Psalm 15 paraphrased

Lord, what does a true worshipper look like?

How do those who know you best act?

Anyone who lives above reproach

...and who chooses daily to do the right thing

Anyone who speaks the truth from his heart

...and who never uses words to tear someone else down

Anyone who never hurts his close friends

...and never speaks unkindly of the people he knows

Anyone who hates the wickedness he sees in people

...but openly celebrates those who honor Christ

Anyone who keeps his promises

...even when it’s hard, or comes with a cost

Anyone who gives freely to those in need

...and never accepts a gift that might sway his good judgment

Anyone who lives this way will never question his faith

A Friend in Need

Got a phone call last night from a friend I lost touch with because of poor decisions. My heart ached a while back when I watched her make a huge mistake. Felt helpless to her. It was like trying to scream at a blind train engineer heading for a break in the rail, from about a mile away. In some ways I felt like I should have been on the train with her all along, and felt guilt for my own ignorance. A real friend would have warned her sooner. But I hadn't seen the warnings myself. Last night was like watching her crawl out from under the wreckage.

Now what?
What do I have to offer now to a wounded friend?
Say. "I told you so"... that would be real nice Baird (jerk)
Quote scripture about Christ working everything out because he loves us
... true, but also hurtful in it's own way

If I had anything to offer it was that sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God is doing something to help us. I shared how Nancy and I felt after her 4th miscarriage. I have never felt any more helpless than then. At the time I thought we needed to give up, and surrender to what seemed like cruel punishment. And I even entertained thoughts that Nancy was being punished for my sins. You think crazy stuff when you are hurting. And yet now we have 4 happy, thriving daughters.

I guess God really does use the trials of life to bring healing and joy to our lives. And it doesn't matter if was brought on by just life happening or from your own mistakes or bad decisions.

So I listened to her struggle not to cry, I listened mostly because I didn't have much to say. And I tried to encourage her to do the right thing going forward. I begged her not to go alone, to get back to a church where she could hear God's word, take a break from the storm and be with people who can encourage her and challenge her and help her find healing from the train wreck.

Lord, do a good work in my friend's life.

Monday Morning Coffee

I love this time at the start of the day, at the beginning of a new week, at the close of one season and the start of another. I love finding the quiet of my side porch over-looking our garden with the last of the tomatoes ripening, the pumpkins exploding and some purple flower blooming that we didn't even plant this year. Where did those come from. The trees are the only noise I really notice as the September breeze blows through them. I've got my coffee with me and my Bible in my lap.

I love this time with you Lord.

You know I am wrestling with all that is before me. You know how I feel. I am overwhelmed with the responsibilities before me. I want to be growing closer to you, really growing closer. There are still struggles with sin in my life that I feel like we have been working on forever. I don;t want to be struggling with them forever. Refining my character is one thing. But I want to be clay that you can still work with. Nancy and the girls need me. And I want to be around. The time is flying by. Katelyn and Rebekah are growing up so fast. Molly scored 2 goals in her first soccer game yesterday and I almost missed it. Hannah is speaking in full sentences. I want to be around. I don't want to miss any of this. And I have got to love Nancy first. She really needs me. Keeping this house going and herding the girls is really pushing her to her limits. She has to pick up so much slack for me. If there is anything that has to give or bend or break, Nancy gets it done and gives me the flexibility to do my stuff. Thank you for her Lord. I would be lost without her support and respect. She makes me a better man.

Work is stressful. I can't believe I have to go to a hearing on Wednesday. Did I really make a mistake that may have injured a patient? I can't believe it. Please forgive me. And help me to be humble in the hearing.

Do we really need to talk through all that is going on at church? You know my worries and concerns and struggles. Give me wisdom with people. Help me to be a better encourager. Help me to be gentle with the folks who are suffering. Help me to be a leader with integrity. Help me to follow your leading. Holy Spirit give me strength. Deadlines....past due. Help me Lord to make amends and meet expectations.

Give me peace. And so, you turn my heart towards Psalm 4 and 5

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. Lead me O Lord in your righteousness - make straight your way before me." -Psalm 4:1, 5:8

Now it's your turn, Lord so I listen.... I love having coffee with you.

Alive in the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

Key passages:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free... (for) those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires... life and peace.
Romans 8:1-2a,5b,6b

This Spirit of Christ who resides in me is more than conscious or still small voice. He is life, and life abundant... peace, and peace indescribable. And like a lover, when I am with him the rest of the world melts away. He has my every attention. I desire nothing more than to walk with him, run with him, lay with him and grow with him. And when I wander, I long to return to him. Nothing truly satisfies. Nothing brings life like Him.

Lord, give me life this day. Life in and through Your Spirit.

Found in Translation

Romans 1:16-32

Paul paints a picture of how we lose our passion to worship Christ

Key Verses:
What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.
- Romans 1:21,22,24,25 (TM)

Worth Memorizing:
Scripture has said all along:
"The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
- Romans 1:17 (TM)

This morning I used www.biblegateway.com to re-read this passage from the book of Romans in 5 different translations (and/or paraphrases - for the scholars out there). What a fantastic resource. All I do is click a drop-down box and I can read the scripture in 20 different English forms. I loved how Christ was able to surround me in his Word through different word choice, sentence structure and language to help the message settle in on me. I really found the Message version hit me the hardest this morning. Walking away from God and turning to living on our own isn't just about choice A or B. God is one way, mine is another. It's about the loss of life, of worship, of love, of freedom, of purpose, and the list goes on and on. And the saddest part is the longer we are away from the worship of him who created us, the more we convince ourselves the loss was the right choice. The longer we walk in darkness the more think it's ok and we even want to encourage others to walk with us in darkness. I am not so sure this about people who don't know Christ. I think this is me and my family and my friends who know Christ, but who for some reason make choices to stop worshipping. At first it probably seems little or insignificant. I fail to pray, I get out of reading God's word regularly, I go to church but don;t seem to be connecting with God. But this snowball effect gets going and bigger things creep in because I start to convince myself that I am too busy, or people are pressuring me or I have stressors. And we start lying to ourselves about what's important and what's not. And the snowball gets bigger and and bigger and before you know it, it's been weeks since I have prayed with a friend, or listened to worship music during my commute, or opened my Bible. And then I lie more to myself and I start getting frustrated with my faith and the irony is I will start getting frustrated with other peoples faith. As if pointing a finger will ease my own guilt. And all along Christ is saying way off in the distance of my right mind, "Why are you choosing this? Why don't you come spend some time with me? What are you afraid of? Why do you make your life so complicated?"

Jesus, keep me close. Help me choose to worship you with my thoughts, my heart, my life - always.

There's Nothing Like a Transformed Life

Romans 1:1-9

Key Passage: "I always thank God for you... because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you."

Worth Memorizing: "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

There have been lots of people in my life who I wish I could be a witness to the transformation of their life; people I have hoped would find the freedom of Christ that I know, people who I have hoped would find the joy and peace of Christ that cannot be found in anything else. And the truth of the Gospel has crossed my lips countless times where I wasn't sure at all if it was heard.

And then there are those people who I have had the privilege to watch transform into what Christ intended all along. People who have gone from despair to hope, wanderings to purpose, bondage to freedom, guilt to grace.

I had that privilege this past Sunday as I watched a friend sing a song in front of hundreds of people that spoke to his new-found love for Christ. A friend who not long ago was lost and wandering, alone and feeling like life was passing him by.

I don't think everyone who heard his song understood the depths to which the lyric spoke or the journey it took to get there. But, oh what joy it brought me to see his face and know what it meant to him to stand changed by Christ for all the world to see.

There is no greater testimony to the reality of Christ than a life transformed by His grace. And I find nothing more beautiful than having a front row seat.

An Appropriate Response

"True worship will entail a response that is thoughtful, costly and worthy... of our all-gracious God."

- Ralph Martin


On Wednesday morning as I got home from working a shift in Boston, and getting out at 8am instead of 7, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. I knew that there was so much to be done to prepare for our evening of worship training, rehearsals and projects. I knew I needed to finish 4 chord charts. I knew I needed to prepare rooms for our gathering of 60 or more, a vocal clinic, choir rehearsal, and 3-4 band rehearsals. I knew I needed to set up and run cables in the Worship Center and Music Room for sound. I knew I needed to pray. I knew I needed to connect with Byron about all the tech projects going on. I knew I needed to meet a friend for lunch who was struggling in his marriage. And I knew I had only 10 hrs to get it all done.

But I also knew that it had snowed, it was now raining and my dad, who just had hip replacement surgery, couldn't possibly snow blow his driveway.

Nothing in me wanted to go spend an hour in the freezing cold rain, snow blowing slush. Everything in me wanted to let my mom do it instead. Nothing in me was ready for the little worship lesson God was about to give me. Everything me was ready to go my own way.

So then comes the "Call to Worship" and the anthem in my head went something like this...

Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I want to worship You today with all my heart, my soul and my strength
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I know that to love You is to keep Your commands.
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, I know that Your commands are written on my heart
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, You want me to honor my parents, don't You?
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, can't I just spend some time in prayer instead?
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, can't I worship You when I am putting those chord charts together?
Jesus, I'll even play them just for you after I am done.
Baird, are you going to worship me today?
Jesus, but I don't want to worship You with a shovel...

So after an hour...
As I walked home I chatted with God and I told Him that I was really glad I had taken the time to clear my dad's driveway. He reminded me that if I want to really worship Him it needs to be an everyday, all day, even in the little things type of worship. It won't always be a song or a service. Most of the time it is going to be in how I live. I thanked Him for reminding me.

We don't value obedience until after we are obedient. And sometimes we don't value worship in unexpected places.... like on a slush covered driveway in the freezing rain until after the work is done.

Jesus, thanks for being gracious to us.

Some suggestions to help you deepen your worship:

Book - The Worship of God by Ralph Martin
----------one of the first books Pastor Mike had me read as a new worship leader
CD - Beautiful News by Matt Redman
----------I really like the song "You Never Let Go"
Podcast - Baldworshipleader.com (iTunes) by Phil Ayres
----------This podcast focuses on the tech side of worship

The Space Between

"If we are going to worship in Spirit,
we must develop a spirit of worship."
- Michael Catt




I need to think in pictures sometimes. Especially when I am trying to understand complex ideas. And when I am trying to wrestle with truths about worship, pictures or models bring clarity when words can sometimes fall short for me.

This is why I find discussions about worship so difficult. The word worship is so far-reaching in meaning it can be elusive. When I say "worship" are you thinking about music, a Sunday service, a lifestyle, prayer, a private moment with Christ, obedience, caring for widows and orphans...? The list can be endless. So our discussions about worship can often seem like speaking different languages.

So here is how I picture worship services, private moments of worship and the worship lifestyle co-existing in one picture.

Take any solid object. You can touch it, it has mass, form, color, texture... it's real. And yet science tells us that it is mostly space. There is space between the molecules, space between the atoms within the molecules, even space between the subatomic particles. All that space adds up. So much so that I suppose that in an ideal situation, if all the space lined up perfectly, 2 objects could pass through each other without even touching... but it never happens. I think there is some beauty in that (now I am drifting)

What does this have to do with worship?

Well, suppose that the totality of what worship is could be represented by a solid object. Its real, you can touch it, feel it, see it, hold it. Each molecule representing another experience of worship, a service, a song, a devotional, a scripture verse... the list goes on and on. And yet, that object is still mostly space. And it is the space that makes it real. The molecules could not coexist without the space between.

I think we focus so much on the molecules of worship, we fail to see the object of worship. If we could give value to the space between, that day-in and day-out living in the presence of God reality, our worship would not just be a collection of molecules. It would take shape. And it wouldn't be so hard to talk about or describe. We wouldn't argue about musical styles or Bible translations. We would find worship moments throughout a Sunday Service. And we wouldn't need to wait for a Sunday morning to experience worship. We would encounter Christ in every moment of every day.

Some suggestions to deepen your worship:
1. Book - Exploring the Worship Spectrum
by Paul Engle & Paul Basden
2. Audio Tapes - Worship: As a Way of Life
by Louie Giglio
3. Podcast - The Worship Leader Podcast (iTunes)

Defining Worship

This week we began a discussion of how we might all go about trying to define WORSHIP. I have been on this journey as both a worshiper and a worship leader for about 10 years now. And I continually fall back on a definition I learned through a series of cassette tapes (no snickering) by Louie Giglio that my Pastor Mike gave to me to help me learn and grow. (And I have to say, before I say anything else, how blessed I am to have a pastor who came along side me as a mentor, a friend, and brother to encourage me and help me find God's calling for my life.) Back to Louie. Louie's definition was...

Worship is our response (both personal and corporate) to God
for who He is and what He has done, expressed in and by
the things we say and the way we live.

But I was coached this last year by a new friend Byron Spradlin, I was challenged to sit with God and wrestle through defining worship in my own words, words that have meaning for me, words that are rooted in God's WORD and born out of my own experiences of worship life and leadership. That process was profound for me. When you put your own words to defining worship, it foces you to wrestle what you really believe about divine encounters with Christ through His word, prayer, music, and living life in obedience to His will for you and His Body the Church.

I hoping we will all have a similar experience as we journey through this process together. Take some time before we get together again and consider these statements I made on Wednesday

Worship is INITIATED by God
Just like the relationship between a parent and a child, there is no relationship until the parent makes the decision to bring life to a child. The only reason we are able to talk about worship is because birthed it in us.

Worship is an ENCOUNTER with God
We do not worship a God who is aloof or distant. He took of the splendor of heaven to dwell among us. ANd He didn;t do that so that he could then leave us to our own ends again. He initiaded the relationship in a very personal way. Becuase we worship a God who is here, within reach.

Worship is a RESPONSE to God
When we come face to face with the living God we cannot help but react in some way. Abraham's response was faith, Jonah's response was to run and hide, Isaiah's response was to fall flat on his face and wish he were dead, David's response was repentance, the sinful woman's response was to wash his feet in her tears, Peter's response was to jump out of a boat, Paul's response was to not speak for 3 days. What's our response?

Some suggestions for deepening your worship.

1. Book – Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship by David Peterson
2. CD (available on iTunes) – Michael Gungor Band: All I Need Is Here
3. Podcast – North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley, The Sinai Code (5 part series)