I have a reminder on my phone that tells me everyday at noontime to remember the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose being that at some point in everyday that I live I should remember Christ Jesus. He is my purpose, He is the center of it all. Tim Hughes wrote a song with the same title, "Center of it all".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c90aS1RyYB8
In the beginning, before you set the world in motion
Uncreated God eternal
Radiant beauty, infinite the God-head three in one
Perfect father, spirit, saviour
it all begins and ends with you
it all begins and ends with you
the first, the last, the center of it all
in you all things are held together
the sun, the moon, the stars, the heavens
creator God, the center of it all
All of the universe explodes in song before designer king
Valley shaper, mountain maker
The stars sing out, they can't contain the praises of their God
Earth creator, heaven shaker
Imagine all of the universe unanimously erupting in songs of praise and glory and worship to the God who created all things! This is actually the reality in which we live, yet we are the only creation who struggles to do it. The Bible says, "the heavens declare the glory of God." How much more ought we do the same who are made in that same image, after our creator. Our lives must "pour forth the fame of His abundant goodness". This is still the reason for which we were created and designed; in all we do it is for the Lord and His renown.
What can be done today to bring remembrance to the Lord, because the truth is that we do forget. It doesn't necessarily have to be worship music or fasting lunch, though it can indeed be those things. Make it personal to yourself, leave yourself a note, use your phone calendar, etc... Do something!
Soli
Deo
Gloria,
Jim Cardoza
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
pre production and stuff
Have you ever gone to a concert, or some theatrical performance and was just astounded by the production of it all? All the elements came together at the right moment, the lighting, fog or haze, the music, etc... It communicates the purpose and the message of the performance.
All of these things had to be practiced, people had to be trained, actors rehearsed, etc... This is pre-production. For the school of worship, our pre-production consists primarily of two things,band practice(learning songs, prayerfully considering exhortations, stage presence) andpre-production-performancewith the Acquire The Fire (ATF) crew (actually leading worship with the atf staff, or putting on a show like its live).
The School of Worship has been and will continue to be doing Pre-Production with ATF this month, practicing, and rehearsing to bring you the best experience this year at Acquire the Fire and church events, festivals.
A lot of things come into play when you're leading worship, whether it be for a large or small group, and I thought it would be fun to share some tips:
1) Always bring the point of what you're singing, and what you say in between songs back to Jesus because He is the sole purpose for why we do what we do.
2) Beware of crutch words and phrases when praying or giving direction. Be purposeful in what you say and pray.
3) Be natural when leading worship, because you should be aiming to bring them to a place you've already been on your own.
4) Be humble. The bible says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
That's all for now, love you guys. Seek first God's Kingdom.
Soli Deo Gloria
All of these things had to be practiced, people had to be trained, actors rehearsed, etc... This is pre-production. For the school of worship, our pre-production consists primarily of two things,band practice(learning songs, prayerfully considering exhortations, stage presence) andpre-production-performancewith the Acquire The Fire (ATF) crew (actually leading worship with the atf staff, or putting on a show like its live).
The School of Worship has been and will continue to be doing Pre-Production with ATF this month, practicing, and rehearsing to bring you the best experience this year at Acquire the Fire and church events, festivals.
A lot of things come into play when you're leading worship, whether it be for a large or small group, and I thought it would be fun to share some tips:
1) Always bring the point of what you're singing, and what you say in between songs back to Jesus because He is the sole purpose for why we do what we do.
2) Beware of crutch words and phrases when praying or giving direction. Be purposeful in what you say and pray.
3) Be natural when leading worship, because you should be aiming to bring them to a place you've already been on your own.
4) Be humble. The bible says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
That's all for now, love you guys. Seek first God's Kingdom.
Soli Deo Gloria
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mediations and Commentary on 1 John
1 JOHN 1:5-10
this is the message that we have heard from him and now proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. if we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and His word is not in us.
Praise and bless the lord for his marvelous grace, and for his mercy which endures forever.
R.C. Sproul, in commentary, says:
"It is an inescapable reality that believers sin; the remedy for sin - confession, and cleansing by the blood of Jesus - is God's continuing irrevocable gift to believers. Because Jesus' death has paid in full the penalty of sin, and because God has recognized Jesus as his true Son by raising Him from the death, God grants forgiveness and cleansing as a matter of faithfulness and justice. He will not and cannot refuse."
This is phenomenal! God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins! To those who are in Christ, this is an overwhelming thing! If you are anything like me, you come to grips with your sinful nature pretty much every day, and this can become overwhelming too if you keep it in the dark. It is a necessity, if we sin, to bring that sin into the light. Don't keep it hidden, confess it to someone. Confess it to your best friend, your accountability partner, your spouse, etc...
vs.7 says, "but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin"
what a great mercy we have in Jesus Christ! may his mercy and grace be evident in our lives to bring forth righteousness and humility, all to the glory of His great name.
Solo Dei Gloria
this is the message that we have heard from him and now proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. if we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and His word is not in us.
Praise and bless the lord for his marvelous grace, and for his mercy which endures forever.
R.C. Sproul, in commentary, says:
"It is an inescapable reality that believers sin; the remedy for sin - confession, and cleansing by the blood of Jesus - is God's continuing irrevocable gift to believers. Because Jesus' death has paid in full the penalty of sin, and because God has recognized Jesus as his true Son by raising Him from the death, God grants forgiveness and cleansing as a matter of faithfulness and justice. He will not and cannot refuse."
This is phenomenal! God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins! To those who are in Christ, this is an overwhelming thing! If you are anything like me, you come to grips with your sinful nature pretty much every day, and this can become overwhelming too if you keep it in the dark. It is a necessity, if we sin, to bring that sin into the light. Don't keep it hidden, confess it to someone. Confess it to your best friend, your accountability partner, your spouse, etc...
vs.7 says, "but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin"
what a great mercy we have in Jesus Christ! may his mercy and grace be evident in our lives to bring forth righteousness and humility, all to the glory of His great name.
Solo Dei Gloria
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.4
Friday, August 20, 2010
The Tangible and Intangible
Something that's been on my mind lately has been the idea that God's glory is a tangible and intangible thing.
Gods glory is his fame, the radiance of all that makes him God...loosely put! Not only is he famous, but his fame exudes from him, it radiates from his very being.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork"
Everything that God made good is an expression of His own glorious nature. It reveals the traits of its Creator.
Anything that we consider beautiful is only beautiful (by his own standards alone, mind you!) because God is beautiful. Anything that is awe-inspiring is only awe-inspiring because God is AWE-FULL!
Acknowledge the Lord today, when you encounter something good, remember that God in his own singular creativity made it to his own Glory and fame.
Solo Dei Gloria
Gods glory is his fame, the radiance of all that makes him God...loosely put! Not only is he famous, but his fame exudes from him, it radiates from his very being.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork"
Everything that God made good is an expression of His own glorious nature. It reveals the traits of its Creator.
Anything that we consider beautiful is only beautiful (by his own standards alone, mind you!) because God is beautiful. Anything that is awe-inspiring is only awe-inspiring because God is AWE-FULL!
Acknowledge the Lord today, when you encounter something good, remember that God in his own singular creativity made it to his own Glory and fame.
Solo Dei Gloria
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.4
Thursday, August 5, 2010
In-flight Revelation
I was flying from Atlanta, GA to Fort Lauderdale, FL the other day to take a much desired vacation. Over the past couple weeks and months I was finishing reading one of my favorite books: The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.
God's Holiness is the central theme of this book, and the life message of Dr. R.C. Sproul, essentially to spread the knowledge of God's Holiness all around the world. I affirm this, and want to add to it what I believe to be my own life message...
THE GLORY OF GOD
I believe there is a certain cloudiness that surrounds this topic. What is God's glory? How do we glorify God? Why should we glorify God?
This is the purpose of my Blog. God's glory, in every way, to spread the knowledge of the Glory of God.
Back to the Plane...
I looked outside to window and saw a beautiful sight, a combination of colors and depths. You could see the sun beginning to set, you could see the clouds for miles, all at different heights and colors because of the sun setting. I imagined what it must have been like when King David looked up into the middle eastern night sky and wrote "when i look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?". I love that he said, "the work of your fingers", because that is exactly what everything we see in nature is! The WORK OF GOD'S HAND! Like a wood worker piecing together a wicker chair, or a repairman fixing a television...the work of their hands is evident.
My response to this vivid expression of God's handiwork is written below...
"One thing that is notable about salvation and regeneration is that when you become alive and enter the kingdom of God, you see things differently, in a literal and spiritual way. sunsets or sunrises are no longer merely scenic but the vast array of shades, hues, and colors become examples and expressions of Gods handiwork, his Glory.
Mountains aren't just big rocks, but are shaped and molded after the hands and thoughts of its creator. Even food, our taste buds and our sense of smell can glorify God for his marvelous creations.
When our spiritual eyes are opened, our natural eyes are now able to behold, in different facets, God's Glory. Its a wonderful benefit on earth, while waiting for the return of Christ to Glorify God in all we do, honoring Him through all his creation."
God's glory is the expression of all that makes Him God...His Reputation, His Beauty, His When we glorify god, what we are doing is Making Him Famous. This is the true heart of missions, the true heart of worship, and it should be our hearts in every way, no matter what career we choose, no matter where we live, how we raise our children. His Fame is the purpose for which we live.
Solo Dei Gloria
God's Holiness is the central theme of this book, and the life message of Dr. R.C. Sproul, essentially to spread the knowledge of God's Holiness all around the world. I affirm this, and want to add to it what I believe to be my own life message...
THE GLORY OF GOD
I believe there is a certain cloudiness that surrounds this topic. What is God's glory? How do we glorify God? Why should we glorify God?
This is the purpose of my Blog. God's glory, in every way, to spread the knowledge of the Glory of God.
Back to the Plane...
I looked outside to window and saw a beautiful sight, a combination of colors and depths. You could see the sun beginning to set, you could see the clouds for miles, all at different heights and colors because of the sun setting. I imagined what it must have been like when King David looked up into the middle eastern night sky and wrote "when i look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?". I love that he said, "the work of your fingers", because that is exactly what everything we see in nature is! The WORK OF GOD'S HAND! Like a wood worker piecing together a wicker chair, or a repairman fixing a television...the work of their hands is evident.
My response to this vivid expression of God's handiwork is written below...
"One thing that is notable about salvation and regeneration is that when you become alive and enter the kingdom of God, you see things differently, in a literal and spiritual way. sunsets or sunrises are no longer merely scenic but the vast array of shades, hues, and colors become examples and expressions of Gods handiwork, his Glory.
Mountains aren't just big rocks, but are shaped and molded after the hands and thoughts of its creator. Even food, our taste buds and our sense of smell can glorify God for his marvelous creations.
When our spiritual eyes are opened, our natural eyes are now able to behold, in different facets, God's Glory. Its a wonderful benefit on earth, while waiting for the return of Christ to Glorify God in all we do, honoring Him through all his creation."
God's glory is the expression of all that makes Him God...His Reputation, His Beauty, His When we glorify god, what we are doing is Making Him Famous. This is the true heart of missions, the true heart of worship, and it should be our hearts in every way, no matter what career we choose, no matter where we live, how we raise our children. His Fame is the purpose for which we live.
Solo Dei Gloria
Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.9
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)