Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.  I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.   Jude 1:3-4 (NLT)

Today’s passage of scripture comes from Jude, who was a leader during the days of the early church.  A dangerous teaching had infiltrated the teachings that were going on inside the church, and Jude felt compelled to address it.  This teaching was (simply put) that if you were a Christian on the inside then it really didn’t matter how you lived on the outside.  This teaching said that our spirit was all that really mattered to God, so it didn’t matter if you indulged the flesh a little, or lied to get something, or participated in things that were even the total opposite of the nature of Jesus.  This teaching said not to worry about how you lived, Jesus had saved the spiritual part of you and that’s all that matters.

Jude knew this was a dangerous and wrong teaching.  It was wrong because Jesus taught in many times and in many ways that our heart (inside) and our actions are connected, and if your actions were not godly it was a sign that something wasn’t right on the inside (Matthew 5:28; 6:21; 12:34).  It was dangerous, because if God’s people aren’t willing to let God change their hearts from self-centered to Christ-centered, the result is chaos in the lives of God’s people, God’s church, and the world never seeing through living examples the amazing difference that knowing Christ can make in a human life.

God’s marvelous grace has been expressed to us through Jesus, not so we can live however we want.  It was expressed to us that we might have a passionate relationship with God and reflect His image.

Personal Application- Talk to God today about your perspective on His marvelous grace.  Have you been using it as a “get out of jail free” card to do whatever to want?  Spend some time celebrating His grace today.  Renew your heart’s desire for change, and thank God for his grace that reached out to you before you even wanted it, and continues to work in you even when you sometimes fight against it.

Home Application- What are those in your home doing that reflects the image of God?  Take time to notice those things and bless your family members who are doing them.  Sometimes we get in the habit of looking for mistakes and blunders rather than victories.  Find a victory in each member of your family and bless them for it.

Why do you think it is important to reflect God’s image from a heart that is right with Him?

Prayer –It’s a good idea to invite God to your session, give the time to Him, and ask for His help and blessing. Remember your practice time is a devotional offering to Him.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” - Prov. 16:3

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Mat 6:33

A Warm-up– so important. If you only have a few minutes, a solid tuning and warm-up is the first and most important thing you should do – even if that’s all you do.

-       Tune. Check several notes in several registers with a tuner to get better acquainted with your instrument’s pitch tendencies.

-       Play long tones at different dynamics for tone quality and pitch. Try crescendos and diminuendos. Do you go sharp or flat as you increase or decrease volume.

-       Play through some scale and technical exercises in different keys, increasing tempo over time. Use a metronome. You will gain facility, rhythm, and confidence.

-       Try playing songs you know, like “Amazing Grace”, in more than one key without printed music. Over time, move on to other songs in other keys. This will train your ears and give you a sense of phrasing.

If you stop right there your practice has been a success. If you do only that much most days of the week, your musicianship will be transformed in no time, and if everyone in the orchestra did the same, the overall performance level of the orchestra will improve greatly.

Practice difficult passages – If you have some more time, get out your church orchestra folder and practice the more difficult passages. Focus first on those segments of your music that present technical, rhythmic, pitch, or other challenges. Using a metronome, practice small bits at a time, starting at a slow enough tempo so that you can play the passage correctly with good pitch, rhythm, and phrasing. Then bump the tempo up on the metronome and try again. Repeat the process over and again until you can play that part perfectly. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen for you in one practice session. Some parts need time to come together. After you’ve worked on the most troublesome parts, then it’s ok to play through whole pieces.

Listen! – If you have recordings of the pieces you are to perform, spend some time listening to them and playing along with them. This will help with phrasing, musicality and familiarity. You can only produce the correct sound on your instrument if you have the correct sound already in your ear.

Of course, this is just an outline and not meant as a detailed practice regiment. Do some research on your own online or with a private lesson instructor regarding resources to use for studying your particular instrument. If each of us in the church orchestra committed to a course of practice like this, imagine how worship services would be more engaging and enhanced with opportunity for deeper emotional connection. The sacrificial offering of a practicing church musician will lead to greater spiritual blessing for all during worship services.

 2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy. - Psalm 33:2-4

As always, feel free to chime in with comments or suggestions of things that have worked for you to help you grow as a musician, particularly as a church musician in service of the Lord.

Billy Joel sings a song with the following words…

I don’t care what you say anymore

this is my life…

Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone!

The teenage years are years when children transition into adulthood.  Through education in school and on the streets, teenagers can become increasingly bothered by all the expectations and regulations of home and school because they want to create their own life.  Sometimes this is a good thing, other times it can rather reckless and painful for not only the teen but those who love the teen.

In our spiritual lives, we have to go through a similar process.  There comes a time when we have to answer the questions, “Whose life is it?  Is life really about what I want, what I think, and what I want to accomplish… or is there really a God who created all things who has a purpose and plan for my life?”

Jesus gave us some clues about all this in today’s scripture passage.  He said not to try and hang on to your life.  That means not only your stuff, but your agenda and your dreams.  Life can never fully revolve around us because it fully revolves around the will and purposes of God.  The only way all our dreams can come true is when we take up God’s dreams for us.  He has a marvelous plan for each of us that will not only make our lives fulfilled and meaningful but will also accomplish His purposes perfectly.

Personal Application- Whose life are you pursuing?  Your own or the Lord’s life for you?  If you try to hang on to your life, you are going to lose it.  But if you give up what you think is so great to discover the Lord’s life for you, you will discover true fulfillment and greatness.

Home Application- If you have someone in your home that is rebelling against the rules and values you are trying to instill, don’t let your emotions rule the moment.  Instead, ask them questions about why they want to go in a different direction, what God says about it, and what they think the consequences might be.  Entering into discussion like this can be a great way of training your child to discern future issues that you may not be around to protect them from.  If they make a choice because “mom or dad made me” it will not have the lasting value that making it “because they know it is the right choice” would have.  It’s always easier to JUST SAY NO as a parent, but it may not train up your child to discern right and wrong for themselves.

In what ways does your life still revolve around what YOU WANT rather than what GOD WANTS?

Fire is an important element for transforming a gold nugget into a beautiful piece of jewelry.  The heat of the fire liquefies the gold and allows there to be a separation between the gold and any impurities that might be a part of the nugget.  The liquefied and refined gold is then poured into a mold that allows the misshapen nugget to be cast into the shape of a ring or other desired form.

If you are serious about becoming Christ-centered, what the Lord must do is much like what happens to the gold nugget.  God may allow your circumstances to change, and the heat may get turned up in your life.  God doesn’t do this because He hates you; in fact the opposite is true.  When the heat gets turned up on our lives, it tests our heart and character for what it really is.  As impurities in our heart and character are revealed, we can confess them to the Lord and He will remove them.  This is how our hearts change and become more Christ-centered.

Most of us don’t like it when the heat is turned up on us, and we surely don’t like change… yet we want to be Christ-centered.  Understanding why the heat must come and the changes that need to come can help us to embrace tough times rather than run from them or fight them.

Personal Application- Talk to the Lord today about ways He is or might need to be turning up the heat so that you can begin the change process.  Let Him know you are willing to embrace the heat, confess the impurities, and allow Him to pour the refined you into the image of Christ.

Home Application- The greatest tool God wants to use in the lives of children to lead them to Christ-likeness is their parents and grandparents.  Parents and grandparents whose primary objective is to keep their kids free from pain and hard times will can actually undermine God’s work of Christ-likeness in their kids.  Sometimes God will call you to bring discipline, say no, or confront a bad attitude or undesirable action.  Never forget, the goal of godly parenting is NOT to have happy kids but to faithfully prepare their kids to become passionate followers of Jesus as adults.  You can’t serve two masters.

When did God turn up the heat on you and it resulted in purification and re-molding?

It was about this same time that some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem.  One of them named Agabus stood up one day and, prompted by the Spirit, warned that a severe famine was about to devastate the country. (The famine eventually came during the rule of Claudius.)  So the disciples decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow Christians in Judea to help out. They sent Barnabas and Saul to deliver the collection to the leaders in Jerusalem. Acts 11:27-30 (MSG)

Yesterday our hearts were saddened and shocked as we watched on television the devastation of the huge tornado that plowed through Oklahoma.  In recent days we have seen similar types of tragedies in Grandbury and in the town of West.  When events like these result in the loss of human life and the destruction of houses, churches, hospitals and schools it is normal to ask the question, “Where is God in all this?”

Today’s verses remind us of a time where a great famine was going to come and devastate the food supply in the area known as Judea.  There were many Christians and churches in this area and times were sure to be tough as they struggled through them.  A new church in Antioch some distance away, when being made aware of the problem decided they wanted to do something to help alleviate some of the pain.  The church in Antioch took up a collection and sent it to the believers who lived in Judea.  Where was God in the famine?  He was there, loving those who were facing the tragedy and providing for them through His children who cared enough to help.

Where is God in the midst of the tornados, the explosions, the tsunamis or hurricanes?  God cares and is present in the midst of times of trouble, yet the way He is best made tangible is through His children who care just like God does.  When those of us who were not directly affected by tragedy send help and resources in Jesus name to those who have been affected, the unseen God is clearly seen and unbelievers are drawn to Him.

Personal Application-. Pray for those who have lost homes and loved ones through recent tragedies.  Pray for relief teams send by churches and Christian organizations to be able to assist in rescue and recovery efforts with success and safety.  Pray these relief workers will have opportunities to share with those they are helping the truth that God has not forgotten them, God loves them, and that God has sent these men and women to help.  Pray about a way you can either go or send money and relief items to relieve some of the pain.

Home Application- What could your family do together to pray and raise support for those who have suffered loss?  Leading your home to pray for people and act to serve them will not only make a difference now but raise up the next generation to reflect the loving, caring image of God to a world who is sure to face similar events in the years to come.

What will you let God do through you to relieve human suffering in Jesus name?

A masterpiece is an exceptionally good piece of creative work (according to the Encarta Dictionary).  It is not generally used in the setting of mass produced items, but in the setting of individualized, created craftsmanship.  Each master craftsman has his or her own style that is commonly reflected in their creations, but each masterpiece has its own unique and wonderful touches that set it apart from all others.

Did you wake up to someone calling you a masterpiece this morning?  Did you walk to the mirror and declare, “I am a masterpiece!”  Probably not… but go back and read the first five words of today’s passage.  God says, “You are His masterpiece.”  Just stop for a minute and ponder what this means.

We are not masterpieces because of our talents, abilities or good looks.  We are not masterpieces because of our past successes or because how many people know us on planet earth.  We are masterpieces because of two things… 1) God created us, and 2) Christ Jesus is in us.  Neither of these things are about you, they are both about God.  He created us based on plan He visualized long, long ago and made that plan possible by sending Jesus Christ to earth to die for our sins and to be resurrected from the dead.  One relates to God’s potential (creation) and one to God’s power (Christ in you).

Occasionally you will hear about a great original work of art that is defaced by someone.  There is outrage when a unique masterpiece is marred or ruined.  Yet it happens every day with God’s masterpieces…

4  We put ourselves down and believe lies that enslave us to fear and failure…

4  We put others down, trying to build ourselves up in the eyes of others by tearing down those who threaten us…

Whereas a work of art is thought to be a masterpiece because it is flawless, with people it is the flaws and the lesser things in us that tend to make us the most useful and impacting for God.  We can either bemoan and cry over our handicaps and flaws, or we can accept that they are part of the masterpiece and embrace them.

Personal Application-. Today, think about how you view yourself.  To think too much or too less of yourself is to dishonor the one who created you and who lives in you.  Talk to God about this and ask God to work in you to create a healthy spiritual self-understanding.  And if you are consumed by your handicaps and flaws, talk to God about that as well.  Thank him for them individually and offer them to God to be used to impact others.  You are God’s masterpiece… all of you!

Home Application- Sometimes family members choose to have a bad self-image because of physical “flaws” they think they have as they compare themselves to others.  It is important to help family members not compare themselves to others but see themselves through the eyes of God who created them special and with purpose.  As you have opportunities to talk with family members, talk about things in your own life that you once considered “flaws” and how God used them to accomplish His will in your life.

How has God taken something you considered a weakness and used it for His glory?

We must not just please ourselves.  We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. Romans 15:1b-2 (NLT)

What is the primary objective of the church?  Though it could be stated in many different ways, in a nutshell the primary objective of the church is to accomplish the will of God.  We know that generally speaking that means we will worship, discover, invite and give.

Unfortunately, many of us act like the primary objective of the church is to accomplish our own personal will.  We each have ideas about the who, what, when, where and why of things going on at church, and when what is going on fails to match up to our ideas it is not uncommon for us to quit coming, quit giving and quit serving in the body of Christ.

What if you woke up this Sunday morning and there was a note on your pillow from God.  In that note he told you that this coming Sunday there would be a special and specific way He was going to use you to bless the life of someone at church today.  Since you didn’t know the details of what was going to happen, you would probably be very in tune with God and very in tune with people.  You would not want to miss whatever it was God wanted to do through you.  You would be much more in tune with God and others and much less worried about yourself.

That is the attitude we ought to carry every Sunday with us to church.

Personal Application- Ask God to help you identify ways you are more interested in pleasing yourself at church, than you are pleasing Him and helping or building up others.  As He does, ask Him to forgive you for making church about you and to empower you to make your main objective each Sunday to please Him and serve others.

Home Application- When many think of getting their family ready for church on Sunday, they think of clothes and remembering to bring a Bible.  Preparing your home for Sunday should be much more than that.  Prayers and conversations of expectancy that God will do amazing things in us and through us are how we can truly prepare our hearts for all that God wants to do at church.

 How will you prepare yourself differently for church this Sunday?

“Do not neglect your gift… Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” - 1 Tim 4:14-16

Time is precious in our busy modern lifestyles, so this week I want to share ways to help find and maximize time on your instrument.

“Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity… be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” - Eph 5:15-19

Your practice sessions don’t necessarily need to be long. You can get something accomplished in 10 minutes. Even if all you do is a good warm-up, you will have gone a long way to improving your technique and sound. Therefore, with efficiency and efficacy in mind – more so than time management – here are some things to consider:

Prayer - first and foremost. We want to ask God for direction and blessing over our endeavors, for He gives a promise if we do.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” - Prov. 16:3

A dedicated practice space - you are more likely to practice if you have a space specially set aside for that purpose. Ideally it should be somewhat private, so you can close the door and not bother family members or be self conscious; however, if a dedicated room is not available, you should still carve out a special corner of your world for practicing. This space should contain:

your instrument

a chair

a music stand

your music and a pencil

a tuner and metronome (they have apps for that)

a music player – portable stereo or mp3 player

computer, smart phone, or tablet – would be great since it can play music and videos from a variety of media, including websites like planning center online. You can also use it to read music in pdf form, search musical terms, find info about your instrument or the music you are playing, etc.

It works best if you are able to leave most of these items in place. This way whenever you have a few moments you can start practicing instead of taking time setting up or skipping it all together.

Leave your instrument and music out - again, you are more likely to practice if your instrument is already put together on a stand, just waiting… wanting… willing… for you to pick it up. Also, you can’t practice your music if you don’t take it home.

These are some of the things you can do to increase your practice opportunities. Next time I’ll write about making the most of your time during practice sessions. What are some ways you have found to carve out some practice time in your schedule? Let us know in the comments.

Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”   Hosea 6:3 (NLT)

Have you watched a High School or College cheerleader team in recent years?  The athleticism it takes to flip, flop, and stunt is truly amazing.  Yet, the real payoff for the team on the field or on the court is when these cheerleaders can start a chant or cheer that gets hundreds or thousands of voices to yell in support of their team.  Players on the field know that when they are being cheered on by the folks in the stands, it is like having an extra man in the game for their team.

Hosea lived at a time when God was about to discipline his people.  They had strayed far from God and God was going to bring discipline in their lives to call them back to Himself.  The people would get the message, but they would soon become tired and emotionally spent, and many would wonder if God had rejected them completely.

Hosea became a spiritual cheerleader for his generation.  His cheer of encouragement reminded the people…

• That the goal was to KNOW THE LORD.  God was interested in a relationship, not ritual.  As God, He wanted that relationship to be exclusive and not shared with the serving and worship of false Gods.
• That knowing God TAKES EFFORT.  Hosea called the people to “press on” to know God, meaning it would not just happen.  There were things they needed to be doing to passionately pursue God that would lead to knowing Him.
• That God would RESPOND.  God had not and would not forsake them, but as they were faithful to run to God, He too would run to them.

We all need to remember these truths in our daily living.  All believers in Jesus come to seasons where they need encouragement to continue in their next steps.

Personal Application- Who do you know that you can be a spiritual cheerleader for today?  Maybe a family member or a friend needs a word of encouragement from you, reminding them to keep making the effort to know the Lord better, and to not give up.  Talk to the Lord today about someone you could call, e-mail, text, or send a note of spiritual encouragement to.

Home Application- As you cheer on your home to passionately pursue the things of God, you may have to address mistakes they are making and you can cheer them on by celebrating their successes.  In reality there will be some of both that need to be addressed.  Cheer on your home by taking time to celebrate successes and by being willing to discuss the tough issues related to failure.

Who is cheering you on to godly living?

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. John 17:15 (NIV)

In John 17 we see a very intimate time being shared between Jesus and his disciples.  Over the previous three years Jesus had grown to love these men as family and had much to say and pray over them before He went to the cross.  Today’s verse is part of Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.  He asked God not to take them out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one. 

If you want to have a heart like Jesus, you will be about the task of praying for your family and those you love.  You will also find yourself working to protect them from the evil that is so rampant in this world.  If you and your family are going to be world changers (letting God use you to see lives in this world transformed), you have to stay in the world.  Sometimes as Christians we are tempted to sequester ourselves from the world, but the truth is no one ever changed the world from a distance.  As Jesus left His heavenly home to be in the world, we too will have to leave the comfort and spiritual safety of our homes to build relationships with those who need to know Jesus.

Jesus knew this would be an issue, and so he taught his disciples what to do and then prayed for them to be protected from evil and the one who is the author of all evil.  We can protect our family and encourage them to engage culture by preparing them to know Who God is and what Biblical truth is.  Then we need to model for them how to engage people who don’t know Christ and thus fulfill our purpose.

Protection is not sequestering… but preparation and prayer.

Personal Application- How well do you know the Lord and the scriptures?  To know both more means finding ways to spend more time with each.  Through prayer we can be in constant communion with the Lord asking for guidance and direction.  Through reading the scriptures both individually and with others we can know what God wants.  How can you step up your praying and your reading of the scriptures?

Home Application- A great way to protect your family for future engagements is to daily debrief with them about things that happened that day.  As they share their stories, talk about the evils they may have encountered or ask “what if” questions that would have placed them in a evil situation where a choice had to be made.  The easiest way to make a right choice is to have made it in your mind before you actually have to.

Whose praying and preparations have helped you be protected from evil?