Blessed

I woke up this morning and started the day by praising God for allowing me 32+ years of life. He has blessed me indeed with family and friends who enrich me with their constant love. I'd like to thank everyone who has made my birthday special today by their birthday wishes, cards, and gifts. I am blessed to call you my friends!

If God allows me 32 or more (or less) years, I pray that my devotion to Christ would continue to grow white-hot, and that my life would be a testimony to His goodness, faithfulness, and glory!

What Is Worship?

What is worship?

Depending on where you're from or what denomination you were brought up in, there are a myriad of responses to that question.

Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror define it as such, "Worship is an active response to God whereby we declare His worth."*  Given that definition, we can draw the following conclusions about what worship is and is not.

• Worship is not passive; worship is participative.
• Worship is not just a mood; worship is a response.
• Worship is not just a feeling; worship is a declaration.
• Worship is not about us; worship is about God.
• Worship is not me-centered; worship is Christ-centered.

Come, now is the time to worship!

*Ronald Allen & Gordon Borror, Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel (Eugene, OR:  Wipf and Stock, 2000), p. 16.

April Reading

1.  The Explicit Gospel - Matt Chandler and Jared Wilson
2.  Radical - David Platt
3.  The Year of Living Like Jesus - Ed Dobson
4.  Follow Me - David Platt
5.  Brothers, We Are Not Professionals - John Piper

A Month with Matthew

This past Sunday, I began preaching through the Gospel of Matthew.  After reading a book by a guy who tried to live like Jesus for a year, I picked up on an idea he had.  He decided to read the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) once a week for a year.  I have decided to do something similar.

Resolved...to read (or listen to) the Gospel of Matthew everyday for one month.

Here are some of the things I can expect:

• I will have a greater understanding of the Kingdom of God.
• I will have memorized much of Matthew.
• I will be much more informed in preaching through Matthew.
• I will be much more informed in teaching the Bible in general.
• I will have a greater understanding of who Jesus is.
• I will have a greater understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

I tell you this not in order to boast or brag, because I have so much to learn.  I feel like I need to do this.  Please pray for me as I seek illumination from God's revelation in His Word.