Created for Worship

You were created to be a worshipper.

The understanding of that statement alone carries with it a great weight of responsibility. It has nothing to do with a stage. Instead, it has everything to do with a lifestyle. Our lives are to exemplify Jesus Christ in every aspect.

Our Thought Life - every thing that we think on should honor God.
2 Corinthians 10;5 says "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Our Actions - 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that our old selves have passed away and that all things in our lives have become new. ALL THINGS! EVERYTHING! ALL!
That means our attitudes. That means our approach to ministry. That means our desire to serve. That means our home life. That means the pettiness of our pride that allows us to be offended over nothing because we think everything is, or should be, about us. That means that what we "think" does not matter anymore. Instead, it should be about WHO we know.

Our Worship - Theologian and Worship Leader Steve Camp says "a powerful doctrine sung in glory to Christ with an impure life is noise to the ears of our holy God. Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the obedience to the Word of God are marks of the worthy walk of faith. However, when Biblical standard are dishonored and unrepentant sin persists we must adhere to the instruction of the Word-stop the music until life is right. (Amos 5:23-24)"

May every aspect of our lives bring glory to the living God. We were created for that purpose. Most people seek their whole lives for "their purpose" and to "find themselves". As believers, we should KNOW what our purpose is...to glorify God and to worship Him forever. This is the chief end of man. Live your life to accomplish the purpose you were created for. Only then will you discover the meaning of the abundant life Christ offers.

The Greatest "Job?" Ever

I can't believe God allows me to do what I do on a full-time basis. I get to work with the greatest people daily, I have an awesome choir and orchestra that make me look good, and I get to tell people about Jesus. Today, I had the honor of making hospital visits. I went by one of the retirement homes and visited with one lady. She couldn't talk due to her condition, but she could give me hand motions and I could read her lips (most of the time). As I finished praying with her, she gripped my hand and wouldn't let go. She just laid there smiling at me and squeezing my hand. She didn't have to be able to talk for me to understand. She was just so appreciative that I had come and taken the time to pray with her.

Witnessing our prayer time together was this lady's roommate. I met and talked with her, as well, and told her about Jesus. She began to cry when talking about her family and how she has no one to visit her. But, she got a thrill out of the fact that I was paying her some attention.

I have opportunities all around me to tell people about Jesus. I've got to be more sensitive to the open doors the Lord constantly presents me with. I have the answer to all of their problems - I can't keep it to myself.

How's the Weather Up There?

As a kid, I always towered above most of my friends. Because of my height, I heard some of the same lame comments that have been floating around since Goliath was in preschool. In fact, I can remember my shoe size being the same as my age for many years. When I was 11 I wore a size 11 shoe. Each year I went up a size with my age until I finally maxed-out at a size 15. My perception of my height and shoe size was relative. I didn't think anything about it until people made comparisons. I just knew if my shoe felt too small or just right. My concept of height wasn't in comparison with everyone else.

We see the same thing throughout our lives. Our view is shaded by experiences and location. When I meet some of our church family for the first time, I often hear "you're a lot taller than you seem on stage". Their view is shaded by their location. Until they are actually up next to me, their perception is not a true one. Let me put it like this. All of us have experienced a change in our perception of the size of an object. The further we are away from something, the smaller it seems. It's not until we're right up on it that we are able to examine it for what it truly is and access it's true size.

Keep all of this in mind when you think about God. Our reaction to Who He is, is based upon our perception. Who is God to you? What mental image do you have of Him? Theologian A.W. Tozer puts it like this; "How you think about God will determine who you become. You are a byproduct of your God-picture. And that internal picture of God determines how you see everything else."

I ended up growing to 6'4", which is not that unusual. However, God can not be measured by anything that we can comprehend or imagine. We can't really access just how big God is from a distance. We have to be up close, next to Him to get a true view. We will never dream big dreams with a small view of God. In fact, if your "God-sized" dreams seem easily accomplished, then your view of God is small. Get to know Him up close. Only then will you see your dreams become bigger than your immediate surroundings and take on a form that only God could accomplish.

Thought Provoking

I've been thinking a lot lately about people. People just like you and me. Fathers & Mothers. Husbands & Wives. Sons & Daughters. Just plain, run of the mill, ordinary people. People with dreams. People with disappointments. People with hope. And hopeless people.

All around us - in every aspect of our lives - these people are living, walking, & breathing. All around us - in every situation we encounter - we cross paths with them. Some we know by name. Others are strangers. Yet, people just the same. In an average week we come across thousands of them. A sea of faces all looking for the same thing. Hope.

I know where hope resides. I know how they can find it. I know the answer to all of their questions. I can sit silently by no longer. I have to throw out the lifeline. I want them to cease to be a faceless crowd. I want to know them. I want them to know Him. With me or not I'm going. If I am the only voice crying in the wilderness then at least there's a cry to be heard. Am I alone? Are you with me?

Another Great Night

I've said this before, but as a worship leader I live from Sunday to Sunday. I look forward to that time we have together as a church family every week. But now, I'm every bit as excited about Wednesday nights! Every Wednesday's choir rehearsal is a sweet time of worship and is filled with such great energy. Once again the room was packed out last night and we were left scrounging around for more places to put chairs. I'm so thankful that God is using so many people in the worship ministry. What an honor to be a part of it.

Last night we gave out some free chick-fil-a sandwich coupons to some of our choir. Use them! If you didn't receive one, please make sure you go anyway. They are a Christian organization. Their number 1 goal is to honor Jesus Christ in all that they do. They shared with me that they are striving to poor Jesus into as many of the new employees that they've hired as they possibly can. They will never be open on Sundays out of respect for the Lord, and we need to stand behind that. Support your new Chick-fil-a and get to know the new owners, William and Leigh Crum. They're an awesome couple. They moved here from North Carolina just to bring Chick-fil-a to Redlands. Encourage them to come check out Immanuel and love on them. They're also expecting a little "crum" in October. Congrats William and Leigh. We're glad you're here!

If you are not part of Immanuel and are ever in the area, come check out the Immanuel Choir on Wednesdays at 6:30pm. We'd love to host you!

We Wear His Name

Ministry is not something that has to be done from a stage. The sweetest, most awesome ministry opportunities occur when no one is looking. We have made up nice looking name tags for all who attend Immanuel Choir rehearsal each week. Each person gets their name tag and wears it, and our guests are given name tags for the week. Each guest will have an "official" name tag available for them at their 2nd rehearsal. By having these name tags, it is easier to make people feel like they matter when you can call them by their name. Doing so, you automatically take people off their guard. I am convinced that if we ever become fully aware of what is going on in the lives of the people around us on a daily basis, we will be more intentional about ministering to the needs of people.

All around us in any given rehearsal are people who are going through a nasty divorce, those who are fighting cancer, those who have just recently lost a loved one, those on the verge of making a bad decision that need your encouragement. Find someone this week that God brings across your path and make an impact for all of eternity. Invest in the lives of others by ministering in the name of Christ. You don't need a stage for that!

Chase that Lion!

One of my favorite blogs to read is by pastor/author Mark Batterson. His book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day is without doubt one of my favorite books that I've read in at least the past 2 years. It has challenged me, made me think, and has helped to light a newfound fire under me. In a recent blog Batterson listed his "chase the lion manifesto". It gives you a little taste of the book. I've listed it below for you to consume, chew on, and then put into action. If you will adopt it as your own and apply it to your mindset, it will change your approach to not only ministry, but life itself. Let me know what you think.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion!

Feature

In ministry you pray for God to bless you with the tools, the abilities, and the people to accomplish the vision you believe He has given you. It's awesome when you see Him answer those prayers. Most of the time His blessings come in the form of people. In Immanuel's Worship Ministry God has blessed us with some incredible people. So, from time to time, I will be featuring those special people that God is using in incredible ways to help me breathe a little easier, and that are impacting this ministry.

Today, I want to send a thank you out to Brenda Heusterberg. Brenda is one of those God-sent choir members who is always encouraging me and willing to help. In preparations for San Antonio she brought her laptop to choir rehearsals each week and set-up shop in the choir rehearsal room - booking flights for numerous people over a several week span. Thanks, Brenda, for all that you do and your willingness to serve. And the Immanuel Worship ministry has several "Brendas" who are seeking to serve others. This is why I believe we see so many people joining the Immanuel Choir and staying...they feel like it's home. Keep working guys. We're gonna take this city for Jesus!

Welcome Immanuel Choir and Orchestra

We are in the process of revamping my blog. That's right...even some of the things you see now will change soon. I love change. Not simply for the sake of change, but for progression. I am one that if I find something that works better than what I have, I will go for the change. Why keep doing what you're doing when something else will work much better and more efficiently? I approach my marriage, parenting, technology, and my ministry the same way. In ministry, if there is a better means of reaching the lost and encouraging the saved, then I'm all about it.

Along those same lines, I discovered blogging...and I love it. Blogging has enabled me to get to know more people below the surface. More importantly, it has allowed many people within my ministry to hear my heart, see the real me, and get a "behind the scenes" glimpse at my life. By letting down that guard and being real with your people, I have found you create a stronger bond and team approach to ministry. People will get behind someone they believe in. I believe in my people, and I want them to know the real me, not the facade.

Tonight, we will be unveiling (if you will) thechiefend.com in choir rehearsal. Many of you reading now may be visiting the site for the first time. Welcome. I'm so glad you're here. Feel free to look around the site. Please check back often. You never know what you might find in here. To our Immanuel Choir and Orchestra: I love being your Minister of Worship. Nothing thrills me more than helping to prepare God's people for leading in worship and worshiping with them. Every choir rehearsal we make sure there is a point in which we turn our focus solely to Him and worship. We need that time. How can you prepare yourself to lead others in worship without truly worshiping. The chief end of God is to be glorified. In every situation, circumstance, problem, etc. He wants the glory. He created us for the purpose of worship, which is glorifying God through a relationship with Him. Sell out all that you are and all that you have to meet this "chief end" that He created you for.

My post won't usually be this long, but since we have so many new readers I wanted to give you a view of what this blog is all about. Feel free to leave comments by clicking on the comments tab following this blog. You will have the option of leaving a comment as anonymous or registering your name. If you don't register, please sign your name so that I can address you personally. Thanks again for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.

Community of Believers

Tonight was a very interesting date night for me and my wife. We had someone from our choir, Cindy Smith, come over and hang out with our kids while we went out. We had an awesome dinner and then went to a movie. At the movies we had one of our college students from church taking up tickets. After getting in we went into the theater to get a seat. We spotted the seats we wanted (3/4 of the way up in the stadium seating and almost perfectly centered). As we turned on the aisle and started to sit down we looked up to find 2 more choir members...husband and wife. We talked and laughed about how strange it was to see each other outside of church...but then, suddenly, we spotted another couple from church coming up to where we were. Once they saw us they came over and sat with us, as well. How strange, I thought, that we all chose to come to the same movie, at the same time, on the same day.

After we left the movie we went to Barnes & Noble for some cheesecake, fraps, and a book Jody had ordered. We placed our order and then turned to sit down at a table when I noticed another choir member from Immanuel grading papers at a table. How awesome is that!?!

I don't know why, but it is sometimes strange to see other believers outside of church. It's almost like we all live there on campus, withdrawn from the outside world and have no life outside of Sunday morning and Wednesday night. And, I believe, that we approach ministry that way. We totally withdraw (in theory) from the world that we proclaim we are trying to lead to salvation. We expect those we're trying to reach to conform to the proper church member before they have the "proper" relationship. We believe that if we keep doing what we're doing eventually it will have a different effect (that's the definition of insanity, by the way). We must engage the society we live in, we must be the influencers, and we must be real. How do we balance it all? As a team. As a community of believers we must change the current community. We have to love the lost.

I just feel that we don't truly get it. At least not yet. If we really understood how important it is, we would stop at nothing to see our towns and cities won to Christ. It wouldn't matter what songs we sang on Sunday morning. What would matter is that the music was relevant. It wouldn't matter if the sermon went a little long. What would matter is that the Word was proclaimed and lives were changed. It wouldn't matter that someone wore shorts and a tank top. What would matter is that they came and sat under the teaching of God's word. We can't expect to clean up the outside when there is no change on the inside. As a community of believers we must stop being about our own preferences and start acting on our convictions. Christ is bigger than a video announcement that is too "professional". There's more to our Savior than an old english hymn or a contemporary worship song. It's not about us, it's about him. When we make up our minds that we are willing to stop at nothing to impact the Kingdom for all eternity, that is when we'll finally see souls saved, lives changed, and families restored. Until then, I guess our community of believers will just continue to remain on the church campuses.

What's Our Responsibility?

As believers, we often get so caught up in our own issues that we forget about those around us. Our world becomes our focus, therefore, we have an inward focus and not an outward focus. When we place too high a value on our own problems or circumstances, it disables our ability to minister to others. In this struggle, our own problems or "giants" are bigger than everyone else's. When we are inward focused, how can we encourage or council others?

Last night's choir rehearsals was one of the sweetest times of worship that we have had since I've been here. I'm not making that analysis on my own. I refer to it as such because I've heard it from many of our people. We began the night asking for a show of hands for all of those who have had a terrible week. Several raised their hands, so I led in prayer for each of those. After we had finished rehearsing our music, I asked for praises and prayer requests. The requests were mind blowing. People mentioned spouses who were having surgery, children who were in prison, grandchildren who were healed, loved ones who were battling cancer, single moms who had lost a child and had 2 others in the hospital - one facing paralysis. In light of all of these, our mundane work issues, family arguments, and runny noses pale in comparison.

I don't mean to make light of everyday issues. All of us feel sorry for ourselves from time to time. But this cannot be what characterizes who we are. We must understand that we have a ministry to a world that is hurting. We are surrounded on a daily basis by droves of people who are facing life altering circumstances. Our ministry can't be inward focused. It must, instead, be focused on others. That was what Jesus was all about when He walked on this earth. Know that your ministry is valuable. Know that others need your encouragement. Give 100% to every opportunity you have to make a difference in some one's life. And finally, give God the glory for every bit of it.

2007 At Immanuel

Looking through my calendar for the year, there are several things that I can't wait to get to. Obviously, as I've blogged about several times already, our choir and orchestra are going to San Antonio in June to sing at the Southern Baptist Convention. Several things about that excite me. Right on the heels of SA is our 4th of July Patriotic Celebration. We had a creative team meeting concerning that yesterday, and I am so ready to start putting those things into action. The fall just looks incredibly busy, but that is when I thrive. I can't stand the lulling slow times in ministry. I need a lot of action to keep going. In the midst of a busy fall, we have TEAM IMPACT coming in October. Just after that we have our HUGE Harvest Festival on October 31st. It is the absolute best Harvest Festival I've ever seen. Last year we had approximately 15,000 people come through our campus for that. It was an amazing community outreach. And NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY. We are in the process of trying to book one of Christian Music's premier music groups. I can't give the name until it is actually official, but if this happens, it will be amazing.

Get ready Immanuel. We're going to impact our community in '07. We will be more intentional about reaching out, becoming more and more relevant, and winning Highland, Redlands, San Bernardino, and the surrounding area for the Kingdom!

A Night At Saddleback

I had the awesome experience of being at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA last night for a worship leader & songwriting meeting. They invited area worship leaders and worship teams in for a discussion with songwriter and worship leader Paul Baloche. For those of you who are not familiar with his ministry, Paul Baloche has written such songs as Open the Eyes of My Heart, Arise, and Your Name, just to name a few. It turned out to be a sweet time of worship.

I also got to talk with Rick Muchow, the worship leader at Saddleback. He was just a really cool guy. I totally respect his ministry and what God is using him to do there. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better through similar ministry opportunities and conferences. God has given me great "open doors" to network with guys in my short time in Southern California.

What Are You Afraid Of?

The Christian life certainly is somewhat of an adventure. Before Jody and I were married I told her "stick with me and I'll show you the world". My meaning behind that was that we will have a life of adventure and I will give you the best I have to offer. However, I had no idea God would actually show us the world by moving us so many times throughout our marriage. After 9 years of marriage we have lived in 11 different houses, in 5 different states, served in 5 different churches, and have had 3 kids. I'd say our ministry and marriage has been an adventure already! (And we have loved every minute of it.)

Though a life of such apparent chaos may seem uninviting to some, we have been on an absolute thrill-ride. Because God has chosen to use us in various churches, we have gleaned so much from our experiences, both good and not so good. In each situation I questioned why God was choosing to move us so frequently. Looking back it is clear to me that He had a plan for us in each location for a season. It was bigger than me and my desires. Instead, it was about Him and His will for our lives.

Each move has been filled with uncertainties, but no move has ever been filled with fear or doubt. We have known that God has had His hand on us, and each calling to a new place of ministry has been clear. What kills me is to see believers who are so fearful of what God might do with their lives that they never give Him full control. They would say that they want to be in God's will, but they never step out of their own comfort zone and into the realm of faith to truly see what God's will is. Now, I'm a firm believer that God hasn't called all of us to leave our families and move across the country. But, I do believe that the calling is the same. God wouldn't have any of us to receive half of a blessing. Yet so many people settle for that.

Our world would be radically changed for the glory of God if we would each act on the faith that we proclaim. Go ahead. Be radical. Dream big dreams! Ask God for the greatest adventure He can muster for you. Give Him the rest and the best of your life in humble obedience to Who He is. Only then will you see Him do things you never thought possible. It is at that point that you will understand what it means to be in the center of God's will. Act on your faith...what are you afraid of?