In Genesis Chapter 11:10 we begin reading about the lineage of Abraham. Abraham’s father Terah was on his way to the land of Canaan. Now this city Canaan is important because it represented something. It represented a future, a land where God was taking him and his family, a land full of sustenance and promise. It was the “promised land,” and certainly the goal for Terah to reach. But the Bible paints us a very sad picture. Check out verse 31

“Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together” from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

The Bible says that along the way to Canaan that Terah SETTELED. As he was on his journey to receiving his promise, he settled. He gave up. He sold-out. He quit. He set his tent stakes down in a land that was less-than perfect, a land that was “good enough” to live in, but much less than what he could have had. He settled in Haran..

It’s easy for us in life, especially for those who are Jesus-followers, to settle in “lands” that we know aren’t where we are supposed to set up shop in. We get bogged down with life, worries, people leaving, things not going as planned, and the ever present element of life called TIME. TIME goes by, and as we walk on our journey (sometimes with friends or sometimes alone) we decide to settle because we haven’t reached our “promised land” yet. We settle in “Haran,” just as Terah did, only to die without ever doing anything, instead of dying for something. There are many Christians and non-Christians that I know that are settling in Harans every day. The settle there because of fear of what it looks like to leave, to grow, to sacrifice, or to get over IT. Haran feels safe, comfortable, and of course they have already been through so much. So why keep going right?

My word to you is.. GET UP and GET GOING! Even if you have put your stake in the ground two years ago and it is all rusted out.. GET UP and GET BACK to walking towards the PROMISE! Follow the dream God has put in you and don’t settle. Abraham’s father was so close to his promise, but gave up right before he saw the journey pay off. Listen.. Life is hard, very hard. And I have become accustomed to finding out that it almost never works out as planned or imagined, but that is ok. It’s in those times we find out how good a painter God is because he constantly changes, with just a few brush strokes, our situations in life.

Joseph didn’t give up when he was in a pit, sold into slavery, or lied on and put in jail; he held onto the promise that one day he was going to bring life to a nation as it went through famine. No matter what his current circumstance was, he knew he was on the journey and he couldn’t settle.

Look how close Terah was..

So may you..
Be encouraged.
Drink from the Living Water and be refreshed.
Get Up out of Haran.
Canaan is just around the corner..
It’s waiting for YOU..
Get Going..

article from Freakonomics inside the NY TIMES

As I was thinking about this current generation of Students coming up within our churches, I thought to myself, you guys have the greatest opportunity to make a change this world has ever seen. This world is full of ideas, cliques, groups, and different beliefs and if I had ONE shot at encouraging YOU, in the midst of all that, this is what I would say…

First of all….HAVE FAITH!

That doesn’t mean “If God wants it done, he will do it” kind of faith either. I mean FAITH that makes things happen, FAITH that lasts, and FAITH that is contagious. Students, you ARE THE CHURCH OF TODAY there is no doubt about it. All throughout the scripture God used people when they were young (i.e David, Daniel, Samuel, etc) And all those men of God did phenomenal things because they had great faith. They believed that God could use them to slay a Giant, set a captive nation free, stand up against a fiery furnace, and lead a country to follow the one true God.

You are young but I’m not doubting you for one second. God wants YOU to have faith that is BIG! Faith that says “I can reach my school, my community, and build my church.” Faith that allows God to use you not only in Sunday service to sing a song, but on Monday to encourage your teachers, on Tuesday to talk to that friend about Jesus, on Thursday to reach out to that other friend going through a divorce, and on Friday night to say “no” when the so-called “Christian” friends you are hanging out with decide to be “not so Christian.” You have to believe that at any time God can use you and wants to use you. That God can make a difference through you and it isn’t up to someone else to change the world.. It is up to YOU.

You have to have faith that takes responsibility…

If you don’t reach your school who will? If you don’t get a burden for your community who will? See the problem with many students in your generation is that they don’t feel very responsible for what is going on in their church, schools, families, or communities. And that is far from the truth!

If you have faith like young David, then you can go pray for that new visitor, you can be a light to your family members who constantly mock you for being a Christian or doing the right thing, and you won’t be afraid to reach someone in your neighborhood and bring them to your church. Take responsibility and let God work in YOU…EVERY…SINGLE…DAY! And see what he does when you pray those big prayers and believe him for great things!

Secondly have faith that lasts…

Too many students these days don’t stick with anything. It’s hard to focus when you have band practice, choir practice, student leadership, club meetings, church services, youth rallies, etc. I understand that.. But in the middle of busy schedules sometimes you let Jesus drop off your schedule and radar. You let him take the back seat, and forget about him until Sunday (and that is even if you remember to go to church). You have to have faith that lasts no matter what friends go to church or don’t, no matter who doesn’t listen to your pastor, or who gives up on God. YOU have to say in your heart and with your lifestyle (yes I said lifestyle) that I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS AND NO TURNING BACK! I will listen to my pastor, I will go to church, and this Apostolic message is the only message I will: teach, listen to, and live! Faith that lasts doesn’t give up when people talk about you, faith that lasts doesn’t slow down when people leave you out, faith that lasts doesn’t weaken when your pastor corrects you, and faith that lasts doesn’t quit when other people decide to quit.

Have BIG FAITH & Have LASTING FAITH!

(hold on cause this is a three parter)

Every event took you to a new place. Every event inspired you to do more, be more, and follow Jesus closer than your friends twitter feeds. And rightly so.

Think about your Summer and what God has done in YOU and through YOU.

Think about the dreams He gave you, the passion He put in your heart, and desire to make a difference this coming up school year. Think about those powerful moments of worship, giving, helping, praying, and teaching that you took part in this Summer. All culminating to create a drive that has the ability to be very dangerous and destructive to Hell itself.

And as you begin your journey into a new place, which may be a new school, new grade, new job, new city be reminded..

In Matthew ch8 Jesus does a lot of traveling. He is constantly coming to a new place, a new city, a new town, a new group of people.

And everywhere he goes he is met by a person with a need. In verse 1 (ch8 of Matthew) Jesus is met by a leper who needs cleansing. Verse 3 Jesus goes to a town called Capernaum and is met by a Centurion who needs his servant to be healed. Verse 14 Jesus goes to Peter’s house and Peter’s mother needs healing. Verse 28 Jesus goes to another place called the Gaderenes and He is met by two demon possessed men..

Every time Jesus came to a new place, there were many needs.

Someone was always in need and Jesus healed and helped them all! You see, Jesus didn’t huddle up with the people He knew (his disciples) every time He entered a new city, but He stepped out and did something every time. He made it a point to walk by a blind man, He made it a point to visit the Woman at the well. He was ever aware of the needs around Him. And He made a difference..

So what do you do with all that drive, passion, and excitement from your experiences this Summer? You help people’s needs! You keep your eyes open and look to lend a helping hand, offer prayer, and encouragement to those around you. You look for the students and friends that are down, hurting, or in need. You look for those you can witness to and share the Gospel with. Soon before you know it other students and even teachers will be approaching you, just as they did Jesus, asking for help. Don’t be so caught up in the same routines of same friends, same places, and same conversations. BREAK OUT! LET YOUR EYES BE OPEN! REACH OTHERS! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

God didn’t set you on fire this Summer so you could just burn out. He set you on fire so you could burn bright in this dark World.

So as you move to your: new jobs, classrooms, teachers, schools; remember there will be needs there. Will you help meet them? Will you partner with Jesus to make a difference? Or let your experience from this Summer become just a memory?

Your new place.. Means there is a need to be filled…

Be inspired..

Example: The other day as me and my wife were driving home we were talking about some of the things God was up to in our church. Celebrating the wins and talking about the future. As this deep conversation was taking place, my foot was slowly becoming heavier on the gas pedal. I didn’t notice but the sheriff on the side of the road did. As we began to pull over for the usual “license and registration” I told God kind of jokingly “now Lord, you know we were talking about the good things of You, could you take care of this one for us?” Now you might smile because you might have prayed those same prayers too…

Have you seen someone when they didn’t get the ticket? Maybe you/they have said “Hallelujah” or even a “thank you God,” (in the same shallow way a rapper gets an award for Best Album and thanks God and then his mother) and faith is restored again. Or if you/they get the ticket, the prayers sadly weren’t answered and return to having a bad night.

Now let’s cut right to it. Life happens. If you believe there is a God who controls the police’s decisions to give tickets as well as created the universe, or you don’t believe in anything; life happens. And should you choose to follow this man named Jesus, He is looking for you to believe in Him in the midst of life happening. He is looking for people that despite recession, famine, pain, trials, and yes…tickets, will still trust Him and that He is good.

In the Bible you read of the story of a boy named Joseph. Joseph dreamed as a child that he would one day be chosen to do something great, but sadly his brothers thought otherwise. They were going to kill him because of his dreams, but instead threw him in a well and sold him to traveling peddlers. He was then framed for adultery and then thrust into prison only to be forgotten. The Bible continually mentions that in every state that Joseph was in, “the Lord was with Joseph,” and blessed everything he did. Joseph never gave up on God. Joseph understood that life happens, and even behind bars God was still good.

Joseph could have easily gave up, got bitter against his brothers (kind of like what happens in the church), got upset because he was wrongly accused while trying to do the right thing (because bad things aren’t supposed to happen to good people right?), or gave up at the bottom of a prison cell…

But he didn’t…
Neither should we..

We shouldn’t let our situations dictate wether we have faith in God or not. But in the end let it be said that no matter what we went through, we still believed. God was good when the cop let us go, and God was good when the cop gave us the ticket for the rolling stop.

So if things get hard. If money runs tight.. When you DO get the ticket..When LIFE happens…

Don’t lose faith.
Keep going… Let your story say that whatever state you were in, “The Lord was with (insert your name here)”

*Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

- and we didn’t get the ticket.. Hallelujah

Worship for many is something that you experience during some sort of Sunday service or midweek service. For some it includes keyboards and guitars with a contemporary worship leader, for others it might be a seven person choir that sings hymns, and for some it might be a 30-60 person choir that is belting out Gospel tunes while the organists has a hay day. All the while, for some, might have a church full of people lifting their hands, shouting and dancing, while others might be a part of a more conservative group of people that might lift a hand or sit silently in reverence. But for all worship is something that can be easily misconstrued. People can easily get caught up in the response, or lack of response, in a church during times of singing and worship, or even get totally upset at those who don’t “get it.” You know. Those that talk during the time of worship, or just totally ignore everything that God is doing around them as the Church worships God for all he has done and who He is. As he heals, blesses, and mends lives, but they totally miss out on what God is doing right next to them. Some get mad. Some get angry, bitter, and some feel a kind of sadness for those who don’t even realize the opportunity that they have in worship. And I didn’t even realize it until while ago.

Worship is something that is so large we can’t even comprehend it and sadly many of us have dumbed it down to a 30 min or 20 min session before someone preaches. Or others have thought it to be something that is only successful when everyone in their congregation takes part in the songs, lifting their hands, and etc, and yes that is successful and one of the most beautiful things that can be seen in a church service. But honestly worship isn’t and will never be a X number of person choir singing for any person’s entertainment, or even if an entire church is lifting their hands during a song.  Here is what I came to understand worship as.

Worship is like a painting (dont turn me off just yet, I know it sounds funny).  And in this painting there are three elements.  One of the parts of this painting are what the Bible calls “the Heavenly Host.”  (Rev 4:8) “And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”  These angels are continually before God worshipping him, around his throne, in heaven somewhere.  So in order to re-paint worship, add these guys in your picture.  Four angels, always praising God, in Heaven, around a big seat where God sits.  Next.

The second thing you can add to this re-painting of worship is all of God’s creation.  In Psalms 150 David says “let everything that has breath praise God.”  So that means, while those four angels way up in Heaven somewhere are crying out and worshipping God, that every creation that God has made, and breathes, is worshipping him.  This is all minus us humans (even though we are part of the creation that breathes, even if we weren’t here, God would still be being praised regardless).  So the breathing animals and organisms of the earth are in continual worship unto God.  Can’t explain it, but they are.  Next.

The third element to this repainting of worship is us.  Humans.  God’s most important creation.  As we stand in our congregations, small meeting places, bedrooms, or mega churches, and worship, there are other people somewhere else in the world taking part in the same experience.  Someone else is singing a song or playing music in reverence to our Almighty God in another part of the country, continent, and world,  just as we are…  So what does this all mean?

This means that whenever and wherever we decide to pick up and sing a tune, lift a hand, sit in silence, and just worship God for who He is.  Weither everyone is, or you are the only one, you are really taking part in something that is constantly moving and happening.  As you lift your hands, so do those in Africa, those in the underground churches in China, and those living in remote villages touched by missionaries with the Gospel of Jesus.  And while the people around the world at that particular moment  are lifting their hands and you are lifting your hands, all the trees, grass, flowers, breathing creatures are praising God also.   AND EVEN AFTER all that.  You begin to realize that while you sing your song, people around the world sing their songs, the birds sing their songs, all to which are to God, those heavenly angels sing their song of  “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty!”  And everyone, and everything sings, dances, worships, and reverences God together at the same time.  It is a huge picture that I can barely comprehend but it’s true.  So whenever you, worship leader, pastor, youth pastor, Christian, out-casted believer, or passionate worshipper; don’t see your congregation worship, see no one around you worship, or you get ridiculed for praising God, don’t worry.  The picture is much bigger than your church, your meeting place, where you are at in that moment in time,  and you, it is a painting that encompasses the entire universe.  And it is all breathing, reverencing, and praising God.  You are never in the minority worshipping believer, you are always in the majority.  You are just adding to the painting of an entire creation that worships its Creator.

Needless to say, music is a touchy subject across the board, but I was thinking the other day about the idea of the “new song.”

A new song can be…

powerful..
thought provoking..
stuck in your head all day…
engaging..
beautiful..

and can speak to you in a way that plain words cant.

The Bible says the phrase, “sing unto the Lord a new song” at least 7 times and obviously that can’t be ignored. Music, as aforementioned, is powerful and as humans we equate many things to songs. We can remember when we heard certain songs for the first time, or maybe a certain song reminds of a significant person that was in our lives at one time. Music can have a much deeper meaning than most things that make up our lives.

Even more so in a worship song.

Worship songs can come to us at a time in life where we thought we couldn’t make it, or take us to a place where it’s almost as if God is singing to our hearts himself. It lifts us, renews us, and takes us to a place of communion with God uncluttered by daily activities, worries, and mental “trash” if you will. And even more so when it is a new song that you have never heard..

I feel the importance the Bible puts on singing a “new song” should be observed by everyone. I believe that a new song has the ability to reveal to us a fresh picture of the same God we have been serving all along.

I believe God desires that….
Desires to be rediscovered…
Desires to be greater known..
Desires to reveal himself again, again, and again.

The Bible lets us know that one day a new song will be sung unto the Lord as the time of his coming draws near (Rev ch5) and I hardly believe that there will be anyone debating over on what that song is on that day…

So what am I saying??? SING SOMETHING ELSE!

No matter what genre or type…FIND NEW MUSIC. Get a new revelation! Be engaged! Be recharged. Let your eyes and heart be creatively sparked NO MATTER WHAT THE TYPE OF MUSIC IS!

Listen… I’ll help.. Check these brand new bands/songs out. And be inspired…

All Sons and Daughters & On iTunes

Jonathan Powell “Come Alive” on iTunes

Grace and Peace,
-Tyler

Its strange how the church world can sometime look at people who try new things and fail as a reason to keep doing the same ol thing. We live in an era that demands change, and with that, how can we expect to keep any facets of our lives simply the same? Now Spiritual routines and practices (i.e. daily prayer, bible reading, regular fasting) are all essential and building blocks of growing. That shouldn’t change. It is foundational. But other things have the freedom to be flexible. And I’m certainly not going to list what those things are, but let the Holy Spirit deal with you on what needs to change in your life. Areas that have become dead, dry, or where you have to “manufacture energy” (old Andy Stanley adage) or, in simple terms, you have to force yourself to feel like you are excited about something you continually are not excited about.

Letting things go/die is something that is definitely part of God’s plan.

Look at our seasons. Spring brings new plants and life, but Winter swiftly comes back and recaptures all that newness; only to offer a new blank canvas for plants and animals to paint on. It’s a beautiful system. And it is a beautiful and exciting thing to lay things to rest that need to go (or should have went a long time ago), and create something new, better, and even more exciting. New kinds of worship gatherings, new ways to sing songs, new locations and environments all can create a different and exciting atmosphere!

Even changing up some of those rhythmic practices or routines for a season (i.e. changing prayer times, praying scriptures, reading a different translation for a while) can breathe life into what seems like a drudge or monotonous walk.

I would argue that failure isn’t insane, but choosing not to change because of a failed attempt, or simply believing that the current way will yield different results. (If it was going to yield different results wouldn’t it have done that by now?..Just saying)

So embrace change… It is a new year isn’t it?