Music Project

I am happy to share with my friends that I am working on a new music project. Music has always been a large part of my upbringing and I have a few songs left inside of me that I feel I must get out. I need to sing them and I hope that a few of you need to hear them as well. 

This album is different from anything else that I have been a part of in the past with Parallax View or Bridge Worship. It is not rock. It doesn't fit into the genre of worship. It is simply songs from my basement. Music has always been a way to express myself and come to grips with the big moments in my life. Therefore, each song was either written during or about a specific moment in my life. They are pastoral in some sense. 

For example: 

"Everything Right" was written after my parents lost their home in a tornado. "I Want to Go" was put together surrounding the Holy Spirit's call to preach and teach on my life. Then, there is "I Don't Know Why"  which was written for my wife after we lost our third child. And in a song that still levels me to this day, there is "To the King." It was written after one of our adult volunteers drowned at a church sponsored children's event. But, do not fret, there will be many happy moments and surprises along the way as well. "The Wretch" captures a moment when I realized that the wretch I was singing about in Amazing Grace was actually me!!! And then there is this one itch that I need to scratch.  I think you and I both may need a little bluegrass. 

I'll be going into the studio with PureSonic Productions around my ministry schedule to finish it up before releasing them online. Since these guys are my family, I will either finish very quickly or very slowly. Your guess is about as good as mine. It really depends on how often we start and stop to watch sporting events. To be continued. 

It is coming soon. It is fun to make music with friends!

***All proceeds from this music project will go to The Bridge Community Church and selected missions.

Jesus likes cowboys too

The world is trending towards the city-even the church, but I am not. I am a pastor. I am a church planter like many of you. BUT, I live in the sticks. Truth be told, I know more about fishing tackle than indie music. I like to shoot things and set stuff on fire out in fields. And sometimes when I read books, blogs, and attend conferences I sense that I am alone.

I grew up in Mine La Motte, an unincorporated community in Madison County Missouri. It is six miles north of Fredericktown, MO which boasts of a whopping population total right at 3,985 people. Mine La Motte was settled as the first lead mine in Missouri in 1717. But, the only thing we are known for these days is that we filled up a few old mine sites with water and turned them into swimming holes. We still swim in and eat fish from them to this day. At one of these spots you can even cliff dive and zip line into the water while drinking your beer. Oddly enough, people from all over Missouri pay to do it.

Today, I pastor a multi-congregational church in Leadington, MO called The Bridge Community Church. We are a growing faith community in rural America that was planted seven years ago. Leadington has a population of 422 people and resides in a county of around 65,000 people. I am often asked by friends and acquaintances if this ministry stop is a stepping stone to bigger and better things. That question in and of itself can tell a lot about our idolatry and current obsession.

While the obsession with ministry trends towards the city, what about those of us who are not there? What about those of us that feel called to be where we are at in rural ministry? Are we in sin? Does Jesus still send people into the country? Is there a need for rural ministry? Are we denying the great commission? Are there ideals that have gone wrong in rural America that will require the grace of God and a courageous pastor?

These types of questions and more I hope to wrestle with in a book project I have been working on.

I write this all with a genuine love for the city and a thankful heart for pastors who live and plant there. I learn from you. I respect you. I am praying you reach the city and that a genuine movement of God spreads out into our communities. We desperately need you. I am very thankful for your baseball teams, but I am not you. And while I see the need for churches to be planted in the city, I also know the need for churches to be planted and renewed all throughout rural America. And while Jesus does love the city and urban professionals, I have a feeling he loves cowboys too. In fact, Jesus was a rural Galilean himself that was born in Bethlehem which had declined in significance into a small village at the time of his birth. Then, Jesus was raised in Nazareth which had such little cultural significance during his day it led people to ask, "Can anything good come from there?"
 
Book Project Overview:
A Theology for the Country (AKA – Would Jesus Bale Hay)

• The city as an idol
• Galilean Jesus
• Rural signposts of the Glory of God
• Rural men that Jesus called
• Fast is good, but accurate is better 

The Need for Corporate Renewal (AKA – If I hear Amazing Grace to the tune of Gilligan’s Island one more time…)

• That’s the way it was and we like it (systemic problems)
• The rise of “cowboy churches” (developing problems)
• Why I am not a  huge fan of affinity based only church movements. 
• Cowboy Up (leadership problems)
• Don’t worry, I’ve been in tighter spots than this (The Gospel Solution) 

The Need for Individual Renewal (AKA - Gospel Centered Cowboys)

• Wiping the manure off our boots (faith-repentance-obedience) 
• Yellow-belly no more (recovering courageous leadership) 
• He's studying to be a half-wit (the need for renewed church-based Bible training)
• Crossing the county lines (the country as an idol) 

The Need for Called Men (AKA – I’m your huckleberry)

• Every trail has puddles, son (the reality of hard work) 
• Never kick a cow patty on a hot day (dealing with small-town resistance) 
• He’s all hat and no cattle (serving beyond yourself)
• Mount up and go west young man (raising up and sending disciples off)
• Ride off into the distance (you will not be front page news) 

Jesus Likes Cowboys Too – concluding thoughts re-affirming the necessity of Gospel-driven, mission minded, Biblical churches to be planted and renewed across rural America.

Please pray for me as I write. Yes, I am taking the liberty to have fun with this and will hopefully make you smile here and there along the way.


***All proceeds from this book project will go to The Bridge Community Church and selected missions.

What role does Prayer have in the Christian life?

This year at our annual members meeting we had a focused time of prayer where I challenged our membership to begin praying for some specific items related to our faith community. We believe in prayer and we know that God can do much more than we could ever do on our own. We looked at three scripture passages and then broke out into a set prayer time over some specific items that are listed below the passages.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6, ESV)

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; (1 Timothy 2:8, ESV)

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:18, ESV)

Our Prayer Items:

1. Fill our minds with your greatness, not our own.
2. May we be disciples of Jesus who make more disciples for your fame. 
3. Give us a courageous love for people in our community.
4. Give us opportunities to share the gospel.
5. Empower our teachers and volunteers in Bridge Kids. Save our children.
6. Empower our teachers and volunteers in Youth Ministry. Save our youth.
7. May our missional cells grow us and reach out to others.
8. May “A Night in Bethlehem” be used to reach our community for Christ.
9. May our “Advent Conspiracy” offering bless Lance and Sandy Smith and reach Bangkok for Christ.
10. Bring hope, healing, and salvation to the people of Jefferson County through The Bridge-Arnold. 
11. Use our gifts, talents, and resources to make more disciples of you for your fame. 
12. Empower and protect our elders, staff, deacons, members, and volunteers. 
13. Keep saving lost people in St. Francois County

Then, this question came in from an online source who is not an attender of our church. 

Question: What role does prayer have in the Christian life if you believe in the sovereignty of God?

Here was my response (this is by no means exhaustive) :

I personally feel that our prayer life is a primary way that we experience the sonship of God. The longer I walk as a Christian, the more I am finding my prayer focus changing from mere petition (asking), to fellowship with God. In the same way that communication is vital to any relationship we have physically, communication with God is vital to experiencing our relationship with God spiritually.

The Bible tells us to pray and we should obey scripture (Col. 4:2, Matthew 6:5-6, among many others) The needs of our own life, our church, and world missions is so great that we must depend on God! Wayne Grudem helpfully comments: ‘Prayer is not made so that God can find out what we need...God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him can increase. In fact, perhaps the primary emphasis of the Bible’s teaching on prayer is that we pray with faith, which means trust or dependence on God’. 

We also know that God acts when we pray in fulfilling his purposes. A. W. Pink writes, ‘God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass, but he has also decreed that these events shall com to pass through the means he has appointed for their accomplishment.'

God is sovereign and He has chosen to carry out His purposes and His plans through the word of God, the Spirit's active work, and human means (the church). This includes our gospel proclamation as well as our prayers. In scripture, we see that we are commanded to pray (1 Thess. 5:17), invited to pray (Mark 11:20-26, among  many others), and we see that prayer is effective and powerful (James 5:13-18). We are even told to pray for healing while trusting that God's ultimate purposes will be carried out. Romans 10:14-17 shows us that God carries out much of his saving purposes via the church, and in addition we see that God carries out much of his purposes on this earth via prayer (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Therefore, God's people must pray. So, we do pray and we enjoy our sonship and fellowship with God.

If you are a part of our fellowship, have you continued in prayer? May we grow in our fervency for prayer!