A Father’s Wish

November 26, 2008 in Family, Worship with 0 Comments

Two Sundays ago I was given an amazing gift.  As I was on stage leading worship I looked
out to the audience and spotted my children. My daughter was home for the
weekend from college and my son was in his usual spot. They attended different
worship hours, but I saw them both. What made this father thankful was what I
saw, my children engaged in worship; my son singing and clapping and my
daughter singing and at one point her eyes closed and I could tell she was
really communicating with the Almighty. What more can a father wish for?

 

As a father I often wonder if I have done enough of the
right things, taught my children what is important and led them to understand
the things of God.  I still ask myself
those questions but witnessing the events of last Sunday helped me see I just
might have got some things right and I will continue to try to be the father
that my heavenly Father wants me to be.

ClearView’s Core Values

November 20, 2008 in Worship with 0 Comments

For the last 10 years I have had the privilege to serve on staff at ClearView Baptist Church in Franklin, Tennessee. In that span of time I have been able to witness God at work. Henry Blackaby states the principle in Experiencing God that it is our job to seek God and then be open to His invitation to get involved where He is working. That’s how I feel about my ministry at ClearView. God was working, is working and He has invited me to join Him.

Just recently we have defined the core values that we stand on and use as a basis for all our ministries. Here they are:

  • The authority of God’s Word…it is God’s word
      •     2 Timothy 3:16
    •     “It is the substance of our teaching”
      •     2 Timothy 4:2
  • Worship in Spirit and Truth
      •      John 4:24
  • Transformed lives impacting their spheres of influence
      •     Ephesians 6:19-20
  • Taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth starting at home
      •     Acts 1:8
      •     Romans 10:14
  • Saturate everything in prayer
      •    Ephesians 6:18

These core values reflect a tag line that we have begun to use around here:

 Passion for God…Compassion for others.

We want to worship and serve God with passion and as we grow as His disciples we reach out to those who do not know Him as we do.

It is a real honor to serve at a church whose direction is clear and focused on God’s Word.

Preoccupation with God…

November 19, 2008 in Worship with 0 Comments

We are
called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.

A. W. Tozer

Choir Retreat: recap

November 15, 2008 in Worship Choirs with 2 Comments

I am sitting by my fireplace and TV thinking about the good
time I had last night and this morning with friends and fellow ministers that
are the worship choir at ClearView. This weekend of November for the past
several years has been designated as ‘choir retreat.’ Usually we take the whole
time to prepare for our Christmas presentation. 
This year we got that accomplished and we also spent some time
evaluating the current state of our ministry. I was very pleased at the
openness with which the choir expressed their desire to see the choir continue
to be an important part of the worship at ClearView and to hear their ideas for
making it better. Over the next few weeks we will be putting into place a plan
to evaluate all the ideas and take steps toward putting into action the ones
that will help us be the best we can be for the God’s glory.

 

In a day when many churches have decided not to invest in a
choir ministry, ClearView has decided there is value in a choir’s ministry. The
ClearView choir is one of the ministry groups in the worship ministry. These
groups’ role is to forward the vision of ClearView.  Just recently that vision has been described
with these words:

ClearView exist to make radical
disciples,

 focused on making God known

 to the ends of the earth.

 

The vision of the worship ministry is:

Using the creative arts

to communicate the never-changing
message of God’s love,

encouraging persons to use gifts
and talents to glory His name,

and lead others to do the same.

 

The worship choir at ClearView is open anyone who loves to
sing and is passionate about serving God. 
A few weeks ago I posted a blog that shares my beliefs on who should
sing in the choir.  These three
statements were the basis:

  • People who are passionate about God
    and live a life of worship

Worship is more than Sunday
morning, it is about being a follower of Christ…it is about making everyday
decisions that reflect Christ. 

  • People who enjoy singing

Sometimes people join the choir
just because they love to sing, but it is our desire that through the
fellowship, prayer, worship and discipleship of the choir this becomes more
about worship than just about singing.

  • People who feel called to lead others
    to be passionate worshippers

The choir is a ministry, and to be
involved and fulfilled in a ministry there must be a sense of calling.  Choir is about giving people a place to use
their talents and desire to serve God by encouraging others to do the same.

 

I have been amazed at what God has done at ClearView in the
ten years that I have been a part of its ministry. I am looking forward to what
God has in store for us and I am excited about the future of the worship
choir.  It is a real joy to be called
leader of this group.

Worship is…

November 12, 2008 in Worship with 2 Comments

Worship is the act of magnifying God. Enlarging our vision of him. Stepping into the cockpit to see where he sits and observe how he works. Max Lucado

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