Travis Agnew 
The song “Words of Life” focuses on the teaching ministry of Jesus. As we developed the “Knowing Jesus” project, we knew that we needed to designate one sone specifically to display the power of Jesus’ preaching. He was known as teaching with authority, and His lessons are still discussed 2000 years later after their origination. That is something unique!
We wrote this song in a different way than the others.
I am not debating in the presidential debate tonight. I am not running for office. But you have to give credit to two men who desire the job of POTUS given the status of our country. Whether you believe one or both of these men to be egotistical maniacs, gluttons for punishment, or eager ambassadors, they both want this job badly.
So badly that the 2nd debate was unnerving for many Americans. The constant interruptions. The disregard for boundaries. The snide comments.
And now, we arrive at the 3rd debate tonight. I already have my mind made up concerning how I am voting. And so have you. And so has the rest of America. Tonight’s debate is likely not to change many minds as much as it will fire up both camps to blitz Facebook and Twitter with everyone’s biased review of the men’s performances.
I tried to imagine how I would respond if I was being portrayed by my opponent as a liar to millions of people. Sure, I would want to interrupt and set the record straight. I wouldn’t want to be characterized by something I am not.
And so, it made me wonder: “If I was in the presidential debate tonight, how would I close out my argument?” Here’s a shot:
Wonderful time of worship at North Side today! We are nearing the end of our “Knowing Jesus” CD as we studied the Gospel of John for over a year. The message on Thomas was great. I loved how Jeff said that the church needs to stop defining people by their past. So true!
McFadden did a great monologue from Thomas’ perspective. As he spoke of that moment when Jesus appeared in the disciples’ midst, he led in worship with “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.” The song worked out so well between the monologue and the message, it was almost as if Thomas himself wrote it!
Today, we worshiped to:
Thankful to Karen Erskine for sending this sign to me. This week’s bad church sign of the week has the Jesus character telling Luke Skywalker that, in fact, Darth Vader is not his father. Instead, he is. This one isn’t that bad per se, but is quite hilarious on one side. On the other side, I really wish I knew
Making money is not an evil thing and can be a thing that God uses to meets the needs of others. But an overly-ambitious heart can lead to greed and the downfall of a man’s wealth and integrity.
Take a moment and read Proverbs 28:21-22:
The song “Risen” off of our “Knowing Jesus” project was 1 of the 2 original group writing sessions we did. John, Jamie, Laura, and Phillip camped out in my playroom and studied the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. After a while, they had a pre-chorus section and a few different chorus ideas. The “come and see, the tomb is empty, He is risen” was the first section written.
We knew we wanted minor verses, major choruses. We also decided that we wanted the mood to carry over from “It Is Finished” before it. We wanted to convey at the beginning a sense of hopelessness and confusion. So the song starts out with just pad and vocal. Was the cross the end? Now what? We wanted people to experience what the disciples must have felt.
The rest of the song is a rowdy celebration of the power over death found in Jesus’ resurrection.
I know I am two weeks behind to give you a “Knowing Jesus” recap, but things have been a tad busy as of late. In short, the event exceeded my expectations which were very large. After all the prayer, study, work, and preparation into this event and resource, I set the bar high in my mind. I never imagined what would happen that night.
I thought the entire roof was about to blow off the building. When God’s people responded to the revelation of Jesus Christ, it was beyond intense. As the storyline unfolded as we told the life and ministry of Christ through song, genuine, passionate worship erupted among us.
I had many comments (some of them were very sup rising), and here are the most repeated ones:
Focusing on missions and the power of the resurrection – what a Sunday!
Samantha Vickers did a fantastic job sharing her “Ni Zan Je” testimony and showing what faithfulness to the call looks like. It was great for her to commission our mission team leaving out this Saturday in Hausa. “I will follow Jesus anywhere no matter the roughness of the road.”
Today, we worshiped to:
“Men work. Men provide. And when those men are children of God who call on Him as their Father, they can be sure that God will always meet their needs” (From The Resolution, page 160).
Sometimes, even the hardest working man comes upon financial challenges. Families grow, bills increase, unexpected expenses occur, salaries shift, and yet in the middle of all of these circumstances, God provides.
Take a moment to read Psalm 37:25-29:
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