Ministry Monday: It Will All Be Clear

Last week on Ministry Monday, I shared a little bit about the changes coming in our ministry, Middle Man Ministries, and I shared about the huge step of faith we are taking, especially where finances are concerned. We have been praying and working hard since then to make sure that we are on the path that the Lord would have us go down with our ministry. We have almost finished making changes to our website that reflect our new vision and calling. Things have really been coming together and the Lord has confirmed our decision in so many ways...so, I should have seen the attack coming!

This weekend was rough. A couple of things happened that just really tried to knock the wind out of our sails, and I admit that I really let it get to me. However, in the midst of all the uncertainty and lack, God did speak and give a little glimmer of hope. After having a pretty bad morning and worrying a lot, as usual, I remembered this small glimpse of God this weekend...so here is the story:

Sunday was our 6th Wedding Anniversary, and although we have been struggling financially, Mr. The King wanted to take me to one of my favorite places to eat, Panera Bread. As we sat there eating lunch, I felt such despair in my spirit. The thought of the money that we had spent for lunch and all of our financial needs and uncertainty just began to weigh on me. Then as I lifted my gaze and stared out the window, I saw something amazing. Where there was once people gathered around the patio tables enjoying their Sunday afternoon meal, there was now a host of little birds pecking away at crumbs on the table tops and on the ground below. I watched thoughtfully as the birds patiently gathered all the little crumbs they could find, and then a few minutes later a little girl emerged with a baguette in her hand. She began to pinch off chunks of the bread and toss them to the birds. At that moment, I received the message loud and clear:

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

                                                                 Matthew 6:26-27, 31-33 NLT

As, I was trying to calm my heart today, I remembered that experience and those scriptures. The Lord also brought to my mind today a discovery that we made about a month ago. In a watering can on our front porch a mother bird made a nest, and her little baby found comfort and rest there. That mother bird didn't worry! She took what God had put in front of her, and with His help, she used what she had to make a home for her little baby.

So, I have taken my lessons from the birds today, and I am ready to follow the Lord in life and ministry where ever He leads, and leave the worrying and fear behind. I'm not saying that I have left the worry wagon...worry is unfortunately still a big struggle for me, even at this very moment...but I am going to keep looking back at these little birds and looking straight ahead at the path that God has put before me. I am going to be brave! I am going to move forward and settle my heart on Him!

This song has been very comforting today as well...

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By Phillip Phillips

Worship Wednesday: A Call to Worship

A couple of weeks ago, I was given a wonderful opportunity. Praise 96.3 FM, the local radio station that Mr. The King works for, gave me the opportunity to host a Praise and Worship Program on Saturday evenings called, A Call to Worship. I get to lead a radio audience in worship for the duration of this hour long program. I play worship music and offer insights regarding worship. I tell the story behind a worship song in the segment called, Behind the Song, and I dive into the word to look at the scriptural basis for certain worship songs in the segment called, Worship and the Word. This is such an exciting opportunity for me and for the last two weeks, I have been enjoying every minute of it. It has become a great time of personal worship for me as well.

Today, I want to share a song, some scripture, and some thoughts that God has given me for the Worship and the Word segment of the program coming up this week.

There is a verse from the Psalms that I have remembered since childhood. This verse has always been easy for me to recall and has been one of my favorites...

O taste and see that the Lord is good...

That is the part of Psalm 34:8 that I always remembered and quoted. As a child, I am not sure why I was drawn to this verse. After all, I didn't really understand what it meant. Taste the Lord? What was that supposed to mean, I often thought. Yet still, I was drawn to the verse, and maybe that was because I truly wanted to believe in a good God.

When I was in college and interning in the children's music department at a church in my hometown, Psalm 34:8 came to the forefront of my mind once again. At that time, all of the staff at the church had been given bricks to decorate in some way. I don't remember the reason why we were given the bricks, or what they were supposed to symbolize, but I know that it was a project that I enjoyed and threw myself into. I decorated my brick with none other than Psalm 34:8, and to this day, that brick reminds me that the Lord is good!

I guess you could say that my brick symbolizes the foundational truth that the Lord is good. When I decorated the brick with that verse, I was just beginning to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. I was just beginning to come into that foundational knowledge. I had no idea at the time that years later, I would hunger to taste more and more of that goodness and that I would be changed so drastically just by living out Psalm 34:8 and the verses and chapters surrounding it. 

Let's taste and see the goodness of the Lord right now by looking at more scripture from the Psalms:

Psalm 30:11-12

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.

    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Psalm 34:1-10

I will praise the Lord at all times.

    I will constantly speak his praises.

I will boast only in the Lord;

    let all who are helpless take heart.

Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

    let us exalt his name together.

 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

    He freed me from all my fears.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

    he saved me from all my troubles.

For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

    for those who fear him will have all they need.

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

Believing and living those verses has, at times, been a real struggle, but it has also been an act of sacrificial worship that has changed my heart and freed me...and given me joy. He truly is a good good God...all of the time! He hears us, He takes care of us, and He fills our deepest hunger with good things. We can expect to be satisfied in Him and only in Him!

It wasn't very long ago that I was made aware of this song by Brian and Jenn Johnson that is based on the verses that we have just looked at. I love to sing this song, it really aligns my heart into a place of joyful worship, and if you are anything like me, you will get it stuck in your head and find yourself singing it to the Lord all day.

O Taste & See

Ministry Monday: Redefining Middle Man Ministries

As I have mentioned before, Mr. The King and I are going through a time of refining and redefining our ministries. God has prompted us clearly to make some changes and take some steps that are both scary and exciting. We have made a commitment to follow Him no matter what, and so we are beginning a new journey. This journey... this new path... has us stepping outside of the confines of a single church for the time being and sharing our hearts and God's message in a variety of different formats.

What once was our christian events planning company and the platform on which Mr. The King helped support and propel the ministries of local and regional Southern Gospel Artists, has been completely redefined and realigned with the revelation of God's calling on us at this time. Middle Man Ministries is changing and growing to become a resource for the continued spiritual growth and development of people from all generations and all backgrounds. Our heart and our passion is for people to be truly changed by God and to grow into a deeper relationship with Him. God has put it on our hearts to write several books and Bible study materials, which we are just beginning to work on. He has also given us a desire to see  individuals and entire churches become true worshipers of Him, and thus we are accepting requests to minister and share in word and song at various churches and events. The Lord has already sent us several opportunities to share our hearts and His heart with people in our area. We will be continuing to work with Praise 96.3 and their annual Youth Conference, as well as ministering on the radio through various broadcasts (more in-depth about these later).

One of the big changes that we have made is the decision for me to make Middle Man Ministries my full-time occupation. I will not be working another job. We are trusting the Lord to provide for our financial needs. This is such a huge step for both of us, but especially for me, as I have been accustomed to going out and finding some sort of job to work when we are in need of more income. At this point, God has made it clear to me that I am to step out of the driver's seat in my life and stop trying to put my own plan into action whenever I see lack in our finances. He has shown me that I am to follow Him and be about His business in the way that Jesus did, leaving the provision up to Him. We know that this will not make sense to most people, and we have already been bombarded with some of the inevitable questions...
                                          "What are you going to do?" and "How are you going to make it?"
Our answer is simply this...We are going to trust God and be faithful and obedient to His calling. That is why we have redefined Middle Man Ministries...He is calling us and we must be obedient. If He tells us tomorrow that we need to go another direction, we want to hear that and be obedient. If He tells us to sell everything and go somewhere crazy, we want to be willing and faithful to do His work in His way. That is certainly tough to live out, and honestly, we still struggle a lot with it. However, we know that He is worthy of our absolute devotion, and we know that He loves us and will take care of us!

Please pray for us as we continue to define our ministry and take the steps that the Lord has revealed to us. Pray that we will trust Him fully and that He will be able to use us to further His Kingdom and lead people into a deeper relationship with Him and a greater knowledge of who He is.

As we learn more and make the changes that He has guided us to make, we will be sharing more in-depth with you. You can keep in touch with us here or on Facebook and Twitter, as well as our website (which is just beginning to be updated).

I will leave you with these verses from Ephesians today, as they sum up the passion and goal of the newly defined Middle Man Ministries:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

                                                                                       Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT

Worship Wednesday: Christ, My Vision

Today, I want to praise the Lord, my vision, for He brings sight to my eyes and brings His will into focus in my life.

Worship trains our hearts to see God, to see Him at work in the world around us and in our own lives. So often we are wearing the blinders of the world, and we can not see all the ways He protects us and cares for us. He loves us so much and wants us to see with His eyes, His vision.

My child, pay attention to what I say.

Listen carefully to my words.

Don’t lose sight of them.

Let them penetrate deep into your heart,

for they bring life to those who find them,

and healing to their whole body.

Look straight ahead,

and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

                                                           Proverbs 4:20-22,25 NLT


When we worship the Lord in song and proclaim His Word and His promises over our lives, our vision is retrained. We see less of this world and our problems and more of our loving Father! His Words penetrate our heart and we begin to see with His eyes.

Two of my most favorite hymns talk about making Christ our vision, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus & Be Thou My Vision.

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

Today, I ask the Lord again to be my vision, to keep my focus on Him, and to penetrate my heart deeply with His love and purpose for me. Sing these familiar words with me and let's worship the Lord, our vision!

Be Thou My Vision 

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.