Recommended Reading: I'm Outnumbered!: One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys by Laura Lee Groves

Again, I'm taking a break from the norm this week to inform you about an outstanding parenting book. Although, I may be just a little bit biased.

Written by Laura Lee Groves (my mother), I'm Outnumbered!: One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys provides valuable insights and practical tips for mothers of multiple sons. Having raised four boys over a span of 20+ years, Laura knows what she's writing about. She's seen food fights, arm wrestling contests, make-believe characters, and everything in between.

But through it all, there remains a constant focus on raising children according to the word of God. In a world of relativism and plenty of poor parenting examples, I'm Outnumbered! offers a more biblically-based, hands-on parenting model that I experienced firsthand.

So check out Laura Lee Groves' very first book release from Kregel Publications! If you'd like to purchase I'm Outnumbered!, you can find it at your local Christian bookstore or at Amazon.com.

And if you'd like to know more about Laura Lee Groves, visit her website called Outnumbered Mom. You can also find her on Facebook here.

Song Highlight: In Christ Alone

Penned by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend in 2002, the modern hymn "In Christ Alone" encapsulates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in song. Not only that, but the song also points to the awesome hope we have through the power of Christ that now resides in us. I could say more, but why don't you check it out for yourself?

Click the video below to watch a live performance of "In Christ Alone" by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Lyrics

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again
And as he stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am his, and he is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till he returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand



If you'd like more information about the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty, click on the following link.

Recommended Music: Counting Stars by Andrew Peterson

This week, I'm taking a break from the norm to inform you about some new Christian music that's worth a look. Counting Stars, the eighth studio album by singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson hits stores on July 27th, and believe me, you don't want to miss out on this. The music of Andrew Peterson is rife with heartwarming melodies and poignant lyrics that will challenge you and inspire you. It is also evident that Mr. Peterson has an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, as it flows through his music like a rushing river.

Personally, I have been a fan of Andrew Peterson's music for quite some time now. What attracts me most to his music is his lyrical depth. In an age of shallow, pop-driven radio singles, Andrew Peterson provides more mature, profound melodies. And at the center of Peterson's music is the most important thing: the Creator. In addition, Peterson's latest offering, Counting Stars, mirrors what we as a church have been studying this summer. This album draws its title from Abram's encounter with God in Genesis 15:

"And [the LORD] brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.'" - Genesis 15:5-6

The same God who taught Abram lessons of faith thousands of years ago is still living and active today. He is working in the heart of Andrew Peterson, and he is working in our hearts too. Counting Stars is a welcome reminder of this truth. Find the album at www.andrew-peterson.com or at your nearest Christian bookstore.

Click the player below to hear the newest single from Counting Stars called "The Reckoning (How Long)."

Click the video below to watch the music video for the song "Dancing in the Minefields" from Counting Stars.

Song Highlight: Standing on the Promises

Through our sermon series on the life of Abraham, we have discovered many themes throughout the narrative. One theme, however, stands out among the others: the theme of God's faithfulness. We've followed Abraham through times of trial and triumph, and along the way, we've seen Abraham make both good and bad decisions. But the one thing that remains constant in the story of Abraham is this: that God's promises are true. God can be trusted. God should be trusted. And we can stand on the promises of God with confidence. That is why we sing "Standing on the Promises" (words by Fanny J. Crosby, music by Phoebe Palmer Knapp). This song proclaims exactly what we are learning in the scriptures. Meditate on these words and cling to God's promises this week.

You can listen to an instrumental version of the hymn below.

Lyrics

Standing on the promises of Christ my King
Through eternal ages let his praises ring
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing
Standing on the promises of God

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior
Standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises that cannot fail
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail
By the living Word of God I shall prevail
Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord
Bound to him eternally by love's strong cord
Overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword
Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises I cannot fall
Listening every moment to the Spirit's call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all
Standing on the promises of God

What Makes a Good Hymn?

I ran across this quote some time ago while perusing the Sojourn Community Church Music Blog. It's not a long quote, but it gives a nice summary of what makes a good hymn.


From The Hymns Of Watts & Wesley, by Bernard Manning:

“What makes a good hymn? … these hymns combine personal experience with a presentation of historic events and doctrines… the writers look back from their own experience to those experiences of the Incarnate Son of God on which their faith was built. This gives them a steadiness, a firmness, a security against mere emotionalism and sentimentality which more recent writers, trying to lay bare their souls, have found it difficult to avoid.”

I couldn’t agree more with this ingredient in good worship songwriting. What are some other things that make a good hymn or song of praise?


Source: http://www.sojournmusic.com/2010/05/19/what-makes-a-good-hymn/

Song Highlight: Far Country

This week, our song of reflection was "Far Country" by acclaimed singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson. In this week's sermon, which focused on the rest of Genesis 15 (verses 7-21), we discovered that God's promises are not always fulfilled in the timetable that we expect.

You see, God had promised Abram the land of Canaan back in chapter 12 when he called Abram out of Ur. And God reiterated that promise repeatedly. But when Abram finally arrived in the land of Canaan, he saw more people groups than I have the space to type here (check verses 19-21). Understandably, Abram was concerned by the presence of these peoples, and he asked God, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess [this land]?"

This is where Abram learned a very important truth: He would not live to see the fulfillment of this promise. In verses 13-16, God explained that there would be four hundred years of sojourning and suffering before Abram's offspring would inherit the promised land. Thus, while Abram was faithful, he would not experience the fulfilled promise for himself. Like his descendants, he would live his life in the hope of this promise. Abram lived in the in between.

In the same way, we live in a world that is in between the promise and its fulfillment. God has promised in his word to restore this broken world and establish a new heaven and a new earth. We too live in anticipation of this promise not yet fulfilled. We long for our true home...our heavenly home. We acknowledge that, like Abram, we are sojourners in a far country. The more we look at this world around us, the more we yearn for the promised land that is not yet here.

The song "Far Country" touches on this sentiment with the lyrical richness and spiritual sensitivity characteristic of the music of Andrew Peterson. As we meditate on this song, let our hearts dwell on the faithfulness of God. We know from scripture that God's promise to Abram did come true. Thus, we also know that his promised return will one day come. Let that be our hope as we live in this far country.

You can listen to the song below.

Lyrics:

Father Abraham, do you remember when
You were called to a land, and you didn't know the way?
'Cause we are wandering in a foreign land
We are children of the promise of the faith

And I long to find it
Can you feel it too?
That the sun that's shining is a shadow of the truth

This is a far country, this is a far country
Not my home

In the dark of the night, I can feel the shadows all around me
Cold shadows in the corners of my heart
But the heart of the fight is not in the flesh but in the spirit
And the spirit's got me shaking in the dark

And I long to go there
I can feel the truth
I can hear the promise of the angels of the moon

This is a far country, it's just a far country
Not my home, not my home

I can see in the strip malls and the phone calls the flaming swords of Eden
In the fast cash and the news flash and the horn blast of war
In the sin-fraught cities of the dying and the dead
Like steel-wrought graveyards where the wicked never rest
To the high and lonely mountain in the groaning wilderness

We ache for what is lost
As we wait for the holy God
Of Father Abraham, oh, Father Abraham

I was made to go there
Out of this far country
To my home, to my home

This is a far country, it's just a far country
Not my home, oh, Father Abraham
And I long to go there

FYI - Andrew Peterson is releasing a new album called Counting Stars on July 27th, 2010. If you'd like more information about the music of Andrew Peterson, click on the following link.

Why We Worship

We worship because

We are so thankful that we don't know what else to do.

We are thankful because

God ransomed us from death and gave us new life.

God saved us because

He loves us despite our stubbornness and our imperfections.

God loves us because

He is good, not because of any goodness in us.


God is good, and his love fills up our cup.


Why do we worship?

We worship because our cup overflows.

Song Highlight: Never Let Me Down

The song "Never Let Me Down" by Andy Gullahorn was chosen for our song of reflection this week as we continued our sermon series through the life of Abraham. This week, we focused on Genesis 15:1-6. In this passage, God reiterates his promise that Abraham's heir will be his very own son.

As we observed in this passage, Abraham doubted these promises for a variety of reasons, but God responded by reiterating his promises and making a covenant with Abraham. This covenant is an awesome display of God's faithfulness to Abraham...and to us. Despite our doubts, our misgivings, and our failures, our God will never let us down.

You can listen to the song below.

Lyrics:

I guess I learned the hard way
The world can't give me what I need
Even though the house I built on sand
Was swallowed by the sea

You never let me down, you never let me down
You never let me down, you never let me down

Sometimes I think I'll only be content
With things that money buys
It's like trying to squeeze water from a stone
It will not provide

But you never let me down, you never let me down
You never let me down, you never let me down

You might let me cry
You might let me sing
You might let me feel a fraction of your suffering

But you won't let me down, you never let me down

If I could just stop striving
And surrender to your holy power
I know your loving arms will lift me up

And never let me down, you never let me down
You never let me down, you never let me down

Personal Pronouns in Worship

I'm forgiven because you were forsaken. I'm accepted; you were condemned. I'm alive and well; your Spirit lives within me because you died and rose again.

- You Are My King (Billy Foote)

I'm trading my sorrow. I'm trading my shame. I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord.

- Trading My Sorrows (Darrell Evans)

Who am I that you are mindful of me? That you hear me when I call? Is it true that you are thinking of me? How you love me...it's amazing. I am a friend of God. He calls me friend.

- Friend of God (Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor)

For most of us, the term personal pronoun doesn't come up in our everyday conversations, much less our conversations about Christian worship. However, personal pronouns are essential to setting the tone of our worship services.

Let me explain.

As you may have noticed in the excerpts above, many modern worship songs use personal pronouns called first-person singular (me, myself, I) rather than first-person plural (us, ourselves, we). On the surface, this doesn't appear to be a very serious issue. But let's dig a little deeper, shall we?

In Colossians 3:16, Paul gives these instructions to the Ephesian believers: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." When we examine the early church, we see that almost all references to worship are in a corporate setting. And this makes sense, doesn't it? We gather together on Sunday mornings to worship our God as a community of believers, not just as individuals. How foolish it is to stand among believers on Sunday mornings without lifting up our voices together. We are the body of Christ; we are the church.

To be fair, there is most assuredly an aspect of worship that is individual. We choose to worship God. And our relationship with the creator and sustainer of all things is deeply intimate. But on Sunday mornings, we collectively lift our voices in worship to the King of kings. We do this as a sign of unity. And we do this because we are "thankful... in [our] hearts to God."

To conclude, there is nothing theologically wrong with songs of worship that use first-person singular pronouns. However, when we (as a congregation) sing these songs on a Sunday morning, we do not accurately reflect the appropriate mode of corporate worship. Thus, let us strive to lift high the name of Jesus not just as individuals, but as a community of believers devoted to our Lord and Savior.