Archive for January, 2008

Somewhere in the Middle

January 7th, 2008 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Song of the Day

For Christmas, Nancy got me the latest Casting Crowns CD, “The Altar and the Door”. I’m not sure it’s as good, musically, as their previous two offerings, but the lyrics are top notch (as always).

“Somewhere in the Middle” is simply phenomenal, which makes it my Song of the Day. Click above to find a preview (it’s track 7).

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You’re making me
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You’ll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You’re by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle

Work and Worship

January 6th, 2008 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies

This morning during Sunday School, we had an interesting discussion on the relationship between work and worship. They’re two topics we don’t generally link, but in light of Colossians 3:23-24 and other Scripture passages, it’s clear that work is ordained and valued by God:

23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Statistics tell us 1 out of every 3 people hate their jobs, and that 2 out of every 3 people feel they work in the wrong field. People commonly complain about their bosses, company policies, benefits, co-workers, pay rates, hours worked… you name it. Christians respond similiarly to non-Christians.

So how do we respond to this? If, according to Scripture, we’re supposed to work at whatever we do with all of our hearts… as if working for the Lord, no less… should we consider our work a form of worship?

How does this change the way we go about our daily tasks? How does this change our outlook toward work? How does this play out? What does it look like?

Any thoughts?