 'Yea,though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me!' Ps. 23

September 22, 2008
So I am trusting God that all this is timed perfectly for His purposes...When things (or people) die it is painful. We usually associate it with the loss of something or someone near and dear to us. We grieve, we cry, we hurt... it is painful. This grief is good and right, though we do not grieve as the world grieves.

September 18, 2008
One more song came to mind as the tears of gratitude flowed. I looked up at the trees and saw the wind blowing through their leaves (the wind ALWAYS blows in Fargo) and I could see how they were clapping their hands as the song based on what the psalmist says, We shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace...and all of the trees of the field will clap will clap their hands.  I saw the trees slapping their leaves together in the wind and saw the truth in the Psalm. I went out with joy and was led forth in peace and the trees did indeed clap their hands! His peace be with you...

September 3, 2008
I do not know what normal is for energy levels whether spiritual or physical. But I know Who does and I know He will give me whatever energy (grace) I need to keep following Him. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow... surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life' - no matter how long or how short, how high or how low.

August 16, 2008
I need to know the truth. We all do. I need to come to terms with the fact that I am a dying man... yes, the hard truth is we all are dying,only a matter of when. The question is what are we going to do about it? Will we get treatment? help?...

The question is 'what is the dying person going to do as he receives healing help?' In a word.. LIVE! We live though we are dying! In fact, we live as though already dead... in the words of Oswald Chambers, 'abandoned to God'... what have we got to lose? We know we are going to die and that there is another life beyond, we gonna just wait for it or are we going to live this life right on THROUGH to the other? We run the race no matter how long the marathon (or sprint)...

God is good... all the time. 
And all the time... God is good.

A dying man speaking to dying men,
--pcm
PS now read Psalm 23