Bob Kauflin has a list of the top ten ways to write bad worship songs:

1. Aim to write the next worldwide worship hit.
2. Spend all your time working on the music, not the words.
3. Spend all your time working on the words, not the music.
4. Don’t consider the range and capabilities of the average human voice.
5. Never let anyone alter the way God originally gave your song to you.
6. Make sure the majority of your songs talk about what we do and feel rather than who God is and what he’s done.
7. Try to use as many Scriptural phrases as you can, and don’t worry about how they fit together.
8. Cover as many themes as possible.
9. Use phrases and words that are included in 95% of all worship songs.
10. Forget about Jesus and what he accomplished at the cross.

HT. Justin Taylor

Today (Monday) we set out early to travel to a pension in Bruck an der Mur. Refugees tend to be dispersed throughout Austria while waiting for their decision, and are often housed in run down pensions. This one was once the station hotel, but now looks very tired indeed.

N*n* and friends load up the car with clothing.

We drove around 100 miles, the latter half  of which was through some of Austria’s rather stunning mountain motorways which wind around the hills and mountains and regularly pass through long motorway tunnels.

The reason for the journey was to deliver a car load of clothing for the Refugees housed in the pension. Having made our delivery and met the FCR representative for the region (Augustine) N*n* chatted to refugees in English, German, French, and Russian before we began the journey back towards Vienna. (Oh to be a linguist!)

Bibles at the Austrian Bible Society.

We drove straight back to central Vienna to collect a load of Bibles from the Austrian Bible Society who have been a great blessing and good friends to Nana’s ministry. This time we collected 450 or so Bibles in English, French and German, along with children’s material in Russian.

I asked N*n* how long these latest supplies would last. “Oh – a couple of months” he replied.

N*n* with the latest precious cargo.

N*n* and the FCR have become very significant distributors of Bibles in Austria. Over the last couple of years the estimate he gave me was 6000 Bibles given to refugees in different languages.

When we got back to the house the Bibles needed to have the sticker identifying the Bible as a gift from the Austrian Bible Society placed inside the front cover, so the front room was turned into a factory for an hour or so while this was done, and even the children helped!

A precious gift from the Austrian Bible Society.

I found myself praying over the Bibles as I placed the sticky label in them. Life is hard for refugees in Austria, but there is an amazing openness to the Word of God. I found myself praying that God would open the eyes of those who read the Bibles that we were preparing to the glory of Jesus Christ.

The story I hear repeated time and again from N*n* is of those who come to Austria and loose everything they count precious and then discover the one who is most precious.

It’s been good to see N*n* and the Family again, and hear what God has been doing in his life. His love for the Lord and passion for the gospel is a great encouragement. I pray that God will continue to bless and provide for his ministry.

I’m looking forwards to being home tomorrow and seeing the family though!

This morning I worshiped with the FCR. N*n* asked me to lead worship. The FCR own a guitar – but no Capo – or plectrum. N*n* Junior had the excellent idea of making one from a phone card – which worked very well! I also spoke on Psalm 78. “…we will tell the next generation, the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

The picture on the left shows Bibles in English, French, German and Russian ready for those coming to worship.

The local government have made a building available for the FCR to worship in which is a wonderful answer to prayer.

A number of refugees have been moved from the camp this week, and I was told that there would have been more present if that had not happened. There were about thirty of us, mainly Africans joined by a few Austrians and a couple visiting from England.

It was good to to be able to praise God together and thank him for his praiseworthy deeds.

The hall set up ready for Sunday worship.

Sunny helps to load up the van with clothing.

Today we have been to Kottingbrumm which is about half an hour away, to collect clothing left over from a jumble sale. What was left seemed to be of good quality and was packed for us into bin bags. N*n*’s car was packed right up to the roof with the bags. There wasn’t room for another single bag! As much as we could carry and no more than we could carry – God is good!

Tomorrow some of the refugees will come after church to help to sort the clothing some of which will go with us when we go to visit refugees in a big Pension in Bruck an der Mur on Monday.

On the Road with FCR

Yesterday I traveled with N*n* and S*t* to visit an Austrian Family. The Fellowship of Christian Refugees is seeking build good relationships with Austrian Families and seeks to share the gospel with them. They call this their Community Impact Programme. The Family in question have a very sick 9 month old baby for and FCR members have been praying for the child and the family.

We traveled for about an hour and a half each way to sit with the family and talk and pray with them.

Thursdays plans changed in the morning, but I was able to serve N*n* by being his driver (he still has no Austrian License) as we did some errands in preparation for the FCR training seminar next week.

Today we go to collect winter clothing which we will be taking to a Refugee Pension on Monday.

Well I’ve arrived in Austria after an interesting trip! I arrived at Paddington at one o’clock this morning to be told that I the underground had finished for the night. So much for the through ticket sold me by First Great Western!

I’d been reading yesterday in Jerry Bridges “Respectable Sins” about the sinfulness of anxiety. He says:

“…when I give way to anxiety, I am in effect, believing that God does not care for me and that He will not take care of me in the particular circumstance that triggers my anxiety of the moment.” (Respectable Sins p64)
 
Being told that there was no way of getting a train to Heathrow in time for my flight gave me plenty of opportunity to put what I had read into practice!

Anyway I now know how to get from Paddington to Heathrow using the night bus service!

Arrived in Vienna in time for a rest before the Wednesday afternoon FCR prayer meeting called “Tower of God” I Shared a brief word from Jonah 2:8  “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Then we spend some time praying for the world and the needs of the various refugees present.

I havn’t figured out how to get pictures onto the blog using the linux operating system of the eee pc yet, and it might have to wait until I am a little less tired!

Tim Challies reviews it here: The ESV Study Bible – A Review :: bible, reviews :: A Reformed, Christian Blog.

For more information, check out the ESV Study Bible page here: Home | ESV Study Bible | Crossway

I’ve been reading Jerry Bridges “Respectable Sins” as part of my devotions. This morning I came across this advice from John Newton.

“[One of the marks for Christian maturity which a believer should seek is] an acquiescence in the Lord’s will founded in a persuasion of his wisdom, holiness, sovereignty, and goodness . . . So far as we attain to this, we are secure from disappointment. Our own limited views, and shortsighted purposes and desires, may be, and will be, often over-ruled; but then our main and leading desire, that the will of the Lord may be done, must be accomplished. How highly does it become us, both as creatures and as sinners, to submit to the appointments of our Maker! And how necessary it is to our peace! This great attainment is too often unthought of, and over-looked; we are prone to fix our attention upon the second causes and immediate instruments of events; forgetting that whatever befalls us is according to his purpose, and therefore must be right and seasonable in itself, and shall in the issue be productive of good. From hence arise impatience, resentment, and secret repinings [i.e., complainings] , which are not only sinful, but tormenting; whereas, if all things are in his hand, if the very hairs of our head are numbered; if every event, great and small, is under the direction of his providence and purpose; and if he has a wise, holy and gracious end in view, to which everything that happens is subordinate and subservient; – then we have nothing to do, but with patience and humility to follow as he leads, and cheerfully to expect a happy issue . . . How happy are they who can resign all to him, see his hand in every dispensation, and believe that he chooses better for them than they possibly could for themselves!” Jerry Bridges “Respectable Sins” p66

Thanks to Sufficient Grace – who saved me typing it out! (Isn’t Google wonderful!) And the picture is John Newton and not Jerry Bridges in case you were wondering!

I’ve been blogging and thinking about the importance of thanksgiving in the Christian life. Here is the next reason why thanksgiving is so important.

Thankfulness means that life can be done “to the Lord” and for his glory. Here is Romans 14:6:

He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Ask yourself this… What can be done to the glory of God?

Can Preaching be done to the glory of God? What about leading worship? Or serving or singing in the local church? Most would answer yes to each of these questions without needing to think for too long.

But here is another question: Can you eat a steak for the glory of God? Or can you read a book for the glory of God? What about watching a film for the glory of God? Now it might depend on the book or the film, but that’s not the point. Can these things be done for the glory of God?

Could it be that a simple act of sincere thanksgiving makes the difference between eating a steak for the sake of your own appetite, and doing so for the glory of God? “He who eats meat” says Paul “eats to the Lord for he gives thanks to God”

So in practice, the discipline of sincerely saying grace, means that God is glorified. Taking a moment to thank God for the imagination of a writer or for the skill of a composer honours God by recognising that these things are gracious tokens of his love too.

To be honest this is a challenge for me. My default mode is so often to simply assume my right to enjoy the good things around me rather than to look for common grace and to seek to live gratefully. God grant me eyes to see the ever present tokens of his benevolence and a grateful heart to thank him.

These thoughts are developed from a sermon preached on our Harvest Sunday this year. You can hear the sermon here.

” John Piper’s latest book, Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ, was published last month. This book offers a penetrating look at what God wants us to know about his sovereignty and Christ’s supremacy in light of sin and tragedy.  Spectacular Sins will bolster your trust in the utter sovereignty of God and strengthen your confidence, preparing you for the inevitable trials to come.

You can now download a 40 minute interview with John Piper on Spectacular Sins.

In this interview, Dr. Piper explains why he dedicated the book to Joseph, what he means when he says that “wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians”, why God allows Satan to live if he’s completely sovereign, and more.”

HT Crossway Blog