Be near me Lord Jesus

As Christmas approaches, it seems my view of God changes a bit. Christmas just brings everything a little bit closer. Like a giant huddle underneath a blanket on a chilly night. Things, even though there are so many parties and different places to go, seem to slow down in the moments when I am alone. I was listening to Christmas music and this song came on and we have all heard it a million times but one part really struck me that day.

 "Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
 Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;"

I had often thought of this verse as me being near the manger and seeing the baby and ME being near him. But in fact, it is Him that is near to us. He is the one that came from an eternal place of worship and peace and amazement to be in a place of sin and war and discontentment.

Most of the population on this spinning ball don't like to be alone. We have this innate sense of needing to be near someone else. We give up reason, freedom, choice and sometimes faith to be near someone or something else. We are made to be loved and to be touched. How wonderful and awe-inspiring would it have been to be able see Jesus? Would that make you have more faith today? If you could go in a time machine and actually see Jesus, would that give you more devotion and passion for the reasons he came?

In the end, after all the searching and questioning and empty pursuits to find love, it is to be found in one place. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed...the little Lord Jesus lays down His sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
There is no reason to look anywhere else for the love that you need.
Jesus has come this day!
A Saviour is born!
God truly is with us!
May God draw you close to Him this Christmas Season!

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Andy

Tailgating in the sweet bye and bye

This past Saturday, I got the opportunity to go to my first This past Saturday, I got the opportunity to go to my first college football game. I got to see Notre Dame beat Duke. It was a great time and a great atmosphere to experience. Something struck me hard though before the game. We went early and I experienced another first: tailgating. We spent about an hour and a half just hanging out. What struck me wasn't the amount of people or what they were or weren't drinking etc. It hit me that they have being "together" more than most local churches. They share food, share stories, and share just about anything. They just meet everybody and nobody seems left out. They are laughing and joking and being, without really knowing them, their best selves when these times come. It seems in a tailgating lot, that there are no problems, no worries, nothing that you have to do or don't do to make "tailgating" right. They are just experiencing life together. So often we get caught up in the "how" and forget to be happy in the now. We get so frustrated with everything going on around us and we start to have fewer things to appreciate. You see, when we start complaining and being mean and bitter about things, it trickles into everything we do, everything we say and eventually affects how we live.

The church needs to start living life with each other and stop telling and talking about how others are doing so much wrong and how they need to live. Sure, call sin sin but don't let that be OUR calling card. We aren't called to into all the world and preach the condemning/sad/turn or burn message are we? Is that what Jesus said? No...he said go and tell them the good news...the news that there is a better life. One that if lived with the right priorities can be abundant and joy-filled. We (people who are trying to be more like Christ and less like a "Christian") should start living our lives like a tailgate. Befriending all, criticising few... laughing more, bad mouthing less...giving to others, comparing what we have to those around...

You see...I don't know what Heaven will be like but I'd like to think it will be a little like tailgating. With its good times, everybody is a friend and such an atmosphere of excitement and joy that people would want to be there above anywhere else.

I need to tailgate more in my life. How about you?

Those songs aren’t “spiritual” enough!

There are frustrations in ministry that baffle the mind. None more than the issue of music for me. I have heard comments from complaining “Christians” and read different posts about how we should continue using the hymnal and such. The arguments are all about how “spiritual” the hymns are and how much meaning that they have to the person. Here are some comments I have heard about new worship:

“Oh, you’re going to sing one of those 7/11 songs. 7 words sung 11 times!”

“That music is from the devil and is not God-honoring.”

“Songs like Friend of God and Blessed be your name won’t be remembered in 50 years.”


Do you know how frustrating it is for a worship leader to plan, prepare, and simply lead worship then at the end to hear these types of things? I know people will critizise anything that they don’t like. I think music is more about personal preference and opinion rather than whether it is God honoring or not. This whole issue has me so frustrated and sick that it makes me just want to spit nails. It has been going on for so long that it makes you wonder if it not something that Satan using to his advantage often.


Here are my assumptions:

1. Who are you to call music that is about God, sung to him and for him not spiritual enough? Really...just because it isn’t the type of music that you came to the Lord under doesn’t mean it can’t do that for someone else.

2. Some hymns are great. Some...not so much. Don’t try and tell me that they are more scripturally based. That is a joke. Both types are mainly based in scripture with both having exceptions. Don’t go there.

3. This battle must be frustrating to the one who died for us. We talk about this, argue about this, criticize about this and leave churches over this.

4. Trying to blend the music never hits the two sides enough. The elders, who pay the bills and have been the foundation of the church, don’t like it when it’s too loud or they can’t learn the song. The younger people, who I’ve been told, don’t pay tithe, are lax in their commitment, and don’t want to be held accountable, feel as though the other peoples songs are boring and are sung out of tradition rather than out of worship.

5. We often forget that God is the audience, not us. We are the participants not the worship leader or band. Lastly, that it is all for God and anything that we call the work of the devil that is actually the work of God doesn’t bode well for us.

6. Don’t tell me what means something to me. I will remember some hymns and some modern worship songs in 50 years. The better question would be, what type of songs will we be singing in heaven? Will it be songs about us and how we have decided to follow Jesus or songs about how great our God is? Chew on that one for a while.

Birthday and Anniversary 07

It's hard to believe that it has been two years since Sarah and I got hitched! It feels like yesterday and forever at the same time. How God has helped us grow so much in such a short time. Sarah is an amazing, supportive and brilliant woman and wife. So much could be said...I just love you so much.


Last Friday we went to the Zoo for my birthday. It was amazing! I faced my fear and touched a SHARK!!! The animals were so cool and it was great to share with my wife.

Sarah bought me an electric acoustic guitar for my birthday...I was shocked and amazed. I have been "at it" teaching myself how to play for a little under three months. This sure helps. My friend Terry, who is a great guitar player, gave me some tips over the weekend.

We got to spend some time with friends and family on Thursday. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings and then the guys went and played bball. It was a fun time and much needed break and bonding time with some of my best friends. I miss those guys so much...

passing out...

So I am working out hard. I have been for the past 3 weeks. Hard! Last week I went 6 days. So Sarah had a personal training session last week and I decided that I would do one as well. Wow...I went this morning at 8am. I didn't eat anything because I hate burping it up when I get going. So, I get about half way through. I am doing pretty well...out of breath and sweating buckets but good none the less. Then, it happened. I did this one thing and when I got done, I started to get light-headed. Then I started to get sick. Then I started heaving up nothing. Boy, did I feel stupid. I learned my lesson today...eat something before you work out that hard and get your butt kicked! Hope all is well with you

Grace

The other day, our dog Lex gave me a lesson in grace. You see, I had spent the majority of the day hanging out with some of the guys from youth group playing some games and had left him out like we have done for a while now. He hadn't done anything to give us the need to put him up. So I get home from our service that night, and I find not one, but TWO chewed TV remotes(this makes 3 or 4 for Lex)! I gave him a good spanking and yelled at him and put him in the kennel. I was steaming mad. He had used the living room floor as his own personal toilet. So he knew I was mad. He just stood in his kennel staring at me. So we left to get some food and came back, let them out and sure enough Lex comes over to me and pushes up against me for me to pet him like nothing had ever happened.
When I get punished or hurt or the critics seem so loud, it is really hard for me to forget that. When something happens, I tend to remember it for a while and it comes to mind whenever I see that person. There is always this level of protectiveness that I feel I must keep. Still, thinking about Jesus and how much he loves us and how often we let him down, I can't help but feel inadequate in the area of grace. I need to give grace more often like my dog...just forget the things that hurt quickly and get back to becoming who I need to be.