Josh Lange

Creating a flow of praise and worship

I had the privilege of preaching at our creative community yesterday about mediating encounters with God. Yes, I did borrow that from J.I. Packer. Anyways, I thought I would share a couple of the artist and their music that taught me about creating a flow of worship. These are some of my favorites.

Delirious - Live and In the Can

Delirious - Cutting Edge

Kevin Prosch - Come to the Light

Kevin Prosch - Reckless Mercies 

Kevin Prosch/Brian Deorkson - Touching the Fathers Heart/Save Us Oh God

Kent Henry - Jeremiah 29:11

March/April - What I’ve been reading and listening to

I’ve been bad about this of late, but I thought I would for go the guilt and share anyways.  I finished A Hunger for God by John Piper and finished the conference audio of Boundaries with Kids by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend.  Both great, but I really enjoyed A Hunger for God.  Still have not started Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp, but planning on it.  

Here’s what I’ve been reading and listening to:

Celebration of the Disciplines - Richard Foster.  A classic and that was part of the idea behind reading it.  I’ve been thinking a lot about the disciplines and found this very informative and challenging.  I listened to the audio, but I want to read it.  

Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know - Wayne Grudem - Good and informative read.

Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books - Tony Reinke - Enjoyed this.  Especially, how the author gives you the gospel and a biblical worldview as your lens for all kinds of reading 

Glorious Ruin - Tullian Tchividjian - A great read.  Tullian Tchividjian is always pointing us back to resting in Christ.  Someone once said you are either be one your way into a storm or on your way out.  With that in mind a good read for everyone.  

Deep & Wide - Andy Stanley.  This guy is a genius and I love his passion for unchurched people.  I also loved the stories about him and his dad.  

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis - Working my way through the Chronicles of Narnia.  I’ve really enjoy this journey.  Still working on this one.  

The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your MInistry - Ajith Fernando - So challenging and see the necessity of building a theology of suffering.  Can’t wait to finish this.  

February - What I’m Reading/Listening to…

Before I get into it let me recommend a book from last month.  Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp.  This was so good, challenging, and insightful. Must read for anyone in ministry.  

A Hunger for God - John Piper.  I finished everything from January, but this.  Still slowly working through this one.  Good read.  

Boundaries with Kids - Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend.  I am actually listening to the conference audio where they taught on this.  I am on disc 2 of 5.  Great stuff.  Plan on getting the book.  

The Bible Eater: A Plan For Feasting on Christ in 2013.  This is my Bible reading plan for this year.  I’ve never used a plan like this before and that’s what made me curious.  You typically read 2 chapters from the OT and 1 from the NT.  You also have a book each quarter that you read through in one sitting.  The best part of this plan is the focus on seeing Christ through the whole Bible.  

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics - Ross Douthat.  I listened to this one.  I really enjoyed this one.  I think I started at the end of January, but finished it just last week.  I learned so much about the history of Christianity in America.  One of the key ideas that stuck centers around this idea that we’ve not become a nation of atheist, but a nation of heretics.  Along these lines Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City said this of the book, “Not only is Ross Douthat’s account of orthodox Christianity’s decline provocative, but his critique of today’s ascendant heresies is compelling. This volume is a sustained proof of Chesterton’s thesis that when people turn from God, ‘they don’t believe in nothing—they believe in anything.’ Everyone who is interested in why the church is faring as it is in U.S. culture today needs to get this book.”  

Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens - Paul David Tripp.  Looking forward to this because I just finished Dangerous Calling. 

What I am currently reading/listening to - January

Dangerous Calling - Paul David Tripp.  The title really does say it all as he tackles all of the unique challenges that we face in pastoral ministry.  Super challenging and convicting.  I am actually listening to this one and I am about 3/4 of the way through.  

Center Church - Tim Keller (Just finished this one.  A carry over from 2012).  Loved this.  Everyone pastor at every level should read and reread this book. 

Lead Small - Reggie Joiner and Tom Shefchunas.  Loved this.  Reggie, is so great at getting right to the heart of things.  I think this will be a great resource for us in Uptown Kids.  (Finished)

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia.  I just started getting into reading fiction and I am discovering that books like this help me see God is a greater way.  (Finished)

A Hunger for God - John Piper.  Every year our church start the new year with a period of prayer and fasting.  I am reading through it to better understand fasting and also as a great devotional tool.  

Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture - Mary E. Demuth.  Interesting to read.  It is definitely helping me to better understand Postmodernity.  I like how she pushes you to a place of trusting Jesus more than methods and also intentionality in parenting.  (Around half way through this one).  

Had to post the rest of this prayer

I found this on the New City Catechism App and found it so powerful. As taken from the app New City Catechism was adapted by Timothy Keller and Sam Shammas from the Reformation catechisms. Copyright © 2012 by Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

Lord, here am I; do with me what thou pleasest, write upon me as thou pleasest: I give up myself to be at thy dispose…. The ambitious man giveth himself up to his honours, but I give up myself unto thee;…man gives himself up to his pleasures, but I give up myself to thee;…man gives himself up…to his idols, but I give myself to thee…. Lord! lay what burden thou wilt upon me, only let thy everlasting arms be under me…. I am lain down in thy will, I have learned to say amen to thy amen; thou hast a greater interest in me than I have in myself, and therefore I give up myself unto thee, and am willing to be at thy dispose, and am ready to receive what impression thou shalt stamp upon me. O blessed Lord! hast thou not again and again said unto me…‘I am thine, O soul! to save thee; my mercy is thine to pardon thee; my blood is thine to cleanse thee; my merits are thine to justify thee; my righteousness is thine to clothe thee; my Spirit is thine to lead thee; my grace is thine to enrich thee; and my glory is thine to reward thee’; and therefore…I cannot but make a resignation of myself unto thee. Lord! here I am, do with me as seemeth good in thine own eyes. I know the best way…is to resign up myself to thy will, and to say amen to thy amen.

Thomas Brooks (1608–1680). An English Puritan preacher, Brooks studied at Cambridge University before becoming rector of a church in London. He was ejected from his post, but continued to work in London even during the Great Plague. He wrote over a dozen books, most of which are devotional in character, The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod (from which this prayer is taken) being the best known.

From “The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod” in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, edited by Rev. Alexander Balloch Grosart, Volume 1 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1866), 305–306.