Our pastor yesterday discussed the important role of asking God questions. Why is this important? Because asking questions compels us to dig deeper in our understanding of God. Whether if we are distraught, in need, in confusion or in need of direction. This morning I applied this truth to prayer - mainly, asking God to teach me about prayer. Communication with God is where we interact with Him between the Word and life. I was struck by the words from the disciple in Luke 11:1 "Lord, teach us to pray..."

What a powerful question/statement to Jesus. If you think about it, the disciple, seeing Jesus praying to God. Knowing that the Messiah not only has direct access to the Father, but literally can ask Almighty God anything he desires. The disciple, standing there in anticipation, could have asked Jesus for anything.  He had the opportunity to bring some specific need to Jesus or to really corner Him into a self-ambitious dialogue or self pity. Instead, he presented to Jesus a statement that inferred a basic question: Lord, teach us to pray.

My guess is that the disciple would find the answers of his deepest needs. Like Mary, choosing the one thing that is most important, coming to Jesus alone. When was the last time you came to Jesus alone? Without need, without worry, without issues. Our concerns are necessary and right to bring, but in the beginning there is God. When we come to Him alone, we find all we need in the purest form of who He is: Emmanuel, God with us.

Today is my daughter's last performance as ANNIE (check out my Facebook page for some pics). She's done thirteen shows and has had an absolute blast doing them, but it all comes to an end after today's matinee. You'd have to know her to know that she was born for the part (everyone says so) and that she even came out of the womb with red hair. This was her first lead and she has done a marvelous job, says the proud Papa! It has been her dream to play this part and we've stocked up on anti-depressants now that the show is ending!

Sometimes, as church-going Christians, we can get hooked on the adrenalin of the praise music, preaching, and fellowship we experience on Sundays. The writer of the Book of Hebrews (most scholars think it was Paul) said "let us not stop meeting together" (Hebrews 10:25) so, of course, we shouldn't but I wonder sometimes if we're not looking for the wrong kind of stimulus from it. Considering how performance driven we've become in our churches these days it seems easy to me that we would all begin to be conditioned to being "pumped up" by the music and excited by the exhortations and forget the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

We'll pray our daughter through her "post-adrenalin" let-down over the next week. She'll miss being Annie, but there will eventually be new roles for her to conquer. But what about the rest of us? Can we worship effectively at home or in the car with no music, no preaching, and no one else around?

In my workshops I help believers go deeper in their personal worship lives and to look at corporate worship as a time to contribute instead of to receive only. When the lights go down and the stage is bare, what song is playing in our hearts?

We're in the middle of summer holiday camping with, having some great fun with family, old friends, and most of all - my kids (Isaiah - 11, Lydia - 10, Matthias - 8, and Gabriel - 7).  Before we left on holidays, the kids got notice that they were all going to receive $100 as a government tax credit.  Needless to say, they are all eager to find out when the money is finally coming in the mail - all the while making plans to spend it several times over, even before it comes!

I woke up this morning thinking, I really need to help my kids get a better handle on the concept of money.  In the past, we've played the Cash Flow game (Rich Dad Poor Dad), which has some great concepts to teach.  This morning, I woke up with an idea to teach my kids five specific ways that money is spent.  Most spending can fit into one of these five categories.  They are:

1. Giving / Tithing
   
2. Investing / Saving
   
3. Expenses / Needs
4. Toys / Wants
5. Taxes

Yes, I even put taxes in the list.  Why not teach them the reality of money while they are young, so it is not a shock when they get older.  Anyways, I presented my list and attached one to each of my fingers.  That soon led to me writing the initials of each item on their fingers so they could count them off.  Then, I started rattling off simple spending scenarios, and asked them to identify what kind of spending it was.  They all started to light up, like we were playing a game of Family Feud (without the fighting).

I think I'm going to keep this going!  When we're in the car traveling to our next camping spot, I'm going to drill them with all different examples of spending money, and then see if they can identify what category each example falls into.  Then (and here is the golden egg), when they get their $100 and start thinking of how they want to spend it, I'm going to make sure they first become aware of "how" they are spending it.  Even from our short discussion this morning, Matthias's eyes lit up when I explain to him how "investing worked."  Suddenly, he didn't want to spend his money so fast!

What does this all have to do with "worship."  Everything.  Living life with wisdom and responsibility is worship - as much as any great congregational song on Sunday.  This is the legacy I want to pass on to my kids.  I want the life of worship to invade all aspects of our lives, because I believe the payoff, both now and in eternity, will be great.

There's something always new right here on PraiseCharts Live! Check out all the latest videos and articles along the fretboard. View our top and most visited pages: Tommy Walker, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Baloche, Berklee School of Music and Branon Dempsey.

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Anticipation is on the rise as we look forward to the September release of Chris Tomlin's new album, Hello Love.  I heard pre-release single, Jesus Messiah, live at GMA in Nashville earlier this year.  Apparently, that was the first time Chris had ever played the song live. I felt at that moment like I was listening to a new sister to How Great Is Our God.  As soon as I heard the song was available on iTunes, we sent it off to Dan Galbraith, and he had the orchestration ready in 2 days. God Of This City came in as a desperate request from a customer who had heard the song only a few months earlier.  I can only imagine where the others songs will take us when they finally release in September.  Chris is definitely a great gift to this generation of worshippers and worship leaders.  If you are interested, here is a complete list of songs coming out on the new album:

   1. Sing, Sing, Sing
   2. Jesus Messiah
   3. You Lifted Me Out
   4. God Of This City
   5. I Will Rise
   6. Love
   7. Praise The Father, Praise The Son
   8. My Deliverer
   9. With Me
  10. Exalted (Yahweh)
  11. God Almighty
  12. All The Way My Savior Leads Me

If U2, a four member band can pack out a stadium of 50+ thousand people, (in application) is there something that we can learn from in the leading of worship in our churches?

How do we model the praise and worship of God beyond the songs we sing? The role of a worship leader is not to give the sermon in place of the pastor, but what are some creative ways that can teach our congregations the biblical value of worship that leads them to respond to God in praise?

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:23-25

Like many other cities and towns along the Mid-west, the small town of Muscatine, Iowa is greatly affected by the great flood of 2008. Please be in prayer for the waters to reeed, more importantly, the after affects in the clean-up and recovery. Check out this video post that gives us the reality of devastation to prompt us to prayer and action.
Posted by: iowaspeacechief. "The second flood of 2008 crested on the Mississippi River at Muscatine, Iowa, on the evening of June 17. Measured at 24.43 feet, this flood was almost as high as the record 25.6 feet in 1993. Flood stage is 16.0 feet. This slideshow "walks up and down" the town's riverfront, set to the song "Muscatine" by Iowa musicians Amy and Mike Finders (used by permission • mikeandamyfinders.com). Photos and video c. 2008 Daniel G. Clark (muscatine-tours.com)."

Have you ever wondered about the name "Cracker Barrel"? Sorry, but the last time I checked, I did not find any crackers in a barrel, I found cracker packages when ordering soup, but no barrel, no monkeys either. Why is that?

Seriously, God has called us to serve in His name. As we represent Christ in a watching world, the sincerity of our hearts will be revealed. What scares me is when I offer something that I cannot truly deliver. The watching world only stares in confusion at the mess. If I am to offer someone something out of service, I need to deliver more than crackers in a barrel; rather, I am to give the living water of Christ.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name
because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." - Mk. 9.41

I stumbled upon this video of Louie Giglio today. It is the most incredible thing I have seen in a while. How great is our God indeed: