What songs are to be sung in a worship service is a matter that many churches struggle with. Some churches favor an upbeat tempo with "praise songs" while other churches lean toward the more traditional hymn format that has been around for generations. I have seen the question of which way a church leans in its musical tendencies become a matter of contention before and don't wish to stir up any dispute, but I would like to go on record with my preference.

I happen to go to a church that mixes the slurpie songs with the hymns. This isn't how it was as I grew up, though. We sang straight hymns right from the hymnal. Everybody was familiar with them and everybody had their own favorites. It's no secret that I spent over a decade out of the church in my time of wandering, and when I returned (to the same church) I noticed that the hymnals were still in the pews, but were never used. Perhaps they are there to keep the pews from blowing away in the wind, I don't know.

I don't have a problem with reading the words of any song on PowerPoint up on the screen, but the medium isn't the only change. Some of the songs have changed as well. We no longer sing "Amazing Grace" or "I Love to Tell the Story" and I couldn't give you a reason why that is. Every so often, the church has a "hymn night" where we gather just to sing the hymns that are all but abandoned on Sunday morning. Perhaps this is why the songs that play in my mind are hymns more and more. Perhaps I just miss them, but lack the musical oversight to state my desire to return the hymn to a more prominent place in our service.

The "fun songs" are OK, for the most part. There are some times when the theology they teach don't match the teaching from the pulpit, though, and I often wonder if anyone else is concerned by this. Many songs come across a bit too "me-centered" for my taste. I had years of Self over Grace and have no desire to return to that. When we sing about the things we long to do for God, it cheapens the whole experience for me. In a sense, we are proclaiming that we are to be under Law again. In my opinion, one should approach God with empty hands, not self-praise.

Romans 3:9-20
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Many of the hymns of old are useful for the teaching of solid theology, rather than the teaching of the holiness of self. Could this admission of guilt and the need for a savior that saves us because we are unable to do so on our own be an affront to our egos? That is my concern over the singing of too many songs that teach the saving of oneself. Consider a favorite hymn of mine that teaches the good news in a more biblical fashion. It is also upbeat, but not on the grounds of our own our own righteousness, but the righteousness imparted to us by God. You can hear the song here.

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;
After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!

Born of the Spirit with life from above into God's family divine,
Justified fully thru Calvary's love, O what a standing is mine!
And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer, He saved me, O praise His dear name!

Now I've a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time;
I have a future in heaven for sure there in those mansions sublime.
And it's because of that wonderful day, when at the cross I believed;
Riches eternal and blessings supernal, from His precious hand I received.

Yours in Christ,

Day 1

Today's Reading is found in Matthew 9:27-34, Mark 6:1-6, Matthew 13:53-58, Matthew 9:35-38, Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42 and Luke 9:1-6.

What is prayer without faith? What use is going to church once a week without faith? The answer to both questions is that each one brings you miniscule results, and that's if you're lucky. Today, we read about some men of such faith that blindness was taken from them. After that, Jesus returned to His hometown, and was not honored in any way. The lack of faith in that town didn't weaken Jesus, but only a few people were healed. God provides the power for miracles to perform, but our faith is what allows them to happen.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. That is as true today as it ever has been. To be a harvester, you don't need to hold tent meetings or go door-to-door with the message. Oftentimes it begins at home or the workplace. It begins wherever you are, and you don't have to get fired to show your faith. Just display your fruits of the spirit and let it be known that you serve God and you will be a good example for others to use when they think of church. In God's own time, opportunities to witness others will come up and you likely won't be the one starting the conversation. That's my interpretation of the message Jesus gave as he sent his disciples out to spread the word. He was speaking directly to them and also to us.

I especially like the statement about taking up your own cross and following Him. I heard a speaker a couple years ago who had a life-size cross to use as a prop. He had it rested on his shoulder and he demonstrated that with a cross on your back, you can't look back or to the side, you can only look forward to your goal. Make sure your goal is a worthy one, take up your own cross, and follow Him, for my Lord knows the way through the wilderness!

Today's Reading is found in Luke 9:7-9, Mark 6:14-29, Matthew 14:1-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-15, Mark 6:45-52, Matthew 14:22-33, John 6:16-21, Mark 6:53-56 and Matthew 14:34-36.

Have you noticed yet how famous the stories of Jesus are? Each one is another I remember from my childhood days. I was raised in a Christian home, but many of these stories are used as catch phrases and even punchlines in today's society. I disagree with these uses of the stories, but it does say something about how Jesus is more of a factor in America than most would care to admit. Remember from yesterday what Jesus said about denying Him? Scary, huh?

The feeding of the five thousand is a story of blessing and sharing. I had heard it said that food is never enough unless it is shared, but from my bachelor days, I can tell you that it does become enough. I had enough peanut butter and raman in those years and had enough of it! Seriously though, the bread of Christ is sufficient for all of your needs. There is more than enough to feed the world and only those who don't accept it are the ones who will go hungry.

I'll leave off today with a quick thought. Peter looked away from Jesus and started to sink in the water and many people fault him for this. I don't see that so much in this story. What I see is a man courageous enough to get out of the boat in the first place. I also see a God that will catch you if you happen to start to sink. God doesn't require perfect faith in most things. Sometimes all you have to do is trust Him enough to step out of the boat.

Today's Reading is found in John 6:22-71, Mark 7:1-23, Matthew 15:1-20.

Jesus cautions the people to work for goals that are eternal, not for goals that are fleeting. Ask anyone what their goals are and common answers will have to do with finances and prestige. When it is all said and done, what will these do for you? When you are asked why you should have the honor of an eternity with God, will you mention that you made your way to a management position at work? Will God care that you retired early? I don't think so. Jesus paid the only price that will buy your admission into glory and any other attempt is absolutely futile.

Here's another time that Jesus turned the popular religious beliefs around. Ever since the exodus from Egypt, there were certain foods that were considered to be unclean and certain practices that determined whether a person could be considered clean or unclean. Some of these rules came from God and some were added later by people. This leads to Jesus declaring that nothing from outside a person could cause him or her to become unclean, but it was the products of that person's life that made them clean or unclean. Are your thoughts and actions pure or do you need some help with this? I suggest prayer for this. I know that I pray for my own shortcomings on a regular basis.

The practice of hand washing had little to do with cleanliness. It was a practice invented by the church, not God. Jesus is saying in this passage that there is nothing you can do from the outside that will truly clean you in His eyes. No ceremonial invention of man can do that. Even the foods that would now be considered "kosher" are no "cleaner" than foods that would fall out of that category. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse a person, and I challenge you to find any food or act stronger than the sacrifice of Jesus.

Today's Reading is found in Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:31-37, Matthew 15:29-31, Mark 8:1-10, Matthew 15:32-16:4, Mark 8:11-21 and Matthew 16:5-12.

Have you ever been compared to a dog? That's generally taken as an insult, unless you are able to catch a frisbee in your teeth. Why would Jesus say such a thing? That was the attitude that His disciples had taken toward this woman, but she clung to Him, knowing that He was the only hope that she had. For her tenacity, her prayer was granted and God himself commended her faith. Patience and persistence were her qualities that saved her daughter's day.

So just what sort of a sign did the Pharisees and Sadducees need? Hadn't Jesus fed the 5000 and the 4000? Wasn't he casting out demons and healing people wherever He went? I'm of the mind now that these Pharisees and Sadducees needed to show us some sign that proved that they spoke with any legitimate authority.

Today's Reading is found in Mark 8:22-30, Matthew 16:13-20, Luke 9:18-20, Mark 8:31-91, Matthew 16:21-28, Luke 9:21-27, Mark 9:2-13, Matthew 17:1-13, Luke 9:28-36.

Even though Peter was one of the twelve and had witnessed the power of Jesus, he was still asked to vocalize to Jesus what he thought. Does this seem redundant to you? I kind of thought this, but on later inspection, I realized that we all need to come to terms with just who Jesus is. Is He a great figure in history? Is He the savior of all? Of course. But have you actually accepted these facts and applied them to yourself? Or do you go to church for your weekly ritual? It needs to be a personal decision that you make. God doesn't just want you to go with the crowd on this one.

Have you ever played "HORSE" with a basketball? The game involves announcing what you will do, then doing it. This is necessary to show that a great shot was more than mere luck. In this sense, I read about Jesus as he foretells his own crucifixion. Would it have been valid if he didn't "call it?" Of course it would have been valid. But in a sense, He had been giving his enemies of the day all of the info they would have needed to discredit Him. They could have decided to take Him out quietly rather than making it a public humiliation, but they didn't. Jesus was here to be scorned and rejected, then killed in as painful a way as possible and there was nothing humans could have done to alter the course of prophesy, for it had already been pre-determined. Jesus is our own slam dunk!

Today's Reading is found in Mark 9:14-29, Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 9:37-43, Mark 9:30-32, Matthew 17:22-23, Luke 9:44-45, Matthew 17:24-27, Mark 9:33-37, Matthew 18:1-6, Luke 9:46-48, Mark 9:38-41, Luke 9:49-50, Mark 9:42-50, Matthew 18:7-35.

Here's another necessity that Jesus "called". He was to be betrayed. I wonder if that made Judas tremble. In most cases, betrayal doesn't just happen suddenly. It begins in the heart and grows into something that eventually must be carried out. I'm sure Judas had harbored these thoughts by this time, and the fact that he isn't mentioned much other than that fact makes me think of him as a bit of a loner. A loner is often one who feels betrayed himself, for the lack of esteem they notice. He may have felt that he was deserving of more credit than he got, so why not get some monetary reward for his sufferings? But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, aren't we?

A famous concept from this reading mentions plucking out your eyeball if it causes you to sin. I don't know about you, but I'd be in bad shape if Jesus was speaking literally here. No eyes, no feet, no hands, you get the idea. What He meant was that the act of sinning should horrify you as much as removing your eye. It's a good thing that God offers redemption! The parable of the lost sheep shows this. If you're straying from His wishes, you can know that He is seeking you and will be happy when you return. We all have strayed, so this forgiveness in God needs to be freely given in our own hearts as well.

Today's Reading is found in John 7:1-9, Luke 9:51-56, Matthew 8:18-22, Luke 9:57-62, John 7:10-8:20.

The cost of following Jesus can be high, but the rewards are uncountable. Show me a rich preacher and I'll show you a man who needs to reconsider his priorities. There's a saying that I believe in. "If you're too big to do the small things, you're too small to do the big things" Many people today are trying to achieve their own power in life, both in the church and outside it's walls. With this power, many become more of the type that would delegate tasks rather than roll up their own sleeves. While delegation is important, let's not forget that the work of God must start on the front lines.

Jesus went to teach at the feast in Jerusalem and guards were sent to arrest Him, but were unable to do so. Jesus didn't flee or resist their advance. His time hadn't come, so they were incapable of arresting Him. This was due to a combination of the awe they had for his teachings and the fact that the time wasn't due for Jesus to be taken. Praise be to God!

Weekly Link Rorheim Institute The Rorheim Institute is a new leader development network from Awana was created in response to an alarming erosion of biblical values in America. The spiritual needs among our children, families and churches are going unmet, and the trends are disturbing. Just nine percent of Christian youth believe in absolute moral truth, nearly the identical rate as non-believing teens. The likelihood of a high school student trusting Christ for salvation is just four percent. The average scores of students from Christian schools as well as evangelical families on tests that determine worldview have dropped by over 30 percent since 1988. These results are merely a symptom of the decline in biblical worldview among today’s Christian adults, many of whom are not equipped to instill this worldview in young people. (Biblical worldview is defined as living life and making decisions based on God’s truth from the Bible.) Just nine percent of all born-again adults, seven percent of Protestants and half of Protestant pastors hold a biblical worldview of life. And only one-third of born-again adults believe in absolute moral truth and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation. The implications of this evidence are clear. More churches must begin to effectively disciple their members and empower parents and ministry workers to reach and train young people for Christ and change the culture of America – before it’s too late. The stakes could not be higher for our kids and the Church. We have virtually lost a generation. We cannot afford to lose another one. The goal of the Rorheim Institute is to equip churches with Awana leaders, other kids’ ministry workers and parents who have cultivated a sound biblical worldview – with the additional benefit of college accreditation – and possess the shepherding skills to infuse this worldview into the young people in their sphere of influence. To achieve this mission, the Institute will provide a complete training system that will increase awareness of the issues harming children’s ministry – and especially our children. Awana leaders as well as ministry workers and parents will gain the shepherding skills necessary to develop this worldview in their kids using a variety of study vehicles, including Internet testing, individual and small group studies, life application exercises, conferences and seminars. http://www.rorheiminstitute.org/

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Thanks for sharing my goal of reading the Bible in its entirety this year!