Dave Harder

The Great Worship Giveaway!

Finally a new new church presentation software has hit the street. And being a pastor who loves technology I can get excited about this stuff and in reality I have to say ITS ABOUT TIME! Thanks Proclaim!

Well, to celebrate the coming release of their software, Proclaim just launched “The Great Worship Resource Giveaway.” They’re giving away more than $25,000 in worship resources to well over 100 winners.

Compared to most giveaways, those are some pretty good odds!

the Proclaim launch, told me they wanted the giveaway to mirror what the software is all about—”giving incredible tools to churches everywhere so they can create better worship services.”

That doesn’t sound like hype to me. Check out these sweet prizes!

• A professionally created website, hosted free for a year from Cloversites.com
• One year of expert video and audio podcasting (apparently a team of A/V professionals actually come to your church and set this up!)
• $100s in gift cards for worship images, music and videos, downloadable music lessons, and more
• An acoustic guitar from Lunar Guitars
• Tickets to some of the premier worship leader and music conferences
• Much more!

It’s really easy to enter.

Just watch the video at Proclaimonline.com. At the end there is a list of ways to enter the giveaway. There are a number of one-time ways to enter and a coupleways to enter every day!

 

 

Another Year With No Change

There's really nothing inherently special about the New Year. Every year I ask myself why do so many people gather in NYC to watch a ball drop and get a kiss from some unexpected stranger at midnight. Sure, the calendar turns over to the next year, but it's really only the next day which turns into the next week which eventually turns into another month and so on. We've placed some sort of magical line of demarcation that rolls around on December 31st at 12:00 a.m. It seems that on the other side of that line there's a road that's clear of everything that's on the backside of that line. It's seen as a fresh start, a new beginning, an opportunity. But it ends up feeling like groundhog day. Every year the same resolutions and every year the same results - little to no change. 

What we often don't realize is that life is really a fresh start waiting to happen whenever we're ready for it. We're not dictated by the calendar, nor does the calendar sweep the obstructions from our lives when the second hand reaches midnight in the wee and fleeting hours of December. We can choose to move toward something new at any time. But lets make that something new what will change us at the core of who we are. May we discover the GOSPEL afresh this Year.

The gospel gives us the humility (I am a sinner - I don’t have all the answers - I am still learning), yet the confidence (I have received Jesus, accepted his sacrifice and have much to give to people and the city), and the courage (I don’t need peoples approval to feel significant, I don’t need a comfy life to feel secure, I don’t need to be surrounded by people just like me) to love and serve those around me.

The Gospel is not just the way we enter God’s kingdom, but the way we thrive within the kingdom. We are not saved through the Gospel and then forced to maintain our salvation through obedience, but the Gospel is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3) and are renewed (Col. 1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through each barrier (Rom. 1:16-17).

The Gospel (Gal. 2:14), renews us spiritually, psychologically, corporately, socially. The Gospel avoids the errors of legalism and liberalism, moralism and relativism, yet it does not produce something in between, but rather something different from them all. The Gospel critiques both religion and irreligion (Matt. 21:31). It shows us a God far more holy than the legalist can bear (Jesus had to die because we could not satisfy God’s holy demands) and yet far more merciful than the liberal can conceive (Jesus had to die because God loves us). The Gospel affects everything...

New way with God - The Gospel moves us from an impersonal “servant” relationship with God to a personal “Father-child” relationship with Him—from a self-centred, fear-based motive to act morally to a love-based desire to delight (and delight in) God.

New way with self - We no longer base our identity on what others think of us—or even what we think of ourselves—but on what God thinks of us in Christ (1 Cor. 4:3-4). The Gospel produces neither an inferiority complex (since God sees us as beautiful in Christ) nor a superiority complex (since we know we are sinners saved only by grace). The transforming power of the Gospel simultaneously produces in us both confidence and humility.

So now we view our problems differently - The moralizing approach to solving problems says, “Repent, you are not living right.” The psychological approach says, “You must accept yourself just as you are.” The Gospel says, “You are relying on something other than Jesus Christ to save you.”

New Way With Others - Through the Gospel we become a new people of God, united to Christ and to each other. Since the Gospel both humbles us and yet assures us that we are loved, we are now free from both envy and pride, both inferiority and superiority. We no longer receive our sense of worth through approval from people or through power over people. This makes our relationships things of beauty driven by love (Gal. 5:6). We neither use people nor are overly dependent upon them; rather we are free to serve, affirm, or confront others—whatever is best for them.

So you may desire to shed some weight but what about choosing a resolution that will change the core of who you are. May you discover that Jesus changes everything!

 

Christmas Reflection

Bono had just returned home, to Dublin, from a long tour with U2. On Christmas Eve Bono went to the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where Jonathan Swift was dean. Apparently he was given a really poor seat, one obstructed by a pillar, making it even more difficult for him to keep his eyes open…but it was there that Christmas story struck him like never before. He writes:

“The idea that God, if there is a force of Logic and Love in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty, in shit and straw a child I just thought: Wow! Just the poetry Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and it’s not that it hadn’t struck me before, but tears came streaming down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this.

Oh, the mercy of God, born in shit and straw, to rescue us from ourselves, our godless gift-giving, and our arrogant disregard for God and for others so that we might know and enjoy him and his new creation forever. 

 Will you ponder the poetry of Christmas this year, the genius of the incarnation? What obstructions are in your path to dwelling on the vulnerable, inexhaustible power and love of God in Christ? Renounce them and rivet your attention on the Christ.

Excerpt taken from Bono: in conversation (New York: Riverhead Books, 2005), 124-5.

 

Media Mondays

Great to see what is happening with Autumns Canon... such a great up and coming band. 

Here is one of my favourite hymns remixed...

02 Be Thou My Vision by PageCXVI

I saw this a few years back but need the reminder of the fight...  because of His love God pursues and fights for us. 

 

 

Just Some Stuff I Found

The family just returned from an amazing week away in the sand and surf and when I am on vacation I love to catch up on the trends. Since my purchase of the ipad this makes the task so much easier. Here are a few that caught my attention:

• Forbes article by Edward Hess: “All growth creates risks that need to be managed.”
• Wired article: “Amazon sells more E-books than hardcovers.” I was one of those skeptics that thought this would never happen but since my first digital download I am no longer a skeptic. The world is going digital people!!
• From TechCrunch: “Netflix is smart to realize that the future is streaming.”And they will be in Canada in the fall... so exciting!
• Ed on Canada: "51% say they would be willing to study the Bible if a friend asked them to"
• Art of Manliness: Admit it men we need help... here is the help you have been waiting for.
• Two Kinds of Schooling: As I prepare for our school in the fall Seth endorses our direction.
• To end it off a powerful tune from The Boss himself. Seems like his inspiration was Isaiah 58:6-12. What are you doing "with these hands"?

Loss and Love

I have to say I absolutely love the way God calls us to live. He invites us to take His presence, His Kingdom wherever we go and when we are awakened to that reality things happen... God things happen. I don't know where you are at in your views of church and this Jesus life but God calls us into this way of living that is way more exciting than sitting in a church service listening to some dude talk... the church is real, active, alive, risky, present in every area of life. In Ephesians 1:15-23 Paul talks about this power available to those who believe - His Church - that has this task to "fill everything in every way."

I have this pastor friend Darren Milley and we both claim the local Starbucks as our office and when we are together pretty cool things tend to happen. Yesterday we were chatting about God, church and life and a beautifully spirited 20 year old said "I heard you are priests can I sit down and ask you a couple questions?" Sure grab a seat!

She then went on to explain how the teen that died in a car crash was her friend and she proceeded to ask "Where is God when it really hurts? I mean how could God let something like this happen to such a great person?" What do you say in those moments? Do you try to say the perfect thing or give the right answer? Talk talk talk talk to avoid the question, give a deep theological rant or say I don't know... WHAT?

I love that God does not ignore the cries of the broken and afflicted. He says "When you cry out to me I will listen." So we simply joined her in her loss and reaffirmed her pain and said God was present. Whatever you are feeling is OK and in that place tell God, be open to Him, share your feelings because He is sitting with you, fully present, grieving with you and in that place we can find hope.

Yes bad things happen all around us, pain and suffering are part of life. Since the fall in the garden things are not the way they are suppose to be... but in that place God cares and responds "I am so sorry for your loss". He cares so much about His creation that he makes this announcement that through Jesus I am going to make right ALL that sin made wrong. Side Note - SIn has been reduced to personal moral failure and its more than that, much more than that... Sin is everything not the way it is suppose to be. Sin is ALL that is broken. This includes relationships, abuse of money, power, the creation around us, you and me... Everything.

So we continued saying "in the midst of loss it is easy to focus on what you don't have, the loss can consume you and in that dark place we can miss what we do have, GOD." He is present with you... listening, being, embracing. In your pain go to HIM! And then I asked the question "in all the pain surrounding this loss, have you seen God?" She lit up and began to tell us where He was in all this. She talked about her sister, Dad and how she is finding Him present. Hope was restored!

I am reminded of two people in the Bible who had two different responses to loss. Naomi she losses her husband and two sons and she says "Call me Mara, because the almighty has made my life very bitter."(Ruth 1:20) Mara is the hebrew word for bitter which began to define her life. Job had a different response to pain and loss... He would not let bitterness in but chose to see that God is good in-spite of all the loss around him. Don't let bitterness come in, but like the Psalmist says, "you have allowed me to see many troubles but you will restore me again." In my place of brokenness God I turn to you to put everything, all the pieces back together. You are my Hope.

In the end she sympathized with the parents on that street with little children who were at risk, she hopes the message of don't street race sinks in, that the good in his life will continue to be remembered, and she prays his close friends find the hope she is beginning to find. 

I love these moments God brings our way where we get to join Him in putting the world back together. A small conversation allows me to walk out of Starbucks with this deep sense of purpose that I am with Jesus on His mission. May you leave the walls of church and begin to be his living hope in the world.

Book of Eli

 
Last night I watched Book of Eli for the second time and I have to say that it has raised the bar for faith based movies. Spiritually I have been in a bit of a funk all week and this movie spoke to my heart and rocked me out of my spiritual lull. I am inspired!

When the screen faded to black and the credits began to roll, I sat frozen in my seat. My mind was reeling from the one-two punch of the movie’s spiritual theme and a stunning plot twist delivered just before the finish... that makes sense of everything!

The story is set in the future against a bleak, monochromatic backdrop. Lawless bands of scavengers roam the land where justice is administered at the sharp edge of a machete.

Such a setting leads to some intensely violent showdowns between good-guy Eli (Washington) and the hordes of villains with tattered clothes and shredded morals.

It has been 30 years since the “flash,” and Eli has been walking westward the whole time carrying little more than a Bible, an iPod, a pair of battered sunglasses, a small arsenal — machete, sawed-off shotgun, automatic pistol, bow and arrows — and a peace that surpasses all understanding.

When we meet Eli, he is crossing the desolate landscape on a mission to deliver a Bible. He doesn’t know exactly where he’s taking it, but he’s certain he’ll know the place when he finds it. He is simply trusting the voice of God...

Meanwhile, he reads his precious Bible every day and is determined to keep it safe from marauders and thieves.

There is tremendous spiritual depth to The Book of Eli, with metaphors and allegories that allude to Saul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus, the power of the Holy Spirit, hearing God’s voice, the purpose of a prophet, and the nature of scripture.

BUT in-spite of all the spiritual metaphors the violence gives the movie a well-deserved R rating.

Washington is superb as the prophet on a mission, but The Book of Eli is not a one-dimensional movie hinging solely only his marquee name. For me, the movie was shockingly effective in how it delivered deep theological messages in such an unlikely way.

Here were some of the messages that impacted me:

1. We Walk  by Faith Not by Sight. Eli is not affected by the temptations presented to him and he does not flinch in the face of really bad situations. His faith in God's voice is what leads him to accomplish the mission, no matter what comes in his way. 

2. In our consumeristic society we need to fight for gratitude. Even though everything was lost Eli found a way to be grateful for the more important things in life. Companionship, prayer before a meal, water, food and the Bible. I need to be reminded to pause and be grateful for what I have instead of wanting more.

3. The Bible begins as a book you read but somewhere along the way gets in you and you become the Bible that those watching are reading. Eli was bruised and beat up but the word of God was In him, he was the living word!

4. Unswerving Devotion to the Mission. Eli new his calling and was determined God was helping him accomplish that which He called him to do. We spend so much time sitting and waiting but never actually joining God in His redemptive plan for the world. 

5. The Mission is Hard but God gives you the strength to accomplish everything he has called you to do if you trust Him.

I will leave you with this...Early in the movie he falls asleep to Al Green singing "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" 

And how can you mend a broken heart?

How can you stop the rain from falling down?

How can you stop the sun from shining?

What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?

How can a loser ever win?

Please help me mend my broken heart

And let me live again

Gotta Love The 90's

I will often get into conversations with friends reliving the 80's/90's, here is a snapshot of what usually comes up in conversation.

Cool Stuff

Cool stuff going on that you should know about.

New Coldplay EP! - Prospekt's March

Tom's Shoes has a new video

Aaron Keyes- gifted worship leader, and a fresh voice to worship leaders all over the world. Aaron has forgotten more scripture than I can remember. His approach to leading worship is fresh and extremely Biblical. Online Music Videos of the latest hits and avery clean interface

Google SearchWiki - users adjust google search results

The Collide Show - episode 4 - interview with Cameron Ware

And a helpful guide to fontology for upstart designers.

Check out the next Prime Minister competition from CBC, a good friend Michael Crook is running check out Michael’s platform and vote.

Leadership Journal has an interesting pair of articles on their site this week!

One article is about how the attractional model sucks and states that "missional" is the way to go.

The other article, from Dan Kimball, questions whether the missional model is really getting anything doneor if it's just theoretical broo-ha-ha.

What do you think about the MISSIONAL vs. ATTRACTIONAL philosophy?

(what's missional vs. attractional? - read here and here)

It is election time

Ottawa is an amazing place to be during election time. It is impossible to escape the buzz around the city. I encourage all of you to embrace the power to involve ourselves in this democratic decision.

• Dig into the issues.
• Delve into the debates.

Its election time...in Canada.

Canada Day

What an amazing day! We just got the kids to bed after the best Canada Day celebration ever. I was looking back on our experiences in the other cities we have lived and here are my thoughts...

In Calgary or CowTown the city came alive during stampede. I am into cowboys (yes I did grow up on a farm) and country music but lets be serious....

In Vancouver I am not sure what we celebrated, ok Calgary you get points for at least celebrating something.

Today we partied, as every Canadian should, for Canada's 141 birthday. Yes we are in the Nations capital but I realized that everyone needs to celebrate our heritage and our home. We are peacemakers, we are loved throughout the world, and we have great comedy, maple syrup, Tim Hortons, and hockey. I love Canada and today I was especially proud to be a Canadian.

Did you know that on October 27, 1982 this day became officially known as Canada Day instead of Dominion Day?

My heart for Canada today, is the same as is inscribed on our Peace Tower.

Psalm 72:8 (ESV)
May He have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!

Thanks Ottawa for my first REAL Canada day...Happy Birthday Canada.

Canadian Idol

I had the privilege of being a part of Canadian Idol this past week. Michael Jones and I made the trip to Toronto to support our good friend Shaun, and what an experience. It was enlightening to be on "live" television and see really what that meant. In all honesty the word "facade" seems to define it best. From the old non-air-conditioned warehouse, to TelePrompTers, gobs of make up, executive producers telling you when to clap and cheer, it was all so fake... Yet how much of us have bought into it?

We all are so tempted to live our lives the same way. No we don't have TelePrompTers following us around but how much of what we say is rehearsed, are we being real, or is the version of self we present very different than the real us.

The real clincher was the results... I agree Shaun did not have his best performance but he was not the bottom four. So who wins is more about who has more people voting than who is the best artist. Word on the street is some families voted 3500x, wow!

In our world we are still hit with the reality that life is about who has more votes, who is more popular. Life according to Jesus is about finding our security in HIM. Don't buy into the facade lets be individuals who are real and can show the world what "live" tv is really about.

p.s. "You Think You Can Dance" has a way better process where the judges do all the voting until the top ten.