Nice Doggy

A friend of mine who is a police officer posted this humorous photo on his Facebook page a while back.  It reminded me of when my oldest daughter as a 3-year-old toddler was riding with me many years ago, a police car pulled up next to us who had a police dog sitting in the back. Thinking nothing of it, I pointed to the dog for her to look at. We both looked over at the dog and smiled and probably even waved or something. Well, the dog just went ballistic. Needless to say, the officer didn't find it at all amusing. Neither did we for that matter as we were horrified when the dog went crazy.  Then the officer flipped his flashing lights on and with no uncertain irritation motioned for us to pull over. We assured him that we were not trying to tease or intimidate the dog in any way.  He finally let us go on our way, but the lesson was learned. Don't mess with a police dog or do anything to make them even remotely think you may be pointing something at them.

Churches in North and South Denver

Last year at this time, Mission Hills Church was getting ready to open.  God has blessed them in this first year in Littleton and many people are being touched with the good news of Jesus.  It is such a privilege and blessing to have been able to play a small role in their ministry.

This year, Flatirons Community Church has been in their new building in Lafayette for about 3 months.  I pray that God continues to bless FCC.

Thoughts about Spirit Filled Worship

I remember back in college when I was first exposed to worship styles different from my Southern Baptist tradition. I was brought by friends to a fellowship in Lawrence, Kansas called The Mustard Seed. Charismatic? Yes. Wacko? No way.

My friends had been inviting me and I had been resisting them for a long time, mainly because I knew what “kind” of church that was. These friends were trying to convince me of the genuineness of not just things like "speaking in tongues" but other gifts and manifestations of the filling of the Holy Spirit as well. Honestly, I’m still not convinced that absence of those particular gifts is an indication of a lack of Spirit filling, but it certainly was eye opening for me. I could not deny the power and beauty and love and evangelistic fervor that flowed from those individuals in their every day interaction with people. I was forced to decide for myself the truth or lack thereof in what I was seeing and hearing.

I fondly remember times at the Mustard Seed when there would be spontaneous singing in the Spirit (tongues) after a time of corporate yet deeply personal worship and praise. It wasn't showy and no one said "okay, now everyone sing in the Spirit". It just happened. You could look in the faces of the people and see that it was happening on the inside of them and was just overflowing out. It wasn't artificial at all.

After many weeks, when I finally let go of my reservations, it was the start of a truly amazing time of growth for me. Even though I had been a Christian for many years, I had never experienced anything like I would for the next couple years. I still remember the first time I let go of my inhibitions and just let my voice speak out and sing whatever language it was within me that needed to be expressed. It was a private and personal moment and still is to this day when I have those moments of closeness with the Lord. It’s not something that I experience often or publicly; perhaps I should. I don't know if that night I was "baptized in the Spirit" or if I just finally yielded more completely than I ever had before to His touch and presence in my life. No one was there to lay hands on me and say "Be ye baptized in the Spirit". So I guess I just don't know, even after all these years...

I came to find out later that many of the choruses that we sang were birthed in Calvary Chapel. I had heard of Calvary Chapel from a musician: Chuck Girard and a band called Love Song. Without even knowing it, I had been deeply influenced by Calvary Chapel and the Southern California Jesus movement while in High School through songs and other influences. Many songs were just Bible verses put to music.

When we sang those choruses, there was only minimal instrumental accompaniment, and no screens on the wall to watch. You simply memorized the words over time and as a result, when you sang them, they weren't just lyrics bouncing off the wall, through your eyes and back out your mouth. They were coming from your heart. Although there were probably close to 300 people in the room most of the time, songs were typically started randomly by individuals as they felt led, not by a designated worship leader. Everyone just joined in. Most of the time we sang with our eyes closed, totally distraction free. No spot lights, no smoke, nobody seeing if the person in the next chair had lifted their hands, was swaying or dancing, or kneeling in adoration to God. We just worshipped, privately, yet corporately. The sensation of the Spirit’s presence was powerful. Remarkably, the musicians we had were always able to pick up on the key that the individual started in.

There is a song we sometimes sing today called “I Love Your Presence”. I cannot hear or sing that song without totally flashing back to those moving times of worship at the Seed.

Every now and then after a few moments of silence someone would pray or speak or prophesy. If someone spoke audibly in a tongue, someone else would interpret. It never seemed chaotic, showy or out of order. There would always follow a time of solid Bible based exegetical teaching.

I remember the first few times being amazed at how thoroughly worn out everyone’s Bibles seemed to be. I thought, “Man, these people really don’t know how to take care of books”. They were all so tattered from use. Following the services there would be a lingering time of fellowship, getting to know one another and building up of one another. No one ever seemed eager to leave. There would be times of prayer for healing, laying on of hands for ministry, even anointing with oil. It was all the stuff I had read about in the Bible since my childhood, taught to believe, but never seen practiced in such an un-scripted way, with the possible exception of times of prayer (always stoic and very “proper” of course) along with calls for repentance and salvation.

As much as I know that I had a solid Bible up-bringing by committed, loving, genuine, and sincere Christian parents, I had never experienced anything like that from my pew sitting, choir watching, Baptist Hymnal days. Back in my denominational days growing up, even when we would pray fervently for those who were sick, I don’t think many of us truly believed that if/when healing came, it was attributable to much more than the medical attention that was received. If we did, we believed it was God working “through” the medical profession, rarely in lieu of it.

Today, in the churches I’ve called home, even though we no longer sit in pews, nor have a robed choir to watch, nor sing while staring down at hymnals, I sometimes wonder if we've gotten too comfortable with the liturgy that we do practice and grown too accustomed to high tech presentations. Have we lost the spontaneity of just responding to the leading of the Spirit in our worship time? Are we more concerned with dimmers up and dimmers down at the right time than we are seeing spiritual light brighten in the faces and hearts of people? I wonder. And I miss those thrilling days when it all was so new and personal.

Lord, revive us again. Lord revive ME again.