1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” In my most recent blog we discussed the element of reverence in worship. Reverence is closely tied to another element that must be present for true worship to occur: humility. Humility may be the most important element for any worshiper to possess. James…
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask…
A few weeks ago I wrote about joy being essential to biblical worship. To understand the type of joy that true worship requires, one has to consider another essential element: reverence. Dictionary.com defines reverence as “an attitude of deep respect tinged with awe.” The Bible tells us in several passages to show reverence in our worship (Hebrews 12:8; Psalm 5:7), but to…
Heaven lives in a perpetual state of worship. Revelation 4 tells us that there are always four creatures flying around the throne of God, and that day and night they never stop saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Every time they say this, 24 Elders that surround the throne fall down…
An enduring image for me is the Charles Schultz comic strip picture of Lucy in her psychiatrist’s booth with her elbows on the counter and her chin in her hands – and this question: “What’s it all about, Charlie Brown?” That question was raised again this morning as I watched a TEDx video of Raoul Martinez speaking on Creating Freedom. He was…
MS and HS students from Journey and Fox Island Alliance are headed to Warm Beach Camp from August 13-16! We’ll dive into scripture together, explore what it means to follow Christ in the hallways of our schools, climb towers, canoe creeks, swim, horseback ride, zipline, and more! Register here to secureyour spot or complete your payment. Of course, we’re not leaving anyone behind! Scholarships…
“My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts.” (Isaiah 65:14) Joy is an essential element in our worship. The Bible tells us over and over again to “Sing for joy to the Lord” (Psalms 33, 47, 66, 81, 98, 95, 100; 1 Chronicles 15, and more). It must be critically important to our spiritual growth. I would suggest that…
Thank you to all who are standing with us in prayer. Here are some suggested areas to focus on: The Church as a Whole Congregation Protection – physical and spiritual Spiritual revival in the congregation, and in the culture of our community That every member would have a growing and robust hunger in their personal relationship with God Wisdom for leaders throughout…
Roughly every other month, our high school and middle school students stuff the back of my Toyota Camry with soccer balls, snacks, and sidewalk chalk, and together we head to a small apartment complex in Southeastern Tacoma. Our friends Ben and Stephanie Thornberg are property managers for a group called Network Tacoma, which provides low-income housing for families transitioning out of homelessness.…
Have you noticed how often Jesus spoke of faith and how often he responded to those who came to him in faith? Read the story of the woman of Sidon in Matthew 15 or the Roman centurion in Matthew 8. The key to their requests being answered was faith. This week we will be looking at the prayer of faith in James…