Lay Me Down
This has been a great declaration of worship at our church in recent months. It is a unique thing for such an upbeat, energetic song to be such a moving declaration of worship.
Ministry
No Murder
We focused on the sixth commandment today, and I was simply overwhelmed at the presence of God among us today. The sixth commandment commands us not to murder but also implies that we should give life. Jesus reveals the heart nature of the issue and leaves us all in need of evaluation. We started our time together by singing “Lay …
Beer’s Place
This week’s church sign states: AMAZING GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH BEER IS ALRIGHT IN ITS PLACE. BUT IT’S PLACE IS IN HELL. Well… Actually, regardless of whether you stand concerning the social drinking argument and the discussion concerning moderation, can we all agree on one thing: I doubt there will be beer in hell. I think there will be fire, fire, …
Lord, I Need You
This is one of the most honest songs that our church sings. So thankful for these words.
Honor Your Father and Your Mother
The first commandment with a promise attached to it is “Honor your father and your mother.” This message will examine what such honor looks like and how it is to be carried out today. Such a great joy to start our services with baptism again! Loved hearing the stories of how God is changing lives. Even while today’s message was …
We Take the Bible…
This week’s church sign reads: We take the Bible seriously not literally. Well, at least they are honest with you upfront. That’s a plus.
Family Night – September 27th
In my new role as Family Pastor, I am putting together some steps to help families grow in Christ. One of our first shots at this is something we are calling Family Night. We will meet together on Saturday, Sept. 27th from 6-8 in North Side’s Family Life Center. Bring your family to join with other families for North Side’s …
The Best Advice to Give College Students
September is usually the most challenging and rewarding month of the year for me. With programs blowing and going at the church, Lander classes starting up, college group at our house, events, programs, weddings, classes, etc., it is one of the most sleep-deprived times of my year. This year has been exceptionally busy yet exceptionally fruitful. Especially in the area …
Restless
We sang this song in today’s services and it summarized them well as we focused on the Sabbath rest. This was written by Audrey Assad and Matt Maher. Audrey’s songwriting and singing is a gift to the Church. Hope you enjoy.
The Sabbath
Jesus taught that man was not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for man. This message will examine not only the fourth commandment, but the great blessing that comes from keeping it. Today was a great day as we focused on the faithfulness of our God. We started our services with baptism. I love watching fathers …
You’re Toast
This week’s church sign: Without the Bread of Life You’re Toast This one is my jam! Sorry, couldn’t help it. I don’t want it to be cheesy…
I Kinda Agree with Victoria Osteen
When Victoria Osteen’s comments concerning worshiping God came out days ago, I was shocked like many of you. I refrained from posting any comments because I really wanted to take it in and process it all. If you are one of the few that have not seen it, the clip below is her comments during a worship service a couple …
What An 83-Year-Old Thought About Our Worship Services
I remember the first time I met sweet Mrs. Jimmie Rose Carver. In a tiny frame, Mrs. Jimmie burst with the joy of the Lord. After the man who was her husband and her pastor for 60 years passed away a few years ago, she decided to visit North Side despite what she had heard from others concerning the worship. …
Keep His Name Holy
One of the greatest treasures God has given us is his name. God’s name is an expression of who he is. How we use God’s name is an expression of what we think of him. Today’s services were so special from the beginning to the end! My heart is so full on what Jesus is doing among us! He is …
No Idols
While the first commandment from God tells us who we should worship, the second commandment tells us how we should worship. God expects His people to worship Him alone and in the right way. Worship the right God in the right way. That was the goal of today’s services. We started out our time together with baptism. We then sang …
Church Sign: God Bless…
Well, at least there are no hidden beliefs with this church sign. You can drive by and see what they are passionate about: God Bless America & the KJV Bible
No Other Gods
The Ten Commandments are a revelation of the very character of God. They reveal His righteousness and His expectations of His people in how those people relate to Him and to each other. The first commandment is the basis that the other nine are built upon. We are to have only one God. Today was such a special day of …
Trust and Obey
We did Chelsea Moon and the Franz Brothers’ adaptation of “Trust and Obey” in today’s services. Jeff had mentioned the truth of these lines recently as we prepare to discuss the commandments in Exodus. Chelsea Moon’s two volumes of hymns are gifts to the Church! Tracey Sutley did a great job singing it for us today, but if you are wanting …
Does Anybody Tremble Anymore?
One gets the impression that when God met with His people at Mt. Sinai, that it was a dangerous time. Out of fear and respect for God, there was a prevailing sense of reverence and awe. The people probably did actually tremble! Does anybody still do that anymore? Do you? We began our time together focusing on living according to …
Ferguson Is Closer Than You Realize
Moving through a busy week, I have only caught brief glimpses of the news. It seems like it would have been a great week to turn it off altogether because of the overwhelming nature concerning the state of our world. This week, persecution towards Christians and violence has escalated in Iraq, comedian Robin Williams committed suicide, and unarmed teenager Michael …
A Few Nuts
I can’t say that I really disagree with this church sign. Our congregation is like fudge: sweet with a few nuts.
When the Church Hinders the Family
I mentioned earlier this week that my job has changed. Serving as a Family Pastor has unique challenges. For some people, they may think that I am going to provide specific help in family situations. For others, they think that I will be overseeing all children’s and student ministries at the church. Some people may think I will provide the …
My New Job
I woke up at my normal time today. I walked into the same office. But I have a very different job. Today, I started my job as Family and Worship Pastor at North Side Baptist Church in Greenwood, SC. We made the announcement yesterday of some major changes in the coming days with our church. One of those was concerning …
Defining the Relationship
Before God goes any further with His people, He makes sure that they understand how He sees their relationship. God’s relationship with Israel then defines His relationship with the church today. We started the service by singing “Declare Your Praise,” “Awesome God,” and “Humble Yourselves.” This set was meant to show how we are called out to be a kingdom …
Bad Church Sign: Devil Worshipers Welcome
This week’s church sign: Devil worshipers welcome. Well, I…mean…that’s good I suppose. There must be a story here somewhere.
Get the Word Out
God’s people are most at peace when they live according to His word and His wisdom. Making sure there is an effective way to get God’s word to His people is the focus of our time today (Exodus 18:1-27). After missing last Sunday due to Family Camp, it was great to be back at North Side! I was thankful that the …
Bad Church Sign: Tomlin in Junior High
This week’s church sign states: Our worship leader was contemporary when Chris Tomlin was in Jr. High. So, is there an award for this or something? Congratulations, guys!
Division in the Wilderness
There is a big difference between trusting God and testing God. Testing God is a sin and one that is committed when we grumble about our circumstances. God wants us to know that He will always provide what His children need. I was away at Family Camp today, but I hated being away from our church family! Watch Online Worship …
Bad Church Sign: Members Tolerated
I wonder who put this sign up and wonder what type of feedback he or she got!
Keep Calm and Carry On
God doesn’t always lead his people down the easiest path. When following the Lord becomes difficult, we can certainly depend on God to fight for us, but we have to keep moving forward by faith. After watching a Shake-n-Shine recap video, Ben recognized Dylan Bailey who was award the Blackmon Scholarship. You can read his powerful essay here. We then …
My Hope
Just a reminder today: always be ready to tell anyone where your hope comes from. but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect… -1 Peter 3:15 This song is from our 1 …
You Should Be Yahweh’s Witnesses Instead of Jehovah’s Witnesses
My dialogue with some Jehovah’s Witnesses has continued as of late. After a couple of encounters, I sent my new friends an email with some questions and asked for their leaders to help me understand some discrepancies within the New World Translation. When they showed up back at the house last week, they said they didn’t have adequate time to talk about …
What LeBron’s Return to Cleveland Says About Each of Us
A picture says a thousand words. A simple snapshot is able to archive a moment, capture an emotion, or recall a memory. It’s an amazing feat. Take the arena of basketball. I can show you a picture of a player in an event and it will cause you possibly to remember the moment and recall your personal feelings about that …
Church Sign: Ready or Not
So, like the actual personification of death wrote that? The Grim Reaper, itself?! Would that be the scariest person to write that message on that sign? Oh, I think not. Look at the name of the church. This is Dwarf Baptist Church! It’s either Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Gimli, Thorin Oakenshield, Larry, Curly, or one of those dwarves who wrote it. …
The Passover
Knee-deep in the Passover today. God showed his power among the Israelites and the Egyptians with the plagues, and yet, in his final plague, he also showed his great mercy as he passed over the people who were covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. We began today’s services by singing “Pass Me Not” and “Agnus Dei.” Someone stated …
Mercy
On Sunday, we are singing a song during communion entitled “Mercy.” The entire service is focusing on the Passover, and we are using as an eclectic amount of music genres that I believe is possible. This song will conclude our services. Matt Redman wrote this song. It is on his latest album and on the latest Passion 2014 album. There …
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