Biblical reflections and resources for thoughtful worshipers and worship leaders
Called to Worship – Issue #19 A fellow seminarian shared an account from growing up on a sheep farm. Sheep are dumb animals and my friend sometimes struggled to get the sheep to follow his commands. When he had a particularly reticent sheep, Jim and his brothers would tie the sheep up behind a …
[Read more...] about Following Jesus: 5 Reasons to Be Like a Sheep
Called to Worship - Issue #18 by Phil Mershon This is your post! I've written 17 posts to date. Some of them were relatively popular and some of them were barely read. I have my suspicions for why this might be. However, I'd like to hear from you. To make this easy I have created a short survey …
Called to Worship – Issue #17 by Phil Mershon Have you heard this joke? A burglar breaks into an empty house. He's carefully stowing away his newfound treasures when he hears a voice, "Jesus is watching you." Startled, he looks around for the source. Not seeing anyone he continues looting the …
[Read more...] about Jesus is Watching You: Gospel Reflections on Isaiah 53
Called to Worship – Issue #16 by Phil Mershon The terms of God's covenant with Israel could not be clearer: obey God's commandments and you will be blessed; disobey and you will be cursed. More specifically, you will either gain or be denied the presence of God based on your covenant fidelity. …
[Read more...] about Spelunking and the Gospel: Digging into our heart’s responses to God’s call
Called to Worship – Issue #15 by Phil Mershon ****WARNING: This post is longer than usual, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee for this chat!! **** I hate moving. I've moved 18 times in the last 20 years—12 of them while married. I think I'm qualified to say something negative about moving, …
[Read more...] about Grace on the Move: 7 Life Lessons Learned from Moving
Called to Worship – Issue #14 by Phil Mershon I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? Psalm 121:1 Pop theologian Whitney Houston asks the following questions: Where do I go? When there's nobody else to turn to Who do I talk to? When nobody wants to listen Who do I lean …
[Read more...] about Where Do I Go for Help: Reflections on Psalm 121
Called to Worship – Issue #13 by Phil Mershon Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4) Outside of the Apostle Paul, there is perhaps no greater conversion story than that …
[Read more...] about God’s Kindness Leads to Repentance: John Newton’s story
Called to Worship - Issue #12 by Phil Mershon We're moving into a new house this week. We've recently painted every wall and ceiling in the house—even the basement floor. Today I will add the last coat to the basement and we'll be ready to move in. After many hours of painting, I realize most of …
Called to Worship – Issue #11 by Phil Mershon "He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve" Psalm 103:10 Pastor C.J. Mahaney loves to catch people off guard. When asked the familiar "How are you?" while standing in line at Starbucks, his favorite response is, "Better than I deserve." He means God …
