So I'm sitting here listening to christmas cantatas for our 2009 christmas season. And I come across this song in one of them and it just beautifully and simply puts this longing the song writer has into words!
And the words are "Speak to me" and then I realize thats is EVERY christian's longing, for God to "Speak to Me". We want Him to tell us so many things: That it is gonna be alright, That THIS is the path we should take, That we should or shouldn't do something.
In my own life I so desperately want to hear from him on a daily basis. But what I am coming to realize is that He is speaking. Maybe not always face to face with me but I really have to understand HE IS SPEAKING.
The thing I really have a hard time understanding is He even speaks to me in the quiet and the silence. Boy I REALLY don't like that! :-) I want Him to tell me what to do and where to go with BIG FLASHING NEON SIGNS or hey how bout a buring bush. But all I may ever get is a whisper or well who knows.
So tonight I am writing to say I am OK with the quiet and the silence and I will just wait on my Father and let Him lead.
Monday, July 27, 2009
It is 3 am?
So I'm sitting here as my phone syncs to my computer. And really I am wondering why in the WORLD I am up at 3am. Well the creative juices were flowing and I decided to continue bringing EBC along with me as we travel to the idea of MAKING OURSELVES avaiable to the community.
So here is the progress. We are looking into a group called clover sites to help us design a website and we are also now tweeting at www.twitter.com/ebchammond. We are also now on facebook how ever for now you are just gonna have to look for EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH.
What will all this do? Who knows, but if the end result is one person is able to be ministered to my these social media avenues then it will all be worth it!!!
And by the way .... thats us at the top, well some of us? How bout I got the entire 8:30am group to slide to the middle of the church to take a picture for the web... HOW COOL IS THAT?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Trying so hard to be changed
Not gonna post long tonight. Just wanted to put a thought out there. Change is HARD. No matter how much you wanna change, YOU CANT DO IT ALONE. Just so you know I am speaking to myself mostly.
If I try to change ME, I WILL end up failing. But ot really change takes two things:
#1 Allowing God to work in me.
#2 Surrounding myself with people who will listen and help hold me accountable.
So this week as we all see to change, even just a little bit remember it takes more than us.
In Him,
IAMNOT
If I try to change ME, I WILL end up failing. But ot really change takes two things:
#1 Allowing God to work in me.
#2 Surrounding myself with people who will listen and help hold me accountable.
So this week as we all see to change, even just a little bit remember it takes more than us.
In Him,
IAMNOT
New Idea
Thought I would start doing something different every Saturday night / Sunday morning. I am gonna start posting our set lists for EBC. This will allow other worship leaders to see what we are doing at EBC and why else? I really don't know why but maybe it would be useful to someone else! If no one views it then i will stop putting it so let me know!!
We are a very diverse church. We have 3 Sunday services: 8:30 - contemporary, 11:00 - Traditional, 6:00pm - Blended Contemporary.
Anyway here is our set list. Tomorrow night I will be back with my regular post for the week!
In Him,
IAMNOT
8:30am
1. Hosanna, Praise Is Rising
2. Sing to the King
3. Healing Grace
4. Hosanna
Invitation - Grace covers Me
11:00am
1. 189 – The Lilly of the Valley
2. 444 - Sunlight
3. 438 – Heaven Came Down
4. 282 – Living for Jesus
Invitation – 300 – With out Him
6:00pm
1. That’s Why We Praise Him
2. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
3. Mighty To Save
4. Draw me Close to You / Holy Ground
Invitation – Give Us Clean Hands
We are a very diverse church. We have 3 Sunday services: 8:30 - contemporary, 11:00 - Traditional, 6:00pm - Blended Contemporary.
Anyway here is our set list. Tomorrow night I will be back with my regular post for the week!
In Him,
IAMNOT
8:30am
1. Hosanna, Praise Is Rising
2. Sing to the King
3. Healing Grace
4. Hosanna
Invitation - Grace covers Me
11:00am
1. 189 – The Lilly of the Valley
2. 444 - Sunlight
3. 438 – Heaven Came Down
4. 282 – Living for Jesus
Invitation – 300 – With out Him
6:00pm
1. That’s Why We Praise Him
2. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
3. Mighty To Save
4. Draw me Close to You / Holy Ground
Invitation – Give Us Clean Hands
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
WOW so long so long indeed!!
Hi There CYBERSPACE!
Where in the world have I been? I had planned on using this blog to help me organize my thoughts and to allow me to put my thoughts somewhere I could read them. And I have really really let this part of my life slide!. Well I am back.
I just got back from an amazing trip to Southern California to the Saddleback worship conference. What a difference it has made back here at home. For years I went to the conference to see what was new in the area of music for the church. This year God said how bout we deal with your life Jeremy!
Well wasnt that just a punch in the face? So here are some things that He showed me and maybe He will show you too!!!
#1. I am a prideful guy. It is one of the areas I struggle with the most!.. and guess what the DECIEVER will use, not only my weaknesses but also my STRENGTHS to try to hurt me. I never realized that and looking back I see that most of my issues in my life come from me and my pride!
#2. I am TOO COMFORTABLE. God sent us the holy spirt to COMFORT us. But here is the question.... Why would I need a comforter when I am always COMFORTABLE.. I am in a air conditioned house with the lights on and then I drive in my nice air conditioned truck to my air conditioned job and then on sundays I lead worship in a church where it is usually nice and cool and the pews are soft. WHEN AM I EVER UNCOMFORTABLE... if the answer is never then when do I need the GREAT COMFORTER? Something is wrong with that? I need to look for ways out of my confort zone that I can serve him and BE COMFORTED! Thanks to Frances Chan for making me think of that!
#3. "God closes doors and opens other ones but it is hell in the hallway." -- Buddy Owens
This kinda goes back to the comfortable thing. I love my church and I love serving there but I NEVER want to get to the place where I do what I do for a paycheck and because it is COMFORTABLE!!!! I am listening soo hard to hear God speak right now but all I get is "BE STILL" and the problem I have with that is I have been hearing that since I got there. "BE STILL"... What does that mean and I mean at what point does the message change? I guess I will just "BE STILL" and see what happens.
#4. The CHURCH is full of sinners. That pretty much says it all. When I sin sometimes I feel like I do not belong at church with all those PERFECT faces. But then GOD showed me, I am in the place you are supposed be when you are a sinner. Church was made for sinners not for PUBLICANS..... So let me end with this....
Father forgive me a sinner!
Signed
I AM NOT!
Where in the world have I been? I had planned on using this blog to help me organize my thoughts and to allow me to put my thoughts somewhere I could read them. And I have really really let this part of my life slide!. Well I am back.
I just got back from an amazing trip to Southern California to the Saddleback worship conference. What a difference it has made back here at home. For years I went to the conference to see what was new in the area of music for the church. This year God said how bout we deal with your life Jeremy!
Well wasnt that just a punch in the face? So here are some things that He showed me and maybe He will show you too!!!
#1. I am a prideful guy. It is one of the areas I struggle with the most!.. and guess what the DECIEVER will use, not only my weaknesses but also my STRENGTHS to try to hurt me. I never realized that and looking back I see that most of my issues in my life come from me and my pride!
#2. I am TOO COMFORTABLE. God sent us the holy spirt to COMFORT us. But here is the question.... Why would I need a comforter when I am always COMFORTABLE.. I am in a air conditioned house with the lights on and then I drive in my nice air conditioned truck to my air conditioned job and then on sundays I lead worship in a church where it is usually nice and cool and the pews are soft. WHEN AM I EVER UNCOMFORTABLE... if the answer is never then when do I need the GREAT COMFORTER? Something is wrong with that? I need to look for ways out of my confort zone that I can serve him and BE COMFORTED! Thanks to Frances Chan for making me think of that!
#3. "God closes doors and opens other ones but it is hell in the hallway." -- Buddy Owens
This kinda goes back to the comfortable thing. I love my church and I love serving there but I NEVER want to get to the place where I do what I do for a paycheck and because it is COMFORTABLE!!!! I am listening soo hard to hear God speak right now but all I get is "BE STILL" and the problem I have with that is I have been hearing that since I got there. "BE STILL"... What does that mean and I mean at what point does the message change? I guess I will just "BE STILL" and see what happens.
#4. The CHURCH is full of sinners. That pretty much says it all. When I sin sometimes I feel like I do not belong at church with all those PERFECT faces. But then GOD showed me, I am in the place you are supposed be when you are a sinner. Church was made for sinners not for PUBLICANS..... So let me end with this....
Father forgive me a sinner!
Signed
I AM NOT!
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