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Worship Ministry - August 2024

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He Knows My Name

There is a well-known song from the early 2000s that has always struck a chord with me. It's a simple truth, yet it is also mind-blowing when you take a moment to digest it. It’s a song I remember fondly from childhood, my early days as an adult, and my first years of ministry. The chorus goes something like this:He knows my name

He knows my every thought
He sees all those tears that fall
And He'll hear you when you call
“He Knows My Name” by Tommy Walker

Have you ever had the chance to meet someone famous or meet your hero? When I was in 8th grade my family and I had the opportunity to go to the FedEx Forum in Memphis and see Third Day (at their peak) and The David Crowder Band (just getting started) in concert. It was made an extra special night because someone had gifted us meet-and-greet tickets to meet the bands. This was also during the height of my mom's fight with terminal cancer, so it was a much-needed reprieve.

When you get the chance to meet a well-known person, you tend to go in with some preconceived ideas about them and what they are going to be like. This night was no different! Third Day was on top of the Christian music world and they were heroes in my young mind. I expected them to be wonderfully kind and loving Christian people, which they were but didn’t reach my exceptions for them. They were kind enough to talk to us, but it felt like they didn’t want to be there, that they didn’t care to be meeting us. That this was a waste of their time. It was disappointing!

On the flip side, The David Crowder Band was so happy to be there. They were excited to talk to us and took time to engage us in a personal way. David (yes we are on a
first-name basis hahaha) even took the time to call my mother on his phone because she was in the hospital at the time. It left an impression on me that someone of his stature would give his time away like that.

How mind-blowing then to think that the God of all things, creator of all things, the Holiest of Holies, knows YOUR name!! Not kinda sorta knows who you are, but intimately knows every part of you that makes you...you. He knows your hurts. He knows your pain. He knows your needs. He listens when you call to Him. He knows your days, here on earth and for eternity.

“15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:15-16

So the next time you feel alone, tired, afraid, or stressed, remember that our Heavenly Father knows you and “hears you when you call.”

Love you and mean it!

Posted by Evan Gray with

Worship Ministry - July 2024

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Firm Foundation
“Oh, rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
And I'm safe with You I'm gonna make it through
Yeah, I'm gonna make it through
'Cause my house is built on you”
- Firm Foundation (He Won’t)

We are now halfway through the year, I don’t know how cause it seems like January 1st was two weeks ago, but here we are. Not to freak anyone out but Christmas is 26 weeks away (as of writing this)! I know that the new year is the time for self-evaluation, new goals, and new resolutions, but maybe today is a good day to start a new habit. I had a teacher in High School, Don Roe, who would say “You don’t need a New Year's resolution, you need a now-resolution.” I didn’t appreciate that as a tenth grader, but as a 31-year-old I see the wisdom in that statement. It’s easy to make goals and say “I’m going to start that tomorrow.” Tomorrow comes and goes and nothing changes. So, today is the day to begin the good habits, to seek the Lord with renewed vigor, and to make the second half of the year more faithful than the first half.

“24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

A few weeks ago we sang the song “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” and I was convicted of my attitude towards the study of God’s Word. It’s not that I didn’t ever read it, I did, but not with a heart and mind for what it meant and what it was proclaiming. The mighty and everlasting promises of God were not penetrating my cold heart! Not because God’s promises had somehow lost their power and truthfulness, but because I had lost sight of the value of His Holy Word.

The conviction hit even harder when I began thinking of my two children. If I don’t teach them to love God’s Word, if I don’t display a dedication to the study of it and encourage my family to do the same then who is going to? The world sure isn’t!

The rainfall, flood waters and winds of life come and “beat” on our “houses” every day. Some days are more intense than others, but it’s always there! For me, and my family, what is going to prepare us for those hard days that have yet to reveal themselves? The Word of God! It is through His Word that we find His wisdom and strength to care for when life is the most difficult!

So, what “now-resolution” did I make in light of this conviction? I grabbed my Bible and a journal book for the Book of James and began reading and writing the things God was impressing on my heart. I hope to do each book of the Bible so that as my two children graduate High School, I will be able to gift them these journals. Giving them the wisdom of God’s Word, and the testament to their dad's devotion to Christ, His Church, and His Word.

What “now-resolution” do you need to make TODAY? Don’t wait for tomorrow, seek Him today!

Love you and mean it!

Posted by Evan Gray with

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