Here's my first attempt at the whole video blog world! This is an instructional video for the Paul Baloche song "All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises"(guitar solo). It's in the key of "F" and starts with a double stop at the thirteenth fret. Please let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Serving Him,
Jimmy!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Don't Rest On Your Laurels!
A classic phrase with a classic truth!
The laurel wreath was used in greek athletic games dating back to the 6th century. It was used to crown the victor! You can still see them inscribed in olympic medals today. In fact in the 2004 olympic games they crowned the winners with laurel wreaths (the games were held in Athens, Greece).
This phrase simply means that we shouldn't rely on past accomplishments to propel us into the future! It can be applicable to any situation of growth, learning, or accomplishment. I would like to apply it in two very specific ways today.
First off in our craft! Whether you play guitar, drums, bass, keys, or didgeridoo, this can apply to you! When you started playing you spent countless hours practicing and working on your instrument. As you progressed you became more proficient and more confident in your abilities. However there is a tendency to "rest on your laurels" when you reach a certain point in your playing. You can play most common songs and do a "decent" job at it. However we should always strive to do our best, not just "good enough," particularly in the area of worship! God deserves our best! Sure there will be times where we mess up or make a mistake. We don't have to pretend to be perfect, however we should give our best! Psalm 33:3 says, "Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully with a shout of joy!" 1 Chronicles 25:7 says, "all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord!" We should have a desire to our best for God! So lets continue to practice, learn, and grow in our instruments.
The second area I would like to focus on is our spiritual growth. When you first accepted Christ into your life you probably had a strong desire to grow spiritually. And just like playing your instrument, you reach that point where you start "resting on your laurels." You know most of the Old Testament stories and have read through most of the New Testament. Again, there is a tendency to slow down and stop growing. This is dangerous! Paul talks about this in the book of 1 Corinthians:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
Paul uses this illustration of running a race and it reminds me of something I loved doing as a young boy. I loved escalators and I loved running up them backwards. If you read my last blog post you're probably thinking, "like father, like son." Anyway I loved the challenge of making it up to the top! However there's a funny thing that happens when you slow down or stop on that escalator. You start going backwards. You become counterproductive very quickly. Well, that's exactly what happens when we start "resting on our laurels." We quickly start to lose ground and start becoming ineffective.
I don't know about you but I don't want to lose ground. I don't want to become ineffective for Christ. So let me encourage you (as I encourage myself) to not "Rest On Your Laurels!" Keep growing and working on your instrument and on your relationship with Christ!
Serving Him,
Jimmy
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Backwards!
Have you ever gotten anything backwards before? I know I have! If you are a guy and you're reading this, you've probably put something together without reading the directions first. And just when you're ready to put that last piece together you realize something is wrong. You realize that one piece is backwards and it simply messes everything else up.
I had a good friend call me this week (actually he was returning my original call) and he told me about this conversation he had with a friend of his. He went on to tell me that his church is going through a transitional period and that his friend was not all about it. He said that his friend started saying things like, "I don't like this, I don't like that, I'm not being fed"and so on. He said to me, "Jimmy I didn't know what to do or what to say, I was just frustrated with the conversation". He asked me, "What do you say to that?"
After thinking about it, my mind went to this picture I took of my son. He was so excited that day! He had gotten himself dressed and was so proud of himself! He said, "Dad wook at me!"(He still can't say his "L's" right.)
You see it's so very easy to get things backwards, isn't it? My friend's friend had one common theme in his words. Did you catch it? It was the word "I". His focus was upon himself and not on God. Too often we think that the church is supposed to be all about "us". And that it should meet all "my needs". The only problem with that is that it's not all about us. In fact that kind of thinking is backwards! Church is about God! It's about worshipping a Holy God! Not worshipping our likes, or tastes, or preferences but about worshipping our Creator. We need to come to church in an attitude of surrender and offer our lives to Christ.
Romans 12:1 says,
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
You see our purpose in life is to worship God! To offer up our lives as a living sacrifice! Not just to simply please ourselves, but to please God! But in our market driven world it's so easy to get it backwards. Companies spend million's of dollars each year to try to convince you that YOU need their product. YOU deserve this. YOU deserve that. Have it YOUR way. All these things focus on our own selfish desires and that can spill into the church.
The funny thing is, is that we (as Christians) have become masters at "over spiritualizing" these things and we actually try to make ourselves sound more spiritual when we say things like "I'm not being spiritually fed,"or "I'm feeling led by God to go here or there." Many times we can sound so spiritual and yet we can be so sinful because we're focused on our own selfish desires and not Godly ones!
It's much like my son's shorts. When I first saw him I didn't realize they were on backwards. Everything looked fine at first glance. However when I took a closer look I realized something wasn't right. It was then that he said, "Dad something doesn't feel right". I think this is what my friend might have been feeling during his whole conversation with his friend. Something just doesn't feel right? That's because it can sound so "spiritual" and yet it might not be.
So lets always try to be careful about how we view our church and our attitude as we come into a worship service. May we always come in with an expectation of worshipping God and not simply to do the things that we like or prefer. Make sure that your shorts are on right (not backwards)! Because it's not about us, it's all about Him!
Serving Him,
Jimmy
I had a good friend call me this week (actually he was returning my original call) and he told me about this conversation he had with a friend of his. He went on to tell me that his church is going through a transitional period and that his friend was not all about it. He said that his friend started saying things like, "I don't like this, I don't like that, I'm not being fed"and so on. He said to me, "Jimmy I didn't know what to do or what to say, I was just frustrated with the conversation". He asked me, "What do you say to that?"
After thinking about it, my mind went to this picture I took of my son. He was so excited that day! He had gotten himself dressed and was so proud of himself! He said, "Dad wook at me!"(He still can't say his "L's" right.)
Romans 12:1 says,
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
You see our purpose in life is to worship God! To offer up our lives as a living sacrifice! Not just to simply please ourselves, but to please God! But in our market driven world it's so easy to get it backwards. Companies spend million's of dollars each year to try to convince you that YOU need their product. YOU deserve this. YOU deserve that. Have it YOUR way. All these things focus on our own selfish desires and that can spill into the church.
The funny thing is, is that we (as Christians) have become masters at "over spiritualizing" these things and we actually try to make ourselves sound more spiritual when we say things like "I'm not being spiritually fed,"or "I'm feeling led by God to go here or there." Many times we can sound so spiritual and yet we can be so sinful because we're focused on our own selfish desires and not Godly ones!
It's much like my son's shorts. When I first saw him I didn't realize they were on backwards. Everything looked fine at first glance. However when I took a closer look I realized something wasn't right. It was then that he said, "Dad something doesn't feel right". I think this is what my friend might have been feeling during his whole conversation with his friend. Something just doesn't feel right? That's because it can sound so "spiritual" and yet it might not be.
So lets always try to be careful about how we view our church and our attitude as we come into a worship service. May we always come in with an expectation of worshipping God and not simply to do the things that we like or prefer. Make sure that your shorts are on right (not backwards)! Because it's not about us, it's all about Him!
Serving Him,
Jimmy
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