22/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Never once did we ever walk alone

Most of you would agree that any form of exercise is more enjoyable when someone else is with you. Even just walking with a friend they help you go further and longer than you ever thought possible. You forget about the difficulties, your sore foot, or back, the cold weather, or how much you hate exercise. Walking alone you can think of a million reasons to stop. A companion helps you keep going. (Dog companions are especially good at this.)

When it comes to us and God, we have a wonderful promise – that He is with us, always. There is not once that we were alone. He is in us, walking with us through every difficulty. Yet he is more than just a faithful or encouraging companion. He is a Spirit who lives in us, a Spirit not of timidity and fear, but of love, power and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Matt Redman’s song “Never Once” (Album: 10 000 Reasons) captures well this confidence we have in Christ, that we are in Christ and He is most certainly with us, in us. We are never alone!

“Never Once”

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come Knowing that for every step You were with us
Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done Knowing every victory was Your power in us
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful You are faithful, God, You are faithful

19/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Bags and Bags and Bags of Grace

Sharing today an encouraging post from The Blazing Center, which describes the overflowing mercy God shows us. . .

“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” Psalm 31:19

A local coffee roaster has bags and bags and bags of coffee beans stacked up in his warehouse, waiting to be roasted. God has bags and bags of grace and mercy stored up in his heavenly warehouses for his children (John Bunyan). Not just a little bit of goodness – abundant goodness. God doesn’t just give us enough grace to barely get by. He blesses us lavishly. He opens the storehouses of heaven and pours out blessings we can’t contain.

After feeding the multitude there were 12 baskets of bread left over. There was more bread afterwards than he had to start with. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6)

Is this how you think about God and your life? Do you have a goodness and mercy mindset? Can you see God’s goodness and mercy on your tail when you look back? I feel like I can’t keep up with all God’s mercies to me. I can’t keep track of them all. God’s thoughts toward us are too many to number. His steadfast love for us is higher than the heavens are above the earth. He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. God gives us these poetic pictures that we might grasp that his goodness toward us is infinite beyond measure.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

God’s riches of grace in Christ to us are so “immeasurable” they will take “the coming ages” for him to lay them out for us. Did you hear that? He didn’t say he’d be showing us his riches of grace for the next 1000 years – it’s going to take him the next 1000 ages. For all eternity God will give us one long pleasure cruise tour of the storehouse of his kindnesses to us.

Ok, my brain just shut down. I can’t comprehend ages and ages of God showering me with his kindness. I can’t even take that in. Given all the goodness God has stored up for us, we should never have a mentality that we won’t have enough. That God somehow won’t meet our needs or supply all we need. He’s a generous, lavish God who anxiously waits to pour out his kindness on us.The God who dresses the lilies of the field more stylishly than Solomon will surely meet all the needs of those who take refuge in him.

http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2012/06/bags-and-bags-and-bags-of-grace.html

17/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

C.S. Lewis on musical taste and grace

A few days ago I wrote about the way we can show grace to others by not demanding that they pander to our prideful ‘good taste’ (in a variety of areas).
Here C.S. Lewis talks about a related topic, musical taste. Disagreements over the ‘right’ or most godly church music have produced many hard-fought and rarely-won battles. While Lewis’ comments below are a bit of a challenge in terms of the language, it is worth the slog if you can get to his main point. Grace is the key! We must bear with one another in love, bear with things we dislike for the sake of others whom we are called to love, in Christ. If we are in music ministry and find ourselves filled with pride at our skill, or contempt and hostility to the congregation we serve, it’s probably time for a break! It’s probably time to re-examine our motives – and pray for God to work in us for His glory. Blessings!

Musical Taste

“There are two musical situations on which I think we can be confident that a blessing rests. One is where a priest or an organist, himself a man of trained and delicate taste, humbly and charitably sacrifices his own (aesthetically right) desires and gives the people humbler and coarser fare than he would wish, in a belief (even, as it may be, the erroneous belief) that he can thus bring them to God. The other is where the stupid and unmusical layman humbly and patiently, and above all silently, listens to music which he cannot, or cannot fully, appreciate, in the belief that it somehow glorifies God, and that if it does not edify him this must be his own defect. Neither such a High Brow nor such a Low Brow can be far out of the way. To both, Church Music will have been a means of grace; not the music they have liked, but the music they have disliked. They have both offered, sacrificed, their taste in the fullest sense. But where the opposite situation arises, where the musician is filled with the pride of skill or the virus of emulation and looks with contempt on the unappreciative congregation, or where the unmusical, complacently entrenched in their own ignorance and conservatism, look with the restless and resentful hostility of an inferiority complex on all who would try to improve their taste – there, we may be sure, all that both offer is unblessed and the spirit that moves them is not the Holy Ghost.”

This was taken from an essay entitled “On Church Music” by C. S. Lewis. It can be found in a current publication called Christian Reflections published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; ISBN: 0802808697.

Ps. Today I celebrate my 150th Blog Post! Thanks for reading.
Read more about C.S.Lewis on this post: Our Glorious Capital C Church

14/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Grace has come – new Sovereign Grace album

If you are the person who chooses new songs for your church, (like me) you may be very excited by the announcement of a new album from Sovereign Grace (August 1). “Grace has come: Songs from the Book of Romans”looks sure to be a treat! Sovereign Grace certainly has figured out a good recipe for singable Gospel songs garnished with much grace! The sample track is based on Romans 8:31-39 – Nothing can tear us from the everlasting love of Christ.

NOTHING IN ALL THE EARTH

(click title to listen)

VERSE 1
What shall separate us from Your love?
Can years of sorrow break eternal bonds?
Can condemnation ever raise its voice?
Against the pardon of the blood of Christ?
Though our journey here is long
This will be our triumph song

CHORUS
Nothing in all the earth
Not any height above
Could ever tear us from Your everlasting love
Nothing in all the earth
Not any height above
Could ever tear us from Your everlasting love

VERSE 2
What shall separate us from Your love?
For now the sting of death is overcome
And all the powers of this world must fall
Before Your feet because You rule them all
And though our journey here is long
This shall be our triumph song

BRIDGE
Nothing in all the earth
Could ever tear us from
Your everlasting love

http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/grace-has-come-songs-from-the-book-of-romans

08/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

What happens when we sing?

WORDS OF WONDER: What happens when we sing?

I just stumbled across this great conference talk from pastor and songwriter Bob Kauflin at Sovereign Grace ministries. If you have ever wondered what the big deal is about the body of Christ singing together (or if you’ve tried to explain that to someone) then this talk has the answers! God doesn’t just want us to praise Him with words, but with SINGING!! If you have a spare hour (or a walk to go on with your ipod or some ironing to do) then have a listen. You will certainly find it encouraging! It might also be a great boost for any music team you lead, to listen and discuss together. Blessings

04/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Our glorious capital ‘C’ Church

Today I have the pleasure of talking about two of my favourite things: author C.S. Lewis and the band Casting Crowns. Both of them have much to say about the church, not just the local church, but the capital C “Church”. By this I mean the fellowship of believers that is spread around the globe, through all time and space. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We are all part of this if we are in Christ. The “crowd of witnesses” in Hebrews 12 help make up this great gathering of God’s people. They can already see the reality of the things we hope for in Him. And they cheer us on to persevere with the small ‘c’ church, no matter how frustrating it can be at times. God’s Church marches on as he unfolds his plans. What a great grace and privilege that God draws us into something (Someone!) much greater than ourselves, much greater than the here and now.

But when it comes to Church we often can’t see the wood for the trees. And Satan would happily keep us distracted in this way! In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis describes the strength of the Church. These are fictional letters between a senior and junior devil. (For those not familiar with this classic book the main topics of their correspondance is how to discourage Christians, distract them and weaken their faith. Totally worth a read if you haven’t!)

“. . . the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, (is) terrible as an army with banners. . . that, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans”. (Letter 2)

“We want the Church to be small not only that fewer men may know the Enemy but also that those who do may acquire the uneasy intensity and the defensive self-righteousness of a secret society or clique. The Church Herself is, of course, heavily defended and we have never quite succeeded in giving her all the characteristics of a faction . . .” (Letter 7. By the way, by ‘Enemy’ these devils mean God)

Oh, that we could see the glory of Christ’s Bride! (That’s us!) Casting Crowns’ songwriter Mark Hall takes up this topic, looking forward to the final union of the Church, the Bride of Christ, with the Bridegroom, Jesus. Listen and read the lyrics below. I particularly like the description (verse 2) of the highs and lows of the Church through history. Despite these we were made to wear Christ’s robes of righteousness, on that wedding day! The love of Christ has come and set us free, indeed!

Wedding Day – Casting Crowns

There’s a stirring in the throne room
And all creation holds it’s breath
Waiting now to see the bride groom
Wondering how the bride will dress
And she wears white

And she knows that she’s undeserving
She bears the shame of history
But this worn and weary maiden
Is not the bride that he sees
And she wears white, head to toe
But only he could make it so

[Chorus:]
When someone dries your tears
When someone wins your heart
And says your beautiful
When you don’t know you are
And all you’ve longed to see
Is written on his face
When love has come and finally set you free
On that wedding day, On that wedding day

[Verse 2:]
She has danced in golden castles
And she has crawled through beggar’s dust
But today she stands before him
And she wears his righteousness
And she will be who he adores
This is what he made her for

[Bridge:]
When the hand that bears the only scars
And heaven touch her face
And the last tears she’ll ever cry
Are finally wiped away
And the clouds roll back as he takes her hand
And walks her through the gates
Forever we will reign

01/07/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

An unwasted life makes much of Jesus

In 2004 I read John Piper’s Don’t Waste your Life. In the book he calls us not to get caught up in living for things that count for nothing! Piper says you can ensure you don’t waste your life by seeking to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ – by making the glory of God your singular passion. Instantly this became a book that I recommended to everyone, since it takes ‘faith in Christ’ straight from your head to your heart and hands. The section I found most beautiful to read (and most re-orienting) was towards the end in chapter 10:
“How could I, Lord, have ever been so blind to think that being loved by you means making much of me and not yourself? How could I put my eye to some great telescope, designed to make me glad with visions of the galaxies, and notice in the glass a dim reflection of my face and say:”Now I am happy, I am loved?” How could I stand before the setting sun, between the mountain range and the vastness of the sea, and think that everlasting joy should come from making much of me? . . . “
(Don’t Waste your Life, John Piper, 2003, p.186.)

I then recalled that these very words had challenged me before. In Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Much of You” he cleverly crafts Piper’s lyrical prose into a song that really could change your life – and ensure you don’t waste it! Have a listen above/read below and be encouraged!
Even if you can only “make much of Jesus” in what you think are small ways your life is not wasted. And what a privilege if your words (spoken, written, blogged or sung) help even one person to see Jesus for who He is. I love being part of a community of bloggers who do their best to make much of Jesus! Blessings.

MUCH OF YOU (Steven Curtis Chapman)

How could I stand here and watch the sun rise
Follow the mountains where they touch the sky
Ponder the vastness and the depths of the sea
And think for a moment the point of it all was to make much of me
‘Cause I’m just a whisper and you are the thunder and

I want to make much of you Jesus
I want to make much of your love
I want to live today to give you the praise
That You alone are so worthy of
I want to make much of your mercy
I want to make much of your cross
I give you my life, Take it and let it be used
To make much of you

And how can I kneel here and think of the cross
The thorns and the whip and the nails and the spear
The infinite cost
To purchase my pardon and bear all my shame
To think I have anything worth boasting in except for your name
‘Cause I am a sinner and you are the Savior

Bridge:
This is your love, oh God
Not to make much of me
But to send your own son
So that we could make much of you
For all eternity

Behind the Song:
‘A lot of times as I’m writing an album I’ll read books, and certain books will come along and at the right time, will impress, affect and inspire me. One book I read was by John Piper called Don’t Waste Your Life, and by the time I finished reading it, I think I had eight or nine songs started and several that ended up on this album. I felt as I finished this book my understanding of just who God is and why I’m here, what the whole point and purpose of my life is, is ultimately to glorify God and to really make much of Him. I feel like He created us for this purpose. He’s the point, not me. This book helped put that in such great perspective for me – to get a new deeper understanding of that.’ – Steven Curtis Chapman

25/06/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

The Basin and the Towel

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
Mark 10-:29-30

When we are saved into Christ we are saved into community, a community of believers. This is a great promise from Mark 10. Even if we lose many things in order to own the name of Christ we gain so much more. We gain family! We gain relationship. We gain brothers and sisters in Christ. (And yes, we gain persecutions, though that is not the topic for today so I’ll just leave it to the side). As we serve one another, we grow relationships, we grow bridges between us – between people who would naturally be enemies of each other. Christ’s love makes it possible to serve and love one another. Songwriter Michael Card beautifully sums up this “call to community”, demonstrated by Christ in his earthly ministry. The call is now to us as his followers, to grow community in our churches by taking up the basin and the towel. I hope you have the time to chew over the lyrics below and reflect on your own attitude towards serving and growing community. (I know mine needs work.) The “servant’s bow” is a fragile bridge (see the bridge section below). Blessings! (Read more on Christian community here)

The Basin and the Towel (Michael Card)

In an upstairs room, a parable is just about to come alive.
And while they bicker about who’s best,
with a painful glance, He’ll silently rise.
Their Savior Servant must show them how
through the will of the water
and the tenderness of the towel.

Chorus:
And the call is to community,
The impoverished power that sets the soul free.
In humility, to take the vow,
that day after day we must take up the basin and the towel.

In any ordinary place,
on any ordinary day,
the parable can live again
when one will kneel and one will yield.
Our Saviour Servant must show us how
through the will of the water
and the tenderness of the towel.

bridge:
And the space between ourselves sometimes
is more than the distance between the stars.
By the fragile bridge of the Servant’s bow
we take up the basin and the towel.

(chorus)

You can look up sheet music for this song at the link below:

http://store.michaelcard.com/thebasinandthetowel-sheetmusic.aspx

18/06/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

The power of a foolish Cross – and how to make the most of it

“The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

“Making the Most of the Cross” (2011, Matthias media) is a book which gets right to the heart of Christianity, the Cross of Jesus Christ. It takes us on a tour of the riches God offers us at the Cross, and how to make the most of them, to grow our confidence in God. In less than 100 pages of fairly large print, author John Chapman examines two main topics: the death of Jesus and His resurrection. Chapman writes in a simple yet engaging manner, with the clever wit of a seasoned preacher and evangelist. He explains fully, yet clearly and in short chapters, who Jesus was and why he had to die. It is an excellent book for Christians to read, to revisit the basics of the Gospel and be challenged again by the grace of God. But it is also especially good for newcomers to the faith. It would make a great companion for home reading in conjunction with a course like ‘Christianity Explained’, ‘Christianity Explored’ or ‘Introducing God’ – or simply for extra reading for someone new to Jesus and the message of the Cross. Each chapter contains plenty of discussion from the big story of the bible to help people grasp God’s redemptive plan and how it is fulfilled in Jesus. There is a suggested short prayer at the end of each chapter, to pull together and apply what has been discussed.

For Chapman, Jesus’ death is “unique, unrepeatable and sufficient for all who turn to him” (p24). Chapman impresses on his readers that salvation is at the heart of what Jesus was about. Along the way he is not afraid to discuss God’s wrath (the reason we need salvation!) and to answer common objections, such as the belief that God is a vindictive child abuser (p26): “The Father did not force any punishment upon the Son; the Son himself chose to bear it on our behalf because of His love for us. That is anything but child abuse.” Jesus’ death turns away God’s anger, brings the defeat of Satan and justifies sinners. God is just, He punishes sin and love sinners. These are the clear concepts Chapman wants to reinforce.

I particularly enjoyed chapter 7 which explored the way ‘Jesus’ death is the unifying force in the Christian community’. He says we are “made acceptable to one another because of Christ. . . Understanding this truth is wonderfully liberating. We are free to be ourselves. There is no need to pretend. It doesn’t matter what you find out about my past, or what I might discover about yours. It is all deal with in the death of Jesus. That is the basis of acceptability. We are all sinners saved by grace.”
He then challenges us to apply this to how we treat others, to conduct radical surgery on our thinking, to accept and love others even (especially?) when it’s incovenient.

The second half of the book looks at the Resurrection across seven chapters. Of particular interest was his discussion of our ‘resurrection bodies’ This is a pretty difficult concept for people to grasp, but using texts from 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 21, Chapman makes it clear that we won’t be disembodied spirits floating around forever on clouds. He says Christ will take up our bodies “and transform them so they will be breathtaking! They will be immortal, imperishable, powerful, glorious and spiritual. They will be perfectly suited to the new creation. . . When I see the apostles relating to the risen Lord Jesus, I can see how it will be. I can see that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus means that there really is eternal life; there really is a new world in which we will live and relate to each other and to the Lord Jesus Christ” (p83-84).

One great thing about reading “Making the most of the Cross” is knowing that the author, John Chapman, can now see the reality of the things he has written about, the things he has long hoped for. Last year, after 82 years, John Chapman went to be with the Lord. We can take great encouragement from his faithful ministry – and his many books – of which this is most worthy of a read! Buy two and pass one on today. (Buy here)

Some of Chapman’s other books include:

Know and Tell the Gospel: a coherent and highly influential theological account not only of the gospel but of the involvement of every Christian in its spread
A Fresh Start: the most widely used gospel give-away book of the past 30 years
Setting Hearts on Fire: an inspiring and informative training resource for evangelistic preachers
A Sinner’s Guide to Holiness: a short guidebook on how the gospel calls sinners to a holy life as the fruit, not the means, of salvation
A Foot in Two Worlds: a simple guide to the eschatology of the gospel—that we belong to the next age but live out our salvation in this evil age
Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life: an evangelistic book for seniors on the meaning of eternal life
Making the Most of the Cross: a simple exposition of the key facets of the death and resurrection of Jesus
Making the Most of the Bible: a simple argument for the authority and sufficiency of Scripture as a necessary corollary of our faith in Jesus as Lord.

11/06/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Whatever is Lovely – Blog Award

“One of my favorite verses in the Bible is also Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” My thoughts can go in all sorts of directions, and most of them go in the course that is not in line with God’s way. What a gem this verse is to show me exactly how God wants me to love Him with all my mind! Right in the middle of this verse is the word “lovely”. It is one of the eight things mentioned in this verse that our thoughts ought to be. The original word actually has its root in the Greek word phileo, which means affection, friendship, or love (think of Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love). So, the word in this verse does not mean beautiful or something that is externally pleasing to the eye, as sometimes we use that word in English. In essence, what the verse is saying is this: whatever would encourage a love and friendship towards others, let your mind dwell on those things.” (Note: this was so good that I left it as it was written!)

Blogging can become another means to encourage love and friendship, despite many miles between us as we write, and the fact that we may not ever meet face to face. Yet because of Christ we are united, we are friends and family!

Thanks to Lessons by Heart who nominated me for this Lovely Blog award. Her posts are most encouraging and I read them just about everyday! I would like to pass this award on to 7 lovely bloggers. Here are my nominees (I’ll send you to their “About”):

An Imperfect Life made perfect by grace (http://sheensteve.wordpress.com/about/) – Mother of triplets who is learning to rest on Christ’s perfection each day.
Mere Inkling (http://mereinkling.wordpress.com/about/) is written by a wise gentleman who lifts up Christ as the heart of Christianity, with plenty of humour, history, CS Lewis and Tolkien along the way.
Revelling in the Overflowing Grace of God (http://bickleyhouse.wordpress.com/about/) is a prolific blogger who writes some great long and interesting devotional material. Most encouraging!
Blazing Center (http://www.theblazingcenter.com/about) written by father and son pastors at Sovereign Grace Ministries, who also write amazing and encouraging song lyrics. This blog is the one I have enjoyed reading for the longest time.
Sermons and Soda Water (http://sermonsandsodawater.wordpress.com/about/) is an encouraging blog written by my wise “old” uncle (ha! ha!) about living simply and enjoying life in Christ.
Worship One (https://worship1.wordpress.com/) is a blog by a vocal teacher who has lots of great resources to share, and encouragement to sing!
MGPC Pastor’s Blog (http://garyware.me/about/) is one I’ve only discovered in the last week, but have really enjoyed the reports, reviews, thoughts, news (and fun).

That was a difficult task to choose just seven!

If you would like to post about this award and pass it on to others, here are the rules.
1. Add the “One Lovely Blog Award” image to your new post (you can cut and paste the top section also)
2. Share seven things about you
3. Pass the award on to seven nominees
4. Thank the person who nominated you
5. Inform the nominees by posting on their blogs

Last and certainly least, here are 7 random things about me.
1. I have a Maremma dog named Mia – A maremma is an “Italian Shepherd” used in some countries to ward off foxes and bears. Ours minds the chickens.
2. I play too much “Words with Friends”
3. I play flute, piano, alto saxophone and sing, with some degree of success.
4. My favourite foods include almonds, ginger, avocado, mushrooms, mango and lychees.
5. My favorite “big word” to use is perspicuity – which means clarity! (ironically this word is unclear to many)
6. I love blogging about the BBC TV show DOCTOR WHO – at blueboxparables.wordpress.com
7. I grew up in the shadow of Mount Warning (which Captain Cook named), inside a volcanic crater, on a cattle farm (below is a view of the “backyard”).