Church Choir, Devotionals, Worship
Change
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”(Hebrews 13:8) Recently I posted a picture on Facebook of my wife Ruth and I in 1969, standing on the campus of John Brown University. As interesting as the two figures in the photograph may be, it is what stands BEHIND us that is really significant.… Read More
Devotionals, Worship
Consecration in Worship
Psalm 24:3-4 “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in the Holy place? The ones who have clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.” Frances Havergal began memorizing the Bible at the age of four, and… Read More
Church Choir, Church Orchestra, Devotionals, Worship
NOT BY MIGHT
“For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me..”(Ps. 31:3 (HCSB) I had just been called to First Baptist, Atlanta, and I immediately knew that I was inadequate for the position. From the Atlanta symphony players that were hired each week to play in the orchestra, to In Touch Rallies around… Read More
Church Choir, Church Orchestra, Devotionals, Worship
LOOKING FOR BALANCE
“Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God, and all the people said AMEN, AMEN!! While lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Neh. 8:6) Louis Giglio defines worship as “our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what… Read More
Church Choir, Church Orchestra, Devotionals, Worship
The WHAT of Worship
Dr. David Hocking suggests several answers to the question “what is worship”: a. It is the reason behind the creation of all things John Piper says, “Worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence-the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of His glory.… Read More
Worship
The WHY of Worship
Differences of opinion on worship style or the HOW of worship could be greatly minimized if we adjusted our focus as to the WHY of worship! Sometimes we tend to forget to keep the main thing the main thing! Psalm 150:2 puts it this way, “Praise Him for HIS mighty deeds; praise HIM according to… Read More
Church Choir, Devotionals, Worship
SEASONED WITH GRACE
“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (Col. 4:6) When I lived in Bakersfield, California, our home was 67 miles from a grove of Sequoia Redwood trees. I used to love to drive up into the mountains to… Read More
Devotionals, Worship
Speedbumps
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength…….(Isa 40:31) I recently watched workmen install several speed bumps on the driveway outside my office window….that got me to thinking about speed bumps which GOD places in our lives! Several things are true of speed bumps: they are there to SLOW you downif you ignore them,… Read More
Worship
Singing With Understanding
(excerpt from “HYMNS IN WORSHIP: REDISCOVERING THE POWER OF THE FAMILIAR”…see www.johnggage.com for more information) “I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding.” (I Cor. 14:15-HCSB) A hymn service doesn’t exist so that we can appease a limited, older group of congregants; it exists so that we can genuinely worship… Read More
Devotionals
We Need Each Other
So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. (Romans 14:19) Just north of Kernville, California is a grove of Redwood Sequoia trees called The Trail of a Hundred Giants. These trees are mammoth examples of the variety and majesty of God’s creation! They stand up to 300 feet tall, (that… Read More