Announcement: Recording A CD!

NorthWood Church is putting out a CD and we begin recording today!

Over the last few months, I have been frantically writing songs.  With the help of the incredible Michael Farren from Pocket Full of Rocks and a couple other writers from Nashville, we have written 10 original songs that we believe are the heart beat of NorthWood Church.

Starting today, we are going to be recording all 10 of these songs in the studio.

Sept 18th, we are going to have a live recording at NorthWood.

October 24th, we are going to be releasing the CD with both studio and live tracks on it!

God has been all over this project from day one.  I cannot wait to see what he has in store!

Please pray for us. This is a huge undertaking and we are not strong enough on our own to do it.  God is our only hope!

The Hardest Thing You Will Ever Do

The hardest thing you will ever do is not start a business, start a church, run a marathon, get through a rocky period in your marriage, etc……

The hardest thing you will ever do is surrender your life and let the Lord have total control. Don’t fool yourself. It is a daily battle. The one time you surrendered at a conference or camp counts; its good, but it needs to be like that everyday.

Relax, Christ in you does all the hard work. You need to surrender and let him.

Revelation Song – A Picture of Heaven

Two Sundays ago, NorthWood Church had one of the most powerful worship times I can remember. We had Pastors from around the Globe who are leading incredible Churches. If I listed their names, you would not recognize them, but some of the pastors lead churches/movements of 100,000 and 200,000.

As we planned worship, we wanted it to be very global feeling, but also unique to who we were. We landed on singing the Revelation Song in multiple languages. It was powerful. It gave our church a small picture of what every tongue, tribe, and nation will be like around the throne.

The best part is that we have that much talent that can sing in multiple languages!

Pursuing God in 2010

Desk CalendarThe best thing you can do as you pursue God in 2010 is to have a consistent devotional life. Many people get overwhelmed as they seek to grow in their walk with Christ because they simply do not know what to do next. EXAMEN.me provides several convenient options that will help develop and guide you in your walk with Christ.

  • Meditate on scripture with the goal of life obedience.
  • Pray with focus.
  • Journal and keep a record of God’s activity in your life.

What are you waiting for? Create an Account or Login today and let EXAMEN.me help you pursue your spiritual goals for 2010.

Trusting God or Man

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes. – Psalm 118: 8-9

I cannot tell you how many times I have been let down when I put my trust in others.

I cannot tell you how many times I have let others down who put their trust in me.

God alone can handle the details, circumstances, and direction of your life.

The Butterfly Circus: A Story of Redemption

This short film is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time.  A brilliant story of hope and redemption.  I might have even sprung a little leak in the corner of my eye.  it is long, but so worth it.

To view the film in a larger format go here.

How He Loves: Video on Forgiveness

This is a story from a guy at NorthWood.  God really used the song “How He Loves” in his life.  Here is his incredible story of receiving and giving forgiveness.

Forgiveness from Northwood Church on Vimeo.

This past weekend we used it as an intro and then we played the song. It was a huge blessing to our congregation. It is also a great example of team work. Great job Jordan and Chris.

Being Driven and Calm

ecclI have a friend who is successful and influential in his field.  He owns a growing company, but he never seems that stressed out about it.  I have seen him walk through some serious trials with it all, and he still remains rather calm.  In other words he is driven but calm.  I get the driven part, but not always the calm.  I asked him how he stays laid back in the midst of it all.  His answer, “I read Ecclesiastes at least once month.”

So this morning, outside of my normal personal worship routine (which of course is examen.me) I read the whole book of Ecclesiastes in one setting. It was very refreshing.  It puts the pursuits in this life into perspective.

In life there is vanity, wisdom, folly, toil, hard work, fleeting joys, and a time for everything.  But even through the writer of Ecclesiastes seems to ask many more questions that he answers, I love how the book is ended.

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Eccl 12:13-14

May that be true with my life.

Image [damianromero]

My Soul Finds Rest

This is not a new song, but it has ministered to me like crazy this morning. I played it over and over again to remind  my heart and my mind that God alone is the source of my rest.

May your soul find rest in our great God.

Fill in the Blank:

If I chased after God as much as I chased after ________, I would know him more.

Hard question to ask your self.  Life changing to answer.

Fill in the blank.