Fun Fridays: Board Gaming News

Board Gaming News from The Dice Tower

Worship Wednesdays: What is Worship (Part 4)

So This is the Forth and Final part of this study on Worship. This time we want to talk about the differences between praise and worship, or is there any difference between the two at all.

So let's start by defining worship again:

worship is defined as reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem.

Now let's define praise:

Webster’s defines praise as to express approval, commendation.

Praise is more concerned with what someone has done, or in our case, what God has done.

Psalm 126 is an great example of praising God for what He has done.

Worship on the other hand focuses more on the worth of the being who is adored. We worship God because of who He is and because of His character. His grace, mercy, omnipotence, omniscience, faithfulness, holiness, etc., are all reasons to worship God.

Now this is not a hard and fast rule as the two are not always so clearly separated. We are often called to praise God for who He is and to worship Him for what He has done, but it is beneficial to remember these to areas of focus when entering into God's presence. God is worthy of worship for who he is and for what he has done.

One more note about praise and worship. You will notice that I haven't mentioned anything about the style or tempo of praise and worship songs. Praise does not mean "fast songs" just as worship does not mean "slow songs" These two terms are not exclusive to music either. It is completely appropriate to want to usher because of who God is and to clean toilets because of what God has done in your life, and vice verse. Remember serving and worshiping are synonymous in the Biblical context.

Managing Mondays: Cranberry Couscous Recipe

Very quick and easy, couscous is a small pasta common in the Mediterranean. This recipe uses fruit juice to cook the pasta instead of water giving it a sweet flavor that pairs nicely with simply seasoned grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

2 cups       white cranberry peach juice
4 tbsp        butter
1/2 tsp       salt
1 1/3 cup   couscous
1/2 cup      dried cranberries
1 tsp          allspice

1. Bring cranberry juice, butter, and salt to a boil
2. stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat for 7 minutes
3. Add dried cranberries and allspice and fluff with fork

This pairs well with grilled chicken (I season mine with just a little salt and pepper).

VLOG 6/22/2012 Brave Legos suck at Minecraft

New VLOG for you all, have a great weekend.

Fun Fridays; Going to see BRAVE

Heading off to see BRAVE in spite of a slight head cold brought on by allergies. I'll probably review it on tonight's VLOG. Have a happy Friday everyone.

VLOG 6/20/2012 The Dark Brave Minecraft Furniture Crystal

Hey so yeah got this done so late last night that I didn't have time to link it. My Allergies are winning yet again.

Worship Wednessdays: What is Worship (Part 3)

So we have looked at the definitions of Worship found in both the Old and New Testaments. So before we move on lets look at our modern definition of the word 'worship'.

Worship (as defined by Webster’s Dictionary)

1. reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence
2. a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
3. extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem

So let's take a closer look at this definition.

Worship is reverence. Are we approaching God with the reverence He deserves? Does our worship reflect that reverence? Now I understand that different cultures and even generations differ on what exactly is reverent behavior, but we can all agree that God is worthy of our reverence, our respect and our admiration (definition c). What we don't want is just definition b. We don't want a form or ritual. Those things aren't bad in and of themselves, but if they distract from loving God or create barriers to God's grace then they are hollow. 

We have to get out of the mindset that if we say certain prayers or sing certain songs God will move, and He will move the way we want Him to. To quote from C.S. Lewis "He's not a tame lion." God responds to a genuine heart regardless of the form it takes. And God responds in His own way and timing not in ours. And perhaps responds is really not the correct term to use. For when we explore scripture we can see that though we worship God, it is God who initiates that worship. 

 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." Jeremiah 31:3

 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4


and of course:


 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

We love, because He first loved us.

VLOG 6/18/2012 Ticket to Brown Air Show Minecraft Couscous Ride

So yeah it's Monday so that means VLOG time:

Managing Mondays: COZI!!!!!

I love COZI!!!

What? You haven't heard about Cozi?

Well, Cozi is a web based calendar program that is design specifically for families. I know there are a lot of calendars out there but this is the first one I've seen that integrates the calendar with individual To Do Lists for each family member, shopping lists, and meal planning w/ recipes.




The thing I like most about it is that you can access it from your computer, android phone and IOS devices (iphones, ipods, etc.). So what does that mean? It means that my daughter can access her chore list on her ipod touch and I can check to see if she has checked things off and then see if they are done to my satisfaction. It also allows her some input when it comes to our grocery shopping as she can add things to the list if she notices we are out of certain item or she just wants me to pick up chips. It also keeps me aware of all our upcoming appointments even when I'm out of the house, making scheduling meetings and appointments much easier.

I know it might not work for every family, but if yours is anything like mine with all our electronic gadgets it might just be the perfect tool to keep you organized.

VLOG 6/15/2012 Minecraft Ninja Air Show Teddybear Taco T-Shirts

So Yeah my Friday VLOG is up

Fun Fridays: I just can't get enough of this!!!

OK so Lego made this official a few weeks ago but hey I'm so excited that I had to share it again.




And of course I can't wait for this:




And hey just in case you missed it:

Hope You All have a great weekend.

VLOG 6/13/2012 Planetside Ninja Teadybears Powerwash Art Merit Smores

SO Yeah it's Wednesday so it's VLOG time. Again please view in YouTube to access the links mentioned in the video. Thanks.

Worship Wednesdays: What is Worship (Part 2)

So last time we discussed what the word worship actually means. This time I want to continue the discussion by looking at the word that is translated as worship in the New Testament.

In the N.T. the word is proskyneo which means “to worship” (Mt. 2:2). It is a variation of proskynei “to fall face down” (Mt 18:26). Does this mean we should all lay face down in our pews and worship God?

I tend to believe not, though there are times when this is an appropriate physical response to God's presence. I do believe that there should be a prostrating or bowing down of our spirits before God. We should always come before God with humility of heart, after all God knows all of our shortcomings even the ones we are not aware of.

So, taken together with the idea that Worship is better defined as Service, our worship or service should spring from a heart that is humble before God and is operating out of an intense love of God. That of course is the core of the matter, it really comes down to the motive within our hearts. Worship rendered before God for any other motive does not follow the biblical model.

VLOG 6/11/2012 Ninja Redbull Wedding Teadybear Smoothies

So Yeah my latest vlog can be watched here or watch it on YouTube for access to the links. Also please subscribe to my blog and/or my YouTube Channel. Thanks.

Managing Mondays: Spinach and Bacon Risotto Recipe

I love risotto, I love bacon, and I love spinach, so why not have it all. This turned out so much better than I thought so I just had to share.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped spinach, cooked
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, grated
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 tbs unsalted butter

1. bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium pot
2. meanwhile render the copped bacon in a large skillet
3. remove bacon from pan and put a side. Add onion, garlic, and rice to bacon fat and cook on Medium heat until rice becomes translucent.
4. add hot chicken stock to rice 1/2 cup at a time, allowing rice to absorb all the liquid before adding more, stirring continually.
5. once all the stock has been absorbed add cooked spinach and 2 tbs of butter. Remove from heat and toss in cooked bacon.

VLOG Delayed due to Bipolar WIFI

So anyway I was all psyched that the hotel had free WIFI but I don't think their internet service provider can handle the bandwidth. Needless to say I will not be uploading a VLOG entry this weekend so expect an extended VLOG when I get back.

F is for Fun!

So here we are the trifecta of our new format "Fun Fridays". Anyway on Fridays we are going to try to keep things a little lighter. I am a self acknowledged geek and as such enjoy many decidedly geeky things. Fridays will be when I get to share some of my favorite geeky things. Wow how many times can I say geek?!?

So anyway I thought I would share some fun stuff I found on YouTube. If you like video games and have ever seen the show House, you might find this amusing.

VLOG for 6/6/2012 Evil Lord of the LEGO Planetside GPS Ring

So Yeah new VLOG

Worship Wednesdays: What is Worship? (Part 1)

So Wednesdays are going to be dedicated to Worship. I thought this would be the day that I share my experiences and insights from being a Worship Leader. I want to keep the posts centered around biblical principles of Worship and how those apply not just to our worship services but in our lives in general. I'll also highlight some great online resources for worship.

So our first question is What is Worship?

Well in a study our worship team did last year we took a look at what worship actually is. What we discovered may surprise you. Most people associate the idea of worship with the music portion of our services and while that is true, it is not the full picture. To truly understand what worship is we need to go back to the actual word in The Word.


In the Old Testament the word for worship is abodah. It means “service” rendered to God. The word happens to have the same root as the term “slave” ebed. Notice there is no mention of music in this definition. So what does this tell us about our worship? To quote from Matt Redman's Heart of Worship "I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within through the ways things appear, You're looking into my heart"

It's deeper than just the songs we sing on Sunday mornings it encompasses all of our service to God. That includes the ushers, the Sunday School teachers, the sound techs, and even the custodian. If they are all doing their jobs as service unto God then they are worshiping.

Every Sunday morning we gather right before service starts to pray as a Worship Team. Most times it is just the singers and musicians along with the Senior Pastor but recently we have tried to include other individuals who are serving that morning. I wish I could include everyone but that's tough to do when they are actively serving or worshiping during our prayer time, but I do pray that God uses them and their worship to point others to Him.

M is for Mondays and Math

So with the start of the new week we are starting our new format. Mondays are now going to be categorized under Managing Mondays, where we will be discussing varrious topics having to do with managing a homeschooling household.We will have various product reviews, recipes, and maybe even some organizing tips.

Anyway I thought I would give a review to one of my favorite subjects: MATH!!!



Spectrum Math 



Spectrum Math was the first math curriculum we used and still remains as one of my favorites, though they are simple workbooks, they are easy to understand with plenty of problems to reinforce concepts being taught. Best of all they are fairly inexpensive and can be found in many office supply and discount department stores.If you are looking for an affordable way to homeschool, Spectrum is definitely the way to go.

Oh BTW they also make Phonics, Reading, Writing, Language Arts, Science, Geography, and many other workbooks as well.

VLOG ffor 6/3/2012

Just uploaded a VLOG entry on YouTube

It's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So anyway, If you haven't noticed we have a new layout for the blog. Please let me know what you think. We also have a new title, not that I didn't like "A Full Time Job", but I think "Dwelling Among the Tents" is more in line with what this blog is really about, or at least what I want it to be about.

So the new title comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible, Genesis 25:27 to be precise, where it talks about Jacob and his brother Esau. It refers to Jacob being a man of peace dwelling among the tents the word peace here means literally "complete" and that is how I feel about my life "among the tents" as it were. I'm at a point in my life where I am comfortable in my own skin, mostly because I find my identity in the God I serve.

So the blog is going to become more of a reflection of that, So to that end, starting next week I will be implementing a new schedule with a little more regular content (I already have a few entries cued up as it were). So without further ado here is what the schedule will consist of:

Mondays - Focusing on homeschooling, organizing and cooking, basically managing my life.

Wednesdays -Worship related stuff, makes sense as I will be gearing up for worship team practice aka Thursday Night Training or TNT

Fridays - This will be a kind of potpourri of geek related stuff and overall silliness.

I will of course continue to blog about random topics as the mood strikes but the minimum will be those three days a week.

Also I'm thinking about starting a vlog on YouTube that would be kind of like a weekly wrap-up.

Anyway I think I have rambled enough for now. Please leave any comments below (I do moderate them so they will not appear right away) also if you wish you can follow me on twitter @NearyKeith.