my burg

Bible reading for Dec 23.  2 Chronicles 27-28. "So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God." (27:6)  GOOD KING, BAD KING. The next two kings of Judah are polar opposites. Jotham (ch 27) and Ahaz (ch 28) each reigned sixteen years, but by different standards and with different consequences.  Jotham "ordered his ways before the Lord" (27:6), which reveals his priorities. Ahaz, on the other hand, did "not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord" (28:1). Under Jotham the nation experienced strength and blessing, though many of the people continued in pagan practices. Under Ahaz the nation suffered loss and defeat.  The moral of the story is not simply that God rewards good and punishes evil, but that he is being faithful to the terms of the Mosaic covenant stated in Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28 (e.g., Deut 28:7, 25). Even in judgment God shows compassion to the nation of Judah. After war with the northern tribes the Judean...

Bible reading for weekend of Nov 21-22.  1 Chronicles 16-17 "Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;  make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to him; sing praises to him;  tell of all his wondrous works!" (16:8-9)  SING TO THE LORD! (ch 16) David had a heart for the honor of God. Early in his reign he appointed singers and musicians to serve in the temple courts (then, the tabernacle), so that the truth about God would be heard by all who entered the temple precinct to worship. The first songs listed in this chapter are David's compositions, Psalm 105 (the first half) and Psalm 96, along with an oft-sung refrain, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 106:1; cf Psalm 136). Singing the Psalms in the temple court would accomplish a number of purposes. First, it was a way the gathered worshipers could praise God and give him thanks (Heb 13:15). It was also a way of reminding each person of the tru...

Bible reading for June 8.  Deuteronomy 12.  "You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way." (Deuteronomy 12:4)  HOW WE WORSHIP GOD. Does God care how we worship him? Are there right and wrong ways to gather in his name, to praise him, and to sing and pray to him?   In this chapter we see that it is not only a matter of Who is worshiped, but also how and where he is to be worshiped. The idols and altars of the land into which Israel was entering needed to be completely destroyed (vv 1-4). Asherah was an Assyrian goddess, associated with fertility. She and other deities were worshiped at "high places," or in evergreen groves, marked by a pillar or trunk of a tree. (See the NET Bible notes .)  If left remaining, these places would tempt Israelites to bring their offerings to the nearby high place rather than make the trip to Jerusalem. God, as Lord of Israel, himself determines how and where he will be worshiped. For the nation of Israel God des...

...and why this corporate worship is important , not only for us, but also for our children, other believers, the watching world, and to the Lord himself.  Here I am using "worship" not in its broadest sense (as all of life lived in service to and for the honor of God), but more narrowly, as what takes  place when God's people gather to pray and to express praise in songs and hymns together.    a)  We are called to exalt God together not only as Creator, but also as Savior and Deliverer . We have something to sing about! (Ex. 15:1-2; Gen.  4:26; Job 38:6-7; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 5:12-13)  b) Gathering corporately for worship makes public and visible our worship of the one true God.  (Ps. 51:14-15; 1 Chron. 15:16; 16:7-9; Ps. 30:11-12;  84:10; 122:1) c) Congregational worship is one dimension of our evangelism , both for our children and for the watching world.  (Ps. 18:49; 45:17; 57:9) d)  Corporate worship is an aspect of s...

"Spirit Of The Living God", by Audrey Assad O Spirit of the living God, thou Light and Fire Divine Descend upon Thy Church once more and make it truly Thine Fill it with love and joy and power, with righteousness and peace Till Christ shall dwell in human hearts, and sin and sorrow cease. Blow, wind of God, with wisdom blow until our minds are free from mists of error, clouds of doubt, which blind our eyes to Thee Burn, winged fire, inspire our lips with flaming love and zeal To preach to all Thy great good news, God's glorious commonweal. So shall we know the power of Christ, who came this world to save So shall we rise with Him to life which soars beyond the grave And earth shall win true holiness which makes Thy children whole Till, perfected by Thee, we reach creation's glorious goal. Listen to it here .

Enjoyed this song at our conference...

Trouble has beset my ways, and wicked winds have blown Sirens call my name, they say they’ll ease my pain, then break me on the stones But true love is the burden that will carry me back home Carry me with the, memories of the, beauty I have known I’m sailing home to you I won’t be long By the light of moon I will press on So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone I want to hold, her in, my arms. <p><a href="http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/track/ulysses">Ulysses by Josh Garrels</a></p>

Listen to this song by Fernando Ortega.  Enter in, and worship the Shepherd!  http://youtu.be/361OpSxEs6M

O for a closer walk with God A calm and heavenly frame A light to shine upon the road Leading to the Lamb Where is the blessedness I knew When once I saw the Lord Where is the soul refreshing view Living in His Word A light to be my guide The Father's presence at my side In Your will my rest I find O for a closer walk with God - leading to the Lamb So shall my walk be close with God With all the hopes made new So purer light shall mark the road Leading to the Lamb Music: Keith Getty Copyright © 2001 Kingsway's Thankyou Music/MCPS

New worship song by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  For lyrics go to the GettyMusic site .

During the Lord's Supper on Sunday I was blessed by the lyrics of a couple of hymns by Horatius Bonar (1808-1889), a minister of the Free Church of Scotland.  He and his brother Andrew were excellent writers of devotion, history and other evangelical works.   The first hymn was one we sung and the other was one I read afterwards in meditation... Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face; Here would I touch and handle things unseen; Here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace, And all my weariness upon Thee lean. Here would I feed upon the bread of God, Here drink with Thee the royal wine of Heaven; Here would I lay aside each earthly load, Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven. I have no help but Thine; nor do I need Another arm save Thine to lean upon; It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed; My strength is in Thy might, Thy might alone. Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness: Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood; Here is my robe, my refuge...

Sojourn Music is graciously giving away an mp3 , “ Approach My Soul, The Mercy Seat .”  The words and music are by Jamie Barnes, inspired by John Newton’s hymn: Approach my soul, the mercy seat Where Holy One and helpless meet There fall before my Judges’ feet Thy promise is my only plea, O God Send wings to lift the clutch of sin You who dwell between the cherubim From war without and fear within Relieve the grief from the shoulders of crumbling men O God—Pour out your mercy to me My God, Oh what striking love to bleed. Fashion my heart in your alchemy With the brass to front the devil’s perjury And surefire grace my Jesus speaks I must. I will. I do believe. O Lord. Chords & lyrics here in pdf .  

I like the song by Needtobreathe, "Won't Turn Back".  Here are the lyrics: Lonely like a sailor Who's left his girl at home No storm could overtake the love he knows So tell me why I should run for cover At the sound of the coming thunder All I hear is the cry of my lover So take your shot I won't turn back I won't turn back Faithful like a soldier Who's answered to the call Even when his back's against the wall So tell me why I should run for cover At the sound of the coming thunder All I hear is the cry of my lover Yeah take your shot I won't turn back No I won't turn back

This weekend we really enjoyed the music and ministry of Doyle Dykes, and his daughter, Haley!

Cliff, who plays bass at church, passed on to me Bob Bennett's remastered First Things First (Maranatha! Music, 1979). What a joy to listen to a voice I hadn't heard in years, from back when there were, oh, about 20 contemporary Christian artists total in the U.S. Bob has continued playing his unadorned style of Christian music over the years . No one plays and sings "My Redeemer Lives" better than Bob Bennett.

I enjoyed the music of the Pat Terry Group back in the 70s, with lines like I can't wait to get to heaven And get my sleeping bag unrolled... Now I'm appreciating his new CD "Laugh for a Million Years" (2008). An interview with Pat on his perspective of the past decades of music is here .