February 3, 2009
“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.”
- Psalm 40:1-3
This is the miracle of salvation! I don’t deserve it…but He reached in and picked me up! He rescued me!
That’s the reason for the new song!
I can hear the music because of my experience with Him.
Everyone can’t hear the music because they have no experience with Him.
But many will…and they will put their trust in the Lord!
Then they can hear the music too!
But not until then.
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Posted by Chris Lewis
January 13, 2009
Strange thought? How can there even be a question about that?
It’s a unique form of worship known as the lament.
The most common examples of this particular mode of worship is found in the Psalms. Psalm 13 is a great example of David worshiping in lament before the Lord.
In the first 4 verses of this Psalm, David cried out to God and basically asked “Where are you God? And why are you letting all this nonsense go on in my life?“
Have you ever done that? Do you ever feel like crying out to God in anguish because you don’t see Him in your present circumstance?
David knew that God didn’t need His pretense. The Father already knew the pains of the son. David knew God required his honesty not some cheap suck up…or even worse – hiding from what surrounded him. David got real when he questioned what was going on around him.
We can relate. In the midst of a particularly difficult situation, we can identify with what David was feeling here. We can even manage to scrape together the occasional whimper toward God.
The difference is in what happens next. David turns it from whining to worship in verses 5-6. For 4 verses he bares his soul and questions the whereabouts of God, but then David turns on a dime and demonstrates the beauty of the lament.
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.”
David trusts God because he’s been there before! He has seen what God can do. Sure, maybe he doesn’t understand what’s going on right now, but he knows what his Daddy’s capable of! He watched while the God of the Universe showed off before and he offers Him the only conceivable offering worthy of the character of God…WORSHIP!
Why not give that a try? The next time your circumstances cause your heart to ache before the Lord, try this:
- Bare your soul.
- Be honest.
- Worship the Lord for who He is!
I hope you will find the lament to be a vital addition to your private worship!
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Posted by Chris Lewis
August 21, 2008
Michael Guglielmucci singing Healer
I just read this new article (includes video) early this morning and I immediately had a couple of thoughts. In summary, let me give you the basic details:
Hillsong released the song Healer on their latest album. At a Hillsong service, Michael Guglielmucci performed the song while wearing an oxygen tank. He said the song was inspired after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As it turns out, he was never diagnosed with cancer. It may be that his own family was not aware of the deception.
This song has been used to draw many people to Jesus in spite of the circumstances or motives that led to its writing. In fact, a couple of months ago, I sent an email to our entire staff at WAC after I saw the live performance. It is incredibly moving.
I was reminded as I learned the news of this story that God can be glorified through less than glorious circumstances. Truth can be communicated even through people who are untruthful.
Phil 1:18 says “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
TAKEAWAY: The motives of an individual do not take away from the Truth about a Sovereign God! He really is THE HEALER – the healer of sickness, disease, brokenness, hatred, unforgiveness, jealousy, debt, past failures, and ultimately death itself!
** Pray for Michael Guglielmucci and his family during this difficult time. It is my understanding he is undergoing counseling for this situation and he could certainly use the support of The Church as he seeks ”Healing” in this situation.
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Posted by Chris Lewis
May 16, 2008
This has been an incredible conference so far! There has been a lot of practical content, engaging worship, and stimulating challenges throughout the event. There’s still a lot left today…
Last night, Christy Nockels and her husband Nathan (Watermark) led worship. That chick has some pipes! Steven Furtick delivered the Word last night and God challenged me in one of those in your face kind of ways. I have only felt God stir my heart like that one other time…that was the night He called me to preach.
It was unreal! They are talking in the conference now and looking at me funny because I am blogging. I better go before they confiscate my laptop…
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Posted by Chris Lewis
May 14, 2008
Just finished the first general session. Worship was rockin! They did some great stuff that I had not heard before. The Holy Spirit showed up immediately and the stage was set.
Aubrey Spears spoke for the first session. This is one of the smartest guys I have ever heard in person! Seriously, his vocabulary is Brobdingnagian and prodigious I had to come back and look some things up!
He spoke about art & imagination. He highlighted the creative power of God and the need for the church, and specifically the worship pastors, to return to the craft of producing high quality art that reflects a Christian worldview.
Incredible stuff. More later. Here’s a couple of shots from worship tonight:
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Posted by Chris Lewis
