Amazing Hillsong Conference 2007

For fans of Hillsong and their big productions check out the opening for the Hillsong Conference 2007.  Sampling The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony and ending with Chris Tomlin and others and Amazing Grace.  Quite impressive. 

Ramblings and recap of the week

Random thoughts from the week.

• Do I deny Christ when I don’t speak up for Him when someone is tearing Him down or using His name as a curse word?
  • Matthew 10:32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.  ESV
  • Matthew 10:32-33 “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you? The Message
  • Mark 8:38  “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”  The Message
• Reading in 1 Samuel 15 this week and vs 22-23 really had some meat to it.  Saul directly disobeyed God’s command by doing something he thought God would like and appreciate.  Read chapter 15 to find out what Saul did that made Samuel tell him this:
  • 22 And Samuel said,    “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
    23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,  and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
        he has also rejected you from being king.” ESV
  • 22-23 Then Samuel said,
        Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
          empty rituals just for show?
       He wants you to listen to him!
       Plain listening is the thing,
          not staging a lavish religious production.
       Not doing what God tells you
          is far worse than fooling around in the occult.
       Getting self-important around God
          is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
       Because you said No to God’s command,
          he says No to your kingship.  The Message
• Had some good discussion in our teens small group about living our life for Christ boldly and unashamed.  How?
  • Start a bible study, at school and in public pray before eating, start a small group, pray with team before a sports event,  talk to your friends about how God is working in your life right now, invite friends to Impact groups and church, and if/when you are interviewed for tv or print mention Christ somehow, someway!
• God used the woman at the well (John 4) to spread His fame as the Messiah.  Even though she had a sordid past that Jesus knew all about, she was still used of God as read in verse 39.
• vs. 39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” NASB

Kutless Thursday Night

Kutless will be in concert Thursday, 28th at Greencastle Senior High School at 7 p.m.  For more info click here

Listen

Are we left here on our own?
Can you feel when your last breath is gone?
Night is weighing heavy now
Be quiet and wait for a voice that will say

Come awake, from sleep arise
You were dead, become alive
Wake up, wake up, open your eyes
Climb from your grave into the light
Bring us back to life
You are not the only one who feels like the only one

Night soon will be lifted, friend
Just be quiet and wait for a voice that will say
Rise, rise, to life, to life

Shine
Light will shine
Love will rise
Light will shine, shine, shine, shine
He’s shining on us now- DC*B

Started reading 1 Samuel this week.  Interesting that in chapter 3 verse 1 it says, “And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.  I wonder why?  The Lord does finally speak to Samuel 3 times and it takes the third time, with the help of Eli to help him realize it’s the Lord speaking to him.  We’ve learned in our Experiencing God study that it takes a close intimate relationship with God to be able to tell when it’s His voice.   Eli tells him to go lie back down (be quiet and listen).  Again it’s God speaking when we’re quiet and listening.  How much time do we spend a day just being quiet and listening for God to speak.  Think back when you could have been quiet, but chose to fill the void with noise.  How about standing in line, driving our cars,  sitting in traffic, waiting in a doctor’s office.  Did you take advantage of that time to ask Him to speak to you or did you imediately crank on the radio, pop in a cd, throw the ear buds in, or start reading?  I’m guilty of them all. 

 Tough day today.  Felt like calling a friend to just pray.  Should’ve, could’ve, but didn’t.  Why is it that you can reach the mountaintop on Sunday but find yourself in the valley on Monday-life I guess.  If we could just see a glimpse of the spiritual warfare that goes on around us…

(mis)Managing 24 hours

So I’ve been praying that God would do like He did in the Old Testament and rearrange the whole sun/earth rotation thing and increase our days to more than 24 hours-I can’t seem to manage the 24 that I get.  So on the average an adult sleeps away 8 of those 24 (I wish) and then spends another 9 at a job/career.  So the remaining is divided and subdivided among immediate family, extended family, friends, ministry, God, church, home, car and pet problems……and blogging. (my posts are now weeks apart).  Doesn’t feel right anymore to sit down and read a book or magazine or watch t.v. for more than 20 mins.  There’s always so much to be done around here.

So my real prayer has been for the Lord to show me where I need to focus, manage, devote my time too.  Feels like time with extended family has been strained the most, and for that, Tia and I are truly regretting and sorry.  We’ve really been trying to figure out when our lives got so busy-but we’re working on it and praying hard. 

Experiencing God at the ODSM 2008 winter retreat

Wow what a great lookin’ group!

Monday morning came way to quickly.  My wife was the smart one who scheduled the day off.  I still need to take a nap to catch up.  You don’t get much sleep in a cabin with 8 senior high guys.  Man it was like college-for-a-weekend. 

We stayed at The Christian Retreat Center in East Waterford, PA.   Although it rained most of the time and we didn’t get to take advantage of all they had to offer, I would still recommend the place.  The food was great and there was plenty of it.  And the folks running the place were really nice.  The camp director, Bud, gave his testimony that was so powerful.  Thanks again to him  for sharing. 

Activities included ping pong tournament, fooseball, rugby basketball, volleyball, stuffing cheesecake in yer mouth, making up songs about bread sticks and cheese, hiking, yelling for Junior, lots of wrestling, fun and crazy games, cabin visits from Jeremy, eating too much,  marshmallow throwing, mud puddle jumping, sleeping in late, trying to get a   signal on your cell phone,  playing board games, and riding the bus.  Can anyone name anymore “activities” that went on?

The best part was the 5 sessions from Jeremy.  Thanks again to him for all the hard work he put into the sessions.  Incredible.  He recorded them all so we’ll have those up soon.   The worship time was awesome too.  Completely God-centered and honoring to Him that is worthy of all worship. 

In our current study from Experiencing God, we learn that John 6:44 says that no one can come to Christ except the Father draws him and that no one will seek God or pursue spiritual things unless the Spirit of God is at work in his or her life.  If you are going to join God in His work, you need to know where God is working.  He’s working in The Open Door Ministry.  This weekend I experienced God.  I saw Him personally working in the hearts of these kids.  What an encouragement to see them hungry for God, worshipping Him and wanting to know Him more.  

Thanks again to Tia, Nicole, Brian, Anita, Brett, Denise, and Crystal.  Thanks to Steve for his truck and trailer,  Busdriver Joe,  Jen and Keith and Rhonda for putting together the celebration time on Sunday.  Thanks to all the kids who were awesome and made this weekend a blast.  We love you guys.  And thanks to God, who made it all possible because He did the work.  It was all for You and Your Glory.

Here is my favorite video of Brandon (in the blue-striped shirt) wiping out at the end of one of the crazy games they played.  Sorry for the poor vids, but my camera doesn’t take great MPEG videos.  Some other videos can be found on my Youtube link.

Remember to worship Him like there’s no one looking!

ODSM 2008 Winter Retreat

DSC02851Originally uploaded by breathedeep247

Well here are the pics that I took. Click on the picture to take you to the Flickr set called ODSM 2008 Winter Retreat. 

Wordless Wednesday- The cruelest prank I’ve ever seen

Funny at first.  Then not funny.