laminin redux

over a year ago i wrote a blog about the self adhesion molecule called laminin. i recently found louie giglio's entire talk about it and i thought i would share it. this is life changing stuff. enjoy.

global:fiveone - was...pt.3

Well, knowing the mission and the values of the global:fiveone is one thing but who was global:fiveone going to be, why did I feel a need to do this and how did we plan on putting that into action??

The who: global:51 is a passionate group of Christ followers dedicated to the change of a generation. not content with the current state of college ministry, global:51 has an uncontainable drive to take the message of Jesus to the local campus and then out to the campuses around the world. global:51 plans to use creative, honest, simple and relevant tools to seek the face of God, asking Him to ignite in our souls a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and a desire to spread His fame to everyone on earth.

The why: global:51 feels that there is a generation gap within the Christian church. while there is much emphasis on the children and youth within the body of Christ, many times it is the college student that suffers to fit in and to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. this has caused an entire group of young adults to grow in a society disillusioned, not knowing who to turn to or how to live the life that would be fulfilled in Christ. these 16million+ students around the globe are our passion.

The how: e3:. Engage, Encounter, Equip

global:fiveone planed on using a style of ministry self labeled, guerrilla ministry. this method of unconventional ministry is used by which a small groups attempts to use mobile and impactful opportunities to attract college students to the glory of God. the mobilization of global:fiveone is done through the following:

.engage. the culture…global:fiveone wants to be a movement tuned into the culture around on which it serves. events that are set up will be relevant and appealing to those that do not know Jesus and refreshing to the others that already know Jesus. not to take away from the message of the Gospels, our engagement of culture will only serve as a tool to spread the Gospel and to show the glory of God.

.encounter. the searcher…the primary focus of global:51 is the college student. we do not expect the college student to come to us. global:51 will encounter the college student by going to them. we will find comfortable, inspiring environments that will attract the curious and those who are looking for something more. we will utilize outdoor venues as well as indoor venues to do this. for mobility purposes, the use of acoustic worship will be the vehicle for music and relevant teaching through live and video feed will be the teaching tools to bring the Word of God to the masses.

.equip. the worshipper…global:fiveone is an ever expanding ministry ready to lead others into leadership roles within its ministry. The fluidity of global:fiveone’s ministry is a perfect ground for young leaders to step up and gain tangible experiences in music and/or teaching. Leadershape, global:fiveone’s training programs, help in the needs of those feeling a call to lead. global:fiveone wants to give the college student the tools to take God’s glory to their local college campus and to their local church. empowering the student is the most important step of this ministry. a global:fiveone goal is to build up self-sustaining subgroups across local school campuses, taking new leaders and placing them in charge of these subgroup so others can spread to other parts of the state to make the idea of going global a reality.


Now this is much easier said than done but, when i wrote this out...I had high expectations that I could get a core group of people together to succeed in every aspect of this ministry idea. Live is ever changing as is this idea of global:fiveone...next time, you'll see what ever happened to the ministry idea and what global:fiveone is all about at the present moment. Until next time...

Make some waves!
KdM

opposition

Extract from an American Paper objecting to new trends in church music.

“There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scam and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

Who said this?




A pastor attacking Isaac Watts, writer of ‘When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,’ in 1723!



Funny how times don't really change...

The CHRIST in worship

Thanks Tim Hughes for this:

I've been thinking a lot recently about our values in worship; asking myself questions like, why is it that I lead in a certain way? What is it that I am passionate about? What is it we are trying to achieve in a corporate time of sung worship? To me it seems the values behind what we do are absolutely essential. The style and practice may vary, but the values need to be clear and considered. As I've pondered on these questions, this is where I've got to. The worship that our Father in Heaven desires is:

1. Christ Centred

In Revelation 4 and 5 we see the worship that surrounds the throne; the 4 living creatures, the 24 elders, and thousands upon thousands of angels. What is the object of their worship? Who is it that lies at the centre of their worship?

'Then I saw a Lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne.' Rev 5:6

Speaking of the supremacy of Christ Paul writes in Colossians, 'He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.' Col 1:15-20
Our worship must be centred around the person of Jesus Christ!

2. Holy Spirit Led

When we worship we must seek to be led by the Holy Spirit. He is the chief worship leader. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals Jesus, and through Jesus we can worship the Father.

As Richard Foster says of worship:

“It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit. We can use all the right techniques and methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worshipped the Lord until Spirit touches spirit.”

As worship leaders we are left with 2 choices in the way in which we lead - initiation or response. Initiation is often how we lead, trying to force people into worship and making things happen in our own strength. Far the better way is to lead by responding to what the Spirit is doing. There lies the blessing. Bob Sorge helpfully comments,

“He [God] is honouring those leaders who are coming carefully into his presence, waiting upon Him to initiate toward us, and then helping the people to respond back to the Lord with their reciprocating initiative. In this model there is much less of a tendency toward hype because the Holy Spirit is seen as the one responsible for moving the people to worship - not the worship leader or musician.”

So when leading worship seek to be led by the Spirit. That involves asking questions - what are you doing today? Where are you moving? What response do you require of us?

3. Real

People often attend church tired, weary and broken. We must allow people space and freedom to be real and honest in their worship. God doesn't want us to pretend. In the midst of a suffering world, we must be up front that life at times is tough, but God is always good. An important aspect of worship is our honest and genuine response to God. Only then will we be able to find true hope and strength.

4. Intimate

John 15:15 says it all,

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you.”

We are called into an intimate friendship with God. We don't just love and respect Him from afar; we can enter close and draw near. What an amazing truth. This is an essential part of our worship, allowing people to receive and respond to the incredible love and mercy God has lavished upon us. That is why we don't just sing about God, we sing to Him.

5. Sensitive

As worship leaders we need to be sensitive to those we lead. Not leading them aggressively or out of frustration, but out of love and gentleness. I think we need to lead with a 'gentle authority.' Sometimes this is hard when people seem slow to engage - if you're anything like me you get more and more angry with people. But actually I need to learn to be sensitive to where people are at, to pray that God gives me a love for them. Only then will I really be able to lead them into an engaged encounter of worship.

6. Transforming

Again Richard Foster comments in his fantastic book, 'Celebration of Discipline,' “Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends with holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship.”

Genuine encounters with God will leave us sharing in His heart for a broken world. We have to care for those around us - the last, the least and the lost. Worship can’t just be songs - it has to radically transform us and consequently impact society around us. As we see in Amos 5, songs without actions are a meaningless sound to God

“Worship without mission is self-indulgent. Mission without worship is self-defeating.”

So there you have it, our values in worship.

Christ Centred

Holy Spirit Led

Real

Intimate

Sensitive

Transforming

the bored days of summer (a collection of thoughts)

what's up, friends?

I've come to the realization, well it's something i've known for a while but this week was a reminder...life (especially life in tallahassee) is SO boring without someone to spend it with.

I've earned almost 20 dollars with this adsense google thing. pretty neat.

If you have never seen Finding Neverland...you should.

Tomorrow is monday...the start of summer session C. I start Psychology, basic, undergrad psychology...should be interesting.

Arrested Development is a good show, watch it.

I may have a job...at least a job prospect in the near future, more on that soon.

Last weekend with the dog watching was memorable. Look for an overdue post on that soon.

GC.tv is in the studio tomorrow night, I'm thinking about heading out there to check it out before I get to lay down some vocals.

I wish I was at a beach right now...

stay tuned!

peaceandlove

living a verse

Two saturdays ago, i was @ GenesisChurch.tv washing the vans. That is typically something I do without a second thought but this past time was different. That same morning was the day that our church ended their week long fast called "Seek Week." As I washed the vans outside dozens of people were worshiping, praying, eating, and just enjoying time with each other in God's presence.

It hit me as I started to wash down the first van...I could hear Jerad leading worship through the back door of the annex and I just pictured people singing and praising God as I dipped my brush in the soapy water...and to be honest, I started to get a little jealous. Here I was, in the cold, and by now wet morning, washing a van while everyone was inside worshipping God. It was at that moment that a Bible verse, my favorite, popped into my head...Colossians 3.17: "And WHATEVER YOU DO, whether in word or deed, DO IT ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

At that moment, I realized that my worship was washing a couple vans...I was washing two dirty vans in the name of the Lord. That jealously turned to joy and a smile crossed my face as I continued to worship with everyone inside of the Annex.

In the spirit of Colossians 3.17...what are you doing "in the name of the Lord"?

Turn the mundane and ordinary into something significant.

Be Inspired

Be ready for a LOVEly post later tonight!

peace and love

Laminin

What is it? Well, I’ll tell you but let's backtrack a bit...

Last Saturday the Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman/Louie Giglio "How Great is Our God?" tour came through Orlando and I went. Obviously it was amazing. But I personally wasn't there for the music (I can hear that stuff in just about any church in America these days) I was there to hear Louie Giglio speak. Let me just say Louie has a way with words that not many have. He makes the simplest message into a highly profound life change and this time was no different.

He considered this talk part 2 and a continuation of his "Indescribable" message. Here is a brief synopsis of "Indescribable":

The heavens are telling the glory of God, and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Night after night they remind us of just how small we are, and how huge God is. Looking out into the far reaches of the universe, we find a seemingly infinite expanse of mystery and wonder, intricately fashioned by a God of unfathomable size and power. Just a glimpse of one of the billions of visible galaxies He has formed resizes us, shrinking us, and the world we call home, to seeming insignificance in an instant. But as tiny as we may seem, the God who knows every star by name also knows yours, and mine. And in the most stunning rescue imaginable, God sent His Son to this spinning planet we call home--the Creator reconnecting us to Him with life that never ends.

"How Great is Our God?" begins where "Indescribable" left off...


M51 or the whirlpool galaxy astronomers call it the "darling of astronomy." last year, Louie Giglio show us two things about this galaxy in the deep reaches of space.



1.) Every second there are new stars being bored. Millions of star incubators are found within the whirlpool galaxy.
2.) Not only that, but at the center of this galaxy is a black hole which the Hubble Telescope took a picture of...and wow, check this out






The entire universe displays God's fingerprint and this is just one example...the cross of Jesus was on the mind of God even as he was creating the universe.

Putting that picture back in our heads, Louie continued in the universe focusing on the stars with the purpose of showing us just how small we are and how BIG God is.

We serve a BIG God!!

Louie took us to a few stars and put it into perspective:

If the earth was a golf ball...

The sun would be 15 feet in diameter
Another star would be the equivalent of 6 empire state buildings
Or 2 golden gate bridges



We are so very very small...

Our significance is in our insignificance.

God cares for us so much that his same fingerprint can be found within us.

Louie then looked within the human body and showed us just how great our God is.

When we are developing in our mothers womb...just for the eye to function a million nerve endings start to travel to the eye and another million from the eye to the brain, these nerve ending meet up and have to find their EXACT match in order for the eye to work...that is AMAZING to me

Though he went into more details (I’ll let you find the message yourself when it becomes available online) the "finale" of the talk was this...

LAMININ

Every living creature has laminin inside of them...the purpose of laminin is that it basically keeps our bodies from falling apart. It holds us together as one united whole.

wanna see what laminin looks like???

I know you do....

check this out!






the cross is EVERYWHERE...it casts a shadow over the entire universe...constantly reminding us of what Jesus did for the world.

words escaped my mouth the moment Louie put this on the screen so I will leave you with that...Laminin

wow

reveal in surrender

It's finally spring break! To kick off this week of no school...I decided to dive into God's word after to class today and just set an hour of my day to worship. So, I shut my room door, set my itunes to shuffle through some shane and shane songs, and just got in it.

It is amazing to see what is revealed to you if you just set some time to focus on the word of God. I opened my Bible to one of my favorite books(letters), Colossians. I just find something freeing and revolutionary about the words of Paul in this short letter. And like always, when I was reading...I get floored by what the Holy Spirit is revealing about my life through the living word of God.

I didn't read for long but I read chapter 2 and I think the beginning of chapter 3 sums up what I read.

-----
Verse One and following:
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seared at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
-----
The Message says it this way:
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ. See things from his perspective.
Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ shows up again on this earth, you'll show up too-the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
-----

After reading that, I stopped...and then I thought I would see what my placeholder in my Bible was marking...

I read...

-----
Galatians 4.6 and following:
...God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
-----

I wanted to go and disect these verses but I think they speak for themselves...I will say this...

We all fall short as sons and daughters of God. So many times we focus on the world and what it has to offer (success, money, fame) knowing that will not bring us to where we need to be but we look to the standards of the world around us. What would happen if we changed that? Surrendering everything that we hold dear to us and strive to be Christlike. Let's surrender our world-view and what is of importance...just hand it over to change our world-view to a Christ-view. It is so easy to slip back and forth...I say let's cast aside that lukewarm behavior and surrender it ALL.

What is holding you back from developing your Christ perspective?

What are you holding onto that you wish to surrender?

"letting go gives a better grip"

seek Him...



Peace and Love

The Deaf Church

So, the other day I was checking the news headlines from my Nintendo Wii (how cool is that??) and I came across this article that was talking about this innovative church that is reaching out to one of the most ignored people groups in the United States...The Deaf/Hearing Impaired Community.

Here's a staggering statistic...it's said that only 10% of deaf people are Christian. Many blame churches for this because, in most cases, the deaf ministry in churches are the first to go if there are financial problems.

This is where Breantwood Baptist Deaf Church comes into play. Their idea and mission is "Deaf reaching Deaf." Their church is equipped with EVERYTHING for the hearing impaired. They actually have 30 speaker built INTO the floor so that the beats and rhythms can be felt in the feet and through the body of the deaf worshipper. how cool is that??

They create a lively atmosphere that is dramatically lit and there is always a straight line of sight to the alter for effective communication. There is also transportation provided for those who are unable to drive.

I would really like to see what the sermons are like but my internet is going really slowly...all past sermons are available on their website.

This forward thinking church is doing what a lot of churches fail to do...reaching people in new and unique ways, GOING to the people in need instead of waiting for people to come to them. AWESOME.

This should be inspiration for everyone...we need to be ready to do ANYTHING to reach the world.

Check them out here Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church

Has anyone checked out the sermons? How are they done?? Why do you think deaf ministries are cut from churches when 90% of the community doesn't know Jesus??

Worship Stats

The biweekly attendance at worship services is, by believers' own admission, generally the only time they worship God

Eight out of every ten believers do not feel they have entered into the presence of God, or experienced a connection with Him, during the worship service

Half of all believers say they do not feel they have entered into the presence of God or experienced a genuine connection with Him during the past year

Only one out of every four churched believers says that when they worship God, they expect Him to be the primary beneficiary of their worship. (Most people say they expect to get the most from the experience)



where do you stand???

how/when/why/who do you worship??

Candid the First [a discussion]

warning: the following is a rant of my feelings on specific topics bound to ruffle some feathers. you are all encouraged to add your own thoughts! now, on to my soapbox...

at the moment i'm taking a class called Behavior Modification. now, i could spend a whole blog on how amazing this class is but that isn't the focus at the moment. Dr. Madsen said this profound statement the other day...

"over time, form trumps substance"

just think about that statement, chew on it, internalize it...now continue...(if you still don't get it, keep reading anyways)



that little phrase has been bouncing around my head for the past couple of days and i've seen where that this is a very true observation...one place is the church.

i've been to liturgical and non-liturgical churches. i've been apart of hymnal music, gospel, contemporary(pop) worship, rock type of worship and everything inbetween. it is not necessarily the music that becomes a form of some kind but i think the turn off for so many people is the idea that everything has its place and after a while things start to lose their shine because people are afraid to change it up, sacrificing change and innovation to comfort and control.

the church should be the most happening place on the planet for the simple and complex reason that it opens it doors on sunday to give praise and worship the God of creation and for the community to get in on that worship. our God is not a boring God neither is his Word. both are living and active, inspiring all who come and see. so, why does the church respond to a dynamic God in such a prim, proper, formulaic way?

say it with me "over time, form trumps substance"

even the most innovative churches can run into this rut...

fast song
fast song
slower song
slowest song
sermon
see you next week

why does this happen? because it becomes comfortable...last week it worked so let's do it again this week...that worked let's do it again...so on and so on



i say if the church becomes comfortable and the congregation and say..."oh, after the first two songs is when we get to sing the 'worship' slow song"

or

"i can go through this service with my eyes closed...sit...stand...sit...stand...kneel...ect"

if that becomes the norm the church is missing the opportunity to engage the worshipper and really encounter the awesome power of the living God. and this is why so many churches should just install a revolving door into their sanctuary...because people want something REAL, something they can come into and say "there is nothing else like this on the planet"

it's time to get uncomfortable
it's time to get some substance
it's time to change
it's time to emerge and become the Church

now, i'm sure some of you will read this and think that i have no idea what i'm talking about because i'm just a college student, a music major for that matter...and guess what...GOOD!..you better make some comments on this post so we can have an open discussion.

Mark Driscoll on Worship

"I’ll be happy when we have more than just prom songs to Jesus sung by some effeminate guy on an acoustic guitar offered as mainstream worship music. Right now most worship music is still coming from the top down through such things as Christian radio and record labels. But the trend today in a lot of churches is writing your own music to reflect your culture and community, and I pray this trend of music from the bottom up continues.”