Weekly Lyrics

Another powerful song about how our perspective greatly affects our life. As the chorus says, “freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away.” We need to keep an eternal perspective.

Perspectives by Kutless

It feels like your life’s crashing down all around you
Let me ask if it’s really so bad
Look at the world in it’s suffering
Can you honestly tell me that know one else could understand
All of the hurting inside

Why can’t you see that freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away
Who could you be if your lens was changed for a moment,
Would you still be the same

A young child looks through a great stained glass window
Watching the people go by
Everyone seems to be wearing a red coat
His mother sees jackets in white
Now he can’t understand why does she see it this way

Why can’t you see that freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away
Who could you be if your lens was changed for a moment,
Would you still be the same

Yesterday, you really couldn’t see
By changing your angle a new world would be
Revealed to your once blinded eyes by moving a few degrees

Weekly Links

// Interesting article about what the Church can learn from Google.
// Just discovered this interesting blog
// This is really pointless, but humorous.
// Any one tried yotify out yet?

DO NOT FORGET

Here’s a journal entry I wrote earlier this year as I was reading through the Pentateuch. 

Deuteronomy 8

“Do Not Forget the Lord”

Moses continues his last words to the people of Israel, emphasizing the need to remember God – especially as the people get settled into this new promised land.  He knows the people well – how easily they have forgotten God and rebelled against God during the past 40 years and he is pleading with them to not fall into that trap again.  In v. 18, Moses states, “But remember the Lord, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”  It could be very easy for the Israelites to congratulate themselves once they conquer and take over the land God promised to them and think it is because of their own righteousness.  But as we see in this verse and in the next chapter, the Lord is not doing this for the Israelites (“for they are a stiff-necked people”) but because of the wickedness of the other nations that He is using Israel as a tool in carrying out His wrath against the other nations. 

Once again, I think this is a great reminder for me personally, and for us as a chosen body of Christ today – we need to REMEMBER.  In the busyness of life, it is so easy to get caught up and distracted by so many things, even good things, and yet forget God and all that He has done for us.  Just as the Lord did for the people of Israel, He has brought me up out of the slavery of sin, He has led me through the deserts in my life, He has provided what I needed when I needed it, and He has been patient with me – oh so patient.  And like the people of Israel, I have witnessed great miracles and acts of God and I have at times rebelled against and forgotten the Lord, I have also questioned the Lord, doubted at times where He was leading me, made idols in my life that have gotten in the way of my relationship with God, and I have disobeyed Him.  The Lord’s patience with Israel is comforting to me, but His warnings are also clear and penetrating – v. 19 “If you forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them …. you will be destroyed… “ YIKES.

Weekly Lyrics

This is a great song – the chorus really resonates within me and challenges me.  Great imagery too.  And how about the line – “Just how close can I get Lord to my surrender, without losing all control” WOW.  I love control – but somehow I don’t think “keeping control” is any where in the definition of surrender.

“Somewhere In The Middle” by Casting Crowns

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You’re making me
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences,
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle

“Work Smarter, not Harder” – Lessons I Learned @ UPS

I didn’t fully realize the validity of this axiom until I became a supervisor and was able to observe all different kinds of people attempting the same physically demanding job. One of the best examples of this comes from a comparison of two of my employees. One was a big, strong guy who was one of the hardest workers that I had ever trained. The other was a four and half foot little college girl, who was smaller than some of the boxes she was loading. After watching them over a period of time, it amazed me that at the end of the day when all the packages were supposed to be loaded in the trucks, the little girl would be way ahead of the macho guy. When I was able to closely observe their techniques, it was easy to see that the guy was trying to move so fast that he was wasting so much energy doing unnecessary things, and he was actually repeating a lot of his work. The girl, on the other hand, was calmly approaching her work and efficiently carrying out her duties in a consistent, steady manner. The guy would be drenched in sweat after the first hour or work, while the girl would be just getting warmed up. It was definitely a challenge to get Mr. Macho Man to see that just moving faster wouldn’t fix his problems, but that he needed to use his brain a little bit and not just his brawn.

I wonder if we applied this principle to other aspects of our life, would it make a difference? Although I love working hard and there is nothing wrong with working hard – I’ve learned sometimes that working harder does not always help the situation – working smarter usually does help. I think in order to be good stewards of our time, we need to make sure we are working smart while we also work hard. I know – pretty common sense, right? You’d think so, but you’d be surprised if you really looked at some of your life and work habits – I know I was.

Weekly Links

// We can learn stuff from Al-Qaeda?? Hmmm.
// This is for those guitar geeks out there.
// This video is pretty funny – especially to those who watched the Cowboys game on Monday night.
// Great book on Spiritual Formation within the church. I’ll be doing some posts on this book soon.
// A time machine - Webpage style. Pretty interesting.
// This looks like it has a lot of potential. I think we will use it at our church soon. It’s gonna be free!!

“Slow Down and Look Around” – Lessons I Learned @ UPS

I worked the last couple of years at UPS, the last year as a supervisor.  It was a very high-energy, fast paced (aka stressful and at times, insane) work environment.  While at times I dreaded getting up to go to work at 3AM every morning, I thank God for the opportunity that I had to learn a number of different things about leadership in a corporate, business-world setting.  Over the next few weeks, I would like to share with you a few of the things I learned.

One of the things I learned –> in a fast-paced, non-stop work environment, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of doing work, throwing efficiency and long-range planning out the window.  Each day, I was in charge of getting about 5,000 packages on to 25 UPS trucks with 5-6 employees.  Now I won’t explain the whole process in detail, but basically each person needed to work at a brisk walking pace while carrying heavy, awkward packages for the entire 5 hours they were there.  At times, I found myself running around like a chicken with my head cut off, making sure that everything was being taken care of and that everyone was continuing to work hard.  It took me awhile, but I finally realized that in order to really lead my employees, I needed to slow down and take a look at the whole picture in order to maximize our effectiveness as a team and optimize our chances of successfully accomplishing our goal.  

Weekly Lyrics

Hurricane by Jimmy Needham

I have built a city here
Half with pride and half with fear
Just wanted a safer place to hide
I don’t want to be safe tonight

I need You like a hurricane
Thunder crashing, wind and rain
To tear my walls down
I’m only Yours now
I need you like a burning flame
A wild fire untamed
To burn these walls down
I’m only Yours now
I’m only Yours now

I am Yours and You are mine
You know far better than I
And if destruction’s what I need
Then I’ll receive it Lord from Thee
Yes, I’ll receive it Lord from Thee

And it’s Your eye in the storm
Watching over me
And it’s Your eye in the storm
Wanting only good for me
And if You are the war
Let me be the casualty
‘Til I’m Yours alone
I am only Yours
I am Yours alone, Lord

Weekly Links

// All the political convention speeches – seen in WORDLE
// What is going on with my show?
// Think he can do it again??
// Are we serious?? C’mon.
// I’m gonna be a parent soon. My wife wants me to buy her this CD
// I wish I had invented the ipod like this guy.
// We are going through this discussion right now as a church.
// You knew this was coming.

Weekly Lyrics

Ruin Me by Jeff Johnson

Woe to me I am unclean
A sinner found in Your presence
I see you seated on Your throne
Exalted, Your Glory surrounds You
 
Now the plans that I have made 
Fail to compare when I see your glory

Ruin my life, the plans I have made
Ruin desires for my own selfish gain
Destroy the idols that have taken Your place
‘Till its You alone I live for, 
You alone I live for.