i am an offering

Well, I finally finished (at least I hope so) my own site design. I thought I would like it, but I’m not so sure anymore. Anyway, for those of you reading in RSS, maybe you could take a quick peak at the redesign and let me know what you think (most importantly - is it too hard to read?)  There are (unfortunately) a few bugs to work out.  I had hoped to catch them all before updating, but missed a few.

iamanoffering.com

Also, I finally have an official homepage at iamanoffering.com. Feel free to check it out!

Yesterday I mentioned that I was of the winners of Bob Kauflin’s book giveaway. Here is my response to his question of “why worship matters:”

What is the ultimate purpose of a follower of Jesus? Looking at each answer that might be given to that question, a common theme lingers: to glorify Him.  If you believe that the ultimate purpose of a Christ-follower is to make disciples, you still must glorify Jesus while making disciples.  If you believe that the ultimate purpose of a Christ-follower is to reach the lost, you still must glorify Jesus while reaching the lost.

To glorify Jesus means to honor Him, above all else, in all things.  Because in all things we must glorify Jesus, this is why worship matters

We must give Him glory in all things - therefore we must worship Him in all things.  Check out some more great responses to why worship matters.

Worship Matters - Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God

A while back Bob Kauflin offered the opportunity to win a free copy of his new book that shares the title of his website.  We were asked to tell why worship matters in 100 words or less.  I was able to keep mine to exactly 100 words and I was informed that I was one of the twenty winners, which is very exciting, because I was hoping to get a copy of the book.

Well, it’s here (complete with a hand-written note on the inside cover - now that’s just downright cool) and I’m already devouring it.  I’ll be posting a review when I’m finished with the book (hopefully within this week or next.)

Sunday Recap

This Sunday was a good day at Living Word, as always, but with a few hiccups.  The first issue was that the folks who were running EasyWorship weren’t sure how to get it to project on the screen.  A few settings needed to be changed and we were up and running.  We’ll have to make sure all the video operators know how to troubleshoot.

The second issue was that since we’re a church plant that sets up every week, we record our sermons on CF cards.  Well, the CF cards went missing and we didn’t catch the sermon, which is unfortunate, because it was very good and very convicting.

Other than that, the day was great.  One thing that I notice as I type, however, is the only song I remember us singing is “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”  When I plan the music for a service I get so intimately familiar with the songs.  This week, since I didn’t plan them, I barely remember them.  I guess that’s food for thought when worrying if we’re singing a new song too often when we’re introducing it - perhaps people don’t even remember what we sang last week!

All in all - a good day at Living Word.  Tomorrow I’ll share my 100 word response to the question, “Why does worship matter?”

I’ve been a little behind in the blogosphere these past couple of weeks.  I hope to get a “Sunday Recap” post up later today.  In the meantime, a question:  Have you found ways to worship God in your every day life and not just on Sundays?  Leave a comment and share with us.

Do you view your interactions with others as an act of worship to God?  The Bible is full of commands of how to treat each other.  Here’s just one of many examples,

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:25-32

In your relationships, do you worship God by choosing to:

• Build up instead of tear down? (Including building up and not tearing down even when you’re not with the person you’re talking about?)
• Pray for people that you’re struggling with instead of complaining about them?
• Forgiving and asking for forgiveness?
• Have compassion for those who don’t know Jesus instead of judgment?
• Resolving differences in your family before the sun goes down?

Let’s worship God by how we chose to respond in our relationships.