MattCobb.com

Moon

2012-02-19T18:53:00.000-05:00

I want to be the moon.

Now I don’t believe that my body mass will grow to the pointwhere I could be launched into orbit around the earth and control the tides.(Neither do I want my body mass to grow to that point.) But in my spirituallife (which intersects with my day-in-day-out life), I want to be like themoon.

On its own, the moon has no light. The only light the moonprovides to Earth is what’s reflected from the sun. We can sometimes see themoon during the day (at dawn and dusk), but it’s not nearly as prominent ormagnificent. Why? Because the sun is shining fully for us to see.

Jesus has called me to reflect His glory to the world. On myown, I don’t have anything special to offer the world. Just like the moon, Ican only reflect the glory and “light” of Jesus Christ, the true Son.

Also like the moon, when I’m in the presence of otherChristians and Jesus Christ is in our midst, He shines brightest of all and ourfocus and attention is on Him. Sure, I might be seen, but it’s not reallybrilliant compared to Jesus.

However, when I’m placed in the midst of darkness, and Ifind myself surrounded by people who don’t know Jesus and are walking inspiritual darkness, I should radiate the love, glory and light of Jesus tothem. I’m still not that important when compared to Christ, but God has chosento use me as His reflection point. I should help direct the paths of those indarkness to seek out and find Christ, the light of the world.

So, I want to be the moon. I may be the best (or only) exampleof Jesus that someone ever sees. Something to “reflect” on!!

Bubbles and Instruments

2012-01-15T15:10:00.003-05:00

Our church has recently begun a challenge with all members to be actively reading the Bible. The challenge to read a small passage from the New Testament, Psalms or Proverbs everyday of this year. And our pastor has been preaching about the importance of being in, growing in and hiding the Word of God in our hearts.

A thought struck me today as he was talking to us about being immersed in a culture that doesn't value or appreciate the Bible.

Sometimes the Bible is like bubbles.

Now, I have to admit, I don't know much when it comes to swimming metaphors. I never learned to swim growing up. I nearly drowned when I was four, and since then, I don't like having my head under water. However, I have heard that when people are being trained for water rescue and such, they are taught to follow the bubbles. The premise is that when you crash into water or are disoriented under water, you must set aside your natural tendencies and "follow the bubbles." When you begin swimming after an accident, the brain may see light and think it is the sun or moon. However, it may be a reflection and following that light may take you deeper into the water. So, you must follow the bubbles which float to the surface.

While being immersed in a culture that is opposed to the things of Christ, Satan will try to disorient us and get us to follow the "fake" lights and lead us deeper away from safety. The only option we have is the follow the truth of the Bible ("the bubbles") which will lead us to life and rescue.

Another good example is airplane instruments. I'm told that pilots are instructed to fly according to their instruments, no matter what their eyes or senses may tell them. At times, they may "see" the horizon. But isn't truly the horizon and flying towards it will only cause problems. When a pilot's senses and the instruments are in disagreement, the trained pilot will fly according to the instruments.

There will be times in life when we "feel" a certain way but the Bible tells us something else. When we encounter those times, we need to set aside what we think to be true in order to follow what really IS true. The Bible will never lead us astray. And as we learn to steer our lives by the "instruments," God will reveal (in His time) how we might have been led astray.

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

The Bible is like bubbles and instruments...follow them, and you will find safety and direction.

Canned goods

2011-10-28T13:47:00.000-04:00

You know...I've learned a lot while teaching little kids (Kindergarten through 2nd Grade.)

Last night at AWANA, I was talking to them about being like canned goods.

As Christians, we need to be like canned goods. One of the most important thing about a canned good (apart from what's inside) is the label. Without the label you don't know what the product is. You don't know the expiration sometimes. And you don't have any nutritional information.

Jesus wants to make sure that we're always wearing our label.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

If Jesus lives within us, we are COMMANDED to be His witnesses (AKA - wear our labels as "Christians.") And here are three simple ways to proudly display your label:

1) Our actions - The way we do (or don't do) things will tell people that we are different from the rest of the world.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

2) Our love - How we choose to related to other Christians will demonstrate that Jesus lives within us.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. - John 13:35

3) Our speech - At sometime, we will have to open our mouths and share what Jesus has done for us and others. Our actions and our love should leave people wondering what is different about us. And when they ask (and believe me, if you truly live your life for Christ, they WILL ask), we need to be ready to share our faith.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. - 1 Peter 3:15

So, how's your label? Is it smudged? Has it fallen off? Is it a little ripped up? Is it covered up or completely missing?

Let's wear our labels with pride and show the world that we belong to Jesus!!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

As a fitting tribute for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, watch these videos and read this previous post of mine from Memorial Day.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Remember

With Memorial Day fast approaching (and all the festivities of cookouts and such fast approaching as well), I wanted to take a moment to think about remembrance.

Memorial Day is also known as a Day of Remembrance. In fact, my dad is a genealogical nut. He has our family history traced back to at least the 1860's if not earlier. Not that I don't have an appreciation for genealogy, but I certain don't get "geeked out" for it like my sister and he do. And to maintain and further investigate his ancestral habit, he plans yearly visits to decorate graves of past relatives (like many others do) on Memorial Day weekend.

In contemplating remembrance, I was also keenly aware of another form of remembrance - that which is almost a reflex rather than a conscious choice. I was privileged to participate in a monthly worship service at our local nursing home this afternoon. The service primarily consists of singing songs that they knew from childhood and such. It was amazing for me to witness how some of these elderly individuals would light up when the singing began. These dear souls may not have the physical (and often times mental) capacity to functional well and can appear in a daze or stupor. But when those songs that they recognized began playing, they were singing with all of their beings. I know for a fact that some of the participants can barely remember the names of their children, yet they can remember the lyrics and melodies that stirred their hearts and lives 50+ years ago.

And you know, Jesus knew a thing or two about remembrance as well. As He was instituting what we call communion that last week before He was crucified, He told His disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me."

So, why do we remember? Why are we commanded to remember?

Put simply - because over time, we will all forget (or be forgotten.) But I have discovered 3 applications for my own life in regards to remembrance.

1) Remembering helps me focus on what's most important. As I reflect every year on the births of my children and family, my anniversary, and even the death of my mom 3 years ago, I always remember the person and relationship that I have/had with them. And aren't relationships what life is really all about? We may lose all of our possessions, but if we still have our family and friends, then we are truly rich people.
2) Remembering also connects me with a heritage and reminds me that I am not alone. It helps me to see how the lives of those before me have helped shape my current life. And consequently, remembering my own legacy encourages and motivates me as I dream about the influence my life will have for future generations.
3) Remembering causes me to reflect on the unmistakeable truth that I have committed my life to Jesus, and I know for sure that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I may be forgotten by others in 20, 50, 100 or 300 years, but Jesus knows me and will always remember me. I will NEVER be forgotten by Christ!

So this Memorial Day weekend, take a moment or two aside from all the hoopla, and remember. Remember where you came from. Remember who will come after you. And remember that Jesus knows your name; He loves you; and He will never forget you.

Do this in remembrance of HIM!

Little children

2011-08-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I last posted. July was a crazy month - good, but crazy! We had a special 4th of July service on July 3; I preached Sunday nights July 10 and July 17; Jill and I signed a contract on a new house; and our church conducted VBS the last week! So, unfortunately, my blog took a back seat to all the rest of my responsibilities. However, I'm back in the saddle, and I hope to post regularly again.

So, I'm not the kind of person to randomly take a Bible verse or two and draw applications apart from their context. However, I was reading my Bible this morning, and a verse just stuck in my head. It was Mark 9:36.

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,

As I was reading, this thought just kept swirling around in my head, "How awesome would it have been to be that child Jesus wrapped up in His arms?!?!?"

But that led me to ponder some more. And in all reality, we ARE that child. We may not be physically that child, but if we have committed our lives to Jesus, we are a child of The King. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—." I am a "child" that Jesus wraps up in His arms. I can rest securely and experience the deep love that God has for me through the warm embrace of my Savior.

I'm choosing to live today "being hugged" by Jesus!

"Do You Know What?"

2011-07-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Kids are funny! And you can learn the most interesting things from kids - stuff that you never thought you would know (like what can fit up a toddler's nose) and stuff that you never wanted to know (like what can fit up a toddler's nose.) But since I've had children, I've also learned alot about God and my relationship with Him through the interactions I have with my two little ones.

My son, Jackson, is four, and he loves being the center of attention. And he's a storyteller. He is constantly relaying saga after saga of the goings-on from Sunday School, VBS, storytime at the library, etc. But the part that really perked me recently is how he begins his stories: "Dad, did you know what?" or "Do you know what else?"

Now perhaps this was a learned feature from listening to me while he was younger. For example: (while examining a spider) "Jackson, did you know what? Spiders have eight legs." But what Jackson (and probably me as well) was trying to communicate with me is, "Dad, I have some information that I would like you to have as well."

And that is what really got me thinking yesterday and today.

Jesus Christ came to earth about 2000 years ago and lived with a group of unlikely people (fishermen, tax collector, etc.) He shared with them the message of God's love and that through His (Christ's) death and ressurection, a restored relationship with God is possible. And then as He was preparing to ascend into heaven, Jesus told His disciples that they will be His witness into all the world. He gave them the message to pass onto others.

The discpleship carried a message of "Do you know what? Jesus loves you!" to all those around them. And we are all tasked with that same mission - to share with others the message of Christ's love and forgiveness.

From now on, whenever I hear Jackson say, "Do you know what?", I'll probably pause just a moment and think about my mission to tell others "Do you know what?"

And do you know what? Jesus loves you!!!

Lessons from Philemon

2011-07-15T10:34:00.000-04:00

I recently had the privilege of preaching Sunday night at my church. So, I thought I would condense down my sermon notes for a new blog entry.

Peacemaking is a messy business. It's not the easiest task to restore a relationship between two people or between yourself and someone else. But Paul gives us a few key elements for effective peacemaking in his letter to Philemon.

1) Prayer: We must pray regularly for the situation and the people involved. And we should pray for blessings for the individuals involved.
2) Praise: We need to look for positive strengths in the lives of others. And let them know they are doing a good job in these areas. But make sure your praise isn't mere flattery.
3) Petition: Know what it is that you want the other person to do to help accomplish peace. If you don't have something personal and specific to ask, consider postponing the reconciliation just a bit.
4) Partner: Be willing to get involved in the lives of others...even if it gets messy and takes up your time.
5) Pledge: Sacrifices may be needed to ensure a renewed relationship. Are you willing to cover any debts or pay some costs in order to have peace restored?
6) Prompting: Prepare others to carry out your requests. Expect them to do more than what you've asked. And remember to follow-up later on to see how things are.

It may not be an easy task, be Jesus promised us in Matthew 5:9 that "blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." That's a reward worth getting messy for!!

Red, White and You

2011-07-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

I know this is a bit late for a "patriotic" post, but I was just too busy with family visiting and our special God and Country celebration at church. And since I promised this post with my last entry, here it is.

Independence Day is when we as Americans celebrate and remember when our nation declared its freedom from British rule (and those of that day would argue oppression as well.) The 4th of July is recognized with flags, fireworks, banners, cookouts and all things red-white-and-blue.

It was brought to my attention this past week that America stands quite differently from many other nations. Most other nations celebrate the day of the final battle that secured their freedom or change in government. However, America celebrates the day when they "declared" their independence. They still had many battles to fight to secure that liberty.

I pondered that awhile and began to see a spiritual correlation in our own lives. Because of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, we are offered freedom from sin's control on our lives. However, we are declared free by Christ, but we still have battles to face against our old sin nature. Paul struggled with this in Romans 7:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. ⁵ When we were controlled by our old nature,^[b] sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power^[e] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Even though we are declared innocent and free from sin, we still fight against the sins that we commit every day. But always remember that Jesus Christ has already won the battle. And whenever you see these colors (red, white and blue), think about these symbolic referrences:

Red: stands for the blood that Jesus shed for us when he was crucified and took our penalty of death.
White: stands for the purity that is offered because Jesus was perfect and has given us his perfect standing with God.
Blue: stands for the life we can experience through Christ's resurrection - a freedom from sin's control over our life and death.

If you want to learn more about what Jesus has done for you, please feel free to email me.

I hope you had a great 4th of July! May you enjoy the freedom you have from your country, and may you experience the ultimate freedom that can be yours in Jesus Christ!

Camp and Birthday

2011-06-28T17:16:00.000-04:00

For those who may have been following my regular weekly blog entry, I apologize for missing an entry last week. I was out of town with our church youth group at camp. It was a great experience, and three of our students committed their lives to Christ! So, it was an EXCELLENT week.

I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to my wife, Jill Cobb, on her birthday! Happy Birthday, sweetie! You are the best wife, mother, supporter, author, and ____________ that could be!! I love you!

You should definitely check out her blog at www.jillcobb.wordpress.com. She is a remarkably talented writer, and God is using her in amazing ways.

As a preview for my next entry: Red, White, and ______!

A Great Dad

2011-06-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

Father's Day is coming up soon - the day which we honor fathers and recognize the important role they play in our lives. But this got me thinking about something a little different this year.

I'm a father myself to two great kids, Jackson (4) and Lauren (1). At lunch today, Jackson kept talking about my Father's Day present which came in the mail this morning. He was so excited that he could barely contain himself. Finally, Jill allowed him to go fetch my gift and give it to me early.

As he came bounding down the steps, there was so much pride in Jackson's eyes that he was able to give me the special gift that he and Jill had created together. They made a photo book through Snapfish which contained various pictures of me and the kids over this past year all the way back to Lauren's birth. And the front cover said, "Hero: to an amazing father and husband."

That is what prompted all of this thinking. It's not enough for me to be labeled as a hero to my wife and kids; I need to live that out. And there's no way I can accomplish that on my own. I need my Father's (God's) help to make being their hero a reality.

I must do more than say, "Family is a priority." I have to show it by being there for my wife and children (even during the mundane things of life.) I need to be a provider for my family in areas like finances, emotional support, spiritual leadership and love. I need to offer guidance and direction for my family.

So, fathers, I ask you, "Are you living up to your family's hero status?" What areas have you compromised that need to be shored up? Where do you need to lead your family? How do you need to show love this weekend?

And if you have a father who is your hero, let him know it this weekend. But also tell him why he is your hero!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Broken Hearts

2011-06-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

What breaks your heart?

The first thing that comes to your mind may be that relationship that tanked and ended in a nasty split. However, let's move past emotional heartbreak to spiritual heartbreak. You see, a broken spiritual heart should do more than leave us with an emotional scar and bitterness. Spiritually speaking, a broken heart should move us to a place of worship.

For me, my heart has always been tender and broken for children in need. It may be physical needs (like food, shelter, clothing or parents), emotional needs (like friendship, acceptance or unconditional love) or spiritual needs (forgiveness, hope, peace or salvation.) In fact, this heartache of mine has prompted Jill and I to consider adoption at sometime. We already have 2 wonderful children, but knowing there are kids without moms and dads, makes my heart ache to do something for them.

This brokenness is not a new concept. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping" prophet, cried out because of the spiritual condition of the Israelites. The book of Lamentations is his spiritual "wail" over there rebellion from God.

Nehemiah was also a man with a broken heart. We can read in the first few verses of his namesake book that he wept, mourned, fasted and prayed when he learned that the wall of Jerusalem were in ruins.

Even Jesus was heartbroken when He arrived at the home of His friend, Lazarus, only to find out that Lazarus died four days earlier. (John 11)

But the question still remains: How does a broken heart move us to a place of worship?

I believe that a heart that is spiritually broken motivates us to three distinct actions.

1) A broken heart produces in us compassion and love for others. Jeremiah, Nehemiah and Jesus all showed compassion and love for those that were hurting or in need.

2) A broken heart compels us to take corrective or restorative action. After Nehemiah wept and prayed, he developed a plan to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. Jesus' broken heart prompted Him to demonstrate God's power and glory through raising Lazarus from the dead.

3) A broken heart drives us to preventative measures. We've seen the hurt and destruction, and we try with all our might to keep those situations from happening again.

All of those actions listed above, when done with and in the love of Christ, are acts of worship.

How can you show more compassion, fix a problem and/or prevent it from happening again? What breaks your heart?

Surrender

2011-06-02T18:09:00.000-04:00

No one likes to give up. In fact, we live in a culture that tells to you to "Never give up!" And perseverance is a wonderful and good trait to develop. When we commit to something, we need to work at it wholeheartedly. In John 17:4, Jesus prays, "I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." And later on the cross, He cries out, "It is finished!" So obviously, Jesus had a task to accomplish on earth, and he didn't quit until it was finished.

But I don't believe society is telling you to persevere in God's work when they claim, "Never give up!" You see, most of the time, we are selfish in our own thinking. Often we will continue at something (or we may call it perseverance) simply because we don't want to be wrong or we don't want to appear weak. And that is where we fail.

I am been reading in Jeremiah recently, and Jeremiah was a prophet to God's people before they were exiled to Babylon. Before the major onslaught, Jeremiah approaches the king with this message from God: "Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!"

God's plan was to exile the people to Babylon in punishment for their blatant sin and willful disregard for Him. So, God was essentially telling the people, "If you get on board with my plan, and go ahead to Babylon, you will live. But if you stubbornly refuse, then you will die." God didn't want the people to die. All they had to do was obediently follow God - and that meant to surrender. They had to give up their so-called "rights" and submit themselves first and foremost to God, and then to the king of Babylon.

Jesus even calls us to a life of surrender. In Matthew 10, he says, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Obviously, Jesus isn't talking about physically dying, but rather letting your selfish will die, so that Christ can reign in and through you.

Everyday, we are faced with hundreds of decisions. Some of these choices are big, but most of them are small. It's easy to look to God for direction in the big decisions of life. We usually take lots of time to think, pray and seek counsel before we decide. However, it's the small choices in life that will truly define us. Do we take the time when interrupted to help a friend or play with our children? Or do we casually mention that we are too busy to help or we don't have the resources or whatever the excuse may be? Do we get angry and yell at the person who cut us off in traffic or do we pray for them and hope they don't get in an accident because they may be in a hurry to get to an important meeting?

Every day, God presents us with multiple chances to "give up our lives" so that He can work through us to produce an abundant life of ministry.

I hope you will join me this next week and watch for those small decisions where we can surrender to God and inch closer to the joy-filled experience of a Christ-centered life.

Remember

2011-05-26T18:57:00.000-04:00

Pure devotion of youth

2011-05-20T10:47:00.000-04:00

I love how God will often give me real-life object lessons that correspond to what I'm reading in the Bible at that time. Just recently, during my journey through the Bible chronologically (thank you, You Version), I came across the accounts of Josiah in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. If you've never read it before, take a moment and read it now.

To give you a (very) brief synopsis, Josiah comes to power as king of Judah when he is 8 years old. His predecessors (father, grandfather, etc.) were not following God's laws. In fact, they were causing the Israelites to sin to even greater extents than any other kings before. So, Josiah's father, Amon, is king for only 2 years before he is assassinated. But even during that brief time, Amon led the people to sin greatly. Needless to say, Josiah didn't have a stunning example in his father.

However, despite the negative forces in his life, Josiah had the support of his mother and a committed high priest to help him seek after the Lord. And this is what blows me away - at the age of 20, Josiah starts going through all of Israel and Judah tearing down pagan shrines and altars and desecrating them by burning human bones on them. He knew what was right, and didn't waste time to get to business.

Last night, while I was attending Liberty High School's graduation, my wife, Jill, took my kids, Jackson and Lauren, outside to enjoy the great weather we've been having. Jackson, in usually little boy fashion, starting playing with rocks. As he was making a rock pile, Jill came over and started explaining to him what an altar is and how people long ago used to build altars to God from 12 uncut stones. Well naturally, Jackson immediately declared that his rock pile was his altar to God.

I must confess, I am so thrilled about the unabashed love that my son pours out to and for God. He may not understand everything that the Bible tells us, but he knows that Jesus loves him, and so he loves Jesus.

And then I started thinking about this passage: He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-3)

Just like Josiah and my son, Jackson, we need to have a childlike,pure devotion to our savior, Jesus Christ. The purest form of worship we can muster is to come like a child and bask in the presence of the One who created us and loves us beyond what we can imagine (or sometimes understand.)

My challenge to you (and myself) this week: Love, trust and worship Jesus like a child in pure, unrestrained faith.

Cherry Vanilla Coke

2011-05-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

Anyone that knows me just a little bit, knows that I am a HUGE fan of Cherry Vanilla Coke from Sonic. (And I love half price drinks during happy hour of 2-4 p.m.)

I was sipping on one of my choice beverages the other day and pondering about worship at the same time. And a wonderful thought occurred to me: "Worship is like a Cherry Vanilla Coke." The thought was a little broader than that to encompass a new idea that I am attempting to incorporate into my blog - "Worship is like ______." This is a actually a bit of a tribute to a good friend of mine, Justin Miller, who always said, "Faith is like chicken." I don't have time to get into that statement in detail here, but message me, and I'll try to explain it later.

So, coming back to my original thought - "Worship is like a Cherry Vanilla Coke."

Now, just like Sonic has MANY different flavors that one can add into their drink of choice, we as worship leaders (and individual worshipers) have a vast array of worshipful elements that we can include in a worship service or our daily lives. Such examples are songs, scripture reading, inspirational videos, responsive readings, preaching from the word of God, and on and on.

But as I enjoyed the well-crafted mix of cherry and vanilla with the Coke, I began to wonder if there is such a thing as too many flavors (both in a drink and in worship elements.) Follow me on this a bit. If you added every single flavor that Sonic had to offer into a single Route 44 drink, I have to believe that it would taste revolting. Can you imagine a Cherry Lime Vanilla Chocolate Powerade Raspberry Peach Coke? And I don't think I even covered all of the options. You see, certain flavors work well together to enhance each other and create a pallet-pleasing mix. Is it possible that in our zest to add multiple forms of media and try out a bunch of new and different worship elements, that we may actually be causing a "bad taste" in the spiritual mouths of those we are leading?

And overkill is another problem we must be keenly aware of. I have fell victim to many Route 44 Cherry Vanilla Cokes that were not properly mixed. Either they added too much cherry and/or vanilla or not enough. Perhaps we worship leaders need to be sensitive to the frequency and depth of our worship element choices.

And lastly, we must always remember to focus on the main thing. In a Cherry Vanilla Coke, if you don't have the Coke flavor (your base drink) coming through, than you don't really have a Cherry Vanilla COKE anymore. I believe in worship services, the Word of God and proclaimed messages from it, is what is most important. Every other element (like the cherry and/or vanilla) is merely adding a refreshing twist on the primary ingredient.

Just some things to chew (or sip) on!!

A Mother's Heart

2011-05-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

This is a very tender subject for me, since my mother passed away a little over 3 years ago. However, with Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, it seemed very fitting and appropriate to talk about.

Everyone of us has a mother. Some are still alive with us, and some have passed on. But there isn't a person alive today that doesn't have a mother. Basic genetics and common logic tells us this. However, a "mom" is a different story. There are many "moms" around the world who have never given birth to a child. These women may have never been able to conceive or they may have never found the right man to marry. However, they invest and pour into the lives of children everyday and are truly a "mom" to them.

I believe that Proverbs 31 is describing much more than a wife of noble character. I believe that it gives us a glimpse at what a true "mom" is and does. And one of the last verses really stood out to me today when I read it.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

Moms everywhere have sacrificed, comforted, counseled, defended, encouraged and much more for the "children" in their lives.

This Mother's Day, my challenge to you is to honor your Mom (biological or otherwise), "rise up and call her blessed," and in so doing, worship the Lord!

Storms and Worship

2011-04-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

We have been having lots of rain recently. Even to the point that our pond in the backyard has overflowed and formed a small river through the property out to the road. (My apologies to any driver for my contributions to the standing water on the road.) And I've noticed something very different about country living in Mountain View as opposed to city living in Lansing - THUNDER!!

Mind you, we had thunder in Lansing, but thunder sounds a lot different living out in the country. It's LOUD!! And it just keeps echoing...and echoing...and echoing. You get the point.

Well, something new has developed since we moved. Jackson is now afraid of thunderstorms. He will regularly come into our bedroom at night during a thunderstorm and want to cuddle for awhile. He never did this in Lansing.

With all of the storms we've been having, it got me to thinking about the following passage:

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (Luke 8:22-25, New International Version, ©2011)

(This same account is found in Matthew's gospel as well as Mark's.)

Now my initial readings of this passage have always led me to think that Jesus is criticizing his disciples for a lack of faith that He would take care of them. And there may be an element of that in this story. I'm sure the disciples were trying everything in their own power to survive the storm and keep the boat from sinking. But in the end, they ran to the Master of storm. They went to the One person who could actually do something for them.

Sometimes, we need to have attitude of Jackson. When the storm came up for him, and he got scared in the middle of the night, he ran to Mommy and Daddy. I can't stop the storm or the lightning or the thunder, but I can comfort and hold him and help him feel at ease until the storm passes.

And I think worshiping Jesus is similar to that. We know that we will encounter storms in life. It's not a question of "if" but "when." And we are not always guaranteed the luxury of a miraculous storm-stopping. But we always have our Savior waiting for us to run to Him and not rely on our own abilities.

And so, perhaps Jesus' question to the disciples was more rhetorical in nature.

When the storms of life come your way, Jesus may be asking you, "Where is your faith?"

Worship Revival

2011-04-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

My new church home, First Baptist Church of Mountain View, MO, is putting on a revival this weekend featuring me leading worship and the pastor preaching the messages. This got me thinking about revival in regards to worship.

Can there be such a thing as worship revival? And if so, what would it look like?

Webster's Dictionary defines revival as "renewed attention to or interest in something." So, a "worship" revival would be renewed attention to or interest in worship. And for our purposes, we are strictly talking about worshiping Jesus.

I definitely think you can become lazy in worshiping Jesus. And you might need a time of revival to jump start your devotion and attention back on what Jesus has done for you. You would probably be more aware of His blessings in your life and would consequently thank Him more in worship. You might be struggling with a challenge in life, and a worship revival would help center yourself on what He's already done for you as you cling to the promises of what He will do for you. That is worship!

So, a worship revival may look different for every person, but I think it is real.

What do you think???

New Beginnings

2011-04-14T16:03:00.000-04:00

This is my 3rd day starting as the Minister of Music/Education for First Baptist Church in Mountain View, MO. I am so excited to see what God has in store for me and the church in the next few weeks, months, and years!

I've been a little slack with my website as of recently, but that all changes today!! Part of my weekly routine will be posting some thoughts about worship and other current topics surrounding the church today. If you are a regular follower of mine (Facebook or Twitter), I hope that these posts will be thoughtful, interesting, and/or inspirational/edifying.

God Bless! And Happy Thursday!

Forgiven but still accountable

2010-12-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

I've been reading through the Bible chronologically, and it has been a very interesting journey so far.

Right now, I'm reading through Numbers. I've only recently finished the account of Aaron and Miriam complaining about the "favor" that Moses was receiving from God. Essentially, they were upset that Moses, their little brother, was receiving all the "glory" and attention from the rest of the Israelites. They complained, "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?"

God was none too pleased with Aaron and Miriam and gave them a holy "lecture." However, once this correcting talk was done, Miriam was immediately discovered to have a terrible skin disease called leprosy which affective her entire body, head to toe. Mind you, Aaron had complained as well, but suffered no punishment like Miriam. One might conjecture as to why Miriam was punished and Aaron wasn't, but suffice it to say, Aaron was the high priest, and since this was a new appointment, there was only him and his sons to perform all of the priestly duties. If Aaron had gotten leprosy as well, he wouldn't have been able to carry out his responsibilities. (*I might write another blog post about this part of the story later.)

So, Miriam has leprosy, Aaron sees this, both of them realized they sinned, and Aaron begs and pleads with Moses to help her. Moses prays to God, and God gave him what may appear as a quizzical answer: “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” (Numbers 12:14)

You see, at this time, God had just given Israel all of the law, especially what would make some clean and unclean (or able to come to the Tabernacle to worship or not.) Part of the law stated that any kind of bodily fluid from someone else touched you, you would be unclean for seven days. This is what God is referring to in His response. So, in other words, God was saying she would be forgiven, but she still had to face some consequences of her rebellion. She would not be allowed to be part of the camp for seven days.

Likewise, there may be times in our lives where we sin and do something foolish or impulsive. God may have forgiven us (if we ask Him), but we may still have to suffer through some consequences. However, if you find yourself in the position today, just remember that like Miriam, your punishment may only be temporary, and that God has forgiven you. You will be restored - if not in this life, then we you enter into His presence forever in Heaven.

Be encouraged - God loves you more than you can imagine!!!

Your Love is Extravagant

2010-12-03T15:22:00.000-05:00

This is a song I learned a long time ago (maybe even back in high school.) I love the arrangement that Casting Crowns did with this song, and this is my meager attempt to recreate it.

My Faith Story

2010-11-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would add this to the mix of my thoughts:

Matt Cobb’s Faith Story

I am a people-person. I like to be around others and belong with them. This has always been true of me, even when I was a young child.

I was fortunate to grow up in a home where my parents loved Jesus and went to church faithfully. From infancy, I was at church, learning about God, His love for all people, and many other Bible stories. One particular Sunday morning, my Sunday school teacher was telling us about the family of God. She was explaining that all believers have a special connection with each other that makes us like one big family of brothers and sisters. Naturally, being a child who wants to belong, I wanted in on this.

That afternoon, as Mom was preparing dinner, I sat at the table and asked her how I could be part of the family of God. I’m so thankful that she took the time to sit down with me and answer all my questions. I’m sure she sensed the Holy Spirit working in my life and knew that dinner could wait just a little bit. She explained to me, in very simple concepts that I needed to ask Jesus to forgive me before I could become part of the family. I knew that I had done wrong things. Even at the age of 5, I knew what sin was. My mom went on to share that because of my sin, I couldn’t be in heaven with God. But Jesus came to Earth and lived a perfect life – never doing anything wrong – and then died on a cross because of my sin. I already knew the story of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Mom told me that all I had to do was pray and tell God that I was a sinner, tell Him that I believed Jesus came and died on a cross for me, and ask Him to forgive me of my sin. We prayed right then.

That decision didn’t have an immense impact on my life until 2 years later. During revival services at our church, I sensed that God wanted me to tell everyone else about the decision I had made two years ago. When I did that, the pastor and my parents naturally started talking to me about baptism. I was very hesitant (mainly because of an irrational fear of being under water.) It wasn’t until I was 10 that I finally mustered up the courage, faced my fears, and was baptized for all to know that I was Christ’s.

I’m sad to say that high school was a very low point in my walk with Jesus. I essentially ignored God completely so that I could do whatever I thought would be fun. I could talk the talk (and I was still regularly going to church since my dad was a pastor by then), but my actions didn’t line up with what I said. Looking back now, I’m grateful that God didn’t abandon me when I did Him.

College was my “coming back to Jesus” time. During a worship concert at the beginning of my sophomore year, God said to me, “Stop faking it! I know who you are, and you aren’t fooling me. You want to experience true freedom? Give me everything that you are and don’t hold back anything. You aren’t perfect, but I’ll make something great out of your life.” I left the concert early. I found a quiet place, cried my eyes out, and gave up. I told God, “I quit! I won’t keep trying to do it my way. You can have all of me, and I’ll follow You no matter what, where, when, why or how.”

Since that time, life has never been dull. He’s led me on some amazing journeys, and I’m anticipating what He has in store for me in the years to come.

Good Intentions

2010-11-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have really good intentions about posting some thoughts and some of the things that God is teaching me right now. But it is becoming increasingly harder to carve out the time to write them out. I'm a stay-at-home dad of two kids (3 and a half years and 10 months), plus I'm a part-time Worship Pastor, plus I work at Menards doing morning stock from 5-7:30 am. With all of that going on, I only have about an hour to two hours every afternoon of focused time while the kids are both napping. And if Lauren (the youngest) doesn't nap well, my day is pretty much shot for accomplished much of anything. And while they are napping, I need to work on worship projects for my church as well as balance our finances and the list goes on and on.

So, all of that to say...I will try! I can't guarantee that I'll get regular posts up, but I'll try.

In anticipation of my next post, think about the plagues of Egypt during the Exodus.

Praise from a child

2010-11-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

This post will not be monumentally long or profound, but I was reminded the other day about the innocence of children and how precious honest praise must be to God.

Jackson is 3 and a half and really loves singing. The other day, I was playing with Lauren, and we were doing the motions to "My God is So Big." Jackson started singing along with me, and when I asked him if he wanted to sing for Lauren, he pipes up, "Sure, Daddy!" So he finished the song while I did the motions with Lauren. Lauren's smile couldn't have been any bigger or brighter.

And just recently, our family had a little downtime (something of a rarity), so I pulled out my guitar and started playing some random praise songs for us to sing. Jill and Jackson started dancing around the room while Lauren bobbed up and down in her walker. As much as a 3-year-old can, Jackson was praising God with his whole heart. Made me stop and think about how often I'm simply giving God the convenient part of my heart, but not a completely sold-out heart. Made me stop and ask God to forgive me and strengthen me to give Him everything all the time. Also made me think about how much God must love the simple and complete devotion of His children (the 3-year-olds and the 31-year-olds.)

Busy-ness

2010-11-02T16:11:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else ever struggle with this problem - you have a list of things you want to accomplish, but little things here and there crop up and steal away your time?

Sometimes we can get so busy with the minutia of life (most of which are important things), that we rarely or never seem to get around to those things which we want to do. This blog is a great object lesson for what I'm talking about. I've intended to add a post for over a week now, but thanks to some sick kids (and me being sick as well), I just have not found (or carved out) the time to get a post written.

Aren't you glad that God doesn't have to worry about getting bogged down with the little things of life. In fact, the little things of life is where God often shows His great faithfulness. We may not see the everyday things we go through as miracles, but if we stop and think about how much God is involved in every moment of our lives, we will start appreciating the amazing patience, love, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, mercy (and many more qualities) of God.

Bigger Perspective

2010-10-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

I've been reading through Job in my daily Bible reading. I just arrived at the point where God is answering Job and his friends. I've read these passages before, but this time God highlighted a new aspect for me. (Imagine that - God's Word being living and active, it speaks to me each time with something new and fresh!)

God begins talking to Job with a list of questions that clearly Job cannot answer. Job evens states so, that he must cover his mouth and not talk. When I've read this before, I always thought God was trying to prove a point to Job that He knows everything and Job does not. While this is true, I think God was also trying to help Job gain a bigger perspective. When faced with how amazing God is, we often tend to minimize or even forget our own troubles temporarily.

I know I'm going to try to keep and maintain a bigger perspective. Let's just hope I don't have to go through what Job did to get it. But if so, God is still God, and He is whom I will serve regardless.

He's Still Working on Me

2010-10-14T16:29:00.000-04:00

For those of you reading this who already have a relationship with Jesus, you'll understand what I mean when I say that the Christian life is tough. It's completely true that once we believe in Jesus, we are made new from the inside out. But we still live in a world of sin, and we can (and do) choose to sin. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to continue this work of regeneration and remember that we are works in progress.

I was very keenly reminded of this last night. Ephesians 4:15 is probably the most difficult verse for me to put into practice. It commands us to "speak the truth in love." I've never struggled with the first part of speaking the truth. However, I seem to need multiple lessons on how to filter the truth through love. It's not that I intend to be hurtful, I just have difficulty choosing my words and my tone such that I convey a spirit of love.

Let's just say I'm grateful that God is forgiving, and you can bet that I will be too (because I needs lots of it as well.)

You Are Worthy of My Praise

2010-10-14T16:03:00.001-04:00

A little more simplistic setup for worship - just me, my guitar and one vocalist (who happens to be nine months pregnant.)

Babbling

2010-10-06T21:49:00.000-04:00

My daughter, who is 8 months old, just started babbling non-stop. It's really cute (and of course, I'm biased.) But that got me to thinking - what about new believers? Sometimes new believers may not know what or how to pray. And that may make them feel awkward around more mature believers. However, I've got to think that God listens to those prayers of new believers like a loving father who is hearing his child talking for the first times.

Manly Illustrations

2010-09-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that a large amount of illustrations that are used to teach about worshiping Jesus and/or our relationship with him are not very guy-friendly? By no means am I negating their merit or value, but simply addressing an issue that may be somewhat troubling for guys. Before I get too deep into this, let me give you an example.

Example - a lot of metaphors that we use describe our relationship to Jesus center around marriage. The Bible even declares the church to be the bride of Christ. We tend to think about how we could/should relate to Christ as a husband relates to his wife. (I'm not even going to jump into the discussion about how single people feel about this.)

These illustrations are where a lot of men start feeling uncomfortable or uneasy. You see, we understand that Jesus is a man, and thinking about being "married" to a man is a rather unsettling concept for most guys.

So, I've decided that I'm going to try to start using a few more male-sensitive metaphors. I'm going to start trying to correlate our relationship to Jesus with your relationship with your best friend and how you relate to them. Many of the same principles apply or carry over, so why not use an analogy that isn't off-putting for some.

Not every example or illustration will speak to everyone, but let's all agree that saying the same thing in many different ways to reach/impact the most amount of people is really what we're aiming at.

So, here's to new metaphors!!! I'd love to hear your ideas of how you explain different concepts in different ways.

Give It Away

2010-09-27T21:29:00.001-04:00

This is a song that I wrote about 5 years ago. I haven't had many opportunities to perform it, but the sermon topic for this past Sunday fit really great with the message of this song. I don't know how many more chances I'll have to lead this song in worship, but I'm hopeful that I will.

Ramblings

2010-09-27T19:29:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about relationships the other day, and this thought struck me - "The more comfortable I become around a person (and consequently the deeper the relationship has developed), the more likely I am to ramble when talking with them." I'm not quite sure why that is, but I've seen this come about time after time after time. Perhaps I've grown to trust the person enough to let down my barriers and potentially say something that might otherwise be misinterpreted. Perhaps I feel like they are actually concerned about the little things in my life.

Whatever the reasoning, it got me thinking about my relationship with Jesus. How often am I rambling to Jesus? Do I tell Him all the mundane things that are going on in my life? Do I let down my barriers and share openly and honestly with Him about how I really feel?

I think this next week, I'm going to try to starting rambling with Jesus a little bit more (and in the process, listen for His ramblings back to me.)

Christmas Candlelight - What Child is This

2010-09-27T19:22:00.000-04:00

Sample of What Child is This from Immanuel Baptist Church's Christmas Candlelight service. To mix things up a bit, I ended the song with finger-picked accompaniment and closed in the major key.

Awesome in This Place

2010-09-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Awesome in This Place as an invitation song. Over my many years of leading worship, I have become quite comfortable with adapting an invitation song to be as short or long as necessary. I'm pretty good at reading cues from the preacher/speaker if they want to continue the invitation. I'm also comfortable with vamping the music while praying or speaking myself.

Awesome is the Lord Most High

2010-09-27T19:13:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Chris Tomlin's Awesome is the Lord Most High. In this sample, you can see our full Worship Team which currently consists of myself, a bass guitarist and two vocalists.

Be Thou My Vision

2010-09-27T19:08:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading an original arrangement of Be Thou My Vision. I both arranged the verses and wrote the chorus.

Breathe

2010-09-27T19:00:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Breathe. I'm very fortunate to have our pastor's wife on our Worship Team. She is a very versatile musician which allows me to vary the instrumentation depending on the desired mood or effect. I can have her play bass guitar, piano or djimbe. The variety is extremely nice.

Communion

2010-09-27T18:53:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Third Day's Communion at Immanuel Baptist Church. I introduced this song to Immanuel roughly 3 years ago, and we regularly use this while observing the Lord's Supper. It's a great song for either participation or reflection.

Everlasting God and Victory in Jesus

2010-09-27T16:20:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Lincoln Brewster's Everlasting God and then transitioning into Victory in Jesus. I try, whenever possible, to maintain continuity and fluidity between songs within a set during worship. This can be especially effective when attempting to create a thematic service leading up to the sermon.

Glorify Thy Name

2010-09-27T16:12:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Glorify Thy Name at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. I think this song really highlights the blend that our Worship Team has worked hard on creating.

Glory to God Forever

2010-09-27T15:59:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Steve Fee's Glory to God Forever. I do my best to listen intently whenever I have the radio on. I'm always listening for new songs that will translate well for corporate worship. Glory to God Forever is one of those newer songs. It contains a great message of how everything from creation to the songs we sing to a life surrendered to His service points to and gives glory to God alone.

Holy, Holy, Holy

2010-09-27T15:33:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Holy, Holy, Holy. This song always reminds me of my childhood and hearing my dad singing the bass line loudly and strong. As I grew older and learned to read music, I would often sing different voice parts on subsequent verses of this song, switching from bass to tenor and even alto (much to the annoyance of my wife.)

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

2010-09-27T15:28:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Nothing But the Blood of Jesus at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. This hymn is quite a favorite at Immanuel. We have sung it frequently at outdoor events like picnics where we have to projection available for song lyrics. The simple verses and repetitive chorus makes this song easy for everyone to sing along with.

O Come All Ye Faithful

2010-09-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading the Christmas carol O Come All Ye Faithful at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. This arrangement is fairly straightforward. However, I strive to keep Christmas music fresh and interesting every year. Sometimes we zone out while singing Christmas carols because we've heard them every year since we can remember. So, it's nice to be introduced to a new arrangement or take on a classic. Yet at other times, it's refreshing and nostalgic to participate in singing a chorus that is similar to what we remember from childhood.

Oh God of Mine

2010-09-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Rita Springer's Oh God of Mine at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. I'm obviously leading from piano, but if you listen closely, you'll notice that my wife is actually singing the melody and I'm backing her up with a harmony part. Occasionally, it nice and refreshing to hear another voice leading in worship. (Plus, I really enjoy singing the harmony on this particularly beautiful song.) The modulation and key changes that you hear were added by me to add a little variety and forward motion to the song.

Take My Life (Here Am I)

2010-09-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Chris Tomlin's Take My Life (Here Am I). I really enjoy how this song fuses a traditional verse (albeit with a slight melodic twist) and a completely fresh and new chorus. The blending of the two makes for a truly moving song (in my opinion.)

Wonderful Words of Life

2010-09-27T15:03:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading my own arrangement of Wonderful Words of Life. I tried to maintain the original melody line but still add a flair of contemporary with the hammer on chord effect at the end of the chorus.

You Are So Good to Me

2010-09-27T14:58:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Waterdeep's You Are So Good to Me at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. I love how the lyrics are so simplistic yet so deep in meaning. We could literally spend a lifetime trying to fully comprehend that Jesus poured out all His blood for us because He loves us.

Your Grace is Enough

2010-09-26T17:16:00.000-04:00

Sample of me leading Matt Maher's Your Grace is Enough at Immanuel Baptist Church's regular Sunday morning service. This is one of my all-time favorite worship songs. I had the joy and privilege of leading this song in worship at my mom's funeral. That song meant a lot for my family because it was God's grace that was holding us together during one of the most difficult times we've ever gone through.