I see God

In an apple tree I see him as the Creator and sustainer of life and flavor.
In a flower, I see him reveling in color and transformation
In a rock I see Him as timeless and unexplainable
In a meadowlark, I see him as a lover of sight and sound. 
In wind I see His refreshing presence.
In a thoroughbred, I see power and purpose, speed and grace.
In a storm I see the breadth and height of wonder
In the sleeping breath of an infant I see trust and provision
In sand and waves I see the constancy and movement of His work.
In stars I see His fingers’ fearsome and infinite reach
In moon, it’s perfect circular presence, I see His love of quite nights– The kind of nights that inspire romance and cherished words spoken beneath it’s ambient beauty. 
He is in all things, through all things, and beyond all things.
These sights speak words that poets cannot exceed.
A love song to the lost 
They are revelation to the doubting
But most of all, in each oft ignored marvel of the divine, He whispers, “I did this for you.”

Bring Me Back

The following reading works well as a prayer to end a sermon or worship set on brokenness and repentance.

Father God, the one who pursued me…

I repent of my prayerlessness
My carelessness
My discouragement because of flesh
My pride when I need brokenness.
Too many times I have fallen back on my own devices
Seeking things, seeking answers, seeking acceptance
I cry out to circumstances
And the more I seek to do
The more a fall away from You.
I use words to manipulate
To compensate
To demonstrate my own righteousness
I trust my public spokeness
While You long for my private brokenness
Holy brokenness of pride
Where grace and mercy reside
Grace that pierced your hands and side.
Brokeness brings self-confidence to dust
That turns my doubting into trust.
Every hurt that I’ve been through
When I’ve wondered what to do
Brings me back to faith in you
I find in these days, in my fallen ways
That I’m so far away from what’s true
And now my cry is Lord bring me back to you.
Bring me back to my passion
A divine realization,
the days of pure joy in salvation
Bring me back to total trust in your grace
When all I seek is Your holy face.
My trust in self tends to misconstrue
So God bring me back to You.

Your Great Name: Worship Intro

Before there was anything there was a Name.
Before seas and land, before dust was formed into flesh
Before Babel’s broken tower, before the ark was set in place
Before there was anything
Before prophet, priest or king…
There was a Name.
No other name in history
could banish demons, calm the sea.
It echoes through eternity.
Chains are broken, souls set free
by His Great Name!
His Name birthed stars and pinned them in the sky.
His Name brought angels to Bethlehem
from the greatest and the least
To see the One True Name
And when we speak His Name all heavenly hosts revere.
It reaches past our weakness and our fragile, thin veneer.
It’s a Name above every name- spoken in each race and tongue.
There is power and blessing
Perfection and peace.
There’s  understanding!
Even when we feel pain,
there’s healing, faith and redemption,
at the mention of His name.
And it doesn’t matter the size of your burden,
the scale of your mountain,
the weariness of your journey…
In that Name there is hope and joy and rest
In his Name we are blessed.
His Name is listening for the echo of worshipers.
In the midst of this earthly mess
His Name redeems.
The all-sufficient king
The warrior of righteousness
Over every living thing…
And no matter how deep the hurt,
or the chains you have bound you for years,
We are free! All those things that drive us insane
are stepping stones to holiness with the power of that Name.
What is that name that changes us?
Who is the fourth person in the furnace
The One who closed the mouths of lions
Who crushed the head of the accuser
And exiled demons from the weak.
And opened muted mouths to speak.
What is that Name?
What is the greatest name we’ll ever say?
Who remains victorious to this day?
Who is this one greater than the grave?
Who lived and died to save?
Who conquered death and walked away
With scars of crimson stain
The one who bears the mark
Jesus is His Great NAME!

Paint on the Wall

There once was a church upon a hill,
where everything was fine until
the paint inside was getting old
and peeling in some spots, I’m told.
The pastor called a business meeting.
After the preliminary meeting,
The deacons cried, Come one! Come all!
What color should we paint each wall?
They gathered in the sanctuary,
each determined and contrary.
Sister Gail said, What do you think
about a very chartreuse pink?
Brother Dave said to the crowd,
Isn’t that a bit too loud?
I prefer a subtle blue.
It makes the walls look clean and new.
Six women rebuked, We wanted gold!
It seems much warmer. Blue’s too cold!
A man in the back began to bellow,
Yellow! Yellow! Yellow! Yellow!
The pastor said, I’m here more than all of you.
I agree with Dave. The walls should be blue.
From that point on, their voices grew stronger.
Each emotional plea became longer and longer.
Then a voice of strong and stern love
silenced the church as it spoke from above.
You wonder why you can’t hear My call
when your greatest struggle is paint on the wall.
Paint your church the pale color of skin,
for you let no other races come in.
Paint your church a wealthy green,
for you ignore starvation you’ve seen.
Paint it white and clean as uncallused feet,
for you refuse to share My joy in the street.
I agree that your walls could be painted blue,
for your hearts, so cold, are given to few.
You give many renditions of church as a game,
but you fail to give water in My holy name.
You pray using eloquent thees and thous,
and yet you forget about the heres and nows.
You struggle to be an earthly saint,
but My love must not be covered in paint.

© Matt Tullos

I never asked for that

I came to God with fashion sense
And clothes I bought at great expense
I knew the drill
All things down pat
God said, I never wanted that
I huddled with my life long friends.
Talk to strangers? That depends
I loved the show from where I sat
God said, I never wanted that.
I knew each song
I’ve heard them all
I’ve put his pictures on the wall
I cringed when someone’s song fell flat
God said, “I never wanted that.”
My i-pod has a thousand songs
Of worship stars before the throngs
On Sundays I step up to bat
God says I never wanted that.
He says, I want your heart to sing
and worship as me as rightful king
To come with sacrificial praise
To honor me in all your days
To drop your mask and foolish pride
for they’re not the reasons that I died
I conquered death to make you whole
Your LOVE has been my greatest goal
To vow your love and make it true.
Your love is what I want from you.

Bitterness

It’s hard to know where the seed of bitterness began
Perhaps before the dawn of man
When an angel of light,
Heaven’s delight
Wasn’t satisfied with reflecting someone else’s might.
And in bitterness he shook his fist at his Creator
Satan born
Now the author of scorn.
And in bitterness he roams the face of the earth
Killing…
Lying…
Hating…
Defying…
Bitterness snaked its way into the soul of nations,
Defiling God’s most precious creations.
Bitterness- born out of shame
for justifiable reasons of so it seems
“She left me without a word.”
“He broke my spirit.”
“My father never loved me.”
“No one listened to my side of the story.”
“Someone stepped in and took my glory.”
“The decision was made and I didn’t get a choice.”
You were deflected, neglected, corrected
And the resentment brewed in a putrid still
Intoxicating your life
With anger, backbiting, sorrow,
Tainting every hopeless tomorrow
With bitter nights
You drink your own poisonous nectar
You fantasize your moment of sweet revenge
Flames of rebellion begin to singe every moment of the day.
Resentment spoils every part of the road.
Instead of running to the healer
We find a place with a killer
Bitterness toils
It spoils
It recoils
It paralyzes fathers and mothers
Incites wars between sister and brother.
Instead of churches and an agent of grace
We choose nails and thorns and spit on Christ’s face
That’s what we do when we huddle in anger
The devil’s our father and Christ is a stranger
And runs through the church
Crushing every beautiful thing God blesses
Turning holy moments into public messes
Bitterness doesn’t care

Resentment grows in an insatiable feasts
Killing the bride
And feeding the beasts
of gossip, evil declaration
an unmerciful generation
it settles in our homes
it crushes our bones
it leads wives into despair
it kills children unaware
of the toxic venom
that settles within them
Bitterness breeds shame
It says, I’ll never trust again
It exiles pure joy to the wilderness
Making pain out of a marriage of bliss
You see it was bitterness and pride that sent Jesus to the cross
And yet we listen willingly to it, no matter the cost.
And there is bitterness in this room.
You might not see it right now
It’s like a dormant disease
Waiting for the command of demons
It can bring a church to its knees
And families stand before the gallows
Of opened wounds
What once was alive nested in the tombs.
All because of bitterness.
It took root.
Malice and rage are its scornful fruit
While well-meaning Christians stand and salute
the furious, unfettered rise of scorn
Born from the seeds of bitterness.
Still there’s another path God has given us
It’s a journey toward the bread and the cup
It’s offer of freedom
And blessing
And peace
It’s an offer to turn
An offer of release
From the bitterness that’s stealing every part of your life
From the sin you’re concealing – your anger and strife
The table has been set.
The offer is here.
To let go of regret.
And in peace draw near.
That’s the meaning of this wine, this bread and this time.
Banish your rage inside of you.
Return to the one who makes all things new.

Beloved Remember (God Says)

There is no place you can be that I can’t find you. I am the Master of the landscape, and I know your location. So don’t spend your time searching for hideouts and closets. You can never be so enslaved that My love can’t set you free. I break through iron, and I demolish the chains. I am greater than the chains, the whips, and the pain. I am ready to set you free. Just fix your eyes on Me and not your captors. You may be making history through personal glory or failure, but never forget that I will have the last word. You think you know Me? Take your present knowledge of who I am and then enhance it dramatically and that will be a start. I am greater than anything you ask or imagine or dream or think. Asking a human to describe My power is like asking a cow to do algebra. Just wait with expectation. Unlike you, nothing catches Me by surprise. I saw everything–I speak of your future before you have experienced it. You can believe Me and trust that I don’t wring My hands every time you mess up. You are human. Just keep chasing after Me and loving Me passionately. I will cover you. You think I’m not involved sometimes when things aren’t perfect. But I am there. I am in the furnace with you, and neither one of us should fear the flame. You shouldn’t because I created everything, and My plan is greater than all this. Fix your eyes, your voice your everything upon My existence, and I’ll see you at the house. Be Mine.