Tenth Dot Ministries » Worship

Mixed-up Priorities

Joe — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:00:25 +0000

The little book of Haggai (pronounced, “Hag-guy”) is just 35-verses long. It’s one of those Old Testament books that’s easy to gloss over because it’s tough to find. And let’s be honest, when’s the last time you thought, “I wonder how the book of Haggai will encourage my walk with God today?” If I hadn’t just had to read it for a seminar class, I’m not sure I would even be telling you about it today!

God is Jealous

Joe — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:12 +0000

If you’re like me, you probably like to think about God, always in the “positives”. You know, God is love, God is merciful, God is kind, God is gracious, God is compassionate, God is comforting and the list goes on. It’s those virtues of God that often get us through the hard days and help us when we feel the fading our own strength.

Who is like God?

Joe — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:00:31 +0000

Who is like God? No one! Think of the greatest human thinker history has given us. Einstein? Lewis? Bieber? (ok…that was a stretch). The point is, the greatest human minds on the planet now and throughout history, can’t even be in the same conversation as their creator God. God is beyond compare. It’s not that He has no equal, He doesn’t even have anyone with whom He can even be compared.

Live like you mean it!

Joe — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:10:36 +0000

I love reading to my kids — it’s such a joy to spend 20-30 minutes with them, before bed, firing up their imaginations and encouraging them to think critically about the things we read. I won’t lie, I also do some voices for them (I have a grand total of about three accents I can do, so if characters get much more complicated than that, I get in trouble!). It’s a lot of fun.

Right now, AJ and I are reading the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. AJ is loving it, and this book has always been one of my all time favorite stories. As a young middle school boy, this book maybe did more to crank up my imagination than any other book I had read prior to that. It’s fantastic with it’s characters — Bilbo, all the dwarves, Gandalph, Gollum, Smaug and a whole list of others.

John 3:16

Joe — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:41:08 +0000

Sometimes in the grind, it’s easy to forget the magnitude of God’s sacrifice.

24/7 Praise

Joe — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:33:39 +0000

My wife and I were recently working through a book together where the author instructed us to write out some key truths for our lives, in powerful, succinct and memorable ways. For example, “I have a great marriage” was a statement that is powerful, succinct and memorable instead of, “My wife Traci is a hottie, I really like being married to her and we enjoy going out on our dates each week etc…” Both are true, but one is much easier to remember.

Then, you are supposed to take those truths and write them out in a journal or on a 3×5 card, every single day so that you continue to focus on and keep those things true. By recounting the fact that I have a great marriage each day, I found myself far more likely to do things that would keep that statement true. I was thinking about my wife more often and focused on being the man God wanted me to be so that our marriage would remain great in His eyes. That daily repetition helped keep our marriage strong.

Jesus is the way

Joe — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 07:00:08 +0000

I was recently preaching a sermon in the book of Hebrews when I came across this passage:

“How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord…” — Hebrews 2:3

(If you’re an insomniac, click HERE to listen to the sermon online)

I had never really thought about the fact that Jesus had announced Himself as a Savior. In fact, I remember a few years ago, reading a book by a guy claiming that Jesus didn’t really teach anything about Himself that would indicate He was God or Savior; that we’ve somehow made that up in the last 2,000 years since Christ walked the earth.

Romans 15:6 (5/5)

Joe — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:00:59 +0000

So that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let go

Joe — Sun, 29 May 2011 07:00:27 +0000

Over the past 15 years of full-time Christian ministry, I’ve often been asked, “what is worship”. I’ve wrestled with the definition a lot. My theological training taught me that worship is ascribing to God the traits, words and actions that are His and express His deity. In other words, it’s recognizing what makes God, God and telling Him.

Who do you worship?

Joe — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 08:00:49 +0000

Who do you worship?

Make sure your attention is on the One who deserves to be worshipped. The One who can heal the sick, give strength to the wounded, bring hope to the hopeless and help to the helpless. Worship the One who can free the slave, give rest to the weary, give life to the dead and bring food and water to the hungry and thirsty. Make sure your eyes are clearly set on the One provides peace, love, mercy, justice and a sufficient grace to all who will depend on Him. May this classic message by S.M. Lockridge help you keep Jesus — God’s One and Only Son — at the center of your day today.