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review of chris tomlin’s see the morning

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Chris Tomlin released his new album through iTunes on Tuesday. It has quickly made it into the top 10. See the Morning is a gathering of new tunes from the guy who says that he writes so that “the most unrhythmic person can sing my songs.”

I first “met” Chris in the early days of the Passion movement. He was on a Q and A panel with some other worship artists. I was instantly taken with his honesty and wonder. “I just am pretty much in awe that I am here,” he said. At a gathering a few years later I was invited to a brief interaction with Chris, Louis Giglio, and some other passion guys. A few CD’s had been under his belt along with some big recognition. Still the same guy. Total respect.

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Take Community

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After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. – Luke 8:1-3

Jesus is in full swing of his ministry. He is traveling with friends. On missions, he is healing, teaching and stirring up the crowds. He is reaching celebrity status. A few verses later it says that there were so many people trying to crowd around Jesus that they almost crushed him. Nobody was pushing in for an autograph, they wanted to touch God.

To support and finance the whole tour was a group of women. They had evidently saved some money and were now taking care of Jesus and the twelve. They were financing the whole experience. This had to be an upside down picture of the culture of the day. It seems a great picture of community. A picture of give and take in context of community.

We speak and teach about community. It is part of what we are at exchange. We are a community of people who follow Christ and serve in his cause. I’d like to think that we do a great job at community. I’d like to believe that we connect with each other deeply. We don’t. we do OK, but not to the level we need to. We have to do better. We have to give community and take community.

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Robbing God

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Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. – Ezra 1:7


King Cyrus had just heard from God. God instructed him to build a temple. Not a temple for Cyrus, but for God. Cryrus sends out word to all the people asking for donations to the temple. He then heads for the loot Nebuchadnezzar had earlier stolen from Jerusalem. It had originally been meant for God. Nebuchadnezzar had stolen it and placed it in the temple of another god. It was time to redeem the stolen goods.

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Posted in Spiritual Growth

I’m not being fed

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“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” – Luke 6:46-49


Jesus had just finished teaching on loving enemies and putting others above a bunch of rules. Here, he brings it all home: Stop listening and start doing.

Seems like the American church is full of a bunch of listeners. I get sick when I hear people say that they come to church to be fed.

Most often this comes in the form of a complaint (insert whiny voice) “I’m just not being fed.”

It leads me to ask a couple of questions:

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Simple worship on iTunes!!!

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  We just got word that Simple Worship is now available on iTunes!  You can purchase the album there for $10.00 or individual songs for a under a buck.  Stop by, preview the tracks, and if ya like what you hear, leave a…
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Simple Worship on iTunes!!

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We just got word that Simple Worship is now available on iTunes!  You can purchase the album there for $10.00 or individual songs for a under a buck.  Stop by, preview the tracks, and if ya like what you hear, leave a nice…
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Posted in Spiritual Growth

Passing me by

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One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, l – Left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. – Luke 5:1

Two boats. Two. Jesus comes up to the water and sees two boats. Fishing crews from both boats were cleaning their nets after an all-night fishing expedition with no results. Probably frustrated crews. No catch means no money. This guy Jesus rolls up. It’s early in his ministry so they may not have heard much about him. Jesus looks at one of the crews and asks him to push out from the shore for a make-shift stage. Jesus would teach the people from the boat, the people would stay on the shore. I can see the guys from the 2nd boat smirk. “Glad this guy didn’t ask us. We are tired and want to go home.”

I can picture the crews. Those on Jesus’ boat were probably tired. Maybe they didn’t want to be bothered with maintaining a floating stage after a 12 hour shift of fishing. For some reason, they do it. Maybe somewhere in the middle of anchoring the boat in just the right place, they stop. They have never heard teaching like this. Maybe rigging the floating stage was not so bad after all.

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Worship leading essentials #4 – putting together a song list

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One of the most rewarding and most difficult tasks of leading worship is putting together a song list. Do it well and it comes off seamless. Don’t do the prep work and it becomes a train wreck. It takes some work, but with some simple planning, you can put together a solid worship set.

First a look at a typical exchange gathering.

We begin the gathering with an opening song. I would like to think this is a highly spiritual time where people are swept into a realization of the presence of God and that they are transformed from the distractions of the day to becoming keenly aware of what God is saying. Truth is (for us anyway) that it serves as a trigger for people to finish their conversations and coffee in the atrium and come into the sanctuary.

Following the opening song is a welcome, some announcements, prayer, and teaching. We follow up the teaching with a 30 minute worship set. During the set, people are active. They come to the front to take communion, give their offering, pray at the altars, pray with friends, or spend time at some of our designated worship spaces.

Now that you know where we are coming from, on with the nuts and bolts.

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