Going Thru The Motions

Have you ever been driving to work, or maybe driving home, and as you pull into the parking lot or the driveway of your house you realize, you don't remember anything about the drive! You don't remember if you stopped at that light before making the right hand turn (you know, the one with the camera....that knows if you made a complete stop). You don't remember anything about the drive....you were just going thru the motions.

Or maybe someone will ask you "How's it going?" And your response, no matter what the truth is, goes something like this, "Oh, it's good."

These thoughts and more crossed my mind while listening to "Going Thru The Motions" by Steve Camp.



Here's the lyrics:

"Going Thru The Motions:

Why don't we take a stand against the fear the rules the hearts of men.
They're crushed and broken, by the weight of sin.
Do our lives point the way to Him.

We're full of knowledge
We're so well fed
Our churches are crowded
But our witness is dead

We say that we're livin' and pointin' the way
But if you look around you'll see nothin's really changed

We're just goin' thru the motions
Goin' thru the motions
Where is the devotion
We're goin' thru the motions

Where oh where are the tears in the night
The cries of repentance for a holier life
Our hearts are hardened and our worship is cold
Our faith is weak becaues our prayers our old

We need a fire
To fall from above
And set us aflame
With a passionate love

That burns for our Father
And cares for the lost
But I don't really think we've ever counted the cost

We're still going thru the motions
Going thru the motions
Where is the devotion
Oh, we're going thru the motions

I don't know about you, but I have found myself in this place before. I get up on Sunday morning, head off to church, put in my time, and go home. By the time I get home, I can't even remember what the message was about (of course, now I'm talking about before I became a pastor). And by Monday, it is ancient history.

Even as a pastor I'm afraid I sometimes just go through the motions. Time to prepare another sermon. Time to read another lesson. Get up. Show up. Speak up. Shut up.....for cryin' out loud, I feel like throwin' up.

Now don't get me wrong. Even if you're going thru the motions, going to church is better than staying at home, but don't we want more out of our worship and fellowship than a step above what is better than staying at home?

Don't we want more out of christian life than just a step above not going to hell?

What has happened to the passionate life for Christ? What has happened to prayer meetings where the Spirit poured out His power on the church? What has happened to times of prayer and worship where you could feel the very presence of God in your midst? What happened to christians weeping for the lost?

I don't know what happened.....but I want it back.

I don't want wimpy, just barely getting by worship.

Join me in prayer this week for revival in the church. For revival in my church. For revival in your church. For revival in HIS church.

My prayer for the church today is that we might here them say about us what they said about Paul and his companions in Acts 17:6 "...These who have turned the world upside down have come here too."

Come on, let's quit going thru the motions, and let's turn the world upside down for Jesus!

Ok, so there's that.
Pastor Dave

Stranger To Holiness

Ok, I'm really trying to blog more often....so here goes.

I've been listening to some old christian music recently. Most of the new stuff just leaves me cold, so I've dug out some oldies, got them on cd, and put them in my ipod, and have been reaquaining myself to some good tunes. Lately I've been listening to an album called "Shake Me To Wake Me" by Steve Camp.



So the next few posts are going to be about the songs that have really been hitting home off of this classic album.

I want to start with the song, "Stranger To Your Holiness". I'm going to print the lyrics, and then add a comment or two.

Stranger To Holiness

Looks like the boy's in trouble again
Living much too close to the edge of sin
Now he finds himself where he should not have been
Oh God, why is Your peace so hard to find
And the answer to the questions that haunt my mind
Oh Lord, Your ways are not like mine

And it pounds like thunder within in my breast
All the anger of my humanness
And though I call You "Lord" I must confess
I'm a stranger to Your holiness, a stranger to Your holiness

Can we really be what we were meant to be
Jesus' people, living by the Spirit and living free
My heart longs to serve, but wanders so aimlessly
Oh Lord You deserve every part of me

Hear my cry of desperation as I see the wickedness of my ways
You alone are my salvation, and Lord I've learned this one thing to be true
Is that the closer I get to You, I see I'm a stranger (to Your holiness)
Don't wanna be no stranger, and it burns like a fire…

Wow.....too bad a blog cannot convey the passion and conviction that Steve puts into this song. I see myself all over these lyrics.

I want so bad to be a man of God, a man after God's own heart. But I know the sin that lives in me. I know the wickedness of my ways. More than anything else.....I want to live by the Spirit....but my flesh keeps getting in the way. My heart wanders....and like Steve sings, it wanders aimlessly....just everywhere but where it should be....focused on my Lord and Savior.
As the song ends, and the lyric "..and it burns like a fire...." strikes at the center of my heart. I want to stoke that fire...to turn it into a blazing inferno to be more and more like Jesus.



Ok, so there's that.
Pastor Dave

Who Would You Trade Places With?

I know, I know, it's been forever since I posted....ok, maybe not forever, but since May, which in the blog world is almost the same as forever. So, no excuses or anything, let's just jump back into it, shall we?

Have you ever wished you could trade places with someone else? Ever looked at someone else's life and thought, "Man, I wish I had their life."

Believe it or not, the apostle Paul wished he could trade places with someone else. In Romans 9:3 Pauls says, "I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people" In essence, what Paul is saying is that he would trade places with his fellow jews, and he would go to hell without Jesus, if it meant that they would come to faith in Jesus.

Wow! What love and passion for people who don't know Jesus! Have you ever had that type of love and passion for the lost? I know I haven't. I read this verse tonight and repented of my lack of concern for those who don't know Jesus as their savior. I repented of my lack of love for the ones who are bound for an eternity without Jesus. I repented of my lack of passion to see souls come to salvation.

What would happen if the church would pursue the salvation of the lost with the kind of passion that Paul has here? What would happen if I would pursue the salvation of the lost with the kind of passion that Paul has here?

Please, join me tonight in praying to God for a passion to know Him and to make Him known.

Ok, so there's that.
Pastor Dave