I received a text message this morning asking if I had heard that Wendell Smith, a pastor and great leader from Seattle, Washington, went to heaven last night. It immediately brought back memories of the times he ministered in our church, encouraging us with His contagious faith in God! I remember Wendell challenging me to step out prophetically in worship as he stood beside me coaching that night. (The inspiration for the song “Gonna Build His Church” came from that night with Wendell Smith as he sang the words, “God’s gonna build His church,” over and over with passion and conviction.) Remembering his graciousness in those moments puts a grin on my face today, since my first phrase of prophetic song to follow was something like, “I smell the smell of the sweet smell of harvest.” How lyrically embarrassing – and how funny!
One night in particular stands out to me when Wendell was preaching at the Montana Shepherds Conference on March 30, 2001. His topic was “Peter the Preacher” and he said there were those present that night who were under thirty years of age that were called to preach. He said that, like Elizabeth feeling John the Baptist leap in her womb, we were feeling a fire or a churning on our insides. That’s exactly what I was feeling – a combination of adrenaline and the Holy Spirit’s stirring. When he asked for those who knew they were called to preach to come to the front I responded quickly along with several others. I remember Wendell anointing us with oil, and my journal contains the prophetic words he declared over me that night along with his encouragement to preach boldly and with great faith.
The last time I saw Wendell was four years ago in November of 2006. He was speaking at the funeral of his good friend, Steve Valentine, who had battled leukemia. Wendell was in the midst of his own battle with cancer as he stood and boldly declared that we would all continue forward with faith in God. He is now receiving the reward of his great faith!
While Wendell Smith has finished his mission on this earth, the mission of God that he loved to declare as he preached continues. God used him to encourage many thousands of people, many of whom lead in churches today around the world. Today, I remember Wendell and am grateful as I freshly realize that God spoke through him to shape my own life and ministry. I know similar stories from many others will be anything but rare! I close out today with the most memorable (to me) of Wendell’s declarations: “God’s gonna build His church!”
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The Velveteen Guitar Incident
So, I had a horrible thing happen this past week. I picked up my backpack-style guitar case that I thought was zipped shut... and it wasn't. I slung it onto my back not realizing anything was wrong until I heard the clashing wood and resonating sound of my guitar smashing onto the floor. Can you say, "Groanings that can't be uttered?!" The timing was impeccable too; it happened just a few minutes before I was supposed to lead worship and speak on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives! Nothing gets a preacher's heart rate going like a good distraction right before he speaks. Nothing gets a guitarist's heart rate going like seeing his broken guitar lying on the floor right before he's supposed to lead worship with it!
Since I didn't have any backup guitars handy (I was just supposed to do an acoustic guitar-only set for 20 minutes - not the kind of set during which one usually breaks strings! Stop chuckling, honey.) I did the only thing I could think of: I tuned up the broken guitar to see if it would still work, plugged it in and gave it a whirl. Amazingly, the guitar, with two splits in the top, a piece of it protruding at an ungainly angle and a brace piece completely broken off sounded... wonderful. I actually received compliments on how great it sounded that night!
Anyone who has seen my old Seagull S6 guitar knows that it's anything but pretty. It has "been through the war" so to speak which is why its affectionate nickname for years has been Velveteen Rabbit. The scratches, nicks and worn places are ugly to say the least. In spite of its worn looks and its new challenges I couldn't imagine getting rid of this guitar. No way!! I hand picked it years ago even though it had a mar in the finish, because of the amazing tone I could produce through the instrument. That sound and tone have only improved with age. (Sorry, to all of you who were hoping to get your grubby mitts on my Rabbit!) My intent is to make the investment to make sure I can keep playing and worshiping with my Velveteen Rabbit for years to come.
Does that just sound like an eccentric musician? (Okay, of course it sounds like an eccentric musician!) But can you hear a familiar ring to this story? I do. It's also the story of our amazing God who hand picks us in spite of our flaws and imperfections because of the "sound" He has chosen to create through us. He brings us through the scratches, the dents, and even the devastation of life's struggles, and He loves us every moment of the way. He has already payed the highest possible price to redeem us from destruction!
Oh, by the way... The Velveteen Guitar Incident has produced another new and exciting opportunity for me. I purchased a brand new Taylor 314ce guitar that is entirely different than my Seagull. The tone is different, the fret board feels different... it's just different, in the best kind of way. I'm loving every minute of it (except maybe the bill!) and look forward to new songs being written on each of these great guitars and new worship experiences yet to be discovered with each of them. And I love how God can use a silly guitar accident to reveal Himself and His ways to me.
Now, to make sure I don't drop this one...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Praying Like God Is God
(Psalm 144)
I have a love-hate relationship with David. There are elements of David's passion for God that inspire me while other elements of his character repel me. This sounds all too much like someone I see in the mirror every day! One of David's character traits that I admire is that he actually prays like God is God! When times are good he worships. When times are bad he worships. This is a man who relies not on his own strength (most of the time!) but on God's, which is definitely a characteristic that any follower of Christ would want. Psalm 144 shows us a prayer-in-a-nutshell example of how to engage with God in a way that is sure to encourage and build faith.
Pronouncing God's Power (Vss. 1-2)
David begins his prayer, not by praying his problems, but by pronouncing the power of God - what a great reminder to any of us who are facing challenges in life! God is our strength, our resource, our emotional supply, our defense and our rescue! He is always equipping us to face the battles we encounter.
Perspective: God's Sovereignty (Vss. 3-4)
What is man when compared to God? Declaring the sovereignty of God bring us into a right perspective of Who is in charge of every situation. If God is for us who can be against us? Not only are David and his enemies subject to a sovereign God, but so are we and the difficulties we face today. As this truth takes root in us we will be propelled forward in prayer since God can actually DO things!
Petition for God's Presence (Vss. 5-8)
Once we have encouraged ourselves through worshiping God, declaring who He is and affirming His sovereignty over mankind, we're in a better frame of mind to ask for God's supernatural help. If we are advancing the kingdom of God on the earth, we can expect opposition! Recognizing that we really do need God's intervention on our behalf is a necessary ingredient to continued advancement. We need God's power and involvement in our lives, and it's certainly biblical to ask for it. We don't subscribe only to a theology of God's presence with us, but we expect a present-tense reality of God's presence bringing His kingdom among us.
Proclaiming God's Praise (Vss. 9-10)
Maybe it should seem obvious here, but when David declares that he is going to praise the God who saves and delivers him from his enemies, he is only saying it a few seconds after asking God for help in the first place! Nothing has changed in his situation, yet he is choosing to praise God anyway. We serve the same God that David did, and we can sing and worship with the same faith in the face of struggle and warfare. Our God is still a God who saves and delivers us out of the the hand of the enemy. Besides, even if we don't see the full deliverance in this lifetime we still end up in heaven, right? Deliverance doesn't get much better than that!
Prophetic Purpose (Vss. 11-15)
"Deliver me, so that..." Did you notice that of all the reasons David gives when asking for God's deliverance, none of them are really about him? They are really about seeing others blessed within his sphere of influence. Even under the pressure of difficult circumstance God gives us an ability to see prophetically into the bigger picture. As we pray for the blessing of others and for those we impact, our eyes are lifted from the individualistic, self-absorbed mentality of the victim to a broad kingdom perspective that is full of mission and vision! Who else but God can meet us in the middle of intense trial and turn our heart to songs of praise and prayers of faith?
What Does This Mean For Us?
1. We serve a powerful God who has all the provision we will ever need to fulfill His God-sized purposes.
2. We are on His Mission.
3. As we focus on the greatness and purpose of God, our faith is stirred.
4. We can now find boldness to ask for big things and dream big dreams, regardless of our present circumstance!
So, what are you asking for today that is bigger than you? What dreams do you have that are simply too big to be accomplished by anyone but God Himself? Like David, we can use a difficult situation as an opportunity to engage with our sovereign God and declare His greatness! Each of us can look beyond our circumstance to the God who rules and reigns over that circumstance and let our faith be stirred!
I have a love-hate relationship with David. There are elements of David's passion for God that inspire me while other elements of his character repel me. This sounds all too much like someone I see in the mirror every day! One of David's character traits that I admire is that he actually prays like God is God! When times are good he worships. When times are bad he worships. This is a man who relies not on his own strength (most of the time!) but on God's, which is definitely a characteristic that any follower of Christ would want. Psalm 144 shows us a prayer-in-a-nutshell example of how to engage with God in a way that is sure to encourage and build faith.
Pronouncing God's Power (Vss. 1-2)
David begins his prayer, not by praying his problems, but by pronouncing the power of God - what a great reminder to any of us who are facing challenges in life! God is our strength, our resource, our emotional supply, our defense and our rescue! He is always equipping us to face the battles we encounter.
Perspective: God's Sovereignty (Vss. 3-4)
What is man when compared to God? Declaring the sovereignty of God bring us into a right perspective of Who is in charge of every situation. If God is for us who can be against us? Not only are David and his enemies subject to a sovereign God, but so are we and the difficulties we face today. As this truth takes root in us we will be propelled forward in prayer since God can actually DO things!
Petition for God's Presence (Vss. 5-8)
Once we have encouraged ourselves through worshiping God, declaring who He is and affirming His sovereignty over mankind, we're in a better frame of mind to ask for God's supernatural help. If we are advancing the kingdom of God on the earth, we can expect opposition! Recognizing that we really do need God's intervention on our behalf is a necessary ingredient to continued advancement. We need God's power and involvement in our lives, and it's certainly biblical to ask for it. We don't subscribe only to a theology of God's presence with us, but we expect a present-tense reality of God's presence bringing His kingdom among us.
Proclaiming God's Praise (Vss. 9-10)
Maybe it should seem obvious here, but when David declares that he is going to praise the God who saves and delivers him from his enemies, he is only saying it a few seconds after asking God for help in the first place! Nothing has changed in his situation, yet he is choosing to praise God anyway. We serve the same God that David did, and we can sing and worship with the same faith in the face of struggle and warfare. Our God is still a God who saves and delivers us out of the the hand of the enemy. Besides, even if we don't see the full deliverance in this lifetime we still end up in heaven, right? Deliverance doesn't get much better than that!
Prophetic Purpose (Vss. 11-15)
"Deliver me, so that..." Did you notice that of all the reasons David gives when asking for God's deliverance, none of them are really about him? They are really about seeing others blessed within his sphere of influence. Even under the pressure of difficult circumstance God gives us an ability to see prophetically into the bigger picture. As we pray for the blessing of others and for those we impact, our eyes are lifted from the individualistic, self-absorbed mentality of the victim to a broad kingdom perspective that is full of mission and vision! Who else but God can meet us in the middle of intense trial and turn our heart to songs of praise and prayers of faith?
What Does This Mean For Us?
1. We serve a powerful God who has all the provision we will ever need to fulfill His God-sized purposes.
2. We are on His Mission.
3. As we focus on the greatness and purpose of God, our faith is stirred.
4. We can now find boldness to ask for big things and dream big dreams, regardless of our present circumstance!
So, what are you asking for today that is bigger than you? What dreams do you have that are simply too big to be accomplished by anyone but God Himself? Like David, we can use a difficult situation as an opportunity to engage with our sovereign God and declare His greatness! Each of us can look beyond our circumstance to the God who rules and reigns over that circumstance and let our faith be stirred!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Creative Climate
"The LORD showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive ... the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. '... so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land;'" (Jeremiah 24:1,5-6, NKJV)
In Jeremiah's lifetime the craftsmen and artists were taken out of Jerusalem "for their own good." It makes me wonder about the climate of the church (Jerusalem) today. Is our atmosphere one where the skill of creativity and artistic design can flourish? Is it one where the leaders of praise (princes of Judah) can lead effectively and do what God has called them to do? This may be an indicator of why so much of the "secular" world (Babylon) seems to have had the edge on the market in recent years when it comes to music, movies, drama, etc. They, in all of their shortcomings, are allowing the creative juices to flow.
Restoration in the church today includes a restoration of the arts. God's word regarding the craftsmen, the smiths and the praise leaders was also, "I will bring them back to this land." They are coming. Could it be that God has actually preserved these creative people in the world until the church is ready to use them effectively without watering them down?
In Jeremiah's lifetime the craftsmen and artists were taken out of Jerusalem "for their own good." It makes me wonder about the climate of the church (Jerusalem) today. Is our atmosphere one where the skill of creativity and artistic design can flourish? Is it one where the leaders of praise (princes of Judah) can lead effectively and do what God has called them to do? This may be an indicator of why so much of the "secular" world (Babylon) seems to have had the edge on the market in recent years when it comes to music, movies, drama, etc. They, in all of their shortcomings, are allowing the creative juices to flow.
Restoration in the church today includes a restoration of the arts. God's word regarding the craftsmen, the smiths and the praise leaders was also, "I will bring them back to this land." They are coming. Could it be that God has actually preserved these creative people in the world until the church is ready to use them effectively without watering them down?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Big news!
Wow, our first post in a very long time!
The big news is that you can now listen to Jon's songs online. Hear the first part of the "Amazing" album at http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2520627
More great stuff to come soon!
The big news is that you can now listen to Jon's songs online. Hear the first part of the "Amazing" album at http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2520627
More great stuff to come soon!
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