​Fall is in the air!  Kids are back to school and everyone is starting to get COVID fatigue. With the reality of a new season approaching and another semester of distance learning, many are feeling despair about how long this pandemic will alter their lives.  Add to this natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes and the pressure becomes too much.  Uncertainty and ambivalence is high along with feelings of anxiety and stress.  And Christians are not immune to these feelings.  We also are trying to plan for the future in a world that is changing on an almost daily basis.  So how can we navigate this season?  How can we refocus our attention on truth?  How can we ease the loneliness, stress, anxiety, and fear that we feel? 

​As we close out the month of July, I would like to give you a gentle call to worship.  Sometimes life gets so busy and overwhelming that we forget how much God has given us, done for us, and won for us and so we forget to just stop and worship.  Worship Him for who He is, what He’s done, and His great faithfulness.  So today, would you take a moment to quiet your heart and mind and let the words of this song flood your soul and become a song in your heart?

​Once in a while, I like to highlight a song I would use for communion in a service.  These songs are special to me because they exalt Jesus, remind us of His great sacrifice, and fill our hearts with gratitude.  Therefore, today’s song feature will be one of these “communion” songs.

This week I’m going to share something a little different.  Instead of introducing you to a new song, I want to share with you a powerful message on worship. We are living in crazy times and deep darkness.  And sometimes, it can be difficult to remember the “why” behind our worship.  It can be difficult to remember to worship in the midst of trial.  However, worship is an important part of our Christian walk.  In fact, it is vital and necessary in order for us to walk in the joy and fullness God has intended for us. Therefore, this message from Passion City Church on “Extravagant Worship” is timely and much needed.

​Following along the same vein as last week’s song, today we’re going to focus on a beautiful story song that will rouse our hearts to worship our great Creator and Savior.

​We are half way through Passion Week.  It has been a different Easter season with so many things canceled and closed.  However, if anything, we have more time and space to remember, ponder, and reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice.  We are just two short days away from observing Good Friday and all that took place on that day over two thousand years ago.  Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, when different churches remember the Lord’s last supper with His disciples, the final instructions He gave them, and then His struggle in the garden of Gethsemane where He fully submitted His will to the Father’s.  

​April 1st.  April Fool’s Day.  But today is no joke.  Today is the beginning of the month leading to Easter.  Today in the midst of the panic that has gripped our world, we’re going to forget the crazy, forget the stress, forget the unknowns, and choose to worship and remember all that this season represents for us as believers in the Risen Lord.  So take a moment to find a quiet space and reflect on all that Jesus has done for you and what your response to that gift will be.

​As we finish out this worship set focused on the love of God, I’m going to close with a song that has been on my mind and heart for the past couple of months.  It was actually the song that inspired this whole set and attuned my heart to meditate on God’s immeasurable love.  This song is “Love on the Line” by Hillsong Worship.

​Continuing our focus on God’s incredible love, today’s song feature explores the greatness of God’s love and how far He was willing to pursue us.  I wonder if we sometimes grow callused to the awesomeness of God’s love and lose sight of how great a sacrifice and how much it cost Him to love us so.  We get used to the story of the cross and the message of salvation that it is no longer novel or amazing.  But this is a danger place to be!  For God’s love is amazing and we should never lose our wonder and gratitude for His immense sacrifice.

​As we come to the close of January and get used to the rhythm and routine of 2020, let’s not forget the excitement and anticipation we had at New Year’s.  Let’s not forget the resolutions, dreams, and goals we made at the beginning of the year.  And may we especially not forget the covenants and resolutions we made with God.  So as we wrap up our New Year worship set, I have a special song I want to share with you that focuses on our devotion to the Lord.