Year: 2009

What is Faith?

I just ran across this blog la nouvelle théologie, where there is a great post on Faith.

Here is the definition of faith which Julián Carrón gave in New York last January:

“What method can be applied to the knowledge of a historical event? The only way tograsp any historical event in which I didn’t participate is through an indirect method of knowledge, through a witness. This is called faith. Faith then is a natural method of knowledge, a method of indirect knowledge, a knowledge that comes through the mediation of a witness.”

Click through and read the whole thing.

via la nouvelle théologie.

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Posted by Gary in Faith

Do We Need Revival, Reformation, or a Return?

Recently I was having lunch with a pastor and as we talked about our belief that the church must look different going forward I wondered out loud if we just needed to return to the foundational principles that Jesus used when He was “God with us”.

Recently I heard someone say “we’ve been praying for revival for 8 years”. I wondered (quietly) maybe it’s time to get off your knees and start serving your neighbor.

I also heard someone say “we don’t need revival we need a reformation”. As much as I’m all for fresh revelation I don’t know that what we need is a new doctrine. If we were living out our current doctrine we wouldn’t be in the mess were in.

I intend to write more about this subject but Glenn Packiam posted an article at NEUE today entitled How Liturgy Can Save Your Soul and it stirred me up.

I would love your thoughts. First go and read Glenn’s post then come back and tell me what you think the church needs?

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Posted by Gary in Faith, Intimacy W/God, Worship

Where are all the simple songs?

I am going through all of my music and getting into a spreadsheet so I know what I have.

In the process I am remembering all the simple songs we used to play. The old vinyard songs, Eddie Espinosa songs. Recently my friend Ken posted “I am a writer of simple songs”. It seems everything is more complicated and I wonder if they are as affective in congregational worship.

Then I came across this:

I want to be a writer of simple songs.

Enjoy.

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A Blanket of White

I love living in the mountains. The windows in the back of our house look out at the front range and every morning I thank God for allowing us to live here. This morning there is frost and snow covering everything. Though I don’t want to be out in it it’s beautiful.

I am reminded of Lamentations 3:22-24:
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him!

His mercies are new every morning, His compassions do not fail, His faithfulness is great, so tell your soul; “The Lord is my portion, and my hope is in Him!”

He is the source and the substance of everything you need. Every need you have is found in Him. not with Him in Him. So whatever your need is press in, stay in His presence, because only there are our needs are met.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, o my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV

Have a blessed day.

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Posted by Gary in Faith, Intimacy W/God

Rebellion as Staying Put

The Jesus Manifesto is a blog that always makes me think, I don’t always agree with them however a big shout out to Matt Wiebe who posted this article last week. I couldn’t agree more.

The money quote:

mobility begins to look a lot like slavery, while stability begins to look a lot more like freedom than I would have imagined. True freedom isn’t a lack of limits, but rather an embrace of the limits intrinsic to our nature as embodied creatures. We are always located somewhere at some time. And I plan to stay long enough in one place to make a dent.

1 Corinthians 12:18 says “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

You don’t get to choose where you go to church. He sets each one of us in the place best suited for us to serve and grow into the fullness of our calling. How many times do you think people who have built something significant have wondered if “it’s time to move on”. Longevity matters. Persevere until God releases you. It’s worth it.

Well done Matt.

the Jesus Manifesto » Rebellion as Staying Put

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Posted by Gary in Faith, Practical

A New Season

The final piece has come into place today so I can finally tell you what is going on.

Many of you have been asking “what’s up with your status updates?” I didn’t intend to be cryptic or give hints. It was really just what was in my heart or in my head at the time.

Let’s begin at the beginning so as to catch up those of you who are new to the blog or the mailing list.

In the fall of 1982 I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Immediately I knew I was called to ministry and have spent the ensuing years working out the call.

Since the very beginning I have immersed myself in church life and through serving the house have discovered what things I am passionate about and what things I don’t have the grace for. Two things have stood out to me and others. I was a pastor before I was a Christian and will be a pastor until I die regardless of title or job and I am a worshipper.

In 2001 Kim and I agreed it was time for me to take a step toward the call and soon after found ourselves in Sydney Australia attending HIllsong College. After two years of being fed, built up, and equipped. God spoke to me very clearly to lay down my dreams and serve “the man of God”. After much prayer we moved our family to Colorado Springs and planted at New Life Church. In the process I found out who “the man of God” was and began serving John Bevere. After an amazing 4 years of watching ministry work from the inside it is time for me to finally step out and pursue what God put in my heart so many years ago.

I have always loved the church and have no desire to be the next (insert favorite Christian artist here). My hearts desire is to see the body of Christ walking in the fullness of its calling. Jesus came to save the world through His death and resurrection not through His ministry. He trusted the communication of the means of salvation to 12 faithful men. We must begin again to ask God to send us faithful people so together we can build the church and serve the world. 1 Timothy 2:2, Ephesians 4:11-12.

When I left Messenger International at the end of January I didn’t really know what the next step was until one afternoon as I was riding my bicycle I decided to put myself in a position for God to move. Later that day I told Kim what was in my heart. When she agreed I felt real peace for the first time in a long time. 20 minutes later my phone rang. A church plant about an hour from my house asked me to come and help build their worship team. Why am I always amazed at the faithfulness of God? I am in contact with another church an hour in a different direction for the same reason.

It would be a huge blessing to have you partner with us in prayer as we put this whole thing together. Here are some prayer points:

  1. God has put us on good footing financially so I only have to replace a portion of my income. I’m looking for a place to serve like a coffee shop or night stocking at a store; something to bring in a bit of income and get me back in front of the unchurched.
  2. Pray for direction as I prepare the path of teaching. My first message will be on living a repentant lifestyle. I have ideas of where to go next but want the ideas of Heaven for building His church.
  3. Pray that God will send us faithful people with the gifting each of these churches need.
  4. Pray for resource at these two churches. Instruments, sound systems, projectors etc. etc. etc.
  5. Pray for the pastors and staff to catch the vision of recognizing, calling out, equipping, and releasing people into their gifting.

There will be more but that’s a good start.

Thank you for staying with me. It means more than I can express.

Blessings

Gary

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Excellence

Excellence is not an end in itself, rather a means to an end. God gave us His best and gave us a world created with excellence in every way. Our end as believers is the ministry of reconciliation. II Corinthians 5:18.

When we steward our gift and master our medium it allows us to offer our best to God and communicate the excellence of God and His kingdom to the world in a way worthy of the Kingdom. God never said “that’s close enough” and neither should we.

Mastering Our Medium

A.W. Tozer

God has honored human speech by using it as a medium through which to express His message of salvation, first in the inspired Scriptures and afterwards in a thousand languages and dialects among the nations of mankind. Language is the mighty organ upon which may be played the joyous oratorio of redemption for the blessing of men and for the high honor of God.

Among the countless gifts of God, one of the most precious to us is our beautiful, expressive English tongue. That such a gift should be neglected by busy men and women in their wild race to make a living is at least understandable, if unfortunate; but that it should be neglected as well by the ministers of the sanctuary is not only impossible to understand but completely inexcusable.

For the very reason that God has committed His saving truth to the receptacle of human language, the man who preaches that truth should be more than ordinarily skillful in the use of language. It is necessary that every artist master his medium, every musician his instrument. For a man calling himself a concert pianist to appear before an audience with but a beginner’s acquaintance with the keyboard would be no more absurd than for a minister of the gospel to appear before his congregation without a thorough knowledge of the language in which he expects to preach.

Tozer Devotional :: The Alliance

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Posted by Gary in Worship

Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the checkout girl

I was sent this by a friend I didn’t check the facts but trust the source.
Enjoy:

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4.  Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful.  She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled  softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left.  He looked at her card, BRENDA.  He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.  Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted.  When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work.  She simply said it wasn’t possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn’t afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter.  Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.  That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, “Well, let’s take the kids with us.”

She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.  Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children.  She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair.  He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.

Kurtis asked Brenda, “I still don’t understand why the kids can’t come with us?”  Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities – just like her first husband and father of her children had done.  Kurtis was not ordinary – – – he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him.  When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back.  The kids loved Kurtis.  At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added five more kids.

So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?  Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super Bowl.  Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

He has also been the NFL’s Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player.

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Posted by Gary in Faith