GREENE STREET LETTERS: Going Home Today

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Going Home Today

Finding gratitude for this life You've given me

Living daily in Your presence

Living only to see

Your face

Your will

Your Love

And Your grace
Mercy for the things I don't deserve

Mercy for the things I do

Mercy for the things I don't deserve

Mercy found in You

I'm going home this morning....
Home?
Gadsden Vineyard Church.

David Finlayson gave me an "invite" to come and be a part of his worship team.

How many hours have I spent in that building worshipping and singing and waiting on God?

More than I can count.
The music is part of my DNA.
I can't deny or get around that fact.

I have been blessed beyond measure that God would connect me with some pretty incredible people.

Brook...
Debbie....
LeNola....
Jim....

David....
And countless others who I have joined in this pursuit of learning how to worship.
I have said it before, and I'll repeat it right here in this posting this morning.
I hear God clearer and louder when I am worshipping than at any other time.
I don't understand the "why" but I am grateful that it takes place.
Maybe it is because I am totally focused on the music and the words and the event of being in a corporate gathering where everyone is worshipping.

I have tried teaching on worship and the importance of it in our lives on several occasions. Seems as though I can never quiet say what I'm feeling or thinking.

To be in a setting where we can get totally lost in the presence of God.

To be in a setting where we quit thinking about who is next to us and "What will they think if I truly get free to worship."

That is the part of Gadsden Vineyard that I love.
They taught me and Vicki how to worship. Then they provided a safe place for us to do what we heard God telling us to do.

Raise our hands....
Lay down on the floor on our face....

Bow down on our knees.

Clap our hands and shout at the top of our lungs....."JESUS!!!!"

It didn't matter as long as we were trying to do what we heard God say do.

So this morning I will take my amp and my guitar...
I will load up and make my way to downtown Gadsden to the church.
I will once again walk through that door into the big room.

I will see faces I haven't seen in a while....
There will be smiles and hugs all around.

Back slapping and laughter...
Then we will join in prayer asking for God's mercy and presence to be in each of us and in that room.
The amps will come on...
Sound check will be completed...
We will worship.

It doesn't get any better than this.

God on you...

1 comment:

David Finlayson said...: It's been so long Michael. I've been wanting to worship with you for a long time.

You struck a chord with me. There is no way that I can express/explain these moments. It wasn't until I returned to Gadsden and was around it, among in, in it until I truly experienced the surrender and freedom of worship. Maybe it was House of Blue. I felt it took me a while, but eventually I found myself there. It took a while. I followed until I could lead.

It means a lot to lead with my old friends, ones like you that helped teach me by humble example. God bless yo Mike. I love you.; March 3, 2013 at 6:25 AM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Going Home Today

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD