Experiencing God

Do you? Do i? Do we? How often do we come to ACF ready and wanting to experience God? How often do we decide before hand what that will look like? How often do we limit God with what we are comfortable with?

Nate Van Patter is in my small group and is the greatest thinker and question-poser I’ve ever known. Today he brought up the idea of only knowing and experiencing God as Father and Friend. Recently, we have been looking at all attributes of God through scripture. Healer, Comforter, Anointed One, King, Servant, Messiah, the list goes on. Nate mentioned that he doesn’t know what it means or what it should look like to approach God as King, which is brilliant, because we read all the characteristics of God and just go along with them…but how often do we really experience and testify to Him in these ways? I bet not as much as we should or not much at all.

If we want to experience God, shouldn’t we be exploring who God is fully? Not stopping when we think we already know the answer, or when it gets uncomfortable, or when we don’t understand at first, or when it impedes on our time or our schedule. When we let go of thinking God demands our time and realize that God is worthy of out time, i think we will be set free in a lot of ways. We aren’t following some rule book of things to do to be a better christian. what is a better christian? why do we rate people so often? i’m guilty, i’ve jumped on the kenny hiser is just closer to Jesus than me bandwagon before. but it’s a lie. It doesn’t mean that Kenny isn’t close with Jesus, but our human nature wants to rate and judge people too quickly. “Oh i could never be as good as that Christian is”…lie “Oh he is much more spiritual and closer to Jesus than me”…lie “oh they are a big christian and i am just sort of a christian”…lie , sort of salvation? pfff, don’t slap Jesus in the face by ever telling him the cross wasn’t totally good enough for you, that would be redefining grace in a bad way. I challenge you all, but mainly myself, to stop it. Stop the christian scale. stop lying to ourselves. stop making Christianity comfortable. and start thinking about who God is, what salvation means, what a life honoring to Him means….Thanks Nate, you encourage me to think, and i love it.

piano and acoustic night:

• Our God is love :: Lee McDerment
• Undivided :: Elevation Worship
• From the Inside Out :: Hillsong United
• Salvation is Here :: Hillsong United
• Let me Sing :: Todd Fields
• All things new :: Elevation Worship
• No one like you :: David Crowder

Sunday, Wednesday, and Tired-day

I just feel tired all the time. I think i am very unlucky with REM cycle disturbance. Even if i get the recommended amount, it doesn’t matter. I never wake up and feel refreshed. it’s a bummer. parallel, do you feel refreshed spiritually? how often?

and i know, i’m late again…Wednesday:

• Majesty :: Martin Smith
• You never let go :: Matt Redman
• None but Jesus :: Hillsong United
• Wonderful Maker :: Chris Tomlin
• Hands of the Healer :: Eddie Kirkland
• Joyful Joyful :: Henry van Dyke and Beethoven (hollar)

lyrics of the night – ” In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will”

2nd place lyrics of night- “blood flows down, blood flows down, flowing from the hands of the healer, death is bound, death is bound, broken by the hands of the healer…risen life, risen life, purchased by the hands of the healer, sanctified, sanctified, how precious are the hands of the healer…”

How many ways can you recognize Christ as a healer in your life? How much have you ever dwelled on sanctification? How often do you recognize Christ being there in confusion during the moment versus afterwards? How often to we lean on Christ when we are weak?

Sunday:

• Filled with your glory :: Starfield
• How great is our God :: Chris Tomlin
• Unashamed :: Starfield
• Everything :: Lifehouse
• Keep me :: Kenneth T. Kosche
• Refiner’s fire :: Brian Doerksen

Shout out to non traditional worship bands : Starfield and Lifehouse! I give you more props than Tomlin, no offense of course, i just like a little out of the box worship every now and then. Maybe a different spin on a song or a fresh sound. Good things i believe. We can’t stay content with our faith…period. and that includes worship. we can’t stay content. we should be restless to bring to the Lord a new song and praise Him more and be in His presence more, etc.

Maybe we should have entire services brought to you by a band….keep an eye out for Starfield sunday, and crowder wednesday, yea yea yea and that tomlin guy too…peace

…delay…delay…(delay)

ahem, sorry its late. then again, i say that like there are ooodles of people angry at the wait they had for my blog about wednesday night, as they click refresh every 10 minutes from then until now….ha, that would be funny though.

anyways, i suppose wednesday filled most of my head with thoughts of camp, summer’s best two weeks. I worked there for two summer’s and it was really great. i was pretty tired of it after two years and decided to  hang it up…i suppose now i am considering a triumphant return to the ring…we shall see what the Lord does. considering, i have no idea what i’m doing with the rest of my life, that currently leaves this summer open. Besides, i feel much more prepared this time around. i feel like God has done a lot in my life to stretch and mature me (while leaving my boyish sense of humor in tact) enough to be  better equipped for camp. I was very selfish, stubborn, and unsure of my own identity the first time around. I loved some of those kids and would love another chance to really speak into their lives…..and besides again, having a girlfriend this time around means no stupid camp guy girl drama. In case you have never experienced this, it is very bizarre. Our camp has a “love line” where you can write encouraging notes to each other. really? yes its true. why don’t you just pre print off sheets of paper that say “i just think its awesome the way you love on kids and jesus, you want to meet up some time in the morning and get to know each other?” or for the  younger counselors ”do you like me, check yes or no.” It is very funny to watch, which is why for me not being involved this year if i were to work at camp, would be halarious. Oh christians and your feeble attempt at flirting and dating. so silly…

anyway, set list in case you care cuz there was a new one, which was swell. i’ll be honest in saying that i don’t care if any of you liked the style or not. that is not the point, never was, so if that’s you, be done with statements of such that flutter around until they get to me. the words are what pierce our hearts into conviction or worship, not whether you like the song or not. If i was a radio station, i’d care more….cynical sounding? yes, but how is your attitude after the Iowa loss? ha. either way the core of my statement is good, i promise. If we have hearts ready to worship, we can experience Him and worship regardless on whether we know or like the song or not. “you make all things new, new life found in you. you restore the years that we have wasted.”

• All things new :: Elevation Worship
• Holy is the Lord :: Chris Tomlin
• Shout the the Lord :: Darlene Zschech
• Pure and Holy Passion :: Mark Altrogge
• All things new :: Elevation Worship

“hear the sound, of our chains, they come crashing down there’s freedom in your name…the cross erased, our guilt and shame, the past can’t condemn the ones who bear his name…”

His employees acted as owners

I don’t have much to report on worship today. I continue to like the 4 block set after announcements for flow sake. I felt pretty tight with the team today and had a good time of worship. I think after the hump of the retreat, sunday’s and wednesdays become easier. Remain is still a really good song by starfield. Adam Jepson kept up the starfield theme with another good one for offering. thanks for the preview adam, we shall see that song soon

• King :: Tree 63
• Remain :: Starfield
• I surrender all :: Judson Van Deventer
• Wonderful King :: David Crowder
• You Said :: Reuben Morgan
• Cannons : Phil Wickham

The title of the Blog is from our conversation in Exec meeting for ACF today. The creator of Chipotle said the single reason his chain is having such success is because he hired employees who act as owners…the metaphor can carry over to ACF easily i think without us being hired. Whether you have a title or not, you can still be a leader in ACF in the way you demonstrate yourself. Are we acting like owners of ACF? do you care how it and ultimately Christ, is being represented even when its annoying for you? People come and stay at ACF for numerous reasons, largely because of how they feel when they are there. That is based off how we create the environment. are we acting as owners of ACF and the kingdom in the way we interact? care foe people? reach out? be welcoming? worship? fellowhip? it goes on….

good thoughts to think about….

and this isn’t just a store or a club, like i said, it comes down to how we feel about Christ and if his impact has made enough of an impact on us to impact others so that they can be impacted and also want to impact? get it? ha, if not, ponder the original thought. have a good week!

Worship Night

If you weren’t there, i am sorry.

But it was pretty awesome. A dear friend of mine, Dave Walker (went to high school together, Delco-Christian baby!) came up to lead worship in our first worship experience evening. The room was dark and full of carpet and low on chairs. we had different forms to worship in stations around the room. Journaling, prayer garden, confession in front of the cross, scripture reading, communion. Dave is very good at engaging people, being real with people, being genuine in his worship, and drawing people in to the presence of the Lord. I felt like it was just what ACF needed. Something different. something a little uncomfortable. not all songs we know so we could focus on words and let them soak over us, it’s not always all about singing. I know i had a great time of worship and i was running sound! It was sooo cool to see people experience God in all these forms: kneeling at the foot of the cross, praying and talking with others, journaling, singing. it was all very encouraging. God definitely moved in the room and in my life. Dave gave me a confidence as a worship leader to pursue God with all you have, express that in your worship, and not worry a second about what people might think about you for it. I felt very set free just by watching him worship and lead people. It is very easy to rely on peoples thoughts for worship team things, and yet that never addresses the hearts that may or may not be right and in a place of yearning to worship when they come through the door. My heart needs to want to worship first and foremost. Thanks Dave, for setting me free and allowing me to not worry about the criticism or complainers or anything stopping me for just worshiping the Lord. This is His fellowship and campus. I pray we can be drawn in closer to Christ through different forms of worship as we press on from here! great night!