Is the Bible the Complete Word of God; Part II

This is a dangerous subject. Until my words are written clearly and the message is clearly conveyed, I am going to hold off on answering this question. I did attempt to answer it but I fear it was certainly inadequate for such a huge question. Give me time. If I feel I can do a better job than what was posted I will reengage the question.

Happy New Year!!!

Well it is officially 2011. It is a huge year in our household as we will prepare to move across the ocean to take light to a spiritually dark area. We began this process in May of 2009 and what an experience it has been so far. We are so blessed to have experienced and learned the many things we have thus far. There is still so much to be done and to prepare for. We just celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary on December 30th and God blessed me with such an amazing man to share my life with me. We have spent most New Years Day packing up our Christmas decor for a final time in the States and planning our final months here. It is crazy how emotionally attached you can become to stuff. We have heard this from friends but as I begin to pack away Christmas ornaments a little part of my heart was sad. Do not get me wrong I am so thankful God has chosen to send us and we are happy to go, but I would not be human if I wasn't a little sad about certain things. We are preparing to shed another layer during the month of January and sell and discard lots of stuff in our home. If you come by to visit you should see a big difference soon lots of stuff is leaving soon.

The sale of our home is going slower than planned so we have come up with a game plan and timeline for this process as well. If we have to rent we will but this is a last resort so please pray for the sale of our home before May 1st.

For those of you who do not know we have temporary custody of a precious 18 month old(B). We got her in July when she was only 12 months old and we are working to adopt, but only God knows the outcome. Yes it is a risk but if we were unwilling to invest and love on others because we were scared of getting hurt we could miss out on some of the best moments in life. We know that God's plans and timing are much better than our own. We know he has a divine plan in our lives and in this precious girls life and we will praise him no matter the outcome. Our prayer all along for children is that God would bring the children that he had planned for us all along into our home. In September we were contacted by another birthmom who was 5 and 1/2 months pregnant with a baby boy. She wanted us to adopt her child. After talking with her and prayer and trying to figure out if we could handle all of the responsibilites we realized that God doesn't give us more than we can handle and he had obviously opened this door for a reason. The ultimate reason may not be for us to adopt her baby but we are willing to walk through the open door and step out in faith. Baby boy is due January 24th but our BM is showing some signs of pre term labor. We plan to name him Jackson Christopher. We have to have both adoptions finalized before we can apply for our visa so prayers are appreciated in this area too. :)

Some people I am sure think we must be crazy with two adoptions going on and moving to a foreign country all in one year. I say we have crazy love for a God who is more faithful than we could ever imagine he sacrificed everything for my sins. My happiness revolves around commiting my life to him. Don't get me wrong we have moments like any normal person does where we are concerned or anxious but we find peace in knowing that these are not our battles and God is in complete control. If you let him he will blow you away. When I was a little girl I had an idea of how I wanted my life to be and my life is nothing like I had planned for myself, but there is nothing like feeling like you are walking in God's will.

This year my resolution is to be bold and intentional about everything. I know I have so much to learn about our savior, and I want to draw myself closer to him and grow my relationship with him. I feel like such an infant in my walk with God, but I do know one big thing and that is that I trust him with every ounce of me and I want to live a radical life for him.

Wishing your family a happy and healthy new year!!!
Souhaitant votre famille, une bonne et heureuse année nouvelle!

Cassi


James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Matthew 28:16-20 (New International Version, ©2010)
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Never Give Up Your Dreams. Never? Really?!?

These people all had a dream in the 70's. 9 of them are millionaires and 2 are billionaires. Dreams are important for success. One of my favorite passage in the Bible is Proverbs 28:18.

Abraham was told that he would be the father of multitudes. His descendants would outnumber the stars. The Messiah would come from his bloodline. He and his descendants would be given the land which is now known as Israel. His wife Sarah was barren and both of them were old. He and Sarah wanted all that was promised from God. They wanted it so much that they tried to help God fulfill the prophecies. Genesis 16 has more info on this part.

The part I am interested in is after Abraham was given what he and Sarah wanted and were promised. When God promises you something how can you not feel a sense of entitlement? Their dreams were realized. They had their son. God asked Abraham to give up his dreams, his destiny, and turn it back over, as a burnt offering to God. An interesting thing about a burnt offering as opposed to a regular sacrifice is that the sacrifice is fully consumed by the fire. There is nothing left to bury or that would have any value. Rather than hold on to his dreams he trusted God with it. He was willing to give it back completely.

Through our recent past people have asked why I am willing to walk away and leave my dreams right when it seems I am in the midst of them being reality. They see me playing for Casting Crowns, Avalon, Michael English, Buddy Jewel, and our band, The Daniel Doss Band, being on a major label as me on the edge of my personal dreams becoming a reality. The truth is, if God asked me to sell everything I have and leave music forever I would. I am not exactly sure how I would function, but it would make me dependent on God that much more. I tell the ones who ask me that I am not walking away from music, I am walking with God. He knows the plans He has for me and that is exactly where I want to be. Jeremiah 29:11 is a great passage to live in.

Peace

4 References in 3 Days are Enough to be Uncomfortable

Lately we have gotten a little behind on telling you what is going on in our lives. I will do a quick recap here and we will hopefully have a number of posts over the next week that are more in depth on what is going on in and around our journey.

The last few days Cassi and I have purchased a "For Sale By Owner" sign, which was suggested by our financial counselor. We have been moving some stuff in to storage that will subsequently be sold, thrown out, given away, loaned out, stored, or packed to go to Belgium. Paint has been purchased for touch up and the thought process of staging this house for sale has begun. We are "peeling back another layer" of what is keeping us from being mobile. Our dog has gone to stay with other family members as research shows it is easier to sell a house with no pets.

What has been a short-circuit in my brain as of late is the reference from 4 others about me being a pastor. 2 people have said that they would want me to be their pastor. 2 people have said that I "look" like a pastor. One of these people was a complete stranger that said I looked just like her pastor. We were not talking about religion in any of these cases already. These people brought it up out of the blue. If I can be honest, I am uncomfortable with being recognized as a pastor or someone having the desire of me pastoring them. I hold pastoral care on such a high regard that I don't feel I have the knowledge or skill set (yet) to be one. I do, however, trust that God sometimes uses someone seemingly unqualified to bring glory to himself. If that is the case here and I am called to be a pastor (which makes me sick to think about) I would have to fall on my face daily and ask God for guidance on what and how to do that. Maybe that is the point.

I am just an imperfect man. Totally incapable of anything extraordinary on my own ability. Why would God choose someone like that? Well, the bible is full of stories like that. More than likely I will be writing about some of these people over the next week or so. I think Abraham might be my first victim. Although if I write about him it will probably have a bit more of a twist.

Thanks for letting me air my fears honestly here. I am trying to get though this process in one piece but I am afraid metamorphosis must take place in some areas.

“Until the Whole World Hears”

It has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged, but I have come to terms that this is how life is going to be for the next 12 months. I promise I will try to get better at fitting blogging into this crazy life of mine. J I am more than happy to walk this road God is leading us down. Becoming a missionary and joining a church planting team is an enormous commitment, but I couldn’t be more thankful. We have to make the most of everyday from sun up till sun down. The days of relaxation are going to have to be over for the next 12 months to give this our all. I have recently changed my ringtone (lol) to a song that really inspires me. It is on Casting Crowns’ new album and really touches me. It is actually the title of their new album and my blog it is called “Until the Whole World Hears”. Here is the chorus just to show you why it inspires me during this time.

ready yourselves
ready yourselves
Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night
ready yourselves
ready yourselves
May the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise
Until the whole world hears Lord we are calling out
Lifting up Your name for all to hear the sound
Like voices in the wilderness we're crying out
as the day draws near
we'll sing until the whole world hears

I am currently taking an Old Testament class in college, and it has been an amazing blessing. During this time when life is turned upside down and you are preparing to leave everyone and everything you know, it is a comforting feeling to be reminded of the sacrifices God has made for us. It makes what we feel like is a major life change seems ill in comparison to what God has sacrificed for us. I sit in class each week with 20 other students and a facilitator. I get to hear their thoughts, beliefs and hear about their relationship with the Lord if they have one, and see their eyes light up when they learn things that they did not know about our savior. I thought this is just a taste of what we will experience in an area where God is not often spoken of. To go to an area where people are not sure what to believe in and walking around with an agonizing emptiness inside, it will be amazing to see the changes in their lives when they accept Christ. Once we realize it is not about us it is about him it is an amazing feeling.

If you have been keeping up with our blog you already know that we are working in so many areas of our lives that our heads are spinning. We are meeting with ministry partners, learning French, constantly seeking God and praying, cleaning out clutter, selling unneeded items, meeting with a financial counselor, plus everyday normal life. Our biggest plan for the coming weeks is to get our house on the market by next weekend. We have been advised from our financial counselor to try the for sale by owner thing for a couple of months. If that doesn’t work then we will seek the help of a realtor. Please pray for us as there is so much to do to have the house ready.

Thinking of leaving my family is one of the hardest things I will do in my life. I have amazing Grandparents, Parents, and siblings who I will leave behind. I also have amazing in laws, nieces, and nephews who we will leave as well. This is a sacrifice we are willing to make. We have families who love us so much and we are so thankful, and we are lucky enough to have families who love the Lord so I know they will understand why we have to do this. When God is calling you to something it would be easier to look the other way and go on about your normal life, but answering that call is the right thing to do as Christ followers. My main goal is to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and be obedient to him. I ask you to pray for our families during this time. I pray that God will give them understanding. I know they will be a constant support in our lives no matter where we are at. To our Mothers we will be home once per year and you can come visit whenever you like. J We love you all.

I was reading a team members blog and it was talking about how we started this process 7 months ago. I cannot believe how these months have flown by. I cannot believe that I have had the blessing of visiting this country to help make plans for the coming year. It is scary and exciting all rolled into one. Even though I got to spend a week there I still cannot imagine what all God has in store for when we get there. We are trusting God through it all. Please join with us in praying for the missionaries serving in Belgium now and for the people of Belgium, please pray for us along with our teammates as we work harder than ever before to answer the call.

Matthew 28:18-20 (New International Version)

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Welfare? No way, learn to feed yourself!

I just spent one of the MOST difficult weekends on the road that I have ever had. It was physically, mentally, and spiritually tough. I was texting or calling Cassi throughout the weekend telling her how much I wanted to be home immediately. This rarely, if ever, happens. I was out with friends from our home church. We played 4 services at 3 different places in 2 days, but with travel we were got back on the fourth day.

We had less than 9 total hours of sleep over the 2 days we played and those days were packed from when we rose to when we fell. Even though I was on the road with friends in a band called Jacob's Road, I felt like there were barriers around me. It felt very closed off. It forced me to have a heart that sought God for answers. I had to find out if God put these barriers there or if I did.

Peace started to settle in the last day of services and especially during the last service we did. I forgot my bible on this trip so I had to find other ways to connect with God. The only thing that kept popping in to my head was, "Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me." When I got home I read that passage in Psalm 51. This passage is my prayer right now and is what I intended for this blog post to be about. I thought I would let you in on my realness and struggles instead.

Over the past month or so I have heard 4 different sources talk about feeding yourself spiritually. One that stayed with me was from this weekend's trip. The pastor said that it is not the churches or the pastors responsibility to feed you. The pastor and church should be concerned with teaching you how to eat. This would include teaching you how to read the bible, how to reach out in prayer, and how to reach out for wise council.

This weekend taught me (reminded me) how to eat. I did not have the option to be spoon fed. I had to rely on God. You have to learn how to feed yourself. I did and now it has made me even more hungry. The body can't do it for you forever. Luckily the table is set and there is abundance.

Peace

Life In the Fast Lane!!!

Hello Everyone,
Sorry it has once again been a while, but our life has been in the fast lane since I have returned from Belgium. Bryan was out on the road with Casting Crowns, and I have been swamped trying to catch up at work, help my mom move, and I am still working toward my degree. We had a family reunion last weekend which was lots of fun and Bryan is on the road with Jacobs Road this weekend.

In the midst of normal everyday life we are constantly praying, preparing, and having weekly small group meetings with Team Belgium. I have recently started a new devotional book by Beth Moore called Voices of the Faithful, and I am loving it. It is so inspirational and starts my day off right with some words of encouragement, scripture, and prayer. It is written by 300 IMB missionaries who are currently working in the field. Since we are all called to be missionaries I would recommend it to anyone even if your mission field is not overseas. In the evenings I have been reading a book called Sister Freaks by Rebecca St.James which is about women who risked it all for God. I guess you can tell what is on my mind. The truth is I am taking the advice we received from the missionaries while we were in Belgium. One thing we heard from all of the missionaries was to know how to feed yourself, and I don’t mean food I mean spiritually. When you are in an area where Christians are literally nonexistent it can be easy to get knocked down. By keeping ourselves in the word and uplifted we will be focused and ready for the constant challenges we will be facing daily. Sometimes it can be hard in the US to stay immersed in the word, but in the US we have our church(LifePoint), Christian friends, Christian radio, and tons of Christian organizations to be a part of. We have resources and support all around us. When we are an ocean away from everyone and everything we know I want be as ready as I can be so that nothing will distract me from the work I will be there (Belgium) to do. My husband constantly says you are what you eat and he is referring to spirituality as well. It really does make sense if you know how to feed yourself then you maintain a strong relationship with our Father. When I feel closest to God no other feeling can compare. I am so blessed to have grown up in an area where I can join with others and worship our Perfect God. I can’t wait to get to Belgium to share the good news. I can’t wait to start a church where hopefully everyone will feel free to worship and get involved and build that personal relationship with God and eachother that I know so many are longing for and just do not have the resources or the knowledge on how to start it.

I also want to thank ALL of our ministry partners. Without you this would not be happening. So thank you, thank you, and thank you! If you are or are not joining us in this ministry please know when we move to Belgium our door will always be open. You will always be welcome to come and visit and get your hands dirty with some of the mission work we will be doing there. The financial support is huge, but if Belgium is tugging at your heart you are welcome to get on the ground once we get there and help out. I also want to say a special thanks to our friends Keith and Kerri who gave us Rosetta Stone French Version, a book on Belgium, and a heating blanket that will work overseas. Since Kerri just moved back from Luxemburg she is an amazing resource. We have so many friends that are stepping up to help in many ways so just know how much we appreciate you.

As we continue to prepare we are looking at apartments online to figure out budgets, getting our house on the market, paying off debt, getting prepared spiritually, raising support, learning French, and much more. I ask that you pray for us and the rest of our team during this intense time. It is very exciting and we are trusting God to get us there. We have an amazing Team that God has put in place. Everyone brings something different to the table, and including children we have 19 people going and one more college student who will be joining us a few months after we get there for a total of 20. I am so happy to be going with such an awesome group of adults and children.

Please remember that even though so many view Belgium and Europe as a country with everything it is one of the hardest mission fields out there. There aren't as many physical needs to be met in Belgium as in some countries, but the spritual need there is endless! We have been told this by many. People are so closed off from one another that they are a tough country to get through to. Please pray for God to start working and preparing their hearts now. Please pray for the missionaries who are currently serving in Belgium. We thank all of you for your support!

Blog #100: I want to Change - by Russ and Tori Taff

This song/prayer is perfect for the 100th blog! It is from Russ Taff's 1983 Walls of Glass album.

Lord, You know my past
How the many things of life have molded me
The years have brought so many things from examples I have seen
Some good, some bad -- they're all a part of me
So I see my selfish motives and my inconsistencies
And block upon block, the wall was built complete
Lord, please come and break the wall down
And show this captive heart how to be free

(Chorus)
I want to be like You
I want to change
And not be trapped in the paths my life has set for me
I want to be like You
Please help me change
Into what I was meant to be
Until all I can clearly see
Is the loving reflection of You in me

Teach me to forgive
Letting go of hurts I hide behind
Replacing all the things in me that I've buried deep inside
Till Your healing love brings all of them to light
Let my life be an example of what true life can be
When it's given like a gift to those who need
Please come and take control, Lord,
Of this yielding, willing soul and live through me

(Chorus)

This album is on iTunes. I suggest you get it if you like or miss soulful worship music. Man we gotta get churches doing this stuff again. Church soul is my favorite! These lyrics are great for prayer and reflection too. I downloaded this album a few weeks ago. I wish I was playing in church back then. We gotta bring it back. Who's comin' with me?

Peace

I Need a Good Interpretation

I have a theological question. There are people out there that have more knowledge of what I am about to ask, than I do.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." When he referred to those 3 things (way, truth, and life) was that an allusion to the trinity; the 3 parts of the one God? Father, Son, and Spirit? In verse 10 Jesus answers Phillip and outright says that He, Himself, is the Father and the Son. The Father lives in Him, and He in the Father. Verse 17 and 18 might suggest that the Spirit is in Him too.

So I wonder if it is possible that it is like this:
Way = Jesus
Truth = Father
Life = Spirit
All 3 = I Am

All of these parts are one? I do think that there is support even in this passage that it might not be the case. I am just wondering if there is something more to the words Jesus chose here. The way. The truth. The life.

I probably made a jump here in the theology, but it all started when I started wondering why Jesus used those 3 specific words and started it with "I Am". That is how God referred to Himself in Genesis when Moses was to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of captivity.

Screwing things up one verse at a time.
Peace!

5 Out of 6 Ain't Bad, Or is it?

I have not been doing much of a "normal" life over the last month and a half. It has been the busiest season I have had in a LONG while. That is good in the fact it means I am working. I will be writing a series about my time on the road with artists such as Buddy Jewel, Avalon, Michael English, Daniel Doss Band, and Casting Crowns.

Five of the last six weeks I have been traveling the country. I have seen some of the most beautiful scenes in nature and on earth. My job allows me to see THE most breath taking thing on earth week after week. The Mona Lisa, Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, et. all pale in comparison. I am in front of thousands of people who 1.) recognize who created them, 2.) recognize their position in relation to Him, and 3.) return the ONLY thing they have back to Him in the form of praise. Have you ever really watched people worship? It is truly amazing. Maybe just to me and that is why God chose me to "stand and deliver" on stage.

Cassi has been busy holding down the full-time job and the house while I have been gone. This is the first Saturday we have had together in 6 weeks. We are going to Morton's Steak House tonight on someone else's dime. That is the best way to go!

We both are happy I am home now for at least a few weeks. The Casting Crowns shows are coming up soon. Pray for Chris and his wife that these last few months go smooth. I have already been called up and put on notice once for a slight scare.

Look here in the future for more Belgium updates and road reports.

Peace

Teens are addicts too

Tonight there were hundreds of lives touched and changed. Teens praying to get over addictions of ALL kinds. Don't be naïve and think that teens don't have addictions to be worried about. Please pray for these kids as they let God take over their lives. Tonight was awesome and emotional.



Peace



Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

All you need is love

John 13:34-35
34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

So all we have to do is love? That can't be right. This implies that we don't have to have a degree in theology. It suggests that we don't need to host a small group at our house. We don't have to be in a certain class system. The bible is full of rules and regulations right?

While it is true that the bible has many rules, laws, regulations, suggestions, etc. the way we can let other people know we follow Christ is by our love for each other. Simple. To the point.

So if you do not love others as Christ loved you can you be a Christian? I think this passage suggests that you cannot. Jesus talked about trees and vines and the fruit they bear. It is easy to see that an orange tree will not produce olives. So if you were "grafted" in to the body of God, the vine, you would produce love. If you are not producing love you either need to be pruned or completely removed and thrown away. I hope some pruning is all I need.

Show your love to someone today. It is the only way for people to know that you are different, that you used to be a rugular person and now you are a Christian.

Belgium; It's not just for waffles anymore

Cassi and I have hinted around and outright told some of you that we were trying to decide on starting the process of going to Brussels, Belgium. We spent MUCH time praying, talking, thinking and reflecting. We really feel that we are to answer the call for this international mission.

LifePoint Church is sending a missions team of probably 4 or 5 couples and some college singles to Brussels in January 2011. If we are selected through this process we would go there for a 3-year appointment.

We have an initial interview on Wednesday, May,13. We will know more then.

God is a cyclops, but at least it is a blue eye :-)

I am sure that many of you have seen this picture. People would like you to believe this is 'the' eye of God. Check it out on any of the sites like here on Snopes and you can see it is a real photo of a real place in the universe with a slight bit of color doctoring.

A buddy of mine from church, Micah, used a passage in our devotional yesterday. It was 2 Chronicles 16:9. I am going to include verse 8 and 9 here.

"8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

God's eyes are constantly looking for looking over His creation for those that have committed their heart to Him. To those people He will give "strong support". Well, I don't know about you, but I need strong support. What are you taking on that you could use some strong support on. Check your heart.

In the passage above the Ethiopians and Libyans had armies that were too large to beat. They were delivered over to Asa and defeated because of God's strong support.

I dare say you have nothing in your life that is impossible with God's help. Nothing.

Body Wanted

I have been reading Mere Christianity for some time now. Let's just say I have been distracted and now I am determined to finish it. I find that I like the way C. S. Lewis puts the thoughts together. For those who don't know, he started out as an atheist and over time realized that God could not be explained away. He argues that there is proof there is a God.

So that is a VERY brief background, and it really does not do any justice to the man. I want to get to what I read last night. Let me put 2 paragraphs here exactly as they appear. Also realize that you do not have the benefit of the context since you are not currently reading it, but trust me this all makes sense.

"When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others -- not because he has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one.

You can put this another way by saying that while in other sciences the instruments you use are things external to yourself (things like microscopes and telescopes), the instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred -- like the Moon seen through a dirty telescope. That is why horrible nations have horrible religions: they have been looking at God through a dirty lens."

He goes on to suggest that the only real adequate instrument for learning about God is the entire Christian community. So we need to be a community and a body of believers. We need that fellowship and camaraderie to help to reveal God in and through each other. We need to go be the church where there is no church. That made perfect sense to me last night. Wow. People everywhere are deffinitely seeing things through a dirty lens.

The Auction of Hope

Not the Audacity of Hope mind you. Tough economic times make artists pucker everywhere. We all become a little more worried of where the money is going to come from in times like this. We start auctioning off our talents for cheaper. So if you are in the market for some art, talent, or what have you, it is a buyers market. :)

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life, according to Wikipedia. "The Biblical definition of hope is 'confident expectation'". Check out this article on Biblical Hope.

Peace

I need a bailout too.

Ask and it shall be given I guess. If you believe, like the Bible and stuff. Matthew 7:7 (and I DO). Well luckily I HAVE been asking for a bailout. Cassi has been asking for a bailout. Other people have been praying for us to have a bailout. Well, we got it in a few ways.

Stress bailout: Both Cassi and I have worked in an extremely high stress corporate environment at certain times over the past year. This music thing was my work-stress bailout. Cassi started another job this past week for her work-stress bailout. This exacerbated and contributed to another bailout need.

Income (cash flow) bailout: When you step out of a great paying job in Corporate America in to a music job and a job with a private school there is an income gap. When Cassi got her work-stress bailout I waited in anticipation for what God would do to help replace some of that income and help us lower our budget. In a sick way I was kind of excited because I knew God was going to show up. Well, the very next day a job opportunity came my way that allows me to keep playing with the Daniel Doss Band and teach my students. It came to me. I did not seek it out. So now Cassi and I have averted a crisis and we have lowered our monthly bills.

Mortgage bailout: Let's put it this way. I bought my house when rates were low and I was single and I was only playing music for a living. Now as rates have adjusted, our mortgage is not so great. I am working on getting a mortgage bailout. We will keep praying for that and if you could focus your prayers on that it would be awesome. We have some hurdles to go over, but the process is being started.

So even though America has not gotten their $700B bailout, my household is getting theirs. It seems that God is shaking ALL of us and letting us know that we need to rely on Him. It is easy to forget and feel like you don't need Him when things are good. Right now it is very apparent that we need Him. So all of this really is a blessing if your perspective is right.

Peace

Take Me Back Andrae

I was listening to an old Andrae Crouch song a few days ago. My parents used to play his records all the time. Please read the lyrics to this song. Andrae was and is one of the best Gospel writers of modern time. My prayer is that YOU make this the desire of your heart if there is ANY distance between you and God. I know I can always be closer. Literally stop what you are doing and pray these words. It will change your day.

Take Me Back

(Chorus)
Take me back, take me back dear Lord
To the place where I first received you.
Take me back, take me back dear Lord where I first believed.

(Verse)
I feel that I'm so far from you Lord
But still I hear you calling me
Those simple things that I once knew,
The memories are drawing me.
I must confess, Lord I've been blessed
But yet my soul's not satisfied.
Renew my faith, restore my joy
And dry my weeping eyes.

(Bridge)
I tried so hard
To make it all alone
I need your help
Just to make it home.

Andrae's website is found at http://www.andraecrouch.com/.

Pride: Part 1 of who knows

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted a blog. That is for many reasons, but one main one is because I have been dealing with pride recently. That is not a easy problem to tackle.

After seeing Ann Graham Lotz a few weeks back, she made me take a little bit of a look internally. She had struggled with some sin in her life she did not even realize was there. This was only 3 years ago and she has been preaching for over 3 decades. So I thought that I need to look a little more at myself.

I have been reading C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" for a little while now. I have started reading it and trying to apply it to me as opposed to apply to those around me. The latest chapter I have been reading was about pride. Those 8 pages took me about 4 days to read. I kept going back and rereading and then not wanting to turn the page because I realized I had some pride issues.

Clive Staples Lewis states that, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty of themselves." Believe me, Christians struggle with pride. Mr. Lewis is not trying to make that point.

I realize that being in Christian entertainment pride is rampant. We tie everything up in a package that we can sell, which in and of itself is ok. As we create that package it is next to impossible to not let your pride get puffed up. We have the clothes, the lights, the stage, the producers, writers, consultants and the list goes on. Would I still play if there was no stage? No lights? No money? No recognition? If I answered no then I am doing this all for prideful reasons. For this express reason it is vitally important that I stay plugged in to a community of believers and serve as much as I can.

My wife Cassi asked me a few days ago what I would do if I could do anything. I gave her a stock answer I am sure but my first thought was that I wanted to be significant in whatever it was that I did. How is that not pride? I wish my first thought was to be in God's perfect will and give Him excellence. That seems a little more in the right direction.

Pray for me and my pride. I will be working on humility. By the way, Mere Christianity has been excellent so far. I would suggest it as a good read. I am a slow reader so I should be done with my copy in a few months. :)

Peace