Good Quote on the Lukewarm

Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever.  They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong.

Francis Chan - Crazy Love p. 79

A Core Issue

So this is a heated election and I have found passionate Christians on both sides of the fence (politically speaking).  As you can read on my wife's blog, we have been following Voddie's blog as he has been doing quite a bit of research on both candidates.  We are really trying to make an informed decision on which way we will vote.

What we have come to realize in our many talks about the election is this:  Our vote must be run through the filter of our Christian faith.  As soon as faith enters the picture, so does the infamous question of Pro-life vs. Pro-choice.  

I know all the statistics.  I know both the Republican and Democratic sides.  I know some say there are "bigger fish to fry."  But, the reality is that this issue will weigh heavily upon mine and my wife's decision.

When things get thick like this for me, I usually go to some of our current heroes in the faith for their thoughts.  Below is a video from a frequently quoted pastor - Dr. John Piper

A Great Read

What an incredible book I'm reading right now. This one that I'm taking slow, not trying to rush through. I find that there are numerous paragraphs I just want to read again and again. I want the words he writes and the scriptures he references to drop deeper into my soul. Here are some quotes that I've read lately that are simmering within me.

"I believe that much of the American churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn't a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ."

"Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one who matters), they're evil. Let's stop calling it 'a busy schedule' or 'bills' or 'forgetfulness.' It's called evil."

"Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives. Most of our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become...God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives."

Sunday to Sunday

As we’re headed into our Sunday experience tomorrow at Crossbridge, I can’t help but to keep thinking about last Sunday. See, we are constantly evaluating our Sunday morning environment through many different lenses. Some are of the spiritual nature, some just plain logistical.

In regards to Sundays, the staff typically asks the following 4 open-ended questions about our Sunday mornings.

• What went right?
• What went wrong?
• What was missing?
• What was confusing?

So, I didn’t wait till Tuesday this week. Chuck and I went at it right when we got there on Monday. We both knew something wasn’t right and it mainly centered around the musical section of the services.

Although both services were musically up to par and the transitions executed seamlessly, there was a void. Numerous trusted sources say the sound was incredible. So why did it seem that the music fell so flat?

Here are the songs we did:

Sing, Sing, Sing (Tomlin – celebratory opener)
At the Cross (Renstrom – new song, thicker lyrics)
Faithful (Fee – very familiar, easy to sing)
Jesus Paid it All (Focus Song before talk)
Broken Cisterns (Renstrom – Communion Song)

I think I could have intro’d the new song At the Cross better and perhaps spent more time teaching how the verses go. We quite possibly have sung Faithful into the ground (I read recently that once a congregation has sung a song 30 times, the words become rote to them). Sing, Sing, Sing – not sure on this one. Jesus Paid it All went over a bit better in both services. Actually seemed to be the highlight. Broken Cisterns I’m not too worried about because we basically sang that over the crowd as they took communion. Solid song.

As you can see, I still can’t quite nail down reasoning…maybe God is doing what I can’t see. Maybe everyone was really bored out of their minds. Regardless, these kind of mornings spur me on to think more deeply about our next Sunday.

So I’m less than 24 hours away from our next Sunday. I know we are well prepared, but we were last week too. My heart is for people to experience God in a way that transforms their lives. I know that God is sovereign and does what he pleases. My prayer is that he moves greatly in our midst tomorrow!

Praise Hymn Fashions

I've been eagerly awaiting the newest copy...hot of the press and straight to my office mailbox.

Crowder: Jesus is My Friend

Hey may just be the one and only that could cover it so well.

Before the Kids Wake

I'm sitting here on the couch with my son, waiting for the two princesses to wake up.   I thought I'd take some time to write a few lines.

Sunday was our first day back to normal after the hurricane.  Interesting enough, we had planned 2 weeks before the hurricane to do Jimmy Needham's "Hurricane" during the service.  We nixed that one.  Probably a bit too cliche. :)

We opened our service with a new song off of Tomlin's album called Praise the Father, Praise the Son.  Incredible...both services caught on well and sang their hearts out.  It was really a great morning to be back with our people and worshiping God.

I have heard some negative reviews about Tomlin's new album, especially on iTunes.  I have to say though, Tomlin has never been unclear about his approach to songwriting.  He writes for the church.  The songs on this album are incredibly singable and can be used in most corporate worship settings.  We will be using a great deal of these songs at our church and I am very pleased with the album.  In contrast, it seems many of the CCM worship bands are drifting from the "singability" factor needed for churches to use their songs regularly.  Tomlin has yet to drift from his original vision of writing songs for the church.  Good stuff.

What Rocks My World

Worship and Communion Sunday

Well, we're gearing up for a Worship and Communion Sunday this week. Basically, our Sunday morning services will consist of worship through song, scripture, silence, giving, teaching, and communion.

We usually keep the service under an hour, but really try to engage God through some creative elements that we don't always get to use on Sunday mornings. In my preparations for our time this week, I have been more and more convinced that there is nothing so creative or musically excellent that is capable of causing God to move.

He is independent of us. He is unlike us. He's not confined by our preexisting thoughts about him. Yet, He is present with us and many times we miss Him. My prayer for Sunday is not that the music is great, presentation is compelling, and transitions are executed flawlessly. I think those things help. My prayer is that we don't miss Him when He's right there in our midst.

I'm still plowing through Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin. In light of this week's service, here are some of his thoughts that are running through my head.

- In our sincere desire to help others view God as approachable, we must not forget that God is wholly unlike us. He is the one "who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see." (1 Timothy 6:16)

- Not once is Jesus or God ever described in the Bible as our friend. Abraham is God's friend; the reverse is never stated. Of course, in one sense Jesus is the best friend a poor sinner ever had. Nevertheless, that is not the terminology of Scripture, almost as if the Bible is reluctant to descend into the kind of cheap intimacy that brings God or Jesus down to our level." - D.A. Carson

- To lead worship in a way that makes God seem dull is a sin. But it's not creativity and production values that will help us. It's helping people clearly apprehend the character and works of God.

- The affections we're seeking to stir up are more than fleeting, shallow, self-induced emotion. We aren't trying to excite people for the sake of excitement. We aren't leading a pep rally for band. Godly affections are deep and long -lasting. They're the result of focusing on what God has done and who He is.

Looking forward to Sunday!

Worship Matters

I'm currently reading this book called Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin. Chuck and I are meeting weekly to discuss our thoughts on it and we're finding it to be a catalyst for some really good discussions.

This week I finished Chapters 11 and 12 and they blew me away. I think it would be easy (especially for worship pastors/leaders) to just breeze through a book like this looking for quick answers to common issues facing the local church today.

But I'm finding that Kauflin packs a lot of stuff into 2 sentence quotes. He'll launch something out there and you see that you still have plenty of chapter left to read. However, it usually makes me stop...I can't just do the holy "hmmmm" and move on. I have to dig deep into what he said. So, below are a few of the quotes from his book that are rocking me right now. They are causing me to evaluate, think more deeply, and realize that after 12 years of leading worship, I still have so much left to learn!

Quoting Gordon Fee - "Show me a church's songs and I'll show you their theology."

"When is the last time a non-Christian came to your church and fell down on his face, convicted and gloriously converted?"

"Given the biblical history, God's commands, and the immeasurable benefits we receive from Word-centered worship, it's worth asking why worship today is so often focused on sensory experiences, inward feelings, and subjective encounters."

"We need songs that have substantive, theologically rich, biblically faithful lyrics. A consistent diet of shallow, subjective worship songs tends to produce shallow, subjective Christians."

"Music can make shallow lyrics sound deep. A great rhythm section can make drivel sound profound and make you want to sing it again."

"The bottom line is: Sing God's Word. Lyrics matter more than music. Truth transcends tunes."

Now Concerning Death

This week I am preaching a funeral and at the same time disheartened by the tragic news affecting the Chapman family. As I am preparing for the funeral service tomorrow, my own thoughts about death have begun to creep in. Seeing children lose their life scares me like crazy...and seeing just how close the above scenario with the Chapman's was to a situation at our house last week I am even more taken back.

I have been in silence nearly the whole day today, just trying to get my arms around God's sovereignty and our inability to comprehend how and why He operates the way He does.

Spurgeon's thoughts on the matter are hammering me right now -

"Should it not be the business of this life to prepare for the next life, and in that respect, to prepare to die? But how can a man be prepared for that which he never thinks of?...Each fading leaf admonishes you. You will most surely have to die; why not think upon the inevitable?...If I do not think of death, yet death will think of me. If I will not go to death by meditation and consideration, death will come to me. Let me then, meet it like a man, and to that end let me look it in the face."

Something happens in my soul when I'm forced to think about death. I begin to look at life from an eternal perspective. I forget about the fact that my lawn has brown spots already starting to grow (it's only May). Instead, I begin thinking about living in a way that makes much of Christ Jesus. I wonder why He isn't a part of more of my conversations. If I believe what I say I believe, then I have the most important and glorious news to share. Yet, my suburban life urges me to pull my car in the garage and "fence" myself from all those around me.

If I think about death, I cannot help but think about how I treat my family and those closest to me. I examine the fact that I am the head of my family and I will either be a blessing or a curse to them. The question is not if I will affect my wife and children's lives, but rather, will it be for their joy or for their sorrow?

I don't know the answers to all the "why's" concerning death and its often unfortunate timing, but I do trust the sovereignty of God. When my fears rise up and I want to put my trust in my mere flesh and inferior understanding, I have to cast it aside and say "Whom have I in heaven but you? and on earth there is nothing that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

The Lion and the Cub

Every once in a while, I get the opportunity to lead worship outside of Crossbridge. Over the years, I’ve developed several relationships with friends that love to come and lead with me. I don’t know why they do sometimes…rarely can I pay them more than a fajita taco, but they still come.

This go ‘round, I was leading for 2 weeks out at Clear Creek Community Church in League City. These guys were so kind in our formative years to financially support us while we launched the church and since then have had both Chuck and I out to lead for them.

The past two weeks, I gathered a few of my friends, and we went out to lead their midweek services. On a whim, I thought I’d invite one of my mentors to join me. In the past 5 years, I’ve gained a friendship with a guy named Sam Perry who has really helped to shape me as a worship pastor.

I remember being a senior in high school and all my friends driving up to Waco every week to be in Sam’s worship service and to hear Louie Giglio speak. I would listen to the Choice CD’s thinking, “man, maybe I should go to Baylor and try out for this team. But I can’t sing like this dude Sam.” (I actually longed to be a part of Baylor Showtime, but thought, “hey, this Choice thing sounds cool too.”) I’m sure now there were probably no “auditions” for Choice. Oh the naivety of my 18 year old mind.

Sam went on to lead in the formative years of Passion and then became the worship pastor to Faithbridge out in the Spring area. It’s there that he and I began to meet every quarter or so to talk about being a worship pastor. He taught me about team management, saying hard things in love, putting the cookies on the lower shelf during worship services (making songs accessible to the masses), and how the most important part of my job description is to stay connected to Jesus.

Needless to say, Sam has been instrumental in my journey as a worship pastor, far more than what’s stated above and too much for a singular blog post.

So He agreed to come and lead one of the nights with me…he sat behind the keys and sang back up. We co-led one song and it was a blast. I must say it was like the cub leading while the lion sat back and watched. It was crazy to turn around throughout the service and see Sam looking at me for cues. Talk about an upside down scenario. I must say though, he tore it up on BGV’s and keys. There were so many times I found myself literally laughing and shaking my head in amazement.

Sam is now the worship pastor at Grand Parkway Baptist with Neil McClendon. The good thing is that he’s about a 5 minute drive from my church. Hoping to further our friendship by sheer proximity.

I must say, Wednesday night was one of my favorite worship services of all time. The caliber of leaders I was playing with was amazing (ya'll are awesome, thanks). The crowd really wanted to pursue God in worship, and the speaker was great! Those times are incredibly refreshing for me!

Yes I know...

I have not been blogging much...let's just chalk it up to the 3 week old little wrangler in our house, along with a perpetual tiredness that seems to be consuming me. I hope to be back to a regular blogging schedule soon. In the meantime, here's a link that is rocking my world. Maybe it will give you new perspective as well. I find that each time I read this blog, God speaks to me in a profound way.

Coffee and Music

New Series at Crossbridge

Excited about the new series starting at Crossbridge. Should be a good time! If you live in the area, March 30th - May4th would be a great time for you come check out Crossbridge. Click the banner below for more info!

Death By Suburb

As a staff, we are all reading different books about the suburbs. When we go to staff meeting today, we will each give a synopsis of what we read in our book and then we'll enter into discussion about our current suburban context. We started this last week and it was a very enlightening conversation. Our Connections Pastor Brandon Baca started doing some great research on our area and brought it to our meeting. It was amazing to hear some of the statistics he shared.

So my reading is from a book called Death By Suburb. Just seeing the cover intrigued me and I was really drawn to dive into it!

So far, I would equate it to a "light" version of the Celebration of Discipline by Foster. It's basically an exploration of how to engage in the spiritual disciplines while living in suburbia.

However, this guy really starts to shine a bright light on the veneer of suburbia. He has no problem calling a spade a spade and including himself in the mix. In fact, he sort of tells on himself the first 3 chapters. He's refreshingly vulnerable.

Here's a great quote from the book. "The suburbs tend to produce inverse spiritual cripples. Suburbia is a flat world, in which the edges are clearly defined and the mysterious ocean is rarely explored. Every decision gets planned out, like the practice of registering at retail stores for one's wedding gifts. Only tragedy truly surprises."

How true is that last statement! We're so prone to predictability in our lives. We're prone to worship safety and accomplishment. We covet the neighbor's house and cars. We compete with each other through the accomplishments of our children. It's only when tragedy comes knocking on the door that we're awakened from our slumber. I like that Goetz is trying to give some avenues for living what he calls "The Thicker Life" in our suburban context.

New Transform Website

An organization called Transform Ministries that I'm a part of with my friend Casey Cease has launched their new website! Check it out when you get a chance...click the image below

Worship and the Arts

So, one thing I'm stoked about with our new building at Crossbridge is that we will be able to incorporate other artistic expressions in worship. We have tried over the years to bring stuff such as painting, photography and drama into our services, but they always seem to fall short because our cafeteria lacks any sort of creative vibe. It's like one big blank room with windows and cinder block walls.

I plan on assembling some teams of artists within our church to help bring the arts to a more prominent place in our worship environments. Music has obviously always had a place; it's a part of the Bible Belt worship culture. However, some of my more moving worship experiences have been void of music and full of other artistic expressions. Not to negate music, it's still one of my favs!

I do believe this will only serve to help expand our people's view of worship as well. I love to hear the stories of worship behind paintings and photographs. I love to hear how people prepare themselves to read scripture...they actually ask me in advance for the reading so they can practice! I want to pour gas on the fires and passions that burn within these artists...I just need an avenue to do so. And that is coming soon...

Worship Through the Eyes of an Unbeliever

I often wonder what unbelievers might think of our worship gatherings on Sunday mornings. I think the longer we are Christians, the harder it is for us to remember what it was like when we were far from Christ.

Our worship environment is pretty open to people's individual response to what God is doing in their heart. It's not uncommon to see people raising their hands, kneeling, or crying throughout entire songs. At the same time, there can be someone on the next row with his hands in his pockets looking very uncomfortable.

And we're supposed to somehow craft a worship gathering that encompasses these two polar opposites. Sometimes I see how the "seeker" route became so attractive for churches during the late 90's. Simply cater to one group on Sundays and another group midweek. Eliminate the dilemma of making unbelievers feel "uncomfortable" and believers feel spoon fed.

So what do unbelievers, non-convinced people think when they are in an environment like ours? We just kind of go after God and hope that He shows Himself to them. I do talk to the "newcomers" and try to let them know what to expect. Our Pastor speaks directly to both groups of people and does so effectively. But do they look at us with our hands in the air or sobbing in on the second row and think: "What a bunch of Freaks!"

I don't know. It's messy...but it's good. Have you guys ever asked someone that's not a believer how they experience our worship gatherings? What kind of responses have you heard?

Worship and Suburbia

Our church staff has been in deep discussions for a while now about how to approach ministry within our context. We all have this love hate relationship with Suburbia. Everyone loves the perks of Suburbia, but everyone hates what Suburbia produces in us and the people we lead.

I’ve recently had a few conversations regarding worship in our context. For the purpose of this post, we’ll use the word worship to refer to our Sunday morning gatherings. Though I know that’s a mentality we’re trying to battle…that "worship is just what we do on Sunday mornings, " it will help for me not to have clarify every sentence I write here. ☺

Anywhere that I have led worship, my foremost thought after “What does God want to do here?” is “Who and Where am I leading?” This question helps me immediately put up a filter by which to make decisions about our worship gatherings.

I must say that this question permeates our thinking as a staff on a regular basis. We whole-heartedly seek God’s direction for where we’re going. Then we immediately consider our context. Do we claim to be experts on our culture…no, but we do think we have a pretty good tap on it.

So what do our worship gatherings look like in Suburbia? What is our aim on any given Sunday morning? Are we out to put on a “show,” or are we trying to lead people to God? Seems if you do anything that smells of production…you’re putting on a show. Try to create an environment that is creative and conducive to reflection…you’re manipulating people and not allowing God to show how He can work even in a sterile environment. Try to buy a building that will allow you a place to “ground” your ministry and people say, “can’t we just go worship in a field?”

The context of Suburbia must be considered when planning. Scripture confirms that (1 Cor 9:22). A balance must be found between letting it rule your thoughts and letting it be a factor that you consider in your planning. It’s easy to replace God with what we think is best for our culture. It’s easy to do what other churches do in Suburbia and miss how God wants you to reach Suburbia.

Church culture drives me crazy at times. What’s Fellowship, Lifechurch.Tv, MarsHill, Willowcreek, or Northpoint doing? “That must be where it’s at!”…Those are great churches and they are having an incredible impact reaching Suburbia in the way God is leading them . But honestly…I can’t sing U2. It would be rather humorous to listen to. But yet I’m called to a similar people as those in Grapevine, TX. I’ve been refreshed lately by watching some other churches and well respected leaders not cave to the system.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a heart for reaching my community…in Suburbia. In one of the safest cities in America. ☺

Me and Ross King (Part 2)

So, I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. If you want to know the truth, the time that Mel and I usually blog has been consumed with watching season six of 24! Soon as the girls go down, we’re in bed and Jack Bauer is doing his thing. During the actual TV season, my wife and I don’t have the patience to wait for commercials, let alone an entire week between episodes. So, we watch 24 Marathon-style when it comes out on DVD. 2 more episodes tonight and we’re done. It’s bittersweet!


On New Years Day, my wife and I got a much needed night out! We actually went to a house concert that Ross King was doing here in the area. Just Ross and a percussion player. Though there was not one “worship” song in the evening, it was one of the more worshipful times I’ve experienced in a long time. Thanks to Pablo and Iris for the invite!

I got to chat with Ross a bit after the concert. The dude is about as real as they come and you can tell he walks with God. There are people that quote scripture when they talk – “Well you know…it says in Colossians 3 that…” Then there are people that scripture is just a part of their life. They can’t have a conversation without it somehow oozing into their vocabulary. There’s a humility in the way that they talk about scripture. This was my encounter with Ross.

We covered the entire spectrum from worship culture to multi-site churches. From our weaknesses as worship pastors to rock star worship leaders. It was good and honest conversation.

On a side note, I bought 15 of his newest CD “Perhaps I’ve Said to Much” because I want to give them away to some people. He’s addressing so many things that our church deals with and I want people to sit, listen, and think. I want the words to stir their hearts like they have mine. Like they did for Mel as I looked over in the middle of the concert and she’s in tears during the song Non-Religious Me.

Thanks Ross for a great night of worship through song and reflection.