Because everyone needs someone to love them when they are most unlovable. Some have blown it in life and thought, “I am such a disappointment to everyone who knows me.” Some have defiantly walked away from love rejecting the open arms of God who call us back to relationship. Some have given up, feeling unworthy to ever receive love again. Come find hope and restoration in the amazing love story of a man named Hosea.
Message 4 of the series.
Beta-ing this standard theme and just realized some bugs in it. (IE7 users, i apologize). Also pdf inserts are not working on some computers where they can pull them up. If they get the bugs fixed this will be a killer theme. If not, well. I’ll give it a go and if they get worked out stick with it. Otherwise, off to thesis or another theme. I have faith John the Standard guy will make it happen. HELP HIM JESUS!
Pastors, stop doing weddings. Instead launch marriages.
It is joked around here that my agreeing to do someone’s wedding is a bit brutal. I don’t apologize. At the ceremony, I stand in front of God and say to all listening that I sanction the marriage by the power vested in me by Him (and the Great State of Texas but that is another post). That is not a statement I make lightly. It has adjusted my approach.
Two things influenced me formulating this view.
1. A trip to Abba Love Church in Indonesia where they have a rigorous process that must be completed before the church will allow a wedding. The singles there joke, “It is easier to get into heaven than get married at Abba Love.” Another single said, “It is the second most important decision in your life. Shouldn’t you take it seriously?”
2. People asking me to marry them that know me pastorally at NorthWood but not as deeply personally. I don’t know their story or life situations in detail all the time.
Here is the document. Steal it and hack it anyway you want as long as it is for your own ministry use.
pre-marital-counseling-covenant-jordan
Do me a favor, if you have problems accessing this pdf, leave me a comment telling me what OS and browser you are using.
Why move from the well traveled and greased worshiptrench.com? Because my role and life has changed. I am now the teaching pastor at NorthWood Church having handed the keys to Brent Minter for the daily driving of the worship ministry at NorthWood. Since worshiptrench was a tips, tools and best practices blog for worship leading and leadership, I decided to leave all its free tools and leadership resources floating on the cloud. Feel free to grab any of the free tools, some which apply well beyond the worship ministry arena and could be used buy business people and others.
What will I deal with here? Whatever is clanging around in my brain. You might find it a bit eclectic but hopefully never boring or mean-spirited.
Because everyone needs someone to love them when they are most unlovable. Some have blown it in life and thought, “I am such a disappointment to everyone who knows me.” Some have defiantly walked away from love rejecting the open arms of God who call us back to relationship. Some have given up, feeling unworthy to ever receive love again. Come find hope and restoration in the amazing love story of a man named Hosea.
Message 1 of the series.
Welcome to what clangs around in my head. As a thinker and teacher, not all my thoughts and reflections have a platform of expression. This is a place to get them into the light of day where they can become uncluttered, critiqued, and developed into useful ideas. Some might find the topics here a little eclectic for their tastes. Others might think, “I am not the only one who thinks in such a crazed manner.” Whatever my thoughts, I will strive to write with a tone of love and respect, even when critiquing, so that I don’t become another cymbal clanging out meaningless communication in an already noisy world (I Corinthians 13) . Here is a bit more about some things that make my neurons fire more rapidly . . .
Favorites in no particular order
author: Thomas Watson and other puritans
teams: Liverpool FC, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, US Olympic
ride: my two runs down Innsbruck Bobsled track (see about page bottom)
preachers: Alistair Beg also John Piper
ancient preacher: John Chrysostom
exercise: rowing/sculling/erg-rowing
upscale restaurant: Saint Emilion, Fort Worth
downscale restaurant: Fuzzy Tacos, Baja Mexican/Taco H
rock music you’ve heard of: Ani Difranco, Radiohead, Alanis Morissette
music you might not have heard of: check out good listens section
jazzers: Avishai Cohen Trio
composers: Prokofiev, Shostakovich and other Russians,
classical piece: Sonata for Violin and Piano II: Lento (d.2 trck.2) (A. Copland)
futbol players: Fernando Torres, Landon Donovan, Steven Gerrard
guy who needs a beatdown: Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather
Stats
family: Piper and three kids (girl, boy, girl)
current calling: Pastor of Teaching, NorthWood Church (11 years)
past callings: worship and communications pastor NorthWood, leader of dropknee worship band, singles minister, college minister
other jobs: swimming coach, distance runners coach, triathlete (back when the knees were young), driving range golf ball picker-upper
