hope is here

#25

2008-12-09T16:01:00.000-05:00

a Hymn project

2008-10-27T13:30:00.003-05:00

it's here. pre-order now! *just click on the album cover*

2008-10-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

www.mikepassaro.com

I'll soon be closing this blog...I know...disappointing (to both of you that still read this)
so travel through interwebspace to the new site...

romania 2008

2008-06-16T10:34:00.004-05:00

thanks to everyone that prayed for our team while we ministered in Romania. It was very clear that God went before us and prepared the way for the gospel to go into places that desperately needed it. here is a brief highlight video to show you a glimpse of what we got to do and see (see God do really...)

2008-04-24T08:29:00.001-05:00

mikepassaro.vox.com

matthew 8:23-27

2008-02-26T11:36:00.001-05:00

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

If only we knew who He really was. I think it would make a difference.

2008-02-25T08:52:00.002-05:00

a few weeks ago I helped lead worship at a church outside of the Raleigh area. When we were setting up, their sound tech was helping us. He asked, "does anyone need anything?". I replied, "I need a power strip..."

He said, "I'm a sound man, not an electrician..."

I thought, but did not say, "don't worry, I won't ask you to show me how to use it..."

Then I got to thinking, maybe this is a problem that I didn't know about...so I've attached a picture...just in case you don't know what a power strip is.

2008-02-14T16:53:00.002-05:00

i have walked casually
and comfortably into the garden
i have stood on holy ground
with a heart like a stone

(in progress...)

20/20 conference

2008-02-04T17:47:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, we (Daniel, Shelly, James, Pat, Josh, and myself) lead worship at the 20/20 conference hosted by Southeastern Seminary. It was a blast! C.J. Mahaney opened Friday night with an awesome message and the weekend just kept getting better!

I've posted a few pictures to give you (both of my readers) a quick peek!

My view from stage:

My new drums:

2007-12-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

two posts in one day you ask? well, it is christmas!

something Christmas

2007-12-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

I know you can't see everyone. Or anyone really except Eric and the side of me, but Tom is to the left and my Dad is behind the camera playing keys and singing. Everyone says, "oh wow, you all play music. I bet you just play music when you go home."

Well. It's true.

2007-11-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

Hey Mike,

I know you don't know me, but my husband goes to SEBTS too! The reason for my email I'm sure you will find somewhat peculiar, but please hear me out. Simply put, I'm on a mission to find my best friend a special someone, lol. She has no idea I'm doing this, if she did, I'm sure she'd kill me. :) When I found your myspace, it seemed that you have a lot of what she is looking for. (Knowing and taking into consideration that simply looking at a myspace page is a very limited method of knowing anything about a person.)

A little about her... She's a very beautiful, sweet, strong Christian girl who has a passion for music. Her dream is to find a Christian man she can sing and make music with. Right now she's living in a very rural area where it's hard for her to meet people... She lives about an hour and a half south of Wake Forest in a town called Bladenboro. (Its where I grew up too!) She's looking to relocate up here soon.

Anyways, take a look at her profile if you will.. it's www.myspace.com/******** (edited to protect the innocent) or you can click on my profile...she's #2 on my top friends. Please let me know what you think. If you think you'd like to get to know her, if you think i'm crazy and out of my mind, etc. :) Also, please don't think I'm sending these random emails to a bunch of people...you're the only one.
Thanks for reading,
*********

I have no words.

romania

2007-06-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

I think I'm in one of those wierd "I need to write something, but I don't really feel like writing" moods. I always do this. I go from completely outgoing to introspective and introverted. It's like my heart and brain have seen too much to process quickly, and while everyone says "Welcome Back!" and "It must be good to be home!" there's a part of me that doesn't agree.

It's hard to be back. It's hard to leave pastors that work 40-50 hours a week at full-time jobs just to be able to pastor churches that can't afford to pay a pastor. Pastor Adi worked on Christmas and Easter at the chance of getting off to be with us during our time in his village, but his boss denied his request. The Lord encouraged his heart while we were with him.

It's hard to leave Denisa and her infected arm. Her dad is in jail. Her mom refuses to care for her. She has 8 other siblings. She's from a Gypsy family. Gypsy means outcast. It means the nobodys of society. I can still see her face and her smile has she hugged me when they got back from the town doctor.

Here a few more reasons why it was hard to return...

Phil 1:3-6 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Hope and Decay!

2007-04-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

Our new CD, Hope and Decay is finished and available now for pre-order!

If you're interested, visit www.shellymoore.com or www.independentbands.com and order your copy today! Keep checking for updates because we'll have it on iTunes for those of you that prefer to download.

Thanks again for your support -

No News is Somehow Still News

2007-03-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

I'm continually surprised by how the big hitting news sites get away with publishing their latest "breaking news" stories. I remember event just a few short years ago to how the news stories were actual stories with real information and real events to actually be informed about. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

This morning, for about the 5th day in a row, there is a story on the Foxnews.com webpage about how the AP is refusing to cover Paris Hilton. Am I the only one who thinks that this is some of the most ridiculous journalism? (and I use that term loosely...) Only in today's culture of celebrity fascination could we have (for several days in a row, mind you) stories about how we're not going to have any more stories about certain people. Is there really nothing else to write about? Or is it maybe, just maybe, that our press is that infatuated with the celebrity culture that there is such a small percent of the world that they actually pay attention to?

I've never met Anna Nicole Smith. I've never met anyone that has. I don't know anything about her, her son, her lifestyle, etc. She died in early February and somehow her passing managed to dominate the news (every major news station) for the better part of an entire month. Why?

I'm not suggesting that the press only report on stories that are relevant to me. Maybe I'm just preparing you for the answer that you'll get if you ask me if I "can believe that Ms. Smith died..." or if I "think that this guy or that guy did it" or if Barry Bonds uses sterioids, or if Pacman Jones is guilty again or if I thin Nichole Richie's marriage will last, or if Tom Cruise is crazy, or if his baby will be a scientologist, or if P-Diddy actually punched the guy...or if Kobe and Ron Artest or guilty...

Is this really headline type material?

2007-02-14T13:10:00.001-05:00

www.mikepassaro.com

"Lights, please..."

2006-12-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?

Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie brown.

-

In our staff devotional time this week, we heard from Dave O about being completely in the middle of something but completely missing that something. Christmas is definitely one of those times when we can do all the "things" but miss what we are remembering.

2 Peter 1:16-17:

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'"

God Came To Us.

studio stuff

2006-11-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

only in the blogging world is "no news is good news" not true. in an effort to keep my blog from being discontinued from lack of use, or at least to keep that one faithful person that actually looks at my blog happy...here's a little update -

smb has officially started the recording process for our next project due out in March. here are a few pictures from our trip to Texas...

still writing...

yeah...she's playing...

the loudest drum known to man...

the coolest drums known to man...

can you count how many mics are being used??

the cutest trick or treaters...look how scary!

a thankful heart

2006-09-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

ok, this is what you've all been waiting for! lower prices on gas, and a new post from me. I know it's been a while, and you've all probably quick checking my blog for updates by now...or maybe you still check it every day, only now you're just really frustrated with how I have a blog but don't update it...

Either way.

I've recently been reading through the Psalms. Today I read Psalm 10, and it truly encouraged my heart. I was able to just sit and read. Then meditate and think. Psalm 10:16 says:

"The Lord is King, for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear the, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry..."

So many times in my life, I struggle with perspective. I fight and battle with my sin nature. I reason with it, instead of putting it to death. Then I end up questioning the providence of the Lord, and I say dumb things like "why are you far off from me?" I need to have the right perspective. His perspective. He hears the desires of the afflicted, and He encourages. He listens to our cries.

I'm so thankful for that. We have a God who is not far off from us. He's near, and He whispers gently to us. He listens to our cries, and encourages our hearts through His word. I'm thankful for the things that He's been working out in my life, but I'm so thankful for Him today. He has brought me near to Himself.

Are you thankful for Him today?

strengthen one another to run

2006-08-07T16:39:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but recently it seems that I'm more and more aware of how easy it is to slip up. I go from one moment of reading scripture and praying, to the very next where I'm letting my flesh get the best of me. I'll have what seems to be a great quiet time, followed by a great time of prayer, to leaving a coffee shop and getting frustrated about a driver that shouldn't have changed lanes. Can you relate to this?

I'm finding that I am so quick to take my eyes off of Jesus. It's like I'm in a race and I'm running towards the goal and all of the sudden, I look to the side and start running in that direction. When I look back towards the goal, (and this is the part that I'm growing so weary of), I realize the complete foolishness of my running in the wrong direction. I want to run towards Christ. I long for the day when there won't be any more running. No more stumbling. Just resting. Just knowing and being known.

I'll end with a song that's been my prayer for the last few days. It's simple and I've found myself just playing it over and over, in hopes that I'll remember when I'm faced with sin, or at least out in traffic.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace"

God has given us the body of Christ so that we don't run alone. Let's encourage one another this week to keep our eyes turned towards Christ.

new site

2006-07-10T18:12:00.000-05:00

i'm changing my blog over to my new, super cool website:

www.mikepassaro.com

check it out...

these guys were ready...

2006-06-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

When playoff hockey time rolls around, all of the players get superstitious about beards, and jerseys, and not washing their socks because they think it gives them some sort of edge. Glen Wesley and Cam Ward are different though. They were asked about the reason for the hope that was in them, and they gave answers...

"My eternal salvation is far more important to me - it's more important to have that eternal security and one day be at the feet of the Lord than to be at the foot of the Cup," he said. "Life here on earth is temporary, and Heaven is eternal."
- Glen Wesley, Carolina Hurricanes

"I don't think it's been difficult to keep my faith this year," said Ward, Carolina's first-round pick in 2002. "That's something that's aside from hockey and really comes first."
- Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Can you imagine this interview? Reporters asking loads of questions...some of them in "mocking, you can't be serious about this" tones...but Cam and Glen respond with that...With the almost non-challant answers of "I would rather..." and "my faith comes first". These guys are on one of the biggest stages in the world. What they say will be heard and read by millions and they had no problem sharing their faith. Who will hear you today? Are you sharing the hope that comes from knowing Christ?

Matthew 6:25 - 34

2006-05-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

I found out this week that my job is ending. A job that I've had since college, that was perfect for traveling and doing music ministry, and coming back and picking up where I left off. This safety blanket, inspite of its ups and downs, will be lifted today. I know...short notice, but I can't do anything about that except trust in God's faithfulness. I can trust that when he inspired Matthew 6:25-34, He wasn't just making up stuff that sounds good. He wasn't trying to give his followers a false sense of security. No, He really does keep His word. So when He promises,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

...I can believe Him because even though I was surprised to find out about my job ending, He wasn't. He knew. He planned. He is working that plan even now. So for now, I wait, and trust.

In the meantime, I'll be starting my studio. alightonahillstudios.com is coming soon...

alright already

2006-05-19T09:14:00.000-05:00

holy smokes! i'm gonna update this mug soon! if you would like to see this blog improve, donate money so that I can buy this:

2 Timothy 2:4

2006-04-12T15:46:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, so to prove that bloggers are slaves to the masses...here is a new post for your viewing pleasure. Recently SMB played in Annapolis, MD at the US Naval Academy. We got to take a fiew friends with us which made the entire trip really fun! (and they were really good musicians...

we took Joel with us...he's pretty good at the drums. the cymbal on the far right (reader's right) sounded so bad that it persuaded him to use it...

steve miller played electric guitar and he had lots of pedals
he is well versed in how to rock.

when you rock like he does, you don't follow rules.
even federal government rules.

we got to tour the "yard" in our free time...every friday they have "noon meal formation". They have to wear those super serious looking uniforms and go through this intense process where someone gives commands and they all just stand there and do things. I hope I didn't offend the guy by asking him ..."hey, is this just a glorified lunch line?"

We had the honor of being able to eat with the midshipmen in their mess hall. It was definitely cool to see them feed 4200 people in 15 minutes. Before they eat, they always have an anouncement time and the day we joined them they had Marine veterans from WWII. Right as the guy finished introducing them, the marines in the group yelled "Sempre Fi!" at the top of their lungs and the place erupted. It gave me chills. The academy has a lot of history.

We got to play music and worship with the people that are training to protect our country. It was so great to be able hear their stories and encourage them in the Lord.

The Blood of Christ: Free and Costly

2006-03-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Consider these verses:

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."
-Hebrews 9:11-14

"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
-Hebrews 10:11-14

I just love the language of Hebrews 9 & 10 because it seems so clear: If we could have cleansed ourselves by our own sacrifices, we wouldn't have kept offering them! But Jesus offered a sacrifice once. Done. Clean. Chapter 10 continues with instructions in light of Christ's sacrifice. We are to draw near, with assurance and spur one another on to love and good deeds.

My heart is compelled to worship because of what Christ has done. I'm working on planning another worship set for April, and I keep coming back to the blood of Christ and these verses that I read in a quiet time recently. I'm already planning on singing these Hymns:

On Christ the Solid Rock
Nothing But the Blood

Feel free to comment in and add a song that focuses on the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.

Logging? Anyone?

2006-03-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

I've decided that rather than post inconsistenly about nothing, I should post inconsistently about verses that I've read that I'm not good at living out. I don't think this will be hard, but I do think it will be productive. As this idea gets going, I hope that this becomes a place where I will be forced to remind myself of the Gospel, and that you will also be reminded.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

Brian Frost says that this passage is quoted most often in our culture, but it is understood the least. This verse is not telling us to turn a blind eye towards unrighteousness, or sin that is present in peoples' lives, but rather to not judge the motives of peoples' actions. That responsibility belongs to the Lord.

Consider this verse, which happens to be my theme verse in life right now:

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you"
-Eph. 4:32

God, through Christ has forgiven me of all my sin. He didn't have to, but He did and now I have the opportunity to model that same forgiveness in relationships. So why do I still judge others' motives? Why would I think that God is pleased with my heart when people sin against me, and I say I forgive them, but I'm really holding onto that sin as a cause for thinking less of someone? Is that Christ-like forgiveness? Is that the way he looks at me? (Psalm 103)

Why would I think that it's OK to look at specks of dust in the eyes of others, when I have logs in mine? I think I need to be reminded of the Gospel.

I do have a point...

2006-02-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

Goal Leaders:
	Mike Passaro	14
	Robert Doring	13
	Gino Giangreco	13
	Bryan Paynter	11
	Doug Betherick	10
	Bob Olsen	9
	Doug Nickel	8
	Jay Paradowski	8
	Chris Young	8
	Brian Hooks	7
...view all

Assist Leaders:
	Mike Passaro	13
	Robert Doring	13
	Gino Giangreco	11
	Doug Nickel	9
	Bob Olsen	8
	Keith Andes	7
	Leroy Lee	7
	Jason Campbell	6
	Mike Cassetta	6
	Keith Cramer	6
...view all

Points Leaders:
	Mike Passaro	27
	Robert Doring	26
	Gino Giangreco	24
	Doug Nickel	17
	Bob Olsen	17
	Bryan Paynter	17
	Doug Betherick	14
	Chris Young	14
	Jay Paradowski	13
	Tim Hesse	12
...view all

I play in a hockey league on Saturdays and this year I capture the points title, despite having played 2 less games than the guy that came in second. Just in case you're wondering, in hockey you get 1 point for a goal, and 1 point for an assist. We started the playoffs today, and my team advanced to the championship game which will be held on March 18th.

I also take special offense to Allison's comment about my blog having the odor of favoritehood. I've been blogging consistently, and my last few posts have received considerable comments. I've also been active on the commenting boards. I've been published at whattomsays, shellyeve, and nickroark. And now the favoritehood comment? Favoritehood hasn't been updated in like 8 months...I would go there to check, but I can't stand to look at it anymore...think about it...i've got points here...

words and phrases

2006-02-16T11:20:00.000-05:00

I've been on a kick recently to examine the words and phrases that we use all the time without even thinking about it. Feel free to comment in with your favorites, but here are a few of mine:

1. Under the weather = Everyone knows that it means to be sick, but it came into use when sailors would be sick. They would go below deck and be "under" the weather.

2. Mind your P's and Q's = People say it when they want others to mind their own business, but most people don't know that it comes from the pubs when drinkers would get out of hand. The bartender would tell people to mind their Pints and Quarts...

3. On a kick...

4. Boil it down...

5. Up to par...

6. people use "literally" when they really mean "figuratively"...but you never hear anyone say, "i figuratively spent an hour on hold!"

On another note, I was thinking the other day about what "a ton" is. When I was a kid, I used to think of "a ton" as the biggest measurement known to man. I guess I was really suprised to find out that "a ton of people" (..."wow...there's a ton of people here!") is only 8-12 normal sized adults. whoda thunk...

i'll be adding more later, as we continue to use idioms in sentences "all the time"...

just to clarify

2006-02-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 40:8

...maybe I should make myself clear. The last post was a sarcastic post. I was not in any way really trying to end my singleness by getting any girl in the world to accept my stolen rose picture. But I do appreciate everyone stepping into the pulpit to help me see that the internet is not the place to order ...i mean...find a wife.

From now on, I will post Bible quotes, pictures from other peoples' blogs, and puritan quotes.

(more sarcasm)...

be mine...

2006-02-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

be mine is such a valentine's phrase, but I don't like it. it's too needy and self centered. it says "give to me." which i don't like to much. So this year, i'm going to do it a little differently.

Daniel, and some of my other church leaders think that I need to jump on the "get a girl" bandwagon. In fact, they'll suggest any single girl so that she can "be mine". They also think that I'm being too passive about my singleness. SO - instead of hunting down any single christian girl i figured I would start with at least a valentine.

so - here's my first gift, to the first single christian girl that will accept :)

Do You Tremble?

2006-02-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's been brought to my attention that my blog needs updating before it reaches "favoritehood" status...so, before I post a lame few paragraphs about how not much is going on in life :) I had to find a picture. (people with digital cameras have the advantage in blogging)

So here's my update: Shelly and I recently had the chance to go to Dallas to record a song for a Wes King tribute CD. He is battling cancer, and a bunch of artists teamed up to record his songs and sell the CD to raise money for him. Shelly and I recorded his song called "Do You Tremble". If you haven't listened to Wes's music, you're really missing out on some great lyrics. I'm posting the lyrics below, and you can go to www.wesking.com to listen to a clip of the song we did, and songs that the other artists recorded.

Have you counted the stars in the heavens
Have you walked the circumference of the earth
Have you measured the boundaries of the universe
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you uncovered the souce of the thunder
Have you tamed the crashing mighty sea
Have you defied the force of gravity
Do you tremble at the Wod of God

CHORUS:
The wise will hear Him and obey His word
Long and blessed will be their days upon the earth
The fool will perish in the folly of his ways
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you considered the scope of eternity
In the light of unwavering truth
Have you regarded the works of a strong and mighty hand
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him
Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him

Thy Mercy, My God

2006-01-23T17:08:00.000-05:00

This week is pretty exciting for me because I get to lead worship on Sunday morning for all three of the main services. I love the opportunity to lead others, but I think I love the preparation time just as much. I thought I would share with you what I have prepared for Sunday, in hopes that you would meditate on these verses and songs and come full on Sunday morning.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
- Eph 2:1-10

Read a few lines from each song that we'll sing and hear sung:

"Let me at Thy throne of mercy, find a sweet relief. Kneeling there in deep contrition, help my unbelief - Savior! Savior! Hear my humble cry! While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by - Trusting only in thy merit, would I seek Thy face? Heal my wounded, broken spirit. Save me by Thy grace!"
- Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior

"Tis mercy all, immense and free. For, O my God, it found out me!
Amazing love, how can it be? That Thou my God, should die for me!"
- And Can It Be?

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take Him at His Word,
Just to rest upon His promise - and to know 'thus saith the Lord'"
- 'Tis So Sweet

"I will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ - His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer!
But this I know with all my heart - His wounds have paid my ransom"
- How Deep the Father's Love For Us

"Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
and the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine!"
- Thy Mercy, My God

I'm praying that everyone who reads this would meditate anew on the great mercy of Jesus. His mercy, shown to us, is a great reason to celebrate and worship Him! May we do that more and more...

24

2006-01-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

quote of the night:

"the only reason you're still conscious is because I don't want to carry you"
- jack bauer

i think i'll get hooked on 24 this spring.

From the Rising of the Sun...

2006-01-11T17:07:00.000-05:00

"From the Rising of the Sun to the going down of the same,
the name of the Lord shall be praised..."

He is worthy, so some very awesome people go to the ends of the earth to make him known so that the nations will praise Him. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

One of the first mornings...wow

I'm not a good photographer, so I just angle things and take pictures.

This guy gave "very good price"

Downtown at the Harbor, in the Castle District.

"...to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised"

little drummer boy

2005-12-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

ok...i don't exactly know where this song came from, but there's a line in it that is encouraging :)

..."Mary looked at me and nodded (pa rum pa pum pum)
the ox and lamb kept time (pa rum pa pum pum)
I played my drum for him (pa rum pa pum pum)"

ok. marry was bobbing her head. the ox and lamb kept time.
what? the ox. and lamb. they kept the time. like the 2 and 4 beat?
like...there are human beings in rhythm groups and choirs that can
barely clap and sing at the same time, much less clap on the correct beat.

so there was groove even back then :)

turn up the drums :)

it's hard to believe

2005-12-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

lots of things are hard to believe at this time of year, i guess.

1. seniors are graduating and moving on in life. some of them never thought that they would be at this point in life. Many of them find it hard to believe that their college careers are ending.

2. whattomsays is back on the blog host thingie. that means i can check it daily (several times a day actually) to read witty blog entries.

3. people will spend lots of money on toys, and never celebrate the fact that Jesus was born as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. Now it's possible to be forgiven by believing in His work.

4. the gospel. for a more "in-depth" look, read this book that Pri (very graciously) let me borrow.

Qdoba vs. Moe's....coming soon

2005-12-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

this post has been needed for a long time.

*the following comments were added 12-13-05*

after much thought and consideration i have decided, for the sake of unity in a blogging circles, as well as in the Body (as Chip used a moe's illustration in his sermon on Sunday) to no longer cause any divisions based on the differences between moe's and qdoba.

I will instead focus my attention and energy on getting support to bring back the whattomsays blog.

Our Hope, Our Promise

2005-12-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

It's a story as old as time itself, one that tells of God's relentless love for His people. This Christmas, come experience God's story of salvation through music and drama.

From God's first words at creation…

"Let there be light."
Genesis 1:3

To the fall of man and his continual rebellion…

"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become…"
Genesis 6:5

To the promise of redemption…

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…"
Isaiah 9:2

To the birth of Christ…

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

To His crucifixion and resurrection …

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Romans 4:25

I can't think of a better title for a Christmas Musical event. Our Hope, Our Promise is such a sweeping view of our life in Christ, and our trust and faith in Him to be who He says He is.

Every one of the 5 shows are sold out! We're so excited to see how God uses this event. Pray for us as we prepare - (and let me know if need a ticket...i have a few for sunday night)

today i turned old

2005-12-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

today i'm as old as my older brother. it's true. for a few weeks every year we are the same age.
(i understand that this is only in terms of whole numbers, and that i'm not literally the same age as him...so resist the desire to clarify that fact for me :)

rather than keep the past hidden, here is a link to a few pictures that my mom keeps posting on her blog.

passaro8.blogspot.com

*check out the one with us all playing music - what's going on with my brother chris's shirt??? *

smart people go to Qdoba

2005-11-29T12:56:00.000-05:00

it's true. today i went to Qdoba to get my chicken taco salad, with mild, hot, and extra hot salsa and this truth was confirmed. here is a clip of a conversation that i overheard:

guy #1:
"...blah..blah...unless they're polytonic increasing electrodes which of course would change everything...blah..blah..."

guy #2:
nods in agreement...

???

Does anyone even know what polytonic increasing electrodes are? well...this might help...
click here to find out what those guys were talking about...

When is the last time you heard people talking about that stuff at Moe's?

Pasta and Things

2005-11-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Last night we had "Pasta with the Renstroms"...
we = the h20 praise team
renstroms = daniel (danielle was gone)

we decided to let the theme of the night be "family style"...so for part of the evening we gave our highs and lows of the week. This was working for a little while until Daniel shared a low that was pretty low, so we decided to change to the "highs" and "not as highs".

i realized that i never shared mine last night, so to my 8 readers :)...here are my highs and not as highs...

one high comes from last night while we were playing this game:
we divided girls (and james) vs. the guys, and because we had uneven numbers i played for both teams, which basically meant i got to answer for everyone and not really care if i lost :) So after the girls (and James) won several games in a row, and daniel lost two points in a row (never having the game thingie leave his hands because his clues were so bad...) Daniel got really into the game and began yelling at the game board! At the end, when the guys finally beat the girls (and James) in 1 game, Daniel screams at the board:

"Say it little man! Say it"

and the little man in the game board says:

"team 1 gets 1 point, and wins!"

then we quit playing...the final score was girls (and james) 2 games to guys 1 game...but daniel was ok with that...

other highs:
talking with ben about new AD project
looking at macs :)
christmas concert preview ( i love the way the music team bonds during these prep times)
finally getting through Luke in my QT

Luke 15:3-7

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

NC State Football

2005-10-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

Now I know that this is a sensative topic, especially among my 7 readers, but NC State is not good at football right now. There's lots of talk about whether it's the coaches or the players...and I guess the jury is still out.

So, to maybe help us figure that out, here's a quote from one of the NC State coaches:

"When you look back at the last three or four games, and I just don't think we have gotten any better in terms of getting a dynamic football team in terms of what we are doing."

?

I have altered my weekend schedule as of late, to ensure that I will be busy at whatever time the football team is playing so that I won't have to struggle with sins of impatience, anger, fits of rage, etc. If anyone needs to join me for knitting on Saturday afternoons let me know. We can make a Christmas quilt or something.

Ephesians 4:32

2005-10-24T16:04:00.000-05:00

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

This verse in Ephesians is a verse that I've been praying through and meditating on for a while now. I share it in hopes that you (my devoted readers...eh em, all 6 of you) will meditate and pray through this verse. tenderhearted...Lord make that true of me

UPDATE:
Praise the Lord for His goodness! Today was my first day on staff at Providence and I'm so excited to be serving there! The team of people that God as assembled there is incredible. I look forward to ministering with them -

Matthew 13:44

2005-10-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

This was a verse that I read in a quiet time not long ago, and I've been meditating on it for a while now. I encourage you to do the same (the 1 other person that reads this...travis, you know who you are). Pray through this verse. wow.

If you're like me the "in his joy" part is the part where you say to yourself "in my joy?" is that the way I view the kingdom of heaven?

"when Thou, and Thou alone, Lord Jesus art my Treasure!"
-What is the World to Me

i'm not smart

2005-10-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

so today I had a bunch of letters to mail that needed stamps. lots of letters. lots of stamps. so I go to the post office to buy about 50 of those things (which are now stickers...which is great because you don't have to get that taste on your tongue) AND this really nice lady at the counter asks me if she can help, and I'm thinking, boy I hope so because if you can't, I don't know who can...

I ask the lady for 50 stamps and she says "would you like any particular type of stamp"...and i'm thinking..."no, the ones that go on envelopes will do just fine" So I purchase said stamps and leave the post office and walk to the parking lot to get into my car. i reach for my keys and i don't have them. so i'm thinking, i've never locked myself out of my car before...this is interesting, but it's a good thing that i left my windows down.

I look in through the windows to see where i left them...ingnition? nope. cup holder? nope. did i drop them on the seat? nope. At this point I'm thinking, "ok, i must have left them in the Post Office, so I walk towards the building and this customer leaves as I'm entering. In her hands I could see a Beyond Fitness pass, and what I thought was a drum key...both of which are on my key ring, but this customer keeps walking. I stopped at the door and kind of turned to address her, but she had kept walking.

Turns out she doesn't speak english. AND she didn't take to kindly to me trying to take "her" keys from her...as she rushed to her car and tried to get in real fast...so I just stood there with a half grin on my face while she "figured it out"...

canadia

2005-10-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

In honor of hockey season starting again, I've decided to share a song with you all that's very near to my heart. I saw the Penguins play the Hurricanes and it's safe to say that the hockey bug is bitting hard. Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury...they're all Candian...

Canada Song

Welcome to Canada it's the maple leaf state
Canada O Canada It's great
The people are nice and they speak French too
If you don't like it man you sniff glue
The great white north their kilts are plaid
Hosers take off it's not half bad
I want to be where Her yaks can run free
Where the Royal Mounties can arrest me

Let's go to Canada
Let's leave today
Canada O Canada
El se vous ple

They've got trees and mooses and sled dogs
Lots of lumber and lumber jacks and logs
We all thinks that it's kind of a drag
That you have to go there to get milk in a bag
They say "eh" instead of "what" or "duh"
That's the mighty power of Canada
I want to be where lemmings run into the sea
Where the marmasets can attack me

chorus

Please, Please explain to me
How this all has come to be
We forgot to mention something here
Did we say that William Shatner is a Native citizen
And Slurpees made from venesin that's deer

chorus

It's raining

2005-10-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it feels like this is where I work...

and this is my office...

it's times like these when I remind myself that I'm blessed by the Lord to even have a job. Praise Him - He's so faithful to provide for my every need!

A Few Good Verses

2005-10-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

I've been doing the read through the Bible in a year plan and it's been amazing. I'm finding promises in books of the Bible that I wouldn't normally read, so I thought I'd share a few of those verses...

Hosea 2:7
7 She shall pursue her loversbut not overtake them, and she shall seek thembut shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

Hosea 2:14-15
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [1] a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt."

Hosea 6:1-3
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Joel 2:25-27
25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Jonah 1:17-2:10
*this is a lot to paste in here...so go look it up...*:)
2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice...9 Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

Micah 6:6-8
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?7 Will the Lord be pleased with [1] thousands of rams,with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of youbut to do justice, and to love kindness, [2]and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Micah 7:18-20
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquityand passing over transgressionfor the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our [1] sinsinto the depths of the sea. 20 You will show faithfulness to Jacoband steadfast love to Abraham,as you have sworn to our fathersfrom the days of old.

Nahum 1:7
7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Be encouraged today by God's word...

2005-09-26T15:23:00.000-05:00

one of my favorites from Dallas

joel cameron makes even this junk sound good...

i play guitar sometimes

What comes into your mind when you think about God?

2005-09-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

"We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God's holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God's power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine."
The Knowledge of the Holy, 111.

This book encourages us to elevate our concept of God, not just think higher of him, but to see Him as He truly is...and thus, worhship Him as we should.

More quotes from this book later -

dear diary

2005-09-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

it's been such a long time since i've written, so to all of my fans, I apologize. It seems that at times my life can be so busy that I can't remember the specifics. Now is one of those times.

Rather than waste a whole lot of time on me, I think I'll just give you the opportunity to pray for a few things:

1) Patti - most of you know by now the situation with her, so just continue to pray for her. Pray for a quick and accurate diagnosis of the condition that she is suffering from so that she can begin taking the best medication.

2) Pray for the Providence family as we go through the Stewardship series. Pray that Pastor Horner would speak with wisdom and clarity on where he and the leadership team see God leading us as a church. Pray that we would respond.

3) I am currently praying about attending seminary. As it stands now, I'm going through the application process, so pray that I would be open to where the Lord leads.

4) Pray for all that are affected by hurricane Katrina. Pray that we, as believers, would be open to how we can show the love of Christ by helping.

That's all for now...maybe I'll steal some pictures from someone's blog and i'll post them soon.

they will know we are Christians by our blogs

2005-08-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

it's true. the watching, reading, internet surfing world will know that we are Christians by our blogs. so let me encourage you to write something meaty...

in all seriousness, i think my blog would go to "the next level" if i started including digital photographs. Or, as I was advised yesterday, I could just "borrow" pictures from other blogs...

so...update your blog already. your readers are waiting. clicking the little refresh button. hoping. and write something good for your readers...

hey everyone...i read a book

2005-08-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

So I finally did it. yep. I read a book. The entire thing from beginning to end. I think that this is a major step in getting over my "fear of commitment"...actually I don't think I've ever had a fear of commitment, but if I did, reading this book might have helped.

What's more is that I jumped on the Blue Like Jazz Bandwagon, and I really enjoyed the ride. Miller is a pretty funny guy with so many stories that you would think he was 100 years old, or something close. If you haven't read this book, you probably should, it will at least make you laugh, but will probably reveal much more about how we approach living out our faith, and how lots of other people interpret "us" living out our faith.

wasn't i just here?

2005-08-06T11:23:00.000-05:00

last week, shelly and I lead worship at a youth camp for a week in Hilliard, FL. You know...Hilliard? it's one of those places that you have to "go through the stop light..." to get there. so after a week of leading worship (3 days of which shelly had no voice), and trying to finish the Vaunted Pleasures worship CD we returned to Raleigh.

Next up was the 242 retreat with Providence. I was only there for a few hours, then left to go back to Raleigh to leave the next morning for a friend's wedding in...FL. So after a great night of sleep in the hotel, I'm here in Florida updating a blog of all things.

The wedding is today at 4:30 with a reception following at 6:00p.m. Shelly and I are leaving directly after the reception to drive back to Raleigh so that we can be at Providence in the morning. So, if my math is correct...and it's been a while since I've done math...if we leave at 8 tonight, we should get in at 6 am. Just enough time to shower and head over to church! :)

oh, and I can't wait to hear the final version of the CD.

youth camp: round 2

2005-07-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

after a few scheduling issues, shelly and i made it to the 2nd of the 4 camps that we're leading worship for this summer. this one was different than any other than we've ever done though. we were a part of this same camp last year, so we knew a lot of the youth. we knew their issues. we knew what they made pledges to do at the camp last year.

on the last night of camp, this group has the tradition of sitting in a circle, passing a candle around, and sharing what they learned or enjoyed most about camp. i sat midway through the group of 60 and listened to 30 students before me talk about how they just were glad that they got to come because they felt closer to God this week than they had in the past year...

wow...that's great right? isn't that what we as leaders on the trip want? well yes, and no. I asked the kids to compare their lives during camp to their lives at home and the contrast is stark. tv & video games vs. the bible.....sleeping til noon vs. worshiping God early in the morning....hanging with the wrong crowd vs. encouraging fellowship...

is it any wonder that when we leave the tv off and read the bible, or put down the video game controllers and pray...or instead of just watching movies, we encourage each other with the Word of God that God uses that to draw us closer to himself?

I guess I wasn't as surprised at the results of the camp as most of the students were...

"We put down the Bible and pick up the play station, And we can’t defend our faith ’cause we don’t even know it, We say we love his word but pick a funny way to show it."
-OC Supertones
Return of the Revolution

fca on three

2005-07-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

this past week, shelly and I (with a little help from our friends), got to spend a week at the anual FCA leadership camp at Campbell University. Attending the camp were high school and middle school students from the southeast. They came fired up, and left even more a blaze.

I have a problem with being too critical. Most of the time I come up with a reason about what problems these kids have, or what they need to fix about their faith, etc. You know, the typical "i'm mature in my faith, and you students have a lot to learn...from me..."

One story stands out - a student requested a song all week long that I don't particularly like. I told him that if he could find the verse that it was from we would play that song. To make a long story short, the next day the kid brought me a Bible, opened it to the OT passage and read me the verse. I asked him to explain it to me ... and he did! He explained how david was praising God because the ark of the covenent was finally brought back, and how no matter what he was going to praise God. See, that was this kid's story. He was so excited that God had saved him that he was bent on praising no matter who watched and made fun of him, or told him he looked foolish...

oh to have that kind of mature faith...

more later -

Ephesians 1:1

2005-05-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus"

I used to try to set personal goals, ministry goals, academic goals, etc. so that I could see if I was making progress. I would write things down in my journal like "by the end of the year I will be in full-time music ministry", or "I will go to the gym at least three times a week..." Maybe this sounds a little like you as well. I resolved to do everything it took to be in ministry. I committed firmly to working out consistently. My will, however, is fickle. It is constantly wavering and changing. In fact, most of the time I don't even know what I want.

I find myself amazed at how often I've read the Bible, but how rarely I've actually studied it. Maybe you're like me and you've read things a thousand times, only to come across a verse and your reaction is "have I ever read this verse before?!" So, stare at the verse at the top of the blog and make note of what you see. See it yet?

...by the will of God

Paul realized and believed something essential to the Christian life. He realized that he was only who he was because of the will of God. But why does this matter? What real difference does it make? In fact, could he not have just left out that small phrase? Moreover, why is it important that we understand why Paul would include that phrase?

Acts 17:28 says that in Him (Christ) we live and move and have our being! Why was Paul an apostle, writing letters to the saints in Ephesus? Because of the firm, resolved, unwavering, unchanging will of the only God. Indeed, you and I also should recognize our place in the Sovereign will of a Holy God.

How sweet is the peace that is found in the will of a gracious God.

matthew 5:14-16

2005-05-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Two things you should know about me: I was a Communication major in college, where I specialized in how to read people. I play music quite often. It would seem logical then that while I'm on stage my mind is trying to process the reactions of the audience. Head nods are good. Amens every now and then are good as well. These are the reactions that we've received the most. Which is why tonight was so very different.

We were added, last minute, to a hard core band's show. They are friends of ours, playing the club scene. When we started playing, I felt this immediate pressure to "water down" the stories behind our songs. To just play. Don't talk. And definitely don't share the gospel...

What conviction these verses brought to my heart! I have been light with a fire in my heart that should "shine before men" and why? that they may what? "see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Yes, that's it. That they may know the One who is heaven. Be bold then, stand as lights on a hill, validating the truth of the gospel in all situations.

2005-04-11T19:04:00.001-05:00

smb_bubbles

psalm 30:11-12

2005-04-11T17:56:00.000-05:00

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever"

The Lord is good, amen?! I love His Word. He reveals Himself through His never changing Word. I'm challenged daily to read it, to know it, to study it, to apply it, to share it with others. Beginning to study His Word is sometimes overwhelming. Where do we start? Well...we start with the text. What does it say?

I love the Psalms. In them we see the heart of God, as well as the heart of those seeking to follow Him. In Psalm 30, we see several things, but mainly I see the mercy and graciousness of a loving, hearing God. The text says that God has "turned for me my mourning into dancing". Mourning for what? Should I be mourning? Christ says in the gospels, "blessed are those who mourn"...ok so that seems to answer the question of "Should we?"...but why should we mourn? I mourn because of my sinful condition, my lack of goodness, my lack of righteousness, my inability to please God. I mourn over the sins of others as well, that they don't have an understanding of a Just and Forgiving God.

I'm sure we can all remember when we were young and our parents told us to stop crying. Or maybe when a friend told us "not to be so sad" I think sometimes that mindset hinders us from seeing what the text says. It doesn't say that God took merely took away our mourning, it says that he turned our mourning into dancing. What a glorious exchange! Therefore, our response is Psalm 30:12. We sing. We praise. We do not remain silent, but instead we give thanks!

That my friends is the gospel.