Blogs

Blessing God’s Kids - By Dana Johnson

Have you ever read what Jesus did in Matthew 19:13–15? I’ll give you the short version. People brought little kids to Jesus, and you know what He did? He took them up in His arms and blessed them.

When I used to read this, I had a religious picture in my mind of what the scene looked like—Jesus holding the wee (and well-behaved) darlings in His arms, much like the painting most of us have seen of Jesus holding a little lamb. I don’t think that’s what was happening. According to Webster’s Dictionary, one of the primary meanings of the word “bless” is “to speak well of or approve.”

Chemistry 101 by: Ps. Tim Sheppard

Our vision at Gateway Worship is to develop highly influential God-worshippers. We focus on developing the five following foundational values. They are:
Core – our understanding of worship;
Character – our conduct as worshippers of Jesus;
Craft – how we hone our skills to operate in our giftings with excellence;
Chemistry – how we engage the congregation in ministry; and
Community – being part of a family of people with similar interests and callings.

An Unexpected Illustration of Worship

Esther’s story is not one we usually look to for insights about worship in the Bible. Before she became queen, Esther was just a girl, reverent before God and a servant of her people. In her humility, she was lifted to significance for a divine purpose. As we take a closer look at Esther’s story, we find she demonstrates the characteristic of a true worshiper: quiet submission. And, in turn, we also see God’s faithfulness to rescue those who come to Him in need.

Look Up – Song Stories

Look Up
by Marcus Kenny, Dana Johnson & Nick Starr

One of the greatest issues facing people today is identity. A poor identity or one that falls short of truth is so common. When the song “Look Up” was birthed, my hope was for children and young people (or anyone, for that matter) to be able to look beyond the opinions of man to discover the truth about themselves. I felt God wanted to say, “If only you could see who I see when I look at you!”

In the chorus, we had three ideas we wanted to get across:
“Look Up” – to see what God is really saying about you.

No Place to Rest His Head by Zach Neese

Matthew 8:20
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Where do you call home?

I’ve always had a problem with this question.

Are you asking where I’m from? Nowhere. I mean, I can tell you where I was born, but I didn’t stay there long. I was an Army Brat. We never lived anywhere very long. I can’t drive down a street and say, “Uncle Bob lived just over there. And that field is where we used to play ball. And I had my first kiss with Penny Fasbender under that oak tree by the Old Miller Place.”

Worship: Ministry to God by Cody Carnes

Wait, what? Ministering to God? I thought ministry was for people. Why would I minister to God? God is supposed to minister to me. Ministry is only for hurting, needy people, right?

These thoughts ran through my mind as I read chapter 2 of Pastor Zach Neese’s new book “How To Worship A King.” It’s a phenomenal book. You should buy a copy (or 10)!

The Unnamed Song by Thomas Miller

It’s always fun being creative. Well, almost always.

I actually hate love the creative process. Sometimes, I feel my creative efforts come together; other times, I’m afraid they come across as clumsy and presumptuous.

The Supply of a Child by Dana Johnson

A few years ago, someone asked me, “How do you find all these kids who love God so much and who are amazing ministers, too?” I thought about it, but didn’t have a very clear answer. I knew some of the reasons we were seeing children do awesome things for God, but had not defined the why and the how. It was time to get my Bible and find out for myself. I ended up in John 6.

Testing 1 … 2 … 3 … by Amber Rhoads

As I sat in the cold, sterile room at Children’s Hospital in Dallas, I watched my daughter being prepped for her EEG test. A few months before, I received the news that my seemingly perfect, healthy child actually had an incurable disease. Not only was the disease something I couldn’t even pronounce, but it also caused tumors in her brain that would eventually lead to seizures. The day had come for her to face one of many uncomfortable, painful tests.

God’s Worship Wineskin by Tim Sheppard

God loves to sing. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” The New Living Translation version says that God “will exult over you by singing a happy song.” God enjoys His children so much that He celebrates over us with singing.