My little boy Roman threw a rock at his friend Nadia’s head, and he “wasn’t really sorry.” My wife Rachel reported this to me when I got home, and we sat down and had a talk with Roman about it. As Rachel retold the story, his “angry” eyebrows formed into that pensive “v” shape and […]
Jesus declares, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him” (John 4:23). Some more great words from Richard Foster’s writing about worship: Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. Its central reality is found “in spirit […]
“For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28 We all have much to learn concerning the worship of our Lord, so fortunately God gave us some incredible people who have walked before us. So without further ado, Richard Foster: To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life. It is […]
“To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life.” – Richard Foster An intervarsity group at the University of Marlyand has been inviting speakers to come to their large group and speak on the different disciplines found in Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Disciplines. A friend asked me if I would come and speak on […]
This week, two songs that have tearfully brought me to worship God as Lover and Redeemer are “Roxanne” by the Police and “All Creatures” by Josh Garrels. I want to share the lyrics and tunes with you adding just a little context. “Roxanne” Context: Hosea was ordered to marry a prostitute as a symbol of […]
Physical posture is something many of us practiced in middle school so as to give off the “right” image. Here are some that I mastered: The Sitting Slouch with Elevated Foot – this effectively communicates that I’m a chill individual with an authoritative presence seeing the world as my footstool The Wall Lean w/ a […]
“Wow, Matt, God really brought us into worship…and you were there!” This was a comment that I received last week after the service, and I do believe it is one of the best comments I have heard in regards to worship. Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant […]
“For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.” Sheep? Sometimes I struggle with the multi-thousand year culture gap between the authors/teachers/prophets of Scripture and us. Sheep. Because I don’t feel like I can relate I often gloss over some of these metaphors in hopes that […]
Erin’s post, “The Beauty of the Word,” about her experience with the St. John’s Bible really had an impact on me. (If you haven’t checked out the website yet, you should.) She said in the closing of her post, “I’m profoundly grateful that God has given people the gifts and the vision to be able to share […]
I have struggled with the image of Jesus as “friend.” The heady conversations I have had with people concerning this term deemed it below that which a most Holy God would expect from his worshippers. Yet I consider a hymn like “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” to be incredibly reverent. “What language shall I borrow […]
