Make Up Your Mind

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Joshua was used by God to bring God’s people out of the wilderness into their own land. Once the Israelites had procured the Promised Land, Joshua delivers a final word of instruction. In light of all that Israel has experienced, Joshua challenged Israel to determine if they would follow Yahweh exclusively (Josh 24:14-15).

At this pivotal moment in their history, Joshua decided to lead the nation no longer as a fearless commander facing Israel’s international problems but as a bold preacher combating Israel’s spiritual problems. Before he presented the ultimatum, Joshua appealed to God’s work in the past among the Israelites. As Joshua relived Israel’s history (Josh 24:3-13), he quoted Yahweh’s voice and reminded the people that every victorious battle was due to Yahweh’s intervention and not the Israelites’ strength.

In Joshua 24:14-28, we see one of the greatest moments of drawing the line in the sand and demanding people to choose a side..

Just like the Israelites, it is time for us to make up our minds. Will we serve God, or will we serve some other god that has secured our attention?

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Sowing Seeds

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Today, I was blessed to be able and preach at my college roommate’s church.  I spoke on adoption (our adoption into God’s family and the need for children to be adopted into our families).  Praying that many families will either adopt or sign up for foster care. While I loved being there, I hated missing …

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

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The Christmas season has officially kicked off once the Agnews has gone to the Connie Maxwell Christmas, put on some Elmer Fudd hats, drank some “warm” chocolate, and seen some Christmas lights. Hope you are ready for a great month!

Hymns for the Next Generation

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I’m still giddy over last week’s worship service.  We released our new hymns album and sang through the entire ambitious project.  A night full of hymns with some pretty special arrangements.

When we started the project, a friend asked me, “Are you worried that if you change up the hymns too much, that some people won’t like them?”  Whenever you are dealing with people’s tastes, you will never please everyone, but my goal was not to please everyone but to unite everyone.

In the culture we are living in, there is a new worship song that bands want to do every week.  The danger is that the next generation will miss some of these wonderful worship songs.  I was worried when we put together an entire night of hymn worship that I was going to lose the younger generation’s attention span.  That’s why the arrangements were so eclectic, it was an attempt to gather all people together.

I didn’t know if it worked until I got home that night and had a Facebook message waiting for me with a teenager who is a worship industry “expert.”  He knows all the latest and greatest out there.  I was shocked by what he said:

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Don’t Misrepresent Christ

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As you can tell from the picture, the Agnews have been hard at work.  Recently moving into another house, we are getting things ready for Baby Gloria’s arrival.  The boys have been a huge help with their tool belts on removing floorings, sanding, and cleaning up.  For some reason, Eli likes to take his shirt off when he really starts working.  Love this kid.

From the entire process of selling our house, buying another one, and working with everyone from bankers, insurance agents, construction geniuses, and servicemen, I have learned a bunch this time around.

While I am learning a bunch about fixing up a house, I am learning more about the witness that I am in Christ.

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It Really Wasn’t Eve’s Fault

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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

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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

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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

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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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