facedown

I got a new CD recently by Matt Redman entitled "Facedown". He also has written a book by the same name, and I read the introduction to it. The premise of the book is grounded in three biblical examples—Ezekiel 1, Daniel 10 and Revelation 7—which all reveal that the worship going on before the heavenly throne is facedown. I've always been a believer that one's physical expression in worship (i.e. standing, hands raised, kneeling, laying face down, closing eyes, clapping hands, dancing, etc) should mirror the posture of one's heart. I try to incorporate this personally, despite the fact that I was brought up in a tradition where physical expression in corporate worship was rare, if not forbidden. Matt Redman makes a good point that most worship services today tend to be good about celebration (clapping, dancing, etc.) but the modern church has a tendency to avoid calling people to true, face-down awe and wonder. When's the last time you saw a congregation bowed low before the Lord crying for Him to pour out his Spirit on the church and the community? We're looking for a church home right now, and this is something I'm looking for...a church who is willing to strip off the facade and get real before God.

On another note, please be in prayer for me, when you have time. I'm battling some gun-shyness with my faith. For some reason, I'm hesitant to talk about my faith with others. I'm not sure if it's from my experience in a spiritually cold place like Denver or if it's a symptom of a greater spiritual ailment. I appreciate you lifting me up when you're facedown before your Friend and King.

Blake Allen Collier

"Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;

toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk,

and silence atheist babble."

Psalm 8:2 (MSG)

Well, our newest addition -- Blake Allen Collier -- arrived today. Amy went in for a regular doctor's visit. She was scheduled for a C-section this Friday, but she was starting to leak some amniotic (not sure if I spelled this right) fluid, so they decided to do it today! This was music to Amy's ears. Blake weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz. and is 19 inches long. Here's a couple of pics.

Happy Birthday

No, I didn't get this stretch limo in the form of the General Lee for my birthday, although that would be cool. I'm not sure it would actually fit in any of the parking spaces in our apartment, nor would it go over too well with some people...especially if the horn plays "Dixie". This pic is another gift from my brother Jay.

Well, We had a false alarm on the baby front the other night. Amy was having contractions several minutes apart, so we went to the hospital. The contractions subsided, so they sent us home. Earlier this week, we did get our C-section due date moved up, so unless Amy goes into labor, we're set to bring Blake into the world on Friday, July 21...which coincidentally falls exactly between my birthday and Will's birthday (both 6 days apart). I promise to post pictures when it happens.

Today is my birthday, and I have to say I think I might actually be getting more mature. According to Amy, this is the first birthday that I haven't had about 10 things that I wanted as a present. I feel like God's changing my priorities and showing me that I don't really need all those things that our culture says I need. He's showing me that He himself should be what I value more than anything on this planet, including some very good things such as health, family, and friendships. That's not to say I don't value these things, but I'm being made more and more aware of my self-centeredness and how I make gods out of God's gifts and worship them instead of the Giver. I always wondered why my dad never really seemed to want things for his birthday or Christmas or Father's Day. I guess he figured out the same thing...the only thing that offers us true, everlasting joy is Jesus, so other "gifts" just pale in comparison. I do admit, that I love getting gifts, and I hope to receive more in the future, but I have a new outlook on them. First of all, they're not expected, and secondly, I don't see them as something I wouldn't be happy without.

Awesome!

A shout-out to my brother Jay up in Michigan for giving me this incredible blog-warming gift!

29 years

This is my first ever blog entry. Many questions swirl in my mind such as "Am I wasting my time doing this?" and "Will anyone care about what I'm writing?" I guess we'll just see...if you read this, please add a comment to the blog so I know I'm not rambling for nothing.

Well, I've come a long way over the past 29 years. My 29th birthday is coming up in a week, and I don't know if it's the birthday or our recent move back to Texas from Colorado that has me reminiscing these days. I've thought about my high school and college years and about the people I've crossed paths with. Some of those friends have recrossed my path since coming back to Texas, and it has been great to reconnect with them. My analytical brain takes me off on weird tangents sometimes, and as I was running back through memories, I thought, "I wonder if anyone I'm remembering ever thinks of me anymore." Kind of a weird thought, but a more veiled form of "Have I made a true, positive impact on people with the nearly 3 decades I've been given with so far?" Some of the people I recollected were people I had a chance to share my faith with who "prayed the prayer" but I didn't see a lot of fruit after that. I wonder if they really became a Christian or just went through the motions. Is there a way for us ever to know if they truly have a relationship with Christ or did they think that saying the prayer was like getting a golden ticket to heaven and they didn't have to do anything else? My prayer for them has been that the Holy Spirit would woo them back to God and either fan the embers of their faith back into flame or light their faith for the very first time through whatever means He sees best.

Hope you're still with me. That got pretty deep, pretty fast. Life has changed a lot in the past month and only looks to change more in the next month or so. Amy will give birth to our 2nd child (Blake Allen Collier) sometime this month, and I will start seminary in August. Our firstborn, Will, turns 2 this month as well. We're trying to get settled into our new home and find a church. I'm sure there will be a lot to blog about, so I'll try to make some time to keep people up to date.