Closer To The Water

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-20

2009-09-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

We're on a roll on Sundays lately.

This week we rolled the low end way up, and turned the volume up noticeably. I was a little worried that the complaints would out-weigh the compliments, but I was wrong. No one complained at all... But I had several tell me that it was the best sounding week yet... loud. rock. yes.

I love my church.

So we kicked it off with a little "Faithful" and "Beautiful One". Leonard did the "welcomes", and we continued on with "Happy Day" then a cool transition into "Mighty To Save", and then straight into Tomlin's "Awesome if the Lord Most High" (Which wins the award for "longest title" in the Bayside Central song catalog).

Leonard preached on Forgiveness (something we can all use a little of)and then we finished the service off with my song... "The Sound of Hope" which sounded better than ever, if I do say so myself.

The band: Walter Bere on lead electric, Eric Johnson on bass, Ty Oshiro on drums, and me on the mic and geeeter.

Great week again. If you get the chance to make it out to church this next week, do it. The message will be great, the music will be... loud, and we're playing my brand new song for the first time... "You Did, You Do, You Will"... Can't wait.

Love this...

2009-09-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-13

2009-09-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is your Sunday Recap "FALL KICKOFF EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!"

Well, you kinda had to be there, but this is what happened.

"Bayside Radio" is back... This is where we do a cheesy (in a fun professional way) radio broadcast of everything coming up at church, and some new music that the congregation may have never heard. This plays for the fifteen minutes before the service, and ends with something like "Now stand up, 'cause it's time to sing..."

Anyway... it did that, and then we sang "All Because of Jesus". Well, that's why we sang, and it's what we sang. Ok, then we went right into my song, "Free".

There was a "Welcome to Bayside" moment, and then we had our video newscast called "The PULSE"... Oh yes, that's back too (because I know you all care).

then on with the music... "Salvation is Here", "Nothing Can Separate Us" (The new Todd Fields one that we played last week), and "Marvelous Light".

Leonard's Message was awesome... It was about Fear, and getting a hold of it... Good stuff. So, naturally, we closed the service with "Never Let Go".

Ty Oshiro was back on drums for the first time in about 150 years... Eric Johnson on electric Lead, Andy U. on the fat strings, and me on everything else.

After church was the best though. Five people were Baptized, and we got to grill out foot-long dogs in 75 degree, perfect California weather.

Great week!

Can't wait till next!

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-06

2009-09-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was supposed to be a "down" Sunday... It was a holiday weekend after all. But "down" it was not. What an awesome service we had!

We started off with "Glory To God Forever" by Fee (His name is Steve Fee, but his band is simply Fee... Just thought I'd clear that up) Anyway, next was the classic Tomiln... "Forever". Then we played my new favorite called "Nothing Can Separate Us" by Todd Fields. First time we played it, and I LOVE it. Great message, but very, ummmm... current. I guess that's the best word for it.
Let's see... Hey look... another Tomlin song! "How Great Is Our God" Followed by... Hey look... another Todd Fields song! "Let Me Sing". We ended with "Jesus Paid It All", because evidently He did.
It was awesome. There were tears. That's a good thing. "Down" Sunday... HA!

We had Mr. Edwin Concha back on the drums again, Eric Johnson on the red beast (aka guitar), Mr. JT Clements on bass... an I jus be a sangin' every week.

Love you guys. Can't wait till Fall kick-off!

P.S. (That's next week) Be there! Bring your friends, neighbors, family... and even a few enemies. Leonard (the preacher) said God will love you if you show up.

Sunday celebration Recap... 08-30

2009-08-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

So I couldn't stay away from the Lincoln Brewster stuff... Oh well. Call me what you will. (I joke. I really do like the guy, and his music... But if you were as over-exposed to this stuff I was... You would understand.) Anyway, we started off with Lincoln's version of "Everlasting God" and then went right into "O Praise Him" (Crowder)

Hey... looky there! Lincoln Brewter's "Majestic" was next, then on to "Beautiful The Blood" (Fee) and a really cool "my" version of "Marvelous Light" The offering song rocked out with "Happy Day", and we were fin.

This week we had a coupla' newbies. Mark Carlson was on drums, Drew Rosen on electric/lead, Eric "the intern" Johnson on bass, and me on whatever's left. Great Sunday! Can't wait till next week.

You're invited.

Sunday celebration Recap... 08-23

2009-08-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

So this week was a great set (I thought). We started off with Fee's song "Faithful", and led straight into "Let God Arise" (the live version, of course).

"Unchanging", "Mighty to Save", and "Your Grace is Enough" filled the middle section of the service, and I did a solo version of "Selah" to finish us up in the offering.

Eric (the intern) Johnson was on the electric and acoustic, Edwin Concha on Drums... The big man, JT Clements played bass, and Walter Bere (bah-ray) was playing lead on his sick equipment. And there was me, as always, on the geetar and the mic.

Good weekend. Really looking forward to the next several. We've got some cool things planned... See you Sunday!

Sunday Recap...

2009-08-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

So I follow a few other blogs, and this seems to be the popular thing for worship pastors everywhere to do... So I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Maybe you're not interested in what key we played "Faithful" in on Sunday, or why I tend to stay away from Lincoln Brewster songs... But then again, maybe you are. So here ya go. This is Bayside Central's first Sunday Morning Recap

We opened the service up with a couple of "throwback" songs that we haven't done in forever...
Beautiful One (Tim Hughes version)
Blessed Be Your Name (yes... old, I know)

A song I wrote a couple of years ago called "Free" was next. It's a 4-on-the-floor, tube-amp driven little rock song. That led into "Never Let Go"

"No Other Name" by Todd Fields went right before the message, and we ended the service with Steve Fee's "Glorious One" during the offering.

We had a 4 piece this past week. I was on electric. Eric Johnson on electric and acoustic. Andy Unterholzner on bass, and our new (great) drummer, Edwin Concha.

Well, that was extremely boring for me to write, but hopefully you thought it was inspired and that it possibly gave you a glimpse of true musical genius.

Anyway.

Week 8 - The Christian Life

2009-07-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE…
7/09/09

Video Discussion:

- What’s the hardest thing about living as a Christian?

- What does “it is finished” mean to you?

- Do you ever beat yourself up over mistakes and failures you have in life?

- Are you willing to quit?

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:17
¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Colossians 3: 1-17
Rules for Holy Living

¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual

immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[b] ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in

the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do

not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the

image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or

free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances

you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in

perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to

peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing

psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of

the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2 Timothy 2:15
¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Scripture to live by:

STUDY YOUR BIBLE:
- 1 Peter 2:2
- Acts17:11
- Hebrews 5:12-14

PRAY:
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Philippians 4:6,7
- Matthew 6:9-11
- Revelation 1:9
- James 5:16-18

WORSHIP:
- Hebrews 10:25
- Matthew 6:33
- John 14:15

TEACH:
- Matthew 28:19,20
- Mark 16:15,16
- 2 Timothy 2:24,25
- Acts 8:1,4

LIVE:
- Romans 12:1,2
- Titus 2:11,12
- Matthew 5:13-16
- 1 Peter 4:3,4
- 2 Timothy 3:12

HAVE FAITH, and BE FAITHFUL:
- 1 Peter 4:12-16
- Galatians 6:9
- 1 Corinthians 15:58
- Revelation 2:10

It Began With Bale...

2009-07-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

When God lays something on your heart, He doesn't hold back. Not with me anyway. I mean, one day I live in GA, spread thin in all that I was doing... I was searching, needing to answer a call. On faith, I did.

We now live in California, serving in a ministry that is nothing short of amazing. God has come in and turned my little family's life upside down... We have never felt so "right side up".

Anytime something's not going well, or seems that way, I sometimes sarcastically quip... "Well, at least we're in CA... God could have sent us to Ethiopia or something!." He didn't, not yet anyway. He sent us here to Roseville, CA... home of heat (dry, of course).

So we live day by day by day... That's the only way to do it out here. God has blessed us beyond measure, and there really is nothing to complain about.

On a recent (and rare) date, Alison and I stumbled upon a little coffee shop. I would rather drink lighter fluid than coffee, but they also served water (and the place just looked like a cool "date" spot). The inside was decorated with amazing pictures of people from what I assumed was Africa. I was right... Ethiopia to be exact. We sat down and talked about how cool it would be to go there... To experience it first-hand. On each table was a stack of postcards with information about the organization that was responsible for the pictures.

I picked one up... Not because of any message that caught my eye, but because of the title: "Drawn From Water". I just thought it was interesting that the vision God put in me a few years ago... "Closer to the Water", sounded similar (at least in name).

Here is what I found when I got home...

I was taken back. I desperately wanted to help these kids in any way I can. Please go to the drawn from water website, and see if there is any way you can help too. I'm praying about it, and I have a few ideas. God is doing something, and when God lays something on your heart, He doesn't hold back. . .

He's asking me to leap again...

I'm ready.

How high?

Ethiopia?

Week 7 - Tough Times

2009-07-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

This study is a hard one to accept sometimes. No one (if we're honest with ourselves) wants to learn through trials. We want the easy life. James sees things differently. He tells us to "Consider it Joy..."

TOUGH TIMES…
7/2/09

Video Discussion:

- Has a situation happened in your life that created a barrier between you and God?

- How has God used you through your trials?

- What have you learned about God through your trials?

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Some Thoughts in Scripture:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers [and sisters], whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4, NIV*

I’ve read these verses over the years and always thought the “pure joy” at trials was for a level of spirituality I hadn’t yet reached. The Apostle James could do it, and probably folks like Billy Graham and Mother Theresa, but not me, not yet. Then I noticed something new: there’s no period after “trials of many kinds” – there’s a comma, an explanation.

James isn’t saying “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials.” He calls us to consider it joy because behind the trial is a test of faith. And it isn’t the pass/fail kind of test to disqualify us. It’s the kind of test that proves our faith is real and strong. It’s the kind of test that will strengthen and develop us.

So… we can consider it pure joy to see that God is using the circumstances of our current trials to prove the strength of the faith He has given us, and to develop perseverance within us. He’s completing the work He begun in us, and in that we can be joyful.

Scripture to reflect on through the week…

- James 1

- Romans 8:28-31

- Psalm 23

- John 16:33

Week 6 - Focus

2009-06-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

How do we know if we are in God's Will? How do we focus in a world that is so full of distractions? This is the topic of this week's study. Enjoy...

FOCUS…
6/25/09

Video Discussion:

- Have you ever found yourself in a place where you weren’t sure how you got there?

- How can we keep our eyes locked with God’s?

- Louie makes focusing seem simple, but it’s not. What are some ways you rise above distractions to keep your eyes in the right place?

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Some Thoughts in Scripture:

But my eyes are upon you, O God, the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute (Psalm 141:8).

The writer of these verses (David) spoke quite freely with God, quite frankly, we all should do the same! God is not too interested in flowery words or even long-drawn-out prayers. You see, the Bible tells us that God already knows what we are going to pray before we even ask Him, or and even better yet, He even knows what we need before we even pray to Him. That’s why He’s God and we’re not!

Then why bother to pray, one might ask. Good question, and the answer is simply that God wants to have a real and living relationship with His people! Don’t parents enjoy it when their children ask them for something even though the parents already know what they need? And for parents, one of their greatest joys is to be able to give their children what they asked for. It strengthens the love relationship between the parent and the child, and for me, that’s exactly the same situation with God and why He asks us to pray or talk to Him! He loves to hear us call upon Him and He loves to meet our needs and all this develops and enhances our love-relationship with God! That’s why Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer to begin with “Our Father.” Jesus had such a relationship with God and made a way that you and I can have that same type of living, daily, awesome connection with God, who is “our Father” each and every day and moment of our life!

However, there are times when we don’t know what or even how to pray or talk to God. There are times when nothing is making sense of life, ourselves, work, friends, or whatever, and it’s in this verse above David shares with us a wonderful secret for our Christian life: “My eyes are on You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge.” Our eyes speak a language all their own. Eyes can give off fear, anxiousness, love, hope, joy and the list goes on and on. In this verse above, David (who is in distress) turns his eyes on God, and God from His vantage point and His love for David, sees the cries in his heart. David then boldly says, “In You I take refuge”! David didn’t try to pray his way out of his distress, but simply turned his eyes, his gaze unto God, His Lord and Saviour! His eyes toward God said everything that needed to be said or done! Sometimes I think we try to pray so hard thinking that the harder we pray, God will hear us better when all we really need to do is to look up—look up to God with our eyes and let Him come to our rescue. “In You I take refuge; don’t leave my soul destitute” (don’t abandon me, God! Help! Don’t let me drown in this situation).

God is all about love and has a father’s heart for His people and those who call upon Him and believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God! God loves you, as ... He really, really does! And because of this love, God’s eyes are always upon us and He is always ready to come to our rescue even when all we can do is to turn our eyes to Him. God reads our eyes very well and knows what we need just by looking into our eyes and hearts!

Let me assure that as a dad, God knows exactly where you and I are at! He knows and cares about your situation! Maybe you can’t even pray and don’t know how to express yourself to God! Again, David give us a simple answer: “My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord....”

Scripture to reflect on through the week…

- Matthew 6:33 - Proverbs 7:2

- John 14:21 - Isaiah 26:3

- Romans 12:2 - John 4:23-24

- I Corinthians 10:31

Week 5 - Passion

2009-06-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Week 5 of our study was all about re-directing our passions in life to follow God more closely...

PASSION …
6/18/09

Video Discussion:

- What are you passionate about? (no Sunday-School answers)

- Was there a time in your life when God came in and re-directed your passion? When/How?

- Is your passion guiding you to walk closer to God in all things, or is it structured more around the day to day business of life?

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Scripture:

"How do I get a passion for Jesus?"

This question fits right in with God’s greatest commandment, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, to love our God with all of our being. Here is some guidance in how to bring that about from Scripture:

1) It goes without saying that we cannot love someone we do not know. Get to know God and what He has done for you. Before the command to love God is given in Deuteronomy 6:5, the statement is made, “Hear O Israel, The LORD our God is one LORD.” One aspect of this statement is that He is unique, and the better we get to know what He is like, the easier it will be for us to love Him with our whole being. This also involves getting to know what He has done for us. Again, before the first command is given in Exodus 20:3, God states what He had done for Israel in bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. Likewise, in Romans 12:1-2, the command to offer our lives as living sacrifices is prefaced with the word therefore--a word meant to remind us of all of the mercies of God toward us recorded in the previous chapters.

To grow in love with God, one needs to get to know Him. He has revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1), but so much more through His Word. We need to make daily Bible study a habit—as much a part of our lives as eating every day. We would do well to remember that the Bible is more than a book; it is truly God’s love letter to us, revealing His love for us through the centuries, especially through the ministry of Jesus Christ, His Son. We must read the Bible as a letter from Him, asking His Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts about what He wants us to glean from it that day. Memorizing important verses and passages is also essential, as is thinking of ways to apply what we learn (Joshua 1:8).

2) Follow Jesus’ example of praying constantly and consistently. When we examine the life of Jesus as well as that of Daniel and others who had a passion for God, we find that prayer was a vital ingredient in their relationships with God (even a quick reading of the gospels and the Book of Daniel reveals this). As with Bible study, prayer—sincere and open communication with God—is essential. You cannot imagine a man and woman growing in love without communicating, so prayer cannot be neglected without expecting one’s love for God to grow cold. Prayer is part of the armor against our greatest enemies (Ephesians 6:18). We may have a desire to love God, but we will fail in our walk without prayer (Matthew 26:41).

3) Walk closely with Him NOW. Daniel and his three friends chose to obey God and refused to compromise in even the food they ate (Daniel 1). The others who were brought from Judah to Babylon as prisoners with them caved in and are never mentioned again. When the Jewish prisoners of war had their convictions challenged in a far greater way, it was only these few who stood alone for God (Daniel 3 and 6). In order to ensure that we will be passionate for God later, we need to walk with Him now and begin to obey Him in the smallest tests! Peter learned this the hard way by following God “at a distance,” rather than identifying himself more closely with Christ before his temptation to deny Him (Luke 22:54). God says that where a man’s treasure is, there his heart will be also. As we invest our lives in God through serving Him and being on the receiving end of persecution for Him, our treasure will increasingly lie with Him, and so will our hearts (1 Timothy 3:12; Matthew 6:21).

4) Eliminate the competition. Jesus said it is impossible to have two masters (Matthew 6:24). We are tempted to love the world (those things which please our eyes, make us feel good about ourselves, and gratify our fleshly desires) (1 John 2:15-17). James says that to seek to embrace the world and its friendship is enmity (hatred) toward God and spiritual adultery (James 4:4). We need to get rid of those things in our lives (friends who would lead us the wrong way, things that take up our time and energy and keep us from serving God more fully, pursuit of popularity, pursuit of possessions, and the pursuit of physical and emotional gratifications). God promises that if we pursue Him, He will not only provide for our needs (Matthew 6:33) but will give us our desires as well (Psalm 37:4-5).

5) If straying, begin to do what helped you grow in love with God in the first place. It is not uncommon to have dips in a relationship. Peter dipped in his (Luke 22:54), and David dipped in his (2 Samuel 11), but they got up and pursued after God once again. John, in Revelation 2:4, states it is not a case of “losing” one’s love but “leaving” one’s love. The cure is to do the “first works,” those things that caused one to grow in love with God in the first place. This would include those items mentioned above. The first step in this is confession and receiving the forgiveness and restored fellowship that are the result of that confession (1 John 1:9). There is no doubt that God will bless the pursuit of a passion for Him and will glorify His name through it.

Go back through the week and study the underlined scriptures in the text above…

Week 4 - Risk

2009-06-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Week four of our Bible Study... Half-way through! Please feel free to leave your comments, questions, suggestions in the comment section.

RISK …
6/11/09

Video Discussion:

- Have you failed in life, and become closer to God as a result? How? Was it worth the risk?

- Do you tend to “freeze up” in life because you can’t tell where God wants you to be?

- If God know the plans He has for us, and He is only interested in the intention of your heart, is there really such a thing as risk?

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Scripture:

A Story of Risk

Daniel 3

Personal Application

Hebrews 6:13-20

Scripture References for the Week:

- 1 Samuel 17 (Story of courage)

- 1 Peter (Encouragement)

Week 3 - Who Is God?

2009-06-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the video, and notes from this past week's study in "Who Is God?"

WHO IS GOD?
6/04/09

Video Discussion:

What “hints of God” do you see from day to day?

What does it mean that God is Holy?

Why is it so important to establish a relationship with God? How do we do that?

Scripture:
EVERLASTING
God exists forever, meaning he has no beginning or end. He has always existed in the same way: fully and completely as God.

Psalm 90:2
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

1 Timothy 1:17
17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 4:8
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

HOLY
"To say that God is holy is to say that He is eternally separate and distinct from all impurity. The term holiness in Hebrew, qodesh, has the notion of separation, of uniqueness, of one-of-kindness as it were." - Bruce Ware

1 Samuel 2:2
² "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

1 Peter 1:15
¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

Hebrews 7:26
²⁶Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Psalm 22:3
³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.

UNCHANGING
Also called immutability, this means that God never changes in his being (who he is) or promises

Malachi 3:6
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Hebrews 6:17
17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath...

ALL KNOWING
God knows all things. This includes the past, the present, and the future. It includes actuality, and contingencies. That is, he knows what will happen, and he knows would "could" happen. There was never a time when God did not know anything. The greatest and deepest and most fascinating thing that God knows is himself, for his is infinitely deep in character and substance and beauty and wisdom.

1 John 3:20
20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Psalm 147:5
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Hebrews 4:13
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Romans 11:34
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

Other Attributes of God and Scripture to Reflect On:

Infinite - Acts 17:24-28
All Powerful - Psalm 115:3
Everywhere Present - Psalm 139:7–10
All Wise - Romans 11:33
Self Existent - Exodus 3:14
Self Sufficient - Psalm 50:12–13
Immaterial - John 4:23–24
Good - Mark 10:18
Love - 1 John 4:8
Gracious - Ephesians 1:7
Merciful - Deuteronomy 4:31
Just - Deuteronomy 32:4
Sovereign - Ephesians 1:11
Freedom - 2 Corinthians 3:17
Jealous - Exodus 34:14

Week 2 - Trust

2009-06-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the second week of my Bible study. After this post, I will post a new topic every Thursday for the next six weeks.
Again, I've posted the "conversation starter" video, and the notes for discussion. Feel free to comment and share as much as you want.

TRUST…
5/28/09

Video Discussion:

- What does it mean that “God has placed Eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11)?

- What are some ways that we let the world influence what we trust and depend on? How can we fight to change that?

- Do you tend to care more about the final destination instead of the journey it takes to get there? Why?

- Why do you think God cares more about the journey than the destination?

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Scripture:

Luke 12:22-31

²²Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 26:4
⁴ Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

Deuteronomy 1:28-32²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' " ²⁹ Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. ³⁰ The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." ³² In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God

Psalm 112:7-8
⁷ He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

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WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS SO HARD TO TRUST IN GOD, WHO HAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER FORSAKE US?

Additional Scripture References for the Week:
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Psalm 28:7
- Proverbs 19:21
- Psalm 33:21
- Psalm 115:9-11
- Ephesians 6:16
- 2 Timothy 1:12

Week 1 - Priorities

2009-06-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

A small group of us at church started a Bible study a couple of weeks ago, and it is awesome.

I thought the 8 week study might be worth posting for those of you who can't come on Thursday mornings at 10am. Anyway, the first week was on priorities. Each topic is kicked off with a quick "discussion starter" video by Louie Giglio.

I'm posting up the videos, along with the discussion notes and Scripture references. Hope this is something that could help you out as much as it is our little Thursday morning group. Please feel free to leave comments with your thoughts, and answers to the questions...

PRIORITIES…
5/21/09

Video Discussion:

- Do you “tithe your time” effectively?

- How can you challenge yourself to prioritize better?

- Do you have an accountability partner?

- What are some ways that we can hold each other more accountable?

Scripture:

Matthew 8:18-22

¹⁸Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. ¹⁹Then a scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." ²⁰Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." ²¹Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." ²²But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead."

Colossians 3:1-6

¹Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on the things above… not on the things that are on earth. ³For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. ⁵Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. ⁶For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience…

Ecclesiastes 12:13

¹³The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE OVERLAYING THEME OF GOD’S “PRIORITY LIST” IS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE?

Additional Scripture References for the Week:

- Ephesians 2:1-5
- Ephesians 4:22-25
- 2 Corinthians 13:5,11
- Jonah 1-3
- Job 42:1-6
- Luke 18:18-30
- Proverbs 11:24,
- Proverbs 12:1
- Hebrews 11:11
- Hebrews 11:19

Selah-ah-ah

2009-06-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

I know that I've fallen way behind in my promised postings... So, I'm going to go overboard today.

First of all, I said that I would be posting songs up here along with charts so that you may spread the goodness that is one Scott Ivey around the globe. Actually, in all seriousness, I feel that God has blessed me with some inspiration, and I would love to share it with you. Hopefully you will pass it on to your church, your friends, your ipod... I don't know.

Anyway, here is the next song. The chart is in C, but the recording is one half step low (just so you "play-it-by-ear" people don't get confused).

"Selah"

Chart in C
Song mp3

About the song...
I wrote this song while studying the psalms a couple years back. Every now and then I would come across the word "selah" in between verses. The funny thing about it was that the word was not a part of the text. I came to find out that it was actually a musical instruction that means to "pause and think". I thought that was awesome. It's something that we don't do very often in our worship songs today. They would sing the psalm, and collectivley stop and reflect on the God that they were singing to before continuing. I wrote this song in an attempt to show the profound nature of who God is, and the love that is poured out on all of us so that we might stop and think that God IS good... That He promised to take away the sins of the world... That He keeps His promises.

Recently, a singer/songwriter from Atlanta (Anna Houston) recorded her own version of Selah. Here's the link to her song (sorry, I don't have the chart).

Hope these postings are helpful, or at least entertaining.
Got another one coming soon!

Songs n Stuff

2009-04-02T12:04:00.001-07:00

As a worship pastor, I'm constantly looking for resources to help me stay current and on top of what's going on in the church. So, just in case anyone else is like me, or even cares, I thought I would provide some of the songs that I've written (that we currently sing at our church) along with the charts, video and if available, the mp3.
There are a few other worship pastors who are doing this, and it has helped me a ton when trying to come up with new songs to add to the setlist...

So, here's the first song: The Sound of Hope Chart in D

Carry Hope

2009-03-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of talk about hope latley. People are reaching for it wherever they can find it, and why not? Things are tough.

Times like this, though, it seems more difficult (at least for me) to remember just how truly blessed we are. After all, the fact that I have access to a computer to write this, and you to read it puts us all on a much higher financial plain than most of the world... Yet we lose hope so easily. We hear bad news, and our hope is sucked right out of us. I think that's part of being human, but there's something else. Our world is being transformed around us to become a p.c., gray area, non-absolutist mess. No one knows what is certain anymore... How can hope be a part of that? We can be optimistic, sure... But that's really just a positive guess as to what could happen. That's not hope. So, if we know how hope leaves us... that, to me, begs the question... What happens before hope enters our lives?

We've been talking about this at church lately, and I've been trying to figure out how I can make the biggest impact in the lives of others... How can I be that source of hope, and carry it right into the lives of those who are desperate to know the truth, but don't even know where or how to look. In a world lost in it's own madness, we can be the sound of hope that makes that difference in someone's life... Take a look at this video, and do something...

Dog Days

2009-03-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove out to South Sacramento (or South "Sac" if you're down with the Cali lingo)... Anyway, I was going to see a girl about a dog.

A 2 year old, 85 lb Chocolate Lab named Tinkerbell was waiting with baited (doggy) breath. Her owner had lost her job, sold all the furniture in the house, and was going through the beginning stages of foreclosure on her home. Happy to take "Tink" off her hands, I thanked her, told her we'd be praying for her, and my new best friend and I headed for home.

We made a quick stop by the pet store to grab the latest in doggy... umm stuff, and now... She's home.

The kids and Ali love our new pet, and besides 12 lbs of poop I cleaned up this morning, I do too.

I was going to attempt to draw some deep analogy of rescue and salvation into new life from this latest experience, but I'm not anymore. I just don't have the energy.

So, welcome home (Tinker)"Belle"...

Don't poop inside again!

The Sound of Hope

2009-03-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

God speaks, and things happen.

It seems that every major incident in the Bible happened because He chose to speak.
Sometimes it's not what we want to hear when He speaks to us... Sometimes we're just not listening to begin with. But God offers us a hope and a peace that is beyond mere human comprehension.

In the midst of our economy, war, and just humanity in general, His voice is the one constant that we can rely on. He gives us hope in a world that is pretty much hopeless.

"It is finished". That's the promise he spoke to each of us.

I just finished writing a song ("The Sound of Hope")... The words are below. I'll attach the mp3 after recording is finished. I'm excited about this one.

Hope you like...

-----------------------------------

The Sound of Hope

Your voice is the sound of creation
You breathed the stars and placed them in the sky

Your voice is the sound of revelation
Unveiling perfect purpose through all time

Lord, we hear You...
Lord, we hear You!

Chorus:
You speak, and the blind can see
You speak and the slave is free
On the Cross, You spoke to me
and to a world that could not cope
Lord, Your voice is the sound of hope.

Your voice is the sound of inspiration
Transforming hearts and minds to know Your will

Your voice is the quiet invitation
reminding us sometimes to just be still

Lord, we hear You...
Yes Lord, we hear You!

Chorus

My hope is in You!
My hope is in You!

Chorus

End

I almost forgot...

2009-03-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

... that this blog even existed. It's possible that you never knew it was here to begin with. If that's you, then let me just say "welcome".

It's not my intention to post only once every 5 or 6 months... For example... in 2008 I actually posted on 3 different occasions inside a much smaller time-frame.

Seriously though, I really want to get the communication flowing again. So (both of you) stay tuned, and get ready. Here comes the... ummm, words.

Not now, but soon.

When It's Dry

2008-10-24T12:36:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite musicians is also one of my favorite poets... David Wilcox. (more on this in a minute)

Right now the church I lead worship for is going through some tough times. We've had an important staff member decide to leave, and it's tearing a few others away with him.

That's tough when you're left behind to pick up some pieces and try to be positive in the face of hurt, loss and a little finiancial insecurity. One thing that I've noticed over the past few weeks, however, is that the church... God's church is now, more than ever, looking to Him for guidance.
We have come together, united and ready for God's next "step".

Here's the thing. We're thirsty. We've been living in a period of drought, and we need a drink. The good thing about that (so I've learned) is that He never dissapoints.

The title of David Wilcox's song "All the Roots Grow Deeper When It's Dry" just about says it all. But listen to it. God is good, and He will provide.

That's all that needs to be said.

Rain, Rain, Come today...

2008-09-21T21:46:00.001-07:00

I'm a musician...

Well, a singer really. A singer who happens to play guitar.

Anyway, I'm the Worship Pastor at a small church in Roseville CA... Bayside Central. I've been out here in good ol' Cali for the past 6 months, and my family joined me about 3 months ago. We moved from Atlanta Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and to say the least, it's different here.

I think I know why the humidity is so low in CA... It must be because it rains once every 50 years or so.

Seriously, in six months, it's rained twice, and for about a total of 10 minutes. In GA, it rains 5-10 times a week in the summer (and it's still considered drought conditions). The rain is warm... it cools everything down, and we go sit on the porch and drink sweet tea and eat lemon pie (or something like that) So last week when the weather lady said rather casually..."Tomorrow expect cloudy skies with a chance of rain..." I had to rewind the DVR to see if I heard her right.

The next day as the clouds rolled in, I looked out the window as if I were waiting for Christmas morning (or my paycheck). By late afternoon, there was no rain... The clouds were starting to break up, and I lost hope.

The thought even crossed my mind to get the kids together... bang on a drum of some kind, and do a little dance in the back-yard. Silly, right?
As if I could control the rain... I can't control my stomach all the time, let alone a force of nature. I think that's silly, and I'm sure you think it is as well... But I do this all the time. Not with rain, mind you.

I'm a musician. A musician who happens to lead people in worship. That's a big job when you think of the audience... and sometimes I get up on stage and perform my heart out. I invite God to come to this "concert", and just hope that He's pleased with my efforts...

So when I woke up Sunday morning with no voice... I mean NO voice, I was stumped. I prayed to God... "Please give me a voice so that I might bring You into our presence... How can I create an atmosphere that you will be a part of if I can't sing?" It seemed like a valid concern at the time. But then I thought about the rain.

Is that really my job? To "bring the rain"? Do I wake up on Sunday, and walk into church, and sing songs and pray and clap and dance and... MAKE God come down? How arrogant is that?!

God smacked me in the vocal chord and said... "Scott, don't be stupid. There's nothing you can say, do, sing, clap, ANYTHING to make me be a part of the show. The condition just has to be right... You show up. You show up in my name, and so will I."

What a relief it is that we're not in control. We can't squeeze rain out of dry clouds by doing some silly dance... I think it's important that we realize that our job as worshippers is just that... to worship. To celebrate our guest of honor. If we just draw closer to Him... He draws nearer to us. That's it.

The worship this past Sunday was excellent, by the way. God showed up (like He always does) and I had absolutely nothing to do with it... What a relief.

Thirsty?

2008-09-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, I guess it was about last summer when this whole CTTW thing "came" to me. I was leading worship at a beach retreat, and honestly, I was more concerned with how much tanning lotion to put on while I played volleyball than how many kids actually got something real out of the weekend.

I mean, I cared... I sincerely worshipped. I did my best to choose the set lists, and they responded to God in those services... It was great. But for me, something was missing.

Years before, I had been the lead singer of a rock band, and I put all I had into music. We were doing well. My wife (Alison) came to shows, and supported me in every way she knew how... The band practiced nearly every night that we weren't playing out somewhere, and when Alison became pregnant something had to change.

We eventually moved from our city apartment to live with the in-laws for a while. The band took a back-seat, lost momentum, and then just died off. I could finally focus on being a husband... a dad!

I was absolutely miserable.

Depressed, but determined to make things work, I used my "ongoing" degree in graphic design to land a marketing job at a small property development firm. My old youth pastor had also approached me about helping to lead music at a new church he was starting. At first I was happy. I had a daily routine. I had a steady paycheck. I had a new baby boy. I had a happy wife. Life was good, but before long, a sense of unfulfilled purpose began to creep in.

My routine became drudgery. I began to coast through my "responsibilities" at work just so I could get online and search for places to play music... my music. Music had to be the answer.

I was "let go" from my job, and I was not upset with that decision. Now, I could focus on music again. Alison was pregnant... again, but this time I would sell enough CDs, or play enough shows, or write a hit song... or it didn't really matter to me as long as I was playing music. So I played.

I played so much that I was "let go" from the church... (It turns out that you have to be there on Sunday mornings every now and then). I was playing, but something was missing. Alison was miserable. We couldn't afford anything. We had two kids now... Was God playing tricks on me? How could He give me this un-deniable hunger and talent for something, but make it so difficult to accomplish? It wasn't fair.

I jumped at an opportunity to lead music for a youth group... It paid. I begrudgingly accepted the "promotion" to Contemporary Worship Leader for the main church... It paid more.

Slowly, a thick, dark wool was being lifted from my eyes. It was like God was whispering to me... Patiently calling me closer to Him. I started attending a small group on Sunday mornings between sound-check and the service. I felt new... alive, but that old ball and chain (music) was still holding me back.

It was in the car on the way home from a small show in FL when it happened. God stopped whispering. The realization, like a light bulb, came on. You can't serve two masters... You must hate one and love the other. I realized that my whole life to this point had been some meaningless juggling act of searching and self-centered fulfillment. I had made music my god, and my roots never took... there was no "water" for me. So I made a decision... I would ask God for guidance, and follow His command.

A few months later, I found myself back in Florida... the beach retreat (remember?).

So, it was going well, but I could feel deep down that I wasn't quite "there" yet. God had something in store, and He was about to reveal it to me.

The theme for the weekend was "thirst". The speaker had some clever analogies to living water and the fact that an additional quality to salt was that it made people thirsty... Then he read Jeremiah 17:7-8

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

How profound! It seems so simple in hind-sight, but when a truth that can change your life is shown to you... at that moment, it's shocking. I had to tell people. Not people who were ignorant to God, but people like me. People who were searching, and helplessly digging wells with no results and striking dry dirt. I had to help draw people closer to the water.

That's my story... what's yours?

We all (Christians and non) are searching for something. Desperately trying to find purpose and most of us find nothing but one disappointment after another. Like a tree planted in the dessert, we live for only a moment, and blind to the truth, only dig deeper and deeper until we can't dig anymore.

I'm asking you now to stop digging... There's no water down there. God is here. He has purpose for each and every one of us.

This blog is an attempt to bring to light the truth that God desires for each of us to make a decision to grow in Him, and in Him alone. He is the only source of water that will never run dry.

God Bless. See you soon.

Closer To The Water

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-20

Love this...

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-13

Sunday celebration Recap... 09-06

Sunday celebration Recap... 08-30

Sunday celebration Recap... 08-23

Sunday Recap...

Week 8 - The Christian Life

2 Corinthians 5:17 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Colossians 3: 1-17 Rules for Holy Living

2 Timothy 2:15 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

It Began With Bale...

Week 7 - Tough Times

Week 6 - Focus

Week 5 - Passion

Week 4 - Risk

Week 3 - Who Is God?

Week 2 - Trust

Psalm 112:7-8 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Week 1 - Priorities

Selah-ah-ah

Songs n Stuff

Carry Hope

Dog Days

The Sound of Hope

I almost forgot...

When It's Dry

Rain, Rain, Come today...

Thirsty?

2 Corinthians 5:17
¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Colossians 3: 1-17
Rules for Holy Living

2 Timothy 2:15
¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Psalm 112:7-8
⁷ He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.