About Worship...

I had an opportunity to consult with another church's worship team here in town tonight.  I have the privilege of going back a few more times to teach and train - I'm really looking forward to it. 

I love discussing what worship truly is, as well as what it isn't.  I also love asking believers their definition of worship.  When you get a moment, please comment, and share your defition.

All Marriages Forever?

Recently, in the middle of a deep and serious conversation, someone asked me, “Do you believe God doesn’t want any marriage to end?” My answer had everything to do with the simple fact that it doesn’t matter what I believe. It doesn’t have to do with what I think is fair, proper, appropriate, easy, hard, or otherwise. I said, “Yes, I believe God is clear: He doesn’t desire any marriage to end.”

People often cite marital unfaithfulness, whether that plays itself out in infidelity, abuse, or in other ways, believing God is "okay" with divorce under these circumstances. While I’m certain God gives us a “way out” by allowing for someone to leave their spouse in these cases, that does not mean God intends for it. Let me explain…

Jesus was asked virtually the same question by the Pharisees in Matthew 19. They said, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" Jesus answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

Notice he didn’t address what was “lawful”? His answer addressed God’s desire – “let no man separate.” Of course, the Pharisees were up to their usual trickery, and had an ulterior motive. They asked a follow-up question: "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" Jesus said, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."

In other words, it’s easy to ask for a divorce when the marriage is nearly broken. It’s hard to continually give your marriage back to Jesus day in and day out, especially if you feel like your spouse isn’t joining you in this process. The words, “I just can’t do it anymore,” have been spoken to me by hurt spouses countless times over the years. And they’re exactly right. They can’t. The natural person is incapable of committing themselves to another human being for a lifetime - even in the best of circumstances. But God is not about the natural. He is the Supernatural. And His desire is to work miracles in your marriage, in your spouse, and in you.

The road is hard, but the answer to the question is simple: “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” God is in the business of reconciliation, not division.
Are you (or someone you know) in a difficult marriage? Feel like you’ve tried everything? Feel alone in your efforts? I beg you to give your marriage back to Jesus. As hard as it is for you to imagine, God can work your marriage into a beautiful masterpiece.  Trust in Him - He has a greater vision for your covenant than even you.

TV Shows

So 24 has been cancelled.  Jack Bauer has finally been stopped.  It's just as well, since the writing this season sucks like a Hoover.  But previous seasons were worth watching. 

The cancelling of one of the better shows leads me to beg the question, what shows are you all watching these days, and why?  We love our DVR, and have recently discovered NCIS.  Not the new one, but the old one - with Mark Harmon.  We've never been CSI fans, due in large part to the corny puns the writers feel are essential to the dialogue.  NCIS has few if any such lameness. 

Some in the Coffin clan have taken to "The Mentalist," but every stinking episode ends like Scooby Doo, IMO.  "If it wasn't for those pesky kids...!"

LOST has been a favorite, but there was one season that just about lost me.  This final season has had it's moments, so we're kinda stuck till the end. 

What are you watching?

The Bachelor Pad

Today, Jessica and Kerri left for Big Bear for a week. They're visiting the Wilsons, and Jessica is working for them on a house Scott bought (repainting and getting ready for a turn-around sale), making spending money for our upcoming Boston trip. This of course means Jake, Joe, and I are home without the womenfolk. Someone might want to call us just to be sure the house is still standing, say, on Wednesday.

The ground rules: their rooms can get as messed up as they want, but the main rooms will be continually cleaned. This includes the kitchen. We shall see...