It Really Wasn’t Eve’s Fault

Men must resolve to take responsibility for their families. Passivity is not an option. Whenever a man fails to accept his God-given responsibility, his family is in serious danger.

The first family in the Bible provides an example of what happens when a man fails to lead. Take some time to read Genesis 3:1-13. As you read, make note of key phrases that characterize Adam’s passivity.

Sin was ushered into the world in this tragic account of the Fall. In Genesis 2, God gave Adam the command not to eat from the tree. Eve was not around to hear this original message. If she were to receive that piece of instruction, she probably received it from her husband, Adam. What’s shocking about Genesis 3 is that the reader isn’t even aware that Adam is in the scene until verse 6. The Bible describes a conversation with Eve and the Devil and there is no sign of Adam.

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Worship Preferences

The process of picking a place to worship has kind of become like picking a place to eat. We all have individual preferences, but when did worship ever become about what we got out of it?

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Our worship team is the best.  You can see from the picture above the sacrifices that each of them (and their families) make week after week.  This was taken during soundcheck early this morning where Cory’s son, Nate, asked if he could bring his pillow and keep sleeping.  The ability to sleep beside Cory’s amp is a very impressive feat.  So appreciative of all our volunteers on this Thanksgiving week that work tirelessly to lead in worship!

We focused on Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well.  Jeff’s message was incredibly powerful!  Never heard so much insight into this passage.  We also watched our Worship Preferences video this morning that we made with some talented folks (more on this later this week).

Today, we worshiped to:

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Happy Thanksgiving

In the last week, the Agnews have been busy.  It’s actually been a busy couple of months for us really.  We rounded up last weekend with a wedding I officiated with some dear friends.  The picture above is Eli and Obadiah getting dressed up in the photo booth at the wedding reception.

From there we were able to have our album release worship service, get a lot of stuff done in the office, work on a bunch of home projects over the week.

These boys, and their lil’ sister on the way, bring so much joy to my life.  With busy weeks and exciting stuff happening, they are always there to remind me of the important things in life.  Very thankful today.

When asked this morning what they were thankful for, they said:

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Songs of Our Faith [Recap]

I was absolutely blown away last night during our night of worship.  So much work went into pulling yesterday off.  From Anthony Gravley working hard in the studio, to Evan Boney working tirelessly on loops and programming, to the band working tirelessly on these ambitious arrangements, to the singers singing their faces off, to Jessica, Jamie, Cory, and the rest of the North Side staff working so hard on details, to the wonderful tech and host teams who had everything so well thought out, to the Watkins who went over and beyond in preparation, to the guest choirs that joined us (North Side was joined by New Life Baptist McCormick and Erskine Gospel Choir), it was a family effort through and through!

We were able to help raise support for Meals on Wheels.  We had a great time of just being family during and after.  Wonderful time of communion.  Songs of Our Faith album finally released.

And we worshiped with everything we had.  I have never heard that room so full of not a mixed band or group, but the volume was coming from the worshipers.  It was incredible.  So much I want to share, and I will in the coming days, but today, I am just grateful that this wonderful team allows me to lead worship alongside them and this wonderful church allows me to be a part of the ride.  Grateful.

Here are some more photos from the night:

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Songs of Our Faith

Few songs endure for generations. A rare few endure for centuries. Many songs that we sing today will not be sung in five years. So if a song has served as a voice for many generations as God’s people have proclaimed worship to Him, that’s something special. Now, when it comes to arranging and recording …

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He MUST Increase

What a great morning at North Side!  Walking through the Gospel of John, Jeff decided to take an extra stop a long the way to talk about the joy that John the Baptist had in decreasing.  While I hadn’t planned the service around that passage, it was wonderful watching the Holy Spirit unite elements to make a powerful service.

We were blessed to have some missionaries from North Africa talk with us about how to truly partner with missionaries on the field.  Awesome insights and wonderful to pray with them.

Today, we worshiped to:

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The Frustration with National Adoption Day

I was appreciative of a text message this morning from a dear friend telling me they were inspired by an article in this morning’s Index Journal.  I still have only read the short version on the website and not read the entire article, but I was interviewed earlier this week concerning adoption.

Honestly, it took me a moment to realize why I was being interviewed for two reasons: 1) There are plenty of other families that do more than us for the cause of adoption, and 2) I forget that Eli is adopted.  In fact, I don’t like talking about it when one child is distinguished as the biological child and one as the adoptive child.  God brought both of our children into our family.  Different ways, but they are both our sons.

I went along with the interview because today is National Adoption Day, and I figured, if our family could inspire others to adopt, that’s a good thing.  That’s worth it.

We had a wonderful day as a family today playing in our home and helping with some friends’ wedding, but it ended on a very bitter note.  Right before family worship tonight, I read a tweet from a dear friend that read:

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Songs of Our Faith – This Sunday Night!

Last night we had a fantastic practice/worship time as we prepared for this Sunday’s night of worship.  I say it was practice, but it was really worship.  When you get to work with the people I get to, practice turns into worship.

I’ll say this: this entire project (recording, planning, arranging, practicing) has been a more daunting attempt than anything else we have ever done.  The arrangements are very complex.  The instrumentation shifts from song to song.  Players and vocalists are being pushed to the max.

And, I’ve never been more proud of this group!

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