did you know ...

i was surfing this morning and while i was at a new site by one of my favorite band's site i learned that one of my favorite songs by them was derived from psalm 104. i'm sure that you have heard it if you listen to power 88 here in the mobile area, or on another christian radio station. here is the inspiration that they used:

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.

23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.

35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD.

here is video that someone made with the song in the background:



here are the words to the song:

How Great Is Our God

VERSE(1)
The splendor of the King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

VERSE(2):
Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(2)
Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Then sings my soul,
my savior,God to Thee
How great Thy art
How great Thy art
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

have you ever heard this song before? do you like it? what do you think of chris tomlim? i have written some posts in the past featuring him, so you know i like him. did you know that the is coming in concert on march 14th? do you have your tickets yet? I'M GOING TO BE GOING!!

breaking news!

at least to me it is ... well ... not really news, but i have never really read/heard it so concisely put.

well enough blathering, here it is:

"In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love."

i read this on another blog. it just hit me as this is what we need to think of when we talk to others that have a different opinion than we do. there is another neat saying about opinions that i heard in the navy, but i will not share what it was verbatim. here it is cleaned up a bit:

"opinions are like armpits. everyone has them and they all stink."

what do you think of the line i read in that article?

the story about another song

here is a short article to a song that i'm sure you have had to have heard sometime in the past, or maybe even this year, around this time of year. i'm also not too proud to say that it has caused a tear or two ... oh who am i kidding! this song has made me cry about how sweet it is. i also think of the gift that i was given, in the form of my daughter, and the first time i held her.

here are the lyrics.

its that time of year, isn't it?

a lot of blogs that i read have their lists of their favorite christmas songs, and i just wanted to share two of my faves ... or maybe one more for good measure. ok, so three songs:

Christmastime
Michael W. Smith

Chorus:

Ring Christmas bells
Ring them loud with the message bringing
Peace on the earth
Tidings of good cheer
Come carolers
Come and join with the angels singing
Joy to the world
Christmastime is here again

Children gather around and listen
You'll hear the sound
Of angels filling the sky
Telling everyone
Christmas time is here

Chorus

Loved ones close to our hearts
and strangers in lands afar
Together share in the joy
Emmanuel
He has come to dwell
With one voice
Let the world rejoice

Welcome To Our World
Chris Rice

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain

let me know what some of your favorites are in the comments section.

saturday night

well, this is late getting out, but we had a great time at the concert saturday night. wow, i know you wish you were there, too, but hey, you were invited.

they did this song that is a favorite of my family's, and i wanted to share it with you. they did 'come together' for one of their encore songs, and that is one of my favorite favorite's of theirs. it was awesome. words do not compare. i hope you enjoy this video of 'show me Your glory.'

THIS is great

one cool movie

have you seen the movie that this trailer is for:

i saw it when i was little when it came out, but i saw it again, about 5 years ago, and it seemed so much better. what do you think?

i got mine! you got yours?

i just got back from getting my tickets to see these guys. if this concert is going to be anything like the one i saw them in when i was living in texas ... this is going to be great! wait a minute ... it will be better than great, it will be awesome!!

i can't wait! would you like to go? what is the best concert you have ever been to? what is the first concert you remember going to?

i remember when i went to see acapella for the first time. i was attending gateway coc in pensacola, and the group said that they were going to these guys and i had never heard of them. see i grew up in a conservative atmosphere, and we never heard of such stuff. boy am i glad i got to go! does anybdy remember randy singing bass? after i heard them there i wanted to sing like him.

thoughts from the past

i was sitting here listening to music, and posting to my blog, and then i went to look for some more videos. i came across a video if a song from a group that i went to see in concert with chris tomlin, and steven curtis chapman. casting crowns was in the concert with them. the song that gets me is "if we are the body." i once read the words to that song at a small group that i was leading, and asked if anyone ever felt like those talked about in the song ... if they ever felt like the girl, or the man that wandered in to the church service. it lead a great discussion.

i really like casting crowns, and i hope you do too. however, i like their first album better than the last one they came out with. why is that? do you y'all ever feel that way?

any way here's the video

i just got a new cd

i took jd's advise and got chris tomlin's new cd. not that i needed jd's advise, no offense to jd, but i was going to get it anyway.

here is a video of his single that is out now "made to worship" that was recorded at passion '06 (wish i was there), but i wish there was video for "everlasting God" i think i would put that one on here, too. i hope you enjoy this as much as i do! GO GET THE CD, Y'ALL!! let me know what you think of chris, and his music.

one of my favorite songs

some of you may know, but some may not. i really like chris tomlin, and this song is one of my favorites. my wife really likes it, too.

something i read

have you ever had a pity party? i will have to answer to the affirmative on that one.

have you ever signed up to work in a ministry, and then become the leader of that ministry, and then have some of the members of that ministry not live up to your expectations, and then think poorly of them? wow, that was a loaded question. i will have to answer to the affirmative on that one, too.

i need to get off my soap box and put what i was actually thinking about when i started this. sorry, i got thought hi-jacked. so to go along with the title of this post "something i read" i will show you it:

... The truth is that most American Christians
are looking to be served ...

do you qualify that statement? i admit i have had those feelings.

The Message of the Cross - John 19:1-27

this post was taken from charles stanley's "in touch daily devotional", so don't think that i was able to come up with all this great stuff, but i wanted to share it with you. it reminded me of this sunday.

this sunday i had the great privilege to lead communion. along with that great honor, my wife told me that i did such a great job that it made her cry. some people might find that upsetting, but to me that was another great honor. "why?" do you ask. well ... it touched her, and it made her think of the sacrifice that God gave us through the giving of His Son.

i started it off by having a song played, and then i talked about what the song meant to me and why i used it. i didn't have the praise team sing it or song leader know this, because the intent was for the congregation to listen to it, and not think of anything else. i also had it played because i can never get through it without my eyes leaking. i can't read it, or sing it without that happening. the same goes for the song "come share the Lord", but that's another story. the song i am talking about is "how deep the Father's love for us". that song is just so appropriate for the situation to me:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

being a father myself, and no not to say i am like God, but for God to do this for me ... its beyond comprehension. this line says it well:

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away

God's love for us was/is so great that He could not bear to watch His Son die. that line gets me every time. this line finishes it well:

But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

for God to redeem me with the giving of His Son, its just amazing that He would do that for me.

well, anyway, that probably shoulda been another post, but here we go.

read this quoted article and please mention in the comments your thoughts.

Rome used the cross as a brutal method for executing criminals. Through Jesus'sacrificial act, its message became one of hope and life for those who believe in Him.

The cross meant various things to different people in the gospel account. To Pilate, Judea's governor, it was the place where an innocent man had died. The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, saw the cross as the way to eliminate a problem—it meant that the radical rabbi was finished, and their position and authority were no longer threatened.

When Judas Iscariot heard that Jesus was condemned to die, he became greatly distressed. I believe the betrayer thought his actions would force Jesus to declare His kingdom, with Judas taking a high position in the new government. Instead, his error in judgment crushed any personal ambition.

To Mary, who knew the perfection of her son's life and His identity as the Son of God, the cross represented shameful crime. It also meant the fulfillment of prophecy. When Jesus was eight days old, Simeon had prophesied that a sword would one day pierce Mary's soul. (Luke 2:34-35) The cross brought that about.

To Jesus' disciples, the Crucifixion was the time when their beloved friend and Messiah died. Their intimate friendship with Jesus seemed to end, as did their dream of being freed from Roman jurisdiction.

What response would you give to the question, "What does the cross mean to you?" Is it the place where a good man lost his life, a troublemaker was eliminated, or the Son of God died to save you?

one more thing that i thought of as i was finishing this post, did you know that there was not even a word to describe the pain that the person went through on the cross while being crucified? can you think of the word? the word is ... excruciating. so if/when you here that word you can think of the kind of pain Jesus went through on the cross. just thought you might like to know.

questions

why does it hurt the worst when someone in your own blood family questions you on things that you do?

i'm sitting here at my desk while at work, and i can't shake this feeling from something that is controversial to a member of my family that i grew up in. a member of my family will not attend church with me when they come to visit because when they visited in the past they heard women singing into microphones. (i may be opening a can of worms here that will just keep overflowing, but it hurts me really bad.) we talked about this, and my question was why did they not have a problem with it before when they came to visit us in texas. their answer was the we were already members, and they did not want to stir up anything. TOO LATE!!

so when we moved to l.a., they came to visit while we were still looking for a church home, and there was this one church that we liked. so we went to visit with them. when we told them that we placed membership, they basically said that they will never attend church with us when they come to visit. sad. very sad. it really upsets me.

then when we went and visited with them, their preacher preached three sermons (mind you we had visited three times since we had moved to l.a.) and they all were based on "if your church does not believe the way we do, you are going to hell." (coincidence? i don't think so.) needless to say we have not returned to visit that church. however, it is a moot point as he has moved on, and so have the members of my family.

sorry to unload like that, but it all resurfaced when the member attended a sermon/meeting and the subject was spoken on. they proceeded to write and say how "the truth" was preached, and how women should not sing into mics, and the next thing will be her getting up and leading a sermon. that is sad to me. we had come to an agreement that we would "agree to disagree" on the subject of mics. in my response i wanted to say that the recordings of the singings that they attend had women are singing ... into microphones, eventhough they were in the congregation, and were being recorded with mics there, too. that line of thinking and revelation would not have worked, because their way of thinking would be that the women were not holding the mics, ya' know? ... i'm so ... i dunno how to express it in words ...

pray for me to let this go, please.

check this out

i got this from ben overby's blog. its really, really good. it talks about the way i view the church should be. we never, ever, ever get things right the first time (except for beginner's luck) and yet we are afraid to try because we may fail. i can say this to you because i am the world's worst at this. i feel that if i can't do it right then i best not even try. read this quote from ben:

A big part of what our churches ought to be about is forming Christ-followers into God-glorifying humans. Unfortunately our method has to do primarily with talking, giving instruction, assigning a few passages, or passing out a book. Whereas Aristotle had a school out of which he shared his philosophy, Jesus called men to follow Him, to become His disciples, to be with Him in order to become like Him. The school of Jesus was dynamic, interactive; it involved instruction, modeling, questions and answers, hands-on demonstrations, critiques, an expectation that the students would miss the point and make mistakes, correctives in the form of tough rebukes or encouraging words and forgiveness.

We visited Tennessee over the weekend. Our youngest son bought a tie that he intends to wear to church as soon as possible (it's a University of Tennessee tie--it's a good week to be a UT fan). Not knowing how to tie the thing, he asked me for a bit of coaching yesterday. I happened to be busy at the time and mumbled a few instructions. Tying a tie is really a simple feat. However, like tying shoes, it's not the sort of thing you learn by hearing instructions. Finally, I quit what I was doing, hung the tie around his neck, and showed him what I meant. He did what I did, making all sorts of mistakes, getting more instruction and modeling, until he understood the process. Then he went to a mirror and practiced over and over again until he'd tied the perfect knot.

It's much easier for any of us to learn anything if we're given a hands-on example. When I was in business, the best salesman I ever had needed to be trained, he needed to be shown how to sell the product. I began his training (like everyone else) by talking but progressed quickly to showing/modeling. I wanted him to have confidence when he actually stood before a customer and represented the business. The final phase of his training came when he actually engaged with his first few customers, trying out what we'd talked about, using some of the things I'd shown him, made plenty of mistakes, made necessary adjustments, and developed his own particular style.

Tying ties and selling products may not be as complicated as brain surgery, but both are learned the same way. We act as listening, learning apprentices, then under careful guidance we slowly take over, making mistakes, correcting our errors, until finally we are masters.

What's true of doctors and salesmen, a 13-year-old learning to tie a knot and an auto mechanic in training, a dog trainer or a florists, is true of Christianity. Christianity (which ought to mean authentic humanness) requires learning to be like Christ. A big part of what our churches ought to be about is forming Christ-followers into God-glorifying humans. Unfortunately our method has to do primarily with talking, giving instruction, assigning a few passages, or passing out a book. Whereas Aristotle had a school out of which he shared his philosophy, Jesus called men to follow Him, to become His disciples, to be with Him in order to become like Him. The school of Jesus was dynamic, interactive; it involved instruction, modeling, questions and answers, hands-on demonstrations, critiques, an expectation that the students would miss the point and make mistakes, correctives in the form of tough rebukes or encouraging words and forgiveness. Christ was reshaping humanity into His own image, and He did so not by merely sending a book, or opening up a three-year institution of higher learning, but by being the Master to a handful of unimpressive and unlikely apprentices.

Alex sought my advice on his tie because he knew I could tie a tie. We desperately need to be living Christ-centered, Christ-shaped lives so that as light we are sought by those who are in need. When the world sees true humanity, some will approach and say, "Can you show me how to deal with worry the way you do?" or "I'm confused and hurting and want to know how it is that you're so much at peace and full of joy regardless of the situation," or "I'm losing my wife--can you help?" The questions might come from the person in the office next door or the pew in front of us. When the question comes we are given a window of opportunity to enter into a relationship with someone who needs discipleship (whether they know it or not). At some point we have to just quit some of the other stuff in our lives so that we can respond, hang the tie around the neck of the one with the questions, and say, "Here's what I mean. Let me show you step by step." We all need instruction, but instruction must include not only the exchange of facts in a auditorium but more practical, hands-on modeling. If we're going to be effective in a world with too few master teachers, it is a must that we follow Jesus in scripture, continuing in His word so that we can become his disciples; that is, doing the things He says, trying His teaching out, making mistakes, being limber enough to receive correction from His Spirit, all as we grow into His likeness slowly but surely.

As an example, hear Jesus' instruction regarding anger, or lust, or retaliation as given in Matthew 5. Prayerfully listen to what He has to say. Memorize some of His words. Get your system soaked in His instruction. Next, watch how He handles Himself in those situations that might typically manifest broken humanness in the form of contempt, using the opposite sex for personal gratification, or resisting any form of vulnerability--e.g., always getting the last punch in. Finally, after hearing Him, prayerfully watching Him through scripture, go out and try what He says; that is, train to be like Him. We will make mistakes along the way. Don't hate your mistakes to the point that they cause you to come undone. Going the wrong way often becomes the catalyst, the experience we need to finally go the right way (remember Peter?). Jesus' school is still dynamic, interactive, inviting our toughest questions, and producing authentic humans. All that remains for us is to decide whether or not we are going to take Him seriously.

Ben

byron's greatest win

this is how the article about byron nelson ended at pga.com:

To put it in match play parlance, Byron Nelson believed his sin put him 1-down, the blood of Christ made him all square, and that someday, because of the Resurrection, he would even 1-up death. Game over. Nelson wins again.

did you know that byron attended richland hills c.o.c.? i didn't. i visited rhcoc many times while i lived in arlington, but didn't know that he went there.

i am starting to like grant's articles. a few weeks ago he wrote a nice piece about d. clarke, and the passing of his wife. he is a gracious writer.

favorite lines in songs

a very dear friend added this to her e-mail:

Ryan mentioned how he wished we could all stand in a circle and share our favorite lines from our favorite hymns.. I know mine!

My sin...
oh! the bliss of this glorious thought..
My sin, not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross
and I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, oh my soul!

If you'd like to share yours.. I'd be glad to pass it along. It could be fun to do a kind of email circle and put together everyone's favorite lines.

here is what i wrote back:

this one immediately came to mind:

Love one another, for love is of God
He who loves is born of God and knows God.
He who does not love does not know God,
For God is love, God is love.

or this, greg could do it justice:

It is no secret what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open, He'll pardon you,
It is no secret what God can do.

or there is this one that i have never been able to get through without my eyes leaking:

He joins us here, He breaks the bread.
The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead.
The One we love the most is now our gracious host.
Come take the bread, come drink the wine, come share the Lord.

greg is another dear friend, and he is related to elvis somewhere down the line, and he does a great job on some songs that elvis is known for doing.

what are some lines of songs you like?

and now its over

From Sid Bream to Andres Galarraga to Adam LaRoche, from Lonnie Smith to Gary Sheffield to Jeff Francoeur, from Steve Avery to Greg Maddux to Tim Hudson, the Braves always found a way to finish on top at the end of the regular season. They were the team that had the dash beside its name when the final standings were posted. Leave the numbers -- as in games behind -- to the other guys.

And now it's over.

The Braves won't finish first this season. That's been a given for several months now, ever since they went 6-21 in June while the Mets were pulling away in the NL East. It only took this long to officially bury The Streak. Atlanta was mathematically eliminated from the division race Tuesday night when New York beat Florida.

the preceding is excerpt from yahoo sports. this is a sad time for me. the braves are out of the post season, and i lost last week in the opening weekend of fantasy football by 1 point. now i have to play jd this week. can it get any worse?

and then depression set in

that is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite comedies; stripes.

i am depressed because the braves have not even made it close in trying to win the nl east. they are 20.5 games back. that is sad.

i never thought it would get this far

i never thought that i would get over 5,000 hits/visits to this blog. does anybody remember what my first post was about, and what the name of my blog was then? well, here's a hint.

why did i change the name? i thought that the new name was cool and i had heard it in a sermon, and i thought it really worked for what i was trying to share.

God is love. i'm sure you have heard that. who will win in the end? God. so the name of my blog is a reaffirmation of what is going to being the end result. GOD WINS!

i have also shared some weird times, and hard times. there have been some really rough times. katrina comes to mind. heard of her? she really made a name for herself, huh?

thanks for stopping by. leave a comment if you don't mind.