Before I learned the Roman Numeral system I had to memorize changes or to transpose manually count up/down for each chord.  In this 5 minute video I show you how Roman Numeral system can be used to  quickly transpose songs.  For more on this subject download my Theory I article and Theory I worksheet.

Have you ever been desperate for something?  Direction.  An answer.  Love.  Peace.

When I was in high school I dated a girl for about a year and half.  One day, seemingly out of the blue, she broke up with me, but didn’t give me a reason.  I remember being heartbroken the way only a 17 year old boy can be, but not having a reason made the pain worse.  The more time passed, and I didn’t receive an answer, the more desperate I became until I HAD to find out what had happened!  To make a long story short, I did everything I knew to do.  I talked with her family, I talked with our youth pastor, and finally after months I said to her (my words now), “This is ridiculous, I’ve got to know what happened.”

Have you ever been desperate for God to do something in your life or situation?  Direction. An answer. Love. Peace

The mom in Matthew 16 was this desperate.  Wouldn’t you be if your child was demon possessed?  So she does the only thing she can do.  She runs to Jesus.  Jesus responds that he was “sent to help God’s lost sheep–the people of Israel.”

I wonder if she was expecting that response.  Sometimes in life the solution to our problem doesn’t come as easily as we thought it was going to.  Can you relate to that?  I think that’s what God wants.  He is forming us to run a marathon, not a sprint.  In a sprint you only need to last seconds.  In a marathon you need to last hours.

The mom in our story comes to Jesus and worships again.  But Jesus puts her off again saying, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”  Wow, another unexpected response.

It’s at this point in the story that you and I give up.  We feel rejected, mad, upset, offended…fill in the blank.  But this is where desperate faith kicks in for this mom.  When you have nothing else–when Jesus is truly your only answer–desperate faith says push in again.  Jesus will come through!

The mom replies, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table.”  Keep in mind she is the dog in this story!  What humility!  What desperation!  What honesty!  Jesus, all I need is a crumb.  A crumb from you will satisfy me.

What faith…what persistence. It’s not until we become truly desperate to see God work in our lives or our loved ones that he will.  We need to learn the discipline of pressing in to God, holding on to God, not letting go of God.

Desperate faith!

Is it just me or does the Bible seem confusing at times?

In this passage we read that John the Baptist, who was in prison, sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah.  However, just a few chapters earlier, John the Baptist is the one who baptized Jesus, prophesied about Jesus being the Messiah, and was there when God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; in Him I am well pleased.” (Matt 3)

This has always left me scratching my head a little.  After seeing all this, why didn’t John the Baptist know who Jesus was?  It could be that John thought, as every other Jew of this time, that Jesus was going to come as King to conquer the Roman government and reestablish the nation of Israel.

So, when John was imprisoned by Herod he was probably thinking, “No big deal. The Messiah’s here.  I’ll be out of here in no time.”  Then the days turned into weeks, into months.  As he sat in prison, he waited.  Then waited.  Then waited!  Reports had gotten back to John of the miracles Jesus was performing.  So, he sends his disciples to ask the question…are you really the Messiah or should we look for someone else?

This should have a familiar ring to it.  You and I are like this.  Opportunities don’t work out as planned.  Crisis strikes.  The big account is lost.  Prayers go “unheard”.  Promises are delayed.  We pray for healing, but we’re still sick.  We are left to doubt whether God really spoke to us — whether His promises will come true.

Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples is the key. Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

Jesus is saying, “It may not look the way you think it should; things may not be happening just as you thought, but my results speak for themselves.  You thought I was coming for immediate results and redemption, but my plan is for redemption for eternity.”

God’s ways are mysterious.  There will be times when we are unsure what to think.  However, there is one constant in all things: when you don’t understand His ways, you can always trust His heart!

Are you getting the picture?  David wasn’t perfect!  Yet, what is the difference between David and Saul?  Why was Saul rejected and David exalted?  Why was Saul refused while David was used?

David knew one important thing: God is the God of the “re.”  You see, David knew God’s mercies are never-ending.  And even though it’s a New Testament phrase, David knew where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds even more.

God is the God of the “re.”
REbuilder
REnewer
REformer
REfiller
REvitalizer

Where have you found yourself today?  Has disaster hit?  Are the waves crashing?  Are you caught in a riptide of sin or circumstance?  Are you stuck in the mud; seized by the sludge in the pond of life?

Our God gives a way of escape!

I recently wrote song called Let Faith Arise (lyrics below) that is the culmination of 5 years of experiences in ministry, books I’ve read, and personal growth.  One would think by the title that it’s a song about faith.  That is not entirely true.  The song is a prayer for faith to arise in the heart of the church as they gather together (and especially in corporate worship).

Over the past 5 years I’ve read a couple books and listened to a few sermons from Jack Hayford that have served as the foundation for this idea.  His thoughts on worship have convinced me that the singing portion of worship is intended to play a bigger role in corporate worship than we sometimes allow.  I’m not speaking of simply singing more songs or allocating more time in our services towards that, although in some instances that may be necessary.  I’m saying we need to understand that God has given worship to us as an avenue for God’s presence to enter our lives in a greater dimension.

What I have come to understand over the past few years is that “In the beginning” God created man/woman to have rulership over the earth (that is to say, God gave us the earth to manage -Gen. 1:26-29).  However, the power to manage came from the people’s willingness to be 1) obedient to God 2) humble before God 3) dependent on God and 4) worship God.  When that was broken, because of sin, our ability to manage the earth was also broken.  This is why we have high divorce rates, war, broken governments, broken relationships, and environmental problems.  Worship restores our relationship to God and therefore, our ability to function the way God intended, through His power.  Our ability to manage the earth (i.e., raise godly kids, be good stewards of financial resources, have healthy relationships) flows directly from a relationship with Christ.  Without worship there is no relationship with Christ.

Over the past few years I have some friends whose health has deteriorated.  Our church has prayed for them faithfully for 5 years, however, things have gotten worse.  One day when I was praying for them and some other situations, I prayed the phase, “Let faith arise.”  “Lord, we need faith to arise in us as we gather together to worship You.”  I said this knowing that there are people who come to church who have serious needs (as mentioned above), and only God can help.

As I wrote the lyrics for the verses, four things developed that I believe we need for faith to arise in the church (this is not an all inclusive list; however they are the ones I felt most important).

1. Worship – we need to corporately exalt Jesus
2. Unity (specifically, but not limited to, our worship) – we need to be in unity (Acts 1:14, 2:1).  Division over music and worship styles is crippling the church.  We need unity!
3. Expectancy – we should come ready for God to work miracles among His people.
4. To surrender (lay down our burdens) – burdens weigh heavy on our hearts.  It is sometimes hard to believe God for a miracle when our hearts are heavy.  Surrendering these burdens to God will allow us to apply our faith to God’s sovereignty.

The chorus mentions the kind of faith we need.  A faith to move the mountains, heal the sick, comfort the burdened, etc.  As we worship God in unity, come with expectancy, and lay down our burdens, faith can arise in our hearts to believe for things that would seem impossible.  According to Christ will, our friends can be healed, marriages can be restored, hope can be renewed, and souls can be saved.

Lord, Let Faith Arise!

Verse 1

As we lift up our hands
As we lift up our voice
Let faith arise in us

As we sing with one voice
Unified in our choice
Let faith arise in us

Pre Chorus
Let faith arise in our hearts
Let faith arise in all our hearts

Chorus
A faith that moves the mountains
A faith that heals the sick
A faith that Comforts those who are weary

A faith that brings strength upon us
And hears every promise
I will trust and obey
The author of my faith

Verse 2
As we come with expectant hearts
Left faith arise, Let faith arise in us
Laying down all our burdens now
Let faith arise, Let faith arise in us

In this lesson we show you how to play the electric guitar solo for the song My Choice To Rejoice.  Click here to listen to the song and download a chart.

In this lesson we show you how to play the intro and rhythm guitars, as well as the solo for the song Our God Reigns.

What does it mean when you see a chord that has a 2, 6, 13, or 9 #11 13?  In this lesson we discussion what color is and how to add it to a chord.  While I will be using the piano to demonstrate these chords, the principle applies to any instrument.

In this lesson you will learn how playing just a few common notes through a changing progression can add flavor and color.  As you can hear from the demonstration, the common tones blend well with the rhythm guitar.  While we demonstrated this on acoustic guitars, this works great on electrics.  You can hear many of the common tones arpeggios being played through many of my records.

In this lesson we show how to play through scales using different intervals. This can be helpful in building new licks or soloing.