All Worship Night @ Revolution

Hello all, Sean here letting you know that you have the power. The power to choose which praise and worship songs you want played during our All Worship Night on Wednesday, October 1st.

All throughout September, you can vote for however many worship songs you want. The poll is set up so you can choose more than just one song on the list. If you don't recognize the song, you can always look it up online to refresh your memory. The one you certainly won't recognize quite yet is "Always Forever" by Phil Wickham. That's because it is new for the month of September.

Happy voting!

Friday, August 29, 2008

The Difference

Lately I've been weighed down, but it is not wrong. Some of the greatest and most terrible things come out the difference between who you are and who you want to be (or even worse, who you should be). Ever regretted this prayer:

God, show me what I need to change in my life.

Why did you regret it? Because He showed you, and it revealed that you're not as "good" as you had hoped. It is easy to become self-righteous and think you have arrived in something, especially when things are going well. Eventually, however, you are reminded that the Bible is true when it says in Romans 3:10, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one." In this context, Paul is referring to a righteousness of our own. In other words, we are not good enough and never will be. Mmmm doesn't that just make you feel all warm and toasty? I know I want to frolick in a field of flowers.

I have been getting this understanding. It's produced within me an extreme discontentment and disappointment concerning who I am. Maybe it's just me, but have you ever identified with Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels (especially Episode II and III). No, the movies were not that great, but I did like Revenge of the Sith. Something that has stuck out to me ever since is how much I feel like Anakin Skywalker. I secretly want to kill Younglings. No no, just kidding. Just think about Anakin's life. He's got all the potential in the world. He has so much power and ability, and the sky is the limit. What happens? He finds himself becoming discontent. He wants more; he wants to be more. It's not wrong, but he meets this discontent wrongfully and finds himself saying, "I am not the Jedi I should be." There is this constant struggle between where he feels he should be and where he is. Ultimately, it leads to his destruction because he did not deal with it correctly, but I feel like that. Maybe you do too.

I know the greatness for which I have been created, and I hope you do too. However, I can often feel like I do not have what it takes or that necessary changes that must be made, whether in thought or deed, may never occcur, and it is ultimately my fault. There is some truth to those thoughts because the only person who can keep me from God's best is me. If I fail in life, it's because I failed. God did not drop the ball. Taking ownership of that responsibility can be difficult and to be honest, downright depressing. Secretly I fear that I cannot live up to who I should be.

However, this discontentment does not have to destroy or depress. Check out what Paul said in II Corinthians 7:10-11:

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Sometimes the disapointments of our faults and inabilities are meant for our good. Sure, we can let them hold us back, but we can see from this passage that sorrow over our lack (in whatever capacity) can and should be used as a catalyst for change. We let our frailty own us and keep us as we are, or we can rely on the grace of God. The truth is I cannot change myself into who I must become and neither can you. We are not good enough, no matter how zealous. Only by considering every ounce of strength and goodness we possess to be completely worthless will we begin to see the grace of God move in power. It is the only way we will see the difference between who we are and who we want to be disappear.

Friday, August 15, 2008

WELCOME!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have acquired a blog. This is only the beginning. Here you will get my thoughts, some goings-on, and whatever else that pops up. Hold on tight!

Thursday, August 14, 2008