Josh Joins The Grace Party on the Steve Brown Etc podcast

Listen to the podcast.

Grace Party

Last week I had the pleasure of joining one of my seminary professors and heroes, Steve Brown, in his studio to record a Steve Brown Etc podcast for the upcoming Grace Party that Steve's Ministry, Key Life, will be throwing later this month in Orlando, FL.  I shared a couple of songs while Charlie and Ruth Jones, and Buddy Greene, also joined the conversation.  It was a lot of fun!

Something that was especially meaningful to me to was sharing "Only The Sinner," a song that was inspired by Steve's teaching about God's grace.  You can hear the podcast here or click on the image above.

Last year I wrote a guest blog for Key Life about "Only The Sinner" and you can read the story and listen to the song here.

If you're in Orlando the weekend of May 20th, please join us at Willow Creek Church for Key Life's Grace Party.  It's going to be a blast.  Details here.

"Only The Sinner" featured on Steve Brown/Key Life Network

You can get a free download of my song Only The Sinner at Steve Brown's website and blog: Key Life Network.  This song is very dear to my heart and was inspired by years of listening to Steve's teaching on God's scandalous grace.

Steve Brown

It was a magnificent treat to get to say "thanks" publicly to Steve for the way his life's work has impacted me.

If you've never checked out a book by Steve, or heard him speak, you are missing out on one man's enormous gift.  Read the story behind Only The Sinner, listen to the song, and download it here.

What is Christian Worship?

Christian worship is God’s primary tool for shaping our identity as his beloved people, the Church. Worship is not a concert; nor is it entertainment for spectators. Rather, worship is a divine, community reenactment of the great story of the scriptures: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Thus, as we gather to sing, pray, celebrate the sacraments, read the scriptures, confess our sins, and profess our common faith together, God’s story becomes our story and, over time, by God’s Spirit, we are shaped both individually and corporately into the image of Jesus Christ- the Church. Worship approaches, preferences, and styles may differ among contexts and communities, but the essence of Christian worship remains the same! The liturgy or structure of the worship service helps us tell this great story.

And, in short, the liturgical flow goes something like this: God communicates to us and we respond in worship. That is, first God calls us to worship. Accordingly, we respond in song and prayer. Next, God cleanses us in confession as we offer our honest prayer. Then God covers us with his gospel assurance, and so we respond in thanksgiving. In the preaching of the scriptures, God consecrates us with his word, to which we respond with an affirmation of faith. Finally, God commissions us with his blessing and we respond by lifting our hands to receive his benediction (blessing).