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Superchick Concert

We will be hosting a concert this weekend as well as a unique FREE pre-show skater event.  Check out the flyer and video below.  Stop by the church to pickup your ticket to the concert.  General Admission is $15 and VIP is $2o which gets you early entry, a pre-show Q&A with the bands, a limited edition tour badge and a color tour poster.  You can also purchase your tickets online.

 

 

  

Upcoming Grace Concerts

Many of you know by now that our LAST monthly "Ignite" worship night will be this Wednesday. But that doesn't mean it's the end of worship sessions at Grace. The Sound Movement (with a hat tip to this onetwelvelive.com page) is sponsoring a 4-week concert series right now which you've got to check out.  Two of the concerts will be at Grace and are being priced and administered by the The Sound Movement.

So here are 3 upcoming worship nights:

 

 

1. Grace Praise Team (Wed Nov 3)

Don't miss the final Ignite worship session this Wednesday from 7-8 p.m.  This will (as always) be broadcast live via simulcast at LiveStream.com/GraceVideo.)  And, as always, it's FREE.

 

   2. Red with Brian "Head" Welch, and Disciple (Sat Nov 20)

• Tickets are $15
  • Available via itickets.com, Mardels, & Lifeway Christian Stores
• Group tickets are $13
• On the day of the concert, tickets cost $18 (if you can get in)

 

3. The Museum (Sat Nov 27)

This will be a FREE concert where a "love offering" will be taken.

Don't Be a Loving, MISGUIDED Parent

I think every parent KNOWS they should protect their kids. I think most every parent WANTS to create a healthy, safe environment for their kids.

Jesus was a HUGE advocate for protecting kids. In fact, using pretty graphic imagery. Once Jesus said, "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, that that he should offend one of these little ones." (Luke 17:2) Ouch. I think all of us can relate to that thought, especially when you hear of a child enduring brutal violence or being sexually molested.

At the same time, I think there's a disconnect in society.

• Dating -- Parents sometimes encourage their kids to date/have a girlfriend/boyfriend WAY, WAY, WAY too early.  (I've heard of parents brainstorming together about their boys and girls starting to date each other as early as 6th grade! Really?)
• TV & Internet -- Parents quite often allow their kids to have UNRESTRICTED access to internet or cable TV. (You wouldn't let a strange man go play with your kids upstairs by themselves, would you? Then why would give your kids head upstairs to have unrestricted access to the explicit images and video of strangers, instead of installing a product like www.SafeEyes.com?)
• Emails & Texts -- Parents, I'm sure out of an honest desire to help their kids, provide email accounts or iTouches or cell phones to allow them to communicate. But these tools often include UNMONITORED emails or text messages. (Someone forwarded me an email a child received from another child. It had a link link to a racy YouTube video with this note [ACTUAL EMAIL], "this a dirty video but i love the song!!!  you will luv it too !!! but ya it is really dirty and made feel WIERD!!! if u know what i mean!!! hehe". If your child wanted email, why wouldn't you provide monitored email when they're at a young age? If your child absolutely HAD to have a cell phone, why wouldn't you limit who they can send/receive texts from?)

We need to close the gap as parents.

I know many of us think to ourselves, "If I just show trust to my kids, they'll come out OK." You're wrong.

We think, "My kids don't have friends who will send them that stuff." You're wrong.

They need you need to protect them and journey with them as they grow.

A Song - Fisher of Men

As I was studying the word "fish" through the Bible last week, I came across this statement in a book called The Pulpit Commentary: St. Luke Volume, edited by H. D. M. Spence-Jones.  It said:

"The great Fisherman, Christ; his imitators and servants, fishers; the world of men pictured as fish, -- were ever favorite images for the pencil, the graving tool, and the pen of the Christian artist and writer of the first ages of the faith. One of the earliest extant hymns, for instance, of the Church, by Clement of Alexandria, dwells on the image.  The words are addressed to Christ --

'Fisher of men, the blest,
Out of the world's unrest,
Out of sin's troubled sea,
Taking us, Lord, to thee;
Out of the waves of strife
With bait of blissful life;
Drawing thy nets to shore,
With choicest fish, good store."

Wow.  Isn't that cool?  A song written by a man who lived from 157-217 AD using this rich imagery of people without God being just like fish...and how Christ pulls people out of the sea so they can live.  Being a "fisher of men" is like being in the Coast-Guard-of-Humanity...performing the ultimate water-rescues!

Darrell Evans at Grace

Mark your calendars!

Recording artist, Darrell Evans will be performing at Grace on Friday night, February 20 at 7pm.

Just Darrell.  His guitar.  And God.  Sweet.

He wrote "Trading my Sorrows", "Let the River Flow", "Your Love is Extravagant", and "Freedom."  He's a real worship music pioneer.

And the cost is only $5!

I'm coming with my whole small group.

Check out this link for more info.

Jonesing for Christmas Music

So I'm listening to Star 102 in the office this morning, watching the snow being whipped across our church property.  (I had surreptitiously snuck into the other guys' offices & turned it on too.)  :-)

Then this song comes on and it was COMPELLING.  The rolling, easy acoustic guitars...the blend of male voices...then a woman's voice who I KNOW I should recognize (WHAT a voice!).

I look on the station's website to find out the song.  No luck there.  I call their switchboard.  They direct me to this website of their recent songs.

I find out I am "Jonesing" for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by BNL & Sarah Mclachlan...

Web Bonus - Help!

Yesterday, we finished our series, "Don't Forget the Lyrics."  The topic?  How God intends the Bible to affect everything about our daily lives, world-view, personal relationships, & relationship with God.

We took a look at the final stanza in Psalm 119...v.169-176.

Some final thoughts:

• Psalm 119 is absolutely one of my FAVORITE Psalms.  It was very instrumental in fostering a love for the Word of God.
• We went 6 for 6 on the volunteers guessing our "mystery song" lyrics.  Kudos to the ladies to "represented" yesterday on stage!
• You can enjoy yesterday's song here.  (Is it me, or does Ringo look bored?)
• I think it's interesting that God ONLY preserved the lyrics (not the music, except for occasional directions) in His "song book" (the Psalms).  I guess I'm thankful too.  Otherwise there would be a whole contingent of "the-Psalms-are-the-only-godly-sound people" running around!  :-)
• This week's cutting-room floor:
  
  • Rom 16:25 - God "establishes" your life with the Word of God
  • Php 4:6-7 - God says to "be totally candid" when we talk to Him
  • Jas 4:2 - God says to "ask specifically" for things when we pray
  • Ezra 8:31 - Ezra saw "the hand of God" during Israel's journey
  • 1Pet 5:6 - We are told humble ourselves under "God's hand"
• Yes, I could probably make 5 more messages each week from the verses that hit the "cutting-room floor."  :-)
• If you want to dig deeper into Psalm 119, I'd recommend Psalm 119: A Journey into the Heart of God by Jeff Adams or The Golden Alphabet (available online here) by Charles Spurgeon.
• A little girl named Aubrey presented this picture to me after worship.

Next week, we "bust" some common myths about Jesus together!

Web Bonus - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Yesterday, we continued off our series, "Don't Forget the Lyrics."  We talked about that point that so many of us can get to in life: when we're trying to do the right things, but we still have this sense of inner dissatisfaction & we "Still Haven't Found What We're Looking For."

We took a look at Psalm 119:121-128.

Here are several thoughts from the services:

• Once again, the volunteers did a great job!  We are 4 for 4 after 2 weeks for our volunteers knowing the lyrics.  Did we pick phrases that were TOO easy?  :-)
• I LOVE how specific the songwriter's prayers are in this Psalm.  Reminds me of the common mistake in prayer listened in the 2nd half of James 4:2.
• What did you think about v.126?  Do you think it was (a) bold or (b) bolt-of-lightning-worthy?  :-)
• If you want to hear the original song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" , check out this video.
• FYI, here are some other acrostic passages in the Bible.
  • The "Virtuous Woman" (Prov 31:10-31)
  • Lamentations 1, 2, 3, 4

P.S. Our final week's song is from the 60's, so all you "Boomers" get ready!

Web Bonus - Eye of the Tiger

A couple days ago, we kicked off our new series, "Don't Forget the Lyrics."  We talked about how to get "The Eye of the Tiger" (i.e. achieve success, be blessed by God) from Psalm 119:1-8.

What an OUTSTANDING start!

Here are several thoughts from the services:

• The volunteer singers were outstanding!  I had no idea they would sing along with the band as well as they did.  Both Eric (1st service) & Christopher (2nd service) were great, but the church ERUPTED when Christopher finished.
  • Incidentally, Christopher mouthed "Sorry" to his wife as he was on-stage waiting for the words to start.  :-)
• I didn't comment on it, but I found v.4 very strange.  This is a prayer.  Doesn't God know this?  Sometimes God LIKES us to tell Him things He already knows...showing Him we're "on the same page."
• Here is a resource on some other acrostic poems.  And since it's Wikipedia, we KNOW it's true.  :-)
• Psalm 119 isn't the only acrostic psalm.  These are also acrostic:
  • Every 1/2 verse = Ps 111, 112
  • Every 1 verse = Ps 25, 34, 145
  • Every 2 verses = Ps 9, 10, 37
  • Every 8 verses = Ps 119
• I got this email about the service:
  • "Incidentally, yesterday in 1st service, you talked about us not being able to do the Christian life in our own strength and how God says to that: 'Finally!' --- It made me smile, because one of the entries I had just read in my journal from some time ago was me saying to Him:  'I CAN'T Do THIS, I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!!!!!' and I had heard very clearly: 'That's the point.' "
    
• If you want to hear the original song "The Eye of the Tiger" (or you'd like a quick recap of Rocky 3), check out this video.  (If you want a laugh, check out this video & this video I found while I was searching for it.)

P.S. Next week's song is also from the 80's, so pull out that 8-track system & start cramming for the contest.  (And yes, I once owned a Meat Loaf 8-track.)

Don't Forget the...Invites

"Don't forget the INVITES."

This Sunday, we are kicking off a 3-week series that we will absolutely KICK ourselves if we don't invite our friends to!!!

It's called "Don't Forget the Lyrics," and we're going to be in Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in all the Bible, totally devoted to showing how the Bible can draw us to God, transform our lives, & give us true success).

1. Your friends will come if you invite them!!!
2. It's a fun series based on this show
3. You'll guess 3 song's lyrics (two 80's + one 60's)  :-)
4. Your friends will be transformed if you invite them!!!
5. You'll see how God uses the Bible to draw us close to Him & give us true success in life

See you Sunday, check out this passage, bone up on your 80's lyrics, and wear your "mullet" (or even your "skullet").