I’ve been introducing a new song in the last few months, and it seems appropriately timed as we find ourselves calling out to God for help in this difficult season. May it be a prayer that comforts and strengthens you!
read moreThis is isn’t exactly the title of my most recent sermon, but it is what happened! My passage was in John 15, around the theme of Jesus’ invitation to “abide in me”, and, well, since those exact words are tattooed across my arm, I couldn’t resist. Click below to hear how it all went down… “At Home with God” Also, here are my sermon notes if you’d like to follow along:...
read moreWEEK 4 / Jan. 26-31 “Jesus’ Proclamation” Read Luke 4:16-21 As you imagine this scene and hear the words Jesus declares about his purpose and mission, what stands out for you? What are some of the feelings the hearers of this proclamation might have experienced in this moment? As you follow Jesus into this new year, in what ways might you be a part of his plan to: Proclaim good news to the poor? Proclaim liberty to the captives? Give recovery of sight to the blind? Set at liberty those who are oppressed? Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor? Read Mark 1:16-20 Imagine you are one of those called by Jesus to “follow me”. What do you feel as you hear his words addressed to you? What draws you to follow Jesus? What fears arise within you? End your prayer time by bringing all these feelings and thoughts to God. Entrust this new year to him. Reaffirm your need for his Spirit and strength to guide and help you as you follow him. Recommit to depend on him as you step out into the uncharted waters of the future. Keep your eyes on him as you pray this prayer of commitment and intention: I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing: I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen. (John Wesley’s “Covenant...
read moreWEEK 3 / Jan. 19-25 “Jesus’ Temptation” Read Matthew 4:1-11 Imagine you are looking on from afar… What do you notice about Jesus before Satan comes to tempt him, during the temptation and after the temptation? When the temptations are over, imagine yourself going over and speaking to Jesus. Journal your interaction with Jesus. What do you say, and why? How does Jesus respond to you? Close with pondering the words of this poem: “Stones into Bread” (by Malcolm Guite) The Fountain thirsts, the Bread is hungry here The Light is dark, the Word without a voice. When darkness speaks it seems so light and clear. Now He must dare, with us, to make a choice. In a distended belly’s cruel curve He feels the famine of the ones who lose He starves for those whom we have forced to starve He chooses now for those who cannot choose. He is the staff and sustenance of life He lives for all from one Sustaining Word His love still breaks and pierces like a knife The stony ground of hearts that never shared, God gives through Him what Satan never could; The broken bread that is our only...
read moreWEEK 2 / Jan. 12-18 “Jesus’ Baptism” Read Matthew 3:13-17 Read through this passage, keeping in mind the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, who as a child grew up as one who was conceived out of wedlock. Ponder these questions with the Lord in prayer, journaling your responses: What must it have been like to grow up among the whispers, condemnation and ridicule of others? What do you think God’s words, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased, “ meant to Jesus? How do you think they made him feel? What are the words you long to hear from God? Spend some time listening for the still small voice of God. Pondering where your God may lead you in this coming year, pray this prayer as a reminder of God’s purposes for you: God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. I shall do good, I shall do His work. (Cardinal...
read moreINTRODUCTION: “START WITH JESUS” Four weeks to reconnect and reset our relationship with Christ Welcome to a new year! The fresh hope of potential, growth, success… there’s something special about a chance for a clean start. Anything and everything seems, at the very least, possible. This is why almost half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year. The problem is that when we find ourselves setting goals, we aim too low… or to a height we can never realistically achieve… or maybe in the wrong direction altogether. So that’s why, at the very beginning of 2020, I invite you to start with Jesus by embracing the spirit of new beginnings together with Christ’s offer of abundant life. I’ve created four devotionals for each of the four weeks of January (with adaptations from Larry Warner’s book Journey with Jesus – a modern interpretation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius). These devotionals are designed to be experienced near the beginning of the week (Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday preferably) to give adequate time to process and live out these invitations. They will be posted here each Sunday around noon for the week ahead. The devotionals themselves are only designed to take 20-30 minutes, so there’s lots of room to fill in the week with your usual devotional practices on other days. There’s also a beautifully designed web version of all four devotional, done by our church’s stellar Communications Director, Amanda Buda. It can be accessed HERE. As you stand looking at the New Year and a fresh start, we hope you’ll join us in saying yes to Jesus’ invitation to “come, follow me.” On the journey with you! Justin Devotional Instructions: Find a time to sit down for thirty minutes or so in a comfortable, quiet, undistracted place – preferably in the early part of each week. Have your Bible and journal handy as you prepare for each week’s devotional. Start your time with a few, calm breadths to still your heart and mind. Ask God to help you focus on Him. As you meditate on these various passages of Scripture, focusing on the life of Christ, be aware of what draws you to Christ, challenges you, amazes you or gives you pause. Take time to journal about and ponder these internal movements. Feel free to use the audio accompaniment as a guide, as well. Each week’s devotionals includes a recorded version of the readings, prompts, and prayers – with moments of space in between for your own reflection. Evening Reflection Questions: In addition to these four weekly devotions, consider asking these questions of the Lord at the end of each day. Take a few moments of silence, offering these questions before God and noticing what He brings to mind… How and when did you experience Immanuel (God with you) today?When were you aware of your love for Jesus today?When did you “follow Jesus” in your relationships, circumstances, reactive and proactive responses, and actions? * Tips for “Imaginative Reading” Many of these devotionals center around a passage of Scripture that you’re encouraged to meditate on and read “imaginatively”. What that entails is taking the time to read the passage very slowly, and maybe a few times over, imagining the scene unfold before you. This is a Spirit-infused, God-directed use of your imagination that...
read moreHave you ever felt grief over the past? Do you sometimes long for things to be back to the way they were? In this sermon, I walk us through some of these feelings as the Israelites experienced them in Ezra 3:10-13. It’s a dramatic passage highlighting the tension between joy and loss. Even as we may experience sorrow about the past, God desires us to embrace the new things He is doing in our lives. Are you ready? “New Beginnings” The sermon outline is below. Click HERE for the full manuscript. The Outline Sermon Text: Ezra 3:10-13 1. God Brings New Beginnings (v. 10-11) a. Ezra 1:2-3 b. Zechariah 4:10 2. New Beginnings Bring Goodbyes (v. 11-12) 3. New Beginnings Bring Hope (v. 13) a. John 2:19-21 b. John 4:21-23 c. Revelation 21:3-5 d. Isaiah...
read moreBonjour! THANKS AGAIN to so many of you who supported our mission trip to France through financial contributions, advice, language help, and prayers. Kennedy and I had an amazing time! We started off the week serving at The Chateau by starting a fire. Literally…I helped start a fire. Our team was set to gather for our first meeting of the week, and my man-skills were called upon to light a bonfire and prep for a BBQ dinner. After many attempts, it did finally get going and all was well (thanks, Dad, for passing down your Eagle Scout knowledge!). We pulled together an awesome spread, ate well, and began the week sharing and praying together – and I led a few worship songs with a borrowed guitar. The next day, the Chateau Director and I headed to a motel for immigrant refugees. We met with, shared the Gospel with, and prayed with, several people from various countries. One of the men wanted to say a prayer and put his trust in Jesus for the first time! We were also able to encourage an entire family (who gathered around us with interest and questions) to consider how Jesus was looking after them with His love. It was a moving moment. A German youth group was headed to The Chateau for the week, so we prepped things and greeted them the following day. Our main job those first few days was laundry and making sure every bed was set up correctly for the guests. I also had the privilege of hunting for tools in a century old shed and fixing a broken bunk bed! The team and I also began rehearsals for our musical performance, and it was a joy to get Kennedy in on the hand-drum for the first time ever and plan out some rich harmonies with one of the Summer Interns. Our street performance on Friday night was an adventure, for sure! It was the night of “Fête de la Musique” (“World Music Day”) in France, and so there were performers on every corner. We bounced around a bit and had the chance to declare in a fun, loud, and public way that we “saw the light”, that God “restores every heart that is broken”, and to sing; God, “build Your kingdom here!” The following Sunday morning, I had the chance to join the worship team at the church meeting in The Chateau. I was all prepped with the guitar and sound system, ready to join the band, and then realized a few moments before that the chord charts are all in FRENCH, of course! I had to transpose from French to English on the fly and create this fancy cheatsheet to get me through… In some of our spare time, we were able to take in a Saturday morning street market and tour a few old churches, marveling at the ancient architecture, the stained glass, and the mysterious underground crypts. We talked about what early Christianity must have been like in those days and also paused to consider where God’s Spirit might be moving next. Our last few days at The Chateau were filled with laundry once again (where I learned how to correctly fold a fitted-sheet – don’t tell my wife! – and run it though an...
read moreHello, friends and family! We’re excited to share about our mission this summer: Our third-born child, Kennedy, has been taking French lessons, will be graduating from high school and majoring in International Studies this fall, and has an opportunity to practice both of these passions while serving at a Christian conference center (which doubles as a 100-year old castle)! “The Chateau” is a ministry outpost for outreach and soul-care in the French town of St. Albain. Our church has worked with this ministry for many years, and it’s with great anticipation that we step out to partner with the Chateau for a week of outreach this June! WE LEAVE THIS SUNDAY!!! I’ll be joining Kennedy as “designated Trip Leader”, travel manager, and sidekick as we encourage and help the Chateau team through musical outreaches, relationship building, construction projects, hosting ministry guests, and maybe even digging a ditch or two. Our time there will coincide around a local music festival called “fete de la musique”, where we hope to reach out through local church partnerships in creative ways. Here’s a word from Kennedy: “Expanding on what my Dad said, I am taking French lessons and will major in International Studies in college because I have a passion for language and culture. Having already known American Sign Language, I thought it would be a great challenge to learn another language since it fascinates me so much. When my Dad told me about this trip, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to delve into different cultures and learn from their lives and experiences. It was crazy how God presented this opportunity for us with such perfect timing! I think this mission will be an amazing chance to see where this love for language and helping others takes me in my life for the future.” We’ll keep you updated on this page as our trip unfolds… Pray for us; that God will grow us and use us to share His love to many! Thanks so much for being a part! Justin &...
read moreI’m grateful and honored to be a contributor to this season’s issue of Worship Leader Magazine. It’s been a passion of mine to encourage worship leaders in their shepherding, pastoring, and formational callings. My inclusion in the magazine all started with a surprise phone call from an old friend; David Bunker. I was signed to a record label that David worked with back in the day. We’d had some rich ministry memories over the years, and it was encouraging to hear his voice – a blast from the past! David had been following my work with worship leaders and as a spiritual director, and he challenged me to write about the intersection of those two ministries. My first step in tackling a writing project like this was to do a quick Google search on “spiritual direction and worship leading” to see what others were saying about the topic. Well, to my utter astonishment, guess who was listed on the front the page of the internet? Me. Believe it or not, it seemed I might’ve already been an expert, a primary voice on the matter…and I didn’t even know it! I set to work right away fleshing out the ideas, concepts, and practical advice floating around in my head, and with David’s continued encouragement, a few articles began to take shape. I was grateful to get rich input and suggestions from colleagues at Biola University who’d studied with me and from other worship leaders in my community. The resulting articles formed three blog posts, available on this site. David had begun working with Worship Leader Magazine as a guest-editor, and he’d mentioned the possibility of including some of this writing of mine in an upcoming issue. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but one hazy, golden-hour evening, out on a restaurant patio in Ojai with a longtime surfer buddy, a text came through from David with the news… “Justin, I believe you have something important to share. Darlene Zschech, Rory Noland, John Michael Talbot, Carolyn Arends, and Ruth Haley Barton are IN! Are YOU?” I was so overwhelmed by the weight of these well-known names all strung together that it took me several minutes to even realize what he was talking about… Oh, the magazine! Yes! Of course I’m in! *raising-hands emoji* It truly is a huge honor to be included in this company of leaders, authors, spiritual directors, and musicians. I’m thankful to Chuck Fromm, David Bunker, and Worship Leader Magazine for inviting me in and for believing my experience in practice could contribute to this important conversation. The intersection of spiritual formation and worship is a place of deep soil, the spot where real growth happens. I’m looking forward to all that God can do in and through us as we continue to cultivate the ground here and plant seeds for generations to come! Log in to read the article...
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