Valentine's Day

Here is a goofy picture of me and Emily on Valentine's day. Aren't we
cute :) ? We went to Red Lobster that day--yum.

I'm Sick

I woke up sick. No fun.

In other news: The band and I did a wonderful retreat in Soloam Springs, Arkansas. We had an absolute blast, but man were we worn out. It was one of the best band trips we have been on in a long time. Lots of fun. God bless you.

Tommy

The Spirit of God

The spirit of God is a beautiful and mysterious thing. Everytime I see that the spirit has moved (I know that I don't always notice, but you know what I am referring to when you "know" that God is involved) I am strengthened with a certain hope and joy. The spirit moves in so many ways---through music, through relationships, through art, etc. This past week at Northview we had a very beautiful time of worship through music. I believe the spirit was there in fresh ways that can't be explained in words. But, I have also experienced the spirit move in ways that we don't always think about, for example: when I personally am down and someone says something at just the right way---the spirit moved in a mysterious way. It happened to me this past week when I was speaking to my girlfriend Emily about something that had happened that day that wasn't very fun, and she said "it will be okay". 4 simple words that the spirit transformed into a language that only he speaks. If you open your eyes a little wider you can see that God is in the small things, and the big things, in fact he transcends even that terminology---we will never fully understand. God is God and I am not. Grace and peace to all of you, and I hope you had a great Valentine's day.

Tommy

Worship

I invite you this week to intentionally ask Jesus for a fresh
experience of Him. Throughout scripture (Psalm 145:4) God is inviting
us to partake of him. Sometimes he asks us to partake of him as water,
sometimes as bread, sometimes as wine---all lead to one thing, an
experience with the creator of the universe. When I say experience, I
don't mean it like you would experience a television show, or
experience a roller coaster ride, no, I mean you would experience the
risen Christ so fully that you can do nothing but change. As you
prepare to worship through music at your own churches this weekend, I
pray that you will prepare you heart first by inviting the risen Christ
into conversation, ask for a special grace this week to experience him
in a new and fresh way.

A Generous Orthodoxy

This is a book that has been on the best sellers list for a long time.
In fact, I had to go to 4 bookstores just to get a copy. The author,
Brian McLaren, was voted one of the top 25 evangelicals on the front
cover of Time magazine. I picked the book up yesterday, and haven't
really been able to put it down. If you love the church (the Body of
Christ), and would like to know more about where it is going and where
it came from, you should read this book. I will give you a full report
on it when I'm finished. God bless you, and enjoy the presence of God
today.

Tommy

Did You Take A Selah Moment?

It is extremely easy in our postmodern do-everything-fast society to forget and take a selah moment (a hebrew word for silence or stillness). Have you taken one this week? Have you really sat down and just talked to the living Christ? You'd be amazed at how much our creator longs to just talk with us--he is a seeker after us even more than we are seeker after him.

This week has been a wonderful week. I haven't really enjoyed the weather (until yesterday and today), but I think this week has been a paramount time of seeking the presence of Christ. God is alive and doing amazing things in Oklahoma City and around the world. I think it's time we stop saying WWJD in our society and start saying What Is Jesus Doing.

I am eagerly awaiting our time of corporate worship on Sunday morning with my Northview family. God bless you all!

Tommy

Advancing The Ideal of Liberty

Today President George W. Bush gave his Sate of the Union speech. It
was a grand speech full of ideas that will progress the country in a
way we need to go. You don't have to agree with everything he stands
for to understand the strength he brings to this country. His
continuing tag line is that America can be a beacon of light that
advances freedom. I totally agree with this. If I didn't agree with
anything else in his policies, I would support him for his resolve for
freedom. A few days ago we saw Iraq vote freely for the first time. I
was proud to be and American that day. God bless.

Tommy

Word On The Street

I have recently stumbled upon this brand new paraphrase of the
scriptures. I will make a note of warning -- this is not a
translation of the bible -- it's even a stretch to say that it is a
paraphrase, but I think it is a really beautiful expression of how Rob
Lacey interprets the Bible. I would recommend it to anyone who would
like to see a fresh perspective on the holy scriptures. Here is an
example from John 3:16:

''Cos God's so passionate about the planet that he donates his one and
only Son. Whoever invests their life in His Son doesn't die, but gets
given this limitless life. D'you think God sends his Son to slam
people down? No! He sends his Son to liberate people."

A Rainy Day

Today is a day of rain. I don't like rain at all, in fact I despise it. Rain doesn't put me in any sort of bad mood, but it does bring a sense of dreariness to the day. But, even though I don't like the rain, I sure do like what the rain brings: new life, color to the earth, etc. I'm going to look at this rainy day in a different way. I'm going to see the beauty that can come of it, not just the dreariness that comes from it. God bless.

Tommy