All For Love

The scene was Gethsemane on the night Jesus was betrayed. His words as always showing inexplicable mixture of fully human and fully God.

"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine" Mark 14:36

Author Ken Gire in his book Moments with the Savior describes the scene: "His hands are no longer clutching the grass in despair. They are no longer clasping each other in prayer. They are raised to heaven, reaching for the cup from his Father's hand. And though it is a terrible cup, brimming with the wrath of God for the ferment of sin from centuries past and centuries yet to come, and though it is a cup he fears, he takes it. Because more that he fears the cup, he loves the hand from which it comes."

A picture of sacrifice all for love not only for the Father but for you and me. Let's worship HIM in thanksgiving for the sacrifice and in commitment to live our own life of sacrifice.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

I've Found I Can Stand

We usually do a pretty contemporary style of music but I still have southern gospel genes. Here's a very rough video of our gospel group, Cornerstone, singing a song I wrote,"I Found I Can Stand".

It was a song born out of tragedy. I attended the funeral of a precious young lady, Joanna Dalton Knepper, who was tragically killed when her car was struck by a drunk driver. One of the illustrations in the eulogy planted the seed that blossomed into a song.

We say time and again, "How can people without a relationship with Jesus make it through tough times?" I still don't know the answer to that one. What I do know from personal experience is when those in Christ reach the bottom, you will find you are standing or more likely kneeling broken on the Solid Rock of Jesus. He is there with open arms to comfort, heal and restore. I've found I can stand.

Remember the Lord, Great and Awesome

"Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome." These are the words of Nehemiah (NEH 4:14) as the opposition tried to create confusion and stop the work to which God had called them.

The following is an excerpt from Ann Spangler's book "Praying the Names of God":

Thousands of years later, we still face forces intent on destroying us - enemies that eat away at faith, that corrode relationships, that destroy families. Some of us are bone weary from the struggle, about to give up on the spouse who seems so distant, the child who has wandered away from God, the job we can't seem to succeed at, or the prayer that has gone so long unanswered. If that describes your spiritual state, let the words of Nehemiah sink into the raw places of your heart where disappointment lodges: "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." Now is not the time to give up or give in. Remember whose servant you are. Fight in His strength for your children, your marriage, your church. Do whatever it takes for however long it takes, knowing the Lord is with you.

Enough said, Now to do - Mark

Follow Your Kidneys

"I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart (mind, literally kidneys) also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope....
You will show me the path of life,
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
- Psalm 16: 7-9, 11 (NKJV bold portion added)

How do you get to this point; the point where even in the darkest times, when you can't see with your eyes so your trust the instructions of your deepest soul? We have to step back a few verses to find that answer.

"O my soul, you have said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord'"
- Psalm 16:2

Literally - You have said to Jehovah God - You are my Adonai (Lord, Master, Controller)
It is a soul proclamation of lordship in the daylight that leads to a heart that can be trusted in the night season.

Adonai, be the controller of my life. May I follow Your path and know the joy of Your presence TODAY.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

Why do the wicked SEEM to prosper?

I listen to talk radio a lot. Strange for a musician I know, but it goes all the way back to an Air Force vehicle with an AM only radio (a story for another day!) Some days I come to the point of saying, "Why do the wicked seem to prosper?" "Why does evil seem to go unpunished?"

I'm sure I'm not the only one with those questions, in fact we find one in the writer of Psalm 73. By verse 16 he has come to the point of frustration - "When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me" It was troublesome in my eyes. Marko paraphrase - It made my brain hurt trying to figure it out... UNTIL

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end" Psalm 73:17

It comes back to personal worship again. Are you surprised? Getting alone with God puts everything in perspective. The all-knowing, all-powerful God is in control and we can trust that He is able. Everything is not as it SEEMS. This life on earth is not the end of the story. It's just the beginning of eternity.

That is not from a vindictive spirit of, "They're gonna get theirs just you wait!" It should cause us to be burdened even more to share with them the good news of eternal life.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

Why Excellence from the Heart?

"Excellence from the Heart" has been the theme of my ministry and life for many years. It is more a high standard to which I aim than a destination to which I have arrived. I always thought of it as giving my best from a heart of worship. It is that, but God is teaching me that it is so much more.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" II Corinthians 4:7

"Excellence from the Heart" is more than giving our best from a clean heart. It is allowing the power of God to outshine any of our efforts. A quality to the music, to the art, to the life lived that exceeds our own earthen abilities to the point that the true God-source is revealed. For only in that divine power do we find true change.

Water Everywhere and Nor Any Drop To Drink

"Save me , O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I have come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary with crying; my throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God." Psalm 69:1-3

How in the midst of water up to your neck could you be thirsty to the point your mouth is parched dry?.... How in the midst of information overload could we not have the Word that brings living water of true life?

Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

--Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, part II, stanza 9

Just as drinking sea water hastens dehydration and leaves you thirsty; when we drink of the world's wisdom it only leaves us empty. May we quench that God given thirst with the only thing that really satisfies, the living water of Christ. Living Water that is the only source of wisdom, healing and peace.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

From We to Me: Let's Get Personal

Testimonies are powerful when we hear what God has done for a group of people far away, but they seem even more powerful when it directly happened to the individual that is sharing.

"Everything on earth will worship You; they will sing Your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs...Come and see what God has done, what awesome miracles He does for His people!" Psalm 63: 4-5

"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke....Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me." Psalm 63:16, 20

Both are powerful, but the intimate confessions of a life changed goes straight to the heart. Not only will it strengthen your witness, but will strengthen your worship. For God so loved ME and I will worship Him!

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

I Shall Not Be Moved

Not the anthem of the church member who doesn't want to leave their pew, but heart cry of David and hopefully each one of us.

"Truly my soul waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and salvation. He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved....My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved" Psalm 62: 1-2, 5-6

We see the progression: as we wait for God in "quiet trust", reflecting on His ability to save and protect - We will begin to see God for who He is and our position "In Christ" - We then wait in "Astonished, Dumbfounded" silence to see what this awesome God is going to do next.

We move from the hope that we will not be greatly moved (shaken) vs 2 to the confidence in Him that we will not be moved (shaken) vs 6. Stand firm in the assurance of His ability and His strength.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

But As For Me...

"But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning. because of your unfailing love. For You have been my refuge, a place of safety in the day of distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you , O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love." Psalm 59:16-17 (NLT)


"But as for me".. that is the place to which we all must come. A place where we decide that in spite of the circumstances and in spite of what others do, I will praise the Lord. We come to that place as David did, when we acknowledge to God, "You 'have been' and you 'are' my refuge of unfailing love."

"But as for me"... I will trust in that refuge.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

Worship Away the Fear

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears... Oh My!

Psalm 57 finds David facing trouble. You can almost see David's eyes as they shift back and forth from the enemy surrounding Him up to the heavens to"God Most High". "I am surrounded by fierce lions"..."Be exalted, O God, above the heavens"... "My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress"..."My heart is confident in You, O God; no wonder I can sing your praise!"

How do we overcome all that seems to surround us each day? Meditate on HIS greatness. Thank the Lord. Sing HIS praise. "Your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May Your glory shine over all the earth."

Focus on a great God and the problems will become small. Realize that God will fulfill His purpose for you. Worship away the fear!

You're in time-out!

Have you ever noticed that the things that are "punishment" for kids are viewed as blessings by adults. "Go to your room" - "Lay down and take a nap" - "You're in time-out". Well maybe that "time-out" one is still viewed a punishment. Why else would we avoid it?

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God!" God is longing to meet us in a quiet space. A space of still and silence. A space so often crowded out by good things and closed off by the tyranny of the urgent. A space that turns our focus from out to in and then from in to up. A space that turns the monologue list of requests into listening to God. A space that allows the still, small voice to cut through the noise of our lives. A space to shut off all the electronics and experience the source of true power. A space of worship. A space worth finding.

Now - "You're in time-out!" and after that, "Go to your room and take a nap!"

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Brandon my #2 child and favorite son (yes he's the only son) turns 19 today. We surprised him with a party last night. His mom went to great lengths to pull it all together and it worked!

What is not a surprise is the awesome man of God he is becoming. We prayed for years and it is so exciting to see God answering those prayers before our eyes. To see your children active in ministry when you don't have to MAKE them is such a blessing.

He is a talented drummer. He tells me that he would be even better if we had not waited so long to LET him play, but that's a story for another day. He is starting to move out from behind the drums now and lead worship in a different way. He has picked up the guitar and started singing with a voice that many were surprised he had. Most of all he shows a heart that longs to truly worship God and lead others to do the same.

He and his friends have started The Ticket Ministry . They are doing music and bible study for youth and college events. Check them out. They do a great job!

Son - I love you and I'm very proud of you. As my dad used to say, "Remember who you are and whose you are!" Stay "clean and close" and I know God is going to use you in incredible ways!

Welcome to my first blog!

Welcome to my world, it's a fun place to visit and for me a fun place to live. I look forward to sharing the random and sometimes twisted thoughts that flow through my brain.

I'm not sure there will be much original material, but I will share what I pick up through daily living in this media saturated world. As much as I can I will try to let you know where I found the information.

Facebook, Twitter (@markbjax), and now a Blog. I'm just one socially connected dude! Don't worry I understand that only God cares enough about my life to keep up with it all (and more) but you are welcome drop in any time.