Well, I can finally type this post.

I am officially going to be moving on to another church.  After four and a half years of learning so many things (both what to do and what not to do), God is leading me in a different direction.

I’m very excited to get more involved with Abiding Savior and Living Word, and can’t wait to see the plans God has in store for me and my family in these new ministries.

Thanks so much for everyone who made my time at Lord of Life worth it.  You will be missed.

You must be thinking, “What?? How can you have a title like that?”

I was challenged today.  A friend and co-worker shared devotions from Philippians.  Paul was talking to the church and asking that they would exalt and magnify Jesus in everything they do in life.  That leads to this question:  Is God just a priority?  In other words, does your “checklist of life” look like this:

1. God.  Check.
2. Family. Check.
3. Work. Check.
4. Etc…check.

How often do we as  followers of Christ make a list like this and then leave God at the top and forget about Him.  We should be challenged to make our “checklist of life” look like this instead:

1. God.
2. God.  Family.
3. God. Work.
4. God. Etc…

Our life should revolve around Him, He shouldn’t simply just be our top priority.  Everything we do; love, life, work, play, hobbies, spare time, everything should revolve around magnifying Him and making His name known.  We exist to make Him famous.

I’m glad I was challenged today.

Hey all.  I’m starting to get back to working on writing music and it’s pretty exciting.  I’ve been getting several new ideas for songs and I’m excited to do some work on them this weekend.  Hopefully this summer I’ll be able to start recording!  Enjoy the weekend.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

How often do we ask God to search our hearts?

It seems like so often we’re asking God to be with this person, or be with this situation, or help me get through this, or help me with this.  Yet the man Scripture says was “after God’s own heart” asked Him on several occasions to search his heart.

Sometimes we wonder why God isn’t molding us, or helping us with a certain situation, and yet we haven’t asked God to search our hearts, see if there be any offensive way in us and lead us.  We want God to lead our lives, but yet we don’t ask Him.

This has really been on my heart lately, that God would search my heart and get rid of the things that stand in the way of my relationship with Him.  I’m in the process of writing a song about it.

So, God, search my heart, and help me serve You more.

How has God been searching your heart lately?

This morning in staff devotions we talked about the fact that a community of believers needs to be just that – a community of believers.  It needs to be a place where everyone helps everyone else, no matter how small or how large.  Yet so many times we’re unwilling to accept help.  We can talk about hospitality all we want, but why does our pride get in the way so often of being vulnerable and saying, “I need help?”

We miss out on:

• Possibly cultivating lasting relationships by asking for help.
• Possibly allowing God in to conquer some major problems in our lives by not asking for help.
• Possibly not seeing others’ needs by not asking for help with our own.
• Missing an oppourtunity to experience God’s grace through His people
• The list could go on and on…

Craig Groeschel was just talking on Swerve about small vs. large churches and the fact that a lot of people leave the larger churches because they don’t feel needed.  Is it possible that people also are afraid to let go of pride and admit that they need something as well?

~ God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble ~ From James

Let’s be humble.