Modern BelieverCulture Changes. God Doesn't.

Lifelight just announced their new location, which will be just east of Worthing, SD, which is a short drive south of Sioux Falls.

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It’s 225 acres of farm land, which will now need to be developed with everything needed to put on a massive concert each Labor Day weekend. Just a few of the things they’ll need are:

• water
• electricity
• bathrooms
• access points
• stages

Initially they are asking for people to help them with $600,000 of funding to develop some basics, but ultimately the cost to develop it all will run into millions of dollars. With this amount of land, they can now move from 100,000+ concert goers to potentially over a million. They also have a vision to make the site a year round ministry place, instead of just one big weekend a year.

Also announced was a new band for 2010. After many years of trying to get them, Lifelight will finally be host to the David Crowder Band.

If you want to give to Lifelight, follow this link.

A simple act of worship.

Have you ever tried to make someone worship “your way?”

Raise your hand if you’re guilty like me.

Wow. That’s a lot of you.

I grew up going to concerts and heading straight for the mosh pit area. We’d jump and push each other around and sing and have a great time. To this day, I enjoy a song that just compels me to jump. I’m not much for raising my hands in the air. I’ll clap sometimes, but you’re far more likely to find me using my hands to drum on something (once a drummer always a drummer).

Really though, sometimes worship is an act of getting down and dirty with God. Fred McKinnon recalls a story…

I will never forget this time I was at a Hillsongs concert in Jacksonville, Florida.  It was several years ago and I was with a group of friends … we were down on the 4th or 5th row.  Darlene Zschech was leading that fun song, “You Have Turned My Mourning into Dancing” … you know, the one where everybody is standing, spinning around, hands in the air, dancing, carrying on in radical praise …

And I was sitting.  Bent over, face in my hands, elbows propped on my knees … having an encounter with the God of the Universe. I forget exactly what we were talking about, but it was a more serious encounter where we were “having words”.  In the midst of this time, I remember it was like God called a “sidebar” … we’re just having dialog back and forth, and then totally non-related to our conversation, He calls it out …

Isn’t that really what it’s all about? Worship is like a conversation with God. Sometimes we’re just hanging out, having fun. Other times we go through some serious stuff, even as the world goes crazy around us.

Next time you’re worshiping, go ahead and do what you’ve gotta do. I may forget everything I just typed, but that’s my problem. Don’t let people like me stop you from getting real.

U2 just finished performing an epic concert at the Rose Bowl, which was also broadcast live on YouTube. Known for sonic excellence, U2 has been cranking out hit songs for nearly 30 years. Few bands can rival the fan following that they have, and Bono is renowned for his efforts to help third world nations.

Their current tour features a dream they’ve had for 2 decades, a 360° concert. I have several friends who journeyed to Chicago to watch them perform, and every one of them is still raving about it. An incredible amount of planning was put into this show, and has only recently become technologically possible.

U2 at the Rose Bowl (photo by Mark Krynsky)

Tonight’s show featured Bono leading the crowd in a portion of Amazing Grace. U2 has many songs featuring Christian themes, and in their early years, Bono and The Edge even took time away from the band because they were conflicted about rock and roll and God. Despite their familiarity with God though, they are still a secular rock group, and sometimes make choices reflecting that (includes pics of girls in bikinis).

But we all make mistakes, and U2 still plays amazing music. What if somebody was able to get through to the band, and help them get convicted, to understand all that God is, and start making worship music? What if U2 started playing to crowds approaching 6 digits, and leading them in the same music you sing Sunday mornings? What if Bono not only did all he does for third world nations, but did it in the name of God?

Alright, every blog needs a first post, so this will be ours.

We’re still working a few kinks out, playing with a few design aspects, rocking some social media (yay Twitter! Come follow us!), and finishing up a few things here and there, but we hope to launch on October 26th. That’s correct, next week Monday!

After hanging out on Twitter for a couple years, gaining some great friends, meeting amazing people who always help others, and discovering some fantastic content from across the web, a calling was felt to help bring this content to others! It’s tough being a Christian in today’s culture. It’s even tougher if you’re trying to live a Christian life pleasing to the Lord. It’s tougher yet if you work in ministry, volunteer in ministry, or are trying to reach out to help those around you.

But what if there was a place on the web that you could go to find helpful resources? What about a place that can encourage you? Give you inspiration to try something new? Or a place to learn what has worked for others, and how they did it?

We hope to be such a place. We’ll be scouring the web for fantastic content that can help you as a believer in this modern culture. We’ll only be giving you tidbits of it, instead giving you a link to see it in all of the original glory the author brought it out as. We want to make it easier for you to grow in your walk with the Lord. There’s already not enough time in the day, let us help by gathering the best content from around the web in one spot. Let us find it for you.

We aren’t perfect though. Maybe you find something great that you think we should know about. Send it in! Send us a message with a link on Twitter, or zip us a quick email ( tips@modernbeliever.com ). We’ll be sure to take a look at it. We’ve got a good start on monitoring sites with a track record of amazing stuff, but don’t be afraid to send in your suggestions!

You might not agree with everything that gets said here, so feel free to leave a comment, we’d love to see it! We all grow in Christ with FRIENDLY debate and discussion. If something gets out of control we won’t hesitate to shut down the comments on a post, but as good brothers and sisters in Christ, it shouldn’t ever come to that.

So be watching, Modern Believer is coming soon! Hopefully we can be a small light in this world, helping other lights to shine brighter! Pray for those behind this site to stay motivated and alert, and to follow the Lord’s guidance. As we put some ads and sponsorships up, please click through to them. It is going to take a lot of time and money to keep this going, and we’ve got bills to pay just like everyone else.

Tell all your friends that Modern Believer will be up and going soon!

In Christ,

Shawn

PS Jesus <3 You!