Sing for Joy!

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Psalm 98:4

Yesterday, during our worship service at Cornerstone, we sang Happy Day by Tim Hughes. It was a wonderful time. There was a room full of people singing for joy! It was beautiful.

I'm sure you've seen people who were singing (or shouting) for joy before. I can think of two quick occasions. First, is birthday parties. I think of mommies and daddies, siblings and friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all singing that silly Happy Birthday song. So simple and almost always expressed joyfully. I mean, excluding a few occasions where a jealous little girl or boy didn't like someone else getting all the attention, I can't think of a sadly sung Happy Birthday.

The other occasion is an Ohio State football game. I was at the OSU vs Iowa game this past weekend. Exciting? Yes. Loud? Very. Joyful? Definitely. When the buckeyes were winning, people were happy. The band (or recording of Zombie Nation) would play and fans were smiling, cheering, jumping, singing, swinging towels, and having a blast. It's an incredible feeling; so many people elated for a single reason.

Think about the Happy Birthday song for a minute. It's not the song itself that stirs a joyful response, right? No. The people singing love the one they are singing to. They are happy because of that one person. Similarly, no one drops $69 for a football ticket so they like the songs, they love the team. (btw - my ticket was a gift... so THANKS TOM!)

So should our worship be. I mentioned that on Sunday the room was full of people singing for joy, not because everyone was clapping their hands. Several didn't clap. I'm okay with that. I've been to places where people have learned to clap, because that's part of the experience. I also don't say it because everyone was singing as loud as they could. Some weren't. But there was an expression of joy everywhere I looked.

I don't think music style matters at all in this. In fact, I just wish some churches would decide what kind of music they are going to do and then preach a high view of God that will lead people to joyfully respond to Him. Hymn or modern worship song... God is worthy of our joy.

I was encouraged more by the joy than the singing (which was loud) yesterday. It's one of the multitude of reasons I love my church family.

If you have a church family, don't analyze their musical choice. It's your family and you're singing to your Father. If there are drums, sing joyfully. If there's an organ, sing joyfully. Throughout the ages and musical choices, He is worthy.

Africa and the Prosperity Gospel

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

Would You Have Prayed?

Saw this video and thought I'd share it. Was so encouraged. Would I have loved this young man enough to pray and share with him? Would you? Jesus came to reconcile robbers to God. What a beautiful, providential event to remind us of that glorious and gracious truth!

Watch Video

Illustration for Children: Why Faith Glorifies God

This is an illustration given by John Piper in a sermon he preached in 1999. It is wonderful and I am certain I will use this with at least 5 boys. Read it and pray that God will use you to produce Christ-exalting faith in your children.

Click here to view illustration

My Van and the Holy Spirit

We've been traveling quite a bit the past two weeks. First a trip to Virginia to visit family and show off our newest little one. Then this past week we drove to West Virginia where I preached a revival for 3 days and preached in another church 2hrs and 40 minutes from there. Great memories and opportunity to see the Lord moving and working in lives.

While we were in WV we hoped to do some sight seeing. On Saturday morning we wanted to drive to Seneca Rocks to take some pics of the family and just enjoy the beauty. However, when we got up that morning there was an unusual, strong, odor coming from the van. I knew what it was, and it wasn't the kids this time. It was coolant. We had a leak.

I was still scheduled to preach one more time that evening, then get up and drive to Sutton, WV to preach in a church there and then drive 5 hours home. Not the best scenario for a van with coolant leaking out. So we made a plan. We'd try to get the van home by continuing to stop every 70-80 miles and making sure the radiator was filled.

Yes, it seemed like a tedious plan, but necessary. I mean we have 5 boys, including a 6 week old. So stopping over and over is not what we'd usually do. We like to get as far as we can as quickly as we can because we know that our infant is going to need to stop and eat every few hours. So this plan would be a distraction to our usual busyness. The kids would be a good excuse to just keep going and only stop to refill if we HAD to. You know, if the engine started overheating.

But do you know what? I didn't mind stopping at all. It wasn't an inconvenience. It was a necessity. I knew that if I didn't stop often enough... I'd be stopped for good. I would not make it home like I hoped.

Paul says in Ephesians 5:18, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." The command in Greek is a present imperative and does not describe a onetime “filling” but a regular pattern of life. He's telling us to keep keeping filled with the Holy Spirit. Just like with the van, we must continue to keep filled with the Holy Spirit.

Again, I have 5 boys. The temptation is often to just take care of the busyness of life and not stop and make sure I'm keeping filled with the Spirit. But that is not an option. If I, like many, just go and only stop when I HAVE to... I'll overheat. I'll die spiritually.

I hope that you do not see this command as a burdensome one. Keep filled and you will have the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control you need for the moment. (Galatians 5:22-23) You might need to pull over right now and top off.

A beautiful life

I saw this posted facebook today. It is beautiful. I don't know if the Lord will allow me to have so many years with my wife. But I hope that our love for Him and for the world will make such an impact. Give me Jesus.

Fernando Ortega - "Give Me Jesus" from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

Time for a Rotation

It is labor day. My family and I took a drive to my wife's parents' home. We had a great time together and ate a wonderful lunch which included steaks cooked perfectly on the grill by my brother-in-law.

On the way there, we drove through some rain. I am usually a pretty confident driver in rain or snow, but as I was driving up the interstate we started to hydroplane. It got my attention and then kept my attention as we continued to hydroplane a few more times.

When we arrived at my in-laws, I decided something needed to be done. It's not worth chancing a wreck with my wife and 5 boys in the van. I knew what the problem was. The back tires were fine, however the tread on the front tires was wearing.

So, with two jacks and some effort my father-in-law and I rotated the tires so that both front wheels have good tread to pull the van, even when it's raining. The van drove great on the way home and I could actually feel the difference.

Some of us could use the same thing in our lives. We're driving on worn tread.

Ephesians 4:22-24 says:
"to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

You may feel like you have no spiritual tread. If so, maybe you need to rotate things. Too often people claim to be in Christ, yet they neglect to put off the former manner of life and put on the new self, created in true righteousness and holiness. If you have things out of place and are still holding on the your former manner of life, you'll get no traction. When storms come you will slip.

What is this new self? Get into the bible and find out. Read, read, read and pray, pray, pray. Read and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you and change you and teach you through His word.

Sunday, August 23 follow-up

The past two weeks we've talked about worship in our services. Here are the passages under each category of worship that we talked about. There are also some extra passages listed, however there are certainly many more that I encourage you to research on your own.

SINGING
What do you want God to see when He sees you singing?
2 Samuel 22:50; 1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 5:11; Psalm 13:6; Psalm 21:13; Psalm 33:3; Psalm 47:6; Psalm 96:1-2; Zephaniah 3:17; Ephesians 5:18-19; Psalm 98:1, 4; Psalm 100; Psalm 104:33; Acts 16:25; Colossians 3:16

GIVING
What do you want God to see when He sees you giving?
1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:2-3; 2 Corinthians 9:3

SERVING
What do you want God to see when He sees you serve?
Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

SCRIPTURE READING
What do you want God to see when He sees you reading scripture?
1 Timothy 4:13; Isaiah 66:2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

PRAYING
What do you want God to see when He sees you praying?
Matthew 6:5-14; Matthew 21:22; Acts 1:14; Colossians 4:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8; James 5:13-18; 1 Peter 3:12

FELLOWSHIP/LOVING ONE ANOTHER
What do you want God to see when He sees you loving others in the church?
John 13:34-35; John 15:12, 17; Romans 12:9-21; Romans 15:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 3:11, 23

LISTENING/RESPONDING TO PREACHING
What do you want God to see when He sees you listen/respond to preaching?
2 Timothy 4:1-2; Romans 10:9-17; Psalm 119:4, 18, 36

Does your worship say to God, "I am denying myself and following you?" Does it say to others, "I enjoy making much of God?"

Practically Speaking - Lessons on worship

I wanted to give you a few follow-up articles and video to look through after this week's sermon. Take some time to read through the sermons/articles and watch the short video. I think you'll be encouraged more in your approach to worship.



Sermons by John Piper

Ambushing Satan with Song

The Curse of Careless Worship

Prepare to Meet Your God

Singing and Making Melody to the Lord

I'll post more as I come across it.

If We're Not Building the Church pt. 2

It's been a few weeks since I posted last. I apologize. Busyness of life and ministry can often cause time to slip by so quickly that before I realize it, weeks (and sometimes months) are gone.

I do want to continue this topic of building the church though. I know this is a struggle for many. However, I see in Scripture that there is a joy in those who have been transformed by God's grace that leads them to be a part of Jesus' initiative to build His church. I think this is seen so clearly in the man who Jesus cast the demons out of in Luke 8:26-39. Jesus changes him and although he'd rather go and be with Jesus right then (vs. 38), when Jesus says no and tells him to "return to [your] home, and declare how much God has done for you," he gladly does it. In fact, the bible tells us that he "went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him." I really think this is what we should be like. Why? Because we're led by obedience to Jesus and the joy of the Holy Spirit.

So what keeps me from living this way? I think if I'm honest, it's fear. I want to have a good relationship with my neighbors. I mean, 1 Timothy 3:7 tells me that I "must be well thought of by outsiders." Outsiders certainly includes my neighbors, right? I'm afraid of what they will think of me if I bring up the gospel.

However, as I was reading in Luke last week I came across this passage again. Shouldn't we be more fearful of this verse than of our neighbors/coworkers not being offended by the truth?

Luke 6:26

Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

The truth is, if everyone is speaking well of me because I'm just saying what they want to hear and am fearful of bringing up the truth of the gospel, then I should really evaluate and worry. 1 Timothy 3:7 (mentioned above) is referring to my reputation. Am I living like Christ or do I have a reputation of doing wrong? Paul's concern is how the church and gospel are portrayed to the world. If it is hidden... it is not portrayed well (or at all).

I know that some people will be offended by the gospel. That has been the case since Jesus walked this earth. It was true for him; it was true for Peter; it was true for Paul; it was true for Stephen; and it will be true of me (2 Timothy 3:12). But am I so joyful that my name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20) that I will arm myself with the same thinking as Christ (1 Peter 4:1), not be surprised or ashamed when persecution comes (1 Peter 4:12, 16) but rejoice that I was considered worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus' name (Acts 5:41)?

Let it be so, Lord!

The Grace of God

As I was studying for this weekend's sermon, I came across a video by John Piper about suffering and how God gives grace for the moment. It is amazing and wonderful. Thought you would be encouraged by it today.

If We're Not Building the Church...

So I've been thinking quite a bit about this post. It's something that is sincerely on my heart all the time now. If we're not building the church, then what are we doing? As I have looked at Scripture, I can only see that the answer is, "we're wasting our time." To put it into one of my favorite pastor's words, we're "wasting our lives".

I'll probably spend a few posts looking at different passages that deal with this. So I think the best starting point is 1 Peter 2:9:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This is a wonderful passage. I mean really think about what the first half is saying. We are chosen by the God of the universe! How wonderful is that?!? But that's not all (read that like an infomercial host)! We are a holy nation. We are a people set apart by God and for God! How amazing. Remember, we're talking about the God of the universe, who dwells in unapproachable light.

Wait, there's more! We are a royal priesthood. The priests were those who could approach God. We can do that through Christ. And we are a people for His own possession.

We ought to be incredibly grateful as we read those truths about ourselves. So grateful that we would do anything for Him, right?

I have good news. He tells us what to do. The second half of the verse tells us why he chose us and set us apart. Why? So that we will proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Proclaiming is something that isn't easily contained and is noticeable to those in close proximity.

We are chosen and set apart for God so that we will build the church! Proclaim Him. He is good and He is worthy. Build the church. Spend your life doing what you know God is doing. He's building the church.

Father's Day

I always find church attendance interesting on Mother's Day and Father's Day. On Mother's Day attendance is usually up. It seems that some husbands, who normally do not attend church, feel obligated to go on the second Sunday in May because "mom" asked them to.

Father's Day is different though. Unfortunately, the trend is that fathers' wishes are different. "It's Father's Day! I'm going to sleep in. I'm going to play golf. I'm going to watch golf." Because it's Father's Day, men sometimes feel like their reward should be a day off.

But what is that saying about church? Should church be something we need a vacation from? I hope not. Is our perception of church right when our first thought on a holiday is, "Good, I don't have to go to church today"?

And what about our eternal Father? If it's Father's Day, shouldn't our first thanks go to our perfect Father who adopted us into his everlasting, heavenly Kingdom?

This Father's Day, let us worship. Be a dad worthy of the cards and gifts you'll get by showing your kids what real, godly men do. They worship.

See you on Sunday, dads.

Prepared Praise

I was reading this morning from Matthew 21. It's the passage about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On a donkey.

As he enters the people are gathered and shouting out praise to God: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Beautiful scene. Must have been emotional.

Obviously, this was not the reception the Pharisees wanted Jesus to have, so they were a bit ticked. It's pretty amazing. They confront Jesus after hearing children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Beautiful. It says they were indignant and that they said to Jesus, "Do you hear what these are saying?"

Here's what I got hung up on. Jesus answers, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" I happened to be reading in the NLT which reads, "You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'"

That's what hit me. God has prepared praise from little children. Jesus said (quoting Psalm 8) that He has prepared praise from children and infants. He has taught them to give praise.

As a pastor I work hard to teach people praise. Praise that the Father seeks. Praise that comes from true worshippers, those who worship the Father in spirit and truth.

But I'm also a father, the pastor of my home. And I wonder if I am working as hard to teach my children to praise, the way the Father seeks? God has prepared them for praise. Have I? Am I getting in the way of what God has prepared?

I want to be a catalyst for the kind of praise that God has already prepared my children, and even infants, to proclaim.

May 24 remix

If you were to ask someone how to live an innocent life as a follower of Christ, you might get several answers. I imagine most would say things like: don't look at pornography, live simply, don't gossip, etc. And those are good answers.

But as we talked about on Sunday there is something else that is important in our living lives of innocence. The Gospel.

Acts 20:25-26
"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God."

If we are going to live a life and leave a life of innocence, it must be a life that is completely controlled by the gospel of Jesus. Every relationship should be directed and motivated by this one thing. We will leave those relationships as innocent followers of Jesus if we have been faithful to fulfill the commission our Lord gave to us.

I have too many regrets in my past. Times when people, either friends or neighbors, left my life never hearing the whole gospel from me. It's not worth the risk. Those people need Jesus. They literally need him. And I am blessed to know it. It's no secret. It's the greatest, most joy-filling news anyone could hear.

We are blessed to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. What a blessing! What a joy! Why did he bless us so? 1 Peter 2:9 tells us; "that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Whether you eat or drink...

Don't forget that following the service this Sunday (May 24) we will be having an ALL CHURCH COOKOUT! Yea... that's right.

We will provide the burgers and such. Please bring a side dish and an appetite.

If you missed this past Sunday, we had our first service in the new building. What an amazing blessing it was for me to walk into the sanctuary at 9:59AM. The sound of fellowship was truly worship! And just as loud as the singing during the service. How marvelous.

Hope to see you this weekend.

Service @ 10:00AM
Lunch @ 11:30AM-ish.

The Time Has Come!

Well, the time has finally come! We are moving into our new building this coming weekend. Here's a pic of the outside of the building...














We will be having a dedication service as well as our regular service this Sunday. Here's the schedule...
9:00AM - Dedication service: singing, prayer, scripture reading
9:45AM - break
10:00AM - Worship Service

I'm so looking forward to worshiping together! God has blessed us. Let us come ready to lift our voices and our hearts to Him!

Moving Daze

If you are a part of Cornerstone, you know that we are moving to a new, more permanent location this month. This is a very busy and joyful time for our church.

Originally, we planned on moving out of Marcus Cinema this Sunday and having our first service at the new location on May 10. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with construction stuff and inspections and permits, things don't always meet intended deadlines.

So, we will patiently wait one more week. The new schedule is as follows:

May 3 - regular service at Marcus Cinema
May 10 - shortened service at Marcus followed by loading everything and moving it to the new building.
May 17 - First service at 8930 Commerce Loop Dr!

Please continue to pray as we move forward. I'm praying that God will use this new facility to glorify Himself in greater ways. And that we will better fulfill his call to love each other as much as we love ourselves.

I'm so grateful for the days behind us and even more grateful and excited for the ones ahead!

Here's a biblical goal for us to pursue as we move forward:
Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

Okay... I'm gonna have to blog about that passage soon!

Cornerstone Interview: The Popas

Occasionally, I will be interviewing people who attend Cornerstone so that you, the people of Cornerstone, can get a glimpse into their life and why they come.

Our first interview will be with Bryan and Amanda Popa. Before I give you the interview, though, let me say that I love them both. I am so blessed to be called their pastor. It is a privilege that I don't take lightly. So, what am I waiting for? You need to get to know them.


1. How long have you been married?
4 years on July 8

2. Tell us something that everyone should know about your spouse.
Bryan: Amanda has an undiagnosed case of OCD. She hates clutter, is a Nazi about cleaning, wants shoes off in the house, needs to see vacuum lines in the carpet, likes having a blanket cover her toes, etc., etc. She is ranked nationally when it comes to being organized – I believe she’s #6 in the state of Ohio. But I can’t complain, she keeps me in line, our calendar straight, and our house in order – it’s actually a blessing. She is someone that has compassion for serving others before herself. Amanda is an amazing spouse, best friend and will be a fantastic mother!
Amanda: Bryan has a borderline unhealthy love for our pug dog Crosby. He looks forward to getting down and wrestling around with him on the ground every night after work - it's very funny to watch. He also enjoys picking Crosby up upside down by his legs and pretending like he's a "pig". They snort back and forth at each other (don't worry, this is totally normal). On a more serious note though, after seeing how much he loves Crosby, he says that he's excited to see how much more he will love our son than he loves our dog!

3. How long have you been attending Cornerstone?
We started coming the summer of 2006. We found out about Cornerstone because Kate and Amanda taught at the same school together. We wanted to start coming earlier but had an obligation to stay at the church that was linked with the school.

4. How have you been involved at Cornerstone?
Amanda: I think that Bryan leading the Monday night Life Group has been the most rewarding "service" that we have gotten to do at Cornerstone so far, we also participate in the nursery set up every other week and Amanda serves in the nursery as well.
Bryan: I’m super excited about rallying men together in community with purpose of living for Christ at our places of work and more importantly leading our families.

5. What's it like for you to be a part of the Cornerstone Community?
AWESOME! We feel like God allows us to get a glimpse of what He truly desires for His Body at Cornerstone. It's more than we could have asked for in a church before we found it. We enjoy being real with people and having true community that is deep, raw, difficult, challenging and Spirit-filled.

6. What is a favorite verse and why?
Bryan: Colossians 1:16-17 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." I love it because it’s all about Jesus; He created everything, he’s before all things and he himself holds everything together. EVERYTHING!
Amanda: A favorite passage of Scripture for me usually depends on what I am studying, because the whole Bible is full of my favorites! Currently I'm studying Ephesians with Megan Kirkwood who is discipling me and I'm learning SO MUCH about how the Church Body is designed to be the fullness of Christ. I love these verses because we are told that it is through Christ that we have access to the Father and because of this, being built on Christ we are to be fitted together in unity so that we can be a holy dwelling place for God - how sweet is that?! The whole book of Ephesians is full of wonderful verses about how we are to live in a manner worthy of our calling, preserving the unity and bond of peace with the Body and I am so challenged by how we are to do this through the Spirit only, not in our own strength.
"For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Ephesians 2:18-22

7. How can we pray for you?
We would love prayer for direction in our lives - as God's children, what does he have for us while we are living in Columbus? How can we be stretched more and live outside of the norm? We would also love prayer for wisdom and selflessness in parenting and for our marriage as we add a little one this summer.

Listening with Our Eyes

Yesterday evening I was hanging out with my family and we noticed a rainbow that was directly in front of our home. It was the brightest I remember seeing. It arched high into the sky and could be seen clearly end to end. My wife and four boys gathered around the living room window with me to behold it's beauty.

I thought: "God made that." So bright and so beautiful. And yet it does not compare to the brightness and beauty of Him.

Then today I saw a picture taken by the Hubble Telescope. It was described as a "peculiar group of interacting galaxies that contains a 'cosmic fountain' of stars, gas and dust that stretches over 100,000 light years." Beautiful. And grand.

Again, I thought: "God made that." What a blessing that we can even look at it. Yet it does not compare to the beauty and grandness of it's Creator.

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

God made that rainbow and he made those galaxies for a purpose. Not so a small family of 6 could gather around a window and say, "Wow! That is it! That's real beauty." Indeed, that might be true. But we ought to listen with our eyes. That rainbow, those galaxies and many more things... things you are looking at today that I will not see... they are saying something. They are declaring to you and to me that God is glorious! He is a master creator and a loving Savior. They beckon us to look beyond them to someone more beautiful.

If we will only listen with our eyes.

Good Friday Worship

I want to encourage you to worship and remember today. Here is a simple Good Friday service you can do with your family this evening. If you want, you can invite others to come too. It is focused on a chronological reading of the events that took place around Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion. If you have small children, maybe just sing a verse of Amazing Grace (or another song about Jesus' sacrifice and grace) where singing is encouraged. I'll give you a couple songs to choose from but you can obviously pick something different if you feel it is more fitting or appropriate.

Gather together and sing (Here I am to Worship; Amazing Grace)

Read
Matthew 26:36-46
Luke 22:47-53

Sing (Child of God; Amazing Grace verse)

Read
Mark 14:53-65
Matthew 26:69-75

Sing (You are My King)

Read
Matthew 27:1-2; 11-23
John 19:1-16

Sing (Jesus Paid it All)

Read
Luke 23:26-53

Sing (Amazing Grace)

Pray with your family or friends, thanking Jesus for his amazing sacrifice and the blood that was shed to cover your sins.

Passion Week: Thursday

This is the toughest post for me this week. So much could be said about the day before Jesus' death. I encourage you to read what I will not focus on. It's a lot, but read it thinking about the fact that Jesus was to be arrested less than 24 hours later. Amazing. Here are the things Jesus did on Thursday that I'm not commenting on.

Passover Meal and Last Supper
Matthew 26:20-35; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-30

Upper Room Discourse
John 13:1-17:36

What I want to comment on is Jesus praying in Gethsemane

Mark 14:32-42
And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

In all of history there has probably not been a more passionate, desperate prayer. Jesus is literally on the verge of doing what no one else could ever do. Bear the wrath of God.

His prayer is so intense that Luke says that an angel appeared to strengthen him and that his sweat became as drops of blood. Imagine what Jesus was going through inside.

As he prays though, he is not self seeking. See what he prays? "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” I know that anything... ANYTHING is possible for you. So, remove this cup. Yet, not what I will, but what you will.

Was there another way? No. Because this was THE way determined by God. But Jesus, knowing that God could do anything he wanted to, asks. But submits to what God wills... not what God has to do, but what God chooses to do. Jesus submits to God's will rather than his comfort.

Why did God will it to be done this way? Love. Romans 5:8 says that, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Thank you, Jesus for submitting to the Father's good will. Thank you Father for showing that you love us, the best way you possibly could.

Passion Week: Wednesday

Luke 21:37-38
And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

Two days before he is betrayed, brutally beaten and killed, Jesus is busy. What is he doing? Putting his affairs in order? No. Taking trips with friends to places he never got to visit? No. (That's a dumb one, I know... he created every place and there's no place he hadn't been) Golfing? No.

The last few days of Jesus' life were spent teaching. He genuinely loved people. He came to save people and he wanted them to know the truth which would set them free.

May we honor Christ this Easter as we follow in his steps. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't leave the teaching, the truth, out of our relationships and plans this week?

Passion Week: Tuesday

Matthew 22:34-40
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus did a lot of teaching on the Tuesday before his arrest and crucifixion. If you want to read the rest, here are the texts:

- The disciples see the withered fig tree (Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-21)
- Temple controversies in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:23-23:39; Mark 11:27-12:44; Luke 20:1-21:4)
- Olivet Discourse on the return to Bethany (Matthew 24:1-25:46; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36)

But I want to mention this part of Matthew 22. Jesus is asked what the most important thing for us to do is. And he answers. Are you grateful? I am. I didn't have to answer. There were other questions that Pharisees asked, which he refused to answer. He didn't have to answer this question, but he did. He really is good.

His answer, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." The most important thing for you and for me to do is to love God. Not half-heartedly, but completely. With our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. That doesn't really leave much space for other first loves.

But Jesus is so good and loving that he answered another question too. He told us what the second most important thing is. To love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. This takes effort, but our best efforts are far short of enabling us, unless we are living the greatest command.

And so I ask myself and you this Easter week: Are we genuinely loving God with our whole heart or just the part leftover at the end of the day (or week, or month, or year)? He only wants the whole thing. He's worth more.

If you attend Cornerstone you might remember the "Learning to Love" series from November 2008. I encourage you to listen to the sermon, "Learning to Love pt 2 - Why Love?" that I preached November 16. Click here and then go to the "Sermons" page and scroll down to find that sermon.

Passion Week: Monday

Mark 11:12-14
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

In just a few days, Jesus will be arrested, beaten, and crucified. Yet he continues to teach the disciples along the way.

Two things are important to note from this fig tree encounter.

First, Jesus was hungry. Jesus was human. That's not to say that he wasn't God. He was. But he was fully God and fully man. So he got hungry just like we do. He got hunger pains with that hunger. He felt like we feel. And so I imagine that we could never understand the pain that he genuinely felt as he willingly took God's wrath on himself to demonstrate his love for us.

Second, Jesus doesn't think much of fruitlessness. The cursing of the fig tree signifies the judgment of God on the fruitless Jewish people, who had turned away from God into empty ritual and legalism.

Oh, may we not journey through this week ritualistically! May we worship, truly worship, the Son who came to demonstrate the Father's love for us... for you and for me.

Passion Week: Sunday

John 12:12-15
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”

I wonder how many were gathered along the road that day. I wonder how loud the cries were as the people called out to the King of kings. I imagine it was a beautiful scene.

But I can't help but remember that only days later their voices were raised again. Maybe louder. But the tone changed. Instead of "Hosanna!" they cried, "Crucify him!"

If you gathered with people this Palm Sunday and raised your voice to worship the King of kings, don't follow the pattern of the crowd 2,000 years ago. Some will be tempted to end this day of worship on the internet searching for pictures Jesus died to redeem them from. Some will go from raising hands to the Lord to raising their hand to their spouse or children. Or maybe just using words to provoke or abuse them... God's sons and daughters. Again, Jesus died to redeem you from that.

I'm going to post each day this week about the events of Jesus' last week. Let us continue to lift our hands, raise our voices and give our hearts to Him. He gave his life so that we could.

Half Way to Jesus

My birthday was this week. I turned 36. In my mind, it's a significant birthday. It's not 40, I know, but it's significant.

Psalm 90:10 says "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away."

I'm pretty good with math. If my calculations are correct, that means I'm at least half way to Jesus! That might seem silly to you as you read this, but to me it's both exciting and sobering.

Exciting? Self explanatory, I hope. Like I said, I'm at least half way to Jesus! What could be better?

Sobering? Yes. In a good way. A couple verses later in Psalm 90:12 it says, "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." A heart of wisdom. When I realize that my life is fleeting (the first half was definitely a vapor) it helps me to stay focused on what's really important.

So how do I want to spend the rest of my vapor? Here are some of the resolutions I'm re-committing to for the remainder of my life.

- To read through the entire Bible at least twice a year.
- To know God’s Word so well as to know nothing else but to live and breathe it in all that I do.
- To devote myself to the disciplines of reading, meditating, and the memorization of the Scriptures more than the watching of television.
- To live a life devoted to God filled with joy, that I might proclaim with Paul, “To live is Christ! To die is gain!” I want God to be glorified not only in my hope in living but in my hope in dying.
- To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.
- To live a disciplined life in which my children rise to find me reading, praying, working, living and loving… not sleeping.
- To never have to apologize to my children for cheating on their mom… physically, emotionally or visually.
- To preach the Word! Never to compromise what God teaches so that I will be better liked.

This is not my whole list, but one that I hope encourages you to consider the same. As I contemplate it, I am reminded and thankful that it is not I but Christ living in me!

By the way, here's what I noticed about the picture of the hourglass. It only makes me nervous when I'm not doing what I know I should.

Teach us to number our days, Lord, that we may truly gain a heart of wisdom! I can't wait to see you. The grains of sand in my hourglass will be gone before I know it. May each one fall to the glory of You.

It's Time to Get Up

I was reading the Bible last night and came across a passage that I thought I should post about. It's not a commonly read passage, so many of you may not even know of it. This year, I'm reading through the Bible chronologically from the New Living Translation (I like to switch translations each year). Last night I was reading the book of Amos.

Now before I get to the passage, let me make a few comments. First, I realize that this is specifically spoken to the nation of Israel. I'm not trying to stretch that. Things are different now. We are not a country or nation set apart by God. Israel is that in this passage, but we are not. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are a people of EVERY tribe and tongue. And so I am not saying that these words apply to The United States. God was judging His people, so if we want to make the application today, we shouldn't make it to our country but to the church.

But, secondly, oh the wisdom that is to be found in this warning to those Israelites!

Amos 6:4-6 (NLT)
"How terrible it will be for you who sprawl on ivory beds surrounded with luxury, eating the meat of tender lambs and choice calves. You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and you fancy yourselves to be great musicians, as King David was. You drink wine by the bowlful, and you perfume yourselves with exotic fragrances, caring nothing at all that your nation is going to ruin." (emphasis added)

I will comment briefly. It is time for the church to wake up and be the church that loves God and loves people. That loves, reads, meditates on, believes and lives His word. That exists to glorify God not itself. Be glad! We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

It is not the government's job to legislate holiness. It is the churches joy to live it.

Don't hear me wrong. Jesus loves his bride and so do I. Just a reminder. And an encouragement that we are the bride of Christ. His chosen and precious bride whom He loves. He has covered our sins. The debt is paid. Let us live for the glory of His name!

Wake up, church. We overslept. Darkness has fallen and there is work to be done.

Baptism service

On Sunday, March 15 we had a baptism service at Worthington Christian Church following our regular worship service. Three people were baptized; Alden Hall and Kevin and Sarah Arnold. Here's a video highlighting that service.

The Joy of the Holy Spirit

In yesterday's sermon we talked some about the blessing of having God's Spirit dwelling inside of us. Not a lot of chatter in this blog. Just thought I'd give you some more to rejoice about. Here are some passages and a comment about what we graciously get from having the Holy Spirit. Two thoughts: (1) don't just read the comment; click the link and read the passage. (2) I know there are other passages about the joys of the Holy Spirit; this is just a good start.

(in no particular order)

Galatians 5:16-18 - Triumph over sin
Galatians 5:22-23 - Fruit!
Romans 8:7-11 - Hope and life
John 14:16-17 - Help
John 14:25-26 - More help
John 15:26 - True thoughts about Jesus
John 16:7-15 - Conviction of sin; guidance in truth; the glorification of Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:6 - Life and peace
Ephesians 1:11-14 - An eternal guarantee

Childlike faith, pt 1

Yesterday, at bedtime, Alden was complaining that his ear was hurting. After investigating, it was apparent that he was serious and that his ear was hurting him a lot. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

So like a good dad, I handed him two junior ibuprofen as he was going to bed. He laid down and I asked who wanted to pray (him or Leif). Alden volunteered right away and I encouraged him to pray about his ear. It was a simple, well-thought (Alden's good about that) prayer.

After he was done, I said to him, "Alden, I want to pray for your ear. I'm going to put my hand on it when I pray." He looked puzzled and asked, "Why?" I told him that the Bible says that if anyone is sick they should have the elders lay hands on them and pray for them. I told him that there was nothing miraculous about what I was doing but that sometimes God decides to heal people when they obey and it was just an act of obedience. He said, "Right now!" (referring to idea that God could heal him right then) I said, "Yes, sometimes God does that and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he lets us stay sick and uses that. Alden, do you believe that God could heal you right now if he wanted?" He said, very confidently, "Yes."

So I prayed, as I have done many times before with my kids and others. But when I was done, my sons face was glowing. Like, ready-to-explode glowing. He said, "Dad, my ear doesn't hurt anymore!" I said, "Really?" He said, "No. It doesn't hurt at all!" I encouraged him to pray and thank God. He did. Then I said to him, "Alden, God did something miraculous just now. He literally touched your body and healed you." He said, "I think that's the first time He's ever done that to me."

He was still beaming! Shawna went in after I left and he told her everything. She said that he was just so excited. Could hardly contain it.

I learned a few things through this that I want to share... as if the story isn't enough.

1. Doubt. Sometimes my faith in what I read, doesn't match the faith I live. When Alden told me his ear was better, I immediately began to reconcile this with my doctrine, debating in my mind if it REALLY happened. Maybe some of you are doing that now?

2. Childlike faith. I am amazed at the faith of this 7 year old. He trusts the Lord as much as I want to. I see what Jesus meant by the whole faith of a child lesson.

3. Thankfulness. I know God hears me when I pray. However, it is amazing when He chooses to do something that proves it!

There's more to the story. I'll post it as part two.

Winning with Discipline

This past week I turned a new page in my life. Running. Some would say that it's a page revisited, because I've started running before. The last time I tried was two years ago. I made it a couple weeks and then stopped. No excuses, I just stopped.

That's why I'm calling it a new page. I have too. I'm turning 36 this month and if I don't start now and keep going, I'll probably never do it. I have a friend who is keeping me accountable, so I'm hopeful. Plus, I'm running in a 5K in May, so I've got to keep going.

Last night was my third run. I started off last week running 1.2 miles. Not that impressive, but to my out-of-shape body (especially in the area of cardio) it seemed like a marathon. I wish I could say that I didn't have to stop and walk some, but I did. On Saturday, my second run, things seemed worse. I think I walked more then than the first time.

But last night was different. I started off at a good pace and when I reached the spot where I wanted to quit the last two times, I felt fine. In fact, I kept feeling fine. I ran the whole 1.2 miles without a stop.

I have to tell you, it was encouraging. I felt like I got passed the "why in the world am I doing this" stage. I'm not saying that it will be that easy from here out... but I felt great and was glad to be a runner.

It made me think of what we've been talking about on Sundays. This past week I mentioned that we've got to be devoted to God's word. Not just 20 minutes a day, but as much as we can. We'd never say that 20 minutes a day with our spouse will cut it, so why are we patting each other on the back when we finally reach 20 minutes with Jesus?

It may seem like a marathon to set aside that much time each day at first, but soon you'll feel the value of time with the Lord. It will not only become easier, you will want it. You'll miss it. You'll look forward to being with the Lord. You'll wake up excited about your time with Him.

I'm finding that myself. How sweet it is to open the word and hear the voice of Almighty God!

I'll leave you with something God said to me, today:
"I count the stars and call them all by name. How great I am! My power is absolute!" Psalm 147:4-5 (first person)

Change!

Don't miss church tomorrow! Change your clocks. They go forward tonight. I realize that means you miss an hour of sleep. But it also means you don't miss church. Seems like a pretty good trade-off.

Ingrown Hairs

I think I have four ingrown hairs on my face and neck right now. I hate those things. I mean, it's a pretty simple concept. If you're a hair, you're supposed to have a root that is firmly planted in the right direction while simultaneously growing out of the face. Pretty simple.

When hairs do the right thing, they look nice. I mean imagine what your head would look like if the hairs all rebelled and grew inward. Not pretty. On the other hand, when they all come out, whether through the top of the head or the face, it really can be quite pleasant (assumed grooming here).

Pleasant doesn't describe the circumstances I'm facing right now. Because when hairs decide to grow in, they really irritate you. They fester and cause pain... eventually either disappearing (for the life of me I can't figure that out) or exploding, which is painful.

This past Sunday I preached about our responsibility to be proclaimers. I feel like the church has a lot more ingrown hairs than ones growing the right direction. Apparently, from the Bible's perspective, we're supposed to have a root that is firmly planted in the right direction while simultaneously growing outward. We weren't meant to sing really loud inside a church building and then hide our faith from the world.

Don't be an ingrown hair. If you are, you might be irritating and you'll probably end up either disappearing or exploding... and that is usually pretty painful.

How has God used you to proclaim his greatness?

Article on the Assurance of Salvation

I came across this old article by John Piper today and thought that it might be an encourage to some of you.

Click Here to Read

Be encouraged. God is gracious!

New leaf

Okay. So I'm reopening the blog file.

I'd like to make this more useful for the Cornerstone Ohio community. Come often. I'll be using this as a follow up to Sunday sermons as well as other thoughts and even questions.

Please, get involved in the conversation!